Tag: Tata Sky

Tata Sky launches interactive comedy service in partnership with Shemaroo Entertainment

MUMBAI: Tata Sky has added a new service to its diverse bouquet of content – Tata Sky Comedy. The DTH player has partnered with Shemaroo Entertainment as content partner, powered by Comedywalas. The tagline for this new service is ‘Haso Khulke’. Tata Sky had recently launched two interactive services – Actve Fitness in association with Suniel Shetty and Dance Studio in partnership with Madhuri Dixit Nene and Dr. Shriram Nene’s RnM Moving Pictures.

Tata Sky Comedy will initially be available to its subscribers primarily on TV and can also move to digital platforms in the future. The viewers can also see the popular comic strip Suppandi refreshed daily.

Launched today on 8 March 2016, Tata Sky’s latest addition aims to be a single destination for all formats of Hindi comedy content. The launch event also provided a glimpse of the service, as unfolded by stand-up comedians Sugandha Mishra and Sahil Khattar who are also a part of the service.

“We wanted a guide, an anchor with a youthful appeal who could carry the audience for this new service. Sugandha and Sahil are youth icons and are perfect to be a part of our service”, said Shemaroo Entertainment director Hiren Gada.

Priced at Rs 59, the standalone service aims at a non-stop clean entertainment for all age groups, across geographical and socioeconomic boundaries with a diverse range of formats exclusively for its subscribers.

Talking about the launch, Tata Sky chief commercial officer Pallavi Puri said, “With Tata Sky Comedy we aim to provide a fun way to relax for our subscribers. Comedy is a genre that the audiences have a huge appetite for, and we believe there is currently a gap for a singular destination for all types of Hindi comedy content. We wish to fill that gap with this latest offering from Tata Sky. In partnership with Shemaroo, it is our attempt to provide a one-stop shop for popular comedy formats that will be available to subscribers 24 hours a day. ”

The 24×7 ad free service based on a subscription only basis, will be free for the first 10 days for its customers. Placed at channel 102, the interactive service has a diverse range of formats like Bollywood Tadka which is an overview of Bollywood mixed with comedy. This comedy service features interesting formats like Scene Smaash, Pehchaan Kaun, Dekh Gaana Dekh, Filmy Fankaar, Pocket Films with Gauri, etc.

Tata Sky Comedy will have all time classics, will highlight jokes, fun quizzes and comic strips and will telecast all-time favourite shows like Zabaan Sambhalke, Office Office, Ye Jo Hai Zindagi, Nukkad, etc. Interesting and eye grabbing short snippets like Waiting Lounge, Fact de India, Paanch Namune, Sher Bazaar, No News Network, etc., will be made available to the customers under Comedy Fatafat hour. One of the formats, The Weekend Special, will feature the best of Comedy Circus for an hour every Saturday and Sunday at 9 pm and 10 pm.

Talking about his company’s expertise, Gada said, “We’re very excited to launch the comedy service with Tata Sky. Being a leading content aggregator and owner, our continuous efforts are to serve our audiences in new and innovative ways. Comedywalas is one such initiative from Shemaroo. Given the fact that comedy is such a universal entertainment genre, our efforts will be to aggregate, produce and curate some highly entertaining and fun programming.”

March 8, 2016
Tata Sky launches interactive comedy service in partnership with Shemaroo Entertainment

MUMBAI: Tata Sky has added a new service to its diverse bouquet of content – Tata Sky Comedy. The DTH player has partnered with Shemaroo Entertainment as content partner, powered by Comedywalas. The tagline for this new service is ‘Haso Khulke’. Tata Sky had recently launched two interactive services – Actve Fitness in association with Suniel Shetty and Dance Studio in partnership with Madhuri Dixit Nene and Dr. Shriram Nene’s RnM Moving Pictures.

Tata Sky Comedy will initially be available to its subscribers primarily on TV and can also move to digital platforms in the future. The viewers can also see the popular comic strip Suppandi refreshed daily.

Launched today on 8 March 2016, Tata Sky’s latest addition aims to be a single destination for all formats of Hindi comedy content. The launch event also provided a glimpse of the service, as unfolded by stand-up comedians Sugandha Mishra and Sahil Khattar who are also a part of the service.

“We wanted a guide, an anchor with a youthful appeal who could carry the audience for this new service. Sugandha and Sahil are youth icons and are perfect to be a part of our service”, said Shemaroo Entertainment director Hiren Gada.

Priced at Rs 59, the standalone service aims at a non-stop clean entertainment for all age groups, across geographical and socioeconomic boundaries with a diverse range of formats exclusively for its subscribers.

Talking about the launch, Tata Sky chief commercial officer Pallavi Puri said, “With Tata Sky Comedy we aim to provide a fun way to relax for our subscribers. Comedy is a genre that the audiences have a huge appetite for, and we believe there is currently a gap for a singular destination for all types of Hindi comedy content. We wish to fill that gap with this latest offering from Tata Sky. In partnership with Shemaroo, it is our attempt to provide a one-stop shop for popular comedy formats that will be available to subscribers 24 hours a day. ”

The 24×7 ad free service based on a subscription only basis, will be free for the first 10 days for its customers. Placed at channel 102, the interactive service has a diverse range of formats like Bollywood Tadka which is an overview of Bollywood mixed with comedy. This comedy service features interesting formats like Scene Smaash, Pehchaan Kaun, Dekh Gaana Dekh, Filmy Fankaar, Pocket Films with Gauri, etc.

Tata Sky Comedy will have all time classics, will highlight jokes, fun quizzes and comic strips and will telecast all-time favourite shows like Zabaan Sambhalke, Office Office, Ye Jo Hai Zindagi, Nukkad, etc. Interesting and eye grabbing short snippets like Waiting Lounge, Fact de India, Paanch Namune, Sher Bazaar, No News Network, etc., will be made available to the customers under Comedy Fatafat hour. One of the formats, The Weekend Special, will feature the best of Comedy Circus for an hour every Saturday and Sunday at 9 pm and 10 pm.

Talking about his company’s expertise, Gada said, “We’re very excited to launch the comedy service with Tata Sky. Being a leading content aggregator and owner, our continuous efforts are to serve our audiences in new and innovative ways. Comedywalas is one such initiative from Shemaroo. Given the fact that comedy is such a universal entertainment genre, our efforts will be to aggregate, produce and curate some highly entertaining and fun programming.”

March 8, 2016
Gemporia TV hops on to Tata Sky platform

MUMBAI: India’s live jewellery shopping channel Gemporia TV has hopped on to the Tata Sky direct to home (DTH) platform.

The channel will be available on channel no. 155 in Tata Sky.

It may be recalled that Indiantelevision.com had reported earlier this month that the channel was eyeing revenue of Rs 60 – 100 crore by the end of 2016 and was looking at expanding its presence in the market by launching on Tata Sky. The shopping platform has been available on other DTH operators like Dish TV and Videocon d2h since September 2015.

With a market presence of 11 years in the UK, the channel has seen a rapid growth in the overall jewellery retail, and claims to achieve almost eight per cent market share of all hallmarked jewellery sold in the UK. The platform also claims to sell over nine million pieces worldwide all through e-commerce and television.

Gemporia TV co-founder Manuj Goyal said, “In India, we bring you these exquisite pieces, directly from our factories to your home, eliminating all middlemen, bringing the costs lower and at direct-to-home prices. We are enlivened with Gemporia’s expanded audience base of over 50 million homes with the launch on Tata Sky, one of the leading DTH providers in India. Our intention is to be available across DTH platforms and gradually move our presence on cable.”

He further added, “Our product size is constantly increasing to fit the business needs. The jewellery ranges from earrings to necklaces to charms to rings for women and men, in multiple styles. Our average item value has been Rs 4216. For Sterling Silver jewellery, our sweet spot is Rs 999. For Gold Jewellery, we have seen maximum sales in Rs 5000 to 8000 pricing category. Rings are currently 50 per cent of our sales, I guess as most retailers find it challenging to stock rings in different sizes. We keep a wide variety of gemstone jewellery – Rubies, Emeralds, Sapphires, Tanzanites, Pearls, Topaz, Opals, Amethyst, Citrines, Garnets, Onyxs, Tourmalines besides Diamonds. Our presence on Tata Sky brings a whole new audience with a completely different demographic. We are excited to see how these numbers will shift.”

February 25, 2016
Gemporia TV hops on to Tata Sky platform

MUMBAI: India’s live jewellery shopping channel Gemporia TV has hopped on to the Tata Sky direct to home (DTH) platform.

The channel will be available on channel no. 155 in Tata Sky.

It may be recalled that Indiantelevision.com had reported earlier this month that the channel was eyeing revenue of Rs 60 – 100 crore by the end of 2016 and was looking at expanding its presence in the market by launching on Tata Sky. The shopping platform has been available on other DTH operators like Dish TV and Videocon d2h since September 2015.

With a market presence of 11 years in the UK, the channel has seen a rapid growth in the overall jewellery retail, and claims to achieve almost eight per cent market share of all hallmarked jewellery sold in the UK. The platform also claims to sell over nine million pieces worldwide all through e-commerce and television.

Gemporia TV co-founder Manuj Goyal said, “In India, we bring you these exquisite pieces, directly from our factories to your home, eliminating all middlemen, bringing the costs lower and at direct-to-home prices. We are enlivened with Gemporia’s expanded audience base of over 50 million homes with the launch on Tata Sky, one of the leading DTH providers in India. Our intention is to be available across DTH platforms and gradually move our presence on cable.”

He further added, “Our product size is constantly increasing to fit the business needs. The jewellery ranges from earrings to necklaces to charms to rings for women and men, in multiple styles. Our average item value has been Rs 4216. For Sterling Silver jewellery, our sweet spot is Rs 999. For Gold Jewellery, we have seen maximum sales in Rs 5000 to 8000 pricing category. Rings are currently 50 per cent of our sales, I guess as most retailers find it challenging to stock rings in different sizes. We keep a wide variety of gemstone jewellery – Rubies, Emeralds, Sapphires, Tanzanites, Pearls, Topaz, Opals, Amethyst, Citrines, Garnets, Onyxs, Tourmalines besides Diamonds. Our presence on Tata Sky brings a whole new audience with a completely different demographic. We are excited to see how these numbers will shift.”

February 25, 2016
Tata Sky hires Arun Unni as senior vice president – content

MUMBAI: Tata Sky has roped in Arun Unni as senior vice president – content.

Unni steps into the shoes on Mukund Sharma, who recently resigned to join Lukup Media.

Unni has previously been a consultant with 14 years of experience in strategy development and operational improvement across B2C and B2B companies.

A source close to the development tells Indiantelevision.com that Unni will be reporting to Tata Sky chief content and business development officer Paolo Matteo Agostinelli.

“Arun has already joined the company and he will be heading content acquisition and strategy at Tata Sky,” the source added.

Deeply passionate about TV and media, Unni is an avid follower of content and distribution models globally. A Civil engineer from IIT Mumbai and an IIM – Ahmedabad pass out, he is an early adopter of nearly all types of content distribution hardware – Tata Sky HD DVR, Chromecast, Xbox, Media players, Mobile apps etc. His earlier work stints have been with A.T. Kearney, KPMG and Arthur Andersen India.

February 23, 2016
Tata Sky hires Arun Unni as senior vice president – content

MUMBAI: Tata Sky has roped in Arun Unni as senior vice president – content.

Unni steps into the shoes on Mukund Sharma, who recently resigned to join Lukup Media.

Unni has previously been a consultant with 14 years of experience in strategy development and operational improvement across B2C and B2B companies.

A source close to the development tells Indiantelevision.com that Unni will be reporting to Tata Sky chief content and business development officer Paolo Matteo Agostinelli.

“Arun has already joined the company and he will be heading content acquisition and strategy at Tata Sky,” the source added.

Deeply passionate about TV and media, Unni is an avid follower of content and distribution models globally. A Civil engineer from IIT Mumbai and an IIM – Ahmedabad pass out, he is an early adopter of nearly all types of content distribution hardware – Tata Sky HD DVR, Chromecast, Xbox, Media players, Mobile apps etc. His earlier work stints have been with A.T. Kearney, KPMG and Arthur Andersen India.

February 23, 2016
Marathi news channel Maharashtra 1 set to beam on Tata Sky

MUMBAI: The Nikhil Waghle led 24×7 Marathi news channel Maharashtra 1, which started its service in September last year, is all set to hop on to the Tata Sky direct to home (DTH) platform.

Tata Sky will be the first DTH platform that the channel will mark its presence on.

Maharashtra 1 will be a free-to-air channel available on channel number 802.

“We are currently present on all the multi-system operators (MSOs) except UCN Nagpur. Now with a presence on Tata Sky, we have made a move towards DTH. We decided to go ahead with Tata Sky because it’s a premium platform and fits the bill for a premium channel like ours,” said a channel official.

February 23, 2016
Marathi news channel Maharashtra 1 set to beam on Tata Sky

MUMBAI: The Nikhil Waghle led 24×7 Marathi news channel Maharashtra 1, which started its service in September last year, is all set to hop on to the Tata Sky direct to home (DTH) platform.

Tata Sky will be the first DTH platform that the channel will mark its presence on.

Maharashtra 1 will be a free-to-air channel available on channel number 802.

“We are currently present on all the multi-system operators (MSOs) except UCN Nagpur. Now with a presence on Tata Sky, we have made a move towards DTH. We decided to go ahead with Tata Sky because it’s a premium platform and fits the bill for a premium channel like ours,” said a channel official.

February 23, 2016
Sony Pictures Networks India eyes Rs 1200 crore revenue from IPL; 80% inventory sold

MUMBAI: The latest instalment of cricket’s flagship franchise – the Indian Premier League (IPL) is almost here and the official broadcaster Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) India is going all guns blazing when it comes to getting advertisers on board.

With almost 80 per cent of the ad inventory sold, the broadcaster is eyeing revenue of Rs 1200 crore from this season of the IPL.

An upbeat SPN India president Rohit Gupta tells Indiantelevision.com, “We have mostly sold out our entire inventory. All the big spots are locked and we are in the last stages of talks with a few advertisers. We will be in a position to announce them in a day or two.”

E-commerce giant Amazon, which upped itself as the presenting sponsor of the tourney last year, will continue to be a presenting sponsor this year too along with telco Vodafone and a new entrant in the category Oppo.

“We increased the number of presenting sponsors from two to three this year because of the huge demand. Mobile phone manufacturers Oppo has come on board this time as a presenting sponsor and it’s great that new associations are continuing. It shows the growing interest level in the tournament,” says Gupta.

Other sponsors that have been roped in include Freecharge, Coca Cola, Ceat Tyres, Tata Sky, Vimal Pan Masala and Raymond Suitings.

“Freecharge is a new inclusion this year. We also have a few advertisers who went off for a brief period but have returned this year again, which is an encouraging sign. Coke has also come on board for the first time and hence we continue to have a cola brand associated with the tourney. We are in final stages of talks with a two wheeler and a four wheeler brand and it’s likely that they will be on board too. This will mark the presence of an automobile brand too,” reveals Gupta.

For the uninitiated, Pepsi was the title sponsor for the IPL for xx seasons but severed its association last year and hence 2016 will be the first time that rival beverage brand Coca Cola has decided to come on board.

When queried about the revenue that SPN India is eyeing from the IPL this year, Gupta refrained from commenting on the financials. However, a source close to the development said that the network has hiked its ad rates by 15 to 20 per cent and is hopeful of raking in around Rs 1200 crore in ad revenue.

The source says, “For a 10 second ad slot, the network is charging between Rs 5.5 lakh to Rs 6 lakh, which is 15 to 20 per cent more than what they were charging last year.”

IPL will be telecast in four different language this year. Besides Hindi and English, there will be a Tamil and Telugu feed as well to cater to the southern audience. However, the network is not monetising the regional feed separately. “We don’t monetise regional feeds separately. We will go ahead the way did last year,” asserts Gupta.

A senior sports media planning expert on condition of anonymity says, “Rs 1200 crore this year means a 20 per cent jump from what they raked in last year, which is realistic as well as encouraging for the broadcaster. IPL has two new teams this year, therefore the sport will have a fresh and unwatched element in it. I think that has worked in favor of the broadcaster. Skepticism that were developing after the ban on Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals are now all dealt with. Placed right at the beginning of a financial year, IPL has established itself to be a great avenue to garner eyeballs and it manages to sustain its trends too, which is great.”

SPN has the broadcasting rights of IPL till 2017. The network acquired the rights for 10 years for a massive $1 billion, (Rs 6600 crore). Experts predict that the new acquisition cost, when the rights come under the hammer again, will be at least double of what it fetched last time round.

February 17, 2016
Sony Pictures Networks India eyes Rs 1200 crore revenue from IPL; 80% inventory sold

MUMBAI: The latest instalment of cricket’s flagship franchise – the Indian Premier League (IPL) is almost here and the official broadcaster Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) India is going all guns blazing when it comes to getting advertisers on board.

With almost 80 per cent of the ad inventory sold, the broadcaster is eyeing revenue of Rs 1200 crore from this season of the IPL.

An upbeat SPN India president Rohit Gupta tells Indiantelevision.com, “We have mostly sold out our entire inventory. All the big spots are locked and we are in the last stages of talks with a few advertisers. We will be in a position to announce them in a day or two.”

E-commerce giant Amazon, which upped itself as the presenting sponsor of the tourney last year, will continue to be a presenting sponsor this year too along with telco Vodafone and a new entrant in the category Oppo.

“We increased the number of presenting sponsors from two to three this year because of the huge demand. Mobile phone manufacturers Oppo has come on board this time as a presenting sponsor and it’s great that new associations are continuing. It shows the growing interest level in the tournament,” says Gupta.

Other sponsors that have been roped in include Freecharge, Coca Cola, Ceat Tyres, Tata Sky, Vimal Pan Masala and Raymond Suitings.

“Freecharge is a new inclusion this year. We also have a few advertisers who went off for a brief period but have returned this year again, which is an encouraging sign. Coke has also come on board for the first time and hence we continue to have a cola brand associated with the tourney. We are in final stages of talks with a two wheeler and a four wheeler brand and it’s likely that they will be on board too. This will mark the presence of an automobile brand too,” reveals Gupta.

For the uninitiated, Pepsi was the title sponsor for the IPL for xx seasons but severed its association last year and hence 2016 will be the first time that rival beverage brand Coca Cola has decided to come on board.

When queried about the revenue that SPN India is eyeing from the IPL this year, Gupta refrained from commenting on the financials. However, a source close to the development said that the network has hiked its ad rates by 15 to 20 per cent and is hopeful of raking in around Rs 1200 crore in ad revenue.

The source says, “For a 10 second ad slot, the network is charging between Rs 5.5 lakh to Rs 6 lakh, which is 15 to 20 per cent more than what they were charging last year.”

IPL will be telecast in four different language this year. Besides Hindi and English, there will be a Tamil and Telugu feed as well to cater to the southern audience. However, the network is not monetising the regional feed separately. “We don’t monetise regional feeds separately. We will go ahead the way did last year,” asserts Gupta.

A senior sports media planning expert on condition of anonymity says, “Rs 1200 crore this year means a 20 per cent jump from what they raked in last year, which is realistic as well as encouraging for the broadcaster. IPL has two new teams this year, therefore the sport will have a fresh and unwatched element in it. I think that has worked in favor of the broadcaster. Skepticism that were developing after the ban on Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals are now all dealt with. Placed right at the beginning of a financial year, IPL has established itself to be a great avenue to garner eyeballs and it manages to sustain its trends too, which is great.”

SPN has the broadcasting rights of IPL till 2017. The network acquired the rights for 10 years for a massive $1 billion, (Rs 6600 crore). Experts predict that the new acquisition cost, when the rights come under the hammer again, will be at least double of what it fetched last time round.

February 17, 2016