Movie Channels
Indian channels in chase for the Oscar
With Hollywood‘s biggest event, the 74th edition of the Academy Awards, drawing nearer, English movie and news channels are going out of their way to create awareness about their respective strategies. Ashwin Pinto files this report.
Lets start with Star Movies the only channel that has the rights to the live telecast. This will take place on 25 March at 6:30 am. With India‘s Lagaan competing for the Best Foreign Film statuette, there is every chance of an improvement in show ratings.
The channel is using different sections of the media like print, radio, Internet etc to get the message across. The Star Network is also promoting the event on its other channels.
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Rival movie channel HBO is running the Oscar Marathon where the channel shows one Oscar winner and one Oscar nominee. HBO‘s three point focus is range, quality and number of Oscar movies.
The channel has also tied up with Mid-Day (Mumbai‘s leading afternoon tabloid) for a creative innovation involving crossword puzzles.
BBC World is concentrating on post ceremony coverage. The channel is getting viewers ready for the big night through the documentary series The Hollywood Years. BBC‘s advertising campaign concerning the Oscars is running in cinemas throughout India this month.
BBC‘s American counterpart CNN will keep viewers up to speed with latest happenings through its news programmes. This will take prominence on 25 March when viewers tuning in to World News will get a feel of the goings on.
The Kodak Theater, venue of the 74th Academy Awards |
Let us now turn our attention to America where the show has been airing on ABC since 1976. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, ad time for the show has already been sold out. Although the rates have come down this year, the news is seen as a good sign for the ad industry, which has been struggling to cope with a recession, the report states. The going rate for a 30-second spot was $1.1-1.3 million down from $1.4 million last year.
One feature of the Oscars is that advertisers see the show as an opportunity to take advantage of female viewers. Among the companies that have bought up spots are MasterCard, Verizon, Mars and ING, among others. JC Penney has bought two 90-second spots, one of which will promote the retailer‘s coming 100-year anniversary. One point to note is that American Express, which has been a regular advertiser on the show over the years, has reduced buying time to one minute from three minutes last year.
According to the Wall Street Journal report, last year‘s show attracted viewership of 42.9 million, a fall from 46.3 million in 2000.
Movie Channels
Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat Premieres 14 Feb on Zee
Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat world TV premiere 14 Feb at 8pm passion meets politics.
MUMBAI: Cupid’s arrow just got a plot twist and it’s heading straight for your TV screen. This Valentine’s Day, Zee Cinema is turning up the heat with the world television premiere of Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat, a raw, rule-breaking romantic drama that proves love doesn’t always come wrapped in roses.
Set to air on Saturday, 14 February at 8pm, the film stars Harshvardhan Rane and Sonam Bajwa, directed by Milap Zaveri. It dives headfirst into obsession, heartbreak, and the kind of unconditional love that leaves scorch marks. Rane plays Vikramaditya, a powerful politician whose all-consuming passion for actress Adaa spirals into chaos when his feelings go unreturned unleashing a storm of emotion, misunderstanding, and life-altering consequences.
The timing couldn’t be sharper. Audiences are clearly craving intense love stories over sugar-coated ones, and this film taps straight into that vein. Harshvardhan Rane already has a loyal fanbase from his cult hit Sanam Teri Kasam, which cemented his status as the go-to guy for heart-wrenching romance especially among younger viewers who keep the film on repeat.
Milap Zaveri captured the film’s beating heart, “This film is about love that doesn’t follow rules. With Valentine’s Day being a time when audiences gravitate towards romantic narratives, the television premiere of Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat on Zee Cinema felt like the perfect fit. The continued love for intense romances shows there is a strong emotional appetite for such stories.”
Rane himself called it a story rooted in messy, honest emotion, “Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat explores love in its most intense and vulnerable form where emotions are messy and deeply human. It’s a story that doesn’t shy away from passion or pain on Valentine’s Day making it even more special as it reflects the many shades of love people experience.”
Sonam Bajwa added her take, “Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat is not a conventional love story, it’s raw, intense and emotional. Valentine’s Day is usually associated with happy romance but this film explores love in its most vulnerable form.”
So if your Valentine’s plans include more than chocolates and clichés, tune in to Zee Cinema at 8pm on 14 February. Because sometimes the most unforgettable love stories aren’t the ones that end neatly, they’re the ones that leave you questioning just how far passion can push before everything changes.
