MxMIndia

Category: TV

  • The teams have enabled innovations through remote production of content over mobile and professional cameras by using video and audio production technologies to support broadcast, digital & social platforms.

    Zee Entertainment embraces technology solutions to create fresh content amidst lockdown

    By A Correspondent

     

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zee) has announced fresh content for its consumers by embracing and utilising technology. The teams have enabled innovations through remote production of content over mobile and professional cameras by using video and audio production technologies to support broadcast, digital & social platforms.

     

    Punit Goenka

    Speaking on the extraordinary steps undertaken by the company, Punit Goenka, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Zee Entertainment said: “Zee has always set new trends for the industry, and I am very proud of our teams for making the optimal utilisation of technology  solutions to ensure that our consumers continued to get a fresh dosage of entertainment content, amidst the lockdown. We will continue to create fresh, rich and engaging content for our viewers, by discovering new means and paths. It is time for the Industry to define a new normal, to ensure that our consumers remain well-informed and entertained”.

     

  • The literature fest will showcase conversations with celebrities, singers, lyricists, writers, columnists and other personalities with insights on real-life anecdotes and challenges arising out of the coronavirus crisis

    Aaj Tak hosts 3-day literary summit starting today

    By A Correspondent

     

    Given the response received by the recent digital versions of ‘Agenda AajTak’, an e-version of ‘Sahitya AajTak’ from starts today until May 24. The literature fest will showcase conversations with celebrities, singers, lyricists, writers, columnists and other personalities with insights on real-life anecdotes and challenges arising out of the coronavirus crisis. e-Sahitya AajTak will have over 28 speakers over 25 sessions spread over three days.

     

    Some of the attractions of the event include Anup Jalota, Javed Akhtar, Hans Raj Hans, Surendra Sharma, Prasoon Joshi, Amish Tripathi, Ashok Vajpeyi, Swanand Kirkire, Chitra Mudgal, Manoj Muntashir, Javed Ali, Ashok Chakradhar, Asghar Wajahat, Piyush Mishra, Maithili Thakur, ChetanBhagat, Neeraj Pandey, Manoj Tiwari, Dinesh Lal Yadav (Nirahua), B Praak, Saloni Gaur, Cheshta Saxena plus the popular starcast from Ramayana and Mahabharata.

     

  • The teams have enabled innovations through remote production of content over mobile and professional cameras by using video and audio production technologies to support broadcast, digital & social platforms

    Zee Entertainment embraces tech solutions to create fresh content amidst lockdown

    By A Correspondent

     

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zee) has announced fresh content for its consumers by embracing and utilising technology. The teams have enabled innovations through remote production of content over mobile and professional cameras by using video and audio production technologies to support broadcast, digital & social platforms.

     

    Speaking on the extraordinary steps undertaken by the company, Punit Goenka, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Zee Entertainment said: “Zee has always set new trends for the industry, and I am very proud of our teams for making the optimal utilization of technology  solutions to ensure that our consumers continued to get a fresh dosage of entertainment content, amidst the lockdown. We will continue to create fresh, rich and engaging content for our viewers, by discovering new means and paths. It is time for the Industry to define a new normal, to ensure that our consumers remain well-informed and entertained”.

     

     

  • Four premium upscale drama series across genres will air on the OTT platform

    Applause signs multi-show deal with SonyLiv

    By A Correspondent

     

    Applause Entertainment, a venture of the Aditya Birla Group, has announced a content licensing deal of four premium drama series with SonyLIV, the video streaming service from Sony Pictures Networks India.

     

    Speaking on this association, Sameer Nair, CEO, Applause Entertainment said: “We are glad to partner with SonyLIV and to be able to contribute to their original content strategy. It aligns well with our philosophy of creating premium content and working with our platform partners to entertain and delight their customers. We hope this slate of 4 shows is only the start of a long & successful relationship with SonyLIV in our pursuit of creative excellence.”

     

    The four drama series that will have their home at Sony LIV are – ‘Your Honor’, ‘Avrodh’ ‘Undekhi’ and ‘Scam 1992’.

     

    Added Danish Khan, Business Head – Sony Entertainment Television, Studio Next & Digital Business: “Sony Liv plans to acquire and retain its premium subscribers through a robust line up of Original Content – content that is cerebral and relevant and brings a sense of authenticity, drama and storytelling. We are collaborating with the best story tellers in the industry. Applause Entertainment is one of the most prolific creators of premium series and we are extremely happy to partner with them. We are confident that these shows will entertain & engage the varied audience segments of SonyLiv.”

     

     

  • Zoom Studios, the original content arm of Zoom and is part of the Times Network

    Zoom Studios announces Intertainer 2020, a digital hunt for best entertainer on internet

    By A Correspondent

     

    Zoom Studios, the original content arm of Zoom, has announced the launch of  Intertainer 2020,  a digital hunt for the best internet entertainer of the year.

     

    Said Jagdish Mulchandani, COO and Executive President, Times Network: “With people confined to their homes during  the lockdown, we have witnessed an exponential rise in digital consumption and a new wave of content creators unveiling their talent across social media.  After setting a new benchmark in storytelling with real-life narratives brought to life with power packed performances, we are excited to announce Intertainer 2020, a unique initiative that identifies and rewards passionate creative minds, who are focused towards making engaging entertaining digital content. Encouraging and nurturing new talent since the inception of The Zoom Studios, we look forward to celebrating India’s best Intertainers.”

     

  • The programming slate will include Naagin 3, Gathbandhan, Madhubala and Khatra Khatra Khatra

    Colors Rishtey announces line-up for DD Freedish

    By A Correspondent

     

    Colors Rishtey has announced its programming line-up for its airing on DD Freedish. Shows like Naagin 3, Madhubala, Khatra Khatra Khatra, Kitchen Champion and amongst others are part of the FPC.

     

    Noted a communique: “Carefully curated to cover a variety of genres ranging across folklore, mythology, romance, drama, fantasy and kids special, the channel will continue to stay viewers’ partner in the tough times.”

     

    Also in the line-up are kiddie shows like Mottu Patlu, Gattu Battu, Pakdam Pakdai, Munki and Trunk and Paw Patrol. Colors Rishtey has been available on DD Freedish starting yesterday, June 10.

     

  • With effect from June 10

    Zee Anmol & Zee Anmol Cinema make comeback on DD Free Dish

    By A Correspondent

     

    With a view to consolidate its viewer base and reclaim its leadership position in the HSM rural market, Zee entered the free-to-air space with its return to DD Free Dish starting June 10.

     

    Commenting on the relaunch of Zee Anmol on DD Free Dish, Zee Chief Consumer Officer Prathyusha Agarwal said: “Over the years, Zee Anmol has shared a special relationship with rural India through its deep-rooted understanding of the rural viewer. In the current scenario, we see a tremendous increase in demand for differentiated content on DD Free Dish, especially as a learning from recent wins in Bhojpuri with Zee Biskope and Punjab markets with Zee Punjabi. Our library at ZEE has riveting stories of women with vision and resilience that have the potential of inspiring women in the rural markets who are in search of a role model to look up to. We see this as an opportunity for Zee Anmol to reclaim its leadership position in the HSM Rural market through the channel’s reintroduction on DD Free Dish.”

     

    With Zee Anmol Cinema’s comeback, the channel aims to occupy a distinct position in the Hindi Movie space by establishing a personal connect with our viewers. Added Ruchir Tiwari, Zee Hindi Movies Cluster, Business Head: “Rural markets take the centrestage with more than half of the TV viewership coming from the heartland. With the on-going health concerns, there is an increasing need for entertainment across the country, especially FTA channels considering spending power is decreasing. The recent jump in viewership of movie genre is a testimony to that.  With this move, we are hoping to, once again, reach out to a large, content hungry audience base and become their number one choice for wholesome family entertainment.”

     

     

  • The relationship between Hindi GEC content and the viewer is now less emotional and more ephemeral in nature, writes Shailesh Kapoor

    Post-Covid Challenges: Hindi GECs will be Tested

     

    By Shailesh Kapoor

     

    The pandemic is still all around us. Fatigued from a long, early lockdown, and facing dire economic consequences, India has begun to open up slowly. But we are nowhere close to “normal”. Not even close to the “new normal”, an oft-bandied phrase that means different things to different people.

     

    The entertainment sector is preparing to take small steps towards normalcy. Shooting of TV serials has started in some markets, and others will follow in July perhaps. It will not be the usually bustling, chaotic shoots that we are so used to. With limited resources at hand, the frills and the overheads will be cut out. This may pave way for cost-saving ideas in the long run. But that’s another topic for another day.

     

    There’s a lot of talk of how post-Covid media consumption in India (and the world) will look like. I wrote about prevailing “lockdown myths” in May, expressing my view that fundamental change in habits is not as easy as many are suggesting. But much as habits won’t change, the lockdown has created a break in them, which allows for disruption, offering opportunities in particular for weaker TV channels to come back stronger than before, and challenge the leaders. Of course, that is easier said than done, especially in categories like Hindi GEC, which have their own share of problems.

     

    When Ormax Media released the findings of its research (see chart above) stating that the Hindi GEC audience are missing original episodes of their favourite serials a lot less than they should, the reactions from those involved ranged from scepticism to outright denial. Unfortunately, one can’t even say the reactions were surprising.

     

    Using ratings to predict audience sentiment has been an age-old fallacy in the TV industry. We saw that back in 2006-2008, when the growing audience resentment towards the ‘K-serials’ was met with a standard “but they rate so well” response. It took the launch of Colors in 2008 to prove that a sentiment just needs a good catalyst to convert into behaviour.

     

    Even though news and movies have made inroads into primetime family viewing during the lockdown (as indeed over the last 3-4 years too), it is safe to say that GEC content will remain the staple primetime diet of a very large section of the universe. But what the chart above tells us is that a sizeable proportion of this large section is not giving the Hindi GEC category (the results will be different and significantly better for regional GEC categories) the love it should get. The relationship between Hindi GEC content and the viewer is now less emotional and more ephemeral in nature.

     

    Some say this could be simply a function of the times that we live in, where attention spans have gotten shorter, distractions have increased, and concepts like loyalty and appointment viewership are things of the past. But there are multiple reasons to disagree with that line of thinking. For one, the regional categories are faring much better. Secondly, if distraction and clutter was the driving force, it should have reflected in a geographic skew. But that’s not the case. The metros, the mini-metros and the small-towns all perform equally poorly on the question asked for the chart above.

     

    Will there be post-Covid viewership attrition for Hindi GECs? A drop of more than 5-10% compared to pre-Covid times is unlikely in the near future. But the ground cannot be more fertile for one of the top players to sow the seeds of long-pending category evolution.

     

    Streaming will not take away TV audience. But certain TV channels and genres have enough other competition on TV itself to contend with anyway.

     

  • Coming up: a win-win proposition for viewers as well as channel owners in the post Covid-19 scenario, writes Indrani Sen

    The Silent Coup by Prasar Bharati

     

    By Indrani Sen

     

    In February 2019, post TRAI’s NTO, big broadcasters had pulled out their Hindi mass entertainment channels from DD Free Dish which subsequently led to loss of viewership, weekly GRPs and ad revenue for those channels. The four big broadcasters, who submitted fresh bid invitation for vacant MPEG-2 slots by Prasar Bharati and won the e-auction held on June 2, 2020, must be sighing in relief now after getting five channels back on DD Free Dish. With effect from June 10, 2020, DD Dish TV subscribers would be able to view Star Utsav, Sony Pal, Zee Anmol, Colors Rishtey and Zee Anmol Cinema. It is definitely a win-win proposition for viewers as well as the channel owners in the post Covid-19 scenario.

     

    Considering that these channels were earlier earning on an average 100 times more that the average carriage fee of Rs 6 to 8 crore paid per annum to DD Free Dish and most of them lost 50% + of their ad revenue after pulling out from DD Free Dish, it is no wonder that they have all boarded back the DD Free Dish Band wagon at the first available opportunity. The five channels are in dire need of restoring their ad revenues in the post-Lockdown stage and cannot do without the viewership numbers which DD’s free-to-air platform promises to add. It is a silent coup by Prasar Bharati for making DD Free Dish an essential part for the survival and growth of these private channels.

     

    In most of the statistical analyses of subscribers of DTH providers, DD Free Dish is not included which makes the advertising and media Industry forget about its existence. While Doordarshan does not have the built in mechanism to measure the growth of DD Free Dish connections, estimates available from government sources as well as private consultancy firms unanimously agree that DD Free Dish is the leading DTH service provider in India.

     

    On June 23, 2019 at a programme to launch distribution of DD Free Dish TV set top boxes in Kashmir, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar claimed that (https://www.indiantelevision.com/dth/dth-operator/dd-free-dish-has-35-crore-subscribers-prakash-javadekar-190623) Doordarshan was the biggest DTH service provider in India with 3.5 crore (35 million) subscribers of DD Free Dish.  He further claimed that there are total 5.5 crore (55 million) DTH connections in India. The 2019 FICCI-EY report estimated 30 million subscribers for DD Free Dish and predicted that it would cross the 50 million mark in near future.

     

    It is evident from the activity related to DD Free Dish on various private e-commerce sites that their business is doing well. From the sale of DD Free Dish set-top boxes on Amazon (https://www.amazon.in/STC-DD-free-Dish-Set-Top/dp/B07FNKDGGC ) to installation of DD Free antenna on Indiamart (https://www.indiamart.com/proddetail/d-d-free-dish-antenna-installation-5874029873.html) to sale of remote  on Flipkart (https://www.flipkart.com/mase-remote-dd-free-dish-controller/p/itmfdcbspgtjqmgg) , e-commerce sites are doing brisk business due to the popularity of the DD Free Dish.

     

    DD Free Dish is available in Ku-Band on GSAT-15 (at 93.5°E). It has been upgraded from time to time. The number of channels available increased from 80 to 104 in 2019, of which 26 channels are reserved for Doordarshan. Currently 104 SDTV channels along with 40 radio channels of AIR are available to the subscribers. DD Free Dish has been the greatest contribution which Prasar Bharati has made to broadcasting in India since the satellite TV’s invasion from the sky and privatisation of TV channels. If the set top box for DD Free Dish can be made technically enabled to receive WiFi signals then a new vista of media consumption will open to the vast audiences belonging to  “Bharat”.

     

     

  • The content division of ABP News – ABP Spotlight – innovated for the Gulabo Sitabo release on Amazon Prime

    ABP News unlocks new content innovation

    By A Correspondent

     

    On June 12 midnight, as the Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana-starrer ‘Gulabo Sitabo’ was released on Prime Video, ABP Spotlight created a show with anchor Shrivardhan ‘Sansani’ Trivedi who interviewed ‘animated’ renditions of lead characters of the film.

     

    Mona Jain

    Said Mona Jain, Chief Revenue Officer, ABP News Network: “At ANN, we are always exploring fresh and inventive formats to keep our viewers engaged. This new offering by our content division is a positive take from the daily onslaught of news generated by the pandemic, which takes a heavy toll on the nation’s mood. It will not only act as a means of entertainment & amusement amidst these trying times, but will also open doors for advertisers to fine-tune their media plans amid the ongoing shifts in consumer behavior and leverage exceptional reach across all platforms.”

     

     

  • Launches new brand promise ‘Navi Umed, Navi Bharari’ or ‘The wings of new Hope’

    Colors Marathi has a new brand promise

    By A Correspondent

     

    Colors Marathi is all set to unveil fresh offerings starting mid-July with new episodes of its existing shows and a brand new ethos.

     

    Said Nikhil Sane, Business Head, Marathi Entertainment, Viacom18, said: “Colors Marathi has always focused on narrating stories in a relatable manner along with a cultural essence. In these extraordinary times, the channel has stayed true to its promise of not only keeping its viewers engaged and entertained at all times, but also strengthening its bond. With our new tagline ‘Navi Umed Navi Bharari’ we are not only determined to stay connected with our audiences, but also bring to their screens their favorite shows that they have missed over the past few months. We are also working on a line-up of new shows that we will launch very soon. We are certain that together these initiatives will strengthen our relationship even more.”

     

     

  • From July 2020, BARC India clients will have access to data solely through Markdata's YUMI Analytics

    BARC vrooms from BMW to Yumi

    By A Correspondent

     

    Yumi in Japanese means “reason”, “cause”, “archery bow” or “beautiful”. It’s also said to convey abundance and beauty. In this case, it’s the plaform developed by Lisbon, Portugal-based Markdata which is going to be determing the fortunes of the television industry in India. So: You for Markdata’s partners, and Me for, well, Markdata itself. We thought the other meanings of reason, cause, archery bow and beautiful perhaps fit the sentiments that we see every Thursday after the ratings are out.

    Television measurement company Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India, will complete transitioning to Yumi Analytics, starting tomorrow, July 1. The idea, notes a communique, is to offer an enhanced experience and more holistic data generation and analysis. With modules that are more flexible, customisable, and designed to be performance oriented with a more intuitive approach. Until now, BARC subscribers used a platform called BMW (short for BARC India Media Workstation). Over the last 11 months, Yumi and BMW have been operational in parallel to afford a smooth transition.

    Romil Ramgarhia

    Said  Romil Ramgarhia, Chief Operating Officer, BARC India: “BARC India is driven on strengthening its existing framework while introducing new products and services that help our clients make more informed decisions. Yumi Analytics is one of the most advanced software with respect to television measurement and insights. It is user-friendly, intuitive and has ability to perform multiple tasks efficiently. BARC team across India have worked closely with the clients over the last 11 months to ensure a smooth transition.”