ITV

Tag: Sony

  • Sony’s video service Crackle leaves UK shores

    Sony’s video service Crackle leaves UK shores

    MUMBAI: The Sony run video service – Crackle – is no more crackling among UK users and the media conglomerate has had to take the tough call of shutting it down completely from 1 April.  

     

    The company posted a notice about the closure on Crackle’s UK homepage that read: “We’d like to thank all those who have supported and enjoyed Crackle UK. As of April 1, 2014 Crackle’s UK service will no longer be operating.”

     

    Crackle offers viewers free, ad-supported video content, including full-length movies and TV series. The service also operates in US as well as Canada, Australia and close to 20 countries across Latin America, and those operations will not be affected by this closure.

     

    One of the major reasons for the call to shut shop in UK seems to be the increasingly competitive market in the country. Netflix entered UK two years ago and reached out to an estimated 1.5 million subscribers and there is also Amazon, which has been fighting hard to stay relevant by closely aligning its Lovefilm service with its core brand.

     

    Both companies have also tried to outbid each other on content rights for British viewers, undeniably raising the costs for Crackle and any other third-party service to compete. And in the case of Crackle, Sony also had to monetise the service through ads, which may be even harder in a comparably small market like UK.

  • Star Plus and Zee TV shed weight in ratings

    Star Plus and Zee TV shed weight in ratings

    MUMBAI: The week 12 of TAM TV ratings, has come as a shocker to the leader of the ratings chart. Star Plus has seen a major drop in its ratings with 649,264 GVTs, down from 726,516 GVTs a week earlier.

     

    This hasn’t deterred the viewership of the channel’s most popular talk show – Satyamev Jayate. It seems that more and more Indians continue to tune into the show each week. At the end of three episodes, the show has reached out to 26 crore Indians. As per TAM data for week 12, Satyamev Jayate’s cumulative reach for the first three weeks now stands at nine crore viewers.  The show recorded 5,720 TVTs in week 3 in all India (All 4+, All India) and a HSM TVT of 5,045 (All 4+, HSM).

     

    Zee TV continues to hold on to its number two position strongly despite witnessing a drop in its viewership. It registered 489,111 GVTs, down from 501,284 GVTs a week earlier.

     

    Colors is at number three with 467,985 GVTs, up from 465,493 GVTs in the earlier week. Everything seems to be OK for Star Plus sister channel Life OK, which continues to stay at number four position with 396,242 GVTs, up from 361,431 GVTs.

     

    Sab stood at number five position with 325,605 GVTs, up from 312,641 GVTs. Despite a rise in the ratings, Sony continues to be at the sixth position with 312,963 GVTs, up from 291,382 GVTs.

     

    Sahara One continues to be at the bottom of the ladder with 33,439 GVTs, up from 31,010 GVTs a week earlier.

     

    In the movie genre: Zee Cinema reported 195,342 GVTs, down from 201,397 GVTs; Movies OK scored 138,215 GVTs, up from 126,651 GVTs; &pictures garnered 90,356 GVTs, up from 79,296 GVTs; Zee Anmol earned 64,694 GVTs, down from 69,650 GVTs and Max registered 232,232 GVTs, up from 196,182 GVTs.

  • Sony Liv signs distribution deal with BoxTV

    Sony Liv signs distribution deal with BoxTV

    MUMBAI: Multi Screen Media’s video on demand service Sony Liv has inked a deal with Times Internet’s BoxTV to make its video content available on BoxTV’s website. The service will be available to BoxTV users worldwide.

    Speaking on the development, Sony Entertainment Network executive VP – new media, business development and digital/syndication Nitesh Kripalani said in a press statement, “Our vision is to make Sony Liv the leader in Video Entertainment and to reach audiences, both organically and inorganically. We need to expand our reach and be where our consumers are. This distribution partnership with Box TV is a step in fulfilling our vision.”

    BoxTV users will get to see over 18 years of content from Sony’s stable, covering genres including drama, comedy, thriller and many more on the platform. The content will include currently running shows that BoxTV users can watch across MSM’s leading channels – Sony and Sab. In addition to original complete content, the deal will also include content made specifically for the web that include sneak peek videos, “Quickisodes” and “Short-crunch” episodes.

    BoxTV business head Pandurang Nayak added, “We are very happy to bring Sony Liv’s content for BoxTV users. The association is also a big new leap for BoxTV where we’re building more and more on the platform through aggregation of content via unique tie-ups with existing digital brands like Sony Liv. We believe that this enhances the experience for users to get more at a single destination and enables content brands like Sony Liv to reach out to wider base of audience, creating a win-win for both our services, with the end-user reaping the maximum benefit.  It is an exciting step forward for us to build BoxTV as a platform of choice for both premium content owners and users alike.” 

  • Colors gains big in week 11 of TAM TV ratings

    Colors gains big in week 11 of TAM TV ratings

    MUMBAI: In the week 11 of TAM TV ratings, Star Plus, Colors and Sab are the only gainers. Other channels in the general entertainment channels (GECs) space have witnessed a drop in their ratings.

     

    Star Plus continues to be the leader in the space with 727 million GVTs, up from 717 million GVTs.  Zee TV is still standing strong at number two position, even though it registered a drop garnering 501 million GVTs as compared to the 528 million GVTs last week.

     

    Colors, with 466 million GVTs is at number three position. The channel has gained big this week and is up from 435 million GVTs from the previous week. Life OK, ranked at number four garnering 361 million GVTs, down from 373 million GVTs, in the earlier week.

     

    While Sab is at number five with 313 million GVTs, up from 305 million GVTs, Sony continues to be at the bottom of the chart with 291 million GVTs, down from 301 million GVTs from last week.

  • Hakuhodo Percept gets Bhaskar Ghosh on board as National Client Services Director

    Hakuhodo Percept gets Bhaskar Ghosh on board as National Client Services Director

    MUMBAI: Bhaskar Ghosh joins the senior leadership team at the Delhi headquartered Hakuhodo Percept, as National Client Services Director.  The former Branch Head of Rediffusion- Delhi, brings with him a wealth of experience gained over 20 years, creating new conversations for brands such as Domino’s Pizza, Coca Cola, Spice Jet, Nokia, Dabur and Sony, to name a few.

     

    He takes on a national role, with key focus areas being to strengthen Hakuhodo Percept’s client relationships, put in place best practises in account management, and create opportunities for new businesses and growth across branches in India.

     

    Speaking about this development, Elvis Sequeira – Executive Director, Hakuhodo Percept said: “ It’s been a long, long courtship, and am happy that we’ve got Bhaskar on the team. We’ve been slowly re-engineering ourselves over the last couple of years, getting fabulous talent on board to head Planning and Creative, so really this was the final missing piece in our plan. Bhaskar is a wonderful mentor for young talent and an inspirational leader who loves to roll up his sleeves and get things done. I believe that clients, brands and people have a lot to gain from Bhaskar’s talent, involvement and style of functioning.”

     

    Bhaskar Ghosh’s previous stints have been with Contract, Grey, Bates, Leo Burnett and TBWA. He is a Commerce Honours Graduate from Delhi University and has an MBA from the University of Bedfordshire, UK.

  • Hindi GECs lend colour to Holi celebrations

    Hindi GECs lend colour to Holi celebrations

    MUMBAI: Squirt coloured water on your friends and dear ones or smear their faces with Gulaal… anything goes for it’s that time of the year when you can say, “Bura na maano, holi hai”.

    With the festival of colours just round the corner, Hindi GECs are going hammer and tongs to jump into the Holi revelry. Kick-starting the celebrations will be Colors’ ‘Beintehaan Jazbaat Ke Rang’ on 15 March from 7.30 to 9pm. The show will bring together protagonists of Colors’ many shows such as Bani- Ishq Da Kalma, Uttaran, Balika Vadhu, Beintehaan and Rangarasiya. Among a slew of performances, Sunny Leone, who stars in Balaji Motion Pictures’ upcoming Ragini MMS 2, will be seen shaking a leg to the films hit number, Baby Doll.

    Zee TV will air a three-hour special titled Zee ‘Holi Mahotsav- Ladakpan ke suhaane’ rang on 16 March at 6pm and 17 March at 4pm. The Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke team will invite other Zee artistes to celebrate Holi in the Benares style while audiences will be given a sneak peek into celebrations in other states of the country including UP, Punjab and Rajasthan. Hasya kavi Surendra Sharma will grace the event that will also witness performances by on-screen couples such as Jodha-Akbar and Zoya-Asad.

    Says Zee TV programming head Namit Sharma: “This year, the Holi Mahotsav on Zee will be a celebration of the sheer diversity of content we offer as a broadcaster. The grand revelry with colors will be in Benares where the Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke family invites artistes of all our other primetime shows to join in. Showcasing the various styles in which Holi is celebrated across different Indian states, we’ll have beautiful acts that represent the country’s vibrant cultural canvas.”

    As for Star Plus, the channel is all set for a waterless Holi on 17 March at 12.30pm with ‘Masti Gulal Ki’, a two-hour-long celebration highlighting the importance of conserving water while keeping the fun element intact. Produced by Frames Productions, the show will be hosted by real-life couple Jennifer Winget and Karan Singh Grover with Ritvik and Asha, Ravi and Sargun, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Digangna Suryavanshi (Veera), Sayantani Ghosh, MJ 5 and Krushna Abhishek joining in the celebrations.

    Star Plus SVP and programming strategy Nikhil Madhok says: “Star Plus’s initiative of a waterless, environment-friendly Holi is in perfect sync with our core philosophy of Nayi Soch. Holi this year coincides with World Water Day, so the message becomes even more relevant. Masti Gulal ki will show how Holi can be great fun even without the use of water. It will be a really entertaining event.”

    According to Frames Productions founder Hemant Ruprell, it took almost three weeks to put together the show. “It is a message. We are heading toward summer and with the kind of drought in so many parts of India, we thought we would do it differently this time and send out a message to people that celebration of Holi is about colors and not necessarily asking for 20-25 water tankers. We wanted to go waterless, but wanted to make it as colorful and dynamic,” he says. “Unlike others, we have done a proper stage event for Holi and not in a fictionalized manner.”

    Star Plus’ sister channel, Life OK, will telecast ‘Holi Hain… Life OK Hain’ on 17 March at 8 pm. Bharti Singh and Karan Kundra will be the hosts while Savdhaan India presenters Sushant Singh and Pratyusha Banerjee will join in the festivities and talk about women’s safety on the occasion of Holi.

    Vibhav Roy and Parvati Sehgal (Gustakh Dil) will showcase fun acts, while Gaurav Bajaj and Sukirti Kandpal ( Kaisa Ye Ishq Hai)) will recreate romance on the small screen. The star performer will be Yo Yo Honey Singh and the music will get a comic tadka as Yo Yo Honey Singh and Bharti Singh slug it out in a Punjabi versus Bhojpuri rap.

    On Sony Entertainment Television, there will be Holi integrations on three shows – Ekk Nayi Pehchaan, Boogie Woogie and CID.

    During the 16 March episode of Boogie Woogie, along with performances by the top six contestants, hosts Sargun and Rakshit will perform on the song Balam Pichkari from Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. They will be later joined by the judges and there will be performances on songs like Holi Khele Raghuveera from Baghban and Do me a favour let’s play Holi from Waqt-The Race Against Time.

    Ek Nayi Pehchaan will see the entire Modi family gather under one roof to celebrate the festival on 17 and 18 March. As for CID, there will be a special one-hour episode on 17 March at 9 pm, replacing the two daily soaps, Nandini and Jee Le Zara.

    Sony Entertainment Television SVP head-marketing Gaurav Seth says: “A lot of the channels use these special days for topical value and obviously, cultural festivals hold a big place in the Indian family. Viewers like to see their favourite characters mirroring their own lives. It is good for us to have those special events.”

    As for Sony’s sister channel, Sab, this year, it will celebrate a Bollywood-style Holi with all of its actors on 17 March at 9pm. ‘Sab Ki Filmy Holi’ will ensure that viewers shake a leg alongside as they watch it with their family.

    The lovable small screen couple, Daya and Jetha, will anchor the show that will see performances by Daya – Jetha, Taarak – Anjali, Bhide – Madhavi, BabitaIyer, Indu-Mukundi, Koel-Ghotak, Jeannie-Juju, Bagha-Bavri, Chukku-Lily and Machli-Kapi. While gags by Aamir Ali, Sayantani, Kamya Punjabi, Kiku Sharda and Rajesh Thakur will tickle the viewers’ funny bone.

    On-screen celebration of festivals such as holi help these channels make a stronger connect with their audiences.
  • Star Plus gains big in TAM week 10

    Star Plus gains big in TAM week 10

    Updated: 7:08 PM

    MUMBAI: It was a big victory for the leading general entertainment channel (GEC), Star Plus – courtesy India’s most talked about show – Satyamev Jayate which clocked 4,874 TVTs and helped the channel cross the 700 million mark. In the week 10 of TAM TV ratings, the channel recorded a whooping 717,248 GVTs (637,252 GVTs). Not only this, the channels move of extending all its prime time fiction properties till Saturday has also paid off.  

     

    Star Plus’ chart topper Diya Aur Baati Hum noticed a huge rise and noted 12,748 TVTs from 10,943 TVTs last week. Saathiya is the second highest property for the channel as it observed 10,853 TVTs from 9,827 TVTs a week earlier.  Its epic series Mahabharat too witnessed a high in the ratings and recorded 6,669 TVTs from 5,904 TVTs a week earlier. Sunil Grover’s reality show – MAD In India does not seem to interest people as it witnessed a drop in its ratings and scored 2,366 TVTs from 3,216 TVTs.

     

    Holding the second position strongly is again Zee TV which saw a marginal dip but is ahead of the other GECs and scored 527,996 GVTs (547,981 GVTs). Its fiction property Aur Pyar Ho Haya witnessed a slight drop in its ratings and noted 5,206 TVTs from 5,328 TVTs a week earlier. The channel’s dance reality show, DID LiL masters – in its second week, witnessed a huge drop in its ratings and stood at 8,764 TVTs from 11,099 TVTs in week 09.

     

    Colors doesn’t seem to be spreading enough colours these days as the channel witnessed a further drop this week. Its comedy property Comedy Nights with Kapil magic is working with the audiences as it recorded a high with 9,515 TVTs from 8,427 TVTs. India’s Got Talent lost and fetched 4,864 TVTs from 6,567 TVTs.

     

    Life OK saw a rise and garnered 372,666 GVTs from 341,467 GVTs and stood at number four. Sab continues to occupy the fifth position with 304,619 GVTs from 302,960 GVTs a week earlier. Sony Entertainment Television (SET) stands at the bottom of the chart as it fetched 301,112 GVTs from 306,159 GVTs, last week.
     

    In the movie genre: Zee Cinema reported 198,401 GVTs, down from 191,121 GVTs; Movies OK scored 116,767 GVTs, down from 130,606 GVTs; &pictures garnered 80,248 GVTs, up from 77,000 GVTs; Zee Anmol earned 63,203 GVTs, down from 64,848 GVTs and Max registered 158,676 GVTs, down from 176,561 GVTs.

  • Hindi GECs gear up for Women’s Day

    Hindi GECs gear up for Women’s Day

    MUMBAI: This Women’s Day, television is pulling out all stops to celebrate womanhood. As a tribute to the fairer sex, Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs) will run special tracks on some of their popular female-oriented shows.

    As part of its new series, No More Kamzor, Star Plus will honor women who’ve refused to let society defeat their indomitable spirit, empowering others of their ilk through their stories of triumph.

    None other than Vidya Balan, who is the epitome of the strong, modern woman, will host the show that will also see issue-centric performances by the likes of Lauren Gotleib, Sayantani Ghosh and Shakti Mohan, among others.

    Balan will interact with women who dared to bring about a change while sharing with the audience valuable information (guidelines, laws and help lines) during the course of their stories, the aim being to create awareness and empower women.

    “When Star Plus approached me to be part of this show, I didn't have to think twice because as a woman, this is very close to my heart. It is truly an honor for me to be a part of this event, which will inform, empower and inspire millions of women across our country. What better way than this to celebrate womanhood on Women’s day?” said Balan about her participation in the show.

    Not just Star Plus, its sister channel, Life OK, too, will be airing women fight back specials as part of Women’s Day celebrations with Pratyusha Banerjee as host.

    Not to be left behind in the race to woo women, Zee TV will air Stree Samman special at 7pm. The one-hour show will see Neha Marda aka Urmi of Doli Armaanon Ki taking viewers through a journey where protagonists of Zee TV’s different shows will protest injustice against women, sending out a strong message of naari shakti and women's equality and liberation. Some hard-hitting scenes picturized on Zee TV’s leading ladies will be featured on the show; be it Urmi speaking up against eve teasing, Kamla Bai protesting the demolition of her chawl, Gunjan busting a Bihari gang of thugs or Jodha Bai fighting for justice for the slaves in Emperor Akbar’s harem.

    Coming to Colors, with women-oriented shows like Baalika Vadhu and Uttaran already in its kitty, the channel will showcase how Baalika Vadhu’s main protagonist, Anandi, fights for women’s rights along with her sister-in-law, Sanchi. The duo will be seen helping a woman called Avanti in a small village near Jaitsar, even turning to a women’s rights association for help. In addition, the 8 March episode of Bani-Ishq Da Kalma will feature the mother-son bond where the son, in order to make his mother feel better, will prepare a special breakfast for all the ladies of the house, especially his mother.

    Sphere Origins producer Sunjoy Waddhwa who produces Baalika Vadhu believes that women are more superior species than men. “Women’s day is very important, because when we are talking about Baalika Vadhu, we are per say talking about women. In our show, we have shown women’s journey starting from childhood. I think in our show, women’s day has a very big significance because the topic and the issue which we had taken five years back and what we are showing right now is all related to women. The stories are connected to women and what they have gone through and as Baalika Vadhu, how it affects women.”

    As for Sony Entertainment Television, it will air a women’s day special on its dance reality show, Boogie Woogie Kids Championship, where the small fatakas will dedicate the entire episode to all the women they respect and admire.

    For instance, one of the contestants, Abhishek, will dedicate his performance to his mother and perform a stunning dance on the song O naadan Parindey, followed by him humming a few lines of the song Maa from the movie Taare Zameen Par.

     About a whole lot of brands looking to celebrate women this Women’s Day, one media planner says: “There are brands which are targeting to be present on Women’s Day. It helps them to probably improve their presence and therefore better revenues for channels. I am sure they are looking for opportunities which can be leveraged and made bigger.”

    While another planner says that channels witness a 10-15 per cent hike in their revenues during special occasions like Holi, Women’s Day and Valentine’s Day. “Channels which have a special line-up, earn some extra bucks, but by and large, regular programming does not see a huge shift,” he adds on condition of anonymity.

  • Sony kick starts its month-long ‘Mission Mumbai’

    Sony kick starts its month-long ‘Mission Mumbai’

    MUMBAI: The last few years have seen the rise of the crime genre on TV. The number of shows in the genre hasn’t just increased in numbers but also in popularity. Usually featuring the stories from the Indian hinterland or Delhi – the crime capital and the surrounding areas. Not much has been told about the crimes in the city of dreams – Mumbai. However, now Sony Entertainment Television is set to tell the gory stories of Mumbai with a one-month special series – Mission Mumbai.

     

    Mission Mumbai will see the two leading crime shows of the channel – CID and Crime Patrol showcasing the terror, corruption, greed, slavery, molestation, kidnapping prevailing in aamchi Mumbai. ACP Pradyuman and his team and Anoop Soni will depict the tale of horrendous crime stories which have recently taken place in the city.

     

    In CID, ACP and his team will solve a series of mysterious and baffling crime cases of Mumbai – from the locals in the city to the interiors of the bustling city – the team will be seen covering all the lifelines of Mumbai. In fact, to bust the crimes, the CID inspectors will also be seen donning the role of dabbawallas. They will investigate crimes targeting women at the lonely kharghar skywalk to going on a chase across Mumbai in search of clues. The cops would also become passengers on a BEST bus to investigate strange murders on a particular route. The cops also solve a case of missing college girls at kanheri caves, a diamond robbery and a mystery at the worli chawl where the cops go undercover.

     

    In Crime Patrol, two incidents which recently shook the city to the core will be recreated. The first case is about the mysterious disappearance of the small-time theatre actress from Mumbai and the second case focuses on the horrific acid attack which ruined the life of a young girl and took place in Mumbai last year.

     

    Mission Mumbai will start from 7 March onwards, 10:00 pm to 11.30 pm on Sony Entertainment Television.

  • Sony gains big, rises to number 4 position in week ended 16 Feb

    Sony gains big, rises to number 4 position in week ended 16 Feb

    MUMBAI: After languishing in the sixth position for many weeks, Sony jumped to the fourth position among general entertainment channels in the week ended 16 February, as television premier of Bollywood blockbuster Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela drew viewers to the channel.

     

    Sony had lagged behind even Life OK and Sab, the second GECs from the stables of Star and Sony respectively, for long time.

     

    Sony’s viewership tally rose to 339 million GVTs in the week 8 of TAM from 275 million GVTs a year earlier. Its sister channel Sab also saw a rise in its viewership during the week to 326 million GVTs from 297 million GVTs a week earlier.

     

    For the rest of the GECs, it was a dull week. Despite losing some viewership, Star Plus continues to lead with 688 million GVTs against 702 million GVTs a week earlier.  Colors continues to hold the number two position with 502 million GVTs, flat compared with 504 million GVTs a week earlier.

     

    Zee TV is in the third position with 454 million GVTs, down from 457 million GVTs a week earlier. Life OK is at the bottom of the chart with 318 million GVTs, down from 328 million GVTs.