MUMBAI: Big CBS Network is all set to introduce a host of new programming on its English General Entertainment channels (GEC) - Big CBS Prime and Big CBS Love this December.

Big CBS Prime is bringing back the ?India?s Sexiest Bachelor? while Big CBS Love will launch two new shows- ?Bridelicious? and ?Gossip and Gravy?.

?India?s Sexiest Bachelor Season 2? chronicles the lives of some of India?s "youngest", "sexiest" and "most successful" single men who are chosen through an audience poll. The show will be hosted by model-turned-actress Sarah-Jane Dias.

?Bridelicious? is a new reality show that focuses on making a woman?s most special day - her wedding day - the most memorable by helping the bride with her final look. Every episode will feature two young designers who pit their skills against each other to give the bride-to-be a distinct look. VJ-turned-actress Nauheed Cyrusi will accompany the brides and their families on this reality show.

Jointly hosted by model Shamita Singha and singer-anchor Shibani Dandekar ?Gossip and Gravy? will showcase the lives of the urban woman?s favourite Indian and international celebrities along with an array of healthy recipes. Additionally, both the hosts will also share tips and secrets on how to look fit like the celebrities.

Big CBS Business Head Anand Chakravarthy said, "The innovative outreach program will provide marketers with exciting opportunities to connect with their target audience. We also have some standalone digital properties to promote in collaboration with Talenthouse for these new properties, thereby opening up more engagement opportunities for brands. The shows deliver excellent brand integration opportunities to multiple categories and with this line-up of hosts, brands stand to get excellent imagery associations as well."

MUMBAI: Reliance Broadcast Network Limited (RBNL) has narrowed its loss before tax and interest from the television business to Rs 116.6 million in the second quarter ended 30 September from Rs 228.3 million a year earlier.

RBNL?s revenue from TV business rose 121 per cent to Rs 83.56 million in the second quarter from Rs 37.65 million a year earlier.

RBNL runs six channels, four of them in joint venture with CBS Network which includes Big CBS, Big CBS Love, Big CBS Spark and a regional general entertainment channel called Spark Punjabi. It also runs Big RTL Thrill in JV with Europe?s RTL Group. Besides, it also has a regional General Entertainment Channel for the Hindi heartland called Big Magic.

The company?s radio broadcasting business Big FM posted loss before tax and interest of Rs 22.27 million in the second quarter against a profit of Rs 120.27 million a year earlier, as its revenue shrunk 31 per cent to Rs 392.5 million from Rs 571 million. In the first quarter of this year, its loss before tax and interest was Rs 14.14 million.

The company?s consolidated net loss for the second quarter was Rs 217.1 million, down from Rs 244.5 million a year earlier.

RBNL?s consolidated net income from operations shrunk to Rs 526.1 million in the second quarter from Rs 557.1 million a year earlier. However, the decline in revenue was offset by control in expenditure, which fell 30 per cent to Rs 701.3 million from Rs 960.2 million a year earlier.

The company said its total borrowing as on 30 September was Rs 3.14 billion.

MUMBAI: Big CBS Spark is all set to present a musical twist to Halloween with a show called ?Freaky Wacky?.

It is a one-hour special episode which will air on 31 October at 8 pm.

The show will feature a compilation of videos from artists like Pink, The Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga, Avicii and Aqua.

?Freaky Wacky? will also showcase some of the more bizarre costumed videos of recent times.

As a part of the marketing initiatives being undertaken, the channel will promote the show heavily via social media to engage the viewers - the youth. It will feature a special Freaky Wacky Video Playlist on Youtube along with sharing some Halloween content and songs coupled with pictures of wacky celebrity costumes on their Facebook page.

Big CBS Spark will also run a contest on Twitter using #WackyCostumes asking people the wackiest costume they would wear for Halloween.

The channel spokesperson said, "Even though Halloween has been celebrated across the world, the trend of celebrating this fun-filled day has caught up in India only recently. Freaky Wacky is a musical offering from Big CBS Spark which features a line-up of musical content that best captures the essence of Halloween. Keeping in tune with this, our digital campaign also focuses on engaging the youth via social platforms in order to amplify the Halloween celebrations."

Mumbai: Big CBS Prime and Bloomberg TV are launching a new show titled ‘India‘s Prime Icon‘.

To be simulcast on both the channels, starting 12 October, the show will air every Friday and Saturday at 9.30 pm.

The channel has partnered with Seagram‘s 100 Pipers as the presenting sponsor for the show while MTS has come on board as the associate sponsor.

Twenty names from the most talked about and iconic personalities of India have been shortlisted as the Top 20 contenders for the privileged title of India‘s Prime Icon.

The show will chronicle the lives of some of India‘s "biggest names" spanning various fields and professions. It will take viewers up-close and personal with an "exclusive" look into the lives of these personalities.

The contenders for India‘s Prime Icon include names like Amitabh Bachchan, Sachin Tendulkar, Shahrukh Khan, AP Abdul Kalam, Nitish Kumar and Aamir Khan.

Also on the show to provide their expert views will be a panel of opinion leaders which include Prasoon Joshi, Suhel Seth and Malvika Sangghvi. The trio will feature on the show as Opinion Leaders to help the viewers select India‘s Prime Icon.

Big CBS Networks business head Anand Chakravarthy said, "India‘s boasts of some of the most inspirational personalities who are considered role models to many. Apart from bringing India the best international content, Big CBS Prime has constantly been bringing quality home grown shows like India‘s Prime Icon, India‘s Sexiest Bachelor and more, which have resonated excellently with audiences. India‘s Prime Icon is an innovative concept, which has not been explored in the past and has been designed to offer a unique opportunity for Indian viewers to connect with their favourite idols."

Mumbai: Big CBS Spark, the international music channel of RBNL-CBS JV, is launching a new show ‘Thank God Its Rock on Friday‘ (TGIRF).

Starting 19 October, the show will air every Friday at 9:30 pm and will run for 30 minutes.

The channel that caters to the urban youth is launching this music themed show that chronicles the musical journey of Indie Rock artists and bands like Parikrama, Raghu Dixit, Agnee, Hipnotribe and Indus Creed.

"TGIRF is a distinctive music themed show which is a first of its kind in India. With Thank God Its Rock on Friday, Big CBS Spark will bring scores of indie rock enthusiasts closer to their idols. The show gives audiences an opportunity to take a look at the journeys of their favorite artists and will reintroduce the genre of indie rock to the urban youth," the company said.

TGIRF will provide the audiences with an insight into the lives of their "favourite" artists. It will take viewers through various aspects of the artist‘s musical life thus far, interspersed with "never-heard-before" stories about their lives.

ArtistAloud.com is the content partner for the show. It is a full-fledged distribution platform that not only makes available content of various artists but also promotes artists through various concepts that include online and offline participation.

MUMBAI: Reliance Broadcast Network (RBNL) has appointed Ashwin Sashital as vice president for Big RTL, Minal Sharma as sales head - West and South for Big CBS and Preeti Nayyar as national sales head impact and sales head South and West for Language TV.

Sashital‘s last stint was with Star Pravah as AVP. At Big RTL, he will oversee the business operations across the functions of marketing, revenue, creative and operations for the business. In his new role, he will be reporting to Language TV head Sunil Kumaran.

Sashital said, "Big RTL is in an exciting phase where it is set to grow in leaps and bounds and I would like to steer and accelerate it in the right direction and make it a part of the leading network of channels in India."

Sharma‘s new role entails revenue generation for the channels along with her team. She will report into Big CBS channels business head Anand Chakravarthy.

"With digitisation set to bring in transparency, improved quality of service and fair play, I am excited to be at the core of the revolution, as we offer marketers tremendous measurable value," Sharma said.

Nayyar‘s last stint was with Radio Mirchi where she witnessed the evolution of radio, while handling functions including retail and corporate sales. She will report to Language TV sales head Arjun Singgh Baran.

In her current profile, in addition to overseeing the sales function Nayyar will also make multi-media solutions for marketers, which see integration across television, radio, OOH, print and on ground.

Nayyar said, "The growth story for Indian Television lies in the regional space, and am glad to come on board RBNL in these exciting times. I look forward to working with the team, as we together offer marketers solutions that are tailored to reach their regional audiences, while delivering optimal RoI and minimal spill-over."

Prior to joining Big RTL, Sashital has also worked across companies like Star, Zee and Radio Mid Day.

Armed with over 12 years of work experience, Sharma has worked across media brands ranging UTV Bindaas(Disney), Zoom, Zee TV, India TV and India Today.

Nayyar too comes in with over 12 years of understanding of activation and sales. She has worked across the M&E industry spanning radio and print.