ITV

Tag: Television

  • Sony Sports strike a chord with its latest campaign ‘Sirf Sony Pe Dikhega’

    Sony Sports strike a chord with its latest campaign ‘Sirf Sony Pe Dikhega’

    MUMBAI: To highlight all the delightful and adrenaline-pumping offerings that the Sony Sports Pack has on offer, the brand has come out with a new film.

    Aimed at driving the Sony Sports Pack subscription, the latest campaign from Sony Sports highlights the consumer delight that Sony Sports brings about with its diverse offerings throughout the day, all year long. The short video humorously drives in the message that a Sony Sports pack is as essential to a happy family as roti, kapda aur makaan!

    The film juxtaposes two neighbouring families – The sporty Gupta Family, which is led by the renowned actor Ranvir Shorey and the not-so-sporty Mehta Family, which is led by the accomplished actor, Deven Bhojani- and the difference Sony Sports brings about in their lives.

    Through a series of quirky slice-of-life situations, the contrast between the Gupta Family, which has subscribed to Sony Sports Channels and the Mehta Family which hasn’t taken the subscription is brought to the fore.

    Where the Gupta family always has something to look forward to & celebrate together, the Mehta Family is shown to have a drab existence, always wondering at the source of their neighbours’ constant merry making.

    The film concludes with Guptaji excitedly reciting the fully-loaded product offerings of Sony Sports which keep his family enthralled, all day long, namely: WWE, UEFA Champions League, Euro 2020, Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, India tour of SL, India tour of England, and more! Finally, he recommends his neighbour, Mehtaji to subscribe to Sony Sports Channels as well, for the non-stop, year-long LIVE sporting entertainment.

  • Zee Bangla launches new season of Dance Bangla Dance

    Zee Bangla launches new season of Dance Bangla Dance

    New Delhi: Zee Bangla is back with the eleventh edition of its popular dance show- Dance Bangla Dance, with actor Govinda as one of the judges. The new season will be aired at 9:30 pm on the weekends, starting this Saturday.

    Govinda will be accompanied by Bengal’s icon Jeet and actress Subhashree Ganguly on the judges’ panel. The show will be hosted by Ankush Hazra along with Bengali actor Vikram Chatterjee. The participants will be put under the tutelage of gurus – Om Sahani, Devlina Kumar, Rimjhim Mitra, and Soumili Biswas, all popular faces in Tollywood industry. 

    What sets Dance Bangla Dance apart this year is the fact that there is no age bar on participation, said the channel on Saturday.

    Commenting on the launch of season 11 of Dance Bangla Dance, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd, cluster-head (East), Samrat Ghosh said, “Dance Bangla Dance celebrates the spirit of dance. It is a form of expression that brings people together, allows them to be creative and innovative, and is a way to escape the stress and cares of everyday life. Staying true to its tagline ‘Nechei hobe muskil ahsaan’, season 11 will salute the never say die attitude of humans with dance. In keeping with the brand identity ‘Notun Chhondey Likhbo Jibon’, we aim to inspire the viewers to identify the potential within and orchestrate life in a new rhythm through our offerings.” 

    Govinda, who will be judging Dance Bangla Dance Season 11, said he is looking forward to returning on the new stage in a new avatar. “The energy level of the show gets me excited and I love it when my work gets me to groove. The new season will bring to you some incredible talent from all age groups and will surely make you twirl to their rhythm. We are looking forward to your audience as we begin this new journey,” he said.

  • Filamchi inks a strategic partnership with Chingari app

    Filamchi inks a strategic partnership with Chingari app

    MUMBAI: Filamchi, a Bhojpuri movie channel from the house of IN10 Media Network has signed a strategic partnership with Chingari, a homegrown short video app for live streaming of its world TV Premieres.

    The association will commence with the premiere of the movie Loha Pahalwan, which will be live-streamed on the Chingari app. The tie-up marks a first in the genre as a TV channel and short video platform will integrate to enhance a multi-viewing experience for the audience.

    Speaking on the plan of action, Chingari’s co-founder and CEO, Sumit Ghosh said, “This is one of its kind collaboration where a film will be premiered and made available to the audience through not just TV channel, but also through a short-video platform which will not only expand the audience base but provide a new way of live streaming films in the current digital world. Evolution is the key and Chingari aims to continue collaborating and evolving the space of digital media to the best of its capabilities so that the audience and creators both benefit from it.”

    Commenting on the association, IN10 Media Network, AVP-Marketing, Vinita Shrivastav, said, “The Bhojpuri market has the potential to grow as the audience seeks more localized and relatable content. In today’s multiscreen world, we need to be omnipresent to reach out to our viewers and let them experience content across platforms. The association will aid the platforms in increasing their audience base and engaging them across Bhojpuri movie fans.”

    Talking about the collaboration, app’s co-founder, and COO, Deepak Salvi said, “The contest on Chingari is to provide an overall benefit to both the film creators and the Chingari creators. Pawan Singh is one of the most renowned actors of Bhojpuri Cinema and hence it is authentic entertainment being made available for our audience along with a chance to win a huge cash prize.”

    The live streaming is supported by a dialogue challenge #mainbhifilamchi where Chingari users can create interesting videos on Pawan Singh’s dialogues from the movie and participate in the contest to win 20 lakh Chingari coins.

    The movie will air on 22 May at 1:00 pm on Filamchi channel and Chingari App.

  • Cyclone Tauktae damages TV shooting floors, adds to producers’ woes

    Cyclone Tauktae damages TV shooting floors, adds to producers’ woes

    Mumbai: As cyclone Tauktae wreaked havoc all along the western coast of India, along with it mauled Mumbai’s famed television industry. Gale-like winds and incessant rain battered not only homes and offices all through Sunday night and Monday, they also tore through TV production sets in different locations in Mumbai and its outskirts.

    According to an estimate, at least 20-30 shooting floors were severely damaged when water seeped into them, which could lead to losses running into crores of rupees.

    Said Indian Film & TV Producers Council (IFTPC) chairman JD Majethia: “Almost all sets, whether outdoors or indoors, were impacted and reported some damage at least. On the sets of my production house, a tree fall occurred and a boundary wall was also damaged. Besides this, water is seeping in through sections of the roof. It is really a daunting time for us.”

    Added IFTPC CEO Suresh Amin: “It is akin to rubbing salt upon one’s wounds. Television producers were already reeling under the Coronavirus pandemic. Shooting for several (popular) shows then got stalled due to the restrictions imposed. Now this cyclone has devastated at least 30 shoot-ready sets. It will cost Rs. 20 lakhs per film set for rebuilding the damaged sections. It is really a back-breaking predicament for producers and production houses.”

    Although forewarning cyclone advisories issued a week ago by weather department officials had sounded the alert, TV production units could not gear up sufficiently well during this time with preventive measures in place. The reason: under pressure to deliver daily episodes for the telecast, most of them shifted their shoots to other states after Maharashtra imposed a suspension of both indoor shootings as well as outdoor filming schedules. 

    According to Majethia, “challenges for the TV production community are increasing day by day. Usually around the middle of the month of May is the time, when producers focus on aspects of monsoon preparedness before rains are scheduled to arrive in the month of June. Unfortunately, the cyclone hit Mumbai now.”

    But he says no one from the production trade is willing to get beaten down by the continuous hammering their businesses have been getting over the past year, on account of the pandemic and then by nature’s fury. “We will immediately undertake repair efforts and rebuild our sets so that work may be restarted in right earnest once again. We accord high priority to safety over everything else,” revealed Majethia.

    The IFTPC chief also expressed hope that the Maharashtra government led by Udhav Thackeray would go-ahead green signal film and television shootings in the state given that the peak of the second wave appears to be ebbing and a decline in growing infections is being actively reported.

  • French groups TF1 and M6 propose merger

    French groups TF1 and M6 propose merger

    MUMBAI: Fierce competition forces alliances upon nations, people, and companies. As it is doing in the media and entertainment globally today. Close on the heels of the announcement of the merger between AT&T’s Warner Media and Discovery, reports of another fusion between two media groups in France have emerged. The two in question are TF1 and M6 (pronounced Seez) groups.

    TF1 is owned by the Bouygues group, while M6’s ownership lies with European production and TV broadcaster RTL, which is part of media giant Bertlesmann. The two will be housed in a new French company in which Bouygues would hold 30 per cent and RTL 16 per cent. The former will acquire 11 per cent equity from the latter for Euros 641 million.

    The proposal has got the go-ahead from the RTL, Bouygues, TFI, and M6 boards, but has to get over the regulatory hurdles from French authorities and is proposed to close by the end-2022. The merged company would have a 2020 pro forma revenue of €3.4bn and a current operating profit of €461M. The synergies potential (EBITDA run-rate impact) is estimated at €250M to €350M per year within three years from the closing of the transaction.

    M6 CEO Nicolas de Tavernost has been proposed as chairman & CEO of the merged entity while chairman and CEO of TF1 Gilles Pélisson will be nominated as deputy CEO of Groupe Bouygues in charge of media and development.

    A new ad-supported service, combining catch-up and live streaming and based on existing services MyTF1 and 6play, would be developed, alongside an SVoD service and a production hub for local and international content.

    What’s forcing the two to merge? Well a press release issued by RTL gives some insights.

    It says the two groups are active in a growing total video market where increasingly rich, original, and exclusive content is driving long-term audience growth. Even as linear TV remains powerful, it is undergoing a structural transformation with a strong shift towards on-demand consumption which is being led by global platforms making deep pushes in the French advertising market.

    “The combination of these two players, of the know-how of their employees and their strong brands, would allow the new group to invest more and to step up innovation. The proposed merger is critical to ensure the long-term independence of French content creation and to continue to offer diversified and premium local content to the benefit of all viewers,” said the statement.

    “The merger between Groupe TF1 and Groupe M6 is a great opportunity to create a French total video champion that will guarantee independence, quality of content, and pluralism – values that have long been shared by our two groups,” said Pélisson. “It will be an asset in promoting French culture. Groupe TF1 now approaches a new stage in its development, consistent with the strategic vision developed in the past five years.”

    “The consolidation of the French television and audio-visual markets is an absolute necessity if the French audience and the industry as a whole are to continue to play a predominant role in the face of exacerbated international competition, which is accelerating rapidly,” added de Tavernost. “The combination of the two groups’ know-how will allow for an ambitious French response. Furthermore, this proposed merger of Groupe M6 and Groupe TF1 is the only transaction offering value creation for all Groupe M6 shareholders.”

    “The audio-visual market benefits from long-term growth. In this context, Groupe Bouygues is pleased to contribute to the creation of a major French media group able to compete with the GAFANs,” highlighted Groupe Bouygues CEO Olivier Roussat. “We are pleased with this major development and partnership which confirms Groupe Bouygues’ commitment to the media since 1987. As shareholders with exclusive control over the new group, we will continue to provide it with our full support.”

    RTL CEO Thomas Rabe said the proposed merger of Groupe TF1 and Groupe M6 would be a major step in implementing the strategy to create national media champions across the European footprint. “It demonstrates how in-country consolidation creates significant value. As a strategic investor, we will be long-term industrial partners of Groupe Bouygues,” he added.

  • Now blockchain & NFTs come to TV

    Now blockchain & NFTs come to TV

    MUMBAI: For all those naysayers and fence-sitters, it is here and it is now. Blockchain and cryptocurrency are coming to the broadcast television business. US TV network Fox has announced the formation of a new non-fungible token (NFT) company called Blockchain Creative Labs. The new firm will create NFTs based on the intellectual properties it owns. Fox Entertainment CEO Charlie Collier announced this at the advertiser targeted Upfronts on Monday.

    NFTs, which exist on blockchain – a digital ledger similar to the networks that underpin bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies – notched up $1.5 billion in sales in just the first quarter of 2021. Each NFT is unique, cannot be duplicated, and is equivalent to an ownership deed to digital or physical artwork, music, or digital collectibles such as IPL 2021’s best video moments. Of course, someone else may have an image or copy of the piece, but that’s not the original which of course has a big-ticket price.

    They have become all the rage nowadays following the success of digital artist Mike Winkelmann aka Beeple, who sold an NFT for $69 million. They are not restricted to just art; they have extended to sports collectibles, highlight show reels, augmented reality sneakers, music, and even digital cats.

    Fox is getting into the NFT game in the hope of monetizing its properties beyond television (in the crypto world) where the major revenue sources are advertising, or pay-TV, or syndication.

    Blockchain Creative Labs’ first attempt at exploring the potential of TV show characters and properties is going to be with Krapopolis, an animated comedy series set in mythical ancient Greece, which is being directed by Ricky and Morty and Community creator Dan Harmon.

    Fox says that its marketplace “will curate and sell digital goods, ranging from NFTs of one-of-a-kind character and background art, and gifs, as well as tokens that provide exclusive social experiences to engage and reward super fans.”

    Addressing the advertiser-dominated audience during the upfronts, Collier said that as “an advertiser-focused, artist-first and animation-obsessed company, Fox is going to take advertisers into the world of blockchain-powered tokens, including NFTs…we will also help your brands connect directly with fans and enthusiasts through NFTs.”

    Will other broadcasters and networks also take the plunge? Will it inspire Indian media players to explore this space? These are cryptic questions.

  • Nickelodeon collaborates with Google to launch Nickelodeon Ludo

    Nickelodeon collaborates with Google to launch Nickelodeon Ludo

    Mumbai: Ludo is one of the most popular games enjoyed by people across all age-groups. The lockdown saw a resurgence of Ludo as people remained indoors and looked for virtual means for entertainment. Catching up on the trend, Nickelodeon teamed up with Google and launched Nickelodeon Ludo, an innovative format to play the game hands-free with your favourite Nicktoons’ pegs and their voice. 

    The game will enable the users to play using just their voice on the device. Adding a tinge of spunk to the classic game from Google, for the first time ever, users will be able to play Nickelodeon with a little voice help from Google. The game will have four houses with only two pegs each, with faces of their favourite Nicktoons on the pegs in each house and all one has to do is say ‘Ok Google, talk to Nickelodeon Ludo’. While teams with Green and Red colors will be renamed as Motu- Patlu, and Rudra Rangeela, that of Blue and Yellow will be re-named as Shiva- Reva, and Happy- Pinaki, respectively. Nickelodeon Ludo will be available in English language and be open for all users.

    The channel has also devised expansive influencer promotion and digital engagement through an array of exciting activities to drive their attention to Nickelodeon Ludo.

    “Nickelodeon has always endeavoured to engage with its young viewers by providing them unique and immersive experiences through multiple touchpoints that are unparalleled. This association with Google is yet another step towards collaborating with like-minded partners and creating a platform to experience different aspects of the media & entertainment ecosystem thus transporting them to the world of fun with their favourite Nicktoons,” said Viacom 18, Kids TV Network, marketing head Sonali Bhattacharya. 

  • Does the Discovery-AT&T Warner Media merger make sense?

    Does the Discovery-AT&T Warner Media merger make sense?

    MUMBAI: In one word. Yes. At least it gives them a chance in hell to play catch up with the well-muscled and well-entrenched rivals like Netflix, Disney, Amazon Prime Video, and Apple TV in the streaming race. While Netflix announced 208 million subscribers worldwide in its latest financial meet with investors, Disney declared that it had roped in 108 million subs in just a year and a half of its existence.

    As compared to that, Discovery recently disclosed that it had managed to lasso 15 million subscribers to its streaming business, and Warner Media’s HBO Max revealed its sign-ups at 9.7 million. Combining the two – if all subs stay put – gives a total of around 24.7 million. That’s still an ant-like figure compared to the jumbo numbers of Netflix, Disney, and hey even Amazon Prime. Both continued to concentrate on linear TV, and on cable, even as others were laying it out thick on OTT services. Their coming late to the streaming party means they have to work harder to ramp up subs. By teaming up it might be a little easier, but the hard work will need to be put in.

    Netflix – when it launched – did to HBO, what HBO did to other cable TV programmers two to three decades ago. The Reed Hastings-led OTT introduced cutting-edge, well-produced and edited, hard storytelling in its series and gave subscribers something to get glued onto almost every month. At an affordable price too as compared to cable TV’s high rates in the US.

    Can HBO do a Netflix to Netflix in terms of content in the current streaming world? 

    Many think that can be done, but it requires deep pockets as well as a global vision such as that is available aplenty with the Netflix top management. As well as a strong heart to tolerate negative cash flows, take on what some may consider strangulating debt while spending tens of billions of dollars on content, churning out fresh shows o

    Fusing Warner with Discovery will definitely give the two a lot more financial ammo as well content. Both are at the top of their game when it comes to their respective genres. Warner Media has dramas, series, movies in the case of HBO, TNT, TBS, and Warner Bros and kids programming in Cartoon Network; news in CNN, and sports in Turner Sports. Discovery has gold standard factual programming, along with its live sports lineup in Eurosport, real estate shows in HGTV and lifestyle programming in TLC, and food competitions in the Food Network.

    If the merger does see the light of day, the question about who will lead the operation will need to be answered. Warner Media’s Jason Kilar has shown he has the hunger; Discovery boss David Zaslav is no chicken; he’s a mean rooster and is extremely ambitious.  Observers believe that AT&T is likely to call the shots; so Kilar will get a shoo-in as head, while Zaslav will get a very rich golden handshake. Others however point out that the latter has the confidence of media baron John Malone who  controls about 30 per cent of Discovery’s equity and it’s quite likely that his word will carry weight.  This means Zaslav and Kilar might both be accommodated in the new organization.

    Of course, the merger will mean the joint entity  will boast of a neat bundle of offerings for viewers – covering everything from sports to drama to factual to kids to movies to reality. Scale is crucial in streaming service offerings, and that can be achieved by offering the Discovery Warner service at an extremely appealing price, in keeping with what rivals are charging. Discovery Plus has a price tag of $6.99 while HBO Max is available at $15. This is why the latter has remained as a niche offering attracting a thin sliver of viewers as compared to Netflix and Disney.

    In the Indian context, both Discovery and Warner Media, have kind of been left behind in the broadcast sweepstakes as compared to the mainline TV broadcasters and streamers. Both have kids channels, while HBO and WB channels have been wound up in the country. Discovery has its international slate of channels while it also has localised its factual programming. Hence, a merger within India would definitely bring in economies.

    Clearly, all that is in the future. Right now the two companies’ boards and management have to decide whether they are going ahead or not. You can’t forget that there was strong talk that Comcast and AT&T were conversing  for a deal between NBC Universal and Warner Media. But that kind of stalled and did not move ahead. Now, Discovery looks to have beaten NBC Universal to the punch. The days ahead will tell us if it results in a knockout or not.

  • Times Network’s English Entertainment channels transitions to Planetcast Cloud

    Times Network’s English Entertainment channels transitions to Planetcast Cloud

    Kolkata: Planetcast Media Services, a key player in cloud-based technology for the television broadcast industry announced that Times Network has successfully implemented the transition of its English Entertainment channels and Zoom to  it’s cloud platform – Cloud. X.

    The turnkey solution includes end-to-end management of broadcast operations including satellite uplinking of Times Network’s channels.

    Cloud X, a state-of-the-art cloud infrastructure, which offers an advanced platform along with flexibility for cloud-based operations is deployed to Times Network’s English Entertainment channels – Movies Now SD, Movies Now HD, Romedy Now SD, Romedy Now HD, MNX SD, MNX HD, MN+, and Zoom.

    The services are hosted at Planetcast’s advanced cloud data center based out of Noida. As part of the long-term engagement, PMSL also re-distributes the channels to various digital platforms across India.

    Times Network Corporate Strategy and Digital Transformation EVP and head Jignesh Kenia said the transition to Cloud was a strategic step in the digital transformation of its broadcast operations. “We are committed to adopting technological and digital solutions that enhance our business expertise through state-of-the-art infrastructure facilities, and we are delighted to partner with Planet cast for this critical part of our operations. I am confident that we can enhance our audience reach by delivering a reliable and world-class TV viewing experience.”

    According to Planetcast founder-director M N Vyas cloud adoption will drive business recovery from the pandemic across media and entertainment industry. “Our engagement will not only reduce their operational cost but will also streamline broadcast operations across Times Network’s entertainment and news channels. We are on a mission to drive business recovery from the pandemic through cloud adoption,” added Vyas.

  • Republic TV expands its footprint in UK with DistroTV

    Republic TV expands its footprint in UK with DistroTV

    Mumbai : English news channel Republic TV is pivoting to digital, OTT and smart TV distribution with the latest addition of DistroTV to cater to the diaspora in the United Kingdom market.

    The channel along with its Hindi news channel R Bharat has now set its sights on the international markets. With a view to address the news consumption pattern across all demographics, the channels are taking a market wise approach and targeting new age distribution platforms including the burgeoning OTT and connected TV sets ecosystem.  It’s also looking to syndicate its content library across various new age platforms.  

    After content partnerships with all major OTT platforms Like Hotstar, Yupp TV, it has now added DistroTV in the UK and APAC markets.

    Commenting on the strategy, Republic Media Network, group CEO, Vikas Khanchandani  said, “Republic TV is a news media technology company and has been the front runner to make its streaming services available across smart phones and connected TVs with its partnerships with OTT, OEMs and Telco platforms both within India and globally. The pandemic has accelerated streaming TV consumption driven by news & sports.  It’s an opportune moment for us to pivot our strategy in the UK market as streaming is outpacing pay TV in UK.” 

    COO – India distribution head and international markets, Priya Mukherjee, COO said, the channel has reached a peak of 421K and maintains an average reach of around 200K in the last quarter during the pandemic. “Many platforms have approached us given the leadership position and the loyal audiences we built in the UK, in such a short time.  Our distribution capabilities, give us an opportunity, to approach each market differently and we are looking at all possible models that are best suited to our expansion plans, including a more, Direct to Consumer approach,” she added.