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Tag: Siddharth Jain

  • To deliver an unparalleled experience with a network of more than 1500 screens

    PVR & INOX announce merger

    By Our Staff

     

    The Board of Directors of PVR Limited (PVR) and the Board of Directors of Inox Leisure Limited ( have approved an all stock amalgamation of INOX with PVR. Upon obtaining all approvals, when the merger becomes effective, Inox will merge with PVR. Shareholders of INOX will receive shares of PVR in exchange of shares in Inox at the approved share exchange (“swap”) ratio.

     

    The combined entity will be named as PVR Inox Limited with branding of existing screens to continue as PVR and Inox respectively. New cinemas opened post the merger will be branded as PVR Inox.

     

    PVR’s Ajay Bijli would be appointed as the Managing Director and Sanjeev Kumar would be appointed as the Executive Director. Pavan Kumar Jain will be Non- Executive Chairman of the Board. Siddharth Jain would be appointed as Non-Executive Non-Independent Director in the combined entity.

     

    Commenting on the announcement, Ajay Bijli, Chairman and Managing Director of PVR said: “This is a momentous occasion that brings together two companies with significantly complementary strengths. The partnership of these two brands will put consumer at the centre of its vision and deliver an unparalleled movie going experience to them. The film exhibition sector has been one of the worst impacted sectors on account of the pandemic and creating scale to achieve efficiencies is critical for the long term survival of the business and fight the onslaught of digital OTT platforms “

     

    Commenting on the announcement, Siddharth Jain, Director –  Inox Leisure Ltd said, “Coming together of two iconic cinema brands, which are driven by passion, is certainly the most historic moment in the Indian cinema exhibition industry. Both companies have set high service benchmarks in an endeavor to offer the best cinema experience in the world, to the most passionate moviegoers, and would continue to do so as a unified entity. As we head into the industry’s revival amidst headwinds, this decisive partnership would bring in enhanced productivity through scale, a deeper reach in newer markets and numerous cost optimization opportunities, and continue to delight cinema fans with world-class experiences and landmark innovations.”

     

  • Based in Mumbai, his responsibilities include programming, channel operations, acquisitions and promotions

    Abhishek Dutta appointed Network Head for Cartoon Network & Pogo in South Asia

    By A Correspondent

     

    Abhishek Dutta has been named Senior Director and Network Head -Kids, overseeing Cartoon Network and POGO in South Asia. Based in Mumbai, his responsibilities include programming, channel operations, acquisitions and promotions, as well as the content direction for the two brands.

     

    Said Siddharth Jain, Managing Director of WarnerMedia Entertainment Networks in South Asia: “Abhishek brings with him a strong kids industry experience and I am confident that he will raise the bar of the kids’ portfolio and capitalise on the opportunities that lie ahead of us. I welcome Abhishek to the WarnerMedia family.”

     

    Dutt will also be working closely with and under the direction of Leslie Lee, VP of Kids Content, WarnerMedia Entertainment Networks APAC.

     

    Said Dutta: “The kids TV category has become more exciting than ever before. With my new role at the helm of Cartoon Network and POGO in South Asia, I am looking forward to driving the current business through its next phase of growth. This set of brands are not only first movers, but also the most established kids brands in the country.”

     

    His career includes stints at ALT Balaji, Discovery Networks India and, most recently, was Senior Kids Programming Director at Viacom18, a company he joined in 2016.

     

     

  • IndiaCast is a TV 18 and Viacom18 venture and offers quality content to viewers spanning across various genres including General Entertainment, Kids, News, Music, Infotainment, Movies etc

    Turner appoints IndiaCast as exclusive distribution agent

    By A Correspondent

     

    After parting ways with Zee, Turner International India announced the appointment of IndiaCast Media Distribution, as its exclusive distribution agent from April 1 for distribution of Turner channels: CNN International, Pogo, Cartoon Network, WB, HBO and HBO HD to consumers in India, Nepal and Bhutan.

     

    IndiaCast is a TV 18 and Viacom18 venture and offers content to viewers across genres including General Entertainment, Kids, News, Music, Infotainment, Movies etc.

     

    Commenting on the announcement, Siddharth Jain, Managing Director, Turner South Asia said: “I am delighted to announce the appointment of IndiaCast as our exclusive distribution agent for India, Nepal and Bhutan. I am very confident they will enable us to further enhance our footprint and bring the choicest content to our fans in the Indian subcontinent. We look forward to a long term strategic relationship with

     

    Added Anuj Gandhi, Group CEO, IndiaCast: “At IndiaCast, it is our constant endeavour to curate the best possible exposure for our content creator partners. Turner has a fantastic bouquet of channels catering to a bespoke audience. As we ramp up the distribution network for its channels, across India, Nepal and Bhutan, I look forward to a long-term association that is founded on mutually beneficial economics.”

     

     

  • The appointment will see Hill+Knowlton Strategies roll-out integrated communications solutions

    Hill+Knowlton Strategies wins mandate for Pogo

     

     

    Following a competitive multi-agency pitch, Hill+Knowlton Strategies has been awarded the public relations business for Pogo, Turner International’s children’s channel in India.

     

    The appointment will see Hill+Knowlton Strategies roll-out integrated communications solutions for Turner Broadcasting’s kids’ entertainment channel, to drive greater engagement with families and children across India.

     

    Confirming the appointment, Siddharth Jain, Managing Director, South Asia, Turner International India Pvt. Ltd, comments, “Turner International India is delighted to bring on Hill+Knowlton Strategies as our strategic PR partner for Pogo. Their strong portfolio of brands, experience in entertainment, and thorough understanding of our market requirements gave us the confidence to award them this mandate. H+K presented a PR strategy that showed depth of strategic thought and creativity that was in sync with our goals for Pogo, and we are sure that this partnership will help in further building the brand in India.”

     

    On winning the PR mandate, Chetan Mahajan, President-India & South Asia, Hill+Knowlton Strategies, said, “Pogo is a leader in the Kids’ entertainment space in India and we are honoured and delighted that the channel has chosen us as partners to further their business objectives. This partnership is testament to the strength of our network and core expertise in the media and entertainment vertical and we are confident that we will drive the desired impact and outcome for Pogo.”

     

  • Hollywood movie channgel HBO Hits is now called HBO HD. The change happened on September 4

    HBO Hits renamed as HBO HD

    By A Correspondent

     

    Said Siddharth Jain, Managing Director, Turner International, South Asia on the change: “We aim to offer our customers the best viewing and the move to HD will exemplify that for them. HBO’s tagline promise of ‘Experience The Magic’ will be reiterated through its line-up of fresh new content and enhanced packaging and presentation.”

     

    HBO, operated by Turner India, delivers English-language entertainment across genres like action, comedy, drama, thrillers and superhero blockbusters.

  • With this tie up,Voot adds a list of almost 100 characters that cut through broadcast affiliations

    Viacom18 and Turner India announce tie up for kidstuff

    By A Correspondent

     

    Viacom18 and Turner India have announced a strategic tie-up that will see Turner’s popular kids shows play on Viacom18’s Voot. With this tie-up,Voot adds a list of almost 100 characters that cut through broadcast affiliations.

     

    Said Siddharth Jain, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, South Asia, for Turner India: “We at Turner are dedicated in engaging consumers and collaborators in new ways to develop immersive worlds that enable our fans to experience our brands, franchises and content wherever, whenever and however they like. The collaboration with Viacom18 is a strategic move towards achieving this objective of being where our fans are and we know from our own New Generations 2016 research that 71 percent of today’s plurals are mobile phone users and 30 percent of them are on surfing the internet.”

     

    Launched earlier this year, Voot has a differentiated offering in the kids’ space, housing “Voot Kids” an especially created destination for kids online. Kids are known to be loyal to characters and Voot has bet big on its kids’ content.

     

    Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO, Viacom18 said, “Online kids content is one of the major white spaces that exists in the country today. Through a dedicated offering within Voot, called Voot Kids we had started our journey to create the largest online destination for kids’ content in India. This vision saw us aggregate content from both within our network brand Nick and outside, to launch with over 7000 videos of kids content. This strategic partnership with Turner India will further bolster our content repository for Voot Kids. Additionally, this also brings two powerhouses of kids’ content on a singular platform to bring forth the best viewing experience for our loyal little viewers.”

     

    “With close to one-fifth of all viewing on Voot coming in for Voot Kids already, we clearly have managed to catch the attention of one of the most discerning audiences and the true digital natives. With this multi-year strategic tie-up with Turner India, we are adding to the depth and variety of content for this audience,” explained Gandhi, COO, Viacom18 Digital Ventures.

     

    This first ever industry strategic tie-up will see Voot hosting Turner India’s popular kids’ shows like The Powerpuff Girls, Ben 10, Dexter’s Laboratory, Roll No. 21, Samurai Jack, Johnny Bravo and M.A.D. In addition to this, Voot has its inhouse franchises like Dora, Motu Patlu and Sponge Bob, and all the Nick shows as well as over 7000 new videos on the app and website. Voot already hosts Chotta Bheem and Mighty Raju that run on Turner India’s broadcast channels Cartoon Network and Pogo, and Pokemon that airs on Disney’s broadcast network.

     

    It surely means more fun for kids on the digital space.

     

  • Available on iOS and Android devices, Cartoon Network Anything randomly serves up 10-15-second snack-sized entertainment for kids

    Cartoon Network Anything mobile app launched

    By A Correspondent

     

    With the launch of Cartoon Network Anything, kids now have a new platform to engage and entertain to complement their favourite cartoon channel. Cartoon Network Anything serves up an array of micro 10-15 second snack-sized content specifically created for mobile wherever and whenever they have a free moment, no matter how long their attention span.

     

    Cartoon Network Anything is available on all iOS and Android devices for free. The young audience will have a huge variety of original content from hit shows like Roll No. 21, Adventure Time, We Bare Bears, The Powerpuff Girls, Uncle Grandpa, Regular Show, The Amazing World of Gumball, Teen Titans Go! and more.

     

    Commenting on the launch of Cartoon Network Anything, Siddharth Jain, Managing Director, South Asia, Turner India says, “As leaders in the Kids entertainment space, it has always been our focus to bring the best and most exciting form of entertainment to our consumers wherever, wherever and however they want it. We are focussed on the total consumption of our brands and content be it on TV, online, on-mobile, on-the-ground through our consumer events and local based entertainment, or through our branded merchandise and games. CN Anything is our initiative that brings world class entertainment for our kids on their mobile phones and tablets.”

     

    Turner India’s recent research – New Generations 2016 – revealed that the use of technology has increased massively as more and more kids live in connected homes, and are utilizing more than one device for media consumption. Also, gaming has come across as the number one online activity. In 2016, Turner Asia Pacific will produce a total of 137 new games, 60 of which are just for the Cartoon Network Anything app which is in addition to 160 games already available on the app. Turner already has a library of 618 games, ranging from free, freemium and paid, available across web, mobile and on apps.

     

  • Khetarpal is responsible for content syndication, and driving mobile and interactive platforms

    Turner India names Rohit Khetarpal as Director, Network and Content Distribution

    By A Correspondent

     

    Turner International India has announced the appointment of Rohit Khetarpal as Director of Network and Content Distribution for South Asia.

     

    Khetarpal is responsible for content syndication, and driving mobile and interactive platforms including mobile, broadband, DTH, IPTV, gaming services for Turner’s portfolio of industry-leading news and kids entertainment brands including CNN International, Cartoon Network, and POGO. In addition, he leads CNN International’s hotel partnership program and broadcast partnerships in South Asia. He also manages the distribution of all Turner channels in South Asian markets outside of India.

     

    Siddharth Jain

    Based in Delhi, Khetarpal reports into Siddharth Jain, Turner’s Senior Vice President and Managing Director for South Asia. Commenting on the appointment Jain said, “With his proven track record in growing our linear distribution vertical in India, I am confident that Rohit will take this varied and business-critical portfolio to its next level of success in the South Asia region.”

     

    Khetarpal joined Turner’s Network and Content Distribution team in 2008 and has been managing the distribution of Turner’s portfolio of channels in India: Cartoon Network, POGO, Toonami, HBO and WB. He has over 15 years of experience in the television distribution business and has previously worked with Viacom 18, Zee Turner and ESPN Software in India.

     

  • He will report into Siddharth Jain, Turner's Senior Vice President and Managing Director for South Asia

    Turner names new head for English entertainment portfolio

    By A Correspondent

     

    Rohit Bhandari
    Siddharth Jain

    Turner International India has announced the appointment of Rohit Bhandari as Senior Director and Network Head for its English entertainment portfolio that includes leading channels HBO and WB in South Asia.

     

    Bhandari will report into Siddharth Jain, Turner’s Senior Vice President and Managing Director for South Asia. Commenting on the appointment Jain said, “We’re really pleased to have Rohit on board in this key position as we continue to grow our leadership in the English entertainment genre. With his well-established expertise and industry experience, I am confident he will help us build upon our success in the India and South Asia region.”

     

    In this role, Bhandari will be responsible for the growth strategy, planning and execution of all network functions including content acquisition, communications, marketing and brand building.

     

    Bhandari’s appointment is effective immediately and he will be based at Turner’s office in Mumbai. He has over two decades of experience in television and advertising including overseeing business operations for AXN and Animax in India, as well as advertising sales in both India and Singapore. He previously led the media and entertainment vertical at Sahara India Capsac Limited.

     

  • Toonami has a significant presence is Asia Pacific across 14 countries

    It’s ‘Toonami’ from Turner India!

    By A Correspondent

     

    Turner International India announced the expansion of its industry leading kids’ entertainment portfolio with the launch of Toonami, a channel dedicated to bringing high-octane animated action to kids, superhero fans and their families across the country.

     

    Toonami has a significant presence is Asia Pacific across 14 countries including Singapore, Philippines, Thailand, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. In India, Toonami complements Turner’s kids’ entertainment portfolio of genre leading channels – Cartoon Network and POGO. The channel is being distributed by Taj Television and is available on the country’s leading digital cable platforms across Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bangalore.

     

    Commenting on the launch Siddharth Jain, Managing Director, South Asia, Turner International India Pvt. Ltd. said, “It is a real proud moment for Turner to bring in a channel like Toonami to our young Indian audiences – we now offer a robust entertainment experience for all ages and interests. A highly successful international brand, it will meet the growing demand for premium quality action-adventure and superhero content.”

     

    Siddharth Jain

    Toonami, which is based on the hit programming block of the same name on Cartoon Network in the US, is a 24-hour English action and anime destination designed for viewers seeking a full tilt, rollercoaster ride of adventure, quips, drama and a whole lot more. The channel is set to be the ultimate destination for the action-and-adventure enthusiasts in every family. Toonami is a dream come true for superhero fans featuring franchises such as Batman, Superman, Transformers: Robots in Disguise, Justice League, Inazuma Eleven Go, Dragon Ball Z and many more!

     

  • Turner International in India has consolidated creative services and partnered with Reliance MediaWorks for post-production services

    Turner consolidates creative services, partners Reliance MediaWorks

    By A Correspondent

     

    In a move that consolidates its in-market operations, Turner International India has announced the establishment of Creative Services in India for its entertainment networks including Cartoon Network, Pogo and WB. Turner has commissioned leading film and entertainment services company Reliance MediaWorks Ltd (RMW) to provide the full gamut of post-production services.

     

    With in-market end-to-end capabilities that will be a combination of in-house creative and outsourced production resources, this initiative will enable Turner to be even more poised and nimble-footed in responding to market requirements, notes a communique.

     

    Siddharth Jain

    Said Siddharth Jain, Managing Director, South Asia, Turner International India: “Turner has been consistently ahead of the curve with a proven track record of successful localization of our brands. We are confident this new move will give us further competitive advantages in this dynamic and constantly-evolving consumer and business landscape, especially as we seek to build on Turner’s strategic shift to further empower local markets.” He adds, “We are happy to work alongside Reliance MediaWorks and we look forward to continue the delivery of quality content on our leading platforms.”

     

    Commenting on the occasion Venkatesh Roddam- CEO, Reliance MediaWorks said: “We are pleased to be able to offer a one-stop production facility by combining the latest in television studio technology with the most experienced personnel to create winning solutions for Turner.”

     

  • Cartoon Network, Film Kraft Productions and Toonz Animation have partnered to create four animated movie sequels based on the Bollywood movie Krrish

    Animated Krrish on Cartoon Network, soon

    By A Correspondent

     

    In a first-of-its-kind endeavour, Cartoon Network, Film Kraft Productions and Toonz Animation have partnered to create four animated movie sequels based on the Bollywood movie Krrish.

     

    A series of four movies will be created between 2013 and 2014, the first of which, titled Kid Krrish, will air on Cartoon Network on July 14, 2013.

     

    Siddharth Jain

    Siddharth Jain, Managing Director, South Asia, Turner International India Pvt. Ltd. said, “At Turner, our aim has always been to push the boundaries and deliver innovative and entertaining content across all our channels. Cartoon Network, the ultimate destination for fun and animation, will now be home to Bollywood’s biggest superhero in a whole new animated avatar. The Krrish franchise has been very well received by kids across the country and we are certain that they will be enthralled and excited to watch this adaptation of their superhero on Cartoon Network!”

     

    These movie sequels will follow the childhood adventures of Krishna (from the movie Krrish) who discovers that he can help people and save the world with the special powers bestowed upon him by Jadoo (from the movie Koi Mil Gaya). But in order to protect his identity and loved ones from the wrath of his enemies, he must don the mask of superhero Krrish!

     

    Rakesh Roshan, Director, Film Kraft Productions (India) Pvt. Ltd. said, “I have always pushed the limits by making different kinds of entertainment films and have always planned new strategies to promote them. Since Krrish 3 will be ready for release this Diwali, I wanted to revive the memory of Krrish with children and the newer generation who may have not seen Koi Mil Gaya or Krrish. I am happy to have collaborated with Turner, the oldest and most popular children’s channel in Asia and Toonz Animation, who are the best in creating animated content in Asia, to make this first of its kind animated film series, where a live action film is adapted to make animation series for television.”

     

    “The animated Krrish franchise are fun films that are guaranteed to be a visual treat with mass appeal. It is not every day that 11 year olds get to be super heroes! We are thrilled about partnering with the legendary Rakesh Roshan and Cartoon Network. This is a huge milestone as far as Toonz Animation is concerned,” said P Jayakumar, CEO, Toonz Animation India Pvt. Ltd.