Chandigarh
7 January 2020
DIVYA AZAD
World’s No. 1 Punjabi Television Network, PTC NETWORK, launched its new year campaign theme 19 Nahi 20 and explained how they are not less than anyone in the world when it comes to innovative programming and leadership in vision. Four feature films, four fiction series and a huge line-up of world’s first programming initiatives, PTC Network today displayed how it remains committed towards proving to the whole world how Punjabis are better than anyone else in everything they do.
With this launch, the channel promises to take the Punjabi television content to the next level. PTC Network is already producing more than 80 percent of the original Punjabi television content in the world and now it is coming out with more entertainment to cater to the ever increasing demand of global viewers.
In a world-first, PTC Network announced that it will be going global with its talent hunt initiatives. Through their mobile app, PTC PLAY, a technology has been developed with which anyone sitting anywhere in the world will be able to take part real time in all its talent hunts like Voice of Punjab, Miss PTC Punjabi, Mr Punjab and more. While the judges sit in the studio, participants from USA, Canada, UK, UAE, Australia and other parts of the world will be able to audition and compete live with contestants in the studio. “Till now, people from different places had to come to the studio of any talent hunt in the world to compete. But now we have taken the studio to their homes,” says Rabindra Narayan, revealing this unique initiative.
Another first in the world is the daily live 360 degrees Virtual Reality telecast of Gurbani Kirtan from Sri Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar. While tremendous content exists in the VR space in the world, nobody so far has started doing Live daily VR telecast. PTC VR’s unique live service is now available on Jio TV and PTC PLAY app.
“At our heart remains our desire to change lives of Punjabis and provide them a platform which can showcase their talent,” says Rabindra Narayan. Carrying this motto forward, PTC Network has resolved to release 300 original Punjabi songs. “Last year we released around 208 songs and this year we are targeting 300. This is primarily to give boost to those artists who are talented, but lack opportunity and money to record their own song,” says Narayan. Indeed it is an ambitious task but PTC Network last year has proven that they are quite up to the challenge as they have already recorded 15 new songs only in the last fortnight.
PTC Network will be producing four drama series this year and each one has a unique theme and treatment. ‘Power’ is an action packed political drama revolving around the world of deceit, drugs, mafia, assassinations and the divisive world of wily politicians. ‘Bugni’ is the tale of three sisters who are treated as the future investment by their father and their struggle to take revenge while proving their own worth. Jasraj Bhatti recreates some of his father, Jaspal Bhatti’s magic in the unique comedy series, ‘Kyunki Sohra Wi Kadey Jawaai Si’. The most ambitious fiction project from PTC is ‘Bhagat Singh Shaheed’ which traces the unique story and philosophy of the greatest Indian martyr and showcases his mind since childhood till his martyrdom.
PTC Network is also planning to produce and release four full length feature films this year showcasing meaningful Punjabi cinema. The first film under this series, ‘Bingad Di Vohti’ is ready for release in April 2020. Directed by Gaurav Rana, and based on Dr C D Sidhu’s play, the film tells the story of a girl’s struggle against forced marriage and for her sexual freedom.
Satinder Satti, the most well known TV host of Punjab, now gets her own talk show. Satti will be hosting ‘Chaa da Cup with Satinder Satti’ where every week she will be having intimate chats with Punjabi celebrities. The show kicks off on January 15.
To spread awareness about the rich Sikh heritage and involve the youth, PTC Network has partnered with SGPC to bring a unique quiz show with school students. Titled ‘Shaan-E-Sikhi’, the show will go a long way in creating awareness about Sikhism and its rich history. The show goes on air in February 2020.
The program which will surely enthuse the Punjabis across the world will be the ‘World Bhangra Cup 2020’ in Las Vegas. It will be world’s first and biggest initiative to promote the great Punjabi dance ‘Bhangra’. To promote sports and halthy life as well as to lure the youth away from drugs menace, PTC Network is launching the ‘Iron Man of Punjab’ contest. It will feature young men engaged in body building to compete for the coveted title.
Apart from this, PTC Network will be promoting digital cinema in a big way with PTC Box Office Film Festival & Awards. Across three days in February, digital feature films produced last year will be screened and two day conclave with production workshops will end in the Awards Night where the best of the digital Punjabi cinema will be awarded.
Taking the ground events a notch higher, PTC Network will be hosting a three-day PTC Entertainment Festival in March 2020. The festival is a unique combination of film and music awards which will witness PTC PUNJABI MUSIC AWARDS on Day 1. On second day there will be a day-long conclave focussing on Punjabi Entertainment Industry where top Bollywood and Pollywood experts will be seen sharing views on the discussion panels. The third and final day will see PTC PUNJABI FILM AWARDS – the biggest awards night in Punjabi entertainment industry.
This and many more unique efforts by PTC Network no doubt prove that they are not 19 but 20 in terms of quality, vision and commitment to provide wholesome and world’s best entertainment to Punjabis all over the world.
PTC Network runs seven linear channels – PTC PUNJABI, PTC NEWS, PTC CHAK DE, PTC PUNJABI GOLD, PTC MUSIC, PTC SIMRAN & PTC DHOL TV – and has successfully completed 12 years of operations this month. The channels are available on all cable networks and DTH platforms in India, on DISH and Sling TV in USA while PTC PUNJABI is available in Canada on Rogers, Shaw, Bell, Telus & Karostream, on SKY in Europe, on e-Life in UAE and on PTC PLAY across the world.
