MUMBAI: The festival might be over, but the festivities still continue. And the country biggest broadcaster Zee Network carries forward the festive spirit with the re-engineering of its English cluster channels ? Zee Caf? and Zee Studio. Both the channels will broadcast its transmission bug as an all-white logo. Both the channels ? Zee Caf? and Zee Studio, are amongst the few media brands to have been elevated to the SUPERBRAND status in 2010.

The new Zee Cafe packaging will define an all new experience of watching television. With a broad, confident and yet playful font, the new Zee Caf? logo connects to the modern and contemporary outlook of today?s audiences.

With an edgy pink-wine color palette, the channel personality seeks to re-align itself with its young urban audiences and their bold experimental tastes; where pink is no longer feminine, rather ubersexual.

This attitude is reflected in the content strategy Zee Caf? has adopted. Venturing away from a predominance of sitcoms, the channel has lined up a host of diverse shows, cutting across genres. The viewers will be served with fresh imports packed with action, thrill, and suspense. Introducing supernatural?fantasy drama The Vampire Diaries; an American police procedural drama The Mentalist; a science fiction drama; Flash Forward Zee Cafe looks all set to boost up the entertainment quota. In a move that will see the channel cater to a larger demographic, this new identity and the shows to air will find favor with a larger viewer base.

"We have been airing international content at less than 12 hours time difference from the American airing, for some time now. Having bridged the time gap for our viewers we decided to come up with something fresh for them. The popularity of English content is no longer confined to the metros alone. In fact English content is steadily finding favor in Tier 2 and 3 cities. Also, it is essential to shift focus from just the adults in the family to the younger members. And it is towards this end that we have decided to showcase content such as Vampire Diaries and Flash Forward. There is something for everyone in the new Zee Cafe!" explains Anurag Bedi, Business Head, Zee Cafe and Zee Studio.

The design attitude of Zee Studio portrays it not like a television channel, but instead as one of the major Hollywood movie studios. Looming large over a celestial fantasy-space, the channel redefines itself for a unique movie-viewing experience on television. The design motif across all its packaging elements is the ?eclipse? ? and behind the mystery of the rim light, lays a brilliant collection of fresh Hollywood movies coming soon on the channel.

"The new Zee Studio is a promise to our viewers... a promise that we are going to do more than just show you movies. With a mix of grandiose creativity and well researched trivia, the new Zee Studio‘s endeavor is to make movie watching (on television) an experience." enthuses Anurag Bedi.

The channels? new looks have been developed by the internationally-acclaimed Dunning Penney Jones and Medialuna, and have been created based on global standards. With a brand-conscious outlook, the new design has already captured both, people?s attention and imagination.
 

MUMBAI: In a star-studded ceremony Saturday night at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, Anuradha Koirala was named the 2010 CNN HERO OF THE YEAR, after nearly two million votes were cast at CNNHeroes.com. Actress Demi Moore introduced Anuradha Koirala (pronounced anoo-RA-da core-A-la) as one of the Top 10 CNN Heroes; host Anderson Cooper announced Koirala as the CNN HERO OF THE YEAR at the end of the evening, after a powerful performance by Grammy Award-winning band Sugarland. Each Top 10 CNN Hero received US$25,000, and Koirala?s organization, Maiti Nepal, will receive an additional US$100,000.

Anuradha Koirala is fighting to prevent the trafficking and sexual exploitation of Nepal‘s women and girls. Her group, Maiti Nepal, has facilities throughout Nepal and India, with its main campus in Kathmandu. Roughly translated, Maiti means "Mother‘s Home." By raiding brothels, patrolling the India-Nepal border and providing safe shelter and support services, Koirala and Maiti Nepal have helped rescue and rehabilitate more than 12,000 Nepali women and girls since 1993.

Koirala was voted CNN HERO OF THE YEAR from among the Top 10 CNN HEROES, who were all honored at Saturday‘s event. Celebrity presenters included Halle Berry, Kid Rock, Renee Zellweger, Jessica Alba, Marisa Tomei, Gerard Butler, Kiefer Sutherland, Aaron Eckhart, and LL COOL J. Bon Jovi, Sugarland and John Legend featuring Common & Melanie Fiona each performed.

CNN HEROES: AN ALL-STAR TRIBUTE, hosted by Cooper, will air globally on CNN on November 26, at 6:30 am IST with a repeat at 3:30 pm IST. The CNN HEROES gala is the only show of its kind - bringing out Hollywood‘s brightest stars to honor everyday people changing the world.

Now in its fourth year, CNN Heroes is a multiplatform campaign that shines a spotlight on individuals who go to extraordinary lengths to serve others; in 2010, the campaign received over 10,000 submissions from more than 100 countries. The Top 10 CNN Heroes were selected by an esteemed Blue Ribbon Panel, which included, Muhammad Ali, Sir Richard Branson, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, and Ricky Martin among other humanitarians.

More information, including video of the Top 10 CNN Heroes, links to their organizations, and highlights from previous CNN HEROES programming can be found at CNNHeroes.com

CNN HEROES: AN ALL-STAR TRIBUTE, hosted by Cooper, will air globally on CNN on November 26, at 6:30 am IST (repeat at 3:30 pm IST)

The CNN HEROES gala is the only show of its kind - bringing out Hollywood‘s brightest stars to honor everyday people changing the world.
 

MUMBAI: Enterprise Asia, a non government organization for entrepreneurship, named Rajesh Kamat, Chief Executive Officer ? COLORS and Group COO ? Viacom18, as one of the ?Outstanding Entrepreneurs of Asia Pacific for 2010?. The award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated entrepreneurial attributes, including the tenacity and perseverance to continue innovating and making a difference even in tough business environments. Noted lawyer, and Member of Parliament, Mr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi, conferred the honors to Kamat in an event on Nov 20th 2010 at the Hyatt Regency in New Delhi.

This award is recognition for Rajesh?s efforts to spearhead COLORS to the leadership position in a category that was crowded with more than 10 players.

Rajesh Kamat, CEO ? COLORS & Group COO ? Viacom18, said: ?I am deeply honored and humbled to receive the Outstanding Entrepreneur of Asia Pacific Award, by Enterprise Asia. Apart from my extremely competitive team, I am also thankful to my organization, Viacom18 that has given me the environment that encourages and supports the entrepreneurial spirit.?
 

MUMBAI: Maruti Suzuki India Limited, country?s largest carmaker has won the prestigious MMA Asia Pacific and the Global awards for its digital campaign ??Sports Sponsorship goes mobile.? The Awards are given to companies for the best use of mobile media for branding purposes, both in the Asia Pacific region and globally. The award ceremony was held at Los Angeles, USA, last week.

This is the first time that any Indian company has been chosen for these prestigious awards at a global level.

The awards Asia Pacific - Maruti Suzuki with Affle, Sports Sponsorship Goes Mobile and Global - Maruti Suzuki with Affle, Sports Sponsorship Goes Mobile were announced by Global Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) at the ceremony on November 17 at Mobile Marketing Forum in Los Angeles. M/s Affle are Maruti Suzuki?s mobile media partner, whose products and services were used to drive this campaign

Maruti Suzuki had executed ?Sports Sponsorship goes mobile? campaign in 2010 around two of the largest sporting ? The Indian Premier League (Cricket and FIFA World Cup.

It was a two-month long campaign which used multiple mobile media platforms like Affle?s SMS2.0, Mobile Internet, Voice Portals and SMS advertising. The campaign reached to over 7 million users delivering unprecedented engagement levels. With over 1.2 million engagements and a 7 % CTR (Click Through Rate), this campaign played a very important role to get Maruti Suzuki connect with it?s target audience effectively.

The MMA received hundreds of submissions from companies across the globe. Winners were selected by the MMA Awards Selection Committee that‘s comprised of global industry leaders from wireless carriers, technology and content providers, agencies, and industry publications.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Shashank Srivastava, Chief General Manager (Marketing), Maruti Suzuki said, ?We are delighted to have played a leadership role in use of mobile media in India and bring this global recognition to India for the first time. This campaign was a result of our study of changing consumer behaviour that showed a significant increase in the consumption of sports related content on the mobile phones. Based on this, Maruti Suzuki launched this campaign to increase company?s association with sports and build greater affinity with its target audience on their medium of choice. In the traditional media as well, Sports is highly consumed by our target group- which is the growing population of younger people in the country.?

MUMBAI: A reel world fantasy was brought to real life on the most popular show on Indian television, KBC 2010!!! Rahat Taslim, a homemaker from a remote village near Ranchi became the first Indian woman to win the most prestigious title in the annals of Indian television - - KBC 4 & its grand prize of Rs. 1 crore - - not by chance or luck but by sheer determination and hard work.

Rahat Taslim dreamt of success in spite of all the adversities in her life!! An aspiring doctor, she was married off at an early age and then forced to discontinue her studies. Through all these challenges that life hurled at her, Rahat always kept her head and spirits high and kept dreaming about her own boutique. Her thirst for information & knowledge ensured that she always kept herself abreast of news and current affairs, even while bringing up her two children and trying to add to her meager family income with tailoring tuitions.

Her endeavor to be a teacher also did not see the light of the day due to the conservative atmosphere in her society . . . and then out of the blue KBC happened. Immediately Rahat realized this was her destiny calling and that this was the one opportunity she was waiting for all these days! So despite stiff opposition from her husband who holds a job in a local company, she borrowed the airfare from her relatives and caught the first flight to Mumbai to fulfill her tryst with destiny. The rest as they say is history!

Once on the hot seat, the gritty housewife-embroidery teacher from yore dug in. And sailed through. Rahat?s calm logical answers and reasoning,her composure impressed one and all,right from the host Amitabh Bachchan,to the in-studio audience and the programming crew.

An excited Rahat Taslim said, "I am happy & feeling very special today. Having won KBC, I feel like a celebrity myself! KBC has helped me conquer my dreams, & am reallly grateful to Sony & its show. Bachchan Sir, made me very comfortable. He‘s such a big personality, yet he was talking to me, as if he‘s a common man himself. My wish to open a boutique & give high education for my kids, is now possible!"

Catch all the fun and excitement with Rahat Tasneem as she descends to play KBC and enthrall and entertain viewers like never before on Monday 22nd November, 9 PM onwards only on Sony Entertainment Television.
 

MUMBAI: Join us in the new series of Freewheeling: a big dream, a show that takes you into the depths of one of the world‘s most conservative carmakers to show you the various processes of conceiving a new model. On the latest season of Freewheeling, NDTV‘s Auto Editor Siddharth Vinayak Patankar brings some of those secrets to light

The show tracks the most difficult to reveal and unearth details of how a new car is made. The car in this case is the Etios, an ambitious project of Toyota soon to be seen on the on the Indian roads. The show brings to you the deepest details, the most complex research, and the intricate layers of how the new car is planned, designed and then built

So how will this work? What goes into making such a car? And will it work in markets outside India too? For answers to these and many more questions, and lots more, watch Freewheeling: A Big Dream, starting today at NDTV Profit at 7:30 pm and repeat telecast tomorrow at 3:00 pm.