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Tag: Zee Entertainment.

  • ZEEL enters Philippines with ‘Zee Sine’

    ZEEL enters Philippines with ‘Zee Sine’

    MUMBAI: After creating success stories with two Bollywood channels in the APAC region, namely Zee Bioskop in Indonesia and Zee Nung in Thailand, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) becomes the first Indian company to foray into Philippines with its third dedicated Bollywood movie channel for the local Filipino audience starting today.

    Announcing ZEE’s entry into the Philippines, International Broadcast Business, ZEEL  International broadcast business CEO Amit Goenka said, “ZEE has been the cultural ambassador for Bollywood and Indian content in overseas markets. In line with our Vision 2020 goals, we have chalked out an aggressive international expansion plan, with APAC being one of the key regions. We already have 5 dedicated localized channels in APAC, comprising of GEC and movie genres, and our entry into Philippines will only further strengthen our presence. With the Pay-TV industry projected to grow at an average of 13% Y-o-Y in the next 5 years, we see huge potential in this market.”

    Zee Sine – Bollywood Na Tayo (‘Sine’ means ‘Cinema’ and ‘Bollywood Na Tayo’ means ‘Let’s Go Bollywood’ in Tagalog) is a 24/7 Bollywood movie channel customized and packaged for the local audience. The channel features Blockbuster movies from the World’s Biggest Hindi Film Library of ZEEL.

    Speaking on the launch of Zee Sine, ZEEL  Asia Pacific business head Sushruta Samanta said, “Both India and Philippines display strong affinity for music and dance. Our research shows that Indian Bollywood Films are relatable as the stories hit close to home, reflecting similar emotions and values shown in Filipino movies. While other content from around the world has entered Philippines already, we plan to bring a fresh and unique perspective by launching Zee Sine in Philippines. We felt it is the right time for us to enter this market and showcase our heart-warming and larger-than-life Bollywood movies to the Filipino audience.”

    “Maria Liza Ginting, who currently heads our Indonesia market, will also be heading the Philippines operations along with the local team in Manila,” Samanta further added.

    Sharing more details on the channel, Maria Liza Young – Ginting, Country Head, Indonesia & Philippines said, “Zee Sine will take you to a new world of entertainment with high-voltage Bollywood dramas, love triangles, comedies and song and dance. To reach out to the local audience, we have hand-picked movies from the library, dubbed in Tagalog, re-christened movie titles and character names in English while promos and special movie properties are being locally created. The channel is being distributed through one of the leading cable distributors in the country, Cable Boss, and will soon be available on more platforms in the market.”

    The channel will be showcased at PCTA (Philippine Cable TV Association Inc.) Convention 2016, which is one of the biggest Pay-TV operators conventions in Philippines, to be held between 12-15 April, 2016.

    As the channel goes on-air today, Zee Sine promises to entertain Philippines the Bollywood way.

     

  • ZEEL enters Philippines with ‘Zee Sine’

    ZEEL enters Philippines with ‘Zee Sine’

    MUMBAI: After creating success stories with two Bollywood channels in the APAC region, namely Zee Bioskop in Indonesia and Zee Nung in Thailand, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) becomes the first Indian company to foray into Philippines with its third dedicated Bollywood movie channel for the local Filipino audience starting today.

    Announcing ZEE’s entry into the Philippines, International Broadcast Business, ZEEL  International broadcast business CEO Amit Goenka said, “ZEE has been the cultural ambassador for Bollywood and Indian content in overseas markets. In line with our Vision 2020 goals, we have chalked out an aggressive international expansion plan, with APAC being one of the key regions. We already have 5 dedicated localized channels in APAC, comprising of GEC and movie genres, and our entry into Philippines will only further strengthen our presence. With the Pay-TV industry projected to grow at an average of 13% Y-o-Y in the next 5 years, we see huge potential in this market.”

    Zee Sine – Bollywood Na Tayo (‘Sine’ means ‘Cinema’ and ‘Bollywood Na Tayo’ means ‘Let’s Go Bollywood’ in Tagalog) is a 24/7 Bollywood movie channel customized and packaged for the local audience. The channel features Blockbuster movies from the World’s Biggest Hindi Film Library of ZEEL.

    Speaking on the launch of Zee Sine, ZEEL  Asia Pacific business head Sushruta Samanta said, “Both India and Philippines display strong affinity for music and dance. Our research shows that Indian Bollywood Films are relatable as the stories hit close to home, reflecting similar emotions and values shown in Filipino movies. While other content from around the world has entered Philippines already, we plan to bring a fresh and unique perspective by launching Zee Sine in Philippines. We felt it is the right time for us to enter this market and showcase our heart-warming and larger-than-life Bollywood movies to the Filipino audience.”

    “Maria Liza Ginting, who currently heads our Indonesia market, will also be heading the Philippines operations along with the local team in Manila,” Samanta further added.

    Sharing more details on the channel, Maria Liza Young – Ginting, Country Head, Indonesia & Philippines said, “Zee Sine will take you to a new world of entertainment with high-voltage Bollywood dramas, love triangles, comedies and song and dance. To reach out to the local audience, we have hand-picked movies from the library, dubbed in Tagalog, re-christened movie titles and character names in English while promos and special movie properties are being locally created. The channel is being distributed through one of the leading cable distributors in the country, Cable Boss, and will soon be available on more platforms in the market.”

    The channel will be showcased at PCTA (Philippine Cable TV Association Inc.) Convention 2016, which is one of the biggest Pay-TV operators conventions in Philippines, to be held between 12-15 April, 2016.

    As the channel goes on-air today, Zee Sine promises to entertain Philippines the Bollywood way.

     

  • India’s OTT paid video subscribers pegged at 1.3 million: Frost and Sullivan

    India’s OTT paid video subscribers pegged at 1.3 million: Frost and Sullivan

    MUMBAI: OTT (over-the-top) was the buzzword in the Indian media and entertainment sector in 2015 with multiple players firming up their game plan to tap into the lucrative and booming digital space. With the emergence of numerous OTT service providers in the past two years coupled with the entry of Netflix in India, the space is poised to grow at a fast pace in the years ahead.

    According to Frost and Sullivan’s market insight on the OTT video market in India, there are about 66 million unique connected video viewers in India every month, and about 1.3 million OTT paid video subscribers. Growth in the space can be attributed to increase in smart-phones penetration as well as the improvement in Internet speed in India.

    Despite facing several challenges today, the OTT market growth will be fuelled by various disruptive innovations in technology and business models over the next five years, as per Frost and Sullivan. 

    “With an increase in the use of smart devices in India, content owners and aggregators are using non-TV platforms to improve reach and generate revenues through subscription and advertisement. However, it’s hard to woo the Indian consumer. Success in OTT video distribution will depend on the ability to offer variety of content, new content, at a reasonable price and impeccable user experience,” said Frost and Sullivan research director Vidya Subramanian Nath. 

    While today a few broadcasters such as the Star TV Network and Zee Entertainment are driving services as well as viewership for OTT video with Hotstar and DittoTV respectively, over the next five years, there will be more broadcasters as well as cable and DTH operators expanding their OTT services. However, inadequate bandwidth speeds and the incumbency of YouTube in the market have challenged market participants.

    “India may have over 225 million Internet users, but for consuming video, one needs high-speed broadband access and only about 35 per cent of these users have access to it, informed Nath. “OTT video subscription numbers fluctuate dramatically every month. We find that advertising video on demand (AVOD) is the most preferred mode of OTT video delivery in India currently,” she said.

    Among content types, there is an increasing demand for short duration video content. This is primarily attributable to the average low Internet speeds and changing preferences of many Indian viewers. It is common to find online viewership peak during major sports events like the IPL, elections, or breaking news.

    Platforms such as YouTube offer opportunities for independent content creators who can publish their videos online without the hassles of negotiation with large networks. Now, with the entry of Netflix in India, independent professional content production will continue to grow. Broadcasters who have their own content or video platforms with a variety of publishers are driving the market. While Viacom18 is all set to launch its service called VOOT next month, Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Telefilms is also burning the midnight oil to launch its OTT platform – ALT Digital by June this year. Balaji Telefilms CEO Sameer Nair has huge expectations from the platform and expects ALT Digital to have a whopping four million paid subscribers globally by 2020. 

    With substantial investment being pumped in by companies like by Star India (Hotstar), Sony Pictures Networks India (Sony Liv), Zee Enterprises (dittoTV), Eros International (ErosNow) and Singtel, Sony & Warner (HOOQ) amongst others, the competition in the OTT space is set to intensify with the key differentiators being user experience and variety of content offering.

  • India’s OTT paid video subscribers pegged at 1.3 million: Frost and Sullivan

    India’s OTT paid video subscribers pegged at 1.3 million: Frost and Sullivan

    MUMBAI: OTT (over-the-top) was the buzzword in the Indian media and entertainment sector in 2015 with multiple players firming up their game plan to tap into the lucrative and booming digital space. With the emergence of numerous OTT service providers in the past two years coupled with the entry of Netflix in India, the space is poised to grow at a fast pace in the years ahead.

    According to Frost and Sullivan’s market insight on the OTT video market in India, there are about 66 million unique connected video viewers in India every month, and about 1.3 million OTT paid video subscribers. Growth in the space can be attributed to increase in smart-phones penetration as well as the improvement in Internet speed in India.

    Despite facing several challenges today, the OTT market growth will be fuelled by various disruptive innovations in technology and business models over the next five years, as per Frost and Sullivan. 

    “With an increase in the use of smart devices in India, content owners and aggregators are using non-TV platforms to improve reach and generate revenues through subscription and advertisement. However, it’s hard to woo the Indian consumer. Success in OTT video distribution will depend on the ability to offer variety of content, new content, at a reasonable price and impeccable user experience,” said Frost and Sullivan research director Vidya Subramanian Nath. 

    While today a few broadcasters such as the Star TV Network and Zee Entertainment are driving services as well as viewership for OTT video with Hotstar and DittoTV respectively, over the next five years, there will be more broadcasters as well as cable and DTH operators expanding their OTT services. However, inadequate bandwidth speeds and the incumbency of YouTube in the market have challenged market participants.

    “India may have over 225 million Internet users, but for consuming video, one needs high-speed broadband access and only about 35 per cent of these users have access to it, informed Nath. “OTT video subscription numbers fluctuate dramatically every month. We find that advertising video on demand (AVOD) is the most preferred mode of OTT video delivery in India currently,” she said.

    Among content types, there is an increasing demand for short duration video content. This is primarily attributable to the average low Internet speeds and changing preferences of many Indian viewers. It is common to find online viewership peak during major sports events like the IPL, elections, or breaking news.

    Platforms such as YouTube offer opportunities for independent content creators who can publish their videos online without the hassles of negotiation with large networks. Now, with the entry of Netflix in India, independent professional content production will continue to grow. Broadcasters who have their own content or video platforms with a variety of publishers are driving the market. While Viacom18 is all set to launch its service called VOOT next month, Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Telefilms is also burning the midnight oil to launch its OTT platform – ALT Digital by June this year. Balaji Telefilms CEO Sameer Nair has huge expectations from the platform and expects ALT Digital to have a whopping four million paid subscribers globally by 2020. 

    With substantial investment being pumped in by companies like by Star India (Hotstar), Sony Pictures Networks India (Sony Liv), Zee Enterprises (dittoTV), Eros International (ErosNow) and Singtel, Sony & Warner (HOOQ) amongst others, the competition in the OTT space is set to intensify with the key differentiators being user experience and variety of content offering.

  • Zee Entertainment acquires TOIFA 2016 global telecast rights, except India

    Zee Entertainment acquires TOIFA 2016 global telecast rights, except India

    MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Group has bagged the exclusive telecast partners across the world, excluding India of The Times of India Film Awards (TOIFA) 2016.

    The partnership is aimed at promoting TOIFA’s grandeur, to reach out to viewers across the globe, which will include some of these regions like Middle East, Pakistan, Asia Pacific, America, Africa and Europe.  

    TOIFA 2016 Dubai presented by Gulf Air and Splash will be held on 17 & 18 March at the Dubai International Stadium and also will see performances by Shah Rukh Khan, Varun Dhawan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Jacqueline Fernandez, YoYo Honey Singh and others.

    Zee Entertainment Middle East CEO Mukund Cairae says, “It’s a privilege to associate with TOIFA as an exclusive broadcast partner, as Zee is also the global leader in providing entertaining content for global viewers at present. This partnership goes beyond the Middle East region, as we have acquired International telecast rights. With Zee’s global reach and viewership, we are sure to entertain the audience with Indian and Bollywood content.”

    TOIFA is going to be promoted across India, Bahrain, KSA, Qatar, Oman and UK. TOIFA has already partnered with Thomas Cook in India and Dadabhai Travels in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) as its Travel Partners.

    Zee Entertainment Middle East chief content & creative officer Manoj Mathew added, “At Zee, our simple mantra is to continuously entertain and bring new content to our viewers. We continue to do this with our association with TOIFA and this year the awards have special significance since it is hosted in Dubai.” 

    He further added, “The event offers great entertainment with performances by some of the biggest Bollywood icons; we are thrilled to partner with the event, which will further delight our viewers not only on-ground but also broadcasting it on Zee Cinema and Zee Aflam for the region.”

    For the South Asians audience in Middle East TOIFA will be showcased exclusively on Zee Cinema and for the Arabic audience it will be showcased on Zee’s Arabic Bollywood channel Zee Aflam.

  • Zee Entertainment acquires TOIFA 2016 global telecast rights, except India

    Zee Entertainment acquires TOIFA 2016 global telecast rights, except India

    MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Group has bagged the exclusive telecast partners across the world, excluding India of The Times of India Film Awards (TOIFA) 2016.

    The partnership is aimed at promoting TOIFA’s grandeur, to reach out to viewers across the globe, which will include some of these regions like Middle East, Pakistan, Asia Pacific, America, Africa and Europe.  

    TOIFA 2016 Dubai presented by Gulf Air and Splash will be held on 17 & 18 March at the Dubai International Stadium and also will see performances by Shah Rukh Khan, Varun Dhawan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Jacqueline Fernandez, YoYo Honey Singh and others.

    Zee Entertainment Middle East CEO Mukund Cairae says, “It’s a privilege to associate with TOIFA as an exclusive broadcast partner, as Zee is also the global leader in providing entertaining content for global viewers at present. This partnership goes beyond the Middle East region, as we have acquired International telecast rights. With Zee’s global reach and viewership, we are sure to entertain the audience with Indian and Bollywood content.”

    TOIFA is going to be promoted across India, Bahrain, KSA, Qatar, Oman and UK. TOIFA has already partnered with Thomas Cook in India and Dadabhai Travels in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) as its Travel Partners.

    Zee Entertainment Middle East chief content & creative officer Manoj Mathew added, “At Zee, our simple mantra is to continuously entertain and bring new content to our viewers. We continue to do this with our association with TOIFA and this year the awards have special significance since it is hosted in Dubai.” 

    He further added, “The event offers great entertainment with performances by some of the biggest Bollywood icons; we are thrilled to partner with the event, which will further delight our viewers not only on-ground but also broadcasting it on Zee Cinema and Zee Aflam for the region.”

    For the South Asians audience in Middle East TOIFA will be showcased exclusively on Zee Cinema and for the Arabic audience it will be showcased on Zee’s Arabic Bollywood channel Zee Aflam.

  • Zee Melt’s second edition scheduled for 11-12 March

    Zee Melt’s second edition scheduled for 11-12 March

    MUMBAI: Zee Melt 2016, a festival that brings together advertising, digital, marketing, emerging technologies, the media & PR industry, will be held on 11 and 12 March in New Delhi.

    The two day festival by Kyoorius is in partnership with Zee Entertainment, Hindustan Times, GroupM, and D&AD.

    The festival will host a range of conferences, seminars, exhibitions, showcases, workshops and networking sessions for delegates from advertising, digital, media and PR, marketing and emerging technologies by industry experts. Attendees include: Forsman and Bodenfors, Sweden art director Ted Mellström, Heineken Amsterdam director global Mark van Iterson, Fjord Net, London founder and chief client officer Mark Curtis, Financial Times, London chief data officer Tom Betts, Conde Nast, Mumbai digital director Gaurav Mishra and Stimulant, San Francisco CEO Darren David.

    The content for Melt 2016 is divided across four key pillars namely: Learning, Showcase and Gallery, Networking and Celebration. Each of these pillars are driven by content partners and participating brands and will give delegates an opportunity to gain real insights into the creative communication industry from the industry specialists.

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises MD and CEO Punit Goenka said, “As we pursue our vision 2020 of being ranked amongst the leading global media companies, there has been a conscious effort invested in creating and partnering brand IPs. Zee Melt will enable stakeholders from media, marketing and communications to meet at a common platform and exchange experiences, knowledge and insights. This is the second edition of Melt and I firmly believe that it grow and be accepted as a premier Industry event in the years to come.”

    HT Media chief marketing officer Rajan Bhalla added, “HT is delighted to associate with Melt, which brings together doyens from the world of branding, advertising & media, creating an excellent opportunity to interact and engage with them through intellectually stimulating sessions. I am especially excited about ‘HT Osmosis’ at Melt, which will provide creativity new wings.”

    GroupM South Asia CEO CVL Srinivas said, “We are delighted to continue our association with Melt. It is a platform where leaders from technology, content, data and digital interact with young talent to help shape the future of our industry. Like last year, GroupM agencies and specialist units will help curate content for the event in addition to holding workshops.”

    Kyoorius CEO and founder Rajesh Kejriwal added, “We are delighted to announce the second edition of Zee Melt. This two day gathering of the best speakers and presenters from the industry with the addition of experience zones and workshops is definitely going to set us apart. It is heartening that our founder partners, Zee, Hindustan Times and GroupM, have increased their involvement, bringing more compelling content for delegates to enrich themselves.”

  • Zee Melt’s second edition scheduled for 11-12 March

    Zee Melt’s second edition scheduled for 11-12 March

    MUMBAI: Zee Melt 2016, a festival that brings together advertising, digital, marketing, emerging technologies, the media & PR industry, will be held on 11 and 12 March in New Delhi.

    The two day festival by Kyoorius is in partnership with Zee Entertainment, Hindustan Times, GroupM, and D&AD.

    The festival will host a range of conferences, seminars, exhibitions, showcases, workshops and networking sessions for delegates from advertising, digital, media and PR, marketing and emerging technologies by industry experts. Attendees include: Forsman and Bodenfors, Sweden art director Ted Mellström, Heineken Amsterdam director global Mark van Iterson, Fjord Net, London founder and chief client officer Mark Curtis, Financial Times, London chief data officer Tom Betts, Conde Nast, Mumbai digital director Gaurav Mishra and Stimulant, San Francisco CEO Darren David.

    The content for Melt 2016 is divided across four key pillars namely: Learning, Showcase and Gallery, Networking and Celebration. Each of these pillars are driven by content partners and participating brands and will give delegates an opportunity to gain real insights into the creative communication industry from the industry specialists.

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises MD and CEO Punit Goenka said, “As we pursue our vision 2020 of being ranked amongst the leading global media companies, there has been a conscious effort invested in creating and partnering brand IPs. Zee Melt will enable stakeholders from media, marketing and communications to meet at a common platform and exchange experiences, knowledge and insights. This is the second edition of Melt and I firmly believe that it grow and be accepted as a premier Industry event in the years to come.”

    HT Media chief marketing officer Rajan Bhalla added, “HT is delighted to associate with Melt, which brings together doyens from the world of branding, advertising & media, creating an excellent opportunity to interact and engage with them through intellectually stimulating sessions. I am especially excited about ‘HT Osmosis’ at Melt, which will provide creativity new wings.”

    GroupM South Asia CEO CVL Srinivas said, “We are delighted to continue our association with Melt. It is a platform where leaders from technology, content, data and digital interact with young talent to help shape the future of our industry. Like last year, GroupM agencies and specialist units will help curate content for the event in addition to holding workshops.”

    Kyoorius CEO and founder Rajesh Kejriwal added, “We are delighted to announce the second edition of Zee Melt. This two day gathering of the best speakers and presenters from the industry with the addition of experience zones and workshops is definitely going to set us apart. It is heartening that our founder partners, Zee, Hindustan Times and GroupM, have increased their involvement, bringing more compelling content for delegates to enrich themselves.”

  • &TV acquires ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ rights; Endemol to produce

    &TV acquires ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ rights; Endemol to produce

    MUMBAI: Even as Indian television has seen dance reality shows galore like Dance India Dance, Nach Baliye and Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa amongst others on Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs), another new dance reality show format is all set to hit screens in the near future. 

     

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises’ Hindi GEC &TV has acquired the rights of the global dance reality format show So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) from Dick Clark Productions.

     

    Endemol Shine India will produce the India edition of the reality show for the channel.

     

    Dancers from across the country – amateur or professional – can participate in the show. &TV has already started the online registration process. However, the channel has not yet made any official comment on the air date and time.

     

     

     

     

    SYTYCD India will also see the country’s best choreographers as jury members on the show.

     

    The original show was created by American Idol producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe is produced by Core Media Group’s 19 Entertainment and Dick Clark Productions.

     

     

    In the US, SYTYCD was recently renewed by Fox for a 13th season, which is slated to go on air on 30 May.

  • &TV acquires ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ rights; Endemol to produce

    &TV acquires ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ rights; Endemol to produce

    MUMBAI: Even as Indian television has seen dance reality shows galore like Dance India Dance, Nach Baliye and Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa amongst others on Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs), another new dance reality show format is all set to hit screens in the near future. 

     

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises’ Hindi GEC &TV has acquired the rights of the global dance reality format show So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) from Dick Clark Productions.

     

    Endemol Shine India will produce the India edition of the reality show for the channel.

     

    Dancers from across the country – amateur or professional – can participate in the show. &TV has already started the online registration process. However, the channel has not yet made any official comment on the air date and time.

     

     

     

     

    SYTYCD India will also see the country’s best choreographers as jury members on the show.

     

    The original show was created by American Idol producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe is produced by Core Media Group’s 19 Entertainment and Dick Clark Productions.

     

     

    In the US, SYTYCD was recently renewed by Fox for a 13th season, which is slated to go on air on 30 May.