ITV

Tag: Star India

  • Star gears up for MIPCOM

    Star gears up for MIPCOM

    MIPCOM is where the ‘stars’ align for business. And so it is that Star India will be participating for the eighth consecutive time at MIPCOM this year, armed to its teeth with content including Hindi and regional programs.

    There’s no undermining how important MIPCOM is, even for an established entity such as Star India, whose programs have takers not only in India but all over the world. Star India vice president Ashutosh Mordekar puts it well saying: “MIPCOM is the biggest aggregation of content buyers and sellers across the globe. It provides a platform to showcase our content to buyers across the world.”

    Ashutosh Mordekar believes the market provides an opportunity to meet and transact with new as well as existing clients

    Mordekar also believes the market provides an opportunity to meet and transact with new as well as existing clients.

    Star will be focussing on markets like Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and CIS region and Central Asia.

    Coming to what’s new from the Star stable, Mordekar says: “Star is showcasing the epic Mahabharat which is the most expensive show coming from India. The show is already garnering interest across Asia and Europe, and buyers have already indicated their interest.”

    Explaining why Indian content is very well accepted in global markets, he reasons: “The world is currently opening up to Indian content in a big way. Indian content is at present just breaking out. We are at the end of stage one, where the content has been sampled in various countries through initial foothold deals and the success of these shows has created a huge interest in fresh content coming from India.”

    While it is generally felt that the production value of Indian content has gone up in recent times, is it really up-to-speed with international standards? “Yes! The last couple of years have seen a huge leap in the production value of our shows. Be it HD, Dolby 5.1 Sound etc. – the production values today are comparable to the best in the world,” quips Mordekar.

    About the platforms the network plans to target at MIPCOM, he says: “We are going to be in discussions for exploiting our content on IPTV, mobile, VOD (Voice on demand) or free-to-air platforms.”

    Optimistic about the results of participation, Mordekar is looking forward to this year’s fest.

  • First episode of Homeland season 3 to premiere exclusively on the Star World Premiere website

    First episode of Homeland season 3 to premiere exclusively on the Star World Premiere website

    Star India’s latest offering Star World Premiere HD brings to India some of the world’s best TV shows enabling Indian audiences to watch their favorite TV series along with America, before the rest of the world. Star World Premier HD will air 26 new and returning shows from 4 of the biggest television studios in the world, creating a revolutionary television viewing experience in High Definition (HD). The channel will also air the latest season (S3) of award-winning show Homeland starring Claire Danes and Damien Lewis.

     

    With the brand new GEC debuting on air earlier this week on Tata Sky HD, Star World Premiere HD will showcase an exclusive web premiere of the first episode of the latest season of the drama-thriller several hours before the series airs on television in India.  The critically acclaimed show has won a host of awards including the 2012 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, and the 2011 and 2012 Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama. Claire Danes also clinched her second consecutive best drama actress Emmy award on Sunday for Homeland along with the late Henry Bromwell who won a posthumous writing Emmy for the show’s intense ‘Q&A’ episode

     

    Tune in to watch the opening episode of the 3rd season of the show on the Star World Premiere HD website www.starworldpremiere.inon Monday, the 30th of September between 11 am to 7 pm.
     

  • Nachiket Pantvaidya goes back home to Sony

    Nachiket Pantvaidya goes back home to Sony

    MUMBAI: It’s like a homecoming of sorts for senior television professional Nachiket Pantvaidya. Pantvaidya has reportedly put in his papers at Star India and will be joining Mulitscreen Media (Sony Entertaintment). He will be taking charge as the business head of the MSM Motion Pictures, which is a division of MSM. A formal announcement is expected next week sometime.

    MSM Motion Pictures has a slew of films planned under its banner over the next two years. Among these: Bajate Raho (already released) and Mango among others are lined up for release.
    Nachiket Pantvaidya will head the motion pictures division of MSM

    Last year, Star India had elevated Pantvaidya to head its flagship Hindi general entertainment channel Star Plus as its general manager. Prior to this, Pantvaidya was heading Star India’s Marathi GEC Star Pravah.

    Pantvaidya had joined Star Group in November 2009 as MD of Fox Television Studios India. Later he was moved to Star Pravah as EVP and GM.

    Prior to that, Pantvaidya has worked with Balaji Telefilms, BBC Worldwide, Disney and Sony Entertainment (now Multi Screen Media).

  • Life’s OK digitally

    When Harvard wizkid Mark Zuckerberg launched facebook in 2004, he never imagined it would ignite a revolution in terms of the way people communicate and share information.

    Indeed, social networks have emerged as the next big thing after email and the Internet, and not just individuals and communities but even our television channels are happily jumping onto them for bettering their ‘connect‘ with the audience.

    After demystifying the digital strategies of Sony Entertainment Television, Star Plus, Colorsand Zee TV, indiantelevision.com trains its lens on the endeavours of Life OK – Star India‘s sister channel – in this space.

    For starters, Life OK‘s Facebook page boasts 1,293,603 likes and more than 63,600 people talking about it simultaneously.

    We also have efficient partners that understand the nuances of social media engagement and help spread marketing ideas across digital and social platforms, says Ajit Thakur

    The page is kept up-to-speed with pictures, videos, polls and all the hot gossip, and shares links with the official pages of various shows aired on the channel.

    In a day and age when 140-character tweets more than news make headlines, the plots of Life OK‘s many soaps are also tweaked through fan tweets. The official twitter handle of the channel @LifeOKTV is abuzz with nearly 20,840 tweets from over 16,555 followers at the time of writing. With instant reactions and feedback the staple of twitter, Life OK makes the most of this platform with timely tweets and re-tweets.

    To cite an example, the channel created, #ThePerfectBachelor, for its upcoming reality show The Bachelorette India – Mere Khayalon Ki Mallika and garnered more than seven million impressions. So much so, the hash tag found its way to the numero uno spot on India trends, that too within half an hour of the beginning of the contest. It was only the second Indian show to trend for 21 hours.

    #ThePerfectBachelor hash tag garnered more than seven million impressions

    Life OK is aware that for a general entertainment channel, video uploads draw the most traffic. And so, it launched its official YouTube channel in December 2011, and has since uploaded 5,000-odd videos. Viewers can watch the latest episodes of top-rated properties like Mahadev, Shapath andSavdhaan among others.

    To top it all is Life OK‘s official website http://www.lifeok.com/. As the channel‘s mainstay, the website aims to use all its other platforms to draw more and more traffic.

    It is easily the hub of Life OK‘s online activities with web exclusive content including live streaming, picture gallery, video uploads, show trivia and a concert section. There‘s also the shows schedule for those who want to know what time their favourite show will be telecast during the day.

    Says Life OK general manager Ajit Thakur: “Social media platforms are a great place to directly engage and interact with consumers. The idea is to leverage the various platforms to drive engagement and increase affinity towards our content. We also provide additional content specific to digital platforms for users who have supported us, or in facebook terms, ‘liked‘ us.”

    The official Facebook page keeps its page up-to-date with pictures, videos, latest buzz and polls

    This is not to say Life OK‘s engagement with its audience stops at social platforms. “We are constantly trying to connect with our audiences, be it through dialogue on social media platforms or sneak previews of our content. With every show and channel marketing campaign, our digital spends supplement the print and TV mentions, thus creating a 360 degree surround across media,” provides Thakur.

    A shining example of the channel‘s 360-degree approach is the way it created the Laajo Ki Diary blog on four platforms including wordpress, blogspot, tumblr and Rediff before the launch of its show Gustakh Dil. The blog gets updated with new posts on a day-to-day basis, keeping viewers abreast of what‘s happening on it.

    The website is decked up with web exclusive content including live streaming, picture gallery, video uploads, show trivia and a concert section

    But how does the channel promote its online presence? “We have a dedicated digital content and marketing team, who focus their energies on creating interesting content for the digital audience. We also have efficient partners that understand the nuances of social media engagement and help spread marketing ideas across digital and social platforms,” replies Thakur.

    Just in case you‘re wondering which platform gets the most traction, Thakur isn‘t very helpful. “Each platform delivers a specific objective while facebook is a great place for fans to engage with us, consume rich media content and share with friends; twitter being much more time-sensitive, helps create buzz about relevant topics and shows at the right time. YouTube on the other hand is a great platform for users to sample our content (mostly short form content) and also drives digital monetisation,” he says.

    Well, talk about the channel being omnipresent in the digital space…

  • MSM appoints Neville Bastawalla as SONY PIX marketing head

    MSM appoints Neville Bastawalla as SONY PIX marketing head

    MUMBAI: Multi Screen Media (MSM) today announced the appointment of Neville Bastawalla as its new marketing head for its premium Hollywood movie channel SONY PIX.

    Neville Bastawalla with his experience and understanding of the business will help to consolidate Pix’s position in the genre

     

    A marketing professional with over 14 years of multi-brand experience, Bastawalla’s previous stint was with Star India where he joined in January 2011 as marketing head for its English channels and was most recently head – marketing for STAR’s Hindi movies channels since February 2013.

     

    Prior to joining Star India, Bastawalla was head marketing at Mid-Day Infomedia where he spent about four years. He joined Mid-Day in 2007 after a brief stint with Nickelodeon as senior marketing manager. A management graduate in marketing, Bastawalla also has worked with HSBC, Walt Disney Company, Contract Advertising and Mudra Communications.

     

    Announcing Bastawalla’s appointment SONY PIX EVP & business head Saurabh Yagnik said, “We are delighted to have Neville join the team and we are certain that his experience and understanding of the business and our audience will help us consolidate our position in the genre. We look forward to a long and fruitful working association with him.”

     

    “I am delighted to begin my association with Sony PIX.  The channel has always uniquely positioned itself in the English movie genre, with a strong content library and innovative campaigns for its premieres and other properties. The channel showcases the best of Hollywood movies. I look forward to taking up this role and delivering on the business objectives for the channel,” said Bastawalla.

  • Who will be India’s Junior MasterChef?

    Who will be India’s Junior MasterChef?

    MUMBAI: If you thought children’s reality shows on the small screen were only about singing, dancing or acting, think again. Riding on the success of MasterChef India, Star Plus is gearing up for a brand new show that will see kids aged eight to twelve years cooking up a storm in the kitchen. Indeed, the show titled Junior MasterChef – Swaad Ke Ustaad and produced by Colosceum Media, will be the first such in the history of Indian television.

    It is not a singing or dancing show. Nobody has ever seen kids cooking, I am sure in my head and heart that the show will do well, says Ashish Golwalkar

    But why children? clarifies Star India senior VP – marketing Nikhil Madhok: “Kids have a universal appeal. Everybody, including adults and kids themselves, will be interested in what these small wonders cook up. Most importantly, we are giving young cooking enthusiasts a platform.”

    While the format is modeled on the lines of Junior MasterChef Australia, which has already completed one season, the show will adapt to Indian sensibilities. Explains Star India senior vice president – programming, Ashish Golwalkar: “What they cook there, we cannot cook here because many of the ingredients are not available. The basic essence will be similar to Junior Masterchef Australia, but we have changed it a lot to suit the Indian palate.”

    Auditions have been conducted in three cities including Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata and ten kids have been finalised. What’s more, four to five episodes have already been shot at RK Studios in Chembur.

    Chefs Jolly, Kunal and Vikas will expect nothing less than perfect, well-executed and delicious dishes

    Talking about the response at the auditions, Golwalkar says: “To be frank, before conducting the auditions, we were not sure whether the kids would be able to do this or not. And if so, then what kind of kids we were going to take. But the response we received was overwhelming. Around 8,000 kids turned up for the auditions. Some even travelled from smaller towns to showcase their skills.”

    But will it work? Madhok sounds confident: “We want to capture the innocence of the children and showcase their skills in an area usually associated with adults. Eight to twelve years is perfect for us because the kids are cute, eager to learn and the way they will demonstrate their talent will amaze people worldwide.”

    Adds Golwalkar: “It is not a singing or dancing show. Nobody has ever seen kids cooking, I am sure in my head and heart that the show will do well. So, by the sheer nature of its content, it will be different from the others. It’s prime time and we are ready to take a fight, and as a channel, we are ready to take up any challenge. As leaders, if we don’t take risks and push the envelope, then who else will.”

    The first season of Junior MasterChef – Swaad Ke Ustaad will be begin to air from today, for 12 weeks every Saturday and Sunday at 9 p.m.

    And it’s not just about giving other reality shows a run for their money.

    We are giving young cooking enthusiasts a reality show platform but in a whole new avatar says Nikhil Madhok

    “One child will win, that is the nature of the competition, but our attitude and endeavour is to encourage all the children who participate in the show,” says Madhok.
    Chefs Vikas Khanna, Kunal Kapoor and Surjan Singh Jolly will be the celebrity judges on the show. With kids involved, won’t they be lenient as compared to the adults’ version?

    Nothing will be made easy for the li’l chefs, clarifies Golwalkar. Every week, different tasks will be assigned to them and they will have to live up to the judges’ expectations.
    What about the kids’ safety?

    Four contestant managers will take care of the children while they chop or cook, says Golwalkar, adding: “Nobody needs to worry about safety. We have followed enough precautions as per the international format.”

    The show will be replacing the dance reality show India’s Dancing Superstar on Star Plus. Amul is the presenting sponsor and Pigeon, Fiona and Yippee noodles are its associate sponsors.

    Marketing and promotions

    Star Plus has adopted a three-pronged approach toward promoting Junior MasterChef – Swaad Ke Ustaad; television, digital and on-ground.

     

    On the television front, promos are already being aired on the entire Star network as well as 22 channels outside the network to communicate that JMC is not just a show for kids but for the entire family.

    Digitally, Star Plus has tied-up with MSN India and Yahoo! to make available exclusive behind-the-scenes content of the show. A digital application is on the cards which will help download recipes one sees on the show or indulge in a live chat with the judges and kids. A Facebook application has also been created where the young guns will test the audience’s knowledge about food.

    As far as on-ground activity is concerned, various competitions will be held between adults and children in ten cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Indore, Pune, Chandigarh and Lucknow. The intent is to demonstrate how talented kids can be, sometimes surpassing adults as well.

    Viewers will witness a perfect amalgamation of great food stirred up with a riot of laughter and fun

    Apart from the three important legs of the campaign, Star Plus has teamed up with Hindustan Times for a novel print idea. On the day of the launch of JMC, HT Cafe and HT City will appear half their usual size as a tribute to the “Junior Master Chefs” debuting the same night.

    Secondly, in a unique contest on Radio City, listeners who believe they have carried the most boring dabba that day will be encouraged to interact with the RJ. If the listener manages to convince the RJ that he/she does have ‘the most boring dabba’, he/she will win a treat from The Junior MasterChef Kitchen – the very same day.

    Thirdly, selected cinema halls will have a special ‘Junior Master Chef seat’. The lucky viewer who happens to get that seat will be treated to a delicious surprise from the JMC kitchen during the interval.

    While season one of the Australian version was won by one Isabella, we eagerly await to see who will win the show’s Indian counterpart.

  • Uday Shankar’s take on social responsibility

    Uday Shankar’s take on social responsibility

    MUMBAI: This Independence Day saw the who’s who of the film and television fraternity come together in a unique initiative by Star India to support the victims of the Uttarakhand tragedy.

     

    Christened Saath Hain Hum Uttarakhand, the seven-hour-long event held at the NSCI grounds in Mumbai was telecast live across the entire Star India network.

     

    In an exclusive interaction with indiantelevision.com, Star India CEO Uday Shankar spoke at length about the conviction behind this noble cause and Star India’s philosophy.

     

    “When such a tragedy occurs, there is a need to do something different. At Star, we have a very deep emotional connect with the audiences at large,” expresses Shankar. “Whether it is through our programming or by connecting with the film and television industry for this cause, we feel it is our duty to help people who are in pain there.”

    Star’s Uday Shankar says the network is not only number one in terms of content but it also has a very strong social conscience

     

    Shankar points out that the initiative helped reinforce another point that Star is not only number one in terms of content but it also has a very strong social conscience. “The endeavour was also born out of his sense of responsibility toward the large number of people that have made all the channels of the Star network successful,” he highlights. “People’s belief brings with it a huge responsibility, which we are continually aware of, and try and live up to. Doing this for the rebuilding of Uttarakhand is yet another acknowledgement of our responsibility.”

     

    So why I-Day? According to Shankar, Star India had wanted to do something big at the time the tragedy occurred but the logistics were daunting. That’s when he and his team started taking the creative community into confidence.

     

    “Obviously, an event on such a big scale takes time, as you have all the top stars from the industry and you need some time to bring all of them together. So, 15 August was very appropriate because both its symbolic and philosophical values were in sync with our objective,” explains Shankar.

     

    What was the idea of airing the event live? “Live has an element of intensity, immediacy and urgency. We wanted to share with the people how the creative community, comprising media, television and film has responded spontaneously to the disaster. We wanted to capture that intensity,” gushes Shankar.

     

    Are he and his team happy with the response the event garnered? “I was overwhelmed by the positive response from all the top stars and everybody from the film and television industry. Bringing together so many people is a challenge, but everybody was more than willing the moment we said it is for Uttarakhand victims. While some of them could not make it because of their own commitments, it was very satisfying to see them all so willing to lend their support to the cause,” exults Shankar.

    Star India has decided to encourage viewers from across the globe to donate generously toward the victims of the tragedy

     

    Have the network’s expectations been fulfilled, at least to some extent? According to Shankar, the immediate and material consideration was “to raise as much contribution as we can so we can play a more effective role in rebuilding Uttarakhand.”

     

    In fact, as a natural next step, Star India has decided to encourage viewers from across the globe to donate generously toward the victims of the tragedy.

     

    Donation lines will be open from 15 August to 7 September and the funds collected will be channeled to the People’s Science Institute (PSI) and Himmotthan society NGOs partners. How the funds are used will be overseen by a team of independent auditors.

     

    A large part of undertaking the initiative was about replying to the perennial question faced by the media as to whether it is living up to its social responsibilities or not.

     

    “Whether it is the political class or the rest of the country, this question is being put to journalists, people in the field of entertainment, TV, print, all of us, every day. To which we wanted to say, ‘Look, we are more alive! Doesn’t matter whether we are news or entertainment, we are there when society needs us’,” said Shankar.

     

    Before concluding the interview, Shankar bared his heart on what the country should do in such situations.

     

     “Within the creative community, there is a strong desire to be socially more relevant, more meaningful and contribute more effectively. Everybody – whether they are actors, directors, producers, technicians and many more – has that kind of desire. What we require is the leadership, and I think that is why we all came together so we could provide that leadership to channelise that urge and those emotions. If we can do that, I think the country can do a lot more.”

  • Celebrate I-Day with special programs on TV

    Celebrate I-Day with special programs on TV

    MUMBAI: Flip through a newspaper or television channels, the flavours and colours of the Independence Day are present everywhere. And to celebrate and cash-in on the occasion, the channels across genres are going all out to surpass each other with special programs.

     

    The general entrainment channels which are scrapping amongst themselves for eyeballs have redone their programming line to accomodate these speical shwos. . Star India is spearheading an initiative-Saath Hain Hum Uttarakhand — to muster mass support and gather funds for the flood-ravaged Uttarakhand through a live seven-hour fund-raiser.

     

    The fund raiser that’ll be broadcast on key channels of the Star India network including flagship Star Plus, Life OK, Star Pravah, Star Utsav and Channel V from 12 noon will see participation and performances from Hindi film industry’s stars and television’s most celebrated actors. The network promises it to be the biggest Independence Day spectacle in India.

     

    To counter it, Zee has a special slot from 2.30pm to 5.30pm wherein it will show the best performances from the already aired Qubool Hai Eid Mubarak special episode and Gold awards 2013. Whereas Sony will be betting on films like Ek Tha Tiger and Aashiqui 2 that will be aired at 9.30 and 12.30 pm and 6.30pm respectively. Colors on the occasion will telecast Policegiri twice in the day.

     

    Movie channels, both Hindi and English, will be showing patriotic films (old or new) as well as films which focus on ‘Indianness’.

     

    As for the other genres especially the music channels, nobody wants to miss out on the opportunity as well. Music channels will pay tribute with not only patriotic songs but also through unique programs. For instance, Vh1 has Indian Musical Compass which brings together artists who are divided by states but united by music. The episode which is 12-hour (8am to 8pm) long will feature artists across India representing various regions – Pentagram, Indus Creed, Alobo Naga and the Band, Soulmate, Euphoria, Ska Vengers, A R Rahman, Thermal and a Quarter, Brodha V, Bickram Gosh, Cassini’s Division and many more.

     

    The oldest music channel – MTV – has announced its new take on freedom through Maa Kasam Hindustan with MTV ACT. The initiative will urge the youth to stop being a fence sitter; but to take a stand and take action against issues that concern them. Leading the campaign are actors John Abraham and Nargis Fakhri who along with MTV VJs will take an oath to bring about a change.

     

    The channels from the 9X network too will play blockbuster tunes, a special youthful video titled Azadi Ka Tashan and has also created a whistling version of Hum Hindustani, one of the most popular patriotic songs from Bollywood. This unique project will be aired on 9XM all through the Independence week.

     

    This Independence Day the channels have created a bouquet of colourful programmes to bring out the flavour of India to entertain viewers. So stay tuned!

  • Star ropes in stars to raise funds for Uttarakhand rehabilitation

    Star ropes in stars to raise funds for Uttarakhand rehabilitation

    MUMBAI: When Star India CEO Uday Shankar watched hundreds of innocent tourists and locals being swept away and buildings being flattened by the rising waters of the Mandakani river in June this year, he was at first horrified by the magnitude of the tragedy and then moved to action. He vowed to himself, that he would put in his best to help in the rebuilding efforts in the affected areas. He made a call to the two Bhatts of Bollywood- Mahesh and Mukesh and sought their support in putting together a fund-raising initiative which would involve the film and television fraternity.

    He also connected with Wizcraft’s Sabbas Joseph, asking him to pitch in this with his mite. And he deputed Star India senior VP marketing Yogesh Manwani to go down to Uttarakhand to study and assess the situation and gauge the funds required to rehabilitate the afflicted areas with major NGOs working there.

    Come 15 August 2013, and Uday’s initiative will see the light of day at the National Sports Club of India (NSCI)’s spanking new stadium in Central Mumbai. On stage will be the biggest names from Bollywood, the Bachchan family – it’s quite likely that the Bachchan bahu Aishwarya will get on stage after a long hiatus, Salman Khan, Madhuri Dixit, AR Rahman, Lata Mangeshkar, Ayushmann Khurana, Akshay Kumar, Pritam, Shankar Ehsaan Loy, Ajay Devgn, Kajol and Prasoon Joshi, among many others.

    The event titled Saath Hain Hum Uttarakhand will be telecast live on a clutch of channels of the Star India network – Star Plus, Life OK, Star Pravah, Channel V, Star Utsav, Star Plus HD and Life OK HD.

    So what’s so great about doing another multi-starrer event with film and TV performers? Have we not seen many of them and felt like going ho-hum? The difference this time is that this one has very noble intentions. Every paisa that Star India earns courtesy ad revenues and sponsorship during the telecast will be donated to NGOs working in the Uttarakhand. The telecast is slated to run for seven hours from 12 noon to 7pm. Estimates are that Star is likely to give away Rs 20-30 crore which it will rake in courtesy the telecast.

    The biggest names from Bollywood have been roped in for the event titled Saath Hain Hum Uttarakhand

    Amitabh will lend his mesmerising voice to recite couplets from Prasoon’s magical poetry that’ll be set to Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s music. The enthralling musical act will weave Prasoon’s event anthem – Mera Desh- into an enchanting song performance by acclaimed classical singer Shankar Mahadevan and a spellbinding poetic rendition by Amitabh. At the time of writing, several other stars like Rani Mukerji and Karan Johar were also approached.

    Says Star India CEO Uday Shankar, “Mera Desh is an invocation by India’s most revered artists with a simple and clear message to fellow citizens — to look at tragedy squarely in the eye and overcome it by joining hands. Star India is humbled to receive support from Hindi cinema’s biggest icons.”

    “The noble initiative is an opportunity for the entire Hindi film industry to stand by the very people who have showered us with unconditional love and have made us who we are,” says Bachchan. “We have come together to ease the pain of fellow men who suffered the agonising pain that this unprecedented calamity brought with itself.”

    All the anchors and stars will be urging audiences at home to open their wallets and donate funds for Uttarakhand

    This apart, anchors will be rotated every hour. Among some of the names from the TV industry which are being talked about include: Deepika Singh (Sandhya), Anas Rashid (Sooraj), Karan Mehra (Naitik), Mahadev fame Mohit Raina and Pooja Bose. “The show will be loaded with entertainment,” says a source close to the production. Wizcraft has had the experience of raising funds through greenathons and long-format events. But they have left the fund-raising to Star which is setting up payment gateways online. All the anchors and stars will be urging audiences at home to open their wallets and donate funds for Uttarakhand.”

    The main choreographer for the event is Sanjay Shetty who has become the darling of most live event organisers in recent times. The creative inputs will come courtesy Star India senior vice president programming Anil Jha. Wizcraft TV head Namit Sharma is the creative head and Asim Sen has been roped in as the TV director, Anurag Dingra will be the director of photography, while sets are being done by designer Varshai Desai. Wizcraft sound firm Performance Audio has been signed on for the sound while Atul Sonpal is responsible for the lights design with the help of lights from SFX and Ulhas will look after lights. Tech gear, cameras are being supplied by Real Impact.

    Technical and production crew disclosed that they were either working free of cost or at concessional rates for the event. “We are doing it for a cause,” says one of them. “Star has been reaching out to all who have been working with it on shows in the past to come in at really discounted rates.”

    Star India has emerged as one of the front runners on the corporate social responsibility (CSR) front amongst media firms ever since Shankar took over as CEO four years ago. This initiative should take the network even further still.

  • What keeps Life Ok ticking…?

    What keeps Life Ok ticking…?

    MUMBAI: In December 2011, when Star India launched its second Hindi GEC christened Life OK, the network made a promise to its viewers that through the channel they will see not only different but also out-of-the-box content.

     

    And keeping to it, the channel is launching a new show wherein the wife is the “other” woman. Gustakh dil portrays the life of a simpleton (Laajo) from a village whose husband (Nikhil) continues to be madly in love with his childhood sweetheart (Ishana).

     

    Commenting on how the show stands apart from the rest Life OK general manager Ajit Thakur asserts, “Disruption has always been a key thrust for us at Life OK and with Gustakh Dil we are aiming to bring out the other side of a love triangle. We are confident that people will accept this unique storyline and will appreciate our modest attempt at providing quality entertainment.”

     

    This is not for the first time that the channel has tried to do something different. In the past too, the channel has tried to grab eyeballs through it shows. It recently launched a reality crime-based show Police Dial 100 where the channel took a completely different track. Here, the team from Endemol follows policemen in Delhi, as they attempt to solve crimes and face different situations.

     

    “Police Dial 100 is Life OK’s effort to delve deeper into the functioning of law enforcing agencies and capturing on camera the highly stressful lives of our police forces lead”, Thakur had expressed earlier during the show’s launch in Delhi.

     

    Apart from it, another major property by the channel has been Savdhan India. However, one cannot deny that the crime based shows have done well for the genre.

     

    On the other hand, unlike the other channels which have failed to garner ratings and viewership through mythology, the channel struck gold with its mythological show – Mahadev – which is the most popular show on the channel.

     

    HavasMedia, MD, Mohit Joshi emphasis on it and adds, “Mahadev has set the grounding for the channel. And with good production quality and new shows every now & then, the channel has been able to grow significantly as well as make a mark for itself in the market. What even sets it apart from sister-concern Star Plus is the fact that it’s more contemporary.”

     

    What is interesting is that the channel not only brings out innovative shows but also has interesting FPCs. On 23 June, the channel showed non-stop 12 hours of fresh content comprising of crime, terror, mythology programming and Bollywood movies. Life OK plans to make it a regular initiative at least once a month as it feels that such kind of experimentation will make it a game changer. Before baara-se-baara, it had experimented with 6 a.m. – 6 p.m. and that too had worked well with the channel.

     

    Moreover, Life OK has acquired the format of the popular US reality dating game show The Bachelor and has commissioned the Zodiak owned SOL Productions to produce the Indian version – The Bachelorette India – Mere Khayalon ki Mallika which is expected to be on-air in September.

     

    “The series will strengthen Life OK’s programming and set another benchmark in quality entertainment”, states Thakur optimistically.

     

    However, Helios Media MD Divya Radhakrishnan resounds, “Though Life OK has been taking a lot of initiatives to make a name for itself among the leading Hindi GECs, it still has to do a lot more. Today the Hindi GEC cluster is leaving no stone unturned to come up with new shows, but are not moving any boulders. It’s just like any other GEC.”