Kids
Cracking Chrome DM-Da Vinci code as legalities take over
MUMBAI: When business partners — erstwhile or otherwise— part ways acrimoniously, dirty linen gets washed in public. Almost a year after parting ways, Da Vinci Learning (DVL) TV channel, through its Indian JV partner Quintillion Media Pvt. Ltd, has served a breach of contract notice to channel’s distributor Chrome Data and Media Analytics (Chrome DM), which has hit back with a counter legal notice to The Quint.
DVL, which announced its formal launch in India November 2015, is a 50:50 joint venture in India between Da Vinci Media GmbH and Quintillion Media Pvt. Ltd (The Quint), a digital venture founded by Ritu Kapur and Raghav Bahl, former founder-promoters of Network18 Group that was bought over by the Mukesh Ambani-controlled Reliance Industries Ltd. in 2014.
The legally drafted notice from The Quint states that the data solution provider (Chrome DM) under-performed and could not deliver to what was discussed and decided by the two partners. The distribution of the educational channel DVL in India was entrusted to Brickworks Media, a sister concern of Chrome DM that is focused on quantitative and qualitative market research.
According to information collated, Da Vinci’s Indian operations owes to Chrome DM approximately Rs 15 million (Rs. 1.5 crore) in unpaid bills.
Chrome DM founder and CEO Pankaj Krishna, a media industry veteran, took to social media to voice his side of the story. In an open letter on Facebook late last week, he said, “Dear Raghav Bahl, you did manage to pleasantly surprise me when I happen to go though some letters you have sent to our registered office…And today u have resorted to some rather immature tactics of sending out unfounded letters and communication, 11 months after parting ways!!”
Krishna went on to further state: “To rewind, it was the 25th of January, 2016 when you felt that you could usurp the Brickworks’ team efforts and investments towards Da Vinci and take on the balance project yourself and save on some hard earned money. Sadly, you failed and failed till date.”
According to Krishna, Bahl and his team were initially game to make the payments later, but soon stopped accepting any calls or messages from the Chrome team.
Indiantelevision.com sent an email to Bahl to get his reactions to Krishna’s FB post. After several attempts, though Bahl did not comment, Da Vinci Media (DVM)’s marketing director Monomita Mukhopadhyay replied to our mail.
“Mr. Pankaj Krishna’s Facebook post is a reaction to a demand notice sent by Da Vinci Media to his company for breach of contract. There is no logic behind Mr. Krishna’s post; it’s his opinion. They did not deliver (on) to what was discussed and did not perform well. DVM and its lawyers are doing the needful,” Mukhopadhyay explained.
However, Chrome DM marketing head Harnoor Kanwar told indiantelevision.com that it was The Quint/DVM that decided to part ways without fulfilling their financial obligations.
“I have attended all the meetings with Raghav Bahl and his team. Our last meeting was on 25 January 2016 when he decided to turn the tables and took charge of the distribution of his channel. We all were simply surprised. Post that, he was very much a part of all my communications regarding the investments. He owes us a few crores (of rupees) but that was ok with us. But now, he has sent us this letter demanding damages. Why has he suddenly awakened after a11-month sleep? We surely are going to take counter measures,” Kanwar counter-punched.
Chrome DM and Brickworks Media specialises in brand and other market related research, including those pertaining to television sector. Bahl and his wife-promoted Quintillion Media Pvt. Ltd is a digital media company that has a joint venture with Bloomberg for the Bloomberg business news channel in India and also operates a co-branded news website, apart from other independent ventures.
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Kids
Gokuldham Goes English with 3D Series Launch
Hindi version hits 80 million views in six months, English premiere drops 12 Feb on dedicated channel.
MUMBAI: Gokuldham Society just got a bilingual upgrade and it’s speaking fluent fun. Neela Mediatech is rolling out the English version of its hit Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah 3D animated series, hot on the heels of the Hindi edition’s runaway digital success.
Launched just six months ago, the Hindi 3D avatar has already racked up over 80 million views, proving that Jethalal’s antics, Bhide’s lectures, and Popatlal’s endless bride hunts translate brilliantly into animation especially for a new generation of young viewers who’ve never caught the live-action show on TV.
The English-language premiere lands on 12 February on the freshly minted Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah 3D Animated Series English channel. The move opens Gokuldham’s doors wider to English-speaking families across India and the diaspora, letting non-Hindi speakers dive straight into the neighbourhood chaos without subtitles.
Neela Mediatech founder Asit Kumarr Modi captured the spirit behind the expansion, “Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah was created to celebrate togetherness and shared happiness. The response from audiences across India has strengthened our belief in these stories. Presenting the 3D animated series in English allows us to connect with families who may not speak Hindi but relate to the same values and emotions.”
This isn’t a one-off experiment. Neela Mediatech is quietly building a full Gokuldham universe beyond the small screen. TMKOC Rhymes already sings in 12 Indian languages, with more international versions in the pipeline. On the gaming front, TMKOC Play offers 12 interactive titles, headlined by the addictive Gada Electronics Game that keeps kids (and nostalgic adults) tapping away.
From prime-time TV to animated shorts, nursery rhymes, mobile games, and now bilingual streams, Gokuldham has morphed into a multi-platform, multi-language family empire. Whether you grew up laughing at Sodhi’s Sardar jokes or you’re just meeting the gang for the first time, the Society’s doors are officially open in English and the views suggest plenty of people are walking right in.
