Over 30,000 hours of Hollywood, Bollywood, regional and local content now available to Indians

HOOQ, Asia’s premium video-on-demand service, has announced that it will be adding a host of content from the rich catalogue of Yash Raj Films to the recently launched service in India. These latest additions provide a significant boost to its already extensive catalogue of Hollywood, regional and local movies and TV series for all Indians to enjoy.

Iconic movies from Yash Raj Films, from classics like Kaala Patthar, Kabhi Kabhie, Silsila to gems like Rocket Singh - Salesman of the Year and Kabul Express are now available on HOOQ.  Users can relive these magical blockbuster movies on HOOQ wherever, whenever and however they wish to.

With the addition of these popular movies, HOOQ is now offering over 30,000 hours of Hollywood, Bollywood, regional and local content, further solidifying HOOQ’s vision to be the country’s largest and most premier subscription video-service to date.

Speaking on this new partnership, Mr. Anand Gurnani, Vice President – Digital at Yash Raj Films Pvt. Ltd. said, “Yash Raj Films has always strived to bring the best cinematic entertainment experiences for the Indian audiences - be it through content or latest technologies.  With this association, we are giving the viewers an option to watch and relive their favourite YRF movies.  As a platform HOOQ makes us confident that together we will be able to bring alive an exciting and satisfying experience for the users by giving them access to best quality content available at their fingertips.”

Krishnan Rajagopalan, Co-founder and Chief Content & Distribution Officer at HOOQ said, “We are very excited to partner with Yash Raj Films, one of the most respected studios in the country, to bring the magic of their films to HOOQ”. He further added, “We have received very encouraging feedback from both consumers and the trade regarding the service, and going forward will continue to add a range of International and Indian movies & TV series to meet the voracious entertainment appetite of the Indian users.”

Other movies from YRF which users can find on HOOQ will include Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge, Aaja Nachle, Ta Ra Rum Pum, Mashaal, Noorie, and Daag among others.

HOOQ has truly paved the way for a digital revolution in the world of entertainment in India.  For an amazing price of only Rs. 199 a month, users have access to unlimited Bollywood, local and Hollywood entertainment, which can be viewed on five Internet-enabled devices.  Users can share the HOOQ experience with their loved ones and friends, as they can stream simultaneously on two devices – on just one subscription.  HOOQ also offers a unique offline download feature of up to five (5) titles at a time ensuring that there is always video content to be enjoyed even when users are offline or facing connectivity challenges.

Ranks #3 in the FMCG category by The Economic Times’ Great Places to Work Survey 2015

The Great Place to Work Institute has been recognized as the world’s largest and most respected set of studies of workplace excellence, management and the role of trust in workplace culture across more than 7000 organizations from over 50 countries.

The Institute’s prestigious study has honored Marico Limited  which is ranked as #75 overall, as one of the most definitive employer-of-choice for its strong culture of inspiring empowerment and innovation, encouraging transparency and openness, imparting mutual respect and instilling the feeling of trust, pride and camaraderie among its employees. Along with employee feedback, the study assessed the employee-centric framework and management practices of organizations. It is also significant to note that the companies featured continue to deliver superior financial performance and Marico is one of them.

Mr. Ashutosh Telang, Chief Human Resource Officer, Marico Limited said, “We are proud to be recognized as one of the Best Companies to Work For in the FMCG space. At Marico, we offer all our members a well-defined talent value proposition to continuously challenge, enrich and fulfill the aspirations of Mariconians allowing them to maximize their true potential to ‘make a difference’. At Marico, we constantly strive to build a workplace that fosters innovation and growth, giving each member the opportunity to write the growth story of the company, as if it’s their own.”

Nat Geo hosts the one-hour special, which gains unprecedented access to an incredible journey more than nine years, 700 million dollars and over 3 billion miles in the making

On 14 July NASA’s spacecraft New Horizons is scheduled to make a historic flyby of Pluto. This will be a culmination of an incredible space journey that began nine years ago, when New Horizons was launched into space. Since then, the spacecraft has covered over 3 billion miles in this historic mission to the edge of the solar system. New Horizon’s goal is to capture the first clear images and any other data for Pluto.

Nat Geo’s Mission Pluto, premiering on the same day as the spacecraft is schedule to do a flyby of Pluto, will take an in-depth look at the ambitious project from start to finish, leading into the final hours of the epic journey. The episode will give an unprecedented access to showcase how the mission was put together. It will also feature the people who made it all possible, like mission leader Dr. Alan Stern, a veteran of 24 previous NASA missions, who comments, “The people on this team, most of them have worked on [the mission] for a very big portion of their careers. When you put that much time and effort into a project, you’re pretty excited when you’re on Pluto’s doorstep.”

Mission Pluto is yet another example of spectacular space related content that Nat Geo endeavors to bring time and again for the viewer. When it comes to content showcasing the wonders of space, the channel’s credibility is unmatched. Apart from the pedigree of the brand, what helps is the fact that Nat Geo lays a special emphasis on topical and relevant content – like the Rosetta Special episode the channel premiered last year.

Along with showcasing an event leading to an historic moment for the world, Mission Pluto is also a treat to watch simply because of the cinematographic brilliance of the content.

This Mission Pluto special, hosted by Jason Silva, who is also the host of NGC’s hit series, Brain Games, will premiere globally on National Geographic Channels across 170 countries in 45 languages.

On July 14, 2015, when the spacecraft arrives, it will speed by Pluto at close to 9 miles per second without any means of stopping. The core flyby will last less than two hours, creating a very tight window for the spacecraft to photograph Pluto, map the surface, analyze the atmosphere, and examine the geology of the surface. There are chances that the mission fails, but if it doesn’t Nat Geo will have the first ever pictures of Pluto which will be released a couple of days after the Mission Pluto episode has premiered.

Tune-in to National Geographic Channel to watch Mission Pluto on 14July at 10 PM

To premiere more than 100 hours on a variety of investigative themes

ID-Investigation Discovery, India’s only Hindi entertainment channel dedicated to true stories of investigation, mystery and suspense will launch more than 100 hours of new content this quarter. Targetting afternoon and prime time viewers in the Hindi speaking markets, ID’s programing will satisfy the inquiring minds with compelling stories.

ID’s quarter line-up will dial up the viewers’ detective instinct with four mega premieres that include WEB OF LIES that will allow the viewers to peek into the world of danger and false identities. HOUSE OF HORROR: KIDNAPPED that will have terrifying tales of people who were kidnapped, yet were lucky enough to survive. OVER MY DEAD BODY will present empowering, action-packed stories of women who were attacked and didn’t just fight back but turned the tables on their enemy and lived to tell the tale and the true stories of women killers in DEADLY WOMEN.

Enthralling Indian viewers, popular television and film actor Rohit Roy will bring you intriguing stories that have shocked people and changed their lives forever in KHOONI SAAYA.

Sharing the new programming line-up, Rahul Johri, Executive Vice President & General Manager – South Asia, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific said, "ID is home to the most compelling investigation programming. Bringing in the best mix of suspense, thriller and mystery, ID will continue to present impactful and engaging programmes from India and international markets.”

The quarter will also see returning series on ID. Paula Zahn will unravel criminal investigations by entering into the murky world of convicted murderers in ON THE CASE WITH PAULA ZAHN. These days, marriages are not always what they look like. Explore the shocking hidden secrets of spouses in WHO THE (BLEEP) DID I MARRY? Explore the seemingly never ending depths of depravity with in MOST EVIL and DEADLY SINS.

Garnering traction across the country, ID has gained availability on all leading digital and analogue platforms that include Tata Sky, Dish TV, Videocon D2H, Airtel Digital TV, Siti Cable, Hathway, DEN, GTPL, In-Digital and Digi Cable.

Aimed at the primetime television viewer, ID will feature intriguing series that promise to ALWAYS REVEAL twists and turns that culminate into thrilling conclusions. Providing fascinating stories of human nature, the channel’s alluring series, in-depth specials and thought-provoking one-offs will challenge viewers’ perceptions and expand the Hindi entertainment genre.

Discovery Veteran Previously Led European Business and Has Extensive Experience in Asia

Discovery Networks International (DNI) has named Arthur Bastings as the new head of the Asia-Pacific region, effective 1 September. The announcement was made by Jean-Briac Perrette, President of DNI, to whom Bastings will report.

As President and Managing Director of Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific (DNAP), Bastings is responsible for setting the regional strategy and maximising the potential of DNAP’s business and workforce to accelerate the company’s expansion. He will be based out of the Singapore office.

Bastings joins DNAP from Millicom, an international telecommunications and media company, where he was a member of the Executive Committee responsible for Africa and Financial Services, focusing on mobile and information and communications technology convergence.  He brings over 20 years’ experience working in the TV and media business, including several years leading strategy and business development for Viacom across Asia. Bastings also previously spent six years as Executive Vice President and Managing Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) for Discovery. Under his leadership, Discovery's EMEA business transformed by doubling audiences and generating exceptional organic growth that resulted in one of the fastest growing and largest pay TV businesses in the region.

“The Asia Pacific region encompasses two thirds of the world’s population and thus represents one of the biggest growth opportunities for our company.  Arthur has a remarkable combination of experience in Asia, strong strategic thinking, and a proven track record of growth and building strong teams.  His deep knowledge of Discovery and familiarity with the Asia market will give him a great head start in accelerating DNAP's expansion,” said Perrette.

Since launching Discovery Channel in the region over 20 years ago, DNAP is now 15 channels strong. DNAP is committed to continue investing and building its scale and market share in Asia Pacific, a key region for Discovery’s international business. Backing its localization strategy to deepen its connection and relevancy with audiences, DNAP opened new local offices this year in Kolkata, Kuala Lumpur and Manila, and continued the momentum with the appointment of a new country head in Korea.

DNAP also stepped up its game by securing exclusive rights to the UEFA Champions League and Europa League in Singapore, and the recent acquisition of Setanta Sports Asia.  Bastings’ remit will include fortifying DNAP’s sports offering and leading strategies in the region, in partnership with Peter Hutton, CEO of Eurosport.