ITV

Tag: TV

  • Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment acquires Locomotive Global

    Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment acquires Locomotive Global

    Mumbai: Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment which operates streaming advertising-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) networks has acquired a majority stake in Locomotive Global Inc.

    The homegrown production company is currently producing and developing some original productions including an original series in development with Amazon Prime Video, as well as Indian local language remakes of well-known series including “Ray Donovan” for Netflix India.

    “Expanding into India has been a top priority for us in our international expansion strategy and we are excited to be entering the market with an ambitious company like Locomotive Global,” said Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment chairman and CEO William J Rouhana Jr. “This acquisition allows us to utilise Locomotive’s revenue, cash flow and presence in India as a base for further expansion in the region.”

    Locomotive Global is led by industry former programming and acquisition strategy head for the Hallmark Channel Scott Anderson, who also was with Starz/Encore and Liberty Media Corporation, and QYOU Media India co-founder and former EVP for Sony Pictures Television Networks India Sunder Aaron.

    “India is arguably the largest and most accessible media market in the world right now. While we will continue to manage the business in India, as part of the Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment family, we now have the resources to capitalise on our ambitions and expand more quickly in this market,” said Anderson.

    Elaborating on the move, Sunder Aaron said, “There continues to be a major opportunity to produce high-quality content for platforms and services in India. Production costs are also lower than in most Western markets, and we can use our development and production capabilities here to meet this growing demand for quality content. The AVOD business is primed for growth in India as broadband connectivity, FAST channels, and usage of connected televisions are expanding rapidly.”

  • ShortsTV is now on Amazon Prime Video channels in India

    ShortsTV is now on Amazon Prime Video channels in India

    New Delhi: ShortsTV- 24×7 linear and OTT channel dedicated to short-form content has announced a partnership with Amazon to launch ShortsTV on Amazon Prime Video channels in India.

    ShortsTV is already broadcasted in India across major DTH platforms including Tata Sky, Airtel TV, Dish TV, and d2h, and earlier this year, it entered India’s OTT world through the Airtel Xstream App. Through Amazon Prime Video, the short form entertainment network will now extend its reach into the Indian heartland at a cost of Rs 299 for a year, it said on Tuesday.

    The collaboration is led by ShortsTV’s larger aim to expand its digital footprint in the country, and reach a new set of highly engaged viewers. Prime members will now be able to access the short film channel alongside a specially curated on-demand short film library of over 4,000 titles.

    ShortsTV chief executive Carter Pilcher said, “Short films are India’s cauldron of creative energy, with some of the world’s most surprising and interesting movies emerging in what can only be described as a post-Bollywood revolution.  We are thrilled to join with Amazon Prime Video to bring these ground-breaking films to audiences across the sub-continent on the Prime Video platform.  Our goal to bring the short film revolution to every hamlet in India is one step closer.”

    “From star-studded, internationally acclaimed films by The Academy Awards, Cannes, BAFTA, and others, to the movies produced by international, independent, and local Indian filmmakers, ShortsTV offers a complete binge-watching experience,” the company said in a statement. “In addition to a vast array of short films, the service also features various segments on local film festival coverage, film school vignettes, ‘making-of’ features, and interviews with directors, actors, and other leaders in the industry.”

    The service features multi-language short films across English, foreign language, and local Indian languages, including Hindi, Gujarati, Bengali, Marathi, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, and Telugu.

    According to ShortsTV president- Asia Tarun Sawhney, the service will provide viewers with the flexibility to watch their favourite shorts anytime, anywhere. “Our strategy is to continue partnering with the top content aggregators in India and worldwide to present the largest selection of short films to our viewers,” he added.

    Head of Prime video channels Chaitanya Divan said the streaming platform is excited to bring even more selection to its Prime members in India with the launch of Prime Video Channels. “As consumers consume more content on the go and on their mobile phones, there has been increasing interest in short-form content in India, especially high-quality short films. We are happy to collaborate with ShortsTV and provide access to their deep library of short films from across the globe to Prime Members, with an add-on subscription. Consumers can select, subscribe and enjoy their favourite short-form content all within the Prime Video app and website,” he said.

  • Times Now & ET Now launched on Australian streaming service Flash

    Times Now & ET Now launched on Australian streaming service Flash

    Mumbai: Strengthening its foothold in Australia, Times Network has launched two of its news channels Times Now and ET Now on Australian streaming service Flash, in partnership with Foxtel Group.

    Flash is a dedicated Live and on-demand news streaming service that features more than 20 local and global news sources. The news network will cater to the content preferences of the viewers in the region, with a focus on India, it said on Monday. “As the only Indian news channels available on Flash, Times Now and ET Now will deliver reportage on national, political, local, financial & business news, and enable Australian viewers to stay informed on the latest and trending news stories from India,” it further added.

    “With an evolving consumer preference for watching Live news content across platforms, we are excited to partner with Flash, to provide Australian viewers access to our best-in-class news channels on a dedicated news streaming service,” said Times Network COO and executive president Jagdish Mulchandani. “We are thrilled to enhance our reach in the region with this launch. Delivering reliable and world-class TV viewing experience, I am confident that our news channels will be an enriching addition to the discerning viewers seeking superior global and India news reportage.”

    “Flash will transform the way Australians consume the news that matters to them by bringing together the widest range of local and international live news sources in a single, easy-to-use, feature-packed service,” said Flash CEO Julian Ogrin. “And we are thrilled to have Times Now and ET Now as part of this unrivalled offering on Flash.” 

  • OnePlus partners with Croma for its OnePlus TV Category

    OnePlus partners with Croma for its OnePlus TV Category

    Mumbai: Global technology brand OnePlus has announced a retail partnership with Croma for its range of OnePlus smart TVs which are now available for purchase across select Croma stores and on croma.com.

    The extended partnership with Croma will enable OnePlus to further expand its offline reach and make its smart TVs more accessible to customers.

    The OnePlus Smart TVs are currently available for purchase at select Croma stores across Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, and New Delhi NCR, and will soon be accessible across all Croma stores in India in the coming months, it announced on Friday. As part of this extended partnership, all the OnePlus TVs will be available at Croma stores and croma.com including the latest OnePlus TV U1S.

    “The OnePlus TV U1S features a best-in-class 4K cinematic display, immersive audio experience, offers a seamlessly connected ecosystem, and is available in 50inch, 55inch, and 65inch variants,” said a senior spokesperson from OnePlus. “We have been consistently working towards expanding our offline presence, and our strategic partnership with Croma will further enhance our retail footprint in India and enable accessibility for our community.”

    As part of its ongoing retail partnership, consumers can also purchase smartphones, audio, and wearable products by OnePlus at Croma. “This OnePlus TV is going to make for a great new addition to the existing range of OnePlus portfolio which includes Smartphones & it’s accessories, Truly Wireless Earbuds and Smartwatches,” said Chroma spokesperson

  • Zeel responds to Invesco’s Open letter, dismisses allegations regarding Sony-Zeel merger

    Zeel responds to Invesco’s Open letter, dismisses allegations regarding Sony-Zeel merger

    New Delhi: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) has responded to Invesco’s Open letter, clearing the air regarding certain accusations made by the investors regarding the Zeel-Sony merger.

    In its biting Open letter issued on 11 October, Invesco Developing Markets Fund and OFI Global China Fund LLC who combined own 18 per cent stake in Zeel had compared the Zeel-Sony merger to nothing more than a ‘camouflage’ to distract from the main issue. The investors had also accused the Company of “repeated governance failure” and “underperformance”, and said the deal “favours certain shareholders”.

    On Wednesday, Zeel responded saying Invesco’s statements were “half-truths” and urged the investors to let the Board of directors of the Company and the management work towards finalising this deal, which according to it is “clearly for the benefit of all stakeholders.”

    Referring to Invesco’s statement that it “will firmly oppose any strategic deal structure that unfairly rewards select shareholders, such as the promoter family, at the expense of ordinary shareholders,” Zeel said, that their (Invesco’s) stance runs contrary to the very deal Invesco was itself proposing only a few months ago (referring to the deal with Reliance whose details were shared by MD Punit Goenka in a letter to the Board.)

    “By way of comparison, the quantum of shareholding proposed to be transferred to the promoter group in the Sony Deal is substantially less (by as much as approx. 4 per cent) than what was being proposed by Invesco in the deal brought by them,” said the Company. Furthermore, the transfer of approx. 2.11 per cent shares by the promoters of Sony is a secondary transaction that will not be dilutive to any shareholder of the Company, unlike the proposal deal with Reliance.

    The Company also emphasised that as per the terms of the deal with Sony, the promoter family is free to increase its shareholding from the current – 4 per cent to up to 20 per cent, but in a manner that is strictly in “accordance with applicable law.”

    Zeel also dismissed the allegations made regarding the Sebi advisory letter to Zeel in June 2021, which according to Invesco raised “lack of governance oversight by Zeel’s current board.” The Company stated that Sebi had also suggested some corrective measures and Invesco has been working alongside the Company in taking and recommending corrective measures all along.

    “All these facts and Invesco’s silence as regards these issues in its own requisition notice, gives us a reason to believe that Invesco ‘s recent actions are inconsistent with their past behaviour, and have been undertaken as an afterthought after various investors and analysts have sought to understand the rationale behind Invesco’s actions of these past few weeks,” said the Company.

    Zeel also pointed out the apparent ‘lack of transparency’ from Invesco’s side, as it did not disclose the fact that they were negotiating a deal on behalf of the Company without any authority, even while criticising the Sony deal by way of the Open Letter disclosure made by the Company to the stock exchanges on 12 October. It was only Zeel made a disclosure, that Invesco came out with the details.

    The Company also dismissed the ‘unsubstantiated aspersions on the management of the Company and has made comments in relation to the “permissive culture” of the Board, and said that five out of the six existing independent directors on the Board of the Company were appointed after Invesco’s investment in 2019 and that Invesco was consulted and their views were positively considered at the time of making such appointments.

    “Accordingly, Invesco’s actions of the past few weeks, open letters against the Company and the Board and their general lack of transparency, have given the Board reason to believe that their actions are motivated by concerns entirely extraneous to any corporate governance issue,” said the Company.

  • Hollywood Scrambles to Avert Strike

    Hollywood Scrambles to Avert Strike

    Los Angeles: Negotiations between the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), which represents film and television crew members throughout North America, and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Televisions Producers (AMPTP), the bargaining unit for producers with studios, have now resumed in Hollywood in order to avert a threatened strike which would affect film and TV productions nationwide.

    As widely reported, members of the IATSE voted overwhelmingly over the weekend to authorise a strike, bringing film and TV productions one step closer to shutting down if a contract negotiation with major studios is not resolved soon.

    It was the first time in the 128-year history of the IATSE that a nationwide strike has been approved and with the support of 98 per cent of the voters. The outcome is a clear indication that the 60 thousand members who work in television and film will keep pressing for better working conditions. Talks between the two organisations broke down earlier last month.

    “The members have spoken loud and clear. This vote is about the quality of life, as well as the health and safety of those who work in the film and television industry,” said IATSE president Matthew Loeb of the strike authorisation.

    IATSE’s recent three-year contract expired in July and the two parties have been trying to craft a new one, however, IATSE said the AMPTP needs to address issues such as excessively unsafe and harmful working hours, fair wages for all production workers, and reasonable rest periods and meal breaks.

    It is well known that individuals that work in film and television productions don’t usually have set hours, often skip meals, and are forced to work on weekends and holidays. In addition, many of these workers are in the lowest-paid positions.

    In a statement after the strike authorisation, the AMPTP said by leaving the table, the IATSE “walked away from a generous comprehensive package.” They further stated that the contract offered included improvements in rest periods, as well as increases in wages and benefits.

    The threat of a strike comes as Hollywood productions are starting to boom again after being shuttered due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Soundstages are beginning to, once again, be in short supply and productions are now having trouble finding enough workers to keep shooting.

    This fact has further emboldened the IATSE, with members arguing that the pressure to work long hours has grown worse in the streaming age, particularly as studios scramble to ramp up production time lost during the Covid-19 shutdowns. The union said it received over 50 reports of 14+ hour workdays during the first seven months of 2021 as reported by Quartz News.

    “I hope that the studios will see and understand the resolve of our members,” Loeb said. “The ball is in their court. If they want to avoid a strike, they will return to the bargaining table and make us a reasonable offer,” the IATSE president stated as talks were set to resume with the AMPTP.

    The last major Hollywood strike was from 2007 to 2008 when 12,000 writers walked off their jobs. It lasted for 100 days and caused productions to be delayed, shortened, and even resulted in shows being canceled. It’s too soon to know how long an IATSE strike would last but it would affect significantly more workers with 60,000 crew members, ranging from editors to make-up artists to camera operators, potentially walking out.

    Film and television shows produced by studios including Columbia Pictures, Warner Bros, Apple TV, Netflix, Disney+ and others could be affected by the strike which could extend through the United States and Canada and could have ripple effects on shows worldwide.

  • &TV set to bring new show ‘Mauka-E-Vardaat: Operation Vijay’

    &TV set to bring new show ‘Mauka-E-Vardaat: Operation Vijay’

    Mumbai: &TV is set to bring a new crime show titled “Mauka-E-Vardaat: Operation Vijay” on Monday at 7 p.m. 

    The show is the new edition of its popular series “Mauka-E-Vardaat” featuring stories of fantasy supervillains and how ‘Operation Vijay’ – a special task force comprising the sharpest and bravest police officers, combats these ferocious criminals and their unearthly powers.

    The show features actors Aman Verma, Chetan Hansraj, Tanya Abrol, Piyush Sahdev, Sonali Nikam, Ankit Arora, Aishwarya Raj Bakhuni, Dawood Khan, and Ansha Sayed playing the cops.

    An expert and enlightened genius called Newton Chattopadhyay who unravels the minds of the supervillains will be the show’s highlight. This role is essayed by actor Narendra Gupta. “This series will offer viewers a whole new world of superpowers, fantasy, crime, and criminals. As an expert in unravelling crimes, Newton will give viewers a preview into the criminal’s minds and their superpowers. He is a master of both modern and yogic sciences,” said Gupta about the show.

  • upGrad commits to ‘fast-forward your career’ in its latest campaign

    upGrad commits to ‘fast-forward your career’ in its latest campaign

    Mumbai: Edtech firm upGrad has unveiled its new campaign titled ‘Fast Forward Your Career’ to promote the online courses from the education portal. Launched on Sunday with Vivo IPL 2021, the campaign will be heavily promoted across TV and digital, the brand said in a statement.

    Conceptualised in partnership with The Womb, the four-film campaign has been directed by ad and feature filmmaker Vinil Mathew of Breathless Films. The commercials showcase a dramatised career journey on the upswing and aim to re-ignite viewers’ ambition of achieving meaningful professional growth.

    The story further continues and is built subsequently through more films that the brand released on Sunday.

    “At upGrad, our core belief has been to offer the working professional community best-in-class opportunities with regards to universities, faculty, and placements since both career growth & success depend on these tenets. The campaign aims to bring out this differentiated positioning of the brand in the higher edtech industry,” said upGrad India CEO Arjun Mohan. “While our past campaigns have helped us create significant awareness and establish upGrad as an online higher education leader, we now wish to push the envelope further and build preference for the brand, especially among a large set of ambitious working professionals who are looking for meaningful career growth, faster.”

    “After landing a job, many working professionals find themselves stuck in the same job role without any growth and not much of a salary hike. This campaign seeks to shake these working professionals out of their career inertia and position upGrad as a viable option,” said The Womb co-founder Navin Talreja. 

    “The films have a relatable, slice-of-life quality with an interesting blend of tongue-in-cheek humour and the fuzzy warmth of friendship. It was an absolute joyride to collaborate with the super creative team at The Womb and a progressive client like upGrad,” said Mathew on directing the ad film.

    The brand has further partnered with a host of content creators and influencers who will be joining its war cry of fast-forwarding careers in the competitive world of today. Furthermore, adding a more regional flavour to the campaign, the ad films will also run across media channels in several Indian languages including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Bengali, and Kannada alongside English to connect with the regional audience, said the statement.

  • Kannada channel ‘News First’ turns One

    Kannada channel ‘News First’ turns One

    Mumbai: Kannada news channel – ‘News First’ has turned one, bagging accolades with its quality reporting, and refined language that has clicked with Karnataka’s news viewing audiences.

    According to the channel, the advertisers too have seen the potential in the new entrant, considering the number of advertisers it has onboarded over the past year. The channel launched last year on 20 September, following a mega campaign- “Quality Andhray News First, News First Andhray Quality” (Quality means News First, News First means Quality).

    Focussing on the pandemic coverage, News First took its campaign to the villages with “HaLLEE Chalo” (Let’s go Village-ward, Drive away Corona – Save Villages). The campaign was also supported by the state and central governments leading to renewed Covid awareness and action across villages. A city focussed Covid awareness campaign, ‘My City, My Safety’, for Bengaluru’s apartment complexes was met with equal interest by the government and people alike.

    Apart from the relentless Covid coverage, the channel was also noticed for several people-centric and inspirational programming. Some of the programmes that stood out include Nimma Paravagi (On behalf of the common man), Naanu Nanna Sadhane (Recognising Business Achiever’s from Tier 2 – Tier 3 cities), Yaavdhu Asaadhya Valla (Nothing is impossible), Vijayaee Bhava (May victory be with you), Idhidhu Idhange (News as it is) Mane Mane Meenakshi (Every household has a lady who loves TV serials).

    News First has relied on delivering news breaks and exclusives accompanied with high-quality graphics, and tastefully done sets, and strong content focus with shows ‘India First’ and ‘Prime Show’.

    News First CEO, S Ravikumar said, “Well begun is well, done. One can’t say half done so early in a brand’s life. More so in the year of the pandemic. We’ve done well under the circumstances. Market and audience feedback has been encouraging. We’ve covered all of Karnataka cable and DTH homes. The team has lived up to its potential. Some of our shows have received good traction. But when excellence is ideal, there is always room for improvement. The withdrawal of BARC ratings upset our plans. Any strategic maneuvering can be done only after the ratings are out. But we are optimistic about our brand’s performance and hence the ratings.”

    The promoters Ravi & Maruthi ensured that the channel creates a buzz before the launch, he added.

    According to Ravikumar, the channel has attempted to stand out, on the back of its quality aesthetics. “So anyone flipping channels can stay for a glance. Grabbing the floating viewer is the key. There are many of them out there eager to switch and stay. News First has definitely made a start by holding this viewer tired of noise and news drag,” he added. The channel’s non-prime time programming like Mane Mane Meenakshi and Vijayee Bhava have also clicked with audiences.

    Editor-in-chief SH Maruthi said, “The program names too aren’t run of the mill or copy-pasted from national channel shows. Previously known words and phrases have been brought to life as program names across different time bands. The catchy program names are meant to create a sense of belonging in audiences. The rediscovered names are meant to make audiences feel one with the brand and experience an indescribable gush of emotions.”

    The BARC ratings withdrawal was a downer, but that has not diminished hopes about the brand’s perception.

    Business head S Divaakar. “Milestones are key moments in the life of any brand. We are happy to have reached the one-year milestone. A century of sorts during cricketing times! Always a good feeling. However, we are aware that it’s just the beginning of an indifferent year. We have a long way to go. The market is easing up after the lockdowns. As soon as BARC eases up on the ratings, the game will truly be on!”

    The channel has also bolstered its presence on social media, especially YouTube and Facebook.    

  • &TV relaunches two shows to boost afternoon band

    &TV relaunches two shows to boost afternoon band

    Mumbai: In a bid to boost its afternoon band, &TV is re-launching two successful prime-time shows “Guddan Tumse Na Ho Payega” and “Badho Bahu”, in the 3 p.m to 5 p.m slot. The shows will air every day from Monday to Sunday, for an hour each.

    Both titles were popular with the audience for their refreshing storylines and entertaining characters. “Badho Bahu” featuring Rytasha Rathore and Prince Narula as Komal and Lakhan, respectively, is a lighthearted romantic drama that premiered on &TV in September 2016.

    “Guddan Tumse Na Ho Payega” premiered on Zee TV in 2018 and it features Kanika Mann (Guddan Gupta), Nishant Singh Malkani (Akshat Jindal), and Savi Thakur (Agastya Birla) in the lead roles.