Vh1 Digital announces 3 senior promotions

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Vh1 announced the promotion of Tina Imm as SVP and GM of the Vh1 digital division. The announcement was made by Vh1 GM and EVP Tom Calderone.

In her new role Imm will be responsible for overall strategy, creative direction, content development, and production for Vh1 Digital's platforms including: Vh1.com, Vh1Classic.com, Vh1 Mobile, Vh1 Games, and several of Vh1's existing and planned vertical sites.

In this position, she will also lead the content, promotional, and branding convergence between Vh1 and its digital properties.







Imm will also work under the oversight of Courtney William Holt, EVP of digital music and media for MTV Networks' Music Group, on digital strategy and initiatives, stated an official statement.

"Under Tina's leadership, Vh1 Digital has grown immensely. In addition to video streams on Vh1.com achieving triple-digital growth over the last two years, the last three months were our most streamed quarter ever," said Calderone.

"Tina's team has successfully grown our digital business by developing and launching made-for-mobile and broadband series, new sites like Vh1Classic.com and products like our Vh1.com syndicated video player."

Most recently, Imm was VP, Vh1 Digital a position she held since joining Vh1 in July 2004. Previously, Imm served as COO for Complex Media LLC, a media company that develops creative for youth culture through various media outlets.




Calderone also announced that Tony Carbone and Deb Kadetsky have been elevated to VP digital production and programming, and VP digital marketing respectively.

In his new role Carbone will manage and supervise all production and programming for Vh1 Digital. He will continue to oversee the digital and broadband production and programming departments.

Kadetsky will continue to lead the company's efforts to develop and implement strategic programming and promotional plans to support Vh1's digital initiatives across platforms - online, digital music, mobile and games.

Lycra MTV crowns Shah Rukh Khan as Maha Style Icon

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Shah Rukh Khan has been voted 'Maha Style Icon of the Year', while Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai were voted the 'Most Stylish Actor' in the male and female category respectively at the Lycra MTV awards announced Thursday evening.

The awards held annually, honour the most stylish people in India across various categories. Hrithik and Aishwarya were also voted as the 'Most Stylish Couple of 2007' under a special poll for MTV viewers.

Meanwhile, Karan Johar was selected the Most Stylish Person in Television, while Atif Aslam was recognized for being the most Stylish Person in music.

Dhoom-2 was declared the Most Stylish Film.

Further, Ignatius Camello and Joey Matthew won the awards for the Most Stylish Person on ramp in the male and female category respectively. Abhishek and Nandita bagged the award for 'Lycra Breakthrough Designer of the Year.'




Amongst the lot that turned out to be a part of the awards were the star cast of Farah Khan directorial Om Shanti Om along with Dino Morea, Gul Panag, Gulshan Grover, Kim Sharma, Sanjay Gadhvi, Raghuvendra Rathod, Ashok Amritraj, Pooja Batra and Chak De gang-of-girls, amongst others.

The evening also saw special theme based acts from Atif Aslam with Vikram Phadnis ('My Tee' range), Shafqat Amanat Ali with Abhishek and Nandita ('Uniforms') and Hard Kaur with Vikram Phadnis ('Gangs' collection) and finally Raghu Dixit with Jatin Kocchar (Universe of the Young - Lycra brand line).

Meanwhile, Manish Malhotra displayed his collection based on the 'Retro' theme, with Arjun Rampal and Deepika Padukone walking the ramp.




The panel of judges for the awards comprised Atul Kasbekar, Farah Khan, Neha Dhupia, Anaita Adajania Shroff, Raghuvendra Rathore, Ramona Narang, Sheetal Malhar, Rohit Bal, Prahlad Kakkar, Manoviraj Khosla, Ambika Pillai, Narendra Kumar Ahmed and Mickey Contractor.

The Lycra MTV Style Awards will be telecast on MTV on 3 November at 1 pm.

Lip lock kiya jaye?

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My television screen nearly misted over this week. Conservative, staid television does take a stab or two at bold expressions once in a while. After a very long time, one actually got to witness a lip lock, although a very modest one, on Sab's Love Story this week.

Star Plus' Kasautii Zindagi Kay didn't go as far, but the serial that normally makes a living out of zooming in on Prerna and Bajaj's faces, actually had a pretty intimate scene between a young couple on air this week. Of course, the guy decently turned out the bedside lamp before the information and broadcasting ministry could point fingers at something objectionable.



The last time a Hindi soap bothered with a kiss was on Sony's Hubahu nearly four years ago, when Sandhya Mridul locked lips with Alyy Khan in a swimming pool. The incident created minor ripples (not in the swimming pool, duh!), but didn't jostle the TRPs much either.

Anurag Basu's Love Story shot its scene subtly and the kiss was portrayed as just an expression of young love. Most channels appear to have kept away from such scenes fearing backlash from conservative audiences and a Big Brother government. The result is assumed intimacy between romantic couples, while fights and squabbles are depicted in detail. So, while you may have witnessed a thousand showdowns between Tulsi and Mihir, or Saloni and Nahar, do you remember them getting intimate any time? I don't.



On the other hand, Star One's Chhoona Hai Aasman went a bit heavy on the gore this week. The lead pair who are a part of an air force division apparently ventured perilously close to enemy territory (although their cockpit windscreens stayed curiously stationary, with no shifting reflections) and were nearly shot at. Over in enemy land, there's conflict and some killing ensues. Knife at throat and gun at forehead, the killer prolongs torture for a while with the knife before finishing off his victime. A bit gruesome for prime time actually.

****

The Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Sa Ga continues...

Once on to a good property, it must be tough to let go the temptation to keep milking it. Viewers barely breathed easy after the end of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2007, before being hit by the Lil Champs. Zee has this time roped in a bespectacled Sonu Nigam (who returns as judge after being anchor once upon a time) and veteran singer Suresh Wadkar, who looked distinctly uncomfortable in his new role in the inaugural episodes. It isn't easy bonding with very young participants, who come in from all corners of the world with stars in their eyes. Hope Wadkar settles in his groove as soon as he can.



Another music channel, some more Krazy Kiya Re and Main Hoon Don...The music stays the same, but if the first look of 9XM (INX Media's music channel that's just had its soft launch) is anything to go by, there will be lots of animated characters jumping in and out of the frame to aid proceedings. Apparently, it's just what the doctor ordered for the teenager who needs that bit of extra in his regular dose of Bollywood music. Let's see how the Vs and MTVs react to this one.



Couch potato's pick of the week - The weekends are getting busier, with Jjhoom India too launching on Sahara One. If you haven't got your fill of TV celebs exhibiting their hidden talents, head for this one!

India can become largest pay TV market in the world: Chandra

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During his keynote at Mipcom today, Zee Group CMD Subhash Chandra asserted that India had the potential to become the largest pay television market in the world.


However, Chandra remained steadfast that while newer distribution avenues would eat into the dominant share that cable enjoyed in Indian television households, that was not to imply that platforms like direct-to-home (DTH) would take over.

Chandra made the point during his interaction with Chris Forrester, Rapid TV News Editorial Director, who asked: "Do you see this threat (to television viewing) that today's youngsters will remain on a gaming, animation, or maybe mobile path?"

Chandra dismissed the notion as being higher on hyperbole than fact. "I don't see that day. When we started television everybody in the film industry said this is going to kill the industry. It didn't. It actually enhanced the film experience.



"Today in India, more than 70 films are screened per day and available to 70 million homes but still people watch cinema. Similar things will happen. All these newer avenues (for content to flow) will consume more and more media as they are made avilable at cheaper prices. As the newer applications come, they will all complement each other. Today we are showing gaming on the DTH platform."

Queried over whether going forward, he saw DTH becoming the primary feed into TV homes, Chandra responded: "It will not become the primary feed because regulation will not allow it, which is a good thing. But I do agree that other delivery platforms will take 40-50 per cent of the distribution market over next five-seven years."

On the issue of there being only one dominant or at the most two competing DTH platforms in other television markets, Chandra said: "India is a country of surprises. We will still be able to see two or three DTH platforms operating. Not five or six as is the case now though. So in that sense we will see consolidation."

On regulation, Chandra was quite clear that India needed it if the industry was to be able to grow in an orderly fashion. Said Chandra, "There should be regulation. Actually there is no regulation in India today. Only some guidelines on FDI caps and this kind of thing, nothing else."

Zee TV launching weekend prime time show 'Naaginn…'

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Zee TV will be launching a new weekend show Naaginn…waadon ki agniparikshaa on 5 October in the 8:30 pm slot.

The show, airing Friday to Sunday, is produced by AK Films.


Naaginn is a tale of an Ichadhari Naaginn who transforms herself to take revenge from the Rathod family that had killed her parents for attaining the invaluable Naagmani. She gets married in the same family but her duty as a wife and her love towards her husband comes in between her desire for revenge.


Zee TV business head Punit Goenka said, "The past one and a half years has seen Zee TV recover its sheen and glory through an excellent mix of programming and marketing. We have always believed in creating subjects in viewers' interest. The concept of Naaginn and it's unfamiliarity with the masses has always been of intrigue with the Indian audiences and I am confident that this show would largely appeal to them."

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'Boogie Woogie' goes international, to hold auditions in Dubai

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Sony Entertainment's long running dance show Boogie Woogie has gone International.

Auditions have now been extended outside India with participation invited from across the globe with the first destination being Dubai.

This first ever international audition for the show will be held in Dubai from 18 October to 20 October. Naved Jaffrey and Ravi Behl will be present on the grounds to hand pick contestants who they think can be the part of Boogie Woogie.


Speaking about the reasons for conducting auditions in Dubai, Sony Entertainment Television president Rohit Gupta says, "Dubai is a key market for Sony Entertainment Television and we always attempt to bring big entertainment opportunities for our viewers and advertisers here. After the huge success of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa event last year during Dubai Shopping Festival, followed by our first ever International auditions for Indian Idol 3 in Dubai, we now bring Sansui Boogie Woogie for the first time to Dubai."

For 11 years, Boogie Woogie has been running innumerable themes, special shows, championships that have given a platform to a cross-section of people from all ages, and cities to showcase their talent on the small screen.



"Opening the platform for participation to talented and aspiring dancers of all age-groups, we are sure that our Dubai viewers will welcome the show with a huge response as always. I would like to thank all our associates and partners in Dubai for their consistent support and commitment in making our every effort in Dubai a huge success and look forward to coming back with more such surprises to Dubai," Gupta added further.

To make participation and registration easy, Sony Entertainment Television has set up an exclusive SMS gateway. Aspirants of all age-groups can participate by sending and SMS DANCE to 3536.


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Sahara One launches prime time daily 'Main Aisi Kyun Hoon'
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Sahara One launches prime time daily 'Main Aisi Kyun Hoon'

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Sahara One Television launched its new serial Main Aisi Kyun Hoon which will start airing from 8 October.
Slotted for primetime at 8:30 pm, this is a daily serial that will air weekdays from Monday to Thursday.
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Sahara One Television programming head Kalyan Sundaram said, "This is our attempt to present our viewers with varied shades of entertaining storylines through our shows. With Biggest Loser doing so well for the channel, I am confident about this one as well."
Main Aisi Kyun Hoon is a story of a 26-year-old girl brought up in a conservative middle class Maharashtrian family. Sanjana is hyper imaginative girl with modern outlook towards life. Her family is pressurizing her to get married but Sanjana is against it. Her life takes an unexpected twist when her childhood love Siddharth returns from US married. Nearing her 30s Sanjana refuses to let go her past and move on in life.
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Sundaram further added, "Our programs are an outcome of researches done to find out what our audience wants. Latest research concluded that viewers want regressive storyline."
"This show tells us the story of today's changing times where Indian women are highly progressive yet practising and respecting their cultural values. Main Aisi Kyub Hoon will show Sanjana;s relationship with everyone around her," added Sundaram.
The show is produced by actor Paresh Rawal's Playtime Creations which has also produced Shubh Mangal Savadhan for the channel earlier.
The lead character of Sanjana is played by Nazneen Patel and Khalid Siddiqui will play Siddharth.

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Nickelodeon is No 3 among children’s channels

Television channel Nickelodeon reached the number three position amongst children’s channels last week with its television rating point (TRP) growing at 104 per cent during the year.

The channel, also known as Nick, is now planning to increase its reach through 360 degree marketing before the coming holiday season, said Ms Nina Elavia Jaipuria, Vice-President and General Manager Nickelodeon.

“We are also considering expanding our merchandise categories to include toys, activity books and stationary,” she added.

The channel share, according to Ms Jaipuria, has grown from 9 per cent of the segment in January to 18 per cent in August. Nick’s distribution reach has also gone up to 20 per cent. “Our loyal audience base was very small. The challenge was to get children to staple our channel,” said Ms Jaipuria.

Reaching out


The channel launched a 360 degree marketing strategy reaching out to children wherever they were—through school contact programmes, at cinema halls during launches of blockbusters such as Spiderman, at malls, in Diamond comics, radio and even on general entertainment channels.

It also advertises during popular shows such as Saregamapa on Zee, Boogie Woogie on Sony and during the television premier of the movie Krish.

Direct contact


It plans to keep its direct contact with viewers active through contests and other ground events.

“We have also recently introduced Nick Home Cinemas, with movies both from our library and acquired titles from Sony and Ultra,” said Ms Jaipuria.

Distinguishing itself from other channels by keeping humour at the heart of things, Nick has also added on advertisers during the year, taking the number from 17 at the beginning of the year to 50 at present.

The channel is also targeting smaller towns.

In spite of its ‘dubbed’ content, Nick enjoys the highest (34 per cent) audience share in the children’s entertainment category in Uttar Pradesh.

“For kids content has universal appeal. Take our driver shows, SpongeBob is American, Ninja is Japanese,” said Ms Jaipuria.


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Sony Pictures to distribute Fifa supported 'More Than Just A Game'

Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI) has acquired the international distribution rights to the feature length FIFA-supported docu-drama More Than Just A Game, from Distant Horizon.

The docu-drama stars Presley Chweneyagae (Tsotsi) and tells the dramatic and little-known story of organized football played among prisoners on Robben Island in South Africa where Nobel Peace Prize Winner Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in prison. The announcement was made today by SPTI president Michael Grindon, and Distant Horizon CEO Anant Singh.

Told through the stories of five former prisoners, More Than Just A Game follows the story of how political activists who were unjustly imprisoned on Robben Island in the 1960s rise above their incarceration by creating a football league, the Makana Football Association (Makana FA), and find an outlet for their passion and commitment to discipline through football.






This deal comes on the heels of Sony Corporation's global partnership deal with FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) that went into effect in January of this year.

As a FIFA Partner, the highest level of sponsorship status which is accorded to only six companies, Sony will be the official Digital Life sponsor of over 40 FIFA events, including the FIFA World Cup in South Africa in 2010 and the FIFA World Cup in 2014 due to be held in South America.

Grindon stated, "This is truly an inspirational story and we are pleased to be working with Distant Horizon to bring this amazing tale of hope to audiences around the world. We are also pleased to continue our association with FIFA, as they recently announced their support for the film and it is a timely acquisition for SPTI in light of the fact that the next FIFA World Cup is being held in South Africa."

Producer Singh added, "We at Distant Horizon are thrilled to be working with Sony Pictures Television International on the international distribution of More Than Just A Game. The film has relevance not only to people in South Africa, but to people around the world. When considering this project, I felt that there was potential for this film because it is a story about human beings trying to succeed against all odds and to survive using football as their inspiration, which in everybody else's terms, was very simple. More Than Just A Game is a tribute to the people on Robben Island who fought for the privilege to play football."








"The Makana FA and Robben Island have great symbolic significance in FIFA's fight to eradicate racism and all forms of discrimination from football and society as a whole. We are very proud that, thanks to our Partner Sony, its subsidiary Sony Pictures Television International and producer Anant Singh have teamed up to distribute this unique docu-drama More than Just a Game around the world. The film shows just how football can help to build a better future," commented FIFA president Joseph S. Blatter.

The movie's worldwide premiere is scheduled around the Preliminary Draw for the 2010 FIFA World Cup taking place in Durban, South Africa on 24 November 2007. The 2010 FIFA World Cup will be held in South Africa from 10 June through 11 July.

More Than Just A Game is a Distant Horizon production in association with Telkom Media and Distant Horizon, with script development supported by the National Film and Video Foundation of South Africa (NFVF). It is executive produced by Sudhir Pragjee and Sanjeev Singh and produced by Anant Singh and Helena Spring with Chuck Korr, Lord Ted Rowlands, Dave Crowe and Hannelie Bekker co-producing. The screenplay is by Tom Eaton and it is directed by Junaid Ahmed.
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Zee Cafe launches 11 fresh shows currently on air in US

The Zee Group's English general entertainment channel Zee Cafe today claimed to have become the first channel in the country to run popular sitcoms simultaneously with their launch in the US.


The channel today announced the launch of 11 new programmes in different genres commencing between today and early next year, which are being launched around the same time as their showing in the US, where they have been or are being produced.

Zee Cafe business head Neil Chakravarti said that the new programmes had been decided after six months of intensive research among Indian viewers who said they learnt a lot about new shows from the internet or sites like YouTube, and could not wait to see them several months or years later.

Chakravarti told a press meet here that Zee had therefore worked out deals with its studio partners in the US to get these programmes for showing within days or hours of their first showing. He admitted that this meant paying 75 to 200 per cent more than the normal payment, but said it was worth the effort.

He said there were only two general entertainment English language channels in the country, the other being Star World, and claimed that Zee Cafe was different in that it only picked programmes that would appeal to Indians.

At least four of the shows on the channel - Aliens in America, The Big Bang Theory, Unhitched, and the on-going Notes from the Underbelly - star south Asians, Neil revealed.

He said the Survivor series was probably the world's first reality show on television when it first commenced in the last decade. The 15th season Survivor: China begins in Shanghai and is the story of castaways attending a Buddhist ceremony. Having commenced in the US on 20 September, it will come on Zee Cafe early next month.



The Big Bang Theory and Unhitched are comedies, Aliens in America is a drama-based sitcom, The Sarah Connor Chronicles beginning early next year is a re-invention of the Terminator series, while Pushing Daisies, Back to You and Journeyman are romantic dramas. The others are Gossip Girl, Army Wives and Travel Girls.

Chakravarti later told Indiantelevision.com that the channel had experimented with some English shows made in India, but felt that Indian audiences were not yet ready for English fiction.

Denying that the channel showed content meant only for adult audiences, he claimed that 60 per cent of the cable and satellite homes in the country were seeing Zee Cafe, and said there were attempts to give greater publicity to these progrrammes on all the 27 Zee channels. He said that the channel was interactive in that viewers could write back on the zeecafe.tv website.

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Star One to launch musical quiz show 'Bol Baby Bol'

It's the season of music based format shows on Hindi entertainment channels. Star One is set to launch a musical reality show titled Bol Baby Bol.

"Star One is launching a nonfiction musical quiz show Bol Baby Bol soon. The time slot is yet to be fixed. The auditions are starting from tomorrow in Mumbai," an industry source reveals.


"Bol Baby Bol will be very much like Kaun Banega Crorepati but here the person who sits on the hot seat will have to complete the missing lyrics of the given song. The show will be anchored by singer Adnan Sami," adds the source.

When contacted however, Star India VP marketing and communication Prem Kamath declined to comment.


The source explains that after choosing from a variety of genres, period, singer and music director the contestant of the nonfiction show will be asked to complete the lyrics of the song which will be played. As in KBC, the level of difficulty of the questions will be raised with each correct answer. A contestant can win prize money of up to Rs 250,000 every week.

As reported earlier by Indiantelevision.com, Star One will soon unveil a host of new shows to its programming line up as part of a content refurbishing process. Star One will launch at least 12-14 new programmes within the next four months.

The bank of new properties will kickstart with a fiction programme that launches next week.




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Boogie Woogie’ to go international

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The show ‘Boggie Woogie’ (Sony) was one of the first dance shows to hit the television screens. The presence of judge and host Javed Jaffrey and the sweet and sour interaction between hosts and producers Naved Jaffrey and Ravi Behl have only added to the entertainment value of the talent show.
Now, there are plans to launch the show internationally as well. “Yes, there are plans to take ‘Boogie Woogie’ abroad. By God’s grace, the show is doing very well here,” says Javed.
Javed further reasons, “If we can ape other shows or even start Indian versions of international series by taking their franchise, why can’t we take our shows to an international level?”

Apart from the show, Javed is busy with his movies, the latest one being ‘Dhamaal’ where he shares screen space with Sanjay Dutt.

“It’s sheer modesty on Sanju’s part to share equal screen space with other actors. He has no complexes. Not all actors are open to this,” says Javed who feels his dancing skills and comic flair are God’s gifts.

“I had it in my genes as well, though I had to work a lot on my comic timing. Watching my dad (veteran comedian Jagdeep) in his movies was another learning influence,” says Javed.

Speaking on his brother, Javed says, “Naved is totally involved with ‘Boogie Woogie’. He is more of a party person. I spend my free time at home with my kids. But Naved is young, single and ready to mingle,” laughs Javed.

Incidentally, ‘Boogie Woogie’ has been on air for almost 10 years.

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Zee Turner adds CNN-IBN, VH1 moves to One Alliance

VH1 will hop from Zee Turner to The One Alliance bouquet, joining its sibling channels MTV and Nick. The move comes into effect from 1 September.

Zee Turner, on the other hand, is replacing VH1 with English news channel CNN-IBN to expand its second package. The company also has recently added distribution of Zee Talkies, a newly launched Marathi movie channel.

"VH1 is now discontinued for distribution upon termination of the agreement by the company," Zee Turner said in a release.

MTV Networks South Asia SVP network development Sanjeev Hiremath said the migration of VH1 was in process. "Our term with Zee Turner was expiring. We got a better deal with One Alliance. Besides, we will have all our three channels residing in one distribution bouquet," he added.

One Alliance, which is a joint venture between SET India and Discovery, distributes channels like Sony Entertainment Television, Max, Discovery, Ten Sports, Discovery Travel and Living, Sab, Pix, AXN, NDTV India, NDTV 24x7, NDTV Profit, Animal Planet and Animax.







Commenting on the addition of VH1, SET India CEO and SET Discovery chairman Kunal Dasgupta said, "With the addition of VH1, viewers will now enjoy the music and lifestyle offering and this will complete the all inclusive entertainment package of The One Alliance bouquet. This partnership will mark a landmark deal and mutually benefit VH1 and The One Alliance offering incremental viewer base."

Discovery Networks India MD and Set Discovery director Deepak Shourie said, "The One Alliance has got the best entertainment available on television today; be it factual entertainment, wild life and nature, sports, family entertainment, Hollywood, lifestyle, action, music, news, kids' entertainment or comedy. VH1 will only add to being the best in international music and lifestyle channel."




Talking of the transition MTV Networks Hiremath said, "Over the last 2 years, VH1 was available on the Zee-Turner platform and has a viewership across 20 million households in India. VH1 is now migrating to the The One Alliance platform. VH1 is sure to augment The One Alliance's offering to its consumers."

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Times Now available on Watchindia.tv

Times Now has entered into an agreement with Watchindia.tv by which the English news channel is available online in the internet platform. This is the first time that Times Now is available outside India.

Times Now telecasts real time on Watchindia.tv with streaming bit rates of 400Kbps and 800kbps.


Times Now CEO Sunil Lulla said, "As the Indian expatriate population continues to grow in the U.S. and globally, we need to find new medium to report the news to a wide audience. WatchIndia is the perfect outlet to deliver the news to our dispersing culture. It allows viewers to keep up with Indian news, politics and culture at home."

WatchIndia spokesperson Tripti Singh, "As the largest news outlet in India, Times Now is the perfect partner for WatchIndia. The Indian diaspora in the U.S. only now can access news with Indian commentary getting an insider's point of view therefore feeling a bit more connected with life in Inda."


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Rakhi Sawant some more!

First time on Indian television SAB brings to its audience a unconventional character Rakhi Sawant aka Ali Asgar from SAB Ka Bheja Fry who’s role depicts the dilemma of a rejected boyfriend. As luck would have it he celebrates Raksha Bandhan every day of his life.

Some guys have it easy, some guys just get plain lucky. But guess Sawant has always had it tough and been unlucky, for him Raksha Bandhan is celebrated everyday. For every girl that he’s tried, he’s gotten a Rakhi tied...

Right from his first crush in 7th Std till his present college days. Sawant always been spotted in his branded jeans and t-shirts, he’s the stud. With his glares and impeccable style, he’s the star. But when it comes to working his magic on the girls, he’s bekaar. And every time he’s stuck in a tough spot, he has a Rakhi ready to bail him out.

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Max leads Hindi movie channels

Speaking of titles, Zee Cinema hogged the top ten charts across the six month period with six of its films featuring in the list. Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, Ghar Ho To Aisa and Phir Heraa Pheri were aired in May and June.

Though Star Gold has been strolling along in the third position in terms of shares, it garnered the maximum eyeballs when it showcased Krrish, topping the six month top ten movie charts with a whopping 4.1 TVR. Star Gold's telecast of Chup Chup Ke also featured in the charts.

From the Max stable, old timers Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaengey and Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham came in to the top 10 charts delivering a TVR of 1.97 and 2.23 respectively.

How does the fight for winning the ratings battle shape up?

"You can't escape from the fact that every movie channel is very title driven. There will be weeks when competition increases and the competitor may show stronger titles. Zee Cinema had good weeks in the past and I am sure they will have a couple of good weeks ahead, but we will remain on the top," said a confident Rajani.

Not perturbed by the jolt Zee Cinema received during the two cricket dominated months, Gopinath said, "People in India are very sentimental about cricket, therefore it is bound to benefit the channel. However, we are back and hope to take the leadership spot."

Zee Cinema has branded different time slots to generate appointment viewership. The channel recently introduced 'Bhakti ki Shakti', a Sunday morning slot for mythological movies, which according to the channel is doing well.


Apart from the two movies in the top 10, Star Gold has managed to perform consistently except in April but has always stayed in the third spot.

When most movie channels are banking on the weekends, Star Gold has introduced a Monday prime time band for screening its library of comedy flicks. These include Bheja Fry, Darwaza Band Rakho and Ek Chalis ki Last Local with more to follow.

Additionally, Star Gold is running a Bond festival for the first time called 'Main hoon Bond' by dubbing these films in Hindi.

Filmy is still struggling to achieve a share in the double digit. The channel from the Sahara stable has crossed the experimentation phase and is now is ready to offer films with a blend of other programs in comedy and reality format. It has introduced the Rajnikant film festival and has its fingers crossed for the upcoming reality show Bathroom Singer.

Speaking of the channel's differentiated strategy, Filmy business head Shailesh Kapoor said, "We are still new as compared to other channels. Even then we have proved ourselves. In terms of acquisitions, distribution and revenues we have grown. Now the real phase starts when we slowly unveil comedy and reality shows on our channel."

The channel saw a fall in shares to six in the month of March. Senior executives have blamed it on distribution which they claim to have corrected now.

Completely isolated from all the action in the movie space is B4U Movies which has not managed to surpass a share of two over the six-month duration.

What's interesting, heightened activity is expected to take place in the coming months with Hindi movie channels from the Reliance Group, Viacom 18 and UTV slated for launch.

Will there be a scarcity of content causing a threat to existing players?

Rajani says, "There will certainly be a crunch of movies. I think there are very little movies available in the market for purchase for the next two years. Almost every major title has been tied up with some or other channel but I am sure the channels that are coming up must have planned something for themselves. There is certainly a dire need of more content. But we are not at all threatened."

Gopinath adds, "There is enough space available and I don't think it will lead to any scarcity of content."

"Bollywood has a mass appeal. That means more viewership and advertisers. GRPs of movie channels are increasing by 20 to 25 per cent every year and that gives a lot of scope for an advertiser," avers Kapoor

Internet Boom: Web ads going up then Tv ads

Britons are changing their media habits as more women and people over 65 go online and as more consumers opt for a single provider for their Internet, entertainment and phone services, an industry report says.

Among the changing trends in 2006, children are cutting back from using computer games to spend time on mobile phones and the Internet, British media regulator Ofcom said in its annual report.

As technologies, platforms and devices have come together due to increased broadband penetration, more people are making phone calls over the Internet, listening to radio via television and watching TV over mobile phones.

In response, advertisers diverted more money to the Internet and away from traditional sources, Ofcom said.

"Our communications sector continues to develop at a fast pace, with consumers of all ages using a range of devices to find the services they want," said Peter Phillips, Ofcom partner of strategy and market developments.

Average daily Internet use was 36 minutes in 2006, up 158 per cent on 2002, while time spent on the mobile phone also increased, up 58 per cent at almost 4 minutes per day.

On the down side, time spent watching TV fell 4 per cent during that period, although it still dominated with average daily viewing at 3 hours and 36 minutes.

Listening to radio was down 2 per cent at 2 hours and 50 minutes, and time spent on a fixed-line phone was down 8 per cent at 7 minutes.

WEB ADS UP, TV ADS DOWN

As a result, TV advertising spend fell 4.7 per cent in 2006 from 2005, coinciding with the spread of video content available online and the growth of digital video recorders, which can skip adverts.

Radio advertising spend fell 7.8 per cent in the same period, while Internet advertising spend rose 47 per cent.

In other changes, more people over the age of 65 used the Internet, spending an average of 42 hours online every month, more than any other age category, while one quarter of all British Internet users are over the age of 50.

The Web also attracted more women, with those aged 25 to 34 spending more time on the Internet than men of that age.

Some 20 per cent of respondents to a survey said they made phone calls over the Internet offered by so-called VoIP (voice over Internet protocol) providers, while headline Internet speeds increased. By April 2007, 53 per cent of households had a broadband connection.

The growth of broadband penetration has been driven in part by groups such as satellite operator BSkyB and Virgin Media, which offer broadband as part of their packages.

The number of consumers taking services in bundles rose to 40 per cent of the population by April 2007, up by a third over the 12 months.

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Govt not in favour of banning ads in pay channels

The government on Wednesday said it was not in favour of banning advertisements in the pay channels as it would push up the subscription cost.

"Ban on advertisements on pay channels may push up the subscription rates of such channels and may not be in the interest of viewers," PR Dasmunsi, the Minister of Information and Broadcasting, said in a reply in Rajya Sabha.

No such proposal, of banning advertisements on the pay channels, is under consideration, the minister said.

The amended Cable Television Networks Rules 1994 provide that no programme shall carry advertisements exceeding 12 minutes per hour, which may include upto 10 minutes per hour of commercial advertisements, and upto 2 minutes per hour of a channel's self-promotional programmes.

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Meet the other Shweta Tiwari!

Her actual name is Shweta Tiwari, but for all practical purposes, this TV actress has now become Ridheema Tiwari.

“I have gone mad with people calling me and asking for Shweta Tiwari from Kasautii Zindagi Kay !" exclaims Ridheema Tiwari. It's but natural, because the actress, who is currently working in Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai , was originally Shweta Tiwari. "That's my real name. When I started my struggle in the telly world, I got a call from a big production house and they wanted to offer me a role. But when I entered their office, their jaw dropped because they expected to see Shweta of Kasautii !" she laughs.

Ridheema may laugh about it now, but at that time, it was turning out to be a serious problem for her, with people getting mistaken about her identity.

"I realised I'd have to change my name and so, I got it numerologically changed to Ridheema . I get fewer calls now," she says. But even after changing her name, she does get a random call or two, mistaking her to be Kasautii's Prerna .

"Once, I got a call from a Delhi-based theatre person and she wanted me to do her play. Things almost got finalised when she happened to mention that they did a popularity poll and found Shweta Tiwari to be really popular. That's when it hit me that they were talking about Prerna, because I'm not that big a name," she says.

Once, after getting a few calls from some people who wanted her to act in a commercial, she actually called Shweta's husband Raja to inform him about the offer for his wife.

But has she got any calls recently after problems between Raja and Shweta were reported? "Thankfully I didn't ! I wouldn't have known what to say if people had asked me what's happening with Raja!" she says.

Ridheema is yet to meet her namesake. "Some time ago, I was supposed to go for a get-together thrown by Raja, but I couldn't make it," she says. Though friends and family members still can't think of calling her by any other name than Shweta, Ridheema says that this name is here to stay.

"This name's working for me. I have a good role in Har Ghar... where I play a glamorous air-hostess and the good thing is, she hasn't been portrayed in a negative manner," says Ridheema.

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Another melodious weekend is just round the corner. This weekend Amul Star Voice of India is all set to present the handsome, magnetic & charismatic singing sensation, Sonu Nigam. This youth icon will arrive on the sets of ASVOI inspite of his adverse health conditions. Just the immense talents of all the budding contestants of ASVOI will indulge him to come and witness the musical battle. This special episode will fulfill the dreams of many contestants – the dream of meeting Sonu Nigam.

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