News & Media

Colors TV UK has announced the launch of the highly anticipated series ‘Taali’. The show, which had a successful run on JioCinema in India, epitomizes exceptional storytelling, outstanding performances by the actors helmed by Sushmita Sen, and had garnered 25 million viewers in the first two weeks of the show’s launch in India. Boasting an IMDb rating of 8.6, Taali – directed by National award-winning director Ravi Jadhav, is hailed by the audiences as one of the most loved series this year.

Colors TV surprised in UK TV ratings on Sunday despite the absence of ‘Bigg Boss 17’, according to exclusive data obtained by BizAsiaLive.com.

The broadcaster garnered a share of 0.10% – making it the most watched Asian TV channel on Sunday. Its top two shows were ‘Udaariyan’ with 66,000 viewers at 19:00 and ‘Parineetii’ at 19:30 with 60,100 viewers. This year, Colors has been unable to broadcast ‘Bigg Boss 17’ due to a rights issue.

The network offers premium content spanning fantasy, web series, kids, movies and much more.

Mumbai: IndiaCast Media Distribution Pvt Ltd, a joint venture between Viacom18 and TV18, will be showcasing the best of Indian content at MIPCOM ‘23. With an impressive library of over 40,000 hours of content, IndiaCast is one of the leading Indian networks for diverse syndication content, reaching audiences in more than 135 countries through adaptation in over 35 international languages.

Motorsports aficionados in India are in for a grand treat with the MotoGP Bharat taking place at the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) in Greater Noida from September 22-24, LIVE on JioCinema, and aired on Sports18 Khel. This is the 13th race of the season and the first time that the highest class of motorcycle racing is taking place in India.

About 1,50,000 fans are expected to watch proceedings at the fast-flowing track that includes 13 challenging turns (eight right and five left). This year, Brad Binder of Red Bull KTM became the fastest Grand Prix rider ever, clocking 366.1 km/hr at the Italian GP, however, the record is expected to be breached at 370 km/hr, thanks to the long back straight at BIC, measuring 1.06 km.

Viacom18 won the rights for both digital and television broadcast earlier this month for Rs 5,963 crore. The three-match ODI series is the first international match series under the new rights cycle.

Viacom18 on Wednesday announced that it will broadcast the upcoming ODI series of India and Australia in 11 languages for free. Viacom18 recently acquired the media rights for BCCI’s international and domestic matches for next five years.

The sports entity, Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) has announced that Viacom18 has acquired the exclusive media rights of the Indian top-flight football, the Indian Super League (ISL).

In this development, the Indian media broadcasting conglomerate will be the ‘new home of Indian football’ for the upcoming two seasons. The 10th edition of the ISL commences on September 21 with Kerala Blasters taking on Bengaluru FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi.

Viacom will broadcast the Team India home matches, IPL (digital), Women IPL, Olympics 2024, SA home matches 2024, T10 League, Road Safety World Series, SA20, NBA, Serie A, La Liga, Ligue1, and Diamond League.

BCCI media rights: Entertainment network Viacom 18 has bagged the bilateral cricket media rights for the next five years. Viacom will broadcast the Team India home matches, IPL (digital), Women IPL, Olympics 2024, SA home matches 2024, T10 League, Road Safety World Series, SA20, NBA, Serie A, La Liga, Ligue1, and Diamond League. The media firm has bagged the rights for a total amount of around Rs. 6000 crore, news reports said.

The entertainment business now holds the rights for men’s cricket Indian Premier League, women’s cricket IPL as well as Team India’s (men’s and women’s) bilateral matches.

Reliance Industries-backed media business Viacom18 bagged the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) TV and digital rights for Team India’s bilateral cricket matches across T20, ODI and Test formats for the 2023-28 cycle on Thursday, completing a trifecta of cricket rights of men’s Indian Premier League, women’s IPL as well as the country’s bilateral matches.

Colors Rishtey took a surprise lead in UK TV ratings on Sunday, according to exclusive data obtained by BizAsiaLive.com.

The channel won 0.08% share with movie ‘Kal Ho Naa Ho’ proving a hit with 21,000 viewers tuning in.

Sony TV was at No.2 with a share of 0.07%. ‘India’s Best Dancer’ was watched by 39,000 viewers.

For the first time ever, Sports18 will have an India series exclusively. Viacom18 has bagged the IND vs IRE Live Broadcast rights…

For the first time ever, Sports18 will have an India series exclusively. Viacom18 has bagged the IND vs IRE Live Broadcast rights for three matches. Despite IPL and WPL deals, Viacom never had any India match rights. The first one is IND vs WI Live Streaming rights. However, it is only available on JioCinema as part of a licensing deal with FanCode. But now, for the first time, Viacom18 will have both broadcast and IND vs IRE LIVE Streaming rights. The series starts on August 18 in Dublin with Jasprit Bumrah leading a second-string side.

Viacom18 is bullish on sports and is gearing up to be the ultimate destination for ‘all sports’ in India. The network launched its dedicated sports TV channel, Sports18, last year along with bagging the rights to two of the biggest sports properties in the world – FIFA and the IPL.

The network is now all set to bring the LaLiga EA Sports, to Indian football fans. The property that went into an extensive rebranding recently, will be broadcasted on Sports18 and JioCinema, and give the fans an immersive audio visual and digital experience.

The first-ever franchise cricket tournament in Zimbabwe will be brought to Indian fans live on JioCinema and Sports18 — Khel.

The much-awaited Zim Cyber City Zim Afro T10 is all set to kick off, with five franchises expected to battle it out for top honours. The inaugural edition of the tournament will commence on 21 July, with a grand final on the 29th. All the matches will be played at the picturesque Harare Sports Club. The tournament is being organised jointly by Zimbabwe Cricket and T Ten Global Sports.

Surviving in a jungle is no cakewalk because the biggest challenge is to beat the ultimate beast, one’s own fear. Raising the fear factor to a whole new level, India’s most awaited stunt-based reality show, Shana Paratha Presents ‘Khatron Ke Khiladi’ Powered by Star Tours, returns on Colors with an exciting jungle-themed season.

The undisputed action maestro and host of the show, Rohit Shetty will test the courage of 14 daredevil contestants with never-seen-before stunts in the wilderness of Cape Town, South Africa. Filled with the spirit of untamed adventure, the contestants will be seen exercising their physical and mental prowess as they navigate a maze of their worst terrors.

Viacom18, the exclusive media rights partner for Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT), unveiled its commercial for season 4 of the high-octane table tennis league. The launch commercial, titled, ‘Every Table is a Playground’, aims to spark a buzz among viewers for the upcoming season and whets the appetite of fans to catch the best players in the world playing alongside some of India’s most exciting Table Tennis talent.

Major League Cricket (MLC) announced on Friday that it had secured a media partner to broadcast matches in India. The maiden edition of the competition will be telecast on Viacom18’s sports network. The organisation, which also hosts a streaming service, will stream the games on JioCinema alongside broadcasting matches on Sports18, starting July 13.

The first match will take place between Texas Super Kings and Los Angeles Knight Riders at Grand Prairie Stadium near Dallas, Texas. Other competing teams include MI New York, San Francisco Unicorns, Seattle Orcas, and Washington Freedom.

As the teams would battle for the one LaLiga spot left in the Spanish Segunda División (Spanish Second Division), Viacom 18 will broadcast the highly anticipated LaLiga Smart Bank 2022-23 Playoffs live in India.

The playoffs will begin from 8th June 2023 onwards and the Indian football enthusiasts can watch the action live on Jio Cinema, MTV, Sports 18 – 1 & Sports 18 – HD channels

Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) has announced a partnership with Viacom18 as the exclusive media partner for Season 4. The partnership will see the league live-streamed on JioCinema and broadcasted on Sports18.

The franchise-based league — promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani under the auspices of the Table Tennis Federation of India, is scheduled from July 13-30 at the Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune.

Mumbai: Viacom18 on Friday announced the launch of Sports18, the network’s dedicated sports broadcasting channel. The pay-TV channel, available in SD and HD, will offer fans the ‘best-in-class’ sports content in India, the network said.

“Sports18 will be the new home to the world’s most premium sports properties, including the Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022, NBA, LaLiga, Ligue 1, Serie A, Abu Dhabi T10, and top ATP & BWF events. Apart from premier picks from the world of football, basketball, tennis, cricket and badminton, the channel will provide fans access to top programming covering international sports news, magazine and highlights shows,” said the media company in a statement.

IndiaCast UK has been rejoicing after the successful UK tour of iconic Bollywood singer, Sonu Nigam.

He performed to packed houses on 31st March at OVO Arena, Wembley and 1st April at Morningside Arena, Leicester; leaving the audience enthralled and asking for more. Both the concert venues were jam-packed with close to 9200 people at Wembley and 2500 people at Leicester attending the events.

Reliance Industries-owned Viacom18 has secured a rights deal for MotoGP to be streamed on its JioCinema and Sports18 platforms. The MotoGP World Championship is a motorcycle racing competition. The company said the coverage will begin with the Grande Prémio de Portugal.

The 2023 season will have 21 races across 18 countries, including its 14th round in India with which the tournament will make its debut in the country.

In his new role, Goyal will closely work with the operating heads of television news, entertainment and sports businesses of the Network18 Group. He will report into Network18’s managing director Rahul Joshi.

IndiaCast, a multi-platform content asset monetisation entity, has appointed Piyush Goyal as Chief Operating Officer.

In his new role, Goyal will closely work with the operating heads of television News, entertainment and sports businesses of Network18 Group. He will report into Network18’s managing director Rahul Joshi.

A professional with experience in the Indian TV distribution industry, Goyal has held senior leadership positions spanning distribution, new business initiatives and other strategic projects. In a career spanning over 20 years, he has worked with companies like Star TV, Network18, NDTV and DEN Networks. In his last stint, Goyal was executive vice-president and head – key accounts at Star India, where he handled major MSO (multi-system operators) and DTH (direct-to-home) players.

The fourth season of ‘NRI Haadsa’ will be be airing on Colors TV UK.

The show features fearsome real life-based crime stories involving non-resident Indians. Season 4 will showcase crimes involving cyber-crimes, kidnapping, murder, cheating and will air across all international feeds of Colors in Europe, US, Canada, Middle East, South Africa, and APAC. In the UK, ‘NRI Haadsa’ Season 4 will start airing from 11th March, every Saturday and Sunday at 21:00 on Colors TV UK.

While JioCinema is providing the free live streaming WPL 2023 online, the T20 league’s live TV telecast is available of Network18’s sports channel Sports18 or Sports 18. Meanwhile, if you are looking to watch WPL 2023 on TV, you can scroll down to get channel number of Sports18 across various DTH platforms like Airtel Digital TV, TATA Play and Videocon d2h.

WPL 2023 LIVE Broadcast: Women’s Premier League 2023 – The Women’s Premier League is all set to kick off from March 04. All five teams are thrilled for the first season with a star-studded squad in their corner now that the auction has been completed, which happened just a few days ago. Earlier this month, the BCCI released the WPL 2023 schedule. On March 4th, 2023, Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Giants will clash in the first of the tournament’s 20 league games and two playoff games. Check all the live broadcast details of the WPL 2023 below.

JERSEY CITY, N.J., Jan. 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — IndiaCast Media Distribution Pvt. Ltd., the multi-platform content asset monetization entity jointly owned by TV18 and Viacom18, has partnered with Amagi, the global leader in cloud-based SaaS technology for broadcast and connected TV, to launch Desi Play TV, the network’s first FAST channel in HD with the best Hindi Entertainment shows on Sling and Plex. The free-to-view channel features Indian TV shows with English subtitles like, “Uttaran”, “Na Aana Is Des Laado”, “Dev”, “Tu Aashiqui”, “Kitchen Champion”, “Mahakaali” along with a local USA-based food show – “Dine With Colors”.

A lot of football attention towards the FIFA World Cup 2022 is given by the Indian fans. For this edition of the FIFA World Cup, the official broadcasters for India’s matches are Sports 18 1, Sports 18 1 HD, and Sports 18 Khel.

Sports18 1 and Sports18 1 HD are Paid Channels

Sports18 1 and Sports18 1 HD have to be subscribed at a certain amount on your Set-Top Boxes. These are the English commentary channels. The channels are available on Tata Play, Airtel Digital TV, Dish TV, and Sun Direct. For Tata Play, the cost of the channel is Rs 14.16 and Rs 8 for Airtel Digital TV.

Viacom18 and its international distribution arm, Indiacast have marked the launch of MTV Beats in spectacular style with a gathering for the media industry in Central London.

The event, which was held at the Vanilla venue, saw the attendance of personalities from various media outlets including executives from rival broadcasters. Group CEO of IndiaCast, Anuj Gandhi also made his presence felt, who welcomed guests to the gathering, along with Govind Shahi ? Business Head of IndiaCast UK & Europe.

The launch event featured a live performance by award-winning playback singer, Papon.

MUMBAI: IndiaCast, the domestic distribution, international and digital business arm of Viacom18 and TV18, has restructured its international team with a sharper focus on bolstering business. The move aims at consolidating operational efficiency and bringing in synergies.

The restructuring exercise is aimed at making the organisation future-ready as it enters its next growth phase. With this move, IndiaCast has emphasised its focus on alternative revenue sources such as digital and live events in its international business.

Indian comedian Anubhav Singh Bassi is the third act in the successful Colors Laughter Night series in Dubai.

Bassi, a master of anecdotal comedy, will perform his stand up special ‘Well Done Officer’ on

October 15 at Sheikh Rashid Auditorium, Indian High School, Dubai.

Bassi said in a statement: “I love presenting stories that I have experienced first-hand and observed being with friends and family. I tend to be attentive of what’s happening around which adds freshness to my content and helps me connect better with the audience each time I am performing. I am beyond thrilled to be associated with ‘Colors Laughter Night ’ series and cannot wait to perform for the Dubai audience.”

Colors Gujarati celebrated its first year anniversary in the UK on 1st June 2022. Despite launching during the pandemic, the channel has made significant headway amongst the troubled UK Asian TV market.

BizAsiaLive.com caught up with Govind Shahi, Executive Vice President, IndiaCast Media, who operates the Colors branded entertainment channels in the UK. Hailing the “success” of Colors Gujarati and plans ahead, Shahi also hinted about further investment in other regional language TV channels in the UK.

Viacom18’s premium Hindi GEC channel in UK, Colors Rishtey will launch a new primetime drama series ‘Kawach Mamta Ka’ on Thursday 21st April at 20:30. The show will air every Monday-Friday at 20:30 on Colors Rishtey UK.

‘Kawach Mamta Ka’ is the story of a single mother whose capability & motherhood is questioned by her very own, but she takes the world head on. While her endeavour and pride take a toll on her child’s life, it leads her daughter to realize her own identity. The story brings forth the harsh truths of our society & presents a woman’s journey of motherhood & independence.

The Hindi series ‘Thapki’ highlights the challenges of a young girl, who struggles with a stammer brought on by nervousness.

Dubai-based content distribution and production company SynProNize, led by founders Nitin Michael and Hasnaa Descuns, has acquired the Indian drama series titled Thapki from IndiaCast for distribution in Kenya.

Viacom18’s international distribution arm, IndiaCast has announced its plans to extend the reach of its channels – Colors and Colors Rishtey, on Sky UK’s new connected streaming TV, Sky Glass.

ABS Broadcast took on the task of on-boarding the two popular channels.

Govind Shahi, Executive Vice President – Head International Business, IndiaCast Media Distribution said, “We wanted to expand onto Sky Glass, and choosing ABS Broadcast to deliver proved to be a decision which has more than paid off.

NEW JERSEY — Aapka Colors has announced the return of the highly successful crime show, “NRI Haadsa Season 2,” which premieres Sept. 12, every Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET. The new season promises to be even more intriguing and will be based on true stories of crimes against Non-Resident Indians.

“NRI Haadsa Season 2” is presented by Royal Chef’s Secret and powered by Biz2Credit Inc.

Rushad Rana, who also hosted the previous season, will take the viewers through some of the most high-profile cases, sharing stories of frightening crimes and details that you may have not heard or seen on the news. The new season is specially crafted to appeal to Non-Resident Indians from around the globe as each episode tells an unnerving story of crime against NRIs from different countries like UK, US, Canada, UAE, Singapore, Australia and more.

Contestants with Sachin Gokhale,Business Head- Middle East & Africa+ Head of Operations and Strategic Planning, International Business at IndiaCast.

IndiaCast has launched CheckMate ? The Hunt for the Smartest Young Executive in the Middle East, on its flagship channel ? Colors TV. The reality show revolves around 16 aspiring university students who compete in a series of business challenges to win an opportunity to intern with corporates in the Middle East. The 14-episode television show will be hosted by radio presenters from City 1016 Malavika and Parikshit. It will premiere in the UAE on 18 February 2017 at 9:00pm UAE. The three finalists get an opportunity to intern with Rak Bank, Bayut.com and Colors TV.

MUMBAI: With the launch of its two channels, MTV Beats and Colors Rishtey, on Virgin Media Viacom18 has transitioned from free-to-air (FTA) to entirely paid platform. Viacom18?s channels will now only be available with a subscription on Sky and Virgin Media.

Talking about leaving the Freeview platform, IndiaCast Media Distribution group CEO Anuj Gandhi says, ?We are currently steering our business in a new direction in Europe and have decided to go pay and as a result, current channels will no longer be available on any free to air mode but will continue to be available on paid platforms.?

MUMBAI: IndiaCast is all set to launch Viacom18?s Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) Colors in Africa through its partnership with MultiChoice.

Colors, which is present in more than 135 countries, will be available to DStv Indian customers in South Africa from 15 October, 2015. The channel will reach out to Indian viewers in 13 countries including South Africa, Bostwana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Namibia, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Angola, Lesotho, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zanzibar.

MUMBAI: IndiaCast is all set to launch Viacom18?s Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) Colors in Africa through its partnership with MultiChoice.

Colors, which is present in more than 135 countries, will be available to DStv Indian customers in South Africa from 15 October, 2015. The channel will reach out to Indian viewers in 13 countries including South Africa, Bostwana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Namibia, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Angola, Lesotho, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zanzibar.

MUMBAI: The high definition (HD) feed for Colors UK will launch on 14 February, said IndiaCast, which is a joint venture of Viacom18 and TV18.

The channel will be carried on leading DTH platform, SKY. It will be available on the same EPG number as the SD feed (No. 786).

Colors UK HD will adapt to to the HD set-top box (STB). Said Viacom18 Group CEO Sudhanshu Vats, ?We started out by increasing the footprint of our content offering, across general entertainment and Indian movies, through our channels in UK. We now want to dial up the experience for our discerning viewers and the launch of Colors HD is a step in that direction.?

Along with Aapka COLORS, subscribers can now watch MTV India, Rishtey and Rishtey Cineplex, on YuppTV in Canada

NEW DELHI?(BUSINESS WIRE)?Leading global OTT leader specializing in South Asian content, YuppTV has partnered with IndiaCast, a joint venture between Viacom18?s and TV18 to air its array of channels including Aapka COLORS, MTV India, Rishtey and Rishtey Cineplex on its platform in Canada. This partnership gives YuppTV users uninhibited access to varied Indian content including the on-going season of Big Boss which is vastly popular amongst viewers.

At a panel discussion on day one, there was an elaborate discussion on how RPD can boost TV measurement. The panel had a balanced participation from both broadcasters and distribution platform owners

Colors TV concluded the filming of season 2 of Checkmate last month in Dubai. Sachin Gokhale, Senior VP MEA, APAC for Viacom 18, speaks to BroadcastPro ME about creating reality shows and regional initiatives that engage audiences while also appealing to advertisers

Television producers will seek to find hidden talent among some of Dubai’s hardest working labourers.

Potential candidates will be invited to show off their singing, dancing and comedy talent for a contest on June 22.

Talent hunters for Colors TV’s ?Colors Ke Sartaj? will be visiting 60 labour camps to look for the best performer among about 65,000 blue collar workers.

A day after ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) and Turner International ended a 16-year old distribution deal, the latter announced the appointment of IndiaCast Media Distribution Private Limited, as its exclusive distribution agent.

TV18 will raise its stake in the company to 51% by acquiring 1% of Viacom18?s equity from Viacom Inc. for a cash consideration of $20 million.

TV18 Broadcast Ltd on Wednesday said it will take operational control of Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd, a equal joint venture between TV18 and US-based media company Viacom Inc.

TV18 will raise its stake in the company to 51% by acquiring 1% of Viacom18?s equity from Viacom for a cash consideration of $20 million, the company said in a statement. Viacom and Viacom18 have also extended their brand and content licence agreement by 10 years (the original 10-year agreement expired this year).

While 100% digitization is a myth, not achieved even in the US, by 2020 approximately 95% cable and satellite TV homes in India will enjoy the benefits of digitization.

Earlier this month, the ministry of information and broadcasting asked chief secretaries of states and Union territories to ensure completion of cable digitization in the light of complaints it has been receiving about analogue signal transmission in different parts of the country. In its letter, the ministry said that the complaints ?are being sent to the concerned authorized officers, i.e. district magistrate, sub-divisional magistrate and commissioner of police.

Ditto TV, billed as India’s first OTT (Over-The-Top) TV distribution platform from Zee New Media, the digital arm of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL), has announced a partnership with IndiaCast Media Distribution Private Limited, 19 new channels to the former’s bouquet. The IndiaCast stable consists of 12 regional, five news, one entertainment and, one music channel, including Colors, CNBC TV18 and MTV.

Vishal Malhotra, business head – new media, ZEEL, said, “This partnership with IndiaCast spells a momentous occasion for DittoTV and takes us to the 50-channel mark, ensuring that we continue to delight our customers across the world with rich, premium and quality content, anytime, anywhere.