MxMIndia

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  • The entrepreneurial bug seems to have cast its spell on yet another industry veteran as Nikhil Mirchandani, the business head (TV) at RNBL has decided to move on.

    Nikhil Mirchandani quits RBNL, turns entrepreneur

    By A Correspondent

     

    The entrepreneurial bug seems to have cast its spell on yet another industry veteran as Nikhil Mirchandani, the business head (television) at Reliance Broadcast Network Limited (RBNL) has decided to move on and turn entrepreneur. While details of his venture are not known, senior sources at RBNL have confirmed the move.

     

    Mr Mirchandani, who started his career with GE Capital as a business manager, has held several senior posts across major networks. Mr Mirchandani has served as the EVP & GM at Star One, the Hindi general entertainment channel. Prior to that he was Managing Director of NGC Network and Fox International Channels.

  • Star Plus, Sony and Colors see dip in GRPs

    Star Plus, Sony and Colors – the top three channels in the GEC line-up have lost some points in the Week 46.

     

    Star Plus at No 1 position has slipped by 25 GRPs to 310. Sony is at 260 GRPs (it was 287 in week 45), while colors too saw a dip by 5 GRPs to 235.

     

    Zee TV gained from 143 to 175 GRPs, while SAB is at No 5 position with 124 GRPs (it was 121 GRPs in week 45).

     

    Imagine is at 71 and Star One at 47.

     

    The Top Ten programmes of Week 46 were:

     


    Source: TAM Peoplemeter System

    TG: CS 4+ years

    Market: Hindi Speaking Market

    Period: week 46: November 6 to November 12, 2011

     

  • NDTV released their quarter results which ended on September 30, 2011. NDTV consolidated income rose to Rs 114 crore from Rs 86 crore in the same quarter last year, an increase of 32 percent.

    NDTV shows growth in quarter results

    By Akash Raha

    NDTV released their quarter results which ended on September 30, 2011. NDTV consolidated income rose to Rs 114 crore from Rs 86 crore in the same quarter last year, an increase of 32 percent. Consolidated expenses have fallen to Rs 133 crore from Rs 152 crore in the same quarter last year. There is also a Sharp growth in NDTV’s lifestyle, digital and consultancy businesses.

    The operating loss this quarter stands at Rs 19 crore, compared to a loss of Rs 66 crore same quarter last year. NDTV 24×7 continues to enjoy market leadership in the English news genre. According to the latest study conducted by GfK Mode, with a sample size of 12,224 viewers across 14 cities, NDTV 24×7 is watched by 56% of the viewers (SEC AB, Male 25+).

    NDTV Good Times, the flagship channel of NDTV Lifestyle is the number 1 lifestyle channel in the country as per TAM ratings. Advertising revenue has seen a substantial jump in the second quarter of the year. NDTV Convergence, which operates www.ndtv.com, witnessed a jump of 66% in page views. With an average of 12 million unique visitors a month, this makes NDTV one of the most formidable news sites in India.

    NDTV Worldwide continues to strengthen its client base every quarter by providing solutions and media consultancy to more than 15 clients, across India and the world.

  • Reliance Broadcast Network’s BIG Street retains OOH mandate for the premium Line II of Delhi Metro till 2016.

    Delhi Metro Line II is BIG Street’s till 2016

    By A Correspondent

    Reliance Broadcast Network’s OOH arm, BIG Street, has retained the mandate for Line II of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). This 10.46-km stretch covers prestigious commercial, office, shopping and government office areas of central Delhi through its nine high-footfall stations.

    The stations are Vishwavidyalaya (Catering to North Campus of Delhi University and Residential Areas in North Delhi), Vidhan Sabha, Civil Lines, Kashmiri Gate (interchange between Lines 2 and 1, as well as connecting to the Kashmiri Gate ISBT (Interstate bus terminus), Chandni Chowk & Chawari Bazaar (Commercial Hub of Delhi), New Delhi (Connecting to the Reliance Metro – Airport Line as well as to the New Delhi Station of Indian Railways),Rajiv Chowk (Connaught Place – Office hub and shopping hub the central business district of Delhi), Patel Chowk and Central Secretariat (Interchange station with Line 6). DMRC has already been one of the most successful mandates for BIG Street, and especially Line II. BIG Street has successfully hosted a host of innovations for its clients that boast of marquee brands across sectors – BFSI, FMCG, consumer goods, automobile, fashion etc.

    With this retention of Line II and other DMRC mandates i.e. Line III (21 stations between Barakhamba and Dwarka)  as well as Delhi Metro Airport Express, BIG Street has access to 40 Metro stations and nearly 75 percent of the commuters, making it the largest OOH player in Delhi Metro. The lines on DMRC, when combined with its digital pods – across malls and DMRC stations, street furniture, large format hoardings, Reliance Metro – Airport Line (between IGIA and New Delhi Stations) and BIG Cinemas, provides BIG Street a reach to almost 25 lakh Delhi-ites each day.

    Commenting on the development, Rabe T Iyer, Business Head, BIG Street said, “We feel proud to have bagged this OOH mandate of DMRC for the second time in a row. The DMRC metro service is probably the most widely used public transport in Delhi whose passengers are mostly professionals across relevant SECs. Within a short time of being in the business we have firmly established ourselves as innovators for a wide variety of our clients who found value for money in campaigns initiated on their behalf by BIG Street. We will continue to provide innovative platforms connecting marketers to relevant audiences.”

     

  • Grey strengthens its creative team with the appointment of Uddalak Gupta as Executive Creative Director (Copy) and Joint Creative Head at Delhi.

    Uddalak Gupta is Grey’s ECD, Joint Creative Head

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Grey Delhi office is growing exponentially and Uddalak Gupta has been brought in as Amit Shankar’s Copy Partner.
    On his appointment, Mr Gupta said, ‘We want to be a rock band who make their own music and get heard. There’s lots of energy here and good vibes. I come in as rhythm guitar and backing vocals. It’s also a chance to get it cooking with my old mate Amit Shankar. Thanks to Amit Akali and Malvika Mehra for giving it a shout. You’ll hear from us’

     

    The last year has seen great action at Grey Delhi with the agency picking up new businesses like Honda, Fuji, Nat Geo, Fox Traveler and Mankind, launching brands like Honda Brio and picking up awards at Cannes.

    According to Amit Akali, Sr. Vice President and Joint NCD ‘Amit Shankar has been one of our best hires at Grey. Under him the Delhi team has grown from a 5 member team to a 17 member one and picked up both awards and businesses. With UG coming in as Amit’s partner, we hope to take the Grey Delhi creative offering to the next level’

    Malvika Mehra, Sr. Vice President and Jt. National Creative Director, said, “UG seemed like a perfect partner for Amit Shankar; they’re good friends and have worked together earlier, more importantly UG is a great writer, the kind of talent that attracts other talent to join an agency.”

  • VF Corporation’s subsidiary VF Mauritius , has acquired full ownership of VF Arvind Brands Private Limited

    VF Corporation’s joint venture in India

    By A Correspondent

     

    VF Corporation, a global leader in branded lifestyle apparel, has announced that its subsidiary, VF Mauritius, has acquired full ownership of VF Arvind Brands Private Limited, a majority-owned joint venture between VF Mauritius and Arvind Limited formed in 2006 to market VF brands in India.

    “Our business in India is strong, and now is the time to assume full ownership,” said Eric C. Wiseman, Chairman, President and CEO of VF Corporation.

    Aidan O’Meara, President, VF Asia, noted: “VF is grateful for the contribution Arvind made to the development of a fast-growing and profitable business for our brands in India. VF and Arvind will continue to have a strong working relationship, now and in the future.”

    Mr O’Meara added that he does not expect any impact to jobs or changes in the day-to-day operations of the business in India. The new name of the wholly owned business in India has not yet been announced.

  • Ace Cricketer Yuvraj Singh is now Puma’s Brand Ambassador

    From bat to cat: Yuvraj is Puma ambassador

    By A Correspondent

     

    Puma, the global sport lifestyle brand, has announced the dashing all rounder of the Indian cricket team Yuvraj Singh as their brand ambassador. The flamboyant yet fashionable blue eyed boy of Indian cricket will now be the face of Puma’s new #Love 12 campaign launched especially for Puma and Yuvi fans.

    At the press conference held in Mumbai, Yuvraj interacted with the media present. The unique digital press conference was in a chat show format, where the media had an interactive Q&A session with Yuvraj Singh and Rajiv Mehta, MD, Puma, India while Mandira Bedi played the perfect host. As Yuvi bowled over the media with his charm and wit, he also connected with his fans and media from other cities through Twitter. This digital platform helped Yuvraj reach out to his fans and the media in a never-been-done before manner. Yuvraj broke the news about his new association with Puma and what #love12 stands for to his fans on twitter at noon today through a video announcement.

    Speaking on the occasion, Rajiv Mehta, MD, Puma, India said, “Yuvraj Singh is the quintessential athlete for Puma. He epitomizes the youth of today with his forthright personality, which exuberates confidence. He is an all rounder and his versatility allows the youth to connect to him instantly. With his talent and charisma, Yuvraj is an aspirational personality and an ideal choice to represent Puma.”

    Talking about the association, Yuvraj Singh said, “(Smiles) A strong brand like Puma needs no introduction; it gives me immense pleasure and satisfaction to be associated with a leading sports lifestyle brand like Puma which embodies style, fun and passion. For me, joy and passion are the most important elements of cricket and this drives me to continually improve myself as a cricketer and as a person. Puma shares these same values and I am looking forward to this alliance.”

    #love12 is an eco-system for Puma, Yuvi and fans to come up with ideas that make a difference, small or big. 2012 is the year of #love12. Every month, starting next year, #love12 will crowd-source one idea and bring it to fruition on the 12th of every month.

    Those who want to know more about Yuvraj and Puma can join #LOVE12 on twitter.

  • According to the 2011 Forbes India Rich List, the combined wealth of India’s 100 percent richest people is down 20 percent from a year ago to US$ 241 billion.

    Rich list going down: Forbes India

    By Akash Raha

     

    According to the 2011 Forbes India Rich List inflation, corruption scandals and falling stock and currency prices are causing the wealth of India’s richest to diminish. According to the 2011 Forbes India Rich List, the combined wealth of India’s 100 percent richest people is down 20 percent from a year ago to US$ 241 billion. This year’s list also has 57 billionaires in all, a dozen less than last year.

     

    Mukesh Ambani holds the top spot for the fourth year in a row, with a net worth of $22.6 billion this year, despite seeing a drop of $4.4 billion. Steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal remains No.2 with a net worth of $19.2 billion, down 26% from last year. Despite the recovery in steel demand, shares of his flagship, ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steelmaker, plunged 40% due to surging costs.

     

    The biggest dollar loser was Mukesh’s younger brother, Anil Ambani, down $7.4 billion; he slipped out of the top 10 for the first time since his 2004 debut to No. 13 this year. His net worth is estimated at $5.9 billion, down from $13.3 billion last year.

     

    Third richest is Azim Premji, head of IT outsourcer Wipro, whose net worth of $13 billion is lower by 26 pecent from $17.6 billion last year. Mr Premji donated $2 billion worth of shares last December to a trust to fund his education charity.

     

    Naazneen Karmali, India Editor of Forbes Asia and Mumbai bureau manager of Forbes magazine, said: “This has been a turbulent year for India’s richest. Despite the economy growing at close to 8 percent, a spate of corruption scandals and rising inflation have taken a toll.”

     

    There are 14 new faces on the list this year. The richest debutante is Ajay Kalsi, coming in at No. 38 with a net worth of $1.39 billion. He is the founder and CEO of London-listed oil and gas outfit, Indus Gas, in which he has more than two-thirds stake.

     

    Father-son duo Kapil and Rahul Bhatia of travel group, InterGlobe Enterprises, make their debut at No. 51, with a net worth of $1.09 billion after their budget carrier IndiGo became India’s third-largest and most profitable airline. Making the list for the first time is also V G Siddhartha, who is ranked 84 on the list with a net worth of $595 million. He founded and runs Café Coffee Day, India’s answer to Starbucks.

     

    Indrajit Gupta, Editor of Forbes India, said: “Even though it’s been another tough year for the wealthiest Indian entrepreneurs on the 2011 India Rich List, the fact that there are as many as 14 new entrants is a clear pointer to the exciting and diverse business opportunities in this part of the world.”

     

    Among the 15 who dropped out of the top 100 altogether are Vinod Goenka and Shahid Balwa, former billionaires now in jail for their alleged involvement in a telecom corruption scandal; both deny wrongdoing. L. Madhusudan Rao of power producer, Lanco Infratech, saw his net wealth fall 78%, more than anyone else on the list.

     

    Only 19 of the 85 who return to the ranking are better off. One notable winner is Sun Pharmaceutical Industries’ Dilip Shanghvi at No. 11. He is the biggest dollar gainer and worth $6.7 billion, up by $1.5 billion from last year. The biggest percentage gainer is Hero Group patriarch, Brijmohan Lall Munjal, ranked No. 21 with $2.7 billion, who broke off his long-standing partnership with Honda Motor.

     

    This year, a minimum net worth of $370 million was needed to make the list of 100, down from $500 million last year. The full list of India’s 100 richest can be found in the October 2011 issues of Forbes Asia and Forbes India, which are available on newsstands now.

    The top 10 richest in India are:

     

    1) Mukesh Ambani; US$22.6 billion

     

    2) Lakshmi Mittal; $19.2 billion

     

    3) Azim Premji; $13 billion

     

    4) Shashi & Ravi Ruia; $10.2 billion

    5) Savitri Jindal; $9.5 billion

     

    6) Sunil Mittal; $8.8 billion

     

    7) Gautam Adani; $8.2 billion

     

    8) Kumar Birla; $7.7 billion

     

    9) Pallonji Mistry; $7.6 billion

     

    10) Adi Godrej; $6.8 billion

     

    Net worths are based on shares prices and exchange rates on October 12. Privately held companies were valued by comparing them with similar publicly traded companies. This ranking, unlike the Forbes billionaires list, has been broadened to include family fortunes.

     

    For more information and the complete list, visit www.forbes.com/india.

  • Direct Marketing Association: India has appointed Mr Vatsal Asher as its Chief Executive Officer.

    Vatsal Asher is DMA chief

    By A Correspondent

    Direct Marketing Association: India has appointed Mr Vatsal Asher as its Chief Executive Officer. In his new role at DMA: India, Mr Asher will be responsible for strengthening DMA: India’s presence as an apex body for advocacy of direct marketing practices.

    On his new role, Mr Asher said, “With multitude of choices, Indian consumers are becoming more discerning about their brand preferences and where they spend money. Considering this consumer behavior and the increasing media clutter, it is imperative for marketers to create data driven customer centric campaigns. From traditionally being defined as ‘response generating’ domain, direct marketing is now used for ongoing customer engagement. By emphasizing on global best practices for marketing services providers and marketers, I aim to carry forward DMA: India’s vision of establishing industry standards and promote the direct marketing community.”

    Mr Sanjiv Swarup, Member of DMA: India Board of Directors, said, “In 2010 spends on direct marketing accounted for more than 50 percent of overall ad spends in the United States. Similar trend is also witnessed in India where marketers using data, backed with analytics are focusing on creating campaigns that generate interest, measure customer response and continuously engage with their customers. Considering this trend, onus is on us at DMA: India to increase member interaction and provide them with access to the latest information in domain of direct marketing. Vatsal’s depth of experience will help drive our agenda to advocate direct marketing and provide networking opportunities that will help the marketing industry to reach the customers more effectively.”

    Direct marketing has gained immense popularity in past few years with emphasis not just being laid on measuring the returns on marketing spends but also campaigns being created to initiate a dialogue with the customer. With advent of new media and innovative usage of technology to engage with customers, spends on direct marketing have also increased significantly.

    Mr Asher was associated with Deepak Fertilisers’ consumer facing VARE division as Vice President before joining DMA: India. Prior to Deepak Fertilisers, Vatsal has worked with Reliance Retail, Tata Teleservices and RPG group.

    He brings with him more than 15 years of rich and varied experience in domain of marketing communications across brand management, sales and promotions, loyalty and customer experience.

    Direct Marketing Association: India (DMA: India) is registered as a public limited company and has been adjudged as a non-profit organization. DMA: India is an active member of the International Federation of Direct Marketing Association (IFDMA). DMA: India’s members include national and international firms engaged in various activities of Direct Marketing. DMA: India connects businesses using and supporting all forms of direct marketing.

  • What’s-On-India’s distribution reaches 40 million, with 15 million homes added in October.

    What’s-On-India reaches its 40 million target

    By A Correspondent

    The What’s-On-India Channel – India’s premier TV guide and preview channel – is continuing to steadily strengthen its audience reach nationwide. With a view to further expand its horizons; the channel has now announced its launch on two of India’s most reputed DTH platfoms, DD Direct, Channel No 34, Reliance DTH Channel No 101 along with other reputed analog operators across India. The current addition with its existing distribution on Airtel DTH, DISH TV, Hathway, Digicable, and 1200+ cable operators now totals close to 40 million homes across India.

    Commenting on the development, Abrar Shaikh, General Manager, What’s-On-India, said: “We are happy to announce that our channel is now available on DD Direct, Reliance DTH and our distribution is now close to 40 million homes. We had stated 40 million as our target number in the beginning of the year and we are happy to be welcoming the promised new audiences into our fold.”

    A release from the company stated, “The six hundred plus channels strong Indian TV industry has more than one hundred news channels, over 50 movie channels and general entertainment channels, music channels, sports, infotainment and children’s channels, not to mention ultra specialist channels in genres such as Food, Crime, and Education. In that respect, Indian television has come of age in terms of the content offering to consumers. However this explosion of choice poses a serious challenge for consumers and that is to get to the right content. What’s-On-India is one of the first models in the country that is committed to bringing viewers closer to the shows and programs they seek based on their tastes and interests. “

     

  • Mid Day promoted Ask Me for the third time in one month.

    Mid Day hattrick for AskMe

    By A Correspondent

    AskMe was looking at promoting their positioning ‘sabka number ek’ and wanted to generate maximum attention through the promotion. Taking this brief forward, Mid Day created a package for AskMe inside which MiD DAY was wrapped. This package highlighted ‘sabka number ek’ positioning of AskMe along with focus on its features.

    This package was first delivered to Mid Day readers on October 14, 2011. Such was the impact of MiD DAY innovation for AskMe that AskMe implemented the same innovation two more times completing a hattrick for the innovation. Thus a second package was distributed to MiD DAY readers on October 16 and for those who could not grab their Mid Day AskMe package the last two times can grab the third package on October 31.

    Speaking on the innovation, Manajit Ghoshal, MD & CEO, MiD DAY Infomedia Ltd. said, “The effort with this innovation is to stand out and create buzz for our client. This is the third time we doing this innovation within this month which is a testimony to our success at creating hype and packing a punch. The prime motive of the innovation is to communicate in a simple, yet effective manner ensuring call to action. The placement of the number was also very strategic, so as to ensure maximum recall for our readers. Our focus is to adapt to each brand and clients requirement and leverage our strengths to deliver an effective communication platform.”

  • In association with T-Series, RED FM regales its listeners with superhit compilations.

    RED FM to launch Superhits TOP 30

    By A Correspondent

    This Diwali, RED FM celebrates the joy of the season with full-on entertainment and energy. Presenting an absolute dhamaka to its listeners, in association with T-Series, RED FM announces the simultaneous launch of 93.5 RED FM SUPERHITS TOP 30, across its network. To be unveiled on October 26, this Superhits CD boasts of a compilation of the Top 30 songs from Bollywood movies released this past year.

    93.5 RED FM SUPERHITS TOP 30 is a reflection of the CHR (Contemporary Hit Radio) format followed extensively by the station. With the launch of the music CD, the station for expression will engage its listeners through exciting on-air contests giving them an opportunity to win their very own copy of the 93.5 RED FM SUPERHITS TOP 30.

    Speaking about the association, Mr Rana Barua, COO, RED FM 93.5 Network said, “Listeners tune into RED FM because they know that it is the only radio station that plays contemporary hit music across shows. Similarly T-Series has regaled the audience over the years with one chartbuster after another. Through this association with T-Series, the listeners are in for a very good time as they will be treated to an exclusive compilation of 30 rocking chartbusters. This endeavor, will surely usher the festive celebrations with gusto!”

    Says Mr Neeraj Kalyan, President, T-Series, “We are delighted to partner with RED FM in launching Superhits T30 music CD which is a compilation of chartbusters that has been serenading the airwaves all year round! Since RED FM is the only radio station that plays contemporary hit music, our synergies matched effortlessly. Through this partnership, we intend to reach out to maximum number of people across the cities this Diwali.”

    With songs from the movies such as Rockstar, Dabangg, Ready and Delhi Belly amongst others featuring in the CD, RED FM reinforces the fact that it is the only radio station that breaks the clutter by promoting contemporary super hit music!

    Says Nisha Narayanan, Senior VP Projects & Programming, RED FM 93.5 Network, “Superhit Top 30 has always been the trademark for Red FM. It is this show that is associated with RED FM across India. Thus, with the kind of response the show has received, Red FM has decided to launch the compilation of top 30 songs in a CD and who better to do it with than TSeries. The compilation consists of the best voted songs in the chartbusters for the last one year. We are happy to have associated with one of the best music company – ‘TSeries’ and hope that our clients and listeners like this gesture of us in the form of Superhits Top 30 for this festive occasion.