ZEE’s Akash Chawla Replaces Pradeep Hejmadi
ZEE has elevated Akash Chawla & Deepak Rajadhyaksha for key roles in Zee TV to drive the organizations goals. In addition to his current portfolio as Business Head – Essel Vision Productions Limited / Zee Studios, Chawla will now also take charge as the Business Head of Zee TV. In his earlier broadcasting stint, Chawla has successfully spearheaded the marketing function for the flagship & National channels like ZeeTV, Zee Cinema & Zee Classic. He has also played a pivotal role in the launch of channels like &pictures, Zee Anmol & Zindagi. All the functions of Zee TV like marketing, research & PR will align with Chawla. Meanwhile, Deepak Rajadhyaksha, who has been successfully leading the role as the Business Head of Zee Marathi, will now take charge as the Deputy Business Head, Zee TV. He will report to Akash Chawla. The entire programming, OAP & Operations team would align and report to Rajadhyaksha. The duo will work closely with ZEEL – MD & CEO, Punit Goenka to bring Zee TV towards its leadership journey.
Colors To Air Shakti…Astitva Ke Ehsaas Kii From 30th May 2016
Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the present and renders the future inaccessible. But, what if a prejudice is so strong that it damages a family beyond repair; so harsh that it makes parents discriminate between its own blood relations; so forbidden that it changes the fate of 2 young children? Colors brings to viewers a tale of conscious prejudice meted out by a family against its own kin with Shakti…Astitva Ke Ehsaas Kii. Putting blood relations in a quandary, Shakti portrays the strength & power of a family to dictate the destiny of its children – Soumya (Mahira Khurrana) & Surbhi (Tasheen Shah). Produced by Rashmi Sharma Telefilms Ltd, Shakti is all set to unravel the truth behind their family’s behaviour towards them, starting 30th May 2016, every Mon to Fri at 8:00 PM on Colors.
Life OK Carries Sci – Fi Trend With Nagarjuna
At present, Indian television is going through a phase of super natural, mythical and larger than life shows. After the steaming success of many such shows, Beyond Dreams is all set to air the all new Mahabharata inspired show Nagarjuna – Ek Yodha on Life OK from 30th May 2016 at 900 PM. The show replaces Piya Rangrez. The makers have high expectations from Nagarjuna – Ek Yodha. Will this show work for the channel, fulfil these expectations – only time will reveal. Nagarjuna – Ek Yodha has been inspired from incidents from the Mahabharata. Explaining the connection, the makers say that there is an incident in the Mahabharata in which a fight between the Pandavas and snakes had happened. The show is a sci – fi fantasy take on this incident. Nagarjuna, played by Anshuman Malhotra, is a reluctant superhero in the show. He is half snake & half man, and the force between human land Amboli & Nag Lok. He is the man who stands between both the worlds.
Anil Kapoor Acquires Prison Break Rights
Anil Kapoor, who is currently busy finishing the 2nd series of his television series 24, has acquired the rights of another American TV series Prison Break. The actor, who had earlier taken the rights of Modern Family, said he normally went with a gut feeling that Indians would love a story when he acquires it to adapt it to Indian situation. Prison Break, of which the 5th season is about to commence, revolves around 2 brothers. One has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit while the other devises an elaborate plan to help him escape and clear his name. The actor said he had only acquired the rights of the 1st season. In a statement, Kapoor averred, “The show is about sibling love. It has just the right amount of emotions and of course some mind blowing action. In the past, films like Do Aankhen Barah Haath & Umar Qaid, which revolved around jailbreak, have been appreciated by the audience.”
Dr. Subhash Chandra Resigns
Subhash Chandra has stepped down from the post of director & non – executive chairman of Zee Media. According to a report on BSE, Zee Media announced that its board meeting held on 24th May 2016 took on record the resignation of Dr. Subhash Chandra as director and non-executive chairman of the company with effect from 24 May 2016. With this announcement, R K Arora has been appointed as the CEO as an additional director of the company with immediate effect. Zee Media has a lavish portfolio of news channels under it which includes Zee News, Zee Business, India 24×7, Zee Punjab Haryana Himachal, Zee Madhya Pradesh Chhattisgarh, Zee 24 Taas, 24 Ghanta, Zee Kalinga News, Zee Purvaiya & Zee Rajasthan News.
Vishal Srivastava Quits
Network 18 is seeing a major reshuffling with several elevations, appointments & resignations across its portfolio of channels. Adding to the list is CNBC TV18 executive VP & Head global business Vishal Srivastava who has stepped down from his position. In his past role, Srivastava used to head the Government & International sales for all the channels under the network. incidentally speaking Network 18 does not have a replacement for Srivastava as of yet. He has been associated with the company for more than 13 years.
300 Hours Eligibility Criteria For E – Auction Of slots
300 hours eligibility criteria for e – auction Of slots on DD National Doordarshan, which recently decided to invite eligible producers to create & market fresh content on the channel for a fixed tenure extending up to 3 years by buying slots through e – auction, recently said the offer was open for production houses which have produced at least 300 hours of Hindi General Entertainment Programming in the last 2 years. Moreover, the production houses should have a turnover of minimum Rs 5 crores per annum in regard to TV & film production in the last 3 financial years.
Successful bidders will produce fresh programmes in various genres of General Entertainment Programme for Doordarshan will be required to adhere to the programming / broadcasting codes of Prasar Bharati. Request for Proposal (RFP) of the Slot Sale Policy is available and can be downloaded from the website:
www.ddindia.gov.in. The policy encourages private entrepreneurs to produce cutting edge General Entertainment Programming with a commitment for providing wholesome family enjoyment.
IBN7 Launches Entertainment Show
Entertainment news is an important content area for news television. There are several shows in the Hindi News genre that garner high ratings and have a loyal viewership especially amongst female audiences. The show has started and airs every Mon to Fri at 2 pm. With a view to disrupt this space, IBN7 will launch a new show Bhabhi Tera Devar Deewana. Typically, most shows in this space are anchored & driven by female anchors who bring their perspective on the latest happenings from the world of television. In order to break away from this format, IBN7 will introduce a unique character – the devar who will look at the twists & turns of the most popular TV shows from a distinctly male perspective. Delving into the lives of the television celebrities, the devar will also aim to become an inseparable part of viewers’ lives. From characters’ on & off screen persona, and various events, to on – location shoots and highlights of TV serials, the desh ka devar will take the viewers on a captivating journey bringing them closer to understand their favourite characters better.
Reduced DD terrestrial Viewership Has Led To Decline In IEBR
Prasar Bharati has admitted that declining trend of terrestrial viewership, non -implementation of professional marketing division, aggressive competition, curtailment of advertisement budget of the erstwhile heavy spending by Government Ministries like Health & Agriculture et al, in Doordarshan had led to decline in the Internal & Extra Budgetary Resources (IEBR) of Prasar Bharati since 2014 – 2015.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee for Information Technology which goes into issues relating to Information & Broadcasting appreciated steps being taken to reverse this trend which include monetization of resources, reorganization of commercial revenue divisions, change in content sourcing model, exploration of new revenue models from auction of slots on DTH platforms, and Digital Terrestrial Transmitters having multiple channel capacity et al. The Committee recommended that Prasar Bharati should continue to explore avenues to augment revenue generation so that the public broadcaster achieves self – sustenance gradually and becomes less dependent on government support. The Committee also noted that during the year 2015 – 2016, the I & B ministry had spent Rs 2827.75 crore under Non – Plan fund to meet salary & salary related expenses. Separately, Prasar Bharati allocates Rs 200 crore annually from its IEBR for Content Development Scheme as per the 12th Plan Scheme.
Zee TV Brings Season 2 Of Dance Singapore Dance
Zee TV, the flagship channel of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL), has announced the return of its highly popular reality dance competition, Dance Singapore Dance Season 2. The open category competition is open to all residents of Singapore aged 16 and above, and aims to provide a platform for amateur & experienced dancers to showcase their talent. Pre – registration for the show has begun on www.apac.zeetv.com/dsd and auditions will take place on 28th May 2016 at 9 am onwards at the La Salle College of the Arts, 1 McNally St, Singapore 187940.
Zee TV Senior vice president International business Tripta Singh said, “We are delighted to return with Dance Singapore Dance S2 after a highly successful launch Season. This year we have increased the prize money for the winner to $15,000 and included cash and other prizes for the 1st & 2nd runners – up. After the finale of Season 1, we continued to groom the dancers and provided them with on – ground opportunities in the Asia Pacific region to perform & showcase their talents. Dance Singapore Dance is not just a TV show but a platform for aspiring dancers to take their talent to the next level”.
