MxMIndia

Tag: Ravish Kumar

  • India does not have one single (outlet) to compare to Financial Times or Al Jazeera, said the all-new media boss. Ranjona Banerji comments

    So what will NDTV be under Gautam Adani?

     

     

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    Ranjona BanerjiIndia’s fastest growing businessman Gautam Adani has almost closed the deal to buy the news channel NDTV.

    Adani has stretched his wings, with a little bit of help from his powerful friends, to various industries from airports to mining to solar power, far from his original bastions of ports and edible oils.

    There has been much ferment over this hostile takeover because for many in India, NDTV has remained the last practitioner of Indian TV’s version journalism, as all its competitors have fallen in line with government diktats. In a sense, NDTV was the forerunner of free non-state-controlled broadcast news in India. Most of the older generation of television presenters were trained by NDTV, and that is where the first star anchors emerged from.

    Dr Prannoy Roy was a major influence on how TV would be conducted in India in the early days, after he and his wife Radhika Roy started NDTV in the mid-1980s. His show The World This Week for Doordarshan was very popular.

    The question now being asked over and over again by loyal viewers is what will happen to NDTV after Adani takes over? What will happen to Ravish Kumar, the fearless anchor who looks after NDTV’s Hindi news channel, the only TV journalist who does not kowtow to government forces?

    Why Adani wants a media outlet of his own is self-evident. His international press is not that good, and that sometimes spills over to India. The general assumption therefore will be one more propaganda channel which focuses on positive publicity for Adani companies and Adani himself. This is how many or most industrialist-owned media houses behave. Earlier the result journalism-wise would be disastrous because people expected some sort of basic standards – the collapse of the Observer papers after the Salgaocar-Ambani takeover is a case study here.

    But since 2014, assisted by a helpful government which demands total loyalty from media houses, the Ambani takeover of the News18 group has been a success. Not obviously when it comes to journalism but definitely when it comes to numbers.

    Hardly surprising then that Adani wants his own mouthpiece.

    What is amusing however – because I am cynical – is that in an interview to the Financial Times, Adani made the following comment: “Why can’t you support one media house to become independent and have a global footprint?… India does not have one single (outlet) to compare to Financial Times or Al Jazeera.”

    https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/11/25/indian-tycoon-defends-hostile-takeover-bid-for-broadcaster

     

    Now that’s an interesting standard for an Indian mainstream media which currently struggles to get even the basics correct. Neither the Financial Times nor Al Jazeera specialise in the sort of nightly high-decibel battles which characterise Indian television. The Financial Times is a serious pink paper, of the sort which today’s media owners scoff at. Indian news consumers, the general feeling goes, are largely thick, easily excitable and undiscerning and thus can only appreciate news in the form of a soap opera.

    There is nothing new in pandering to the lowest common denominator. It is an old media policy. But neither FT nor Al Jazeera fall quite into that News of the World, National Enquirer category. India Today TV recently ran a show where they objected to a tweet by actress Richa Chadha on the Indian Armed Forces. For their show, they ran photos of Chadha in swimwear. That works to belittle women, to put Chadha in her place as it were, and appeal to their crass audience. Actor Akshay Kumar objected to Chadha’s tweet, but the news of that was not accompanied by images of Kumar in revealing swimwear.

    Is Gautam Adani making it clear that this is not the sort of future he envisages for his version of NDTV?

    Well, you can hope as much as you like but the truth is likely to be elsewhere. In the same FT interview, Adani made this remark: “Independence means is government has something wrong, you say it’s wrong”.

    And Adani also said this: that the media should have the “courage” to back the government when it is right.

    There you have it ladies and gentlemen, clear intent from the tycoon himself.

     

    Ranjona Banerji is a senior journalist and commentator. She writes on MxMIndia on Tuesdays and Fridays. Her views here are personal

     

  • Joshi was until recently Business Head, Sun Marathi

    Aniket Joshi is as Business Head, Colors Marathi

    By Our Staff

     

    Aniket Joshi
    Aniket Joshi

    Viacom18 has announced the appointment of Aniket Joshi as Business Head for Colors Marathi. He will be responsible for managing the channel’s overall business strategy and operations, and will be reporting to Ravish Kumar, Head – Regional Entertainment (Kannada and Marathi Clusters), Viacom18. Joshi was until recently Business Head, Sun Marathi. He has also worked with Zee Marathi and Mindshare.

     

    Welcoming Joshi to Colors Marathi, Ravish Kumar said: “Marathi broadcast entertainment has been on an upward journey across the board – be it fiction, non-fiction and even films. We at Colors Marathi have been on an exhilarating journey so far, strengthening our position amongst audiences and advertisers. Aniket has a strong background in planning and strategy and we are glad to have him on board, as Colors Marathi moves on to the next phase of growth.”

     

    Added Joshi: “The Marathi television ecosystem is rapidly evolving to create a unique confluence of entertainment that caters to both urban and rural Maharashtra. Colors Marathi is one of the market leaders that has ably balanced the content expectations of its viewers with the outreach opportunities for advertisers. I look forward to dial up the footprint of the brand across both these target audiences.”

     

  • It is known to host marquee shows such as Kodeeswari, Kalla Petti, Singing Stars, Thirumanam and Uyire

    Colors Tamil celebrates second anniv

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ravish Kumar

    Colors Tamil, Viacom18’s Tamil GEC, celebrates two years of existence. Said Ravish Kumar, Head – Regional Entertainment Cluster, Viacom18 said: “ColorsTamil was launched with an aim of delivering new and never seen before content to homes in Tamil Nadu. It has always been our endeavour to present content that is innovative and reflective of our audience. We have witnessed tremendous growth and loyalty towards the channel over the last two years and are grateful that our viewers have placed their trust in us. We are extremely excited about completing yet another milestone in our journey in the Tamil market. We will continue to build on our brand philosophy of Idhu Namma Oru Coloru while we entertain our viewers with content that is truly disruptive and that is able to create a difference.”

     

    Anup Chandrasekharan

    Added Anup Chandrasekharan, Business Head- Colors Tamil added, “Colors Tamil has successfully cemented its relationship with viewers owing to the channel’s thought provoking and socially conscious content. Over the last two years, we have launched shows that have had a lasting impact on our audience. Moreover, our viewers resonate with the brand values and philosophy we launched with. Kodeeswari alone was sampled by 4.5 crore Tamil Nadu viewers within 6six weeks. We will continue to innovate and introduce content that is innovative, differentiated and true to our ethos.”

     

     

  • Kousalya Kharthika from Madurai wins the Rs 1 crore jackpot

    Kodeeswari finds it first crorepati on Colors Tamil

    By A Correspondent

     

    Thirty-one-year-old Kousalya Kharthika from Madurai has won the jackpot prize money of Rs 1 crore on Colors Tamil’s Kodeeswari.  Said Ravish Kumar, Head – Regional Entertainment Cluster, Viacom18: “My heartfelt congratulations to Kousalya for creating such a historical moment for herself, Kodeeswari and broadcast television in entirety. Kodeeswari is a first of its kind platform as a show exclusively for women where they are empowered and encouraged to pursue their dreams no matter how small, no matter what circumstances they come from. Kousalya’s winning moment is therefore a moment of inspiration for so many others who are struggling to fulfil their dreams.”

     

    Added Anup Chandrasekharan, Business Head – Colors Tamil: “Kousalya’s victory on Kodeeswari opens up newer avenues for women like her. This is a moment of pride for us. Kousalya’s win will go on to empower, engage, influence and motivate generations of women to come. What makes it even more special is that Kousalya has created history by being the first female differently-abled winner of the format in the world.”

     

     

  • The all-women version will air from December 23 onwards, Monday to Friday at 8 pm

    Colors Tamil to air all-women KBC

    By A Correspondent

     

    Colors Tamil will air a Tamil all-women Kaun Banega Crorepati titled ‘Kodeeswari’ . To be hosted by Tamil film and TV actor and producer Radikaa Sarathkumar,  ‘Kodeeswari’ will premiere on December 23r at 8 pm on Colors Tamil and Voot.

     

    Said Ravish Kumar – Head, Regional Entertainment Cluster, Viacom18: “The Tamil market is an incubator for path breaking content, be it in films, art, print or television. Colors Tamil has, since its inception, pushed the boundary in terms of innovative content – through the stories we tell and through the way we tell them, How apt a homage to the culture and ethos of this market that one of the world’s most successful format shows ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’ will go in for a global first with an all-women version on Coors Tamil.”

     

    Added Anup Chandrasekharan, Business Head – Colors Tamil: “It gives us great pleasure to put together this experiential stage that will empower women who are smart, aware and knowledgeable. We have had an overwhelming participation from the Tamil speaking women across the nation whose life stories are heroic in their own unique way. While the format of the game remains unchanged, our endeavour is to encourage strong willed women to challenge stereotypes and emerge victorious. We are happy to have onboarded the indomitable superstar Radikaa Sarathkumar in this journey who will multitask as a host, a friend and a guide.”

     

     

  • In these difficult times, MxM has stood by my long and relentless critiques of the news media, regardless of business considerations, writes Ranjona Banerji

    Happy Anniversary to All!

     

     

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    “Not all battles are fought for victory – some are fought to tell the world that someone was there on the battlefield,” – TV Journalist Ravish Kumar, recipient of the prestigious 2019 Ramon Magsaysay award for “harnessing journalism to give voice to the voiceless”. Kumar, managing editor of NDTV India, is a rare breed in Indian journalism and even more rarely sighted in television journalism. He’s there on the battlefield.

    This website and this column celebrate their eighth anniversary this week. When Pradyuman Maheshwari, friend and colleague for more years than I can remember, asked me to be part of his venture, I agreed in a heartbeat. Idealistic, straight as die, doughty, courageous, tenacious, industrious, maybe a little crazy, Pradyuman moulded MxMIndia.com into the force it is today.

    In these difficult times for the Indian economy and the Indian media, he has stood by my long and relentless critiques of the Indian media, regardless of business considerations and loss. And the past eight years have been an enormous education to me. I started writing a media column in 2010 when Pradyuman was in charge of exchange4media’s content, including the magazine, Impact. From there to MxM in 2011, what a comparatively innocent time it was for the Indian media. I wrote about changes in style and pattern, about individual transgressions and tracked growth and diversions.

    But after the Narendra Modi government came to power in 2014, it was the end of the age of innocence for the Indian media and yes, I do include the shame of the Emergency here. In front of my eyes, I saw the collapse of my profession and I had the task of chronicling that collapse, twice a week. And as names and reputations have fallen, as renowned editors and media houses have capitulated to power, you find yourself scrambling to find redeeming elements.

    For some years, I genuinely believed that if television has fallen to government pressure, newspapers still carried the torch, sort of. Those days have gone. Most of what passes for news on television is execrable, but the standard of print journalism has just followed suit. The nature of the beast gives the print media more places to hide but the cowardice and lack of courage, another name for complicity, is self-evident. It is no longer possible for me, or anyone, to carry on with the shibboleth that the print media is streets ahead of television when it comes to ethics or the basics of journalism. The scales have well and truly fallen from my eyes, as they have from many others.

    Even a couple of decades ago, journalists who were known to be close to ruling dispensations or power centres were despised as sold toadies or stooges, used by both their sources and their employers. Today, they are celebrated for their proximity and defended by their colleagues for their sycophancy. Social media has been an amazing revelation here. Well-known bylines and faces expose themselves, their biases and lack of professionalism with remarkable regularity and lack of self-awareness.

    The fact that Kumar has both won this award and talked about being on the battlefield has only won him enemies, especially from within his fraternity. He has shown so many up by simply doing the one thing we are all asked to do, of “showing truth to power”.

    The last eight years, from 2011 to today, have taught me that the need for media scrutiny has never been more important because a fair and free media is essential for democracy. I thank Pradyuman Maheshwari and everyone at MxM past and present, for fighting that battle with me.

    Happy Anniversary All!

     

    Ranjona Banerji is a senior journalist and commentator. She is also Consulting Editor, MxMIndia.

     

     

  • The citation damns the state of TV news media in India and praises the kind of journalism he represents

    Ramon Magsaysay Award for Ravish Kumar

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    Senior journalist and NDTV India anchor and senior executive editor Ravish Kumar will be awarded the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for 2019. Kumar is among the five recipients of the 2019 Magsaysay award, billed as the Asian equivalent of the Nobel. The Award, which recognises the “greatness of spirit and transformative leadership in Asia”, has been awarded in the past to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, journalists Arun Shourie, RK Laxman and P Sainath amongst others.

    While praising Kumar’s work, the award citation is also an indictment of the Indian television news media. It says: “In a media environment threatened by an interventionist state, toxic with jingoist partisans, trolls and purveyors of “fake news,” and where the competition for market ratings has put the premium on “media personalities,” “tabloidization,” and audience-pandering sensationalism, Ravish has been most vocal on insisting that the professional values of sober, balanced, fact-based reporting be upheld in practice.”

    We wonder what other news channel honchos have to say to this.

     

    This is what the citation reads:

    The world’s largest democracy, India has seen the space for an independent and responsible Indian press shrink over the past years.  The factors behind this  are many: a changing media landscape because of new information technologies, the increased marketization of news and opinions, growing government control, and, most worrisome, the rise of popular authoritarianism and religious, ethnic, and nationalist fundamentalisms with their consequent divisiveness, intolerance, and susceptibilities to violence.

     

    An important voice against these threats is television journalist Ravish Kumar.  Raised in Jitwarpur village in Hindi-speaking Bihar, northeast India, Ravish pursued his early interest in history and public affairs through postgraduate studies in history from Delhi University. In 1996, he joined New Delhi Television Network (NDTV), one of India’s leading TV networks and worked his way up from being a field reporter. After NDTV launched its 24-hour Hindi-language news channel — NDTV India — targeting the country’s 422 million native speakers of Hindi, he was given his own daily show, “Prime Time.”  Today, as NDTV India’s senior executive editor, Ravish is one of India’s most influential TV journalists.

     

    His more important distinction, however, comes from the kind of journalism he represents.  In a media environment threatened by an interventionist state, toxic with jingoist partisans, trolls and purveyors of “fake news,” and where the competition for market ratings has put the premium on “media personalities,” “tabloidization,” and audience-pandering sensationalism, Ravish has been most vocal on insisting that the professional values of sober, balanced, fact-based reporting be upheld in practice.  His “Prime Time” program on NDTV India takes up current social issues; does serious background research; and presents issues in well-rounded discussions that can run up to twenty or more episodes.  The program deals with real-life, under-reported problems of ordinary people — from the lives of manual scavengers and rickshaw-pullers to the plight of government employees and displaced farmers, to underfunded state schools and the inefficient railway system.  Ravish interacts easily with the poor, travels extensively, and uses social media to stay in touch with his audience, generating from them the stories for his program.  Striving for a people-based journalism, he calls his newsroom “the people’s newsroom.”

     

    Ravish is not above engaging in some theatrics himself  if he feels it effective, as in an innovative show he did in 2016 to dramatize how debased the discourse had become on TV news programs.  The show opens with Ravish coming on screen to talk to the viewers about how TV news programs had descended into a “dark world” of angry, strident voices.  The screen then goes dark and, for the next hour, there is nothing but a cacophonous audio of sound bites from actual TV programs, venomous threats, hysterical rants, the sounds of a mob baying for the blood of enemies. For Ravish, it is always about the message, dispassionately delivered.

     

    As an anchor, Ravish is sober, incisive, and well-informed.  He does not dominate his guests but affords them the chance to express themselves.  He does not balk, however, at calling the highest officials to account or criticizing media and the state of public discourse in the country; for this reason, he has been harassed and threatened by rabid partisans of one kind or another. Through all the perils and aggravations, Ravish has remained consistent in his effort to preserve and widen the space for a critical, socially responsible media.  Keeping faith with a journalism that puts service to the people at its center, Ravish sums up what he believes a journalist is in the most basic terms: “If you have become the voice of the people, you are a journalist.”

     

    In electing Ravish Kumar to receive the 2019 Ramon Magsaysay Award, the board of trustees recognizes his unfaltering commitment to a professional, ethical journalism of the highest standards; his moral courage in standing up for truth, integrity, and independence; and his principled belief that it is in giving full and respectful voice to the voiceless, in speaking truth bravely yet soberly to power, that journalism fulfills its noblest aims to advance democracy.

     

    The four other winners are Ko Swe Win from Myanmar, Angkhana Neelapaijit from Thailand, Raymundo Pujante Cayabyab from Philippines and Kim Jong-Ki from South Korea.

     

  • The channel will launch on June 1 with eight premieres on 8 consecutive days

    Viacom18 to launch Colors Gujarati Cinema on June 1

    By A Correspondent

    Viacom18 has announced the launch of Colors Gujarati Cinema, the first 24-hour movies channel in Gujarati. With the tagline of Filmo Matrubhasha Ma, which translates into Movies in your mother-tongue, the channel will launch on June 1, 2019 as a pay channel. It will be a part of the network’s primary distribution ‘value pack’.

    Said Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO & Managing Director, Viacom18: “Four years ago, we consolidated and rebranded our play in regional TV broadcast under the Colors umbrella. Since then not only have we added seven more channels but also entered new markets through our broadcast, digital and films businesses. Over the last two years our regional cluster has grown at a CAGR of 36.5% in viewership and 22% in revenue,” adding: “Gujarat presents a unique opportunity for us as we can leverage our regional GEC Colors Gujarati’s strong 43% market share position and capture a current whitespace in the market – movie broadcast.”

    Ravish Kumar, Head - Regional TV Network,and Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO & Managing Director, Viacom18 at the announcement of COLORS Gujarati Cinema
    Ravish Kumar with Sudhanshu Vats

    Added Ravish Kumar, Head – Regional TV Network, Viacom18: ‘’Gujarati language has clocked the highest growth rate amongst all language TV viewership with an astounding 36% year-on-year growth. Movies as a TV genre enjoys 25% viewership in Gujarat, a state with an 87-year-old legacy of producing films and plays. With the absence of a premium television channel showcasing Gujarati movies, it was the perfect whitespace for us to capture. Not only does Colors Gujarati Cinema provide for a business case but also allows us to give the people of Gujarat a destination to enjoy movies in their mother-tongue. With Colors Gujarati Cinema, we aim to respond to the regional market’s appetite for high-quality content while retaining its socio-cultural identity through a rich library of 300+ films and plays.”

    The network is planning a 360-degree marketing campaign across pre-launch, launch and sustenance phases. The state will see major print and radio campaigns across all major publications and stations. Marketing campaign will be headlined by an industry-first RAP anthem which has been shot with popular Gujarati actor Jimit Trivedi to capture the pulse of the youth. An OOH campaign across 23 major towns of Gujarat and a television campaign across Colors Gujarati and the market’s top non-network channels will see an ad blitzkrieg with 1000 spots aired. In a marketing tie-up that brings unprecedented scale to the launch, Colors Gujarati Cinema will run an in-theatre campaign that will launch with Salman Khan’s upcoming Bharat.

  • Ropes in Deepak Rajyadhakshya as Head of Colors Marathi and Raj Kannan as Head of Programming for Colors Tamil

    Viacom18 beefs up top deck of regional play

    By A Correspondent

     

    Viacom18 has announced a series of senior level hires for its Regional TV cluster, bolstering its creative and content capabilities ahead of its plans to fortify its position across markets.

     

    Speaking about the new appointments, Ravish Kumar, Head – Regional TV Network, Viacom18, said: “Regional is a big growth driver for Viacom18 as a network. The challenge, as well as the opportunity, lies in the diversity that regional as a space demands. While the different businesses of the organization synergise to produce great content, each region and role require talented and committed people who understand the nuances typical to their regions. Each of the leaders who have joined our Regional Entertainment space, is a stalwart in his/her space and role. I am excited that together, we can further strengthen our offering to our discerning viewers.

     

    Rajyadhakshya who has been appointed Head, Colors Marathi, joins Viacom18 from the Zee Network where he headed the business for Zee Marathi before moving internally to spearhead the mainline Hindi GEC Zee TV.

     

    Colors Tamil sees the inclusion of Raj Kannan as Head, Programming and Radha Ramamurthy as Head, Ideation. Prior to joining Viacom18, he was working with the Vikatan Media Group as Brands and Themes Editor-in-Chief where he handled the entire gamut of business in print and visual mediums.

     

    Meanwhile, Aratrika Bhaumik has been appointed Head, Ideation – Colors Bangla. With 13 years of experience, Aratrika has worked for more than a decade at Star India at the national as well as regional bases. Jayanta Bhattacharya has come onboard as Head, OAP – Colors Bangla. With 16 years of experience, Jayanta moves in from Zee Bangla where he oversaw promo ideation.

     

    In the Kannada Entertainment space, Abhaya Simha has been appointed as Head – Digital, Kannada Entertainment. Simha is a film director and a screenwriter. At Viacom18, he will be responsible for incubating original concepts and shows in the Kannada language for Voot. He will report to Parameshwar Bhat, Business Head – Kannada Entertainment, Viacom18.

     

    Also, Dr Darshil Bhatt has joined as the Programming Head for Gujarati Entertainment. In his last stint, he was with 94.3 MY FM as Programming Head. At Viacom18, Bhatt will be responsible for increasing the visibility and perception of the Gujarati entertainment vertical of the network. He will report into Ravish Kumar, Head – Regional TV Network, Viacom18.

     

     

  • This is the network’s second regional launch in 2018, after COLORS Tamil

    Viacom18 reinforces Kannada dominance, to launch movie channel on Sep 24

    By A Correspondent

     

    Viacom18 announced the launch of its second movie channel – Colors Kannada Cinema. This is the network’s second offering in the movie broadcast space, after Rishtey Cineplex in 2016. The channel will launch on September 24, 2018.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO, Viacom18 said:“Colors Kannada Cinema is an important addition to our offering and a first in genre expansion in the Regional space. This demonstrates our strategic commitment to deepen and widen our presence as we drive Regional growth aggressively. This move would help us to increase our market share, both in terms of viewership and revenue, in the country’s third biggest regional market. Finally, as we look to leverage synergies across our brands, COLORS Kannada Cinema complements our portfolio play across our forays into filmed entertainment production and filmed entertainment broadcast.”

     

    Ã…dded Ravish Kumar, Head – Regional Entertainment, Viacom18:“At Viacom18, our strategy has always been to make significant inroads to achieve market leadership, especially with our regional portfolio. Movies contribute about 11% of the total television viewership in Karnataka and ColorsKannada Cinema is launching at the opportune time with the regional cinema industry witnessing an exponential growth in consumption, across screens. While we continue to strengthen our regional bouquet with strategic channel launches in multiple languages, we are also committed to expanding vertically to offer a more segmented and wholesome entertainment to our loyal viewers.”

     

    The launch also reinforces Viacom18’s foray in Karnataka, after the success of the GECs Colors Kannada and Colors Super.

     

    Speaking about the proposed channel, Parameshwar Gundkal, Business Head – Kannada Entertainment Cluster, Viacom18 said:“With a robust library of over 450 films, we have strategically curated our movie line-up to appeal to a wide range of audience. Going by the Brand philosophy – Mane Maneya Chitramandira (Har ghar ka theatre) the family entertainment movie channel will usher a fresh in-home cinematic experience for Kannadigas as it celebrates 84 years of the Sandalwood film industry with iconic classics, blockbusters, award-winning and latest films making it a premiere movie destination.The vast library catering to all, encompasses films across genres like romance, action, comedy, mythology, thriller, drama, etc. Backed with strong programming and promotion strategy, the channel will also air unique content around Kannada cinema like behind the scenes, film reviews, interviews and more, thus creating a stronger appeal for movie buffs.”

     

     

  • The channel is available for a free preview run till August 13 noon

    Viacom18 launches Colors Tamil HD in Singapore on Star Hub

    By A Correspondent

     

    After launching in the Tamil GEC market in India earlier this year, Viacom18 has launched Colors Tamil HD in Singapore. The channel went live on July 3 on StarHub with five original fiction series and will be available for a free preview till noon on August 13.

     

    Ravish Kumar

    Said Ravish Kumar, Head – Regional Entertainment, Viacom18: “Regional content is growing exponentially and Singapore with nearly half a million Tamil speaking households is a significant regional entertainment broadcasting market. Colors Tamil HD is one of our pathbreaking channels that promises to deliver new and never seen before content to Singaporean Tamils. Thanks to our successful partnership with StarHub, we are now happy to be part of the Tamil speaking homes in Singapore directly.”

     

    Anuj Gandhi

    Added Anuj Gandhi, Group CEO – IndiaCast: “We are delighted to associate with StarHub in yet another momentous launch occasion. After having successfully positioned Colors andRishtey globally, it gives us immense pleasure to now take ColorsTamil HD to the Tamil diaspora across the globe starting with Singapore. We are confident that this will be a whole new experience for the Tamil-speaking audience and offer them new, refreshing entertainment.”

     

    Anup Chandrasekharan

    Added Anup Chandrasekharan – Business Head, Colors Tamil: “It is encouraging to hear about the popularity of our channel from far and wide. Tamil which is one of the four official languages of Singapore will now have for its viewers a channel that has powerful, thought provoking and socially conscious content. Our endeavour is to provide a ‘meaningful Tamil experience from India’ for our Tamil speaking Singaporeans. A special thanks to Arya for being a significant part of the Colors Tamil journey.”

     

     

  • Colors Super will be bringing in an early second anniversary with six family drama shows and two reality shows

    KBC Bangla, new shows highlights of Viacom18 regional push

    By A Correspondent

     

    Viacom18 has announced a major content expansion across the two key markets of Kannada and Bangla. Viacom18’s second Kannada GEC, Colors Super will be bringing in an early second anniversary with six family drama shows and two reality

     

    Ravish Kumar

    Said Ravish Kumar, Head – Regional Entertainment, Viacom18: “We started the year with expanding into a new market with the launch of ColorsTamil. While it is still early days, we are extremely encouraged with the performance of the channel. In the Kannada market, we are the clear frontrunner in terms of both viewership and revenues, with Colors Kannada and Colors Super accounting for more than ~40 per cent of the GEC viewership in Karnataka. With the upcoming launch of an entire new programming slate on Colors Super, I am confident in further expanding our strong position in the

     

    Elaborating on the new show launches, Parameshwar Gundkal, Business Head – Colors Super and Colors Kannada, said: “Colors Super as our second channel in the Kannada GEC became the talk of the town with Bigg Boss Kannada Season 5. With eight shows slated for a launch, we are set to bolster our platter of content with a wide variety of shows, including some much-awaited comebacks and fresh cutting-edge content.  A launch of this magnitude in a month for an existing channel is unheard of.”

     

    Speaking about the launch and impact, Rahul Chakravarti, Business Head –Colors Bangla and Odia said: “We are upping the ante on our content line-up this year and a marquee show like KBC is a step in that direction. The show has been a massive hit worldwide and has been widely appreciated for its edutainment content. Bengalis are known for their wealth of knowledge and now is the time for them to showcase their talent to the world. We welcome Prosenjit onboard as the host and presenter of the very first season of the show. I’m sure his enthusiasm will make all Bengali viewers believe in the opportunity to transform their life through this remarkable show.”