MxMIndia

Tag: TV

  • Star CJ alive, the home shopping channel from the Star group, has announced its 3 millionth customer

    Star CJ Alive celebrates 3 million customer milestone

    By A Correspondent

     

    Star CJ alive, the home shopping channel from the Star group, has announced its 3 millionth customer – an incredible feat for a channel launched in India only three years ago.

     

    Kenny Shin

    Commenting on this, Star CJ Network India Pvt Ltd’s CEO, Kenny Shin, said, “It has been an exciting and enriching journey for us. Star CJ alive has grown because of the incredible faith our viewers have in us and we always Endeavour to involve them in our celebrations. We say a big thank you to our customers and felicitating our highest shoppers is only one of the many celebrations we have lined up.”

     

     

  • Reliance Broadcast Network’s regional general entertainment channels, Big Magic and Spark Punjabi, have announced the launch of India’s first-ever hinterland talent hunt with Big Fame Star, a hunt for the youth star in the markets of Central India and Punjab

    Big Fame Star provides talent opportunity in Punjab, Central India

    By A Correspondent

     

    Reliance Broadcast Network’s regional general entertainment channels, Big Magic and Spark Punjabi, have announced the launch of India’s first-ever hinterland talent hunt with Big Fame Star, a hunt for the youth star in the markets of Central India and Punjab. The show has been conceptualized with the aim of reaching out to the youth in the smallest towns to realize their dreams of making it big in the world of entertainment.

     

    Television actor Gurmeet Choudhary and actress Tisca Chopra will judge the participants. Following the local auditions, 50 contestants from each region will be shortlisted to participate in the mega audition. 16 finalists will be selected per region for the galas, With on-ground auditions to be held across 12 cities in Central India and 6 cities in Punjab.

     

    BIG Fame Star will be promoted extensively via a multi-media integrated marketing approach through mediums which include print, television, radio, out of home, digital, on-ground activations amongst others.

     

  • Did the shift in the airing schedule affect the buzz factor for KBC 6 or has the Big B's aura begun to fade?

    Did the switch to weekends impact KBC buzz?

     

    By Kshama Rao

     

    That the sixth season of Kaun Banega Crorepati opened with a massive 6.1 is old hat; but what also seems to be equally true is that the show has failed to cash in on the success of last season. The buzz in the TV industry is that there is no buzz around the show this time despite its lofty tagline of ‘Gyan hi aapko aapka haqq dilata hai’. That there are no ratings to corroborate this (in the wake of the announcement of deferring the TAM data during week 41 ((October 7, 2012,) to week 49 (December 8, 2012) by the industry bodies, Indian Broadcasting Federation (IBF), Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) and Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA), in consensus with TAM Media. The nine-data is scheduled to release along with the week 50 (December 9-15, 2012) results).

     

    Says an industry insider, “Last year, KBC had a free run with no new big ticket shows at the same time slot on rival channels. They also got many sponsors on board at a premium and though the marketing and promotional buzz was as much or more for the current season, the hype amongst viewers is negligible as if viewer fatigue has set in and it’s no longer fun to watch yet another person with a background full of hardships win. Besides, Zee’s Sa Re Ga Ma Pa and Bigg Boss on Colors cut into KBC’s timings on weekends. Also, apart from crime shows on the weekends, nothing else has traditionally worked on Sony. KBC is no longer appointment-viewing.”

     

    What the industry thinks
    Basabdatta Chowdhury, CEO, Platinum Media

    Without the data and TVR, it will be difficult to comment. It is also about reach even though success is one parameter. The show has done well for the channel and they have got their revenues, so it is a success for them.

     

    Samir Khanna, EVP and Head, DDB MudraMax Media

    If you go by so-called numbers, KBC 6 is a success even though social media says otherwise. According to the common currency that we had precisely till October 8, KBC 6 was doing fairly well. Moving it to weekend was a good move since it is an episode-to-episode show and does not have continuity like serials. KBC format essentially works on weekend format, and it was a good strategy to move it to weekend slot. It might have become repetitive and getting to a point of viewer fatigue, but this fact has nothing to do with weekend.

     

    – Ananya Saha

     

    Also, unlike last season, this year, Sony gambled with the show telecast days. From weekdays it moved to weekends and that, say industry sources, did it in. A channel insider, who’s worked on the last two seasons of the show, on condition of anonymity says, “Well, it opened with a 6.1 which is huge but, yes, the sustenance ratings were affected. And with now the ratings coming in only on December 19, it’s a wait-and-watch game. Having said that, when it was on weekdays it consolidated the viewers, who were looking for more than just daily soaps as viewing alternatives. But this year, with KBC moving to weekends, the very same loyal audience has been fragmented. And that always happens because the weekend viewership is drastically different from the one during weekdays.”

     

    The source continues that while the show started with the noble intention of “gyan” being paramount and the tagline being “gyan hi aapko aapka haqq dilata hai”, it didn’t do much for the show in the later episodes. The channel brought the common man into the forefront with the last two seasons when the show moved from Star TV to Sony and we managed to surprise the audiences; that worked very well so unless you change the fundamentals, surprise your audience every time you bring in a new season, it won’t work in the longer run.”

     

    A member of the production crew who’s been instrumental in putting the show together says on condition of anonymity, “If you ask me, KBC is now settled in its orbit, so ratings don’t matter. But yes, change of telecast days made some damage.”

     

    Has the show run its course? “No,” says the channel source. “It is a great product. It has potential and like in case of any reality show, be it the Indian Idol or The X Factor, unless there is a surprise at the basic level for the viewers, the show won’t click the way you want it the way you want it to. Another very important factor that could have hampered the show prospects is the fact that it came too soon in the wake of the last season. Normally, there should be a healthy gap of say 12-14 months between the two seasons. This time, it ended in January last year and came back in September. The breathing space for the viewers was not adequate enough.”

     

    Another grouse against the show is its duration. The show last one-and-a-half hours. “I don’t think anything is wrong with the duration. 8.30 pm is absolutely fine because that’s when the viewers in the interiors tune in and by the time it’s 10 pm, the metro audience too has joined in. So it works. The celebrity specials too worked be it the Shah Rukh-Katrina Kaif episode, the Sridevi one or the recent Lara Dutta one,” the insider who wished to stay unidenitified told us.

     

    Siddhartha Basu

    Siddhartha Basu, chairman and managing director, BIG Synergy, which produces KBC, in a reply to our mail on the same, says, “These are highly subjective perceptions, and quite contrary to the depth and width of KBC’s impact, from the feedback we are getting. But please follow this up with the broadcaster who will be in a better position to respond on whether there is any objective basis or substance whatsoever to such a negative perspective.”

     

    Well, we can instead wait for December 19 when the ratings will come in and tell us the real story. Meanwhile, Kaun Banega Crorepati airs its last episode on January 19.

     

  • HBO Asia and Eros International have made a joint announcement to launch two new premium advertising-free movie channels, HBO Defined and HBO Hits, in India

    HBO, Eros tie up for 2 ad-free movie channels

    By A Correspondent

     

    HBO Asia and Eros International have made a joint announcement to launch two new premium advertising-free movie channels, HBO Defined and HBO Hits, in India.

     

    This landmark collaboration between two entertainment giants brings the best of Hollywood and Bollywood together to redefine the pay TV movie space in India.

     

    This first ever exclusive alliance will also provide for the development of both HBO’s existing formats for India as well as the creation of original content for the Indian television market and international distribution.

     

    Kishore Lulla, Executive Chairman of Eros International plc said,”I’m very excited about building the Eros brand in Premium Pay Television, particularly with an industry leader such as HBO Asia. There are few global companies that have mastered the premium film and TV space like HBO and their global success says it all. We look forward to cultivating new spaces together in India and especially the development of HBO content for TV and online.”

     

    “The opportunity to work with Eros, who has such a visibly dominant presence in the Indian film and entertainment arena, is tremendous and together we will aim to deliver a first class cinema experience in the comfort of your home, 100 percent advertising free,” said Jonathan Spink, CEO of HBO Asia.”We are equally excited to work with Eros in developing compelling original content for the Indian audience. We look forward to more good things to come.”

     

  • Mr Banerji has called it a day as CMO at Airtel DTH & Media

    Airtel’s Sugato Banerji joins What’s-on-India as COO

    By A Correspondent

     

    Sugato Banerji

    What’s-on-India, TV Search & EPG (Electronic Program Guide) technology company, has announced the appointment of Sugato Banerji as its Chief Operating Officer. Mr Banerji has called it a day as CMO at Airtel DTH & Media to join Intel-Sequoia-Nexus funded TV start-up What’s-on-India.

     

    At What’s-on-India, Mr Banerji will lead the company’s growth strategy in the TV Search, EPG and Recommendations space and consolidate key partner and client relationships. Under him, What’s-On will also look at expanding into newer International markets just as the company set up, What’s-On-Arabia, in the Middle East in 2012.

     

    Sugato Banerji’s move from a large corporate set-up to the new, racy, disruptive world of start-ups comes in as What’s-On-India rapidly expands into International markets as well as launches new solutions in the Domestic TV sector, in the wake of the ongoing Government efforts to digitize cable.

     

    Atul Phadnis, CEO & founder, What’s-on-India, said, “What’s-On-India is at an exciting crossroads of TV Search and new TV devices in an increasingly digitalizing television sector. Sugato brings in tremendous experience in the TV and Media business that would be extremely valuable as What’s-On-India charts a new, growth and expansion agenda in the coming months.”

     

    “I am excited to join What’s-On-India at the cusp of a transformation of the TV industry into digital. Digital TV would mean more programs, more channels, increase in regional and local content, greater diversity of set-top-boxes, recorder devices, increased viewing of TV on wireless devices, leading to anexplosion in the demand for sophisticated TV Search, Recommendations and Personalization. What’s-On-India with its suite of new products is perfectly poised to ride this digital wave, from both ends- the broadcaster & distributor. I am looking forward to lead the market expansion operations in this direction”, said Mr Banerji.

     

    Recently, What’s-On-India received its first Series B funding round with Intel, Nexus VP and Sequoia Capital in September 2011, followed by the acquisition of TV Street Maps, a TV Channel Distribution Monitoring company, in December 2011.

     

    The company also launched a series of TV Search and Preview apps on Android, iPad, iPhones, Windows Mobile and other platforms. The most recent announcement was that of an expansion in the Middle East via an acquisition in Jordan.

     

  • Set to be hosted over two days in the capital, the underlying theme of Agenda Aaj Tak is 'India Maange More'

    Agenda Aaj Tak to debate subjects of national relevance

    By A Correspondent

     

    Aaj Tak, the 12-year-old Hindi news channel from the TV Today Network, has announced its very first edition of Agenda Aaj Tak. Scheduled on December 6 and 7 in New Delhi, Agenda Aaj Tak aims at providing the greatest platform to debate the issues that matter to the nation in its own language – Hindi. It seeks to provide an avenue for leaders from all walks of life to address a large number of critical national issues. The underlying theme of Agenda Aaj Tak ‘India Maange More’ is set to compel the decision makers to ponder over some of the key issues pertaining to our nation and draw a clear road map for emerging India.

     

    The summit will bring more than 40 personalities from India and abroad on a single platform together. During each of the sessions, these thought leaders and newsmakers will share their insight and perspective and will try to lay the foundation for India’s Future.

     

    Leading political leaders, social activists, cricketers, celebrities, authors and bureaucrats such as: Sushil Kumar Shinde, Kapil Sibbal, Kamal Nath, Manish Tewari, Sachin Pilot, Rajiv Shukla, Digvijay Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, Shiela Dixit, Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Nitish Kumar,  Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi, Baba Ramdev, Aamir Khan, Kajol, Madhuri Dixit, Randeep Hooda, Sakshi Tanwar, Sameer Soni, Kapil Dev, Saurav Ganguly, Wasim Akram, Mohammad Azharuddin, Waqar Younis, Imraan Khan (Chairman Tehrik-e-insaaf and former cricketer), Subrata Roy Sahara, Chetan Bhagat, Anuja Chauhan,  Javed Akhtar, Ali Zafar and Kailash Kher will be participating in “Agenda Aaj Tak”.

     

    Commenting on the new initiative of Aaj Tak, Ashish Bagga, CEO, India Today Group said, “It is a matter of great pride for all of us to announce the first edition of Agenda Aaj Tak. It’s a big platform where leading personalities from the country and abroad will debate on national issues. Aaj Tak has been a pioneer and with Agenda Aaj Tak, it will be a step forward in engaging with topics that concern Indian masses the most.”

     

    The conclave will consist of discussions and Q&A sessions by prominent political leaders, cricketers, Bollywood celebrities, authors & bureaucrats on issues as diverse as politics, youth, social media, democracy, development, Bhasha, cross-border terrorism, regionalism, economic reforms, social issues, India-Pakistan relation and popular culture.

     

    To lend a voice to issues of the people, a team from Aaj Tak initiated interactions with people at the grassroots level to gather their views on various issues and to bring out the most prominent issues that concern the public. The people’s opinions on subjects of national relevance ranged from issues pertaining to India’s politics, corruption, Bollywood, social media, cricket, democracy, development, cross-border terrorism, regionalism, economic reforms, social issues, India-Pakistan relations among others.

     

  • Suraj: The Rising Star is a story of a 16-year-old boy, Suraj, who sets out on a journey to be trained as a young cricketer. It's a remake of popular Japanese manga show 'Kyojin no Hoshi'

    Colors to air Japanese ‘anime’ remake from Dec 23

    By A Correspondent

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    Close on the heels of announcing the mega-acquisition of the Indian rights for international show ’24’, Colors has announced animated teleseries ‘Suraj: The Rising Star’. The show will air on Sunday mornings at 10 am and is scheduled to kick on December 23.

     

    A remake of the Japanese baseball hit manga Kyojin no Hoshi (Star of the Giants), the show is a story of a 16-year-old boy, Suraj, who sets out on a journey to be trained as a young cricketer. It focuses on the hardships and challenges he faces towards attaining this goal, thereby highlighting all the elements of family, action, fantasy and emotions that will appeal to family audiences.

     

    Adapted for Indian audiences, Suraj: The Rising Star craftily integrates Indian culture and Japanese animation (anime) highlighting common characteristics like the importance of family ties, friends and a ‘never say die’ attitude.

     

    The show is an inspiring adaptation based on Japan’s classic masterpiece animation “Star of The Giants. Although animation is popular with children, Colors hopes it will be a hit with adults too.

     

    The opportunities with ‘Suraj’ seem many as the original has been rendered in various forms: in print, as television series, a Playstation 2 game,  and as many as five movies since 1969.

     

  • The Australian series will be seen across TV, Internet and Mobile platforms

    Star World to showcase Packed to the Rafters digitally ahead of TV launch next week

    By A Correspondent

     

    Star World is all set to air Packed to the Rafters for the first time in India. Packed to the Rafters’ is an Australian drama series which revolves around the story of the Rafter family, who are fighting different problems of life together.

     

    To make the show more relatable to the audience, Star World got Karan Johar as the face of its campaign. The channel launched a six week on-air campaign with him. And the channel has unleashed robust print, digital, DTH, cinema, radio and OOH campaign given the launch next week.

     

    In keeping with the growing importance of the digital platform, the channel will be hosting a Web Premiere across the Star World website (www.starworld.in/PTTR) and other social networking sites to give the viewers an experience of the show before it goes on air. Star World will be taking such initiatives up for key shows to create reach and buzz. The digital premiere will be held today (November 30) before its official launch on the channel on December 4.

     

    Subsequently, each of the episodes of the show will be available to be streamed and viewed on the Star World web and WAP platforms after it telecast on air. A tie-up with Vodafone will ensure viewers can catch up on the key moments of the show at their convenience.

     

    Commenting on the show, Rasika Tyagi, Senior VP, English Programming, Star India said, “From our Hindi and Regional GECs, one of the biggest learnings is that viewers seek life lessons from the daily soaps they watch. The issues faced by the Star World audience, the English speaking, urban Indian youth, is quite myriad and they don’t get to see shows which reflect their life on TV. Our audience will be able to resonate with the issues faced by the characters in Packed to the Rafters and emulate the way they resolve the conflicts.”

     

    Commenting on the digital catch-up service, Rasika Tyagi said, “When we go for consumer home visits, we get a reality check on how content is being viewed by the youth today. They want to watch a show at their convenience – anywhere, at any time. So, we as content providers have to gear up to share our content across platforms, on internet or on mobile.”

     

  • Star Network has expanded its UK reach with an extended distribution partnership with Sky

    Star Network expanded on Sky

    By A Correspondent

     

    Star Network and Sky have agreed a new multi-year carriage deal that will see an expanded range of Star’s entertainment channels and programming available to Sky’s customers.  The agreement forms part of Sky’s on-going commitment to deliver greater breadth, depth and value for all subscribers, including those audiences who value high-quality programming from overseas.

     

    Now with a monthly reach of over 1.5 million viewers, Star Network’s portfolio of channels respond to the growing demand for high-quality Hindi and Bengali language programming.  In addition to a channel carriage renewal for its existing channels, Star TV will also launch HD and on demand services as well as a brand new channel, Star Jalsha, to better satisfy customers.

     

    The agreement sees Sky renew its distribution partnership for Star Network’s leading range of Hindi-language entertainment and Bollywood film channels, including Star Plus, Star Life OK, and Star Gold. This follows the recent launch of Star Plus HD – the UK’s first Asian TV channel in full high definition.

     

    On 22 November 2012, the renewed carriage deal brought the brand new entertainment channel, Star Jalsha, to Star’s UK channel line-up.  Star Jalsha is the number 1 Bengali general entertainment channel in India, offering premium content including drama and reality series, cultural and religious shows, cookery programmes, comedies and more.

     

    In addition, the partnership between the broadcasters includes distribution rights that will see Sky offer access to Star Network’s programmes through its catch-up platforms, including Sky’s On Demand service.

     

    Yeshpal Sharma, Sr. Vice President UK & Europe, Star Networks said, “It has been a fantastic journey with Sky so far and we are glad that with the multi-year deal Sky has recognised our commitment as the UK’s No. 1 Asian television network offering top quality content to a growing Asian audience. We have built a firm foundation and are committed to taking it to new heights.”

     

    Adrian Pilkington, Director of Partner Channels, Sky, said, “We’re pleased to be extending our partnership with Star TV as viewing amongst the UK’s Asian audience continues to grow strongly. At Sky, we’re delighted to help Star’s programming reach more than 10m homes, and to give viewers more choice, control and flexibility by making Star’s content available in high-definition and on-demand.”

     

  • Hosts Rocky and Mayur explore the Indian coastline's food, in the new edition of Highway On My Plate on NDTV Good Times

    Highway On My Plate returns with ‘Coast to Coast’

    By A Correspondent

     

    The popular peripatetic duo Rocky and Mayur are back with another series of Highway On My Plate – Coast to Coast, in which the hosts travel the shoreline of India in search of the best coastal flavours.

     

    Fishing villages, trawlers, fish markets, plantations and highways provide seafood in plenty as well as herbs, spices, plants and fruit that will make sure the vegetarian host, Mayur, as well as vegetarian viewers have plenty to partake of.

     

    The highway explorers thumb rides, punt lifts and hustle free meals as they make friends and eat their way from Gujarat to Bengal. They travel to Mumbai, Kochi, Pondicherry, Chennai, Puri and Kolkata amongst the many other places along the shoreline.

     

    Highway On My Plate – Coast to Coast is on NDTV Good Times at 8pm.

     

  • Rahul Johri, Senior Vice President & General Manager – South Asia, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific has been awarded the prestigious "Media Professional of the Year" award at the Global Awards for Brand Excellence 2012

    Rahul Johri is ‘Media Professional of the Year’ at World Brand Congress

    By A Correspondent

     

    Rahul Johri

    Rahul Johri, Senior Vice President & General Manager – South Asia, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific has been awarded the prestigious “Media Professional of the Year” award at the Global Awards for Brand Excellence 2012.

     

    The award reflects Discovery’s performance and growth in South Asia region under Rahul Johri’s leadership and his contribution in building a robust and varied portfolio of eight unique channels, led by the leading non-fiction network the Discovery Channel.

     

    Having joined Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific in 2001, Mr Johri currently leads its South Asia operations. He is responsible for the overall growth strategy of India’s highest quality factual and lifestyle portfolio including Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, TLC, Discovery Science, Discovery Turbo, Discovery HD World, Discovery Tamil and Discovery Kids. He has also been the driving force behind networks’ pioneering localisation strategy and the launch of multiple language feeds across brands and expanding their nationwide penetration. His recent initiative, the launch of the game changing channel in the kids genre Discovery Kids, has received industry wide applaud.

    Mr Johri said, “I am grateful to the jury of the World Brand Congress for honouring me with this prestigious distinction. This award is a recognition of the excellence of my team who have contributed significantly in my journey to build Discovery as one of the most respected networks in South Asia.”

    With over 19 years of experience in the industry, Rahul has worked across media verticals, from news channels, magazines and news dailies., Mr Johri is a Board Member and Treasurer of Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF). He is also a member of the media and entertainment committee of Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and member of the Media & Entertainment Division of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

  • New Delhi Television Limited has also launched NDTV 24×7, NDTV Good Times and NDTV India in Malaysia

    NDTV expands global reach; launches in Malaysia

    By A Correspondent

     

    Expanding its reach in the international markets, New Delhi Television Limited has also launched NDTV 24×7, NDTV Good Times and NDTV India in Malaysia. The channels are part of Asia Broadcast Network’s (ABN) new platform in Malaysia and available in a combination of basic as well as especially dedicated NDTV branded packages.

     

    NDTV channels have long been available in more than 18million homes in 75 countries internationally and this agreement marks the first time that three of NDTV channels will be available in Malaysia. Each channel is the category leader in Asia’s largest pay TV market – India and this partnership with ABN will now see them become accessible in South East Asia’s largest pay TV market – Malaysia. Under its slogan ‘Access for All’, ABN aims to offer over 200 channels of news, education, entertainment, movies, sports and local programming, and has signaled plans to offer full triple play services such as video-on-demand, social TV and interactive gaming, alongside high-speed Internet and voice services over a hybrid fibre-coaxial (HFC) network.

     

    The Head of NDTV Network Distribution & Affiliate Sales, Rahul Sood, said, “We are delighted to be part of the ABN platform and reaching new viewers in Malaysia. NDTV has been serving the Indian Diaspora across 75 other countries worldwide and we are glad that the 2million plus Indian community in Malaysia will now also get the chance to see some of the most iconic programs produced out of India. We hope the viewers of Malaysia will be pleased to be informed and entertained like our viewers in the rest of the world.”