NEW DELHI: Life OK has roped in ex-cricketer Madan Lal for the special episodes of its crime based drama show Hum Ne Li Hain Shapath - Cricket Special in order to cash in on the cricket fever that has gripped the country with the beginning of IPL season 6.

The TV series will mark the debut of this legendary cricketer, who was a key member in the 1983 World Cup winners Team India.

Hum Ne Li Hain Shapath - Cricket Special will now focus on the world of cricket and some interesting stories on and off the cricketing field.

The veteran cricketer will play the role of a cricketing expert in the TV series and will assist the team of Shapath cops to solve cricket crimes. Madan Lal has begun shooting for the show and his episode goes on air on 6 April.

Says Madan Lal, "This is the first time I will be seen in a TV series and the best part is that I will be seen playing myself in the show. I am hoping my audiences like and accept me in this avatar, as they always have."

Meanwhile, TV actress Mala Salariya who was previously seen playing Ananya in Life OK?s Dil Se Di Dua?Saubhagyavati Bhava now joins the team of Shapath as a new police officer.

MUMBAI: Life OK is launching one-of-its-kind series to promote the soon-to-release Bollywood thriller film ?Ek Thi Dayan?.

Titled ?Ek Thhi Naayka?, the series boasts of industry-first marketing initiative that has been exclusively created to promote a feature film.

Starting 9 March, the show will air every Saturday and Sunday at 11 pm.

The show experiments with the concept of film and TV integration through an eight-week marketing campaign to promote the upcoming movie, ?Ek Thi Dayan.? The show is a folklore which will bring together some of the biggest television actors together -- Smriti Irani, Sakshi Tanwar, Aamna Shariff, Shweta Tiwari, Mouli Ganguly, Ankita Lokhande, Kritika Kamra and Pooja Gor will be seen in their regional avatar, with a different story every week. Each episode promises to deliver content and showcases each ?Naayka?s? struggle against evils.

The series will be produced by Ekta Kapoor?s Balaji Telefilms. Balaji is also co-producing the Emraan Hashmi movie along with Vishal Bhardwaj?s VB Pictures. The movie is set to release on 18 April.

Life OK GM Ajit Thakur feels that it?s a happy marriage between Indian television and Bollywood. "The concept is a big leap forward on television. It is a collaboration of content between Bollywood and TV and a win-win deal for both of us. While the movie is getting a good promotion through this series, we are getting good content and we know there is relevant audience for the show. Ekta had many stories in her mind, while she is presenting one on the silver screen; she gave us the opportunity to telecast other eight. The show is a thriller, folklore and the very title has a message that good always wins."

While the episodes are expensive to produce, the channel and Balaji Telefilms are sharing the cost since it?s a promotional series for the Balaji movie.

Meanwhile, the channel will leave no stones unturned in promoting the show. The main activity is PR that the channel is doing around the show in various parts of the country. The channel will also be promoting the show aggressively on the social media, wherein it will be interaction with its audiences.

Kapoor said, "This is creative marketing at its best: A first-of-its-kind promotion for an upcoming movie, resulting in a win-win situation for both the movie and the channel. Also, none of the horror is same as the film so there will be something new to watch every week."

MUMBAI: In order to expand its reach and brand beyond television, Star India has released its Life OK?s mythological saga ?Devon Ke Dev... Mahadev? on DVD.

The company has tied up with Ultra for this purpose.

Star India CEO Uday Shankar said, ?A nation and its people derive their collective identity and pride from stories passed on to it from earlier generations. It is our job not only to keep those stories alive but to tell them well in order to inspire a future generation. Like OK had its task cut out from the very first day and it has lived up to that challenge remarkably well by weaving gripping and inspirational stories with new approaches in production and technology.?

While 300 episodes was a big achievement for show, it is just the beginning of the story for the mythological saga and for Life OK. ?30 years ago you had Ramayana and Mahabharata which were fantastic. They fostered creativity. However later on, mythological shows were done the same way. They became old fashioned in look. That is why they did not have much success. When we started on ? Devon Ke Dev Mahadev?, we knew that the way in which the story was told would have to change. We wanted to take the show beyond the Amar Chita Katha level. We have created new parameter of creativity. At the same time we did not compromise on the quality of entertainment,? Shankar said.

Life OK, which completed one year in December 2012, is among the top five channels, Shankar added. "The aim is to make it a top three player."

Life OK GM Ajit Thakur said that the success of Life OK went beyond ratings. ?While we have done well in terms of ratings, we have also dwelt on issues including crime, domestic violence, terror and religion. We have done things both on the air and on the ground. We want to be the home of big. new stories. While our show has finished 300 episodes, we still have lots of stories to tell within that show. We made an earnest attempt to make it as contemporary as possible by highliting Lord Shiva‘s views on pertinent issues such as pollution and gender equality. This distinction has been pivotal to the resounding success of the show. At the same time while mythology is a platform that will be showcased on Life OK, it is not the only thing?.

Life OK is doing a social awareness campaign to clean up the Ganga. ?We did 15 days of activity last month. In this manner Life OK has gone beyond just being a TV brand,? Thakur said.

Ultra Group CMD Sushilkumar Agrawal said that his company aims to bring content that blends entertainment with cultural and educational values. "This philosophy drew us to join hands with Life OK and launch ‘Devon Ke Dev Mahadev‘ on DVD. This show is not just an epic but an amalgamation of Indian culture, tradition and values that will continue to be passed on to forthcoming generations."

MUMBAI: ESPN Star Sports, the official broadcaster of Hero Hockey India League, has lined up a comprehensive clutch of global syndication partners that are showcasing the tournament in over 83 territories worldwide.

Some of the leading names in the world of sports broadcasting like Fox Sports from Australia, Sky Sports from New Zealand, Ten Sports in Pakistan and South East Asia region are showcasing live coverage of HIL in respective territories.

Incidentally, Life OK, the second general entertainment channel from Star India, will air the tournament in UK and Europe. In South Africa, Life OK will share the rights on non-exclusive basis with pan-African sports network Supersport.

Similarly, in the Middle East North Africa (Mena) region Ten Sports and OSN will telecast the tournament since both are non-exclusive broadcast rights holder.

Asia focused sports network One World Sport will broadcast the tournament in USA and Canada.

Speaking on the occasion, ESPN Software India MD Aloke Malik said, ?These partnerships reinforce our commitment to set new benchmarks in the distribution of Hero Hockey India League. We look forward to working closely with all our partners and serve hockey fans all over the world with some mouth-watering high quality content.?

In India, the inaugural edition of the league is being broadcast with Hindi commentary on Star Sports while Star Cricket is showcasing select matches of the league in English. Live streaming of all the matches is also available on YouTube.

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) sanctioned HIL has players from as many as 11 countries. The first edition has witnessed participation from 5 teams namely Uttar Pradesh Wizards, Jaypee Punjab Warriors, Delhi Waveriders, Mumbai Magicians and Ranchi Rhinos.

List of syndication partners:
Sky Sports - New Zealand
Fox Sports - Australia and South East Asia (last 4 matches only)
Ten Sports - Pakistan, South East Asia, and Middle East North Africa
OSN - Middle East North Africa (non-Exclusive)
Supersport - South Africa (non-exclusive)
One World Sport - USA, Canada
Life OK - UK, Europe and South Africa