‘Siya Ke Ram’ Goes On Air From 16th Nov 2015
Star Plus’ 2 prime time shows namely ‘Tu Mera Hero’ & ‘Tere Sheher Mein’ are going off air from 14th Nov, 2015. Produced by Shashi Sumeet Productions, ‘Tu Mera Hero’ will be replaced by Nikhil Sinha’s show ‘Siya Ke Ram’ in the 8 pm time band from 16th Nov, 2015 onwards. The last episode of the show ‘Tu Mera Hero’, which launched on 22nd Dec, 2014, will be aired on 14th Nov, 2014. The reason the show is going off air is because it failed to generate sustainable ratings and the channel wanted to air the show in the same time slot. ‘Siya Ke Ram’, produced by Trinagle Film Company, has been conceptualized by Aniruddh Pathak, who brought Lord Shiva’s legend to TV through ‘Mahadev’.
DD Sahyadri Ups Programming Ante
With an aim to shake up the Marathi General Entertainment space and completely overhaul its prime time programming, DD Sahyadri is ready to go all out like guns blazing with as many as 10 new show launches in Nov, 2015. Of these, 9 programmes are in the fiction space, with 1 in the non – fiction. Facing stiff competition in the Marathi regional space from private channels like Colors Marathi, Star Pravah, Zee Marathi & Saam TV, the public broadcaster has upped its budget for programming and aims to press the accelerator on revenues and push up its profit margin by 2017.
Fox TV Group COO Joe To Step Down
Fox veteran & current COO for Fox Television Group Joe Earley will step down from his role at the end of the year. “Over the past 21 years, I’ve had the great fortune of working alongside some of the most talented & inspiring people in the business, from my co -workers & bosses, to the talent on our shows, both in front of & behind the camera. Because of the entrepreneurial spirit that pervades Fox and the incredible support of the teams across the network, I have been afforded unbelievable opportunities for growth and new experiences. I’m very grateful to Dana Walden, Gary Newman & Peter Rice for their leadership & friendship, and for inviting me to join them at the Fox Television Group.
Eros To Produce Sports Drama
Eros International Media is all set to produce a fictional sports film titled ‘Saat Kadam’. The movie is the directorial debut of Mohit Kumar Jha and will star Amit Sadh, Ronit Roy & Deeksha Seth. ‘Saat Kadam’ revolves around the generation gap & the relationship between a father & his son. Eros International Media managing director Sunil Lulla said, “Mohit has done some great work in television and we are happy to produce his debut feature film. It promises to be an emotionally gripping film set against the backdrop of football.”
Zee Tamizh Re – Branded as Zee Tamil
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) has re – branded its Tamil language channel Zee Tamizh as Zee Tamil. The channel recently sported an all new logo reflecting the color of Manjal (turmeric) & Kunkumam (kum kum), the 2 most auspicious colors & symbols in Tamil Nadu. With the re -branding, the channel plans to have a uniform communication across all platforms with better understanding & easy pronunciation of its name thereby enabling the brand building exercise. Zee Tamil has in its kitty new content offerings like ‘Genes 2’, ‘Mella Thiranthathu Kathavu’ as well as the premiere of Kamal Haasan’s movie ‘Uthama Villain’.
R. Mahesh Kumar Appointed
The Kalanithi Maran promoted Sun TV Network has appointed R. Mahesh Kumar, who has been Sun Direct CEO since 2011, as its president. The company made this announcement in a communication to the Bombay stock exchange a short while ago. The appointment is being done to strengthen the management of the company, which runs India’s most watched channel, Sun TV and has become effective from 1st Nov, 2015. Unconfirmed reports were that Sun Direct senior vice president – corporate affairs Swaminathan is slated to be elevated to head the DTH operation.
DD Engineer Bags ABU Award
Doordarshan deputy director general (engineering) M. S. Duhan has been awarded the Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) for his article “Evolution of Digital Terrestrial Transmission in India.” The 1st Indian to get this award, Duhan receives a cash award of $400 and a citation. The award for Best Article was part of the awards at the 52nd General Assembly & Associated Meetings being held in Istanbul from 24th Oct, 2015 to 31st Oct, 2015 being attended by around 500 delegates. The awards was given on the night of 30th Oct, 2015.
Zee Entertainment Forays Into Theatre
In an attempt to be present across all verticals of entertainment content, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) has now forayed into theatre under the Zee Theatre brand name. Zeel has taken this initiative so as to make the theatre content available through various viewing platforms like online, on – air, on -ground, in – transit for global audiences to consume at their convenience as well as archiving the productions for future generations. Zee Theatre will partner with renowned playwrights & theatre stalwarts to produce over 100 plays over the next 3 years.
Balaji Telefilms Amps Up Production Values
Balaji Telefilms has readied a visual treat for viewers with its new show ‘Naagin’, which is slated to go on air on Colors from 1st Nov, 2015. The soap factory has upped its production value for this show with focuses on elements like characterisation, scripting & visual appeal. The new mystical thriller is a dramatically obsessive love story of reincarnation. ‘Naagin’ will be a finite weekend fiction series, which will be telecast every Sat & Sun at 8 pm. Set against the backdrop of Rajasthan, ‘Naagin’ is loaded with outstanding VFX effects offering an authentic film like experience. The musical score of the show will add to the viewing experience as Colors recreates the timeless magic of the song “Tere Sang Pyaar Main Nahi Todna” through a new age adaptation.
Big Magic To Fortify Programming
Reliance Broadcast Network’s Hindi Entertainment Channel Big Magic is looking at fortifying its programming line – up with a slew of new show launches during the festive season. After launching 3 new shows namely ‘Chutki Baja Ke’, ‘Fakebook With Kavita’ & ‘Comedy Ka Rocket’ over the last 1 month, Big Magic is gearing up to take its entertainment quotient a notch higher by unveiling 4 more shows in the coming weeks. The 1st show, which went on air from 26th Oct, 2015 is an adaptation of the American game show ‘Family Feud’. Called ‘Family Fortunes’ (as the British version is titled), the show will be aired from Mon – Thurs at 8:30 pm and is being produced by SOL. The channel has roped in Mantra as the host of ‘Family Fortunes’.
Danny The BBC Television Director Resigns
After a stint of 8 years, BBC director of television Danny Cohen has stepped down from his post to pursue a new leadership challenge.
Cohen will leave the pubcaster at the end of Nov, 2015. BBC controller of entertainment commissioning Mark Linsey will take on his responsibilities until an appointment is made.
Zee Cafe launches ‘The Criminal Minds’
America’s suspense – thriller show ‘The Criminal Minds is all set to get you to #ThinkLikeACriminal starting on 14th Oct, 2015 at 10pm on Zee Cafe. Led by special agent Aaron “Hotch” Hotchner, each member of the BAU (Behavioral Analysis Unit) brings in their unique art of profiling to track – the predators’ motivations and identify their emotional triggers in an attempt to stop them. Based in Quantico, Virginia, the BAU is a subsection of the FBI and are called in by the local police departments to assist with crimes that are of an extremely violent nature where the perpetrator is unknown. The highlight of the show is the fact that, viewers not only get to watch the profilers solve the crime, but also get to understand the criminal’s psychological intention while he commits it. The BAU uses evidence from the case and matches that information to historic precedents & psychological analyses as a means to solve the case.
Ashish The Executive Director & CEO Of ZMC Resigns
Zee Media Corporation’s executive director & CEO Ashish Kirpal Pandit has resigned from the company with effect from 12 Oct, 2015. He handled senior management roles for more than 27 years in industries ranging from telecom to retail. He has been associated with brands like Alcatel, Efirst Technologies, Fortis Healthcare Limited, Reliance Webstore & Tata Teleservices. Pandit joined Zee Media Corporation in Oct, 2014 and looked after senior management team. Pandit was with Digicall Global for 3 years before joining Zee.
Colors Firms Up Weekend Programming
After launching the new season of Bigg Boss, Colors is gearing up to firm up its weekend programming with the launch of another show titled ‘Naagin’starting from 31st Oct, 2015 the show will be aired on Sat & Sun at 8 pm. It will replace the channel’s celebrity talk show ‘The Anupam Kher Show – Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai’ at 8 pm hosted by Anupam Kher. The concept of ‘Naagin’ is not new to India. There have been multiple movies based on the Ichhadhari Naagin like the Sridevi starrer ‘Naagin’, ‘Nagina’,’Sheshnaag’ and more recently, Mallika Sherawat’s Hiss. Moreover, in 2007 Zee TV launched a show on the same concept titled ‘Naagin – Waadon Ki Agnipariksha’, which was produced by A K Films. The series ran for 3 years and completed 219 episodes.
Big Magic & Big FM All Set To Launch ‘Fakebook With Kavita’
Reliance Broadcast Network’s entertainment channel Big Magic & 92.7 Big FM is all set to launch an integrated satirical comedy show called ‘Fakebook With Kavita’ with TV actress Kavita Kaushik. The show, which will be aired as a simulcast on television & radio for the 1st time in the industry, is a fresh take on the hypocritical Indian society, focusing on topical issues, which make you sit up, think & introspect, albeit with a pinch of humor. Starting from 19th Oct, 2015 ‘Fakebook With Kavita’ will be aired at 9 pm on Mons & Tues on Big Magic & from Mons to Thurs on 92.7 Big FM. In line with the programming strategy, the content will be sarcastic, irreverent, relatable & cutting edge. Kaushik will be seen doing sketches where her character will vary depending on the situations.
Sony Turns 20 In India
Glory, agony, poison, panacea…….As Multi Screen Media (MSM) (erstwhile Sony Entertainment Television India) completes 2 decades in the Indian broadcast space, it has witnessed it all. The broadcasting company, which started with 1 channel, is now 16 channels strong with even more additions in the pipeline. In a rapidly changing scenario, where the entire ecosystem is moving towards the digital platform, there are challenges & opportunities alike. And MSM CEO N P Singh is ready to take them all head on. A Sony veteran, Singh has been privy to the business affairs of the company for as many as 16 years since first joining the organisation in 1999 as chief financial officer (CFO).
Epic To Celebrate 1 Year Mark
In the entertainment world abound with clutter, niche television channels have to fight an uphill battle in order to get the necessary traction from viewers. As the Indian cable & satellite industry slowly but surely moves towards digital addressable systems (DAS), more & more niche channels will be viable with digitisation cutting distribution costs. One such niche channel that’s in it for the long haul, is The Epic Channel, which is on the brink of completing a year on air. Launched on 19th Nov, 2014, The Epic Channel will be celebrating its 1st anniversary by offering 2 news shows to its viewers. What’s more the channel also went High Definition (HD) on the Tata Sky DTH platform recently.
‘Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi’ All Set To Air From 18th Oct 2015
Star India’s Hindi General Entertainment Channel (GEC) Star Plus is all set to launch its new show ‘Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi’ (AKRHZ) with Amitabh Bachchan as the host on 18th Oct, 2015. The show will be aired on Suns at 8 pm. AKRHZ will replace the channel’s reality show Dance+, which concluded on 11th Oct, 2015. On Suns at 8 pm, Star Plus’ AKRHZ will be pitted against the following programmes across other Hindi GECs: While Colors’ airs ‘The Anupam Kher Show – Kucch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai’ in the 8 pm slot on Suns, Zee TV airs Hindi movies from 7.30 pm onwards. On the other hand, Star’s other Hindi GEC Life OK airs ‘Dafa 420’, Sab airs ‘Police Factory’, &TV airs the game show ‘Deal Or No Deal’ hosted by Ronit Roy & Sony Entertainment Television airs ‘Deva Shree Ganesha’.
Zing Launches ‘Bad Company’
Zee Entertainment Enterprises’ youth entertainment channel Zing launched a talk show called ‘Bad Company’ that will bring Indian television stars closer to the viewers. The show started airing from 10th Oct, 2015 in the 7 pm slot every Saturday. The no-holds barred talk show is being hosted by Vikas Gupta. The show will feature television stars like Ranvijay Singh, Gurmeet Choudhary, Karanvir Bohra, Kushal Tandon, Divyanka Tripathi & Prathyusha Banerjee amongst others.
Zee Pledges To Go Green
ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) once again leads the way by pledging to go Green with the launch of its ‘ZEE Is Green’ initiative recently. As a pilot project, ZEE has successfully transformed the set of &TV’s ‘Gangaa’ as a ‘Green’ set.
