MxMIndia

Tag: Oprah Winfrey

  • The best episodes from The Oprah Winfrey Show will be shown on Big CBS Love every Friday starting May 10

    Big CBS Love announces ‘Friday evenings with Oprah’

    By A Correspondent

     

    English General Entertainment Channel Big CBS Love has lined up a special treat for viewers this summer, titled ‘Friday evenings with Oprah’. The weekly special will include the best episodes from the Daytime Emmy Award-winning programme, The Oprah Winfrey Show.

     

    The multiple award-winning television personality will once again be seen on Indian television with the best hand-picked weekly specials around the themes of relationships, weight loss and health, most shocking stories, celebrity specials and the Oprah spectacular finale, starting May 10, at 8 pm exclusively on Big CBS Love.

     

    The idea behind these specials is to club together theme based shows which are topical in nature each month. Ensuring they resonate with audiences, the shows touch on a wide variety of topics from relationships, intimacy, sex, why men cheat, how foolproof is your marriage and more. Also being shown will be some of The Oprah Winfrey Show’s most shocking stories, including an abusive husband caught on tape, a 6-year-old chained in a closet and tortured by his own family and the story of a 28-year-old woman who has had 26 plastic surgeries.

     

    The celebrity specials will see Richard Branson, Ricky Martin and others appear on the show, before Oprah’s farewell spectacular, which will mark the close of ‘Friday Evenings with Oprah’.

     

    Anand Chakravarthy

    Anand Chakravarthy, Business Head, Big CBS Networks said, “It is a delight to bring back a personality like Oprah Winfrey to television screens. With this weekly special, we aim to provide our viewers with wholesome entertainment and touch upon universal themes which are sure to strike a chord with audiences. Oprah is an icon to millions and we are confident our viewers will appreciate our efforts to bring them the best of the most popular talk show. At the same time it is an exciting opportunity for marketers and advertisers to connect with their target audiences.”

     

  • Personally speaking, I am all ready for the future. I have decided to start a specialized scam ads shop. Which to me sounds like a really lucrative business

    Anil Thakraney: Page 3 versus Oprah

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Oprah Winfrey is a super talk show host. That is well known. We now also know that apna Aamirbhai is a huge fan of the lady, after he formatted his maiden TV show based on her work. All very fine and dandy. But we’ve just discovered another thing about Oprah that some hoity toity Indians are finding very hard to digest: Apparently, she thinks poorly of us Indians because we ‘still’ eat food with our hands. And the TV queen has made a video of her shock over our crazy dietary habits for the consumption of her local audiences inAmerica. And it’s mainly targeted at the Texan rangers, who must obviously be having a good gaff at our expense.

     

    I searched for the offending video on Youtube, and not surprisingly, they have been blocked for viewing in India. And that’s stupid, really. You can find the link through other websites. Oprah made this sensational comment when she sat down for a desi thali meal with a conservative Somani family from Mumbai. One can see in the video that the family is going out of its way to please the honourable guest.

     

    The result: All those Page 3 types who were falling over each other to get close to Oprah when she visited India in January this year, are busy spewing venom against her on TV talk shows. These are the same people who were excitedly tweeting their smiling thopdas in the company of the exalted lady. I have only two things to say to these angry beauties.

     

    One, Ms Winfrey is a television presenter and she will use footage that can get her American audiences transfixed. That’s her profession, that’s her job. Western audiences don’t want to see the high rises of Nariman Point, nor are they interested in videos of Parmeshwar Godrej’s glitzy party in Oprah’s honour. They want to see the poverty and squalor they usually associate withIndia, stuff they find quaint. The huge success of Slumdog Millionaire proves that. So don’t hold this video against the lady, she’s got TRPs to worry about.

     

    This incident should also remind you guys and gals to quit the gora (which ironically, Oprah is not even) fixation and get over the colonial hangover, it’s been over sixty years since we ousted them. Treat them like any other guest when they arrive, so that when they return to their own nations and report unflattering things, we simply ignore it and move on.

     

    Let’s be a little more confident about ourselves for god’s sake.

     

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    [youtube width=”400″ height=”225″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3jTSB2ez-g[/youtube]

    PS: Do watch this video on the art of designing a logo. It talks about the evolution of the logo over the centuries and its huge relevance to marketing. And there are some super examples too.

     

  • Senior VP & GM Rahul Johri talks of how the Discovery Network scores over the rest (Text+Video)

    We’re bigger than the sum of all our competitors: Rahul Johri

     

    Text & Video by Shruti Pushkarna
    Although most of its channels are not mass like those offering soaps and sitcoms, the Discovery Network is a key member of the Indian broadcast landscape. The Discovery Network Asia Pacific’s Senior Vice President & General Manager for South Asia, RahulJohri attributes the network’s success to its dedicated and loyal viewership and says it is far ahead of competition

     

    Under Mr Johri’s leadership, Discovery India’s portfolio has grown from two to eight channels. In 2009, he led Discovery Channel to become India’s No.1 channel in non-fiction entertainment. He cemented TLC as India’s definitive lifestyle channel and energized Animal Planet with the brand recording the highest audience growth in the factual space.

     

    He launched three new networks in 2010, Discovery Science, Discovery Turbo and a 24-hour high definition channel – Discovery HD World. Mr Johri has also pioneered the channel’s localization strategy by launching language feeds in Telugu and Bengali. Discovery Channel Tamil was also launched in 2011.

     

    At a press meet in the Capital on July 5, Mr Johri announced the launch of a new series on TLC called Be Blunt with Adhuna Akhtar. A six-part series, Be Blunt with Adhuna Akhtar showcases the striking transformation of the girls selected from across India into dazzling divas by popular hairstylist Adhuna Akhtar and her brother Osh Bhabani.

     

    MxMIndia caught up with Mr Johri soon after he unveiled Be Blunt to the media. In this one-on-one interaction, Mr Johri tells MxMIndia about Discovery’s leadership and the network’s latest offering and that Discovery Kids will be unveiled shortly. He also shares his views on how digitization is set to impact Discovery and other niche channels.

     

    Excerpts from the interview:

    It’s interesting that you have a show on hairstyling. Tell us a little about this show with Adhuna Akhtar?

    Our focus in TLC is on different aspects of lifestyle and one of the most prominent ones of that is appearance. So keeping that in mind we thought a hairstyling show would fit in really well on the channel. And there is no other hairstyling show. When we wanted to do it, we found Adhuna Akhtar, who is one of the most popular hair dressers in the country. This show takes in six different individuals and carries out a makeover on them and in the midst of doing the makeover, Adhuna gives viewers a lot of tips on how to keep their hair better.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”225″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LvsvFWwOTA[/youtube]

    You mentioned there are six episodes of this show ready to air… what’s coming up next?

    We have always done new things and surprised our viewers. Whether it’s a show on Shah Rukh Khan’s life, the jewellery show, and now it’s a hair dressing show, so we will continue to surprise people.

     

    And then there’s the programme capturing the Indian Army’s Women Expedition to Everest…

    The Army sent an expedition which scaled Mount Evereston May 25 and 26. There are seven women who were part of that expedition and a total of 17 climbers who climbed Everest. We shot the whole show; in fact, a Discovery cameraman also climbed Mount Everest along with the climbers. Right now we are editing the footage that has been brought back and we hope to bring this show within this year.

     

    And the two-part series on Oprah’s visit to India?

    Oprah was here earlier this year and she shot extensively in Mumbai, Vrindavan, Agra and Jaipur. There are two episodes of this new series that she now does which is called The Next Chapter which appears on Oprah Winfrey’s Network in US and in India you will see it both on Discovery Channel and on TLC. Discovery has had quite a few specials in the past, like the special show with Shah Rukh Khan, another one of course coming up with Oprah…

     

    Considering a lot of money has to be invested in promotion for programming, isn’t it better to stick to longer format shows rather than these one-offs?

    It is a part of the kind of shows we do. A documentary filmmaker does not make a series, there is no 52-part documentary. It will always be smaller parts. And viewers know that there will be specials and we have now eight different channels of our own. So we have enough air time to take the message to the viewers.

     

    Discovery has got a lot of competition in this space now, especially from a channel like History which is doing fairly well. How do you view competition from upcoming channels?

    We are, by far, the leaders in the genre. We are bigger than the sum of all our competitors. We’ve been in the business for 15 years and no matter how you slice and dice the numbers, we are the leaders. And we will continue to present to our viewers with quality programming. And the other important thing which is responsible for our leadership position is, on Discovery you will always find shows which are on brand. There is nothing that is not on brand. So viewers get from Discovery what they expect from Discovery. And that is really responsible for the loyalty that we have of our viewers.

     

    A channel like TLC is fighting for viewership with English GECs like Star World and Zee Cafe…

     TLC is bigger than most of them and TLC has a very dedicated audience. If you ask people what they watch on TLC, they will give you names of shows that they follow. And TLC has managed to establish itself as the definitive lifestyle channel in this country and that really gives it the advantage.

     

    Speaking of niche channels, how are Discovery Turbo and Discovery Science doing?

    In terms of reach, they continue to grow. Discovery Turbo has very dedicated audience in the metro markets and Discovery Science has been growing all over the country. Its distribution has been growing. And if there is a country in the world where a Science channel fits in perfectly, it is India because 65 per cent of India is under 30 years of age. And 35 per cent of the country is under 14 years of age. And everybody understands the value of education. And that is why the science channel works so well here.

     

    And how’s your regional foray going? Discovery Tamil is a success… what languages up next?

    Discovery Channel Tamil is a great success. Discovery is the only international company to have a full-fledged channel and not just a dubbed feed in the language. So it has its own programming grid, it has all the on-air packaging in Tamil. And from the day we launched in Tamil, the rating has more than doubled. Today it is the No 9 channel in Tamil Nadu. We are already available in Bangla, Telugu and Hindi and we continue to evaluate languages.

     

    It’s been a while since you announced Discovery Kids at FICCI Frames. When will it be launched?

    The test signals of Discovery Kids are already on and we are currently seeding the channel in various parts of the country. We should be announcing the launch very soon.

     

    And how will it be different from the other channels in this space?

    Discovery Kids is not a 100 percent animation channel. It has the inherent Discovery values. However, we understand the value of entertainment so there is a lot of entertainment on the channel and it’s a parent-approved entertainment channel.

     

    What will be its driver shows? For instance, POGO has Chhota Bheem and Disney has Doraemon…

    We have our set, and like I said it’s just a matter of time that we’ll announce Discovery Kids and we will show you all the big shows that Discovery Kids has.

     

    Are you looking at a reality show like Endurance which is a rage internationally?

    You will get all the big shows of Discovery Kids in India!

     

    Do you think digitization will have a positive impact on channels like Discovery?

    In a digital world where the consumers are not constrained by the bandwidth capacity and have a complete choice, channels like Discovery become that much more important. As a consumer you get complete control over what you want to watch and that is where clearly defined offerings like TLC, Discovery Science, Animal Planet have a clear cut proposition and they become that much more pronounced in a digital environment.

     

    Given that TRAI will have restrictions on pricing of channels, will niche channels (like Discovery) really benefit from it, considering the huge amount of investment on content by these channels…

    Not being able to price your channel has its drawbacks… I would like to bring the military channel here which talks about all kinds of war strategies and so on. But that will have a small dedicated tribe to watch it. Till the numbers grow, the next level of specialization is difficult. It’s a challenge to get extremely specialized channels into the country.

     

  • In Freaking News, Ranjona Banerji reviews the fare on primetime news and in the papers

    What the government can’t, Goswami can!

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    Last night on Times Now, Arnab Goswami took on the case of an Indian couple in Norway whose children have been taken away from them by the Norwegian authorities. What the government of India could not do, perhaps Goswami will. Child welfare is a concept that Indians know little about (any journalist who has visited orphanages in India or tried to meet any official in the concerned government departments will know what I mean). Therefore, the outrage is all to do with Indians being made to suffer rather than the legality of the case. Indians, as we know, cannot be criticised, attacked, ridiculed, or made fun of. We absolutely will not tolerate it. Look at the anger over a reference to Amritsar’s Golden Temple on American comedian and TV host Jay Leno’s Tonight Show if you want further proof.

     

    Meanwhile, it is amusing to watch Goswami use the BJP’s Mahesh Jethmalani for target practice. If I was Jethmalani, I would ignore calls from Times Now for a bit. It’s not easy to defend the BJP and its Sangh Parivar friends when the debate is about freedom of expression.

     

    TV anchor Barkha Dutt’s American-type accent as she interviewed US talk show empress Oprah Winfrey was also amusing. Where did that come from? Can Winfrey not understand if there’s not a couple of rolled rrrs in every sentence?

     

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    The Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad has made two arrests in the July 13, 2011 bomb blasts in Mumbai. However, given the police track record in such cases, TV and newspapers both displayed a little scepticism here. The two arrested are already in custody for some other cases and the masterminds are still elusive. Everyone has pointed that out. In which case we must ask ourselves if we really want to see giant photographs (Hindustan Times) of police officials with photos of the accused in their hands? Needless glorification of public servants who are just doing their jobs? Return of favours by grateful reporters?

     

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    It is a measure of how much Anna Hazare and his friends have faded from the public eye that their letters to political parties did not get the full treatment from the media. They asked many questions to which no party has bothered to provide any answers.

     

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    The Salman Rushdie controversy continues to intrigue and annoy. It seems to have taken precedence over whether the army chief was born in 1950 or 1951.

     

  • This 'phorein' fixation after over 60 years of Independence is showing not just our media badly, it's projecting India as a very unconfident and slavish nation

    Anil Thakraney: An unconfident nation

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Media ODing on three news items last week caught my attention. And it made me feel, both, confused and agitated. Confused, because the relevance of these stories eluded me. And agitated, because they show a nation of crores of people in a very poor light.

     

    First, the media going ballistic over Oprah Winfrey. Big time Indian celebs behaving like crazed fans and fawning over her like wannabes. And excitedly uploading their smiling pics, in the company of the exalted lady, on Twitter. The grand finale: Fisticuffs between Oprah’s bodyguards and some journos in a small town. Hello, what’s going on? The lady is just a talk show host, that’s her ticket to fame. So she’s made a little brand of herself, but she’s still a talk show host. Would Barkha Dutt, our own chat show girl, evoke such hysteria in America? I would be surprised if they noticed her on the streets of New York City. And after all the brouhaha, Ms Winfrey has sworn never to return to India. When will the Indian media learn to get some balance in its reportage.

     

    Later in the week, journalists lost their heads when it was learnt that the notorious mischief monger Salman Rushdie wasn’t going to make it to the Jaipur Lit Fest. And the breathless coverage gave me a huge jolt, I thought a tsunami had hit the Thar desert. Who really cares if Rushdie arrives or not? He keeps coming and going, in any case. Would the Lit Fest be a disaster in his absence? I can assure you, the one person who must be quietly sniggering over this media tamasha is Rushdie himself. This is exactly the sort of stuff he covets; it keeps him in the public eye.

     

    Then there was that collective outrage over the juvenile comments made by the BBC’s Top Gear host. On our loo habits. And this made the media lose its knickers. Oh, please!

     

    I don’t know if this has occurred to our content heads and editors, but this ‘phorein’ fixation after over 60 years of Independence is showing not just our media badly, it’s projecting India as a very unconfident and slavish nation. Let’s move on, people. Enough of ass licking these buggers. Let’s look inward, we have many problems of our own, and they need urgent attention.

     

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    PS: Happy that at last historian Ramchandra Guha has created his own website. It’s a collection of his best essays, apart from other stuff. Quite valuable. Because Guha isn’t just a columnist, his views give us glimpses into this nation’s past and present. It’s a treasure trove, really.

     

    Link: http://ramachandraguha.in/

  • In Freaking News, Ranjona Banerji reviews the fare on primetime news and in the papers.

    Journalism, a very intriguing career choice

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    The Economic Times has an interesting story on how High Street brands record higher sales atDelhiairport than any mall inIndia. While recording lots of facts and figures and quotes from retailers, the article nowhere suggests one possible reason: delayed flights and trapped passengers. Conspiracy theorists have the chance to build up a case here.

     

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    Is Salman Rushdie coming toIndiaor not? The Times of India set the cat among the pigeons saying that he is not coming or has been de-invited or that the Rajasthan government was playing chicken. Today’s Hindustan Times says he is coming but then doesn’t either corroborate or provide further information. The upshot seems to be that the Jaipur Literary Festival is being neither brave nor cowardly but nothing at all. The newspapers haven’t done enough homework and the TV channels are looking for bogeymen and monsters around every corner and under every bed.

     

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    While television appears to be all in favour of army chief VK Singh and his defiance of the government, newspapers have presented a more balanced view of the date of birth controversy. Indeed, it might even be gleaned from various articles and opinions that newspapers have been a wee bit critical. It is interesting to see that television news anchors and reporters are unable to exercise any objectivity where the armed forces are concerned – it is as if worship has been ingrained since childhood. This makes journalism a very intriguing career choice.

     

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    Vice-president Hamid Ansari’s speech at the Ramnath Goenka journalism awards is the main edit page piece in the Indian Express. Excerpts were quoted in yesterday’s Freaking News. It makes some points which are worthy of discussion – editors being coerced by management, better professional training for journalists and the role of the media in a democracy.

     

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    Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey’s visit toIndiahas actually inspired less hysteria than I thought it would. Perhaps much as she “loves”India, she has decided to orchestrate the TV hoopla herself.

     

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    The Hindustan Times has picked the women’s finals at the Australian Open as their “no television” day. They must be crazy if they think someone like me will even pay attention!