MUMBAI: Zee Marathi said Saturday that two of its shows, ?Dance Maharashtra Dance? and ?Home Minister?, have been selected in ?Greatest Shows on the Earth? series by RDF Television from Britain.

RDF Television has been commissioned to make ?The Greatest Shows on the Earth? by Channel 4, one of the four terrestrial broadcasters in the UK.
 
Zee Marathi business head Nikhil Sane said, "Zee Marathi has always launched shows that have inspired and set trends in Marathi Entertainment. Each show has catered to range of emotions; love, pride, honor, fulfillment, joy, tears of compassion. The shows are receiving great applause from nationally and internationally which boosts our enthusiasm. It gives us great pleasure and encouragement to give innovative and best quality entertainment to our viewers. Zee Marathi always believe on quality entertainment and chose to focus on the interpersonal relationships that reflects the ethos of region."

"?Dance Maharashtra Dance?is a show that is evidently well loved in the region and offers a window onto the very heart and soul of Indian life. Home Minister is a show that fascinates us in the way it celebrates the typical humble Maharashtrian housevives. We do not have anything like this in Britain," RDF Television- London executive producer of Greatest Shows on the Earth Teressa Watkins said.

Dance Maharashtra Dance is a dancing talent hunt show judged by Urmila Matondkar and mentored by Swaroop Medara, Devendra Shelar and Soniya Parchure.

Meanwhile, Home Minister is a game show where two families participate and compete with each other.

MUMBAI: Channel 4 has awarded IMG Sports Media the four-year production contract for the corporation?s exclusive horse racing coverage.

The deal includes all the sport?s premium events from January 2013 ? Cheltenham Festival, Aintree?s three-day John Smith?s Grand National meeting, the Investec Derby Festival from Epsom Downs, Royal Ascot, Glorious Goodwood and the entire Flat Season QIPCO British Champions Series.

The agreement, in operation from January 2013 till December 2016, runs alongside Channel 4?s four-year media agreement with Racecourse Media Group. In addition, Channel 4 Racing sponsors, Dubai, have signed a new four-year extension deal until 2016.

Channel 4 has also announced that acclaimed sports broadcaster Clare Balding will join as the lead presenter of Channel 4 Racing from 1 January. Her expertise and warmth will bring a new audience to the programmes, working alongside a combination of familiar and new talent to be announced later in the year.

Carl Hicks, BBC Sport Senior Programme Editor, will join IMG Sports Media to head up the team as Executive Producer, having recently edited the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The digital propositions for Channel 4?s horse racing coverage formed an important part of the tender process and Channel 4 and IMG Sports Media will relaunch channel4.com/racing and build new presences on other digital platforms.

MUMBAI: Television format creator and distributor FremantleMedia is showcasing entertainment formats, factual entertainment, exciting game shows and light-hearted comedy.

Competition is fierce as home cooks battle for the life-changing chance to have their original recipe turned into a sensational product for the nation?s supermarkets in Recipe to Riches, whilst in 1001 Things You Should Know contestants are challenged to test their ?common knowledge? as experts or celebrities quiz them on things that they really should know.

Big family format, Little Goliaths, pits adults against lofty benchmarks set by children in a range of unexpected challenges. Emotions run high in Help! My House is a Mess as an individual whose unhealthy compulsion to hoard gets the help they need to rebuild their lives and their homes. Fractured Families ? The Long Ride Home follows estranged parents and children as they undertake a tough adventure to re-build their damaged relationships. The gloves are on for original Japanese style game show The Boxing Glove, hidden camera fun and comedy antics are abound in Hit The Road Jack and family entertainment show Everyone Loves Animals spoofs the most recognised of TV formats, the news! Heritage shows Blockbusters, Man-O-Man and Play Your Cards Right round off FremantleMedia?s broad-based slate of international formats.

Trish Kinane, President of Worldwide Entertainment, FremantleMedia, said: "This is going to be another extremely exciting market and FremantleMedia?s MIPTV slate includes a strong line-up of fantastic new programmes in genres that continue to inspire audiences. We have a great mix of comedy, factual entertainment and game shows featuring some big new formats that are sure to make viewers laugh, cry and definitely keep them entertained! We also have some timeless heritage formats that are proven ratings winners and audience favourites that are perfectly suited to broadcaster?s schedules the world over."

Recipe to Riches is a new reality competition series that sees home cooks battle for a cash prize and the chance to have their original recipe chosen to be transformed into a new product to be sold in the nation?s supermarkets.

Created by Temple Street Productions, Recipe to Riches kicks off with a cross-country search for everyday cooks with extraordinary recipes in a new food category each week, from Sweet Puddings and Pies, to Cakes, Appetizers, Main Courses, or Sweet and Savoury Snacks. The top three finalists in each category fight for their recipes to be selected as category winner and to get their hands on a weekly cash prize. The winning recipes are transformed into products that are then immediately made available in grocery stores nationwide, allowing viewers to taste what they?ve seen being made on the show, before they cast their vote to decide the ultimate Recipe to Riches champion.

Family comes first with Little Goliaths, the big format which proves that size doesn?t matter. Little Goliaths sees adults test their skills against the lofty benchmarks set by talented youngsters in a range of challenges from arm wrestling to golf, spelling to speed-parking, and more. The kids think it?s a fun game, but for the adults it?s a little more serious as they challenge themselves to win a cash prize as they take on the towering targets set by their pint-sized adversaries. This entertaining new format from RTL Group and Next Big Thing is for the family with exceptional ratings already in Brazil, launching as the No.1 show in its timeslot with a 25 per cent share of all households.

The fun continues with 1001 Things You Should Know, the addictive new quiz game where contestants are quizzed by experts or celebrities on "common knowledge" questions that they really should already know the answer to ? but embarrassingly, often don?t! They aren?t rewarded for getting those right ? they really should know the answers anyway - but by answering them correctly our contestants can unlock trickier questions which can earn them lots of cash, and build up their pot against their opponents.

In 1001 Things You Should Know, it?s only by knowing what you should that will see you in with a chance to take home the winnings. This light hearted new game show is brimming with jeopardy and comes from FremantleMedia UK?s label, Thames.

When it comes to physical game shows, no one does it quite like the Japanese! The Boxing Glove is an original game show from Fuji TV in which every question is set by the ultimate Quiz Master, a giant boxing glove travelling towards the players at the speed of an express train. Only a correct answer can stop the glove, guaranteeing a funny and frantic game show that takes the Hole in the Wall concept to a whole new level. One wrong answer, one moment of hesitation, one slip of the tongue equals disaster ? a punch like Mike Tyson, and an icy bath.

Everyone Loves Animals sees one man and his ?dog? host a spoof news programme featuring amusing animal-based clips packaged and presented as news stories. The anchor and his ?newshound? (played by a comic actor) provide expert analysis and differing perspectives on hilarious news from the animal kingdom. Filled with humorous interactions and insight into the special and unique relationship that exists between one man and his dog, Everyone Loves Animals from Talkback is a fun show for the family. From criminal cats to piano playing pugs, this is the news as you?ve never seen it before, and it?s coming soon to BBC in the UK.

The comedy continues on tour with Magnum Media show Hit The Road Jack which sees a comedian travelling the country looking for local strangers to accommodate him. All the while, he is preparing for a live stand up gig about the area. Recently launched on Channel 4 in the UK, the show is a particular hit with young viewers.

Rounding off FremantleMedia?s packed slate of hit shows is a trio of heritage formats reimagined for modern audiences. Cult classic Blockbusters challenges contestants to answer a series of letter-based questions, guiding themselves to victory across the Blockbusters board, and is set to relaunch on Sky?s Challenge TV in the UK. Sassy dating show Man-O-Man puts ten men at the mercy of an audience full of women in a series of elimination challenges to demonstrate their dating credentials, while Play Your Cards Right is the international hit format that keeps generations of viewers glued to their screens with contestants answering questions as they try to take control the cards in a series of fun games.

MUMBAI: Channel 4 has become the new home of British horseracing after securing a four year terrestrial rights deal with the Racecourse Media Group (RMG), in association with Jockey Club Racecourses, Ascot Racecourse and other independent racecourses.

As a consequence, BBC, which was the incumbent rights holder, will no longer showcase British racing on its terrestrial platforms.

The four-year partnership will deliver around 90 days a year of terrestrial coverage of horseracing on Channel 4. The new arrangement will see all 35 races in the QIPCO British Champions Series of premier Flat racing broadcast on Channel 4.

Channel 4 will now exclusively broadcast the racing calendar from 2013 - Aintree?s three-day John Smith?s Grand National meeting, the Investec Derby Festival from Epsom Downs, Royal Ascot and the QIPCO British Champions Day from Ascot will come to the Channel.

Channel 4?s chief creative officer Jay Hunt said, "We are delighted Channel 4 is to become the sole destination for British horseracing after securing such iconic events as Royal Ascot, the John Smith?s Grand National and the Investec Derby. These will sit alongside our established coverage of The Cheltenham Festival and major flat meetings such as Glorious Goodwood and the Ebor Festival and means we can extend our distinctive approach to all the crown jewels of the sport."

The broadcaster aims to employ distinctive approach to marketing and promotion to bring the sport to committed racing fans and strengthen its relationship with younger and broader audiences alike and will seek to introduce new innovations and enhancements to the production values of its racing programming over the course of the new rights period.

Negotiations were led by Racecourse Media Group (RMG) alongside The Jockey Club, Ascot Racecourse and British Champions Series Ltd as rightsholders with Martin Baker, Director of Commercial Affairs, at the helm of the Channel 4 team.