MxMIndia

Category: MEDIA

  • Rahul Johri, Media Professional of the Year 2012 and Senior VP and GM South Asia at Discovery Networks Rahul Johri, on the macro issues impacting the Indian broadcast sector

    Creating balance is important: Rahul Johri

     

    By Ananya Saha

     

    Rahul Johri, Senior Vice President and General Manager,South Asia at Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific was recently named ‘Media Professional of the Year’ award at the Global Awards for Brand Excellence 2012. He has been associated with the Discovery network since 2001. Over the years, the Indian broadcast industry has seen lots of changes: from a two-channel to too many channels on the airwaves. “Hopefully, digitization will sort this. Well, at the same time, because the viewers are far more exposed, it is an opportunity to bring in a lot more channels, specialised channels and content,” articulates Mr Johri.

     

    He insists that robust distribution becomes the key in Indian broadcast space, adding: “A lot of channels understand the importance of affiliate revenue, which drives more mature content. If you look at our television landscape, we have channels that are very sensational in nature. Even if not many channels, a good number of channels are. The number of sensational channel exceeds the number of non-sensational ones. That is because if you are free-to-air channel, you are chasing only eyeballs and then you are bound to be sensational. If you are a pay channel, you expect viewer to actually pay for the content, more so in a digital environment where you will pay for what you wish to watch.” He is also hopeful that digitization will see a balance being achieved between the sensational and non-sensational channels, even though the later will not stop beaming completely.

     

    Mantra for success: Stay Contemporary

    Mr Johri says that staying contemporary and relevant to younger audience has helped channels like his to grow steadily. “Our viewership numbers have grown steadily over the years and it is clear testimony to the fact that this is a young country and 65% of audience is under 30 years of age who are interested in mature content. If you continue to give same fare to three generations, someone will walk out of the room,” he said.

     

    And contemporary is definitely the buzzword with the channel itself. The branding of Discovery was recently seen in the Yash Raj Film – Jab Tak Hai Jaan where the female lead Akira plays a documentary-maker from the channel. “The way I look it, it is the first from any broadcaster or any marketer that it is a perfect interplay between fact and fiction where Discovery Channel is fact and the movie is fictional. Discovery is seamlessly a part of the script. It is much more than a plain branding. The branding opportunities like this does not present itself everyday – it is like the perfect storm where everything comes together,” observed Mr Johri.

     

    The fact that in 2001, Discovery was seen mainly as educational channel pushed the broadcaster towards a lot of marketing and promotional activities. “Today, we are not a one-channel service, and hence, our job is more complex. For instance, we have programming from 10 channels in theUS, international channels, we have programming that we are producing. So all that progamming is being sorted here and then sent to various channels that we have here. There was a time when same streams were there but you had to put it only on one. So you choose whatever you thought was right. Today, the job is more complex to identify what goes in TLC or there is a gap here, or it needs to be edited. No doubt that the number of variables has increased manifolds,” says Mr Johri.

     

    The way forward

    Mr Johri is optimistic of the growth of the Indian media industry even though he thinks that we have a long way to go. He said, “Industry will continue to grow. We have a long way to go. Even though we might think we are a big industry, by global standards, we are not one of the biggest industry or market. There is tremendous opportunity in Indian marketplace. Broadcast companies need to grow over next few years.”

     

    He also believes that there is no reason that advertising revenues and subscription revenues for a broadcaster will not equal themselves in the time to come. “All over the world, subscription revenues are higher than advertising and I foresee the same trend here,” Mr Johri says

     

    He, however cautions, “Digitization playing out all over the country is going to be huge task. Once Digitization is completed, then the need for quality and diverse entertainment will grow. Five years from now, if you are in the perfect digital world with 1000 channels, these channels are going to be content guzzlers. While on one side, it will spell tremendous amount of opportunity to content creators and production houses etc, but at the same time how much quality will one be able to maintain? The critical balance between quality and quantity will be a challenge.” He thinks, however, industry bodies such as IBF will help channel the industry growth.

     

    For the record, Mr Johri is also a Board Member and Treasurer of Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF). He is also a member of the media and entertainment committee of Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and member of the Media & Entertainment Division of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

     

  • Sandeep Dahiya, Sr. Vice President – Consumer Products & Communications, Viacom18 Media, on merchandising helps bring alive popular characters for a kiddie channel like Nickelodeon

    Jaldi 5 with Sandeep Dahiya: Kids’ merchandise market still at start line

    It’s been a few weeks since kid brand Nickelodeon India, that has a diverse portfolio in the kid’s consumer market with its popular toons, introduced its own sub-brands in the Indian market under Nick Explore, Nick Sports and Nick Action. The first edition from this kitty was ‘Nick Explore’ that has been initiated in an association with Mexus Education.

     

    MxM India quizzed Sandeep Dahiya, Sr. Vice President – Consumer Products & Communications, Viacom18 Media Pvt Ltd on this ambitious new licensing venture and what consumers can look forward to in the future.

     

    01. What does the current kids toys and merchandising market look like in India? Is there scope for broadcast players to make it big in this space?

    The landscape is large and the opportunity to expand is immense. However, we’re all still at the ‘start’ line. Compared to the developed markets where over 90% of the retail is organized, in India, it’s the other way round – with just about 7-8% being organized. However, the good news is that the rate of growth of the organized part is outgrowing the unorganized part…and that is a great indicator for everyone.

     

    Broadcast players have been able to build platforms that bring alive these characters and create a fantasyland around them. Kids love fantasies and the licensed products, help them live their fantasies – be it school bags, shoes, books, bicycles, playsets, dolls and accessories, amongst other things.

     

    02. How is the ‘Nick Explore’ venture doing for Nickelodeon?

    Nickelodeon has always tried to engage kids of all age groups with merchandise that is unique, interactive and entertaining. This collaboration also marks our entry into a new domain – both from a brand as well as a category perspective. The ‘Nick Explore’ range of kits, developed by Mexus Education, will help unlock the creative potential in older kids, while exposing them to basics of science in a manner that’s fun and interactive.

     

    03. Mexus Education is the partner that you have tied up with for Explore. Who are the other players that you have approached with your concepts?

    Let me put it like this: Mexus Education was the perfect partner, given their expertise at product development and distribution strength. We are in talks with other players for similar concepts, but it’s too early to talk about it.

     

    04. Apart from edutainment, which are the other categories that kids have a liking towards and something which you are contemplating venturing into?

    Expansion into newer categories and concepts is an on-going process and there are quite a few of them that we’re pursuing.

     

    So what can one expect from Nick Sports and Action next?

    An exciting range of toys and play-sets that would keep the kids engaged, active and outdoors.

     

    05. What are your promotional plans so as to enable this venture gain a pan-India appeal?

    It is being supported by both above- as well as below-the-line initiatives. We have been supported by all large formats in giving us significant retail presence. The new product range will be promoted through online initiatives.

     

  • Multi Screen Media's Hollywood movie channel Pix has appointed Saurabh Yagnik as its Business Head

    Saurabh Yagnik exits Star to enter Sony as Biz Head, Pix

    By A Correspondent

     

    Saurabh Yagnik

    PIX, the Hollywood movie channel from Multi Screen Media, has announced the appointment of Saurabh Yagnik as its new Business Head. He replaces Sunder Aaron who had resigned in August this year.

     

    Mr Yagnik brings with him a cumulative experience of over 17 years in varied fields. In his previous stint, he was Business Head, English channels at Star India.

     

    Mr Yagnik is a Chartered Accountant with qualifications in Cost Accounting and Company Secretaryship. He began his career as assistant manager at ITC in 1995. In 2000 he moved on to Hindustan Unilever as category finance manager. In 2007, Mr Yagnik joined Star India India as vice-president, Financial Planning & Treasury for the in India. He was appointed as SVP and business head, English channels cluster in 2010 and held the position for two years. He has also had long stints with brands like Hindustan Unilever Limited and ITC.

     

    “I am very excited to be a part of MSM and Pix in the current juncture of its journey. Pix is a youthful brand with unparalleled fan following. Over the years, it has created a definitive mark for itself and has become a leading English movie channel. I am looking forward to working with the team here and take the Channel to being No 1,” said Mr Yagnik.

     

    NP Singh

    N P Singh, Chief Operating Officer, Multi Screen Media said, “We are thrilled to have Saurabh joining us and we welcome him to the MSM family. The industry is at an important cusp and the English movie genre is seeing a lot of transformation. We have great confidence in Saurabh’s abilities and are privileged to have recruited someone of his caliber into the business. He comes in with tremendous knowledge and the channel is going to benefit multi-fold with him as Business Head. We are equally confident that Saurabh will lead PIX to newer highs.”

     

  • Reliance Entertainment Digital has created a unified brand identity for its gaming operations with three verticals: Zapak Solutions, Zapak Online and WAP portal and Zapak Mobile

    Reliance Ent consolidates gaming biz under ‘Zapak’

    By A Correspondent

     

    Reliance Entertainment Digital, which has two gaming brands under its portfolio – Jump Games and Zapak Digital Entertainment, has announced the consolidation of its gaming business under the brand name ‘Zapak’. With this initiative, Jump Games, a leading International developer and publisher of Mobile games, Apps and Content will be rebranded and rechristened as Zapak Mobile Games Pvt. Ltd The integrated brand ‘Zapak’ will now reach out to over 20 million gamers across the globe who would be able to access nearly 2000 games on the Mobile and Web, a communique adds.

     

    This move is part of the company’s growth strategy, while leveraging Zapak’s existing brand popularity and recall. Post the restructure, Zapak Digital Entertainment will operate three business verticals:

     

    1. Zapak Solutions, which will specialize in providing cutting-edge Advergaming and Gamification solutions to brands across Mobile and Online platforms worldwide.

     

    2. Zapak Online & WAP Portal, which will offer free & freemium casual games on web & mobile via its platforms – zapak.com & m.zapak.com.

     

    3. Zapak Mobile, which will continue to develop and publish cutting edge games across platforms for its Indian and global audiences.

     

    Manish Agarwal

    Speaking on the business development, Manish Agarwal, CEO, Reliance Entertainment Digital said, “This move is aimed at exploiting huge gaming potential on mobile and leveraging gaming synergies existing within the group to focus on ‘Mobile First’, while leveraging on the Zapak brand name that is synonymous with gaming over the years. We stay committed to offering consumers and advertisers, the world-over, best-in-class options through highly engaging mobile games, easy to play and discover casual gaming destination and innovations in consumer engagement through Advergaming and Gamification solutions across all consumer touch points.”

     

  • The Australian series will be seen across TV, Internet and Mobile platforms

    Star World to showcase Packed to the Rafters digitally ahead of TV launch next week

    By A Correspondent

     

    Star World is all set to air Packed to the Rafters for the first time in India. Packed to the Rafters’ is an Australian drama series which revolves around the story of the Rafter family, who are fighting different problems of life together.

     

    To make the show more relatable to the audience, Star World got Karan Johar as the face of its campaign. The channel launched a six week on-air campaign with him. And the channel has unleashed robust print, digital, DTH, cinema, radio and OOH campaign given the launch next week.

     

    In keeping with the growing importance of the digital platform, the channel will be hosting a Web Premiere across the Star World website (www.starworld.in/PTTR) and other social networking sites to give the viewers an experience of the show before it goes on air. Star World will be taking such initiatives up for key shows to create reach and buzz. The digital premiere will be held today (November 30) before its official launch on the channel on December 4.

     

    Subsequently, each of the episodes of the show will be available to be streamed and viewed on the Star World web and WAP platforms after it telecast on air. A tie-up with Vodafone will ensure viewers can catch up on the key moments of the show at their convenience.

     

    Commenting on the show, Rasika Tyagi, Senior VP, English Programming, Star India said, “From our Hindi and Regional GECs, one of the biggest learnings is that viewers seek life lessons from the daily soaps they watch. The issues faced by the Star World audience, the English speaking, urban Indian youth, is quite myriad and they don’t get to see shows which reflect their life on TV. Our audience will be able to resonate with the issues faced by the characters in Packed to the Rafters and emulate the way they resolve the conflicts.”

     

    Commenting on the digital catch-up service, Rasika Tyagi said, “When we go for consumer home visits, we get a reality check on how content is being viewed by the youth today. They want to watch a show at their convenience – anywhere, at any time. So, we as content providers have to gear up to share our content across platforms, on internet or on mobile.”

     

  • MxMIndia spoke to the heads of the broadcast, MSO and cable lobbies on the first phase of mandatory digitization in the 3 metros

    Stakeholder view of one month of digitization

     

    By Ananya Saha

     

    It has been a month of mandatory digitization in the three metros of Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata. Even though government officials may make us believe that the metros are completely digitized, , the ground reality appears to be different. Analogue signals continue to be available, and not all stakeholders are happy with the way things are shaping up. Meanwhile, in Chennai, the digitzation hearing has been postponed by four weeks. It is likely to happen only by December 31, though given a cloud over whether the government will be allowed to run a cable service (in Arasu Cable),  will be allowed to be

     

    Man Jit singh

    Calling the Phase I a tremendous success for industry, Man Jit Singh, President of the Indian Broadcasting Federation (IBF) and CEO, Multi Screen Media said, “Digitization has been a huge success. The kinds of effort that was done to get digitized, no where in the world have we seen this kind of achievement has been done. Kolkata has not reached 100% digitization yet, but I think it will get there.” He also acknowledged that fact that there are few illegal signals in Delhi and Mumbai but assured that the IBF is working with other stakeholders to have these illegal signals completely switched off.

     

     

    Roop Sharma

    On the other hand, Roop Sharma, President, Cable Operators Federation of India (COFI) highlighted how none of the promises made on digitization by MIB have been achieved so far. She said, said, “During Parliament discussion on the Cable TV Act Amendment Bill last November, the then I&B Minister Ambika Soni said digitization will provide choice of channels to consumers-through a-la-carte selection, provide high quality service, controlled pricing of pay channels and thus lowered billing to consumers, and that consumer to pay only for what they wish to watch. Consumers were to get internet video-on-demand and value added services through set-top-boxes, and she had said that small cable operators will not be rendered unemployed, there will be transparency and correct accounting of channel viewership, govt will get tax on all connections as no under-declaration will exist, and that there will be no ambiguity in TRP ratings. Now, with one month of digitisation over, has this been achieved?” She is of the view that nothing that I&B Minister had promised the Parliament has been achieved yet and still, the Ministry has announced successful completion of phase I and started roll out of phase II.

     

    The figures

    Swapan Chowdhury

    Currently, according to various stakeholders, over 95% digitization has been achieved in Delhi and Mumbai even as Kolkata trails behind with quite a less percentage. Swapan Chowdhury, General Secretary, Cable & Broadband Operators’ Welfare Association, Kolkata, however, estimated, “Mumbai achieved 75% digitization and 70% in Delhi while digitization in Kolkata is only about 40-45%.”

     

    Mr Chowdhury also said that the actual activation of set-top boxes in November for Kolkata has been than a lakh. Arvind Prabhoo, Owner, Orbit Television Network, Mumbai said that the actual reason behind high numbers from Mumbai is because of stopping of analogue signals. “Most of the networks have reported 90-95% switchover in Mumbai. This figure has happened after the stoppage of analogue signals. We were hardly touching 60-65% before the analogue signals were not switched off. Even then, at least 35-40% people have not taken to digitisation voluntarily.” Though the piracy is still an issue in some pockets of Mumbai, over 8-9 lakh STBs were installed this month alone.

     

    Certainties and Uncertainties

    “There are certain distributors who have not made their pricing policy clear yet. There us a lot of confusion over revenue-sharing. One of the major issue is Entertainment Tax. If the govt charges Rs 45 per STB connection, does that mean every house that has two television sets, pays Rs 90 entertainment tax,” voiced Mr Prabhoo.

     

    Ms Sharma said that broadcasters are making lumpsum deals with MSOs for pay channels and not based on the number of consumers opting for those channels. “Hence, there are no accurate figures. Discrimination is rampant. Rates of pay channels are not based on market demand but whims of the large content aggregators, vertical monopoy business houses/ companies like MediaPro who enjoy monopoly in pay TV content distribution,” she remarked.

     

    Ashok Mansukhani

    Although, the DTH operators this writer reached were unavailable for comment, there have been mixed reports on its success rate. While one report says it has done well in the Capital where the availability of analogue signals has been low, MSO Alliance chief Ashok Mansukhani has another view. “DTH is surprised at its poor performance. They need to take a call on what they are upto: have they grown in the last six months,” he asked. “According to statistics, it’s 70:30 in favour of cable and that is not going to change soon. Where did cable have the capacity to retain 70% of cable base? For DTH, there is enormous churn which is as much as 33% of the total amount claimed. And how come the government doesn’t take the churn into account,” asks Mr Mansukhani.

     

    While Ms Sharma and Mr Prabhoo said that the issue of carriage fees has not been sorted out yet either, Mr Man Jit Singh sounded optimistic, “We expect there will be decrease in carriage fees as digitization rolls out for simple reason that the capacity constraint of analogue system will go away. However, carriage fees is not going away completely and it will take time. Both broadcasters and MSOs are working together to make a gradual transition to reach a stage economically in the short run so that it sorts itself out in the long run. We feel that carriage fees is moving in the right direction.”

     

    Phase II: Lessons from Phase I

    Phase I was not a smooth ride. And Phase II will be even tougher since it will be rolled out in 38 cities simultaneously. Apart from stronger communication aimed at the end consumer, the stakeholders need to tighten their belt for doing their bits too.

     

    Mr Mansukhani said that in the second phase, more attention should be given to the consumers and less to the broadcaster. “Awareness creation by all stakeholders is necessary since once people are aware, they are open to change. In the phase I, we were not communicated on the need of digitization and we still do not know why digitisation is happening,” said Mr Prabhoo.

     

    Ms Sharma said insisted that for the next phase transparency is required on each level: between broadcasters and channel aggregators; between channel aggregators and MSOs; between MSOs and LCOs and between LCOs and consumers. “Digital Cable System is new and is not tried and tested. Lots of teething problems, application hazards are poping up which needs to be addressed. Redressal of all such issues should be considered on practical ground and not on any task force or ministrial meeting. The first phase of digitization is practically incomplete. Supply of STB in the first phase is inadequate, the pressure of second phase will push the process into much more complication. Authority is not accepting the time for settling down for supply of STB and the technology,”said Mr Chowdhury.

     

    Mr Singh concluded, “The early seeding of boxes and getting the message out to consumers that they need to get their boxes early is one key message. IBF’s campaign to build public awareness was extremely effective and we should continue with that campaign for phase II. The ministry’s effort to coordinate with all stakeholders was in excellent trend that should continue. If anything, I think MIB  is going to take even more proactive stance of monitoring the actual implementation of the roll out of boxes city by city. So I think a lot of the learning from phase 1 will apply to Phase 2 and it is very positive.”

     

  • Suraj: The Rising Star is a story of a 16-year-old boy, Suraj, who sets out on a journey to be trained as a young cricketer. It's a remake of popular Japanese manga show 'Kyojin no Hoshi'

    Colors to air Japanese ‘anime’ remake from Dec 23

    By A Correspondent

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    Close on the heels of announcing the mega-acquisition of the Indian rights for international show ’24’, Colors has announced animated teleseries ‘Suraj: The Rising Star’. The show will air on Sunday mornings at 10 am and is scheduled to kick on December 23.

     

    A remake of the Japanese baseball hit manga Kyojin no Hoshi (Star of the Giants), the show is a story of a 16-year-old boy, Suraj, who sets out on a journey to be trained as a young cricketer. It focuses on the hardships and challenges he faces towards attaining this goal, thereby highlighting all the elements of family, action, fantasy and emotions that will appeal to family audiences.

     

    Adapted for Indian audiences, Suraj: The Rising Star craftily integrates Indian culture and Japanese animation (anime) highlighting common characteristics like the importance of family ties, friends and a ‘never say die’ attitude.

     

    The show is an inspiring adaptation based on Japan’s classic masterpiece animation “Star of The Giants. Although animation is popular with children, Colors hopes it will be a hit with adults too.

     

    The opportunities with ‘Suraj’ seem many as the original has been rendered in various forms: in print, as television series, a Playstation 2 game,  and as many as five movies since 1969.

     

  • The Mumbai-based agency bags Rs 6 crore account for print and radio advertising

    Maya Digital awards Eggfirst creative duties for in-studio traning prog

    By A Correspondent

     

    Leading animation and VFX studio Maya Digital Studio has awarded Eggfirst the mandate to drive its creative duties for its training programme, MIST (Maya In-Studio Training).

     

    “MIST is a launch pad for the young studio professionals and hence we are leaving no stone unturned to make sure the communication reaches our TG. The media mix will comprise Digital primarily backed up with radio and print, along with the BTL activations. To add to the mix, we would have an interactive media platform to communicate with the TG for easy dissemination of information. It is a new format innovation and we are confident it will help us connect with the young minds better,” said Dev Datta, Marketing Head of Maya Digital

     

    “There are several animation training institutes out there with good credentials and reputation. But what differentiates MIST is the opportunity to work on live projects of Maya Digital Studio. That’s what gets students a true beginning into careers on live real work. And that’s what Eggfirst was able to translate aptly into creative. Once the campaign is released shortly, you’ll see then strategic accuracy in the creative,” said Aruna Kumar, Head – Studio Ops.

     

    Eggfirst invested its energies in getting the core messaging right. Ashish Banka, VP – Eggfirst, said, “We realized that animation aspirants are looking at something more than just training; they are seeking a live experience. And there was the match between the expectation and the promise.”

     

    The campaign is scheduled to launch in a few weeks from now with a media-mix that predominantly involves print and radio.

     

  • Set to be hosted over two days in the capital, the underlying theme of Agenda Aaj Tak is 'India Maange More'

    Agenda Aaj Tak to debate subjects of national relevance

    By A Correspondent

     

    Aaj Tak, the 12-year-old Hindi news channel from the TV Today Network, has announced its very first edition of Agenda Aaj Tak. Scheduled on December 6 and 7 in New Delhi, Agenda Aaj Tak aims at providing the greatest platform to debate the issues that matter to the nation in its own language – Hindi. It seeks to provide an avenue for leaders from all walks of life to address a large number of critical national issues. The underlying theme of Agenda Aaj Tak ‘India Maange More’ is set to compel the decision makers to ponder over some of the key issues pertaining to our nation and draw a clear road map for emerging India.

     

    The summit will bring more than 40 personalities from India and abroad on a single platform together. During each of the sessions, these thought leaders and newsmakers will share their insight and perspective and will try to lay the foundation for India’s Future.

     

    Leading political leaders, social activists, cricketers, celebrities, authors and bureaucrats such as: Sushil Kumar Shinde, Kapil Sibbal, Kamal Nath, Manish Tewari, Sachin Pilot, Rajiv Shukla, Digvijay Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, Shiela Dixit, Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Nitish Kumar,  Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi, Baba Ramdev, Aamir Khan, Kajol, Madhuri Dixit, Randeep Hooda, Sakshi Tanwar, Sameer Soni, Kapil Dev, Saurav Ganguly, Wasim Akram, Mohammad Azharuddin, Waqar Younis, Imraan Khan (Chairman Tehrik-e-insaaf and former cricketer), Subrata Roy Sahara, Chetan Bhagat, Anuja Chauhan,  Javed Akhtar, Ali Zafar and Kailash Kher will be participating in “Agenda Aaj Tak”.

     

    Commenting on the new initiative of Aaj Tak, Ashish Bagga, CEO, India Today Group said, “It is a matter of great pride for all of us to announce the first edition of Agenda Aaj Tak. It’s a big platform where leading personalities from the country and abroad will debate on national issues. Aaj Tak has been a pioneer and with Agenda Aaj Tak, it will be a step forward in engaging with topics that concern Indian masses the most.”

     

    The conclave will consist of discussions and Q&A sessions by prominent political leaders, cricketers, Bollywood celebrities, authors & bureaucrats on issues as diverse as politics, youth, social media, democracy, development, Bhasha, cross-border terrorism, regionalism, economic reforms, social issues, India-Pakistan relation and popular culture.

     

    To lend a voice to issues of the people, a team from Aaj Tak initiated interactions with people at the grassroots level to gather their views on various issues and to bring out the most prominent issues that concern the public. The people’s opinions on subjects of national relevance ranged from issues pertaining to India’s politics, corruption, Bollywood, social media, cricket, democracy, development, cross-border terrorism, regionalism, economic reforms, social issues, India-Pakistan relations among others.

     

  • Network18 has announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with Samara Capital to divest its entire stake in financial data and news terminal business, NewsWire18. This is in line with its stated objective of divesting non-core assets profitably

    Network18 sells ‘non-core’ Newswire18 to Samara Capital

    By A Correspondent

     

    Network18 has announced that it is selling its entire stake in financial data and news terminal provider NewsWire18 to private equity firm Samara Capital.

     

    This is in line with its stated objective of divesting non-core assets profitably to allow greater focus on its core television and digital businesses.

     

    Network18 was the majority shareholder in NewsWire18, having incubated the company with the founding CEO, Pankaj Aher and his team. The total transaction will result in proceeds of Rs 90 crore for Network18 in consideration for divesting its entire stake in the business. The transaction is expected to add approximately Rs 70 crore to Network18’s consolidated pre-tax profit for the current quarter. NewsWire18 will also be rechristened over the next 90 days as a result of the transaction.

     

    Announcing the transaction, Raghav Bahl, Managing Director, Network18 said that, “The divestiture of Newswire18, India’s leading financial data and news terminal business is a reflection of our commitment to profitably monetize non-core assets for the benefit of our shareholders and to also facilitate the growth of these businesses to the next level. We are proud to have partnered with NewsWire18 in its journey thus far and are confident that Pankaj and his team will continue to excel and build one of the finest financial data businesses in India.”

     

    Commenting on the deal, Sai Kumar, Group CEO, said, “In a few short years, NewsWire18 has grown into a leader in its space and we take great pride and pleasure in having written this wonderful growth story. The growth at NewsWire18 is a reflection of Network18’s business building skills and the value that our network eco-system brings to a business. We would like to give Pankaj and his team and Samara Capital our best wishes as they embark on the next phase of their journey.”

    Said Paurush Roy, Managing Director at Samara India Advisors Pvt. Ltd. said, “We believe the information services market in India is at the cusp of significant growth and provides for exciting opportunities. NewsWire18 is well positioned to capture this opportunity because of its strong market position in India, understanding of the local market, customer centricity, and above all its world class and committed management team.”

    Samara Capital’s investments include companies such as Flemingo Duty Free, Thriveni Earthmovers, Monte Carlo Fashions, Thyrocare Technologies, Ratnakar Bank among others. The divestment of NewsWire18 forms a part of a series of asset monetization transactions by Network18. Earlier this year, Network18 had profitably sold its stake in one of the Capital18 investee companies NetworkPlay and then partially diluted its stake in India’s premier Digital Commerce asset Bookmyshow.com. BMR Advisors acted as the sole transaction adviser. Finsight Financial Advisors assisted the NewsWire18 founding team on the transaction.

     

  • Madison Media wins Cafe Coffee Day Media AOR as Creativeland Asia creates TVC for the coffee chain

    There’s a lot brewing at CCD, Madison wins Media AOR, Creativeland creates TVC

    By A Correspondent

     

    Gautam Kiyawat

    Madison Media has been appointed as the media AoR (Agency on Record) Cafe Coffee Day. The account size is estimated to be approx Rs. 40 crores and will be handled by Madison Media Omega in Bangalore. Said Gautam Kiyawat, Group CEO, Madison Media,”We are delighted to have India’s premier and leading Cafe chain, Cafe Coffee Day, to our roster of clients and are confident of helping it grow and gain further market share in the country.”

     

    CCD today has over 1,450 Cafes across over 185 cities and as a brand has never advertised in mass media in the last 16 years of its existence. It has been built solely through marketing initiatives, coffee category building activities, public relations, social media, engaging the ever-aspirational Indian consumer.

     

    K. Ramakrishnan, President Marketing, Cafe Coffee Day said, “Cafe Coffee Day being a brand for the young and the young at heart, we needed a partner who would be passionate about the brand, to be able to understand the category in depth and the varying dynamics to enable us to move along at a fast pace. We are confident of Madison Media’s thought leadership and competence in executing the campaigns. We are delighted to have them on board.”

     

    However, with brand presence expanding over 185 cities into newer, emerging towns and markets, it’s time for the brand to introduce their first ever television commercial campaign ‘Sit Down’ aiming to reinforce itself into every single household in India, as they make inroads into several newer and unconventional markets.

     

    The ‘Sit Down’ TVC, conceptualized and created by Creativeland Asia, is part of a 360-degree-campaign. This is CCD’s first-ever TVC in its 16 years of existence.

     

    The TVC captures CCD-goers across Cafes in India, telling, actually singing about what they are sitting down for. From sitting down for love and peace, to sitting down to make friends and to tweet, to sitting down to read and to dream, the film showcases plenty of ‘sit downs’ that happen at over 1450 CCDs every single day. The film ends with the line, “Sit Down. A lot can happen over coffee”.

     

    Sajan Raj Kurup

    Sajan Raj Kurup, Founder and Creative Chairman, Creativeland Asia, said, “This is the first ever TVC for CCD. I feel extremely fortunate to have had this unique historic opportunity. We have given it our most honest shot at it. And I hope CCD regulars like it. Personally, as someone who goes to CCD and someone who has been working on the brand for five years now, I feel extremely happy when I see this piece of work. We wanted CCD’s first ever TVC to be a little more than an Advert. Something that CCD goers identify with. Something that is effortless and not trying to hard. Something that is neither too heavy nor too frivolous. In the whole idea of Sit-down, we eventually found all these and more. A powerful thought which is socially relevant in India at this juncture.”

     

    He added, “While the hype initially may be on the TVC, the campaign will be integrated across media. Digital and social playing a very poignant role. Many campaign specific acts have been planned over the last year and will be executed phase-wise.”

     

    The TVC was shot over seven days across various CCDs across the country with a cast of over 75 youngsters. The unique craft of the TVC intelligently combines two contrarian culture. One, the Cafe and the other, the social media space. The storyline of the TVC shows how a bunch of youngsters started a movement call sit-down by self-recording videos across various CCDs across the country to the self anthem and then posting it via various avenues on social media. The central message of the TVC being to stop creating morchas or standing up against things, and instead Sit-down talk  over a cup of coffee and find a way forward. Over 130 social-media profiles were used. Live posts were diligently crafted and created to become the frame-work of the TVC.

     

    The TVC is produced by Equinox Films and directed by Ram Madhvani. “Great effort has gone into crafting every detail in the TVC by Ram, myself and our respective teams who have relentlessly worked over months to design each and every frame in the TVC,” added Mr Raj Kurup.

     

    Speaking on the launch of its first TVC, Mr Ramakrishnan said, “CCD as a brand has never advertised in mass media in the last 16 years of its existence. It has been built solely through unique and pioneering marketing initiatives, coffee category building activities, public relations and more recently through social media. We believe it is the right time to get deeper into our customers lives, possible only through television.”

     

  • The new website will be loaded with innovative applications including the 'Hungama Music Cloud' technology

    Hungama.com revamps website

    By A Correspondent

     

    Digital entertainment e-store Hungama.com has announced the launch of its revamped website www.hungama.com. The new website allows users to stream free as well as buy the very best of Indian and international content, including music tracks, music videos and streaming full-length movies.

     

    The new website is powered by HTML5 technology which will provide a vivid user interface, multiple music applications and easy social connect options; allowing users to sign on through various social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google and get real-time social feeds. The latest upgrade also means HD quality streaming and downloading options for music and movies along with easy access to music through the innovative cloud technology. The site is currently running in its beta version.

     

    The revamped website will be loaded with the following features:

    Streaming: Hungama.com is the only entertainment storefront that allows the consumer to not only buy and download content, but also stream entertainment content for free.

     

    Music Cloud: India’s first Music Cloud will be based on a freemium model. The service allows consumers to save files on the Cloud, which they can seamlessly access via their connected devices- PCs, Mobile Smart Phones, Laptops, Tablets and connected TVs.

     

    Playlists: The new website will offer users different editorial playlists and artiste radio. Users will be able to create their own playlists, save it and share their playlists on social media platforms.

     

    Social Media Integration: Social Media integration will be on following fronts – Use your Social Login to browse and buy content from hungama.com. Consumers can also share their favourite content – Songs, Albums, Videos, Wallpapers with their peer group over social networks and follow members activity to check out what their friends are up to.

     

    Music Discovery: This exciting new feature allows users to discover new music based on user preferences – Mood, Tempo, Category, Genre, Era- a great way to explore the unheard!

     

    Personalization: Favoritization of songs and saving one’s preferences is now possible. New improved ‘My Accounts’ section to display user account details, content downloaded, plans availed, credits remaining, movies watched etc. all in one section.

     

    The revamped website is accessible via Web, mobile apps and through social media options. In addition to the digital platforms, the content of Hungama.com can also now be accessed through its retail touch points, ‘Hungama Oxigen’ retail points, across the country.