MxMIndia

Category: TV

  • The Network has played a pivotal role in rescuing over 1,50,000 people by proving the geo-coordinates to government rescue teams

    Asianet reaches out to Kerala victims with its outreach programmes

    By A Correspondent

     

    Asianet News Networks has taken up the initiative to bring the lives of flood affected victims back to normal in Kerala. Asianet News employees in Kerala have formed multiple teams and are visiting the flood affected areas of Chengannur in 25 vehicles for removing water and mud from homes. So far, the team has cleaned over 75 homes using pumps and will also be sending teams to Kuttanad, Alleppy, Tirichur and Aluva.

     

    Said Amit Gupta, CEO, Asianet News Networks: “We had decided to do non-stop coverage of the flood and rescue operations and drop the ads despite heavy bookings for the festival season. As a responsible media brand, our teams rose to mitigate the sufferings of the flood victims. Other than sending the 40 tons of relief materials, our staff in Kerala and Karnataka are working round the clock to ensure that the lives of these victims are back to normal. We are in touch with several NGOs who are involved in the rescue operations and providing all the assistance to them. Our next focus is to assist rebuild roads and bridges which have collapsed so that the connectivity is restored in these areas.”

  • SonyLIV deploys Amagi Thunderstorm OTT Dynamic ad insertion platform for mid-roll ads

    SonyLIV partners Amagi to grow OTT revenues

    By A Correspondent

     

    Amagi has announced that SonyLIV is using its Thunderstorm cloud-based platform for targeted OTT dynamic ad insertion. As part of the deal, Amagi will monetise premium GEC and movie channels on SonyLIV OTT platform, generating additional ad revenues for the hugely popular on-demand and linear OTT service.

     

    Said Uday Sodhi, Business Head, Digital at Sony Pictures Networks India:“SonyLIV is growing its subscriber-base at an impressive rate, making it an ideal digital platform for advertisers to target clearly defined audience segments. We are continuously looking to enhance value for our advertisers. Amagi is a pioneer in the targeted advertising space and this technology partnership provides additional options for advertisers to work with us.”

     

    Added Deepakjit Singh, CEO, Amagi: “We are delighted to partner with SonyLIV, and deploy our next-generation ad tech solutions that create new revenue opportunities,”. “The Thunderstorm platform is designed for high concurrency, and to deliver frame-accurate ad insertions at scale. These capabilities become vital for SonyLIV, especially since many of its premium channels have high number of concurrent users.”

     

     

  • At Zee5, Kumar has been tasked with leading the charge on the product function as also building on the expansion projects on the platform

    Rajneel Kumar joins Zee5 as Business Head

    By A Correspondent

     

    Zee5 India has announced the appointment of Rajneel Kumar as Business Head – Expansion Projects and Head of Products for the digital business of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd.

     

    At Zee5, Kumar has been tasked with leading the charge on the product function as also building on the expansion projects on the platform. Prior to joining Zee5 India, Kumar has worked with industry leaders including Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd., Balaji Telefilms, Mobile2Win Pvt. Ltd and so on, while also testing entrepreneurial waters.

     

    Commenting on the appointment, Tarun Katial, CEO – Zee5 India said: “This is a very exciting juncture of our journey at Zee5 India, and we are thrilled to have Rajneel join us to strengthen the team. He brings invaluable insights that will be instrumental in shaping our journey towards achieving leadership position in the entertainment space.”

     

     

  • PWAs are much lighter than other apps, they load much faster, and consume much less data

    News18 launches progressive apps in Hindi and Bengali

    By A Correspondent

     

    News18 has worked with the Google team in India to launch Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) in Hindi and Bengali.

     

    Said Mitul Sangani, Business Head, News18 Languages: “With the exponential growth that the Indian market has seen in content consumption and engagement on mobile, it is important that our products deliver our experiences to every relevant user. Given the accessibility that our multi-lingual coverage offers, our technology is now aligned to the same vision of democratising access to news,”.

     

    Added Manish Maheshwari, Network18 Digital CEO: “Progressive web applications have shown a lot of potential in improving access to quality content in the Indian market. Network18 Digital is one of the largest digital publishers in India, with over two dozen properties across formats in all major Indian languages. Given the success of the News18 Hindi PWA, we rolled out another one in Bengali and will be rolling out more of our other properties in the months to come.”

     

     

  • It's a magic pot with unpredictability in its core. A diehard fan of the megashow, Sanjeev Kotnala

    Bigg Boss 12: Hits, Misses, Blips

     

    By Sanjeev Kotnala

     

    The much-awaited Bigg Boss12 is now on and facing the audience test. Colors has always been high on experimentation with concepts, props and tasks. The host Salman Khan on the opening night did what he does best, enhancing audience engagement, involvement and entertainment. I hope that Bigg Boss12 is going to be a lot more entertaining.

     

    THE EXTENDED FRANCHISE OF BIGG BOSS

    Bigg Boss post its inaugural night on November 3, 2006 has come a long way. The franchise now extends to Kannada, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi and Malayalam. I see the show as classic glasshouse experimentation in human behaviour and endurance.

    It’s a magic pot with unpredictability in its core. It is like an extended amoebic family that keeps changing its definition and membership. Members that throw an open challenge on the face and keep scheming behind your back. The contestants are completely devoted to achieving of their ultimate objective. A will-do-anything for avoiding nomination or getting the captainship that comes with immunity and powers.  The constant chatter and natural bitching, fight. There is an irreversible irrevocable omnipresent loop of fight-makeup-friendship-offence-defence-fight. There are minor variations and lot more that going in the mind of loyal viewers. Romance and dictatorial democracy. Moreover, tasks are testing the contestant’s mental and physical capabilities.

     

    HIT

    The channel has acceded to the unified audience demand of early telecast timing. The 9pm slot is going to add to audience interest and resultant viewership. However, the channel may be forced to drop some real spicy incidents and beep some words.  For watching the uncut you have Voot.

    Humans gyrate towards like minded others. In the pressure cooker called the Bigg Boss house, Jodi and at times even Tikri (threesome) has been on display in earlier seasons. So, Jodi or ‘Vichitra Jodi’ as the channel brands it, is a natural extension.

     

    MISS

    One noticeable miss was the representation of LGBT representative among the contestants after the Section 377 being decriminalised.  Calling them Vichitra Jodi would have been so politically incorrect. Not sure how it could have been handled.

     

    BLIP

    The not-so-humorous treatment doled out to Anup Jalota and Jasleen was not in good taste. It’s also okay for people to say that once you sign for Bigg Boss, you are a mere contestant and should be expecting this treatment.

    It’s okay for the contestant to raise the issue inside the house, which they have already done. However, the Bigg Boss stage with Salman Khan should have remained neutral to the vichitrata of the age gap.

    The other miss was the omnipresent never smiling Jallad. He is a brand in himself with a fan following. Hope we see him during the first weekend in his new avatar.

     

    THE RELEVANT QUESTIONS.

    Who will join Rahul Roy, Ashutosh Kaushik, Vindu Dara Singh, Shweta Tiwari, Juhi Parmar, Urvashi Dholakia, Gauahar Khan, Prince Narula, Manveer Gujjar and Shilpa Shinde as the next BiggBoss Winner?

    Will Bigg Boss 12 break the earlier season records in popularity? The stage is all set. The spread of the contestant is bubbling with energy and ideas. The contestants are smart and determined with their strong views and idiosyncrasies. A bit more of celebrity content would have always helped. I believe this season is going to be a lot more entertaining and will gain from the 9pm slot.

     

    THE EARLY PREDICTION.

    Many may wish for him to win, but I don’t see S Sreesanth ever surviving long. Urvashi Vani will have not much to play but a lot to play for in the show. The Fake Vs. Real people drama started on Day One will have many more takers and episodes in time to come.

     

    I would be surprised if Shivashish – Saurabh, Roshmi – Mital, Sabha – Somi and Anup Jalota – Jasleen, Karanveer Bohra or Srishty Rode were to win. Jodies will not find it easy in the show, as expected by the public and the contestants themselves; Biggboss will play them against each other. However, Romil Choudhary – Nirmal Singh and Surbhi – Kirti seem to be two strong Jodies in the show.

     

    Deepak Thakur, Dipika Kakar and Neha Pendse could be that surprise package. However, I have the right to change my mind at any phase of the show. Yeah to abhi trailer hai, picture abhi bahut baki hai mere dost.

     

    THE COMMITMENT AND DREAM.

    Out of some 1039 hours of the original telecast of the Hindi version, I would have watched at least 1000 hours, that’s like 41 days of viewing. The most extended version has been Season 8 of 133 days with 29 contestants.

    As of Season 11, approximately 185 contestants have been part of Bigg Boss spending more than 24 hours in the house, excluding the star guests.

    I have been to the audition in Season 9 and regret not making it to the final. I blame it on my uninspiring, noncontroversial, unexciting and harmless life story. However, dreams do not die early. Anup Jalota has made it to the show with Jasleen, and so there is still hope for me. Give me at least 72 hours to test myself in that environment.

    Till then I will manage with my yearly pilgrimage to the sets of Bigg Boss at Lonavala.

     

    MISSED THE SHOW. GET ON VOOT.

    Last night, I thought I could catch the show on Voot as my flight from Nagpur was at 2155 hrs. However, Voot does not carry live. When I checked it at 2340 Hrs on the way to home from the airport, I realised episodes are not loaded immediately after the telecast. Maybe this is something channel need to check for.

     

    Sanjeev Kotnala is a senior marketing and strategy consultant and trainer. He writes on MxMIndia every week. The views here are personal.

     

     

  • In addition to the recently launched Perfect Pati, the channel has unveiled reality show Love Me India and Vikram Betaal Ki Rahasya Gaatha

    &TV undertakes channel refresh campaign with ‘Hai KhaasHarAndaaz’

    By A Correspondent

     

    Zee Entertainment Television’s Hindi general entertainment channel &TV has undertaken a refresh.

     

    Said Punit Misra, CEO, ZEEL – India Broadcast Business: “As India’s No.1 entertainment network, it is our endeavour to fulfill the entertainment needs of every viewer segment. We believe &TV, the youngest GEC in the ZEEL portfolio is best suited to cater to ‘&dians’ – the multifaceted, progressive, young urban viewers who want to be more. With our unique brand point-of-view led content creation approach, the &TV team has crafted stories and characters that ‘&dians’ will fall in love with.”

     

    Added Prathyusha Agarwal, CMO, ZEEL:“The & Brand in our portfolio aims to disrupt the entertainment space with content that caters to the nonconformist ‘&dian’ mindset. Our new brand campaign ‘Hai KhaasHarAndaaz’ is pegged on a simple premise – today’s Indian is multi-dimensional in their thoughts, actions and aspirations and seamlessly traverse between their many roles in life and excel in each. It’s truly an & and not an OR world for them as theyadd meaning to and fulfil every relationship, value themselves and their work, go beyond what society expects them to and actualize all their &s along the way. Through this campaign we celebrate this ability of an &dian toexpand the canvas to accomplish their desires and the multiplicity idea captures their diverse hues in full glory.”

     

    Depicting this core proposition to the viewers, is the new channel refresh campaign created by Lowe Lintas.Bringing alive the essence of the new channel thought of ‘Hai KhaasHarAndaaz’, &TV will presentsa new line-up of shows in the coming months, starting off with the recently launched Perfect Pati, two upcoming big-ticket properties and more in the offing.

     

    Added Vishnu Shankar, Head, &TV:“As society develops and people’s ethos progress, we capture the change and reflect this sentiment in the entertainment we provide to our audience. Ever since its inception, we at &TV believe in psychographics, not demographics – targeting a contemporary blooming mindset. Our new brand campaign pays tribute to today’s ‘&dian’. As we move forward, we will present Khaas stories and engage our viewers in our unique Andaaz, in line with the brand motto.

     

     

  • The initiative has garnered support from marquee advertisers including Dabur, Cipla, Unicharm, Dettol, and Gulf Oil

    Discovery Kids’ propagates self-defence to schoolkids

    By A Correspondent

     

    Discovery Kids has announced the launch of an all India School Contact programme titled “Little Singham Squad” targeting more than 500+ schools in 11 cities across the country. Little  Singham, as a part of the school contact programme, will sensitise young minds about the importance of self-defence. The initiative has garnered support from marquee advertisers including Dabur, Cipla, Unicharm, Dettol, and Gulf Oil.

     

    Said Vikram Tanna, Head of Advertising Sales, Discovery Communications India: “This special school contact programme will work towards enlightening young minds about learning practical ways to defending themselves in the hour of need. Little Singham is an inspiration to young children – he is brave, intelligent, responsible, patriotic, honest and is an agent of change. We want our audiences to imbibe these positive traits of Little Singham and join the Little Singham Squad.”

     

     

  • It’s the classic sit-together-and-watch show… and is a runaway hit, writes Shailesh Kapoor

    Four reasons why KBC has Aged so well

     

    By Shailesh Kapoor

     

    We have known for years that there’s no one like him. But how he keeps getting better at it is still a mystery of sorts

    In its 18th year and its 10th season, Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) got off to a solid starting, catapulting Sony to the No 1 position in HSM Urban in the process. In the second week too, the show and the channel maintained the momentum. It’s one thing to rate 2+ over a 30-minute daily show. But managing that over 90 minutes is thrice as hard, if not even more. Yet, KBC has done that. Last year, and now this year too, for the first two weeks anyway.

    The pioneering format has met with limited success internationally over the last decade. But in India, it is a runaway hit. Two out of the previous nine seasons performed at levels that can be termed below par. But every time there was talk about KBC being past its expiry date, it has bounced back.

    In a media environment where fatigue is an increasing issue and new things become passé before they even establish themselves firmly, how has KBC managed to age so well?

    Here are four reasons:

    4. Because the soaps have not aged so well

    While most credit for KBC’s success goes to the show itself, it has also benefited from the inert evolution (actually, the lack of it) of the daily soap genre over the last half a decade. When the staple fails to deliver, the alternative will become the staple. Daily soaps have struggled to keep pace with changing viewer expectations, leaving a yawning gap between the quality of entertainment expected from Hindi GECs and the actual quality being delivered. Every season of KBC, for the last few years at least, has cashed in on this opportunity.

     

    3. Evolution of the idea of ‘Entertainment’

    As tastes evolve and exposure to entertainment widens, aided by digital exposure in particular, the expectation from ‘Entertainment’ itself will evolve. Over the last few years, the dichotomy of frivolous entertainment versus meaningful content has melted away. You need not be all-masala-no-brains or all-brains-no-masala. Viewers are increasingly looking for the golden middle, where Entertainment and Meaning (call it Awareness or Inspiration or anything else on those lines) merge seamlessly. The film industry has understood this to some extent over the last few years. The biggest film director today is a master craftsman of this amalgamation. If Raju Hirani even made a reality show, it will be like KBC in its spirit. Meaningfully relevant, yet highly entertaining. Again, this is something daily soaps have missed (barring exceptions that you can count of the fingers of half your hand), making KBC’s presence even more striking.

     

    2. The family factor

    In a nation of 95%+ single-TV households, KBC offers that unifying quality that can connect members of a family across their age and gender. It’s the classic sit-together-and-watch show. It was always that since its launch in 2000, but as the need to sit together and watch goes up, so does KBC’s appeal. It helps, of course, that unlike daily soaps, KBC is not a 52-weeks-a-year show. The anticipation of an upcoming season works at a familial level today. Even the youth, who till a few years ago thought of KBC as the not-so-cool show for their parents, have warmed up to it nicely.

     

    1. Because Bachchan has aged so well!

    KBC without its host Amitabh Bachchan is unthinkable. With every passing season, he seems to find a subtle new way of engaging differently with the participants and the home viewers alike. Incredibly, even at his age, he is very aware of the emerging trends in the young generation today, and often makes fun of them, in a way that’s adorable and entertaining, but never condaescending. Watch him comment on the lyrics of new Bollywood songs whenever a question to that effect plays out. In context of entertainment, respect and awe often have a secondary connotation of boredom. In Bachchan’s case, he can entertain you and inspire you, while you look at him in awe of the sheer gift of gab, and the unmatched grace his personality exudes. We have known for years that there’s no one like him. But how he keeps getting better at it is still a mystery of sorts.

  • The event will be live-streamed on Voot

    Viacom18 and Nodwin bring digital gaming festival ‘DreamHack’ to Asia

    By A Correspondent

     

    E-sports pioneer Nodwin Gaming and Viacom18 have come together to bring leading gaming festival Dreamhack to India. The Dream Hack India event will take place from 21-23 December 2018, at NESCO, Mumbai.

     

    Sudhanshu Vats

    Speaking about the network’s endeavours into e-sports, Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO and Managing Director Designate, Viacom18 said: “Viacom18 has never been one to shy away from experimenting with new concepts, ideas and formats. Given the strong affinity youth audiences have with our content, brands and experiences, we think this is the right time for us to dip our toes in the fast-paced, thrilling world of e-sports. The world is changing fast and lines are blurring between different content genres. Given the abundance of data that has been unleashed by Jio, it is only natural for the fandom around e-sports to grow by leaps and bounds in India. As the country’s youngest full-play media organisation, we want to stay ahead of the curve and tap into tomorrow’s big passion points today. Our association with DreamHack is a step in this direction.”

     

    Dream Hack is a digital festival where gamers and digital natives come together for a three-day weekend which features a 24-hour-a-day Local Area Network (LAN) party, e-sports gaming competitions; Bring Your Own Computer (BYOC). The festival will be jam-packed with players/gamers who will be invited for a gaming championship in pro e-sports tournaments, collegiate matches, world famous LAN party, cosplay championship, panels, activities, expos, music concert, art and more. Till date, DreamHack has organised multiple events in the North America and European regions.

     

    Akshat Rathee,

    On bringing Dream Hack to India, Akshat Rathee, Founder and CEO, Nodwin Gaming said: “Dream Hack has always been the epitome of the celebration of gaming and esports globally and we are delighted to partner with Dreamhack on their Indian journey. India with its dynamic youth and famed hospitality is a great beachhead into bringing the Dreamhack experience to Asia. NODWIN Gaming has been working hard on providing the best for our community of gamers across the country. This places the love for gaming right at the centre of our ecosystem. Partnering with Viacom18 brings the synergy full circle. Their reach to the youth of our country is unparalleled and we look forward to the convergence”

     

     

  • The channel has formulated and executed a 360-degree campaign that positions the show as the magnum opus of all love stories

    Colors goes all out to promote new historical show

    By A Correspondent

     

    Colors launched its new series Dastaan-E-Mohabbat | Salim Anarkali with much fanfare earlier this week. The show tells the tale of Salim and Anarkali who challenged norms, defied societal class differences and chose to fight for their love.

     

    The channel planned a 360-degree campaign with innovative and visible media outreach across TV, radio, OOH and print in key markets.

     

    The channel has created a huge installation Imaarat–e–Mohabbat: an epitome of love, in Delhi, that amplifies the historical opulence of the Mughal empire. The on-ground activation was amplified by Big FM across India.

     

    Taking over the Mumbai Metro stations, key locations have been branded and will witness an Anarkali dance flash mob/Mughal arch gates and branding. Meanwhile, the Colors Golden Petal Club will see engagement in nine key cities across Uttar Pradesh with the leads visiting select venues.

     

    On the digital front, the channel has planned a high buzz activity that caters to over 12 mn + prospective viewers on social media platforms like Facebook and Zapr, a 360-degree tour to bring audiences the spectacular sets, a dedicated Salim Anarkali photo gallery and a motion graphic post.

     

     

  • The monthly show will offer perspectives on the 2019 elections

    ABP gears up for 2019 elections with new show

    By A Correspondent

     

    ABP News Network unveiled its new show ‘Desh Ka Mood’ in the run-up to the general elections next year.. The show will analyse of the projections and the changing trends, helping the discerning viewer with the election build-up.

     

    Said Avinash Pandey, COO, ABP News Network: “Staying ahead of the industry, we started our very first show of 2019 elections on January 1, 2018 and we are the first one to set a benchmark in setting decisive trends in terms of covering and engagement during the elections.  Desh ka Mood – is a unique format that would add a touch of freshness to the entire election proceedings.The format of the show will be to engage the well-versed audience to provide them with ‘food for thought’ with reference to the elections. The show aims at educating, updating and inspiring the viewers.”

     

     

  • A combination of the best regional and national news at your fingertips now

    Republic TV to live-stream on Zee5

    By A Correspondent

     

    Zee5 has strengthened its offering in the news content space by launching the live-stream of Republic TV on its platform.

     

    Announcing the partnership, Manish Aggarwal, Business Head, Zee5 India said: “With the addition of Republic TV, the platform is looking to connect with viewers who are digitally savvy but do not want to lose on the live news experience. Our association with Republic TV aligns well with our commitment to making Zee5 as the one-stop destination for digital content consumption.”