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Tag: SonyLiv

  • StudioNext, Emmay Entertainment to co-produce web series ‘Freedom at Midnight’ for Sonyliv

    StudioNext, Emmay Entertainment to co-produce web series ‘Freedom at Midnight’ for Sonyliv

    Mumbai: StudioNext and Emmay Entertainment have joined hands to co-produce the web series titled Freedom at Midnight. The show will exclusively stream on Sonyliv.

    The show based on the book by Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins, Freedom at Midnight is an epic political thriller/drama that highlights several incidents from the year of India’s independence and interconnected stories about crucial events and personalities who played a significant role in writing the country’s history as we know today.

    With Nikkhil Advani as the show runner, the story has been penned by Abhinandan Gupta, Adwitiya Kareng Das and Gundeep Kaur.

    “Our goal has been to bring to light untold stories from contemporary history. From 1947 to present day, India experienced many watershed moments that are significant in shaping our futures,” said head of Sonyliv, Sony Entertainment Television and StudioNext Danish Khan. “One such story of the country’s struggle for independence is ‘Freedom at Midnight.’ We are delighted that StudioNext and Emmay Entertainment are collaborating on this intriguing series, cannot wait get started on this one with Nikhil and his talented team.”

    “The year 1947 has been etched in India’s history as the year that shaped its fate. A riveting, emotional tale of an incident that altered the course of the nation, Freedom at Midnight is an attempt to bring to Indians the whole truth about the events that led us to our freedom – the courage, and the hope instilled in people by the personages who gave us the new India,” said producer and showrunner Nikkhil Advani.

    He further said, “This is a story every Indian should know, and I feel honoured to be able to tell it along with my partners, Monisha and Madhu, and the team of writers, along with StudioNext. It is even more special for Emmay Entertainment that we get to bring this story to SonyLIV after our successful stint with Rocket Boys. The platform has been at the forefront of narrating the stories of the homeland, and I look forward to associating with them on this project too.”

  • Applause Entertainment to produce an Indian adaptation of ‘Fauda’ for Sonyliv

    Applause Entertainment to produce an Indian adaptation of ‘Fauda’ for Sonyliv

    Mumbai: Applause Entertainment on Tuesday announced that it is producing the Indian adaptation of the globally acclaimed Israeli drama series Fauda which will stream exclusively on the OTT platform Sonyliv.

    Hailed as one of the best Israeli shows, the Indian version of Fauda will be produced by Applause Entertainment in association with Applause Productions and is titled Taanav. The series will be helmed by national award-winning director Sudhir Mishra and co-directed by Sachin Mamta Krishn.

    Set against the idyllic backdrop of Kashmir in the year 2017, Tanaav tells the story of a special covert ops unit. It is a socio-political action drama with family at its core.

    Shot extensively in real locations in Kashmir over 100 days, the 12-episode series features an ensemble cast including Manav Vij, Sumit Kaul, Rajat Kapoor, Shashank Arora, Arbaaz Khan, Zarina Wahab, Ekta Kaul, Waluscha De Sousa, Danish Hussain, Satyadeep Mishra, Sukhmani Sadana, Sahiba Bali, Amit Gaur, Arslan Goni, Rockey Raina, M.K. Raina, Sheen Dass, Aryaman Seth amongst others in prominent roles.

    The actors for the show were cast by Mukesh Chhabra. Fauda is created by Avi Issacharoff and Lior Raz & distributed by Yes Studios and is considered to be one of the best shows made in a foreign language. “The Indian adaptation has been reimagined for a larger Indian and global audience,” said the statement.

    “Tanaav reaffirms our commitment towards presenting captivating and entertaining stories of depth and substance. With its compelling storyline, cinematography and stellar cast backed by Applause Entertainment and Sudhir Mishra, Tanaav will find resonance with our viewers,” said Sony Pictures Network India EVP and business head Sonyliv and StudioNext Danish Khan.

    “A global sensation, Fauda was always a story waiting to cross borders and be adapted in a new setting,” said Applause Entertainment CEO Sameer Nair. “We at Applause Entertainment find it immensely gratifying to bring an edge-of-the-seat drama of this calibre to Indian audiences, offering a new perspective to the human stories depicting all sides of the conflict. With filmmakers like Sudhir Mishra and Sachin Krishn at the helm, backed by a stellar cast and talented writing, creative and production teams, we are excited to partner with Sonyliv to bring this show to the world. This partnership only strengthens our already strong relationship with Sonyliv after successful collaborations on Scam 1992, Avrodh, Undekhi and Your Honor.”  

    “Applause Entertainment discovers some of the best international stories to be reimagined and adapted for Indian audiences,” said Sudhir Mishra. “As a filmmaker, Tanaav allowed me to explore a variety of characters and delve deep into their psyche. It is a true Indian story weaved into a tightly-knit action drama that highlights human emotions and the dilemmas they face. Cannot wait for the audience to binge-watch Tanaav, soon to launch on Sonyliv.”

    “We are very happy and proud to hear about Tanaav, the Indian version of Fauda. It’s a true honour for us to learn how Fauda succeeded to touch the hearts of so many people from all over the world and especially in India,” said Fauda series co-creator Avi Issacharoff.

  • OTTplay forays into streaming aggregation in partnership with 12 OTTs

    OTTplay forays into streaming aggregation in partnership with 12 OTTs

    Mumbai: Over-the-top (OTT) content recommendation platform OTTplay forays into streaming with the launch of its premium service in partnership with 12 Indian and international OTTs.

    The OTT aggregator has partnered with platforms such as Sonyliv, Zee5, Lionsgate Play, Sun Nxt, ShemarooMe, Curiosity Stream, ShortsTV, Docubay. It has also launched four international streaming services in India with Hallmark Movies Now, Dust, Fuse+ and Tastemade+.

    It offers five premium subscription plans which offer five Hindi OTTs, eight English OTTs, four OTT focused on South languages and five assorted OTTs.

    The pricing platform starts at Rs 50 per month to be paid annually. A user that purchases an OTTplay premium subscription pack could save anywhere between Rs 3,000 to Rs 12,500 per year, claims the platform.

    OTTplay has a user base of five million who navigate the complex OTT landscape with AI-based personalised recommendations every month. Users can discover titles across multiple OTT platforms as well as get relevant content by OTTplay’s editorial team in terms of ratings, reviews, interviews and news.

    “We specialise in curation, aggregation, recommendation and hence personalisation. With the launch of subscriptions on the OTTplay app, we now have a better understanding of our viewer’s preferences through not just their stated preferences, but also their actual consumption patterns, and we are very excited to see the upgrade in the accuracy of our personalized OTT recommendations across platforms, genres and languages,” said OTTplay’s founder Avinash Mudaliar.

    He further said, “Our aim is to enable consumers to spend time watching their favourite content, not searching for it; according to a recent Accenture report, close to 70 per cent of Indian OTT consumers find the process of navigating different OTT apps ‘frustrating’, and that is the precise problem we had set out to solve with OTTplay.”

    “Our partnership with OTTplay is an exciting opportunity to expand our international footprint as we bring Hallmark Movies Now to India for the first time,” said SVP international distribution Francisco Gonzales. “Indian audiences now have a one-stop destination to access a curated mix of signature Hallmark content.”

    “Our endeavour has been to ensure that viewers are provided with a curated line-up of content for the best viewing experience. Taking this forward, we are excited to partner with OTTplay to reach a large and diverse sector of consumers with a digitally-driven offering enabling consumers to spend more time watching than searching – this is in-line with our ethos of ‘play more, browse less’. We look forward to a successful partnership with the end user discovering the best of content, said Lionsgate Play EVP Amit Dhanuka.

    “We are excited to be a part of this endeavour aimed at broadening the horizons of digital content consumption and improving online entertainment experiences for consumers,” said a spokesperson from Zee5. “At Zee5, we passionately believe in and have been democratising content for the country’s diverse entertainment seekers through innovative offerings with an added value proposition. With this collaboration, we aim to strengthen our connect with the wider audience base and enable them to enjoy Zee5’s extensive and diversified content library.”

    “At Curiosity, we know our audiences want to know more and our factual content and documentaries satisfy that need. We are very pleased to partner with OTTplay as they optimize valuable insights to superserve their consumer with the factual content they are searching for, providing for the ultimate customer experience,” Curiosity Inc.  managing director and head of international Bakori Davis.

    OTTplay premium offers content across 12 OTT platforms, 10 Indian languages, a host of international languages, 18+ genres and 20,000+ shows. The platform works seamlessly across all operating systems and does not need any additional hardware to be installed. OTTplay is available as a website as well as on iOS and Android apps.

    “I am delighted to direct Kanda Naal Mudhal. It has an eccentric plotline with significant characters who have their set of dreams and desires,” said director Radha Krishnan. “How each of the characters fulfil their dreams while also balancing their relationships is the crux of the story. Furthermore, it was a treat to direct such a terrific ensemble with tremendous acting prowess, with the rustic locations serving as a complement. I am grateful that Colors Tamil has given me the opportunity to be a part of the show where all characters represent an important facet of society.”

  • PlayboxTV appoints Rannvijay Singha as their first brand ambassador

    PlayboxTV appoints Rannvijay Singha as their first brand ambassador

    Mumbai: Recently featured on Shark Tank India, Indian actor, TV personality and video jockey (VJ) Ranvijay Sigha has been appointed as the brand ambassador for PlayboxTV.

    PlayboxTV is a super OTT Aggregator and economical entertainment app aiming to give every Indian easy access to online content. It aggregates noteworthy OTT platforms including but not limited to VOOT, Amazon Prime, SonyLIV, ZEE5, ShemarooMe and EPIC ON into a single app at an affordable price. Given Rannvijay’s extensive experience in television and media distribution, he is agreeably the most compatible fit as the company’s premier brand ambassador.

    PlayboxTV’s mission is to partner up with the best OTT platforms and consolidate their shows and movies to serve a unified community of consumers who are always on the lookout for good content.

    Regarding this exciting partnership, Ranvijay stated, “I’m extremely delighted to join the PlayboxTV family as a brand ambassador and investor. Having spoken to Aamir behind the scenes of Shark Tank India and having understood the product in-depth, I am confident that this collaboration will last for years to come.”

    The PlayboxTV app allows you to watch multiple OTT platforms and Live TV channels, on both TV and mobile devices. It customises your interests and choices and gives you recommendations based on your viewing history. With over 1,00,000 movies, 350+ Live TV channels and your favourite shows, the app makes sure that you can view your favourite content anytime, anywhere.

    PlayboxTV founder and CEO Aamir Mulani said, “We are beyond delighted to have partnered with Rannvijay and hope to disrupt this OTT industry. This partnership also opened a new horizon to the business with his expertise in media & Content IP Creation for the last 20 years.”

  • Vi launches prepaid pack offering SonyLIV premium subscription

    Vi launches prepaid pack offering SonyLIV premium subscription

    Mumbai: Vi has announced a partnership with over-the-top platform SonyLIV. The telco has launched a new prepaid pack offering subscription of SonyLIV premium along with extra data benefits to users.

    Vi has introduced a new add-on recharge of Rs 82 for prepaid users, offering free mobile only subscription of SonyLIV premium for 28 days along with an added data benefit of 4 gb with 14 days validity.

    Vi users can watch sports properties like UEFA Champions League, WWE, Bundesliga, UFC to originals like “Scam 1992 – The Harshad Mehta Story,” “Maharani,” “Tabbar,” “Rocket Boys,” “Gullak Season 3,” regional content like “Salute”, “Kaanekkaane,” “Shantit Kranti” and “James” and international shows “The Good Doctor,” “Fantasy Island” and “Magpie Murders.”

    Vi also offers a vast content library for its customers under Vi Movies and TV on the Vi app. The app has more than 450 live TV channels, live news channels and premium content from other OTT apps.

  • SonyLiv begins registration for ‘Shark Tank India: Season 2’

    SonyLiv begins registration for ‘Shark Tank India: Season 2’

    Mumbai: After a stupendous success of season one, Sony Entertainment Television’s “Shark Tank India” produced by StudioNxt has opened the registrations for its second season from 30 April on SonyLiv.

    With a rapidly changing business environment, India’s dynamic start-up culture has seen innovative ideas that are triggering revolutionary changes. Bringing forth entrepreneurs scattered all over India with innovative business propositions and products.

    Firing up the business growth engine with 85000+ phenomenal entries, the first edition of “Shark Tank India” successfully paved the way for budding entrepreneurs from all walks of life where the Sharks invested Rs 42 crore across 67 businesses. Whether you are a home entrepreneur, business owner, start-up or just have a business idea, here’s your chance to realise your business dream and scale it.

    The first edition of “Shark Tank India” celebrated the distinctive spirit of entrepreneurship including Jugadu Kamlesh’s KG Agrotech, a multipurpose bicycle for farming; Duvvuru Varshitha’s healthcare start-up Vivalyf Innovation’s non-invasive glucometer; ‘Annie’ created by Tinkerbell Labs; Sulay Lavsi’s Bummer, an Indian comfort wear brand; Skippi Ice by, Ravi Kabra and Anuja Kabra or ‘Momo Mami’ Aditi Madan’s BluePine Foods, amongst many others.  

    Following is the four-step process to register for the show:  

    Step 1 – online application

    Download or update the SonyLiv app and fill the Shark Tank India Season 2 registration form by following the instructions mentioned on the app. Mention your business idea. If you hook the Shark Tank team with your idea, you will proceed to the next step.

    Step 2 – the pitch

    In this stage, the Shark Tank team will get to know the applicants and their business ideas better. The applicants will have to tell the team what makes their business idea extraordinary and why is it worth investing in! This will have to be done in the form of a compelling video pitch (three min long) which will decide whether the idea is worth making the cut on “Shark Tank India Season 2.”

    Step 3 – the audition

    The selected applicants will go through a round of auditions with the Shark Tank team which will be the penultimate step towards making it big with the second season of Shark Tank India.

    Step 4 – the Shark tank

    This is the ultimate test of perseverance. The selected applicants or the ‘Pitchers’ in this stage will find themselves face-to-face with the ‘Sharks’ or the investors who will understand, assess and make an offer based on the applicant’s final ‘pitch.’

  • VidNet 2022: Why do narratives like ‘Gullak’ work on OTT?

    VidNet 2022: Why do narratives like ‘Gullak’ work on OTT?

    Mumbai: SonyLiv web series “Gullak” produced by The Viral Fever, which concluded its third season recently, is a revelation for OTT platforms on creating franchises that span multiple seasons and do not lose their appeal. The simple premise of the show revolves around the interactions of a middle-class family ‘The Mishras’ including the father Santosh Mishra (played by Jameel Khan), mother Shanti Mishra (played by Geetanjali Kulkarni), elder son Anu Mishra (played by Vaibhav Raj Gupta) and younger son Aman Mishra (played by Harsh Mayar). The outstanding response to the web series in its third season highlights the importance of good writing when creating for OTT platforms.

    At IndianTelevision.com’s VidNet Summit 2022, held recently, the director, writer and cast of the show for the third season of “Gullak” gave a masterclass on the making of the series. The creators spoke about sustaining the relatable middle-class aesthetic and narrative of the show and the cast spoke about the evolving traits of each character in successive seasons. The session was joined by director Palash Vaswani, writer Durgesh Singh, actor Vaibhav Raj Gupta, Geetanjali Kulkarni, and Jameel Khan.

    The two-day industry event was supported by technology partners Dell Technologies and Synamedia, summit partners Applause Entertainment and Viewlift, industry support partners Gupshup, Lionsgate Play and Pallycon, community partners Screenwriters Association and Indian Film and Television Producers Council, and gifting partner The Ayurveda Co.

    The director of the show Palash Vaswani started the masterclass session by stating that the content we see made for audiences in the Hindi-speaking belt depicts characters holding a gun or presented as caricatures. “Gullak is different because it is not a show about the ten per cent of the population but the other 90 per cent who are underrepresented in the media. This is a life that we’ve all lived and the show is a potent ground for telling stories that have not been heard before. I found the opportunity to tell that story exciting.”

    Writer Durgesh Singh spoke about the moments that inspire the writing of the show. “I was in Bhopal two days back at an Indian coffee house. There were four uncles in their mid-fifties discussing Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky. Mind you, they were not talking about the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict but they were commenting on how fit Zelensky was at the age of 44,” he shared. “In this country, while infrastructure is developing fast, people’s mindsets and attitudes are changing more slowly. The reason small-town stories are working in cinema, TV and OTT is that people in small towns have migrated to big cities and they want to see the stories that take them to the space where they have spent their childhood. That’s the insight behind the success of ‘Gullak’.”

    Actor Vaibhav Raj Gupta who plays the elder son in the Mishra household ‘Anu Mishra’ spoke about his character arc in the latest season. He said, “Whenever a new season of ‘Gullak’ launches, I go watch the previous season to understand the character arc. Earlier, Anu Mishra has been struggling to earn money and, in this season, he’s finally begun earning. That’s the new dynamic that we explored.”

    Speaking about his inspiration for bringing out the character traits in Anu Mishra, he noted, “I also come from a middle-class household and I have a younger sibling. I’ve noticed how the people at home treat you if you’ve not excelled academically or are an earning member. For example, parents start treating you with respect once you become an earning member. I learned from those interactions and incorporated that experience into my character.”

    Geetanjali Kulkarni, a Marathi theatre actor, who played the role of ‘Shanti Mishra,’ said that season three continues with the arc after her character is diagnosed with diabetes in season two. She reflects that there is a lot more sensitivity to the character interactions in season three, where the characters fight, but there’s also more making up. “There’s a maturity and wisdom in the characters of ‘Gullak’ because the characters are growing older. As a theatre actor, after doing 25-50 shows we start playing around with the material, not necessarily worrying about the lines or people’s responses. Similarly, in the third season of ‘Gullak’, we’ve become more playful with our characters.”  

    Jameel Khan, who plays Santosh Mishra, agreed with Kulkarni and affirmed, “There’s a lot less conflict and yelling in the third season of ‘Gullak’ as compared to season one and two. There was also sensitivity in the season where we paid close attention to every relationship in the family. There has always been a ‘dostana’ between the parents and children in the Mishra household but the third season also brought a sensitivity to the relationship between husband and wife. In a middle-class household, there is an attitude that we must suppress the womenfolk in the household and I find that disturbing. ‘Gullak’ takes a mirror to society in an entertaining manner and reflects their aspiration to move ahead in life.”  

  • SonyLIV acquires streaming rights to Puneeth Rajkumar’s ‘James’

    SonyLIV acquires streaming rights to Puneeth Rajkumar’s ‘James’

    Mumbai: SonyLIV has acquired rights to late actor Puneeth Rajkumar’s last film “James” which will begin streaming 14 April onwards. Apart from Kannada, the film will be streaming in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Hindi.

    The film will fortify SonyLIV’s regional library with the addition of Kannada language content.

    Puneeth Rajkumar was a prolific Kannada actor who enjoyed a pan-India appeal and was known for his films “Power” and “Yuvarathnaa”.

    Helmed and written by Chethan Kumar and produced by Kishore Pathikonda, James pairs Puneeth opposite Priya Anand. The film also stars Srikanth, Nawab Shah, Sarath Kumar, Tarak Ponnappa, John Kokken, Chikkanna, Shine Shetty, and Tilak, among others, with Puneeth’s brothers Shivarajkumar and Raghavendra Rajkumar appearing in cameos. Shivarajkumar also did the dubbing for his brother as he died before the commencement of the movie’s post-production.

    “It is an honour to be associated with James, which not only has gripping performances but is also a testament to the outstanding and multifaceted journey of Puneeth Rajkumar on celluloid,” said Sony Pictures Networks India head of content SonyLIV and SET Ashish Golwalkar.

    “He was a true genius, and we are proud to be able to bring his last feature film to his fans everywhere and help them connect with their beloved superstar. It will also boost our regional library, adding to our aim of bringing quality content that resonates with people from all parts of the country,” he added.

    “Directing Puneeth is a dream that only the fortunate can turn into a reality,” said director Chethan Kumar. “I consider myself extremely privileged to have gotten this opportunity. I had envisioned the film with Puneeth in mind, and it was an absolute honour to have him play James. By bringing the movie on SonyLIV, the platform is paying fitting tribute to the legendary personality that he was,” he added.

  • SonyLIV to stream ‘Gullak 3’ starting 7 April

    SonyLIV to stream ‘Gullak 3’ starting 7 April

    Mumbai: SonyLIV and TVF have joined hands to bring the third season of  “Gullak” on 7 April. Since its premiere in 2019, the show has been a fan-favourite because of its relatable storytelling and outstanding casting, said the platform.

    “We anticipated a great response to ‘Gullak,’ but what we received was unprecedented,” said Sony Pictures Networks India head – content SonyLIV and Sony Entertainment Television Ashish Golwalkar. “The audience loved the characters, the story, and everything that came with the show. This was reason enough to renew the series for the third time. It has resonated well with audiences due its compelling narrative, stellar cast, and honest depiction of a simple, middle-class Indian household. We are excited to partner with TVF once again to tell this beautiful story and are hopeful for a bigger and better season three.”

    The show continues with Jameel Khan, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Vaibhav Raj Gupta, Harsh Mayar, and Sunita Rajwar reprising their respective roles. 

    “’Gullak’ instantly connected with the audience because of its simplicity,” said director Palash Vaswani. “People instantly connected with the experiences of an Indian middle-class family and their way of living. With the third season, our aim was to hold on to that sentiment and strengthen it with relatable instances and humour that make the story beautiful. It is a huge responsibility to deliver on expectations, and we hope our viewers enjoy this season as much as the previous ones.”

  • SonyLIV to exclusively stream 64th Grammy Awards in India

    SonyLIV to exclusively stream 64th Grammy Awards in India

    Mumbai: SonyLIV has announced that it will be exclusively streaming the 64th edition of Grammy Awards in India on 4 April at 5:30 a.m IST. Streaming from Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena, the award ceremony will be hosted by comedian and “The Daily Show” host Trevor Noah.

    Presented by The Recording Academy, the prestigious music award ceremony celebrates and honours the great work of musicians from across the globe.

    This year’s most-nominated artist with 11 nods is Jon Batiste (Stephen Colbert‘s Late Show bandleader) for ‘We Are’. He’s also been nominated in categories like Best R&B Album, plus Record of the Year and Best Music Video for his track “Freedom.”

    Second in line is Doja Cat and HER with eight nods followed by Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo each with seven nods.

    Grammys 2022 will feature live performances by Billie Eilish, Brandi Carlile, Brothers Osborne, BTS, Jack Harlow, Lil Nas X, and Olivia Rodrigo.

     Nominations in the ‘Record of the Year’ category include “I Still Have Faith In You,” Abba, “Freedom,” Jon Batiste, “I Get A Kick Out Of You,” Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, “Peaches,” Justin Bieber Featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon, “Right On Time”, Brandi Carlile, “Kiss Me More,” Doja Cat Featuring SZA, “Happier Than Ever,” Billie Eilish, “Montero” (Call Me By Your Name), Lil Nas X, “drivers license,” Olivia Rodrigo and “Leave The Door Open,” Silk Sonic

    “We Are”, Jon Batiste, “Love For Sale”, Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga, “Justice” (Triple Chucks Deluxe), Justin Bieber, “Planet Her” (Deluxe), Doja Cat, “Happier Than Ever”, Billie Eilish, “Back Of My Mind”, HER, “Montero,” Lil Nas X, “Sour”, Olivia Rodrigo, “Evermore,” Taylor Swift, and “Donda,” Kanye West, have been nominated under ‘Album of the Year’ category.

    Contenders for ‘Song of the Year’ include, “Bad Habits,” Ed Sheeran, “A Beautiful Noise,” Alicia Keys Featuring Brandi Carlile, “drivers license,” Olivia Rodrigo, “Fight For You,” HER, “Happier Than Ever,” Billie Eilish, “Kiss Me More,” Doja Cat Featuring SZA, “Leave The Door Open,” Silk Sonic, “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” Lil Nas X, “Peaches,” Justin Bieber Featuring Daniel Caesar & Giveon, and “Right On Time,” Brandi Carlile.