MxMIndia

Category: MEDIA

  • All the three shows will go on air from July 30

    Suvarna launches 3 fiction shows

    By A Correspondent

     

    Star Network’s Kannada General Entertainment channel Suvarna has launched three mega fiction shows Akashadeepa, Keladi Chennamma and Bhagyavantharu. All the three shows will go on air from July 30.

     

    On the launch, Anup Chandrashekaran, Business Head of Suvarna Channel said: “This is for the first time in the Kannada general entertainment that an established channel like ours has launched three mega fiction shows on the same day. These shows are very different from each other and I am sure that our viewers are going to enjoy them. All three shows appeal to the mass audiences and cater to the entire family”.

     

    Akashadeepa, Keladi Channamma and Bhagyavantharu are additions to the many popular shows offered by Suvarna Channel. Akashadeepa will go on air at 8pm followed by Keladi Chennamma at 8:30pm and Bhagyavantharu at 9pm, thus revamping the entire primetime slot.

     

     

  • Individuals often opt for these programmes on their own, but companies too nominate and shortlist candidates

    Big Boys go to B-school for betterment

    By Anumeha Chaturvedi

     

    Liane Cabral Ghosh was working as a senior manager and strategist at Dell’s research and development centre in Bangalore, when she decided to enroll for an INSEAD leadership programme for senior Indian executives last August.

     

    “I was growing well in technical functions, but did not have management skillsets. I wanted a programme that could provide a career jump for senior leadership positions,” said Ms Ghosh. The programme concluded last month, and it seems that Ms Ghosh has been taught well. She will now join Canadian IT company Innovatia this month as country manager.

     

    Senior-level professionals across functions, profiles and industries are going back to school for short-term and long-term executive education programmes in order to reskill themselves. Ms Ghosh’s batchmates at INSEAD included Rajshree Naik, the marketing head of Forevermark, De Beers; and Manesh Nair, former director of business relationship consulting, India and Thailand, at American Express, and after the course, global director for partnership development posted at American Express, New York.

     

    “We are witnessing a growth of 25 per cent when it comes to participation in ‘open enrollment’ executive education programmes every year,” said Deepak Chandra, deputy dean at the Indian School of Business (ISB).

     

    Open enrollment programmes are meant for professionals from all fields looking at a specialisation in functions like marketing, finance or sales strategies. ISB will host 5,000 such students this year. It currently offers 45-50 such programmes, up from 5-6 a decade ago. The courses at ISB last anywhere from a week to a month.

     

    “Reskilling assumes greater importance in challenging times,” said Chaitanya

    Kalipatnapu, co-founder and director of Eruditus, a firm promoted by the alumni of INSEAD and Harvard Business School (HBS) to deliver executive education programmes. “Business schools witness a spike in activity during a slowdown, as candidates consider it safe to turn to education and feel the slowdown would be over and done with by the time they pass out.”

     

    Among the IIMs, Kozhikode is the only one to offer a two-year executive post-graduate programme in management for professionals. The batch size for this programme accredited by the London-based Association of MBAs (AMBA) has increased from 220 in 2010-12 to 333 for 2012-14. “We have increased the batch size owing to a significant demand for this course among professionals,” said C Raju, professor, quantitative methods and operations management, at IIM Kozhikode. The institute will also have two new one-year executive education programmes on human resource management and IT this year.

     

    “The number of requests and applications for customised and open enrolment programmes have more than doubled this year,” said Mr Kalipatnapu. It offers executive education programmes from INSEAD (one-year), Wharton (both short-term and long-term), and Tuck School of Business in India. While Wharton has introduced open enrollment executive education programmes in the country this year, Tuck School of Business entered into a first-of-its-kind by-invitation consortium with a few companies like TCS, Mahindra & Mahindra and HSBC this year, wherein the companies nominated their senior managers for a programme on innovation and leadership. The Tuck programme is spread over nine months.

     

    Individuals often opt for these programmes on their own, but companies too nominate and shortlist candidates and even work with universities on customised case studies to address their business needs. “Companies are realising that education is a good motivating tool to attract and retain talent,” added Mr Chandra.

     

    “Companies realise that the economic challenges demand a more targeted approach to talent management,” said Mr Kalipatnapu. Firms like Bharat Petroleum, Accenture and IBM work with these top schools for programmes tailor-made to suit their needs.

     

    Harvard Business School India Research Center, which handles executive education programmes in India, has diversified its portfolio of executive education programmes this year. “We had three executive education programmes last year, and we plan to have around 10 this year,” said Amrita Chowdhury, associate director, education, at HBS India Research Center. It has introduced new programmes on leadership and corporate accountability and innovation. “As senior professionals move up the leader, they realise they need specialised skills in general management and leadership,” said Ms Chowdhury.

     

    She said that while the majority of candidates in a programme would comprise large private companies and PSUs, 30-40 per cent of the candidates are senior management professionals or owners of SMEs. “These are companies with a turnover of around Rs 100 crore, have gained a lot of scale, and are now looking at skilling their top management for the next phase of growth.”

     

    Companies like Genpact and Aon Hewitt also have tie-ups with the HBS Research Center for shortlisting candidates for their programmes. “Our managers run large teams across the world and they learn about leadership and understand how cultures operate through these programmes,” said Amit Aggarwal, senior vice-president, global leadership development and training, at Genpact.

     

    While Genpact sends around 3-5 professionals for such programmes every year, Aon Hewitt shortlists its partners and even sent one of the directors for the programme this year. “The programme touched upon all elements of leading businesses and people, and was insightful, as managing people is one of the most crucial aspects of our business,” said Ryan Lowe, director at Aon Hewitt, who attended the HBS programme on managing professional services firms in January this year.

     

  • Just a little over three months to go for digitization in the four metros and it looks like we're going to see a replay of the same ol' story

    The Anchor: 5 reasons why Digitization may not happen even by Oct 31

    By Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

    It was unfortunate to see broadcasters forced to change their business projections and content strategies when digitization was less than a month away from the scheduled dates in June. And, now, the information one seems to be getting from the ground in the four metros is that the October 31 deadline also may not be met with.

     

    1. Momentum is lost: TAM CEO LV Krishnan said this in an interview to me last week. The urgency to go in for set-top boxes and the momentum that existed in April and May has been lost.

    2. The masses will wait and watch. Making it mandatory for cable operators and MSOs responsible for giving info is of no use. It’s the public – you and me – who have to be motivated enough to buy the box and go digital.  Don’t be surprised if the conversions fail  to pick up till the last week…

    3. Analogue will not vanish in the lower strata: TAM may not measure these homes in the four metros, but that’s not really a concern for lakhs of families who can’t afford a set-top box and the revised tariff.And just as it’s impossible to control petty crime, I don’t think the government will be able to nab the pirates in the metros.

    4. Old set-tops offer < 500 channels: Remember, the true pleasures of digitization will be felt only when you can watch those obscure television channels… Jewelry Television, may be. Or Create, a channel that shows D-I-Y and assorted instructional programming. Regrettably, many of those who embraced digital early own set-top boxes that may not be able to accommodate 500 without a tweak

    5. MIB must lead from the front: Any significant process for change must be led from the front and with the minister, her deputies and the secretariat on the ground. Are they doing it? No visible signs yet.

     

  • The software is targeted for mainly advertisers, media planners and celebrities firms to help them which attribute of a celeb suits a brand/product the most

    Ormax to help brands pick right face with Celebritix

    By A Correspondent

     

    How many times you have watched an advertisement and wondered ‘how is this celeb relevant for the brand?’ And if you are from other side, ‘which celeb will suit my brand?’

     

    Now you can stop worrying and wondering, Ormax Media has come up with a new product, Celebritix – a celebrity evaluation software – which will make it all simple.

     

    The celebrity evaluation software allows brands to evaluate and select the best celebrities for endorsements and film tie-ups, based on the fit between the brand and the celebrity.

     

    According to the study done by the organisation, almost 16 per cent of the television advertisements feature celebrities. “It is important to know who the ‘right’ celebrity for a brand is and what he/she can do for it. A correct candidate not only helps to differentiate the brand but also builds visibility and drives sales,” said Shailesh Kapoor, CEO, Ormax Media while launching Celebritix.

     

    The software is targeted for mainly advertisers, media planners and celebrities firms to help them which attribute of a celeb suits a brand/product the most. As per the research done by Ormax, there are 20 most common attributes which can help in the process of finding the right face for a brand. Some of the attributes in the Celebritix list are vivacious, adventurous, bold, righteous and youthful.

     

    The software will allow the users to create a brand profile by assigning weights to different attributes that best describe the desired personality of the brand. Based on the brand profile, the software will recommend celebrities that best fit the brand, using a proprietary metric called the OCX (Ormax Celebritix) Score.

     

    The OCX Score can also be used for selection of films for associations, based on the fit between the star cast and the brand. Additionally, subscribers will have access to two other modules – Stars India Loves (SIL) and Box Office Forecast – that will allow them to take informed decisions on film tie-ups.

     

    SIL is Ormax Media’s monthly star popularity research product running since November 2010. In Box Office Forecast, the users will get an indicative estimate of the likely opening day performance of the film at the domestic box office, based on campaign tracking, category trends and normative data. The forecast will be available up to 12 months before the release of the film.

     

    Celebritix currently features a total of 36 celebrities from Bollywood and cricket. Every quarter, up to 10 new celebrities will be added to the tracking, based on market trends, box office and cricket performance. The research covers 4,000 respondents every quarter, across 20 attributes, in the target group of 18-44 yrs., SEC ABC, across Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Lucknow.

     

  • The deal negotiated with MP& Silva, a leading international sports rights agency, will allow Ten Network to offer 232 matches Live and Exclusive

    Ten acquires French Football League till ’15

    By A Correspondent

     

    Sports content provider, Ten Network, has announced that it has secured Live and exclusive rights to broadcast the French Football League for till 201415 on multiple distribution platforms forSouth Asiamarket.

     

    The deal negotiated with MP& Silva, a leading international sports rights agency, will allow Ten Network to offer 232 matches Live and Exclusive, showcasing 2 of French football’s most prestigious title competitions: Ligue 1 – Top Football Division in France and one of Top 5 Leagues in Europe and Coupe De La Ligue – The French League Cup.

     

    Together with the broadcast of UEFA Champions League, Europa League, Ten Network has now reinforced its position as the ‘Home of Football’ for fans in the Indian subcontinent. The fans can continue to look forward to a comprehensive, engaging coverage of French Football across all platforms through its broadcast channels, TEN Action and TEN HD.

     

    Atul Pande, CEO, Sports Business, ZEE said: “Acquisition of the French League, one of the most competitive football leagues in Europe, underlines our commitment to football fans in the region, as we continue providing the most entertaining content to our viewers, and an excellent promotional platform for our advertisers. We have established a strong tradition in building and strengthening top-class football properties on our channels with the reach of our networks, multiple media platforms and world-class match presentation.”

     

    Andrea Radrizzani, MP & Silva Group CEO, commented: “We are delighted to facilitate the growth of French football in India. European football TV audiences in India are rapidly growing, attracting more interest from leagues, competitions, sponsors and players to satisfy this appetite.”

     

    The 2012/13 season represents the 80th anniversary of professional football in France and Ligue 1 is celebrating in style with new kick-off times, a new football – and newly renovated stadia in preparation of EURO 2016.

     

  • ID8Labs has hired key senior executives in a bid to build its leadership team and focus on new business opportunities

    ID8Labs embellishes top deck to grow

    By A Correspondent

     

    ID8Labs, a full service digital strategy, marketing & technology services company has hired key senior executives in a bid to build its leadership team and focus on new business opportunities across diverse industry segments.

     

    The company has appointed Jaitrali Jhanjariya as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), who will be responsible for managing all client mandates and lead teams of client servicing & media (display, search & social) including business development.

     

    This is her second stint at ID8Labs. She has over 15years of experience and has worked with companies such as Pinstorm, & Brand portrait – Digital, Geodesic & LBi.

     

    Ms Jhanjariya said: “I am delighted to return to ID8Labs, a team of highly passionate digital natives who have a sound understanding of the medium. The marketing landscape now is shifting focus from traditional to the digital medium and with experience in this space, we will take this company to the next level.”

     

    ID8Labs has brought Abhishek Verma on board as Chief Strategy Officer (CSO). He has 14 years of marketing, communication, digital & start-up experience. At Star TV, he was AVP-Affiliate Marketing, and he was responsible driving marketing for HD, Analog & DTH platforms including new initiatives such as ASL HD activation & partnerships. He has worked in strategic marketing roles at Discovery channel & Sony SAB.

     

    Mr Verma said: “The digital business has now matured from the heady days of the dotcom boom and consumer trends are largely dictated by online channels. ID8Labs is poised to demystify this changing digital universe and with experience in strategic marketing using consumer insights across brands and start-ups, I am excited to help our clients navigate this new world.”

     

    Amit Tripathi, Founder & Managing Director, ID8Labs said: “With Abhishek and Jaitrali’s appointments, ID8Labs is building a sound leadership pipeline that will drive the future growth of the company. With Abhishek’s experience in the client side, we will build excellence in client engagement and strategy and Jaitrali is a veteran in the digital agency space across client categories, she will help us create robust delivery platform across clients and opportunities to grow existing and new businesses.”

     

  • Sussanne Roshan launches first 'magical space' at Palladium with a unique interior exhibit

    Architectural Digest creates AD Magical Spaces

    By A Correspondent

     

    Architectural Digest India, published by the Conde Nast Group, has launched a special design concept called ‘AD Magical Spaces’.  Through this initiative, AD India in association with an eminent interior designer will dress up unexpected places in the city with exquisite art and interior design exhibits.

     

    To kick-start the initiative, AD has teamed up with the chic Mumbai home store, The Charcoal Project by Sussanne Roshan to unveil the first of AD Magical Spaces at Palladium. The exhibit was inaugurated by Sussanne Roshan and Editor of AD, Manju Sara Rajan. With the theme ‘Burgundy Sorbet’, the exhibit is a collection from The Charcoal Project inspired by the romance of the Mumbai Monsoon. It is a plush, inviting lounge with furniture to cosy up on.

     

    The exhibit will be on display in the Atrium, Palladium for public viewing till July 30.

     

    Commenting on the occasion, Manju Sara Rajan, Editor of AD, said: “In line with our promise to showcase the most beautiful homes in the world, ‘Magical Spaces’ will bring to life the various elements essential to creating an inspired living space.”

     

    With warm, blushing hues mixed with earthy tones, the setting is perfect for a couple in love watching the rain outside their window. This collection has products  handpicked by Sussanne Roshan.

     

    Sussanne Roshan, proprietor of Charcoal Factory, said: “Architectural Digest is one of the most trusted guides on design, architecture and living. It’s been great working together to launch ‘AD Magical Spaces’- something that is inspirational as well as practical. We have created a furniture installation, which is a replica of a home living room. The ambience created is warm and inviting, created in an eclectic fusion of colours.”

     

  • A weekly column by Paritosh Joshi, until recently CEO, Star CJ. Given his varied experience in the media and industry bodies, Mr Joshi will analyse issues concerning the business of media, measurement and research

    Paritosh Joshi: How to make a really spectacular mistake

    By Paritosh Joshi

     

    In all our lives, there are tales of misadventure that we bury away deep and try our darndest to forget all about. Today it’s time to ferret out just such a story from the not so distant past and see if there’s something, anything, we might learn from it.

     

    The year was 2007. Private Television broadcasters were trapped in a financial vice. Costs were on a tear as good content: entertainment, sports or news, commanded big premia. Revenues crawled as new entrants into every genre constantly expanded advertising inventory and made price increases difficult. While advertising revenues were still growing, a lot of the increase was attributable to ever-laxer controls by broadcasters on advertising duration leading to flat, or even declining, yields. As an advertising sales person myself, back then, I asked for an analysis of Average Spot Rates (ASR), a very commonly used and easy to compute yield metric, across key genres and channels for the previous three years. My hypothesis, which proved agonizingly right, was that the bulk of revenue growth for channels was coming from selling more inventory and little or none from better ASR. Obviously, I wasn’t the only one seeking such analyses and soon the issue began to dominate all conversations between broadcasters.

     

    Here was what the broadcasters were seeing:

    • Television penetration was galloping along, adding up to 10 million new homes, up to 45 million viewers of age 4 and above, every year.
    • Cable penetration was growing by almost an identical figure, having moved up from under 30 million homes in 2005 to over 47 million in 2007.
    • GDP was up 9 per cent for 2007 over 2006 and maintaining healthy buoyancy.
    • Distribution revenues were not a source of any joy as platforms had begun to seek carriage fees to monetize the chronic scarcity of capacity on a decrepit analog network. In the meanwhile, TRAI was binding broadcasters hand and foot where it came to wholesale pricing of their content to platform operators.
    • Media agencies were relentlessly using the dreaded CPRP (Cost Per Rating Point) to pummel advertising prices down. Even category leading broadcasters were unable to exercise pricing power in the face of CPRP maths.
    • While more broadcasters constantly entered the market, the demand side represented by the media buying agencies was getting ever more consolidated. Already, the top two agencies controlled very nearly two-thirds of the advertising spend on TV between them. They had achieved this, primarily, on the back of their ability to extort low prices using their virtual oligopoly combined with the willingness to drop commission rates to low single digit percentages. While the standard terms of trade indicated a 15 per cent agency commission on TV advertising, the media majors were actually working on less than 5 per cent, passing on the spread as additional discount to the advertisers.

     

    It was clear to broadcasters that the situation could no longer be permitted to drift but what were they to do and how? A team of planners from across broadcasting organisations was asked to develop a recommendation. Everything had to be done with considerable secrecy, lest word get out and the project be stillborn. The plan was in. Voila! We would all, every last one of us, collectively impose a 25 per cent surcharge.

     

    Needless to add, the plan asked for way more resilience from broadcasters, particularly the small and vulnerable ones, than they could muster and in a classic predator-prey drama, they were arm-twisted on the pain of the death-of-a-thousand-cuts by M-this and M-that into abject capitulation. The plan unwound within 72 hours leaving a lot of us with unpleasantly puce visages. An awful mistake had been made. I could tell you the whole ugly story of who shafted whom, when and where but sadly, in a reversal of the trope, if I told you, someone would have to kill me.

     

    Now here is the really terrible story. Most everything that made the revenue story look grim in 2007 for broadcasters still looks exactly the same in 2012. Indeed worse in many cases, like for the anæmically bloated Hindi News genre for instance.

     

    What is the broadcast industry doing about it? Can something be done about it at all?

     

    First, until TV advertising is valued based on a relative, rather than absolute currency, pricing power will remain solidly with the buyers. Until we shift from the iniquitous CPRP to the universally accepted and economically fair CPT (Cost per Thousand contacts), this will not happen.

     

    Second, all stakeholders in the BARC (Broadcast Audience Research Council) process would be well advised to apply their might to moving it from idea to execution.

     

    Hmm. Someone will have to kill me after all.

     

  • Asianet launched its first-ever round-the-clock movie channel, Asianet Movies, last week

    Prime focus is to gain supremacy: Asianet Movies

    By A Correspondent

     

    Asianet launched its first-ever round-the-clock movie channel, Asianet Movies, last week. And in its first week’s itself the channel scored 124 GRPs across Kerala among CS4+ TG.

     

    However, one question still lingers on one’s mind: for a state that’s obsessed and churns out some of the greatest cinematic experiences, isn’t it a tad late?

     

    John Brittas

    No, came the prompt reply from the business head of the Asianet Network, John Brittas: “It is a known fact that Malayalis love their politics and films. And that is the reason why we have a dozen news channels. However, there hasn’t been a channel fully dedicated to films. So, we are hoping to fill that vacuum with the new channel.”

     

    He further explained that the reason behind the launch is also the size of the market. “We don’t have a Bangalore or Chennai or Hyderabad. So, we cannot act like other channels in other states. We have to look for appropriate time and market to launch a channel.”

     

    Narendra Kumar Alambara

    According to Narendra Kumar Alambara, a South media observer, every time a new genre is introduced, it only boosts the overall industry. “To be frank, the round-the clock-movie channel phenomenon is not new down South, other languages like Tamil and Telugu already have them. Asianet is doing so to up its ante and to be more innovative in the state. And I’m sure it will only take the market a notch up. Also, advertisers will be happy with the new channel as they’ll get more airtime to target their audience.”

     

    Asianet Network enjoys more than 50 per cent share among Malayalam GECs and the network’s prime agenda has been to gain supremacy. “For the past few years, our focus was on consolidating all our channels and establishing supremacy. And only after doing so, that we decided to launch another channel,” said Mr Brittas.

     

    Asianet, today, enjoys an average of 850+ GRPs for four weeks in the CS4+ category whereas another change by the network, Asianet Plus, sees an average of 150+ ratings for the same.

     

    When asked about the competition for the new channel, Mr Brittas said that they were ready for any competition: “We are expecting a few more similar or other channels being launched by other networks in the next few months. So, we aren’t worried about any competition. On the contrary, we think if more channels are launched it will stabilize the market.”

     

    Vijay Subramaniam

    Vijay Subramaniam, deputy general manager, Madison Media Omega, feels that the previous learnings have also played an important role in the launch of the new movie channel. “Networks launching a movie channel has become a trend these days.  Asianet, which come under the Star group umbrella, launched its second Hindi movie channel recently. For any network, starting a movie channel is more viable than a GEC because one can easily recover its yield, since movie channels come second to the GECs in the rating business. And also, GECs need more investment, unlike movie channels.”

     

    “I’m sure it’s going to be a win-win situation for all – network, advertisers and of course, the viewers,” said Mr Subramaniam with confidence. The new channel already has a string of big advertisers like ITC and is available across the country and in the Middle East. Apart from telecasting old and new Malayalam movies, the channel also has a wide range of cinema-related programmes like news from the tinsel world, interviews with film personalities and discussions.

     

    A late launch or not, the channel as well as the industry experts are very optimistic about it helping the network gaining more viewership.

     

     

  • The primary objective was to design a policy ecosystem in which new ideas would be integrated into the mainstream and get converted into policy initiatives by the government

    MIB looks ahead as Sectoral Innovation Council recommends embracing tech & new media

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Sectoral Innovation Council of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, under the Chairpersonship of Ms Asha Swarup, Retd Secretary, Government of India, on July 26 submitted its report to Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Ms Ambika Soni.  The primary objective was to design a policy ecosystem in which new ideas would be integrated into the mainstream and get converted into policy initiatives by the government.

     

    Ms Soni said that the issues deliberated upon by the Council would be looked into by the Ministry in the policy domain. The recommendations made by the Council in different Media and Entertainment sectors would act as a roadmap in the future. The Council, in its report, analysed the growth potential of the media & entertainment industry by recommending changes in critical areas such as broadcasting, print media, animation, gaming and VFX, Media education and films.

     

    The Council has made 64 recommendations in seven areas concerning the media and entertainment sector. Some of the key recommendations are:

    1. A comprehensive policy media policy that integrates all existing media segments and addresses the emergent issues. The council has recommended bringing out a National Media Policy that addresses the new media landscape.

    2. The government may look into the existing licensing procedures and requirements to ensure further liberalization and reforms in the broadcasting sector.

    3. Content innovation is required in the radio segment which would be possible only if the government comes up with a separate licensing model for niche channels.

    4. Ministry of I&B, as the policy head of public service broadcasting and community radio service could come out with a formal arrangement by which CRS could provide community based programme content to AIR and AIR could provide capacity building and training to CRS workers in content creation, management and operation of stations.

    5. The process of digitalization in DD and AIR was likely to release airwaves which after due utilization in house could be used for creating a public service broadcasting fund in line with USO fund of telecom sector. This fund could be utilized exclusively for public service broadcasting.

    6. In view of the potential in the films sector, the Council has recommended a National Film Policy that will address the role of the government vis-à-vis the private sector.

    7. Film Institutes in the country may be upgraded to ‘Centres of Excellence’. In the long term, these Centres of Excellence could become part of a Central University of Films, Broadcasting and Animation by an appropriate legislation.

    8. The government must have a National Policy for Animation, Gaming and VFX.

    9. The government should go for co-production treaties in the animation sector to ensure flow of international projects toIndia. Ministry could also consider giving responsibility to the Children’s Film Society and Doordarshan to produce animated content and create Indian IP.

    10. Reliable Single Source Data on all mediums of advertising should be made available by the government so that advertisers are able to take decisions on reliable data.

    11. Government should interact with key stakeholders and expedite a consensus on developing an alternative to TAM so that an appropriate mechanism is developed with industry participation to study audience viewing and listening behaviour and bring out reports on weekly basis.

    12. Government should regulate media education to ensure orderly growth of the discipline as part of higher education.

    13. Like medical education and technical education, Media Education to be regulated by a new organisation known as Media Education Council. The Media Education Council should be assigned the task of setting up curriculum for all levels, so that standardised curriculum with national accreditation becomes a possibility.

    14. There is need to make IIMC, FTII and SRFTI into real centres of excellence.

    15. The government should reformat the course curriculum, improve faculty of the institutes. These institutions could either be separate universities or become a part of one central university.

    16. National Awards for Innovation in different segments of M&E Sector be instituted by the ministry.

    17. New Media should be utilized for media campaigns by the government.

    E-mode transactions should be a priority for the functions of DAVP, RNI, CBFC and licensing activities of the Government for ensuring transparency.

     

    The Sectoral Innovation Council was set up on July 28, 2011 as part of the Government of India’s initiative of declaring 2010- 2020 as the Decade of Innovation. Accordingly, the Government set up a National Innovation Council with Mr Sam Pitroda as Chairman and 16 distinguished members. The members of the I&B Sectoral Innovation Council comprised of Chairperson, Ms Asha Swarup, retired Secretary, Government of India and 10 other distinguished members from the field of media and entertainment.

     

  • The latest season of KBC is expected to commence by the end of August or beginning September with nearly 52 episodes and duration of 1.5 hours

    Sony rolls out 360-deg campaign for KBC’s Sept launch

    By A Correspondent

     

    Kaun Banega Crorepati is back, and with the tagline – ‘Sirf Gyaan Hi Aapko Aapka Haq Dilata Hai’. This year’s theme revolves around the power of knowledge. The campaign which has been conceptualized by Leo Burnett will have four TVCs, each of which have a different story to tell. Two of the commercials are already on air, the second TVC was aired on July 26, the third TVC will be aired by next week and the fourth TVC will be aired around August 10.

     

    This year’s campaign is said to be an extension of KBC’s previous two seasons, namely, ‘Koi Bhi Sawaal Chhota Nahi Hota’ and ‘Koi Bhi Insaan Chhota Nahin Hota’. The idea is about giving the audience a hope irrespective of their circumstances and the discrimination they faced, and that through KBC they will be able to get their due.

     

    A 360 degree campaign will be rolled out wherein nearly 40 per cent of the marketing budget would be skewed towards cinema and television; 30 per cent will be spent on Out-of-Home and Print campaigns and the remaining 30 per cent will be spent on Digital, Radio and other BTL activities.

     

    Following the television commercials, by mid-August, digital and other media campaigns will also be aired. The details of the campaigns were not known at the time of filing the report; however it is learnt that Sony wants to create a different user experience for the online users through its digital campaigns.

     

    While the execution of the digital campaign is said to be completely different from television commercials, the story and the theme of the campaign will continue to be the same across media vehicles. OOH campaign for KBC also promises to be highly innovative and engaging to the audience. WhileMedia Circleis the OOH creative agency, Leo Burnett is the creative agency and OMD is the media agency for Sony Entertainment Television.

     

    The latest season of KBC is expected to commence by the end of August or beginning September with nearly 52 episodes and duration of 1.5 hours. In addition to this, KBC 2012 is said to have witnessed a record 1.5 crore registration in the phase I of the campaign as compared to 46 lakh registrations last year. In fact, last season KBC is said to have received an average TVR of 4.8 per cent. Cadbury is the presenting sponsor of KBC 2012, powered by Idea.

     

    Danish Khan, Senior Vice President and Marketing Head, SET said: “This year’s KBC campaign celebrates the power of knowledge. Our brief to Leo Burnett was to bring this thought alive with real people in real context. The campaign’s philosophy is a common man’s philosophy and is relevant to today’sIndia. The campaign thought captures the value of the show. We aim to reach out to a larger set of audience and provide common man a unique chance to change his destiny.”

     

    Nitesh Tiwari, National Creative Resource, Leo Burnett, Mumbai said: “Having done two successful campaigns in the past – ‘Koi Bhi Sawaal Chhota Nahi Hota’ and ‘Koi Bhi Insaan Chhota Nahin Hota’, it wasn’t an easy task for me and my team to come up with something equally interesting, if not better.  The thought is delivered in its characteristic style, will pan out with four films each with a distinct story talking about the biases of gender, lineage and language, showcasing different characters and their situations in life that will engage, entertain and bring alive the core thought of this season.”

     

    Mr Anup Vishwanathan, Executive Vice President, Leo Burnett, Mumbai said: “The KBC campaign identifies with the hope that people have in them. And that’s the factor we wanted to leverage in our campaign. This also in sync with brand SET that is all about positive emotions.”

     

     

  • Till now City Bhaskar inGujaratwas available with Divya Bhaskar in Ahmedabad only

    Divya Bhaskar launches City Bhaskar in Surat & Vadodara

    By A Correspondent

     

    City Bhaskar, the broadsheet magazine from Dainik Bhaskar Group addressing the youth segment with news and activities within city has now entered Suratand Vadodara. It addresses the need of positive content presenting the ‘Good Life of the City’ with special focus on city happenings and leisure reading. It provides for the positive outlook and in a way proves to be motivational and aspirational product.

     

    Till now City Bhaskar in Gujarat was available with Divya Bhaskar in Ahmedabad only. The need for such a product in Surat and Vadodara has been felt for some time.

     

    Speaking on the City Bhaskar launch in Surat and Vadodara, Saras Sethi, State Head Gujarat said: “Surat and Vadodara, with their own unique population mix, professional outlook and inclination were considered ripe for a product like City Bhaskar. It takes into account the city highlights, cultural and social milieu, the youth segment needs and is crafted specially for the city.”

     

    Divya Bhaskar, the Gujarati Newspaper of Dainik Bhaskar Group with 11.44 lakh readers (IRS Q1 2012) is the only Gujarati newspaper with more than a million readers in a city.