MUMBAI: Buoyed by the growth in consumption of Bhojpuri content, media conglomerate ZEEL is launching a Bhojpuri movie channel Zee Biskope on 14th January.

Considering Bhojpuri is a low ARPU market, the channel is priced at Rs. 0.10. Apart from pay distribution platforms, the channel will also be available on DD Free Dish.

This will be the second channel in the Bhojpuri market by ZEEL. The company owns and operates Bhojpuri GEC Big Ganga. With this launch, Big Ganga will look to reduce its dependence on movies over time and focus on strengthening its fiction line-up.

• 50% believe they can no longer rely on traditional business models
• 28% admit their business needs to reinvigorate, but are unsure what to prioritize
• 63% of those embarking on change say optimizing the operating model will be truly transformational

Over a third (34%) of media and entertainment (M&E) executives admit that their company will no longer exist in five years unless their business undergoes reinvention. This is according to a new EY survey, How are media and entertainment businesses reinventing in an age of transformation?, which analyzes the views of more than 350 global industry executives to reveal the catalysts, strategies and actions that are shaping business transformation.

Bengali entertainment channel Star Jalsha, from Star India, will bring together biggest names from Bollywood and Tollywood to kick-start a musical extravaganza Super Audition for Super Singer on January 12, 1pm onward. It will be aired on Star Jalsha SD and Star Jalsha HD.

MUMBAI: The internet has given choice to consumers to select packages and watch content of their choice. A rapid increase in the viewership on mobile and OTT platforms on a daily basis has become a threat to the DTH and cable distribution ecosystem. Apart from the internet, competing with broadband services and OTT is another challenge post NTO. The experts from the broadband and cable industry gathered at Video and Broadband Summit (VBS) 2019 in December, organised by Indiantelevision.com to discuss innovative measures taken by companies to stay ahead of the curve. 

The amendments to TRAI’s new tariff order, as per Indian independent and professional investment information and credit rating agency ICRA, could potentially lower the direct-to-home (DTH) / cable bills of the subscribers by upto 14% from the present levels.

According to Kinjal Shah, Vice President, ICRA, “For broadcasters, the recent amendments will adversely impact their revenues. The subscription revenues are expected to reduce (as subscription charges for a-la-carte channels will reduce and also due to the expected shift of subscribers from bouquets to a-la-carte selection).

MUMBAI: Colors is all set for an action packed 2020. The beginning of the year will witness the finale of its successful nonfiction property Bigg Boss. Post Bigg Boss, the channel will strengthen up its weekend slot by bringing another season of reality show Khatron Ke Khiladi. While in fiction format the channel will also launch two new shows Nati Pinky and Barrister Babu at the beginning of the year. 

MUMBAI: Crisil has upgraded its rating on the long-term bank facilities of TV Today Network Limited (TVTN) to ‘CRISIL AA/Stable’ from ‘CRISIL AA-/Stable’, and reaffirmed its ‘CRISIL A1+’ rating on the short-term bank facility.

The rating agency noted that the upgrade reflects the expectation of continued improvement in the company’s operating performance driven by its leadership position in the Hindi news segment while maintaining a strong financial risk profile and robust liquidity driven by an unleveraged balance sheet.

It stated that TVTN is likely to sustain strong revenue growth over the medium to long term driven by the established market position of the flagship channel, Aaj Tak, along with healthy growth in the digital business.

MUMBAI: Moving on to Part 2 installment of Indiantelevision.com’s TV and video people who stood out in 2019. The first part was put out on 2 January 2020, and highlighted executives in random order. We will be following a similar tack in the second installment too. We scoured developments through the year and the role the executive played in bringing those to fruition. Their actions should have been impactful on the company they work with, and on industry.

MUMBAI: Distribution platform Fastway Transmissions has partnered with Hungama Digital Media. As part of the partnership, Fastway’s Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) customers will get the premium content of Hungama as a value-added service.

All broadband and IPTV customers upon subscription will enjoy a complimentary Hungama one-month free premium pack as an introductory offer. Hungama has a rich content of 5000 Movies, 10 Million songs, 300+ Games, 1500+ Short Films, 7500+ Hrs. of Kids content, Originals & 15000 short-form videos.

MUMBAI: Feature films/movies as a programme genre are the largest contributors to television viewership at 30% followed by drama/soaps at 25%, according to Broadcasters Audience Research Council India’s (BARC India) latest report.

The report titled ‘Viewership of Movies in South India’ states that the per capita p.a consumption of respective regional movies ranges from a whopping 415 hours in AP/Telangana to 206 in Karnataka, Hindi movies in HSM clock 125 hours of per capita p.a. consumption.