ITV

Tag: Uday Sodhi

  • Sony Liv opens voting phase for ‘Indian Idol Junior 2’

    Sony Liv opens voting phase for ‘Indian Idol Junior 2’

    MUMBAI: Multi Screen Media’s (MSM) digital video entertainment brand Sony Liv is currently hosting the digital telecast of Indian Idol Junior season two (IIJ) which launched on 20 May.

     

    The show features budding singers from around the country competing with each other for the grand title of the next IIJ2.

     

    The voting process, which commences on 4 July will take place exclusively through the digital medium and closes on 5 July at 8 am. Audience need to simply download Sony Liv app from app store and vote for their favourite contestant through the app.

     

    Indian Idol Junior, India’s foremost singing talent show for young singers, was extremely well received by the audience during its first season. With contestants from as far as Dubai participating in the musical extravaganza in its second edition, the show promises to be bigger and more challenging in its return outing.

     

    With a jury comprising Vishal Dadlani, Sonakshi Sinha, Salim Merchant and Shalmali Kholgade, it promises to reprise its knack of scouting for young talent aged five to 15 and offering them a nationwide platform to showcase their vocal skills to become household names.

     

    The 13 contestants entering voting phase are Subhankar sarkar, Ranita Banerjee, Yumna Ajin, Niharika Nath, Ajay Bhirjwasi, Vaishnav Girish, Ananya Sritam Nanda, Nahid Afrin, Vidhi Jaswal, Srilakshmi Belmannu, Moti Khan, Nithyashree Venkataramanan, Surendra Singh Panwar. The show is hosted by hosted by charming Hussain Kuwajerwala and Asha Negi.

     

    SET EVP and digital entertainment head Uday Sodhi said, “Indian Idol Junior was extremely successful in its debut season and showed that music really has no boundaries. With the show set to provide a bigger and grander stage this time, Sony Liv aims to increase the outreach of the programme by providing anytime digital access to its diverse user base. The fact that voting lines are now open exclusively through the app or our online interface proves how the show is increasingly establishing a digital presence for its audience.”

  • Sony LIV premieres ‘Suryaputra Karn’

    Sony LIV premieres ‘Suryaputra Karn’

    MUMBAI: Sony LIV, Multi Screen Media (MSM’s) digital video entertainment brand, as part of strengthening the platform premiered the mythological show, Suryaputra Karn on its web and app platforms.

     

    Fulfilling its promise of a digital-first approach, MSM screened the pilot episode of this big-ticket primetime show exclusively on its digital entertainment brand on 29 June, 2015 at 4 pm while the on-air premiere will follow at 8:30 pm.  
     

    Catering to the demand of its viewers for entertainment on their preferred digital devices anytime anywhere, Sony LIV has launched a series of digital premieres of extremely popular entertainment properties from around the world.

     

    From the highest grossing Indian film of all time, PK to the world premiere of television’s most engaging thriller, Hannibal, Sony LIV continues bringing the best of content to its viewers before it is seen on any other platform.  
     

    Fearless, witty, steadfast and charitable are just a few qualities which best describe Karn. The show will take viewers through his less-discovered journey, from ‘being called the ‘soot-putra’ to becoming a warrior’ in the most captivating way.

     

    Moreover, the show will highlight different facets of his life, like his relationship with his birth-mother Kunti and his foster mother Radha, his animosity for the Pandavas and his unconditional loyalty towards his friends. With breath-taking locales, stellar performances, never-seen-before action and advanced VFX effects, Suryaputra Karn promises to be a visual delight seldom seen on television!

     

    While Aditya Redij will be seen playing the elder Karn, the fearless and talented Vishesh Bansal will play the younger one and Mouli Ganguly will mesmerize the audience as Radha. And the stunts have been orchestrated by ace Bollywood action director, Tinu Verma.

     

    Speaking on the digital premiere of the show, Sony Entertainment EVP and digital head Uday Sodhi commented, “After the success of Sankat Mochan Mahabali Hanumaan, we realized the kind of enthusiasm that exists amongst netizens for period dramas with elaborate visuals, mythical narratives and state-of-the-art special effects. To cater to the viewers’ preferences, we decided to offer them a digital-first premiere of a show that offers this entire package and also turns the spotlight on one of the most revered Indian mythological characters in a whole new way.”

      

    Sony Entertainment Television senior EVP and business head Nachiket Pantvaidya added, “Karn has always been one of the most intriguing characters of Mahabharata and his story deserves to be told in the most magnificent manner. The powerhouse performances coupled with the mind blowing visuals and interesting storyline will set the show apart from other mythological shows that we have seen till date. The show also helps us in further strengthening our programming line-up. We are thrilled to collaborate with Swastik Production for the launch of Suryaputra Karn.”

     

    Swastik Production producer Siddharth Kumar Tiwary opined, “Taking ahead our legacy of creating biggest of mythologies on TV, this show will depict every aspect of Karn’s life – the journey of the making of a legend. This is a premium series and will have gone all out in presenting the series in a grand scale. It’s great to partner with Sony Entertainment Television as we share a common vision of giving high quality content for the viewers.”

     

    Besides the first episode, Sony LIV will also offer exclusive behind-the-scenes content and moments to fans. They can also get a sneak peek into the making of the highly immersive and technologically astounding show.

  • Sony to premiere ‘Sankat Mochan Mahabali Hanumaan’ on Sony Liv app and web

    Sony to premiere ‘Sankat Mochan Mahabali Hanumaan’ on Sony Liv app and web

    MUMBAI: “Digital is the future.” While one has been hearing this on various occasions over the years, it’s only recently that the Indian television industry has started thinking digital.

     

    What started with sports channels putting content on the digital platform has now moved to the Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs) as well.  The genre which so far was looking at targeting mostly housewives is now going young, thus making presence on digital even more important.

     

    Taking cue from that, Sony Entertainment Television (SET) is premiering its upcoming mythological show Sankat Mochan Mahabali Hanumaan on Sony Liv mobile app at 12 noon on 4 May, way before its on-air telecast at 8 pm.

     

    The show will present the tale of the mightiest God – Hanumaan from the perspective of Lord Krishna. Born to God Kesari and Anjani Devi, Hanumaan is considered to be the greatest devotee ever born on earth. The show will take viewers on a journey of his beautiful and eventful life right from his childhood from being a devotee of Lord Ram to being the vanquisher of all evil.  It will also bring out his qualities and derive morals from his life which are relevant in everyday life. With extremely advanced VFX, the show promises a never-seen-before visual experience.

     

    Sony Liv is aimed at providing entertainment on the go for young India on the move and this new step further reinstates this brand promise. The video on demand (VOD) service has been consistently bringing marquee shows from Sony’s stable to its viewers on devices that they could access anywhere, anytime, including shows like KBC, Indian Idol etc.

     

    Sony Entertainment EVP and digital head Uday Sodhi said, “Sony Liv mobile app is one of the leading entertainment app and it is featured amongst the top apps in the app world. The show offers a perfect blend of untold and popular mythology around Lord Hanumaan in a never seen before format, state-of-the art special effects, immersive visuals and stellar acts and performances. The show will present the tale of the mightiest God from his childhood, in a whole new way.”

     

    Sony Entertainment Television senior vice president marketing Gaurav Seth added, “Our marketing innovations and promos have already created a lot of buzz for the show. Besides the web premiere, the show has also seen some unique digital innovations like live streaming of the Grand Press Conference held at Kingdom of Dreams and an auction of Mahabali Hanumaan’s Gada! Looking at the excitement over the internet and social media, we have decided to bring forward the launch and give netizens an exclusive preview of our most awaited show.”

  • ErosNow to showcase SET and Sab TV shows

    ErosNow to showcase SET and Sab TV shows

    MUMBAI: Eros International Media’s on-demand entertainment portal ErosNow has added shows from Sony Entertainment Television (SET) and Sab to its catalogue. The content will be available to members at no extra subscription costs.

     

    Since most of the shows are currently on-air, archived content will be made available on the platform as well. Shows like CID, Taarak Mehat Ka Ooltah Chasmah and Balveer will be made available to subscribers on the platform.

     

    ErosNow CEO Rishika Lulla Singh said, “We are very excited to have partnered with one of India’s leading entertainment player Sony for providing premium television content on ErosNow platform. This strengthens our library with prime television programming from Sony and Sab and helps deliver our subscribers with wide range of soaps, serials and reality shows. With this, we are offering extensive content from four leading entertainment channels and are confident this content will be enjoyed worldwide on ErosNow.” 

     

    Multi Screen Media EVP & head digital business Uday Sodhi added, “We’re always looking to associate with leading entertainment portals to syndicate our content and expand our audience base. Digital syndication is a key focus for us and it’s important for us that we work with established and quality players in this space and from that perspective, ErosNow was a perfect fit.”

  • Sony’s Uday Sodhi upbeat about VoD platform Liv Sports

    Sony’s Uday Sodhi upbeat about VoD platform Liv Sports

    MUMBAI: Multi Screen Media’s (MSM) sports Video On Demand (VOD) platform Liv Sports is set to take audiences to a whole new frontier. Liv Sports is a VOD service that offers sports content from Sony Entertainment Network.

     

    India now has 300 million internet users, up from 200 million a year ago, with a little more than 50 per cent having access to mobile Internet, which makes India a big market for online content consumption.

     

    With the on-going Cricket World Cup, various VOD platforms are coming up with innovative shows to build interest. Speaking about Liv Sports’ plan for the World Cup, Sony Entertainment Network executive vice-president and head digital Uday Sodhi tells Indiantelevision.com, “We are in the process of packaging and will release them in phases. Our exclusive package will include articles from journalists, news coverage, and result analysis through innovative graphics and text.”

     

    Commenting on the catalog of Liv Sports Sodhi says, “We have streamed Australian Open live and reached more than a million viewers. We are also streaming Indian School and College Basketball League, which is not aired on television. Moreover, we also streamed Syed Modi International Badminton Grand Prix. We are moving ahead and will invade into new territory whenever we get an opportunity.”

     

    Responding to the marketing strategy to popularise the portal, Sodhi asserts, “As of now there is no such campaign coming out, we are promoting the portal on our network. But soon when there is an opportunity we will opt for aggressive advertising.”

     

    Though digital platform is growing with time there is no clear revenue model for the portals. When quizzed about the revenue model of the digital platform, Sodhi says, “Advertisers are showing significant interest on the digital platform, and the fact that it is the fastest growing media, I think good content will rope in big endorsements. There will be creative banners, pre-rolls, exit rolls and also in the middle of the event there may be banners. There is always a room from creative innovations to grab attention.”

     

    “Television is a medium to consume content at home and that will continue to grow. We are seeing modern infrastructure like 4k and HD on TV. Digital platform is for consumption of content on the go and that will grow independently. Both may be a medium of communication but individually different in their mode of operation,” says Sodhi, when asked about digital media’s impact on television.

     

    “We are a six to eight months old venture and we aspire to be the digital destination of quality sports. With digital platforms we can reach to new audiences and that is a good sign. Bandwidth will increase and more and more people will use internet on their mobile, which increases our possibility of growing bigger. And the main factor is time spent in front of screen. We don’t expect people to sit and watch TV full time so more screens are essential and digital is one of them,” he concludes.

  • 2014 exemplified that the next big thing is mobile

    2014 exemplified that the next big thing is mobile

    It’s been a year of tremendous growth for the digital industry. Digital advertising spends have increased significantly. And while we’ve been talking about mobile as the next big thing for a few years, 2014 saw the thought being well and truly realised. A fair indicator of this were the numerous campaigns run by online shopping merchants, advertising their app over other platforms and even creating deals specific to mobile devices. Another great example is the launch of key services on mobile by the government of Karnataka.

    There was also growth experienced in digital content, where not only were key properties available for viewing exclusively on web and mobile, but we also saw a lot of instances of specialised content being created for web and mobile. FIFA World Cup 2014 on LIV Sports is one example of how a grand event today isn’t just a TV property.

    Talking about LIV Sports, it has been a very successful year for us at Sony with the launch of LIV Sports simultaneously on web and mobile, as an app available on both iOS and Android. Apart from FIFA, LIV Sports also acquired the mobile and internet broadcast rights for the South African RAM SLAM T20 Challenge Series for India, Vijay Amritraj backed Champions Tennis League, the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying tournament and the Australian Open.

    A huge learning point for us this year has been the increased need to focus on mobile. Increase in mobile internet connectivity and introduction of cheaper smartphones along with a drop in internet surfing charges has led to huge increase in consumption of video content. The consumer today is looking for content on the go, thus, making mobile a key focus. As a result, we launched a number of apps including KBC Play Along, creating a second screen experience allowing viewers to answer questions with the contestants and win prizes. We also have the KBC Official App allowing fans to engage with the show any time they want. We’ve had approximately two million downloads for the KBC suite of apps and over 13 million downloads for both Sony LIV and LIV Sports.

    Keeping this in mind, in 2015 we will continue to innovate and engage our users by establishing our marquee properties in the new media space. We are excited by the opportunity, the overlap of better connectivity and smartphones, is offering entertainment content companies like us. Our aim is to be the leader in the digital video entertainment space. We will strengthen our mobile offerings to consumers and our agenda is to make 2015 the ‘Year of Mobile Entertainment’ and deliver great content through product innovations on SonyLiv.com and LivSports.in.

    (These are purely personal views of Sony Entertainment Network executive vice president and digital head Uday Sodhi and indiantelevision.com does not necessarily subscribe to these views.)

  • LIV Sports bags exclusive rights for Australian Open 2015

    LIV Sports bags exclusive rights for Australian Open 2015

    MUMBAI: Multi Screen Media (MSM) has announced that LIV Sports, its digital sports entertainment destination – www.LIVSports.in – holds the mobile and internet broadcast rights of Australian Open 2015.

     

    LIV Sports will offer both live and video-on-demand content, with rich and informative statistics and analysis. The Australian Open is scheduled to be held between 19 January and 1 February 2015.

     

    The live coverage of the Australian Open will be available on LivSports.in on the web and mobile and the LivSports Mobile App for iOS and Android.

     

    Sony Entertainment Network executive VP and digital head Uday Sodhi commented, “We are extremely pleased to bring all the action from the Australian Open to Indian viewers. The content on LIV Sports is designed to cater to the ardent tennis fans as well as to engage other viewers with a highly immersive experience. Since our inception as the official mobile and internet broadcaster for the 2014 FIFA World CupTM Brazil, LIV Sports has been committed to keep every cross section of our consumers actively engaged through high-quality interactive sports content with informative data and analytics.”

     

    In addition to the Australian Open, LIV Sports also holds the web and mobile broadcasting rights to properties like Champions Tennis League, UEFA Euro 2016 Qualifiers, FIFA Club World Cup, NBA, TNA and domestic T20 cricket competitions like the Carribean Premier League and RamSlam T20 Challenge.    

  • We want to create a new category, Sportainment: Uday Sodhi

    We want to create a new category, Sportainment: Uday Sodhi

    The last couple of years have been good for sports in India. As more and more leagues are launched, the sports channels have a lot to offer to the viewers. And in a bid to capture viewer’s attention, many of them have launched portals.

     

    One such is, LIV Sports from the Multi Screen Media (MSM) stable, which was launched just before the FIFA World Cup 2014 Brazil commenced.  It has been a late entrant when compared to its competitors like Tensports.com and starsports.com, but has been able to make a mark in the digital space.

     

    In September, the portal saw former HeadHonchos’s CEO Uday Sodhi taking charge as MSM executive vice president and head digital business to take the portal to the next level. With LIV Sports acquiring the mobile and internet broadcast rights of the UEFA Euro 2016 Qualifiers for India and the Champions Tennis League, the executive spoke to Indiantelevision.com’s Herman Gomes about the portal’s growth so far and his future plans for the site.

     

    Excerpts…

     

    What is the growth LIV Sports has seen since its launch and in which markets? 

     

    The success has been phenomenal. With LIV Sports we are aiming to create a new category of Sportainment or Sports Entertainment. The objective is to empower the sports fan with deep statistics on video as well as engage with the fence sitters. 

     

    We registered a record number of downloads and live match views between 13 June and 13 July 2014.  It attracted over 20 million page views in July. Viewers spent on an average of 28 minute watching the live streaming of the matches across online, mobile and the tablet LIV Sports application.

     

    Of the total traction observed on LIV Sports, the maximum percentage of unique views came from the six metros (53 per cent) with Mumbai and Delhi in the lead (13 per cent each), followed by Bengaluru (10 per cent). 83 per cent of the total viewers in the country were within the age bracket of 18-34 years. The World Cup also attracted 25 per cent female viewers; engagements like the Predictor, ‘Mohit Bana Messi – Jerseyfy Me’ and ‘Pehchaan Kaun’ helped achieve this number. We also registered phenomenal numbers in terms of social presence. The Blogger outreach programme enabled a reach of over 2.85 million.

     

    Technical problems were witnessed initially… 

     

    Initially, we did face some technical glitches because of the overwhelming number of active users on our site. But we upgraded our technical capabilities and erased out the issues.

     

    Which are the different audiences the portal seeks to target through its sports entertainment content?

     

    In an attempt to redefine the way sporting content is presented and consumed, LIV Sports has blended sports with a right dose of entertainment. LIV Sports viewers gets the best of both worlds, high quality interactive sports content, comprehensive informative data and analytics as well as fun and entertaining content – keeping every cross section of consumers actively participating with addictive engagements modules.

     

    “My time, my content and my device” is where today’s audience is heading. Consumers want to engage, interact and consume content at their terms, at their convenience and in their method. They want personalised and contextualised experiences with each click. Their attention span is ever-shrinking and secondly, keeping them engaged with the right packaging is thus imperative. And that’s why our focus is on the mobile platform, to create a customised viewing experience and allow them to stay updated with their favourite sports.

     

    It’s been over two months since you took charge. What is on your priority list for the website?

     

    Over the next few months, viewers will be able to catch up with the widest range of sporting content, including football, NBA, UFC, tennis and cricket on LIV Sports. The digital destination offers live and exclusive video content along with a complete coverage of the latest sporting content present, across devices. Our key focus is on mobile platforms to provide both content on live streaming and video on demand for catch-up content. With superior handsets and improved connectivity, we’re witnessing huge growth on mobile and see it as a continuing trend.

     

    What is the revenue model of the same?

     

    We saw significant downloads of the app on both iOS and Android during the FIFA World Cup 2014. Revenue model is subscription and advertising. We worked with partners across categories for FIFA World Cup 2014 and we’re in constant discussion with potential advertisers for upcoming sporting properties.

     

    Do you see e-commerce platforms advertising online on sports websites?

     

    Certainly. E-commerce is a key category and we’ve already worked with brands in this space. LivSports.in offers brands the opportunity to create targeted campaigns for a defined audience.

     

    How do you view the growth of sports platforms in the coming years?

     

    Digital, video, online and mobile is fairly new in sports broadcasting. With the increase in the bandwidth and increase in internet penetration, video consumption overall is going up. With live sports, a publisher/broadcaster needs to have very good infrastructure in place in order to have a large number of users watching the live streaming of the match together, in high quality. We are getting there slowly. 

     

    Video inventory in sports is hard to find, since legally licensed rights are expensive and it requires the marketing bandwidth to reach out to the target user group. Football has the second largest viewership after cricket. Interest in the sport is growing, with investment in local leagues as well. 

     

    In terms of data points, as per the recent Mobile Sports Report released by Adobe, watching sports online or on mobile devices is the primary driver of the continued worldwide growth in digital video consumption. Some of the key findings have been that sports video streams increased 640 per cent, year on year, compared to an overall growth of 440 per cent for all types of content. Secondly, sports events accounted for 37 per cent of all streams, compared to 32 per cent for news programs and 28 per cent for TV shows. And finally, one quarter of all sports digital viewing now happens on mobile devices, a 73 per cent year-over-year increase. And though tablets lead all forms of non-TV devices for video viewing, streams on smartphones and gaming consoles are also growing rapidly.

     

    We need to be where the consumer is i.e., be it mobile, TV, online or a tablet at the same time.

     

    Which are the other sports properties you look at tapping in the future?

     

    We are looking at expanding with a mix of sports including NBA, UFC, TNA and more.

  • LIV Sports bags exclusive rights for Ram Slam T20 challenge series

    LIV Sports bags exclusive rights for Ram Slam T20 challenge series

    MUMBAI: Multi Screen Media (MSM) today announced that its digital sports entertainment destination LIV Sports has acquired the mobile and internet broadcast rights of the South African Ram Slam T20 challenge series for India. The competition began on 2 November 2014 and will run through 12 December 2014. The game will be hosted across all South Africa’s cricket stadiums.

     

    It will offer both live and video-on-demand match content, with informative statistics and analysis.  The digital destination will air 14 live matches, free of cost and the rest of the matches will be available for video-on-demand viewing.

     

    Commenting on the acquisition Sony Entertainment Network executive vice president and head digital Uday Sodhi said “We are immensely excited to bring the Ram Slam T20 challenge series. The digital destination was conceived to offer quality sports-entertainment content that is mass inclusive and not designed to cater only to ardent sports fans. We are committed to keep every cross section of our consumers hailing from different parts of India actively engaged through quality interactive sports content.”

     

    The Ram Slam T2O challenge series is South Africa’s domestic T20 league where six teams battle it out over six weeks to win the trophy. The top two teams qualify for the champions league T20. Like the Indian Premier League, the competition features South Africa’s T20 players and international stars. This season’s top players include Chris Gayle, Dale Steyn, David Miller, AB DeVilliers and Faf du Plessis.

  • LIV Sports bags exclusive rights for the Champions Tennis League

    LIV Sports bags exclusive rights for the Champions Tennis League

    MUMBAI: Multi Screen Media (MSM) has announced that its digital sports entertainment destination www.LIVSports.in holds the mobile and internet broadcast rights of the Champions Tennis League (CTL) for India.

     

    The league has been conceptualised by Vijay Amritraj and All India Tennis Association (AITA). Viewers will be able to watch the live telecast of the league and catch video-on-demand highlights on LIV Sports.

     

    Sony Entertainment Network executive vice president and head digital Uday Sodhi commented that the network was excited to bring the CTL, which has been designed to ignite the passion for tennis and inculcate a love for the sport. “LIV Sports started as the official mobile and internet broadcaster for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil and then moved on to bagging the exclusive web and mobile rights for the ongoing qualifying matches for the 15th European Championship – Euro 2016, for India. It was conceived to offer quality sports-entertainment content that is mass inclusive and not designed to cater only to ardent sports fans”, he added.

     

    The CTL teams made up of the world’s top 25 ranked male and female players will be structured into two groups, each having three teams each, where they would play each other in a home and away format. The teams topping their respective group will play each other in the grand finale for the prize money of Rs 1 crore. The runner-up will receive Rs 50 lakhs. Each of the six teams will also have an international legend as their playing captain, apart from a noted Indian male tennis player, plus a top ranked junior Indian girl and boy from each city.

     

    The CTL will feature six city based teams, who will play 12 matches over a 10-day period from 17 November to 26 November 2014. Each of the six official CTL teams from Chennai, Bangalore, Pune, Delhi, Chandigarh and Mumbai comprises of Indian and International marquee players, including local youngsters handpicked by AITA. Some notable players to participate in India include Martina Hingis, Venus Williams, Somdev Dewarman and David Ferrer among others.