Tamil GEC Zee Tamil is all set to premiere fantasy thriller Shivanagam on 24th Dec, 2017 @ 4 pm. Set against the backdrop of a village, Naganika, played by Ramya is a powerful member of the community whose family had been entrusted with the responsibility of preserving & protecting an ancient monument for many centuries.
News Channel Focus On TV Kannada
Focus Group is planning to launch its Kannada News Channel Focus TV Kannada in Karnataka by the end of Dec, 2018. The launch of the channel comes close on the heels of Karnataka assembly polls slated for 2018. Hemanth M Kammar is MD of Focus TV Kannada while journalist Jyothi Irvathur is chief editor.
TRI Tops Tata Sky & DEN As The Most Attractive DTH Cable Brand
Direct to home (DTH) operator Tata Sky & multi system operator (MSO) DEN Networks have topped the list of the “Most Attractive Brands 2017” in the DTH & cable segment respectively. NDTV has emerged as the “most attractive brand” in the media TV category. “Most Attractive Brands” is an annual study conducted by Trust Research Advisory (TRA) Research based on a primary research conducted across 16 Indian cities amongst 2,456 consumers.
Dish TV & Videocon D2h Merger Deal Concludes
The ministry of information & broadcasting (MIB) has approved the merger between direct to home (DTH) platforms Dish TV India & Videocon d2h. The MIB vide its letter dated 15th Dec, 2017 has approved the requests made by the company for completion of the transaction. This paves way for the creation of the largest listed media company in India taking into consideration the last reported revenue & EBITDA numbers of the 2 DTH players on a pro -forma basis.
Hoichoi Launches Byomkesh Season 2
Bengali video on demand (VoD) platform hoichoi has brought back its original web series Byomkesh for a 2nd season. The hour – long 1st episode of Byomkesh Season 2 has started streaming on hoichoi globally from 16th Dec, 2017, to be followed by the 2nd episode on 25th Dec, 2017. Aryann Bhowmik has joined the cast of Byomkesh and will star along with Anirban Bhattacharya (Byomkesh), Subrat Dutta (Ajit) & Ridhima Ghosh (Satyabati) in Season 2.
TED Talks – India Nayi Soch Inaugural Episode Garners Aggregate Reach Of 52 Mn
The inaugural episode of “TED Talks – India Nayi Soch” garnered an aggregate reach of 52 million (Source: BARC 2+ C&S, U+R), broadcaster Star India has claimed. The 1st episode of the weekly show, which aired on 20th Dec, 2017, was telecast across 6 channels, namely Star Plus, Star Pravah, Star World, Star Gold, Star Jalsha & Movies OK on opening day.
Zee Studio To Premiere Office Christmas Party
English movie channel Zee Studio is all set to ring in the festive cheer with a great dose of madness with the premiere of comedy drama Office Christmas Party. The movie boasts of a star studded ensemble cast including Jennifer Aniston, T. J. Miller, Jason Bateman & Olivia Munn amongst others will premiere on 24th Dec, 2017 @ 12 noon & 9 pm.
MIB Treats All Non – Hindi, Non – English Channels As Regional Channels
The ministry of information & broadcasting (MIB) has clarified that all Non – Hindi & Non – English channels will be treated as regional channels for the purpose of charging the processing fee. The channels which are imparting only Yoga & Spiritual Discourse will also be treated as regional channels for fee purpose only. This order will come into force with immediate effect.
Star India Launches SD Version
Broadcaster Star India has launched the standard definition (SD) version of its premium Hindi Movie Channel Star Gold Select HD. The channel, which is priced at Rs 7.77 on a la carte basis, has been launched on select platforms. This will be Star’s 6th Hindi Movie channel after Star Gold, Star Gold HD, Star Gold Select HD, Star Utsav Movies & Movies OK.
Sony YAY! Unveils Special Programming Line – Up
Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) kids channel Sony YAY! will kick – off its holiday programming for Dec, 2017 with a grand campaign Jingle Jholmaal. The special programming for the Christmas holiday season will feature the channel’s 2nd original movie Honey Bunny Ka Space Adventure on 24th Dec, 2017 @ 10.30 am.
Zee Café Launches New Property
English Entertainment Channel Zee Café has launched a new content property Stand – Up Knights that brings the best of British stand – up comedy. Starting 23rd Dec, the channel will bring 2 internationally acclaimed British stand – up comedy show, Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow: Series 1 & Live At The Apollo: Series 12. The shows will air on weekends @ 11 pm.
Dailyhunt Bets Big On Video Content
News & local language content app Dailyhunt, which had recently launched its live TV service with YuppTV, has partnered with Viu, the premium on -demand service by Vuclip & PCCW, to deliver original content in Hindi & Telugu to its digital audiences. The partnership will see hit shows like Vikram Bhatt’s Gehraiyaan & Spotlight, Social (in Hindi & Telugu), PillA & Pelli Gola available for viewing on Dailyhunt app. The association will leverage Viu’s focus on regional content creation which will cater to Dailyhunt’s audiences’ demand for original regional language content.
ZEEL Gets Ofcom Approval
ZEEL subsidiary Asia TV has got the license from UK media regulator Ofcom to launch its lifestyle channel Living Foodz in UK. The Living Foodz license was earlier in the name of &pictures. The broadcaster has renamed the service to Living Foodz as it seems to have changed plans to launch the Hindi movie channel in UK.
Kerala MSO KCCL To Enter TV Broadcasting
Kerala based multi system operator (MSO) KCCL (Kerala Communications Cable Ltd) has an ambitious broadcast business plan that includes launching general entertainment, news & education channels with an investment of Rs 100 crore over the next 2 years. The broadcast business is under a sister concern Keralavision Channel Broadcasting Ltd (KCBL). Praveen Mohan is the chairman of the company while Rajamohanan Mambra is the MD. The 1st channel to launch from the KCBL stable is Malayalam GEC Kerala Vision.
TRAI Floats Consultation Paper
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued a consultation paper on “Issues relating to Uplinking & Downlinking Television Channels in India” after receiving a reference from the ministry of information & broadcasting (MIB) to look into the matter as the existing guidelines are more than 5 years old. The authority has sought comments & counter – comments from stakeholders on a range of issues including net worth of eligible companies, grant of license for satellite channels, entry fee / licence fee, encryption of TV channels & transfer of license amongst others.
Goafest 2018 To Be Held From 5TH Apr To 7TH Apr 2017
The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) & The Advertising Club will host the 13th edition of India’s premier advertising festival “Goafest 2018” from 5th Apr, 2017 to 7th Apr, 2017 in Goa. Goafest 2018 will continue to celebrate milestones in Indian media & entertainment industry. The apex industry event will once again recognize the impactful brand stories, facilitating a progressive speaker line – up & curating an enhanced awards experience.
Republic TV Records 12.98 Mn Minutes Of Digital Consumption
Republic TV recorded 12.98 million minutes of consumption on its digital platform Republic World assets & Hotstar during the Gujarat & Himachal 2017 election results coverage. Republic World assets saw 7.78 million minutes of consumption came whereas Hotstar saw 5.2 million minutes of consumption.
Disney International HD Lines – Up Its New Shows
English Entertainment Channel Disney International HD is all set to revamp its programming line – up with the launch of new shows in the upcoming year. The show has lined up varied shows aiming to bring great content to its viewers. The channel will feature shows like Andi Mack, Raven’s Home & Stuck In The Middle.
TLC Launches New Short – Format Series
TLC, India’s premier lifestyle channel, has launched a bold new short – format series titled THE POETIST, which aims to give a platform to leading female artists from across sections of society to use their art to express & stand up for what they believe in. The series will also feature on TLC’s YouTube page & social media channels. The show, which was launched on 18th Dec, 2017, airs on Mon & Thurs @ 9 pm.
NDTV To Cut Down Its Workforce By 25%
Media house NDTV is reducing its workforce by 25% as part of a restructuring exercise to focus on the core TV & digital business. The company said it had initiated a turnaround plan to bring down cost & improve profitability. A part of this plan was implemented in the last quarter which included the move to new technologies including mobile journalism.
&Privé HD To Premiere A Dog’s Purpose
Premium English Movie Channel &Privé HD is all set to bring the Indian television premiere of the movie, A Dog’s Purpose on 24th Dec, 2017 @ 1 pm & 9 pm. The film is directed by Lasse Hallström and stars acclaimed actor, Josh Gad as the voice of the dog along with Dennis Quaid & KJ Apa.
Uday Nirgudkar Joins Network18
Network18 has got onboard Uday Nirgudkar as the Group Editor Regional (West) for its Marathi news channel News18 Lokmat. Uday Nirgudkar joins the company from Zee Media where he was the channel head for Zee 24 Taas. At Zee Media, Uday Nirgudkar had also handled the position of CEO & Editor – in -Chief for English daily DNA.
DAVP Spent Rs 315.04 Crores
The directorate of advertising & visual publicity (DAVP), the nodal agency of the Government of India for advertising, spent Rs 315.04 crores on TV channels in 2016 -2017. This is higher than the Rs 281.85 crores spent in 2015 – 2016 & Rs 268.05 crores in 2014 – 2015. The DAVP spent Rs 145.57 crores on private FM radio. The same was Rs 94.54 crores in 2015 – 2016 & Rs 69.02 crores in 2014 – 2015. The ad spends on radio / AIR was Rs 37 crores up from Rs 17.09 crore in 2015 – 2016 & Rs 28.89 crores in 2014 – 2015.
Zee Media To Re – Enters The UP Market
Zee Media Corporation Ltd (ZMCL) re – enters the Uttar Pradesh / Uttarakhand market with the launch of Zee Uttar Pradesh / Uttarakhand on 20th Dec, 2017. The tagline of the channel is “Khabar Mein Rahiye”, which roughly translates to stay in the news. ZMCL had a channel for UP & Uttar Pradesh called Zee UP / UK, however, the channel was re -launched as a national news channel under a new name India 24×7 in 2015. The same channel was later re – branded as Zee Hindustan earlier this year with a focus on rural Hindi Speaking Market (HSM).
Videocon D2h To Delist
Direct to home (DTH) operator Videocon d2h will voluntarily delist its American Depositary Shares (ADS) from the Nasdaq Global Market and to deregister with US Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) in connection with its amalgamation with Dish TV India. The delisting of the Videocon d2h ADS’s from Nasdaq is expected to take effect on or about 3rd Jan, 2018, after close of business.
SAB Group Enters In Strategic Partnership
SAB Group through its associate companies Sri Adhikari Brothers Television Network & TV Vision has entered into an understanding with Pantel Technologies to jointly create a bouquet of over 20 free to air (FTA) channels across diverse genres like entertainment, kids, infotainment, mythology, movie & music channels. Pantel Technologies had recently acquired the direct to home (DTH) business of Reliance Communications along with Veecon Media & Television.
Bloomberg Partners Twitter
Bloomberg Media in association with Twitter has launched a 24 / 7 global news network TicToc by Bloomberg. The global news network is built for a social media platform that targets the next generation of on – the – go, mobile – first news consumers. TicToc by Bloomberg combines the global newsgathering capabilities of Bloomberg’s 2,700 journalists & analysts across 120 countries, with digital power & immediacy of Twitter.
Spotx Reports 18X Increase
SpotX, the video ad serving platform, has released figures illustrating explosive growth in global over -the – top (OTT) video advertising spend across its platform. The OTT video category includes broadcast – quality inventory from TV networks, Multichannel Video Programming Distributors (MVPD’s) and other live, linear & video – on – demand (VOD) streaming services delivered via connected TV devices as well as desktop & mobile screens.
Times Internet Acquires Spiritual Content Provider “House Of God”
Times Internet has acquired House Of God, a provider of spiritual content on mobile platforms. House Of God was incubated at Eros Labs, a division of Eros Entertainment. Apart from religious video content, the House Of God app offers live darshans, lectures, puja offerings, & offline commerce services for devotees across all religions. It claims to have one of the largest libraries of religious content spanning over 30,000 hours across different religions.
OMD Mudramax Bags Media Duties Of Cipla Health
Following a multi – agency pitch, OMD Mudramax has bagged the media duties of Cipla Health. OMD Mudramax will be partnering with the brands under Cipla Health in their consumer engagement initiatives across mass media / digital & below – the -line promotional efforts. The account will be managed out of the agency’s Mumbai office.
ITW Consulting Bags In – Stadia Rights
ITW Consulting, India based sports management company, has acquired the in – stadia advertising rights for Indian & Australian Tours of South Africa for 2017 / 2018. ITW Consulting rights to market and sell these in – stadia advertising rights, to non -South African companies & entities. ITW consulting won the rights as they offered value for the inventory amongst other agencies. With these rights, ITW Consulting will cover 3 Tests, 6 ODI’s & 3 International T20’s under South Africa versus India Series & 4 Tests from 1st Mar, 2018 to 30th Mar, 2018 under South Africa versus Australia Series.
Discovery Jeet To Adapt Man Vs. Wild In Hindi
Upcoming Hindi GEC Discovery Jeet will launch survival series Man vs. Wild in Hindi with Bollywood diva Sunny Leone as host. Slated for an early 2018 premiere, the series will feature the beautiful actor hosting as well as undertaking many difficult stunts & adding a dash of humor with her vivacious personality.
Living Foodz To Launch I Want To Bake Free
Maria Goretti is all set to return to the small screen this Dec with I Want To Bake Free on premium lifestyle channel Living Foodz. The show explores the nuanced world of baking & simplifies the daunting aspects of baking for viewers. It has started airing from 20th Dec, 2017 @ 8 pm, I Want To Bake Free will break the myth that baking is difficult and / or is restricted to only desserts. Maria Gorreti will demonstrate a wide range of sweet & savoury dishes that viewers can easily try at home. The show will feature special episodes for Christmas & Valentine’s’ Day and an episode dedicated to baking recipes that can be tried out with children.
TDSAT Extends Interim Relief
The Telecom Disputes Settlement & Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) has extended the interim relief granted to TV channels whose contracts with DD’s free DTH platform Freedish has expired till further orders. With Prasar Bharati yet to come up with a new policy decision on selling vacant slots on Freedish, the tribunal has passed an order stating that the interim relief shall continue to the benefit of all concerned until further orders.
