MUMBAI: The News Corp owned Star TV UK has got all its channels onto Sky Digital’s on demand service and has become the first Asian broadcaster to do so. With this, Star’s programmes will be available ‘on demand’ to Sky customers at no additional cost.
More than 3.4 million homes have their set top boxes connected to the broadband to enjoy this catch up service.
Four channels are available in the Star TV pack- Star Plus, Star Gold, Life Ok and Star Jalsha.
MUMBAI: Since last three years, on the New Year’s Eve, Star plus has been honoring the biggest entertainers from television, films, music, theatre and sports. It has not just been popular but also gives a chance to start the year with a good omen. And thus, encouraged by the success of the previous three seasons, 92.7 BIG FM in association with Star Plus is presenting the fourth edition of BIG Star Entertainment Awards.
This awards ceremony is completely ‘for the people and by the people’ and gives the audiences an opportunity to nominate and vote for their favourite entertainers across fields. This year, the awards promises to be an intensely exciting affair, giving the audience not only a larger than life experience in terms of entertainment and glam quotient but will also herald the most unforgettable New Year extravaganza on Star Plus on 31 December.
92.7 BIG FM and Star Plus will keep audiences informed of the nominations and conduct a mass voting drive where thousands of people are expected to participate and vote for their favorite entertainers. The dazzling awards ceremony to be held on the 18 December promises to be a star studded affair which will feature the finest of Bollywood and TV entertainers delivering their best performances.
Speaking about the awards, 92.7 BIG FM business head Ashwin Padmanabhan exults: “We are proud to launch the fourth edition of BIG STAR Entertainment Awards this year. The platform offers people a chance to choose their favorite ‘superstar’ from different fields of entertainment. We thank our partners Star Plus for coming together with us on this property yet again.”
The BIG Star Entertainment Awards 2013 will be promoted across multimedia platforms which include radio, television, outdoor and digital.
MUMBAI: There’s some change at the top in the Star group of channels. Star Utsav, a sister channel of Star Plus, has got a new business head. Pratik Seal, who was working as Star Network’s second general entertainment channel (GEC), Life OK’s marketing head, will now take up the role of Star Utsav’s business head.
 |
Seal, who has already started working in the new role since last week, is reporting to Star Plus general manager Gaurav Banerjee. An official announcement about this would be made soon.
Prior to joining Star Network, Seal was heading the marketing functions at Micromax. He has a total experience of 15 years.
Seal, who started his career in 1998, has experience in brand management, strategic planning, advertising and communication, key account management, product development insights, media planning, event management and public relations.
Seal started as an account executive with Basic4 Advertising. After spending two years with the company, he moved to Ties2Family.com as an assistant manager, marketing and then worked as senior account executive with FCB Ulka.
After spending about two years with FCB Ulka, Seal joined Lowe Lintas as a senior brand services manager. Within three years, he was promoted to the position of senior brand services director. He later joined Vodafone as senior manager, marketing in April 2006. In December 2007, he joined as the senior manager – marketing in Samsung and then in Micromax as marketing head in April, 2010.
MUMBAI: There’s some change at the top in the Star group of channels. Star Utsav, a sister channel of Star Plus, has got a new business head. Pratik Seal, who was working as Star Network’s second general entertainment channel (GEC), Life OK’s marketing head, will now take up the role of Star Utsav’s business head.
Seal, who has already started working in the new role since last week, is reporting to Star Plus general manager Gaurav Banerjee. An official announcement about this would be made soon.
Prior to joining Star Network, Seal was heading the marketing functions at Micromax. He has a total experience of 15 years.
Seal, who started his career in 1998, has experience in brand management, strategic planning, advertising and communication, key account management, product development insights, media planning, event management and public relations.
Seal started as an account executive with Basic4 Advertising. After spending two years with the company, he moved to Ties2Family.com as an assistant manager, marketing and then worked as senior account executive with FCB Ulka.
After spending about two years with FCB Ulka, Seal joined Lowe Lintas as a senior brand services manager. Within three years, he was promoted to the position of senior brand services director. He later joined Vodafone as senior manager, marketing in April 2006. In December 2007, he joined as the senior manager – marketing in Samsung and then in Micromax as marketing head in April, 2010.
MUMBAI: In the week 47 of TAM TV ratings, Star Plus and Colors have registered more TVTs than last week. It seems Colors is trying its best to reach great heights. This week, it scored 513,415 GVTs (479,010) maintaining its number two position. On the other hand, Star Plus that has been leading the chart since quite some time now is the second highest gainer by adding 31,304 TVTs, taking its tally to 560,497 GVTs (529,193).
While Zee TV lost out on numbers, it continued to be at its usual number three with 433,447 GVTs (440,447). Life OK stood at number four with 335,013 GVTs (340,200) followed by Sab with 308,133 GVTs (315,637). Sony retains its sixth position with 269,332 GVTs (297,801). And Sahara One is still at the bottom of the chart with 30,429 GVTs (35,749).
Coming back to the chart topper — Star Plus, whose popular shows took it to newer heights. Its most popular and loved show in the prime-time slot, Diya Aur Baati Hum registered 12,298 TVTs (11,223). Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai too registered 7,863 TVTs (7113). However, the viewership of Pyar Ka Dard Hai seems to have dropped as it scored 7,351 TVTs (7,694). But then Sath Nibhana Saathiya managed enough to balance it out. The show is one of the most popular across GECs in the pre-primetime registered 8,290 TVTs (7,708). The epic series Mahabharat too notched up and scored 6,835 TVTs (5,807). And surprisingly, the ratings of Saraswati Chandra also went up. It registered 5,071 TVTs (4,803). The ratings of popular celebrity dance reality show, Nach Baliye, however didn’t witness much change and registered 4,736 TVTs (4,741).
Colors seems to be going really strong with its reality shows. While the fiction shows witnessed a drop, the reality shows have been getting good viewership. The longest running and the most popular fiction series, Balika Vadhu generated 6,684 TVTs (7,298), while Madhubala – Ek Ishq Ek Junoon scored 4,749 TVTs (4,473). Uttaran, another popular show on the channel also witnessed a significant drop and rated 3,645 TVTs (4,096). However, Comedy Nights with Kapil that made headlines, thanks to the Gutthi controversy, seems to have lost out on the numbers because of all the negative publicity. It witnessed a slight drop with 8,464 TVTs (8,588). The international series 24 starring Anil Kapoor that got a tepid response till now, has finally managed to grab more eyeballs with 3,058 TVTs (2,881). Reality show Bigg Boss seems to be a favourite of the audience as it has again witnessed a slight increase in its ratings and has registered 5,491 TVTs (5,316).
And while Zee TV didn’t do well in general, the ratings of its period drama Jodha Akbar notched up taking its tally to 9,801 TVTs (9,176). The channel that came up with a sitcom Bh se Bhade after almost a decade and managed fairly good response, lost its charm and scored 1,650 TVTs (2,080). However, the ratings of Qubool Hai escalated and registered 5,830 TVTs (5,646). Pavitra Rishta generated 5,043 TVTs (4,879), while its drama series, Do Dil Bandhe Ek Dori Se registered 5,019 TVTs (5,622). Its popular dance reality show, Dance India Dance 4 scored 4,666 TVTs (5,311) during the weekend.
Fourth placed, Life OK witnessed a drop in its popular mythological series Mahadev. It could just manage 3,212 TVTs (3,693). Ek Boond Ishq too saw a dip and registered 2,834 TVTs (3,112). Crime-based show Shapath too witnessed a drop and generated 4,057 TVTs (4,392). Do Dil Ek Jaan registered 1,494 TVTs (1,472), while crime-based show Savdhaan India saw a rise and generated 3,035 TVTs (2,848). The channel’s new entrant Tumhari Paakhi could just generate 1,877 TVTs (2,068).
Sab’s fiction show, Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah that has been keeping viewers in splits, continues to get viewership and registered 8,856 TVTs (7,782). Even Chidiya Ghar saw a significant rise and generated 3,479 TVTs (3,265). Lapataganj saw a slight dip and generated 1,921 TVTs (1,986). Baalveer registered 3,293 TVTs (3,134).
Sony seems to be surviving at the sixth position with its longest running crime series CID. The show witnessed a massive rise and scored 5,254 TVTs (4,744). However, Crime Patrol could manage just 3,255 TVTs (3,887). The channel’s historical show Maharana Pratap garnered 3,054 TVTs (2,922), while quiz show KBC witnessed a drop and registered 3,248 TVTs (3,738). Other fiction shows either maintained a stable position or dipped marginally during the week. Its new horror flick, Bhoot Aaya doesn’t seem to entice viewers as it registered only 1,662 TVTs (1,792).
In the movie channel genre, Zee Cinema reported 197,512 GVTs (185,759); Star Gold witnessed registered 178,122 GVTs (174,020) and Movies OK scored 127,470 GVTs (130,641). On the other hand, &pictures witnessed a huge rise and scored 112,609 GVTs (77,910), Zee Anmol registered 46,088 GVTs (44,457) and Max scored 200,508 GVTs (173,908)
While all the GECs have maintained a stable position this week, let’s see what’s in store for the channels in the coming weeks.
MUMBAI: Over the last 21 years, Zee TV has entertained its viewers around the world with a variety of shows. The channel that is known to have been a trendsetter has done something remarkable once again. Acknowledging the presence of good shows on other General Entertainment Channels (GECs), at the recently held annual Zee Rishtey Awards 2013, Zee TV gave away the ‘Zee Anmol Ratna Awards’ to three shows on rival channels.
The three shows that were honored at the awards ceremony by Zeel managing director and CEO Punit Goenka, included Star Plus’ Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, Colors’ Balika Vadhu and Sab’s Taraak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah. The channel awarded the shows for their impact of being original, creative and finely crafted works of fiction that continue to entertain audiences on television.
 |
|
Punit Goenka felicitating Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashma
|
The awards were given to the people behind these three shows – Rajan Shahi (Director’s Kut Productions) for producing Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, Purnendu Shekhar, the writer of Balika Vadhu along with Asit Modi (Neela Telefilms), and Disha Vakharia, the producer and lead actress of Taraak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah.
Zee’s brand philosophy, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, is all encompassing as it embraces everyone in the world as a part of its family. This has been taken one step ahead by the ‘Zee Anmol Ratna Awards’.
Talking about it, Goenka said: “At Zee Rishtey Awards, we come to celebrate our relationship with our viewers but we also know that our viewers have a long standing relationship with shows from other channels…it’s time to acknowledge them.”
Excited at receiving the award, Shahi opined: “It is a very big honour to be receiving an award from Zee TV as in my career of 20 years, my best work has been on Zee and after a gap of four years, I am coming back with a new show on the channel.”
 |
|
Punit Goenka felicitating Purnendu Shekar, writer of Balika Vadhu
|
Shekhar said: “This award is extremely special.. Balika Vadhu has received various awards but this is the first time that I am taking away an award for the show from a competition channel. This is the first time ever that any channel has done it, and it is none other than Zee and hence proves that they were pioneers, are pioneers and will always be pioneers in the industry. My association with Zee goes back to the days of a very popular show called Amaanat. I have also written the script for another show on Zee called Saat Phere, which was equally big and won equal number of accolades as Balika Vadhu. At Zee, it always feels like I’m returning home.”
Modi added, “It is a big honour to be awarded by a competitor channel and it just proves that our bond with Zee TV is eternal. I would like to thank Zee and the entire team.”
Zee Rishtey Awards, 2013 will be telecast on 1 December at 8:00 pm on Zee TV.
MUMBAI: As goes the famous saying, “Love Thy Neighbour”, Star Plus and Ekta Kapoor have decided to bring this to the small screen. The duo is coming up with a relatable, urban story of the two neighbours in Ye Hai Mohobbatein.
An emotional story of love and loss is slated for telecast starting 3 December. The new series will be aired every Monday – Friday at 11.00 p.m. The show marks the return of popular TV stars Divyanka Tripathi and Karan Patel in lead roles.
So what is the show all about? Well! Expect the Iyers and the Bhallas, the two neighbours in Delhi, fighting over every issue. If this wasn’t enough, things will get more interesting for the families as the show progresses.
The Iyers’ dentist daughter Ishita Iyer and the Bhallas’ businessman son Raman Bhalla find themselves getting bound by an unusual bond. Not every relationship has a name and theirs is defined by Raman’s adorable daughter Ruhi with whom Ishita develops a strong attachment. This thus leads to Ishita getting close to the man – Raman who she dislikes the most.
“We are delighted to partner with Ekta once again for Ye Hai Mohabbatein. The story she has brought to us is urban and contemporary. This love story begins after a marriage gets over. It explores the theme of a second chance in love. With well etched characters and a strong urban narrative, the show deals with day-to-day issues faced by modern couples. We are positive that our metro audiences will see a connect with Ishita and Raman and follow their story,” says Star Plus general manager Gaurav Banerjee.
Balaji Telefilms joint managing director and creative director Ekta Kapoor opines: “My association with Star TV goes back a long way. We have together celebrated many successes and created iconic characters through generations. I look forward to working with them closely on this show and I am sure that the viewers will accept Ishita and Raman into their families.”
The series also brings together veteran artists like Neena Kulkarni, Abhay Bhargav, Kaushal Kapoor, Shenaz Rizwan and Ruhanika Dhawan in pivotal characters.
MUMBAI: Ayesha Ghosh has been elevated and will be taking over as Contract senior vice president and general manager – Mumbai operations effective immediately.
Ayesha has been a part of the leadership team at Contract and has worked closely with me over the past few months to recalibrate our offerings and help shape the future of the office. A motivating team leader with strong people skills, she has led the thought leadership for Contract, both internally and externally,” said Contract Advertising COO Rana Barua.
Its wonderfully rewarding to have spent a sizeable amount of time at one agency and to now be heading that office says Ayesha Ghosh
“She has played a key role in winning new business for the office which include Sugar Free, RNA, Star Plus and the latest being Provogue Deodorants which was won following a multi-agency pitch,” he added.
In the 17 year long career, Ghosh has spent the past 12 years with Contract, where she has anchored the India chapter of the globally aligned HSBC business and has worked on a lot of Contract’s blue chip clients. She has also handled clients across diverse industries and categories with panache. Asian Paints, Cadbury, Tata Motors, Godrej, Disney Channel, CavinKare’s hair care portfolio (Nyle, Chik), jewelry brand Tara Jewels and Pfizer (Listerine and Gelusil), have all been handled by Ghosh.
On her elevation, Ghosh said, “It’s wonderfully rewarding to have spent a sizeable amount of time at one agency and to now be heading that office. The ethos and culture of Contract is such that it makes people want to stay here for a long time. I’m thrilled to have come into this position of strength at a time when Contract is on an upswing. One of my tasks would be to ensure that Contract Mumbai is one of the most desirable agencies, both for clients to park their businesses with and for the best advertising people to work at.”
MUMBAI: The appeal of the evil is driving many. And cashing in on the growing popularity are the Indian television channels. After a series of crime-thrillers that have become immensely popular in the last few years, now the TV channels are experimenting with the horror genre.
While Sony launched its horror show, Bhoot Aaya a month and a half ago, now it’s Star Plus’s sister channel Life OK that is all set to give you sleepless nights with its new offering – Ringa Ringa Roses…Khauff Begins. The series is slated to go on air by early December at the 11:00 pm slot and will run for an hour every Saturday-Sunday according to a source from the channel.
The show is produced by Majid Azam’s Somersault Productions that also produced the first and second season of Zee TV’s Fear Files. According to the channel sources, the show is aimed at young men aged 15 and above and kids, who are really interested in the genre.
The story revolves around a father, who is a ghost detective and his daughter, who is kidnapped by Rose – the antagonist. The story moves forward as the father works to unravel the mystery of Rose, the ghost, to save his daughter.
The channel has dabbled in the horror genre earlier with a special 16-episode series – Ek Thi Naayika – during the release of the movie Ek Thi Daayan. Now, with this show, an official announcement for which will be made soon, the channel is again set to experiment with the genre.
Life OK has planned a 360-degree marketing activity for the show. “A lot of innovative marketing activities are being planned. At present, we are working on a ring tone (signature tune) for which we have roped in a Pune-based rock band, ‘Agnee’. We are going to have a lot of activities on social media and television as well. The promos of the show will be out in a day or two. This is the first time that we are doing a full-fledged horror series and we are pretty excited about it,” says the source.
While the channel plans to go overboard on the social media platforms to create the right buzz about the show, they don’t plan to create a separate page. The source says, “We are not going to launch any official page, especially for the show, on the social media sites. It is always integrated through the Life OK page.”
The show is going to have stiff competition with other horror shows on like Bhoot Aaya on Sony which airs every Sunday at 11:00 pm and Fear Files on Zee TV which airs on Saturday-Sunday from 10:30-11:30 pm.
MUMBAI: The Badshah of Bollywood lifted Zee TV to the number one mark last week but it seems the magic that Chennai Express created for the channel lost its sheen very soon as it is back to its usual spot — number three — in the Week 44 of TAM ratings.
Star Plus is again leading the chart with 486,066 GVTs (492,849); while Colors at number two is the highest gainer with 463,778 GVTs (423,584). Zee TV, which is back to its usual slot, garnered 434,987 GVTs as compared to 505,442 GVTs last week. Sab is at number four with 337,099 GVTs (331,674) followed by Life OK with 323,897 GVTs (334,635). Sony maintains its sixth position with 299,964 GVTs (281,638). Sahara One continues to be at the bottom with 31,647 GVTs (36,323).
The number one channel this week, Star Plus witnessed few changes as the ratings of its show, Pyar Ka Dard Hai notched up this time. It generated 7,752 TVTs compared to 7,178 last week. Star’s popular show, Diya aur Baati Hum scored 10,155 TVTs (10,367), Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai registered 6,986 TVTs (7,347), Saathiya too witnessed a slight rise and registered 7,509 TVTs (7,474), while the epic series, Mahabharat witnessed a drop and rated 5,041 TVTs (5,530). Saraswati Chandra seems to be at a stable position with 5,111 TVTs (5,170).
There are few surprises for the second in the rank, Colors’ as well. Its longest running fiction series, Balika Vadhu saw a drop in its ratings and generated 7,080 TVTs (7,735), Madhubala – Ek Ishq Ek Junoon scored 4,441 TVTs (4,305). Uttaran fared well and took its tally to 4,299 TVTs (3,722). Even the popular, Comedy Nights with Kapil witnessed a huge rise with 6,631 TVTs (5,250). The much hyped adaptation of the international 24 starring Anil Kapoor witnessed a drop and registered 2,755 TVTs (3,050). And the celebrity reality show, Bigg Boss seems to be riding high with all the cat-fights and controversies going on in the house. The show’s ratings witnessed a decent raise. It registered 5,024 TVTs compared to 4,587 last week.
Zee TV that came down to its third spot after creating a furor last week too saw a major rise in its fictional offering Qubool Hai. The show scored 5,625 TVTs (4,998). Pavitra Rishta generated 4,235 TVTs (4,419). The ratings of Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke also improved with 5,152 TVTs (4,843). Period drama Jodha Akbar noted 8,101 TVTs (8,299), while drama series, Do Dil Bandhe Ek Dori Se registered 4,870 TVTs (4,412). The recently launched sitcom Bh se Bhade generated 2,139 TVTs (2,856). Zee TV’s popular dance reality show Dance India Dance – 4 doesn’t seem to be working wonders for the channel as its score dropped drastically to 3,854 TVTs (6,075) on Saturday, but it picked up again on Sunday with 6519 TVTs.
Fourth placed, Sab’s fiction show, Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah continues to lead among all its other shows with 7,637 TVTs (8,161). Chidiya Ghar saw a drop and generated 3,645 TVTs (3,852). Lapataganj generated 2,354 TVTs (2,217) and Baalveer registered 2,391 TVTs (2,904). The channel aired a special Diwali show Sab ki Diwali Mela on 1 November generating 4,064 TVTs. It was a roller-coaster ride for other fiction shows as well.
Life OK on number five continues to lead with its mythological series Mahadev. The show seems to be a favourite among the viewers as it scored 4,183 TVTs (3,759). Do Dil Ek Jaan generated at 1,526 TVTs (1,719), while crime-based Savdhan India rated 2,509 TVTs (2,577). Shapath generated 3,172 TVTs (3,699) and Ek Boond Ishq registered 2,620 TVTs (2,749). Reality series The Bachelorette India managed to stay stable with 2,073 TVTs (2,052).
Sony, which is at number six, witnessed a drop in ratings — 4,317 TVTs (5,009) — for its longest running crime series CID. Crime Patrol managed to register 3,818 TVTs (3,947). The channel’s historical show Maharana Pratap managed remained at a stable position with 2,771 TVTs (2,772), while quiz show KBC witnessed a drop and garnered just 2,436 TVTs (3,570). The channel premiered the biggest blockbuster of the year Yeh Jawani hai Deewani on 27 October and scored 6,995 TVTs. Other fiction shows either held on to their viewership or dipped marginally during the week.
In the movie channel genre, Zee Cinema reported 210,728 GVTs (195,223); Star Gold witnessed a fall and registered 175,245 GVTs (190,414) and Movies OK scored 120,183 GVTs (124,887). On the other hand, &pictures garnered 57,589 GVTs (67,725), Zee Anmol registered 50,827 GVTs (52,731) and Max scored 182,588 GVTs (198,492).
While there has been some major shake-up in the last two weeks, let’s see what’s in store for the channels in the coming weeks.