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Tag: Sony

  • Colors packs a punch; back to number two

    Colors packs a punch; back to number two

    MUMBAI: The past few weeks saw two major players Colors and Zee TV fighting for the second spot on the TAM TV ratings chart. While last week Zee TV won the battle and took over the second position, week eight of the ratings had a different story to tell.

     

    Colors finally managed to get back on the second spot with 444 million GVTs, up from 434 million GVTs. On the other hand, Zee TV noticed a huge fall and limped back to the third position with 418 million GVTs, down from 448 million GVTs.

     

    Apart from Zee TV, Life OK too saw some numbers down this week as it scored 316 million GVTs, down from 330 million GVTs.

     

    Star Plus continued to rule the charts with 636 million GVTs, up from 623 million GVTs.

     

    Both the Multi Screen Media (MSM) offerings observed a marginal rise in the viewership. Thus, Sab at number fifth position noted 286 million GVTs, up from 285 million GVTs and Sony Entertainment Television (SET) recorded 254 million GVTs, up from 253 million GVTs.

     

    As far as the other channels are concerned, Big Magic clocked 47 million GVTs, up from 46 million GVTs. Sony Pal too witnessed a significant rise and registered 39 million GVTs, up from 25 million GVTs, whereas Zindagi noted 22 million GVTs, up from 17 million GVTs.

     

    Epic observed a drop in the ratings and garnered 7.2 million GVTs, down from 8.9 million GVTs.

  • ErosNow to showcase SET and Sab TV shows

    ErosNow to showcase SET and Sab TV shows

    MUMBAI: Eros International Media’s on-demand entertainment portal ErosNow has added shows from Sony Entertainment Television (SET) and Sab to its catalogue. The content will be available to members at no extra subscription costs.

     

    Since most of the shows are currently on-air, archived content will be made available on the platform as well. Shows like CID, Taarak Mehat Ka Ooltah Chasmah and Balveer will be made available to subscribers on the platform.

     

    ErosNow CEO Rishika Lulla Singh said, “We are very excited to have partnered with one of India’s leading entertainment player Sony for providing premium television content on ErosNow platform. This strengthens our library with prime television programming from Sony and Sab and helps deliver our subscribers with wide range of soaps, serials and reality shows. With this, we are offering extensive content from four leading entertainment channels and are confident this content will be enjoyed worldwide on ErosNow.” 

     

    Multi Screen Media EVP & head digital business Uday Sodhi added, “We’re always looking to associate with leading entertainment portals to syndicate our content and expand our audience base. Digital syndication is a key focus for us and it’s important for us that we work with established and quality players in this space and from that perspective, ErosNow was a perfect fit.”

  • Sony’s Uday Sodhi upbeat about VoD platform Liv Sports

    Sony’s Uday Sodhi upbeat about VoD platform Liv Sports

    MUMBAI: Multi Screen Media’s (MSM) sports Video On Demand (VOD) platform Liv Sports is set to take audiences to a whole new frontier. Liv Sports is a VOD service that offers sports content from Sony Entertainment Network.

     

    India now has 300 million internet users, up from 200 million a year ago, with a little more than 50 per cent having access to mobile Internet, which makes India a big market for online content consumption.

     

    With the on-going Cricket World Cup, various VOD platforms are coming up with innovative shows to build interest. Speaking about Liv Sports’ plan for the World Cup, Sony Entertainment Network executive vice-president and head digital Uday Sodhi tells Indiantelevision.com, “We are in the process of packaging and will release them in phases. Our exclusive package will include articles from journalists, news coverage, and result analysis through innovative graphics and text.”

     

    Commenting on the catalog of Liv Sports Sodhi says, “We have streamed Australian Open live and reached more than a million viewers. We are also streaming Indian School and College Basketball League, which is not aired on television. Moreover, we also streamed Syed Modi International Badminton Grand Prix. We are moving ahead and will invade into new territory whenever we get an opportunity.”

     

    Responding to the marketing strategy to popularise the portal, Sodhi asserts, “As of now there is no such campaign coming out, we are promoting the portal on our network. But soon when there is an opportunity we will opt for aggressive advertising.”

     

    Though digital platform is growing with time there is no clear revenue model for the portals. When quizzed about the revenue model of the digital platform, Sodhi says, “Advertisers are showing significant interest on the digital platform, and the fact that it is the fastest growing media, I think good content will rope in big endorsements. There will be creative banners, pre-rolls, exit rolls and also in the middle of the event there may be banners. There is always a room from creative innovations to grab attention.”

     

    “Television is a medium to consume content at home and that will continue to grow. We are seeing modern infrastructure like 4k and HD on TV. Digital platform is for consumption of content on the go and that will grow independently. Both may be a medium of communication but individually different in their mode of operation,” says Sodhi, when asked about digital media’s impact on television.

     

    “We are a six to eight months old venture and we aspire to be the digital destination of quality sports. With digital platforms we can reach to new audiences and that is a good sign. Bandwidth will increase and more and more people will use internet on their mobile, which increases our possibility of growing bigger. And the main factor is time spent in front of screen. We don’t expect people to sit and watch TV full time so more screens are essential and digital is one of them,” he concludes.

  • Zee TV dislodges Colors yet again

    Zee TV dislodges Colors yet again

    MUMBAI: There has been some shuffling for the second spot inweek seven of TAM TV ratings as Zee TV took over Colors by a huge margin and spotted 448 million GVTs, down from 451 million GVTs.

     

    Colors at number three observed a huge fall in the viewership and recorded 434 million GVTs, down from 454 million GVTs.

     

    Talking about the gainers this week, only Life OK and Sony Entertainment Television (SET) were on the rise. Life OK retained its number four position with 330 million GVTs, up from 310 million GVTs; while Sony at number six with a significant rise noted 253 million GVTs, up from 236 million GVTs.

     

    Despite a drop, Star Plus continues to hold the numero uno position with 623 million GVTs, down from 645 million GVTs. Sab at number five noted 285 million GVTs, down from 294 million GVTs.

     

    On the other hand, Big Magic reported 46 million GVTs, down from 53 million GVTs, while Sony Pal observed 25 million GVTs, down from 26 million GVTs. Zindagi garnered 17 million GVTs, down from 18 million GVTs, whereas Epic continued to grab eyeballs with 8.9 million GVTs, up from 7.7 million GVTs.

  • Zee TV back to third spot; Star Plus the only gainer

    Zee TV back to third spot; Star Plus the only gainer

    MUMBAI: Its spot at the number two position was just limited for a week as the general entertainment channel (GEC) Zee TV went back to its number three position in week six of TAM TV ratings. The channel observed a huge fall and scored 450,944 GVTs, down from 485,396 GVTs. 

     

    Despite a fall, Colors regained its number two position with 454,157 GVTs, down from 476,976 GVTs. 

     

    Star Plus was the only gainer this week as it reported 645,013 GVTs, up from 616,431 GVTs. Life OK stayed happy at number four with 309,669 GVTs, down from 337,642 GVTs. 

     

    Sab at number five generated 293,685 GVTs, down from 294,412 GVTs and at number six Sony Entertainment Television (SET) garnered 235,501 GVTs, down from 263,082 GVTs.   

     

    The popular show from Star Plus – Diya Aur Baati Hum topped the general entertainment space with 10,908 TVTs, up from 10,674 TVTs. Ye Hai Mohababtein from Star too had a clear win and stood strong at number two with 9,129 TVTs, up from 8,595 TVTs and Saathiya Saath occupied the third spot with 8,975 TVTs, up from 8,557 TVTs. 

     

    Zee TV’s Kumkum Bhagya stood at the fourth spot with 8,909 TVTs, up from 8,443 TVTs followed by Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai that clocked 8,613 TVTs, up from 8,147 TVTs. 

     

    At the sixth spot stood Colors’ reality game show – Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 6, which opened at 8,593 TVTs. The channel’s fiction offering Sasural Simar Ka too grabbed eyeballs as it observed seventh position at the ratings chart and delivered 7,779 TVTs, up from 7,303 TVTs. 

     

    Sab’s chart leader Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah grabbed the eighth spot and scored 7,329 TVTs, up from 6,822 TVTs. Zee TV’s fiction offering Jamai Raja occupied the ninth position with 7,301 TVTs, up from 6,899 TVTs.

     

    Last but not the least, at the tenth spot stood Star Plus’ fiction property – Tu Mera Hero, which generated 7,143 TVTs, up from 6,289 TVTs.

  • Tam Data: Zee and Sony gain in week 5

    Tam Data: Zee and Sony gain in week 5

    MUMBAI: In week five of the TAM TV ratings, the numero uno channel, Star Plus, witnessed a drop. From 659015 GVTs, it fell to 616431 GVTs.

     

    The week saw Zee TV gaining and propelling back to number two position with 485396 GVTs, up from 407999 GVTs.

     

    Colors, which enjoyed the number two spot for a while, came in third in the rating chart. It was a marginal drop of 476976 GVTs from 485008 GVTs.

     

    At number four stood, Life OK with 337642 GVTs up from 298833 GVTs.

     

    Multi Screen Media’s Sony Entertainment Television (SET) jumped to 263082 GVTs from 237536 GVTs. Its sister channel, Sab, witnessed a drop; from 304601 GVTs to 294412 GVTs.

     

    Talking about the other small players in the market, Big Magic reported 41799 GVTs, down from 48822 GVTs; Sony Pal registered 29159 GVTs up from 25595 GVTs; Zindagi scored 18439 GVTs down from 20737 GVTs and Epic observed 8057 GVTs up from 6958 GVTs.

  • Sab launches new ad campaign showcasing digital divide

    Sab launches new ad campaign showcasing digital divide

    MUMBAI: Sab, a family entertainment channel from the Multi Screen Media (MSM) stable, has launched a new brand film as part of its #DigitalDividesSABUnites campaign. The brand film shows a very existing phenomenon faced and witnessed by families today, that of the digital world encroaching their personal lives but there is always some common thread that gets the family together.

     

    The satirical film shows a joint family living together where everyone is busy on some gadget or the other. In spite of all the family members being together there’s no conversation, everyone is focused on chatting on their phones, playing games, surfing the net or is listening to music with earphones plugged in. The film features the father of the family singing a song and narrating the grievance through it, at the end even after the commotion, everyone is still glued on to their device. This is when, he mentions latest update and character from Sab shows and everyone joins in to comment over it.

     

    Inference being, how Sab’s light hearted family centric shows entertain every member of the family and is one of the uniting factors amongst them all. The brand film accentuates Sab’s brand philosophy of ‘Asli Mazaa Sab Ke Saath Aata Hain’ by also concurrently urging people to stay together in harmony and savour life as one instead of the virtual space overpowering your personal one. 

     

    Sab senior EVP and business head Anooj Kapoor said, “Our film takes a light hearted dig at how the virtual world is beginning to overpower the real world which we inhabit. The fact that virtual world has made us individualistic and introverted in nicely contrasted with how SAB continues to makes us extroverted and re-enthuses us to bond with our family through fun and entertainment.”

     

    The media mix includes TV, DTH, cinema halls, digital and on-ground events. The channel has also launched a contest, which gives the audience an incentive to share unpleasant experiences as a result of imprudent usage of mobiles and social media during family and friends get-togethers.

  • Sony & Spotify ink partnership for new music service on PlayStation

    Sony & Spotify ink partnership for new music service on PlayStation

    MUMBAI: Sony Network Entertainment International LLC (SNEI) and Spotify have inked a global strategic partnership to deliver a best-in-class digital music experience to PlayStation Network and its 64 million active users.

     

    Through this partnership, SNEI will launch a new music destination in Spring 2015 called PlayStation Music, with Spotify as the exclusive partner. Spotify on PlayStation Music will roll out in 41 markets, initially for PlayStation consoles and Xperia smartphones and tablets. 

     

    “Music is a core component of the entertainment offering that consumers expect from Sony, and our goal with PlayStation Music is to provide the most compelling music experiences to the millions of PlayStation Network users around the world. This partnership represents the best in music and the best in gaming coming together, which will benefit the vibrant and passionate communities of both Spotify and PlayStation Network. We’re thrilled to make Spotify the foundation of our strategy with PlayStation Music,” said Sony Computer Entertainment Inc president and group CEO and Network Entertainment Business group executive in charge Andrew House. 

     

    PlayStation Network and Spotify’s award-winning digital music service will be deeply integrated, offering unique and exclusive benefits to users. PlayStation Network users can link their accounts with Spotify, making it easy to subscribe to Spotify’s Premium service through the PlayStation Network wallet. 

     

    “We are incredibly honored to partner with Sony and PlayStation to give gamers around the world an amazing experience wherever they listen to music. As a gamer and PlayStation 4 user myself, I’m super excited to be able to soundtrack my FIFA 15 Arsenal matches later this spring,” said Spotify CEO and founder Daniel Ek. 

     

    Spotify on PlayStation Music will offer more than 30 million songs and 1.5 billion playlists on PlayStation4 (PS4) and PlayStation3 (PS3) systems, as well as Xperia smartphones and tablets. Users will be able to create a music collection and listen to playlists (including existing playlists from current Spotify users as well as Spotify curated playlists) and enjoy the service on all of Spotify’s supported devices. Additionally, PS4 owners will be able to use Spotify while playing games, enabling them to soundtrack their gaming sessions with their favourite songs playing in the background. 

     

    SNEI’s current Music Unlimited service will close in all 19 countries on 29 March9, 2015. Nearly all of these countries will be among the 41 markets where PlayStation Music featuring Spotify will be available at launch. From 28 February, 2015, Music Unlimited users with active subscriptions will receive up to 30 days of free access to Music Unlimited through 29 March, 2015, and will be offered an introductory Spotify Premium trial.

  • TV channels line up special programming for 66th Republic Day

    TV channels line up special programming for 66th Republic Day

    MUMBAI: The broadcast industry is all set to awaken the masses with ample dose of patriotism coupled with entertainment. An array of special programs have been lined up across channels to celebrate the spirit of India’s 66th Republic Day.

     

    This time round, Hindi general entertainment channel Colors is gearing up to simulcast the historic event with nationalistic zeal and fervour. The channel will telecast live the much awaited parade and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s message for Indian and international audiences.

     

    This is the first time Colors and Rishtey will simulcast the celebrations along with the national television channel Doordarshan. The telecast will also reach out to the international markets i.e. MENA, US (Aapka Colors) and UK. Colors CEO Raj Nayak believes that the iconic Republic Day parade and the PM’s message to the nation is the content that drives cohesive viewing in families.

     

    “Being able to bring to our audience the much awaited parade and message from our Prime Minister Narendra Modi LIVE is a privilege and a source of pride for the team at Colors and Rishtey. This is our way to celebrate our 66th Republic Day, by bringing it closer to our audiences, in India and the world. Telecasting this event in markets other than India – and to the US MENA and UK is also a milestone for the network as a whole,” Nayak said.

     

    On the other hand, Zee TV is taking a different route. The channel will be premiering the Shah Rukh Khan starrer – Happy New Year – from 1 pm onwards.

     

    Sony Entertainment Television’s (SET) longest running show – CID completed a milestone of 17 glorious years on 21 January, 2015 and celebrating the landmark this year, CID is all set to entertain its fans with a daylong CID special feature on 26 January.

     

    From 8 am to 10 pm, viewers will get to see the most exciting episodes of CID over the years. In fact, the first episode of the show will also be aired on 26 January. What’s more, the CID team will also spend the day with children and share their experience and memories. These interactions will be showcased in between episodes throughout the day.

     

    SET chief creative director Ajay Bhalwankar said, “Our flagship show CID has over the years responsibly entertained generations of young viewers to recognize and act upon the incidence of crime around them. This Republic Day we want to commemorate this memorable journey with our daylong celebration through a special programming initiative called Jashn-e-CID.”

     

    Big Magic, which is positioned as the one stop destination for humour,  is geared up to celebrate the day with actor Ayushmann Khurrana, as he engages the audience from 7 to 10 pm. The channel has partnered with his upcoming movie – Hawaizaada to celebrate the spirit of ‘Made in India’. The movie releases on 30 January, 2015.

     

    Pumped with fun, humor and patriotism, all the shows on Big Magic will celebrate Republic Day with the special episodes wherein Khurrana will be the anchor link. The actor will also share anecdotes about his movie and will be imparting a distinctive message of believing in oneself.

     

    Reliance Broadcast Network COO Lavneesh Gupta said, “To salute Republic Day, a momentous occasion for Indians, the Big Magic family will come together to entertain our audience with fun-filled episodes. We’re glad to be sharing this special day with Ayushmann Khurrana , lead actor of Hawaizaada, where the film salutes Indianness and will together impart an inspiring message to our viewers.”

     

    History TV18 will host a line-up of shows from 12 to 7 pm. From 12 to 3 pm, the channel will air Gandhi, a series that charts Mahatma Gandhi’s establishment beginnings, his move into politics and his campaign to bring independence to India. Hosted by journalist Mishal Husain, this first definitive series on the life of Gandhi examines his relationship with his wife and his role on the path to Indian independence.

     

    From 3 to 5 pm, the channel will showcase a series called – India on Four Wheels. As the Indian economy booms, the latest must-have accessory is the car. With increasingly affordable models on the market, and growing demand for cars as a status symbol and sign of social development, people’s lives are becoming intertwined with car ownership. Justin Rowlett and Anita Rani join the chaos of India’s roads on a madcap road trip across the country, to find out the truth behind the dream. Whether it’s breaking down by the side of the road, facing suicidal peacocks or tasting luxury in a Maharaja’s vintage Rolls Royce, this is a surprising look at a country on the move.

     

    Last but not the least, from 5 to 7 pm, the channel will air The Birth of Empire: East India Co, a series that reveals how the behemoth that was the East India Company grew into an imperial power and became the hotbed of corruption and greed that led to its downfall.

     

    Comedy Central will commemorate Republic Day by showcasing a one hour special episode of the news spoof The Other Week That Wasn’t at 8 pm. Viewers will get a chance to enjoy more of Cyrus Broach’s tongue-in-cheek spoofs and mouthful of puns.

     

    Kids genre is also leaving no stone unturned to celebrate the spirit of nationality. A puppet show, relevant to the day’s theme and an explorative session with Dora the Explorer will be aired on the channel from 5.30 to 7 pm.

     

    Vh1 celebrates yet another moment of patriotism with a countdown to the top Indian videos that have emerged in recent times from 10 am to 5 pm. On the other hand, 9X Jalwa will play a special playlist of all patriotic songs between 7 to 10 am on the band Hits Forever. The repeat telecast be aired on the same day from 7 to 10 pm.

     

    #fame, a multi channel network, will dedicate the day to womanhood. Orville Richard Burrell CD, best known by his stage name Shaggy, once chanted, “So amazing how this world was made I wonder if GOD is a woman; the gift of life astounds me till this day; I give it up for the woman.” Taking cue from the song, singer Abhiruchi Singh has penned down and sung an awe inspiring song ‘Ud Chali’ to celebrate womanhood, which will be aired on #fame.

  • Goldmines Telefilms’ Manish Shah denies hanky-panky deals with Sony India

    Goldmines Telefilms’ Manish Shah denies hanky-panky deals with Sony India

    MUMBAI: It seemed to be a day no different than any other for Goldmines Telefilms director Manish Shah as he got ready to go to his office in a rather non-descript building in the suburb of Goregaon west in Mumbai. At around 9 am, the film syndication specialist got a call from someone he knew that he had been mentioned in a newspaper report about alleged business malpractices at Sony India’s MSM network. It intrigued him but not enough to pull him away from his daily schedule of placing calls to clients and to broadcasters about the films he had acquired and wanted to pitch to them.

     

    Then he got a call from us at Indiantelevision.com requesting to meet him. He agreed but wanted an hour and a half to himself before speaking to us. He ordered a few copies of the newspaper and spent time reading the Bloomberg report over and over again until we arrived. The Bloomberg report stated that Sony Corp was investigating possible irregularities in business dealings following an anonymous email to Sony Pictures Television world wide networks president Andy Kaplan. The letter, which reached Kaplan on 6 October, stated that “the head of MSM’s motion-pictures unit was colluding with an agent to raise the cost of movies that Sony bought to air on TV by as much as 35 per cent in return for kickbacks.”

     

    And that agent was Manish Shah, who was once a television producer of both Gujarati and Marathi shows for channels such as Alpha Marathi (part of the Zee group), ETV Gujarati and Hungama before finding his mettle in buying and selling film rights to broadcasters and building a business in excess of Rs 100 crore. He hit jackpot with the regional films he acquired and dubbed them in Hindi, paying attention to creative detail.

     

    Shah welcomed us in offered us a cup of coffee and then began speaking his mind, pooh-poohing the allegations made against him. Said he, “The allegations are absolute crap. There is no question about us being favoured or dealing in kickbacks. Rajani was an extremely tough negotiator; in fact she would hammer down my prices when I started doing business with Sony in 2004. So what are they talking about me being offered inflated prices in exchange for kickbacks? I meet Sneha only rarely; there was a time when I met her more often. But I meet the folks at Star India more for the film titles I own.”

     

    Shah pointed out that Sony Entertainment – though a good client – is not amongst his biggest. “Last year Sony bought Rs 10 crore worth movies from me, UTV bought Rs 14 crore movies, while Star bought Rs 16 crore of movies. So what are you talking about? Last year Sony bought just three movies from me.”

     

    He added, “I don’t know where this has all come from. Sony is investigating the matter, let them do that. I can only say that if any broadcaster has to look at the return on investment, my movies give the maximum ROI. Whether it is for Star, or UTV or Sony.”

     

    Shah furnished tables and charts, which showed that close to 50 per cent of the FPC on Max was occupied by Goldmines syndicated films for about five days each week. “But it is these movies that are working for the channel and the network, giving them a good return on their investment. I know what works and the regional language films, which have a lot of action, humour and entertainment work. And I have given a substantial number of films to Sony, but my prices have been hammered by the acquisition people,” he said.

     

    For Shah it is a clear business model. “I buy the movie, which gets the rating or is successful and then offer it to broadcasters for satellite rights whether it is Zee, Star, Colors or Sony. Whoever gives me the best deal, I offer the movie to them,” he proffered.

     

    His company has been working with Sony and Zee since 2004, with Doordarshan since 2005 and with Star since 2006. “Once I have the rights, I am the owner of the movie and so I decide who will get it based on price,” he said. “But this process does not involve kickbacks at all so how can I get kickbacks? Broadcasters today are smart and they know which movie will work for them and they want it at the best price. I totally deny any of allegations that have been made against me.”