GECs
Sony to embellish ‘Hanuman’ with VFX and stunts
MUMBAI: Taking a cue from the popularity of mythological shows on the small screen, Multi Screen Media’s (MSM) general entertainment channel Sony Entertainment Television is all set to roll out a show on Hanuman.
With an emphasis on the creative aspect, Sankat Mochan Mahabali Hanuman will showcase Hanuman’s unique voyage in a manner, which is hitherto untapped. The channel, along with the production house Contiloe Productions, will be using state of the art visual effects and stunts to give the show a larger than life look and feel.
Contiloe Productions CEO Abhimanyu Singh said, “Contiloe has always experimented with multiple genres. This would be our first mythological show and we are pretty excited about it. The show will project the tale of the Hanuman ji from his childhood. We will be using state of the art visual effects and stunts to tell this great tale of Sankat Mochan Mahabali Hanuman. I hope the audience enjoys the show as much as we have while creating it.”
The show will go on air from 4 May, 2015 and will air from Monday to Friday at 8 pm.
SET India senior vice president and marketing head Gaurav Seth said that Indian viewers would be treated with extensive visual effects and high technological developments. “In this series we will show a number of never seen before imagery of Hanuman and large scale of visual effects to make the end product look as allusive as possible. It will be a larger than life avatar of Hanuman and that makes the series interesting. We cannot change the concept as Hanuman is a mythological character but we added whatever we could to make it a worthy experience for viewers,” Seth said.
Sony has backed the launch of Sankat Mochan Mahabali Hanuman with innovative marketing activities. “We have organised a drone that will fly Hanuman in 12 cities across the Hindi speaking territory. This is something that we are doing for the first time and is witnessing success so far. In the 12 cities, we take a busy location and fly Hanuman with the help of a drone and people gather to enjoy the sight. Besides that, we have built huge creatives of Hanuman in various cities. We also constructed a mobile friendly interactive website to connect with people and are also distributing the Hanuman Chalisa in different temples. Besides the normal marketing activities, these are the extra efforts that we put for Hanuman,” informs Seth.
With Leo Burnett as the creative agency on board, Sony ran the outdoor campaigns in 35 cities across the Hindi Speaking Market.
The entire show will be reverberating around courage, power and faith, which are few words synonymous with the mighty Hindu God, Hanuman.
Sony Entertainment Television senior executive vice president and business head Nachiket Pantvaidya said, “We, at Sony Entertainment Television, would like to bring a mix of various genres to our viewers. We feel that adding the mythology genre to our offering, completes the channel and we are happy to present the story of Lord Hanuman in a very unique format to our viewers. The show explores a mix of untold and popular mythology around Lord Hanuman, in a never seen before format, with mindblowing visuals and powerhouse performances. We are delighted to collaborate with Contiloe Productions once again, with whom we have tasted phenomenal success with the show Bharat Ka Veer Putra Maharana Pratap. We are confident that Sankat Mochan Mahabali Hanuman will set a new benchmark on how mythological shows are presented on television.”
Sankat Mochan Mahabali Hanuman will see Nirbhay Wadhwa as Lord Hanuman.
GECs
Samsung TV Plus launches Kings of Comedy channel
New free FAST channel brings iconic Hindi comedy shows to millions of Samsung Smart TV owners.
MUMBAI: Samsung TV Plus has just turned up the laughter volume and it’s completely free. The leading free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) service in India has launched Kings of Comedy, a premium comedy channel featuring some of the country’s most beloved primetime shows. Available exclusively on Samsung TV Plus, the channel delivers back-to-back hits including Comedy Nights with Kapil, Khatra Khatra Khatra, and Comedy Nights Bachao, with no login or subscription required.
The launch marks a milestone for free streaming in India, offering audiences a dedicated comedy destination directly from their Samsung TV home screen. It arrives as Samsung TV Plus India celebrates its 5th anniversary, during which the service has grown its monthly active users by 42 per cent and more than doubled its total viewing hours. The platform now offers over 180 free channels across 14 languages.
Samsung TV Plus India general manager and head of business development Kunal Mehta said, “Comedy is the heartbeat of Hindi entertainment, and Kings of Comedy brings together the shows Indians already love, completely free on their Samsung TV. Our focus remains the same take the content people know and make it effortless to access.”
Globally, Samsung TV Plus has surpassed 100 million monthly active users across more than 4,500 channels, solidifying its position as one of the world’s leading free streaming services.
Kings of Comedy is now available on all compatible Samsung Smart TVs. For viewers seeking non-stop laughter without any cost, this new channel delivers a royal treat proving that sometimes the best entertainment really does come with no strings (or subscriptions) attached.
