ITV

Tag: TV

  • Reliance Jio Media on track for Phase 1 of cable TV rollout between Jan – Mar 2016

    Reliance Jio Media on track for Phase 1 of cable TV rollout between Jan – Mar 2016

    MUMBAI: Reliance Jio Media, which acquired a pan-India multi system operator (MSO) licence from the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) in June this year, is on track for the roll out of its cable television business across digital addressable system (DAS) in Phase 3 areas.

     

    Calling a recent report published as “misleading,” which stated that the company is going to  focus more on 4G and broadband,  as compared to digital television and distribution, a senior Reliance Jio official tells Indiantelevision.com, “MSO business is an integral part of our services and we are as focussed on it as we were from the very beginning.”

     

    Reliance Jio Media has already shortlisted the cities for the first round of MSO rollout. “We will start with 15 cities initially and eventually will reach out to more than 100 cities over the next three years. The first round of launch will take place anytime between January to March 2016,” the official informs.

     

    The MSO will offer both standard definiion (SD) and high definition (HD – incluing Ultra HD)  services to garner high average revenue per user (ARPU). “We will follow a model, which is sustainable in the long run. Having all the viewing experiences for consumers is an important factor and we won’t compromise with that,” added the official.

     

    “Headends, technological partnerships and other infrastructure deals have already been sealed with a few vendors and we will have everything sorted out before 31 December. We are in conversation with several LCOs for both broadband and cable partnerships. Post Diwali we will have the final round of discussion with LCOs for digital cable business,” said the official.

     

    Reliance Jio CEO K Jayaraman leads the company’s MSO business.

     

    A source from the industry opined, “The team that they’ve got in place has the muscle power to deal with any situation. I don’t think there is any lacklustre attitude towards the MSO business from the conglomerate.”

     

    Another senior official from a technological giant, on condition of anonymity said, “We have been working closely with Reliance Jio creating different products for them. We are actively pursuing our partnerships and have no information of a slow down or postponement of launch of distribution of cable TV.”

  • Zee TV pitches new show ‘Kaala Teeka’ in 7 pm slot

    Zee TV pitches new show ‘Kaala Teeka’ in 7 pm slot

    MUMBAI: Zee TV is pitching its new show – Kaala Teeka in the early prime time slot of 7 pm.

    The show, which goes on air from 2 November, will be vying for viewer’s attention at 7 pm on weekdays along with shows on other Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs) like Saath Nibhaana Saathiya on Star Plus, Thapki Pyar Ki on Colors, Crime Patrol (repeat) on Sony Entertainment Television, Bhabhi Ji Ghar Par Hai on &TV, Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah (repeat) on Sab TV and Savdhaan India – India Fights Back on Life OK.

    Kaala Teeka replaces Tum Hi Ho Bandhu, which was launched earlier this year in May.

    Speaking about the new show’s time band, Zee TV business head Pradeep Hejmadi said, “It is very important to make sure that we get strong and good concepts on-air across various time lines. We are not opening a new time slot. We had programs in the 6 pm band andTum Hi Ho Bandhu was already there at 7 pm. Therefore there was a lot of consumption during the 7 pm slot.”

    Strong competition for Kaala Teeka will come from Star Plus’ Saath Nibhaana Saathiya. A senior media planner on condition of anonymity said, “Star Plus is the number one channel among the top five channels in the Hindi GEC and its shows in the time band of 7- 8 pm are doing really well. The channel’s prime time show Saath Nibhaana Saathiya is among the top five programmes in the same genre.”

    Produced by DJ’s Creative Unit, Zee TV’s attempt is to break the shackles of age-old superstitions with the new show.

    DJ’s Creative Unit producers Tony and Deeya Singh said, “Kaala Teeka says a big no to bigotry and urges people to broaden their horizons and ignore outdated superstitious beliefs. In showcasing the journey of Kaali and Gauri, we’re trying to create awareness about certain age-old, redundant practices and superstitious beliefs that are unfortunately still prevalent in India.”

    “We have a stellar cast on board with Mita Vashisht, Daljeet Kaur and Bhupinder Singh playing pivotal roles and two adorable girls playing Kaali and Gauri. We hope to deliver an important message through the show in the most entertaining, engaging manner,” the producer duo added.

    With the show, the channel is not just targeting the rural market but focusing on the entire nation. Using a 360 degree marketing campaign, the channel is largely going on-air as the electronic medium works best.

    Speaking on the recently released rural ratings data by Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), Hejmadi said, “It is too early to jump to conclusions like the ones that we have arrived on already. When all the data comes out, only then will we be able to understand it. The audience keeps emerging and we have to understand the audiences. Since it is a new territory, we have to understand consumption behaviour and do more visits in rural areas to understand the figures.”

    He further went on to add, “Our aim is to find the LCM (least common multiple) of content and the content, which will work across all the markets because Zee is an international broadcaster. So, we don’t split the country in our shows. Our shows are not targeted at just the rural areas. There will be equal throw of concepts. Therefore our campaign is to focus nationally, not only in rural. We are not going to individual markets with this product. If the off track is lower in some markets, then we will plan tactical marketing. Currently, we are building awareness for the show.”

    Kaala Teeka, is the story of two young girls whose lives are entwined by an act of superstition. The show captures the journey of a girl child Kaali who is treated as a human Kaala Teeka for another child Gauri and is expected to shadow her everywhere for the well-being of the latter. The show captures a worst form of superstitions – personification. It showcases Kaali’s journey of hope as she overcomes these challenges and enables Gauri to find her true self. She also reaches out to her own aspirations and ambitions in life and becomes an inspiration to others.

  • TAM week 42: Colors continues to lead Hindi GEC genre

    TAM week 42: Colors continues to lead Hindi GEC genre

    MUMBAI: Colors continues to lead the Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs) genre, while Star Plus witnessed a rise in ratings and secured second position according to the TAM Media Research data of week 42.

     

    With a rise in ratings, Colors secured its leadership position and bagged first place with 250 GRPs against the previous week’s 247 GRPs followed by Star Plus in the second slot with 239 GRPs.

     

    Zee TV grabbed third berth in the genre with 150 GRPs. Sab saw a drop in ratings and was placed in the fourth position with 118 GRPS against 123 GRPs in week 41.

     

    Life OK secured the fifth place with 114 GRPs followed by Sony Entertainment TV in the sixth slot with 104 GRPs.

     

    With the marginal decrease in ratings &TV stood at seventh position with 54 GRPs in the genre.  

  • &TV set to unleash four new shows across genres

    &TV set to unleash four new shows across genres

    MUMBAI: The fresh entrant in the Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) space – &TV from the Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd’s (Zeel) stable has rolled up its sleeves and is prepping to take competition head on by dishing out a mixed platter of fresh programming content.

    The channel is looking at strengthening its offering with the launch of four new shows across genres namely romantic, fantasy, horror, and socio-mythological, keeping in line with its strategy to keep the content contemporary and different. 

    At the helm is &TV business head Rajesh Iyer, who says that each of the new shows will appeal to a particular part of society and cater to a particular market.

    The channel will kick-start the series of new launches with the romantic show Ye Kahan Aa Gaye Hum on 26 October from Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Telefilms. Incidentally, this is Balaji Telefilms’ maiden show for the channel. This friendship and love saga revolves around a successful singer and showcases the success story of a music empire built by his father. The show will be aired from Monday – Friday at 9:30 pm and will replace Razia Sultan. The channel has roped in Ching and Multani Chavanprash as the co-powered by sponsors for the show.

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Iyer says, “This the first time that &TV is is working with Balaji Telefilms but Ekta has worked with Zee before, therefore  the experience has been fantastic and our relationship goes much beyond just one particular show.”

    Strengthening the weekend line-up, &TV will be launching its first horror show titled Darr… Sabko Lagta Hai with Bipasha Basu as narrator. Set to go on air from 31 October, the show will air on Saturdays and Sundays at 10 pm. It has been produced by Reel Life Entertainment and will showcase stories about the paranormal, supernatural, spirits, ghosts and the unseen, which have the potential to send shivers down the spine with unsuspecting turns and nail-biting twists.

    With the launch of Darr… Sabko Lagta Hai, the channel will be further firming up its weekend prime time band from 8 pm onwards. It may be recalled that in August, the channel launched two new weekend shows namely the game show Deal or No Deal (8 pm) hosted by Ronit Roy and the crime investigative series Agent Raghav (9 pm).

    Talking about the current weekend programming, Iyer says, “ – Deal or No Deal and Agent Raghav have done reasonably well and we are very happy with the current growth and performance of both the shows. Going forward, we are definitely looking at improving the shows’ performances.”

    The third new show will be in the fantasy genre called Adhuri Kahani Hamari. This saga of reincarnation and love has been produced by Four Lions Films and will launch on 16 November. It will be aired from Monday to Friday at 7:30 pm and will replace the show Badii Devrani.

    Foraying into the socio-mythological genre, &TV will be launching its fourth new show – Santoshi Maa staring Ratan Rajput. The show, which is produced by Rashmi Sharma Productions, will focus on the belief of a devotee in Maa Santoshi and how the goddess helps her overcome obstacles in life. The show is slated to launch in November. However, the date and time slot have not yet been firmed up by the channel.

    Iyer says, “The four new shows are across different genres ranging from romance, to horror to fantasy to socio-mytho and with these, our aim is to up the number of original shows on our channel.”

    Since its launch in March this year, &TV has unleashed shows of varied new concepts and story ideas. Speaking on the channel’s content strategy, Iyer says, “From a brand perspective, we have been very clear from the beginning. Our sole goal is to give differentiated content to the audience and we want to keep doing so. Our strategy is to keep the content contemporary and differentiated, these are the two key things that we look for when chalking out our programming. Our aim is to offer shows that will appeal to a different parts of society across different markets. There is no formula for success, we have to put out our best and take it from there.”

    With as many as four new shows, the expectations are riding high. “There is lot of hard work and effort, which has been put in on the shows from the team and we hope to put up a great show,” Iyer adds.

    The channel is looking at all four new shows as finite stories, which will reach its logical conclusions. Not believing in the concept of yanking non-performing shows off air mid-way, Iyer says that if a story ends, it has to reach its logical end and when it does, they end the story.

    Going full throttle on promotions, mass media campaigns across print, television, outdoor, radio and digital will be unleashed. “We have kick started road shows with lead artists,” informs Iyer.

    With Hindi GECs spurting out new content during the festive season, Zeel’s newest baby &TV is poised to push its way through the clutter with its new programming salvos.

  • nexGTv launches mobile TV entertainment packs in India

    nexGTv launches mobile TV entertainment packs in India

    MUMBAI: nexGTv has launched mobile TV entertainment packs for subscription driven video entertainment platform in the Over-The-Top (OTT) domain for the first time in India.

     

    It will offer multi-duration packs to expand portfolio, provide consumer choice and boost subscriber retention.

     

    The packs vary in subscription duration for covering three months, six months, and twelve months are priced Rs 349, Rs 699 and Rs 1199 respectively. The packs, containing download, subscription and activation-related information will enable consumers to start their subscriptions on the mobile platform within minutes.

     

    Digivive Services director and CEO GD Singh said, “Mobile VAS, especially TV-on-mobile is fast approaching an inflection point with consumers seeking empowerment and the ability to own their buying decision in terms of opting-in for product and service subscriptions. At the same time, convenience remains paramount for every consumer. Our entertainment packs meet both these needs and will help in not only smoothing and extending the customer’s experience and life cycle on nexGTv but also bring-to-life the entire mobile entertainment experience, which until now, was solely driven via telco partnerships.”

     

    Singh added, “As an OTT industry pioneer and market leader having served more than 20 million customers, we are expected by our customers to keep innovating and stay ahead of the curve. The industry is rapidly transitioning into an FMCG- avatar and our extended duration packs complement this development, as consumers can now not only buy entertainment off the shelf but, can even gift it to one another. With mass 4G around the corner and 3G & smart phones becoming almost default modes of connectivity across key markets, Mobile TV & video entertainment is permeating people’s lives like never before and we are on the cusp of massive growth in this area.”

     

    nexGTv operates on freemium model and offers multiple options to stay subscribed to its entertainment mix, which includes over 130 plus live TV channels, Hindi films, television shows as well as VOD content. 

     

    Apart from revitalizing consumer engagement, these newly-launched subscription packs will enable nexGTv to target current and upcoming consumer touch points across both retail and e-tail markets. It will undertake alliance partnerships with leading industry brands and will empower customers, enabling voluntary subscription opt-ins.

  • TAM week 41: Colors secures leadership position

    TAM week 41: Colors secures leadership position

    MUMBAI: Colors has yet again moved ahead of Star Plus to secure the leading position in the Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs) genre in week 41 of TAM Media Research. Star Plus witnessed a downfall in rating and secured the second position in the tally.

     

    Colors grabbed the first slot with 247 GRPs against 228 GRPs in week 40 followed by Star Plus in the second slot with 231 GRPs against 248 GRPs in the previous week.

     

    Zee TV saw a rise in ratings and bagged the third place in the genre with 149 GRPs against 137 GRPs in the previous week.

     

    With a marginal decline in ratings, Sab secured the fourth place with 123 GRPs followed by Sony Entertainment TV in the fifth slot with 122 GRPs and Life OK in sixth place with 121 GRPs.

     

    &TV with 62 GRPs grabbed seventh berth in the genre.

     

    Four of Colors’ prime time shows were in the the top five Hindi GEC programmes in week 41. The top three shows were on Colors namely Swaragini in first position with 4.34 TVR, followed by Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat in second spot with 4 TVR and Udaan in the third slot with 3.93 TVR. On the other hand, Star Plus’ Saath Nibhana Saathiya dropped to the fourth position with 3.71 TVR. Colors’ Sasural Simar Ka with 3.63 TVR took hold of the fifth berth.

  • TAM week 40: Star Plus leads Hindi GEC genre with 3 shows at top

    TAM week 40: Star Plus leads Hindi GEC genre with 3 shows at top

    MUMBAI: In the Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs) genre, Star Plus continued to lead the pack, witnessing a rise in ratings as three of its prime time shows showed up in the top three slots. On the other hand, Colors grabbed the second slot and witnessed downfall in the ratings in week 40 of TAM Media Research data.

     

    Leading the genre, Star Plus garnered 248 GRPs against the 235 GRPs in week 39. Colors witnessed a downfall and bagged the second position with 228 GRPs in week 40 as against 234 GRPs in the previous week.

     

    Zee TV, at number three, saw a fall in its ratings. The channel had registered 157 GRPs in previous week, which went down to 137 GRPs in week 40.

     

    In the fourth spot, Sab recorded 135 GRPs, followed by Life OK with 132 GRPs in the fifth position. Sony Entertainment Television was seen at the sixth position with 109 GRPs.

     

    &TV came in seventh with 63 GRPs in week 40 as against 58 GRPs in week 39.

     

    In top five programmes of Hindi GECs, Star Plus’ three prime time shows Diya Aur Baati Hum, Yeh Hai Mohabbatein and Saath Nibhana Saathiya grabbed the first, second and third slots respectively. While Diya Aur Baati Hum led the chart with 4.31 TVR, Yeh Hai Mohabbatein garnered 4.2 TVR and Saath Nibhana Saathiya secured 4.03 TVR.

     

    Zee TV’s Kumkum Bhagaya and Colors’ Swargini grabbed the fourth and fifth slots with 3.75 TVR and 3.7 TVR respectively.   

  • FWICE strike: TV and Film shoots to continue, resolution expected

    FWICE strike: TV and Film shoots to continue, resolution expected

    MUMBAI: The issue of strikes continues to plague the film and television industry as issues keep cropping up between various union bodies and federations every now and then. This time around, the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) members were set to go on a non-cooperation strike from 3 October, 2015 to demand an increase in their daily wages and improved working conditions.

     

    And to deliberate on the same, producer members attended a meeting on 1 October, 2015 at 6:30 pm at Indian Film and TV Producers Council (IFTPC) office and discussed the legal proceedings as well as the way forward.

     

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com post the meeting, a present member on condition of anonymity said, “The members wanted an amicable solution and they are willing to sign a legally permissible MoU. This should bring a positive result and the matter may get resolved with the federation.”

     

    The Bombay High court order pertaining to the same issue reads, “Though nobody can be stopped from calling a strike, there cannot be any rebel activities within 150 metres distance of any shoot location. The not working propaganda can be voluntary but cannot be forced.”

     

    There were speculations and rumours that if somebody works during the non-cooperation period, their membership card will be rejected. Diminishing all such possibilities court says, “No craft can threaten to cancel membership cards.”

     

    The court also suggested to appoint Justice Krishna to mediate things.

     

    It may be recalled that in May this year, FWICE had threatened to go on a strike if the producers’ bodies did not renew the MoU, which had expired in February. However, the strike was called off after a meeting between the two bodies.

    Since talks failed to bring about a resolution and the MoU pertaining to the workers’ revised pay was rejected by FWICE, the body had decided to go on strike. According to a statement by the Western India Cinematographers Association (WICA), the FWICE’s ultimatum to the producers was that if they fail to sign the MoU by 2 October, all 22 affiliates including WICA will go on indefinite strike from 3 October.
  • TAM week 39: Star Plus pips Colors in neck-to-neck fight for top slot

    TAM week 39: Star Plus pips Colors in neck-to-neck fight for top slot

    MUMBAI: In a neck-to-neck tussle for the top slot amongst Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs), Star Plus has pipped Colors by just one GRP to reclaim its leadership position in week 39 of TAM Media Research data.

     

    While Star Plus reclaimed its top position with an increase in ratings in week 39, Colors witnessed saw a downslide even as it secured the second position.

     

    Star Plus pocketed 235 GRPs as against 222 GRPs in week 38, whereas Colors was a close second with 234 GRPs as against 237 GRPs in previous week.

     

    Zee TV was in the third spot followed by Life OK in the fourth slot with 157 GRPs and 134 GRPs respectively.

     

    In fifth slot, Sab recorded 132 GRPs. Sony Entertainment and &TV held the sixth and seventh place with 92 GRPs and 58 GRPs respectively.    

     

    Colors’ prime time show Swaragini led the chart of top five programmes of Hindi GECs and recorded 4.07 TVR followed by Star Plus’ Saath Nibhana Saathiya in the second slot with 3.83 TVR and Zee TV’s Kumkum Bhagya in the third position with  3.56 TVR. Yet another Colors’ show Udaan held the fourth berth with 3.51 TVR, whereas Star Plus’ Diya Aur Baati Hum with 3.49 TVR was in the fifth position.

  • &TV to launch horror mini-series anchored by Bipasha Basu

    &TV to launch horror mini-series anchored by Bipasha Basu

    MUMBAI: &TV has roped in Bollywood actress Bipasha Basu for its new mini-series in the horror genre named Dar Sabko Lagta Hai.

     

    Sources close to the developments confirmed to Indiantelevision.com that the mini-series television show in the horror genre will be anchored by the Basu.

     

    While a creative director will oversee the show as a whole, different directors will helm different episodes of the show.

     

    According to information available, the series is going to be episodic and will see a host of horror stories that will play out week after week.

     

    As was reported earlier by this website, the channel will soon be expanding its genre offering with the launch of socio-mythological showSantoshi Maa.