MxMIndia

Category: MEDIA

  • A highlight of the week was Balika Vadhu's special episode on Thursday which generated 6.4 TVRs, the highest on HGECs in the week

    Star Plus leads in Hindi GECs. Colors is #2 and Zee #3

    By A Correspondent

     

    Star Plus has maintained its lead as the top Hindi GEC in Week 35 in the weekly ratings made available to MxMIndia from an industry source. Star Plus scored 264 (265), whereas Colors secured 245 (258) and Zee was at 227 (237). Sony was a distant fourth at 210 (211). Sab and Life OK were tied at 132 (126 and 125 respectively). A highlight of the week was Balika Vadhu’s special episode on Thursday which generated 6.4 TVRs, the highest on HGECs in the week.

     

    Please note that the information has not supplied and verified by TAM Media. However our source is reasonably reliable. The figures in brackets indicate ratings of the previous week.

     

  • This move is a part of the leadership re-alignment now underway at Network18 News Media, the client facing ad sales unit which manages the advertising interests of the news and factual entertainment channels at Network18 Group

    CNN-IBN appoints Vishal Bhatnagar as Nat Revenue Head

    By A Correspondent

     

    CNN-IBN has appointed Vishal Bhatnagar as National Revenue Head, with immediate effect. He was earlier SVP & Regional Head-North & East, CNBC-TV18 and CNBC Awaaz. This move is a part of the leadership re-alignment now underway at Network18 News Media, the client facing ad sales unit which manages the advertising interests of the news and factual entertainment channels at Network18 Group.

     

    Speaking on this development, Dilip Venkatraman, CEO, CNN-IBN said “Vishal’s track record and experience in monetizing news brands is exemplary. His contribution will be critical as we shape a new phase of leadership for CNN-IBN”.

     

    Vishal Bhatnagar added “CNN-IBN has clearly emerged as a benchmark amongst general news brands in the country, in terms of credibility, viewership and innovation. I look forward to working closely with the channel team to ensure we build further on its revenue leadership as well”

     

    Commenting on the larger re-alignment at Network18 News Media, Sanjay Dua, CEO, Network18 News Media said “We believe that our brands are well-placed to build further on their leadership, both in terms of innovative client solutions as well as a strong network proposition. Each of our leaders comes with a proven track record and strong leadership acumen and we’re confident that this alignment is the beginning of a new phase of growth for us”

     

    Mr Bhatnagar brings with him over 18 years of rich experience in sales across media and has been with the Network18 Group since 2004. He holds degrees in management and commerce from the International Management Institute (IMI) and the University of Delhi.

     

    Network18 News Media spearheads the group’s effort towards consolidating and optimizing revenue growth across its six news & factual entertainment channels (CNBC-TV18, CNBC Awaaz, CNN-IBN, IBN7,IBN-Lokmat & History TV18) spanning the full spectrum of General news, Business news, Regional news and Factual entertainment. Ad sales for the ETV regional news network, subject to regulatory approvals for the acquisition, will also form part of this stable. While acting as a centralized sales agency, Network18 News Media also reflects the group’s focus on individual brands via dedicated teams and revenue leaders aligned to each channel.

     

  • In its season two, 'Yaado Ka Idiot Box with Neelesh Mishra', a storytelling show which airs Monday to Friday, 9pm to 11pm on Big FM has loads of plans to effectively engage and interact with its audience

    Big FM storytelling show to get more innovative

    Neelesh Mishra

    By A Correspondent

     

    Big FM launched the season two of ‘Yaadon Ka Idiot Box with Neelesh Mishra’ in July 2012, following the success of season one last year. The storytelling show airs Monday to Friday 9pm to 11pm on Big FM. Interestingly, the duration of the show has been increased from one hour in season one, previous year to two hours in season two. The aim of the show is said to revive the conventional form of storytelling in India.

     

    Currently, ‘Yaadon Ka Idiot Box with Neelesh Mishra’ is aired in 35 Hindi speaking markets, including Hyderabad. However Big FM is said to soon adapt the show into regional languages too i.e. the remaining Big FM markets, mainly the non-Hindi markets namely Kannada, Tamil and so on. Besides its activities on- air, the show also has a Facebook page which is said to have received over 6.4 million page views. There is also an official YouTube channel wherein audiences across the globe could listen to the show. In addition to this, with an aim to further engage and interact with the audience, Big FM plans to soon start live shows and events in its second edition. The details of the event were not available at the time of filing the report.

     

    “Initially people thought that this format won’t work on radio in today’s multimedia era and that too on prime-time but, this show and radio as a medium broke all myths about radio being a fickle minded medium. It also revealed that there are listeners who tune in for innovative and diverse contents besides just Bollywood content,” said lyricist Neelesh Mishra.

     

    A lot of young listeners, particularly those between 13 and 24 years of average age group are said to tune in daily. 70 per cent of the listeners are said to be males. Mishra further added, “The response in both season one and season two have been phenomenal. The overwhelming response from the listeners and the fact that they were able to recollect various stories, narrations and the messages also reveals the fact that radio is such a personal and a powerful medium.”

     

    At a time when FM radio is dominated by music, particularly ‘filmy’ music content and that too in the multi-media era, does a storytelling show on Big FM reaffirm the fact that there is a non-music market in India and how can radio be made more compelling today? According to Mishra, there is a big market for contents like radio plays and storytelling. “I believe that the space and the need for innovative and non-music content has never been as acute as it is today. Radio I believe cannot survive on Bollywood alone. I also believe that the medium has misread the listeners as there is a hunger among the listeners for new and innovative content which the medium has not been able to address. The success of this show on Big has however reaffirmed the fact that there is more scope for innovative content today.”

     

    Besides the metros which is said to be the biggest listenership for the show, Kota, Indore, and Srinagar etc are some of the other markets where the show has been highly popular with the listeners.

     

  • Time Out pays musical tribute to Mumbai on 8th anniv

    By A Correspondent

     

    For almost a decade, Time Out Mumbai has celebrated the city in all its wonderful and maddening ways. This anniversary the magazine asked renowned artists, chefs, designers, musicians and writers to pay tribute to Mumbai and express their love and ways to what the city means to them personally.

     

    The campaign for the anniversary is around a tribute song to Mumbai. Mumbaikar Sid Coutto, a well-known singer, has composed an anthem-like number which encapsulates the good, bad and magnanimous side of Mumbai, and Time Out has produced a video to support it. The video encompasses vivid images depicting the true character of Mumbai using different people and places all around the city.

     

    Unlike other magazine publishers, Time Out is the first publication to break the tradition by not doing a regular campaign, said Rajnish Rawat, COO Paprika Media.  “On our eighth anniversary, we asked eight renowned Mumbaikars to pay their tribute to Mumbai in their unique way and now we have our own cocktail called Churchgate, a comedy play, a special recipe, an installation, short story, photo project and a product design, all on the pages of Time Out latest issue. We also have a Mumbai Anthem – a song dedicated to Mumbai. The tribute song is becoming viral and already got more than 10,000 views on Yahoo on its debut day.”

     

    After receiving an overwhelming response Time Out is now planning to promote the Mumbai tribute song on different social media like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube and will be also running the promos on  channels like VH1, 9XO, Channel V, WB and Radio One.  People can also watch it on timeoutmumbai.net or on you tube at http://youtu.be/yhE0kNVQPEE

     

    The eight Mumbaikars who paid tribute to the city through works created especially for Time Out are:

    Artist: Shilpa Gupta has created a photo mosaic of her images that show Mumbaikars queuing up. It captures residents of Mumbai in mundane situations – waiting at bus stops, at railway ticket counters and at ration shops. But there are a few bizarre queues, like that of people waiting to meet a couple at their wedding. Through the work, the multimedia artist addresses Mumbai’s unfailing ability to make us wait and force “dreariness in our capacity to think and act”.

     

    Photographer: Fabien Charuau has shared four images from his ongoing photo project on what Mumbai means to him.

     

    Writer: Jerry Pinto has written a short murder mystery called Never on a Friday, set in his neighbourhood Mahim.

     

    Musician: Sid Coutto has written and composed an anthem, called This is My Home.

     

    Chef: Viraf Patel, from Café Zoe, has created three dishes that typify the city for him: bombil fritters, batter-coated, deep fried; a bowl of missal-pao, a Maharashtrian classic, made with chorizo sausage to bring in the city’s old Portugeuse influence to light. And there’s some masala-smacked bheja, lightly seasoned, rolled in panko and then deep-fried until golden crisp on the outside.

     

    Product Designer: Lokesh Karekar has created a taxi meter light.

     

    Play: Anuvab Pal has written a short fun play called Young Love about two city youngsters trying to meet on a date and communicating through their BB Messenger apps.

     

    Bartender: Devendra Sehgal who works at Ellipsis has whipped up a cocktail called Churchgate: the ingredients are white rum, tamarind and jaggery topped with a frothy foam of Earl Grey tea.

     

  • Sanjoy and Samyak Chakrabarty talk about life's teachings

    Relative Values | More like friends: Sanjoy and Samyak Chakrabarty

    Every Thursday, MxM will take you beyond our regular news and look at the people in the business of media and marketing. So on the first Thursday of every month, we will have a section titled ‘RELATIVE VALUES’ featuring siblings, parents-children, cousins etc who may be working in the same or allied sectors of media, advertising and marketing.

     

    This Thursday, Sanjoy and Samyak Chakrabarty talk about life’s teachings. A child’s first and greatest teachers are none other than his/her parents. And since yesterday was Teachers’ Day, we spoke to a father-son duo to understand how one has been able to shape each others lives.

     

    By Meghna Sharma

     

    Samyak and Sanjoy Chakrabarty

    Zenith Optimedia’s managing partner Sanjoy Chakrabarty is a well-known name in the media fraternity and his son Samyak Chakrabarty made headlines when he became Chief Youth Marketer at DDB Mudra Max and Managing Director at Electronic Youth Media Group at the tender age of 18.

     

    Both belong to the media industry, though there is a difference between what they do, but when asked if his father influenced his choice about entering the same field, Samyak recalls, “I have learnt the ropes through my father and my first orientation into the media industry was through him since I would keenly follow the work he does and I even got a chance from a very young age to interact with his colleagues from whom I got to learn a lot as well. Also I got to learn that working in the media is more of a state of mind than just a mere mechanical profession.”

     

    Over the years, their relationship has matured and now they are more like friends. “We share a good healthy relationship wherein we are open to listening to each other’s point of views and thoughts. And whenever he seeks views on his new personal ventures, we do chat. Otherwise no work-related discussion,” says Sanjoy.

     

    However, Samyak does feel that it is his father’s goodwill in the industry which gave him a push initially. “It is only later that I started building my own contacts since I have always been taught that being self-sufficient is more sustainable and would help me command more respect.”

     

    So, what is one big lesson he has learnt from his father? “It has to be that I and my approach to what I do must evolve with time along with always having a strong value proposition to offer so that I am able to maintain demand for me/my product in the constantly changing market,” says Samyak proudly.

     

    And like any other father, Sanjoy too has big dreams for his son. “He has very strong leadership skills, is intelligent, a go-getter, and he has enterprise. He is going to be very successful very soon.”

     

  • The cafe, which opens on September 6, is the brainchild of Subramanian and Sudha Natrajan. Both come in with more than 20 years' experience each in the industry and wanted to give back something to the industry

    Soul food (& drink) for media folk @ TMC

    By Meghna Sharma

     

    There is no dearth of Cafes and pubs in Delhi. So how is The Media Cafe going to be any different from the rest? The answer relies in the consumers it aims to please – the media fraternity.

     

    The Cafe, which opens on September 6, is the brainchild of Raghav Subramanian and Sudha Natrajan. Both come in with more than 20 years’ experience each in the industry, and wanted to give back something to the industry. “Our industry is very people-centric, so it is for the friends – colleagues and clients – which we have made over the years,” says Sudha Natrajan.

     

     

     

    Raghav Subramanian

    The Media Cafe is a unique concept, which will mainly cater to the entire fraternity – media/advertising/marketing. “Our idea is to have a place where people from the industry can hang out and have a good time. However, since we are in a mall – which gives us security as well as other amenities like power etc – other walk-ins are also expected. Having said that, its not a place where you’ll see Delhi socialites, but is a place where people will become regulars and would want to come and unwind and provide a sense of belonging to the community,” she adds.
    The theme too of the Cafe is very media centric and promises to provide ‘soul’ food to the patrons. The owners aim to provide the best to the industry which has given them so much and want the Cafe to be a place to be much more than ‘business’. “From the ambiance to food to the pricing, we have kept the industry in mind. And as said earlier, we want people to come back again and again. Hence, we don’t want the place to be heavy on people’s pockets. We want both senior as well as junior level employees to enjoy the place,” says Natrajan.

     

    But what about Mumbai? “Of course, Mumbai is on the cards. But let us stabilize here and then we will definitely open-up in Mumbai,” says Natrajan when asked about future plans for the Cafe.

     

    Sudha Natrajan

    Address: 3rd Floor, South Point Mall, next to Genpact, Golf Course Road, Gurgaon, Haryana 122002

    Timings: Mon – Sun 12:00-00:00

    Serves: International and Indian cuisines + alcohol

    Accommodatse: Approx 110-120 people

    Pricing: Not very heavy on the pocket

     

  • A feel-good response to the 3-part series on cricketer Yuvraj Singh's inspirational journey to be aired on Colors soon

    Thumbs up to Yuvi’s can-do story…

     

    By Meghna Sharma

     

    Where there’s a will there’s a way is one proverb that everyone of us have heard about and have even implied in our lives. However, there is one man who fits the proverb to the T and its none other than the country’s favourite cricketer – Yuvraj Singh.

     

    Ajay Kakar, CMO (Financial Services), Aditya Birla Group, Yuvraj Singh, Raj Nayak, CEO, Colors

    An icon for many and someone who’s always in limelight made recently headlines not for the sixers or catches but for being diagnosed with a disease which is still spoken about in hushed tones – cancer. But he survived it and is back in the country and in the Indian cricket squad for the upcoming T20 matches.

     

    It is this determination of the player which Colors, Viacom18’s flagship channel, wants to showcase to the world. The channel in partnership with the cricketer’s foundation YouWeCan wants to create awareness about the disease in the country.

     

    “We all know about Yuvi’s fighting spirit and he’s an inspiration to many. Therefore, we wanted to tell the world his story… a story of hope,” says Raj Nayak, CEO of Colors, while explaining the unique partnership the general entertainment channel has gotten into.

     

    Indian Cancer Statistics
     

    > Cancer is the second largest cause of death in India

     

    > In 2010, 5.56 lakh people died of cancer, and 71 percent of these deaths occurred in people aged 30-69 years

     

    > Most fatal cancers in men - Oral, Stomach and Lung

     

    > Most fatal cancers in women - Cervical, Stomach, Breast

     

    (Source: Study by Tata Memorial Hospital, Lancet, Centre for Global Health Research and University of Toronto)

     

    The three-part series – Zindagi Abhi Baaki Hai – will showcase the cricketer’s journey through pain, struggle and victory over cancer. “The show is about my life and I want people to know how one feels after being diagnosed with it and can lead to denial and depression. But I want them to fight and live again instead of giving up,” says Yuvraj Singh.

     

    Jai Lala

    According to media planners, it will difficult to say how much TRPs the show will be able to generate but it will definitely create a lot of buzz. “When Satyamev Jayate was launched, everyone thought it will score high on ratings but it didn’t. However, it did create a lot of awareness which might be true to these series as well,” predicts Jai Lala, Mindshare’s principal partner.

     

    “The programme is a special initiative. Such initiatives being one off in nature will appeal to different sets of people. If we look at overall TV scenarios it seems a large proportion of viewership is garnered by popular programs which essentially means viewers are looking for entertainment. The particular programme cannot be looked in the same light as standard soaps. Therefore TVRs might not be necessarily very high compared to standard soaps,” feels Kartik Sharma, Managing Partner, Maxus.

     

    Kartik Sharma

    But the people working for cancer awareness programmes aren’t worried about how many eyeballs the show will be able to garner. They feel that even a little communication can lead to some amount of change. Namita Shibad of the Pune-based Prashanti Cancer Care Mission is elevated about the show. “Even today, there is very less awareness about the disease. People don’t want to talk about it, so what Yuvraj has done is seriously commendable. The show will be able to generate awareness about the deadly disease and decrease the stigma associated with it. We and others like have been trying to do so for years now, but a celebrity can make a difference. If people can watch his survival story, I’m sure they will also believe that ‘if he can, then even I can’ which will open new perspective about it and give strength to millions to fight it rather than feel dejected.”

     

     

    Namita Shibad

    “There is no dearth of social relevant shows on television today but many take notice of them when big hoardings are put up or celebrities hosting them but that’s not our plan. We are not doing this for ratings. I recently lost a relative to cancer, so know the agony and turmoil surrounding it. And in our country where cancer is the second largest cause if death, the disease is still treated at a taboo. It is important to tell people that it can be cured. All one needs is the will to fight it,” adds Mr Nayak.

     

    Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance is the tittle sponsor of the show and feel that the association is not about endorsement but a partnership of philosophy. “We want Yuvraj to be the ambassador of teaching people how to live your life even when in dumps. When the going is good, no one thinks about the tough times. And when they face it, one question which most of us ask is ‘God, why me?’. However, this was not the case with Yuvraj who chose to fight back to live the life he loves. We are proud to associate with him and the channel in this venture as it tells the story of highs and lows of life,” said Ajay Kakar, chief marketing officer – Financial Services, Aditya Birla Group.

     

    Pratap Bose

    “Yuvraj has a great fan following and this might be a major reason apart from the concept that advertisers might want to get associated with it,” feels Pratap Bose, COO, DDB Mudra Group.

     

    Mr Sharma adds, “As far as advertisers are concerned decisions on a programme buy is never an isolated case and always has a larger context of their overall campaigns. Some advertisers will find it worthwhile and some will not as is the case with any programming.”

     

    Mr Lala too feels that brands which have the similar message as the show wants to showcase will be glad to associate with it, but others wont be attracted towards it because of the impact and GRPs it will be able to generate.

     

    The channel hasn’t decided the time-slot for the series or when it will be aired as it is still being shot. However, the channel hopes to succeed in creating awareness and inspire people. All the proceeds generated through the show will be given top the cancer foundation.

     

    The series might be aired on other channels under the Viacom18 banner as well to make a stronger impact.

     

  • Fever 104 FM and Reliance Commercial Finance has launched Fever iDream, which will give budding entrepreneurs an opportunity to earn Rs 25 lakh

    Fever 104 FM & Reliance Commercial Finance launch iDream

    By A Correspondent

     

    Fever 104 FM and Reliance Commercial Finance has launched Fever iDream, which will give budding entrepreneurs an opportunity to earn Rs 25 lakh. Fever 104 FM, which is said to reach over 15 million listeners across key metros, aims to provide a platform that will enable people to realise their business aspirations.

     

    Launched on September 3, 2012, Fever iDream is a campaign that gives listeners a chance to present a great business idea. The best idea will earn Rs 25 lakh as seed capital to pursue their own venture. Reliance Commercial Finance will sponsor the funding and will give an opportunity to listeners to make their dreams of starting their own SME business come true.

     

    All the listeners have to do is log onto www.fever.fm/idream, fill in basic details and submit their business idea. The jury members will evaluate the submitted ideas and shortlist the ten best ideas from each of the four cities – Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Bangalore. From these 40 contestants, four finalists will further get shortlisted and awarded Rs 2 lakh each. The final round will be broadcast on TV (Bloomberg TV India) where the best deserving candidate will earn Rs 25 lakh.

     

    The jury includes Vivek Khanna, Business Head – Mint, K V Srinivasan – CEO, Reliance commercial finance and Harshad Jain – Business Head, Fever 104 FM. They bring with them years of operational and strategic experience and will be involved in identifying the brightest business idea.

     

    Mr Jain said, “Fever iDream is the first such radio innovation where common people can fulfil their business aspirations and become their own boss. The concept is aimed towards helping budding entrepreneurs who have the capability but lack funds. Reliance Commercial Finance and Fever iDream can change lives and I am sure it will be a huge success”.

     

    Mr Srinivasan said, “There is an entrepreneur in all of us. However there are only a few who dare to dream big, who want to start their own venture, and who have the ability to make it. Radio is a mobile medium and offers cost-effective reach. Moreover we have UTV Bloomberg as the broadcast partner. Together, we want to reach out to a large number of entrepreneurial people and enable the most deserving to live his/her ambition.”

     

  • Allied Media has appointed Shilpa Dhanu as Head – M3 Project & Strategy Team. In her new role, Ms Dhanu will be responsible for the Centralised Data Analytics Cell and will be based in Mumbai

    Allied Media ropes in Shilpa Dhanu

    Shilpa Dhanu

    By A Correspondent

     

    Allied Media has appointed Shilpa Dhanu as Head – M3 Project & Strategy Team. In her new role, Ms Dhanu will be responsible for the Centralised Data Analytics Cell and will be based in Mumbai. She will be reporting to Shripad Kulkarni, CEO, Allied Media and with a core team of senior and junior analysts will take care of research & analytical needs for clients across India. Shilpa will have a mandate of assisting and steering the strategy team of the company to newer heights. She also will be responsible in creating newer avenues and strategising various offerings of the company for the clients.

     

    Allied Media last year had launched “Centralised Data Analytical Cell” that specialises in leveraging various strategic initiatives across all media companies of the Percept Group for the clients. It will be conducting research and collating data on key sectors and industries on a round-the-clock basis. This data will help in giving a tailor-made report to the client and will help in effectively measuring all their communication campaigns including ATL, BTL, social media, word of mouth and other vehicles optimally.

     

    Shilpa Dhanu has more than a decade’s experience and has worked as Senior Manager-Consumer Insights – Star Media Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. She has also had a successful stint in UTV, Carat Media Services Ogilvy & Mather, MTV India, Zenith Optimedia, Initiative Media, and CSRIdentity.com where she has been instrumental in handling Research & Strategy for them.

     

  • The lifestyle channel NDTV Good Times is completing five years soon. Taking the celebrations to the audiences, the channel has announced the launch of new shows in the coming months

    NDTV Good Times completes five years

    By A Correspondent

     

    The lifestyle channel NDTV Good Times is completing five years soon. Taking the celebrations to the audiences, the channel has announced the launch of new shows in the coming months. While the Second Season of the popular food show Vicky Goes Veg and the new season of Aditya Bal’s Chakh Le series are scheduled for September; October will see The Kingfisher Calendar Hunt in its fourth season.

     

    The channel will also enter the all-new segment of home d̩cor with the introduction of two completely novel shows РWhole New World, and Living Right Royally under the Royal Reservation brand umbrella.

     

    Smeeta Chakrabarti, CEO, NDTV Lifestyle, said, “As a team, we have endeavoured to offer novel and trend setting content to our viewers. This year will see more innovative programming, with our foray in to clutter breaking home segment programming, and as custodians of Indian Lifestyle, our soon to be announced Lifestyle Awards in November.”

     

    Shibani Sharma Khanna, Channel Director, NDTV Good Times, said, “We are elated to turn five. NDTV Good Times has always strived to offer the best programming and we have managed to raise the bar higher with each offering. We promise to offer more vigour, zest and diversity with new formats and genres in the coming year and would like to thank our viewers for their constant love and support.”

     

    Projit Chakrabarti, Head, Marketing Services, said, “On the back of our genre defining programming and clutter breaking content initiatives, we’ve literally created a new season – summer, spring, autumn, winter and Good Times. And one needs only tune-in, log-on or walk-in to live the good times.” NDTV Good Times continues to enjoy its niche position as lifestyle channel in the country, with Highway On My Plate, Kingfisher Calendar Hunt, I’m Too Sexy, Heavy Petting, Band Baajaa Bride, Chakh Le India and No Big Deal as its most popular and loved shows.

     

    Beamed directly across international markets such as US, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Mauritius and Maldives, the channel is present across all major analogue cable markets, and all six DTH platforms in India.

     

  • Cheil has taken on new team heads for Activations, Interactive and Retail

    Cheil Worldwide SW Asia adds to leadership strength

    Vikas Khanna
    Rajesh Bhatia
    Manish Shukla

    Cheil Worldwide SW Asia has announced the appointments of Vikas Khanna as Head - Activations, Rajesh Bhatia as Head – Interactive and Manish Shukla as Head of Retail.

     

    Mr Bhatia joins from Euro RSCG 4D where he was President; Mr Khanna from G2Rams- a WPP group company aligned with Grey Worldwide where he was VP & Branch Head, and Mr Shukla from Retailscape.

     

    Confirming the appointments, Alok Agrawal, COO, Cheil WW, SW Asia said, “The story of our growth trajectory is already known. Nima’s joining has tripled our creative strength. Now with Vikas, Rajesh and Manish on board, our leadership team has become even stronger. This enables us to further capitalise on the demands of the marketplace and take brand Cheil to even greater heights.”

     

    A digital evangelist with over 17 years of work experience, Rajesh Bhatia has been driving innovative digital and integrated marketing strategies for some of the leading global brands including Nokia, IBM, Max Life Insurance, Airtel, Reckitt Bencksier (Dettol, Harpic, Vanish, Veet, Mortein) and Unilever, among others.

     

    Having taken to digital and data led consumer marketing almost a decade ago, Mr Bhatia has been a part of the evolution of new age communication in India and has been helping brands transition from traditional marketing communication to effective marketing in the digital world. Leveraging his rich experience and core competency of ‘creating ideas and concepts’, he has been the chief architect and creator of one of India’s largest virtual communities – igenius (www.igenious.org) for Max Life Insurance.

     

    An experienced professional in events, BTL and activation, Vikas Khanna comes with over 13 years of work experience. His extensive understanding of the business has earned him a longstanding portfolio of client relationships.

     

    Over the years he has managed brands including BlackBerry (RIM), Cisco, Audi, BMW, M3M, Genpact, Hyundai, GE, Canara HSBC, ITDC, HTC, among others.

     

    Manish Shukla brings with him a wide range of business expertise, experience and relationships in the area of Retail Marketing & Management. Over the years he has consulted to a wide range of clients such as HUL-Wall’s Ice cream – Danone International, Evian, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Bacardi – Martini, Bharat Shell, Braun, Parker, Airtel, Shaw Wallace, Samsung, LG – CDMA Phones and Barista Coffee Bars. He moves from Retailscape which he set up in 1996.

     

  • As the 6th edition of India's #1 Quiz Show starts tonight, try our special edition of MxM Buzzer+MEC & media agency captains on how KBC6 will fare

    So how much do you know about KBC?

     

    By Sorbojeet Chatterjee

     

    1) Big B plays the role of a quiz master on KBC. Which quiz master is the behind the scenes star as the producer and director of this blockbuster TV show

     

    2) Sushil Kumar, the famous 5 Crore winner from the last season of KBC, recently participated in a reality show. Identify the show?

     

    3) Slumdog Millionaire was based on KBC where Anil Kapoor played the anchor. Which bestselling book was the movie adapted from?

     

    4) Who was the first celebrity guest on KBC?

     

    How will KBC rate this season?
    By Meghna Sharma

     

    When people press the power button on the TV remote today at prime time, it will be a little different from other days. Tonight sees the return of Amitabh Bachchan to the small screen hosting the sixth season of Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC). Viewers will enter the world of information and trivia, pitting their living-room wits against the contestants or just enjoying the Big B’s banter and easy chatting style.

     

    Whatever the reason, Sony will be hoping to nab as many eyeballs as possible.

    And if MEC, a media buying and planning agency and a founding partner of Group M, is to be believed, KBC 2012 is estimated to deliver 10 percent higher viewership than before. MEC partnered with Meritus Analytics India Ltd to find out the estimate for this season. The approach used for KBC was based on past learning from IPL estimation and the fact that increase in TVRs for a new programme is due to a combination of increase in PUT (People Using Television) and people already viewing television moving to the new programme from their regular programming. MEC and Meritus built a statistical model using a set of TV shows to understand the factors affecting PUT and channel share for such non-sports programmes.

     

    The key influencing factors delineated are:

    > Programme promotions on the channel, network and also other channels
    > Promotion across other media like Radio and Newspapers
    > Search volume index as a measure of viewer buzz
    The base channel share of the airing channel

     

    MEC estimates that the programme will deliver higher than last year due to three reasons.

    1. Sony as a channel has seen  its viewership base grow since the launch of KBC last year. Therefore the base viewership for the channel is at a higher level compared to the last season.

    2. Search volumes indicate that the buzz is almost double of last season.

    3. Also the fact that the show has moved to the weekend without clashing with the weekly soaps could add to viewership.

     

    MxMIndia spoke to other media planners to find out what they think, and what they predict for the show.

     

    Ambika Srivastava
    Chairperson, ZenithOptimedia India and chairperson, VivaKi Exchange

    I think the show will do well; however, it is difficult to say if it’s going to be 5 percent or 10 percent or 15 percent. The content strategy of the show is very interesting and it has a very broad-based appeal. The contestants in the show come from different backgrounds and represent the ‘aam adami’ and it is this connect which appeals to the masses and makes them switch on their television sets. Having said that, I do believe that only time will tell how it will perform this time around too.

     

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    Neel Kamal Sharma
    COO – Buying, Madison Group

    I don’t think the ratings will be higher than last year; on the contrary, I think it will be tough even to maintain its last season’s TVRs as building weekend viewership has always been difficult, compared to weekdays. However, there is no doubt that the show has performed consistently over the years. The main reason is that there has been some fresh thought on both execution and promotion. I recollect elements like connecting well with small town viewers, touching their heart via audition of people who have screen presence or some charisma to make content more interesting for viewers. Sony has really worked on it every year for it not to become monotonous, so I am pretty confident that they will continue to re-apply their learnings from the past.

     

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    Suresh Balakrishnan
    CEO, BPN India

    According to our company, this year the show will be able to generate 5.6 percent TVR in the opening weekend. This is because firstly, the show this time will be aired on the weekend which can lead to more eyeballs. Secondly, in the past 12 weeks the channel has been doing well. Thus, having the momentum will help the show and the channel too. Lastly, the ‘gyaan’ route which they have taken this season seems to be working. It has a connect with tier II and III cities.

     

    Year after year, the show has been performing consistently. In the beginning it was Amitabh Bachchan and the money. Although these two still remain a major factor, over the years it is the hope of becoming somebody from a nobody which has attracted the common man. Look at last year’s winner, he’s a mini celebrity today!

     

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    Mohit Joshi
    Managing director, MPG

    I’m not sure if it will be 10 percent, but I do expect the ratings to go up this year as the platform (Sony) has also evolved over time and has a better base-level performance today. Apart from Big B knack of connecting with the viewers, another reason why it will help the show is the fact that it’s on the weekend. It will definitely push up the buzz as we saw in the case of Satyamev Jayate. Also, a weekend slot will ensure no conflict with the ongoing daily soaps which will be an added advantage. However, to break from the monotony, since it’s been running for years now, the channel can take a few steps:

     

    1. Make the show more socially relevant

    2. Need to go to the next level of contributing positively to the primary education of this country by creating KBC hubs in localities which support educational programmes and create local millionaires

     

    5) Mr Bachchan is synonymous with ‘Lock Kiya Jaaye’. What phrase did SRK use?

     

    6) Which celebrity was roped in to host KBC in Bhojpuri for Mahuaa TV?

     

    7) What is Harshvardhan Nawathe’s claim to fame?

     

    8 ) Which advertising agency is behind the popular KBC marketing campaigns (Koi bhi sawaal chota nahin hota and Sirf Gyaan hi aapko aapka haq dilate hai) for Season 4 and 5?

     

    9) What is the lifeline called where the contestant can guess 2 answers for a particular question?

     

    10) Which brand integrated their campaign ‘Ek Crore Ka Shortcut’ with KBC during the last season?

     

    11) Bengali superstars Mithun Chakravarty and Prosenjit Chatterjee were offered to host KBC in Bengali. However which celebrity was eventually signed?

     

    12) Celador sold the rights of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire to a Dutch company 2waytraffic in 2006. Which global giant acquired 2waytraffic in 2008?

     

    13) Identify the only celebrity couple/team that has won Rs 1 Crore in KBC?

     

    14) In Season 2, Mr Bachchan shot for 61 out of the 85 episodes before he was critically unwell. When did he return to shoot the balance episodes?

     

    15) What is special about the book Amitabh Ka Khazana?

     

    16) Zee tried to counter KBC with a show that offered 10 Crores as prize money and was hosted by Anupam Kher and Manisha Koirala. Name the show?

     

    17) Even Sony created a show called Jeeto Chappad Phaad Ke to try and counter KBC. Who was the host?

     

    18) Kaun Banega Champu was a popular spoof on KBC3 and the host mimicked SRK and was called Ruk Ruk Khan. On which channel was it broadcast?

     

    19) During the last season, Big B handed out Axis Bank cheques to the winner. This was a much talked about media innovation during Season 1 of KBC. Which bank pioneered this integration?

     

    20) Sachin Tendulkar and Madhuri Dixit came together on KBC Season 1 for a special show to raise funds for the victims of which calamity?

     

    21) During Sushil Kumar’s journey of answering the questions to win the biggest prize, which former TV news presenter was the ‘expert’ who answered the 1 Crore question correctly?

     

    22) Which television actress has appeared thrice on KBC winning 3.2 lakhs in Season 1, 6.4 lakhs in Season 2 and 25 lakhs in Season 5?

     

    23) ‘Lock Kiya Jaye’ became a catchphrase after the first season of KBC. Identify the country where this was first used as ‘Lock it in’ by the host Eddie McGuire?

     

    24) Sushil Kumar from Motihari, Bihar won 5 Crores in Season 5 and created history. Which bestseller author was born in Motihari?

     

    25) Lara Dutta appeared as a celebrity guest along with which tennis player in the second season of KBC?

     See Answers at the bottom of this page

     

    MxM Buzzer, the weekly quiz which goes live every Friday, is compiled by Sorbojeet Chatterjee, vice-President of Neo Sorts. Starting this week, we are discontinuing the contest part of MxM Buzzer and will bring you just the quiz week after week. Enjoy! (PS: we’ll be back with a cooler contest soonest soon!) Please click here for the answers and winners of MxM Buzzer #7