MxMIndia

Category: TV

  • Set in the Pakistani Prime Minister’s office Fakir-E-Azam is a political satire that focuses on the day-to-day struggles of the current Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, that faces in his office

    India TV’s ‘Fakir-e-Azam’ comedy show

    By A Correspondent

     

    For the festive season, India TV is introducing Diwali Dhamaaka – “Fakir-e-Azam”, a comedy show, that promises relief from all the tension around. Set in the Pakistani Prime Minister’s office Fakir-E-Azam is a political satire that focuses on the day-to-day struggles of the current Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, that faces in his office.

     

    Notes a communique: “The show follows Imran Khan, as he goes about his daily routine, calling heads of various countries trying to get his agenda across, but no one seems to take him seriously, instead they make fun of him, threaten him and humiliate him, the situation reaches a point where he gets frustrated and ends up making fun of himself,” adding: “Imran is often seen mumbling to himself that no one listens to him, as most people he calls keep the phone down without listening to what he has to say…The show Fakir-e-Azam tries to be as current to the situation in Pakistan, but also touches topics that have been permanent fixture of the countries landscape, terrorism and Kashmir. Renowned voiceover and character artist Vishwas Kapoor creates some hilarious moments to this show as he plays the Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan.”

     

     

  • The India Today group has said it feels vindicated with the Bombay High Court order on the BARC disciplinary committee orde

    India Today group feels vindicated with Bombay HC order

    The India Today group has said it feels vindicated with the Bombay High Court order on the BARC disciplinary committee order.

    It has released a statement that says:

    “Accepting the plea of the India Today Group, the Bombay High Court has set aside the order of the Disciplinary Committee of the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) against India Today TV. The Bombay High Court has asked for the Rs 5 lakh deposited with the court registrar to be returned to the India Today Group in full.

    Over 45 years, we have painstakingly built on the principle of credible journalism. Story by story. Edition by edition. Platform by platform. We have created a deep legacy of credibility, excellence, trust, and bipartisanship. We are widely recognised as the Gold Standard of Journalism in the country. In a landscape marked by shrill polarities, we have only one political alignment: the Indian Constitution. And we follow it without fear or favour.”

  • Tanishq, like every other brand and organisation, is a social entity and by definition, needs to be exceptionally sensitive to the ecosystem it operates in, writes Sanjeev Kotnala

    Comment | Sanjeev Kotnala: Is Tanishq on a Hat-trick of Taking Down Ads?

    Screengrab from the Tanishq Diwali 2020 ad

     

    By Sanjeev Kotnala

    When someone including me asks What is wrong with Tanishq? There is a counter-question, what is wrong with us? And What’s Your Problem? And the answer is: Everything.

    Tanishq, like every other brand and organisation, is a social entity and by definition, needs to be exceptionally sensitive to the ecosystem it operates in.

    Why?

    It takes too much of a strategy, guts or stupidity to do it again and so soon.

    To antagonise the community during the festival when you expect large sales to happen.

    So, here are a few possibilities:

    • Buoyant with the last BUYCOTT and buzz it created, the brand now uses it as a strategy. Release an advertisement. Withdraw it.

    • The brand does not bother with the boycott calls on social media. It knows that as a trusted brand, people will still buy from it. Which did happen last time.

    • The Tanishq team at the client and the agency’s end, including the consultants, have a long learning curve.

     

    NOTHING WRONG!

    On the other side, there is nothing wrong with the Tanishq Diwali Advertisement.

    Many brands could have taken this No Crackers as a CSR communication. Quite a few more may do so and not have a backlash.

     

     

    What did the ad say?

    The simple and good-in-its-intent Tanishq Diwali ad has four well-known women talking about how they will celebrate Diwali this year.

    Sayani Gupta tells how she is hoping to meet her mum after really long, and she is definitely not going to burn any firecrackers. She even adds – ‘I don’t think anyone should light any firecrackers. Lot of diyas. Lot of laughter hopefully and a lot of positivity’.

    Alya says she will eat a lot of sweets and food. She will spend time with her family and close friends. Neena Gupta says she will dress up and wear nice jewellery. Then finally Nimrat Kaur tells you that how this year it’s all the more important to be with family.

     

    The last outing with Love Jihad.

    The last time Ekatvam faced Love Jihad. Call for the brand to be sensitive was loud and clear. The brand withdrew the advertisement. And the brand was criticised by people, who believe that taking down the ad was a sign of weakness. And maybe the brand did not believe in what it was saying. 

     

    The Cracker-free Diwali

    Some states have banned firecrackers. A few have banned bursting firecrackers in public spaces. The new generation is quick in adopting green initiatives and is sensitive to the pollution issue. The cracker-free Diwali message should have been okay. 

     

    Brands must have its ears to the ground

    However, if the brands have been using their digital listening tools properly, they would have got a hint of resistance. These are definitively charged times. Hindus as a community are fed with multiple messages that question the treatment they get in a state that they believe should not have been secular but a Hindu Rashtra. They feel they are singled out in the politically and socially. They hate the temples controlled by the government when other religious places are mostly free from such governance. They see only their festivals, rituals and traditions questioned. They see the need to prove their faith.

     

    Any Spark would do

    The Hindu feel weak not in the number but in unity, in protest and acts. They believe that as a majority, they have the right not to be questioned for everything. They see how some other communities and religious groups can semi-dictate the agenda and their demands. How being a majority works against them? This is a charged environment. Anything and everything can be the spark that can socially have an equivalent of the Beirut Ammonia Nitrite blast.

     

    The brands have to realise it and be sensitive. No one would have said anything if it was burn crackers responsibly, burn less. 

     

    A Suggestion

    The concept of Ekvatm is excellent for the time. Somewhere it has been lost or robbed of its sheen because of few pieces of communication being interpreted differently.

    Maybe the brand could do well to bring alive what is hidden in its websites. The collectivism of multiple artesian, jewellery styles like Meenakari, Laser, Stamp etc. to create and celebrate Ekatvam.

     

    Sanjeev Kotnala is a senior marketer, business strategist and educator. He writes for MxMIndia weekly, on Wednesdays, and also on many other days. His views here are personal.

     

     

  • The next annual appraisal will happen in March 2021

    Covid-led downturn notwithstanding, TV9 announces increments wef April 2020

    By A Correspondent

     

    The TV9 network has announced an increment with retrospective effect from April 2020.

     

    Barun Das

    Announcing this to the team, CEO Barun Das said: “Covid-19 has taken unprecedented toll on both human lives and the global economy. Media hasn’t been immune to the ravages of the pandemic, with even the biggest media companies cutting salaries and laying off employees. I am proud to say that at TV9 network we never allowed that to happen, despite the pressures,” adding: “We are announcing flat percentage increase , based on salary slabs,  because we didn’t believe it was prudent to differentiate, given that all of us have worked as one…”

     

    The arrears will be released before Diwali – which is this week, Das informed, and said that the next annual appraisal will happen in March 2021.

     

     

  • A Supreme Court vacation bench comprising Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice Indira Banerjee granted bail to Republic Media Network Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami.

    SC grants bail to Arnab Goswami

    By A Correspondent

     

    It’s Supreme Court judge Justice DY Chandrachud’s 59th birthday today. And on the day, a vacation bench comprising him and Justice Indira Banerjee granted bail to Republic Media Network Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami.

     

    Goswami had filed a special leave petition seeking interim bail. He was arrested by the Raigad police in Maharashtra and was moved to Taloja jail over the weekend. Goswami has been in judicial custody in a case regarding the suicide of a Mumbai interior designer and his mother in 2018. Earlier, Goswami’s plea to the Bombay High Court was rejected and he was asked to approach the Sessions Court.

     

    There is no word when Goswami will actually be released.

     

     

     

  • The campaign also features a video that challenges deep rooted gender stereotypes with a message 'Khol Dimaag Ka Shutter'

    Sony Sab to challenge gender stereotypes

    By A Correspondent

     

    Sony Sab has unveiled a new campaign around the thought, ‘Sapno Ka Koi Gender Nahi Hota’ for its upcoming show Kaatelal & Sons. The campaign also features a video that challenges deep rooted gender stereotypes with a message ‘Khol Dimaag Ka Shutter’.

     

    Said Vaishali Sharma, Head – Marketing & Communications, Sony Sab: “Kaatelal & Sons is a beautiful and true testament of Sony Sab’s forward-looking approach where we continue to offer shows that have hope and meaning. With Sapno Ka Koi Gender Nahi Hota campaign, we aim at challenging the deep-rooted stereotypes of gender roles in our society. We want to embody this promise not only through our on-air content but also through our marketing campaign that can be entertaining while raising some meaningful questions that can spearhead a change in people’s lives. Khol Dimaag Ka Shutter is a fun musical take on the concept of Kaatelal & Sons with a thought-provoking message. We are encouraging everyone to #ungender their dreams.”

     

     

  • His outbursts after his release from jail indicate he’s going to up the offensive against the Maharashtra CM, writes Pradyuman Maheshwari

    Future tense for Arnab Goswami?

     

     

    By Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

     

    In early 2009, I was grilled by a hundred-odd students at the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management on the role of Barkha Dutt and Rajdeep Sardesai in the coverage of the Mumbai terror siege in November the previous year. Student – mostly millennials –  were incensed with the way they covered the terror attack, and expected me to endorse their sentiments. I didn’t, though I did acknowledge that things weren’t done right.

     

     

    In the last few months, I am being quizzed similarly about the role of the media given the Sushant Singh Rajput death, and even before that the entire coverage of the Narendra Modi government and its actions and policies. An interview with Arnab Goswami a few months ago, where I thought I asked some direct questions, actually got me brickbats. Why the hell did I have to interview him? Why give him any importance, I was asked. A few thought I was being soft on him. And some believe that he is a friend.

     

     

    If a friendly acquaintance can be called a friend, then so be it. I have admired his skills as a businessman. And he was indeed a really sharp journalist.

     

     

    I use a ‘was’ because I too honestly believe he has ceased to be a journalist, in the way I define it. The dictionary definition of journalism though doesn’t require a practitioner to be conducting oneself in a non-partisan manner. Journalism doesn’t mean that you have to be honest, fair and sincere. People who deploy paid content also fashion themselves as journalists, publications which sell content for cash by a just-for-the-sake-of-putting-it disclaimer also say they are doing great journalism. Current affairs is as much about the Bihar as it’s about Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt. Chill, I used these two filmi names for want of a better example. Stay here, there’s no khaas khabar about them.

     

     

    I read the statement of Arnab Goswami’s wife that was doing the rounds on the internet. At a purely personal level, I feel for his family. Though I wonder whether they felt the same when Republic TV was gunning for Rhea Chakraborty. Did they worry about the actor being tortured, beaten up, whatever? I am convinced that what Arnab is being subjected to is vendetta. The Maharashtra government is out to get him. And try and hope he is finished. Ensure Republic TV and Republic Bharat go off the EPG.

     

    Just about everyone I’ve interacted with believes he deserves to be punished for attempting to demolish Chakraborty. Just about, not all.

     

     

    But when Arnab Goswami was granted bail on Wednesday by a Supreme Court vacation bench comprising Justice DY Chandrachud, one of the most erudite and stylish judges of our time, and Justice Indira Banerjee, they surely corrected what was legally wrong.

     

    Corrected a wrong, because I believe the arrest was misplaced, and from what some learned folks tell me, it wasn’t done in the right way.

     

    Goswami had filed a special leave petition seeking interim bail. He was arrested by the Raigad police in Maharashtra and was moved to Taloja jail over the weekend. Goswami had been in judicial custody in a case regarding the suicide of a Mumbai interior designer and his mother in 2018. Earlier, Goswami’s plea to the Bombay High Court was rejected and he was asked to approach the Sessions Court. The abetment to suicide case was just a bahana.

     

    I had thought Arnab Goswami would mend his ways. Would ease the shrill. But a few hours into watching his channel had me convinced that he was all set to up the ante. The picture you see above and in the slideshow are grabs from RepublicWorld.com. The way Arnab dared Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to arrest him is surely not going to be taken very kindly. The Supreme Court judges are reported to have asked the Maharashtra government not to take all of Arnab’s provocations seriously. Even if UT chills, the Sena cadres are known to be a sensitive lot.

     

     

    If Arnab gone to the newsroom, hugged a few of his staff, shed a tear and choked while speaking, he would earned a million wah-wahs. The number of tweets would’ve galloped ahead to 4x what the telecast generated.

     

     

    I have been asked a dozen-odd friends to request Arnab to take it easy. Not result in saying something that would appear to be interfering in the investigations.

     

     

    But if his performance last evening was any indicator, there’s just no way he’s going to change. In fact he is all set to go on a rampage. Arnab has also announced his foray into regions  and an international channel as well, but that was announced last year as well. In fact one report said the foray was to be start in Jan 2020. That was pre-Covid, so no downturn could’ve impacted. I am sure the regional foray will happen, esp if it’s digital and streamed.

     

     

    The concern here is not about meeting promises and announcements. He has announced a 17-month window. Which is one-and-a-half years. So, if Republic Media Network continues have a leadership position, it will happen sooner.

     

     

    The worry is that if Arnab continues to take on the Maharashtra government and if his channel takes up most of primetime reporting on what its bossman and now a senior executive are going through, then the ratings are bound to suffer.

     

     

    There were worries about advertisers backing out if Arnab would be off-air for too long. That thankfully for Republic will not happen. But it’s critical that the channel starts airing news beyond its legal tangles. And if the channel management and its minority shareholders really worry about its main man not getting embroiled in court cases, appearances etc, then the channel content and the business will suffer.

     

     

    The ball is clearly in the courts of Arnab Goswami and the Maharashtra government. We think there should be climbdown of sorts at both ends. Will it happen? I doubt. Thackeray & Co want Arnab to apologise. He won’t. Goswami will want the Police Commissioner to be transferred. They won’t do that.

     

    Future tense indeed.

     

     

     

  • Hope some common sense prevails, and trigger-happy authorities stay away from shooting at will, writes Shailesh Kapoor

    Shailesh Kapoor: Whose Ratings Are They, Anyway?

     

    By Shailesh Kapoor

     

    The last few weeks have seen eruption of a fresh debate around television ratings. Before the formation of BARC India, ratings-related controversies in the TAM era were frequent, and different broadcasters, at different times, expressed their discontentment privately and publically, with some like NDTV even taking the legal route. When the currency shifted to BARC India in 2015, these debates expectedly became less frequent. The key difference, of course, was that BARC India is an industry body, and not a private organisation like TAM.

     

    For the last five years, despite stray voices and uncalled-for government interference, there has been an overall sense of calm around TV ratings in India. But trust 2020 to challenge the status quo. One concern after the other, the ratings system has come under the scanner again in recent weeks.

     

    It started with BARC India’s decision to use an algorithm to remove the impact of landing pages on viewership. This evidently-controversial decision has not gone down well with several news broadcasters. Even as we await the unfolding of this contentious piece, the Peoplemeter-tampering controversy came to the fore, wherein the Mumbai police charged certain news channels, most noticeably the Republic TV network, of breach.

     

    In a large, pan-India panel that’s being managed manually at the last mile, some Peoplemeter homes being compromised is not such a surprising development. It’s bound to happen once in a while, and a swift and decisive response it all that such incidents needs, on behalf of BARC India.

     

    But such incidents bring the topic up in the media, and we know that questioning voices don’t worry much about facts and details anymore. By suspending channel-level ratings for the news genre, BARC India has, in effect, admitted there’s a need to get things in order. And that can, arguably, be called a constructive decision.

     

    t the events of the last two months have worked as a perfect trigger for the ever-eager I&B ministry and TRAI to step in. Last week, the ministry constituted a four-member committee to review the existing guidelines on television ratings agencies in India.

     

    The government’s interference in the television industry can be exasperating for any sane mind that has the industry’s best interest at heart. Under the excuse of protecting consumer interest, TRAI has interfered repeatedly by setting the price points and guidelines regarding pay TV subscription. Why TV industry even comes under TRAI is a larger question in the first place. But even if one ignores that by seeing TRAI and the I&B ministry or any other such body as a generic entity called the Government of India, the interference is a blatant violation of the principles on which a free market operates. Why are cinema and live event ticket prices not regulated? I hope I’m not giving them more ideas to widen their interference net, but the Government could have done well to stay away from areas it has no business of being a part of. But that ain’t happening anytime soon. In fact, the latest development, that online news portals and the OTT category will come under the I&B ministry, is a new cause of concern.

     

    The ratings committee has two months to put up its recommendations. Irrespective of how good a job they do of it, the direction in which this discourse is going is deeply problematic. It’s been a tough year for all industries, and television broadcasting is no exception. Hope some common sense prevails, and trigger-happy authorities stay away from shooting at will. Else, 2021 could spell some more trouble for the business. Trouble that, unlike the pandemic, is eminently avoidable.

     

     

  • The award is for promoting water conservation’ for its water campaign- Aakhri Boond at the second National Water Awards organised by the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti

    ITV Network gets Water Award from GoI

    By A Correspondent

     

    ITV Network has bagged the second prize in ‘Best TV Show for promoting water conservation’ for its water campaign- Aakhri Boond at the second National Water Awards organised by the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti.

    The award ceremony was held earlier this week in New Delhi.

    Commenting on the win, Kartikeya Sharma, Founder of iTV Network, said: “This award is a testament to our resilience and our passion to work tirelessly. Saving water is not the responsibility of only you or me or for that sake any single individual. But on the contrary, saving water is a national cause and should be a common practice. Ground connect & digital amplifications will be a key agenda that we will be driving in the coming year to make people aware of the importance and techniques to save water.”

     

     

  • The tournament will take place from November 26 to December 16. 2020

    Sony Pictures acquires rights for Lanka Premier League 2020

    By A Correspondent

     

    Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) has acquired the exclusive pay television and IPTV broadcast rights for the Lanka Premier League (LPL) India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan & Maldives and non-exclusive FTA rights for the same countries excluding Sri Lanka. The tournament will take place from November 26 to December 16. 2020.

     

    Said Rajesh Kaul, Chief Revenue Officer, Distribution and Head – Sports Business, Sony Pictures Networks India: “We share a long-standing relationship with the Sri Lanka Cricket board and as the rights holders of Sri Lanka Cricket, this is a natural extension. The Lanka Premier League is a good brand of cricket that is set to feature many sub-continent players making it a very attractive addition to our cricket portfolio. Sony Pictures Networks India is the premier destination for the best of international cricket and for us, it is not just about broadcasting an event but it’s about bringing people closer to the game. We are extremely happy to say that with Lanka Premier League we will be bringing that brand of cricket for our audience in India.”

     

    Added Ravin Wickramaratne, Sri Lanka Cricket VP & LPL Tournament Director: “Sri Lanka Cricket is excited to extend our partnership with Sony Pictures Networks India to feature the Lanka Premier League. Both nations share the love and enthusiasm for the game and we are positive that this tournament will keep fans at the edge of their seats. With Lanka Premier League, Sri Lanka Cricket is looking forward to continuing the long-standing relationship with Sony Pictures Networks India.”

     

     

  • It featured internet star Yashraj Mukhate

    Tata Sky’s World TV Day campaign

    By A Correspondent

     

    Celebrating World Television Day, Tata Sky launched the campaign #YahaSabDekha conceptualised by Chimp&z Inc. The campaign featured an original mashup track from the internet and social media star Yashraj Mukhate.

     

    Commenting on the campaign Anurag Kumar, Chief Communications Officer, Tata Sky said: “Television is the primary platform of content consumption in India and has been a source of joy and entertainment for the nation. This World Television Day, we celebrate the anniversary of TV- our constant companion through decades and pay tribute to the evergreen days of entertainment which every generation can relate to. For the campaign #YahaSabDekha, we have partnered with Yashraj Mukhate to deliver our thoughts in the most trendy and distinctive style that syncs well with our social media savvy audience.”

     

    Added Angad Singh Manchanda, CEO & Co-founder of Chimp&z Inc: “The idea of collaborating with Yashraj Mukhate was in the pipeline for some time and World TV Day came as the right opportunity. #YahaSabDekha serves as a reminder to all of us that even amidst the plethora of options available for entertainment, the golden days of television remain unfazed and fresh in our memories. The song rendition is a testament to our childhood.”

     

  • That West Bengal is going to polls next year is obviously more than just a coincidence

    TV9 Network forays into Bangla

    By A Correspondent

     

    TV9 Network has embarked on am expansion plan for both its linear television as well as digital news businesses. The expansion plan will kick off with the launch of TV9 Bangla, a 24X7 news channel in the dynamic Bengal news market early next year. That West Bengal is going to polls next year is obviously more than just a coincidence

     

    Before the launch of TV9 Bangla, the network will unveil its digital offering, tv9bangla.com in December.

     

    Commenting on the Network’s foray into West Bengal, Barun Das, CEO, TV9 Network, said: “Gopal Krishna Gokhale had famously said  ‘What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow’. But nearly a century later it would seem like that statement applies more to Bengal’s past than the present. An intellectually progressive state and exporter of the best talent to India and the world, we believe the state and its people still retain the wisdom and wares to make that its future as well.  Bengalis are the typical Argumentative Indian, they want to keep her ear to the ground and hence are naturally drawn to news. More importantly, Bengalis are proud of their language and largely consume news in their language. The discerning Bengali viewer will always have room for a neutral perspective and a balanced opinion. That’s the place in the Bengali heart and mind that TV9 Bangla aspires to occupy. We are here to strike the right balance with neutrality and a fair perspective forming the core of our operations. Our unbiased coverage and world class presentation will give teeth to the Fourth Estate in West Bengal.”

     

    On the timing of the launch, Das said: “The state is already into election mode. Indirect canvassing has already started and the heat is building up. Given Bengal’s propensity for free flow of information, news viewership is bound to peak. We believe this is a perfect opportunity for TV9 Bangla to establish its credentials and win the maximum share of viewership and voice.”

     

    The network has onboarded veteran journalist Anjan Bandyopadhyay as the editor of TV9 Bangla news channel. He was the editor of Zee 24 Ghanta and his last assignment was with ABP as its Editor-Digital. Hiring for both platforms is in full swing.  Amritanshu Bhattacharya has also joined as the Editor, TV9 Bengali Digital and will also serve as Managing Editor, Output, for the television channel. His last assignment was as an Associate Editor and Head of Digital of Zee 24 Ghanta.

     

    It may be remembered that not too long ago, Das had made a success of Zee 24 Ghanta. Watch this space as he takes on his former channel.