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At a function held in New Delhi, Bloomberg UTV has now launched an all new business reality show called ‘The Assignment’ today. Hosted by the witty Cyrus Sahukar, Corporate India’s finest professionals take on untried challenges in the new and exciting series airing every Saturday at 8pm, 18th September onwards.

The show showcases the two distinct ends of the Indian business spectrum. On the one side, there is a mad rush for B School degrees and complete dominance of the MNC culture, the other side presents an equally strong acumen and business machinery but in its own unique way of working. Accustomed to a particular way of life, executives from corporate India are moved to home grown / domestic businesses for a day, to run the show. These business houses might not have the finesse or the polish of the MNCs, but are still rock solid and efficiently run business operations. Being thrown into such an environment will provide India Inc’s brightest minds with an altogether unique learning experience

The daylong ASSIGNMENT breaks the comfort zone built by respective work environments and opens up an engaging story of cross learning across 13 such episodes

‘The Assignment’ will consist of interesting challenges that participants from leading corporate houses take on. This one hour weekly show will not only put to task the participant’s presence of mind and decision making abilities, but will also capture the individual’s ability to pull off the task most effectively.

Commenting on the launch of the exclusive show ‘The Assignment’, Deepak Lamba – Business Head, Bloomberg UTV said, “The concept of this show is inspired from the insight that every manager considers themselves an expert. Our objective is to help him step out of the comfort zone and test his skills in a completely different environment.The series underlines the fact that an Indian homegrown setup has much more to teach than it has to learn from Corporate India. In keeping with our promise of being a Blunt. And Sharp. business news channel, our efforts like The Assignment will continue to strive towards strengthening our innovative programming while fulfilling the business news needs of the growth aspirer.”

Excited about hosting the unique show, the versatile VJ and actor Cyrus Sahukar said, “I am extremely happy to get an opportunity to host The Assignment on Bloomberg UTV. It will be refreshing to see corporate executives brought out of their shells to try and execute activities in a totally unknown environment. I look forward to a lot of excitement and enthusiasm from the participants with some brilliant ideas and improvisations coming from these intelligent minds of Corporate India. Hopefully, some of the intelligence rubs off on me.”

‘The Assignment’ will air every Saturday starting September 18th, 2010 at 8:00 pm exclusively on Bloomberg UTV

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While STAR Plus has retained its number one position, with a GRP(Gross Rating Point) and channel share (CS) of 389 points and 26.8% respectively, compared to the last week Zee TV has improved on the scale, still at No.3, with a GRP and CS of 248 points and 17.1%.

On the other hand Colors has seen a decline in its GRP and CS compared to the last week but has been able to retain its No.2 position with a CS of 18.4% compared to last week’s CS of 20.7%.

Fifth on the list, SAB TV has been able to add 1.8% of CS to its last week’s CS of 7.4%, while being 8th on the list of TVRs for its show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashma.

STAR Plus also has a recurring position in the TVR list, has taken up the 4th, 5th and the 6th position for it’s shows Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hain, Bidayi and Tere Liye respectively.

Imagine TV though has maintained its GRP at a stable 81 points, its CS has reduced by 0.2% compared to the last week.

Sony Entertainment Television, at No.4 although has seen an increase in its GRP and CS by 14 points and 0.6%, has not been able to make it to the TVR list consisting of the top 10 shows across GECs.

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Medical tourism, eco tourism, adventure sports, heritage and leisure tours are amongst the emerging trends defining India’s tourism sector. At India’s benchmark Travel Awards, CNBC AWAAZ will also honour the best stakeholders from these categories by presenting the Jury Category Awards. These awards are characterised by the sheer travelling experience of the eminent jurors such as, Amitabh Kant, CEO, DMIC Development Corporation and Ashwini Kakkar, Executive Vice-Chairman, Mercury travels.

CNBC AWAAZ in association with India’s leading research organization The Nielsen Company conducted an exhaustive consumer response survey with an objective to felicitate the best in the travel and tourism industry, identify India’s travel potential, highlight decision making criteria and gain a deeper understanding of the consumer mindset. This research study also presented “India’s Most Preferred Travel Brands and Tourist Destinations” across various travel categories. The research consisted of 2000 respondents comprising of the consumers, adventurous sports enthusiasts, corporates and members of the trade and tourism industry across 11 cities within the age group of 20 – 55 years belonging to SEC A / B1, both males and females.

Commenting on CNBC AWAAZ Travel Awards 2010, Sanjay Pugalia, Managing Editor, CNBC AWAAZ, said, “We are happy to bring the fourth edition of CNBC Awaaz travel Awards. The travel industry will play a major role in generating employment and thereby help increase the country’s GDP. The Indian travel industry has huge potential but the lack of infrastructure is a concern for its growth.”

Kumari Selja, Honourable Minister of Tourism said, “I would like to congratulate CNBC AWAAZ for this endeavor and I am happy that I am part of this award ceremony. There is huge competition in the travel industry and we need to promote India as a travel destination.” She added that with the rise in international tourists, the country’s foreign reserves will be bolstered which would in turn help drive the economy. She also said that there is a need to focus on domestic tourism as well. “Our Incredible India campaign is a big hit and we coming up with a new campaign to promote tourism in the country. India has a great opportunity in the Global tourism industry and must become a tourist friendly nation,” Selja noted. She emphasized the need to treat the foreign tourists properly to help reflect the positive image of country to the world.

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Bollywood actor and popular comedian Cyrus Sahukar was the emcee for the evening. The swish set of Delhi, including Amitabh Kant, Charu Parasher, Vani Tripathi, Amanpreet Wahi, Nitin Bal Chauhan, Raja Aditya Katoch, Javier Paulinich, Rajiv Luthra, Sharik Currimbhoy, R.S. Rathore, Chhaya Momaya, Michael Ferreira, Ritu Beri and many more, attended.

International watch professionals at the event included Richard Reocreux, Area Sales Director, Middle-East & India, Cartier, Kelaine Roethlisberger, Director Marketing & Sales, Ulysse Nardin, Manuel Emch, CEO, Romain Jerome, Ramzi Nael, Area Director, Middle-East & India, Panerai, Guillaume Marx, Area Sales Director, Parmigiani Fleurier, Tetsuji Ishimaru, MD, Seiko India, Marc Antoine Abadie, Regional Director, Harry Winston.

It was a spectacular evening to remember, with a priceless exhibition of exquisite watches, alongside a special display of paintings and sculptures by Religare Art. The highlight of the evening was a scintillating performance by the renowned Wadali Brothers from Amritsar.

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The cumulative reach of the movie was 22.6% – which means 29.1million viewers across Hindi Speaking Markets tuned in to watch the movie. The movie telecast garnered audiences across various age, gender and geographic profiles. The 3 Idiots premiere along with an impressive array of movie titles has taken MAX to leadership in the genre yet again with 196 GRPs this week, far ahead of competition.

‘3 Idiots’ MAX premiere deliveries:

Gender: Male (6.3 TVRs) Female ( 5.7 TVRs)
Key Age Groups: 4-14yrs (7.9TVRs), 15-34yrs (6.1 TVRs)
SEC: SEC AB (6.5 TVRs), SEC CDE (5.5TVRs)
Metros: Mumbai (8.5TVRs), Delhi (5.9TVRs), Kolkatta (4.9TVRs), Pune (9.0 TVRs), Ahmedabad (6.5 TVRs)
Key 1Mn+ markets: Maharashtra (incl Pune) (10.7TVRs), MP (8.0TVRs), Gujarat (incl Ahmedabad)(7.2TVRs),
Key Less than 1Mn markets – Gujarat (5.4TVRs), Assam (5.8TVRs), Chhattisgarh (8.6TVRs), Maharashtra (5.4TVRs), PHCHP (5.2TVRs)

Commenting on the performance, Sneha Rajani, Executive Vice President & Business Head – MAX said, “We are delighted with the overwhelming response to our premiere of 3 Idiots. The universal appeal of the film has helped us garner the record breaking rating of 6, the highest for a film channel in recent times. MAX is committed to delivering the biggest blockbusters from Hindi cinema and this showcases our strength. With our innovative wrap around content, ‘Extraaa Shots’, which was shot with the stars of the film and extensive promotion and marketing, the results are extremely satisfying.

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“We are excited to be able to offer our fans a unique Ben 10 experience that lets them take an active role in deciding Ben’s action-packed adventures,” said Benjamin Grubbs, Regional Director, Interactive Media, Turner Entertainment Networks Asia Inc. and General Manager, TurnOut Ventures Limited. “For Turner brands such as Cartoon Network, our goal is to go beyond just entertaining TV programs to providing engaging content wherever and whenever kids want to experience our characters and stories. Ben10.net and our Cartoon Network websites are increasingly becoming the entertainment destination for kids. We’re focused on driving the expansion of our digital platforms through various initiatives, including multiple MMOGs and casual games to be launched throughout 2010 and beyond.”

In Ben 10 Omniverse: Rise of Heroes, players take on the role of one of the students at Bellwood Elementary School, who find themselves trapped in a strange world and transformed into one of three types of alien creatures after the Omnitrix overloads. With Ben, Gwen and Grandpa Max to guide them, they face a series of challenges and adventures in a fantastic new world. But will the students be able to return to their original human forms or are they trapped forever?

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These awards will be given away in a grand ceremony to be held in Delhi on Friday, 24 September 2010.

‘Indian Sports Legends – A Network18 Initiative’ adheres to a process of selection which has the Network18 Editorial Board at its core. The Network18 Editorial Board drawn from the editorial masterminds of CNN-IBN, IBN7, IBN-Lokmat, CNBC-TV18 & CNBC-Awaaz will shortlist the nominees and then deliberate to finalise the names keeping in mind their sterling contribution to Indian sports.

The winners will be shortlisted from amongst those who have achieved sporting excellence in any of the following Sporting events – The Asian Games, The Commonwealth Games, The Olympics, World Championships or have set a new or broken an old trend in the world of sports.

The inspiring stories of these Indian sporting legends of all times will be showcased daily between September 27 & October 01 on CNN-IBN at 10:30 PM and on IBN7 & IBN-Lokmat at 7:30 PM respectively. These special episodes would serve as a precursor to the telecast of the Grand Finale of the ‘Indian Sports Legends – A Network18 Initiative’ which will be telecast on October 02 & 03 across all the three channels.

Speaking about the initiative, Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-in-Chief, IBN18 Network, said, “Indian Sports Legends is our endeavour to bring glory to living legends of Indian sports. As we prepare to host the country’s biggest sporting event ever, it is time we honour our legends who have been forgotten over the years. Through this initiative we wish to remind the current generation, of the great Indian sporting legends who have done exemplary work in bringing India on the world map of sports.”

Speaking about the award, Ashutosh, Managing Editor, IBN7, said, “It gives us great pride to announce this initiative to honour the pioneers of Indian sports. It is time that these sportspersons take centre-stage and are given due recognition for the hard work put forth by them in all these years.”

Nikhil Wagle, Editor, IBN-Lokmat added, “This initiative truly marks the celebration of the spirit of sport. With this we also hope to encourage the youth of our country to pursue their passion for sports and in the process bring glory to the country.”

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Model and environmentalist One of Thailand’s most renowned architects, Duangrit Bunnag, shows viewers a hidden village nestled in the middle of the city, where locals live as they have for more than a hundred years. We step into the kitchen of Bo.lan and meet two young chefs who are using innovative ingredients to put a new spin on traditional Thai dishes.

Forget the tourist markets. Instead we find out where the locals really shop. We step into the boutique of one of the country’s talented young fashion designers – Pim Sukhahuta. And Talk Show Host Woody Milintachinda tips us off to the bars and clubs of “RCA” or Royal City Avenue. All that plus some wild tuk tuk rides and entertaining street performers, this month on CNNGo.

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The Zee Cine Awards is the grandest tribute paid to the world’s largest film industry and has attracted the stalwarts of Indian cinema over the years. Watch the galaxy of stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar, Priyanka Copra, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan descend on stage for this magnificent musical night that which will be showcased to the world.

Marina Bay Sands President and CEO, Thomas Arasi said, “The Indian market is extremely important to us. We believe that by hosting the Zee Cine Awards here at Singapore’s new iconic landmark, we are reaching out to the world. We believe that by hosting the Zee Cine Awards here at Singapore’s new iconic landmark, we have the unique opportunity to present Marina Bay Sands to over 500 million viewers all over the world. The Zee Cine Awards is regarded as the most widely recognized and respected in the awards processes in India and abroad. Zee Cine Awards will bring us their culture, creativity and last- but not least –a lot of fun.”

The event will include a variety of performances from India’s best choreographed dances to hit songs from the nominated movies of the year with a vibrant kaleidoscope of colour, expression, humour and music.

The awards ceremony will be held at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in the Grand Ballroom with a simulcast to the Event Plaza, to allow thousands of fans to dance to Bollywood’s best beats and get a glimpse of their favorite actors.

Mohan Gopinath, Business Head, Zee Cinema, said, “It is fitting that Zee Cine Awards 2011, which celebrates the emergence of Indian cinema on a global platform is partnering with the Marina Bay Sands. Over 500 million viewers across India, USA, UK and Asia choose Zee Network to be the preferred choice of entertainment. This event showcases the crème de la crème of Indian cinema and provides a platform for the Indian film fraternity to interact with global fans and media.”

“The incredible venues, facilities and expertise that Marina Bay Sands, Singapore has to offer will showcase Bollywood at its best. Hosting this event will reinforce a number of characteristics that represent India & Singapore – open, tolerant, hospitable and creative – while also showing the many art and cultural possibilities. We will work together to make this year’s event the most memorable celebration for Indian Cinema for all our viewers.” he added.

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Some of the key panelists at the discussion were, Ms. Indira Jaisingh, Additional Solicitor General; Ms. Renuka Chowdhury, Former Minister, Women & Child Welfare; Ms. Madhu Trehan, Eminent Journalist and Author; Mr. Dilip Cherian, Eminent Columnist & Media Personality; Ms. Ritu Beri, Internationally acclaimed Fashion Designer; Ms. Mrinal Jha, Eminent Writer.

Post panel discussion, Star Plus announced the launch of its new show titled, ‘Kaali-Ek Agnipariksha’.

The story of ‘Kaali’ is a classic fight between good and evil. Its about a teenaged girl, ‘Rachna’, who has dreams of becoming India’s next badminton star, she gets threatened by the Bahubali, ‘Thakral’. ‘Thakral’, threatens her existence but ‘Rachna’ shows the grit and determination to fight back. The show explores if she will have the strength to become today’s ‘Kaali’.

‘Kaali- Ek Agnipariksha’ will premiere on air from September 13th, 11pm on Star Plus. The show is produced by Fox Star Studio India Pvt. Ltd and is aimed at increasing social awareness about the growing number of cases of sexual crimes against women.

A recent research has shown that every fifth woman worker is sexually harassed in India. A number of women face this brutal treatment everyday across the country. How many women speak up and come to the fore with it? How many are suppressed in the name of the honour of their families? What happens to women who speak up about it?

Speaking at the occasion of the launch of ‘Kaali-Ek Agnipariksha’ in New Delhi, Gaurav Banerjee, Head Content and Strategy, Star Plus said: “Star Plus is recognized for being socially responsible, be it in terms of on air programming or off air initiatives. With its refreshed philosophy of ‘Rishta Wahi, Soch Nayi’, as its backbone, Star Plus now reaches out to its viewers with a thought-provoking new show – ‘Kaali-Ek Agnipariksha’, that will take television beyond drama and expose viewers to the trials and tribulations of Indian women who are increasingly being subjected to sexual harassment. We hope that this show inspires our audiences to voice their stories and fight for justice.”

The show marks the return of Ashutosh Rana who promises to be television’s biggest and most powerful villain – in his role as ‘Thakraal’ in ‘Kaali-Ek Agnipariksha’. Ashutosh known for his intense roles and brilliant performances promises to make viewers jittery with his portrayal of this character.

Sonali Kulkarni who makes her debut on a fiction show with ‘Kaali- Ek Agnipariksha’, essays the role of the protagonists deceased mother.