MxMIndia

Category: Digital

  • MxMIndiacaught up with various stakeholders of broadcast and cable industry to get their responses on the recently issued TRAI tariff order and to understand their respective concerns in the run up to digitization of cable television

    54 Days to D-Day | Industry voices concerns on sunset date (Video)

    By Shruti Pushkarna

     

    With less than 60 days to go for the switch from analog to digital distribution, different stakeholders of the broadcast and cable industry are battling out their respective concerns with the government and the regulatory authority. Following the Tariff Order and Interconnection Regulations for the Digital Addressable Cable TV Systems issued by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), a lot of stakeholders have raised issues that will affect their business in which they deem the order to be unfair.

     

    While the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) protested against the carriage fee mentioned in the order, local cable operators (LCOs) carried out a black flag protest during the recent Assocham event attended by the Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Ms Ambika Soni. The LCOs have objected to the revenue share prescribed by the regulator and the Multi System Operators (MSOs) have expressed concern over the increased number of ‘must carry’ channels mandated by TRAI.

     

    MxMIndia spoke to a few representatives of the industry to understand their concerns in the run up to digitization.

     

    Ashok Mansukhani, President, MSO Alliance

    What’s your first response to the Tariff Order?

    The Tariff order has a mixture of good and bad. Fundamentally, it lays out the path for digitization but there are certain issues which worry us like the mandatory ‘must carry’ channels. We don’t think that’s a fair thing to do, if the broadcasters have the right to decide how many channels to bring to India or create within India, we should have the right to decide what should be the capacity, obviously the capacity is much larger in a big city than a small city. Apart from that, there are some issues on revenue share, which is based on a formula which is pending in the Supreme Court. Our worry is that if the Supreme Court decides otherwise, the whole business model would break down. These are the main two concerns.

     

    News broadcasters are objecting to the carriage fee mentioned in the order issued by TRAI, what’s your view on it?

    Now everything will be transparent. What is possibly going to happen is that carriage fee, which is creating such a big hoo-ha today, will get replaced by genuine pay channel ecosystem but that is about five years away. In the current process, we have to digitize about a 100 million homes and enormous sums of money are required but no fiscal incentive or tax incentive or infrastructure incentive has been given by the government. I think in the run up to digitization, the broadcaster should not derail the process; rather they should sit down with the cables operators and the MSOs and work packages with attractive content and at compelling rates to attract consumers. I think that’s really what they should be doing instead of writing editorials about carriage fees.

     

    Do you think the sunset date of June 30 is achievable?

    No, it’s not achievable. There are just 60 days left. The negotiations with broadcasters have not begun. The revenue shares are default revenue shares but no discussions with operators have taken place. No agreements are in place. Out of 10 million boxes, only 2 million boxes have been installed. Many of those boxes don’t have smartcards, in other words, they don’t have the conditional access system, and they are vanilla digital set top boxes. I think it’s high time for the government to carry out a reality check. I am sure this will be discussed in the next task force and I am sure government will fix a new date.

     

    Jehangir Pocha, CEO, INX News

    What’s your first response to the Tariff Order?

    The TRAI order has been a disappointment to news broadcasters because we were repeatedly told that there would be no carriage fee. We were repeatedly told that there would a mandated EPG or menu system, which has not been delivered. These two things add up to a huge financial burden on broadcasters, especially news broadcasters, an industry that is, contrary to public assumption, not doing at all well, that is facing huge financial burdens and many channels have gone bankrupt.

     

    Apart from carriage, do you see any other issues in the run up to digitization?

    I think the other issues are really about the willingness and commitment with which the policy can be rolled out because this is going to disrupt some vested interests, it’s going to disrupt a regular way of doing business and therefore, there is going to be a natural push back. But the concept of digitization is superb, it’s wonderful that the government and the regulator have pushed for it, but there have been some imperfections in what they have presented. Another thing that doesn’t make enough economic common sense to me is how the price was set so low for free channels and pay channels because the entire industry’s problems stem from the fact that the consumer is literally being subsidized by paying such low price for content, which in every other country, costs so much more. How this price has been set, by whom and who’s paying for the inherent subsidy in this, there hasn’t been enough transparency on this.

     

    Both NBA and the IBF have expressed disconcert at the carriage fee in the order issued by TRAI, but the TRAI maintains that there is no cause for dissatisfaction on carriage fee. As a news broadcaster, what will be your next step?

    I think we will have to explain to TRAI and the ministry just what the imperfections in this otherwise very positive bill are, and how they will create a huge financial burden for news broadcasters, how it will push us towards bankruptcy, how it will stop us from being able to create quality content and how it will, in fact, stop us from growing. If the government is interested in inclusive growth, news broadcasters play a very valuable role in this industry and in this nation. And our financial concerns should be addressed in some manner both by TRAI and the government.

     

    Do you think the sunset date of June 30 is achievable?

    Everything is achievable if the intent is there. There may be some practical concerns but let’s be realistic, while the policy is being presented now, we knew for 6 to 7 months that it was going to happen and I’m not sure if MSOs and LCOs spent adequate amounts of money, time and effort on preparing for this day, which they knew was coming. Now they are saying, this day has come and we need more time. We have seen consistent attempts to delay digitization, and I think we should have very little patience with more delays.

     

    Pulak Bagchi, VP, Star India

    What’s your first response to the Tariff Order?

    It’s a step towards the right direction and I think it will be path breaking in terms of the reforms it triggers in the cable space.

     

    What’s your view on the concerns being raised by news broadcasters over carriage fee?

    Carriage is a phenomenon which is certainly not new – it’s been around since the inception of the industry. What TRAI has done is only put a method into the madness, which should be commended. Earlier, there was no transparency in the payments that were being made, now atleast you’ll be having a foothold into the figures. You’ll also be able to determine whether they are reasonable or not. TRAI has also said that they will be intervening in cases of arbitrary levels. So there’s really no cause for concern. I think we should not be pressing the panic button; it has taken so many years for the government and the regulator to come up with these formulations. It’s important that we live up to the mandate and we must also give regard to the expectations of the people of this country. Given that digitization is a reality today, the sooner we embrace it, the better.

     

    Do you think the sunset date of June 30 is achievable?

    It is, because it’s targeted towards four major cities where it’s not an alien concept. Perhaps there will be some incremental approaches that will be taken in those respective areas and I’m sure that the deadline could be met. There’s no difficulty in abiding by the timelines.

     

    Are there any marketing initiatives or consumer awareness campaigns that you are undertaking in the run up to digitization?

    Star and IBF have made it mandatory for all members to spread awareness in their respective channels. We are carrying out marketing campaigns, we are also doing citizen focused awareness programmes where people can be brought up to speed with what digitization is all about. And we are also trying to infuse in the public sensibilities as to why it is good for them.

     

    Roop Sharma, President, Cable Operators Federation of India (COFI)

    What’s your first response to the Tariff Order?

    It’s very bad from LCO’s perspective. Since there is a vertical monopoly and no cross media holding, none of the MSOs will be negotiating with the cable operator and if they don’t negotiate with the cable operator, the latter will end up taking only a Rs45 share, with which the business becomes unviable and the LCO will be unable to give better quality service to the consumer. Even the set top boxes, which are going to be put, are of vanilla quality, they are very primitive boxes. Consumer will not be able to get internet, broadband or other services on the same box. Cable operator has to spend so much money in upgrading and the government has just mandated a technology. We are even ready to upgrade, but we must get a proper share. The regulator wants to be the controller of the business. As a result, lot of cable operators will be forced to sell off their network or the network will die its own death. There will be a lot of unemployment generated in the market.

     

    Do you think the sunset date of June 30 is achievable?

    No, the timeline is very short. First is the procurement of boxes – in Chennai none of the MSOs have given any orders for boxes. Even in Kolkata, we are hearing that the state government was not consulted.

     

  • PMD badge in recognition to Hungama's commitment in the digital marketing space

    Hungama earns Facebook’s ‘Most Preferred Marketing Developer’ badge

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Digital Services division of Hungama Digital Media Entertainment Pvt Ltd was conferred with the Preferred Marketing Developer (PMD) badge by Facebook. PMD is given to developers that have demonstrated value-added capabilities in one or more of the following qualification areas: Pages, Ads, Apps, and Insights. The badge is for companies that have clearly demonstrated unique capabilities that help marketers scale and achieve efficiency and extend measurably beyond the functionality of Facebook’s native tools.

     

    Commenting on this Siddhartha Roy, COO, Consumer Business & Allied Services, Hungama Digital Media, said: “Being among the few companies worldwide to earn ‘Preferred Marketing Developer’ badge underlines our ongoing investment in providing cross-channel interactive solutions to clients across various verticals. In a digitally connected world, it is important to engage the consumer where he spends most of his time; the social media platform, especially Facebook, has emerged as the new media real estate where brands can build greater engagement and interaction with the consumer.”

     

    Hungama Digital Media helps brands build awareness, engagement and loyalty, using a full range of digital skills, including campaign strategy and creative development, website design, online media planning and buying, viral marketing, social media strategy and optimization, mobile marketing, search engine marketing, gaming. On social media, specific to Facebook, the agency provides page management and publishing, community management, applications development, social plugins, advertising (ad creation, auto bid optimization, target segmentation, creative, conversion tracking, reporting), monitoring and reporting (insights).

     

    Hungama has built digital campaigns for clients that include Mahindra & Mahindra (Automotive), Mahindra Racing, Bacardi, Yum Restaurants, LG and Nokia amongst others; that utilizes the Facebook ads API such as Bacardi Together Club, Black List Application, Celebrate Life, ICC World Cup Fever, Zinger Application, Create Your Comic Strip, Valentine’s Day, to name a few.

     

    Hungama Digital is the No.1 Digital Advertising agency in 2011 according to The Economic Times Brand Equity Agency Reckoner 2011. The parent company, Hungama is the largest aggregator, developer, publisher and distributor of Bollywood and South-Asian entertainment content in the world. With partnerships with over 305 content creators, across record labels, studios, broadcasters Hungama has licensed worldwide exclusive digital rights to over 2 million music and video titles. Hungama has successfully managed more than 2,000 mobile and digital campaigns for as many as 300 brands globally.

     

  • Tata Nano will leverage the online medium to treat travel enthusiasts to a 20-day, over 2000 km drive

    Tata Nano partners with MTV India for India’s first Social Road Trip

    By A Correspondent

     

    To celebrate its over 1 million fan base on Facebook, Tata Nano announced the launch ofIndia’s first Social Road Trip called, Nano Drivewith MTV, where the digital world will meet the real world. Tata Nano has partnered with MTV India to create a unique driving experience and will leverage the online medium to treat travel enthusiasts to a 20-day, over 2000 km drive.

     

    Commenting on this unique property, Delna Avari, Head – Nano Product Group, Tata Motors said: “Tata Nano is a personal mobility option for everyone. We are increasingly becoming the popular choice of mobility amongst youth – about 42 per cent of Nano owners are in the 18 to 34 age group. TheNano Drivewith MTV will enable our customers to further understand and experience the brand.”

     

    Tata Motors, MTV and Nano fans will select 4 teams for this drive. Each team will comprise 4 members and these teams will be allocated 4 different routes to be covered in 20 days. The teams will need to overcome obstacles, tasks and move up the ladder. Social media will play a vital role in this unique road trip as viewers will get a chance to vote for their favourite teams online. While the winning team will be awarded with 4 Tata Nanos, the most ardent fan also gets a chance to win a Tata Nano.

     

    In November 2011, Tata Motors introduced the Nano 2012, with a bouquet of features, further improving on its record asIndia’s most fuel efficient petrol car.

     

    With the launch of this drive, over 1 million Facebook Nano fans can look forward to a thrilling social road trip.

     

     

  • iPad users can now download the OLX App in the Apple Store for free and enjoy premium browsing experience and all features of OLX on their iPads

    OLX India releases its universal iOS Application for iPad and iPhone

    By A Correspondent

     

    OLX.in, the online free local classified site, has launched iPad and iPhone application (http://bit.ly/olxiosapp) to cater to the rapidly emerging internet population in India, a large portion of which are going to be mobile internet users who will access Internet on their GPRS-enabled phones and Tablets.

     

    OLX has been the pioneer in mobile classifieds space and has focused on mobile very early with the mobile OLX site available as early as 2008 and OLX mobile apps since 2009. With a growing market of over 55 million iPads globally, 60 per cent market share in Tablets and growth rates of over 150 per cent over last year, it becomes absolutely essential to provide the OLX users an app optimized for their iPads.

     

    Tapping this expanding segment of Tablets, OLX has innovated further and strengthened its online presence further with the launch of its new app in the Apple Store now optimized for the iPad, the first for any online classifieds site in India.

     

    iPad users can now download the OLX App in the Apple Store for free and enjoy premium browsing experience and all features of OLX on their iPads.

     

    “We are excited to release this new universal app to address the booming iPad market. iPad owners have now a great free app to buy and sell everything with OLX,” said Simon Berger-Perrin, VP Mobile at OLX. The new app for iPad is even compliant with the iPad with retina display which makes viewing images of products posted on OLX absolutely clear and with no blurs or distortions.

     

    Amarjit Batra, Country Manager, OLX India, elated with the launch of this app, said: “Indiais poised to become a large mobile internet market with smartphones and tablets driving the next wave of growth in Internet consumption. OLX.in is already having apps on all smart phone Operating Systems and the launch of the iPad app is a demonstration of our focus on providing Indian internet users the best classifieds experience anytime and anywhere.”

     

    With increasingMobiletransactions, it becomes important that the buyers have the option of meeting the sellers via a mobile device and vice versa. Being a Universal app, users only need to download one app and it works on both devices; iPhone or iPad. The advantage for the users who own an iPhone and an iPad is that they do not need to download 2 different apps. Even the updates for both iPhone and iPad apps happen at the same time which makes it a very convenient option for mobile users.

     

    For users wanting to experience OLX on other phones, there are also options to download the OLX Mobile app on Android, Windows, Blackberry and Nokia mobile operating systems.

     

    OLX.in, the Indian arm of OLX Inc, is the next generation of Online Free Classifieds which serves as a platform to connect buyers and sellers who wish to buy, sell, exchange or trade used goods and services, by simply posting a Free Ad on the website. OLX is present in more than 96 countries and 40 languages across the world and is available in500 cities acrossIndiawith five different languages English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Marathi.

  • Isobar India, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Taiwan have all been recognised for their ongoing creation of innovative solutions and apps for brands across the Facebook platform

    Isobar named Facebook’s preferred marketing developer in India

    By A Correspondent

     

    IsobarIndiahas been accepted into Facebook’s new global Preferred Marketing Developer (PMD) Programme, along with three other markets in Asia Pacific. Isobar India, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Taiwan have all been recognised for their ongoing creation of innovative solutions and apps for brands across the Facebook platform.

     

    Facebook has separated developer service providers into four possible badge qualifications; Pages, Ads, Apps, and Insights. The programme recognises companies who have built on the Facebook Platform since its launch, and those who are adept at understanding platform policy and development tools, and who have a long track record of providing Facebook-centric services to brands.

     

    Following a highly-selective application process, Isobar India has been certified in the Apps category of the PMD programme, in recognition of the agency’s innovative work for Reebok, Expedia and Philips to name a few.

     

    “We’re proud to have been accepted as a Facebook Preferred Developer and see it as recognition of the great work we’ve produced for our clients. Social media is central to our full-service offering, so we look forward to working more closely with Facebook to deliver even better solutions for our clients,” said Shamsuddin Jasani, Managing Director, Isobar India.

     

    Isobar has also been recognised as a Facebook Preferred Marketing Developer in six other markets worldwide, including the United Kingdom, Finland, Hungary, Poland, Norway and the United States.

     

    The Aegis Media India group comprises Isobar, the global communications agency with digital at its heart, Carat, the world’s largest independent media communications specialist, Vizeum, Posterscopethe global OOH sector leader, Brandscope,  Hyperspace (Retail), Carat Fresh Integrated (Activation), PSI (Airports), Doosra(Creative),and iProspect, the global leader in search and performance marketing.

     

  • What's-On-India's Social EPGs will help viewers discover shows, films, matches and documentaries that their social networks and peers are talking about as well as share common interest programs to converse about those shows

    What’s-On-India Launches Social EPG

    By A Correspondent

     

    What’s-On-India, the TV Search & EPG (Electronic Program Guide) company has announced the launch of a revolutionary new product called Social EPG. What’s-OnIndiahas integrated Facebook login on its website and is in the process of extending Facebook logins to all its mobile and tablet apps as well. The central idea is that TV viewers could use Facebook to share each other’s viewing preferences to discover TV shows as well as converse about them.

     

    What’s-On-India’s Social EPGs will help viewers discover shows, films, matches and documentaries that their social networks and peers are talking about as well as share common interest programs to converse about those shows. “Social TV recommendations are considered powerful due to their viral nature and their ability to create tremendous positive or negative word-of-mouth especially for new shows and program launches”, said Atul Phadnis, CEO, What’s-On-India. “Our social network has different clusters of friends representing different interest groups – tennis buddies, college friends, school friends, work contacts and so on. Each of these interest groups could collectively or individually spark off discovery of common interest TV shows relevant to those specific friend clusters,” he added.

     

    This power of social TV recommendations is due to the fact that they originate from a ‘trusted’ source based on their relationship to the person who made the recommendation. This integration between What’s-On-India’s TV search platforms and Facebook will now help the viewers find, share, and engage around TV content.

     

    The next move from the company is to provide these features on the What’s-On-India applications (iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows, Symbian & Blackberry) and also integrate the same with other social networking platforms such as Twitter and Google+. All of these features will be powered using What’s-On-India’s proprietary EPG-On-Cloud platform and can be embedded inside third party apps as well.

     

  • The portal is part of India.com, founded by Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited and Penske Media Corporation,USAwith United Internet Germany

    Bollywoodlife leapfrogs into leadership league

    By A Correspondent

     

    Arvindra Singh Kanwal

    Entertainment, perhaps, remains one of the most sought-after domains inIndiafor those seeking to venture out with an online enterprise of their own. Proof of its popularity could be gauged by the presence of umpteen number of Bollywood portals that have surfaced in recent years, and continue to hold fort despite the tough business environment plaguing the outside world.

     

    Amongst the newer lot of entrepreneurs who have made a mark with their product offering is one-year-old entrant, bollywoodlife.com. The portal is part of India.com, founded by Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited and Penske Media Corporation, USA with United Internet Germany. What is noticeable about bollywoodlife.com is that barely a few months since its launch, the portal went on to lead the category, overtaking some known leaders in the process.

     

    Throwing light on the genesis and journey of the portal so far, Arvindra Singh Kanwal, CEO, India.com, said: “Bollywoodlife.com was launched in May 2011 and follows the theme and design of its very successful parent site Hollywoodlife.com, owned and operated by our JV Partner Penske Media Corporation. Barely a few months since we launched, around November 2011, the website started being ranked as the No 1 Indian movie property in entertainment on comScore ahead of an old established player like Bollywoodhungama.com. It’s been at the top since.”

     

    Emphasising on the growth being registered since then, he said, “On comScore, we have been growing 3 per cent month-on-month, whereas other sites have been flat or negative. We are confident of accelerating this growth as we keep updating our offering.”

     

    Adding on the journey, Mr Kanwal said that most sites at the time they launched were very movie review-oriented. “We focused on content around Bollywood and Southern movie lifestyle. At a time when most portals tend to be biased towards Bollywood or Southern-based content, we pride on offering an offering that is well balanced.”

     

    The credit, according to Mr Kanwal, goes to Ramya Sarma, the editorial head of the portal who brought her own variety of conversational and photo-essay style essence to the product. “This approach has made it a leading destination to follow celebrity actors and entertainment news for style-minded men and women aged 18-35. Over time, we expect to see a spike in the women audience as the editorial style is tilted towards conversations they engage in,” he said.

     

    On what makes his portal unique from the others in the space, Mr Kanwal said that bollywoodlife.com’s uniqueness lies in providing content that is original, showing breaking news in a conversational fashion and having a multimedia editorial approach.

     

    “We also have transaction content sites in Auto, Education andMobilewhere we deliver news in English, Hindi, Marathi and Bengali. We rank No1 to 5 in every vertical category we represent. We expect our mobile offerings that are to be launched soon to take us closer to our vision of beingIndia’s premiere digital and mobile platform.”

     

    Divulging on the reach, Mr Kanwal said that worldwide it reaches around 15 million users per month (as per Google Analytics). “InIndia, we reach 12 million users of which bollywoodlife.com reaches to 2 million users worldwide and 1.6 million users inIndia.”

     

    On the growth strategy for india.com, Mr Kanwal said that, as a portal, India.com is barely 10 months old but is already ranked No 7 (March 2012, comScore) just behind in.com and AOL aggregate sites: “We have grown at a pace of 7 per cent month-on-month versus the market rate of 2 per cent. We are growing faster than all others. In fact in.com is in the negative zone and we should catch up soon going by our current pace.”

     

    On the scope for online players catering to the M&E industry, Mr Kanwal said that currently, the digital entertainment market is not built for local original licensed content. “There are a lot of sites that offer aggregated, undifferentiated and unlicensed content e.g. songs.pk, torrentz and others and this is the reason that advertisers have stayed away from advertising on them. But the time spent in this category is growing versus other media options. Also, internet penetration is expected to grow from 5 to 30 per cent by 2015. So quality content, multiple multimedia formats, time spent and high reach will make us and others who invest in this segment very valuable media assets.”

     

    According to Mr Kanwal, the plan going forward is to be seen as “a premier destination for users in every category that the company is present in.” This is what will make the company stand out and be counted as a “great” product, compared to the other good ones from the lot.

     

  • The truth is that internet is a great medium for consumers, and it is a great medium for small and medium enterprises to build their business, feels Mr Oberoi

    Internet as a media has arrived: Hitesh Oberoi

    Hitesh Oberoi is  Chairman- IAMAI and CEO and Managing Director, Info Edge. In conversation with MxMIndia’s Robin Thomas on the sidelines of the IAMAI’s marketing conclave recently, Mr Oberoi spoke about the changing dynamics of internet and mobile in India, the trends to watch out for and much more.

     

    For long we have been referring to internet as a new medium. Would you still regard the internet as a ‘new’ medium?

    I don’t think internet is a new media any more, but a media which has arrived. There are already more than 120 million online users and this number will grow to 400 million in the next three to five years. Therefore, I don’t think internet is a new medium any more nor a medium that can be ignored.

     

    Has there been a shift in perception over the years among advertisers about the internet and mobile as media vehicles?

    Advertisers are definitely taking the internet a lot more seriously today simply because of the growing number of online and mobile users. With the kind of targeting options and the kind of measurement options, the internet offers have brought more and more advertisers on board. In addition to this, the internet is not only one of the cheapest medium to advertise but, also provides better ROIs to advertisers. So certainly these are some of the factors leading more advertisers to the internet.

     

    What about a credible measurement system? Why do we lack still one today?

    There are some challenges, there are different methods used by different measurement providers but, I think they realize that internet is getting big in India and are, perhaps, working towards a better measurement system. So very soon we should have a credible measurement system in India.

     

    What according to you are the opportunities and possible threats or challenges that 3G and 4G services could have for mobile advertising in India?

    As the internet grows faster, people will spend more and more time on the internet. Penetration and the speed of access are the two things needed for bringing in more people to mobile internet. What 3G and 4G will do is, improve the speed of access and when the speed of access increases, a user will be able to download content faster. So, a combination of faster internet on mobile, quick downloads, and good quality content and so on will lead mobile internet to a different level altogether.

     

    And the lessons that India can learn from their international counterparts on internet and mobile advertising?

    One thing we should be investing in is the internet economy. The truth is that internet is a great medium for consumers, and it is a great medium for small and medium enterprises to build their business. Internet is a great leveler of the two India’s (urban and rural). Just as the telecom revolution which has led to people being empowered, the same could happen on the internet. So, I think the lesson we can learn from the United States and China is that we need to invest more and more in broadband and we need to make it cheap for people, so that many more can get onto the internet.

     

    Any specific trends to watch out for in the digital media space?

    There will be many more people on the internet five years from now, Indians will spend more time on the internet and probably they will spend most of their time online, therefore, marketers cannot afford to not be online. In fact, a lot more access to internet will take place through mobile phones. So while in this phase, more people are accessing internet through their PC or desktop, the next phase of internet growth will come from mobile. Therefore, marketers need to adapt to these changes accordingly. These changes may take a while but, undoubtedly digital is the way forward.

     

  • The latest IPL scandals – match fixing, SRK-MCA brawl and molestation case – have started everyone talking again, not all of it good

    Nothing can kill brand IPL: Experts

    Indian Premiere League (IPL) was the most-talked about sporting tournament inIndiawhen it started in 2008. From players’ auctions to cheerleaders, the Twenty20 championship caught everyone’s fantasy.

     

    From its inaugural year till today, the tournament has been more than just cricket. It seems that IPL and controversies go hand-in-hand. Slapgate, cheerleaders’ uniforms and Lalit Modi’s case made us wonder if one had seen it all. However, the hand-in-glove relationship the cricket tournament has had with controversies has never stopped. The latest ones – match fixing, SRK-MCA brawl and molestation case – have started everyone talking again, not all of it good. Some even want the IPL to shut down as well.

     

    MxMIndia’s Meghna Sharma spoke to a few media professionals to know if they think brand IPL is losing its value.

     

    Dilip Cherian
    Vikram Sakhuja
    Josy Paul

    Dilip Cherian, image consultant and co-founder Perfect Relations

    It’s true that brand IPL has taken a knocking due to current controversies. However, I don’t think it will harm the brand. The recent events just show that the various rules and regulations need to be stricter and implemented well.

     

    As long as crowds go to the stadiums and viewers switch on their television sets to watch the matches, the show will go on. It also brings other brands into people’s mind. Hence, marketers will continue to invest in the tournament.  So, why will the brand die?

     

    Vikram Sakhuja, CEO – South Asia, GroupM

    With so many channels and shows, the eye-ball distribution is obvious. But the tournament, so far, has got more TRPs than last four years. This only proves that the tournament is doing well. IPL is alive and kicking and will continue to do so.

     

    Josy Paul, Chief Creative Officer and Chairman BBDO India

    IPL is a bhelpuri of entertainment, and not cricket. The more controversies, the merrier it will be for the tournament. Nothing can shake it; controversies and achievements will only increase its sheen. The brand IPL is about entertainment and it is providing the same to its fans.

     

    Kushal Sanghvi, MD, Spiider Digital Hub

    The TRPs of this season is around 3, so it is not doing as well. However, the show is big and helps any brand to position itself well across sections. The marketers get visibility so will continue to get associated with it. No controversy can shake it; it will continue to remain huge.

     

    Kamal Nandi, vice-president (sales and marketing), Godrej & Boyce

    The stats have gone down, so it is becoming less lucrative to invest in the IPL. There is no doubt that it is a strong brand and will be so – controversies or no controversies. However, marketers will be a little cautious in investing in the tournament is the returns are lower than the investment.

     

  • While the TV viewership is falling, mobile viewership ratings see a rise

    Apalya TV crosses 11 million viewers on IPL 2012

    By A Correspondent

     

    The IPL’s fifth season is proving to be good news for mobile TV operators. Apalya Technologies, leader in mobile video, has registered 11 million viewers till now for the IPL 2012. This rise in mobile viewership is close to the numbers garnered by YouTube, which is also registering the same number of viewers on its website.

     

    Speaking on the increasing viewers for mobile TV, Vamshi Krishna Reddy, Co-founder & CEO, Apalya Technologies said: “We started the tournament with an aim to catch at least 10 million subscribers before IPL 2012 ended and today after 65 matches, we are proud that Apalya Technologies has already crossed its target and registered 11 million viewers who are watching the matches Live on their mobiles. With another 10 odd matches to go, we are sure that we will be able to write many success stories this IPL.”

     

    He added: “Apalya Technologies is exceeding not only TV, but also online viewership numbers, as compared to mobile viewership with the average minutes of usage per customer being between 17 to 20 minutes per day. Out of these viewers that we have registered till now, at least 70 per cent is coming from the Nokia users. The fact that mobile TV viewership is increasing is a proof in itself that the trends are changing and we are adapting to newer ways of watching TV.”

     

    With emerging technologies and growing mobile video viewing habits, India records over 200 million video views a month on mobile devices and Apalya is all set to capitalize the opportunity to tap the interest of the youth, allowing them mobile video viewing for various popular events. During the World Cup season in April 2011, Apalya generated 17 TB of streaming and with close to 50 minutes of usage per user for the 6 matches India played. Currently, Apalya powers mobile TV for all the major telecom service providers in India and has also launched its services with leading operators in Sri Lanka & Indonesia.

     

  • The soundtrack becomes the first in India to premiere on the mobile platform before the album's physical music release – thus tapping into the fast expanding base of mobile music listeners

    Airtel & Hungama announce mobile music premiere of Gangs of Wasseypur

    By A Correspondent

     

    Music from Anurag Kashyap’s most-awaited movie ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ became the first soundtrack in India to premiere on the mobile platform, prior to the album’s physical music release thanks to a tie-up between Airtel  and Hungama Mobile. The music is now available exclusively for Airtel mobile customers till May 26 via Hello Tunes and Airtel Radio.

     

    Commenting on this, N Rajaram, CMO – Consumer Business, Bharti Airtel said: “The music premier of ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ on the mobile platform speaks volumes of the changing consumption pattern among customers today. Be it music, movies, gaming, social networking or emailing – the discerning Indian customer is increasingly relying on the mobile phone for accessing content. As more and more customers prefer listening to music on their mobile phones, we expect to see mobile music launches as a fast emerging trend towards catering to the preferences of India’s expanding base of mobile music listeners. We are delighted to join hands with Hungama to announce this industry first and exclusive for Airtel mobile customers”.

     

    Albert Almeida, COO, Hungama Mobile, said: “The mobile ecosystem is evolving and with a staggering number of consumers wanting to consume music and movies directly on their phones, we are happy to satiate their appetite. Airtel has been at the forefront of marketing and distributing entertainment and music content via mobile devices and through this initiative together we will make a compelling offer to music lovers yet again.”

     

    What makes this tie-up special is that ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ has been selected for the prestigious “Directors’ Fortnight” at the 65th Festival De Cannes and has already garnered unprecedented buzz from international media and critics.

     

  • Fans can now listen to the live, running commentary of the last three matches including the final IPL matches on AIR

    Times Internet partners AIR for live IPL commentary

    By A Correspondent

     

    Times Internet Limited (TIL) and All India Radio (AIR) have joined hands to broadcast live commentary of IPL 2012 over AIR’s national channel and the FM Gold Network.

     

    The running commentary of the final matches of IPL 2012 will be broadcast alternately in Hindi and English on National Channel and FM Gold Network.

     

    Speaking on the deal, Rishi Khiani, CEO, Times Internet, said: “By partnering with All India Radio, IPL 2012 will be able to reach out to a much larger base of cricket fans, who are spread all over the country ,especially beyond the metros.”

     

    “AIR has had a very long innings in promoting sports including cricket in the country. We are still going strong in that direction. We are now about to carry live commentary of the last three important and crucial matches including the final match of IPL. We hope that this would provide a new experience to our listeners,” said LD Mandloi, Director General, All India Radio.