Emmy award-winning actor Archie Panjabi has teamed up with BBC Studios Kids & Family to develop the new comedic mystery series, Anisha Accidental Detective.
Based on the successful book series of the same name, written by Serena Patel and illustrated by Emma McCann, the 10-part live-action series follows strong-willed ten-year-old, Anisha Mistry, whose life is upended when her auntie’s fiancé disappears a few days before their big Bollywood-style wedding.
Said Stanley Fernandes, BBC Studios Vice President, Distribution South Asia: “This announcement is really exciting news for our audiences in India who can already catch a fantastic variety of our BBC Kids and Family content on BBC Kids and BBC Player on Amazon Prime Video Channel. We’re really looking forward to seeing more detail on this show as it develops.”
Added Serena Patel, author of the Anisha Accidental Detective books: “I was thrilled when I heard that Archie Panjabi was coming on board as Executive Producer for the series. I have huge admiration for her career as an actor and for her to be involved in bringing my books to the screen feels like a dream come true.”
Star Sports has partnered with the Asian Legends League as the Official Broadcast Partner for the next three seasons, spanning from 2024 to 2026. The Asian Legends League, a platform for former retired cricket legends from Asian countries, is set to showcase the talents of iconic players in an exhilarating league format.
The league, organised by World Sports Group (WSG), will feature five franchise teams representing renowned cricketing nations: Indian Royals, Sri Lankan Lions, Bangladesh Tigers, Pakistan Stars, and Afghanistan Pathans. The highly anticipated event is scheduled to take place from May 27th to June 4th, 2024.
Said League Commissioner Chetan Sharma: “We are delighted to partner with Star Sports, a pioneer in sports broadcasting, to bring the Asian Legends League to fans across the globe. This collaboration will undoubtedly enhance the viewing experience and elevate the stature of the league.”
In addition to the partnership announcement, WSG has finalised key committees to uphold the integrity and standards of the league. The Code of Conduct & Ethics Committee, chaired by Ashok Malhotra, includes esteemed members such as Chetan Sharma, Vijay Dahiya, Harwinder Singh, and Parwinder Singh. Furthermore, the Playing Condition Committee, led by Vijay Dahiya, comprises Harwinder Singh, Sarabh J Singh, and Nensi Patel.
Content distribution platform Tata Play has joined hands with Amazon Prime to offer Tata Play DTH and Tata Play Binge customers multiple ways to access Prime Video’s content. Tata Play DTH subscribers can now choose from multiple packs starting from INR 199 per month, that offer a variety of their TV channels along with Prime Lite with Tata Play. In addition, Binge subscribers can get Prime Lite with Tata Play along with 30+ other popular apps at various price points. At INR 199 per month, users can subscribe to 6 OTT apps, including Prime Video, from a list of 33 apps, or can subscribe to all 33, including Prime Video at INR 349 per month.
Said Harit Nagpal, Managing Director and CEO, Tata Play, on the partnership. “While on the one hand, Tata Play’s robust content distribution network will help in expanding Amazon Prime’s outreach to newer audience segments, on the other, addition of Prime Lite Membership with Tata Play will make Binge a more compelling proposition.”
Added Gaurav Gandhi, vice president, APAC & MENA, Prime Video: “At Prime Video, our mission is to super-serve our customers with the best of entertainment, and we are constantly looking at ways to strengthen our distribution to ensure wider availability of our much-loved movies and series. The collaboration with Tata Play provides its DTH and digital customers seamless access to Prime Video’s full selection of content, as well as Prime Lite benefits like unlimited free shopping & shipping of ‘Same-day/Next-Day’ delivery, Prime exclusive deals and much more. We look forward to working with Tata Play to make premium entertainment even more accessible to customers in India.”
Zee Entertainment is getting set to broadcast DP World ILT20 Season 3. Season 3 of the DP World International League T20 that is scheduled to begin from Saturday, January 11, 2025.
The 34-match event will be played at the three UAE cricket venues – Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah – starting from January 11, 2025 to February 9, 2025. It will be aired on Zee TV channels and on Zee5.
The franchise-style tournament will see six teams playing 34 matches. The league’s six franchise teams include Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (Kolkata Knight Riders), Desert Vipers (Lancer Capital), Dubai Capitals (GMR), Gulf Giants (Adani Sportsline), MI Emirates (Reliance Industries), and Sharjah Warriors (Capri Global).
Said Ashish Sehgal, Chief Growth Officer – Ad Sales, ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL): “Zee is delighted to present DP World ILT20 third season and promises an electrifying experience to cricket fans in India and around the world. With the world’s finest players, iconic stadiums, and infrastructure and six leading sporting franchises, our goal is to build upon the previous year’s success, further solidifying the league’s stature as one of the most-widely followed cricket events in the world. In our pursuit to grow the market, we are continuously exploring innovative ways to enhance the fan experience, making it more interactive, immersive, and engaging. We are collaborating with cutting-edge technologies and creating new avenues for cricket enthusiasts to connect with the sport. As we embark on this exciting new season, our goal is to ensure that this truly-global league becomes more accessible to viewers worldwide.”
Added CEO DP World ILT20 David White: “We are delighted to confirm the window for DP World International League T20 Season 3. The window has been finalised after discussions with our stakeholders. We have begun our preparations for Season 3 with an aim of making the league even bigger and better.”
Till a couple of months ago, the fate of the now-ongoing elections was signed and sealed. From them till now, there has been more excitement, even though the outcome is unlikely to be different from the one originally predicted, going by various accounts. June 4, the designated day for counting and results, is set to be a huge day from a media perspective, even though being a working day would curtail daytime viewership.
Our news channels have not surprised us one bit during their coverage of these elections, predictably toeing the lines they have for almost a decade now. Yet, it is difficult to not appreciate the relentless hard work that a political journalist, however biased, must put in during elections as long-drawn as these have been.
What has been different about the media playout of these elections is the increasing role social media, especially viral WhatsApp and Reels, have played in information dissemination. While the impact of such platforms was evident even in the previous two elections, it continues to get more mainstream, given the growing audience base with each passing year.
We have also seen some young politicians provide entertain in good measure, infusing fresh energy amidst election fatigue, and providing fodder for viral videos too. Akhilesh Yadav is an old hand, but he has been in good form this year in his rallies. Priyanka Gandhi has impressed with her deft oration in Hindi. Kanhaiya Kumar has been expectedly feisty in his speeches. But the one who has really stood out is Tejashwi Yadav. I’m sure we will hear more of him soon.
June 4 punctuates two big cricket matches: the IPL final about a week before it, and an India-Pakistan World T20 clash a week after. Between these three days, we can expect huge sums of advertising moneys to be spent on media, both traditional and digital.
The day I’m looking forward to even more is June 1. It’s the last day of polling, and in the evening, the Election Commission embargo on sharing exit poll findings will be lifted. More than what the exit polls have to say, I’m looking for some humor in the mad rush one can expect our news channels to indulge in, that evening. Over the last two months, several pollsters have been on news channels, giving cryptic, qualitative hints, when they should be faithfully abstaining from media presence, in true spirit of the very logical embargo. But it’s hard to resist media coverage, I guess.
By all accounts, second week of June should see return to media normalcy, unless we witness the unlikely scenario of a hung Parliament. But that’s still two exciting weeks away.
Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) has announced leadership enhancement plans within its International Business and Operations division. Jaideep Janakiram, formerly the Head of International Business (Americas), has been promoted to Head of International Business and Operations, succeeding Neeraj Arora.
Said Rajesh Kaul, Rajesh Kaul, Chief Revenue Officer of Distribution & International Business and Business Head of Sports Cluster.: “Jaideep has been an integral part of our team, demonstrating remarkable expertise and leadership. I am confident that our international business will continue to thrive and expand under his guidance.” Janakiram will report to Kaul.
In this transition, Shalin Patel, Head of International Business (Europe); Sharon Patel, Manager of Revenue Accounting; Naveen Kunal, Senior Manager of Ad Sales; Kavita Paul, Lead of International Operations; and Moitrani Dhar, Lead of Research and Programming Strategy, will report to Jaideep. The teams in the US and Canada will also continue to report to him.
Caption: Donald-duck wallpaper by AdorableKitty08 on DeviantArt. Creative Commons
By Joel Gray
Donald Duck’s first appearance on screen was the animated short titled The Wise Little Hen. He was intended as a one-off supporting character, but his immediate popularity meant Disney used him in subsequent comic stories and animated shorts.
Within a few years of his debut appearance in 1934, Donald Duck had already achieved a celebrity status comparable to Shirley Temple or Greta Garbo. His popularity is made clear in Disney’s 1939 animated short The Autograph Hound, whereby the Hollywood A-List of the time drop their studio filming commitments to seek Donald’s autograph.
By 1940, Walt Disney himself referred to Donald Duck as “the Gable of our stable” – pairing Donald’s popularity with the Hollywood superstar Clark Gable, the biggest name at MGM Studios at the time. Donald’s icon status was cemented in the 1940s the world over, from comic books in Europe and South America, to starring in US government domestic propaganda during the second world war.
Donald starred in cartoons designed to encourage Americans to rally behind the war effort. These short animations range from encouraging people to invest in American government bonds, to ridiculing Hitler as a deranged despot. The latter short – Der Fuehrer’s Face – won Donald his first Oscar in 1943, though it has since been widely criticised for its caricatured imagery of Japanese people.
Donald is arguably as popular now as he was in his mid-20th century peak. Media researcher Chris Rojek has even used Donald as an example in his categorisation of celebrities. The duck represents the archetypal “celeactor”, a “fictional character who is an institutionalised feature of popular culture”.
Der Fuehrer’s Face won Donald Duck an Oscar in 1943.
Unlike many Disney characters, Donald’s stories take place in the present day and his stories are contemporary to the audience enjoying them. This is clear in his relationships with female characters.
In Donald’s early days, female characters were often limited to representing beauty, domesticity and subservience to the patriarchy – reflecting the experiences of women the world over. For example, Daisy Duck was originally almost never shown as having her own job or career, in sharp contrast to Donald, who is shown in many jobs including private detective, postal worker and salesperson.
In more recent years, though, female characters have developed to reflect the modern world. This includes the animated debut of characters such as Donald’s sister Della Duck. Della is a skilled pilot, often found in the middle of action scenes and essential to the plots of the comic-book series Ducktales (2018), as well as the television show of the same name. Della Duck, Daisy Duck and other female characters have agency in these stories – they are main characters and not merely there to support the male superstar.
Arguably, Donald Duck is a more relatable character than aliens from a galaxy far away, or teenage royals from a place of “once upon a time”. Donald and his friends meet the same daily challenges and enjoyment we do; traffic jams, job (dis)satisfaction, seaside holidays, festive family gatherings and so on. It is not difficult for his audiences to empathise, identify and understand the situations Donald finds himself in.
In Ducktales (2017), Della Duck is a female character, and one of the stars of the show.
Relatable experiences have been an important narrative device for Donald Duck over the past 90 years. Donald enjoyed the technological developments of radio and television in the animated shorts he starred in during the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. And in his most recent animated appearances in Ducktales, characters are seen using social media platform QuackChat – an obvious parody of Snapchat.
Donald Duck is eternally popular because he is the “everyman”. People the world over still find much to relate to and laugh at in his temper tantrums at life’s travails. He provides a way to project our own frustrations in a comparable way to more adult cartoon stars, such as Homer Simpson of The Simpsons or Peter Griffin of Family Guy.
As long as Donald keeps pace with society, and continues to reflect the ever-changing world we live in, this duck is unlikely to fly away anytime soon.
Joel Gray, Associate Dean for Teaching and Learning, Sheffield Hallam University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Lada Guruden Singh has stepped down from his role as General Manager, Sony Pictures International Productions, India where he oversaw local production and has signed a producing deal with the studio.
During his stint as General Manager at SPIP India, Singh was instrumental in bringing and developing the biggest IPs at the studio- from the superhero IP- ‘Shaktimaan’ to the film rights of ‘Madhubala’. He set up these projects along with the remake of Spanish film Campenoes in addition to Chetan Bhagat’s One Indian Girl.
Said Shebnem Askin, EVP, Creative Production and Head of Sony Pictures International Productions said: “We are thrilled to be able to continue to work with Lada in his new journey as a producer. Of course, we will still be working closely with him, on his slate which includes many of the terrific projects he brought into the company, this should keep us closely connected.”
Zee Bharat has appointed Santosh Kumar as its new Editor. In his capacity as Editor, Kumar will lead Zee Bharat’s news operations. His expertise in political, socio-economic, and investigative journalism will sharpen Zee Bharat’s mission to provide incisive and impartial news coverage.
Said Rahul Sinha, Managing Editor of Zee News: “We are thrilled to welcome Santosh Kumar to Zee Bharat. His extensive experience and insightful perspective will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our news programming. With Santosh at the helm, we are poised to redefine news broadcasting in India.”
ABP Network has appointed Samvrit Bhattacharya as the National Sales Director for Digital Sales. His focus will be on scaling revenue, delivering impactful solutions to clients, and driving innovations in the ABP Network’s digital sales sector. Based in Noida, he will be reporting directly to Rupali Fernandes, CRO at ABP Network.
Speaking on the appointment, Fernandes, a warm welcome to Samvrit as he embarks on this new journey with us. We are excited to have him on board and look forward to his contributions towards our continued success. Under his leadership, I am confident our digital business will soar to new heights.”
Sony Pictures Entertainment appoints Nachiket Pantvaidya as General Manager of Sony Pictures International Productions (SPIP).
In this role, Nachiket will oversee local Indian production while working alongside Shony Panjikaran (General Manager and Head of Sony Pictures Releasing International, India).
In his earlier assignments, Nachiket was Group CEO, Balaji Telefilms, Business Head of Sony Entertainment Television. He was also the Business Head of Star Plus and held several roles in the Star TV network, including Head of Star Pravah and Managing Director of Fox Television Studios. An IIM-Ahmedabad alumnus, he has also held key management roles in BBC and Disney.
Shebnem Askin, EVP, Creative Production and Head of Sony Pictures International Production said: “Sanford Panitch and I are so pleased to have Nachiket join the Sony Pictures International Productions to lead our local Indian production. These are exciting times as we take a step to make and release our biggest local slate for the Indian market in the next two years. We are most excited as Nachiket brings along not only rich industry experience but also new energy and dynamic execution skills to lead SPIP to a prime position.”
Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) has announced the appointment of Gaurav Banerjee as the new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective on or before August 26, 2024, pending regulatory approvals. Banerjee will succeed NP Singh.
Said Banerjee: “I am deeply honoured to take on the role of MD & CEO at SPNI. Under N.P. Singh’s remarkable leadership, SPNI has achieved tremendous success and innovation in the entertainment industry. I am excited to lead talented teams as we explore new frontiers in original programming, enhance our viewers’ experiences, drive our distribution footprint across India, and significantly boost our revenues. Together, we will set new benchmarks in entertainment and deliver exceptional value to our audiences and stakeholders.”
NP Singh
Added Singh, who with this appointment will move into the role of Non-Executive Chairman to support this transition through the end of the fiscal year: “I am immensely proud of the success and innovation SPNI has achieved. I am confident that Gaurav will elevate SPNI’s impressive portfolio to new heights. His visionary approach will undoubtedly continue our legacy of excellence and creativity. I look forward to supporting him and our talented team as we further our impact in content creation, audience engagement, and digital media initiatives. And most importantly, I would like to thank the entire SPNI team for being the fulcrum of our growth and success.”
Said Ravi Ahuja, Chairman of Global Television Studios and President and COO of Sony Pictures Entertainment: ” NP Singh’s leadership has been instrumental in shaping SPNI into the powerhouse it is today. I am confident that Gaurav Banerjee, with his proven track record and visionary approach, will continue to drive SPNI’s success. Gaurav’s expertise in content creation and strategic leadership will undoubtedly lead SPNI into an exciting new chapter of growth and achievement. We are thrilled to have him at the helm and look forward to the continued success of SPNI under his leadership.”
Till a couple of months ago, the fate of the now-ongoing elections was signed and sealed. From them till now, there has been more excitement, even though the outcome is unlikely to be different from the one originally predicted, going by various accounts. June 4, the designated day for counting and results, is set to be a huge day from a media perspective, even though being a working day would curtail daytime viewership.
