Basant Rathore of Jagran Prakashan Ltd talks about the eight edition of the Jagran Film Festival. Vikram Tanna of Discovery Communications India talks about TLC’s new show, Queens of Comedy, that will feature the best female comedians in the country
‘THE JAGRAN FILM FESTIVAL JOURNEY HAS BEEN VERY FULFILLING’
In its effort to create a culture of cinema appreciation, The Jagran Prakashan Group has been organising the Jagran Film Festival (JFF) and now in its eighth year, JFF will have over 400 screenings across multiple cities. In addition, this year Jagran Prakashan hosted The Jagran Cinema Summit which saw cinema stalwarts come together to discuss the future of films. Basant Rathore, Sr VP - Strategy, Business Development & Brand at Jagran Prakashan Ltd tells us about the two initiatives
On Jagran Cinema Summit: The film industry is on a cusp of change - new writers are coming in, new themes are being explored, new techniques of film making are being used and there's a huge stream of new talent coming in. More than ever, the contours of the business of cinema are changing, and you can see the way films are being marketed and distributed. At the same time with digital streaming, new formats and different screen sizes, there is a huge change in how people consume cinema. The industry needs a platform to discuss and debate some of these issues. The Jagran Cinema Summit is an initiative from the Jagran Group to fulfil this long standing gap.
On Jagran Film Festival : We've had a fantastic journey over the last eight years. We've been able to take Cinema to markets no one ever ventured towards. The festival has made its space in the cultural calendar of these towns. We're still young, but we are earnest and want to take new stories to newer places. The journey has been very fulfilling and has elevated our brand stature even further and has enabled us to connect with our audiences better. Through this initiative, we are the window to the world which our readers expect us to be.
‘WITH QUEENS OF COMEDY, TLC ROOTS FOR GIRL POWER’
Queens of Comedy, the new show on Discovery Communications’ channel TLC, will feature female comedians competing to be the best woman comedian in the country. Vikram Tanna, VP, Head of Advertising Sales & Business Head of Regional Clusters, South Asia, Discovery Communications India, tells us more about this show that goes live on September 24.
Insight behind the show Queens of Comedy: We did a consumer deep dive to understand the female millennials. The young, urban Indian female millennial is opinionated and restless. She is a digital native, a global citizen. She has strong aspirations and is ready to experiment and take risks. The urban Indian millennial seeks fun, respect and freedom. The content available on almost all mainstream channels is mostly stereotyped and therefore doesn’t engage her. On the other hand, on TLC with content such as Queens of Comedy, we are rooting for Girl Power!
The comedy genre has exploded over the last few years in India with new comedy clubs sprouting and stand-up comedians achieving celebrity status. However, the limelight seems to be squarely focused on the men. Given this scenario, TLC’s Queens Of Comedy – India’s first-ever female comedy show provides a unique platform to talented female comedians to compete with the best, and prove that when it comes to being funny, they can give the men a run for their money!
Advertiser response and sponsors on board: Queens of Comedy has garnered huge traction from the advertiser community in the country. Fiama has come on board as the presenting sponsor, while the show is co-powered by Ossum; Lotus Youth RX is our beauty partner and Fastrack has come on board as our ‘styled-by’ partner. There are associate sponsors too such as Canon and Kohler. The concept is clutter-breaking and therefore engages well with the advertisers, which has resulted in a complete sell out at significant premium.
