ITV

Tag: Sony

  • ‘From Gurukul’ to ‘Fame X’ and Sony to Sab

    ‘From Gurukul’ to ‘Fame X’ and Sony to Sab

    MUMBAI: Sony Entertainment Television India’s Sab is all set to unleash its first reality show with the refurbished version of Fame Gurukul that has been re-branded as Fame X.

    New version of the reality musical show will hit the tube in mid-November as daily weekday offering.

    According to Sab senior vice president and business head Vikas Bhal, the inclusion of the X- element in the name simply refers to the undefinable something that makes for star quality. The big difference that has been incorporated into the second season of the show that aired last year on SET is that the contestants will not undergo any makeover.

    Elaborating further, Bhal says that if the contestant auditions with a pair of slippers, his style will be retained. The effort will be to hone singing skills rather than presentation.

    Among the other changes being rung into Fame X is that there will be only one winner rather than the jodi (couple) concept that was seen earlier. A big thing for the Fame X winner will be that he/she gets the honour of creating a song and singing for the cricket World Cup that will be held in the West Indies in March 2007.

    The show will adapt to a more funky style and have an international look and feel. Unlike Fame Gurukul, which had an Indianised set-up of a music school, Fame X will remain true to the international version. Endemol, which owns the rights to the Spanish reality show Operacion Triunfo on which Fame X is based, will be managing the full production of the show. Production of the earlier Fame Gurukul was assigned to Miditech.

    Operacion Triunfo has been adapted across 11 countries across three continents, and is seeing a fourth and fifth series in some territories.

    This daily episode series will be spread across 13 weeks. The hunt for the contestants will kick off end of September. The auditions will be held in cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, Ahemedbad and Lucknow.

    Bahl concludes that the channel has yet to come to a decision on the jury panel as well as the host of the show. SET’s Fame Gurukul had lyricist Javed Akhtar, singer KK and musician Shankar Mahadevan as the panel judges while singer Ila Arun was the strict headmistress of the music academy.

  • Tech firms up in arms over proposed television rights treaty

    Tech firms up in arms over proposed television rights treaty

    MUMBAI: Dell, HP, AT&T, Sony, podcast firms and net broadcasting firms are among those who have come together to voice their dissent against a proposed treaty by the World Intellectual Propertry Organisation (Wipo).

    This will give television channels a new set of intellectual property rights over content. The firms mentioned above will fight to stop the UN proposal being adopted internationally.
    Media reports state that the plan being opposed is called the Treaty on the Protection of Broadcasts and Broadcasting Organisations. Wipo convenes in Geneva this week to discuss steps to be taken regarding the treaty.

    It would create a new class of IP rights designed to protect broadcasters from having their signals being stolen. The treaty reports indicate is designed to help fight signal piracy across countries. Here a channel shown in one country is re-broadcast in another without permission.

    The technology companies have signed a protest document against the treaty. The firms say that they remain unconvinced that a treaty is necessary at all. “We note with concern that treaty proponents have not clearly identified the particular problems that the treaty would ostensibly solve, and we question whether there are in fact significant problems that are not addressed adequately under existing law. Further, we are concerned that the current treaty approach differs radically from US legal traditions, and, if implemented, would require substantial and unnecessary changes to current US law.”

    The parties say that if the treaty moves forward in any form then the current rights-based approach of the treaty must be abandoned. They argue that creating broad new intellectual property rights in order to protect broadcast signals is misguided and unnecessary, and risks serious unintended negative consequences. They recommend instead a signal protection-oriented approach, ideally focussing narrowly and specifically on protecting signals from intentional misappropriation or theft.

    The protest is being co-ordinated by digital rights activist group the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).

    Podcasters and internet broadcasters claim that the treaty may give broadcasters a lot of rights over internet content.

    The new rights that the treaty seeks to give channels include an exclusive right of retransmission for over-the-air television signals (retransmission involves capturing a broadcast signal and rebroadcasting it without permission of the copyright holder or the original broadcaster) and more than doubling the term of protection for broadcasts to 50 years from the current 20-year term.

    EFF has expressed concern that the proposed treaty will endanger consumers’ existing rights, restrict the public’s access to knowledge, stifle technological innovation, preclude free and open source software, and limit competition in the next generation of broadcast and Internet technologies. It believes that Congressional hearings should be held in the US to address concerns.

    EFF argues that before creating a brand new set of exclusive rights for broadcasters, cablecasters, and netcasters, there should be a demonstrated need for such rights, and a clear understanding of how they will impact the public, educators, existing copyright holders, online communications, and new Internet technologies.

    Also it says that Treaty proponents have not provided a clear statement of the particular problem that justify the need for the new treaty, and why they are not able to be addressed adequately under current treaties and law. EFF notes that while Treaty’s ostensible goal is protection against broadcast signal theft, the treaty goes far beyond that by creating broad new intellectual property rights over the recording or fixation, and subsequent uses of, recorded
    programming content.

    Creating a new layer of rights that apply on top of, and in addition to, copyright law, would allow broadcasters to restrict access to public domain works and use of information that would be lawful under copyright law. This will directly impact all entities that rely on the balanced set of exceptions and limitations in national copyright.

    A Wipo statement regarding the treaty said: “Updating the IP rights of broadcasters currently provided by the 1961 Rome Convention began at WIPO in 1997. A growing signal piracy problem in many parts of the world, including piracy of digitised pre-broadcast signals, has made this need more acute.”

  • Sony sets out IPO plans; seeks controlling stake in Ten Sports

    Sony sets out IPO plans; seeks controlling stake in Ten Sports

    MUMBAI: Sony Entertainment Television (SET) India is stepping up plans for an initial public offering (IPO). The company is looking at a period after the cricket World Cup gets over in April 2007, a source close to the development says.

    The merchant bankers are yet to be appointed but the IPO plan is being actively pursued. “The board has approved an IPO plan, but subject to the capital market and other related conditions,” the source adds.

    Sony is also in active negotiations to buy a controlling stake in Ten Sports. SET India already has the rights to distribute the sports channel in India. “The negotiations are on to acquire a majority stake. But nothing has been finalised yet,” the source says.

    Ten Sports, it is learnt, is willing to part with a 50 per cent stake. No agreement has been reached on the valuation, the source says. It is worth noting here that a report put out by CNBC TV18 yesterday had said “the deal is believed to be worth between $ 55-60 million.”If this report proves correct, it would mean that Ten Sports has been valued at between $110 million to $120 million.

    When contacted, Taj Television Ltd CEO Chris McDonald said the company was in talks with several companies for strategic partnerships. “There is no deal at this stage,” he added. On being queried whether the company was willing to part with controlling stake, he refused to comment on specific details. Dubai-based Taj Networks owns and operates Ten Sports.

    SET India CEO Kunal Dasgupta denied that anything definite on Ten Sports or the IPO had been decided at this stage.

    Zee Telefilms Ltd. (ZTL), which was in negotiations over a year back, has not resumed talks, a source in the company said. ZTL plans to bid for cricket rights like the ICC which will come up for grabs rather than buy a stake in Ten Sports, he says. Another reason that ZTL dropped any acquisition strategy in regards to Ten Sports is that the channel is already locked into a five-year distribution deal with the rival SET-Discovery One Alliance, the source adds. ZTL in any case runs Zee Sports, which is in the hunt for acquiring cricket properties to provide strength to the channel.

    Taj Entertainment has mandated Ambit Corporate Finance to find a strategic investor. With Harish Thawani’s Nimbus preparing to launch a sports channel, analysts say the acquisition price would continue to be high with more broadcasters chasing cricket properties.

    Ten Sports would require capital infusion even as the cricket properties it currently holds (Sri Lanka, West Indies and Pakistan boards) come up for renewal. By doing a distribution deal with Sony, it will be assured subscription revenues on a guaranteed basis.

    “The buying into Ten Sports would be seen as a good time before the IPO,” a market analyst said.

    SET India has also conducted a restructuring exercise which is seen as a precursor to a public float. The company recently acquired sister company SET Singapore. Though it had obtained clearance from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) for this purpose a few years back, it had deferred this process as the proposed restructuring transaction would have attracted capital gains tax.

    “Sony is keeping everything ready for the right time to hit the market,” the source says.

    SET India had obtained clearance from the FIPB to acquire 100 per cent shares of SET Singapore through a share swap transaction. According to the proposal, one share of SET India would be exchanged for 16 shares of SET Singapore. Post-restructuring, 60.65 per cent of the SET India equity would be with the Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) entities, 19.83 per cent with non-resident Indians and overseas corporate bodies, 7.68 per cent with foreign institutional investors and 11.84 per cent with Indian shareholders.

    Taj Television is 100 per cent owned by Bukhatir Investments Limited, a UAE-based conglomerate with interests in banking, construction, real estate, trading, information technology, sports and broadcasting. Ten Sports is a sports channel which broadcasts in the Middle East, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives, Bhutan and Hong Kong.

  • Sony merges LCD TV with PC

    Sony merges LCD TV with PC

    MUMBAI: Consumer electronics major Sony has announced a new product named – Vaio LS1 TV/PC combo. The company says that the product combines the power of a PC with the LCD quality and stylish design.

    Featuring a framed display with a transparent border for a floating effect, the LS1 model packs the essentials for powerful computing into a slim chassis discreetly hidden behind the back of a flat-panel 19-inch WSXGA+ (1680 x 1050) LCD display.

    The new Vaio LS1 TV/PC model incorporates an Intel Core Duo processor, 2GB of RAM and a 250 GB hard drive for running multiple, demanding applications simultaneously. For instance, the customer can watch and/or record a TV show while downloading music in the background. The unit is a Windows Vista capable PC. It is also Windows Vista Premium ready.

    Sporting a 19-inch widescreen display powered by Sony’s XBRITE-HiColour technology, the unit doubles as a flat-panel TV.

    The LS1 model ships with Microsoft Windows XP MCE 2005 and a built-in NTSC TV tuner providing DVR-like recording capabilities. It also has a built-in DVD burner and Sony’s Click to DVD software so that the consumer can create a digital entertainment library for personal viewing at your convenience.

    The new Vaio TV/PC also features an audio/video quick resume switch that shuts down the display and the audio output without the PC having to enter sleep mode. This allows the user to return to full PC functionality without waiting for the computer to shut down or boot up.

  • ‘Acting is self-expression but you also add something to it’

    ‘Acting is self-expression but you also add something to it’

    Be it as a historical character of a bygone era or today’s contemporary women, actress Mrinal Kulkarni has etched a place for herself with selective, yet substantial roles.

    In the past, Mrinal has portrayed the daring young Maratha queen Ramabai, in Swami, and Devi Ahilyabai Holkar, a legendary queen of Indore who left an lasting impression as a good administrator after looking after her kingdom for nearly 44 years, in Sanjay Khan’s Great Maratha. She also played central roles in Meerabai andNoorjahan.

    Mrinal’s initial tryst with television was pure chance, where talent met opportunity. It was during a college annual gathering that Shrikant Moghe, an eminent actor-director (Marathi) spotted Mrinal while she was performing. He immediately offered her the role of Ramabai. Mrinal was only 17 then.

    Acting apart, Mrinal continued her studies and went on to pursue a Masters in Linguistics from Poona University. Soon after graduating she married her long time friend and it was goodbye arc lights for the next three years.

    She marked her second coming in television with Great Maratha. She has also acted in a few Marathi movies, the more recent being Jodidar, a social film that dealt with the marital relationship where she plays a double role, not of twin sisters separated in childhood, but of two modern women.

    Currently, Mrinal is doing a range of roles and is seen on all the main Hindi channels – Khel (Sony), Son Pari(Star Plus), Sambhandh (SabeTV), Draupadi (Sahara) and will soon be seen again on Zee, which is set to show re-runs of Hasretein, Sparsh and Teacher from August-end.

    While in Son Pari – a fantasy serial for children – she plays fairy godmother, in Sambhandh she enacts the role of women who drifts away from her husband and children in pursuit of success. In Khel she plays a daughter eager to seek love from her estranged father who is a successful businessman and unaware that she is his daughter. However, it is in Draupadi that Mrinal has full scope for histrionics as she essays a complex character (wife of the five Pandavs) from the woman’s perspective.

    Indiantelevision.com’s correspondent Harsha Khot met the actress to get a glimpse of what Mrinal Kulkarni is like.

    Excerpts from the interview:

    What pulled you back into acting?
    My son was just two years old when I received a call saying Sanjay Khan was keen to meet me regarding a role in a historical serial. Being with my family meant more so I wasn’t too keen on acting and informed them accordingly. But after much insistence we met. Despite my reservations, he casually asked if given a choice to essay Ahilyabai Holkar and Mahaji Scindia’s wife which character would I prefer to do. Ahilyabai Holkar I replied without a second thought because I had already played Ramabai and did not want repeat the role.

    He seemed quite impressed with the answer and right away asked me to do the role. The shoot was at Jaipur in Rajasthan and with a two-year old son I was very reluctant to sign on. He assured me that all the comfort on the sets would be looked after, especially as regards my son. So after much persistence I agreed to do the role. And it was while doing Great Maratha that the I felt a fresh spark for acting.

    Did your background help?
    Both my parents are professors at Poona University. And my grandfather was a novelist. Being born into a culturally rich background, acting, singing, dance and painting, among others, were inculcated as things one should know.

    ‘Today, even the scripts gets changed at times, so what eventually matters is a good banner, and good team spirit and rapport between a good director, writer and yourself.’

    What do you look for before agreeing to do a role?
    As an artiste I look forward to doing a variety of roles. But with so many channels, almost everything has already been shown. When a production team approaches me with a story idea of a new serial, they always say that they have got something new. But often I feel that the different role that they promise is not possible all the time. Almost all the themes have been explored and there is very little room left to do something new and different. So now what matters is how differently the serial is treated, how it is portrayed. Today, even the scripts gets changed at times, so what eventually matters is a good banner, and good team spirit and rapport between a good director, writer and yourself.

    It gets very dicey when the writer or director gets changed. So I strongly feel that one has to be sincere regardless of other things and be dedicated and put in good effort.

    When I take up a role I don’t mind the length of the role as long it is significant enough. For instance I portrayed a slightly aggressive character of “Asmita” in Hasretein, a serial based on a Marathi novel calledAdhantari. The book has just a brief mention of “Asmita”. It only mentions that her husband, despite her being beautiful and very attractive, falls in love with another women. This role was to span 10-12 episodes only. Yet I took it up.

    What is your approach to essaying a character?
    In the initial stages, a rough outline of the character is sketched. If I know how the character is going to develop I just have to match it. There are quite a few changes made in the character, as per the channel’s demands, as per the popularity demands, an actor may want to leave, so you have to adjust accordingly and prepare for any changes.

    No doubt it requires thinking. But if you grow as an artiste it comes naturally to you. It comes from observing people around you, talking to them and how you perceive things. To portray a victim of rape, it needn’t at all mean that you get a taste of it to project it as close and realistically as possible.

    So as you grow you become more observant and receptive. Suppose you notice someone’s peculiar ways and mannerism it gets stored in your mind. Later on you pick and choose what is suitable while sketching out a character. You have to give it a try. It may work or it may not.

    For instance the whole team was so excited about Jootha Sach. We had to wear white wigs and unglamorous make-up. Since most of us were from theatre this experiment was very exciting. The serial begins with us at a ripe old age and then takes a leap back to our youth. We thought audiences would really like it since it was so different but no, it didn’t go down well at all (laughs). So such things too, happen.

    ‘Acting is a never-ending process. You should never get contented.’
    _________

    What is your approach to essaying a given character? Do you do any sort of research or homework before you come on the floor?
    Yes. While portraying Draupadi I felt the need to read up about her. The character is from Mahabharat, an epic written by Maharishi Vyas. Every line is said in context to something and has a meaning, especially the scene when Draupadi gets married to five men. She never wanted to marry five men. She was so beautiful and intelligent herself. She was called sarva kala parangat a multi talented girl. Why would such a gifted person want to marry five men. It really isn’t a joke to marry five men!

    Since the Mahabharat is originally written in Sanskrit it was not possible to read through it but there are translations which were of immense help. I went through Pratibha Rai’s Draupadi, and there are various other books written on the Pandav’s so that I could get an idea of what their personality was like. I also read up on Krishna who plays a major role on Draupadi’s life. Then there are a few books written in Marathi. So I try and find out what people had to say.

    Then for Meera my director had asked if I believed in God. I told him that I didn’t believe in God but I believe in humanity. I mean devotion to humanity is understandable, but devotion to an idol for nearly 50 years I just could not relate to. So we went to the Rajneesh Ashram (in Pune). Rajneesh has devoted eight cassettes only to Meera. Each cassette’s duration was one-and-a-half hours long. I was taken aback by the level of Meera’s devotion to Krishna.

    In Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, I was playing a role of a person (DR Ambedkar’s second wife) who is still alive at 83. I was so excited and had so many questions to ask but I hardly got to speak to her. Still, I thought I portrayed the character well and was very happy with it. But when Mrs Ambedkar saw the scenes she was unhappy with it and so most of the scenes that I thought were good had to be chopped. I was a little upset about it … but it’s okay.

    Like in Sparsh we had a bound script which was very helpful. But again every time getting a script in advance is not important. Acting should not be rigid but a natural and continuous process. Once you get the feel of the character then all you need is to get the dialogues in hand. Like for instance even now I haven’t been able to imagine what must have gone through Draupadi’s mind while going to each of her husbands … it’s no joke.

    But television has got it’s own limitation. No matter how poor a background the character comes from the sets are shot in a bungalow. If the location shown is a bank even then it has to be shot in a bungalow simply because you need space for the camera to move properly. So these things have to be taken into consideration. Acting is a never-ending process. You should never get contented.

    ‘When I portray a character people should feel that yes this is what must have happened.’

    What does acting mean to you?
    Acting is self-expression but you also add something to it. You add people’s views to it. This is a borrowed knowledge that you give to people, it is not something you have experienced. When I portray a character people should feel that yes this is what must have happened. It is said that an actor lives many characters in one life. It is much more dramatic. The time gap shrinks on the screen. Say the age of the character sketched ranges over 20 years, and this has to be shown within a span of a year. To essay these 20 years you have to match the emotions or draw the emotions from real life.

    So in this process you grow as a person a little more. You tend to get more sensitive, and I believe this is a major plus point.

    Commercially Hasretein was very popular. But I really had to struggle with the character. Since “Asmita’s” character was negative. She was beautiful yet her husband neglects her and goes for another women, so she seeks vengeance. Pulling hair, passing negative marks was part of that character which I would find very amusing and funny and would often tell my director that this really isn’t the way to show “Asmita”. It was very hard to portray, because I played something that didn’t belong to me but I could portray that. But then the character got a tremendous response, and it was stretched over 200 episodes and people enjoyed watching it.

    Meera was very close to my heart somehow. Even though while playing the role I would often have to assure myself “this is not happening to me.”

    Any good director that you’ve worked with?
    Ved Rahi. He is a Kashmiri poet and writes beautifully. He has a literature background.

    The thing about directors who are also writers is that there’s depth in them, in the way they perceive the characters. And it always helps working with a director who is also a writer because they are very clear about the character that is to be portrayed. Ravi Rai and Imtiaz Khan are also good directors.

    What qualities in a director bring out the best in you?
    I need assurance. I need to be told whether or not the character I play is on the right path. Otherwise I begin to feel uneasy. On the sets there has to be a common connectivity that binds everything together. To avoid people, co-actors, or anything from meandering from the main storyline there should be someone with a sharp mind to keep a tab on things. It is like everything is bound with a rope so in case someone meanders, the director can spot it and set it right. Working with such a director certainly helps.

    Any work that you weren’t happy with?
    There are a few projects that I felt were my mistakes. Fortunately most of them wound up very early. It so happens that when you get the outline of a story and a good character. It excites you. But… when the script comes to you there is something amiss … further on with changes and other things it is all very hotchpotch but by then it’s too late to walk out.

    But all that matters is do your work properly and sincerely, yet learn to be sound. Even a God like Ram made mistakes.

    Have we seen the best of Mrinal as yet?
    I don’t know. But there is much more work to do. I have been very keen that I shouldn’t repeat any role – get-up wise, script wise and looks wise. One serial, one get-up. Like for Sparsh I have cut my hair while forDraupadi it’s two hours of make-up being done. So you should experiment with yourself wherever possible.

    What kind of roles wouldn’t you want take up?
    No bar at all. But I want to do a completely non-glamorous role.

    Any fine actress on television?
    Shefali (Shah) is good. She is not seen enough though, I don’t know why, but she is good. Then Pallavi Joshi, Renuka Sahane, a lot of new faces on television act well, I just don’t know their names. They are very sensitive. Pallavi is a good actress but somehow I feel her talents are yet to be explored properly.

    What inspires you?
    Good work, as in a good painting, a book… it gives you a high.

    About your role in Marathi film Jodidaar? How was your experience playing a double role?
    The script was very neat and clear which helped a lot. Both characters were contemporary. I was very keen to do it. While one character is a divorcee and a mother of a child, the other has a family and at the same time works.

    What is lacking in the second woman was since she a working mother and also had to do household chores she had an unkempt look about her. While the other women was fairly well off and since she had enough time in hand to take care of herself, the husband is attracted to her.

    You’ve acted in Marathi and Hindi serials, did you have to work on you voice?
    I had to work on my Hindi. The thing about people speaking in Marathi and Punjabi is they tend to have a heavy accent. So to get the Hindi pronunciation right I approached Mr Khan, a professor in Poona University, and requested his help to get my diction right. For two months I would read aloud for two hours each day. That helped me. Till date nobody ever has had a problem with my pronunciations.

  • Ajay Jadeja, Sanjeev Kapoor to put on their dancing shoes on Sony

    Ajay Jadeja, Sanjeev Kapoor to put on their dancing shoes on Sony

    MUMBAI: Hindi general entertainment channel Sony has had success in the reality genre in the past with shows like Indian Idol. The channel is hoping to consolidate further with a new dance based reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Dancing With The Stars.

    The show kicks off on 7 September and airs every Wednesday and Thursday at 10 pm.

    Actor Shilpa Shetty (one of the judges) along with the celebrity contestants Rati Agnihotri, Shweta Salve, Mona Singh and Mahesh Majrekar For the uninitiated, the show is based on the BBC format Strictly Come Dancing. It also achieved success in the US on ABC.

    There the show is called Dancing With The Stars. Basically well known personalities will show off their dancing skills. They will undergo two weeks of training with their partners who specialise in dancing.

    For Sony’s show, the celebrities chosen are former cricketer Ajay Jadeja, celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor, actress Rati Agnihotri, television anchor Pooja Bedi, TV actress Mona Singh, director Mahesh Manjrekar, TV star Shweta Salve and TV actor Akashdeep Sehgal.

    The show is being produced by Synergy and Theatre Red. Each episode will see one team eliminated. Viewers can vote through SMS. The judges are director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, choreographer Farah Khan and actress Shilpa Shetty. Equal weightage in terms of points will be given to both the judges and the SMS’ sent in by the viewers.

    Set India COO NP Singh with ace choreographer Sandip Soparkar and SET senior V-P and programming head Anupama Mandloi

    Speaking on the initiative, Sony COO N P Singh says, “The show is all about super achievers in their respective fields who are here yet again to excel in something new. The winner takes home Rs. 5 million. What is unique compared to other shows (read Star One’s Nach Baliye) is that the celebrities do not know how their ability to dance is or is not. Maybe they will discover that they possess a talent to dance. We drew out a list of possible participants. We then decided that these were the celebrities who would be the best fit.”

    BBC Worldwide director of emerging territories Monisha Shah says, “The show is as good as it gets. It has swept global audiences off their feet and has become a ratings blockbuster in every continent. With its wonderful combination of glamour, talent and passion we are especially excited that Sony has taken BBC Worldwide’s format and tailored it so well for the Indian audience. The judges, hosts, celebrities and their partners are all in place.”

    Synergy founder Siddharth Basu says,” Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Dancing With The Stars is a grand and a glamorous show which is as much about live wire personalities and the fun of fusion dance as it is about the grit behind the glamour. It is not just about the usual suspects going through all too familiar routines but about the performance and pain of public figures who are not trained dancers and the fantastic journey they undertake to pit their best foot forward. That is what makes it the mother of all shows and that is what is making it work in countries around the world.”

    On the marketing front to push the show, Singh says that promo spots have been created. These are airing on the channel as well as in cinema halls. The channel is also taking out hoardings and is looking to have a presence in malls. There will also be print ads.

  • Tata Sky adds four regional channels and introduces Actve Games

    Tata Sky adds four regional channels and introduces Actve Games

    MUMBAI: Tata Sky, the direct-to-home platform from Tata and Star Group has added four regional channels to its special introductory package of Rs 200 per month (inclusive of taxes). The DTH platform also introduces the fifth interactive service Actve Games.

    The four channels include Star Ananda, DD Chandana, DD Gujarati and DD Punjabi.

    The DTH company has earlier introduced interactive services such as Actve Newsroom, Actve Khabar, Actve Star News and an on-screen Guide.

    Actve Games, this dedicated interactive gaming service will be available free to all its subscribers. The service provides access to play multiple interactive games on television.

    According to an official release, the gaming service caters to all ages with the option of playing six exciting interactive games including Aliens, Trance, Solitaire, Cubix, Bug Blaster and Speed Spell on their television screen.

    This service termed as ‘easy-to-use’ can be played with the help of the Tata Sky remote, eliminating the need of investing in additional hardware, states the release. Further, to maintain the enthusiasm levels of its audiences, Tata Sky will refresh the games periodically.

    Actve Star News service presents the viewer with four screens in a single window allowing him to choose from current news, headlines, top stories and special features, at the press of a button. The service also scrolls text, allowing the viewer to read the headlines, weather updates of 35 cities and a constant update on the stock market.

    Tata Sky CEO and MD Vikram Kaushik said, “Services such as Actve Games and Actve Star News are perfect examples of how television today has transformed into an interactive medium, allowing viewers the opportunity to do more than just watch television. This is only the beginning, we will continue to introduce innovative services to enhance the entertainment choices for our subscribers.”

    Tata Sky recently launched its satellite television service across 300 cities in India on 8 August. Only 15 days from the launch and the service has already penetrated 2000 cities,the company claims.

    At present, the platform has on offer channels includes Star, Sony, Discovery, Disney, MTV, NDTV, ESPN Star Sports, National Geographic, Eenadu, TV Today, Asianet and many more.

  • Compelling content the key for mobile TV adoption

    Compelling content the key for mobile TV adoption

    MUMBAI: Mobile TV will succeed if the content on offer is compelling. Also one or two channels will not suffice. An operator should give around 20 channels. It should also be easy for the consumer to switch from one channel to another.

    This was the message delivered by Qualcomm president India and SAARC Kanwalinder Singh. As an example, he noted that if certain geography requires about 30,000-40,000 base station for wireless coverage, the same region can be served by about 400 MediaFLO towers to deliver mobile TV service.

    If the bandwidth is not enough then the picture is jerky and consumers will be put off. The key to successful mobile television is to do interactivity with the broadcast. MediaFLO is an end to end system that allows this. Mobile television is one to one interaction unlike television which is one to many.

    Qualcomm bought spectrum in the US and is now in a deal with Verizon to launch a mobile TV service next year in the US. He noted that MediaFLO has a Conditional Access System which allows only those phones who have paid for the content to access it. When desired, the operator can still have free to air content.

    The basic challenge is to have the maximum number of channels possible with relatively limited spectrum. Power consumption by the mobile phone should also be low.

    Mobile television also offers unique commerce opportunities. For instance secondary generation opportunities exist when a music video is playing. One can offer a ringtone, the music album of that artist to the user to buy on the spot. He added that Qualcomm is keen on doing a trial project with mobile operators in India.

    Another session looked at the business of retail and home entertainment. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment country manager N. Muthuram noted that there is a 60 per cent DVD penetration in TV homes in India. The DVD has features like subtitles, language options which has energised the market.

    “It is a catalogue driven business. Classic titles like Sholaty perform well contrary to perception in some quarters that one the new titles sell. In the US home videos earn thrice as much as theatrical releases. In fact Sony Pictures has a deal with Steven Seagal and Wesley snipes for direct to video films. It is also a positive sign that window of release for videos is falling.”

    He noted the importance of retail in the home video market in the US. Walmart contributes 50 per cent to the home video business. He noted that increasingly companies across the globe tie up for home video releases. An example is in Mexico. There Act II Popcorn did a deal for the home video release of Spiderman.

    The aim was to once again generate excitement for Spiderman when the sequel was being released theatrically. Act II found relevance with the product and 42,000 units were sold. In Italy a pizza company has an association with DVD releases. Basically a DVD comes with a pizza. They also do a DVD choice of the month initiative. The message is that the consumer can enjoy the pizza while watching a film. This gives the home entertainment firm an avenue that would have exited earlier. The retail firm meanwhile gets an extra hook for its product.

    In Germany a tie up was done for Terminator 3 between Sony, Sony Electronics and Hatari which had developed a game based on the game. The good thing was that it was a combined promotional effort. There was TVC pushing all the three firms. When consumers bought a product there would be leaflet inside telling them about the other two products. In India the key challenge is to educate brand marketers about the possibilities in this arena.

    Saregama VP and head – films Sweta Agnihotri gave more examples of how synergies work between DVDs and brands. Motrorola for instance made a phone on Spongebob. Samsung had done a tie up for the Matrix which was all about having information. Kelloggs regularly does stuff with Disney. Mitsubishi did a promotion for 2 Fast 2 Furious where they had kits distributed in their dealership outlets. All this allows a brand to be associated with famous stars for a relatively less cost. In India Saregama had done a Barbie called Hope has Wings for a brand. The song played on music channels. There was also a tie up with micro processor solution firm AMD for the DVD release of Madagascar.

  • Sony to launch ‘Man Mein Hai Visshwas’ on 18 Aug at 8 pm

    Sony to launch ‘Man Mein Hai Visshwas’ on 18 Aug at 8 pm

    MUMBAI: Yet another new show from the Sony stable is all set to hit the airwaves from 18 August. The one hour show Man Mein Hai Visshwas, produced by Creative Eye will be aired every Friday at 8 pm. The slot was earlier occupied by Deal Ya No Deal.

    Man Mein Hai Visshwas is about real life miracles evolved from man’s unshakable faith. Each episode will showcase experiences of people whose lives have changed after they experienced incidents that can be described as nothing but miracles. The show will have Nitish Bharadwaj (of Mahabharat’s Krishna fame) as the narrator of the show.

    Sony Entertainment Television COO NP Singh said, “Man Mein Hai Visshwas is a combination of mythology, drama and reality that will carve a niche for itself in the prime time band. This show incorporates short stories that are real and based on intense faith and devotion people have on a deity or temple. This unique blend of realism and mythology we hope will capture the viewers’ attention. The show in simple terms is all about unshakable faith that makes miracles happen.”

    Creative Eye director Dheeraj Kumar added, “With Nitish Bharadwaj playing the suthradhar for a show that blends mythology with real life, Man Mein Hai Visshwas will prove to be a very engaging show to watch out for amidst the saas – bahu sagas. It is also a subject that has never before been explored on television.”

    The show will also include real life experiences from renowned artists like Pandit Jasraj amongst others.

    Sony will unleash a six week on-air campaign on its network channels to build reach and frequency for the show. The print ads will be launched on 18 August in all Hindi speaking markets to create awareness. Apart from this, radio and cable will also be used to build frequency across all FM stations and Vividh Bharti.

    The channel is also planning an innovative ground activity to attract attention and create buzz closer to the launch day of Man Mein Hai Visshwas. What’s more, sweets will also be distributed outside temples along with the pamphlets of the show details. Many shop fronts will sport the branding of the show along.

    “We will also drive visibility for the show with branding at Ganapati Pandals across the city, which will be coupled with PR and communication activities that will help drive awareness and create buzz across the country. Apart from this, innovative on-air elements such as bugs, Aston bands and bumpers will be used to build frequency and visibility of promotion on the channel along with promotion across the SET network,” said Sony senior vice president and programming head Anupama Mandloi.

  • Sony appoints Balaji’s Sikcand as chief creative director; announces other promotions

    Sony appoints Balaji’s Sikcand as chief creative director; announces other promotions

    MUMBAI: Sony Entertainment Television India has appointed Balaji creative head Sandiip Sikcand as the chief creative director of its flagship channel SET. Sikcand will report to SET India COO N P Singh.

    Apart from this new appointment, SET India has also initiated some other organisational restructuring.

    SET India executive vice president ad sales and revenue management Rohit Gupta has been given additional responsibility of the digital, licensing and telephony group. Gupta continues to report to SET India CEO Kunal Dasgupta. Set India VP licensing & telephony Kaushal Modi, who has been reporting to N P Singh, will now report to Gupta.

    The network has also created a new enabling and technical services group, which will be under Anjani Kumar, who has been heading HR and admin functions for the network so far. The new group that Kumar will head comprises human resources, information technology, post production, administration and web and new media activities. Kumar will continue to report to Singh.

    Speaking on the new appointment and restructuring, Dasgupta said, “Sandiip comes to SET with a lot of experience in the creative domain. I am sure he will contribute in the process of driving the creative vision of our flagship channel and take it to new heights. Leading the digital and licensing group will give Rohit an opportunity to further grow and consolidate a new revenue stream for the company that has got huge potential and is the gateway to future. Also, creating the enabling and technical services group under Anjani will help bring in more efficiency into our working system and provide a seamless access to resources across the network.”

    Singh added, “Sandiip’s appointment comes at a time when the network has taken up several challenges and we are sure, with an illustrious career behind him, Sandiip will bring in fresh perspective and creative excellence to the channel. The restructuring also shows our agility to alter structures as per the needs of time and keep moving our best people in the most challenging roles.”