ITV

Tag: Sony’s

  • Sony’s entertainment strategy will revolve around four pillars: Stringer

    MUMBAI: As the global entertainment industry evolves four pillars – e-Entertainment, Digital Cinema, High-er Definition and PlayStation will play an important role in Sony’s strategy.
    This was stressed by Sony chairman and CEO Sir Howard Stringer at the recently concluded Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
    In his presentation called Entertaining the Future Stringer spoke about the changing relationship between content, technology and the consumer. As far as the e-Entertainment pillar is concerned Stringer focussed on the increasingly personalised nature of entertainment and the importance of recognising and accommodating the needs of the individual while providing choice and convenience in the ways that consumers use Sony products.
    Stringer introduced the new Sony Reader, which will be available later this year. At CES he was joined on stage by Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code, to discuss the many benefits of eBook technology for readers, authors and the environment. The Sony Ericsson W810, the latest version of the Walkman phone, which established the mobile phone as a credible digital music player, was also demonstrated.
    Following that Stringer showcased PlayStation Portable’s ability to allow consumers to watch their favorite television programmes any time, from anywhere in the world using Sony’s Location Free technology.


    In a discussion of digital cinema, Stringer detailed how Sony’s digital cinema equipment is being used by leading directors around the world to redefine the way consumers enjoy the motion picture experience. Brian Grazer, who is the producer of the highly anticipated film The Da Vinci Code, along with the film’s director, Ron Howard and actor Tom Hanks joined Stringer on stage to discuss how the film is progressing and the technological advancements in high-definition filmmaking and projection systems that are keeping the theater-going experience alive and thriving.
    Stringer also emphasised the fact that Sony is well-positioned to succeed in the transition to High-er Definition – both inside and out of the home. “The transition to HD is especially important to Sony, because from film production in Hollywood to television viewing at home, Sony has connected every link in the HD chain. With professional equipment, camcorders, television displays, Blu-ray Disc players, packaged media and more, no one is better positioned to lead the way to full high definition. That’s why we say Sony is High-er Definition.”
    In addition to highlighting Sony’s HD equipment and Grand Wega and Bravia televisions Stringer dwelt on the rapid growth and proliferation of HD content. He announced that Sony’s game shows Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune will be the first game shows available in HD later this year.
    Dell chairman Michael Dell discussed the importance of the Blu-ray disc format for both the consumer electronics and IT industries. To show the importance of the last of the four pillars Playstation, Sony Computer Entertainment America president and CEO Kaz Hirai joined Stringer to discuss how Playstation 3 will build on the success of the PlayStation 2, which experienced a 10.5 per cent year-over-year gain in holiday sales and was the only platform in the videogame industry with positive growth, and on the success of the PlayStation Portable (PSP).
    Hirai also emphasised the importance of the Cell processor, which is designed to support broadband consumer applications and HD video streams and will be at the heart of the Playstation 3, scheduled to launch later this year. By utilising Blu-ray, Playstation 3 will also provide the large storage capacity required by game creators to achieve real-time gameplay mechanics in a HD world.

  • Viewers vote for ‘Aap Jaisa Koi’ to mark Sony’s 10th anniversary

    MUMBAI: In order to commemorate Sony Entertainment Television’s 10th anniversary in India, the channel has lined up a special called Aap Jaisa Koi.

    Aap Jaisa Koi is a viewers’ choice awards, which aims to recognise popularity and talent of television actors on Sony (a la Star Plus’ Star Parivaar Awards).
     

    Sony will bring characters from all its shows over the last decade and also from its recent shows in Aap Jaisa Koi, wherein viewers will get an exclusive opportunity to vote for their favorite ‘soap’ characters in 24 ‘popular’ and ‘evergreen’ categories.

    This saga will culminates in an award ceremony, which will be held on 14 January in Mumbai.

    To mark the completion of 10 years of entertainment, Aap Jaisa Koi will have a special section of categories called the 10 on 10 where viewers can vote for the best stars of the decade on Sony. Viewers can take a nostalgic trip down memory lane as they come across characters from shows like Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka, Kanyadaan and Ghar EK Mandir.

    The show comprises a series of concerts, which will be held in Lucknow, Ahmedabad and Jaipur in December and January with the grand finale happening in Mumbai on 28 January. The curtain raiser, announcing the nominees will be aired tonight (10 December) at 8 pm.

    Aap Jaisa Koi concerts in these cities will have television actors will perform and appeal for people’s support to win as many votes as possible. The popular categories for voting include Aap Jaisa Koi Parivar, Aap Jaisa Koi Hero, Aap Jaisa Koi Dulhan amongst others.

  • Star One’s ‘TGILC’ in top 50; beats Sony’s ‘CID’

    MUMBAI: Star India’s urban upscale channel Star One seems to be finally making its mark on the ratings charts.

    The Great Indian Laughter Challenge, the channel’s recently launched reality hunt for the nation’s best comic talent, is now in the TAM Top 50 (Week 28 ending 9 July). In doing so it has beaten back Sony’s CID and Zee’s long running and now modified Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2005 which are both Friday shows positioned in the same slot.
     

    TGILC has been consistently showing growth since its launch on 3 June. In the latest ratings, the show has made it to the 34th slot recording a 5.23 TVR in the CS 4+ Hindi speaking markets ahead of Sony’s CID and Crime Patrol which clocked 3.45 and 2.85 TVRs respectively.

    TGILC debuted with a launch rating of 2.3 TVR, and in the sixth week of its run has managed to rope in 8.4 million viewers, Star executives assert.

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Star India senior vice president marketing and communication Ajay Vidyasagar says, “The idea for the (talent hunt) show came to us when we saw that The Great Indian Comedy Show was doing well from Mondays to Thursdays. With the concept in mind we also roped in the humour icons Navjot Sindhu and Shekhar Suman. The results have however superseded our expectations. With this week’s ratings TGILC has risen to be the number one show on Fridays at the 10 pm slot. Also, well made comedies have always had a place of their own despite the dominance of soaps on Indian television.”

    If one tracks the performance of TGILC for the last four weeks vis-?-vis Sony’s CID & Crime Patrol and Zee’s Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2005, very clearly TGILC’s success can be attributed to it eating into Sony’s audiences while Zee remains unaffected.

    Adds Vidyasagar, “Drama leads the pack, with reality shows following. Although TGILC is a comedy show that is poised to hit the big league. On the back of TGILC, Instant Khichdi, Sarabahai Vs Sarabhai and Bluff Master are also showing increased ratings. The show in fact has not only brought in eyeballs from competition but has also managed to cut across geographies and bring in new audiences to the Friday 10 pm slot.”

    If one looks at Hindi speaking regions across, Star One scored most in the Punjab, Haryana, Chandigargh belt 1 million + followed by MP (1 mn +) and then Maharashtra.

     TGILC is one of the most heavily promoted shows on Star One. The launch phase saw a two week focussed campaign with spends according to industry estimates pegged between Rs 7-7.5 million with about 1500-2000 GRPS being burnt for the launch campaign.

    According to data provided by TAM, overall channel shares for Star One has also been on a climb week on week.
     

    The advertisers on the show are as follows –

        Clinic All Clear
        Maruti (Alto)
        D’damas
        VIP frenchie
        Zandu Pharma
        Parry’s(Butterscotch)

    One of the advertisers who requested anonymity says, “I think it has paid off well for us. It’s done better that we expected it to do both in terms of the quality of programme and branding. In all a good investment because it is an economical buy.”

    Maxwell marketing manager Anthony Fernandes seems more muted,”In terms of mileage, currently one can only judge it by the kind of buzz it has made. The sponsorship has not come in cheap, so whether it was a good buy or not is yet to be known.

    On the other hand Maruti’s media manager Shaswati Saradar
    is more upbeat, “It was a high risk property that we took on; so in terms of that mindset the return on risk is high. We did not expect it do so well. TGILC’s performance can also be attributed to what Indian television currently has to offer. This show comes as a respite from the routine women fare. Most definitely a good buy.”

  • Optimystix out of Sony’s ‘Fame Gurukul’

    MUMBAI: Sony is looking for new producers to take on part of their dream project, “reality based soap opera” Fame Gurukul, which was being touted as the next big thing after Indian Idol.

    When contacted, SET EVP and business head Tarun Katial quipped, “I have nothing to say on this.”
     

    Optimystix Entertainment director Sanjeev Sharma did, however, admit that his production house would no more be a part of the the Indian adaptation of the Spanish reality show Operacion Triunfo. “We are not doing Fame Gurukul. The decision was reached some time last week. After that we were travelling a bit, We have returned just today,” Sharma says.

    According to the the industry grapevine, differences cropped up between the two parties when Sony thought that Optimystix had gone over-budget on Indian Idol.
     
     

    Says Sharma, “We were not working on any specific budget in Indian Idol. That was a reimbursable budget. There is no question of going overboard in terms of money.”

    It may be recalled that as in the case of Indian Idol, production work for Fame Gurukul was to be shared between Optimystix and Miditech. The on-ground activities of Fame Gurukul were assigned to Miditech while “in-studio” work was to be handled by Optimystix.

    The 64-million dollar question now is of course: Will Optimystix be doing Indian Idol 2?

  • Sony’s ‘Kaisa Ye Pyaar Hai’ to cut across SECs

    MUMBAI: Having drawn in new audiences with Indian Idol, Sony TV is now warming up to the task of retaining them.

    An early prime time launch of a Balaji daily soap at the 8 pm band is eyeing a wide base audience across the social spectrum, away from the channel’s traditional core segment of SEC ABC. Sony believes Indian Idol has generated a mass base for the channel which it can now hold on to with a first-ever romantic love story.

    Sony which earlier defined their core TG as 18 – 24 years, SEC ABC has decided to expand their to core TG to SEC DE as well.

    Kaisa Ye Pyaar Hai (KYPH), a first of such initiatives will hit the tube on 29 March at the 8 pm slot Mondays to Thursdays.
     

    KYPH is a romantic tale of two distinctly different individuals which is laced with high ambitions, passion, conflicting values and the trials and tribulations of lovers. The key ingredient attributed by the channel is it’s musical backdrop.

    Why 8 PM?

    Traditionally, the 8 pm slot has always targeted the younger TG’s across general entertainment channels. Earlier, Sony had slotted Hum 2 Hain Na which aimed at luring younger audiences. Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Sony creative director Gursheel Walia says, “The 8 pm slot has always been a very teeny boppy slot across channels. With KYPH, the effort is capitalise on that opportunity and broadbase audiences and viewership.”

    Also, this habit forming soap is placed with the strategy of creating a vertical funnel 8 pm onwards through primetime right upto 11 pm, and as a horizontal funnel throughout the week.

    The channel officials also believe that this show will raise the bar for romance on TV, characterisation’s being the biggest USP of the show.

    Another interesting aspect is, that the show’s male protagonist plays the Pop Idol. The 8 pm slot has been a difficult one for Sony in the last year as Hum 2 Hain Na did not really catch the fancy of viewers. The slot was delivering an average of 0.7 TVR in the Hindi speaking markets C&S 4+. As a warm up to the launch of KYPH, Abhijeet Ka Safar highlighting the Indian Idol’s journey was showcased at the time slot.
     
     
     

    Throwing light on the same, SET EVP and business head Tarun Katial explains, ” KYPH will give the much needed impetus to expand daily primetime; giving audiences a strong viewing option at 8 PM, funneling in that viewership into the existing daily line up and increasing stickiness on the channel. This show will add the romantic element to the diaspora of entertainment offered by the channel, across genres and concepts thus ensuring quality entertainment for every member of the family.”

    The idea essentially is to expand their prime time in the reverse. The 8:30 pm slot which is currently dominated by Star Plus’ Kausauti Zindagi Kay cannot be touched. Although, the 8 pm slot is a fairly open slot in the current scenario. Pitted against Plus’ Dekho Magar Pyaar Se, Sony does not seem to have such a tough task at hand.

    On the marketing front SET vice-president marketing and communications Tushar Shah says, ” The marketing effort will be to create the needed buzz with a robust, innovative and high impact 360 degree blitzkrieg to build awareness and viewership.”

     

    Is this a slow and steady move by Sony to conquer part by part or will the leader reinstate its dominance?

  • ‘Millie’ to take on Sony’s ‘Kkusum’; Star plans marketing blitz

    MUMBAI: After the big bang marketing blitz that one saw with Star Plus’ Kavyanjali, the leading Hindi general entertainment channel has decided, one month in advance, to activate a promotional onslaught for the launch of their next big property, which debuts on the tube next month in the critical 9 pm slot.

    Launching 4 April, Mondays to Thursdays, Millie is poised to replace the recently converted half-hour dailies – Des Mein Niklla Hoga Chand, Kehta Hai Dil, Saara Akaash and Sanjivani, all of which will be phased out by end of March.
     
     
     

    Apart from the regular activity that entails a campaign, Star plus has gone a step forward to ensure visibility and reach for the show. In terms of sheer decibel levels, Millie‘s promotion will be as loud as that of Kavyanjali’s, confirms Star India senior vice president marketing and communications Ajay Vidyasagar.

    For the next one month, promo’s of the show will air across the Star network which will comprise the introduction and the profiling of all the characters in the serial. “This has been done with a specific intention of familiarising the audience with the characters to induce interest and curiosity for the show before the launch and in turn ensure that the 9 pm slot becomes a staple diet for the viewers,” adds Vidyasagar. Millie, the central protaganist in the promo’s, will talk about the other characters and the others will talk about Millie creating a sort of interplay.

    A total of six promo’s are planned, the smiley being the symbolic logo of the serial depicting sunshine will be played as the icon of the campaign.
     
     
     

    The other innovative factor is the title track of Millie which the channel believes is a potential chart buster. Composed by Preetam of the Dhoom fame, a music album is slated to be released on the same. Also the music video will be airing on both Star Plus and Channel V. The video is a take-off on ‘How do you solve a problem like Maria’, the much loved song in the musical classic Sound of Music.

    Apart from that, the show will also be sufficiently supported by ground events, radio, outdoor and print media.

    Coming to the content of the show, it is essentially a family-centric show which revolves around an orphan who comes into a family that is always buried in sorrow. Millie comes into their lives as the sunshine and hence the symbolic smiley.
     
     
     

    Gone are the days of regular marketing. With television shows getting more and more cutting edge and competitive, innovation and alternative seems to be the name of the game.

    Mille is pitted against SET’s Kkusum. Is Sony getting into an aggresive mode as well to ensure stabilty for their 9 pm slot or is it going to surrender to the entertainement major?

    It’s a question of survival.

  • Sony’s new reality show ‘Dance Dance’ to debut on 14 January

    MUMBAI: Sony renewing its marriage to the reality theme has brought yet another reality show titled Dance Dance. After the big-ticket Indian Idol property, the channel is all set to accelerate the pace with this offering.

    Dance Dance also is an adaptation of the successful Australian dance show Strictly Dancing produced by Southern Star Endemol, which aired on ABC Television. The show will focus on finding India’s ultimate dancing couple spiced with inimitable humour and style of host Javed Jaaferi. The show makes its debut on 14 January, airing every Friday at 8 pm.

    Speaking on the launch of Dance Dance, Sony EVP and business head Tarun Katial says, “Music and dance are not only an intrinsic part of our culture but also a passion with all Indians. Sony Entertainment Television was the first channel to bring it’s viewers a successful dance talent show Boogie Woogie. While, Indian Idol took the country by storm bringing to the forefront some exceptional singing talent from across the nation, our upcoming show Dance Dance will prove to be a platform for aspiring couples to showcase their dancing skills while providing our audiences with yet another unique and exciting viewing alternative.”

    Dance as a concept, the channel believes will work very well in the Indian context considering firstly that it transcends all boundaries and secondly as dance is an integral component of Bollywood. Interestingly, Dance Dance will not feature amateurs but semi-professionals who have had previous qualification in this vocation. With five theme rounds, they being folk, item, props, disco and solo, the show will showcase a total of 64 couples competing for the ‘Ultimate Dancing Couple.’ The panel of judges include eminent experts such as Saroj Khan, Vaibhavi Merchant and Terence Lewis.

    The show has also incorporated for the first time in the history of Indian television the introduction of live commentary throughout the show in a unique competitive sports style. The commentators being Gita Kapur and Areez, who will enlighten the audience on the different forms of dance and verbalise the emotions experienced by the contestants and provide a critique on the judges decisions. The show will also offer sneak peaks of all the action behind the scenes.

    Produced by Miditech, the show will eventually be followed by a result episode on Saturday, the timing of which is yet to be finalised. The entire show spans across 23 weeks with the tagline ‘Dance Ka Josh, Uda De Hosh.’ Like Indian Idol, this too will ensure interactivity and connect with the viewers with the selection and elimination of the dancers being voted by the audience.

    The final winners will receive a contract work Rs 2 million from Sony and music video produced by a leading music company. The show will also have a segment for kids, where a junior dancing couple will be titled winners as well. All in all the package looks pacy, peppy and exciting; and with dancing being core to the Indian environment, Sony might just hit the jackpot this time.

  • Sony’s ‘Dance Dance’ all set to ‘move’ the nation

    MUMBAI: The first big offering from the Sony stable in 2005, Dance Dance is all set to hit the tube on 14 January. The marketing proposition for the show clearly deals with the theme of the dance frenzy hitting the nation. Validating that thought are a set of creatives that depict dance core to our culture. The promotional stint being two pronged are broadly off air and on air.
     
     
    On air promos are packaged with the nuances of the fast paced Javed Jaffery indulging a tad bit into what the show is really about. The on-air promos are being aired across Sony, Max and AXN.

    The cable initiative is also very exhaustive with a series of tie-ups with cable operators across Mumbai promoting the show. Cable in metros and smaller towns and cities such as Delhi, UP (Kanpur, Lucknow, Allahabad, Gorakhpur, Varanasi etc), PHCHP (Ludhiana, Chandigarh, Amritsar etc).

    The off-air campaign is based on how the frenzy of the show will sweep you off your feet hence the tag line ‘Dance Ka Josh Uda De Hosh’. The creative done by Euro RSCG depicts individuals in everyday life situations in different dancing poses. ” The essence of the campaign being that the dancing frenzy has hit the nation and everyone is so taken in with the show that they cannot stop tapping their feet,” says SET vice president marketing and communications Tushar Shah.

     
     
    The surround campaign entails extensive print promotion on the day of the launch (14 January). Outdoors across key towns and cities in the form of hoardings and bus-backs. Dadar station – the central hub of Mumbai deluged by Dance Dance bill boards will lead the outdoor campaign .

    On the radio front, an extensive campaign on FM channels will be carried out to create awareness and buzz by interviewing the three judges of the show Farah Khan, Vaibhavi Merchant and Terence Lewis.

    E- Mailers for the trade which include clients, agencies and distribution networks have also been activated.

     
     
    The recent upsurge of non-traditional media like mobile phones (2525) and the Internet (setindia.com) is also being extensively applied.
    The SMS short-code 2525, is being used to build interactivity with the viewers. Viewers can download the Dance Dance soundtrack as well as write-in to the channel via the message boards on setindia.com and on the 2525 platform. Downloads for the show’s logo and ring-tones have also been made available.
    Another interesting move is a micro-site for the show which is being developed wherein all Internet users, Setizens and viewers can learn more about the show.

  • Sony’s Abraham Thomas to head sales at MTV

    MUMBAI: MTV India has finally found someone to head sales in the country following the elevation of Sanjay Puthli to man the Viacom affiliate’s operations in the Asian region.
    MTV India MD Alex Kuruvilla confirmed to indiantelevision.com today that Abraham Thomas, Sony Entertainment Television India’s senior vice president sales, would be taking charge by mid-April as V-P ad sales.
    Kuruvilla said that Thomas was joining during a challenging time for the network as a whole new series of initiatives were in the pipeline for MTV as well as the struggling kids channel Nickelodeon. Kuruvilla said some major announcements in this regard would be made soon. Thomas would also have a role to play as far as strategic inputs towards development of the two channels in the region were concerned, he added.
    With the addition of Thomas to the team, it would appear to complete the corporate restructuring that has taken place at MTV India in the recent past. This has seen, along with Puthli, Natasha Malhotra moving to MTV Networks Asia as V-P content. As for the India operations, Kuruvilla was given an additional designation of executive V-P MTV Networks Asia to that of MD for India while Cyrus Oshidar, who was earlier V-P creative, was promoted to GM creative and content.
    Thomas currently heads ad sales at SET for the entertainment part of their bouquet. He has been with Sony for the past three years. Before that Thomas was with the Indian Express.