ITV

Tag: Viacom

  • Kids of Today and Tomorrow

    Kids of Today and Tomorrow

    If you tell your kid that ‘A is for Apple’…your kid will inform you about how Steve Jobs created Apple and how Newton saw the apple falling to the earth…

     

    Kids, today, are not the same as kids 10 years back! They are tech savvy, have a strong point of view about what they consume and are extremely perceptive about the cultures they absorb. To understand the psyche of kids and to keep pace with them, Viacom and Nickelodeon conducts numerous studies internationally and regionally. Through the research study “Kids of Today and Tomorrow” (2012) and years of experience in entertaining kids, Nickelodeon dives deep into the kids’ minds.

     

    Following are some of the key insights, the network has found out over the years.

     

    Key driver of success is happiness

     

    The key indicator of success for today’s kid is being happy. They are an optimistic bunch with a very positive outlook towards life. Humor plays an important role and it brings fun and relaxation which kids use to navigate their lives. Being funny is considered a great badge of honor. As entertainers, we should bear in mind that humor is important but should be smart and not cynical, a playful approach would be in line with the fun and happiness they seek in life. The brand philosophy of Nickelodeon is “Funny Rules” and this is kept at the core of all that is created and conceptualised on the brand.

     

    Keep it Simple Silly!

     

    This generation can separate the make-believe from what’s real. They can see through fakery and hate it when you try too hard. Kids respond best to authentic brand messages: be honest – they recognise when someone is trying to spin them a line! They’re more interested in real value than superficial trends. They respond best to direct and simple communication and connect immediately with stories told simply with characters that are honest and straightforward.

     

    Outward looking and connected

     

    Being connected is as much a part of everyday life as eating and sleeping. The advances in digital media have played a large part in broadening horizons and helping kids to be more outward looking. They interact with various screens from a very young age and as a consequence of this, broadcasters are bringing entertainment to them on multiple screens and in many different formats. The flip side to this, however, is that they have limitless cyber connections some of whom they have never even met but few close friends in real life. When it comes to the people who inspire them or the people they trust most, it’s all about close family and friends.

     

    Proud to be Indian

     

    The kids of today are increasingly expressing a great sense of love for their country. Their sense of national pride is growing stronger and they believe it’s important to maintain their country’s traditions. However, this doesn’t mean they want to close themselves off from the world or take a narrow view. Hence, it’s important for brands to localize in order to keep the Indian sensibilities intact at the same time be globally appealing to them.  

     

    More We than Me

     

    Today’s kids believe it’s important to help people in the community, protect the earth and the spirit is truly ‘We’ more than ‘Me’. They have the desire and sensitivity to be a bigger and more responsible part of the world they belong to. As a responsible brand, Nickelodeon internationally has created ‘The Big Help’, an ongoing grassroots pro-socio campaign that empowers kids to give back to their communities and planet in many interesting ways.

     

    We have only touched the tip of the iceberg when it comes to cracking their code and our journey will have to keep pace with their constant evolution.

     

    Kids are the real change agents of today. They are wired and versatile, resilient and life ready. They have the potential to change the world for the better and they firmly believe they can make a difference. We believe that too!

     

    (These are purely personal views of Viacom18 Media EVP and business head kids cluster Nina Elavia Jaipuria and indiantelevision.com does not subscribe to these views.)

  • Viacom18 Motion Pictures’ 2014 movie slate

    Viacom18 Motion Pictures’ 2014 movie slate

    MUMBAI: The first studio model based motion picture business in India , Viacom18 Motion Pictures, a part of Viacom18 (a Viacom and Network 18 joint venture) is now treading on unchartered territories by getting into crowd funding.

    The studio recently released the trailer of its first crowd funded motion picture – Manjunath – which is to hit theatres on 9 May. The film is inspired by the real-life story of a young IIM graduate, who strived to fight against corruption in Uttar Pradesh and was murdered for sealing a corrupt petrol station in Lakhimpur Kheri, UP.

    Speaking on the choice of the story Viacom18 Motion Pictures COO Ajit Andhare says: “The story may be of a common man, but what we look for when scouting for scripts is extraordinary or uncommon stories, and Manjunath fits the bill perfectly. His sacrifice spurred people on to take measures and that’s the kind of stories we support.”

    On the aspect of getting crowd funding for the biopic he adds: “It’s a film in one sense where everyone takes responsibility and can play a role in the message coming out from Manjunath’s story. So, the crowd funding idea came to us because we felt that would be best suited to involve people and anyone can voluntarily come and support the film.”

    Click here to watch the trailer

    With operations that involve acquisition, production, syndication, marketing and worldwide distribution of full-length feature films, the studio’s first movie was Halla Bol in 2008. And ever since, it has forayed into various genres of cinema, right from drama, comedy, romance, action to biopics with Bhaag Milkha Bhaag in 2013.

    “As a studio we look for content that stands out and that has not been usually told; even an OMG and Gangs of Wasseypur were good prospects. And with Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, we have proven that with a strong script and performance any film can cross the Rs 100 crore barrier at the box office. Even Queen has crossed Rs 100 crore (global collections) this year,” quips Andhare.

    Manjunath will be the first biopic made on the life of a common man and has been supported by acclaimed actors like Divya Dutta, Seema Biswas and Yashpal Sharma, among others. They have been touched by Manjunath’s story and worked for a nominal fee. The movie has been directed by Sandeep Varma, reputed to be an ad-film maker and the MD of ICOMO. Further to its credit; the music in the film has been composed by the Delhi rock band Parikrama.

    “The film is completely to the credit of Sandeep and it has been his journey, along with NFDC and ICOMO to mount this film. We came on board once we saw the journey and witnessed what he has managed to pull-off being a debutant director and we wanted to support this movie and the director with the vision to pull off such a challenging story,” says he.

    Viacom18 Motion Pictures will be distributing the film, and is currently focused on building anticipation around the film. “It’s a bit too early to talk about how wide will the release be and decisions around that would be made more closer to the release date after tracking how the market responds to it and likewise the theatres and multiplex chains,” explains Andhare.

    With recent films being distributed entirely on digital these days, irrespective of the budget or genre and an increasing trend of tying up with online streaming services like Spuul to release the movie online parallel to the theatrical release. Such a film may look at such avenues for better reach and viewership as well.

    Scheduled for a release amidst elections and IPL, are there any concerns? “I feel the time is right when the country is looking for their next leader and government, a story like this will have more traction,” answers Andhare.

    The studio believes that if the content is strong and the film has something to offer the audience then the film will make a connect with the viewers. “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag offered inspiration of a different kind to the audience; Queen on the other hand offered the experience of a coming of age to the audience, with travel and transformation. So what we look to do is to offer something extra. Because sitting in a dark room for three hours with only one break, the audience should not feel punished,” he expounds.

    The slate for already released films in 2014 include: The Royal Bengal Tiger (Bengali); One by Two; Queen; Nee Enge En Anbe (Tamil); Anamika (Telugu) and Noah (Hollywood). And the rest of the year is packed with a real good mix of movies like: Manjunath (9 May); Margarita with a straw; Transformers 4; Hercules 3D; Turtles; Gabbar; Mary Kom and Dharam Sankat Mein.

    “We always aim to have a balanced portfolio for the calendar year, where the risks are well balanced out for the studio. And we believe in reaching out to get all kinds of movies to the audience creatively as well,” expounds Andhare. “We want to serve the best spread that can be served to the audience in the calendar year. Only doing large films will not enable reducing the risk level, and this will lead to either big blockbusters or major flops. Thus, smaller films help in calibrating losses.”

    The studio has some major releases in its Hollywood slate for the year as well, and will be pushing and promoting it aggressively when the time is right. “Plans are afoot really drive our Hollywood slate and we have a really powerful line-up for this year. Transformers as a franchise is a highly anticipated film and over the years the English language film entertainment market has also been growing steadily and we have a long term commitment to build this market and continue to do so.”

  • Colors to replace ‘Kairi’ with a mythological show

    Colors to replace ‘Kairi’ with a mythological show

    MUMBAI: Colors is launching a new mythological show titled ‘Jai Jag Janani Maa Durga’ on 17 December.

    The new show will be replacing its fiction property ‘Kairi Rishta Khatta Meetha’ which will go off air to open up the 7 pm slot.

    ‘Jai Jag Janani Maa Durga’ will showcase Durga’s different avatars in various stages of her life. It will compete with Star Plus’ ‘Saathiya Saath Nibhana’ and Zee TV’s Afsar Bitiya.

    The new offering from Colors’ bouquet is being produced by Sagar Pictures, the makers of epic shows like Ramayan, Alif Laila and Shri Krishna.

    For the record, Colors had earlier aired mythological show ‘Jai Shri Krishna’ in July 2008 which ran till September 2009.

  • Paramount, Gaumont to produce interactive thriller ‘Section 8’

    Paramount, Gaumont to produce interactive thriller ‘Section 8’

    MUMBAI: Paramount Digital Entertainment (PDE), part of US media conglomerate Viacom, and European film production and distribution company Gaumont have announced the development of Section 8.

    This is an interactive web series and will be distributed in the US by MySpace.
     

    Endemol will handle worldwide distribution, product integration and brand partnerships.

    The new show followes the successful digital release ofJackass 2.5. This was the first studio-backed feature film to be offered online. Section 8 is an interactive short-form serial thriller set to introduce online audiences to an online entertainment experience that engages them in character and plot development never-before-seen on the Web.

    Featuring an ill-fated cast of characters, the supernatural thriller will take audiences through a spine-tingling journey as personal dramas are revealed. Throughout the short-form series, each character will face a moment of jeopardy, leaving only one survivor.

    In a media twist, audiences are invited to guess the solution to the cryptic back-story using customised interactive experiences situated in and around the series. When collected together, the series will be redistributed as a full-length
    feature.
     

    MySpace will be the exclusive hub for Section 8 allowing its audience in the US the opportunity to view, share and uniquely interact with this thriller. In addition to finding character descriptions, episode discussions and behind-the-scenes content, users will be able to embed each episode on their MySpace profile pages.

    PDE president Thomas Lesinski says, “PDE is continuing its commitment to developing high quality original content for web audiences. For Section 8, Paramount has partnered with top producers and distributors to develop a compelling interactive story on a unique platform that will engage audiences like never before.”

    Gaumont CEO Christophe Riandee adds, “Our partnership with PDE is an important next step in Gaumont’s production strategies. We are constantly looking for new platforms to deliver quality content to a global audience.”

    Endemol global head of digital Adam Valkin says, “Section 8sets a new standard of theatrical quality for an online production. The innovation and creativity that has been invested in the project will make this a unique opportunity for our digital and brand partners”.
  • Colors to experiment with social thriller genre, Chhal – Sheh Aur Maat to air from 19 March

    Colors to experiment with social thriller genre, Chhal – Sheh Aur Maat to air from 19 March

    MUMBAI: Colors is experimenting with the social thriller genre with the launch of a fiction show, Chhal – Sheh Aur Maat.

    Depicting betrayal and mystery, the daily show will go on air on 19 March at 9 pm. It will add to Colors’ programming lineup representing dramas, romantic comedies, sports entertainment and scripted reality.

    Produced by 24, it will air from Monday- Friday.

     

    Colors fiction head Prashaant Bhatt said, “This is the first time we’re exploring the social thriller genre and we are happy to have Abbas Mustan supporting our first step. Chhal in our way is a tribute to their kind of film making which forces audiences to think and keeps them on the edge of their seats.”

    Chhal – Sheh Aur Maat is the story of a newlywed bride who is entwined in a situation where her life changes dramatically. While on honeymoon, a strange man stakes claim on her as his wife leaving behind a mystery on her marriage and life ahead. The story takes the viewers through the trials in the girl’s life as she tries to demystify the truth.

    “It may sound like a simple story of a newly-wed bride, but on the contrary, it will take you through twists and turns that have been carefully woven to create the web of mystery and thrill,” said Bhatt.

    24 Frames producers Bhairavi Raichura and Nandita Mehra added, “Chhal’s story involves a lot of action, where audiences can expect to see an interesting combination of suspense, thrills and daredevil stunts. It is a story that will force you to think and make you question whether what you see is really the truth. While discussing the script, we constantly tried to think like the audience to ensure that the story was not getting predictable at any point.”

  • Sohu to stream Nickelodeon programs in China

    Sohu to stream Nickelodeon programs in China

    MUMBAI: For a few years now, animated shows like SpongeBob SquarePants, have entertained the young viewers almost across the world. Now, many such popular Nickelodeon children’s programs will be dubbed into Mandarin and available to watch free online in China over the next 12 months in the latest deal to give a foreign entertainment company more access to China’s vast market.

    Sohu Video, a unit of popular Chinese Web portal Sohu.com, recently announced an online video-on-demand and video syndication collaboration in China with Viacom International Media Networks, a unit of Viacom Inc.

    The government in China restricts foreign access to the country’s television audience and bars most of its cable operators from carrying foreign channels. However, it’s the online video platforms that give the audience an access to foreign productions.

     

    In a joint statement, the companies said the deal will enable an estimated 389 million Chinese online video users to watch Mandarin-dubbed and subtitled Nickelodeon programming on Sohu’s site, however the details of the deal hasn’t been revealed.

    Sohu Video started offering more than 200 hours of Nickelodeon programming, including SpongeBob SquarePants, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Avatar Sunday onwards.

    Sohu’s video site is populated with American TV shows, Japanese animation series, Chinese variety shows and in-house programs. It obtained the exclusive online broadcast rights for the second season of hit reality talent show The Voice of China, shown earlier this year, generating nearly 2 billion video views, according to Sohu.

  • Twitter and Viacom announce Twitter Amplify partnership

    Twitter and Viacom announce Twitter Amplify partnership

    MUMBAI: Viacom has announced a partnership which will see it deliver social video advertisements for its channels via Twitter Amplify.

    The collaboration will start at the 2013 MTV EMA on Sunday 10 November, and will provide followers of Viacom’s channels – including MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central – with video extras of major shows and live events, including instant highlight replays, exclusive backstage interviews and extra content.

    The partnership was trialled successfully at the MTV Music Awards in August, and both partner companies see the experiment as an exciting opportunity.

    BeViacom MD ad sales unit Chris Shaw said: “We’re thrilled to be pioneering this initiative in Europe and across the world, creating a truly unique opportunity for marketers looking to join the global youth conversation around the ‘2013 MTV EMA’.”

    Twitter Amplify senior director Glenn Brown added: “We are excited to build on the success of our US Twitter Amplify partnership with Viacom by rolling it out internationally, including across the UK and Europe. The EMAs are the perfect way to start the program, allowing brands to tap into the conversations already happening on Twitter by offering people highlights and exclusive content across all devices.”

    Viacom’s programmes are already an influential Twitter presence, with the 2012 MTV EMA inspiring 5.7 million tweets, spawning 32 worldwide trending topics and at times notching eight of the top 10 trends during the show’s broadcast.

  • Twitter and Viacom announce Twitter Amplify partnership

    Twitter and Viacom announce Twitter Amplify partnership

    MUMBAI: Viacom has announced a partnership which will see it deliver social video advertisements for its channels via Twitter Amplify.

    The collaboration will start at the 2013 MTV EMA on Sunday 10 November, and will provide followers of Viacom’s channels – including MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central – with video extras of major shows and live events, including instant highlight replays, exclusive backstage interviews and extra content.

    The partnership was trialled successfully at the MTV Music Awards in August, and both partner companies see the experiment as an exciting opportunity.

    BeViacom MD ad sales unit Chris Shaw said: “We’re thrilled to be pioneering this initiative in Europe and across the world, creating a truly unique opportunity for marketers looking to join the global youth conversation around the ‘2013 MTV EMA’.”

    Twitter Amplify senior director Glenn Brown added: “We are excited to build on the success of our US Twitter Amplify partnership with Viacom by rolling it out internationally, including across the UK and Europe. The EMAs are the perfect way to start the program, allowing brands to tap into the conversations already happening on Twitter by offering people highlights and exclusive content across all devices.”

    Viacom’s programmes are already an influential Twitter presence, with the 2012 MTV EMA inspiring 5.7 million tweets, spawning 32 worldwide trending topics and at times notching eight of the top 10 trends during the show’s broadcast.

  • Paramount Pictures goes in for a leaner structure

    Paramount Pictures goes in for a leaner structure

    MUMBAI: A part of the Viacom conglomerate, Paramount Pictures has decided to trim down its staff by 110 people. Just a memo was issued to people who have been sent back home.

    The reductions will be in the Finace, HR, IT, International home media distribution, legal and marketing departments. In a letter to its sacked employees the company CEO Frederick Huntsberry said that the layoffs were needed to manage business ‘with greater speed and flexibility as well as capitalise on opportunities in the global entertainment market’.

    The company has plans to re-enter into TV. Their performances on the big screen have just been average.

    Positions have been shed in their head office in LA as well as many international offices. Previously in 2011, the company laid off 120 people.