DTH
ShortsTV best of india short film festival 2019 open for entries
MUMBAI: ShortsTV, the world’s leading short movie TV service, available in India on Tata Sky, is looking for great short movies made by Indian filmmakers to enter its 2019 Best of India Short Film Festival.
After a successful first edition last year, the competition is returning with the goal of further raising artistic awareness of Indian filmmakers to the Hollywood film community and opening doors for possible television deals and other opportunities, including qualification for Academy Award consideration.
ShortsTV will award prizes totaling $2,500 to the top five selected short films. The five top shorts will also receive a screening in Los Angeles, California for seven days and thereby gain Academy Award qualification status. Every film entered will be considered for a television broadcast deal on ShortsTV (although filmmakers do not have to accept this).
Commenting on the initiative, Mr. Carter Pilcher, Chief Executive of ShortsTV said, “At present, no Indian film festival is accredited by the Academy, making it difficult for Indian filmmakers to get their films considered for Oscar® nominations. To be considered for an Oscar®, a film either needs to win an award at an Academy accredited film festival or be screened at a cinema in Los Angeles for at least seven days, which can be prohibitively expensive for most short filmmakers. ShortsTV believes more Indian filmmakers deserve the opportunity to become Oscar® nominated and the ShortsTV Best of India Short Film Festival is one initiative we are implementing to make that happen.”
Last year, the top prize went to Mumbai based filmmaker Chintan Sarda and his short film ‘Shunyata’, featuring Jackie Shroff in the leading role.
To be eligible for the competition, entries need to be “narrative” live action short films with a total running time of 40 minutes or less where either the writer, director or producer is from India and the film’s final form is in High Definition (HD) or DCP.
DTH
Dish TV launches ‘Kuch chhota sa’ campaign for TV flexibilit
New campaign highlights 190+ channels, Always-On service, Rs 99 Freedom Pack.
MUMBAI- Sometimes, the smallest remote click can fix the biggest daily friction and Dish TV is betting on exactly that insight. The company has rolled out a new campaign built around the thought ‘Kuch chhota sa karne par, life hogi behtar’, turning everyday viewing annoyances into a case for simpler, more reliable television access.
The campaign taps into a familiar household reality: millions of viewers continue to rely on free-to-air channels but increasingly want the flexibility of premium content, often ending up with a patchy and inconsistent viewing experience. Dish TV positions itself as the middle path—a structured yet flexible alternative that promises continuity without complexity. At its core is the pitch of an “Always-On” service, designed to keep content accessible even when recharge timelines slip, effectively reducing one of the most common friction points in DTH consumption.
To strengthen this proposition, the platform is offering access to over 190 channels, alongside a flexible pricing hook through its Freedom Pack, starting at Rs 99. The pack is positioned as a seasonal companion particularly relevant during high-engagement periods such as cricket tournaments, school holidays and festive windows, when content consumption spikes but users may not want long-term commitments.
Conceptualised by Enormous, the campaign unfolds through two master films and three short edits rooted in slice-of-life storytelling. From a husband quietly navigating around his sleeping wife to siblings striking a compromise over a coveted window seat, the narratives lean into humour and relatability rather than heavy messaging. The underlying idea remains consistent: small adjustments can meaningfully improve everyday experiences.
The rollout spans a full 360-degree media mix, including television, digital platforms, on-ground activations, point-of-sale visibility, Google Display Network placements and influencer-led content, signalling a push for both scale and contextual engagement.
As viewing habits continue to evolve in a hybrid ecosystem of free and paid content, Dish TV’s latest play reflects a broader industry shift where reliability and flexibility are increasingly positioned as differentiators, not just add-ons. In a market crowded with choice, the brand’s wager is simple: sometimes, it’s the smallest tweak that keeps audiences tuned in.
