MxMIndia

Category: TV

  • Global audience mood significantly lifted by viewing landmark natural history hit Planet Earth II

    BBC Earth study determines happiness index while watching television

    By A Correspondent

     

    BBC Earth has published findings of an international study titled “The Real Happiness Project” showing the direct impact of nature programmingon the mood and wellbeing of its viewers. India was one of the markets studied for this research with a sample group of 1,000 people.

     

    The research, conducted with Professor Dacher Keltner, an expert in the science of emotion at the University of California, Berkeley, confirms that even short engagement with such shows leads to significant increases in positive emotions including awe, contentedness, joy and amusement. The study also found substantial decreases in emotions such as nervousness, anxiety, fear, stress and tiredness.

     

    BBC’s research using a nationally-representative sample in India shows that watching natural history content increases feelings of awe, amazement and wonder significantly. This change was caused by watching natural history content, as it is significantly different to the change experienced amongst the control group.

    • The research shows that watching natural history content decreases feelings of nervousness, anxiety and fear significantly. This change was caused by watching natural history content, as it is significantly different to the change experienced amongst the control group.
    • The research also shows that watching natural history content increases feelings of contentment, relaxation, and peacefulness significantly. This change was caused by watching natural history content, as it is significantly different to the change experienced amongst the control group.

     

    Furthermore, the study saw viewers of natural history content in India experience significant decreases in feelings of the following emotions:

    • Stress and overburden.
    • Anger, irritability and feeling ‘mad’.
    • Tiredness, fatigue and low energy.

     

    The research was commissioned to mark the launch of the BBC’s landmark nature series for ten years Planet Earth II, which will premiere in India on Sony BBC Earth in June.

     

  • Will report to Ravish Kumar, Senior EVP – Colors Kannada, Super, Bangla and Odia, Viacom18

    Viacom18 appoints Rahul Chakravarti as Business Head, Colors Bangla & Odia

    By A Correspondent

     

    Rahul Chakravarti

    Viacom18 has announced the appointment of Rahul Chakravartias Business Head of Colors Bangla and Colors Odia. Commenting on the appointment, Ravish Kumar, Senior Executive Vice President – Colors Kannada, Super, Bangla and Odia, Viacom18 whom Chakravarti will report to, said: “Rahul has extensive experience of working in consumer packaged goods and consulting with a proven track record of managing businesses, building brands, leveraging consumer insights and solving business problems. His ability to marry strategy with execution and his understanding of consumer-focused businesses will help us in increasing our footprint both across our viewers and our advertisers. I welcome him into the Viacom18 family and look forward to working with him.

     

    Expressing his excitement in taking on the new role, Chakravarti said, “The media industry is unique since its business is modelled primarily on a B2B structure but all constituents caters to the end consumer who votes with his remote. Both Colors Bangla and ColorsOdia are established brand names and I look forward to working with the talented channel teams to propel these regional channels to greater heights.”

     

    An IIM Calcutta product, Chakravarti took charge as Business Head of the two channels earlier this week. He has joined Viacom18 from Emami where he worked as Senior Vice President and Business Head. He started his career at JWT and moved to the other side at Coca-Cola. Later PernodRicard, ITC, Accenture and Deloitte before moving to Emami.  He will be responsible for driving ratings, developing innovative content and increasing the reach and share of voice of the channels in the markets. Rahul is passionate about sports and competes regularly in marathons. He also loves reading and is an avid music aficionado.

     

  • Inspiring kids to actively build a better tomorrow

    Nickelodeon returns with the second edition of “Together for Good”

    By A Correspondent

     

    Kid’s entertainment major Nickelodeon has returned with the second edition of the India leg of the global Nickelodeon pro-socio campaign titled “Together For Good”. Taking on the leadership mantle of being a responsible kids franchise, Nickelodeon has conceptualised this behaviorial change campaign with the objective of empowering kids to be future change agents of society.

     

    Commenting on this initiative, Nina Jaipuria, Business Head, Kids Cluster at Viacom18 said: “We at Nickelodeon believe that children are the change agents of society. Through the Together For Good campaign we want to inculcate good habits of cleanliness and hygiene in a fun manner that kids can relate to,” adding: “With the influence that children have on their parents and families, we hope to extend this positive change towards the society not only amongst the kids but also amongst adults.”

     

    ‘Together For Good’ will see a series of creatives featuring Champu across the Nickelodeon franchise. The campaign will be extended on the digital and social media platforms through a series of fun toon tips, posts asking kids to not be a Champu and take the cleanliness pledge, fun interactive Facebook post “ChampuKoKaro Change”, a #DontBeChampu contest where children are urged to clean their surroundings, take a before and after picture and share on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

     

    Upping the engagement in the initiative will be an exclusive on-ground association with BMC towards a Chakachak Mumbai. This will involve the Nicktoons visiting high traffic railway stations to directly interact with the public and dissuade them from littering. They will also be seen in a conscience awakening act giving flowers to the delinquents instead of punishing them.  “Together For Good” with all its fun and entertainment and lots of life lessons is all set to inspire kids towards positive action.

     

  • A simple, doable, disruptive creative communication that tackles anemia and turns audiences into participants in Bihar

    BBC Media Action initiates ‘KhoonKaRishta’

    By A Correspondent

     

    BBC Media Action has created a communication empowering expectant mothers with life-saving information, and enhances decision-making capabilities to make informed choices related to their reproductive health. It is being implemented across eight districts of Bihar.

     

    Speaking about the ‘KhoonKaRishta’ campaign, Soma Katiyar, Creative Director, BBC Media Action, India said: “KhoonkaRishta is an emotive route for an expectant mother to visually see how she is slowly making her own baby as she consumes each tablet, no mother would like to see an incomplete baby and this would act a self-driven push to complete the dose. Using blood drop-like stickers to complete the graphic of the baby is a vivid demonstration and as simple as having a pill.”

     

  • Shailesh Kapoor writes about how there's a growing perception that Sunil Grover as Dr Mashoor Gulati, is more endearing than Kapil Sharma on the show

    Shailesh Kapoor: RIP, Dr Mashoor Gulati? We hope not!

     

     

    This is the 200thedition of ‘TV Trail’ by Shailesh Kapoor on MxMIndia.com. We are delighted with the insights the column offers and treasure our association with Shailesh and the column.– Ed

     

    By Shailesh Kapoor

     

    Shailesh Kapoor writes about how there’s a growing perception that Sunil Grover as Dr Mashoor Gulati, is more endearing than Kapil Sharma on the show.

    The Kapil Sharma Show (TKSS) has been a runaway success thus far. When Kapil Sharma moved channels, many were sceptical about his ability to recreate the magic of Comedy Nights With Kapil (CNWK) all over again. Fatigue had already set in with the original show, and ratings were not exactly at their peak when it ended.

    But the success of TKSS has been emphatic. The show has outperformed its precedent in several weeks. Buoyed by many repeat airings of the show, Sony has moved up to the #3 rank in the Hindi GEC category.

    But there’s always the lurking danger of having a high-maintenance celebrity at the helm of a media property. Anyone who has interacted with Sharma on TV, films or ad work in the last two years will tell you how you have to tread on thin ice.Hence, what happened on a flight about a week ago, by all accounts, is not surprising.

    There were similar but not-so-public tiffs during CNWK, when Sunil Grover had left the show. At that time, he was playing a character (Gutthi) which had screen space of 5-10 minutes in an episode, and had an appeal that was largely driven by a certain talking style. The novelty was bound to wear off at some stage. The Rinku Bhabhi avatar in TKSS is in a similar space.

    But Dr Mashoor Gulati is not. He’s one of the most exciting comic characters on Indian television in recent years. There are episodes when his screen time is as high as 40 minutes, and his spoken lines outnumber Sharma’s. There’s a growing perception that Grover, in this character, is more endearing than Sharma on the show. Over time, this has also translated into a growing perception than Grover is more talented, versatile and spontaneous than Sharma as a comedian.

    Grover’s popularity share in the non-fiction category on Ormax Characters India Loves has jumped from 7% in May 2016 to 21% in February 2017. In the same period, Sharma’s popularity share has been stagnant, hovering around the 40-50% mark. The show could lose its sheen overnight and simply disintegrate over time if Grover sticks to his very-public stand and doesn’t return to the show.

    My mind is conflicted about what I would want the outcome of this crisis situation to be, if I could control it. Watching Dr Mashoor Gulati on TV is an absolute delight. But I connected instinctively with Grover’s heartfelt Twitter post. It takes a lot to put your career on the line. And unlike some of Sharma’s, it didn’t seem like a drunk tweet. So, it will be weird if Grover took a U-turn after that post.

    Sony would do well to somehow come out of this crisis in a way that the show’s intact. If not, they must consider giving Dr Mashoor Gulati his own fiction comedy show. That can be one kickass funny ride.

    Where does Kapil Sharma go from here is an equally interesting question. About a year ago, I wrote a piece here titled ‘Kapil Sharma And The Loss Of Innocence’. A year has passed and things appear to have gotten only worse. If there’s no return of innocence, we can be sure it will be an early end to the career of an immensely-talented comic star, who simply lost his way.

     

  • The appointment will see Hill+Knowlton Strategies roll-out integrated communications solutions

    Hill+Knowlton Strategies wins mandate for Pogo

     

     

    Following a competitive multi-agency pitch, Hill+Knowlton Strategies has been awarded the public relations business for Pogo, Turner International’s children’s channel in India.

     

    The appointment will see Hill+Knowlton Strategies roll-out integrated communications solutions for Turner Broadcasting’s kids’ entertainment channel, to drive greater engagement with families and children across India.

     

    Confirming the appointment, Siddharth Jain, Managing Director, South Asia, Turner International India Pvt. Ltd, comments, “Turner International India is delighted to bring on Hill+Knowlton Strategies as our strategic PR partner for Pogo. Their strong portfolio of brands, experience in entertainment, and thorough understanding of our market requirements gave us the confidence to award them this mandate. H+K presented a PR strategy that showed depth of strategic thought and creativity that was in sync with our goals for Pogo, and we are sure that this partnership will help in further building the brand in India.”

     

    On winning the PR mandate, Chetan Mahajan, President-India & South Asia, Hill+Knowlton Strategies, said, “Pogo is a leader in the Kids’ entertainment space in India and we are honoured and delighted that the channel has chosen us as partners to further their business objectives. This partnership is testament to the strength of our network and core expertise in the media and entertainment vertical and we are confident that we will drive the desired impact and outcome for Pogo.”

     

  • With the series of Super Bheem, Green Gold and Pogo attempt take the Bheem franchise to the next level

    Super Bheem to become a weekly show on Pogo

    By A Correspondent

     

    After the success of the television films on Super Bheem, Green Gold Animation and Pogo are gearing up to present Super Bheem in a weekly episodic format every Sunday, starting, April 2. The makers of ChhotaBheem, Green Gold Animation, have come up with an upscale 3D-off shoot avatar to their star character Chhota Bheem titled as ‘Super Bheem’. It shows Bheem and his friends in a freshly churned 3D animation format, now as a weekly TV series.

     

    Talking about the format, Rajiv Chilaka, the founder of Green Gold Animation and the creator of Chhota Bheem stated: “We are thrilled to take Super Bheem ahead on Pogo on a weekly basis now. The success of Super Bheem TV movies gave us the impetus to expand the content and serve our young audiences much more frequently. Super Bheem is an offshoot of our star character ChhotaBheem, hence there has been raised expectation right at the outset. Green Gold Animatiom is committed to providing innovative and holistic entertainment content, hence expansion of Super Bheem is an effort in the same direction.”

     

  • Watch all the seasons of Sherlock – Season 1 – 4 and Abominable bride April 2 onwards Every Sunday only on AXN

    Sherlock back to regale viewers on AXN

    By A Correspondent

     

    We normally don’t carry programming news, but this is Sherlock, and it’s going to be back on AXN, with all the seasons… right from the beginning. The show will air 12 noon onwards every Sunday, starting April 2.

     

    For those who missed watching earlier runs of Sherlock, this is an opportunity to catch up with Sherlock Holmes and John Watson… from ‘A Study in Pink’ to ‘The Final Problem’. Elementary, my dear…

     

  • Takes total channel count to more than 615 channels and services

    DishTV expands its portfolio with 23 new channels

    By A Correspondent

     

    Dish TV has extended its collection by adding 23 new channels to its portfolio. This includes nine HD channels and 14 SD channels, making the total count of channels and services to more than 615.

     

    Commenting on these additions Arun Kapoor, Chief Executive Officer, DishTV India said: “With a sharp focus on regional language content, the move aims at connecting strongly with the regional language subscribers. Addition of these 23 channels will not only strengthen our presence in the HD and SD space but will also diversify our offerings.”

     

  • Leading Tamil news channel Sathiyam TV is celebrating its eighth anniversary today (April 4)

    Sathiyam TV steps into 8th year

    By A Correspondent

    Leading Tamil news channel Sathiyam TV is celebrating its eighth anniversary today (April 4). Speaking on the occasion, B Shankar, CEO, Fourth Dimension, Sathiyam TV’s media sales partner: “We are doubly excited since we represent the Top 2 news channels of TN, this is a very rare thing, we will continue to serve as a best platform in TN for our advertisers and we thank Sathiyam TV for having given us this opportunity.”

    According to a communiqe, Sathiyam is now extensively available in the traditional C&S segment in Tamil Nadu, apart from select nationwide MSOs catering to areas of Tamil populace in Kerala, Andhra, Karnataka, Maharashtra and parts of Kolkata. Sathiyam is also available in the leading DTH Service Providers of Tata Sky, Videocon and Airtel and in OTT Service providers such as Jio. Sathiyam has an active presence on the Web, with a 24×7 live streaming and an equally active presence in the social media and on Facebook, You Tube and Twitter.

     

  • Lele-Dutta will be spearheading the new channel and will be responsible for developing content and driving the channel's reach

    Yay! LeenaLele Dutta is Business Head for Sony’s kiddie channel

    By A Correspondent

     

    Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) has announced LeenaLele Dutta as Business Head for its upcoming channel in the kids’ entertainment space. With over two decades of experience in the media and entertainment industry, Lele Dutta will be spearheading the new channel and will be responsible for developing content and driving the channel’s reach and connect with its relevant target audience. The new kids channel from SPN will be called Sony YAY and is likely to be launched in mid-April.

     

    Said NP Singh, CEO, Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN)on the appointment: “The kids genre is a new territory for us and has immense potential to grow. With an impressive track record and in-depth understanding of the entertainment industry, we are confident that Leena will play a pivotal role in establishing the business. Under her able leadership, we intend to solidify a significant presence as an outstanding brand in the kids’ entertainment space”.

     

    Added Lele Dutta: “There is a lot to explore in the kids’ entertainment genre. We wish to create a brand that caters to the entertainment needs of Indian kids at the same time giving them experiences that leave lasting impressions on them. We also want to give parents, especially working mothers like me, the confidence to let kids consume our differentiated content in an environment that elevates their happiness.” “YAY! being the quintessential expression of joy and euphoria, has always been synonymous with happiness and excitement; Thus, the name, Sony YAY!”

     

  • Launches with four homegrown original animated shows to woo Indian kids

    Sony Yay to launch on April 18

    By A Correspondent

     

    Sony Pictures Networks India announced the launch of its much-awaited kid’s entertainment channel – Sony YAY! that will go live on April 18. With the premise of being the ‘Destination for Unlimited Happiness’ for kids, the channel has roped in dancing cinestar Tiger Shroff as its brand ambassador.

     

    With the primary TG of 2-14 years of age, Yay will go live with four original, locally produced, animated shows. A musical comedy titled Guru Aur Bhole on Mon – Fri at 10am, Sab Jholmaal Hai starring a world full of pets on Mon – Fri at 9am, a tale of friendship in Prince Jai Aur Dumdaar Viru on Mon – Fri at 11am and a ghost comedy called Paap-O-Meter on Sat – Sun at 12 noon  will form the key programming mix of the channel at the time of launch.

     

    Said NP Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) at a media meet on Thursday: “It goes without saying that the Indian television industry is at an interesting crossroad, with the kids genre being a frontrunner in demanding innovation and freshness. With the launch of Sony YAY!, the network now offers tailormade propositions for every member of the family.“

     

    Added Leena Lele Dutta, Business Head, Sony YAY!: “We are excited to launch Sony YAY! and be the platform that provides children with original Indian content that they can relate to and identify with. We couldn’t be happier to have Tiger Shroff on-board to support our vision of spreading happiness amongst our young audiences through content that is truly sensitized to their needs. We are certain that kids will find an instant connect with our shows…”

     

    The channel will will be aired in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu languages across direct-to-home (DTH) and digital cable platforms starting April 18.