Non-Fiction
ABC’s ‘Rising Star’ technology creator,Screenz, secures $5m investment
MUMBAI: Cross-media company Screenz, announces the procurement of $5M investment from Marker LLC to expand research and development, accelerating the growth of technological advances in media entertainment.
Screenz CEO Eli Uzan says, “The evolving media landscape provides partnership opportunities with major production companies and broadcasters, making traditional TV and second screen experiences inseparable. We are delighted that Marker LLC, a leading U.S. VC, is joining us to ensure Screenz continues to change how the world views and interacts with television.”
Screenz and Keshet International’s Rising Star is the most social television series to date with 129,071 tweets at the series premiere and was the No. 1 downloaded iOS app. The ABC premiere outperformed NBC’s America’s Got Talent season premiere by 116% (59,734 tweets) and exceeded America’s Got Talent social media interactions by 290% (33,106 tweets).
Rising Star scored the highest rating for an ABC summer series debut in two years. Sold into more than 25 territories, this format uses an extensive suite of products featured on Screenz’s Real-Time Platform.
The cloud-based software solution developed by Screenz permits over 100 million interactions per minute while viewers engage with shows through second screen formats including: talent, trivia apps, real-time prediction, and social media extensions. Broadcasters and producers achieve live audience engagement while simultaneously capturing viewer data, extending their brands beyond the confines of TV, generating new advertising revenue opportunities, and taking TV into the Big Data marketplace.
“Screenz is a leader in the emerging interactive television sector and helps navigate the future of the industry,” says Marker LLC Partner, Rick Scanlon. “The company has created and flawlessly managed real-time interactive experiences on a large scale with globally renowned entertainment companies. Marker is thrilled to partner with Screenz and support its rapid growth.”
Screenz recently joined forces with Google extending the reach of its real-time technology. Screenz maintains a platform of innovative formats that will be revealed through leading technology and entertainment industry partnerships worldwide.
MUMBAI: Dharma Cornerstone Agency is turning the page. The talent venture created by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions and Bunty Sajdeh’s Cornerstone Sport and Entertainment is being reshaped as both partners head in different directions, according to media reports.
What began as a bid to bring top-tier celebrity representation under one roof is now winding down its joint structure. With each company pursuing its own strategy in a fast-evolving talent industry, the partnership has reached its final chapter.
Reports suggest that Dharma is buying out Cornerstone’s 45 percent stake in the LLP. Once the transition is complete, Dharma is expected to hold full ownership and steer the operation entirely on its own.
The move comes at a time when celebrity and creator management is splintering into more specialised, independent models. Agencies are sharpening their focus as the entertainment economy grows more crowded and competitive.
DCA has represented a starry roster featuring Tiger Shroff, Ananya Panday, Janhvi Kapoor, Tripti Dimri, Aditya Roy Kapur, Neha Kakkar and Jubin Nautiyal, along with rising names including Ibrahim Ali Khan and Shanaya Kapoor. As the curtain falls on the joint venture, both Dharma and Cornerstone are expected to manage their talent stables separately.
The industry will watch closely as the two now script their next acts.
