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<ul><li><keyword id="17942" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sony-Entertainment-Television">Sony Entertainment Television</keyword> was launched on October 8, 1995.</li><li>From one channel, they have became a 24-channel network with a digital OTT service SonyLIV, a film production arm, <keyword id="10077323" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="spn-productions">SPN Productions</keyword>, and a content creation studio, Studio NEXT.</li><li><keyword id="305969" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="NP-Singh">NP Singh</keyword>, MD &amp; CEO, SPN writes a letter celebrating SPN's important milestone in the last 25 years.</li></ul>SPN@25: <keyword id="10077324" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="creating-impact-with-purpose">Creating Impact with Purpose</keyword> NP Singh, MD &amp; CEO, SPN In the early 1990’s the Indian broadcast industry was in its infancy. When the government opened the country’s airwaves in 1991, a few visionaries seized the opportunity. One of these was Sony, known mainly for its massive consumer electronics business and Hollywood studios. They entered the Indian market on October 8, 1995, with the launch of a Hindi entertainment channel, Sony Entertainment Television. From one channel, bit by bit, we became a 24-channel network with a digital OTT service SonyLIV, a film production arm, SPN Productions, and a content creation studio, Studio NEXT. The company has steadily grown over the years to an employee count of around 1200, with its services available across 167 countries and reaching over 700 million viewers. Today, Sony Pictures Networks (SPN), with aggressive growth demonstrated in the last few years, is among the top entertainment and sports networks in the country, recognized as an employer of choice within and outside the media fraternity. Thinking back, the strategy from the start has not only revolved around running a successful business but also creating impact for all stakeholders coupled with the intent of building a brand known for innovative content. It is my firm belief, doing things only for the sake of doing, inevitably leads to stagnancy than success. Impact is a true measure of organizational vision. When one talks about creating impact there is no better example than the bold bet on the IPL. This was uncharted territory in 2007 when cricket leagues were unheard of. We invested in it when there were hardly any believers and molded it into one of the most valuable <keyword id="5666248" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sports-Entertainment">sports entertainment</keyword> properties in the country. Rest, as they say, is history. Creating category firsts over the years stands out when I look back. After the launch of SET in 1995 came the launch of Sony MAX in 1999. It was a one of its kind channel that offered to our viewers blockbuster Hindi movies, cricket and special events. This created a unique and unparalleled three-pronged channel identity which has not been replicated since. Challenging the status quo has always been in SPN’s DNA. Some of the India’s most iconic entertainment properties that have stood the test of time have been from the SPN stable. We have pioneered many a trend in the market and are immensely proud of it. I am also gratified that SPN has always observed fiscal discipline. This has been a key reason for our success in a highly competitive space. We have invested where we expected a strong strategic and economic value and exited from properties which appeared unviable over the longer term. In the last 25 years, we have only invested where we knew there was a clear ROI. Acquiring SAB took our entertainment business to another level, giving us a strong market share of <keyword id="9473540" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="hindi-general-entertainment">Hindi general entertainment</keyword>. We acquired TEN Sports to further strengthen our place in sports entertainment and that too worked well for us. Another acquisition that has worked really well is Sony Aath. We took our time to launch a kid’s channel, Sony YAY! The new channel had to come up with a unique proposition in a cluttered category, and it did so through homegrown content; again, a category first. Our foray into the regional language space with the recent launch of Sony Marathi shows great promise. We have had a fair share of challenges but have always taken them head-on. Through rigorous focus, our flagship channel SET has been turned around and now, is a torchbearer for relevant, progressive content. Presently, our footprint pervades the categories and genres of English, regional and factual entertainment besides Hindi entertainment, sports and movies. Societal reflections have been delicately portrayed in our movies; be it the story of a legendary mathematician (Shakuntala) or an inspirational hockey star (Soorma) or the fun side of arranged marriages (Mubarakan) and father-daughter relationships (Piku).Truly, film productions under our banner have left lasting impressions. We realised early on that digital needed to be the cornerstone of our strategy. In 2013, SPN became the first broadcaster in the country to launch an OTT platform. For all practical purposes, SonyLIV was like a start-up in an established organization and this came with its own set of challenges. But today, SonyLIV in its refreshed avatar, with its emphasis on premium original web series, live sports, global content, movies in multiple languages and popular entertainment content from our linear business, is among the most watched OTT platforms in India. I am very confident of its bright future. What also served SPN well has been valuing its partnerships with content creators, top talent, distribution platforms, advertisers and advertising agencies, media, vendors, employees and other stakeholders. Whether distribution or advertising, our partnership approach has been fortified by our “Solutions at any cost” philosophy. We have forged a strong partnership with BBC Worldwide to launch a very successful premium factual entertainment channel, Sony BBC Earth. Our long-standing partnerships with some of the biggest names in the world of sport including WWE, NBA, Cricket Australia, ECB and Sri Lanka Cricket, bring live content to our viewers in India. One can go on and on about SPN’s achievements. But it is more important to understand that at the end of the day, an organisation is only as good as its people. It is a matter of pride that we have cultivated an empowering workplace culture, standing tall on the tenets of consumer centricity, innovation, collaboration and diversity; recognised by the industry as one of India’s Great Places to Work. Our workplace ethos encourages larger participation of women at all levels of the organisation and we are considered one of the best places to work for women. Through our D&amp;l vision – Bring Your Own Self (BYOS), we seek for everyone to lead with humility and bring their individuality, their uniqueness, to work every single day. Focused on inclusive workplace practices, we envision a company where in the next five years, 50% of our workforce will be women, people with disabilities or from the LGBT+ community. Our social programmes under the aegis of ‘Ek India Happywala’ have given a purpose to many in society. Rooted in the pillars of education, environment and empowerment, we are working across sectors to create societal impact. From educating the girl child, supporting rural communities, teaching music at prisons, encouraging and arranging sports for the blind and the homeless to providing relief to the daily wage earners of our industry during the ongoing pandemic, SPN continuously endeavours to enable a happier India. It’s been an eventful journey of 25 years and we have come a long way. We will continue to go all out and live up to our corporate ethos of ‘Go-Beyond’, not just in name but in action and spirit. Only time will tell the shape and form the forward journey might take, be it through entering new categories, exploring new markets, innovating through new content formats, etc. One thing I am certain of, now and in years to come, when people close their eyes and think of India’s media and entertainment industry, Sony Pictures Networks will always be among the first names to come to mind. In closing, I wish to take this opportunity to thank you for being a guiding ally in our journey. You have had an important role to play in the success of SPN and I fold my hands in gratitude. Thank You! #BondsThatGoBeyond NP Singh

As Sony Pictures Networks India completes 25 years, NP Singh writes a letter celebrating its journey so far

<ul class="summary-list"><li>"Rust" actor Jensen Ackles discussed firearms training days before a fatal on-set shooting.</li><li>In a video, Ackles said he was asked by a prop master to fire "off a couple of rounds" on the set.</li></ul>A video depicting <keyword id="12362498" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="alec-baldwin" source="Orion">Alec Baldwin</keyword>'s "Rust" co-star Jensen Ackles discussing the firearms training he received on the film's set days before the cinematographer <keyword id="12366871" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="halyna-hutchins" source="Orion">Halyna Hutchins</keyword> was fatally shot during filming has surfaced online. In the video, which has now been deleted in many places but remains available on Youtube and TikTok, Ackles describes a brief training session he had with the film's armorer - the technical crew member responsible for prop firearms.The clip was filmed between Oct. 15-17 when Ackles' appeared at a fan event in Denver for his show Supernatural, <a href="https://deadline.com/2021/10/rust-jason-ackles-fan-video-gun-training-set-alec-baldwin-1234861085/">according to Deadline.</a>"They had me pick my gun, they were like, 'Alright, what gun would you like?' and I was like, 'I don't know,'" Ackles can be seen saying in the view.He continued: "The armorer was like, 'Do you have gun experience?' I was like, 'A little.' And she's like, 'Okay, well, this is how you load it, this is how we check it and make sure it's safe.'" Ackles added that the armorer said she was "going to put some blanks" into the gun. He was then instructed to practice for his scene by firing "off a couple of rounds" into the distance."I walk out, and she's like, 'Just make sure you pull the hammer all the way back and aim at your target,' I was like, 'All right, I got it,'" he said. No information has been released by authorities that links Jensen to the fatal shooting on the film's set. It is also not clear whether the same armorer Jensen referenced in the video had worked with Alec Baldwin, who discharged the prop gun that killed 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Multiple reports have confirmed that the gun Alec Baldwin discharged on the film's set <a href="https://www.insider.com/alec-baldwin-prop-gun-contained-live-round-union-says-2021-10">held "live rounds."</a> According to an affidavit, Baldwin was handed the gun by an assistant director, who said "cold gun," The New York Times and the Associated Press reported. The term refers to a gun that is not loaded with live rounds.In a statement given to Insider on Friday, Hutchins' husband, Matthew, reacted to his wife's death. "I don't think there are words to communicate the situation," Matthew Hutchins, 38, said. "I am not going to be able to comment about the facts or the process of what we're going through right now, but I appreciate that everyone has been very sympathetic."He added, "I think that we will need a little bit of time before we can really encapsulate her life in a way that is easy to communicate."

Video emerges of Alec Baldwin's 'Rust' co-star Jensen Ackles speaking about the production's firearm training days before fatal set shooting

<ul><li>StudioNEXT that produced one of the most popular Indian web series last year, <keyword id="10079277" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="scam-1992" source="Orion">Scam 1992</keyword>, is now getting ready to launch its next offering, <keyword id="97974" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="whistleblower" source="Orion">Whistleblower</keyword>.</li><li>We speak to <keyword id="2067078" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="indranil-chakraborty" source="Orion">Indranil Chakraborty</keyword>, Head StudioNEXT who takes us behind the scenes of these shows and what have worked in their favour. He also tells us what we can expect from StudioNEXT in the next few months.</li></ul>The Over-the-top (<keyword id="1245953" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ott" source="Orion">OTT</keyword>) space had been growing at a healthy pace even before we were hit by the pandemic. But it was during the lockdown that the OTT industry had its watershed moment. People discovered that the OTT platforms opened up the world for them, with content that went beyond boundaries. Great content from across the world kept us hooked, making the lockdown just a tad bit easier to bear. It also put the responsibility on content production houses to create clutter-breaking content because differentiation is what will help platforms stand out in the space which is getting cluttered fast. Last year, one of the biggest web series hits, Scam 1992, came from the stable of StudioNEXT, an independent business unit of <keyword id="3186877" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sony-pictures-networks-india" source="Orion">Sony Pictures Networks India</keyword> (SPN), and <keyword id="1322450" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="applause-entertainment" source="Orion">Applause Entertainment</keyword>. It is also the content production house responsible for <keyword id="17940" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kaun-banega-crorepati" source="Orion">Kaun Banega Crorepati</keyword>. When the division was set up around 2.5 years back, the aim was to function as a content creator for SPN media business as well as for other channels, networks and OTT players within India and globally. The goal was to produce new IPs whilst leveraging the existing ones under SPN media. On the occasion of the launch of StudioNEXT’s latest series, Whistleblower, we caught up with Indranil Chakraborty, Head StudioNEXT, to take a look back at the production house’s journey and to understand a few factors that have helped the company create content that has worked for viewers. The journey so far When SPN had set up the division, the destination hadn’t been written in stone. The aim was to create a flexible division, shared Chakraborty. “Having said that, we’ve had a fantastic journey so far. We have produced over 15 shows in the last 2.5 years across various languages. We began with KBC, our first web series, Scam 1992 has now been voted as the best web series to be produced in India so far. However, when we began our journey, we were clear that we wanted to create entertainment shows with a purpose for both TV and Digital. Our motto was to create good entertainment content and something with a purpose. We realized that there's a gap between a production house or studio which focuses on such shows and content,” explained Chakraborty. The company has also been especially focussed on collaboration, especially with content creators. On the TV side, it is experimenting with a few formats across languages. For a web series, it is collaborating with a whole lot of known as well as lesser known talents. “As of now we are working on around 10 shows. And from now till December next year, we have a mandate to deliver at least 6 shows. If we can do that, I believe we will be one of the biggest production houses for the digital ecosystem of the country. I can't think of many production houses which can deliver 6 shows in a year, and that too of such scale. Going forward, we want to do things that we are doing at a multiplied rate,” he added. Earlier this year, StudioNEXT also announced it will be collaborating with Venture Catalysts as the startup ecosystem advisor for the very first edition of <keyword id="1417364" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="shark-tank" source="Orion">Shark Tank</keyword> India which Chakraborty feels is one of the major highlights for the company, along with producing KBC in Kashmir and the reception that Scam 1992 received. Indianizing successful international content With the production of Shark Tank, is the content house considering Indianizing more such successful international IPs? “We associated with Venture Catalyst because they had great domain knowledge and they are known in that space and this partnership helped us a lot. Talking about more such formats, we are exploring a few game formats along with a few other things, but right now, our focus is on making Shark Tank a success. We want to see how this does, if it goes into multiple seasons and has the potential to be done in multiple languages too. So right now, we are concentrating on growing deeper inside the shows we are already doing, rather than laterally expanding ourselves,” he shared. The content India wants to consume The last year has shown that Indians are hungry for good content. Series like Scam 1992 have won the internet and people are on the lookout for such content. On what he feels works for an Indian audience, Chakraborty said, “While I don’t know the exact numbers, viewership has been on a steady rise. In fact, in the content industry, there is more demand today than supply. But I feel if a story is honest, sincere and has integrity, it will work for the consumers. We have realized that the audience likes to discover different people, places, nuances and cultures and that's an important element in our shows. People are wanting to learn something from watching a show, a discovery of sorts and that's something we are trying to give them with our content.” With more and more platforms racing each other to produce and license better content, is it challenging to come up with clutter-breaking ideas? “I don’t believe the space is cluttered yet because there are too many stories to be told and we have just begun on this journey. There are many genres like romance, family drama etc that we are still exploring. I really feel it's a very exciting time for creators and writers,” he said. Apart from Whistleblower which will launch tomorrow, StudioNEXT’s next few offerings include Faadu by <keyword id="3294492" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ashwini-iyer-tiwari" source="Orion">Ashwini Iyer Tiwari</keyword> and the second season of Scam by <keyword id="4684" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="hansal-mehta" source="Orion">Hansal Mehta</keyword>.

StudioNEXT that co-produced Scam 1992, is aiming at winning the OTT content race with quality, purposeful content

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<ul><li>IBF is being renamed as <keyword id="11329818" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Broadcasting-and-Digital-Foundation">Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation</keyword> (IBDF), as it expands its purview to cover digital platforms to bring all digital (OTT) players under one roof. </li><li>The Council includes national award-winning filmmaker Nikkhil Advani; Deepak Dhar, CEO and founder, Banijay Group; prominent artist, filmmaker and writer Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari; and creative writer and innovative director, Tigmanshu Dhulia.</li></ul><keyword id="7326546" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="the-indian-broadcasting-foundation">The Indian Broadcasting Foundation</keyword> (IBF), which is soon going to be renamed as Indian Broadcasting &amp; Digital Foundation (IBDF), the apex body of broadcasters and OTT operators, has today announced the appointment of Justice (Retd.) <keyword id="205721" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vikramjit-Sen">Vikramjit Sen</keyword> as the Chairman, along with six other eminent industry members for the newly formed Digital Media Content Regulatory Council (DMCRC). The Council constitutes prominent personalities from the Media &amp; Entertainment industry and Online Curated Content Providers (OCCPs), with experience in IPR, programming and content creation. The Council includes national award-winning filmmaker Nikkhil Advani; Deepak Dhar, CEO and founder, Banijay Group; prominent artist, filmmaker and writer Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari; and creative writer and innovative director, Tigmanshu Dhulia. The other two members from the OCCPs include Ashok Nambisan, General Counsel, Sony Pictures Pvt. Ltd, and Mihir Rale, Chief Regional Counsel, Star and Disney India. The self-regulatory body which is formed as per the mandate of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 with active consultation amongst the creative industry fraternity is expected to create a credible, robust and practical code for content, with an inclusive and fair governance structure under the experienced chairmanship of Justice (Retd.) Vikramjit Sen. Speaking on the appointment of the committee, K. Madhavan, President, IBF said, “I am delighted that so many experts from the media and entertainment industry have come forward and accepted the invitation of IBDF to be part of the proposed self-regulatory body. I look forward to working with the Council whose mandate is to ensure freedom of expression of the Indian creative industry as well as help the discerning audience of the OTT platforms to have unhindered access to world-class and differentiated content. This is a historical and win-win moment for all the stakeholders i.e. the M&amp;E industry, the policymakers and the subscribers of the OTT platforms.” IBF is being renamed as Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation (IBDF), as it expands its purview to cover digital platforms to bring all digital (OTT) players under one roof. This industry-led Self-Regulatory Body (SRB) called Digital Media Content Regulatory Council (DMCRC) for digital OTT platforms is a second-tier mechanism at the appellate level, similar to Broadcast Content Complaint Council (BCCC). About the Council members: Justice Vikramajit Sen: A Graduate from St. Stephen’s College with Honours in History. He has practiced in all the Courts in Delhi, although primarily in the High Court of Delhi. He handled civil, arbitration and commercial disputes. He had a special interest and consultancy on minority rights. He was a core member of the Inter Denomination Committee for recommendations for Amendments to the Personal Laws relating to Christians in India. He was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Delhi High Court on 7th July 1999 and a permanent Judge on 30th October 2000. He was also a member of the Malta Judicial Conference under the auspices of the Hague Convention. As a Member of the Planning Committee of the Common Law – Commonwealth Conference, 2009 he attended the Conference in Hyderabad in February 2011. He is the first and continuing Chairperson of Delhi High Court Arbitration Centre. He was elevated to the Supreme Court of India on 24 December 2012. Retired on 30 December 2015. In 2017, Justice Sen was appointed as the Chairman of the Broadcast Content Complaints Council (BCCC), which is a self-regulatory body for the non-news and current affairs television channels in India. Nikkhil Advani: A National Award-winning filmmaker with a film career spanning 20 years. Nikkhil’s film “Delhi Safari” was India’s first stereoscopic 3-D Animation Feature. It advocated for wildlife conservation and is currently being developed into a full-fledged franchise in Hollywood. He began assisting art-house film directors, Saeed Mirza, Kundan Shah, and Sudhir Mishra and his very first outing as a co-screenplay writer for ‘Iss Raat Ki Subah Nahin’ was critically appreciated. Deepak Dhar: He is credited with being the key driving force behind content production in India. Paris-headquartered content powerhouse Banijay Group has set up its office for India and Southeast Asia in partnership with Deepak Dhar, former Endemol India managing director. Deepak started his journey in the broadcasting industry in 1996. He was listed in the Economic Times Spencer Stuart ‘India’s Hottest 40 under 40 Business Leaders’ in 2015 and recognized as one of the ‘Most Promising Leaders of Asia in 2016’ at The Economic Times Asian Business Leaders Conclave for Demonstrating Exemplary Leadership Qualities, throughout his career. Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari: She is an Artist, Filmmaker and Writer. A gold medallist in Commercial Arts from Sophia Polytechnic, Mumbai, she spent over a decade in the advertising world telling stories for the biggest brands in India and Southeast Asia. She has won several advertising ‘craft’ awards across the world for her layered ideas and in-depth understanding of human psychology at the grassroots level. She has directed the critically acclaimed, award-winning short film ‘What’s for Breakfast?’ ‘Brothers’ and ‘Ghar ki Murgi’ (Taken for Granted). In 2020, Ashwiny was selected by Forbes as “A self-made woman of India”. Tigmanshu Dhulia: He is a creative writer and innovative director, who is known for his meaningful, award-winning and heart-winning movies. He is the creator of timeless movies/TV shows like Bandit Queen, Bombay Blues, Paan Singh Tomar, Hasil, Charas, Just Mohabbat, etc. He has countless top-grossing, critically acclaimed, and brilliantly directed movies to his credit, as a writer and producer. Post graduated in acting, he completed his Master's Degree in Theatre in 1989. Ashok Nambissan: Ashok is responsible for overseeing the Corporate Relations, Legal &amp; Regulatory Affairs and the Standards &amp; Practices functions supporting SPN’s businesses in India and abroad. He also serves as the Company’s Ombudsperson. Ashok is a member of the Indian Broadcasting Federation (IBF)’s Legal Affairs Sub-Committee and the Broadcast Content Complaints Council. He also serves on the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) Disciplinary Committee. His areas of expertise include corporate restructuring, Board &amp; investor matters, copyright, property, labour, civil and criminal litigation, regulatory affairs as well as mergers and acquisitions. Prior to joining SPN in 2007, he was Senior Director - Legal &amp; Regional General Counsel with Philips Electronics India Limited in Mumbai, where he held multiple positions, including Head of Legal Affairs for Philips in India and South Asia; Compliance Officer under Philips’ General Business Principles; and member of the India management team from 2003 onwards. Mihir Rale, Chief Regional Counsel, Star and Disney India: He oversees legal and regulatory affairs for Star &amp; Disney India. Mihir has been practicing law for nearly two decades across both contentious and non-contentious issues. Since joining Star India as a Manager in 2009, Mihir has played an instrumental role in the growth of the company. He is now the Chief Regional Counsel for Star and Disney India. Mihir has played a pivotal role in guiding the company and the industry through challenging regulations under an ever-evolving regulatory landscape in India. He began his career with Haresh Jagtiani &amp; Associates as a litigation counsel practicing before the Bombay High Court. Prior to joining Star India, Mihir worked at AZB &amp; Partners, where he practiced both contentious and non-contentious assignments. He holds an LLB and is a Bachelor of Socio-legal Sciences, both from the Indian Law Societies, Law College, and the University of Pune.

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As Sony Pictures Networks India completes 25 years, NP Singh writes a letter celebrating its journey so far

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Video emerges of Alec Baldwin's 'Rust' co-star Jensen Ackles speaking about the production's firearm training days before fatal set shooting

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StudioNEXT that co-produced Scam 1992, is aiming at winning the OTT content race with quality, purposeful content

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The Indian Broadcasting Foundation appoints Former Justice Vikramjit Sen as the Chairman

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