New Year Special line-up on Vijay TV

Vijay TV has a bouquet of programs for this New Year guaranteeing absolute entertainment.

On the eve of New Year, December 31, 2009 at 10pm watch 'Ran-India Nadanthathu enna kuttramum pinnaniyum' special where ten noted celebrities from different walks of life would chat about the ten most talked about issues of the year 2009. Hosted by Gobinath, the topics of discussions would be from politics, cinema, education, social welfare and many more. Do not miss to watch this show from 10pm onwards.

7.30 am -
Jan 1st begins with renowned astrologer Sivalpuri Singaram predicting the coming year for all the 12 astrological signs.

At 8am - 'Premiere Sinthanai Arangam'.
Renowned speakers like Pazha. Karupaya and Professor Periyar Dasan would address the audience with the ways and means to improve Tamil in current society.

At 9am - Mr. White Koffee with Anu Season 3, where Director Selva Raghavan brings the stars of his latest film - Aayirathil Oruvan, Karthi & Reemaa, for a cool chat with Anu Haasan. The trio would share their experience working in the dream project - Aayirathil Oruvan, the hard work involved by quoting some interesting experiences and anecdotes from the film.

At 10am - Airtel Super Singer Junior Special where the kids' would share centre stage with the super singers from the previous seasons. They would join the Junior Super Singers in a celebration of Music! All the singers would dedicate and honor the songs and singers who have been the chart toppers in 2009.

Following this at 12 noon watch a special episode of Lion Dates Syrup Neeya Naana. The New Year special would feature the biggest astrologers of the state gather to foretell how 2010 would pan out to the two groups of believers and non believers of astrology.

At 1:30pm - super hit Jackie Chan starrer 'The Myth' in Tamil.

At 4:30pm would be "Movie round-up 2009". A visual yearbook of Kollywood; the show will compile the best and astounding films, news and the newsmakers who were successful in giving away some remarkable hits.

The much hyped and awaited gender war, Aachi Boys VS Girls Season 2 draws to a close this week. After weeks of tug of war, it is that time where the results of this season would be announced. Will the boys win or the girls? With lots of suspense and surprise elements, watch Aachi Boys VS Girls Season 2 result announcement on Friday & Saturday, 8pm.

Content - Chennai online

R V Udayakumar's wedding

It was R V Udaya Kumar's wedding in Namma Veetu kalyanam today.. R V Udaya Kumar, veteran Tamil film director, who gave massive hit movies in 1990's like Yejaman, Chinna Gounder etc., in which he directed the lead Actors of Tamil Cinema. Udaya Kumar is a native of Coimbatore and a graduate from Arts College and due his film craze, he shifted his base to Chennai and ventured some good projects. He came to the show with his wife and daughter and spoke about his marriage and more about his successful life..

School Killadies

Star Vijay is launching a new reality show called School Killadies (Working Title) which is a Mega Inter School Quiz Contest open to schools right across Tamil Nadu. The objective of this innovative and vibrant quiz show is to identify the best school in the state with the most brilliant minds in General Knowledge. Every school can send in one strong team comprising of their best three students. The show will be a bi-lingual in Tamil and English and the winning team will take home an impressive mega prize in the name of the school along with a coveted rolling trophy.

The contest will be held for school students between Class 6 to Class 9. Each school can nominate three of their most proficient all-rounder for this show. All participating students should be outstanding in their General Knowledge and will get an opportunity to showcase their talents in Oratory Skills, Singing & Mimicry (talents don't attract any additional points).

The shoot for School Killadies will be held in the studios of Chennai and the students will have to attend the shoot in their school uniforms and will have to be accompanied by one efficient chaperon who will have to be duly authorized by the school management.

We take this opportunity to invite your esteemed institution to participate in this one-of-a-kind prestigious event, which will be a most exceptional platform to display the acumen and talents of your school children.

Kindly send form to:

School Killadies,
Vijay TV Pvt. Ltd.
Number 15, Jaganathan Road,
Nungambakkam,
Chennai - 600 034
Phone + 91-44-2822 4722

Koffee with Nakul, Christmas special

Koffee with Anu Season 3
Guest: Nakul, Poorna, December 25, 2009
Christmas day special..

WorldSpace to pull out of India

WorldSpace, in the process of being bailed out, will not include India in its rescue operators. Faced with financial woes, WorldSpace has decided to cease the broadcast of its satellite radio service in India from 31 December. "The potential buyer of much of WorldSpace's global assets has decided not to buy the assets relating to and supporting the subscription business in India," the company said. Worldspace, which had filed for bankruptcy protection in the US in October last year, has more than 90 per cent customers located in India. Its broadcast footprint covers over 130 countries including India and China, all of Africa and the Middle East and most of Western Europe.

As the Indian subscriber's contract is with WorldSpace Inc, the US company, it wont be able to offer a refund for any unused portion that a subscriber may have paid for services to be rendered beyond the termination date. However, as per the potential remedy under the US bankruptcy law, subscribers may file a claim under the claims procedure that is intended to protect creditors of the bankrupt company. Sometime early next year, a claim servicing company will send notice to all creditors listed by the company.

- Indiantelevision

Christmas 2009 Special

Vijay TV has lined-up special programmes on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. On the eve of Christmas and on the day of Christmas, December 24 & 25, 2009 at 5:30pm It is the festive spirit as Vijay brings to you the annual carol singing competition - ‘Aachi Sing the Season 2009’ with participants from various schools, colleges and churches; these teams rendered some of the all time favorite Christmas classics and the competition was judged by Gospel music director’s Grace Karunas and Shyam and the special guests for the show were Music Composer Harris Jeyaraj, Shobha Chandrasekar and legendary singer P.B.Srinivas. The winning team took home a cash prize of Rs. 50, 000/-. And the runner-up a cash prize of Rs.25, 000/-.

On December 25, 2009 at 7:30am is ‘Christmas Nalvaazthukal’. Celebrate the joy of Christmas; with carols by a primary school choir and spiritual messages by Sam Chelliadurai, Mohan C Lazarus, and Father John Andrews among many others.

At 9am is ‘James Vasanthan udan Oru Isai Payanam. The popular Music Director James Vasanthan will celebrate Christmas with our viewers by bringing on board several budding singers for a memorable performance. Playback singers like Belly Raj and Deepa Mariam (lead singers of ‘Kangal irandal fame’) introduced by James Vasanthan along with Velmurugan who was also introduced by James Vasanthan would be a part of this musical journey. To add in to all the surprises Padma Vibushan Dr. Balamurali Krishnan also joins in the musical journey. A mentor of James Vasanthan, Balamurali narrates how the bond between the two has extended and grown in these years.

At 10am watch special episode of Mr. White Koffee with Anu Season 3 with Nakul and Poorna. The young stars of ‘Kandhakottai’ - Nakul and Poorna will join Anu Haasan for a cool chat and would share some of the interesting experiences during the makings of Kandhakottai.

On Christmas Day Vijay TV presents two special holiday movies that is to attract both the young and old alike. A fun-filled comic film “Snow Dogs” premiering in Tamil at 11am. The movie is about a city bred dentist who inherits a pack of sled dogs in Alaska. Will he be able to make friends with these dogs and win the coveted “Sled racing championship”. Watch out as the dogs have an agenda of their own.

At 3pm tune in for a perfect Christmas flick ‘Santa Clause 2’ premiering in Tamil. Scott Calvin (Allen) has been Santa Claus for the past eight years, and his loyal elves consider him the best one ever. But Scott's got problems. His son Charlie has landed on this year's "naughty" list, and if Scott doesn't marry by Christmas Eve, he'll stop being Santa forever. Do not miss to watch this hilarious comedy flick in Tamil. At 2pm and 2:30pm do not miss to watch the special previews of the yet to be released films – ‘Pugaipadam’ and ‘Yathumaagi’. Don’t miss to watch all the Christmas specials on Vijay TV on December 24 & December 25, 2009.

-Indiainteracts

Cable operators need incentives to push for digitisation

The growth of new technologies will remain stunted until the cable operator is given incentives to digitise. There is, thus, need for more regulation so that the last mile cable operator feels more motivated to adapt to new technologies, says NDS India GM Alan Dishington. The tax regime for direct-to-home needs to be rationalised and IPTV is still too costly, Dishington adds. Despite this, the DTH sector is set for growth in India. The TV on mobile sector, on the other hand, is unlikely to grow as one can't not watch the tiny screens for too long.

Digital video recorders
(DVR) is a new technology and may take some time to grow, particularly as the set-top boxes are subsidised and so not highly priced. But a study in India by NDS this year shows positive trends for the growth of the DVR market, Dishington points out.

Once consumers have used a DVR, they cannot do without one: the DVR ranks as the second most essential household technology item (77 per cent), beaten only by the mobile phone (94 per cent), according to the survey. The survey shows DVR owners watch on average a total of 4.2 hours of television a day, made up of 2.9 hours of broadcast TV and 1.3 hours of recorded TV. A DVR allows pay-TV subscribers to pause live TV, as well as record, play back, rewind and fast-forward their TV programmes for viewing when they choose.

-Indiantelevision

DTH operators feel HITS will expand the digital market

Direct-to-home operators said they did not treat the cable operator as their competitor and felt DTH was simply one other way for the country to get digitised. They were also unanimous that Headend-in-the-Sky (HITS) would not hit them adversely as that would also help expedite the march towards digitisation. In any case, they felt that the country was large enough to accommodate different kinds of technologies. The operators were speaking during a session on ‘Spotlight: DTH’ on the final day at the Focus 2009, the third Global Summit on Entertainment and Media, organised by Assocham.

Airtel DTH director and CEO Ajai Puri said DTH was essentially a way of digitizing technology and making television accessible to remote corners of the country and the poorest of the poor. The principal market of the DTH operators was the non-cable and the non-TV market since many in remote areas did not buy TV sets since they did not receive signals. But he said digitisation was not the responsibility of only the government. He also complained that the DTH segment was the highest taxed – almost 50 per cent – and this situation had to be corrected. The cost of content was also very high, he said. Dish TV president Rajiv Khattar who chaired the session agreed that taxation was too high. He said DTH gave the consumer greater choice and has taken the cable operators out of their complacency. The important feature was that DTH did not have a rural-urban divide. He said the country was gradually moving into a scenario where the stakeholders had to contend with increasing number of TV sets rather than TV households.

He felt that HITS will only help to expand the market and give the consumer greater choice. ARPUs (average revenue per user) would increase if consumers are offered more than what cable TV does. Baring Partners Equity media head Mohit Ralhan said even if ARPUs do not increase, the cost of content would fall. He said the on-demand market has not increased very highly all over the world, but in India it is already a billion dollar market. He said whatever is better, faster and cheaper will succeed. At present, 60 to 65 per cent of DTH was in rural areas. But he expected DTH to break even only in about seven to eight years. NDS India GM Alan Dishington said in reply to a question by Cable Operators Federation of India President Roop Sharma who was the moderator of the session that DVR is a new technology and will take some time to find roots in India. The fact that set top boxes were subsidized also affected the market and the pricing could not be too high. Answering a question, Sharma said the government must find a way to give right of way to cable operators so that wires do not hang around all over the place.

-Indiantelevision

Badava Gopi wins dream kitchen..

Badava Gopi and his wife Haritha Gopi came in for hosting the super singer junior 2 show and duet round for two episodes... but they were also participating in the Samayal samayal kitchen killadigal and won the dream kitchen after winning 3 consecutive rounds in the show.. the couple prepared real good food every week and they were making fun of everyone including the judges.. yesterday they were in their 3rd week of the show.. which is the finals for them and they were competing against Archana.. yeah.. comedy time Archana.. who is now judging the performances of Kalaka povathu yaaru junior alongside with actor Pandiarajan..

Archana came with her sister in law and the topic for the day was "Nava thaaniyam special".. both the teams prepared real good food and they were mouth watering.. finally it was Badava Gopi as the winner of the show which got him the dream kitchen.. I thought Archana would also go in for next round but that did not happen.. so sad.. :(

Actress Pooja in Boys Vs Girls

Actress Pooja made an entry in Boys Vs Girls studio last week in the prefinal round of the competition.. we have seen Pooja appearing in few shows in Vijay TV and now she came in the place of actress Meena for this week.. Actress Pooja had been very good in the way she speaks in any of the show and I admire her presence in the realty shows.. this week it was the same and she used to speak very frankly.. usually she doesnt hurt others in the comments..I guess she might be seen soon in Koffee with Anu even.. that is the pattern followed in Vijay Tv.. they get the artists for a day of shooting and utilize the whole of it :).. I remember seeing Pooja in Kalaignar TV shows even.. This prefinals was not so interesting.. it was okay week.. I think the finals would be the real fun and entertaining week..

Soundarya Eliminated..

It was Soundarya to get eliminated from Airtel Super Singer Junior 2 show.. it was kinda shocking decision to eliminate her from the show.. I felt she has been performing well and she was not that bad to be eliminated at this stage of the competition..there were few kids who perform well below Soundarya's standard.. the show is now with 17 In, 1 Out..

It was Duet round last week where kids were grouped into couples and perform duet songs.. 1 melody and 1 peppy number.. the show was not hosted by Divya.. it was hosted by Badava Gopi and his wife Haritha Gopi for the first 2 episodes.. then it was reel life couple..Sivakarthikeyan and Aishwarya hosting the show for next 2 episodes. The highlight of the show was there was a sofa where best performing couple will get a seat and they wont have competitive performance in next week's episode. it will be just a special performance by them.

The show had Mano, Chitra and Shuba judging the performances and Ananth Vaidyanathan, the voice trainer for the kids.. Roshan was selected as the super kid of the week..

It was Madhumitha's Wedding

வாரம் தோறும் திரை நட்சத்திரங்களின் திருமண் வைபவங்களை ஒ‌ளிபர‌ப்‌பி வரு‌ம் விஜய் டிவியின் நம்ம வீட்டு கல்யாணம் நிகழ்ச்சியில் இந்த வாரம் யோகி நாயகி மதுமிதா - சிவபாலாஜி திருமண தொகுப்புகள் இடம்பெறுகிறது.

'குடைக்குள் மழை' எனும் திரைப்படத்தின் மூலம் தமிழ் ரசிகர்களுக்கு அறிமுகமான இவர் அதனை தொடர்ந்து அறை எண் 305ல் கடவுள், இங்கி‌லீஷ்காரன் மற்றும் தற்போது வெளியாகி இருக்கும் யோகி திரைப்படம் என இதுப்போல பல ஹிட் திரைப்படங்களில் மதுமிதா நடித்துள்ளார்.

சிவபாலாஜி, தமிழில் இங்கிளீஷ்காரன் திரைப்படத்தில் மதுமிதாவுக்கு ஜோடியாக நடித்திருந்தார். இந்த திரைப்படத்தில் இருவருக்குமிடையே நட்பு துவங்கியிருந்தது. இவர் ஆரியா, சங்கராந்த்தி, அண்ணாவரம் போன்ற பல தெலுங்கு திரைப்படங்களில் நடித்துள்ளார். மேலும் நாடோடிகள் திரைப்படத்தை தெலுங்கு மொழியில் ஒரு கதாபாத்திரத்திலும் நடித்து வருகிறார்.

மார்ச் 01, 2009 அன்று திருமணம் ஆன இவர்களை வாழ்த்த தெலுங்கு உலகின் முன்ன‌ணி நட்சத்திரங்களான வெங்கடேஷ், பவன் கல்யாண், பிரியாமணி மற்றும் பலர் இவர்களை வாழ்த்த வந்துள்ள செய்தியை சுவார்ஸ்யம் குறையாமல் இருவரும் நேயர்களிடம் பகிர்ந்துக் கொள்கின்றனர்.

மேலும் இருவரும் சேர்ந்து ஒரு பயணத்தை மேற்கொண்ட போது, ஏதேட்சியாக சூப்பர் ஸ்டார் ரஜினிகாந்த் மற்றும் அவரின் மனைவி லதா ரஜினிகாந்த்தை பார்த்து ஆசிர்வாதம் பெற்றது மறக்க முடியாத அனுபவம் என இருவரும் மெய்சிலிர்த்து பேசுகின்றனர்.

இவர்களின் குடுப்பத்தினரும் இவர்களின் திருமணத்திற்க்கு ஏற்பாடுகள் செய்தவற்றையும் பற்றியும் கூட இவர்கள் மனதிறந்து பேசுகின்றனர்.

இ‌ந்த ‌நிக‌ழ்‌ச்‌சி ஒ‌ளிபர‌ப்பாகு‌ம் நேர‌ம் த‌ற்போது மா‌ற்ற‌ப்ப‌ட்டு‌ள்ளது. நம்ம வீட்டு கல்யாணம் நிகழ்ச்சியை விஜய் டிவியில் ஞாயிறு தோறும் மாலை 7 மணிக்கு கண்டு மகிழுங்கள்!

Aandal Thiruppavai

சங்கீத மாதமான மார்கழியில் விஜய் டிவி ஒளிபரப்பும் இசைநிகழ்ச்சி, `ஆண்டாள் திருப்பாவை'. திருமாலின் பெருமைகளை ஆண்டாளின் பாசுரம் வாயிலாக நல்கும் சிறந்த தமிழ் இலக்கிய படைப்பு‌த்தா‌ன் ஆ‌ண்டா‌ள் ‌திரு‌ப்பாவை. ஆண்டாள் திருமாலின் மீது கொண்டிருந்த பக்தியை 30 பாசுரங்கள் வாயிலாக வெளிப்படுத்திய படைப்பும் இதுவே.

நிகழ்ச்சியில் குழந்தைகள் மிக அழகாக உடை அணிந்து, 1,300 பாசுரங்களையும் மிக அழகாக பாட, தாமல் ராமகிருஷ்ணன் பாசுரங்களின் அர்த்தத்தை எடுத்துரைக்கிறார்.

மார்கழியின் ஒவ்வொரு நாளுக்கும் ஒவ்வொரு பாசுரம் என 30 பாசுரங்களின் பெருமையையும் இயல், இசை, நாடகம் என்ற மூன்று வடிவங்களில் வழங்குகிறது. விஜய் டிவி. வரும் செவ்வாய் முதல் தினமும் காலை 6 மணிக்கு ஆண்டாள் திருப்பாவையை காணலாம்.

புதன் காலை 7 மணிக்கு இளம் கர்நாடக இசைப்பாடகர்களும் இளம் இசைக் கலைஞர்களும் பங்குபெற்ற சங்கீத சங்கமம் நிகழ்ச்சி இடம்பெறும். ஸ்மித்தா மாதவ், அபிஷேக் ரகுராம், மான்டலின் பாலாஜி, மான்ஸி பிரசாத், சிக்கில் குருச்சரண், கி.காயத்ரி, பிரசன்னா வெங்கட்ராமன், ஸ்ருதி சாகர் மற்றும் கார்த்திகா, கீர்த்தனா சகோதரிகளின் இசை நிகழ்ச்சிகள் இந்த மார்கழி மாதம் முழுவதும் வரவுள்ளது.

வாய்ப்பாட்டு, புல்லாங்குழல் இசைக் கருவிக‌ளி‌ன் இ‌னிய நாத‌த்துட‌ன் ஒ‌ளிபர‌ப்பாகு‌ம் இந்த நிகழ்ச்சி, ஒவ்வொரு நாளும் ஒரு இசைமேதையென காலப்பொக்கிஷங்களான எம்.எஸ்.சுப்புலட்சுமி, எம்.எல்.வசந்தகுமாரி, செம்மங்குடி ஸ்ரீநிவாச ஐயர், ஜி.என்.பாலசுப்பிரமணியன் மற்றும் மகாராஜபுரம் சந்தானம் ஆகியோருக்கு சமர்ப்பணம் செய்யப்படுகிறது.

Courtesy - tamil.Webdunia

Whats up with Sigarangalin Sangamam ??

கடந்த சனி‌க்‌கிழமை ‌திருநெல்வேலியில் விஜய் டிவியின் சிகரங்களின் சங்கமம் என்ற பிரம்மாண்ட கலை நிகழ்ச்சி நடைபெற்றது. வெகு ‌சிற‌ப்பாக நட‌ந்து முடி‌ந்த ‌இ‌ந்த கலை ‌நிக‌ழ்‌ச்‌சியை வரு‌ம் ஞா‌யி‌ற்று‌க்‌கிழமை 4 ம‌‌ணி‌க்கு ‌விஜ‌ய் டி‌வி ர‌சிக‌ர்க‌ள் க‌ண்டு ம‌‌கிழலா‌ம்.

‌திருநெ‌ல்வே‌லி நடைபெ‌ற்ற ‌சிகர‌ங்க‌ளி‌ன் ச‌ங்கம‌ம் கலை ‌நிக‌ழ்‌ச்‌சியை கிட்டத்தட்ட எட்டாயிரத்திற்கும் மேற்பட்டவ‌ர்க‌ள் நேரடியாக கண்டுகளித்தனர்.

சிகரங்களின் சங்கமம் இசை உலகின் மாபெரும் கலைஞர்களான, காலத்தால் அழியாத பாடல்களை இயற்றியவரான எம்.எஸ். விஸ்வநாதன், அந்த பாடல்களுக்கு உயிரூட்டி தங்கள் குரலால் நம்மை கவர்ந்தவர்களான டி.எம். சௌந்தர்ராஜன் மற்றும் பி.பி. ஸ்ரீனிவாஸ் அவர்களுக்கு பிரத்யேகமாக சமர்ப்பிக்கப்பட்ட நிகழ்ச்சியாகும்.

இந்த நிகழ்ச்சியில் இவர்கள் மூவரின் பாடல்களையும் இளைய தலைமுறை பாடகர்களான ஸ்ரீநிவாஸ், சுசித்ரா, சைந்தவி மற்றும் நவீன் ஆகியோர் மேடையில் பாடினர். இவர்களுடன் விஜய் டிவியின் ஏர்டெல் சூப்பர் சிங்கர் போட்டில் பிரபலமடைந்த போட்டியாளர்களான அஜீஷ், ரவி, ரேணு, பிரசன்னா, ராகினிஸ்ரீ ஆகியோரும் பங்குபெற்றனர்.

மேலும் திரை நட்சத்திரங்களான சங்கவி, அனுயாவின் பிரத்யேக நடனங்களும் இந்த இசை நிகழ்ச்சியில் இடம்பெற்றது. புதிய மற்றும் பழைய பாடல்களுக்கு இவர்கள் நடனமாடியது நேயர்களை கவர்ந்தது. மேலும் இவர்களோடு, 'உங்களில் யார் அடுத்த பிரபுதேவா' நட்சத்திரங்களான ஷெரிஃப், மனோஜ்குமார், பிரேம்கோபால், ஜெயலட்சுமி, சாய் பல்லவி மற்றும் திவ்யா ஆகியோரும் பிரபல பாடல்களான 'பொன்மகள் வந்தால்', 'ஒன்ஸ் எ பாப்பா', 'எங்கேயும் எப்போதும்' ஆகிய பாடல்களுக்கு நடனமாடினர்.

இந்த நிகழ்ச்சியை மேடையில் தொகுத்து வழங்கியவர்கள் சிவகார்த்திகேயன் மற்றும் திவ்யதர்ஷினி. சிகரங்களின் சங்கமம் நிகழ்‌ச்‌சி‌யி‌ன் தொகுப்புகள் டிச‌ம்ப‌ர் 20ஆ‌ம் தே‌தியு‌ம் (வரும் ஞாயி‌ற்று‌க்‌கிழமை), டிசம்பர் 27ஆ‌ம் தே‌தியு‌ம் மாலை 4 மணிக்கு விஜய் டிவியில் இரண்டு பாகங்களாக ஒளிபரப்பாக உ‌ள்ளது.

Sigarangalin Sangamam

December 20 and 27, 4 p.m

This live show, in front of a huge audience in Tirunelvelli, was a huge success. Celebrities from the world of cinema and music paid tribute to the legendary composers and singers M.S.Viswanathan, T.M.Soundarajan and P.B. Srinivos. Singers such as Srinivas, Suchitra, Saindhavi and Naveen sang some evergreen hits of these legends including ‘Paatum Naanae', ‘Thulluvatho Illamai', ‘'Nilavae Ennidam' and ‘Kaalangalil Aval Vasantham.' The show was hosted by ‘Kalakapovadhu Yaaru' winner Sivakarthikeyan and Divyadarshini. For all the Nellai fans who missed the show and music lovers of Tamil Nadu, the event will be aired as two parts the next two Sundays.

SS Jr - Christmas Special

It's that time of the year when Santa comes a calling and the holiday spirit spreads everywhere. Keeping the Christmas spirit alive is Super Singer Junior 2. The sets have been re-decorated with the beautifully done-up Christmas tree. As for the participants, they can choose from three themes -- melody, folk or western. A special gift is in store for the child who exhibits exceptional talent – a cash prize of Rs. 1 lakh! Also on Christmas eve, the children who were eliminated in the earlier rounds, will get a chance to perform. And yes, they too will get gifts!

India ranks No 4 in online film and TV piracy: MPDA Report

The Motion Picture Distributors Association (India) (MPDA) has released two internet piracy studies that go to say that copyright infringement online is a major problem in India. The first report by Internet company DtecNet - based on tracking of downloading IP-addresses on P2P networks - showed that from April to September 2009, India was among the top 10 countries in the world with the largest number of illegal P2P activities.

Similar results were found by internet company Envisional. In its internet piracy landscape report, Envisional found that online piracy of film and television content in India was mainly carried out through the file-sharing network BitTorrent and cyber lockers or web-based file hosts such as RapidShare or HotFile. Video streaming sites are also popular, though their usage is lower than Bittorrent and cyber lockers. The major international BitTorrent portals were heavily used by Indian downloaders. In addition, the number and popularity of a range of large Indian-focused BitTorrent trackers was extremely high. Within a range of BitTorrent swarms for six MPA member studio films, 6.5 per cent of IP addresses located could be traced back to an Indian IP address. This placed the country as the fourth largest downloader after the US, Great Britain and Canada.

Hindi films are the most widely available domestic Indian content with most down loaders in Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai. The recent film Kaminey is estimated to have been downloaded just over 350,000 times on BitTorrent with around two thirds of those downloaders located in India. “The numbers the surveys have come up with just underpin our constant refrain - that the economic and social impact of online piracy is enormous and will have even greater long-term implications if not addressed,” said MPA president and managing director, Asia-Pacific, Michael Ellis. “We are only too aware that more needs to be done to help people understand that when they take unauthorised content off the internet, or pay next to nothing from a pirate street vendor, they are indulging in online theft and therefore damage the very movie-making community that has been bringing them decades of entertainment,” Ellis added.

Moreover, India is one of the largest users of cyber lockers in the world. On an average, 8.2 per cent of visitors to the top ten cyber lockers worldwide are located in India and the country makes up 11.8 per cent of visitors to the top ten cyber locker link sites which collate and index pirated content held on cyber lockers. As broadband penetration is now accelerating in India, measures for stemming internet piracy should be considered or the numbers of subscribers involved in P2P file sharing in India are likely to grow exponentially in tandem with the country’s broadband growth, and are expected to pose even more significant risks to its domestic film industry as well. Added MPDA (India) managing director Rajiv Dalal, “Around the world, film industries face the same problems. We need strong laws to support copyright, strong enforcement of those laws, stiff sentences for people who violate those laws, and most important, an understanding by ordinary citizens, the people who love movies, that buying pirated movies hurts the industry and makes it difficult for movie makers to make new films.”

-Indiantelevision

Sivaranjani Eliminated..

Superstar Rajinikanth's birthday was celebrated in Airtel Super singer Junior 2 studios.. last week in the show had contestants grooming like Rajinikanth and singing some of the super hit songs of his films. First day of the show was with Elimination Challenge where 5 contestants who were in danger zone performed and Vishnu Charan was the one with lowest judges' scores.. then Mano gave him a chance and he was not eliminated.. From tuesday to thursday it was all 19 contestants giving tribute to Rajinikanth for the occasion of his birthday. There were some stunning performances as usual from the kids and finally it was Sivaranjani to be eliminated from the show.. so now its 18 In, 1 Out..

Mano's mimic for commenting the performances was really good.. All the contestants were saying some punch dialogues of Rajini's movies and their own dialogue that would suit the superstar. It was funny and very innovative things being done by the contestants.. There was birthday song even sung for the superstar by everyone in the show..

‘Bandits’ attack on Boys VS Girls

Vijay TV’s Aachi Boys VS Girls Season 2 semi-finals this week. The teams disguise as highway robbers and bandits and are ready to steal viewers’ hearts with their performances. First time ever such a theme has been attempted and executed in any Tamil reality show. To suit the Bandit theme, the sets of Boys VS Girls are also customized. The robbers are ready to steal points from each other. Boys and Girls would be dressed as cow boys, highway thieves, bandits and outlaws. Being the semi-finals, both the teams are to work hard and many turning-points are expected to take place in the ‘highway robbery performance’.

The Judges - Meena and Shyam would decide after seeing the unique performances of the robbers, as to who would make the great loot and lead the way to the finals? - Boys or the Girls?

-indiainteracts

Koffee with Nathiya..

Season 3 of koffee with Anu started of with a bang.. it was evergreen young actress Nathiya in the show with Anu sharing the koffee mug. To tell about the season 3.. I will write it in a separate post and now in this only about the episode. Nathiya's father even came to the show for sometime. Best part was the directors/actors speaking about her.. it was Jeyam Ravi, Jeyam Raja, Sundar C speaking about the actress who acted with her in the comback journey in tamil films for Nathiya.. later in the show it was time for calling anyone of guest choice and speaking with them.. it was actor Suresh who was called.. Anu and Nathiya made fun initially speaking together and confusing Suresh and later he identified Nathiya.

The show had Anu speaking with Nathiya about her passion, marriage life and the comeback in the industry and lot more.. Nathiya said she was not passionate to act in films and it was just her hobby.. :)

A musical extravaganza

Vijay TV, one of the great entertainers in the small screen section, is all set to enthral the audience here on December 12 at Exhibition Grounds with the evergreen numbers of celebrated composer M.S. Viswanathan, who has scored music for more than 700 movies and legendary singers T.M. Soundararajan and P.B. Srinivas.

The show, titled ‘RMKV Sigarangalin Sangamam,’ would pay a tribute to the legendary music composer and the singers, who have carved a niche in the world of Tamil tinsel world. Playback singers Srinivas, Suchithra, Sainthavi and Naveen would sing some of the evergreen hits of these legends. Vijay TV’s ‘Super Singers’ Ajeesh, Ravi, Renu, Prasana and Raginishree would share the centrestage with these singers. Sanghavi and ‘Siva Manasula Sakthi’ fame Anuya were expected.

The musical night would be a great entertainer as the music would be joined by some foot tapping numbers. Dance performance by Sherif, Manoj Kumar, Prem Gopal, Nanda, Jeyalakshmi, Sai Pallavi and Divya of ‘Unagalil Yar Aduththa Prabhu Deva’- fame would amuse the audience. Free entry passes for this event are available at Rm.K.V., Vannarpettai, Menaka Cards, Palayamkottai and Univercell Tirunelveli Town.

Margazhi Specials

Various Margazhi programmes will regale Vijay TV viewers from December 15.

Andal Thiruppavai: Vijay TV pays tribute to the saint poetess with the Paasurams recited throughout the month of Margazhi. Children from Padma Seshadri Schools will sing the 1,300 Paasurams while Dr. Damal Ramakrishnan will offer explanation. ‘Andal Thiruppavai' will be telecast Monday-Sunday at 6 a.m.

Sangeetha Sangamam 2009: This programme will introduce budding singers from the Carnatic music field such as Smitha Madhav, Abhishek Raghuram, Mandolin Balaji, Mansi Prasad, Sikkil Gurucharan, Gayathri. K, Prasannna Venkatraman, Sruthi Sagar and Sisters Karthika-Keerthana.

Besides tributes will be paid to legends including M.S. Subbulakshmi, M.L.Vasanthakumari, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, G.N.Balasubramaniam and Maharajapuram Santhanam. This will begin from December 16 and will be shown Monday-Friday, 7a.m.

Dish TV launches special packs for South Indian consumers

Dish TV has launched two special packages for South Indian consumers, hoping to mop up 70,000 subscribers through these offers. Available till 15 January, the 'Happy Home Silver Plus' pack is for Rs 1690. Under this scheme, subscribers need to pay a monthly subscription charge of Rs 125 (plus taxes) after five months. Dish said Wednesday the 'Happy Home Silver Plus' pack is cutomised to offer best in all genres of entertainment such as general entertainment in south regional languages, sports, business, news, movies and break free cinema.

The 'Set Top Box Free' pack, on the other hand, is available on an annual subscription of Rs 1990. The offer, valid till 15 January, is targeted towards high-end platinum plus viewers and includes the Platinum Pack + Colors + UTV pack worth Rs 1189 and latest movies on demand worth Rs 801. “We found these offers quite successful in Andhra Pradesh. The current offer is quite similar, except that we have done some tweaking to suit the different viewership tastes in each of the four southern states,” said Dish TV deputy VP Ravi Chandra Macheria. In the four southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, Sun Direct is the leading DTH service provider with the maximum number of subscribers. Recently, Dish TV changed its brand positioning and launched a new TVC with brand ambassador Shah Rukh Khan. The company said it has earmarked Rs 300 million towards media spends for the new campaign, which started on 6 December.

-Indiantelevision

Govt needs to do more to regulate content on TV

The Government today admitted that more needs to be done to regulate the content on television channels particularly in the light of obscenity and objectionable matter, but said it was working to rectify the situation.
Answering questions in Parliament, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni said: “We are working with all stakeholders to monitor content in a more effective way”, adding that she was “personally monitoring this.”She also said: “Some channels have shown the aptitude for self-regulation.”

Soni said that notices and advisories were sent to the concerned channels under the Cable TV Network (Regulation) Act 1995 and even stricter action was being taken wherever necessary. She also said she had drawn the attention of Home Minister P Chidambaram to the telecast by cable networks or multi-system operators of some channels that did not have permission to downlink in India. She had written a letter to the Home Minister and also state Chief Ministers about two months earlier drawing attention to some of these channels. These channels include Peace TV, ARY Q TV, TV Maldives and Saudi TV, which are exclusively focused on Islamic teachings. The Centre has also asked the states to set up district level committees to monitor telecast of such channels, she said. Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Mohan Jatua said the government had issued an advisory on 7 October to all authorized multi-system operators and cable operator associations to discontinue with immediate effect transmission/re-transmission of illegal channels. Penal action will be taken against illegal operators.

-Indiantelevision

Trai probe into number of TV channels not to curb growth

The Government has directed the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) to examine the maximum number of channels that can be permitted in the country in the wake of spectrum constraints but has no plans to curb the growth of the broadcasting sector. Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni clarified in Rajya Sabha today that the study by the sector regulator must be seen within this context and there was no government motive to curb the growth of TV channels in the country. "Trai has been requested to examine the number of channels which can be permitted in the country keeping available spectrum and transponder capacities as well as technological developments and general practice internationally," Soni said.

Soni noted as many as 512 private satellite TV channels had been permitted under uplinking and downlinking guidelines. Another 152 applications are awaiting permission to uplink from India and 14 applications are pending for permission to downlink from India, Soni added.

-Indiantelevision

Vijaykanth channel to join TN's satellite war

With one more political' channel all set to grab a slice of the bandwidth, Tamil Nadu viewers are in for a cacophony of political propaganda. Captain TV, backed by actor-turned-politician Vijayakanth, got the I&B ministry nod recently and is slated for an April launch. But significant is the fact that Tamil Nadu could well be among a few states, if not the only one, to have such an array of powerful politicians flexing their propaganda' muscles in the runup to a crucial 2011 assembly election, which is expected to get meaner and tougher.

Sample this: The state has 28 regional television channels. And a good quarter of it are owned by politicians from the influential Sun Network group owned by the Maran brothers to Kalaignar TV which has the backing of Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi and Jaya TV launched several years ago with the blessing of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa. The PMK leader Dr S Ramadoss floated the Makkal (People's) TV' and PCC president KV Thangkabalu has his own channel the Mega TV'(which has the Congress symbol, the hand, as its logo). Thangkabalu's party colleague, H Vasanth Kumar, launched his Vasanth TV in May 2008. And now the Captain, as his DMDK partymen call Vijayakanth, will have his own channel too.

Politicians are fighting hard for a chunk of the urban viewership in a state considered the most urbanized. The TAM (People Meter System) pegs the urban vierwership at 1.5 crore, a sixth of Tamil Nadu's population. With a potential for more growth in viewership and a state freebie which ensures that every poor living room is adorned with a free colour television and a cable connection, it's a virtual scramble for space in the sky. Especially since all the competing channels are free-to-air.

According to TAM, Vijay TV, the regional channel of the cash-rich Star Group owned by Rupert Murdoch, enjoys a viewership rating of 3.7% in the state. But it took the channel more than a decade to get into the top-ten chart. Thangkabalu admits that most channels need many years to break even. But he is optimistic. "I know it is a long haul, but we are confident that people will tune in, especially ahead of elections. They like to get a balanced picture." Despite the competition being tough and crores of rupees needed to be pumped in to keep a channel going, more politicians are joining in. The Captain TV is an example. "It is a convenient tool for politicians to address their constituency," says Media Development Foundation president, S Sasikumar. "Vijayakanth benefited from decent coverage on Sun Network when the Sun TV and the DMK were not seeing eye-to-eye. But after they patched up, the Captain' is finding less space and so a need for his own platform to showcase his ideology and tell his constituency about his party and what it hopes to achieve," he adds.

Says Thangkabalu, whose Mega TV has in the last two years, showcased achievements of the Congress in the states it is in power, besides covering the local party activities: "Every television viewer has a political affinity and he or she will tune into a political channel, especially in the runup to elections," he says with confidence. "This is the biggest advantage. News channels can push political agenda," says KP Sunil, head of Jaya TV News. However, snatching a piece of the pie in the sky is not as easy as a hero bashing up villains on screen, say channel heads. But Captain TV managers are unfazed. "We will be a popular entertainment channel, and will position ourselves in a way which will attract the youth," said a source close to the Captain. As veteran politician and presidium chairman of DMDK Panruti K Ramachandran points out: "With the three major political parties dominating the satellite channels, fledgling parties like the DMDK need a media organ to reach the masses, and make it a level playing field."

- Times of India

19 in, 0 out..

It was no elimination in all Vijay TV shows last week ;) no elimination in Super Singer Junior, no elimination in Anu alavum bayamillai.. okay... coming to the super singer show, the show had 19 contestants fighting for next round spot and it was classical songs round..its a tribute to all the music teachers and specifically for the contestants, a tribute to their teachers. some of the contestants came with their music teachers and both the contestant, teacher spoke about each other.. Unnikrishnan and Nithyashree came in as special judge for this round and they were giving too good comments on the performances..they even gave standing ovation to some of the performances. Divya hosted the show okay but she should definitely consider her dressing in the show.. it was not at all good.. after the performances when it came to elimination, the special judges said that they cannot judge the performances with just this round so its upto Mano, Chitra and Shuba to take the decision. There were 5 contestants with low scores and one amongst them will be eliminated in the next round of the competition..

No more special 5..

In this season of the competition there is a special 5 zone where top five contestants will be selected based on the performances and they will not eliminated for that round.. this week the top 5 was broken by the contestants.. it went on to special 6 zone..Prasanna Sundar bagged the super kid award for the week for his excellent performance..

None Eliminated..

Yet again none is eliminated from the 4 contestants in Anu alavum bayam illai season 2... Already this season is not so interesting and still if they dont have eliminations for alternative weeks then its getting boring.. what say??? This week in the show, there were 2 tasks given to the contestants.. why is this season having most of the tasks at high altitude ??. First day everyone completed their task and on second day it was little risky task where car was hung at 60 feet height.. and water being poured on the car where contestant will be there.. Flags needs to be plucked from one end and placed on the other side.. It was only Mahalakshmi to complete the task and all others had dropped atleast one flag. It means that only Mahalakshmi completed this week;s task and there was no elimination.. reason being almost everyone had completed the tasks in very close timings and none will be eliminated. I think the contest will be good only when there is competition and the show should not have most of the contestants without completing the task. Lets see what happens next week.. this week it was Mahalakshmi bagging the best performance award for the week with all others being not eligible..

Entertainment, Media to touch Rs93k cr by 2013

The Indian entertainment and media industry is likely to grow at a rate of over 11 per cent and reach Rs 93,200 crore by 2013, a joint study by Assocham and PwC said in New Delhi. The current size of the domestic entertainment and media industry is estimated at Rs 60,000 crore. According to the study, the television industry is projected to be the major contributor to overall industry revenue pie.

"Indian entertainment and media industry is estimated to grow at compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 11 per cent and reach Rs 932 billion (Rs 93,200 crore) by 2013 because of its prospects arising out of growing demand factor for entertainment from large section of people," it said. On the growth of film industry, it said the segment may grow at about 12 per cent over the next four years and would touch Rs 18,500 crore from the present Rs 11,500 crore. The study also said print media industry is projected to grow by 5.6 per cent by 2013 and touch Rs 21,300 crore from the current level of Rs 16,500 crore. "The relative shares of newspaper publishing and magazine publishing are not expected to change significantly and are expected to remain the same at around 87 per cent in favour of newspaper publishing," it added.

- Economic times

Simar eliminated..

Last week in Anu alavum bayamillai it was Simar who got eliminated from the show.. I was thinking that Vandana would get an exit in this round but it was Tinki (Simar). This season of the anu alavum bayam illai is not so interesting and I dont follow it properly.. I got a feel that last season was really good and this season does not match to it. More to it is Anu Haasan's anchoring.. I think Lakshi Rai could have contested in the show and not host the show..it would have been better..

Anu gets chattier with the new Season

Koffee with Anu chat show on Vijay TV which has run across two successful seasons has had guests from Kollywood, politics, music industry and so on. This show is known for its novelty, witty appeal and informal style. The various segments of the show include Koffee tarot and a rapid fire round.

Now host Anu Haasan is back for Season 3 which will be Mr. White Koffee with Anu Season 3. With cozy cushions, bright set and a never-ending aroma of coffee beans, the third season would feature many new and unique segments that would thrill the viewers. The opening of Season 3 would appear in a very dramatic style, where Anu Haasan opens the show with a lively set of audience inside the studio. This season would highlight every celebrity’s uniqueness. ‘Mr. White Koffee with Anu Season 3’ goes on air from December 06, 2009, and will air every Sunday 8pm on Vijay TV!

-Behindwoods

Star channel awaits regulatory approval

Star India’s launch of a stand-alone home shopping television channel has been held up by regulatory hurdles. The channel, named Star CJ Alive and run by Star CJ Network India Pvt. Ltd, a venture of Star India Pvt. Ltd and CJ O Shopping Co. Ltd, which broadcasts a home shopping channel in South Korea, is still awaiting approval from the information and broadcasting ministry. "We are ready with our infrastructure and manpower. Everything is ready to roll,” said Paritosh Joshi, chief executive officer of Star CJ Network. “We will launch our channel within a fortnight of getting the licence from the government.”

The delay for the broadcaster comes even as its flagship channel Star Plus lost its clear dominance in the Hindi general entertainment category earlier this year. Rivals Colors TV channel, run by Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd, and Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd’s Zee TV are now also closely contesting for market leadership in the category that has the largest viewership in cable TV homes in India. Star CJ Alive is available for six hours a day on Star Utsav, another Hindi entertainment channel operated by Star India. “We get thousands of calls in a day but the rate of conversion to a purchase is very low as of now. We are only on one channel for a limited amount of time,” Joshi said.

Star CJ Alive’s rival, HomeShop18, a venture of the Network18 group, was launched in July last year and has both a TV and online presence. In the three months ending September, HomeShop18 clocked gross sales of Rs46.7 crore, an increase of 91% over the year-ago period, according to information available on the company’s website. It processed 187,000 orders in the quarter, an 87% rise over the year ago, the firm said. “With the backing of a brand like Star and stable financial investments, the delay of the launch should not be too much of a problem,” said Smita Jha, media and entertainment analyst at consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. Star India had received government approval for overseas investment in a home shopping channel in October 2008 and announced a partnership with CJ O Shopping in March. Approval to air the channel was sought in May, Joshi said.

Courtesy - LiveMint

Anu to ROCK from this December…

Glitz and glamour…Sugar and Spice forming to be the important ingredients in Koffee with Anu exhibit on Vijay TV, has separate crossways digit flourishing seasons. South India’s most watched exhibit – Koffee with Anu has not exclusive had guests from the who’s who of Kollywood move the beans but also the biggies from the earth of music, politics, prowess and broadcasting business existence a conception of this show. Over 250 favourite guests and flourishing 80 episodes in its prototypal season; continuing with over 200 most famous guests and 60 episodes in its second, the exhibit is noted for its firm and witty appeal. The celebrities who hit witnessed to the inaugural episodes of Season 1 was Nadiya and Suresh and the ordinal season’s prototypal program guests were the magical Simran along with her economise Deepak.

The exhibit brings unitedly celebrities who are interviewed in the show’s stylemark everyday style. The exhibit has some segments much as Koffee tarot, a fast blast ammo in which a volley of questions are tangled at the honor who has to conceive of answers soured the crowning of their heads sometimes with humorous results. From Actors and renowned filmmakers, to playback singers, penalization composers, politicians, writers, artists, and some more hit every featured in both the seasons of Vijay TV’s Koffee with Anu show. Guest stars from the preceding seasons allow recreation heavyweights as A.R. Rahman, Politician Dayanidhi Maran, Writer Balakumaran, Lyricist Vairamuthu, Actors Surya, Vijay, Dhanush, Ariya, Nayanthara, Trisha, Meena, Sandhya, Pooja; favourite penalization directors same Yuvan Shankar Raja, diplomatist Jeyaraj and yester year’s artists same Manoramma, Sachu, P. B. Srinivas, L. R. Easwari.., etc. Anu Haasan is backwards to move the beans with the selection Kollywood stars on the Mr. White Koffee with Anu Season 3. The ordinal flavour of Koffee is backwards in a firm and with more fragrant flavor. With comfy cushions, gleaming ordered and a never-ending perfume of drink beans, the ordinal flavour would feature some newborn and unequalled segments that would stimulate the viewers. The inaugural of Season 3 would materialize in a rattling hammy style, where Anu Haasan opens the exhibit with a snappy ordered of conference exclusive the studio. This flavour would particular every celebrity’s uniqueness. Anu’s enthusiastic attractiveness and naturalness brings to reddened the lateral of the celebrities not famous to the viewers.

The unuttered secrets and fantasies, info passion, time of truth, immatureness memories, honor mock, dream’s become true, fan’s desire, selection fan, Koffee tarot, Book of secrets, Flower segment, Fact files every this and aggregation more would be mutual by the celebrities who become on the exhibit of Mr. White Koffee with Anu Season 3. Do not woman to check digit of South India’s most famous chitchat show, ‘Mr. White Koffee with Anu Season 3’ actuation from Dec 06, 2009, and module expose every Sun 8pm on Vijay TV!

Courtesy - Cinema Portal

Change in Schedules..

with Koffee with Anu season 3 starting this week, few shows' time band has been changed.. On sundays, Koffee with Anu will be aired at 8 PM and Namma Veetu Kalyanam will be aired at 7 PM. Koffee with Anu has been given the prime time slot for the TRP and ofcourse it will have more viewers.. Initially Namma Veetu kalyanam was not very popular but the show had been doing very well in last few months.. Thanks to new ingredients added to the show ;)


Sunday - 7 PM - Namma Veetu Kalyanam
Sunday - 8 PM - Koffee with Anu

Season 3 !!

After two successful seasons, the show opens its third run on December 6. Hosted by Anu Haasan, it brings together celebrities from different walks of life including actors, filmmakers, playback singers, composers, politicians, writers and artists. I am eagerly waiting for this season to start and obviously it will be a super hit show in the channel. From now, Anu will start getting requests to invite many celebrities and hopefully whomever we wish are invited, interviewed in this season.

Cable operators crippling broadcasting industry

‘Under-declaration of revenues by as much as 90 per cent affecting business’.

Making a strong pitch for revamping TV industry’s subscription model, STAR India today said that under-declaration of revenues by cable operators by as much as 90 per cent was crippling broadcasters. “Of the 80 million cable homes, we get paid for eight to nine million homes. So, only about 10 per cent is declared,” STAR India CEO Uday Shankar told PTI. “The cable operator does not share the rest 90 per cent with anybody else, and he does not pay taxes on that... The economics of the business has become so crippling that people are somehow just trying to stay afloat,” he added.

He said the total subscription revenues fall in the range of Rs 13,000 crore to Rs 15,000 crore. “Of this, only about Rs 3,000 crore reaches broadcasters. Even from this amount, Rs 1,000-1,200 crore gets paid back as carriage fee to cable operators.” Shankar said this situation was leading to a serious dearth of investments in technology and programming, and despite large numbers, the Indian television industry continued to be a very small business. Citing the example of the TV news business, he said, “Investment in news gathering is becoming less and less... News costs used to be about 50 per cent (of the total); now it has come down to as low as 15 per cent. It would not be averaging more than 20-25 per cent (overall).” He said India’s cable industry continued to be medieval, and called for viewers and the industry to spread the direct subscription (pay channel) model.

Shankar said, “Worldwide, wherever cable TV has thrived, it has done so on subscription... It allows the broadcaster to understand what kind of content people will pay for.” He said that going forward the financial health of the business will decide the quality of investments and talent it attracts, and the content it generates. Shankar said advertisers were not necessarily interested in pushing great content but replicating and spreading more and more of some popular programmes. “So, the content is of the lowest common denominator.” He said there are a lot of broadcasters who are active in cable distribution as well. “So, the whole under-declaration of cable income... While they are losing money as broadcasters, they are making that money as cable operators. So, their interests are conflicted.” He said cable operators were not interested in growing into big companies and hence did not invest in developing networks and markets or introducing new technologies. “Money is not coming up for investment... That is why the quality of cable is so poor in the country that other than 20-25 channels, (all) are grainy... The cable operator is not interested in investing in digital technology,” Shankar added. On the possibility of industry coming together to resolve these issues, Shankar said the first-generation cable TV entrepreneurs are still very active. “They bring in their own baggage — their own prejudices, their own personal relationships, their own biases, and that has prevented an industry wide consensus.”

- Business Standard

Anu in a new role..

Its been quite sometime we saw Anu Haasan in the channel.. after Anu alavum bayam illai everyone were expecting her to host the second season of the show and it did not happen.. then there was news of koffee with anu starting season 3 and that too did not happen. So it looked like Anu is busy and hav taken a break from hosting any shows in the channel.. but now she is back with a new role.. I have heard Anu Haasan saying that she likes to do anything new always and does not try to do things for long time. Now she is in En Samayal Arayil, a new cookery show in Vijay TV featuring every sunday afternoon 1 PM and the news in here is Anu herself will cook in this show.. I remember she opened a juice shop in few places in Chennai and was taking care of that business.. will this make her to start restaurants in the city ???

Whom did you Vote ???

First time a serial getting audience response for the story in the serial.. Vijay TV, after knowing the viewers following their love story "Anbe Vaa" came up with twist where the viewers can choose whom the hero should marry. There was voting mechanism and sms voting being done.. So, you guys voted for someone ?? Whom did you vote for ??

CavinKare ABILITY Awards

CavinKare ABILITY Awards were instituted in 2003 to honour achievers with disabilities who have soared beyond conventional barriers to realise their chosen dreams. They are national awards recognising exemplary services as well as accomplishments of the achievers. The world of social entrepreneurs, especially those with disability, is a lonely one. And those who have succeeded and brought about significant changes need to be recognised and appreciated. Giving these awards, the Foundation believes, leads to awareness-building on the capabilities of persons with disabilities. The awards come in two categories:

CavinKare ABILITY Award for Eminence is given to 1 person with disability, who has demonstrated a commitment to others that goes beyond personal triumphs. The Award comprises a memento, a citation and a cash prize of Rs.2 lakhs.

CavinKare ABILITY Mastery Awards are given to 3 persons who have not allowed their disability to come in the way of attaining excellence in their chosen field. These awards recognise mastery in any area of one’s choice and to those who have set high standards for themselves and achieved their ambitions. The Award comprises a memento, citation and a cash prize of Rs.1 lakh each.

Vijay TV is the media partner for this award and I think Vijay TV has been doing very good promotion for the award.. Thanks to the channel for the same..

Carnatic round..

This week in Airtel Super Singer Junior 2 it will be Carnatic songs round.. I am not sure about the name of the round.. it could be carnatic or classical songs round.. I expected this round be little later in the show but now its early with top 19 contestants fighting for the next round spot. ofcourse given the title of the round.. there are special guests/judges in the show.. this week;s show will have Nithyashree and Unnikrishnan.. apt people for this round and I dont know why Vijay TV missed Sudha Raghunathan.. I will be happy to see her along with these two. This round in the competition is going to be very very difficult for few contestants and very easy for many of them.. lets see how it goes..

Periya Karuppu Thevar wins dream kitchen..

Periya Karuppu Thevar featured in the Samayal samayal kitchen killadigal for few weeks and yesterday he had won the dream kitchen after beating his opposition for 3 consecutive weeks. Periya Karuppu Thevar came with his wife and it was his wife to cook all the three weeks and they were like ice on the cake when sterday's round was authentic food.. they cooked a dish with chicken and fish and was very confident in winning the dream kitchen. I did not see the show for few weeks and sterday I dont want to miss it. With other samayal program gearing up in the channel.. I think we will have more recipes in coming days...

I am pretty much impressed the way this show is being drived by Priyadarshini and Devadarshini.. from their dresses to the hosting they are really best. I think for now this is the best cookery show in tamil channels. what say ??

Kungumapoovum konjupuravum yet again..

This week Vijay TV is again telecasting Kungumapoovum konjupuravum film.. sunday 10 AM.. I remember this film had already featured in the channel few times. I think the channel can be consistant in featuring tamil films on sunday mornings instead of hollywood films.. this will definitely bring them more viewers. With other leading channels geared up with lots of new tamil films, Vijay TV is not in the race at all. Now, with the Eeram film being bought be Vijay TV and I guess it would also be featured in the same way as Kungumapoovum konjupuravum. What do you guys think ?? I think they should change their stratergy in featuring tamil films and I dont think they are in anywhere competition between the other channels.

En Samayal Araiyil

Sundays, 1 p.m.

Here's a brand new cookery show in which anchor Anu Hassan whips up some time-tested yet forgotten recipes. Also, pick up useful cooking and storage tips from the show, which begins on November 29. Anu has recipes for special occasions as well. And to add that personal touch, she invites her family and friends to her kitchen to share her preparations. Its been quite sometime we have seen Anu in vijay TV and I thought she will be back with next season of Koffee with Anu but now she is back with En Samayal Araiyil. The promotional video of the show looks very promising but the only concern would be how long this show will continue in the channel..

From 29th November 2009, Sundays 1 PM

Sanjana Eliminated..

Sanjana is eliminated from Airtel Super singer Junior 2 this week.. it was Mottukalin mettukal round and there was very good competition between top 20 contestants in the show..It was little sad to know that Sanjana is being eliminated from the show.. I guess in the Boys Vs Girls round even she did a very good job. Now, the show is left with 19 contestants fighting for the next round spot. So, now its left with 19 In, 1 Out..

Whos in Mottukalin Mettukal round ?

So, this week on the show we did not had Malgudi Shubha judging the perforamnces of the contestants.. it was only Mano and chitra doing the honours.. Voice expert Ananth Vaidyanathan was available and he gave his comments on each contestant before their performance. looks like there has been considerably good improvement from the kids after his arrival.

Home Theatre..

From this week, the eliminated contestant will get a Home theatre worth 10,000 INR as gift and hearing that Sanjana was quite happy.. This gift is been sponsored by Singapore hardwares..

Sun TV to increase ad rates after two years

For almost two years Sun TV Network had left its advertising rates untouched as the market stayed sluggish. But effective 1 January, the southern broadcasting major will up its rates as it forecasts a 20 per cent jump in advertising revenues for the full-fiscal. For its Tamil channels, the ad rates will go up between 9-33 per cent. The increase in ad rates will be across Sun TV, KTV, Sun Music, Sun News, Chutti and Adhitya.

"We are looking at an ad revenue of Rs 6.9 billion for FY'10, up 20 per cent from the previous year. The last time we had an ad hike was in February 2008. The downturn prevented us from going for a rate hike in FY'09," a source in the company tells Indiantelevision.com. Sun is accordingly increasing the slot fees (broadcast fees) received from the content producers. The changes in ad rates for other general entertainment channels of Sun TV Network - Gemini (Telugu), Udaya (Kannada) and Surya (Malayalam) - will be announced by the company within a fortnight.
So how does Sun TV's rate hike impact the market? "The market was working at a discounted rate. Sun was not selling at their required premium. With the market leader upping rates, it will be good for everybody," says Star India president (South) Jagdish Kumar.

-Indiantelevision

Preetha Eliminated..

Finally the elimination in Anu alavum bayam illai season 2 started this week.. its been practice/rehearsal rounds for the contestants and this week it was the first elimination of the season. It was Preetha to get eliminated in this round at very early stages of the contest. This was the first elimination round and there were two tasks given to the contestants. First task is to get into a glass box and they will have cocckroach, rats and beeds.. the contestants got to stitch the beeds in the thread.. the second task was to walk in very high altitude joins.. Preetha was not able to complete her second task and that made her out of the competition straight away.. all others completed their task and Neelima Rani had the best performance of the week...

North Indian Girls Vs South Indian Girls..

It was an interesting topic in Neeya Naana yesterday.. Vada Indhiya Pengal Vs Then Indhiya Pengal.. I am sure Gopinath really meant when he said.. "thousand men can be handled but he is not able to handle 50 women.." hahaha.. really funny.. So, the show was not said to be an eye opener given the topic.. it was a fun and something to chew topic.. hope many of the viewers would have tuned on to this episode for sure. The show had discussions on how north and south Indian women behave in roads, coffee shops and other places when they meet each other. It was total silent when Gopinath asked whether the girls have boy friend.. there was none who stood up in north Indian side but there was 1 in south Indian side..

They then spoke about how the north Indian women dress, their dressing sense and in compared with south Indian women.. when it came to comparing men of both south and north India.. south Indian women really gave their full support for south Indian men. When it came to number of men who join army.. south Indian women were in complete silence.. It was overall good fun in here in the show.. especially for Gopinath for handling 50 girls..

Captain TV from Pongal 2010 ??

Pongal 2010 turns to be the most happening occasion for all the entertainment buffs. The spotlights are on the big releases with loads of entertainment to offer for the small screen viewers too. Actor Vijayakanth is all set to launch his Captain TV by Pongal 2010 and he’s actively working on the preplanning phase. Vijayakanth, as we know is already juggling between acting and politics and now has his hands full with a television channel as well. The actor is in talks with professionals of leading satellite channels to be part of this channel as executives. Vijayakanth is very clear on what he wants on his channel, insisting on not having spoof shows of films he wants politics to be given prominence with no daily soaps.

Anbe Vaa Stars..

No Elimination

It was no elimination in boys Vs girls round in Airtel Super singer Junior 2 last week.. the top 20 contestants had Boys Vs Girls round where the boys and girls contestants were seperated as two teams and compete against each others' challenge.. the competition was really good and the round was not bad at all except for the judgement.. the final judgement was.. no elimination in this round of the competition.. I think keeping in mind Children's day and giving another chance for them to prove themselves.. it was a kind of request from Ananth Vaidyanathan, the voice expert who had joined the show in very early stage than his usual entry. Judges responded positively to this decision.. with that all the 20 contestants get into next round in the competition..

The Anbe Vaa Twist..

Anbe Vaa, a young love story, is a story of three couples who are in love and are under constant pressure to make
their relationships work. Interesting twists and turns await the audience on this interesting love story in the coming weeks. Jana who is in love with Devi is accused of murdering Devi’s dad. Devi is not only heartbroken that her love is broken but also angry at Jana and decides to unleash her revenge on him. Jana pleads innocence but Devi doesn’t believe this and readies herself to get married to another person.

The triangle of love between Jeeva, Sandhya & Priya is at the cross roads. Sandhya is resigned to the fact that Jeeva and Priya are destined to marry each other and reluctantly agrees to marry the suitor that her dad proposes but life takes an interesting turn on the eve of Sandhya’s wedding.

On-air contest in Anbe Vaa:

With so many unanswered questions in the serial, there is a special on-air contest for Anbe Vaa viewers. The viewers need to choose who would marry Jeeva? – His close pal Sandhya who has been with him through all times or Priya to whom Jeeva loves. The viewers need to choose between Sandhya and Priya by means of voting and the audience poll would determine Jeeva’s partner in marriage. Voting promos would commence from this Friday Nov 20th.

Voting mechanism:

Viewers can SMS “SAN” (for Sandhya) or “PRI” (for Priya) to 57827 and vote for the one whom you think needs to marry Jeeva. The opinion votes would be taken into account from Friday, November 20th onwards. Tune into “Anbe Vaa” Monday - Thursday, 8pm on Vijay TV and find out whether Jeeva marries the girl of your choice.

-IndiaInteracts

Advisory on coverage of Mumbai terror attack anniversary

Ahead of the first anniversary of the Mumbai terror attack, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry has issued an advisory to all television channels urging them to do "balance" and "responsible" reporting which showing programmes on the incident. The Ministry has said that as the investigation and trial of the terror attacks in Mumbai are in progress, there is need for balanced coverage. On the occasion of the first anniversary of the terror attacks in Mumbai on 26 November 2009, the Ministry expects channels to show special programmes, news items, talk shows and interviews to highlight the incidents of last year. “Replays of disturbing visuals showing scenes of blood and gore or images of dead or seriously wounded or the emotional distress of victims/hostages and their families may bring back dreaded memories of the tragic incident and may indirectly fulfill the basic design of the terrorists to spread fear and insecurity in the minds of people,” the advisory said.

The media has been advised to keep in mind the contents of the communication while telecasting programmes in connection with the anniversary of Mumbai terror attacks. The government had issued directives on 27 November and 3 December last year to media, regarding the coverage of the terrorist attack, in which TV channels were asked to exercise caution while covering the incidents to avoid any adverse impact on the rescue operations. The advisory noted that while the media has “always been in the forefront of the crusade against terrorism by building strong public opinion and consensus against the senseless acts of terrorists”, it is necessary to continue to display “a high degree of maturity and sensitivity” while covering events of terror and terror related issues. “Perhaps the occasion could be used to reiterate India’s commitment to fight terror and our continuing resolve to effectively counter any acts of terror against the country,” the Ministry communiqué added.

Pallikattu Sabarimalaikku

Swami Iyappan, a popular serial on Vijay TV, depicts the life of the Lord Iyappan. The series is based on many stories based on through generations has been enacted beautifully by a strong cast. Keeping in track with the season of Lord Iyappa which is depicted by the coming of the month of Karthigai, Vijay TV has introduced a new show titled, Pallikattu Sabarimalaikku airing everyday at 6.30 AM. This show talks about the mystical and magical powers of Lord Iyappa and the specialty of karthigai month. The show also features details of the pilgrimage to Sabarimalai, how the fast for 41 days is observed, the motive for the holy trip and the significance of the 18 steps.

Earlier there was similar show with same name which had testimonials of devotees who speak about the greatness of Lord Iyappa and how the Lord has changed their lives in the time of difficulty. It will also feature few spiritual Gurus’ speaking about the greatness of the holy land – Sabarimalai. Along with them devotees of Lord Iyappa will also speak about the magnitude of the Lord Himself. Pallikattu Sabarimalaikku airs as a prelude to Swami Iyappan and the viewers can get the blessings of Lord Iyappa at 6.30 AM on Vijay TV.

Anbe Vaa Contest

Anbe Vaa is a love story of Jana, Devi, Jeeva Sandhya and Priya, who are under constant pressure to make their relationships work. Unusual twists and turns add to the drama. ?Now, there is a special on-air contest for ‘Anbe Vaa' viewers. The viewers have to choose who will marry Jeeva - his close friend Sandhya, who has been with him in times of trouble or Priya with whom Jeeva is on love. The audience poll will determine Jeeva's life partner. Voting promos commence from today (November 20).

Boys Vs Girls round..

It is Boys Vs Girls.. yeah Boys Vs Girls in Airtel Super Singer Junior 2 this week.. so the boys and girls are spearated as two teams and they perform as the competition between the genders. Sounds interesting right.. more interesting is, the set of the show is from Boys Vs Girls show... so they are not using the Super Singer Junior 2 stage for this round and Boys Vs Girls stage is used.. which makes sense for the name of the round. I liked the way the challenge is set.. they have toss first and each team calls for challenge with anyone in the opposite team and they also make sure the top 20 gets atleast a chance in this round.

In addition to this setup, the show is anchored by Deepak and DD.. this makes us to get a feel of Boys Vs Girls show...and they are doing a good job and I guess interesting than Divya.. I am not sure.. might be because they are here just for this round. Girls team is accompanied with Brinda Das and Priyadarshini & Boys team with Balaji, John and Kamalesh for their support.

Whos in Boys Vs Girls round ??

Its Boys Vs Girls round in Airtel Super Singer Junior 2 and the show has the top 20 contestants fighting for the next round spot..The show has the permanent family judges Mano, Chitra and Shuba judging the performances of the contestants. Divya is replaced with Deepak & DD for this round of the competition.. Trainers Ajeesh and Nikhil are not there this round and we have got voice expert Ananth Vaidhyanadhan for training the contestants from this round of the competition.

I&B Ministry to crack down on film piray with 'model law'

The I&B ministry is set to take strong steps in order to crack down on film and video piracy. "Tamil Nadu has successfully tackled piracy through its legislation. We are considering replicating this in other parts of the country," Union Information & Broad casting Minister Ambika Soni told reporters on the sidelines of the FICCI Media and Entertainment Business Conclave in the city on Thursday. The ministry would hold a meeting of all state information ministers, including some chief ministers, on December 5 in the capital to draft a model law to curb piracy. Digitals methods of filmmaking would also be encourage to adequately tackle this issue.
Ms Soni said the Centre was at the threshold of starting the auctions for FM radio Phase 3. A Cabinet note in this regard has already been circulated in the various Central Ministries. She added that the I&B ministry would spend Rs 100 crore in setting up towers and other hardware to strengthen the terrestrial reach of radio networks across the country, especially along the borders.

She noted that the film entertainment sector was poised to become a Rs 1,052-billion industry by 2013 from the current Rs 584 billion. She also mentioned that the government would set up a national institute for animation studies during the 11th Plan perio d to train people so as to make the sector a big employment generator. Earlier in the day, Tamil Nadu CM M Karunanidhi inaugurated the two-day entertainment media conclave and launched the report compiled by Ficci and E&Y. He said the south, especially TN, had a rich cinematic history and had played a role in the growth of the Dravidian movement. "My dream is to make Tamil Nadu the entertainment epicentre of India... and the entertainment centre at the international level.

Tamil Nadu to be global entertainment epicentre: CM

Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi, in his inaugural address at Media and Entertainment Business Conclave (MEBC) 2009, spoke about his dream and vision to make Tamil Nadu "an entertainment epicentre for the global industry." He spoke about Sony Pictures announcing the opening of its facility in Chennai last year and recent announcement of a strategic alliance between Warner Brothers and Chennai-based Prasad Corporation. The alliance will "bring their combined skills in digital post-production and film restoration to clients in Hollywood, India and around the world," he said. Karunanidhi also said that a welfare board for the cinema industry had been constituted by his government and it will help the cinema industry to develop a film city in the state. He assured that his government had decided to render all the necessary assistance. Karunanidhi highlighted the state government’s efforts in helping the Tamil film industry by reduction of entertainment tax from 54 per cent to 25 per cent. Also, the tax has now been totally waived off for films having pure Tamil titles, he added.