Tag: Tamil Nadu

PepsiCo unveils new positioning for 7Up and Nimbooz

MUMBAI: Food and beverage company, PepsiCo India, has donned a new positioning for its lemon flavoured drink 7Up and its sub-brand Nimbooz.

The new brand philosophy of 7Up, ‘Dil Bole I Feel Up’ celebrates India’s undying “UPtimism” and positive attitude. It is onceptualised by 7Up’s creative agency, BBDO India.

Additionally, the brand has unveiled new packaging for both the drinks with the new international logo.

The first TVC, featuring brand ambassador Sharman Joshi will go on air later in January and will feature a dance-off between the actor and penguin. It has been shot in Australia with the CGI (computer generated imagery) and motion capture technology. The film is choreographed by Hollywood choreographer, Simon Lind, of Happy Feet 2 fame.

7Up has also embarked on a nationwide dance, Odyssey. With dance being the ultimate expression of an upbeat spirit, 7UP has flagged off a dancing journey with Tamil Nadu’s dancing star, Sherif.

As part of the campaign, Sherif will travel to 11 Indian cities, from Chennai to Chandigarh, to bottle reasons that make people feel UPtimistic and positive.

PepsiCo India EVP – marketing- beverages (flavours) Ruchira Jaitly said, “We Indians are unputdownable and our optimism or UPtimism helps us stay motivated in any situation. India feels UP and at 7UP we salute that with our new positioning. We are kick-starting the New Year with an exciting new ad film, a unique dance odyssey to bottle India’s UPtimism and a whole lot of exciting UPbeat activities. We are confident that it will resonate well with our consumers nationwide.”

The campaign will be supported by outdoor, online and radio initiatives.

January 11, 2012
SC notice to TN govt on Dam 999 movie ban

MUMBAI: After Dam 999 producer-director Sohan Roy filed a petition, the Supreme Court has issued a notice to Tamil Nadu government for lifting the ban imposed on it.

Showing the aftermath of a dam that collapses in China, the film is based on the real-life Banqiao dam disaster of 1975. The incident had triggered a conflict between Kerala and Tamil Nadu over the Mullaperiyar Dam.

Last month, the Jayalalithaa government had banned the film in the state saying that it refers to the Mullaperiyar Dam dispute and may create panic among the people of the state.

Calling the ban a “challenge” to creative people, Roy moved the Supreme Court against the ban.

“The film Dam 999 does not refer to the present Mullaperiyar dispute between Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The movie talks about dam disaster only,” averred Roy.

The Apex Court then asked the Tamil Nadu government to hear the objections of Roy on 12 December and pass appropriate orders by 16 December.

Later, the state government decided to extend the suspension by six months. Then Roy had no option but to approach the Supreme Court again.

The Tamil Nadu government will have 10 days to respond to the court.

January 10, 2012
Fox Star Studio’s first Tamil film collects Rs 170 mn in 50 days

MUMBAI: Fox Star Studios and AR Murugadoss Productions‘ maiden co-production in Tamil Engaeyum Eppothum has garnered Rs 170 million in its 50-day run in Tamil Nadu till 4 November.

The film released in theatres on 16 September.

The romantic film, starring Jai, Anjali, Ananya and Sharvanand in the lead roles, has been termed as one of the biggest hits in Tamil Nadu this year.

With story, screenplay, dialogue and direction by M.Saravanan, the film has been appreciated for its strong message and powerful performances by its lead actors.

Said Fox Star Studios CEO Vijay Singh, “We are extremely glad that our first Tamil production has received such widespread appreciation. The film’s success has encouraged us further to make meaningful cinema.”

Added Murugadoss, “Engaeyum Eppothum‘s reception has proved that content is the hero ever, breaking stereotypical formulas and myths of ‘centre‘ classification.”

Engaeyum Eppothum is the first of a two-movie deal between Fox Star Studios & AR Murugadoss Productions for co-producing Tamil films.

November 8, 2011
Fox Star Studios releasing Engaeyum Eppothum this Friday

MUMBAI: MUMBAI: After making films like My Name is Khan, Dum Maro Dum, Khichdi: The Movie among others, Fox Star Studios is set to release its first Tamil film Engaeyum Eppothum on 16 September in Mumbai, Chennai and select markets.

Engaeyum Eppothum is a breezy romantic film with an ensemble of cast including Jai, Anjali, Ananya and Sharvanand in lead roles.

Co-produced by A.R Murugadoss Productions, Engaeyum Eppothum is the first of a two-film deal for co-producing Tamil films between the two entities.

While the film will release in over 130 screens in Tamil Nadu, it will also be released in major markets including Bangalore, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi. The release in key International markets will follow in the next two weeks.

In Mumbai, the film will open across multiplexes as well as some single screens, recording the widest release for a Tamil film in Mumbai this year.

September 14, 2011
Raj to launch Tamil news channel on 23 June, invest Rs 200 mn

MUMBAI: Chennai-based Raj Television Network is investing Rs 200 million in its Tamil news channel which is set for launch on 23 June.

Raj News will be the fourth channel in the network, adding to its Tamil general entertainment channel Raj TV, music channel Raj Musix, and Raj Digital Plus.

With bureaus spread across Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, Raj News will also have reporters in New Delhi and Mumbai. The Tamil news channel will concentrate more on the South India based stories. For foreign stories, Raj News has tied up with Associated Press.
“We are investing around Rs 200 million and will focus on news across the southern region,” says a source in the company.

Raj News is a free-to-air (FTA) channel and will also be available on direct-to-home (DTH) for subscribers. The channel has already tied up with DTH operators Dish TV and Sun Direct.

Sun TV Ltd. dominates the Tamil Nadu television market with a string of Tamil channels in the GEC, movies, news and music space.

June 21, 2008
NDTV brings opt-out tech for Kolkata viewers during Durga Puja

NEW DELHI: NDTV today announced the launch of the `opt-out’ technology in Kolkata starting with Durga Puja and the onset of the festival season.

This initiative will enable the viewers of Kolkata to watch region-specific news and special programmes on NDTV 24×7. With this launch, Kolkata becomes the fourth location to have the opt-out technology, according to an official statement from NDTV.

Earlier this year, NDTV had launched the opt-out technology for its viewers in the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.

The viewers of Kolkata will be able to watch the 30 minutes `opt-out’ programming at 10.30 pm everyday, which started on 25 September and will last till 2 October.

The new technology will enable viewers in Kolkata to watch special programmes, catering to the taste of local viewership during this festive season.

Opt-out works on a technology, which is an innovative step in the broadcasting system. The process involves automatic satellite transmission without any manual intervention.

There are individual boxes that are programmed to receive and switch frequency at the desired time to opt-out of the regular feed and again switch back to the main feed when the opt-out is over, with a two second changeover interval between the switch.

NDTV plans to expand its coverage for the `opt out’ service to other states also in the near future and this will be executed for all its three channels, NDTV 24X7, NDTV Profit and NDTV India.

September 25, 2006
Karunanidhi kicks off colour TV scheme in Tamil Nadu

MUMBAI: Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi has unveiled the free Colour TV Scheme for the poor. Fulfilling his party’s poll promise, the DMK president distributed 25,245 colour TV sets worth about Rs 90 million were given to the residents of Samathuvapuram (a colony of all communities and creeds) at Thundalkazhani village in Padappai in Kanchipuram district.

The CM has been quoted in media reports as saying that, Rs 7.5 billion had already been allocated in the state budget for distributing 25 lakh colour TV sets. He said the scheme would be implemented in phases as it was not possible to distribute all the 2.5 million sets in a single day.

Karunanidhi’s cabinet colleagues would begin the distribution of the colour TVs in other districts, barring Madurai where the code of conduct had come into force for the 11 October 11 Assembly byelections, on 16 September.

Finance minister K Anbazhagan is scheduled to launch the scheme in Madurai, while local administration minister M K Stalin would distribute the TV sets at Enathur Samathuvapuram, also in Kancheepuram District. Electricity minister Arcot N Veerasamy would hand over the TVs to those living in slum clearance board tenements in Pursawalkam and Kotturpuram in the city.

September 16, 2006
Bharti Airtel inks $ 1 billion network expansion contract with Ericsson

MUMBAI: Bharti Airtel today announced the signing of an estimated $ 1 billion network expansion contract with Swedish telecommunications equipment manufacturer Ericsson.

The contract will enable Bharti Airtel to rapidly expand its mobile services footprint further and reach out to all towns and cities in 15 telecom circles in the country. The three-year service contract with Ericsson is towards the design, planning, supply and installation commissioning of Airtel networks in these circles.

Ericsson will also upgrade the network with mobile softswitch (Media Gateway and MSC Servers), the solution that paves the way to an all-IP network. Bharti Airtel will be able to reduce the operational costs and introduce new services in a cost-efficient way.

The scope of the agreement extends to 15 Airtel circles of Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, UP (West), Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Chennai, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, UP (East), Jammu & Kashmir, Assam and North East.

Manoj Kohli, president, Bharti Airtel said, “At Bharti, it has been our endeavor to find innovative business models to deliver better customer experience. Our partnership with Ericsson is testament to this belief as it allows us to focus on delivering better customer experience even as we leverage the world class expertise of our partners to roll out our networks across all census towns by March 2007. In addition, we are also sourcing next generation products that will allow us to deliver innovative products & services to our customers.”

This partnership will enable Airtel to channel its resources and expertise to its core areas of product innovation, value added services, marketing, branding & pricing, while simultaneously providing world class mobile services by leveraging Ericsson’s world class expertise in network management.

“Our partnership with Bharti Airtel resulted in the first managed services contract in the industry. Speed of roll-outs plays an extremely important role in large expansions of this nature. Ericsson has demonstrated expertise in this area. We are honoured and pleased that Bharti Airtel has chosen to partner with us to expand their footprint across India” said Mats Granryd, managing director, Ericsson India.

August 24, 2006
Vijay TV set to launch ‘Kallaka Povadhu Yaaru 2’

MUMBAI: Tamil channel Vijay TV is gearing up to launch the second series of its popular comedy show Kallaka Povadhu Yaaru. The show, slotted for Fridays at 10 pm, will launch on 28 July.

The promotional campaign idea for the show revolves around the thought that “Its Fresh”. As a part of the on air promo campaign which showcases the Hutch Kallaka Povadhu Yaaru 2 brand as a fresh glass of juice, fresh and healthy Atta and many such interpretations of freshness.

The off air campaign has got a road show being held across six cities in Tamil Nadu where preview of the HKPY 2 is being shown on a giant screen and the winners of HKPY 1 would accompany this van as a part of the promotion, according to an official release.

States Vijay TV GM Ravinath Menon on the initiative, “I am sure Hutch Kallaka Povadhu Yaaru 2 will live up to the expectations of viewers as well as advertisers. Our team has managed to source extraordinary talents even from remote places. The show is big with lots of surprising elements in store. The brand enjoys great equity in media and in the film industry. If the huge interest levels in the audition phase is any indication, the show is sure going to be another super hit like its first part.”

July 26, 2006
DMK to distribute 30,000 TVs in September

MUMBAI: The DMK-led Tamil Nadu government has announced that it would start phase one of its free colour TV distribution plan with the purchase of 30,000 units.

The plan is one of the key elements of the DMK’s promise to the electorate of the southern Indian state that if voted to power it would provide colour TVs to families not owning them. The date fixed for distribution of free TVs is 15 September. The localities where the sets will be distributed have also been identified.

In the second and main phase, a global tender would be issued, a release issued by the state government said.

According to media reports, if fully implemented, the whole exercise would involve the distribution of 8 million 14-inch colour TV sets. Considering that the total number of CTVs sold in the country last fiscal was 10.5 million, whichever company ultimately wins the contract will have a bonanza on its hands. How much this exercise will ultimately cost is still unclear though with media reports quoting figures ranging from Rs 10 billion to as high as Rs 56 billion.

June 28, 2006