After Indian Idol 2, Airtel has joined hands with Sony Entertainment Television once again bring to its customers an opportunity to participate in the third season of the musical talent hunt.

To participate, Airtel mobile and fixed line customers can call and register for an audition for Indian Idol for which registrations open from 23 March and closes on 29 March 29.

Each registration by an Airtel customer will be screened by the team at Sony Entertainment Television. The ones selected randomly will be called for an audition in Mumbai on 4 April and the selection will be conducted at the discretion of the television network, informs an official release. (more…)

Kunal Dasgupta, CEO of Sony Entertainment Television (SET), has got a two-year extension as the head honcho of the company. Mr Dasgupta’s contract with SET was scheduled to end in June 2007.

This makes Mr Dasgupta, who stepped into the top slot in 1996, the longest running CEO in the history of any media or entertainment company. While speculation was rife that Mr Dasgupta’s term at SET would end, the two-year extension gains importance in the light of SET’s IPO plans.

The SET India board has appointed Manjit Singh as chairman, replacing Michael Grindon, president of Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI), who will continue as a board member. Mr Grindon has chaired the board since SPTI and its JV partners launched SET India in 1995 with one channel, Sony Entertainment Television. (more…)

After a little over eight years at Sony Entertainment Television India, Anil Garg, the broadcast network’s chief technology officer, has resigned.

Garg says he is taking a break for a while, after which he plans to work on new ventures in the technology domain.

A technology geek to the core, Garg is acknowledged as one of the founders of the internet in India. (more…)

Sony Entertainment Television has acquired the global satellite rights for a package of films, including blockbuster hit Lage Raho Munnabhai, from leading Bollywood media and entertainment major Eros international.

The deal gives Sony retain exclusive broadcasting rights to the original version of a slate of titles for five years and includes recent films like Salaam-e-ishq as well as upcoming releases like Namastey London.

Sunil Lulla, the director and president for india at Eros international, was quoted in an official statement as saying: “We have a strong relationship with all the leading indian television networks and are delighted that Eros’ content will now be showcased on Sony Entertainment Television. (more…)

Sony Entertainment Television (SET) is back in the hunt for cricket properties after losing out on the Ten Sports deal and withdrawing from the race for the iCC World Cup 2007 cricket rights.

The firm is believed to have offered to buy 26% in the Nimbus subsidiary, Neo Sports, which operates the two india-focused cricket channels. Sony is believed to have offered Rs 315 crore for the 26%, valuing the fledgling company at over Rs 1,200 crore.

Sources say talks have been on for a month, and the SET board is believed to have approved the acquisition. The Neo Sports board has called for a meeting in the second week of March to consider the deal. (more…)

While indian idol served as the ultimate platform for budding singers from across the nation, to realize their dreams the show went on to become the most entertaining and involving show to hit indian television. in keeping with its philosophy of offering innovative and distinct content, Sony Entertainment Television, now announces the launch of the third series of this groundbreaking phenomenon, with an even bigger bang!

indian idol is a ‘made-for-television phenomenon’ that combines drama and reality with music, humour, thrill and glamour. The last two seasons of the show experienced a collage of emotions, raising levels of viewer frenzy and excitement coupled with the contestants’ tears and joys, heartbreak and jubilation, learnings and achievements. With its immense popularity, indian idol will continue to showcase exceptional talent on the nation’s biggest platform. The indian idol journey in search of - ‘Ek Awaaz Jispar Ho Desh Ko Naaz’ promises to become an integral part of the viewers’ lives drawing ardent support and a voting frenzy.

This year too, indian idol will give the people of this nation the opportunity to chase their dreams and the power to make one talented aspirant ‘Bharat Ki Shaan’. in addition to a recording contract with Sony BMG, the ‘indian idol’ will be awarded a contract with Sony Entertainment Television worth Rupees One Crore, thus catapulting him/her to unparalleled stardom, fame and fortune. (more…)

Karamchand, india’s first detective series took the small screen by storm by gathering a massive fan following and soon giving it a cult status. The popularity of this detective was so high that even eating his favourite carrots became a fad! This was almost 2 decades ago.

The carrot-munching quixotic detective Karamchand and his ditsy assistant, Kitty, will be back on Sony Entertainment Television from February 10, every Saturday at 9 p.m.

The country’s very first detective series sure dangled the carrot for others to follow. Many detective serials were launched but none with the style and panache of Karamchand. This series is a delightful mix of humour and logic. (more…)

Sony Entertainment Television has announced its blockbuster movie line-up on the eve of Diwali and Eid. You can watch ‘Humko Deewana Kar Gaye’ and ‘Golmaal’. On Sony Tv and Max Television in October

‘Humko Deewana Kar Gaye’ stars Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif. It will be shown on MAX on Sunday 22nd October at 13:00.

‘Golmaal’ stars Ajay Devgan, Arshad Warsi and Rimi Sen will showcased on Sony Entertainment Television Asia on the same day (22nd October) at 20:00.

“Alag” the adventures movie of Akshay Kapoor can be seen on Sony Tv on Saturday 21st of October at 08.00 PM

MAX has scheduled ‘Mughal-E-Azam’ (Wednesday 25th October at 21:00) and ‘Veer Zaara’ (Sunday 22nd October at 17:00) for Eid.

Sony Entertainment Television is all set to hit the airwaves from 18 August. The one hour show “Man Mein Hai Visshwas”, produced by Creative Eye will be aired every Friday at 8 pm. The slot was earlier occupied by Deal Ya No Deal.

Series Man Mein Hai Visshwas is about real life miracles evolved from man’s unshakable faith. Each episode will showcase experiences of people whose lives have changed after they experienced incidents that can be described as nothing but miracles. The show will have Nitish Bharadwaj as the narrator of the show.

NP Singh said, “Man Mein Hai Visshwas is a combination of mythology, drama and reality that will carve a niche for itself in the prime time band. This show incorporates short stories that are real and based on intense faith and devotion people have on a deity or temple. This unique blend of realism and mythology we hope will capture the viewers’ attention. The show in simple terms is all about unshakable faith that makes miracles happen.”

The show will also include real life experiences from famous artists like Pandit Jasraj amongst others. Sony will unleash a six week on-air campaign on its network channels to build reach and frequency for the show. The print ads will be launched on 18 August in all Hindi speaking markets to create awareness. Apart from this, radio and cable will also be used to build frequency across all FM stations and Vividh Bharti.

Sri Adhikari Brothers Television Network Ltd has entered into a tie-up with Sirasa TV ,the leading Channel of Sri Lanka’s , owned by Maharaja Group, Sri Lanka. SABTNL will be providing concepts and technical expertise and produce the programmes jointly with Sirasa TV, the company informed the BSE and the NSE today.

Sab TV is now a part of Sony Entertainment Television, it was re-launched with a refreshing new look and feel. In its new avatar Sab has moved from being a comedy-centric channel to a general entertainment channel. Sirasa TV is the Sinhala language channel, it has the highest gross rating points of any channel in Sri Lanka. The programme content comprises entertainment, news and current affairs.