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Tag: Star Movies

  • Star Movies to Premiere The Wolverine on Independence Day

    Star Movies to Premiere The Wolverine on Independence Day

    MUMBAI: Star Movies has enjoyed the undisputed leadership position in the movies genre for 20 years now and this is backed by the strong brand equity, strongest library and blockbuster premieres. The channel has recently announced the premiere of The Wolverine on Independence Day this year.

     

    Hugh Jackman plays the title character in the film The Wolverine/Logan and is set in Japan. The film also chronicles Logan’s Samurai training and has some incredible action sequences. The film made roughly $414.8 million worldwide and was met with positive reviews the world over.

     

    Star Movies believes in breaking new grounds with every premiere and it’s offering a fresh edge with the Wolverine 360 degrees marketing and digital campaign. The experiential campaign focuses on consumer engagement giving them a taste of the film like never before.

     

    Star Movies has tied up with Gold’s Gym for an intensive Wolverine Workout session. Partnering with the leading health club chain across Mumbai, Delhi, Pune and Bangalore, they will create a custom made workout plan for anyone who aspires to get the Wolverine physique. Wolverine Workout is a specially designed high intensity form of training which ensures burning fat with power drills to increase strength & muscle. It is a customized functional cum power workout for a duration of an hour per day. The trainers at Gold’s Gym will work on your endurance, stamina and speed incorporating cardio vascular & strength moves.

     

    After giving fans chance to become fit like the Wolverine, Star Movies also gives fans an exclusive opportunity to pose with the original Wolverine claws. Fans can get their pictures clicked at the Wolverine photo booth activity at select PVR cinemas across Mumbai and Delhi.

     

    If all this leaves you hungry for more, Star Movies has also tied up with premium eatery, California Pizza Kitchen to create a special Wolverine menu. The Wolverine Power combo will be available at select outlets of CPK in Mumbai and Delhi.

     

    On the occasion of the premiere, Mr. Kevin Vaz, General Manager – English Cluster, Star India said, “We at Star Movies have planned a great line-up for the second half of 2014 and are thrilled to announce the premiere of The Wolverine on this Independence Day. To enhance the experience of the premiere, we have designed an innovative marketing campaign to engage and excite our audience”.

     

    Catch the action packed movie The Wolverine on this Independence Day, 15th August only on Star Movies at 1pm and 9pm!

  • Star Movies gets ready for ‘Fast and Furious 6’ world TV premiere

    Star Movies gets ready for ‘Fast and Furious 6’ world TV premiere

    MUMBAI: For its Fast and Furious 6 premiere, Star Movies has put together a high voltage promotional campaign which will see a double premiere on 20 July at 1pm and 9pm. 

      
    Star India English cluster general manager Kevin Vaz says, “So far we have premiered 6o titles. Because of our association with major studios like NBC, Universal Studios, Fox and others we get access to all the premieres and we ensure to open with high octane titles for our audiences.”

     

    When asked why the channel decided to telecast the movie during the 1:00 pm slot, Vaz says “Our core audiences are in this slot. It is also good sampling opportunity and for the convenience of our viewers we will be double premiering it. Earlier we also premiered Life of Pi, Breaking Dawn and A Good Day to Die Hard during the same slot.”

     

    As part of the marketing campaign-‘India’s Fast 6’– six fans will get an opportunity to experience an electrifying ride Fast and Furious style in the super sports car SLS-AMG at the Budh International Circuit, Delhi. For this, viewers need to participate in a contest by logging on to www.Indiasfast6.com through their Facebook or Twitter accounts. They have to then complete a set of tasks leading to the ultimate one-clicking a selfie with the movie in the background while it is on air.

     

    As a countdown to the world premiere, the channel aired the previous five installments of Fast and Furious every Sunday, with the first installment airing on 15 June.

     

    Promos are also on air on sister channels like Star Movies, Star World and Fox Life. The channel has partnered with Jet Airways, PVR, Smaaash and goibibo.com for the premiere. Star Movies will engage with its audiences on Twitter, wherein participants stand a chance to win limited edition Fast and Furious collectibles like sports car and pen-drives every day. Using the #FastBid, they can bid for merchandises.

     

    As part of its future premieres Vaz says, “Wolverine will air on 15 August followed by other titles like Thor, Frozen and Captain America later in the year.”

  • Sony Pix goes big on social media and promotions

    Sony Pix goes big on social media and promotions

    MUMBAI: In the genre of English movies in India, nine players have been vying aggressively for a larger market share and online presence. One amongst these nine is Sony Pix. Read on about its efforts which include innovative micro properties on Facebook and giving out ‘money can’t buy merchandise.’

     

    The channel has been following a three point strategy since 2012. Sony Pix and AXN EVP and business head Saurabh Yagnik explains, “We began by investing in quality content. We then wanted to build a stronger perception and thirdly we wanted to innovate to break the clutter.” 

     

    Firstly, the channel invested in content by tying up with MGM. It bought the Bond franchise for three years including Sky Fall. Along the way, Pix had a makeover in late 2013 changing its previous tagline ‘Hollywood is Here’ to its current one ‘Stay Amazed’. The identity was unveiled with the world premiere of Skyfall in October 2013.

     

    It also premiered Men in Black 3 and The Amazing Spider Man. During the MIB3 premiere, Pix had launched an anti-alien day, where the channel said that eliminating various kinds of aliens from society was the need of the hour. Hash tags were displayed on the TV screen during the premiere, encouraging people to tweet. At that time, Yagnik had said that the initiative had trended through the day at number one and two in India and worldwide at number four. Similarly, with The Amazing Spiderman, Pix pitched the campaign around the amazing people in every person’s life, creating a web of amazing characters and stars.

     

    Earlier, the channel had also created ‘Premiere PIXathon’ where four back to back movies were premiered on a single day. “We chose movies that had four big stars, or spoke about Hollywood’s four big stars and what makes them click with the audience, four big cricketers and their achievements, and with this, we used the message of the ‘power of four’ for our big Premiere Pixathon,” Yagnik had said at that time.

     

    For 2014, the lineup includes Captain Phillips, The Hobbit: Desolation of the Smaug, The Amazing Spider Man 2 and Hercules.

     

    Next, to build a stronger perception, the channel started ‘Pix Premiere Nights’ on Facebook to give viewers an opportunity to watch a movie a day before it is actually released in India. Winners are chosen on the basis of a contest. In all, 2,200 winners across 10 cities will be provided passes to watch a mega movie on 11 screens. To facilitate the winner’s attendance, a special helpdesk has been set up. So far the contest has been held for Robocop, Spiderman 2 and The Hobbit.  Next in line is The Expendables 3. As reported earlier by indiantelevision.com, one such initiative could cost the channel anywhere between Rs 2-3 crore.

     

    Pix, which has more than two million followers on Facebook, according to Yagnik, decided to break from the clutter by creating micro properties on Facebook like: ‘Legendary Monday’ which has inspiring stories about celebrities; ‘Thoughtful Tuesday’ that is all about celebrity quotes; ‘Pixonomic Wednesday’ has box office collection facts while ‘Desi Thursday’ is a clash between Bollywood and Hollywood. ‘Superhero Friday’ includes all about action heroes while ‘Saturday Talks’ is about famous movie dialogues. The week culminates with ‘Gizmo Sunday’ which is all about gadgets.

     

    The channel plans to announce breaking news about Hollywood through the re-launch of its animated character ‘Notty Pixy’ on Facebook. “She is a gossip reporter who provides Hollywood news first in India,” Yagnik says. He flips a well bound book to showcase a list of Hollywood stars, reporters, movies, events and websites that are the “sources” for ‘Notty Pixy’s’ news.

     

    How has the three point strategy helped Pix?

    Revealing TAM data, the channel says that during the first quarter (April 14 to June 14) Star Movies stood first with 19.80 per cent market share while Pix followed closely at the number two position with 19.30 per cent share. The difference was just 0.50 per cent. However, in the same quarter during the primetime slot, Sony Pix led the charts with a market share of 23.6 per cent with Star Movies a distant second having a market share of 17.90 per cent (TAM Market: All India 1 Mn+ TG CS 15+AB).

     

    On Facebook, Pix has been leading the number one spot with 11.68 per cent engagement rate. Engagement includes likes, comments, shares and number of fans. In the second place is Movies Now with a 4.55 per cent engagement rate. Star Movies India and HBO India follow next with engagement rates of 3.35 per cent and 1.07 per cent respectively. Tonic Media is the digital agency that looks after these activities for Pix.

     

    Sharing details about future plans of the channel, Yagnik says that the channel will provide its audience with ‘money can’t buy merchandise’. For example, viewers can win the blue t-shirt worn by Tom Hanks for the film Captain Phillips, which will be premiered on 27 July. Yagnik adds that the t-shirt comes with a certificate of authenticity. Soon thereafter, the blood stained shirt and tie worn by Jamie Foxx in the movie White House Down is up for grabs.

     

    Yagnik revealed that Pix has been seeing revenue growth upwards of 25 per cent and is now available in HD on platforms like Dish TV, Hathway, Fastway and in Cable.

     

    According to Maxus managing partner north and east region Navin Khemka “the channel is trying to use innovative ways to capture audiences. By giving out exclusive merchandises it will attract audiences who will participate in a genre that is fragmented. They key objective is to build loyalty for the channel and therefore is a good strategy.”

  • Star Movies to flag off a hunt for India’s fast 6

    Star Movies to flag off a hunt for India’s fast 6

    MUMBAI: Pulling out all stops, Star Movies has put together a high voltage action packed promotional campaign for the television premiere of ‘FAST & FURIOUS 6’, the blockbuster hit from one of cinema’s cult action franchises which will see a double premiere on Sunday, 20th July, 2014 at 1pm and 9pm. 

     

    The channel has chalked out creative and unique consumer engagements as a part of the premiere’s publicity plan which is  inclusive of a once-in-a-lifetime chance for every fast car enthusiast to come one step closer to their speed dream!

     

    As a part of their marketing campaign,  the channel will hunt for India’s Fast 6, wherein six of the biggest fans of the movie franchise, will be presented with an exclusive opportunity to experience an electrifying ride Fast and Furious style. Winners will be gratified with a ride in the ultimate super sports car SLS-AMG on India’s only Formula 1 track – the Buddh international Circuit. To be a part of India’s Fast 6 team and live the action, all adrenaline junkies and speed enthusiasts will need to participate in an interactive contest on the www.Indiasfast6.com.  Fast and Furious enthusiasts will be able to sign in using their Facebook/Twitter accounts in order to complete a series of interesting tasks ultimately leading to the last and final task, which they will have to tackle while the movie airs.

     

    Additionally, the channel will engage audiences with specially designed promotion on Twitter, wherein participants stand a chance to win limited edition Fast & Furious collectibles every day. Using the hashtag #FastBid, they can bid for exclusive merchandise including special make sports car pen-drives among other memorabilia.

     

    Shifting gears from 1 to 6 as the countdown to the premiere, the channel is airing the previous 5 installments of Fast and Furious every Sunday,  with the first installment that aired on 15th June building towards the sixth movie. This movie festival allows fans to revisit their favorite action franchise featuring some of the world’s fastest cars and death-defying stunts ever captured on screen.

     

    Commenting on the premiere, Mr. Kevin Vaz, General Manager – English Cluster, Star India said, “We are pleased to premiere Fast & Furious 6, the most exciting and thrilling movie from the franchise. To present the movie with a befitting premiere, we have designed an innovative marketing campaign complete with a high octane dose of action to enhance viewer engagement and excite our audience”.

     

    Fasten your seat belts as STAR MOVIES takes you through a high speed showdown to the Fast & Furious 6 premiere on 20th July,1pm and 9pm only on Star Movies.

  • Animation movies will bring back your childhood memories this summer!

    Animation movies will bring back your childhood memories this summer!

    MUMBAI: India’s premiere Hollywood destination, Star Movies,  is all set to rule the roost with their Animation Domination block. With the commitment to bring the biggest and best of Hollywood to its viewers, Star Movies presents “ Animation Domination” which will take the 1pm slot every Monday to Friday throughout the month of May. The lineup is set to entertain you with movies like The Adventures of Tintin, Toy Story 3, Ratatouille, Ice age: Continental drift , Wreck-it Ralph, Wall-E, The Smurfs, The Princess and the Frog and UP! These movies are perfect spending time this summer during the holidays and in the midst of cricket season.

     

    The Adventures of Tintin – Starring Jamie Bell as Tintin, the intrepid young reporter whose relentless pursuit of a good story thrusts him into a world of high adventure, and Daniel Craig as the nefarious Red Rackham.

     

    Toy Story 3 – The movie begins with Andy leaving for college and donating his beloved toys – including Woody and Buzz  to a daycare. While the crew meets new friends, including Ken, they soon grow to hate their new surroundings and plan an escape.

     

    Ratatouille- Remy is currently situated in the sewers directly beneath Gusteau’s elegant restaurant. Soon Remy teams up with a young chef with little talent named Linguini. When Remy’s passion for cooking turns the haughty world of French cuisine upside down, the rat who would be king of the kitchen learns important lessons about life, friends, and family while questioning whether he should pursue his culinary calling or simply go back underground and return to his life as a sewer rat.

     

    Ice age: Continental drift – Scrat’s nutty pursuit of the cursed acorn, which he’s been after since the dawn of time, has world-changing consequences – a continental cataclysm that triggers the greatest adventure of all for Manny, Diego and Sid. In the wake of these upheavals, Sid reunites with his cantankerous Granny, and the herd encounters a ragtag menagerie of seafaring pirates determined to stop them from returning home.

     

    Wreck-it Ralph – Ralph is tired of being overshadowed by Fix-It Felix , the “good guy” star of their game who always gets to save the day. But after decades doing the same thing and seeing all the glory go to Felix, Ralph decides he’s tired of playing the role of a bad guy.  He takes matters into his own massive hands and sets off on a game-hopping journey across the arcade through every generation of video games to prove he’s got what it takes to be a hero.

     

    Wall-E – The year is 2700, and planet Earth has long been uninhabitable. For hundreds of years, WALL-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) has been taking out the trash, and collecting precious knick-knacks in order to stave off the boredom of his dreary routine. Little does WALL-E realize that he has recently stumbled onto a secret that could save planet Earth, and once again make the ravaged planet safe for all humankind. When highly advanced search robot EVE makes friends with WALL-E and realizes the value of his remarkable discovery, she excitedly races back to let the humans know that there’s hope for their home planet after all.

     

    The Smurfs –  When the evil wizard Gargamel chases the Smurfs out of their village, they’re forced through a portal, out of their world and into ours, landing in the middle of New York’s Central Park. Just three apples high and stuck in the Big Apple, the Smurfs must find a way to get back to their village before Gargamel tracks them down.

     

    The Princess and the Frog – Set in New Orleans at the beginning of the 20th century, The Princess and the Frog concerns a poor African-American girl named Tiana who has a knack for cooking, and dreams of opening her own restaurant. When the friend’s family hosts a party for Prince Naveen of Maldonia, Dr. Facilier, an expert in black magic, turns the visiting royal into a frog. The now amphibious Naveenconvinces Tiana that a kiss will reverse the spell, and if she obliges him he’ll provide the money she needs to open her dream eatery. However, their smooch not only fails to turn him back into a human, but transforms Tiana into a frog as well. The duo then sets out to find a voodoo priestess who can set everything right.

     

    UP – Carl Fredricksen is a 78-year-old balloon salesman. His entire life, Carl has longed to wander the wilds of South America. Then, one day, the irascible senior citizen shocks his neighbors by tying thousands of balloons to his home andfinally taking flight. But Carl isn’t alone on his once-in-a-lifetime journey, because stowed away on his front porch is an excitable eight-year-old wilderness explorer named Russell.

     

    So get ready to celebrate the innocence in you with Animation Domination as Star Movies brings to you the best of Hollywood, right to your television sets in the comfort of your home.

     

    Let the summers pass by watching your favorite movies at home only on Star Movies!! Watch all your favorite Animation movies Monday to Friday @1pm this May.

  • Movie channels gear up for the IPL onslaught

    Movie channels gear up for the IPL onslaught

    Season seven of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is just a couple of weeks away, but instead of worrying about possible loss of viewership and ad revenue, movie channels are gearing up to serve even more interesting fare to their audiences.

    Helios Media MD Divya Radhakrishnan opines: “IPL affects television across genres. GECs do not launch new shows, there are no reality shows, and no big blockbusters happen on movie channels. During IPL, everything comes to a standstill because that is the focal point during these months. However, the only thing posing a hindrance for IPL this time is the elections.”

    The 9:00 pm slot is typically lost in the IPL frenzy however, over the years, television channels have learnt to work around the hugely popular tourney. Besides, movie channels claim that movies serve as entertainment for both – the young and the old, and hence, they can be consumed at any point of time irrespective of other activities happening in the broadcast space.

    Yet, according to broadcasters of English movies, the 11:00 pm slot enjoys high ratings during IPL season, and strategising around this slot helps them compensate for erosion of viewership that takes place during the 9:00 pm time band. Broadcasters of Hindi movies on the other hand remain unaffected, and continue to mark their FPCs as per their preferences. Hindi movie channels mainly focus on catching viewers in the afternoon just before the beginning of the cricket match.

    About Star Movies’ and Star Movies Action’s plans during IPL 7, Star India business head English cluster, Kevin Vaz, says: “The strategy is that viewers can immediately switch to exhilarating blockbusters after an exciting match of cricket. Both channels have a fantastic line-up for their audiences and will provide the best Hollywood content.”

    With a view to amplifying the excitement of IPL, Star Movies has crafted an exclusive, on-air festival that brings together some of the biggest Hollywood premieres. “Riding on the heels of the IPL, Star Movies is bringing out a month-long movie festival titled ‘Super Star League’ in April and May, every night at 11:00 pm. We also have Amazon on board as a presenting sponsor,” says Vaz.  

    Additionally, Star Movies will continue to premiere the biggest Hollywood blockbusters every month and has a great line-up including Oblivion starring Tom Cruise and a host of films featuring Jackie Chan. “Viewers can also look forward to a host of animation movies next month,” Vaz reveals.

    Star Movies Action plans a contest round the special superhero line-up plus a speed demon festival featuring racing hits like Death Race, Ghost Rider, Gone in 60 Seconds and Speed. The Action@ 8 segment will see favourites like Predator, The Man with the Iron Fists and Hell Boy.

    “We have always placed a great importance on the digital medium as we feel that we can really connect with our viewers and gauge their preferences via online activities. In the new age, everyone is online and it is the best place to really interact effectively with our audiences,” says Vaz.

    As for HBO, the channel will air season five of its ‘Hollywood Premiere League (HPL)’ alongside season seven of IPL. Blockbusters including Jack Reacher, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, The Dark Knight Rises, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life, Wrath of the Titans, The Hunger Games and Parker will be telecast at 11:00 pm, Monday to Thursday, from April 14 to May 22, 2014.

    “The idea is to have a good content mix primarily driven by genres that are well received i.e. action and comedy. And that is what drives ratings, viewership and ad revenues in the end,” says HBO South Asia MD Monica Tata. “We will be doing on-ground activity, radio, on-air and social media promotions as well, building momentum for the two-month long festival that will offer blockbusters soon after the IPL matches get over.”

    Multi Screen Media’s Sony Pix, sister channel of official IPL broadcasters Sony Max and Sony Six, will air season four of its ‘Pix Premiere League (PPL)’ alongside IPL. “We will continue to program around IPL with the fourth season of PPL, as it is the biggest cricketing event in the country,” says Sony Pix business head Saurabh Yagnik. “The PPL has a line-up of our best titles and we have witnessed a spike in viewership during this time for the 11:00 pm slot as well. We want viewers to witness some of the best movies on our channel with the proposition, ‘Stay Amazed’.”

    PPL will be telecast at 11:00 pm Monday to Sunday from 16 April to 1 June. Only on Thursdays, there will be ‘Pix Doubles’ or ‘Super Pix’ or ‘Mega Premiere’ and Snapdeal.com will be the sponsor. With IPL being a MSM property, Pix will leverage Sony Max to get viewers to tune into PPL and catch some really good titles post the action on the field. The plan is to showcase 40 to 45 movie titles during IPL including The Amazing Spider-Man, Into the Blue, Rocky, The Terminator, Shaolin Soccer, Shutter Island, 2012, Kung Fu Hustle and After Earth. With less than two weeks’ time left, Sony Pix will premiere White House Down and Elysium to monetise well before the IPL begins.

    Zee Studio too is working on its programming around the IPL and will continue its Powerplay block that has been reloaded this year with a thrilling mix of Hollywood Action blockbusters through the month of May to attract viewers on to the channel. Powerplay starts 1 May, Monday to Friday at 10:00 pm.

    The block will see movies like: Cowboys and Aliens, Pirates of the Caribbean, Armageddon, Déj? Vu, Air Force One, John Carter and Enemy of the State.

    Talking about Powerplay Zee Studio EVP and business head Anurag Bedi says: “During the IPL, the English movie genre has historically witnessed a sizeable increase in male viewership and we will capitalise on the channel’s heavy online presence, of one million plus fanbase on Facebook and 50,000 followers on twitter by setting it abuzz with activities all through the month. Powerplay will also be promoted extensively via television and print in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore.”

    Unlike most English movie channels which are trying to create a property around IPL through packaging and programming blocks, the Times Television Network English entertainment channels will stick to what they do best. “We don’t want to come across as gimmicky by doing a ‘premier league’ though these things may help in generating more revenues, but it does not really add to the viewership,” says Times Television Network English entertainment channels’ CEO Ajay Trigunayat.

    Movies Now will compete with IPL through ‘Adrenaline Drive’, a block which has been successful for the past two and a half years for the channel. It will play at 11:00 pm, Monday to Thursday, beginning 7 April. Apart from high-octane movies like Commando, Iron Man, Salt, Transporter 2, Clash of the Titans, Batman Begins, Mr & Mrs Smith, Knight & Day, Behind Enemy Lines, 300, Collateral Damage and Superman Returns, Movies Now will also air the Matrix trilogy on 20 April, Sherlock Holmes – A Game of Shadows on 12 April, and Journey 2: The Mysterious Island on 5 April, all at 9:00 pm. While Movies Now gets around Rs 9,000 for a 10-second slot, it is pitching about Rs 12,000 per 10 seconds for ‘Adrenaline Drive’.

    Speaking of Romedy Now, Trigunayat says: “We have Friends With Better Lives launching from 1 April. It launched on CBS in the US at 8.30 pm on 31 March and we have done an interesting thing of launching a show at 11:00 pm, which is unprecedented, because prime time viewing has certainly shifted from 9:00 pm to 11:00 pm as that is a better viewed slot today than 9:00 pm.”

    In addition, Romedy Now will introduce two tent-pole properties in April i.e. Jolly Good Chaplin, a Charlie Chaplin special, and Romedy Weddings, a collection of unique movies keeping in mind the upcoming wedding season. The channel is also gearing up for the launch of a brand new series, 1600 Penn, which will be aired in May.

    Romedy Now’s current properties including Kitchen Confidential, Witches of East End, Sunny Sundays, Y So Serious and Happy Hours will continue.

    “Romedy Now is a content-agnostic channel. The content line-up consists of the best entertainment, keeping the core proposition of ‘Love. Laugh. Live’ intact. The content planned for the next two months is incredibly exciting. The Chaplin series will be quite a favourite, along with, of course, Friends With Better Lives, which is a brand new series written by Dana Klein (from the popular series F.R.I.E.N.D.S.),” says Trigunayat.

    Asked about the strategy deployed by English movie channels, a media observer said, “Properties based around IPL on English movie channels essentially serve two purposes. One, they allow channels to package these properties for the advertisers, and hence, monetise them better than their regular FPC. Two, it helps keep the buzz on the channel alive, so that the channel is not lost in the IPL hype.”

    Unlike English movie channels, Hindi movie channels are on a different route altogether.

    As Star Gold & Movies OK executive VP & GM, Hemal Jhaveri says: “It is business as usual; it’s about forming the habit for viewers, and there is so much of cricket happening anyways, nothing really changes for us dramatically during the IPL. The premieres will get their share of the marketing push through our networks.”

    Star Gold’s highlight for the month of April is ‘Masaledar Hits’, where every day, the channel will dish out a ‘Masaledar’ movie in the early evening slot; this will be a key property to win share in the non-prime time band. Golmaal 3, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Agneepath (Amitabh Bachan), Ajab Prem Ki Ghajab Kahani, De Dana Dan and Bhagam Bhaag among others will be aired as part of this block.

    Similarly for May, Star Gold will have ‘Blockbuster Noon’, which Jhaveri describes as “a programming stunt that we are planning to pull off where we will showcase a slew of blockbusters in the afternoon time band on week days. As we believe weekdays are the new weekends.”

    Additionally, the first Rs 100 crore grosser of this year, Salman Khan-starrer Jai Ho will premiere on a weekend in May followed by the world television premiere of O Teri.

    Movies OK will continue running the Family OK Holiday Special Contest on weekdays, early evening. “The idea is to engage and interact with the entire family and at the same time, provide an opportunity to watch and win the contest,” says Jhaveri. The contest gives viewers a chance to win a smart phone every day and a lucky family to go for an all expenses-paid international holiday to Thailand. This band will see movies like Main Hoon Na, Khatta Meetha, Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehtein Hain, Beta and Tere Naam among others.

    Bullett Raja will premiere on 27 April at 8:00 pm and in May; the channel will run the ‘SuperVeers – Action Blockbusters’ block at 8:00 pm on weekdays, apart from the channel premiere of the hit, Yaariyan in the weekend primetime band.

    Leveraging the election fever with an aim to provide viewers with iconic reel leaders, Zee Cinema is launching the ‘Hamara Neta Kaisa Ho’ festival which will air from 14-21 April, 2014 everyday at 9:00 pm. The festival will see titles like Nayak, Himmatwala and Aparichit – The Stranger.

    “Entering into our 20th year of entertaining our audiences with Movies, Masti and Magic, it has been our constant endeavour at Zee Cinema, to constantly provide our viewers novel offerings. We thrive to deliver the best to our audience hence have been rewarded with the highest GVTs, making the movie channel the undisputed leader in its genre. We are not aiming at combating IPL… in fact we look at it as an opportunity where television viewing will have increased eyeballs due to the election and IPL fervor,” explains Zeel deputy VP, head of programming – Hindi movie channels Ruchir Tiwari.

    Zee Classic is strengthening its programming line-up for the month of April by premiering movies such as Nasir Hussain and Shammi Kapoor’s Dil Deke Dekho, two Kishore Kumar classics like Dilli Ka Thug and Bombay Ka Chor and Biswajeet’s Bees Saal Baad for the first time on the channel. The month of April will also witness evergreen superstar Rajendra ‘Jubliee’ Kumar’s festival which will see films like Gawar, Doo Jassos and Saathi amongst others. Zee Classic will be airing a special movie Leader on Voting Day, starring Dilip Kumar and Vyjayantimala, which revolves around politics. The plethora of movies will recreate the magic of yesteryears.

     “Zee Classic being the only classic Hindi movie channel in India believes in showcasing the great works of cinema. We have an extensive and unique library of superhit classic movies, and hence have created two primetime slots – 5:00 pm and 8:00 pm daily. Apart from this, the channel will also be showcasing movies of the evergreen superstar Rajendra Kumar which will pay a tribute to the Jubilee Star by airing a month-long festival called ‘Jubilee Kumar’,” reveals Tiwari.

    The newest channel from the Zee’s stable – &Pictures – in anticipation of the upcoming IPL, has built up the Sunday 12 noon slot with ‘Hollwood Sundays’, a property that brings up a new Hollywood movie in Asli Desi Flavours every Sunday at 12 noon. “The creation of a destination Pictures@8 that shows high voltage entertainment daily at 8:00 pm was launched in order to develop a loyal viewer base for the daily prime time slot,” adds Tiwari.

    The main attraction for the month of May will see the premiere of Total Siyappa, a co-production of &Pictures. The romcom directed by E. Niwas, released in theatres on 7 March.

    On the marketing and digital strategy Tiwari says: “The activities are being constantly supported with on-air promotions and constant digital buildups and this will continue throughout the year.”

    Looks like the stage is set… not just for the biggest cricket tourney in the shortest format of the game but also for the movie channels vying for eyeballs during this period. Game On!

  • Oscars to broadcast exclusively on STAR Movies for the 15th year consecutively

    Oscars to broadcast exclusively on STAR Movies for the 15th year consecutively

    MUMBAI: Star Movies announced that it will broadcast the eminent awards ceremony honoring achievements in the film industry, Oscars Live and Exclusive’, in India. Known as the Hollywood destination of India, Star Movies will be airing the Oscars for the 15th year in succession reinforcing its commitment to bringing its viewers the very best of American cinema.  Set to take place on 2 March, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, the 86th Academy Awards ceremony will honor the actors, technical achievements, and films of 2013.

     

    Star Movies gives its viewers another reason to look forward to the Oscars this year with the return of Ellen DeGeneres as host of the celebrated ceremony for the second time. DeGeneres hosted the 79th Academy Awards in 2007, for which she received a Primetime Emmy nomination for “Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program.”  Star Movies has aired a special video that the affable daytime chat show host has made for her fans in India. The promo has her donning a tux and putting on a special Oscars themed performance.

     

    Star Movies will exclusively showcase all the celebrity interviews and excitement from the Red Carpet to the performances of the most coveted awards night to the winners of the most prestigious trophy. The channel is dedicated to bringing an authentic Oscars experience right into their viewers living rooms. The channel will also be broadcasting the entire ceremony in Dolby 5.1 surround sound to create the best audio experience possible. In addition to this, the channel has introduced a month long movie festival featuring Oscar winning movies titled, ‘Oscar Fever’. The ‘Oscar Fever’ segment will air from Monday to Friday, at 7 pm and presents its audiences a spectacular Oscars experience with a variety of films nominated for the prestigious awards in the past years.

     

    The channel has also conducted a Predict and Win contest where the winners are given an chance to win a once in a lifetime opportunity to watch the Oscars Red Carpet 2015 in LA from the bleacher seats! To participate all the viewers need to do is log on to the STARMovies.in/Oscars2014 and predict the winners for this year’s categories.

     

    Commenting on the occasion, Kevin Vaz, General Manager – English channels, Star India said, “Star Movies is the go-to destination for Hollywood in India and we want to ensure that our viewers get the best of the Oscars experience possible. The Oscar Fever festival will air a host of excellent Oscar nominated films and the Predict and Win contest will grant two lucky winners a chance to attend the grand event in person.”

     

    The star-studded 86th Academy Awards will be telecast ‘Live’ on March, 3 February at 5:30am and a repeat telecast at 8 pm.

  • Jennifer Lawrence to present at this year’s Oscars

    Jennifer Lawrence to present at this year’s Oscars

    MUMBAI: Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence (The House at the End of the Street) will return to present at the 86th Annual Academy Awards this year, show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron announced today in a press statement. Lawrence took home the golden statuette for her lead performance in Silver Linings Playbook. She is nominated this year for her supporting role in American Hustle. Previously Lawrence was nominated for her leading role in Winter’s Bone. Her other credits include X-Men: First Class and The Hunger Games series. 

     

    Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2013 will be presented on Sunday, 2 March, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, Los Angeles and televised live on American Broadcasting Network (ABC). The Oscars, produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

     

    The Oscars, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, will air in India on Monday, 3 March live on Star Movies at 5:30 am with a repeat telecast at 8:00 pm.

  • Get ready for an online adventure as ‘Life of Pi’ premieres on Star Movies

    Get ready for an online adventure as ‘Life of Pi’ premieres on Star Movies

    MUMBAI: It was one of the highest grossing Hollywood films in India in 2012. Now, as Life of Pi is slated for a TV premiere soon on Star Movies, the channel has come up with an innovative experiment to involve the viewers. Having acquired the telecast rights of the Oscar-winning film directed by Ang Lee, Star Movies will premiere the film on Sunday, 27 October at 1:00 pm and 9:00 pm. The channel is leaving no stone unturned to create the right buzz around the movie that will be broadcast as part of their most distinguished slot – “Hollywood Premiere”.

    To engage the audience well, the channel is using the interactive power of the digital medium to reach out to its audience by launching an experiential online journey based on the movie. “Most of the film has been shot in India and has Indian stars. Since we really believe that the premiere will fetch good results in the Indian market, we are planning a strategy that can pull more audience,” says Star Network (English channels) general manager Kevin Vaz, informing about an online game, “Life of I” that they are launching before the premiere of the film.

    The game invites viewers to experience the journey of a lifetime through the lens of Pi. The participants can log in to the game via Facebook where they have the chance to map out their own journey based on the events that transpire in the movie. The game has eight milestones. A player who crosses all the milestones becomes eligible for a trip to landmark locations where Life of Pi was shot – including Puducherry, Munnar and Taiwan, in addition to other prizes. A person who plays the entire game will also get a personalised video of their journey that will comprise a part of their Facebook journey. The video acts as a memoir of their journey as they live in real life their own version of the movie.

     

    Kevin says that the channel has taken the entire initiative to plan the trip for the winners. “We haven’t roped in travelling partners. We will be doing it on our own,” he adds.

    “Not just this, to create enough buzz, we have also created special videos shot with the stars of the movie that will give the audience an insight into the film’s making, with anecdotes that happened during the shooting of the film,” says Kevin, who thinks that an extra effort has to be made in order to get more audience and survive in the world of cut-throat competition. “Whenever we have made an extra effort to promote a show or a film, it has reaped good results. Case in point, the Academy Awards, which we promoted across mediums with new initiatives, gave us many viewers,” says Kevin, who thinks that very soon such efforts will be made with all big movie premieres.

  • Get ready for an online adventure as Life of Pi premieres on Star Movies

    Get ready for an online adventure as Life of Pi premieres on Star Movies

    MUMBAI: It was one of the highest grossing Hollywood films in India in 2012. Now, as Life of Pi is slated for a TV premiere soon on Star Movies, the channel has come up with an innovative experiment to involve the viewers. Having acquired the telecast rights of the Oscar-winning film directed by Ang Lee, Star Movies will premiere the film on Sunday, 27 October at 1:00 pm and 9:00 pm. The channel is leaving no stone unturned to create the right buzz around the movie that will be broadcast as part of their most distinguished slot – “Hollywood Premiere”.

     

    To engage the audience well, the channel is using the interactive power of the digital medium to reach out to its audience by launching an experiential online journey based on the movie. “Most of the film has been shot in India and has Indian stars. Since we really believe that the premiere will fetch good results in the Indian market, we are planning a strategy that can pull more audience,” says Star Network (English channels) general manager Kevin Vaz, informing about an online game, “Life of I” that they are launching before the premiere of the film.

     

    The game invites viewers to experience the journey of a lifetime through the lens of Pi. The participants can log in to the game via Facebook where they have the chance to map out their own journey based on the events that transpire in the movie. The game has eight milestones. A player who crosses all the milestones becomes eligible for a trip to landmark locations where Life of Pi was shot – including Puducherry, Munnar and Taiwan, in addition to other prizes. A person who plays the entire game will also get a personalised video of their journey that will comprise a part of their Facebook journey. The video acts as a memoir of their journey as they live in real life their own version of the movie.

     

    Kevin says that the channel has taken the entire initiative to plan the trip for the winners. “We haven’t roped in travelling partners. We will be doing it on our own,” he adds.

     

    “Not just this, to create enough buzz, we have also created special videos shot with the stars of the movie that will give the audience an insight into the film’s making, with anecdotes that happened during the shooting of the film,” says Kevin, who thinks that an extra effort has to be made in order to get more audience and survive in the world of cut-throat competition. “Whenever we have made an extra effort to promote a show or a film, it has reaped good results. Case in point, the Academy Awards, which we promoted across mediums with new initiatives, gave us many viewers,” says Kevin, who thinks that very soon such efforts will be made with all big movie premieres.