The season 3 of the Bigg Boss television reality show, to be hosted by Amitabh Bachchan, is all set for the small screen.

The Bigg Boss season 3 will take off on October 4, 2009, and will be telecast daily at 9 p.m.

The initial season of Bigg Boss was a huge hit, making all the housemates house-hold names in India. Rakhi Sawant, who was a starlet till then, went on to milk it to the full becoming a celebrity in her own right. Housemates voted her out, but she was brought back on popular demand.

The second season of Bigg Boss was hosted by Big Brother UK winner Shilpa Shetty. Compared to the first season, the second season was relatively a bore. However, there was interest because of Rahul Mahajan, son of late Promad Mahajan in the show and his rumoured love interest in another housemate, Monica Bedi, ex-partner of gangster Abu Salem.

Amitabh Bachchan, who plays the role of ‘Pop Philosopher’ on the show, will make his appearance on Fridays and Saturdays. He will play the role of a connecting link between the show’s viewers and housemates (participants) – by performing such duties as analysing the developments in the house, decoding the show participants’ behaviour as well as acting as a sounding board for the housemates.

And, with the Bigg Boss season 3, Amitabh Bachchan is making his comeback to the television in India after a break of nearly 4 years. Latest story about Amitabh Bachchan from this site

The TV show Kaun Banega Crorepati, hosted by Amitabh Bachchan, has been a huge success in early 2000. The reality show set had records on the Indian TV, and the lion’s share of the credit went to Bachchan, making him an icon on the small screen, too. Kaun Banega Crerepati was later hosted by Shah Rukh Khan.

In an interview to CNN-IBN, the Big B spoke about his comeback to the TV, on the concept of the Bigg Boss reality show as also on why he was “intrigued” by the show.

He explained that the Bigg Boss reality show is one that has “intrigued me immensely as a viewer” because of its format, the contestants, and the psychological battle in the house. “My role,” Amitabh Bachchan told CNN-IBN in the interview, “gives me the chance to help viewers comprehend emotions and the simple philosophies of life.”

Bachchan said in the interview he felt that it was “unusual” to make 13 people live in a very enclosed area for as long as 3 months. “I wondered what would go on in their mind and heart, what would their behaviour be in such strenuous circumstances, and I thought it would be interesting to study each one of them or the ones who get evicted,”

However, reports say that Annu Kapoor will not be there for the Bigg Boss season 3.

Annu Kappor has been quoted as saying that she was invited to appear in the third edition of the Bigg Boss, but he declined the offer.

Annu Kapoor – who became very popular by hosting the singing reality show Antakshari – reportedly said that appearing on the Bigg Boss 3 would be “against his ethics” and that participating in that kind of a show “went against my culture.” “I can’t compromise with my values because of the Bigg Boss,” Annu Kapoor was quoted as explaining.

The grapevine has it that experienced actress Loveleen Mishra, who played Chutki in the hit show Hum Log in 1984, is likely to participate in the Bigg Boss season 3.

It is also rumoured that actress Poonam Dhillon too has been invited to participate.

There are some rumours that the Colors TV channel is actively trying to get former Bollywood superstar Rajesh Khanna to participate in Bigg Boss 3. However, there is no independent confirmation of the same. The Rajesh Khanna of today is hardly the lovable superstar of yesterday – however his presence might get a lot of people to watch Bigg Boss 3 out of curiosity. At this point, however, let’s treat it as just a rumour.

In the promotional campaign of the Bigg Boss season 3, while the first part announced the Bigg Boss’s arrival with Amitabh Bachchan, the second part sought suggestions from viewers as to who they wanted to see their iconic actor in the house.

The other promotional drives included Bachchan him “questioning and understanding” on the varied aspects of the reality show – like, for example, asking viewers whether they can live away from their children for as many as 80 days.

A music video, in which Amitabh Bachchan both acts and sings, is to be telecast soon.

Apart from this, the website UTVi.com is to be re-branded as bloombergutv.com

In a press release, UTV Software Communications Limited said it is India’s leading global integrated media house with business interests in television, broadcasting, games, movies, and new media. UTV India and its subsidiaries, according to the company, create, aggregate and disseminate content of various genres across varied distribution platforms.

The addition of 14-15 million television sets in India every year will “drive viewership of business news in the country,” according to Ronnie Screwvala, chairman of UTV News.

The co-branded television channel will “deliver unsurpassed real-time business, economic and political news to households across India,” UTV Software Communications said in the press release, adding that the new business channel will become “the premier outlet for broadcasting business and financial news.”

UTVi, the English-language business news channel promoted by UTV Software Communications Limited, was launched in 2008.

Andy Lack, chief executive of Bloomberg Multimedia group, said in a statement that Bloomberg, by working with UTV, is trying “to realise the shared vision of the two firms for business and financial television.”

According to the planned deal between Bloomberg and UTV Software Communications, Bloomberg, reportedly, will get a 10% stake in UTV News Limited; the business channel UTVi will get Bloomberg’s content and also will become a co-branded channel named Bloomberg-UTV.

In addition, Bloomberg will get a licence fee, but the payments will be staggered over a period of many years and Bloomberg has sought a share of the UTVi channel’s revenues.

UTVi, launched in 2008, is said to be at the bottom of the ratings list for business-news television channels, behind such channels as NDTV and CNBC TV18. Though UTVi channel has a content tie-up with ABC News, UTVi has virtually stopped using the ABC News content.

In the statement, UTV Software Communications said that, for the first time, the local newsgathering, distribution and production expertise of UTVi will be combined with the “deep financial-news capabilities and global reach of Bloomberg in order to broadcast news and information for and about the Indian market.”

Television viewers in India will have access to Bloomberg Television network’s global feed, supported by 145 Bloomberg news bureaus worldwide.

Bloomberg-UTV, the UTV Software Communications elaborated, will incorporate extensive international programming elements from Bloomberg Television’s worldwide network and the editorial and production teams of both organisations will cooperate closely.

The Indian edition – priced at Rs 75 – will have a mix of Indian and international content and serve as a “tool kit” for entrepreneurs with information on a variety of subjects like finance, investments, hiring, technology as well as inspirational stories, according to the publishers.

Lakshmi Narasimhan, chief executive officer (magazine publishing) of Infomedia18 told reporters that “India’s small-scale businesses, having 42 million-plus business units, offer the biggest opportunity worldwide.” The company sees this as “the right time” to launch a business magazine “to become a part of this important ecosystem.”

The magazine would be made available across India through “the strong distribution network” of Infomedia18.

“Entrepreneurship,” according to Lakshmi Narasimhan, “is a flourishing concept and yet entrepreneurs in India tread a lonely path, and Entrepreneur aims at “filling the void in the life of every entrepreneur in India.”

According to Peter Shea, chairman and publisher of Entrepreneur Media Incorporated, the company’s vision is “to continue extending its expertise to as many viable regions as possible as well as to support the social and economic benefits of entrepreneurship globally.”

The publishers claim the Indian edition of Entrepreneur targets the small and medium business units, businessmen who already have ventures and also those people who aspire to become entrepreneurs.

In a press release, Bipin Chandran, Editor of the Indian edition of Entrepreneur, said that the magazine’s approach to content will be “different” in that it will offer “practical business tips as well as highlight opportunities, which an entrepreneur in India can benefit from.”

The Indian edition of Entrepreneur, a general business magazine, will compete with Indian business magazines such as Business Today and Business World.

The Entrepreneur magazine, which has existed in the United States for the last 32 years, claims to have a readership of 3 million readers each month. Also, it has a presence in many nations, including Russia, Mexico, South Africa and the Philippines.

Network18 currently publishes the business magazine Forbes India, in partnership with international business publisher Forbes Media, which publishes the magazine Forbes.

In India, the total revenue from print-media advertising was around Rs 9,000 crore in 2008 – with magazines making up about 10% of this amount. However, business magazines at present account for just 2% of the total revenues from the print media.

With the funding, Doordarshan will be able to upgrade its infrastructure in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai to telecast the Commonwealth Games in HDTV format.

indiatelevision.com has reported that the requisite equipment will have to be imported at a cost of around Rs 1.6 billion. The remaining Rs 50 million has been earmarked for recurring expenditure for project implementation and spectrum charges.

Reports say that the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) ministry has shortlisted five broadcasters, namely, Tokyo Broadcasting, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, USA’s International Sports Broadcasting and International Games Broadcast Services.

As of now Prasar Bharati’s transmitters are largely on analog mode. The HDTV format will enable Prasar Bharati to provide superior picture and sound quality to viewers. Though, viewers will need HDTV-enabled TVs or a set-top box to view the programming in HDTV.

Meanwhile, in other news about the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the Supreme Court of India overturned a Delhi High Court ruling that required the setting up of a committee to monitor the construction at the Commonwealth Games Village (CGV) in Delhi.

As per the Supreme Court judgment, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) can now continue to build the CGV.

“Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and other authorities are free to proceed with the work at the CWG village site,” the Supreme Court said.

The High Court ruling had come after a petition was made that the construction of the CGV would have an adverse effect on the ecology of the Yamuna river bed that would lead to the changing of the river’s course causing flooding.

The High Court then gave the directive that a committe should be set up to ascertain whether the CGV site complex was, in fact, being built on the Yamuna riverbed or flood plain.

The DDA appealed to the Supreme Court against the ruling saying that the project had received environmental clearances including that from National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI).

The DDA also pointed out that that the Akshardham Temple was built 1.7 km away from the Yamuna river bed and that the CGV site was situated 1.2 kms away from the river bed.

It also said that the stalling of the project just some time away from the 2010 Commonwealth games would jeopardize its sovereign guarantee for holding the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. The government has already pumped in Rs 2,000 into the project, and is already behind schedule.

The Supreme Court accepted this and said the construction site of the CGV site was adjacent to that of the Akshardham Temple complex, and therefore the same considerations should be applied to the building of the CGV.

The Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justices P. Sathasivam and B.S. Chauhan upheld the appeal and said the observation and conclusion of the High Court was unsustainable.

“The decision of the expert and autonomous body, NEERI, supported by materials placed by other bodies such as Central Water Power Research Station and the ministry of environment and forest (MoEF), the same cannot be lightly interfered with by the court without adequate contra material,” Justice Sathasivam, the author of the judgment, said.

The bench also held that the High Court had not taken into consideration of experts and scientific organisations that have categorically maintained that the CGV site is not located on a riverbed or a flood plain.

The Supreme Court also said that the High Court should not have entertained the PIL since it was file in 2007, eight years after the land was alloted in 1999.

The apex court also set aside the committee that was put together by the High Court to examine the construction of the CGV from an ecological vantage point.

Meanwhile, a special commissioner of police was appointed by the government, for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, on July 28, 2009.

The new commissioner of police, Ajay Chadha, was transferred from Arunachal Pradesh where he was Director General of Police.

Cover photo of The Spectator magazine June 13, 2009 issue

The Registrar of Newspapers in India had approved the title in April 2009.

The Spectator is owned by the publishers of the The Daily Telegraph, the Barclay brothers. Spectator India is the second foreign magazine to be launched under the ‘news and current affairs’ section after Forbes India, which was launched by Network18 Group.

Telegraph Publications Pvt. Ltd, a unit of ABP that publishes The Telegraph in Kolkata, was granted the permission to publish the Indian version of The Spectator on July 3, 2009, by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB).

Spectator India will be a monthly magazine that will carry articles related to Indian politics, arts and culture.

The Spectator was first published in July 6, 1828 and since then has informed its readers about current happenings, arts, literature and everyday issues though in a more conservative vein.

An Australian edition of The Spectator was launched in late 2008.

Apart from Spectator India, the ABP group also plans to launch the Indian edition of Fortune magazine. In October 2007, the ABP Group has said that it had entered into an agreement with Time Warner to publish the India edition of Fortune by February 2008.

International newspapers who are looking to launch local editions got the go-ahead from the government in January 2009. As per the policy changes, international newspapers could now publish facsimile editions.

The government now allows 100% foreign direct investment (FDI) subject to prior government approval for the publication of the facsimile editions of international media outfits on the condition that the investment is made by the owner of the original newspaper.

Other international newspapers that are planning to launch India editions are The Wall Street Journal, International Herald Tribune, and Financial Times.

The all new edition especially catalogs extraordinary achievements of 20 Indians who have done India proud.

The top 20 People of the Year are Amitabh Bachchan, Sachin Tendulkar, G Madhvan Nair, Bhaichung Bhutia, Mohanlal, Abhinav Bindra ,Lata Mangeshkar,  Rajdeep Sardesai, Naseeruddin Shah, Dr. P Venugopal, Saina Nehwal, Mahasweta Devi, Raghu Rai, Dr S Ramesh Babu, Anu Aga, Sudarshan Pattnaik, K. Sudhakar, Yudhbir Singh Khyalia, Abdul Kareem, and  Arvind Kejriwal.

With 19 informative chapters, the 2009 edition of the record book celebrates over 10,000 remarkable achievements out of which 6,000 are new records, all showcasing extraordinary feats of Indians across the globe, said the company.

The 20th edition of the record book was launched at a special event attended by the “People of the Year.”

The Hindi edition of the record book was unveiled by Amitabh Bachchan. For the first time a Malayalam edition was also unveiled by Dr. G Madhavan Nair, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).

According to Atul Singh, President & CEO Coca-Cola India, “Limca Book of Records has always been a platform for Indians, unknown, unheard and unsung, to showcase their special talents.”

He said that, in its 20th edition, the book also acknowledges the significant contribution of 20 prominent Indian luminaries from various walks of life by felicitating them as ‘People of the Year.’

The outstanding achievements of these 20 stalwarts and other record holders in the latest edition reveal the grandeur of 20 glorious years of Limca Book of Records, he added.

The 20th avatar of Limca Book of Records incorporates achievements across 19 fields like Sports, Medical Science, Government, Development, Painting, Literature, Cinema, and Theatre.

A special arena featuring record holders from Limca Book of Records has also been set up.

At this arena, some of the record holders showcasing their extraordinary talent, including a Christmas tree of gems, a unique feat of standing motionless, the largest artwork using poats (beads), largest collection of erasers, and Bharatanatyam performance on wheels.

The 2009 edition of the record book features over 10,000 remarkable achievements of which 6,000 are new records from all corners of the country. Additionally, year 2009 plans also include organizing Limca Book of Records Quizzes, in 3000 schools across 75 cities, to promote knowledge and awareness amongst the young minds of the country.

The comic is owned and published by Teshkee Media Group, Kuwait.

The production of The 99 series will start in January 2009. The major elements of production of the series will be undertaken by Sanraa Media where as the day-to-day production work will taken care of by Endemol. The 99, a 3D animation series, will comprise of 26 episodes.

“Under the agreement, the entire production for the 3D Animated Series, comprising 26 episodes, will be done by Sanraa Media and day-to-day production will be overseen by Endemol,” the company said.

“The co-production deal also entitles Sanraa Media to the rights of distributing the series in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand,” said Sanraa director Sukumar Subramanian.

The deal also mentions that the series distribution rights in the territories of India, Srilanka, Pakistan, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia will be claimed by Sanraa and the distribution process for the rest of the world will be overseen by Endemol International, the world-wide licensing and distribution leg of Endemol. The first series will commence in January 2009 and will end by 2010.

Endemol is owned by a consortium comprising Goldman Sachs Capital Partners, Mediaset Group and Cyrte Group.

The 99 revolves around 99 superheroes who work together to combal evils and undergo many adventures in the process. All the superheroes are from 99 different countries.

Each superhero upholds one out of 99 global values such as wisdom, mercy, strength or faithfulness.

The U.S based production major Turner International now intends to enter the GEC (General Entertainment Channel) genre in India. The Turner group is now in a joint venture with the Alva Brothers Entertainment and has formed a new company called Real Global Broadcasting. This will be their first project in the GEC and promises to grab the attention of Indian viewers.

Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific Inc. president Steve Marcopoto said that they are excited to take their next step with Alva Brothers Entertainment and with the launch of Real –  their upcoming channel, they feel that India is one of their biggest growth opportunities and that they are now in a position to grab a decent share of the market.

Real’s differentiation is based on its approach to the manner in which it draws on ‘Real People’ and ‘Real Stories’ to create ‘Real Entertainment’ ” says the Alva Brothers Entertainment co-promoter and director Niret Alva. He also added that the channel has been specifically concocted for ‘Neo Indians’ who are urban oriented and broad minded.

The channel “REAL”  will go air in March 2009 and assures that Real will be successful with the young Indian Television viewers who will have a penchant for their daily soaps like “Vicky Ki Taxi” and “Hindi Hai Hum” and reality shows like “Sarkar Ki Duniya “ and “ Poker face”.

Vicky plays the reluctant protagonist in “Vicky Ki Taxi” with lots of twists and turns as the story progresses.
“Hindi Hai Hum” on the other hand tries to bring into people’s attention the power of unity among the youthful Indians.

Real is a digitally encrypted channel and will be available on various digital platforms and cable systems. Zee turner bouquet will be their distributors and the channel can be down linked from IntelSat-10.

RGM will begin their marketing and advertisements for their newly introduced channel from mid-February 2009.

Another English channel for India by the Turner International group which was supposed to be launched by the end of 2008 is delayed. When asked about the genre of their next release, Marcoopto replied that the new channel would be a mix of Hollywood movies and popular serials, while HBO featured more of Hollywood blockbusters. He added that the channel would be positioned differently for a different set of audiences.

Turner International already operates channels like CNN, HBO, POGO and Cartoon Network in India.

The MDU is a customized DTH solution targeted to tap various sections of housing societies, commercial complexes and new townships where a single dish antenna can provide the DTH connection to multiple households. This circumvents the need for installing individual dish antennas for every household connection.

BIG TV has already bagged 1 million subscribers in a short span of 90 days and now plans to drive large group deals in residential clusters, hospitality businesses and business parks through the MDU installations. The company is targeting a market share of 40% per cent in the MDU segment within the first year of operations.

According to Mahesh Prasad, President – Reliance Communications, “MDUs are a natural extension of a DTH service. Our MDU service offers a perfect solution to residential complexes which are not too keen to have too many dish antennas peeking out of balconies and where the Line of Sight to the satellite is not very clear. As part of our marketing and sales strategy, the MDU service will help generate volumes in residential clusters.”

Big TV will provide the MDU connection to the entire residential complex through a single large dish antenna linked to individual Set Top Boxes (STBs) in various households within the premises.  The MDU dish size varies between 90 cms and 120 cms depending on the number of households it services. The cost of hardware will be borne by BIG TV. Each household participating in the scheme gets one STB as a part of BIG TV’s MDU scheme.

Despite the common dish antenna being installed, each household will have the freedom to choose their own channel package including the free regional pack offered with the inaugural channel pack. Subscribers will also have the option of opting for any of the various entry offers that are available for them to choose from.

As part of its aggressive push to generate MDU volumes, BIG TV has set-up a dedicated pan-India network of 350 direct sales agents and 500 member installation team to handle MDU business. BIG TV has already installed MDUs at over 1,500 locations and close to 4,000 locations are in the installation process.

The company has also kicked off a series of road shows across India as part of its marketing efforts to generate awareness and drive subscription sales in these markets.

The PVR BlueO centres will be set up in association with Thailand’s Major Cineplex group with which it entered into a 51:49 JV in February 2008, to establish and operate bowling alleys, karaoke centres, ice skating rinks and gaming zones, in the country.

The first BluO entertainment centres would be opened in Gurgaon by the end of December 2008.

After that, PVR BlueO centres will be opened in Bangalore and Chennai.

To aid their movie distrbution and production business, the PVR BlueO centres will have “experience zones” that will allow companies to exhibit their brands.

PVR also plans associations with various companies to add new features to the PVR BlueO centres. Discussions are on with Microsoft and Sony for gaming zones, wellness product company Osim for ‘relaxation zones’ and with liquor brands for wine tasting events.

Major Cineplex plans to spend Rs 10 crore on the venture.

Currently, PVR has cineplexes in 14 cities in India: New Delhi, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Gaziabad, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Lucknow, Aurangabad, Indore, Baroda, Hyderabad, Ludhiana, Bangalore and Latur.