MxMIndia

Category: TV

  • This Christmas get ready to witness an action packed line up of films from 25th December to 1st January at 8.45pm everyday

    UTV Action showcases mighty action heroes in ‘Christmas Brave Hearts’

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ushering in the festive season, the all new UTV Action is set to give viewers a power-packed experience. In line with its new tagline – Home of the Warriors, UTV Action presents a special line up of blockbusters featuring iconic action heroes in Christmas Brave Hearts starting from December 25 till January 1 at 8.45 pm every night.

     

    The high octane line up of films starts with the 2010 thriller The Tourist and includes gripping films like The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, Terminator Salvation, Legion and many more. Christmas Brave Hearts will also feature new titles like Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and Twilight which will be showcased for the very first time on the channel.

     

    Christmas Brave Hearts will be supported by an on air and outdoor campaign comprising of hoardings and ambient branding in multiplexes. Commenting on the festival, Sameer Ganapathy, Business Head, UTV Action said: “The refreshed UTV Action takes pride in giving viewers access to the best of Hollywood action. Christmas Brave Hearts is specially designed to bring the biggest action heroes to the viewers and will showcase several new titles for the first time on the channel.”

     

    UTV Action was launched in January, 2010 and showcases the best of Hollywood in Hindi and provides viewers the one stop destination to enjoy the best of action content starring the world’s biggest heroes.

     

     

     

  • The crowds waiting for a chance to audition proved the show's popularity

    Dance India Dance 3 premieres on December 24 at 8.30 pm

    By A Correspondent

     

    The serpentine queue that had gathered outside the audition venue was evidence enough to prove how eagerly the youth ofDelhiand entire Northern regions ofIndiawere waiting forIndia’s No 1 dance reality show, Dance India Dance to return.

     

    The masters, Geeta Kapoor, Terence Lewis and Remo D Souza,  recognized every contestant’s dedication and passion to win the ‘Taqdeer ka Topi’. What touched the masters was not how they performed, but their sincerity towards dance as an art form.

     

    A nondescript Furkhan hailing from a family of autorickshawallahs mesmerised the judges with his excellent robotics act. Physically-challenged Sunny Kumar brought tears to the eyes of the Masters. Remo DSouza’s duplicates – Vinod Kumar and Afsar Ansari – kept everyone in splits.

     

    Another NRI contestant, Anastasia, born and brought up inBelarus, a landlocked country inEastern Europegot hooked on to the show by watching Dance India Dance episodes on the internet. The turning point in her life came when she met her Indian parents who adopted her and she decided to settle inIndia. She also changed her name to Mansi and started taking lessons from a renowned Kathak exponent inDelhi. She was already adept at contemporary dance style and picked up the traditional Indian dance form quickly.

     

    On getting an opportunity to audition inDelhi, she was overwhelmed with emotions after performing in front of Remo, Geeta and Terence.

     

    The highlight of the auditions was Raghav Juyal who takes pride in calling himself ‘Crockroach’, explaining “I like the power of a crocodile and the creepiness of a coackroach!” His popping act was one that has never been seen on television before!

     

    To watch their journey, tune into Dance India Dance Season 3, premiering this Saturday, December 24,  at 8:30pm on Zee TV.

     

  • Will now handle the media sales function for KBS World, the international TV channel from South Korea

    Aidem Ventures to handle advertising sales for KBS World (South Korea)

    By A Correspondent

     

    Aidem Ventures,India’s leading independent media consulting, marketing and advertising sales company, will now handle the media sales function for KBS World, the international TV channel fromSouth Korea.  The channel is being distributed and broadcast via pay TV operators around the world, including Reliance Big TV inIndia.

     

    Announcing the appointment, Tae-Ho Sung, Senior Manager, Channel & Content Business – KBS said: “KBS is very happy to sign a deal with Aidem Ventures for media sales of the KBS World channel inIndia. In the years to come, we will be steadily developing the local advertising business into a significant revenue source by jointly teaming up with Aidem Ventures and Coast Road Media.”

     

    KBS World was represented in this transaction by Stuart Tenzer of Coast Road Media LLC. Neena Dasgupta, Head – International and Digital Businesses, Aidem Ventures said in a statement: “We are pleased to include KBS World in our steadily increasing bouquet of international offerings. The presence of KBS World shall further enhance our sales bouquet to advertisers and agencies. Besides, the association will also help KBS effectively leverage our robust media sales revenue management, broad base of relationships and our extensive domain knowledge and expertise, thus making it a mutually beneficial arrangement.”

     

    The India-South Korea relationship has grown in almost all dimensions – political, cultural and economic. With the establishment of the Free Trade Agreement between the two counties, Korean companies such as LG, Hyundai and Samsung have established manufacturing and service facilities inIndia, and several Korean construction companies are involved in the many infrastructural building plans inIndia, such as the National Highways Development Project. This has resulted in the development of a small but significant community of Korean professionals and their families’ who now work and live inIndia.

     

    As both countries have identified a convergence of interests, the seeping in of South Korean media into our country is bound to strengthen the foundation for deeper cultural ties.

     

    KBS World forms a part ofSouth Korea’s broadcasting major Korean Broadcasting System (KBS). KBS World’s programming mix comprises of the best of dramas, documentaries and entertainment programs. The channel enjoys a leader’s position in terms of prime time news with an average 20% rating or higher while the total network achieves around 60% rating. Annually, the company produces 19,000 hours of content, including mainly drama, but also documentaries, music programs, animation for kids, reality and entertainment formats, which distributes worldwide.

  • India’s most prestigious food platform honours the finest in the culinary world, Delhi NCR voted as the 'Best Foodie City' of the country

    NDTV Good Times Food Awards celebrate the best in the food industry

    By A Correspondent

     

    NDTV Good Times,India’s first premium lifestyle channel, hosted the second edition of the NDTV Good Times Food Awards at The Westin, Gurgaon on Saturday. The channel honoured top restaurants, restaurateurs and chefs from across the nation in a gala awards ceremony. The venue resonated with the presence of celebrated faces, food enthusiasts, restaurant owners, chefs and other noted guests.

     

    Within a year the NDTV Good Times Food Awards have become the definitive standard to the best in the industry. With an unmatched expert panel that is unbiased and uncompromising when it comes to food, the awards have become the last word in the food and beverage space.

     

    Among the many highlights of the event, was a Sufi jugalbandi by The Mekaal Hasan Band and Harshdeep Kaur. The Highway on My Plate duo, Rocky & Mayur kept the audience in splits with their humour and charm.

     

    An addition to this year’s award categories was the Viewer’s Choice Award. This was a single award category where the viewers got an opportunity to decide theBestFoodieCitythrough their votes and Delhi NCR was unanimously selected by the viewers.

     

    The winners were selected by a highly qualified jury comprising of NDTV award winning anchor Vinod Dua, celebrity chef Ritu Dalmia, food critic Marut Sikka, popular anchor and chef Aditya Bal, restaurateur and chef Vicky Ratnani and Highway Stars Rocky & Mayur.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Smeeta Chakrabarti, CEO, NDTV Lifestyle said: “We are delighted with the overwhelming response to the second edition of NDTV Good Times Food Awards. We are happy to see not only the industry, but also viewers from across the country voted for their favourite nominees. I would like to congratulate all the winners on behalf of the entire team of NDTV Good Times.”

     

    The list of NDTV Good Times Food Awards winners:

    Best North Indian Restaurant: Karim’s Hotel, Old Delhi

    Best Coastal Indian Restaurant: Gajalee, Mumbai

    Best Regional Restaurant: Ponuswamy, Chennai

    Best Asian Restaurant: Bomra’s,Goa

    Best Dessert & Coffee Menu: L’Opera,New Delhi

    Best Bar: The Blue Fog, Mumbai

    Best European Restaurant: Indigo, Mumbai

    Most Sensational Debut: Smoke House Room,New Delhi

    All time favourite Restaurant: Flury’s, Kolkata

    Best Dhaba: Fadtare Misal Pao,Kolhapur

    BestFoodieCity:DelhiNCR

  • The channel has grown by almost 15% since the previous week to consolidate its No.1 status

    Channel [V] No.1 for 6 weeks

    By A Correspondent

     

    Channel [V], the youth entertainment channel from the Star Network, has maintained its leadership in the youth entertainment genre for six consecutive weeks.

     

    With an alltime high of 37 GRPs for week 50, Channel [V] has left its nearest competitors far behind. The channel has grown by almost 15 percent since the previous week to consolidate its No.1 status, while MTV & Bindass are 25 percent behind in GRPs.

     

    Prem Kamath, Executive VP and GM, Channel [V], said, “Our performance over the last quarter clearly shows the depth of our understanding of this genre and our audience. All our properties, whether on-air or otherwise, are planned keeping in mind our researched understanding of youth.”

     

    With a healthy reach of 33 percent and a time spent of 34 minutes being almost 50 percent higher than MTV, the genre is overwhelmed with shows from [V]. The ratings reveal that 17 out of the Top 20 shows are from Channel [V].

     

    The youth & music genre has garnered a market share of 7.6 percent with 251 GRPs (up from 248 GRPs last week). Total TV was at 3308 GRPs (0.5% growth from 3291 GRPs last week). Channel [V] is leading in the CS4+, CS 15-34 or CS 10-14 groups.

     

    *Source: TAM Wk50, HSM CS 15-24 ABC, HSM Markets, Weekly GRPs

  • CNN-IBN is all set to host Indian of the Year 2011 in New Delhi on December 16, 2011. The award recognizes and honours those Indians whose endeavours have set an example and done the country proud.

    CNN-IBN’s Indian of the Year on Friday

    By Akash Raha

     

    CNN-IBN is all set to host Indian of the Year 2011 in New Delhi on December 16, 2011. In its sixth edition, this initiative will celebrate and honour famous personalities from various walks of life. The chief guest at this occasion will be Speaker of the Lok Sabha Meira Kumar.

     

    Speaking about the event, Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-in-Chief, CNN-IBN, IBN7 & IBN-Lokmat, said, “CNN-IBN Indian of the Year awards have created a benchmark of excellence in choosing the most influential and deserving winners. The immense success of the award in the past has raised the bar for this initiative and we are looking forward to a great show this year as well.”

     

    These iconic Indians will be chosen from five different categories – Politics, Sports, Business, Entertainment and Public Service. The awards are chosen by a four-tier selection process which includes nominations from the Network18 editorial board, ratification by the jury, and voting by the electoral college and Indian citizens.

     

    The CNN-IBN Indian of the Year winners in the past have been:

    2010 – Nitish Kumar

    2009 – A R Rahman

    2008 – G Madhavan Nair & Team Chandrayaan

    2007 – E Sreedharan

    2006 – Dr Manmohan Singh

  • A Poem Is… is a short-form animated series showcasing poems for children set to scenes and imagery from classic Disney films and Tasty Time with ZeFronk will encourage kids to cook and have lots of fun along the way

    Disney Junior launches animated series for holidays

    By A Correspondent

     

    Disney Junior, the learning-focused block for kids aged 2-7 on Disney Channel, will usher in the holiday season beginning December 19 with the launch of two brand new short-form series – A Poem Is… and Tasty Time with Chef ZeFronk. These shorts will play out multiple times daily on Disney Channel.

     

    Arnab Chaudhuri, executive director content and creative, Walt Disney Television International India, said, “The launch of these new series further demonstrates Disney Junior’s dedication to programming that highlights the importance of great, heartfelt storytelling with learning components. Both A poem is… and Tasty Time with ZeFronk are wonderful additions to the already robust offerings from Disney Junior and showcase how Disney’s content strives to entertain and inspire learning while embracing positive values.”

     

    A Poem Is… is a short-form animated series showcasing poems for children set to scenes and imagery from classic Disney films including Dumbo, Bambi and Lady and the Tramp. Narrated by award winning actress and poetry enthusiast Shabana Azmi in Hindi, and well-known actor-director Suhasini Ratnam in Tamil and Telugu, the series is designed to bring back fond memories of Disney classics for parents and cultivate new ones for kids by introducing the young children to the beauty of poems. Featured poems include works by Robert Louis Stevenson, John Howard Payne, A.A. Milne and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, among others.

     

    One of the versatile personalities of the Tamil film industry, Suhasini Ratnam said, “Children these days learn poetry only to score marks in school. This series is about making poetry interesting for them and it’s only right that somebody fond of the language does it.”

     

    Award winning actress and poetry enthusiast Shabana Azmi said, “Children typically respond well to reading and writing poetry, as it fuels their imagination and creativity and allows them to express themselves. Some of the poems are going to be sentimental and sweet, the kind that will warm a mom’s heart, and some of them will be silly and funny to make kids giggle and laugh.”

     

    Disney Junior will also feature a series of five-minute long shorts, Tasty Time with ZeFronk, encouraging kids to cook with their families and have lots of fun along the way. Well-known comic actor Omi Vaidya will lend his voice to chef ZeFronk who will host the fun-filled cooking show from his doghouse with his assistant, a songbird named Sue.

     

    Chef ZeFronk’s voice Omi Vaidya said, “Being an ardent fan of the channel since childhood, it feels great to voice a Disney show. The highlight of the show is that it involves a lot of fun and learning at the same time.”

     

    In addition to the fun-filled shows on TV, Disney Junior will soon be available as a special magazine with tons of activities and stories. This is in addition to a series of DVDs featuring select Disney Junior shows already available at retail. Parents and caregivers can also access loads of games and on-line activities of Disney Junior content online through a dedicated section on www.disney.in.

     

  • Kareena Kapoor and Katrina Kaif are hot contenders for the spot for the BIG Star Entertainment Awards

    Kat and Bebo in race for the Best Actress in romantic role

    By A Correspondent

     

    Kareena Kapoor, popularly known as Bebo, has always been the dream co-star of many a successful hero, especially the three Khans – Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Shahrukh Khan. The three Khans have delivered smashing box office hits with the reigning queen with her co stars.

     

    But Katrina Kaif, Salman Khan’s close friend and confidant, is slowly emerging as the darling of the masses. Both girls are absolutely brilliant on and off screen too.

     

    Kareena has given powerful performances, be it Jab We Met, 3 Idiots or Ra One. Kat isn’t lagging behind, after wowing audience with Rajneeti, Tees Maar Khan, and My Brother Ki Dulhan.

     

    Now Bebo and Kat are hot favourites contenders for Best Actress in Romantic Role for the BIG Star Entertainment Awards.

  • According to the November edition of Characters Youth Loves (CYL) – Rannvijay from MTV Roadies is the most popular character among the youth. Rannvijay was at the No 1 position in the last track as well, which was conducted during June-July this year.

    Rannvijay, most popular non-fiction character among youth: Ormax Media

    By A Correspondent

     

    According to the November edition of Characters Youth Loves (CYL) – Rannvijay from MTV Roadies is the most popular character among the youth. Rannvijay was at the No 1 position in the last track as well, which was conducted during June-July this year.

     

    This track has seen two new entrants in the Top 5 of CYL – Amitabh Bachchan for Kaun Banega Crorepati at No 2 and Salman Khan for Bigg Boss 5 at No 3.

     

    Raghu of MTV Roadies has moved down to the No 4 position from No 2 in the last track. Hrithik Roshan continues to be at the No 5 as a host for Just Dance.

     

    Characters Youth Loves is a quarterly study done to track the favourite reality show characters (contestants, hosts and judges) among the youth, along with reasons for preference. The study was conducted among 1120 male and female respondents, 15-24 years, SEC AB, across four cities – Mumbai, Delhi, Lucknow and Bhopal.

     

    Ormax Media is a research and consulting firm specialising in the entertainment business. The company has also developed a series of proprietary research tools and syndicated products for the entertainment business.

  • Records a 5.24 TVR among all kids (CS 4-14 ABC) in HSM and 4.4 TVR among all kids (CS 4-14 ABC) in All India.

    Disney Channel’s Doraemon Movie delivers the best ratings

    By A Correspondent

     

    The premiere of Doraemon – Nobita’s Dinosaur on Disney Channel has delivered the best viewership performance since 2005 for a kid’s show at 5.24 TVR among all kids (CS 4-14 ABC) in HSM, beating its own record rating of 4.3 TVR for Doraemon in Nobita’s Great Adventure in the South Seas  which was telecast June 5.

     

    The channel received an overwhelming response across all channels with 33% share of viewing in Hindi Speaking Markets (HSM) and 28% share of viewing in allIndiaduring the primary telecast of the movie.

     

    The premiere ranked #1 across the time slot in the kids genre with 66% share of viewing in HSM and 63% in All India among all kids (CS 4-14 ABC).

     

    The viewership in certain markets was particularly noteworthy withPunjab(1 Mn+) showcasing double digit TVR with 10.55. This was followed byDelhiat 8.71 TVR, UP at 8.11 TVR, among others.

     

    “It is wonderful to see kids and families enjoy Disney Channel’s rich menu of content. Doraemon has an engaging storyline and a familiar setting that every Indian kid can relate to. This success is testament to the unique way in which Disney engages with its kids and family audience at multiple levels,” said Natasha Malhotra, VP and GM, Walt Disney Television International India.

     

    Across the week, over 17.9 million individuals and 6.5 million kids tuned into movie from All India.

     

    In addition to its popularity with Disney Channel audience, Doraemon has also been ranked as the #1 character for kids across India by Ormax India in October 2011.

  • Shemaroo Entertainment pays fulsome tribute to the evergreen hero of Hindi cinema, Dev Anand, with dedicated YouTube channels showcasing the songs picturised on him.

    Your fill of Dev Anand on Shemaroo

    By A Correspondent

     

    Shemaroo Entertainment salutes the energy of the evergreen romantic hero of Indian Cinema – Dev Anand. No one can forget the puffed hairstyle, his angular, swinging walk, his sing-song dialogue delivery and the songs picturised on him.

     

    Now you can watch all your favourite Dev Anand songs on FilmiGaane, a channel by Shemaroo Entertainment on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL12C875791E905B04&feature=view_all.

     

    The channel has about 150 evergreen Dev Anand songs, and one can also can enjoy specially created playlist of songs featuring Dev Anand with his wife Kalpana Kartik at http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL90731E2132821A1D&feature=view_all

     

    The channel also has a special playlist of Dev Anand’s collaboration with S D Burman which can be on accessed at http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1D403A1C0FF73A93&feature=view_all

     

    The channel also provides free preview of 15 minutes of Dev Saab’s movies Asli Naqli and Jali Note at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpJluh0nkhM and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yThGz0U33vY

     

    The channel also provides a link, https://www.facebook.com/events/227571690647532/?notif_t=event_invite, where viewers can share thoughts about his work.

  • Saregama ties up with UTV Bindass to revive mainstream popular music

    Saregama, UTV Bindass tie up for music talent show

    By A Correspondent

     

    Saregama India has announced the launch of a new platform for popular mainstream artists to reach iconic heights in the music world called ‘Saregama’s Icons Nxt’ with UTV Bindass.

     

    Saregama will create original music and will promote it on UTV Bindass. The initiative has yielded five exciting young talents and their performances will be showcased on UTV Bindass in a variety of contemporary genres. The artists that are being featured are of the likes of Samar and Sanam, Phoenyx, Nasha, Paapi 4 and The Dhol Factory.

     

    Apurva Nagpal, MD, Saregama India said, “There has been a huge vacuum in the pop genre in India for many years. This is an endeavour to resurrect the genre.”

     

    Adarsh Gupta, Business Head-Music, Saregama India said, “Saregama Icons Nxt with UTV Bindass is a platform to launch a wave of new artists year-on-year for reviving mainstream popular music. We believe that going forth this will be the leading platform for creating music icons of the next generation. We have tied up with several partners to promote this flagship property across platforms.”

     

    Keith Alphonso, Business Head – UTV Bindass, said, “There is nothing new about the innate connection between music and youth. The youth has consistently defined the next wave of music. To create the next generation of music icons we are pleased to partner with Saregama Icons Nxt to promote the country’s finest and most talented young musicians. Through this partnership we look forward to further strengthen our connect with music and thereby with our audiences too.”

     

    David MacDonald, Head of YouTube Partner Operations, Asia Pacific said, “We’re very excited to see a leading industry label like Saregama stepping forward to give budding singers and artists a platform to showcase their work and earn the praise they deserve. India is home to many talented singers and YouTube is a democratic platform that provides a unique opportunity to every individual to express themselves and pursue their passion online. Over the years we’ve seen many artists use YouTube to showcase their work, connect with their fans and become a overnight success. We’re confident that initiatives like these will go a long way in recognising and celebrating the independent artists in the country.”

     

    Talent house, a global talent networking portal that addresses artists across creative initiatives is also supporting the endeavour, having agreed to front the search for this property for the next five seasons. Arun Mehra, CEO, Talenthouse India said, “Talenthouse is the world’s largest collaborative platform undertaking crowd sourcing creative invite’s for globally renowned industry names like U2, Metallica, Lady Gaga, Maroon 5, etc. We, at Talenthouse India are excited and looking forward to provide opportunities for creative artists to showcase their talent in India. Saregama India will be the perfect collaborative partner for the same”.

     

    Flipkart, one of the largest Indian online shopping stores, has come on board to promote and retail the artist albums with heavy online support across platforms. They have initiated a pre booking feature for sale of CDs online.

     

    Nokia has partnered Saregama India to launch the music of these talented artistes on Nokia Music Unlimited service – Nokia’s revolutionary digital music service for its devices. Mr Viral Oza, Marketing Director, Nokia India, said, “India certainly needs more platforms like Saregama’s Icons Nxt, given the enormous musical talent out there waiting to be explored. We are sure that our partnership with Saregama India will contribute towards promoting independent music in the country.”

     

    The other brands associated with the property are Planet M which will promote and sell the music albums of the artist; and Big Cinemas the leading multiplex chain for promoting the property across their multiplexes.