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Tag: Zee TV

  • Life OK and Zee TV biggest gainers in week 32

    Life OK and Zee TV biggest gainers in week 32

    MUMBAI: In week 32 of TAM TV ratings, there seems to be a change in the scenario than the last week. Unlike last week, where Hindi GECs were on the winning side, this week most of the Hindi GECs lost its audiences. But that isn‘t the case with Life OK and Zee TV.

    The newest entrant in the GEC genre, Life OK, has surpassed Sony and Sab this week and took the number four position. Life OK is the highest gainer as it added 74,067 TVTs marking its score to 315,728 TVTs (241,661). Zee TV was the second highest gainer and holds on its number three position adding 54,579 TVTs taking its tally to 424,270 TVTs (369,691).

    Life OK general manager Ajit Thakur

    “We had put together a plan where we were going to focus on the festive season (August to October) and the first hit has already happened. Good thing is that the ratings have gone up across all shows and not in any one particular programme. And I think this is the good chance to enter the festive season with confidence.”

    On the other hand, Star Plus continues to be the leader and has maintained its stability as it reported 505,715 TVTs (509,558). Colors saw a drop of 20,867 TVTs marking 437,766 TVTs (458,633) but still managing its number two position.

    Sony saw a fall in its TVTs when it lost 21,378 TVTs taking its tally to 300,573 TVTs (321,951). Sab was at number six position this week after it saw a fall of 24,185 TVTs taking its final score to 298,326 TVTs (322,511).

    Coming back to the leader Star Plus, Diya aur Baati Hum proved to be the star yet again and maintained its stability as it rated 10,356 TVTs (10,393). Another prime time show, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai saw a fall in its reach taking its score to 6,542 TVTs (6,799). Pyar Ka Dard Haifared well with 6,233 TVTs (6,141) and Saathiya registered 5,525 TVTs (5,815).

    Colors‘ popular celebrity dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa is on the winning side this week when it generated 5,299 TVTs (4,603) on Saturday and 4,503 TVTs (3,734) on Sunday. Long running fiction series Balika Vadhu witnessed a drop and scored 6,644 TVTs (7,340),Madhubala – Ek Ishq Ek Junoon rated 4,396 TVTs (4,884) and Uttaran scored 4,508 TVTs (4,626). The comedy show Comedy Nights with Kapil saw a huge rise in its viewership when it generated 6,831 TVTs (6,079). The new entrant on the channel Mrs Pammi Pyarelal witnessed a slight growth as it rated 1,766 TVTs (1,699).

    Zee TV‘s reality dance show DID Super Moms with its outstanding performances, rated 5,551 TVTs (4,956) on Saturday and 4,349 TVTs (4,491) on a Sunday. Its fictional offering Qubool Haisaw a drop when it rated 7,188 TVTs (7,250). Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke registered a slight fall taking its score to 4,332 TVTs (4,498). The historical show Jodha Akbar aired one hour special episode this week and observed a huge growth scoring 5,547 TVTs (3,659).

    Life OK‘s shows have recevied good viewership this week. It‘s top seriesMahadev rated 3,493 TVT (3,455). Do Dil Ek Jaan scored 1,783 TVTs (1,488), Savdhan India rated 2,867 TVTs (2,471), Shapath reported 3088 TVTs (2,477) and the new entrantGustakh Dil rated 1,884 TVT.

    Fifth placed, Sony Entertainment Television‘s long running crime series CID rated 5,177 TVTs (5,144) and Crime Petrol saw a huge fall when it rated 3,859 TVT (4,347). On the other hand, Comedy Circus ke Ajoobe Mahabali witnessed a marginal dropdown with 2,816 TVTs (3,025). The channel‘s historical show Maharana Pratap managed to remain close to its last week‘s ratings, generating 3,139 TVT (3,281). Other fiction shows either held on to their viewership or dipped marginally during the week. Sony‘s Indian Idol Junior seems to lose its audiences as it reported 4,351 TVTs (5,391) on Saturday but notched up taking its score to 4,602 TVTs (3,840) on a Sunday.

    Sixth placed, Sab‘s top chart fiction show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah continues to be the channel leader with 7,032 TVTs (8,218). Chidiya Ghar managed to remain stable and scored 3,412 TVTs (3,433). Wah Wah Kya Baat Hai shed and rated 1,257 TVTs (1,856).Lapataganj saw a slight drop scoring 2,421 TVTs (2,508). Other fictional shows witnessed marginal rise and fall as well.

    Sahara One continues to remain in the bottom scoring 32,326 TVTs (36,400).

    In the movie channel‘s genre: Zee Cinema saw a slight rise, reporting 228,837 TVTs (215,299); Star Gold too saw an improvement to 219,247 TVTs (187,810) and Movies OK scored 122,304 TVTs (124,621). On the other hand, Max reported 232,253 TVT (312,088).

    Let‘s wait and watch, how the channels fare in the coming week…

    Note: Bihar 1mn+ has been added back into the universe as it has attained the requisite digital penetration as per the standards, and hence the TAM HSM Universe has expanded to 205.4 million.

  • Colors the highest gainer in week 29 TAM ratings

    Colors the highest gainer in week 29 TAM ratings

    MUMBAI: As everyone waited for the standoff between IBF, AAAI and ISA to resolve, the channels went on to showcase their shows and advertisements. And before the issue could get a little murkier, the three bodies yesterday finally came up with a consensus. According to it, the media and public will now get to know television viewership in thousands, colloquially referred to as TVT. However till TAM updates its software, indiantelevision.com brings out the TAM ratings report provided by a TV channel, on how the channels fared in week 29 compared with week 28.

    Hindi GECs seem to be on the winning side in week 29 of TAM ratings as most of them saw a rise in their GRPs. Colors was the highest gainer taking its score to 207 GRPs (187 GRPs)and ranking number two this week.

    Star Plus continues to dominate the chart with a hike taking its tally to 243 GRPs (239 GRPs). Zee TV ranked number three marking its score to 158 GRPs (156 GRPs) followed by Sony with 157 GRPs (153 GRPs). Sab generated 152 GRPs (153 GRPs), while Life OK managed to remain stable scoring 121 GRPs (122 GRPs). Sahara One continued to remain in the bottom scoring 17 GRPs (16 GRPs).

    Coming back to Numero uno Star Plus, Diya aur Baati Hum proved to be the star yet again, witnessing huge hike, the show rated 4.5 TVR (3.7 last week). Another prime time show, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai increased its reach taking its score to 3.4 TVR (3.0 last week). Pyar Ka Dard Hai witnessed a huge growth when it rated 3.1 TVR (2.3 last week) and Saathiya rated 2.8 TVR (2.7 last week). The reality show India‘s Dancing Superstars maintained its viewership when it rated 1.9 TVR on Saturday and 1.7 TVR on a Sunday.

    Colors popular celebrity dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa attracted viewers on Saturday when it generated a 2.7 TVR (2.1 TVR) and 2.4 TVR on Sunday (2.5 TVR). Fiction shows on Colors also seems to catch viewer‘s attention. Thus, Balika Vadhu witnessed a growth generating 3.0 TVR (2.7 TVR), Madhubala- Ek Ishq Ek Junoon rated 2.2 TVR (2.0 TVR) andUttaran rated 2.0 TVR (1.9 TVR). New comedy show Comedy Nights with Kapil saw a slight rise 2.7 TVR (2.6 TVR) on Saturday and Sunday. The new entrant on the channel Mrs Pammi Pyarelal rated 1.0 TVR.

    Zee TV‘s reality dance show DID Super Moms managed to rate 2.2 TVR (2.0 last week) on Saturday and 2.0 TVR (2.1 last week) on a Sunday. Its fictional offering Qubool Hai saw a drop when it rated 3.2 TVR (3.4 last week). Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke though registered a slight growth taking its score to 2.1 TVR (1.9 last week). The historical show Jodha Akbar generated 1.7 TVR (1.5 last week).

    Fourth placed, Sony Entertainment Television‘s long running crime series seems to be enjoying the attention of its viewers. Thus CID witnessed a slight growth as it rated 2.7 TVR (2.5 last week) and Crime Petrol rated 2.1 TVR (1.8 last week). On the other hand, Comedy Circuske Ajoobe rated 1.3 TVR (1.5 last week). The channel‘s historical show Maharana Pratap saw an improvement generating 1.7 TVR (1.6 last week).

    Other fiction shows either held on to their viewership or dipped marginally during the week. Sony‘s Indian Idol Junior (IIJ) notched up its rating taking its score to 2.4 TVR (1.7 last week) on Saturday and rated 2.0 TVR (1.9 last week) on Sunday.

    Fifth placed, Sab‘s top chart fiction show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah continues to be the channel leader with 3.8 TVR (3.6 TVR). Chidiya Ghar lost points when it scored 1.9 TVR (2.1 last week). Lapataganj saw a 0.1 improvement in its score when it rated 1.3 TVR (1.2 last week). Other fictional shows witnessed marginal rise and fall as well.

    Sixth placed, Life OK‘s top series Mahadev rated 1.7 TVR (1.6 last week). The new fiction showDo Dil Ek Jaan maintained its stability scoring 0.8 TVR. Savdhan India generated 1.1 TVR (1.2 last week). Shapath showed some improvement when it rated 1.4 TVR (1.2 last week).

    Sahara rated 17 GRPs (16 last week), but it still continues to be at the bottom.

    In the movie channels genre: Zee Cinema saw a drop, reporting 112 GRPs (121 last week); Star Gold fell to 98 TVR (103 last week and Movies OK was at 58 GRPs (60 last week). On the other hand, Max reported 106 GRPs (110 last week).

    All in all, week 29 saw most of the Hindi GECs losing some and winning some, but still maintaining its loyal audiences. How will it fare next week, let‘s wait and watch.

  • Immortalize your lovers name on ‘Virtual’ monuments

    Immortalize your lovers name on ‘Virtual’ monuments

    MUMBAI: Love birds can now stop inscribing their names on heritage monuments. Instead, use the ‘virtual‘ heritage monuments to immortalize your love. Jodha Akbar, the historical magnum opus aired on Zee TV has launched a Facebook app that allows couples to do just that.

    The show through the app will support the preservation of the vast Indian heritage. The app gives users a choice between four different monuments where they would like to have their names inscribed.

    Once the user has typed their name and the name of their partner, the app gives them a choice between posting an image of their ‘immortal space‘ on their Facebook page and sending their significant other a more detailed love note via a message.

    The app provides lovers with an interesting space to express their love in the virtual arena

    “Very often, one finds people in India using the facades of national monuments to engrave their names alongside their lover‘s as a sign of eternal love. However, it is important that India takes adequate and timely measures to conserve its national heritage rather than allow its own citizens to deface historically significant monuments with graffiti. This is what prompted us to come up with a unique solution whereby we provide lovers with an interesting space to express their love in the virtual arena,” says Zeel head-marketing, national channels Akash Chawla.

    Besides the app, Zee TV‘s marketing campaign for ‘Jodha Akbar‘ has seen several innovative initiatives. In the pre-launch phase, the channel created boards on Pinterest to familiarize viewers with the architecture, monuments, artifacts, clothes and jewellery from the Mughal era.

    The channel also plans to organise edutainment excursions for school children where they will watch the shoot of the show and be taken on a guided tour of the ‘Jodha Akbar‘ sets that resemble Jodha and Akbar‘s palaces, showcasing replicas of the costumes, jewellery, weapons used in the Mughal era that are currently being used in the show.

    The app can be accessed on Zee TV‘s official Facebook homepage https://www.facebook.com/ZeeTvIndia

  • Zee, Life OK biggest gainers in week 25 TAM ratings

    Zee, Life OK biggest gainers in week 25 TAM ratings

    MUMBAI: In week 25 TAM ratings, Zee TV was the highest gainer, as it added 16 GRPs, taking its score to 209. Life OK, this week is the second highest gainer as it notched up nine GRPs taking its score to 136 GRPs, according to the weekly ratings provided by a TV channel. Colors, the highest gainer for last week, saw a rise of seven GRPs, taking its total to 188 GRPs to secure its position at No 3, for the week.

    Sony Entertainment Television followed at the fourth position with a tally of 149 GRPs. Sab lopped off two GRPs this week taking its tally to 138 GRPs. Star Plus shed 11 GRPs but has still managed to hold on to its No 1 spot with 243 GRPs.

    Numero uno Star Plus‘ chart topper Diya Aur Baati Hum witnessed a fall when it rated 3.7 TVR (4.4 TVR last week). Unlike last week, other fiction series appear to be losing the connect with audiences. Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai decreased to 3.0 TVR (3.5 TVR last week), Pyaar ka Dard to 2.8 TVR (3.2 TVR last week) followed by Saraswati Chandra that remained stable at 1.8 TVR. New series Meri Bhabhi rated 1.9 TVR.

    The good news is, Veera, aired on Star Plus, has witnessed a growth generating 3.0 this week (2.5 TVR last week). With several new reality shows on air, the channel‘s talent hunt-cum-reality show India‘s Dancing Superstar snipped off some viewers when it rated 1.8 TVR on Saturday and Sunday.

    Zee TV‘s new reality show DID Super Moms leapt to 3.5 TVR (2.8 TVR) on Saturday and saw a fall on Sunday when it rated 2.7 TVR (3.2 TVR last week). Its fictional offering Qubool Hai notched up generating 3.4 TVR (2.8 TVR last week), Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke aired its maha-episode that rated 3.3 TVR on 17 June (Monday), Pavitra Rishta witnessed a marginal improvement as it registered 2.5 TVR (2.1 TVR last week) . The new reality peep show Connected Hum Tum witnessed stability with a 0.7 TVR. The 90s blockbuster movie Hum Aapke Hai Kaun generated a 1.1 TVR. New historical show Jodha Akbar generated 2.0 TVR.

    Colors slipped to No. 3 as its popular celebrity dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa generated a 2.1 TVR on Saturday (2.0 TVR) and 1.8 TVR on Sunday (1.9 TVR). Fiction shows on Colors seem to be dragging. Thus, Balika Vadhu witnessed a slight drop when it rated 2.5 TVR (2.6 TVR), Madhubala- Ek Ishq Ek Junoon, last week‘s channel leader, also shed ratings and closed at 2.4 TVR (2.5 TVR) and Uttaran rated 2.2 TVR (2.3 TVR). New comedy show Comedy Nights with Kapil generated 3.4 TVR on Saturday.

    Fourth placed, Sony Entertainment Television‘s long running crime series CID witnessed a slight fall as it rated 2.1 TVR (2.3). Crime Petrol saw a 0.1 improvement generating 1.8 TVR (1.7 last week). On the other hand, Comedy Circus ke Ajoobe rated 1.3 TVR (1.1 TVR). Its new historical show Maharana Pratap saw an improvement of 0.1 TVR, generating 1.4 TVR (1.3 TVR). Other fiction shows either held on to their viewership or dipped marginally during the week. Sony‘s all new Indian Idol Junior (IIJ) remained stable with ratings of 1.8 TVR on Saturday and Sunday respectively.

    Sab shed two GRPs from the past week, but still managed to hold fifth position. Its fiction show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah continues to be the channel leader with 3.5 TVR (3.1 TVR). Lapataganj (in-laws) fell to 1.0 TVR (1.3 TVR). Other fictional shows witnessed a marginal rise and fall as well.

    Life OK‘s top series Mahadev saw a growth to 1.9 TVR (1.6 TVR). The new fiction show Do Dil Ek Jaan managed to get 0.6 TVR (0.5 TVR). Hum Ne Li Hai… Shapath increased its score to 1.4 TVR (0.9 TVR). Savdhan India remained stable at 1.2 TVR.

    Sahara has finally showed some improvement, being rated 20 GRPs (19 GRPs last week), but it still continues to be at the bottom.
    In the movie channels genre: Zee Cinema saw a drop, reporting 100 GRPs (108 last week); Star Gold rose three points, reporting 109 GRPs (106 last week) and Movies OK was at 55 GRPs (51 last week). On the other hand, Max reported 122 GRPs (116 last week).
    All in all, week 25 saw channels win some and lose some, as always.

  • Star Plus, Zee TV gain in week 24 of TAM

    Star Plus, Zee TV gain in week 24 of TAM

    MUMBAI: Star Plus and Zee TV notched the highest gains in week 24 with an additional 12 GRPs and 13 GRPs to take their individual scores to 254 and 193 GRPs respectively, according to the weekly ratings provided by a TV channel. On the other hand, last week‘s highest gainer Colors shed 17 GRPs taking its total to 181 GRPs at No 3 position.

    Sony Entertainment Television followed at the No 4 position with a tally of 151 GRPs. Sab lopped off two GRPs this week taking its tally to 140 GRPs. Life OK which was the next highest gainer last week saw a huge fall, losing 22 GRPs to end the week with 127 GRPs.

    Numero uno Star Plus‘ chart topper Diya Aur Baati Humincreased marginally generating 4.4 TVR (4.1 TVR last week). Unlike last week, Star‘s fictional series appears to have enraptured viewers this week. Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai increased to 3.5 TVR (3.1 TVR last week), Pyaar ka Dard to 3.2 TVR (3.0 TVR last week) followed by Veera at 2.5 TVR (2.1 TVR last week). With several new reality shows on air, the channel‘s talent hunt-cum-reality show India‘s Dancing Superstar snipped off some viewers when it rated 1.5 TVR on Saturday and 1.4 TVR on Sunday. On 14 June, Star aired Masterchef grand finale generating 3.7 TVR. It thus, proved to be a fulfilling week for Star Plus.

    The new No. 2 Zee TV‘s new reality show DID Super Moms lost 0.2 points on Saturday and 0.4 points on Sunday generating 2.8 TVR (3.0 TVR) and 3.2 TVR (3.6 TVR) respectively. Its fictional offeringQubool Hai lost 0.1 points taking its tally to 2.8 TVR (2.9 TVR),Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke saw a slight growth to 2.5 TVR (2.3 TVR) whereas, Punar Vivaah fell to 1.1 (1.4 TVR).

    The new reality peepshow Connected Hum Tum witnessed a drop to 0.7 TVR (1.1 TVR). What was surprising was the rating that the Hindi feature film ABCD – Any Body Can Dance got -2.7 TVR in the afternoon and 1.5 TVR in the evening on 16 June.

    Colors slipped to No. 3 as its popular celebrity dance reality showJhalak Dikhhla Jaa declined this week as it generated a 2.0 TVR on Saturday(2.4 TVR) and 1.9 TVR on Sunday (2.3 TVR). Fiction shows on Colors seem to be dragging. Thus, Balika Vadhuwitnessed a slight drop when it rated 2.6 TVR (2.8 TVR),Madhubala- Ek Ishq Ek Junoon, last week‘s channel leader, also shed ratings and closed at 2.5 TVR (2.9 TVR). Still, another dailyUttaran, remained relatively stable when it rated 2.3 TVR (2.2 TVR).

    Fourth placed, Sony Entertainment Television‘s long running crime series CID and Crime Patrol managed to stay stable, registering 2.3 TVR and 1.7 TVR respectively. On the other hand, Comedy Circusdropped to 1.1 TVR (1.3 TVR). Its new historical show Maharana Pratap remained stable generating 1.3 TVR. Other fiction shows either held on to their viewership or dipped marginally during the week. Sony‘s all new Indian Idol Junior (IIJ) remained stable with ratings of 1.9 TVR on Saturday and 1.8 TVR (1.9 TVR) on Sunday.

    Fifth placed, Sab saw a slight growth from last week. Its fiction show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah continues to be the channel leader with 3.1 TVR (3.0 TVR). Lapataganj (in-laws) rose to 1.3 TVR (0.5 TVR). Other fictional shows witnessed a marginal rise.

    Life OK‘s top series Mahadev saw a drop to 1.6 TVR (2.0 TVR). The new fiction show Do Dil Ek Jaan managed to get 0.5 TVR (0.6 TVR).Hum Ne Li Hai… Shapath dropped down marginally to 0.9 TVR (1.5 TVR).

    Finally, Sahara showed some improvement when it rated 19 GRPs (16 GRPs last week), but it still continues to be at the bottom.
    In the movie channels genre: Zee Cinema managed to remain stable rating 108 GRPs; Star Gold rose seven points, reporting 106 GRPs (99 last week) and Movies OK was at 51 GRPs (53 last week). On the other hand, Max reported 116 GRPs (110 last week).

    All in all, week 24 saw channels win some and lose some, as always.

    Also read:

    Colors and Life OK the biggest gainers in TAM week 23

    Star Plus and Sab gain in TAM week 22

  • Jodha Akbar: Ekta Kapoor’s & Zee TV’s historical romance

    Jodha Akbar: Ekta Kapoor’s & Zee TV’s historical romance

    They have become the in-thing and they seem to be working just like their cousins – mythological series – are. We are referring to historical shows on television. Following closely on the heels of Sony Entertainment‘s Maharana Pratap which was launched on 27 May 2013, is Zee TV which is set to premiere the old time romantic tale of Jodhaa Akbar on 18 June at 8.00 pm. The story was interpreted on the big screen under the crafty hands of helmer Ashutosh Gowariker, and most lovers of cinema are familiar with that.

    Rajat Tokas as Akbar and Paridhi Sharma as Jodha strike a pose

    But TV czarina Ekta Kapoor says that “the beauty of Indian history remains open to perception and interpretation.” And it was this that encouraged her to take up the challenge of producing the show under the banner of Balaji Telefilms. 

    The magnum opus historical will capture the intriguing journey of love that, in fact, began with intense hatred.

    How Jodha’s love softened the hard edges of Akbar’s personality and made him a kinder, more compassionate soul forms the crux of Zee TV’s Jodha Akbar which is set to replace Rab Se Sona Ishq.

    Balaji Telefilms has churned out shows in all genres such as drama, romance, thriller, horror and even kitchen politics. Jodha Akbarmarks Kapoor‘s maiden encounter with history (if you exclude the disaster that was Mahabharat on NDTV Imagine) and she says she is ready to take any sort of criticism that comes her way.”It‘s a huge risk I am taking,” says Kapoor. “But I love taking on challenges. Balaji is the premier TV production house in the country and this will be shown through Jodha Akbar.“

    Santram Verma who has previously directed a thriller drama show titled Kaahin Kissii Roz on Star Plus and has also helmed the movieKrishna Cottage (2004) to his credit will be occupying the director’s chair for Jodha Akbar.

    Says Verma: “Viewers will get to see a very strong love story for the first time in a historical show. A similar period drama Jhansi Ki Rani on Zee was a huge success and we expect a similar response for Jodha Akbar as it has a very innovative storyline that will touch the hearts of many.”

    The brains behind the creative‘s – Sujata Rao

    Scriptwriter Rajesh Joshi is penning the epic series, following eight months of research, courtesy Bodhisattva, who is the man behind scores of historicals and mythologicals. Prakash Kapadia, who has written for films likeDevdas (2002), Black (2005) andSaawariya (2007), is writing the dialogues.

    Sujata Rao, a master of her art, and of known for her work for Jhansi Ki Rani and Veer Shivaj has been hired to creatively direct Jodha Akbar.

    Says Rao: “We are going to be a lot more different and innovative when it comes to creativity of the show. We are penetrating equally into the characters, scenes and inter-personal relationships be in terms of father who is a king and his daughter. How they behave behind the doors, how the father talks to his daughter not being a king, these things are not going to be typical. We have gone into the depth of the history. am sure the show is going to be unique in its own way. With the help of Bodhisattva, we have managed to make a good historical set for Jodha Akbar.”

    Ekta Kapoor talks about her comeback on Zee with Jodha Akbar

    Says Kapoor: “Zee is my lucky mascot. I started my career withHum Paanch on Zee. I followed withKasamh Se a huge success. The story of Jodha and Akbar is an intriguing chapter from India’s history. It speaks of love in the time of hate. It is relevant and relatable to present times as well. In India, history books are more incident-based. But we are looking at human stories, characterisations that focus on inter-personal relationships, politics, how they think and communicate.”

    Nearly 11 episodes have been filmed in scenic locations of Jaipur at Sawai Madhopur‘s Nahargarh Haveli (the schedules ran for almost a week) followed by another stint at Kolhapur and finally at the grand ND Studios in, Karjat.

    Heavy investments have been put into the sets, with lots of detailing to rightly depict Akbar’s grand ‘Diwaan-e-khaas‘, ‘Diwaan-e-aam palace‘s and ‘Jodha Mahal‘.

    Kapoor further reveals that history gives a roadmap, incidents, experiences, various dates, and a broad structure of what happened in the past. To add on further, Ekta says, the creative team has been her strength for it is they who are adding colors to the characters and relationships.

    The cast of Jodha Akbar is all set to ‘recreate‘ history

    Prithviraj Chauhan fame Rajat Tokas will be playing Akbar, while Ruk Jaana Nahin second lead fame Paridhi Sharma being his Jodha. Ekta travelled across the country and attended every audition personally to hand-pick the right actors for the roles of Jodha and Akbar.

    In the young and handsome Tokas, Ekta has found the ideal blend of boyish innocence and rugged manliness required for Akabr, says she. She adds: “He is quite mature as an actor. He is an expert in martial arts and horse riding, so he was the perfect choice for her.”

    Ekta went through as many as 7,000 auditions during the course of a nationwide hunt before she gave her final nod to the beautiful Paridhi. Other in the ensemble o the show include prominent actors such as Ashwini Kalsekar playing Mahamanga, a pivotal mother figure in Akbar’s life who saved him from the clutches of death on many an occasion. Chetan Hansraj has been chosen to portray Adham Khan, the mighty son of Mahamanga who has an eye on the Mughal throne.

    Zeel Head Content – Ajay Bhalwankar

    Zeel head content Ajay Bhalwankar states: “Our experience with Jhansi ki Rani gives us the conviction that viewers in India are curious to know more about prominent historical figures. It was a story that was received extremely well because it was told interestingly. The key objective is to highlight to our audiences the power of love and its significant role in making someone a better human being. And on top of that we have a wonderful team consisting between 800 – 1000 who have been working thick and thin for the show. So it will work very well with the audiences at large.”

    He further reveals to indiantelevision.com that the show is going to be the most expensive ever produced for Indian television right from the sets at different locations, costumes, jewellery, weapons and so on.

    Zee TV is leaving no stone unturned in terms of marketing and digital activities. The channel plans to create a virtual historical monument on Facebook giving online users a chance to immortalise their love by inscribing their and their lover’s names on the monument.

    Moreover, Zee intends to create Pinterest boards, familiarising viewers with the architecture, monuments, artefacts, clothes and jewellery from the Mughal era. To top it all, it will also organise edutainment excursions for school children where they will watch the shoot of the show and be taken on a guided tour of the Jodha Akbar sets that resemble Jodha and Akbar palaces, showcasing replicas of the same.

    The channel has tied up with the local Delhi authorities and plans to make the toll booth on the DND Flyover toll-free on 18 June in remembrance of the fact that Emperor Akbar had waived off a pilgrimage tax for all countrymen in his time. Plans are to have stalls serving sherbet outside prominent dargahs in Uttar Pradesh as a goodwill gesture on the launch day.

    Jodha Akbar is going to come up against other long-running fiction series like Balika Vadhu on Colors (2.8 TVR) and newers ones such as Anamika on Sony (0.8 TVR) and the upcoming show Meri Bhabhislated to debut on 17 June on Star Plus.

  • TAM-Broadcaster face-off: Media agencies give their perspective

    TAM-Broadcaster face-off: Media agencies give their perspective

    MUMBAI: The mighty fallout between broadcasters and TAM Media which has left the entire television and media fraternity in a tizzy, will take some time to be mended. While leading broadcasters including MSM, Star India, Viacom18, Zee TV and Network18 obviously think it is okay to unsubscribe from TAM‘s TV ratings service, some media agencies believe that such a sudden halt is not ideal, or rather unfair.

    As ZenithOptimedia managing partner Navin Khemka puts it: “There needs to be an industry metric, a consensus has to be reached. However, just stopping something, which has been in the industry for the past 14 years, is very abrupt and I don‘t agree with it. It could take four to five months to resolve all the issues and there can be a blackout until then. But at the end of everything, an amicable solution has to be reached.”

    A media planner on condition of anonymity said that not subscribing to TAM will not solve any problem. “I expect clients to continue using TAM data. The system is not perfect but there is no alternative. You need some measurement in place. Media buying cannot be done only on the basis of perception.”

    On the contrary, Big CBS business head Anand Chakravarthy says that the company has not yet taken a decision on whether or not to continue with TAM. “We have had issues with data. We have noticed vagaries and we raised it with TAM in the past.”

    He further adds: The issues with data are obvious. A change is needed. It is good that the large broadcasters have noticed it as well. If action can result in a positive change in the ratings system then it is good. A measurement system has to serve a purpose which is helping channels understand what viewers are watching so that they can plan their content better and also help companies plan their ad and marketing campaigns better. If the measurement system is flawed then it does not help either party. You cannot have a measurement system for the sake of it.”

    Khemka throws some light on the contributing factors of this sudden decision taken by the broadcasters: “I think there are a lot of environmental factors responsible for this fallout by the broadcasters- DAS, LC1 and many other factors are at play because of which gauging the viewership has become an issue.”

    Following the fiasco, TAM Media CEO LV Krishnan proposed this morning that he was open to doing away with LC1 markets and deploying people meters elsewhere where they are needed. Asked if removing LC1 cities is a wise solution, most agencies replied in the negative.

    “If you ask me, I think that there should be national representation. Doing away with LC1 is not right and probably not the best solution,” says Khemka.

    Another media planner tells us: “The representation according to me is the issue. The sample size needs to be larger. One thing that the broadcaster‘s decision will do though is wake TAM up and make them do something. If the industry had concerns then TAM should have addressed them.”

    He also thinks that there will be conflict in the future if advertisers rely on TAM but the channels do not. “Things will become clearer in the coming days. But in doing deals if one party (channels) is not using TAM data and the other party (advertisers, agencies) is using TAM data then arguments will happen.”

    Commenting on Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), the alternative suggested by the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), Vivaki exchange CEO Mona Jain says: “I am fine with any organisation until they provide me an authentic viewership data. The idea for BARC has been only conceptualised. So, I won‘t be able to comment anything on this.”

    She also added that “Removing TAM in LC1 markets is not going to help anyone or the data,”

    Either way, probability hints at no ratings in the coming months. In that case, on what basis will advertisers make an informed decision? Khemka tells us the way forward: “For now, we haven‘t received an official statement about the ratings but yes, if all major broadcasters pull out, it will be very difficult for TAM to sustain itself. In the absence of ratings, we would decide on the basis of historical benchmarks and trends. Past records will be our guide.”

  • Star Plus and Sab gain in TAM week 22

    Star Plus and Sab gain in TAM week 22

    MUMBAI: Week 22, TAM ratings. Hindi General Entertainment Channel (GEC) leader Star Plus once again held on to its pole position adding 11 GRPs to increase its total to 249 for the entire week. Sab was the next highest gainer, clipping on an additional 10 GRPs to take its score to 145 GRPs, according to ratings provided by a TV channel.

    Colors gained a couple of GRPs and that helped it maintain its no 2 position with 186 GRPs. Zee TV shed eight GRPs to end the week with 176 GRPs. Sony Entertainment was at no 4 as it gained five GRPs to end the week with 154 GRPs. Life OK gained seven GRPs taking its total tally to 137 GRPs.

    1 June saw a slew of new reality shows fighting it out to be crowned the best weekend prime time slot turning GECs into a war zone with Zee TV, Sony and Colors launching their reality shows at the 9.00 pm time slot.

    There was cut-throat competition among the GECs who spent top dollar in promoting the weekend shows. And going by the current week‘s ratings, Zee TV‘s DID Super Moms apparently has won the prime time war bagging a 3 TVR. On the other hand, popular celebrity dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Ja (JDJ) registered a 2.4 TVR while Sony‘s all new Indian Idol Junior (IIJ) was at 1.8 TVR.

    Numero uno Star Plus‘ chart topper Diya Aur Baati Hum added eyeballs as the show rated 4.1 TVR (3.7 TVR last week). Its long running Yeh Rishta showed an improvement as it ran up a 3.7 TVR (2.8 TVR last week). Pyaar ka Dard another popular series witnessed a jump generating 3.6 TVR (2.9 TVR last week). Fiction series Veera notched up 2.6 TVR (2.1 TVR last week).
    The channel‘s new talent hunt-cum-reality show India‘s Dancing Superstar aired its maha Govinda episode and managed to get 1.5 TVR on Saturday and witnessed a fall to 1.6 (2.6 last week) on Sunday.

    Colors popular celebrity dance reality show JDJ helped them maintained their position this week (it generated 2.4 TVR on Saturday). Colors leading fiction series witnessed a marginal rise with 2.8 TVR (2.6 TVR last week) and Madhubala inched up to 2.6 TVR (2.3 TVR last week).

    Zee TV‘s fictional show Qubool Hai saw a growth to 3 TVR (2.5 TVRlast week), Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke saw a slight growth to 2.2 TVR (2.0 last week), PunarVivaah fell to 1.8 (1.9 TVR). What was surprising was the rating that the Hindi feature film ‘Kai po Che‘ got (a 0.8 TVR on 26 May), Sunday. Other fictional shows seem to be shedding viewers if one goes by the fact that Punar Vivaah witnessed a fall taking it to 1.4 TVR (1.8 last week).

    Fourth placed, Sony Entertainment‘s long running crime series CID showed a marginal improvement as it registered a 2 TVR (1.8 last week); whereas Crime Patrol witnessed a fall as it registered a 1.4 TVR (1.8 last week). Finally, Comedy Circus showed a drop of 0.1 taking Sony‘s tally to 1.3 TVR (1.4 last week). A new historical show Maharana Pratap notched up to 1.5 TVR (0.7 last week). Other fiction shows either held on to their viewership or dipped marginally during the week.

    Sab gained 10 GRPs ending the week with 145 GRPs. Its fiction show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah continues to be the channel lead with 3.1 TVR (2.8 last week). The show‘s maha special episode included Dharmendra who promoted his movie Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 and added 2.4 TVR to the chart. Wah Wah Kya Baat Hai saw a marginal growth taking it to 0.9 TVR (0.6 last week).

    Life OK gained seven GRPs taking it to toll with 137 GRPs (130 last week). Its top series Mahadev continues to lead, with a TVR of 2.4 (1.9 last week). Savdhan India showed a 0.2 improvement taking it to 1.3 TVR (1.1 last week).

    Sahara continued to be at the bottom of the heap with 15 GRPs.

    Movie channels too witnessed marginal decreases: Zee Cinema stayed stable with 103; Star Gold lost few points and rated at 103 GRPs (110 last week) and Movies OK was at 52 GRPs (56 last week).

  • Dish TV slashes losses in FY 2013; outlook improves

    Dish TV slashes losses in FY 2013; outlook improves

    MUMBAI: The Zee TV group DTH service provider Dish TV India Ltd (Dish TV) is slowly but gradually emerging from a sea of red ink; especially if one looks at the company‘s financials for the year ended 31 March 2013. Losses have been more than halved to Rs 66 crore from Rs 133.14 crore in the previous fiscal. Even its quarter losses have been reduced. Additionally, it added new subscribers in Q4 2013 at 200,000, taking up its net subscribers to 10.7 million.

    And things look likely to get even better for it if one goes by the massive 27 per cent it commands of the DTH market, and the fact that it is looking at raising average revenues per user (ARPUs), reducing customer subsidies in the medium term and in the process increasing profitability.

    Let us look at the standalone Q4-2013 results as against the corresponding Q4-2012

    Revenues for Q4 FY 2013 stand at Rs 555.40 crore, a rise of 7.5 per cent from the corresponding last year quarter Rs 516.44 crore. Subscription revenues at Rs 500 crore recorded a growth of 15.3 per cent. Total expenses too went up 7.4 per cent, standing at Rs 580.36 crore in Q4 FY 2013 (Rs 540 crore in Q4 FY 2012). Programming and content cost accounted for a large chunk of this increase rising 34 per cent during this period to Rs 196.72 crore as against Rs 146.76 crore.

    Although Dish TV reported a loss of Rs 43.62 crore, it is a 11 per cent improvement over the Q4-2012‘s loss of Rs 49 crore.

    Let us take a look at the Q4-2013 financials in comparison with Q3-2013

    Revenues in Q4-2013 have marginally decreased by Rs 2.42 crore as against Rs 557.82 crore reported in Q3-2013. While programming and content costs have risen by over 20 per cent to Rs 196.72 crore (Rs 162.69 crore in the immediate preceding quarter), it has got more efficient while reducing its selling and distribution expenses to Rs 74.2 crore (Rs 90 crore.). Additionally, it scaled down its advertising expenses by 30 per cent to Rs 16.6 crore (Rs 23.7 crore). EBITDA in Q4 2013 fell 12.8 per cent to Rs 120 crore against Rs 137.77 crore in Q3-2013. And losses fell to Rs 43.62 crore as opposed to Rs 44.48 crore.

    Dish TV has increased its new subscriber prices and pack prices in the past few months and has managed to bring down its subscriber acquisition cost (SAC) to Rs 1,996 as against Rs 2,201 in the immediate preceding quarter.

    The company added 200,000 net subscribers in Q4-2013- its lowest net new adds for a quarter since 2007 – taking its net subs base to 10.7 million. This low net add figure has alarmed some observers; but this has happened at a time when India is going through a gut wrenching change of digitisation of its cable TV infrastructure. Phase II of digitisation has been moving rather slowly with cable TV operaors in many cities which were supposed to come under the digitisation hammer fighting the government‘s mandate in courts and getting stay orders. So, many subscribers there are continuing to receiving analogue signals and hence have not moved to digital as yet. Hopefully, in the coming days as digitisation moves forward DTH providers will have some spillover benefits of subs moving to digital services.

    Dish TV‘s ARPUs were also lower for Q4-2013 at Rs 157 as against Rs 160 for the immediate preceding quarter.

    Let us look at the consolidated FY-2013 results as against FY-2012

    FY-2013‘s consolidated revenues stood at Rs 2,166.80 crore, a rise of 10.7 per cent as against last fiscal‘s Rs 1957.9 crore. It reported an EBITDA of Rs 575.9 crore as against Rs 496 crore last fiscal (a 16.1 per cent increase) with its EBITDA margin standing at 26.7 per cent.

    It has reported a 5.1 per cent YoY increase in content costs as against an overall increase of 11.5 per cent in total expenses to Rs 2,215 crore (Rs 1,983.8 crore).

    What is noteworthy is the way it has managed to bring down the net loss for FY-2013 to Rs 66 crore compared to Rs 133.14 crore in FY-2012. The earnings per share (EPS) too has shown a massive improvement from a negative Rs 1.25 to a negative Rs 0.62.

    Dish TV has a bouquet of 400 plus channels and it added another five HD channels in April 2013 taking its offering to 42 HD channels and services on its platform. Most analysts are bullish on the stock, currently trading at Rs 64.30.

    Says Dish TV chairman Subash Chandra, “In the media sector, digitisation, though not fully up to speed, holds big potential for the industry. DTH platforms, in particular, look forward to a level playing field contributing to meaningfully higher ARPUs and stickier subscriber bases over time. Dish TV‘s industry leading initiative, to hike acquisition and pack price is likely to be a catalyst to achieve that.”

    Dish TV recently launched India‘s first standard definition recorder, Dish+ with an unlimited recording facility. This was initially launched in the 42 cities covered under Phase 1 and Phase 2 of digitisation and is now available across India as a value for money differentiator over its competitors‘ offerings.

    Dish TV managing director Jawahar Goel points out that fiscal 2013 saw most players in the Indian DTH industry evolve to the next level and Dish TV led the industry and helped it pull off a significant increase in the new subscriber acquistion price over the last several months thereby reducing the effective cash burn per subscriber.

    “While the resultant decline in industry gross additions is marginal, it is expected to be well compensated by the quality of subscribers,” he highlights. “There was no respite though from the multiple taxation which the DTH industry is reeling under. Uncertainty on the rollout of goods & services tax (GST) continues to be an overhang on the earnings potential of the industry,”

    He is quite confident that DTH will score over cable TV thanks to the strong service back up the sector has built and its increasing focus on value growth rather than chasing subscriber numbers.

    “On the digitisation front, the MSO‘s readiness on encryption, packaging, dunning and effective business processes is taking undue time. With increasing expectations, customers however will gradually align to a technologically progressive and service oriented mass-scale platform, albeit at a premium. Dish TV has experienced strong though early signals of churned subscribers getting back to its platform in select markets in the current quarter,” says Goel says in a parting statement.

    Other points for FY 2013 to be noted are:

    * The company set up a 70:30 joint venture company Dish T V Lanka (Pvt) Ltd on 25 April 2012 under the laws of Sri Lanka with Satnet (Pvt Ltd). Satnet has a DTH licence and the joint venture will work on providing DTH related service in the island country.

    * The company has extended the life of the consumer premises equipment (CPE) for depreciation purposes of to five years for equipment activated on or after 1 April 2012. Upto 31 March 2012, in certain cases, the one-time advance contribution towards the CPEs in the form of rental was being recognized over a period of three years from the activation date. There is no significant impact on financial results of the quarter and year-ended 31 March 2013 on account of change in estimate for revenue recognition.

    * Dish TV’s net-worth as at 31 March 2013 is eroded by its accumulated losses. However, the management has prepared the financial results assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern considering that it has adequate resources in the form of operating cash flows, sanctioned credit facilities from lenders and bank deposits to adequately meet its obligations.

    * The name of the Company’s wholly owned subsidiary in Singapore, namely, Dish TV Singapore Pte Limited was changed to Digital Network Distribution Pte Limited on 12 March 2013. The Company entered into a share purchase Agreement dated 19 March 2013 with a party for transfer of its investment at an agreed price of Sing$12,000. On 1 April 2013, the share holding in Digital Network Distribution Pte Limited was transferred and, accordingly, as at 31 March 2013, the investments has been shown under current maturities of long term investment.

    * During the current year, Direct Media Distribution Ventures Pvt. Ltd (formerly known as Dhaka Warriors Sports Pvt Ltd) disinvested its holding in the Company from 59.86% to 45.24% and consequently, it ceases to be the holding company of Dish TV India Limited.

    *Hitherto, the exchange differences arising from foreign currency borrowing to the extent that they are regarded as an adjustment to interest cost, were treated as borrowing cost in terms of AS – 16, “Borrowing Costs.”

    During the year ended 31 March 2013, pursuant to a clarification dated 9 August 2012 from the MCA, the Company has changed the accounting policy w.e.f. from 1 April 2011, to treat the same as “foreign exchange fluctuation”, to be accounted as per AS – 11 “Effects of Changes in Foreign Exchange Rates,” instead of AS – 16 “Borrowing Costs”.

    This change has resulted in a reversal of finance cost of Rs. 70.68 crore and increase in depreciation by Rs. 11.24 crore during the year ended 31 March 2013. The aforesaid change, resulting in a net gain of Rs 59.44 crore, has been shown as ‘exceptional items’ in the financial results for the year ended 31 March 2013. In this regard, if the company had followed the same accounting policy as in the previous year, finance costs for the year would have been higher by Rs 58.41 crore; depreciation expense would have been lower by Rs 14.15 crore and the loss for the year would have been higher by Rs 44.26 crore.

  • Zee TV, Colors gain in TAM week 20; Star Plus continues to lead

    Zee TV, Colors gain in TAM week 20; Star Plus continues to lead

    MUMBAI: Week 20, TAM‘s ratings. Zee was the highest gainer amongst Hindi GECs as it added 10 GRPs to increase these to 184 for the entire week. Colors was the next highest gainer, clipping on an additional nine GRPs to take its total to 174 GRPs.

    According to ratings provided by a TV channel.

    Zee TV‘s gains helped it maintain its No 2 position while Colors‘ growth helped it polevault past Sony Entertainment to the No 3 position. Sony Entertainment was at No 4 as it shed 14 GRPs to end the week with 152 GRPs.

    Star Plus held on to its pole position this week despite gaining only two points to take its tally to 234 GRPs. Its chart topper Diya Aur Baati Hum remained stable with 3.7 TVR (3.8 TVR last week). Pyaar ka Dard was the second most popular Star Plus show with 3.0 TVR (2.9 TVR last week). Its long running Yeh Rishta added eyeballs asthe show rated 2.9 TVR (2.7 TVR last week). The channel‘s new talent hunt-cum-reality show India‘s Dancing Superstar witnessed a TVR fall to 2.8 (3.0 TVR last week) on Saturday only to rise on Sunday with a 2.8 TVR (2.6 TVR last week).

    Zee TV‘s top performer was the fiction series Qubool Hai that remained stable with 2.8 TVR (2.8 last week) followed by Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke that witnessed a fall to 2.4 TVR (2.7 last week). Its reality talent hunt India‘s Best Dramebaaz‘s viewership witnessed a huge growth on Saturday to 2.0 TVR (1.6 last week) and remained stable Sunday with 1.8 TVR (1.8 last week).

    Colors leading fiction series Balika Vadhu continued to be stable with 2.8 TVR (2.8 last week) and Madhubala rated a 2.5 TVR (2.5 last week). Another daily, Uttaran notched a 2.6 TVR (2.4 last week). Sasural Simar Ka ended the week with 2.4 TVR (2.3 TVR last week).

    Fourth placed, Sony Entertainment got a lot of support from its consistent performer CID 2.4 TVR (2.2 last week), whereas Crime Patrol saw a fall while notching up 1.7 TVR (2.0 last week). Finally, Comedy Circus showed a marginal 0.1 improvement as it registered a 1.6 TVR. Other fiction shows either held on to their viewership or dipped marginally during the week.

    Sab maintained status quo with 132 GRPs and was at the No 5 spot. Its fiction show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah continues to be the channel lead with 2.9 TVR (3.0 last week).

    Ditto was the case with Life OK which nearly stayed where it was last week with 122 GRPs (123 last week).

    The controversy around the IPL 6 does not seem to be hampering Max‘s viewers‘ love for the tournament as the channel saw a five point increase in its GRPs to 229 GRPs (224 last week). Sahara continued at the bottom of the heap with with 13 GRPs.

    Movie channels too witnessed increases: Zee Cinema added 10 GRPs to end at 103; Star Gold rated at 105 GRPs (103 last week) and Movies OK was at 54 GRPs (50 last week).