MxMIndia

Category: TV

  • One would hope that shows like Khatron Ke Khiladi do their bit in making a small difference in creating more exposure for a largely inward-looking populace, writes Shailesh Kapoor

    Shailesh Kapoor: Adventure? You’re in the wrong country!

    By Shailesh Kapoor

     

    The new season of Khatron Ke Khiladi (KKK), the Indian adaptation of Fear Factor, went on-air this March. In its fifth season now, KKK was the launch vehicle for Colors in 2008. Barring a forgettable season with Priyanka Chopra as the host, the show has offered top quality production and hosting. Yet, it has met with only limited success on the viewership front. The current season has opened better than the previous ones, and offers more content variety. If the numbers sustain, this may end up being the most successful season till date.

     

    The tough journey of the show does not surprise me. We are not the adventure-loving country where such TV show formats find natural traction. Adventure sports and activities are not only low on awareness in India, even those aware have little inclination to try them. Hence, the experience of any adventure-based TV show is unlikely to be immersive. The adrenalin rush is restricted because of the watch-from-a-distance mindset with which such shows are consumed.

     

    Two other successful television properties use adventure as a theme too. However, they focus more on the human angle to achieve viewer traction. MTV Roadies is about expression of the youth, than about biking. Man vs. Wild is about survival and the human spirit of excelling against all odds. Both are learning and inspiration led, albeit in very different ways.

     

    Go beyond these three shows and you will struggle to recall any other adventure shows in the two-and-a-half-decade history of Indian satellite television. Survivor India, Star Plus’ brush with the genre, was a washout, reinforcing that the success of Roadies and Man vs. Wild is also restricted to a limited audience base, and the wider GEC audience care little about this genre.

     

    Lack of adventure signifies that the market (India) is low on experimentation, exploration and curiosity. We like our lives well planned out, and the focus is on a collective unit (family) than on individual pursuits. This mindset also lowers the appeal of other genres such as travel, food and science, which are led by similar core needs as adventure.

     

    The infotainment genre is the most affected here. To their credit, they have managed to understand the Indian mindset well, and created a steady flow of local programming that is more conducive to the ‘safe’ needs the market caters to.

     

    Over the next few years, one may expect evolution as new generations take over. But with the subject being so inherently cultural in nature, this evolution may happen at snail’s pace, unlike other changes we are seeing around us, e.g. the whole-hearted embracing of technology our country has witnessed over the last decade.

     

    I’m glad Colors has pushed the envelope and kept faith in KKK. Television is a part of the larger pop culture, and one would hope that shows like KKK do their bit in making a small difference in creating more exposure for a largely inward-looking populace.

     

    TV Trails is a weekly column written by Shailesh Kapoor, founder and CEO of media insights firm Ormax Media. He spent nine years in the television industry before turning entrepreneur. The views expressed here are his own. He can be reached at his Twitter handle @shaileshkapoor

     

  • The Hyderabad- and Atlanta-based internet TV provider has parted 10% stake in the company for the consideration

    YuppTV receives investment of Rs 16 cr from Sashi Reddi

    By A Correspondent

     

    Entrepreneur and angel investor Sashi Reddi has invested $2.5 Million (approx Rs 16 crore) in Hyderabad and Atlanta-based internet TV provider YuppTV for a 10 percent stake in the company. This values YuppTV at $25 Million (approx Rs 160 crore). With access to 170 live Indian TV channels and a large movie library, YuppTV now boasts of five million visitors every month.

     

    According to a communiqué, Mr Reddi will join the board and work closely with founder and CEO of YuppTV, Uday Reddy, in building the company to $100 Million revenue in the next three years. YuppTV currently competes with satellite and cable TV operators offering Indian content. Its primary target markets are Indians living in North America, Europe, and Australia. YuppTV clocked revenues of $11 Million (approx. Rs. 70 crores) in 2013. It grew over 100% year-on-year for the last two years.

     

    “I believe that YuppTV is the most dynamic media company to emerge out of India. Under Uday’s leadership, it has the potential to revolutionize how Indian content is consumed globally in the next few years,” stated Mr Reddi, founder and managing partner of SRI Capital. “We are on the verge of a revolution in content delivery and YuppTV is at the forefront of that revolution.”

     

    “All of us at YuppTV are excited to have a seasoned entrepreneur like Sashi Reddi join us in building our company. This is a clear validation of our business strategy to be the #1 player for Indian content distribution globally,” said Uday Reddy, founder and CEO of YuppTV.

     

  • The music video features 9XM's popular animated characters – Bade and Chote

    ‘Who is the idiot’, asks 9XM

    By a correspondent

     

    9XM has created a music video around the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections titled ‘Who is the idiot’. The music video features 9XM’s popular animated characters – Bade and Chote and has been created in collaboration with Artist Aloud, Rapper BlaaZe and Paul J.

     

    Speaking of the music video Soumini Sridhara Paul, Business & Product Head-Artist Aloud said “Artist Aloud is extremely proud to have been instrumental in bringing 9XM on board as a partner to create an Election Campaign offering for the masses. 9XM’s quick response and creativity to bring this song alive is a true example of how magic can happen when you have the right product.”

     

    Speaking of the video Sunder Venketraman, Programming Head 9XM said, “We at 9XM pride ourselves in presenting our viewers with content which is fresh, topical and entertaining. With elections being the most crucial event for our country, we present ‘Who is the Idiot’ as our latest Buzzworthy video. Our collaboration with Artistaloud.com, BlaaZe and Paul J for ‘Who is the Idiot’ music video will surely appeal to our viewers.”

     

    The video will be promoted extensively across digital platforms to reach out to the ever growing connected generation. 9X Media has created several short videos promoting the cause. They will be spread across popular digital hangouts like Facebook, Twitter (#whoistheidiot) Youtube, Google+, whatsapp, BBM, WeChat, Pinterest, Instagram and Vine. The song will also be available in the form of CRBT (SMS IDIOT to 54646) through popular telecom partners.

     

  • Extraaa Innings T20, the flagship match analysis show of IPL T20 has roped in Archana Vijaya and Shibani Dandekar to co-host the show

    Max ropes in Archana, Shibani to co-host EI IPL

    Extraaa innings anchors-Gaurav Kapur, Archana Vijaya, Shibani Dandekar & Samir Kochhar

    By a correspondent

     

    Extraaa Innings T20, the flagship match analysis show of IPL T20 has roped in Archana Vijaya and Shibani Dandekar to co-host the show. They will be teaming along with Samir Kochhar and Gaurav Kapur who are regular faces on the show. The glitz and glamour added by the duo has been cherished by audiences in the past and the girls will be seen adding to the aura once again this year.

     

    Commenting on EI T20, Neeraj Vyas, Executive Vice President and Business Head, MAX said, “Extraaa Innings T20 has always engaged and attracted audiences across ages groups and regions, be it true cricket enthusiasts or viewers who look forward for the entertainment quotient , EI T20 possesses a perfect blend of both. We are very happy that Archana Vijaya and Shibani Dandekar are back to add to the glam quotient along with the proficient anchors Samir Kochhar and Gaurav Kapur.”

     

    This year, MAX will also offer viewer’s an in-depth analysis in Hindi with comments from the expert panel which include cricket stalwarts like Navjot Singh Sidhu and Ajay Jadeja. For the first time, former Pakistan captain and coach Waqar Younis will be associated with Extraaa Innings along with show regulars like Ramiz Raja, Arun Lal and Isa Guha.

     

  • A quick chat with Ravish Kumar, EVP Viacom18 and Business Head, ETV Kannada who is riding high on the success of ETV Kannada.From a #5 two years back, the channel has emerged as a strong #2 in the Kannada GEC space.

    Jaldi 5 with Ravish Kumar, ETV Kannada: Movies are like steroids, they do great things for the channel but one should never get used to them

    A quick chat with Ravish Kumar, EVP Viacom18 and Business Head, ETV Kannada who is riding high on the success of ETV Kannada. From a #5 two years back, the channel has emerged as a strong #2 in the Kannada GEC space. Driving synergies from the Viacom18 bouquet with the Kannada remake of Madhubala (Ashvini Nakshatra) and Balika Vadhu (Puttagowri Madhuve), it is the slot leader in the fiction genre with the shows constantly crossing the 900TVT mark.

     

    01. From #5 in 2012 to #2 in 2014, ETV Kannada has taken rapid strides. What would you attribute this success to?

    Well I would like to attribute this success to three things – People, Programming and Passion.

     

    The entire journey from being at # 5 to now being at #.2 has been totally driven by the kind of content we produce and showcase on our channel that is overlooked by our Programming Head Parameshwar Gundhkal. Under him, we have our Fiction Head Chitrasri and our Nonfiction Head Raghav and it’s them and the amazing attitudes of the team that has helped us become a success story. This team has a proven track record, they have an intuitive understanding of the Kannadiga consumer and their needs. Coupled with interesting concepts for shows across genres, this is now a dream team to work with.

     

    Secondly, at ETV Kannada, our aim and belief is to play on pure-content/programming philosophy. On the non-fiction front, ‘Bigg Boss’ was a big gamechanger for us and then working on strength to strength we followed up by a show called ‘Indian’ that is a home grown format and right now we are doing ‘The Dancing Star’ wherein we have licensed the content from BBC and we are producing it which makes for a hybrid format. All three formats of programming seem to work for us and provide the same numbers.

     

    Lastly, being a young and creative team at ETV Kannada the content on-air reflects the enthusiasm, passion and the creativity of the team. Like on the fiction front, we had reached a plateau with the ratings for our show Ashvini Nakshatra and we needed to peg the marriage of an ordinary girl to a superstar on a large scale. We brought in the wife of southern superstar Sudeep Kicha to give tips to our protagonist on what it’s like to be married to a superstar and cut a promo on that which had the TRPs plummeting upwards thereafter.

     

    02. There is a charge from purists that the channel lacks enough original Made-in-Kannada programming, given that you have Madhubala and Balika Vadhu remakes, dubbed international shows etc. Comment?

    Well, we have experimented with both – fiction and non-fiction programmes. So while in the non-fiction line-up we have the remake of ‘Bigg Boss’ , at the same time we have built our own IPR with ‘Indian’ that gave us the same ratings. On the fiction front, we have 5 shows that feature in the top, of which 3 are original programming led- Charanadaasi/ Lakshmibaramma and Agni Sakshi followed by Ashvini Nakshatra (Madhubala) and Puttagowri Madhuve (Balika Vadhu) that are remakes. Both models of airing original content and adaptations that suit the sensibilities of the Kannada market have worked successfully for us.

     

    03. ETV Marathi has seen much success with KHMC. While Suvarna has had the KBC in Kannada, is it a format that you would look at acquiring in future?

    Well, we are always looking at adapting big format shows to the Kannada market and if this opportunity comes our way, then we would be open to it.

     

    04. Since ETV has in its bouquet a slew of Indian language channels, are there any characteristics of the Kannada channel that are noteworthy vis-a-vis the others

    The Kannadiga viewers have a voracious appetite for content but content that is well-made. They have a flair for adventure – they love shows like Indian that are task led, wherein the contestants have to walk the talk and prove themselves. Bigg Boss is a format that is a perfect blend of high voltage drama and emotions that brings out the voyeur in viewers across regions including the Kannadigas. They appreciate drama that is both relatable and progressive which is supported by our fiction programmes and these are their basic characteristics.

     

    05. It’s interesting that you’ve grown despite showing Kannada films. Is that going to stay as is or will you change as you go along especially as you take a shot on reaching #1?

    Well we are the only channel in the Kannada GEC space that do not rely on movies for gaining viewership. I personally believe that movies are like steroids as it does great things for the channel but one should never get used to them. Also in the coming future, the strategy/thought will probably not really change since the movie acquisition market has reached a point where it is not economically viable to acquire films.

     

  • Reasons being attributed to in social media are baseless, says Ritu Dhawan India TV MD & CEO

    India TV confirms QW Naqvi’s exit

    QW Naqvi

    By A Correspondent

     

    In an official statement issued late on Monday, India TV has confirmed that Q W Naqvi has resigned as Editorial Director.

     

     

    Ritu Dhawan
    Rajat Sharma

    Ritu Dhawan, India TV MD & CEO confirmed the development. “We have accepted his resignation and asked Naqvi to serve his notice period,” she said, adding: “We are surprised at the reasons being attributed to it in the social media. Such reasons are baseless, and we condemn the effort being made to use it for political gains.”

     

    India TV Chairman Rajat Sharma added: “There is a continuous attempt by some people to defame electronic media which has been officially condemned by broadcasters. We in the news media have covered several elections in the past and will cover many more, we cannot allow our industry to become a tool in the hands of interested parties during elections.”

     

    Mr Naqvi, a seasoned campaigner in news television, had joined India TV in October 2013. While we are not sure of where he’s moving next, there are rumours that he may be in discussions with a political party to contest the elections.

     

  • Salman Khan has turned a barber, Harbhajan Singh became a namkeen seller, Mika Singh a chaiwala, Ranbir Kapoor as a vada pav seller, Karan Johar as a photographer… all the celebs in Season One of 'Mission Sapne' will perfom pro bono in the Colors and Tata Motors initiative for underprivileged children

    Tata Motors joins Colors and celebs for ‘Mission Sapne’

    By A Correspondent

     

    For a channel that does such big ticket entertainment shows like Khatron Ke Khiladi, Bigg Boss, 24 and of course a slew of top-rated serials, ‘Mission Sapne’ is a unique concept in societal welfare. And now Tata Motors has joined Colors on this special initative for underprivileged individuals that starts on Sunday, April 27 at 8pm.

     

    To be hosted by popular actress Sonali Bendre, brings together celebrities from various walks of life and encourages them to leverage their fame for the benefit of the common man. As a part of the show, audiences will get an opportunity to see their favourite celebrities step into the shoes of the common man for a day and earn their daily wage.

     

    Season one of the show will see Salman Khan turning a barber, Varun Dhawan being a pattiwala, Harbhajan Singh as a namkeen seller, Mika Singh as a chaiwala, Ranbir Kapoor as a vada pav seller, Karan Johar as a photographer and the list goes on.  The celebs will use their talent, wit and star persona to bring a change in their ordinary and tough life.  Each of the celebrities have participated in the show pro bono.

     

    Speaking about the partnership, Ankush Arora, SVP – Passenger Vehicles Business Unit (Commercial), Tata Motors, said, “At Tata Motors, we have always believed in putting our customers first and through our association, with Colors for Mission Sapne, we hope to ingrain this thought further amongst our audiences. The show’s focus on working towards the betterment of the society has struck a chord in our hearts and we look forward to contributing, in our own little way, towards this cause.”

     

    Raj Nayak

    Speaking about their latest venture, Raj Nayak, CEO, Colors says, “We are extremely delighted to announce our partnership with a like-minded organization like- Tata Motors through this property. We’re also very thankful to each and every celebrity who voluntarily joined us for this noble cause.”

     

  • This year, the focus was on 'The Curious Minds' study which has thrown some interesting insights on how today's young people are evolving

    MTV YMF focuses on ‘The curious minds’

    By a correspondent

     

    MTV India organized the MTV Youth Marketing Forum that looked at ways to decode the youth of today. This year, the focus was on ‘The Curious Minds’ study which has thrown some interesting insights on how today’s young people are evolving.

     

    Aditya Swamy

    Explaining the theme, Aditya Swamy, Executive Vice President and Business Head of MTV India, said, “Curious Minds is the largest insight study we have commissioned in terms of the spread of the study. We have brought in fresh new techniques to collect and analyse the data. The headline of what has emerged is that today young people are using their curiosity to curate their lives. It was a great pleasure for me to share this with our business partners in order to build a strong connect with young people through cutting edge content.”

     

    Every year, MTV undertakes an extensive research to understand what makes its core audience – the youth – make the choices that they do. The findings and insights gathered from this research are then presented through interactive seminars and presentations every year at the MTV Youth Marketing Forum. This year, MTV had conversations with more than 11,000 young people across more than 40 cities across Sec A & B in India to find out what exactly makes them tick. MTV has spoken to youth across 13-25 years as the definition of youth is getting stretched.

     

    This year at the MTV Youth Marketing Forum, MTV invited some of the best known marketers, trend hunters and thought leaders from across the globe to come together and dissect the bold and ever-changing world of the youth. The day saw trend presentations and interactive sessions delivered by content creators, brand bosses and everything in between.

     

  • To premier on April 28, Har Mushkil Ka Hal – Akbar Birbal will be backed up by a multimedia marketing plan

    Big Magic announces Akbar-Birbal historical comedy

    By A Correspondent

     

    Big Magic, the Reliance Broadcast Network Ltd Hindi entertainment channel, has announced the launch of an Akbar-Birbal banter-based daily shop starting April 28.

     

    Featuring Kiku Sharda as Akbar, Delnaz Irani as Jodha, Vishal Kotial as Birbal and Kishwar Merchant as the courtesan in love with Birbal, the show will air at 9pm each weeknight.

     

    According to a statement issued by BIG Magic, the adaptation will ensure unmatched and unseen comedy entertainment. “The format and offering of the show is in keeping with our channel positioning of India’s first light entertainment channel and we are proud to be offering audiences India’s first historical comedy.”

     

  • The move will bring in a concentrated effort towards building both the channels in the space

    Sujay Kutty is Channel Head, ETV Bangla & Oriya

    By a correspondent

     

    Regional general entertainment network ETV announced the appointment of Sujay Raghavan Kutty as Channel Head – ETV Bangla and ETV Oriya. With a view to strengthen the eastern region, the move will bring in a concentrated effort towards building both the channels in the space.

     

    In his new role Sujay will report to Ravish Kumar, Executive Vice President and Business Head – Regional Channels|ETV Oriya, ETV Bangla & ETV Kannada.

     

    Based out of Kolkata, Sujay brings with him over 18 years of experience and has worked extensively in the media & entertainment industry with a keen focus on regional general entertainment channels.

     

    Speaking on the appointment Ravish Kumar, Executive Vice President and Business Head – Regional Channels |ETV Oriya, ETV Bangla & ETV Kannada said, “The appointment of Sujay will just help us take this growth to the next level. His in-depth understanding and experience in the eastern markets will truly help us transform the Bengali & Oriya GEC landscape via innovative, intriguing and incredible content that will entertain and enthrall viewers.”

     

    In his previous assignment Sujay was Business Head for Zee Bangla & Zee Bangla Cinema.

     

  • Sorbojeet Chatterjee has joined ZEEL as Senior Vice President, Marketing for the cluster of Hindi GECs

    Sorbojeet Chatterjee moves from dna to Zeel

    By A Correspondent

     

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd has announced the appointment of Sorbojeet Chatterjee as Senior Vice President, Marketing for the cluster of Hindi GECs including Zee TV, Zee Anmol, Smile, 9X and Zee TV HD channels. For his responsibilities, Mr Chatterjee will report to Akash Chawla, Executive Vice President and Marketing Head – National Channels, ZEEL. Another movement announced is that of Sapangeet Rajwant who will take over as Zee TV – Marketing Head and will report to Mr Chatterjee.

     

    Mr Chatterjee brings with him 13 years of experience from both sides of the media business – the creative side as a copywriter and the business side in marketing and strategy. He moves from the Zee Media Corp-owned dna where he was designated as Senior VP – Marketing. His earlier stints have been with Neo Sports Broadcast Pvt Ltd as Vice President Marketing, TV Today Network as Head of Marketing and Special Projects and Gslot.com as Copywriter. He has extensive media marketing experience across television, print and radio brands. He is also an avid quizzer and has been active on various industry forums and associations.

     

     

  • Naveen Jhunjhunwala replaces Preet Dhupar to the top role

    Jhunjhunwala appointed COO at BBC Global News

    By A Correspondent

     

    Naveen Jhunjhunwala has been appointed COO of BBC Global News India. Jhunjhunwala, who was previously with Turner International India as VP for corporate finance and administration, replaces Preet Dhupar who moved on following her decade-and-a-half stint with the company.

     

    At Turner, Jhunjhunwala helped launch the company’s India operations including the CN subscription business, launch of new channels like HBO, POGO and WB. He also helped set up the Zee Turner distribution JV, including MediaPro as well as CNN-IBN. Prior to Turner, he was with Ernst & Young in New Delhi.

     

    Apart from handling finance, Jhunjhunwala will also be responsible for determining BBC’s commercial priorities and targets for news across the country as well as ad revenue, content distribution and audience growth.