MxMIndia

Category: Digital

  • Celebrate Diwali with blockbuster movie Mookuthi Aman starring Nayanthara and RJ Balaji

    Disney+ Hotstar VIP embraces Tamil

    By A Correspondent

     

    With its next big leap in content, Disney+ Hotstar VIP aspires to become the personal screen for Tamil content-watching audiences.

     

    Starting this Diwali, there is a major line-up planned, the first of which is blockbuster movie Mookuthi Aman starring Nayanthara and RJ Balaji. The platform is also set to launch specials shows – LIVE Telecast directed by Venkat Prabhu and starring Kajal Aggarwal; My Perfect Husband starring actors Sathyaraj and Seetha, Triples produced by Karthik Subbaraj and starring Jai Sampath and Vani Bhojan and November Story starring Kollywood’s Tamannaah Bhatia. And there’s more planned.

     

    Said Sunil Rayan, President & Head, Disney+ Hotstar: “We have always been at the forefront of reinventing and reimagining content in India. As we lay the foundation of presenting authentic stories that appeal to Tamil audiences, we are very excited to partner with some of the most prolific minds of the industry. As we announce the launch of new movies-before-theatre and Hotstar Specials shows, we are adding to our existing promise of providing great Tamil entertainment across Live Sports, before TV access to Star VIjay shows and much more – giving our audiences a wide array of content to choose from”

     

     

  • As per a report in Times magazine’s website, Shivnath Thukral, former journalist and WhatsApp’s public policy director, has been asked to take over Das’s duties on an interim basis until a replacement can be found

    Controversial Facebook policy head Ankhi Das quits

    By A Correspondent

     

    Facebook India’s policy head Ankhi Das has resigned. She was at the centre of a controversy after a newspaper reported on Facebook’s alleged political biases.

     

    As a report in Times magazine’s website, Shivnath Thukral, former journalist and WhatsApp’s public policy director, has been asked to take over Das’s duties on an interim basis until a replacement can be found. This has not been confirmed or denied by Facebook or Thukral.

     

    According to a statement published on The Hindu website, Ajit Mohan, Vice President and Managing Director, Facebook India, has said, “Ankhi has decided to step down from her role in Facebook to pursue her interest in public service. Ankhi was one of our earliest employees in India and played an instrumental role in the growth of the company and its services over the last nine years. She has been a part of my leadership team over the last two years, a role in which she has made enormous contributions. We are grateful for her service and wish her the very best for the future.”

     

     

  • It will cater to netizens in Australia and worldwide

    OTT platform Me TV launched

    By A Correspondent

     

    Binge-watchers in Australia and South Asia now have Me TV, an Indo-Australian broadcasting company, which has unveiled a multi-lingual Over-the-Top (OTT) Plus platform called Me World. The app has been available from October 18 across the globe. It is available on Android, IOS and even on Smart TV’s

     

    The highlight of the novel application is its hyperlocal reach wherein viewers can not only watch entertainment ,news, movies, or listen to podcasts; they can also book tickets via Me World for events to be held in their locality or neighbourhood and watch events live from home. Me World even allows viewers to showcase their talent and upload their content on the platform. It will be showcased after meeting Me World standard criteria.

     

    Said Sri Hari Kommineni, CEO & Founder, Me World: “I am delighted to release Me World for download for netizens. It is our signature offering that instantly connects communities in and around the world irrespective of the geographical barriers.  The application will provide wholesome and varied content ranging from entertainment, events information, movies, local news, business, web series, podcasts among others. Moreover, its interactive interface even allows the viewers to create and upload their content for wide accessibility and engagement. It’s a one shop stop for every app lover, it will also advertise local business add viewers can avail coupons and offers of favourite restaurants, spa, movie tickets etc.  The release of ME World reaffirms our commitment to curate outstanding content inline with our viewers’ preferences.” MEworld programme category ranges from Movies, Events, web series, celebrity talk show, Multiple Talent shows and many more.

     

     

  • Effort to “salute and bring together” Indian apps

    Mitron TV spotlights ‘Made in India’ apps

    By A Correspondent

     

    Indian short-video app Mitron TV has launched a discovery platform called Atmanirbhar Apps  to urge people to become ‘Vocal for Local’ and to bring the spotlight on the Indian apps from various geographies.

     

    Commenting on the launch of Atmanirbhar Apps, Shivank Agarwal, Co-Founder & CEO Mitron said: “It gives me immense pride and pleasure to bring Atmanirbhar Apps to the Indian users on the National Unity Day. After PM Modi’s clarion call in May this year to be Atmanirbhar, and to focus on the creation of a Made in India ecosystem, we felt that it’s highly important to let users discover noteworthy Indian apps that are doing exceptional work to keep India running. This is a small effort by Mitron TV to celebrate self-reliance and promote domestic businesses.”

     

    Added Anish Khandelwal, Co-Founder and CTO, Mitron: “I am ecstatic to bring another offering from the Mitron TV. When we launched the Mitron TV app, we never imagined that users will shower us with so much affection that we will cross 39 million downloads within six months. This validated our belief that Indians have a trust factor towards local apps, which led us to launch Atmanirbhar Apps. We invite Indians to head to our discovery platform where they will find the best of desi apps to suit their every need.’’

     

     

  • The digital agency claims it has created the longest virtual garba chain for the audience to groove on

    DViO Digital & Gaana create ‘longest’ chain of people at Navratri

    By A Correspondent

     

    Given the need to maintain social distancing during festivities, DViO Digital created the perfect opportunity to add to the Navratri fervour and lift people’s spirits straight into the virtual world. This was done via a collaboration with music app, Gaana.

     

    Said Sowmya Iyer, Founder & CEO, DViO Digital: “2020 is synonymous with Virtual Reality and though we may have been struck with a situation, we haven’t left any stone unturned when it comes to creativity and innovation in experiences. Festivities are all about coming together to meet and celebrate but if we’re not able to, we must still keep that spirit alive. Gaana Garba Chain is an example of that sentiment. The response to the campaign clearly shows the initiative was appreciated by the people and rightly captured the festive spirit of Navratri.”

     

  • Inhouse production will start in December 2020

    Yet another OTT player: Mojoplex

    By A Correspondent

     

    Yes, there’s another OTT app. Kolkata-based Mojoplex promises a “renaissance in the industry”. Along with movies, web series and short films, viewers will also be served stand-Up comedy, travel and adventure vlogs and music jamming sessions. Inhouse production will start in December 2020.

     

    Said Tufan Mukherjee, Co-founder, Mojoplex: “The explosive growth of the OTT segment really will change things for the better, and it’s only the next smart thing to integrate everything a consumer defines as ‘entertainment’ on one platform. These past few months have shown how OTT platforms shined bright through these tough times; entertainment has certainly made its position invaluable in our lives, which is why the industry, from an entrepreneur’s point of view, will never witness the opposite of success. With Mojoplex, we wish to provide the “over” in ‘over the top’, and truly be the one-stop destination for all things entertainment in every shape and form.”

     

    Added Abhishek Mishra, Co-founder, Mojoplex: “This pandemic has made people realise that entertainment is no longer restricted to the traditional screens airing scheduled programs made for in-show advertisements. Now the power has come into the hands of the viewers. And having that very opportunity for grabs, we have made Mojoplex’s purpose align with this value of ‘power to the consumer’ certitude. With a foray of entertainment consumers engaging in digital content, we wish to place Bengali content on a national pedestal so that it’s not only accessed by the Bengali audience, but the entire country.”

     

     

  • Ex-Bytedancers Shyamanga Barooah and Biswarup Gooptu join the media company

    Mitron TV strengthens leadership team with two senior hires

    By A Correspondent

     

    Shyamanga Barooah
    Biswarup Gooptu

    Indian short-format video app Mitron TV has announced the expansion of its leadership team with two senior hires. Ex-Bytedance executive Shyamanga Barooah comes on board as Head of Content Strategy and senior journalist Biswarup Gooptu, who spent 10 years at the Economic Times, joins as Head of Partnerships & Policy. Gooptu will focus on driving public policy for the company and building government alliances. Barooah, who was also earlier with Bytedance, will be responsible for developing and optimizing a tailored content strategy, whilst driving the best content practices for internal and external stakeholders.

     

    Commenting on the development, Shivank Agarwal, Co-founder & CEO Mitron said: “We are delighted to have Shyamanga and Biswarup join the leadership team at Mitron. The impact of short-video consumption and digital entertainment is growing at a rapid pace, making this sector one of the most exciting in present times. At Mitron, we are in a robust growth phase and continuing to reinvent ourselves. With Shyamanga and Biswarup’s expertise, we look forward to further strengthening our proposition and scale the business to the next level.”

     

     

  • Says fantasy sports is becoming backbone of live sports sponsorship

    My11Circle comes on board as title sponsor of LPL

    By A Correspondent

     

    In a major boost to the inaugural edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL), My11Circle, one of the leading fantasy sports platforms in India, has come on board as title sponsor of the T20 tournament in a multi-crore deal. With this new association, the T20 tournament will now be called My11Circle Lanka Premier League. Former Indian cricket team captain Mr. Sourav Ganguly is the brand ambassador of My11Circle.

     

    Talking about the association, Avik Das Kanungo, Director – Brand and Marketing Strategy, Games24x7, said: “Our fantasy sports platform, My11Circle is already a popular destination for fantasy cricket in India, commonly referred to as the platform where you ‘Play with Champions’. As part of Games24x7’s continuous efforts to extend awesome game playing experiences to more cricket enthusiasts, we are delighted to partner with Lanka Premier League (LPL). We firmly believe that My11Circle LPL has the potential to become one of the world’s greatest sports properties. Our primary objective is to reach out to more cricket fans across regions and borders and communicate our unique ‘Play with Champions’ proposition to them through this partnership.”

     

    LPL COO Mr. Sanjay Raina added: “We at IPG are committed to building a world-class league with LPL. With our association with My11Circle — the first fantasy sports platform that allows a player to make a team and play directly with legendary cricketers, we will be able to take the league to millions of fans both on and off the platform. We are delighted to welcome My11Circle as title sponsor of Lanka Premier League.”

     

    The My11Circle LPL is scheduled to kick off from November 26 till December 16, 2020 in Hambantota. Five franchisee teams, named after Colombo, Kandy, Galle, Dambulla and Jaffna, will compete in 23 matches over a 15-day period for the title.

     

     

  • #KeepLearning will offer educational content in video, audio and article formats

    Times of India joins Byju’s #KeepLearning campaign

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Times of India, in association with edtech major Byju’s, has announced the launch of the #KeepLearning campaign. The initiative intends to empower students, parents and educators with information and the best practices of online learning.

     

    Speaking about the initiative, Sanjeev Bhargava, Director – Brand, TOI said: “The pandemic has brought about several drastic changes in the way we live our lives. One of the sectors that have seen sizeable change is the education sector, which has swiftly transitioned and adopted a digital approach. As a media platform, we have consistently been drivers of effective change in society, building and supporting movements; with this legacy, we bring an endeavour to empower parents and educators while providing them with the best guidance and knowledge in association with Byju’s. Bridging the gap between the knowledge of how to leverage the various digital learning tools that have been developed for us, #KeepLearning will help children, parents and educators alike.”

     

    Added Sudha Natrajan, Director – Response, TOI: “Covid-19’s prevailing impact has forced people to live life indoors. The education sector has also moved from blackboards to digital screens, affecting the life of the students and forcing them to adapt to the digital way of learning. With TOI’s and Byju’s – #KeepLearning initiative, we aim to edify the parents and educators about how they can adapt to these changes and also help students adapt to the changing times for a better future. By using different approaches and digital tools we intend to create a bridge between the parents and teachers to drive them towards a better future for the students.”

     

    Said Mrinal Mohit, Chief Operating Officer, Byju’s: “Learning and education are an important part of our lives. With the advancement of technologies and availability of several tools, it is necessary to expand the scope of learning at every stage and educate ourselves on how we can harness the presented opportunity. With the #KeepLearning campaign, in association with TOI, Byju’s hopes to enlighten students, parents and educators about the ‘how-to’ of e-learning and bring about a change in the education sector.”

     

     

  • Kinnect was the agency doing the execution

    Asian Paints goes with YT creators for Viroprotek

    By A Correspondent

     

    To create buzz around the product launch, Asian Paints and its social media agency – Kinnect – collaborated with YouTube creators.

     

    Notes a communique: “The campaign garnered over 104+ million impressions, 27.7+ million views and 1.1+ million engagements. Most importantly, the call-out by YouTubers, along with the links mentioned in the description, resulted in 30K+ comments and over 8k+ website visits to buy Viroprotek’s range of products.”

     

    Note from Ed: The data provided above is not third-party, and not verified by MxMIndia. We urge readers to make their judgment.

     

     

  • Twitteet, a social media analytics firm, released its October 2020 numbers. Here are some vital stats

    Sabse Bada Tweeter Kaun?

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    Twitteet, a social media analytics firm, released its October analytics report on Monday. This is the first time social media analytics for Twitter engagement by 20 categories.

    The categories whose Twitter engagement have been analysed include Politicians (party-wise), Journalists, Business Leaders Founders & Investors), Sportspersons (cricket and other sports), Movies stars (Bollywood and regional), Authors, Chefs, and Comedians.

     

    Here are the winners from some key categories:

    1. Politicians – Narendra Modi-  72,15,913 Twitter Engagements
    2. Bollywood – Sonu Sood-  24,36,601 Twitter Engagements
    3. Business Head – Anand Mahindra-  4,08,882 Twitter Engagements
    4. Cricketer – Virat Kohli-  24,65,918 Twitter Engagements
    5. Sports Star (non-cricket) – Vijender Singh-  4,27,006 Twitter Engagements
    6. TV Star – Sidharth Shukla-  3,90,901 Twitter Engagements
    7. Journalist – Deepak Chaurasia –  18,88,720 Twitter Engagements
    8. Founders – Kunal Shah-  60,093 Twitter Engagements
    9. Comedians – Kunal Kamra-  11,46,111 Twitter Engagements
    10. Regional Cinema Star – Mahesh Babu-  7,32,964 Twitter Engagements
    11. Authors – Anand Ranganathan-  5,36,874 Twitter Engagements
    12. Investor – Mohandas Pai-  99,741 Twitter Engagements

     

    Key highlights of the first report include the remarkable rise of Tejashwi Yadav who clocked over a 1.24 million engagements  in October overshadowing incumbent Bihar CM Nitish Kumar who managed only 133,879 engagements. Prime Minster Narendra Modi topped the overall Indian Twitter engagement rankings with over 7.2 million engagements.

    Among Indian politicians Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is at #2 with 3.5 million engagements, UP CM Yogi Adityanath and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were 3rd and 4th in the Indian Politicians engagement rankings. Others in the top 10 among politicians were BJP Spokesperson Sambit Patra at #8 who clocked a 1.1 million engagements; Dr Kumar Vishwas at #5 who got 1.2 million engagements.

    In the journalists category, News Nation’s Deepak Chaurasia topped Twitter engagement with a whopping 1.88 million engagements. Aaj Tak’s Rohit Sardana was at #2 with 1.1 million engagement followed by Sushant Sinha with 1.05 million engagements. Senior journalist and India Today’s Consulting Editor Rajdeep Sardesai was at # 8 wit6 6.6 lakh engagements and Rana Ayyub was at #6 with 7.6 lakh engagements.

    Sonu Sood’s work during the pandemic saw huge resonance on Twitter where even at a Twitter following of a tenth of actor Shah Rukh Khan (Sonu Sood’s 4.6 million followers to SRK’s 41.3 million followers) he topped Twitter engagement among Bollywood Stars with a phenomenal 2.4 million engagements. Khan was at #2 with 7.3 lakh engagements. Akshay Kumar with 6.72 lakh engagements was at #3, and Anupam Kher with 4.74 lakh engagements was at #4. Former Maharashtra CM, the late Vilasrao Deshmukh’s actor-son Riteish Deshmukh was at #5 with 4.2 lakh engagements. Pooja Hegde was the surprise entrant into the top 10 with 2.51 lakh engagements.

    In the business Leaders category, Anand Mahindra towers over others with over 4 lakh engagements.  RPG Groups chief Harsh Goenka is at #2 with 2.2 lakh engagements. Chinese mobile phone brands India CEO’s Manu Kumar Jain of XioMi and RealMe’s Madhav Sheth are at #3 and #4 respectively with 1.5 lakh and 1.1 lakh engagements respectively. Wipro Chairman Rishad Premji with 49K engagements is at #5, Biocon’s Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw with 41K engagements at #6, Marico’s Harsh Mariwala with 24K engagements is at #7, Micromax co-founder Rahul Sharma with 19K engagements at #8 and Chairman of JSPL and former MP, Naveen Jindal with 16K engagements is at #9.  Google’s Global CEO Sundar Pichai with 15K engagements is at #10.

    The IPL was the flavour of the season for cricketers where expectedly India captain and expectant father Virat Kohli topped Twitter engagement with 2.4 million engagements. Suresh Raina was at #2 with 1.9 million engagements. Former stars Sachin Tendulkar at #3, Harbhajan Singh at #5, and Virendra Sehwag at #6, actively engage with fans and followers on Twitter with 1.5 million; 6.8 lakh and 6.3 lakh engagements. Aakash Chopra, now a commentator is also hugely popular and ranks #4 with over 9.65 lakh engagements on Twitter in October. Perennial favourite Mahendra Singh Dhoni was completely inactive on Twitter in October despite more than 8.1 million followers.

    Among Indian sportspersons, outside of cricket, Olympic medallist and pro-boxer Vijendra Singh tops with 4.27 lakh engagements. Perhaps the India’s best kept secret in sports is veteran pistol shooter, coach and sports enthusiast 88-year old Dadi Chandro Tomar, better known as ‘Shooter Dadi’ from Baghpat, UP. Since learning to shoot when she was well into her sixties she has attained national fame as an accomplished shooter having won more than 30 national championships. She was at #2 in the non-cricket sports category with a phenomenal 2.84 lakh engagements  leaving superstars like Saina Nehwal, Babita Phogat and Jwala Gutta behind!

    In other categories, comedians and start-up founders made their mark. Among comedians, Kunal Kamra topped impressively with 1.1 million engagements, followed by Ashish Chanchlani at #2 with 4.92 lakh engagements, Vir Das at #3 with 3.2 lakh engagements, Atul Khatri at #4 with 2.21 lakh engagements and Amit Bhadana with 1.1 lakh engagements at #5.  Cred Founder Kunal Shah lead the Business Founders category with 60K engagements and Paytm’s Vijay Shekhar Sharma was next with 23K engagements.

    Said Twitteet co-founder Sandeep Amar: “Our core objective is to provide social business intelligence, social monitoring and actionable insights to the leaders across various domains and also to businesses and marketers.  We run daily analysis of all engagements – which are the total of likes and retweets, collate these every month, across categories; and then slice and dice them to mine actionable insights. At some level a leaders Twitter engagement gives one sense of his connect with his constituents and what are the key issues that matter. We hope to sharpen this data over time and broad base our offerings to other social

     

  • Starts off with Sons of the Soil: Jaipur Pink Panthers

    Amazon Prime Videos forays in sports docus

    By A Correspondent

     

    Amazon Prime Video and Abhishek Bachchan today unveiled the trailer for an all-new Amazon Original series, Sons of the Soil: Jaipur Pink Panthers

     

    Produced by BBC Studios India and directed by two-time BAFTA Scotland winner Alex Gale, the unscripted sports docu-series follows the inspiring journey of Jaipur Pink Panthers in the seventh season of the Pro Kabaddi League. Amazon Original Series Sons of the Soil: Jaipur Pink Panthers will launch in over 200+ countries and territories exclusively on Prime Video on December 4. The first episode of the Amazon Original Series will be available to watch for free for all Amazon India customers. Interestingly, Pro Kabaddi league is aired on Star Sports, and the show is going to be aired on Amazon Prime Video and not Hotstar.

     

    Added Aparna Purohit, Head – India Originals, Amazon Prime Video India: “Amazon Prime Video has always endeavored to bring diverse and gripping stories to our audiences. From gangland dramas to musicals – we have developed and produced authentic stories rooted in our soil. And with Sons of the Soil: Jaipur Pink Panthers, we are extremely proud to diversify our repertoire and bring our first-ever sports docu-series in India to our viewers. Kabaddi is one of the oldest and much loved indigenous sports in India and this series follows the incredible journey of Jaipur Pink Panthers Kabaddi team. The series will provide a window into players’ steadfast persistence, rigorous preparation and hard-work leading up-to the 40 minute matches that audiences enjoy. The show will take viewers on an emotional journey as they follow the team not just on the mat but also get an inside look into the lives of the players – where they come from and what drives them.”

     

    Added BBC Studios India Business Head, Sameer Gogate: “BBC Studios has had a strong heritage and specialization in producing documentary content globally and we are excited to bring our expertise in this genre into the India market. India is a sports hungry nation and we are delighted to collaborate with Amazon Prime Video to bring to their audience the first-ever sports docu-series on a truly indigenous sport like kabaddi. It was a pleasure to work with Amazon Prime Video, Abhishek Bachchan and the entire Jaipur Pink Panthers team, who opened up their world and hearts to us. Prime Video in India, through Amazon Originals, has presented some exciting stories for entertainment lovers and with Sons of the Soil: Jaipur Pink Panthers, fans can really look forward to an emotional and an engrossing tale of a team’s dedication and passion to win.”