MUMBAI: : It was only six months back that STAR World pioneered a bold step in English language programming. While all English Entertainment Channels were sticking to the international format of airing fresh episodes of English shows once a week, STAR World probed deeper into its consumer psyche and changed the way it served shows. STAR World then made its second move - introduce brand new cult-hits and other good content from the US. And now, as the enhanced numbers speak volumes for the channel, we take a look at how it struck the right chord with the audience.

STAR World‘s performance has shown a steady upward trend for the past 6 months. Come week 22 and STAR World toppled its immediate competitor to emerge the number 1 channel in English General Entertainment. Even today, STAR World is doing better and better across different sections of its TG.

This is all a result of careful thinking and calculated steps taken by the channel to understand the consumer. Let‘s take a look at the darts that hit ‘Bulls-Eye!‘ for the channel?
Encourage appointment viewing
STAR World‘s programming shift was aimed at getting the viewer to catch fresh episodes of shows everyday instead of once a week. While STAR World used to air fresh episodes once a week previously, the channel realized that the viewer lost touch of the story since there was a time lag of a week. The calculated move that helped pull more viewers to the channel.

Reduce the time taken to introduce a cult hit from the US in India
To maintain a contemporary and fresh look, the channel has started introducing shows from the US as close to the international airing as possible. STAR World now strives to introduce shows as close to the US airing as possible so that it can end it simultaneously with the US telecast. The upcoming show on the channel ‘Glee‘ just concluded with resounding success in the US.

Straddle between new seasons of established shows and new shows
While competitors aired new seasons of previously established international properties, STAR World chose to give the viewer some unheard of properties which resonated extremely well with the audiences. Castle is the first fresh show that was programmed by STAR World in its weekday prime time (Monday to Thursday) slot which is a resounding success for the channel! In fact for many weeks, Castle remained the number 1 show in the genre and grew Star World‘s slot share by 686%* (from 0.07% channel share to 0.55%). During Castle time band, STAR World commands leadership with 71% relative share within the category. (Source: TG: 15-34 A, Markets: 7 Metros, * average wk 19 to wk 25 ‘10 over average wk 12 ro wk 29 ‘10, Mon to Thurs - 10pm to 11pm)

STAR World is now geared to launch two fresh new shows this month end. The cult-hit show that has got the world raving about it - Glee launched on 25th of June. White Collar - an addictively witty crime series about an unusual partnership between a criminal and an FBI agent in solving white collared crime will aptly replace Castle starting 30th June, Monday to Thursday at 10pm.

Promotion is the key!
Is the audience not familiar with some shows? Promotion is your tool! STAR World has been and will be coming up with great promotional tactics to keep its audience hooked! While the digital space remains a favorite, STAR World also experimented with other innovative tools to reach its audience, including tie-ups with other media. For example, STAR World has come up with a unique promotional contest for promoting ‘Glee‘. STAR World and ELLE will launch "Gleek Hunt" starting 25th June which is a hunt for the ‘coolest/most stylish gang of college goers‘. The contest will be announced on air on STAR World and through the channel‘s website, www.starworld.in . The contest will also be aggressively promoted on the STAR World‘s Facebook and Twitter pages and ELLE‘s website (www.ellenow.in). All participants need to upload the coolest and most stylish pictures of their gang onto the STAR World website between 25th June to 20th July. The coolest picture will be selected by ELLE and STAR World and 3 people will get a complete style make-over from ELLE fashion team.

English entertainment has never been so young, fresh and fun. In the coming months viewers will catch contemporary content with a localized flavor on the channel. Come, be a part of this ‘Glee‘ful World! - Welcome to STAR World!

MUMBAI: : His yesteryear songs still make you groove.. his musical brilliance is saluted till date. His songs like ‘Zindagi Ke Safar Mein Guzar Jaate Hai Jo Makaam?‘ has made you cry, though you never wanted to!! At the same time the fun and frolic element of ‘Pyar Humein Kis Mod Pe Le Aaya?‘ has made you jump in excitement! The king of melody - Pancham Da (as fondly called by his friends and industry insiders) has musical treat for every heart.

R. D. Burman, is known as one of the greatest music composers that our Hindi Cinema has witnessed. His compositions still do not find any parallels. Together teamed up with Asha Bhosle, Lata mageshkar, Kishore Kumar and other contemporary singers, he revolutionized the music making style.

On the 71st birth anniversary of the music genius on 27 June‘10, Shemaroo salutes the legend and offers all his fans a variety of his work on the platter of Shemaroo as a mark of celebration. Shemaroo brings Pancham Unmixed, R D Burman - Unlimited Remix Vol. I & II, R.D.Burman - The Immortal Collection, Sargam Ke Saathi (Pancham + Kishore/ Pancham + Lata / Pancham + Asha ) and Musafir Hoon Yaron (Pancham + Gulzar). Other than these, Shemaroo also has a number of movies in its catalogue for which Pancham Da composed music like Aandhi, Parichay, Khshboo, Gol Maal, Hare Ram Hare Krishna, Satte Pe Satta etc., and all of these were undoubtedly musical hits.

Pancham Unmixed , the Collectors Edition DVD Pack is inclusive of aFeature length film on R. D. Burman, Pancham Magic - a compilation of his songs and a Coffee Table Book titled "Strings of Eternity". Pancham Unmixed - The film has attempted to explore legendary composer R. D. Burman‘s music. It takes an incisive look into the composer‘s reflective artistry and buoyant, but also lonely inner being. Featuring a host of Pancham Da‘s close friends, colleagues and admirers like - Asha Bhosle, Gulzar, Javed Akhtar, Manna Dey, Shammi Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor among others - Pancham Unmixed is the most comprehensive film made till date, on the great composer. The special Coffee Table Book titled ‘Pancham - Strings of Eternity‘, has some enchanting anecdotes, insights, emotions and rare photographs of this legend. The song compilation dvd ‘Pancham Magic‘ has 30 timeless Original Video Songs composed by Pancham Da.

R.D.Burman - Ultimate Unremix comes in 2 Volumes of 2 DVDs each, full of alluring R.D.Burman tracks. Interesting details about the year of release, names of the singers, lyricist and the like have been superimposed on each song. Most importantly, the songs in both the DVDs have been compiled attractively, thus catching the eye of music lovers and R.D fans all over. DVD Pack 1 called Ultimate Unremix Vol 1 has one disc of 25 evergreen romantic songs composed by R.D. Burman from popular films and another disc of 25 rich songs composed by him for his favourite singer Asha Bhosle. DVD Pack 2 called Ultimate Unremix Vol 2 has one disc of 25 classic R.D tracks which is a bunch of golden collection and another disc of 25 hidden gems, which has selective rare gems composed by R.D. Burman.

The VCD Pack called R.D. Burman - The Immortal Collection, is a 6 VCD Pack totally consisting of 72 immortal R.D. Burman melodies. The songs in each VCD are very beautifully and thoughtfully categorized. VCD 1 is called ‘King of Romance‘; VCD 2 is called ‘King of Melody‘; VCD 3 is called ‘RD - Asha: The Magical Duo‘; VCD 4 is called ‘King of Masti‘; VCD 5 is called "King of Rhythm" and VCD 6 showcases Various moods of Panchma da‘s moods.
Sargam Ke Saathi , as the name suggests is a series of Song DVDs which salutes the great association of Pancham da with his favourite singers, Asha Bhosle, Lata Mangeshkar & Kishore Kumar. Musafir Hoon Yaaron? Pancham - Gulzar is witness to the unprecedented tuning and pairing of a Music Director and Lyricist - Pancham & Gulzar.

So have your pick from Shemaroo‘s fabulous bouquet of Panchamda products and recreate the magic of the most versatile Music Director of all times. These products are available at all leading retail outlets. Also enjoy unlimited offers on purchase of his products from our website www.shemaroo.com.
 

MUMBAI: TIMES NOW, the country‘s most watched English news channel which keeps you abreast with all the news and latest happenings has arranged an action packed weekend for your viewing pleasure.

The Foodie:
Ever thought about having a meal made using Toddy or ever tasted Chickoo wine? On The Foodie this week Kunal Vijayakar explores all this and more in a beautiful coastal town of Maharashtra!

Saturday: 26th June 2010: 1130 am & 0530pm
Sunday: 27th June 2010: 1130am & 0730pm

Total Recall
Nicknamed after the fifth keynote in music, ‘Pancham dada‘ brought the groove into the quintessential Hindi film song. Join us on Total Recall this week as we celebrate the seventy first birth anniversary of the king of music Rahul Dev Burman!!

Saturday: 26th June 2010: Noon & 0800pm
Sunday: 27th June 2010: Noon & 0800pm

GOAL (FIFA Special)
Watch the GOAL this weekend as it gets you all the action and mania of the FIFA world Cup straight from South Africa. Join TIMES NOW anchors Ragini and Anand along with Scott O‘Donell, the coach of Cambodia as they analyse the days game for you and also give you a preview of the forthcoming match.

Saturday: 26th June 2010: 0930am & 0430pm
Sunday: 27th June 2010: 0930am & 0430pm

Total Recall Greatest Hits:
This week, it‘s a rendezvous with some of the most cherished love songs from the 60s! Songs that pleaded, persuaded, teased and appeased us and gave us moments of sheer delight!
So Catch the Romance of the 60‘s only On Total Recall Greatest Hits!

Saturday: 26th June 2010: 0130pm & 0930pm
Sunday: 27th June 2010: 0130pm & 0930pm

ENow SPICE:
ENOW spice the one entertainment weekly show that gets you entertainment and showbiz like you have never seen in India before. This week catch Mika, the Punjabi singing star at his candid best. Also watch Sonu Nigam as he unwinds with the spice team. Spice delivers the latest and the bizarrest in pure honesty, loaded with their signature slick takes

Saturday: 26th June 2010: 0230pm & 0730pm
Sunday: 27th June 2010: 0230pm & 1030pm
 

MUMBAI: Join Anchor Noopur Tiwari this week as she travels to the best wine estates in Paarl. The beautiful region of Tulbagh welcomes her with open arms and plenty of Bubbly. She meets Nicky Krone, of the House of Krone and learns how to perform the ?sabrage?, a victory ritual started by Napoleon?s soldiers.

A tractor ride around the vineyards and some very hard labour in the Seidelberg Wine Estate leaves her exhausted but happy. She also visits the Pearl Valley Golf Estate and samples the ?Milk Tart?, a traditional African delicacy.

Noopur completes her trip with meeting the prized wine maker of Saronsberg Wine Estate and heads to the Kagga Kamma Resort in the Klein Karoo for a unique ?sleeping under the stars? experience. Watch The Wine Lover?s Guide to South Africa for this and more, only on NDTV Good Times on Saturday, 26th June at 10:00 PM and Repeat telecast on Sunday, 27th June at 11:00 AM.

MUMBAI: BIG FM, radio arm of Reliance Broadcast Network Limited announces RJ Vidhi as the host of ?927 ki laughter metro? from 7 ? 11 am in the morning in its endeavour to provide stress-free mornings to its listeners and to further enhance its high-quality entertainment quotient.

The ?927 ki laughter metro? promises to deliver entertainment in its best form and caters to the need of the local populace. The fun-loving and effervescent RJ Vidhi is expected to pump energy and excitement to the morning drive hours, with her intelligent humour, interesting takes on bollywood updates. Besides the music, bollywood and entertainment, the show and host also safeguard the interests and needs of its listeners by updating them with the live traffic updates from across the city and the stock market updates, promising an overall utilitarian experience for their listeners.

Speaking on her new assignment, RJ Vidhi said,? ?It?s a wonderful feeling when you know that you are heard by so many people. You become a quintessential part of their lives and they in turn become your extended family. It?s quite challenging but at the same time gives you immense pleasure when you know, you have made some difference in your listener?s lives. Working with 92.7 BIG FM is a great opportunity, as the station not only offers excellent radio entertainment; it also has a tremendously huge listener base.?

Welcoming RJ Vidhi, Mr. Ashwin Padmanabhan, Station Head, 92.7 BIG FM- Delhi said, ?We feel extremely happy as Vidhi joins us in the BIG Family. I am confident that her humour, presence of mind and witty disposition makes her an apt choice for the breakfast show, as she is likely to pump up the lethargic mood in the mornings with her exuberance and bubbly character. At BIG 92.7 FM we always offer our listeners with the most innovative and entertaining programming mix, and with all her experience, Vidhi would definitely help to strengthen our offerings and keep up with the vibe of the city all the times.?

MUMBAI: STAR World has come up with a unique promotional contest for promoting its brand new show ‘Glee‘.

As ‘Glee‘ launches on 25th June, the channel has tied-up with ELLE for a unique contest. STAR World and ELLE will launch "Gleek Hunt" starting 25th June which is a hunt for the ‘coolest / most stylish gang of college goers‘. The contest will be announced on air on STAR World and through the channel‘s website, www.starworld.in . The contest will also be aggressively promoted on the STAR World?s Facebook and Twitter pages and ELLE‘s website (www.ellenow.in).

All participants need to upload the coolest and most stylish pictures of their gang onto the STAR World website between 25th June to 20th July. The coolest picture will be selected by ELLE and STAR World and 3 people will get a complete style make-over from ELLE fashion team.

STAR World gears up to regale you with a brand new runaway success - GLEE. With numerous awards and great reviews to its credit, STAR World gives an opportunity for the "Gleeks" (Fans of the show) in India to rejoice, as the super-hit musical comedy debuts on 25th June, every Friday and Saturday at 10pm!

From Ryan Murphy, the creator of Nip/Tuck and Popular, comes GLEE, a one-hour musical comedy that follows an optimistic high school teacher as he tries to transform the school?s Glee Club and inspire a group of ragtag performers to make it to the biggest competition of them all: Nationals. Glee is a runaway success in the US and promises to be a hit with music lovers! Featuring a soundtrack of hit songs from past and present, Glee also has an appealing amount of humour in it which makes it a great show to watch out for!

The Plot
McKinley High School?s Glee Club used to be at the top of the show choir world, but years later, a series of scandals have turned it into a haven for misfits and social outcasts. WILL SCHUESTER (Matthew Morrison, Broadway?s Hairspray), a young optimistic teacher, has offered to take on the Herculean task of restoring McKinley?s Glee Club to its former glory with the help of fellow teacher EMMA PILLSBURY (Jayma Mays, Ugly Betty). It?s a tall order when the brightest stars of the pitch-imperfect club include KURT (Chris Colfer), a nerdy soprano with a flair for the dramatic; MERCEDES (Amber Riley), a dynamic diva-in-training who refuses to sing back-up; RACHAEL (Lea Michele), a girl who believes that she is born to be a superstar unlike the people around her, ARTY (Kevin McHale, Zoey 101), a geeky guitarist who spends more time avoiding bullies than chasing girls; and TINA (Jenna Ushkowitz, Spring Awakening), an awkward girl who needs to suppress her stutter before she can take center stage.

Driven by his secret past, Will is determined to do whatever it takes to make Glee great again, even though everyone around him thinks he?s nuts. He?s out to prove them all wrong ? from his tough-as-nails wife TERRI SCHUESTER (Jessalyn Gilsig, Nip/Tuck) to McKinley?s cheerleading coach SUE SYLVESTER (guest star Jane Lynch, Best in Show, Role Models) to an ?ber-hip world that thinks jazz hands and sequined tuxedos litter the road to infamy rather than pave the way to Hollywood dreams.