Media Entertainment & Art Community

The first match saw a 47% on-year increase in consumption, according to Disney Star, the official television broadcaster of the Indian Premier League. A 29% increase in TV ratings was also reported. The broadcaster reported that for the debut match between Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings on March 31, it recorded a total of 870 crore minutes of TV consumption. On the first day, 14 core viewers watched the live broadcast, which included the opening ceremony, which attracted 13 crore people. The massive increase in viewing time, according to Sanjog Gupta, Head – Sports, Disney Star, “is testament to the success of our campaign, focus on building virtues of Star Sports’ broadcast, continuing dominance of linear Television as the preferred platform for uninterrupted viewing of live Cricket and most of all, the deep relationship we share with Cricket fans.” Using BARC data, Disney Star stated to have observed a strong 29% increase in TVR from the last IPL season. For the first time this year, two different companies acquired the IPL’s television and digital streaming rights. As Reliance acquired the majority of the IPL broadcasting rights (for 2023–2027) for a total of Rs 23,758 crore, Viacom is providing free streaming of IPL 2023 on its OTT JioCinema. Disney Star paid Rs 23,575 crore to acquire the television rights for the Indian subcontinent. Two companies are broadcasting the matches separately on two different platforms for the first time, in India and other countries. Previously, Disney Hotstar streamed the matches. Last week, according to Viacom18, over 6 crore unique people watched the Gujarat Titans vs. Chennai Super Kings match, which peaked at over 1.6 crore viewers on JioCinema. On Day 1 of the match, JioCinema had 50 crore total views, it continued. Disney Star reported that more over 20 crore viewers watched the TATA IPL 2023 build-up programming before the tournament began on Friday. “Star Sports is optimistic that the ‘Shor’ (cheer) will continue as fans enjoy the action on television,” the statement continued. “With a host of exclusive surround programming and technology innovation, the broadcaster is setting a new precedent in how the marquee tournament is watched.”

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), working with the telecom service providers, carried out drive tests at 20 locations and their surrounding areas across the nation on Monday to evaluate the network quality offered by cellular mobile telephone service providers for voice and data services. The drive tests were carried out to assess all regional telecom service providers’ networks’ key performance indicators (KPIs). Coverage, Call Setup Success Rate (CSSR), Drop Call Rate, Block Call Rate, Handover Success Rate, and Rx Quality are the key performance indicators for voice services. The ministry listed the following KPIs for data services: Download and Upload Throughputs, Web Browsing Delay, Video Streaming Delay, and Latency. The areas covered in drive tests were Madurai, Eluru, Karimnagar, Mangalore, Amravati, Bhilwara, Rewari, Bhatinda, Ujjain, Varanasi, Maheshwar, Tengnoupal, Teliamura, Darjeeling-Kalimpong and national highways (110 & 717A), Assam & Arunachal Pradesh and National Highway (27, 127, 715, 15 & 13), Rohtak-Rewari Highway, Ajmer-Bhilwara HW, Ujjain to Sendhwa HW, Varanasi-Lucknow HW and Bhopal-Sagar HW in the quarter ending December. The full report is accessible on the TRAI website at www.analytics.trai.gov.in.

According to a report from the news agency Bloomberg on Thursday, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) has probably agreed to pay back dues owed to IndusInd Bank Ltd. in order to end the insolvency procedures that have been brought against it and move closer to concluding a merger with a Sony Group unit to establish a $10 billion media conglomerate. According to the report, dues of over Rs 837 million may be paid as soon as this Friday, and the Mumbai-based bank has agreed to withdraw its insolvency case against the media company after the debt is repaid. According to Karan Taurani of Elara Capital, the NCLT merger approval might not come until after the cases have been settled or resolved at NCLT. The Indian Performing Rights Society (IPRS) recently settled the companies’ claims after calling off their NCLT case. IPRS filed a petition with the NCLT’s insolvency tribunal against ZEEL in early January, alleging a default of Rs 211.41 crore. According to him, IDBI and IndusInd Bank both have outstanding claims totalling around Rs 150 crore. “We believe expedition on the settlement will work favourably for the Zee-Sony merger as valuations are compelling in the range of 7-10x fwd PER for the merged entity (7x excluding Zee5 and Sony Liv losses),” Taurani stated. The issue relates to a default of Rs 89 crore by Siti Networks, the multisystem operator arm of the Essel Group, which was claimed by IndusInd Bank and for which ZEEL was a guarantor. The insolvency proceedings against ZEEL were initially put on hold by the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) earlier on February 24. Punit Goenka, the managing director and chief executive of ZEEL, filed a petition, and the appellate tribunal granted it. It then sent letters to IndusInd Bank and the interim resolution professional, requesting a response within two weeks. IndusInd Bank’s plea to initiate insolvency proceedings was accepted by the Mumbai bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on February 22. After suspending the board, it had also appointed an interim resolution professional. The NCLAT order provided ZEEL with a significant reprieve as it merges with rival, Culver Max Entertainment, formerly known as Sony Pictures Networks India, to establish the country’s largest media empire. The company has obtained the necessary shareholder, creditor, bourse, and CCI approvals, and is awaiting final approval from NCLT.

In the 95th Academy Awards, India earned two awards. The RRR song Naatu Naatu received the Oscar for Best Original Song. The composer, MM Keeravaani sang a song dedicating his achievement to India as he and Chandrabose picked up the trophy. During the 95th Academy Awards, The Elephant Whisperers won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Subject. Both RRR (Rise, Roar, Revolt) and The Elephant Whisperers are Indian productions that portray tales that are strongly influenced by India and Indian culture. The Elephant Whisperers, directed by Kartiki Gonsalves, is a fascinating documentary about Bomman and Bellie, a couple from a native community in south India who lovingly care for orphaned baby elephants named Raghu and Ammu, creating a family unlike any other. RRR, directed by SS Rajamouli, on the other hand, is a great cinematic tale that follows the friendship of two rebels who fought the British in the 1920s and is jam-packed with action, adventure, music, and dance. Deepika Padukone introduced Naatu Naatu’s performance, which was led by Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava. She described the song as a “banger,” and the subsequent performance led the attendees giving them a standing ovation at the ceremony. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the winners in his tweet: Exceptional! The popularity of ‘Naatu Naatu’ is global. It will be a song that will be remembered for years to come. Congratulations to @mmkeeravaani, @boselyricist and the entire team for this prestigious honour. India is elated and proud. #Oscars https://t.co/cANG5wHROt — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 13, 2023 Congratulations to @EarthSpectrum, @guneetm and the entire team of ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ for this honour. Their work wonderfully highlights the importance of sustainable development and living in harmony with nature. #Oscars https://t.co/S3J9TbJ0OP — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 13, 2023 All That Breathes, directed by Shaunak Sen, unfortunately failed to win an Oscar. The movie received a nomination for Best Documentary Feature Film. Navalny received the award. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, Fire of Love, and A House Made of Splinters were the other films nominated. The big winner of the night was ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’. Seven Oscars were given to the movie out of its 11 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Editing. Brendan Fraser’s performance in The Whale earned him the Best Actor Oscar. Top Gun Maverick won an Oscar for The Best Sound and Avatar: The Way of Water won the award for Best Visual Effects. An Oscar for the Best International Film Category went to All Quiet on the Western Front. The complete list of 95th Oscars winners: The complete list of 95th Oscars winners (updating LIVE). #Oscars95 https://t.co/869N2H4Jc1 — The Academy (@TheAcademy) March 13, 2023  

Satish Kaushik, a noted actor and director, died on Wednesday in Gurugram at the age of 66. Anupam Kher, a friend and colleague, confirmed the news of his death in his tweet.  After having a heart attack in the NCR, Satish Kaushik passed away. As Kaushik’s health deteriorated when he was visiting a friend in Gurugram, he asked his driver to drive him to the hospital. He couldn’t be saved, though, because he had a heart attack in the car. On Thursday, his body was brought from the Fortis hospital in Gurugram to the Deen Dayal Upadhyay hospital in Delhi for post-mortem. Following today’s post-mortem, his mortal remains will be flown to his residence in Mumbai. Ajay Devgn, Abhishek Bachchan, Kangana Ranaut, and Sharad Kelkar, among many others, expressed their condolences on his demise. Kher wrote in his tribute, “I know “death is the ultimate truth of this world!” But I never thought in my dreams that I would write this thing about my best friend #SatishKaushik while alive. Such a sudden full stop on a friendship of 45 years!! Life will NEVER be the same without you SATISH! Om Shanti!” जानता हूँ “मृत्यु ही इस दुनिया का अंतिम सच है!” पर ये बात मैं जीते जी कभी अपने जिगरी दोस्त #SatishKaushik के बारे में लिखूँगा, ये मैंने सपने में भी नहीं सोचा था।45 साल की दोस्ती पर ऐसे अचानक पूर्णविराम !! Life will NEVER be the same without you SATISH ! ओम् शांति! 💔💔💔 pic.twitter.com/WC5Yutwvqc — Anupam Kher (@AnupamPKher) March 8, 2023 Prime Minister Narendra Modi payed tribute to the actor-director by tweeting, “Pained by the untimely demise of noted film personality Shri Satish Kaushik ji. He was a creative genius who won hearts thanks to his wonderful acting and direction. His works will continue to entertain audiences. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti.” Pained by the untimely demise of noted film personality Shri Satish Kaushik Ji. He was a creative genius who won hearts thanks to his wonderful acting and direction. His works will continue to entertain audiences. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 9, 2023 Union Home Minister Amit Shah, tweeted, “Deeply saddened by the sudden demise of actor, director and writer Satish Kaushik ji. His contribution to Indian cinema, artistic creations and performances will always be remembered. My deepest condolences to his bereaved family and followers. Om Shanti Shanti.” Deeply saddened by the sudden demise of actor, director and writer Satish Kaushik Ji. His contribution to Indian cinema, artistic creations and performances will always be remembered. My deepest condolences to his bereaved family and followers. Om Shanti Shanti — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) March 9, 2023 In addition to acting, directing, producing, and writing on screen, Satish Kaushik was also a comedian. He began his career in theatre and is an alumnus of the National School of Drama and Film and Television Institute of India. In the course of a long and illustrious career, he went on to contribute to nearly 100 movies. Mr. India, Deewana Mastana, Brick Lane, Saajan Chale Sasural, and many other films feature him in memorable roles. He has directed movies like Tere Naam, Prem, Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain, and Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja, among others. The actor-director enthralled audiences with his performance as the shrewd stock market broker Manu Manek in the webseries Scam 1992.

With the merger of rival Inox Leisure, leading multiplex operator PVR is focusing on “getting economies of scale” and anticipates a double-digit increase in its top line in FY24, according to managing director Ajay Bijli. According to him, PVR is attempting to find ways to save costs while increasing revenue from ticket sales, food and beverage sales, advertising, and operating expenses. He also mentioned that the merged entity has ambitions to add 200 screens annually and take advantage of smaller markets. “If you look property by property, in certain places there are disparities in the ticket price. There are opportunities for improving programming, and scheduling the peak-hour ticket pricing,” Bijli told PTI. Also, he added, some of the properties will need to be upgraded. “We both are operating in the same environment and look at the demographics in a similar way. But whatever tweaking needs to be done for both brands to give a consistent experience, we are working on it,” Bijli added. When asked about the top-line growth of the merged company in FY24, Bijli expected double-digit growth. “In calendar year 2019 which was normal year of operations pre-pandemic, PVR and Inox recorded a combined turnover of about Rs 5,600 crore. We are adding about 200 screens every year with a capex of about Rs 700-750 crore,” he stated. PVR and Inox Leisure have merged as of February 6, 2023. “We felt that coming together would make the balance sheet stronger and this business is all about scale… I truly believed that if we have not come together, there would have been a problem in growth, and we will grow together,” he said. Inox, which previously solely served vegetarian meals, will now offer non-vegetarian options after the merger, which may increase the ATP (Average Ticket Price). “Advertising is another area, where the minutes on the screen, which we were charging can be taken up,” he said. Bijli says that he is more interested in the revenue from the movie than the ticket price multiplied by the number of people attending. Getting more people inside is more important to us than looking at ticket prices, he said. Bijli stated that the joint entity PVR Inox would employ 23,000 people and operate in 113 cities in relation to the cost of operation. After the merger, Inox Leisure would no longer exist, and Bijli would serve as managing director of the combined company, PVR Inox. On Wednesday, PVR announced the opening of an 11-screen “superplex” in Lucknow at Lulu Mall, the largest shopping mall in the city, following the merger with Inox. There will be seven auditoriums with last-row recliners in addition to the multi-sensory 4DX format, premium large screen format P[XL], two auditoriums of PVR’s luxury format, LUXE, and all other formats. After this, PVR’s presence in Uttar Pradesh, where it has 158 screens across 32 locations, strengthens the combined entity’s presence in the region, where it has 438 screens across 100 properties. The merged company has opened 143 screens across 26 locations in 21 cities in the current fiscal year.

The LLC Masters broadcast rights have been acquired by Disney Star, according to a statement from Legends League Cricket. The Star Sports Network will broadcast the LLC Masters LIVE. The league will return for Season 3 in Qatar starting on March 10, 2023, with matches taking place in Doha, Qatar, giving the cricket fans the chance to travel back in time and relive the nostalgia of seeing some of the game’s all-time greats hit the field. This season, there will be three teams competing in the LLC Masters: World Giants, Asia Lions, and India Maharajas. Strong viewership was experienced by the second season, which was shown on the Star Sports Network and was a major success. According to BARC data, the average TV rating and viewership for Legends League matches were 7 to 10 times higher than those for any other international T20 league (other than IPL). Over the course of 20 days, the league, which was played in six Indian cities, attracted players from more than 12 different nations. The League’s fan base has grown significantly, and the second season’s games saw record crowds in the stadiums. “We started on a faith and I am happy to state that we have delivered on our promise to offer the best experience to cricketing fans, a wonderful opportunity for cricketers and all the stakeholders involved stated Raman Raheja, CEO and co-founder of Legends League Cricket. “We have time and again brought back the best cricketing moments for our fans, through veteran Cricketers. Who better than Disney Star to offer this experience to the fans during the third season. We welcome them on board and look forward to offering World Class cricket series in Qatar,” he added. “We are elated to collaborate with Legends League Cricket once again. We constantly look for opportunities to provide the best-in-quality experiences to cricket fans. Legends League Cricket has offered a unique opportunity to both senior cricketers as well as fans and we are happy to be part of this Legend’s event,” said a Disney Star Spokesperson while speaking about acquiring the Legends League Cricket Rights.

Due to pricing concerns following the introduction of the New Tariff Order 3.0, Zee Entertainment, Star, and Sony, India’s three leading television broadcasters, have gone off the cable network. Almost 45 million consumers to cable TV operators are estimated to be impacted by this latest action, which has disrupted the Indian media sector. In November of last year, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) restored the maximum retail price (MRP) of a TV channel to be included in a bouquet. With its  order, the television channel’s pricing for the bouquet increased by roughly 10–15%. A number of channels were taken off the air as a result of pricing issues caused by the NTO 3.0, which went into effect on February 1 with a price rise in the range of 10–25%. This caused problems between broadcasters and local cable operators. The All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF) said on Saturday that its members will not be signing the new agreements as a protest against the broadcasters’ exorbitant pricing. The Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation (IBDF) also stated in a statement that some cable operators were forced to terminate their services after giving proper notice because they did not sign new agreements.

Ricky Kej, a Bengaluru-based music composer, has received his third Grammy Award for the album “Divine Tides.” The drummer of the renowned British rock band ‘The Police’, Stewart Copeland, who collaborated with the US-born musician on the album, shared the award with him. The duo won the gramophone award for best immersive audio album at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards. For the same album last year, they received a Grammy in the best new age album category. The Chainsmokers (‘Memories… Do Not Open’), Jane Irabloom (‘Picturing The Invisible- Focus 1’), Nidarosdomens Jentekor & Trondeheimsolistene (‘Tuvahyun – Beatitudes for a Wounded World’), and Christina Aguilera were the other nominees in this category. “Divine Tides,” a tribute to the beauty of our natural world, features artists from all across the world. The 9 songs on this album and its 8 music videos were shot in locations all over the world, from the breath-taking Indian Himalayas to Spain’s icy forests. This critically acclaimed album aims to deliver the message that “each individual life plays a crucial role in maintaining the balance that serves all equally”. Just won my 3rd Grammy Award. Extremely grateful, am speechless! I dedicate this Award to India.@copelandmusic Herbert Waltl Eric Schilling Vanil Veigas Lonnie Park pic.twitter.com/GG7sZ4yfQa — Ricky Kej (@rickykej) February 6, 2023 When he was nominated, Kej had stated, “It is an absolute honour to be nominated a second time for a Grammy Award for our album ‘Divine Tides’. Although my music is cross-cultural, it has always had strong Indian roots and I am extremely proud that Indian music has been recognised and shortlisted for this prestigious award by The Recording Academy. This nomination encourages me further and solidifies my belief to continue making music that can inspire positive social impact.” Ricky is the 4th Indian and the youngest person from India to have won a Grammy Award. In 2015, Kej won his first Grammy for “Winds of Samsara,” which was nominated for best new age album. American musician and composer Stewart Copeland, is a five-time Grammy Award winner. The British rock group “The Police,” which has sold over 75 million albums worldwide, was founded by him and he also serves as its drummer.

Pathaan, the film starring Shah Rukh Khan, is a true “blockbuster,” since it continues bringing in revenue day after day. It is clear from the number of footfalls and collections the movie theatres around the world are seeing that fans aren’t pleased with seeing the movie just once. After earning Rs 60 crore on its fifth day of release (Sunday), the action movie was eying to be one of the all-time greatest first-Monday collections. The movie made Rs 25 crore nett on its sixth day in theatres, according to a Box Office India report. The movie has now earned over Rs 295 crore in domestic ticket sales. Pathaan would easily surpass the milestone of Rs 300 crore in domestic box office revenue by the conclusion of its seventh day in theatres. Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, which made Rs. 40.25 cr. on its first Monday, tops the list of the Hindi-language films with the highest Monday earnings. Tiger Zinda Hai (Rs. 36.54 crore), Housefull 4 (Rs. 34.56 crore), Krrish (Rs. 33.41 crore), and Bajrangi Bhaijaan (Rs 27.05 cr) are the films that come after it. After the pandemic, KGF: Chapter 2 (Hindi) earned more than Rs 25 crore at the box office on its first Monday. Pathaan reportedly made $25.40 million (Rs. 207 crore) at the overseas box office, according to a report from Bollywood Hungama. On Sunday, the movie’s worldwide gross surpassed Rs 500 crore. On Monday, Shah Rukh Khan and the Pathaan cast—which also included Deepika Padukone and John Abraham—finally spoke with the media and shared in the success of their movie. At the press conference, SRK spoke with the reporters in attendance and expressed his feelings about how “terrible” it is when his films fail. He also praised Siddharth Anand, the director of the movie, for providing him and his family “happiness” with Pathaan. “This is a big day for us, my family. We haven’t experienced this happiness in a while. Whenever he (Siddharth Anand) wants me to do Pathaan 2, I’ll do it,” he said. The makers of the Kartik Aaryan and Kriti Sanon movie Shehzada have decided to move the release date of their movie due to Pathaan’s box office success. Instead of February 11, the film will now be released in theatres on February 17.