MxMIndia

Category: MEDIA

  • Recently, Vijayavani brought out a special 208-page supplement christened Anand Lokha with its Gangavathi edition, to mark the birthday of Shri Anand Singh, Karnataka's tourism minister and Bellary's 'in-charge' minister

    Vijayavani publishes a ‘colossal’ supplement

    By A Correspondent

     

    Recently, Vijayavani brought out a special 208-page supplement christened Anand Lokha with its Gangavathi edition, to mark the birthday of Shri Anand Singh, Karnataka’s tourism minister and Bellary’s ‘in-charge’ minister.

     

    The elaborate 208-page supplement, a record of sorts, consisted of 13 pages dedicated to Anand Singh’s achievements through his years in office.

     

    Vijayavani is the newest daily in Karnataka, launched by VRL Media Ltd. under the aegis of ‘logistics baron’ Anand Sankeshwar. It is the only daily in Karnataka to print all pages in colour, across all its nine editions in a span of just six months.

     

  • Online apparel brand Zovi.com has announced, in collaboration with Microsoft, the launch of an all-new shopping application built specifically for Windows 8-based PCs and tablets

    Zovi.com chosen by Microsoft to create a Windows 8 application

    By A Correspondent

     

    Online apparel brand Zovi.com has announced, in collaboration with Microsoft, the launch of an all-new shopping application built specifically for Windows 8-based PCs and tablets to coincide with the global launch of Windows 8. The app features innovative content presentation and provides a unique shopping experience.

     

    The Zovi app is primarily designed for Windows 8 devices and tablets and will be available for free on the Windows Store. It enables users to purchase apparel and accessories for both men and women. Users will have access to high-quality images on the product pages for all items on display and can make payment via cash on delivery.

     

    The Zovi app was showcased at the Windows 8 India launch on October 26. Speaking about the collaboration, Manish Chopra, CEO, Zovi.com said, “The Zovi app has been designed to leverage the aesthetic elegance and convenience of the Windows 8 User Interface to offer a unique experience in shopping for fashion and lifestyle online on Zovi.com.”

     

    Commenting on the launch of the app, Amrish Goyal, Director – Windows Business Group, Microsoft Corporation India Pvt. Ltd. said, “Windows 8 provides a fast and fluid experience that makes apps shine. The Windows Store has an amazing array of apps at launch, and Zovi offers a compelling shopping experience.”

     

  • Christened iMusicSpace, the application brings 24X7 WorldSpace radio programmes to the TV set through the touch of a button on the remote

    WorldSpace Radio is back, via Airtel

    By A Correspondent

     

    Bharti Airtel has announced the comeback of Worldspace Radio as iMusicSpace on Airtel digital TV, the DTH service from the company. DTH customers can now listen to an extensive collection of latest and retro Hindi songs, popular ghazals and their favorite regional music channels on the new avatar radio. Customers can now enjoy 24X7 radio on their TV in their native dialect be it Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada or Telugu. Comprising of 12 channels including devotional and kids channels, iMusicSpace is now available to customers at an affordable cost of Rs 35 per month.

     

    Speaking on the launch, Shashi Arora, CEO- DTH/ Media, Bharti Airtel, said, “At Airtel, it’s been our constant endeavor to offer innovative, versatile, and interactive life enriching services to our customers that enhances their overall TV viewing experience. The launch of Worldspace Radio on Airtel was an industry first and we are ecstatic to re-launch the new and evolved iMusicSpace application today on Airtel Digital TV. This service is yet another step by Airtel towards making TV a wholesome entertainment package for customers and we look forward to our partnership with Timbre Media for the WorldSpace Radio service”.

     

    The service has been launched on the DTH platform in association with Saregama and Timbre Media whhich will jointly provide the content for the application.

     

    Mathewkutty Sebastian, CEO, Timbre Media, a company formed in 2010 by the erstwhile employees of WorldSpace India, said, “Timbre Media is happy to be able to offer Airtel DTH subscribers the music experience they enjoyed in the past on this platform, brought to them by the very same dedicated team of radio professionals who pioneered genre based programming in India for WorldSpace.”

     

    Airtel digital TV customers can easily access the application by just clicking the iTV button on their remote. The new channels include Magikbox – Kids, Shraddha – Devotional, Farishta – Retro Hindi, Falak – Ghazals, Sonar – Bengali, Umang – Gujarati, Surabhi – Marathi, Tunak – Punjabi, Thenisai – Tamil, Madhuri – Malayalam, Sparsha – Kannada and Spandana – Telugu.

     

    Saregama, formerly known as The Gramophone Company of India Ltd, owns the largest music archives in India. The ownership of nearly 50 per cent of all the music ever recorded in India makes Saregama the most authoritative repository of the country’s musical heritage. Saregama has now expanded into other branches of entertainment, and also runs studio facilities in Dum Dum, Kolkata.

     

    Timbre Media Pvt Ltd, set up in 2010 by a group of erstwhile employees of WorldSpace India Pvt Ltd, offers radio/music programming, sound packaging and studio services to platform owners in the DTH, Telecom, Internet and FM industry, and to corporate and retail clients. Headquartered in Bengaluru, Timbre Media specializes in genre-based radio programming in different languages and is the official licensee of the WorldSpace brand.

     

  • With the final round of 'Crack the Case' just two days away, the Dainik Bhaskar Group is all set to welcome the five finalist teams. The contest has received an overwhelming response with 340-plus registrations across organizations and top B-schools

    Dainik Bhaskar Group announces top 5 finalists for ‘Crack the Case’ contest

    By A Correspondent

     

    With the final round of ‘Crack the Case’ just two days away, the Dainik Bhaskar Group is all set to welcome the five finalist teams.

     

    This is the first time the group has created this opportunity for management students and the industry to provide a solution. The case study has received an overwhelming response with 340 plus registrations for the contest – across organizations such as Maxus, Rediffusion, Deloitte, Network 18 Media, O&M, IMRB, Titan, and HDFC, and from top B-schools like XLRI, IIM Bangalore and Kolkata.

     

    The five shortlisted teams for the final round are one each from leading media agency Maxus and renowned research firm IMRB International, two from IIM Bangalore and one from XLRI.

     

    Commenting on this venture, Sanjeev Kotnala, VP, Dainik Bhaskar Group said, “It was a difficult task to shortlist 5 from the lot, we found that a lot of entries have really made efforts to understand the business nuances of newspaper and have used secondary data beyond what was provided in the case. The final 5 made the cut after lot of debate within the Round 1 Jury. The jury placed extra focus on the logic and process of arriving at the decision than on the decision and presentation style. I do look forward to some interesting analysis and logic”.

     

    In the final round participants will have 20 minutes to present their solution in Mumbai on October 31st, to a jury which includes Prof. Seema Gupta from IIM Bangalore

     

    In the contest, participants are asked to suggest which new territory Dainik Bhaskar Group should address next, based on the case study by IIM Bangalore titled ‘Aspiring Growth’ focusing on the Maharashtra success of the Dainik Bhaskar group.

     

  • Jaldi 5 with Ankur Warikoo, CEO, Groupon India, on Crazeal.com’s first anniversary and the e-commerce explosion in India

    Jaldi 5 with Ankur Warikoo, CEO, Groupon India

    By Johnson Napier

     

    India has witnessed huge growth in e-commerce in the past one and a half years where customers online have been bombarded with innumerable offerings. But while many see the space as being crowded there are a few that are making a mark by way of their positioning. Like Crazeal.com, a portal that operates in the daily deals category space.

     

    As Crazeal.com celebrates a year of existence in India there are a lot of things that are going right for the portal like it has managed to sell more than 5 lakh deal vouchers and the fact that it has worked with more than 3000 unique merchants across the country.

     

    As it enters year two of operations, Ankur Warikoo, CEO, Groupon India is clear on the strategy to take the company far ahead. The strategy, he says, is to focus on the quality of deals as only then can it be in the business for a long time. “If you give the best quality of deals, customers will stay. We focus on one deal a day and make that special.” In an interaction with MxMIndia.com, Mr Warikoo says that Crazeal.com is in the market of products, travel and local services – and all three of them are growing at such a pace that for the next 1-2 years we are simply looking at consolidating base in the three.

     

     

    1 How inspirational has been the journey for Crazeal in India as it completed a year of existence in India recently?

    We entered the market just last year and have grown tremendously to reach the #1 rank in the daily deals category (as per ComScore data). We are experiencing super-normal growth quarter-on-quarter and repeat buying pattern of close to 50%. Additionally, we are recognized as the best destination for high quality deals, by our consumers, which is a fantastic achievement in just 12 months.

     

    We have attained this mark within one year of our existence in India because of the deal quality! Groupon globally works with the best merchants and offers the best deal structures to our customers, while solving business problems for the merchants. This has been the same philosophy India has worked on.

     

    We are strongly committed to the Indian market and are also launching our global robust technology to cater the needs of the merchants in India. The Merchant Center is an intelligent application that provides merchants a platform to evaluate and track their performance. The launch of this technological innovation in India will mark yet another milestone in our growth trajectory while setting unmatched global standards for the Indian e-commerce industry.

     

    2 How would you analyze your growth – both organic and inorganic, over the past year?

    I would like to present some key milestones:

    Featured more than 15,000 deals in 12 months

    Average transaction value highest in the category

    More than 5 lakh deal vouchers sold

    Worked with more than 3000 unique merchants across the country

    Sell a voucher once every 33 seconds

     

    3 The space has seen a sudden spurt in activity with a number of players stepping in with their offerings. How uniquely is Crazeal positioned among its competitive peers? 

    Competition is always healthy as it leads to the overall growth of the industry. For me, the real competition for Crazeal are other Groupon countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Hongkong. India has witnessed a huge growth in e-commerce in the past one and a half years and customers online have been bombarded with innumerable offerings. India became too crowded too soon and has been molded into a discount deal chasing set-up where merchants do not really understand how their businesses can benefit. The main objective of our channel is marketing. From day one, we have focused on having the right set of merchants on board. We start with city planning, doing merchant reviews followed by personal visits to experience what the merchant has to offer before closing the partnership deal eventually.

     

    4 Will you be laying more emphasis around marketing & promotions activity going forward? What is the budget that you have allocated for the same?

    Our strategy is to focus on the quality of deals as only then can we be in the business for a long time. If you give the best quality of deals, customers will stay. We focus on one deal a day and make that special. We are in the market of products, travel and local services – and all three of them are growing at such a pace that for the next 1-2 years we are simply looking at consolidating our base in the three.

    We will continue to entice consumers with our experiential marketing campaigns. For the birthday week we launched a special consumer campaign to surprise consumers with irresistible raffles every day. Up for grabs were 5gm Tanishq Gold Coins, iPads, Shoppers Stop gift vouchers, Sony Bravia- LED TV, Tata Nano and more.

     

    Previously, we have run ‘larger than life’ raffles including an all paid trip to Las Vegas for 2 at the Bellagio, and a free Harley Davidson bike which saw tremendous enthusiasm from consumers across the country.

     

    We recently hosted a special screening for Hollywood blockbusters – Spiderman and The Dark Knight Rises across 9 cities (Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai, Jaipur, Chandigarh & Pune) and gave consumers and exclusive preview of our ad campaign. The special screening involved Crazeal team manning the ticket booking stalls, addressing the entire crowd before the start of the movie and steering on-ground activities to give them a flavor of Crazeal’s personalized services. Multiple on-ground touch points were also created to increase its brand presence and engage with consumers in a fun way. The tickets were priced at a 50% discount and the hall was booked exclusively for Crazeal consumers!

     

    Tell us a bit about your just-announced application Merchant Center. What is its USP?  

    As a commitment to the Indian market and to drive efficiency in operations, Crazeal has launched an intelligent application to provide merchants with a platform to evaluate and track their promotion performance.

     

    Each of our vouchers are bar-coded and have a unique QR code that helps merchants recognize customers who have bought their deal. It can also be done through our merchant mobile applications available on the iOS and Android platform.

     

    No internet company in India offers this kind of technology to their partners, free of cost!

     

    Merchant Center enables merchants to

    Track the number of vouchers their deal sells daily

    Check how many vouchers are redeemed in each of their outlets in different locations

    Get real time feedback from customers on their experience at the merchant’s outlet

    Determine how many customers would recommend the merchant to others

    Redeem the vouchers to enable their payments, on a real-time basis

     

    5 How do you see the e-commerce space panning out in the near future in India?

    Everyone is craving an eShare these days; corporates are looking at diverse product mix, merchants joining hands to offer strong value propositions and consumers shifting to online purchase for obvious reasons. This ePie surely has an opportune slice for all. And with 100 million internet users supporting the e-revolution, the total number of transactions in India is set to take a leap from the present 8-10 million to 40 million by 2015.

     

    The daily deal websites comprise India’s fastest growing web vertical. The coupon business is 16.5% of the total e-commerce audience in India, growing at the rate of 629 per cent with 7.6 million unique users a month in November 2011, as per comScore report. This clearly shows that Indian consumers who were earlier apprehensive about shopping online are now browsing more often to make high value purchases and avail experiential offers.

     

    Internet has played a silent but important role in giving a boost to India’s consumption story. With the advent of 3G, telecommunications and high mobile penetration, e-tailing in India has intensified closing many gaps between urban and rural consumer’s tastes, preferences and consumption patterns. Currently 60 percent of our sales come from six metros with remaining 40 per cent from non-metros. We see this trend catching up fast as consumers increasingly aspire to purchase brands and lifestyle products like never before.

     

    Tier I cities has already seen an explosion in travel and products related e-commerce. They will now witness the next big thing called local commerce. If one thinks of it, this new category is the most frequently consumed category in offline retail, which will now move to online.

     

    Tier 2 and 3 cities are lagging behind, but not in terms of growth. Products e-commerce has made major inroads driven by the ease of buying online and the massive assortment. Travel is following suit. However, local services might take some time as for that to develop as it requires a minimum number of high quality merchants to be present. With large restaurant chains now expanding and the food, wellness industry growing substantially there is a huge scope here.

     

  • The sports content provider giant reinforces its position as the ‘Home of Football’ with a stellar list of premium football events

    ESPN Star Sports scores with FA English football rights

    By A Correspondent

     

    ESPN Star Sports (ESS), Asia’s biggest sports content provider, has delighted football fans once again by securing exclusive broadcast rights for all Football Association (FA) Cup matches, The FA Community Shield and all Senior and Under-21 England Team home matches for the next six years until 2018 for the South Asia Region including India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Maldives, Bhutan and Nepal.

     

    The multimedia platform deal, which allows the content to be made available across television, internet and mobile, was made with international media rights company MP & Silva.

     

    Starting from November 3, ESS will begin broadcast of the first round of matches all the way up to the Final in May next year. Chelsea are currently the holders of the FA Cup but are likely to be challenged for the prestigious title by the other Premier League teams including Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City, among others.

     

    This latest agreement further strengthens ESS’ network as truly being the ‘Home of Football’ for the South Asia region, with an unbeatable list of the biggest football properties including the Barclays Premier League, the Spanish Liga BBVA as well as the Italian Serie A, whose exclusive broadcast rights were recently secured from MP & Silva.

     

    The FA Cup is recognised as the oldest and most famous domestic knockout competition, which traditionally begins in November and culminates with the final in May. It is also one of the most viewed football matches in terms of global television reach and the pinnacle of the English football calendar. The FA Community Shield is the English football season’s high-profile curtain raiser, held a week prior to the kick-off of the Barclays Premier League season in August and is played between the winners of The FA Cup and the Barclays Premier League from the previous season. The England national team will play approximately five games per season, including England’s home qualifiers for the FIFA 2014 World Cup in 2014, and England’s home friendly games until 2018.

     

  • Hansa Outdoor, part of the R K Swamy Hansa Group, conceived and created a billboard with a large cutout of an aircraft that has neon tubing around it, to announce Air Arabia’s festive VFR (Visiting Friends and Relatives) programme

    Aircraft cutout in Hansa’s new billboard for Air Arabia

    By A Correspondent

     

    Hansa Outdoor, part of the R K Swamy Hansa Group, conceived and created a billboard with a large cutout of an aircraft that has neon tubing around it, to announce Air Arabia’s festive VFR (Visiting Friends and Relatives) programme.

     

    Hansa Outdoor also created billboards that can be seen on the Western Express Highway, Mahim causeway, Worli, Peddar Road and near the Santa Cruz domestic airport.

     

    Tyronne Devdros, Vice President, Hansa Outdoor, said, “Over the last three years of our association, we are constantly looking for new ways to highlight Air Arabia’s offering, and this is one of the innovations.”

     

  • While the former I&B Minister was successful in warding off complainants of television content, there were various measures that didn’t happen in her tenure

    Mediaah Report Card on Ambika Soni: 7/10

    By Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

    Although I would hold her responsible for the mess that we have in digitization, Ambika Soni was among the better I&B Ministers we have had in the last decade.

     

    In my report card, I would give her a 7 on 10.

     

    In fact had it not been for digitization and the lack of gamechanging vision, she’s could’ve scored higher.

     

    Remember she took over from Anand Sharma and earlier Priyaranjan Dasmunshi who had made life tough for industry practitioners.  Ms Soni’s tenure came as a breath of fresh air. Reportedly, the advisory she received from her predecessors was that she shouldn’t go easy on media biggies, but she would’ve none of that.

     

    Everyone has a view on the content dished out on television and in the print media. Parliamentarians, legislators and politicians of all hues, consumer and advocacy groups, corporate, citizens, et al would engage with her to act on their demands. For instance, Balika Vadhu in Colors was found by some to be glorifying child marriage or Sach Ka Saamna and Bigg Boss were found to be unfit for family viewing. Ms Soni heard the complaints and kept the complainants at bay. The general entertainment channels must thank the former minister to ward off a variety of pressures.

     

    I think just letting various players do their job with a nudge here and there was an achievement. Ms Soni also ensured that entertainment and news broadcasters work out an effective self-regulatory mechanism. This had had its share of hiccups in the past, but in her tenure it happened.

     

    Ambika soni

    But though her progressive outlook ensured that the industry benefitted, various factors pull her down in this appraisal. In fact, according to one magazine study a few years back, she was judged to be a non-performer.

     

    Let’s look at the areas where Ms Soni failed:

     

    1. Doordarshan. The pubcaster had turned 50 in 2009 and there was an opportunity to make it a more professional BBC-like body. Didn’t happen.

    2. Radio. News on FM radio is not allowed due to some silly Home Ministry objections even as there are several cable channels in every nook and corner of the country.

    3. Paid news. If paid news is being discussed much it’s thanks to the Election Commission and a section of the fraternity. The minister had an opportunity to cleanse the system, but she didn’t want to upset the holy cows in the business

    4. Tougher on measures: Had she adopted a sterner stand and asked the industry to act faster, we wouldn’t have seen an NDTV taking TAM to court as BARC would’ve been set up and offered the necessary guidelines.

    5. Digitization. Agreed it’s a bold measure and it’s in her tenure that it gained momentum and was being executed. But the fact that it didn’t was all thanks to the way her ministry went about the task. Even as there are just two days to go, 100 per cent digitization will take another two or three months to happen in the four metros.

     

    Could this embarrassment have been avoided? Yes, of course.

     

    I am also shocked at how and why she quit less than a week before what was decidedly the biggest thing in Media and Entertainment in the last decade. Bigger than DTH and other policy initiatives. Yes, it’s a good idea that a senior political leader goes back to help the party in the run-up to the elections, but why do it when the Sunset Date is just a week after?

     

    Why did the Prime Minister allow her to do so? Why did the UPA chairperson allow it?

     

    This, I guess, is the reality check for all of us in the media. The powers that be don’t really care.

     

    As for Madame Soni’s score in my report card. 7/10. And a red line for being irresponsible and leaving the ministry a week before her biggest project was being executed.

     

    Pradyuman Maheshwari is Editor-in-Chief, MxMIndia. The views expressed here are his own. Inbox him at pradyumanm@mxmindia.com or use the messageboard below

     

  • The internet radio platform is getting ready to launch the special interest paid channel.

    Now a Lesbian & Gay radio station from Radiowalla

    By Ananya Saha

     

    Internet radio is increasingly gaining prominence in India, but special interest channels are still limited. Internet radio service – Radiowalla has been aiming to provide a service that offers a variety of special interest-internet radio channels that indulge niche audiences worldwide. The service that launched in April 2012 globally, boasts of offering Internet audio channels (music and non-music).

     

    In a conversation with MxM India, Radiowalla recently announced that it will be launching a ‘gay and lesbian’ station on its platform. On the initiative, Anil Srivatsa, Co-Founder and CEO of Radiowalla, said, “The gay and lesbian community is almost 30 million of the population in India. Is there a representation in any media for them? I wish to create a special interest channel for them.”

     

    “There are so many pet lovers in the country. And they want access to information on how they can take care of their pets. And they are willing to pay for it if I give them expert advice. Today, the mainstream media is not representing these special interest groups,” said Srivatsa.

     

    Srivatsa aims to make his internet radio channel an instrument to amplify passion, whether it be classical music or gay and lesbian community channel. “The gay and lesbian community has a need to belong, a passion to be mainstream but they do not have a voice among themselves,” he opined.

     

    The channel will broadcast music and non-music programmes. The 24/7 channel will be subscription based, and will not depend heavily on advertisers. On the advertisers that might shy from coming on the channel, Mr Srivasta said, “While I want advertisers, my content creation will not depend on the monies from advertisers. I prefer my revenues from paid-on-demand.”

     

    Going forward, the internet radio plans to introduce a Muslim station as well.

     

     

  • The third season of the ground event will have 20 teams battling it out for the top position and a prize money of Rs 1,00,000.

    MiD DAY is back with 3rd season of corporate soccer championship

    By A Correspondent

     

    The tabloid newspaper MiD DAY has launched the 3rd season of its MiD DAY Corporate Soccer Championship. The third season of the ground event will have 20 teams battling it out for the top position and a prize money of Rs. 1,00,000/-. Also 1 player will get a chance to win the prestigious Golden Boots Award along with cash prize of Rs.20000/-.

     

    Registration fee is set at Rs. 15,000 per team for the tournament and matches are scheduled to be held on 03rd and 04thNovember, 2012. These matches will be held at Western Railway Ground, Lower Parel. Apart from the prestigious trophy of supremacy, the winner will also get a prize money of Rs. 1,00,000/- whereas the runner-up will get Rs. 50,000/- and the winner of the Golden Boots will receive Rs. 20,000/-.

     

    Organizations like HDFC Bank, Bigtree,Serco Global Services,Standard Chartered Bank, British Airways World Cargo, NCO India Pvt Ltd, Xoriant Solutions Pvt. Ltd, Hutchinson Global Services PVT LTD, TATA Consultancy Services and many more will compete for the top position of MiD DAY Corporate Soccer Championship 2012.

     

     

    Speaking on the launch of the 3rd season of MiD DAY Corporate Soccer Championship, MiD DAY Infomedia Limited MD & CEO Manajit Ghoshal said, ““MiD DAY Corporate Soccer Championship is back with another season giving the corporate executives a quintessential break from their hectic schedule. Also MiD DAY is committed in engaging its core target audience,i.e, the Young professionals of the city through such initiatives. The best of the corporate world will be on show and all are invited to witness the football frenzy.”

  • Nickelodeon’s recently launched new show Motu Patlu in its bid to get kids hooked onto its second home-grown animated show has started its on-ground initiatives and promotional campaign.

    Nickelodeon’s Motu Patlu engage kids through innovative promotions

    By A Correspondent

     

    Nickelodeon’s recently launched new show Motu Patlu in its bid to get kids hooked onto its second home-grown animated show has started its on-ground initiatives and promotional campaign.

     

    Apart from Motu Patlu being the top priority for promotions on the network, the campaign will ensure optimal reach though an extensive media bouquet that includes various on-ground activities and strategic promotional partnerships.

     

    The retail sector sees a huge increase in consumers in the festive season of Dussehra and Diwali. The campaign will make most of this though its partner Pantaloons and be actively present across 18 Pantaloons outlets in Mumbai and Delhi to ensure maximum brand visibility.

     

    In an attempt to be present everywhere kids are, Nickelodeon has also tied-up with exclusive gaming outlet – Timezone. Here kids can participate in the Motu Patlu contest through the Kiosk’s at Timezone and also sample the show, while they win cool Motu Patlu merchandise.

     

    Making the consumer ‘Eat, Drink, Sleep’ the brand has been taken literally, as Motu Patlu’s Signature dish Chole Bhature will be available and promoted across Bombay Blue outlets in Mumbai. Kids can also engage with the interactive Motu Patlu tray mats at all the outlets. Promotions will also be a part of the on-going Nickelodeon workshops at Hobby Ideas where kids will be exposed to the unique flavour of the show while they participate in ‘Art Jam’ workshops and bring out their creative side by making Motu Patlu chocolate boxes and more. The activity spans across 5 cities and over 7 centres.

     

    Commenting on the innovative marketing strategy, Nina Elavia Jaipuria, Executive Vice President & Business Head, Sonic and Nickelodeon India says, “This experiential marketing campaign brings alive Motu Patlu, engaging kids through innovative initiatives at multiple touch-points. Our unconventional campaign connects with kids and reaches out to them wherever they are. Thus, tangibilizing and creating awareness for Motu Patlu.”

     

    It was essential that the campaign focused on the width as well as depth through its media. Hence, while a lot of efforts have been made to target the urban kids, the smaller towns are not too far behind. Nickelodeon has planned engagements through Van Activations in over 30 towns like Lucknow, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Agra, Mathura, etc. in Uttar Pradesh and Gwalior, Khandwa, Indore, Ratlam, Bhopal, Jabalpur, etc. in Madhya Pradesh. Kids can enjoy Motu Patlu games and watch the episodes while wining Nickelodeon merchandise. The Van Activation has been designed to give kids the right flavour of the show and make show and its characters familiar with the kids.

     

    To ensure the right connect with the tech-savvy generation Nickelodeon has also launched Motu Patlu’s official website – Motupatlu.in. The site will host a strong content mix that includes numerous Motu Patlu games, contests, download-ables and a lot more. In addition, motupatlu.in will also be promoted through a comprehensive digital campaign that entails banners on kid gaming websites, video banners and innovative rich media banners that allows the users to interact on the banner itself. The show will also be promoted on Nick India’s official page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/nickindia) and on twitter @nicktvindia.

     

    As a part of the ATL promotions, Motu Patlu will also be promoted across various General Entertainment Channels and print advertisements in leading comics. Adding yet another innovation to this home-grown animated show, Nickelodeon has roped in legendary lyricist Gulzar to create a title track composed by acclaimed musician Sandesh Shandiliya and sung by renowned singer Sukhwinder Singh. The title track of the awesome twosome’s jodi will be played on all radio stations across Mumbai and Delhi and several other cities in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

     

    Motu is aired every day at 6.30pm on Nickelodeon.

     

  • The industry revenues are expected to reach 1,764 billion INR (37.6 billion USD) by 2016, with a CAGR of about 17% from 2012 to 2016.

    M&E to reach $37.6 bn by 2016: CII-PwC report

    By Ananya Saha

     

    The Indian M&E industry, with revenues of about 805 billion INR (17.2 billion USD) in 2011, is set to grow robustly over the next few years on the back of steady macro-economic growth, rising spending power and positive demographic indicators. The industry revenues are expected to reach 1,764 billion INR (37.6 billion USD) by 2016, with a CAGR of about 17% from 2012 to 2016, according to India Entertainment and Media Outlook 2012.

     

    According to the study, which was released by CII and PwC during the Media and Entertainment Summit 2012, the television and print segments continue to be the largest contributors to the industry, accounting for 66% of the total revenue. Internet access contributed 14%, up from 11% in 2010. However, the contribution from the print and film segments have reduced marginally, as year-on-year growth rates have been lower than the industry average. The internet access and gaming segments have been the fastest growing, with annual growth rates of 57% and 33%, respectively

     

    The report further lists that the Indian E&M industry has been one of the fastest growing, followed by countries such as China, Russia and Brazil. Going forward, the industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 17% between 2012 and 2016, to reach a size of 1,764 billion INR. Internet access, advertising and gaming are projected to be the fastest growing avenues, each growing at a CAGR higher than 20%. The revenue from advertising is expected to grow at a CAGR of 13.4% to reach INR 525 billion in 2016, significantly up from INR 279 billion in 2011.

     

    The television segment is expected to retain its position as the largest E&M segment in the country, with an estimated CAGR of 15% till 2016. Given the high penetration of mobile internet in the country, robust growth has been projected in internet access till 2016 (given the current under-penetration), which will overtake the print sector by 2013, in terms of industry revenues, and become the second-largest segment in the Indian E&M industry. The print segment is expected to grow at 9% for the next five years, and claim 17% of market share by 2017.

     

    The report recommends that given the high potential growth, the industry should focus on collaboration and innovation to achieve the target numbers.