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Tag: TVF

  • The Viral Fever (TVF) & Sunstone partner for the new show ‘NCR Days-Dreams, Dosti और MBA’

    The Viral Fever (TVF) & Sunstone partner for the new show ‘NCR Days-Dreams, Dosti और MBA’

    Mumbai: The Timeliners, an integral entertainment channel of The Viral Fever, popularly known as TVF, announced its collaboration with India’s leading higher education service provider, Sunstone, on Tuesday, for their upcoming show, NCR Days-Dreams, Dosti और MBA. The trailer for the show was released on TVF on 15 July.

    Written and directed by Ambrish Verma, the brand and the USP of Sunstone are embedded seamlessly in the story of the show, moulding the students and guiding them towards a bright future. Nikhil Vijay, who has been seen before in TVF’s Hostel Dayz, College Romance, and many other shows and properties, is the lead of the show.

    NCR Days-Dreams, Dosti और MBA is a concept well married to the brand positioning of Sunstone, spotlighting today’s motivation and intention for one’s success, that is not evaluated on the basis of their past records.

    The show is a coming-of-age story of a small-town boy, Monu, who moves to a metro city to acquire an MBA degree. During the course of his MBA, Monu becomes a better human being, learning through his surroundings and the people he befriends at his institute. It’s the story of selfish, conservative, frivolous Monu, who evolves into a more empathetic and considerate human being over the course of the show.

    The show stages the journey and lives of students in and out of their MBA college days, also exploring their personal lives along with the dynamics they share with each other.

    Speaking about the collaboration, TVF president Vijay Koshy said, “The show is an ode to life. It’s a new-age story of a small-town boy moving to a metro city and experiencing life with people from diverse backgrounds. Sunstone enables higher education aspirants from small cities to achieve their dreams through their benefits. The show captures the hustle Monu and his friends undertake in their MBA college and personal lives too. Their relationship dynamics and Sunstone itself are instrumental in shaping them at every step of their way, helping them grow to be better managers for their competitive future.”

    “The core thought of the show is that everyone should aspire to be in a better place in life by being a better human. It is set up in NCR because, having been brought up there, I’ve felt one thing about it-either it changes you or you constantly fight to stay who you are,” said Ambrish Verma.

    Speaking about the partnership, Sunstone co-founder and COO Piyush Nangru said, “We are excited to be associated with The Viral Fever for a brand-new show, NCR Days-Dreams, Dosti और MBA. We believe TVF to be a perfect fit given their deep understanding and connection with the youth of our country, our core TG. Through this association, we want to reach out to millions of students who dream of breaking their status quo and choose an MBA to realise the same. Our unique offering with industry-aligned courses, expert masterclasses, relevant internships, and training boot camps ensures that students are truly industry-ready from day one of their careers. And what’s better than conveying our ethos through a web series created by one of the country’s most loved storytellers online.”

    Founded by Arunabh Kumar in 2012, with innumerable shows in the realm of student life, like College Romance, Flames, Kota Factory and Hostel Dayz, TVF has pretty much completely dominated the entire category across platforms.

  • VidNet 2022: Why do narratives like ‘Gullak’ work on OTT?

    VidNet 2022: Why do narratives like ‘Gullak’ work on OTT?

    Mumbai: SonyLiv web series “Gullak” produced by The Viral Fever, which concluded its third season recently, is a revelation for OTT platforms on creating franchises that span multiple seasons and do not lose their appeal. The simple premise of the show revolves around the interactions of a middle-class family ‘The Mishras’ including the father Santosh Mishra (played by Jameel Khan), mother Shanti Mishra (played by Geetanjali Kulkarni), elder son Anu Mishra (played by Vaibhav Raj Gupta) and younger son Aman Mishra (played by Harsh Mayar). The outstanding response to the web series in its third season highlights the importance of good writing when creating for OTT platforms.

    At IndianTelevision.com’s VidNet Summit 2022, held recently, the director, writer and cast of the show for the third season of “Gullak” gave a masterclass on the making of the series. The creators spoke about sustaining the relatable middle-class aesthetic and narrative of the show and the cast spoke about the evolving traits of each character in successive seasons. The session was joined by director Palash Vaswani, writer Durgesh Singh, actor Vaibhav Raj Gupta, Geetanjali Kulkarni, and Jameel Khan.

    The two-day industry event was supported by technology partners Dell Technologies and Synamedia, summit partners Applause Entertainment and Viewlift, industry support partners Gupshup, Lionsgate Play and Pallycon, community partners Screenwriters Association and Indian Film and Television Producers Council, and gifting partner The Ayurveda Co.

    The director of the show Palash Vaswani started the masterclass session by stating that the content we see made for audiences in the Hindi-speaking belt depicts characters holding a gun or presented as caricatures. “Gullak is different because it is not a show about the ten per cent of the population but the other 90 per cent who are underrepresented in the media. This is a life that we’ve all lived and the show is a potent ground for telling stories that have not been heard before. I found the opportunity to tell that story exciting.”

    Writer Durgesh Singh spoke about the moments that inspire the writing of the show. “I was in Bhopal two days back at an Indian coffee house. There were four uncles in their mid-fifties discussing Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky. Mind you, they were not talking about the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict but they were commenting on how fit Zelensky was at the age of 44,” he shared. “In this country, while infrastructure is developing fast, people’s mindsets and attitudes are changing more slowly. The reason small-town stories are working in cinema, TV and OTT is that people in small towns have migrated to big cities and they want to see the stories that take them to the space where they have spent their childhood. That’s the insight behind the success of ‘Gullak’.”

    Actor Vaibhav Raj Gupta who plays the elder son in the Mishra household ‘Anu Mishra’ spoke about his character arc in the latest season. He said, “Whenever a new season of ‘Gullak’ launches, I go watch the previous season to understand the character arc. Earlier, Anu Mishra has been struggling to earn money and, in this season, he’s finally begun earning. That’s the new dynamic that we explored.”

    Speaking about his inspiration for bringing out the character traits in Anu Mishra, he noted, “I also come from a middle-class household and I have a younger sibling. I’ve noticed how the people at home treat you if you’ve not excelled academically or are an earning member. For example, parents start treating you with respect once you become an earning member. I learned from those interactions and incorporated that experience into my character.”

    Geetanjali Kulkarni, a Marathi theatre actor, who played the role of ‘Shanti Mishra,’ said that season three continues with the arc after her character is diagnosed with diabetes in season two. She reflects that there is a lot more sensitivity to the character interactions in season three, where the characters fight, but there’s also more making up. “There’s a maturity and wisdom in the characters of ‘Gullak’ because the characters are growing older. As a theatre actor, after doing 25-50 shows we start playing around with the material, not necessarily worrying about the lines or people’s responses. Similarly, in the third season of ‘Gullak’, we’ve become more playful with our characters.”  

    Jameel Khan, who plays Santosh Mishra, agreed with Kulkarni and affirmed, “There’s a lot less conflict and yelling in the third season of ‘Gullak’ as compared to season one and two. There was also sensitivity in the season where we paid close attention to every relationship in the family. There has always been a ‘dostana’ between the parents and children in the Mishra household but the third season also brought a sensitivity to the relationship between husband and wife. In a middle-class household, there is an attitude that we must suppress the womenfolk in the household and I find that disturbing. ‘Gullak’ takes a mirror to society in an entertaining manner and reflects their aspiration to move ahead in life.”  

  • SonyLIV to stream ‘Gullak 3’ starting 7 April

    SonyLIV to stream ‘Gullak 3’ starting 7 April

    Mumbai: SonyLIV and TVF have joined hands to bring the third season of  “Gullak” on 7 April. Since its premiere in 2019, the show has been a fan-favourite because of its relatable storytelling and outstanding casting, said the platform.

    “We anticipated a great response to ‘Gullak,’ but what we received was unprecedented,” said Sony Pictures Networks India head – content SonyLIV and Sony Entertainment Television Ashish Golwalkar. “The audience loved the characters, the story, and everything that came with the show. This was reason enough to renew the series for the third time. It has resonated well with audiences due its compelling narrative, stellar cast, and honest depiction of a simple, middle-class Indian household. We are excited to partner with TVF once again to tell this beautiful story and are hopeful for a bigger and better season three.”

    The show continues with Jameel Khan, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Vaibhav Raj Gupta, Harsh Mayar, and Sunita Rajwar reprising their respective roles. 

    “’Gullak’ instantly connected with the audience because of its simplicity,” said director Palash Vaswani. “People instantly connected with the experiences of an Indian middle-class family and their way of living. With the third season, our aim was to hold on to that sentiment and strengthen it with relatable instances and humour that make the story beautiful. It is a huge responsibility to deliver on expectations, and we hope our viewers enjoy this season as much as the previous ones.”

  • We are working towards a diverse content offering: Zee5’s Nimisha Pandey

    KOLKATA: Zee5 has announced a partnership with TVF (The Viral Fever) as the platform looks at diversifying its library. In the last few months, ZEE’s digital arm has stepped up its content game by acquiring blockbuster Radhe and buying rights for Friends: The Reunion to stream in India.

    “We have been aggressively going after a vast range of consumers, pan-India audience base, and catering to an audience of all kinds of backgrounds. That is why from Radhe to Friends, and now Sunflower, we are working towards a diverse content offering. It is the continuation of that ambition that we bring TVF onboard,” Zee5 India Hindi originals head Nimisha Pandey said.

    She also added that Zee5 does not only want diverse content but wants to be the home to the country’s best storytellers. The platform is focusing on getting good content creators of the platform and the TVF partnership is one of the many to come in the future.

    The latest partnership includes the launch of originals and new seasons of iconic TVF shows on its SVOD platform, along with popular cult favourites that will be accessible to all, on its AVOD platform. Thus Zee5 will have some of the key IPs on the platform which will also be available on another platform but it will have the subsequent seasons of those IPs exclusively. In addition to these subsequent seasons, Zee5 is also creating some exclusive new IPs.

    “People often say that we are targeting youth with this content, I am a firm believer that it’s more about the content you like irrespective of the age group you are in. TVF content resonates with the spirit of youth. That’s the DNA we are going after,” Pandey noted.

    Hence, the audience that Zee5 is targeting through the deal is not tied to not a segment per se, but to a taste cluster itself. Moreover, a huge chunk of the new audience has come on the platform thanks to a new slate of content. The platform hopes to continue to engage them with content from TVF, she added.

    Zee5 has an exclusive line-up of new seasons of acclaimed TVF shows such as Pitchers Season 2, Tripling Season 3, Humorously Yours Season 3 for its subscribers. Iconic titles like Permanent Roommates, Tech Conversations with Dad, Awkward Conversations, PA-Gals, Inmates, Weekends, The Insiders, Zeroes will be accessible to all users.

    “We don’t want to miss an opportunity to have a piece of content that will be loved by the audience. Even if we talk about the TVF deal, we will shoot new seasons. The partnership has not happened because we have not been able to create content. It happened because we wanted to have TVF content,” Pandey answered when asked if Zee5 is going big after the acquisition because of difficulties in shooting in the current time.

  • Zee5 strikes up partnership with TVF

    KOLKATA: OTT platform Zee5 has announced a content partnership with TVF (The Viral Fever). After introducing Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai and Friends: The Reunion last month, the platform has now amped up its existing robust content library with more content of inherently Indian stories that resonate with entertainment seekers across the country.

    The partnership includes the launch of originals and new seasons of iconic TVF shows on its SVOD platform, along with popular cult favourites that will be accessible to all, on its AVOD platform.

    Zee5 has an exclusive line-up of new seasons of acclaimed TVF shows such as Pitchers Season 2, Tripling Season 3, Humorously Yours Season 3, and other popular titles like Engineering Girls Season 2 and The Aam Aadmi Family Season 4.  The platform will enrich its bouquet of content offerings with the addition of 13 exciting TVF shows to its AVOD platform, it announced on Monday.  In addition to the existing seasons of these shows, iconic titles like Permanent Roommates, Tech Conversations with Dad, Awkward Conversations, PA-Gals, Inmates, Weekends, The Insiders, Zeroes will be accessible to all.

    Zee5 India chief business officer Manish Kalra said, the company’s focus for this year is ‘Entertainment Inclusion’, to ensure everybody, irrespective of the demographic and language preference, has access to purposeful entertainment on ZEE5. “Over 60 per cent of our audience comes from Hindi-speaking markets and TVF caters perfectly to that group. Being a customer-obsessed platform, we are delighted to bring these much-loved and iconic TVF shows to our platform to further enhance our extensive library of purposeful, multilingual, and diverse titles. Going forward, we will continue to satiate viewer’s appetite for entertainment by offering them a robust slate of differentiated stories in the language of their choice and at their fingertips, reinforcing our positioning as the Multilingual Storyteller for millions of entertainment seekers,” Kalra added.

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd president (content & international markets) Punit Misra said, “Consumer obsession is the cornerstone of our content design thinking on Zee5. Our partnership with TVF is driven by that same obsession, as we seek the love and advocacy of both the OTT native youth audience as well as family audiences. Bringing in a mix of iconic shows and characters on one hand, and heart-warming new shows on the other, we hope to truly delight our viewers.”

    The OTT platform is planning to build a strong repository of purposeful content and democratizing access to quality entertainment across the country, it said on Monday.

    TVF founder Arunabh Kumar, said TVF has been trying to push the boundaries with its characters and stories. “We are confident that with the power of the Zee5 platform, our teams and stories will win the hearts of millions of new viewers across the country and the world over. With this collaboration, we are looking forward to creating real magic, not just bringing the best of TVF on the platform but also creating memorable new seasons and shows that our viewers and fans can thoroughly enjoy,” he added.

    “We are excited to team up with TVF, the creators who put streaming content on the map in this country. Their stories inspire an instant connect as their slice-of-life shows closely mirror the viewers’ lives, with a charming ensemble of characters having relatable quirks brought alive by some very talented actors,” Zee5 India Hindi originals head Nimisha Pandey said.

  • Pranav Thakker is TVF’s national head – brand partnerships

    Pranav Thakker is TVF’s national head – brand partnerships

    New Delhi: Pranav Thakker has joined as the national head-brand partnerships at The Viral Fever, the Indian video on demand and over-the-top streaming service.

    He was earlier general manager- new business development at Universal Business Group, which he joined in February 2020 and helped brands to connect with their consumers.  It is Thakker’s second stint at TVF, as he had earlier worked with the organisation from 2017-2020 as the west head-brand partnerships.

    He has also worked with Reliance Broadcast Network as account director, Magicbricks as zonal manager and Diligent Media Corporation as manager- ad sales (five years).

  • Hyundai integrates brand messaging with TVF Originals The AamAadmi Family

    Hyundai integrates brand messaging with TVF Originals The AamAadmi Family

    New Delhi: Havas Media India in collaboration with Innocean Worldwide and The Viral Fever (TVF) has rolled out a digital-first smart campaign for Hyundai’s Grand i10 NIOS.

    Hyundai drives the comeback of India’s popular family web series The AamAadmi Family Vacation Special, a TVF Originals by The Timeliners. Being the first family web show, it breaks away from the oh-so-dramatic and cliché TV daily soaps and lends a fresh take into the modern Indian family, its aspirations and hardships that is well-portrayed by the characters in a simple yet realistic manner, giving it a new-age perspective.

    The three-part series unfolds the story of a middle-class Indian family, the everyday conflicts they face and their journey into buying the family’s first car. The show not only seamlessly integrates the brand’s messaging and its features but also highlights the comfort, convenience and flexibility of owning a four-wheeler for a commoner and urges the audience to take progressive steps by making smart choices in today’s dynamic new-age world.

    The campaign is amplified through various in-show integrations, social media engagements, contests and more.

    Hyundai Motor India director sales and marketing Tarun Garg said, “Hyundai is always looking for platforms to connect with our audiences in the most unique ways. This collaboration is an example of Hyundai’s commitment to create stronger connections with our customers and be a part of their daily experiences. The AamAadmi Family perfectly weaves in the brand’s ideology of smart cars for smart Indians. We truly believe that the Grand NIOS with its segment-leading features and technology is the perfect choice for the smart millennial customers.”

    Innocean Worldwide joint MD Vivek Srivastava said,“With the dominance of the digital screen in the engagement matrix of brands with consumers, the content-based integrations have become an integral part of communication outreach. It’s effortless, unobtrusive yet impactful in seeding the soft and hard aspects. This initiative with TVF for Grand i10 Nios is a living testimony to this new strategic normal. The AamAadmi Family series not only helps us embed our client’s message in the digital milieu, plus it does so in a very relatable family context.”

    Havas Media Group India CEO Mohit Joshi said, “At Havas Media, our endeavour is to provide meaningful experiences and build meaningful brands by capitalising on the most meaningful media. ‘The AamAadmi Family’ show by TVF perfectly captures the reflection of our society, showcasing the real-life conflicts which not only makes it an earthly watching experience for the audience but also strikes the right chord with Hyundai Grand i10 NIOS TG. Every character in the show has created a special connection with the audience allowing the brand to seamlessly integrate its brand promise and drive brand affinity. We are excited about this collaboration with TVF in driving the shared endeavour for Hyundai and we look forward to scaling new heights with many more meaningful offerings.”

  • Telugu OTT platform Aha to recreate TVF’s Permanent Roommates

    Telugu OTT platform Aha to recreate TVF’s Permanent Roommates

    KOLKATA: Aha, a Telugu OTT streaming platform brings a pleasant festive surprise for its viewers. In a first of its kind association, the Telugu streaming platform has joined hands with The Viral Fever, popularly known as TVF to recreate the magic of its widely appreciated series, Permanent Roommates. As a part of this association, Aha will remake the show as CommitMental for its Telugu speaking audience. All set to premiere on 13 November, the series is directed by Pavan Sadineni, an acclaimed film director in the Telugu Movie industry and will feature Punarnavi Bhupalam and Udbhav Raghunandan in the lead roles.

    In a pool of numerous love stories, which might feel unrealistic at times, Permanent Roommates stands out with its engaging slice-of-life narration. The remake of India’s first web series, tailor-made for the digital audience, Permanent Roommates had become a trendsetter in no time. aha through its remake, named CommitMental aims to replicate the same success in the regional segment. With CommitMental, Aha seeks to expand its content bouquet by introducing a youth-centric show to build resonance and relatability amongst its audiences.

    Read more OTT news

    Aha is amongst the fastest emerging homegrown OTT platforms in the regional entertainment category. Keeping the audience at its core, the OTT platform hosts a wide-array of content ranging from web series- fictional and non-fictional, exclusive movie premiers, animated content for kids and many more. This association also marks TVF's entry into the regional entertainment space after catering to the Hindi speaking audience across the country.

    Aha promoter Allu Aravind said, “We have always believed that great content must reach audiences, irrespective of any geographical or language barriers. We are glad to associate with a platform such as TVF for their popular show Permanent Roommates. Youth being our primary audience, this is a strategic alliance with an aim to connect with the viewers by bringing the kind of show which is entertaining and extremely relatable.”

    TVF founder Arunabh Kumar said, “Permanent Roommates was India’s first web-show and it gives immense joy as it now also becomes the first Indian web series to be recreated in another language. We would like to extend our gratitude to aha for deciding to recreate the show and bringing it to the Telugu-speaking audience. We are proud to partner with Aravind Sir and have new avenues for TVF to tell great stories beyond Hindi speaking markets and explore a new region.”

    Launched in February 2020, aha is capturing the Telugu masses swiftly with its diverse content and has become one of the top-grossing apps in the market in just few months of its launch.  A complete family entertainer, aha is gradually becoming the first choice for the Telugu speaking audience across the world.

  • Rahul Sarangi joins MX Player’s new business as VP and head

    Rahul Sarangi joins MX Player’s new business as VP and head

    KOLKATA: Streaming service MX Player is not only branching out into short-format video through MX TakaTak but also expanding its team. The Times Internet-owned platform has appointed Rahul Sarangi as MX Player new business vice president and head.

    Sarangi was earlier with TVF, one of the pioneers in the online content ecosystem of India, as global head-content and business. Recently, the core founding members of  TVF team quit the organisation.

    In the early days of his career, Sarangi worked with MTV Asia as senior supervising producer. He worked in India and Singapore in the content team and he was also part of the MTV’s regional brand solutions team. Later, he was also a part of the launch team of Colors. 

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  • Skinn by Titan celebrates Valentine’s Day with a refreshing take on love

    Skinn by Titan celebrates Valentine’s Day with a refreshing take on love

    MUMBAI: Celebrating Valentine’s Day with a refreshing take, Skinn by Titan in collaboration with The Timeliners has released a new digital short film, It’s a date. Conceived by Ogilvy Bangalore the short is a heartwarming story of modern love – not limited to romance between couples, but also the affection for people who are important to you. 

    The film is a celebration of the unique bond between two best friends. Initially, one would assume that the protagonists are a live in-couple. Soon after, they would assume that the male lead is about to propose. Only later they would realise that the gift was no more than an expression of platonic love towards his flatmate and that his date is with another male friend.

    Titan Company Ltd marketing head fragrances Ankit Kasliwal said, “There are often many things which remain unsaid in a relationship & even when you want to say sometimes the words aren’t just enough to convey a gamut of emotions. Gifting a Skinn perfume is a very warm, thoughtful & personal gesture which the protagonist does in the film to convey his feelings to his flatmate. The film is progressive in the brand’s take on not limiting love to certain boxes and boundaries.”

    TVF global head – content and business Rahul Sarangi quoted, “Youth today have strong opinions, preferences and feelings that they don’t hold back. With changing trends, Skinn by Titan has struck the right chord and has taken a great route to bring to life the openness of today’s time. We are delighted with this partnership with them for 'It’s a date’ and our aim is to ensure that the thought reaches far and wide as well as to the right audience.”

    Wavemaker VP Kishan Kumar said, “Skinn, as the brand signifies, wanted to take a contemporary approach on this Valentine’s Day. We believed the best way would be to strike a powerful communication which personifies Skinn as an enabler of love and friendships. So instead of building the usual pressure of finding a date, the team along with Ogilvy and The Timeliners co-created ‘It’s A Date’ – a heartwarming story of modern love.”