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Tag: Transformers

  • JioCinema announces major kids entertainment foray

    JioCinema announces major kids entertainment foray

    Mumbai: This Children’s Day, JioCinema, India’s ultimate destination for entertainment, announced its foray into Kids entertainment with a dedicated ‘Kids and Family’ offering. With a stellar content offering spanning over 3000 hours of some of the best known franchises from across the world and biggest Indian IPs, the platform will cater to young audiences across Tiny Tots, Kids, Pre-teens and will also house content for the entire family to enjoy together.

    Creating India’s single largest destination for Kids’ entertainment with over 100 top Toon franchises, 300+ Series and Movies spanning DIY, comedy, adventure, and action genres, JioCinema promises fun, thrill and nostalgia, to every child across the country, with popular content available in 5+ Indian languages.

    From Anime to superheroes, to mythos, spanning local and global favourites, JioCinema brings the largest offering of kids’ network content from Viacom18 including Motu Patlu, Shiva, Rudra, Chikoo aur Bunty, Pinaki and the Bhoot Bandhus, The Twisted Timelines of Sammy & Raj, Kanha – Morpankh Samrat, among others. Raising the bar with premium global series such as Harry Potter, Transformers, HBO Storybook musical, The Looney Tunes Show, Super Mario Bros, Justice League War World, Garfield, Tin Tin, Trollstopia, Zig & Shark, Peppa Pig, Pokémon, and movies like Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar, Teen Titans Go, Polar Express, Lego Ninjago, The Flintstones, Boss Baby, and a lot more, JioCinema promises to entertain kids and those young at heart with thousands of hours of magical content. Through strategic partnerships with leading local and global studios including Cartoon Network Studios, Dreamworks, EOne, The Pokémon Company & Animaccord, among others, the offering will add fresh content every week.

    Further exemplifying its commitment to providing a safe and wholesome family entertainment experience, JioCinema is including a ‘Kids and Family’ profile in every account, granting children access to only age- appropriate content. Recognizing the significance of screen time among children, the ‘Kids and Family’ profile is combined with a unique ‘PIN’ based ‘Parental Control’ mechanism. With advanced algorithms and cutting-edge technology, the profile will allow parents to customize the content access based on their child’s life stage, giving them complete control.

    On creating a wholesome entertainment ecosystem for kids and their families, a JioCinema spokesperson said, “At JioCinema, we are deeply committed to building a one-stop destination for all things entertainment. We are invested in understanding Indian audiences and their preferences and continue to evolve as the preferred source for all their entertainment needs. Our newly added Kids and Family category will unlock access to millions of families across India and enrich family consumption. With the best content from India and around the world, available in multiple languages, we aim to be inclusive and an enabler of wider consumption with fewer barriers’’.

    Headlining the rollout of the kids and family slate is the enthralling Pokemania festival, marking an exciting chapter for fans of the beloved Japanese Pokémon franchise. As the exclusive home to over 1000 episodes and 21 movies, JioCinema will be celebrating the fervor surrounding the enchanting poke-monsters with a brand-new season unveiled every Thursday, starting on 16 November, with Season 12.

  • Nickelodeon to unleash immersive experience at Comic Con International San Diego

    Nickelodeon to unleash immersive experience at Comic Con International San Diego

    Mumbai: US kids broadcaster Nickelodeon will invite fans to dive into an immersive experience at Comic-Con International: San Diego 2022 from 22-24 July 2022. It will showcase the depths of Bikini Bottom, imaginations of babies, a new generation of Transformers robots, the hallways of Monster High, the elements of Avatar and more. 

    Headquartered at its 1,800 square-foot booth on the convention center floor, Nickelodeon will celebrate fan-favorite characters and shows with panels, talent signings, activations, exclusive products and interactive design elements featuring: SpongeBob Universe (SpongeBob SquarePants and its two original spinoff series, The Patrick Star Show and the Paramount+ Original series, Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years), the Paramount+ Original series Rugrats and Transformers: EarthSpark, plus Monster High: The Movie, Avatar: The Last Airbender and more.

    Every day of the convention, Nickelodeon’s booth will feature: a 16-foot-tall Bumblebee of Transformers: EarthSpark photo opportunity and AR experience; an immersive “Monster High: The Movie” activation, where fans can compete against the clock to match objects to lockers; an eight-foot-long underwater television from The Patrick Star Show that fans can step inside; a Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years photo opportunity; a Rugrats photo opportunity; an Avatar: The Last Airbender-themed retail area featuring a custom t-shirt station and exclusive collectibles; costumed-character appearances; and autograph signings with the voice casts and producers from SpongeBob Universe, Rugrats, Transformers: EarthSpark and Avatar: Braving the Elements podcast.

    Nickelodeon will present four panels: Nickelodeon’s Rugrats: The Babies are Back!, an exclusive look at the all-new series; SpongeBob SquarePants: Dive into SpongeBob Universe!, a deep dive into the iconic franchise; Introducing Transformers: EarthSpark!, an insider event that celebrates a new take on the global franchise; and Avatar: Braving the Elements – LIVE!. This will offer a behind-the-scenes look at how the James Cameron directed movie was brought to life.

  • &flix brings movie marathon of the science action Franchise ‘Transformers’

    &flix brings movie marathon of the science action Franchise ‘Transformers’

    MUMBAI: Think massive explosions, pulsating action and gigantic robots-turn-cars and there’s only one came that comes to mind – the Transformers! An epic franchise needs no introduction and here’s one that boasts of a cult following worldwide. From a toy, cartoon and video game to a mega multi-movie cinematic experience, Transformers is truly a legacy that unites the young and old with immense excitement. Truly transforming your Sunday this 14 March, &flix, the destination for the biggest Hollywood hits, brings the movie marathon of the ultimate sci-fi action franchise Transformers, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Transformers: Age of Extinction starting 3PM onwards.

    Enthralling legions and children and adults even today, the army of robots in Transformers never ceases to amaze us. With the award-winning filmmaker Michael Bay who helmed the cinematic masterpiece, here’s a tale of the noble Autobots and the nasty Decepticons, two intergalactic races of robots, who crash land on Earth. In Transformers the first instalment, they fight each other for the ultimate power source, whose location is held by the protagonist Sam Witwicky. Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen sees Sam leave the Autobots behind for a normal life but is dragged back to the war by the Decepticons. With an Earth that no longer ignored the presence of the super robots, Transformers: Age Of Extinction’ sees the Autobots hunted down by an elite CIA black ops unit and a ruthless bounty hunter.

    Featuring Hollywood’s finest talent Mark Wahlberg, Jack Reynor, Stanley Tucci, Titus Welliver, Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel among others, spend your Sunday amidst epic robots and watch them transform!

  • At least five big shows coming on Star World Premiere HD over next two months

    At least five big shows coming on Star World Premiere HD over next two months

    MUMBAI: At least five big shows are slated to premiere on Star World Premiere HD over the next two months.

    These include Bosch Season 2 on 19 March, Colony on 18 April, Silicon Valley and Veep on 27 April, Game of Thrones Season 6 on 26 April. 

    Game of Thrones is an American fantasy drama television series which is set on the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos, and interweaves several plot lines with a large ensemble cast.

    Colony is a Sci-Fi series that explores the human divisions that form after an extra-terrestrial invasion. The show revolves around an extra-terrestrial invaded Los Angeles and left everything in chaos and the city’s residents are either joining forces with the otherworldly or rebelling against it, thus bearing the consequences. A former FBI agent Will Bowman (played by Josh Holloway) and his wife Katie (played by Sarah Wayne Callies) risk their lives to protect their family and get one of their three children back after losing him to the invasion.

    The show Americans Season 4 will cover real-life events such as Reagan’s Star Wars speech. The show stars popular actors Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys and Annet Mahendru. It starts from where Season 3 ended with Elizabeth (Keri) and Phillip’s (Rhys) daughter confessing to the pastor that her parents are in fact Russian spies.

    Silicon Valley stars Thomas Middleditch, popular actor-comedian T J Miller (Deadpool, Big Hero 6, Transformers: Age of Extinction, How to Train Your Dragon), Kumail Nanjiani, Zach Woods, Martin Starr and Amanda Crew among others. The comedy series is set amidst the high-tech world of the Silicon Valley in USA and revolves around the struggles of six programmers who are trying to make a mark in the big, bad world of programming.

    Veep is an American political satire comedy series shot in a cinéma-vérité style (a style of documentary filmmaking that combines improvisation with the use of the camera to unveil truth or highlight subjects hidden behind crude reality). It stars popular actor Julia Louis-Dreyfus (of Seinfeld fame) as Selina Meyer, the Vice President of the United States (or ‘VEEP’) and follows her struggles as she tries to stay politically relevant.

  • At least five big shows coming on Star World Premiere HD over next two months

    At least five big shows coming on Star World Premiere HD over next two months

    MUMBAI: At least five big shows are slated to premiere on Star World Premiere HD over the next two months.

    These include Bosch Season 2 on 19 March, Colony on 18 April, Silicon Valley and Veep on 27 April, Game of Thrones Season 6 on 26 April. 

    Game of Thrones is an American fantasy drama television series which is set on the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos, and interweaves several plot lines with a large ensemble cast.

    Colony is a Sci-Fi series that explores the human divisions that form after an extra-terrestrial invasion. The show revolves around an extra-terrestrial invaded Los Angeles and left everything in chaos and the city’s residents are either joining forces with the otherworldly or rebelling against it, thus bearing the consequences. A former FBI agent Will Bowman (played by Josh Holloway) and his wife Katie (played by Sarah Wayne Callies) risk their lives to protect their family and get one of their three children back after losing him to the invasion.

    The show Americans Season 4 will cover real-life events such as Reagan’s Star Wars speech. The show stars popular actors Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys and Annet Mahendru. It starts from where Season 3 ended with Elizabeth (Keri) and Phillip’s (Rhys) daughter confessing to the pastor that her parents are in fact Russian spies.

    Silicon Valley stars Thomas Middleditch, popular actor-comedian T J Miller (Deadpool, Big Hero 6, Transformers: Age of Extinction, How to Train Your Dragon), Kumail Nanjiani, Zach Woods, Martin Starr and Amanda Crew among others. The comedy series is set amidst the high-tech world of the Silicon Valley in USA and revolves around the struggles of six programmers who are trying to make a mark in the big, bad world of programming.

    Veep is an American political satire comedy series shot in a cinéma-vérité style (a style of documentary filmmaking that combines improvisation with the use of the camera to unveil truth or highlight subjects hidden behind crude reality). It stars popular actor Julia Louis-Dreyfus (of Seinfeld fame) as Selina Meyer, the Vice President of the United States (or ‘VEEP’) and follows her struggles as she tries to stay politically relevant.

  • Youku Tudou licenses Paramount’s movie titles for TVOD

    Youku Tudou licenses Paramount’s movie titles for TVOD

    MUMBAI: China’s Youku Tudou, Inc has entered into a content licensing agreement with Paramount Pictures that will bring more than a hundred film titles from Paramount Picture’s library to Youku Tudou.

     

    Popular franchises and titles such as Transformers, Shrek, Star Trek, Mission: Impossible and Forrest Gump will be viewable through Youku Tudou’s subscription service and select future Paramount releases will be available through TVOD.

     

    Youku Tudou’s subscription service currently offers a wide selection of content from both foreign and domestic studios. More licensed content as well as Youku Tudou web-native content will be added on an ongoing basis.

     

    “The consumer-driven demand for premium online services in China is growing rapidly. With top branded content such as Paramount Picture’s array of films, our commitment to enhancing our subscription services to create a premium experience and drive consumer-based revenue continues in earnest,” said Youku Tudou chairman and CEO Victor Koo.

     

    With this agreement, Youku Tudou now has a library of over 4,000 movie titles that encompass domestic, foreign and original productions.

  • Q2-2015: Forex pulls down Hasbro revenue; Licensing & Entertainment op income halves

    Q2-2015: Forex pulls down Hasbro revenue; Licensing & Entertainment op income halves

    BENGALURU: American multinational toy and board game company Hasbro, Inc., (Hasbro) reported 3.8 per cent decline in net revenue to $797.66 million in the quarter ended 28 June, 2015 (kQ2-2015) as compared to the $829.26 million in the corresponding year ago quarter  (quarter ended 29 June, 2014) impacted by negative forex of  $71.5 million says the company. If the forex loss was neglected, net revenue in Q2-2015 grew 4.8 per cent in the current quarter as compared to the previous quarter. 

     

    For the six month period ended 28 June, 2015 (6M-2015), Hasbro reported almost flat revenue(0.2 percent higher) at $1511.16 million as compared to the $1508.72 million in 6M-2014 (six months ended 29 June, 2014).

     

    Hasbro’s Licensing and Entertainment segment contributes around six per cent to Hasbro’s revenue. The segment reported almost flat revenue in Q2-2015 $47.64 million as compared to the $47.66 million in the corresponding year ago quarter. However, its operating income halved (declined by 49 per cent) to $7.44 million in Q2-2015 as compared to the $14.65 million in Q2-2014, primarily due to digital gaming expenses, including the final quarter of amortization expense from certain digital gaming rights says the company.

     

    Company speak

     

    Net earnings attributable Hasbro increased 22.7 per cent to $41.81 million (5.2 per cent of net revenue) in Q1-2016 as compared to the $33.48 million (four per cent of net revenue in Q2-2014).

     

    “Our second quarter results continue a strong start to the year with good underlying momentum in our Franchise and Partner brands across geographies,” said Hasbro chairman, president and CEO Brian Goldner. “The execution of our brand blueprint strategy, including our recent decision to sell our final manufacturing locations and the continued development of new relationships in content development, furthers the transformation of Hasbro into an organization focused on global brand building. We are well positioned for the remainder of 2015, but importantly we continue to develop our capabilities for the long-term execution of our strategy toward unlocking the full potential value of our brands.”

     

    “Our second quarter results came with numerous challenges, including a significant negative foreign exchange impact and difficult year-over-year comparisons in several brands,” said Hasbro CFO Deborah Thomas. “Even with these challenges, we delivered a strong second quarter and a good first half of 2015. We continue to make important investments across our business to promote brand initiatives and to further improve the global efficiency of Hasbro. Some of these investments will be more prominent in the second half of 2015 than they were in the first six months of the year.”

     

    Segment Revenue

     

    Licensing and Entertainment segment

     

    Hasbro’s Licensing and Entertainment segment numbers have been mentioned above.

     

    US and Canada segment

     

    Hasbro’s US and Canada segment net revenues increased one per cent to $385.2 million compared to $383 million in Q2-2014. The segment’s results reflect growth in the Boys and Preschool categories says Hasbro. The US and Canada segment reported operating profit of $47.1 million, essentially flat with $46.9 million in Q2-2014.

     

    International segment

     

    International Segment net revenues were $362.8 million compared to $396.8 million in 2014. Growth in the Preschool category was more than offset by declines in the Boys, Games and Girls categories. On a regional basis, growth in Latin America was offset by declines in Europe and Asia Pacific. Emerging markets revenues declined 11 per cent in the quarter. Excluding an unfavourable $69.5 million impact of foreign exchange, of which approximately two-thirds of the impact was in Europe and the remainder in Latin America, net revenues in the International Segment grew nine per cent and approximately nine per cent in emerging markets.

    The International Segment reported operating profit of $25.4 million compared to  the $29.2 million in 2014, which was also negatively impacted by foreign exchange.

     

    Category Performance

     

    Boys category

     

    Q2- 2015 net revenues in the Boys category increased one per cent to $340.4 million. This growth was driven by year-over-year revenue gains in Hasbro franchise brand Nerf, as well as shipments in support of Jurassic World and growth in Marvel and Star Wars products. These increases more than offset the anticipated decline in Transformers, which faced difficult comparisons versus the 2014 shipments in support of the theatrical release of Transformers: Age of Extinction.

     

    Games category

     

    Games category revenues declined six per cent in the quarter to $211.6 million. Magic: The Gathering declined in the quarter as the major set release occurred in the first quarter 2015 versus the second quarter 2014. 

     

    Over the first six months of the year, Magic: The Gathering revenues increased. Additional revenue declines in Duel Masters and Angry Birds products were partially offset by gains in franchise brand Monopoly as well as in several other games brands including Trouble, Clue and Twister.

     

    Girls category

     

    The Girls category revenues declined 22 per cent in the second quarter 2015 to $127.5 million. Furby was the leading driver of this decline, along with smaller declines in Franchise Brands My Little Pony and Nerf Rebelle in the quarter. Growth in Play-Doh Dohvinci and shipments of Disney Descendants partially offset these declines.

     

    Preschool category

     

    Preschool category revenues increased 14 per cent in the second quarter 2015 to $118.1 million. Growth in Franchise Brand Playdoh and shipments of Jurassic World more than offset revenue declines in core Playskool products.

  • It’s a first! Watch 4 Hollywood premieres on &pictures

    It’s a first! Watch 4 Hollywood premieres on &pictures

    MUMBAI: As the month of December approaches, the air is filled with hearty celebrations and entertainment galore. In keeping with the festive spirit and continuing to provide its audiences with fresh and clutter-breaking content, &pictures, India’s premium Hindi movie channel will soon premiere an amalgamation of four blockbuster action-packed Hollywood movies for the first time ever on Hindi television! Airing under its popular band ‘Hollywood Sundays’, the channel will also offer its viewers an exciting movie experience as the mega-hit movies premieres will be simulcast on &pictures as well as &pictures HD every Sunday at 12 noon from 7 December.

     

    &pictures will showcase an exciting line-up of superhit Hollywood blockbusters, starting with Charlie’s Angels- Full Throttle, starring Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu and Cameron Diaz in the lead. The story revolves around the action packed life of three angels who investigate a series of murders which occur after the theft of a witness protection profile database. Next in the line-up on December 14th is Transformers starring Shia Labeouf, Megan Fox and Josh Duhamel, a science fiction action film based on the Transformers toy line. The film combines computer animation with live-action. The next movie on 21st December is Mission Impossible 3 starring Tom Cruise, Michelle Monaghan and Ving Rhames. The story follows the action-packed mission of Ethan Hunt who comes face to face with a dangerous and sadistic arms dealer while trying to keep his identity secret in order to protect his girlfriend. Culminating the festive programming is the light hearted, fast-moving animation film Kung Fu Panda on 28th December, a movie that fits every age group and has been exceedingly loved and adored by all.

     

    Speaking of the festive line-up, Ruchir Tiwari, Deputy Business Head, Hindi Movie Channels, ZEEL, stated, “This festive season, we want to give our viewers a complete family entertainment with a mix of action, comedy and animated movies on Hollywood Sundays. We have hand-picked the best of Hollywood titles and are certain that our audiences will enjoy watching them.”

  • Snapdeal ties up with ‘Chaar Sahibzaade’ as an online partner

    Snapdeal ties up with ‘Chaar Sahibzaade’ as an online partner

    MUMBAI: E-commerce portal Snapdeal.com, has tied up with Harry Baweja’s latest production Chaar Sahibzaade.

    An animated film, Chaar Sahibzaade revolves around the Sikh Guru – Guru Gobind Singh and his sons. Paying tribute to the movie, the e-tailer will present an exclusive collection of interesting collectibles for fans. These include Kirpans, swords, art work, and armor sets replete with bow and arrow etc reminding audiences of Sikh heritage.

     Speaking on the occasion producer Harry Baweja said, “Chaar Sahibzaade is a movie that would give you a hangover of the rich heritage and culture that is imbibed in the Indian minds. The collection on Snapdeal.com is something that parents would feel proud to own and also buy for their kids to educate them and engrave rich Indian values.”

     The film will also features the portal. With this tie-up the brand will strengthen its antiques and collectibles segment, which has the maximum potential in the ‘hobbies’ category. In the past, the brand has associated with a number of production houses and movies such as- Transformers, Ninja Turtles and Spiderman.

    Talking about this initiative, Snapdeal.com vice president fashion Amit Maheshwari said, “We are constantly building on our existing categories as well as developing new segments, to provide consumers with a variety of choices.”

    “As a part of this endeavor we are looking at expanding our Hobbies category, which already has unique merchandise from various films, football and cricket collectibles, antiques etc. We are certain that our consumers will be delighted with the new range of merchandise from Chaar Sahibzaade,” he added.

    Consumers can buy unique merchandise such as Kirpan shaped pen-drives, rare posters from the movie, and unique memory games for children, pencil tops and key chains on the site.

     

  • Zee Studio to show entire gamut of movie genre

    Zee Studio to show entire gamut of movie genre

    MUMBAI: Zee Studio with its recent rebranding has decided to take forward its previous philosophy of ‘Hollywood on Television’ to the next level with its new tagline ‘See it all’.  The channel in its bid to stand out in a cluttered environment decided to rebrand in order to provide an opportunity to Indian viewers, access to the biggest Hollywood films.

     

    Zeel vice president and business head Anurag Bedi informs, “Our positioning is unique; we are not talking about just premieres, or a certain genre of movies, but staying true to See It All. The new brand look and ideology focuses on younger audiences and we wish to create a niche audience base with the refreshed look and high quality content.”

     

    When asked what research was undertaken by the channel before deciding a makeover, Bedi says, “As a result of our research we observed certain changes in consuming pattern like popularity of Hollywood movies growing more than ever in the country. In our effort to offer best content to the viewers, we decided to renew our identity completely. The new look is even more technologically sound and the movie viewing experience is heightened.” The channel has partnerships with leading studios like Disney and Paramount.

     

    The channels target audience is young urban movie enthusiasts, primarily males, residing in the metros. The channel has seen good growth in the key metros and in the 1 million plus towns as well. It has managed to bring in new consumers from the tier II towns as well says Bedi.

     

    The channel has renewed its library with a line-up of movies from genres like action, animation and comedy. The channel had previously come up with the property ‘Death By Laughter’. The other is ‘The One Movie You Must Watch’ and has launched a property called ‘Premier Action’ showcasing a big action movie of the month. With a new look, the channel has a strong line up this October including channel premieres such as How To Train Your Dragon, Lincoln, Shrek Forever After and Shutter Island. The new look comes just ahead of the festive season. It has launched a festival property ‘Studio Dynamite’ which will include blockbusters such as Mission Impossible, Transformers, Avengers etc. In the past, Marvels The Avengers, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Transformers: Dark of the Moon have worked well for the channel.

     

    The afternoon 1 pm slot has performed well for the channel especially on the weekends where it has viewership which is comparable to the evening primetime slot according to Bedi. Larger than life movies, legendary characters and onscreen iconography will be used to leverage the popularity of some of the iconic characters and famous actors.

     

    To promote the refresh, the channel has worked out a 360 degree communication plan. This includes print ads, TV commercials, outdoor campaigns and innovative social media contests and engagement. To create visibility for the brand the channel is in the middle of a large outdoor campaign across Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore which announces their new ideology.

     

    It has kept outdoor as a part of their marketing plans for their big ticket movies. A 10 feet tall Transformer model (Optimus Prime) has been placed at key locations, where one could click pictures with the model. Additionally there will be photo-booths wherein people can click pictures that can be superimposed on backgrounds from movies of their line up. As part of the campaign, Zee Studio will be reaching out to over 30 trade media agencies across these cities.

     

    On the digital front Zee Studio is promoting its refresh via Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. The channel is running a contest for its viewers wherein they have to answer questions while watching movies and win gadgets such as iPhones and iPads. This contest has been running for first fifteen days of the refresh. On a parting note, Bedi says that their social media presence has increased as they currently have 1.4 million fans on Facebook and over 60,000 followers on Twitter.