Mumbai Press Club has condemned the social media attack on Indian origin Gulf News Journalist Mazhar Farooqui by Indian social media handles. Farooqui has been threatened with dire consequences including threats to his family members by certain twitter handles.
Notes a statement: “While there are many unhappy with Farooqui’s reportage, threatening a journalists and his family members anywhere in the world cannot be tolerated. We appeal to Twitter to take appropriate action against hatemongers and against those threatening journalists using their platform.
Kinnect has been appointed as the digital agency for TikTok India. Kinnect will be responsible to fuel TikTok’s growth and solidify its base in India.
Rohan Mehta
Commenting on the account win, Rohan Mehta, CEO – Kinnect said: “We are extremely excited that TikTok India has decided to partner with us. TikTok is giving wings to the creativity of emerging India and is evolving as a prime platform of self-expression. We are eager to further grow its usage across markets and ensure that people across categories are able to become a part of this fast-growing creative community.”
Zeux Innovation has partnered with Discovery India to design the Discovery+ app. The app was launched on 18th March 2020 and continues to garner good reviews across app stores for its content and user experience.
Commenting on the Zeux and Discovery collaboration, Issac John, Business Head, Discovery India said: “As a product, our team was very conscious of solving barriers for user adoption in a cluttered OTT market like India. The various researches and design workshops that Zeux led for us, placed user motivations at the heart for solving these barriers. The iterative work, completed over several months, has paid rich dividends for us as expressed by the umpteen user reviews that have highlighted the rich yet simple to navigate UI & UX of Discovery Plus”.
Added Saurabh Gupta, Co-founder, Zeux Innovation, said, “We are proud to be the UX design partner for Discovery+. We leveraged the science of human performance and persuasion design to craft an OTT experience that is a perfect balance between delivering specific business outcomes, addressing diverse user needs and effectively managing technology considerations”.
To offer South Asian migrant workers residing in Singapore moments of respite during this uncertain and difficult time, The Walt Disney Company is working with the Singapore government to bring the Hotstar streaming service to migrant workers during this period.
The workers can live stream more than 85,000 hours of movies, cricket matches, Star India TV shows and live news on their mobile phones. Available in nine languages, the content offering includes more than 2000 movies and 900 TV shows. The service is currently available only on Android phones in Singapore, but will be available soon on iPhones as well. This initiative ends on 21 July 2020.
Said Uday Shankar – President, The Walt Disney Company APAC and Chairman, Star & Disney India: “We are honoured to work with the government to bring Hotstar to migrant workers in Singapore. In these unprecedented challenging times, we humbly hope that by offering the workers content that speak their language and reach their hearts, we can help lift their spirits and bring some moments of comfort and inspiration.”
JioSaavn has announced that Virginia Sharma has joined the company as Vice President of Brand Solutions. Based out of JioSaavn’s Gurugram office, Sharma will lead the company’s global digital ad monetization efforts across platforms. She will be responsible for driving adoption of JioSaavn’s innovative advertising solutions for brands, while overseeing agency and client relationships.
Said Sharma: “I am excited to join the passionate and like-minded leadership team at JioSaavn, where music and people take center stage every day. Music is a lifelong companion; it evokes moments and memories, it’s a conduit for emotional expression; and it connects people of all ages and backgrounds. As a seasoned marketer and early JioSaavn user, I already recognize many opportunities for brands to find their voice on the JioSaavn platform, allowing them to engage and build loyalty with millions of consumers. Let’s play!”.
Added Vinodh Bhat, Co-founder, President and Chief Strategy Officer, JioSaavn: “As the JioSaavn user base continues to grow, the company was ready for a strong, seasoned and passionate executive in our core market to scale our advertising business. Virginia is recognized as one of the top digital leaders in the country and set records at LinkedIn for monetization in India. She is an accomplished Marketer turned Sales Leader with the proven capability to understand marketer needs and create durable long-term solutions for them, applying a mix of business creativity and strong ad technology. In addition to her wealth of expertise and strategic understanding of the industry, she is also a great culture fit at JioSaavn. We are pleased to welcome her to the team and very excited to work together on this road ahead.”
GSK Consumer Healthcare’s antacid brand Eno has launched a digital campaign that went live in two phases. Phase 1 was centered around occasions like working from home and reduced physical activity with two digital films titled ‘Stay @ Home: Food Cravings’ and ‘Stay @ Home: Food Experiments’ that highlight the change in eating habits and food experiments at home being witnessed in todays time, which could potentially result in acidity.
Said Naveed Ahmed, Area Marketing Director-Wellness, GSK Consumer Healthcare: “Taking into consideration the emerging consumer trends of frequent snacking and reduced physical acitivity – driven by people being confined to their homes, our latest campaign enables people to indulge in their food cravings and experiments without having to worry about acidity. We have consciously choosen a humourous approach, inline with the brand personalibty of Eno, to build a connect with our audience and communicate our message effectively.”
Performics India has won the digital media and analytics mandate for mobile e-sports platform Mobile Premier League (MPL). The business was won in a tightly-contested multi-agency pitch which saw participation from leading agencies. This win, notes a communique, along with other big recent wins like Cred, Udaan and the commerce mandate for ITC’s foods division, further strengthens Performics India’s Bengaluru office which was set-up in 2019.
Said Rajat Gupta, Vice-President of Marketing at MPL: “MPL has a unique product offering in the fast evolving Mobile Gaming space. And we are in a phase of rapid expansion and growth. We were looking for a partner who would appreciate the complexity and scale of our business and would accordingly customize everything for us. In Performics India we found that partner and are looking forward to doing category leading work with them.”
Added Suchit Sikaria, Managing Partner, Performics India: “We are thrilled and honoured to be appointed as MPL’s digital partner. With our expertise across Media, Tech & Analytics we are confident of helping MPL realize all its business goals. Along with running their digital media campaigns, setting up the Google Marketing Platform stack for MPL is extremely exciting for us.”
Shemaroo Entertainment has aired content of its flagship Hindi GEC, Shemaroo TV on Facebook. The service was officially launched on May 1, 2020 at 6am and the viewers can watch it live on Facebook.
Hiren Gada
Commenting on the launch, Hiren Gada, CEO, Shemaroo Entertainment Limited said: “Shemaroo Entertainment is known to experiment and create new records in the media and entertainment space. With this unique and industry first initiative, where our viewers will see Shemaroo TV live on Facebook, we hope to reach out to a new & wide set of audience and offer content that they would like to watch and enjoy in their free time.”
Speaking on the occasion, Manish Chopra, Director and Head of Partnerships, Facebook India, remarked: “We are excited to see Shemaroo Entertainment launch its Hindi GEC Channel Shemaroo TV on Facebook. Simulcast of their shows on Facebook in inaugural week, will not only bring back the magic of popular TV shows for people across India, but is also a unique way to expand visibility of their programming, at a time when lockdown and social distancing because of COVID 19, has led people to tune into more TV and social media.”
Photograph of a rice farmer in Punjab by Neil Palmer (CIAT). Creative Commons Licence
Data, insights and consulting major Kantar has released its ICube 2019 report on digital adoption and usage trends in India. The annual tracking study regarded as the currency for digital adoption in the country, gauges the changing digital ecosystem in India, measuring Internet usage by demographic, activity and device segments.
Key findings:
:: Estimated at 574 million, the number of monthly active Internet users have registered an annual growth of 24% indicating an overall penetration of 41%.
:: The report projects 11% growth for 2020; estimates 639 million monthly active Internet users
Active Internet User Estimated Growth Rate – 11%
· 2019
· 574 Million
· 2020 (estimated)
· 639 Million
:: All monthly active Internet users use a mobile phone as one of the devices to access the Internet
ICube is an annual syndicated study of Kantar to measure the reach and frequency of Internet usership in India. Launched in 1998, the study is in its 22nd year. ICube 2019 covered about 75,000 respondents across 390 cities and urban locations and about 1300+ villages. The study represents all states and Union Territories of India barring Lakshadweep. The data collection for the study was conducted between May to August 2019.
Said Puneet Avasthi, Senior Director, Insights Division, Kantar: “The latest edition of Kantar ICube 2019 report shows that the digital base in India has achieved a strong growth with the addition of over 112 million users last year. The new decade is expected to witness the next wave of Digital India aided by the recent COVID-19 pandemic that has catalysed the speed at which the already connected consumer is getting further connected with devices, payments, e-medicine, etc. Kantar’s ICube 2019 report gives a frontline view of the digital adoption and its growth drivers, thereby providing marketers the key insights necessary for formulating their marketing and communication strategies.”
Added Biswapriya Bhattacharjee, Vice President, Insights Division, Kantar: “The lockdown and social distancing have pushed users experiment with various digital solutions, some of them by desire while others due to compulsion. The comfort of accessing services and availing their benefits from the comfort of home in the times of social distancing will continue to push users to adopt and use multiple Internet services. Given this, the year 2020 is likely to see a tectonic shift in both Internet adoption and frequency of usage. OTT, Hyperlocal services, Social media and communication and Online Payments will be some key elements that will drive the impact,”
Entertainment moves Online
As per the ICube 2019 report, about 84% users access the Internet for entertainment purposes. 2019 witnessed a surge in OTT, both audio and video, probably driven by original contents and Cricket (both IPL and Cricket world cup streamed on OTT Platforms). Convenience of content availability across devices and on the go low cost Internet service resulted in a significant growth in the entertainment consumption in the last year. This is expected to continue in 2020 too, especially in view of the lockdown.
More children on the Internet than ever before
At 38%, schoolgoing children segment in the age group of 15 years or below has shown a promising growth on the internet usage. Access to information and education, social media, gaming and entertainment, especially, Sports, are driving the adoption.
Content availability drives the surge in daily usage
Content is the king and is driving the surge in daily internet usage. ICube 2019 reports a growth of more than 60% in the daily Internet users in the last one year; almost 9 out of 10 active internet users were accessing the internet daily owing to entertainment and communication needs.
Rural masses continue to propel India’s digital revolution
India’s digital revolution continues to be propelled by the rural masses — Rural India registered a 45% growth in the monthly active internet users in 2019. It is now estimated that there are 264 million internet users in rural India, and this is expected to reach 304 million in 2020. Local language and video are the underlying factors for the internet boom in rural. The rural population has finally crossed the point of a chasm by embracing the Internet in a big way, resulting in a 2.5X growth in penetration in the last 4 years.
Looking ahead:
:: Children and housewives will be the new Internet adopters in the next year or two. Most of these users already have Internet at home, and it will be more about breaking the mindset barriers to access the web. With the availability of curated content for these groups, the adoption will be considerably faster amongst these segments.
:: Video, Voice and Vernacular (3 Vs) will be significant usage factors for the Internet users. These will drive higher engagement and frequency of usage, thereby, helping the users mature in their Internet journey.
:: IOT and Smart Devices will make the internet as much a household phenomenon as it is an individual phenomenon.
(Internet User is defined as anyone who has accessed the internet in the past one month)
ICube is an annual syndicated study of Kantar to measure the reach and frequency of Internet usership in India. Launched in 1998, the study is in its 22nd year. ICube 2019 covered about 75,000 respondents across 390 cities and urban locations and about 1300+ villages. The study represents all states and Union Territories of India barring Lakshadweep. The data collection for the study was conducted between May to August 2019.
Nykaa unveiled its latest ad film titled “Khoj” that was released to coincide with Mother’s Day on Nykaa’s YouTube channel.
Said Madhavi Irani, Chief Officer – Content, Nykaa: “Khoj is Nykaa’s tribute to the extraordinary strength of women who could also be mothers, and more importantly, a heartfelt tribute and resounding thanks to the heroes fighting for our safety in the time of Covid-19. Our aim with these campaigns is to grow stronger as a voice that celebrates women from all walks of life”,
The film was put together by remote production in different locations across the country with the director in Chennai, the producer in Kolkata, and the post-production team split between Delhi and Mumbai.
TikTok has announced that Ashok A Cherian has joined the company as Marketing Head for India. At TikTok, Cherian will be responsible for spearheading the overall brand strategy and marketing initiatives for the platform.
Welcoming Cherian to the team, Nikhil Gandhi, India Head, TikTok said: “We are excited to have Ashok onboard to lead TikTok’s brand building journey and marketing efforts in India. Ashok’s appointment further strengthens our local leadership team, which is committed to ensuring structured growth and providing an exciting and safe in-app experience to our users. With his extensive experience spanning over 20 years, I believe he will add immense value in building our brand salience across stakeholders in the country.”
Commenting on his new role, Cherian added: “I am delighted to join TikTok and excited at the opportunity to be a part of this team. TikTok has democratised content creation and redefined the way people create and share short-video content. I look forward to leveraging my past experience in the content and entertainment industry to further build the brand love and bring joy to our users in India.”
Hungama Play, a leading video on demand platform owned by Hungama Digital Media, has launched the second season of ‘Comedycha Raada’, a Hungama Original featuring stand-up comedy acts in Marathi. The new season will include 20 episodes featuring a total of 41 aspiring comedians from Maharashtra. The show is hosted by the actor Pranav Raorane and is created and produced by CafeMarathi.
Said Siddhartha Roy, COO, Hungama Digital Media:“The digital medium has emerged as the greatest asset in the recent times. Besides enabling access to information and essential services, the medium has also become key to offering people the option to entertain themselves from the safety of their homes. We are pleased to launch a new season of our Marathi stand-up comedy special, a genre that is increasingly being appreciated by audiences speaking regional languages, and are certain that our users will find the content to be humorous and relatable.”
Added Nikhil Raibole, Co-founder & CEO, CafeMarathi: “It gives us great pleasure to work with Hungama Play again for the new season of Comedycha Raada. The show has won appreciation for its originality, fresh performances and topicality. Coupled with Hungama Play’s strong distribution network, the show’s format offers budding comedians a huge platform to showcase their talent and reach a wide audience. We are certain that the audience will appreciate the humour that the new season has to offer.”
To offer South Asian migrant workers residing in Singapore moments of respite during this uncertain and difficult time, The Walt Disney Company is working with the Singapore government to bring the Hotstar streaming service to migrant workers during this period.
Said Sharma: “I am excited to join the passionate and like-minded leadership team at JioSaavn, where music and people take center stage every day. Music is a lifelong companion; it evokes moments and memories, it’s a conduit for emotional expression; and it connects people of all ages and backgrounds. As a seasoned marketer and early JioSaavn user, I already recognize many opportunities for brands to find their voice on the JioSaavn platform, allowing them to engage and build loyalty with millions of consumers. Let’s play!”.
Said Rajat Gupta, Vice-President of Marketing at MPL: “MPL has a unique product offering in the fast evolving Mobile Gaming space. And we are in a phase of rapid expansion and growth. We were looking for a partner who would appreciate the complexity and scale of our business and would accordingly customize everything for us. In Performics India we found that partner and are looking forward to doing category leading work with them.”
Added Suchit Sikaria, Managing Partner, Performics India: “We are thrilled and honoured to be appointed as MPL’s digital partner. With our expertise across Media, Tech & Analytics we are confident of helping MPL realize all its business goals. Along with running their digital media campaigns, setting up the Google Marketing Platform stack for MPL is extremely exciting for us.”
Hungama Play, a leading video on demand platform owned by Hungama Digital Media, has launched the second season of ‘Comedycha Raada’, a Hungama Original featuring stand-up comedy acts in Marathi. The new season will include 20 episodes featuring a total of 41 aspiring comedians from Maharashtra. The show is hosted by the actor Pranav Raorane and is created and produced by CafeMarathi.