MxMIndia

Category: MEDIA

  • The Ministry of I&B has sought TRAI recommendation over the entry of Central/ State governments and their entities into broadcasting sector

    MIB asks TRAI view on Central/State govt entry in cable

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Ministry of I&B has sought the recommendation of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) regarding the entry of central / state governments and their entities into the broadcasting sector.

     

    The ministry made this reference recently as the issue of granting permission to a state government or its organs to run cable TV networks has been drawing its attention from time to time with particular reference to the TRAI recommendations restricting such entities to enter into broadcasting and distribution activities. The ministry has received also requests from central government ministry and from several state governments in the past, a communique said.

     

    The ministry has sought the views of TRAI regarding the entry of the following entities in the broadcasting sector:

     

    (i) Central Government Ministries and Departments / Central Government owned companies / Central Government undertakings / Joint venture of the Central Government and the private sector / Central Government funded entities.

     

    (ii) State Government Departments/ State Government owned companies / State Government Undertakings / Joint venture of the State Government and the private sector / State Government funded entities.

     

    In its recommendations on “Issues relating to entry of certain entities into Broadcasting and Distribution activities” dated November 12, 2008, the TRAI was of the view that a state government and its organs may not be permitted to enter into broadcasting and distribution activities.

     

    As per extant policy guidelines for uplinking and downlinking of television channels, an applicant seeking permission to set up an uplinking Hub / Teleport or Uplink/downlink a TV Channel should be a company registered in India under the Companies Act,1956 irrespective of its management control. This assumes significance in view of significant growth in the broadcasting sector wherein the number of TV channels and cable connections in India have grown exponentially.

     

  • Not quite the end of the world, but Dec 19 means the advent of figures and data and head-scratching for number crunchers. TAM time approaches!

    The Anchor: 4 reasons why it’s the last Wednesday many of us can have fun

    By A N Chorrea

     

    Chill, next Wednesday is December 19 and all those theories about the world plunging into darkness etc can be reserved for the 21st.

     

    So why is this the last Wednesday for fun?

     

    #1 Note the date next Wednesday: December 19. That’s when TAM ratings will come alive once again.

     

    #2 This article ought to have appeared yesterday. Folks, last night was your last Tuesday night of fun… don’t expect similar luxuries to happen again

     

    #3 Not just Wednesday, you may as well tell the family that the weekend of Dec 22-23 will be spent crunching numbers, and analyzing data for the last two-odd months

     

    #4 It’s not the last Wednesday of fun for broadcasters, media agencies and the folk at TAM, but also the entire ecosystem. Beat journalists who have to interpret stories. PR agencies who will need to figure new talking points for their TV clients. Advertising agencies who may be required to work overtime to capture mailers and magazine ads. Even IT and admin departments as they’ll need to ensure the machines are working fine and the printer toners are refilled. Accounts department to reimburse the late night food and taxi bills… phew!

     

    Surely, there’s someone out there at the Mumbai headquarters of TAM Media Research laughing out loud: Yeh TAM TAM ki baat hai! Meanwhile, enjoy the next six days!

     

    A N Chorrea is a senior industryperson writing under a pseudonym

     

  • Star Jalsha boss Kevin Vaz on what viewers can expect from the new Jalsha Movies, and why the channel is already a winner in the buzzing Bengal television market

    Jaldi 5 with Kevin Vaz: Blockbusters to boom Bengal

    Having gained an unmatchable reach and popularity with its brand Star Jalsha in Bengal, Star India is also set for the launch of a new movie channel titled Jalsha Movies. The launch is in line with Star Jalsha’s philosophy of Chalo Paltai (let’s change) that aims at delighting viewers through contemporary stories from their surroundings.

     Kevin Vaz, President and General Manager – Star Jalsha and President – Ad Sales at Star India Pvt Ltd tells MxMIndia what viewers can expect from the new offering and why the channel is already a winner in the already buzzing Bengal television market.

     

    01. The third Bengali movie channel, and the second launch in close succession. From the sales point of view, is Bengal the new ‘hot’ market?

    I can’t comment on it being a hot market, but Bengal is definitely growing very fast. It has become a Priority One market for most brands today be it across telecom, consumer durables, FMCG etc. Most importantly, it is not the national clients but the retail business that is growing rapidly here. So whether it is jewellery stores or saree shops or biscuit manufacturers… a lot of local interest is gaining prominence here.

     

    As for the launch, Bengal is a huge consumer of Bengali cinema irrespective of the channel that it gets played on. Star Jalsha has always been offering quality movies to its audiences and has achieved a TVR as high as 12. Keeping these trends in mind we thought it was right time for us to launch a Bengali movie channel. According to us, there is nobody right now offering blockbuster movies regularly and that is what Jalsha Movies will stand for.

     

    02. Star Jalsha has been a huge success whereas at least one of the channels from a well-pedigreed media company has shut down. What’s the secret of the success with Jalsha?

    When we launched Star Jalsha, we were very clear that we had to be different. In fact within a few weeks of its launch it was a clear leader and has been so for the last four years with our GRPs totalling 500 compared to our closest competitor at 400 GRPs or so. More importantly we attained that position by redefining the market and the storyline that we do. With such a benchmark, we said that we clearly expect Star Jalsha to be leaders within the channel. I see that we have the necessary content that will help us deliver that promise.

     

    a. How fast do you hope to be on top of the pack?

    If we get into something we clearly look at become leaders at once. So the answer is: as early as possible.

     

    03. We see that you’ve stitched up quite a few alliances with film companies.  Will we also see any international/Indian movies dubbed in Bengali in future?

    We’ve got a great library of Bengali movies and the reason to launch a regional channel is for people to consume it in their own language. So we will be going ahead only with Bengali movies as of now.

     

    04. How has the response been from advertisers and media agencies?

    We’ve got a great response from them. Vivel has already come aboard as the channel partner. Going forward you will see a whole lot of clients who will be associated with us. In fact, most of these advertisers have seen Jalsha operate in the last four years and know the kind of mileage we offer to them. So most of them are excited enough to partner with us from day one of operations.

     

    A market like Kolkata is counted in as part of the extended HSM. Do you think with three Bengali movie channels, the Hindi movie channels will get impacted?

    I wouldn’t like to call Bengal as an extended Hindi Speaking Market and has rather reached a stage where it holds its own. At one point in time it was considered an add-on market but for most brands it has become a priority market. Also, if one were to see Star Jalsha delivers higher ratings than any other Hindi GEC or channel by a distance. So to reach out to the masses is our number one priority. If I may add here, Bengal is witnessing a huge surge in retail advertising and more and more brands are hopping on to be a part of the association with us.

     

    05. Tell us more about Vivel being the Channel Partner? The performance of this partnership could open the floodgates for many more?

    As I said, Vivel has come on board as the channel partner but it’s not we have closed our doors to the others. Probably as the numbers start to trickle in people will want to make bigger commitment to the channel. That will be an ongoing effort but a few brands have come based on faith and seeing potential in what we have to offer them. Jalsha has a very strong equity in the market with its advertisers and it is purely on that front that many have partnered with us.

     

  • Nick Jr is being positioned as an ecosystem for pre-school kids and their moms.. Balle balle to that!

    Tot’s the way ahead for Nick Jr

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    Most parents are faced with a slightly amusing scenario almost every other day in their lives when their kid is stuck between choosing what programme to watch from an array of kids channels that are blasted across to them. From toddlers to tweens to even teens, children across different age categories have a tough time trying to watch an entertainment channel that amuses them the most. While some may blame this on the innumerable offerings that are available today, others may reason that the quality of content is so superior that it makes the task of staying loyal to one channel more demanding.

     

    While in any other space (under the realm of television), players would think twice before venturing with a new channel if the space is too cluttered, that is not the case with the kids genre that saw the launch of a new and challenging entrant in the form of Nick Jr. Said to be the third such launch from the Nickelodeon stable, Nick Jr. is being positioned as an eco-system for pre-school kids and their moms. With world-class content on-air, backed by a comprehensive consumer products range at retail, Nick Jr. aims to become the preferred destination for kids from the age group of 2-6 years and their moms.

     

    With history by its side, Nick Jr. is known to be successfully beamed around 125 countries and across 25 different languages with the tag of being a kid-friendly channel that airs safe and edutaining shows. The content is so devised keeping in mind curriculum goals and a child’s growing needs – be it motor, cognitive, creative or technical skills. In fact properties like Dora the Explorer, Go Diego Go, Team Umizoomi, Bubble-Guppies and Blues Clues, amongst many others, Nick-Jr shows are well-researched and proven to aid learning amongst pre-school kids.

     

    Nina Elavia Jaipuria

    Sharing her excitement with MxMIndia on the latest entrant and on the positioning being adopted, Nina Elavia Jaipuria, EVP & Business Head – Kids Cluster, Viacom18, said: “It just isn’t education per se as that would be very boring and that’s what children do anyways at school. The focus for us is edutainment – a combination of entertainment and education. The focus is a result of the multiple choices that are available for parents and children today.” Given her own example, Ms Jaipuria added, ” As a parent, I can tell you that there are some choices that a parent has to make for their children and as one moves forward one realises that there is a time for everything – both education as well as entertainment. Today, in most houses television has become inevitable and is on switch-on mode for most part of the day. At such times, kids become passive viewers to a lot of content that adults watch. So to bring back the focus on development for children through entertainment was what our objective is.”

     

    According to Ms Jaipuria, “There is too much pressure on kids today to perform well be it at school dance, sports etc. As a result of which they get stressed out easily. So the focus here is development of the child which is not rigorous in nature but which is helpful for the growth of kids.”

     

    Along with most experts who agree that the edutainment segment is still unexplored and in a nascent stage in India, Jaipuria too has a similar sentiment to share. Says Ms Jaipuria: “The whole concept of parents wanting their kids to be competitive has been there from the start but what has changed today is the offering. We didn’t have much choices or offerings when we were young but that aspect has changed today. So while edutainment offering is in a nascent stage in India the need was always there. Today there is content available that is bridging that gap.”

     

    Packing a punch

    To begin with, the channel would be airing content daily between 6am to 7pm in the evening and would be followed by Nick Teens. Elaborating on the channel’s approach to content, “The content would primarily be in English and no other language as yet. That’s because in India, English is an aspirational language. Most parents want their kids to learn English whether from SEC A, B, C or D it doesn’t matter. We will play our content only in English so that it helps create another language skill for children,” she explained.

     

    On whether the channel will be open to incorporating indigenous content, Mr Jaipuria said, “We don’t plan to launch Indianised shows as yet on Nick Jr. as the shows are very well researched and need a lot of pipeline time as well. Since we have Nickoledean as our mother brand we know that we have invested in three more shows as we go along – they take years to make and we are waiting for them to launch in the US and then bring them here. Having said that, we know that kids are universal in their appeal and therefore every content targeted towards them works today. You do not have to make desi content to cater to local needs; at least not for this genre.”

     

    Sandeep Dahiya

    Sharing his plans on the retail front, Sandeep Dahiya, SVP, Consumer Products – Viacom18, said, “Given the line-up of iconic characters on Nick Jr., we’re ready to give wings to kids’ imagination, through a product range that’s comprehensive as well as interactive. As part of our plan to create an eco-system around Nick Jr., we will not only further strengthen the Dora the Explorer franchise, but also bring to life some of our other internationally acclaimed properties like Go Diego Go, Bubble Guppies, Blues Clues and Team Umizoomi, in categories that are both, conventional as well as unconventional.”

     

    While the kids genre is increasingly being viewed as being cluttered, that may not necessarily be the case, feels Ms Jaipuria. In fact, according to her the kids genre contributes around 8 per cent to the overall television pie and is second only to GECs in India. The space has also being seeing good response from advertisers with the ad spends pegged at around Rs 250-300 crore. According to Jaipuria, what will further incentivize players to do well is the digitization wave that will bode well for all players. “With digitization having come in, there is a lot of segmentation that is now possible for us to do. Digitisation has enabled us to segment and provide offerings to viewers in a manner where business also makes sense for us. I guess it’s a wave of digitisation that we rode on with Nick Jr. particularly,” she said.

     

    As for launching the channel in a slowdown phase, Ms Jaipuria said, “Slowdown has had no effect on our channels so far. In the past six years that I have been here, we have launched three channels and each one of them has being throwing up good viewership numbers so far. In fact we’ll be launching more Indian content as we move along.”

     

    On solid ground

    With its plans around content firmly in place, the channel would be complementing the offline initiative with a little help from online too. Added Ms Jaipuria: “We will be focusing on digital around Nick Jr. And will especially be targeting the mothers. As we’ve said, mothers will be a very important subset while we promote this channel. Also, I am imagining that it will be the mother that will lead the channel on to the digital platform; and mothers today are present on the website – let’s get real about that fact. There are a lot of activities that the mother can do with the child on our digital platform.” According to Jaipuria, the idea is to stay ahead of the curve as kids today are becoming screenagers and they want to consume content across various screens. “We want to make sure that we are present across various screens and therefore the idea of engaging outside of television,” she affirmed.

     

    When asked about the viewership numbers expected from the newest entrant, Jaipuria expressed a feeling of caution as she said, “It is difficult to predict what viewership Nick Jr. will throw up because the slicing of TAM doesn’t even capture this segment; the whole rating system starts from the age group 4. So I do not know they will manage to capture our TG. Ideally Nick Jr. will be like any other niche channel that not necessarily depends on GRPs but has a whole lot of connect with the TG audience. We are trying to figure out if TAM can do anything about the slicing of the kids genre but till then we will live with what we have.”

     

    Presenting a robust outlook for the various channels under Nickelodeon, Ms Japuria sounded content as she said, “Sonic has a 3 per cent market share and is riding high on digital. If you know the kids category you will know that it is a very slow category as you have to build loyalty with children over a period of time. They are so in love with their favourite character that it takes time for them to like another. As for Nickoledean, it occupies anywhere between 18-22 per cent market share and competes for the top spot. With digitisation taking off, we expect our market share to only grow further.”

     

    —————–

     

    MxMIndia spoke to top media agency captains on the launch of Nick Jr 

     

    Mohit Joshi, MD, MPG India

    Yes, definitely there is scope for more kids channels in India. Kids consume a lot of television and are most loyal viewers of shows – ‘appointment viewing’ in the true sense happens in this TG. On a personal note, my daughter is very upset that ‘CBeebies’ is not available anymore. Point being made – this TG is hungry for more content and ‘good’ content.

     

    Also, we as parents and as media experts, would love to have an edutainment channel option in this country.

     

    Shashi SinhaShashi Sinha, CEO – Lodestar UM & IPG Mediabrands

    I have not seen the content on the new channel and would therefore not be in a position to comment much on it but the fact is that the kids genre is at an exciting phase in India. With edutainment as their core focus, the channel has made a good segmentation move that will ensure that kids come and watch their channel. Moreover, more than half of India’s population is young and anything that is catered to or centered around them will eventually do well in the long run.

     

  • Ten Sports has extended its support to the 18th edition of Aircel Chennai Open as the exclusive official broadcast partner

    Ten Sports is official broadcaster of Aircel Chennai Open 2013

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ten Sports has extended its support to the 18th edition of Aircel Chennai Open as the exclusive official broadcast partner. The channel has bagged exclusive rights of telecasting the tournament in India. Ten Sports will bring LIVE tennis action as the world’s best tennis players converge in Chennai to display their talent and win the coveted title. Ten Sports’ comprehensive coverage will be telecast from 31st December 2012 through to 6th January 2013.

     

    Announcing the tie-up, Atul Pande, CEO Ten Sports, said, “We have enjoyed a strong and fruitful association with the Aircel Chennai Open and are very excited to be strengthening it further. Once again, we have kept our promise to bring the finest international events to Indian audiences. Tennis has a huge fan following across the region and our association with the Aircel Chennai Open will give a fantastic opportunity to millions of tennis fans to experience thrilling tennis action from the comfort of their homes.”

     

    Speaking about the tournament’s association with Ten Sports, Ashu Jindal, COO, IMG Reliance said, “In taking tennis to millions of homes across the world and giving aficionados a brilliant opportunity to enjoy the action live, Ten Sports has played an important role in popularizing the tournament and the sport in different markets. We are pleased to continue our partnership with Ten Sports as official broadcaster of the 18th Edition of the Aircel Chennai Open.”

     

    M A Alagappan, President of Tamil Nadu Tennis Association said, “We are glad to welcome Ten Sports as the Official Broadcaster of the 18th edition of the Aircel Chennai Open. Ten Sports definitely enjoys wide reach in the region and we are sure their exclusive LIVE coverage of the event will help tennis fans to witness the game from start to finish”

     

  • ESPN Star Sports (ESS) capped a successful calendar year with a total of 14 awards for its in-house on-air campaigns when it clinched two Gold and two Silver awards at the recent Promax Asia Awards

    ESPN Star Sports ends 2012 with a record haul of creative awards

    By A Correspondent

     

    ESPN Star Sports (ESS) continued its creative leadership, capping a successful calendar year with a total of 14 awards for its in-house on-air campaigns when it clinched two Gold and two Silver awards at the recent Promax Asia Awards that honours the industry’s best communications campaigns.

     

    The recent success comes at the heels of ESS’s most memorable performance at Promax International USA where it won two Gold & two Bronze awards, beating stiff competition in sports from across the globe. Likewise in the highly competitive Indian market in May this year, ESS scored another record haul of six awards at PromaxBDA Awards India where it not only swept off the entire sports category, but also won two more awards in other highly competitive categories.

     

    Said Peter Hutton, ESPN Star Sports’ Managing Director, “It’s excellent that our creative team have received further recognition for their consistently high level of original work.”

     

    Conceptualized in-house, the achievements for these projects highlight ESPN Star Sports’ Marketing & OAP team’s single-minded focus to engage the diverse audience through the most memorable, relevant and effective communication campaigns, while building and promoting key properties and events in line with its business objectives.

     

    Awards won in 2012:

    Promax International Asia – 4 (Spanish BBVA La Liga, Barclays Premier League, ESPN Player)

    Promax International USA – 4 (Barclays Premier League, Wimbledon, Champions League T20)

    PromaxBDA Awards India – 6 (Formula 1, Barclays Premier League, Wimbledon, Champions League T20)

     

  • Excerpts from an Ernst & Young report based on a survey of 34 global M&E titled 'How CEOs are Embracing Digital Growth'

    How M&E CEOs are embracing digital growth

     

    After years of uncertainty and caution in the digital world, CEOs are now more optimistic than ever about the digital future, notes leading consulting firm Ernst & Young. “This was the primary theme that emerged from our 2012 CEO study, in which 34 CEOs from leading global media and entertainment companies shared their views on how the industry will benefit from the digital future.The CEOs we interviewed represent leading global companies with combined annual revenues exceeding US $300 billion.”

     

    Five industry captains from India were among the 34 interviewed. These being: Messrs Ravi Dhariwal, CEO-Publishing, Bennett Coleman & Co Ltd; Sudhir Agarwal, MD, DB Corp; Sanjay Gupta, CEO and Wholetime Director, Jagran;  Tony D’Silva,  Group CEO, Sun Network (now with the Hindujas) and Punit Goenka, MD and CEO, Zee.

     

    Excerpts from the report:

     

    Four key actions from CEOs
     

    1. Focus on the customer.

    “The world’s greatest company will have the customer at the center.” “Having a direct relationship with the consumer will translate into new revenue stability and growth.” “Companies understanding and concentrating on the consumer’s need will do better than those that concentrate inwards.”

     

    2. Create differentiated content.

    “First, second and third things will be the creative success of our brands and studios.” “Being able to navigate the waters with compelling, cost-efficient movies that people have to see.” “Strong content delivered in exciting ways.”

     

    3. Deliver a seamless experience to the customer across all devices, platforms and geographies.

    “We are looking to be with the customer all day with tablet, iPhone(R), online and IPTV.” “Providing seamless delivery of all content on a global basis.”

     

    4. Recruit and retain the right people. They will be the ones who will drive success.

    “Digital reduces the number of levels of hierarchy, allowing the CEO to interfere in debates that are not necessarily his.”

    “Our company needs to become more horizontal and less vertical.” “I want my people and teams to (1) be well-grounded, (2) be competitive with a desire to win, and (3) take responsibility and be decisive.”

     

    Courtesy: Ernst & Young Media and Entertainment practice (http://www.ey.com/IN/en/Industries/Media-Entertainment)

     

    The 34 media and entertainment CEOs interviewed for Ernst & Young’s 2012 CEO study are optimistic about the opportunities in today’s digital world. They see digital as key to their revenue and margin growth. It is their present and their future. This contrasts with E&Y’s 2008 study, which showed that CEOs were more tentative about digital’s potential.

     

    However, every path has its risks. In addition to sharing their insights into the opportunities digital offers, CEOs also admit they face challenges.

     

    Getting the consumer to pay fair value and developing their “digital muscles” across the front, middle and backoffice continue to be key focus areas for media and entertainment companies.

     

    And yet, CEOs are meeting these challenges head-on and are regaining control of the reins of their future long-term growth. In today’s rapidly changing digital marketplace, CEOs remain undeterred about the role digital will play in their companies’ future

     

    Summary of key points

    CEOs are optimistic about digital. They are no longer tentative about digital. They see opportunities for growth in both revenues and margins.

     

    Connected technologies drive growth and create transformative digital ecosystems. This growth is being driven by connected technologies that are, in turn, creating transformative ecosystems.

     

    CEOs are thoughtful about where to invest. CEOs currently see new distribution methods and new types of content as the most attractive investments. CEOs see these investments as central to setting them apart from their competition.

     

    Exploiting digital opportunities comes with challenges. CEOs are working to make sure customers pay a fair price for content, and they are building the competencies in their back, middle and front office to maximize their advantage in a digital world.

     

    Digital drives double-digit growth

    Today, CEOs see digital as a core part of their business, as well as a key driver of growth. As one respondent commented: “everything we do is digital.”

     

    Definitions of what constitutes digital can vary by subsector and even by companies within a sub-sector. With this caveat, CEOs were asked what impact digital would have on their own company’s revenues and margins over the next three years. Sixty-four percent of study participants expect digital to drive revenue growth of 10% or more. Forty-eight percent of CEOs also expect margins to increase by 10% or more in the same time frame.

     

    This compares to the 2008 study, where CEOs were more focused on protecting their traditional business than pursuing digital opportunities. One respondent worried that “digital media may not be as economically attractive as old media.” Another suggested that “media is trading analog dollars for digital dimes.” For many, digital media was still viewed as a new frontier – a place only for gamblers willing to take a chance on the unknown.

     

    Intuitively, there is a prevailing belief that digital margins should be higher because media and entertainment companies no longer have the cost of physical distribution. In the short-term, investments required in infrastructure to enable digital will tend to drive margins lower. However, that is only in the short-term. Once companies have the required digital infrastructure in place, we expect their margins will rise.

     

    Tablets and smartphones are driving growth

    So what is driving this double-digit growth in digital revenue and this foundational shift in consumption? When CEOs were asked which technologies they see having the greatest impact on their individual sectors, 79% suggest tablets, 62% say smartphones. The impact these devices have on the consumer experience is obvious to each of us in our daily lives.

     

    These devices are supported by the technology that respondents see as having the third biggest impact on the media and entertainment industry in the next three years: cloud hosting services and digital lockers.

     

    When CEOs were last surveyed in 2008, consumer tablets were not even on the market, cloud computing was a niche product and smartphones were focused on email and texting as opposed to video and apps. Today, more digital content across more platforms and available on more devices has created new and significant monetization opportunities for media and entertainment companies.

     

    Conclusion

    CEOs have a clear vision of a digital world

    When CEOs survey the future, they see the opportunities that digital media presents. Whether it is B2C or B2B, the direct relationship that applications, ecosystems and technologies enable is fundamental to their vision. It is about the ability to drive an outstanding consumer experience by offering differentiated content on an array of platforms and devices, anytime, anywhere.

     

    Their success will depend on how quickly they can optimize their back, middle and front offices to overcome challenges they face – getting consumers to pay fair value, managing content and optimizing their supply chains.

     

    It will also depend on their people. It will depend on having the right people with the right skills to win in a fast-paced, ever-evolving digital landscape.

     

    Once a gambler’s enterprise, CEOs today see digital as necessary for future long-term growth. Undeterred by their challenges, CEOs are optimistic and they have greater confidence their companies can take full advantage of the opportunities that exist in today’s digital world.

     

  • Star India CEO Uday Shankar and the team behind Satyamev Jayate were honoured for their contribution in highlighting several social ills and generating awareness and solutions for them

    Satyamev Jayate Bags ‘Indian of The Year’ Special Achievement Award by CNN-IBN

    Left to right: Uday-Shankar-CEO-Star-India-Svati-Chakravarty-Bhatkal-and-Satyajit-Bhatkal-from-team-Satyamev-Jayate-Actor-Shabana-Azmi-at-the-CNN-IBN-Indian-of-the-Year-Award-Ceremony

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    Non-fiction television show Satyamev Jayate on Wednesday bagged the CNN-IBN Indian of The Year – Special Achievement Award 2012 for its path-breaking initiative.

     

    A release from Star India said that this accolade for Satyamev Jayate follows soon after recognition by the Government of India earlier this year. The show had been rewarded by the National Commission for Scheduled Castes in October for its efforts to create awareness against social discrimination.

     

    Satyamev Jayate won the CNN-IBN ‘Indian of The Year’ award under Special Achievement category along with Olympian Mary Kom and missile scientist Dr K C Thomas.

     

    Star India CEO Uday Shankar and the Satyamev Jayate team were honoured for their remarkable contribution in highlighting several social ills that continue to plague modern India and to help create awareness against such evils through the pioneering TV programme.

     

    “This award is extremely special to us at Star as responses from viewers were critical in deciding a winner. Satyamev Jayate was an initiative to offer a public platform to issues that concern all Indians and it’s quite humbling to see these efforts being recognized,” Mr Shankar said.

     

    Satyamev Jayate was also nominated in the most influential entertainer of the year category for its innovative use of television as a medium for social change.

     

    Satyamev Jayate was a landmark show in Indian television that set new benchmarks from the very first episode earlier this year. Star India was instrumental in helping conceive the show, which also demonstrated how TV can be an effective tool to influence social change and empower people.

     

    CNN-IBN Indian of the Year is one of the biggest and the most credible awards that are decided on the basis of votes from the general public as well as the eminent citizens of India. The award has been recognizing outstanding contributions by Indians to nation- building for the past seven years.

     

    The winners were selected through a four-tier process that began with selecting nominees in different categories by senior editors of Network18 which is ratified by a jury consisting of Padma awardees and concluded with polling by citizens from across the globe to choose their favourite Indians.

     

    Satyamev Jayate reached a third of India’s population, airing simultaneously in multiple languages. It was the most-talked about show during its 13-week run, questioning social mores, helping shape mindsets and leaving an imprint on the minds of people with compelling tales from everyday life.

     

  • Ministry of I&B seeks TRAI views over the issue of imposing reasonable restrictions on MSOs and LCOs to prevent monopolistic operations

    MIB on ‘fastway’ to cleanse systems: Seeks TRAI view to avoid MSO/LCO monopolies

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Manish Tewari-led information and broadcasting ministry appears to be on a fast track to check on monopolistic practices in the cable business. And in the process, the heat is on Punjab’s Fastway Transmission which has a near-monopoly in the State and has strong linkages with the Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal.

     

    After asking TRAI to offer its views on government-ownership in broadcast, the ministry has sought views of the TRAI on the measures to prevent monopolistic operations by MSOs and LCOs. It has requested TRAI to provide its recommendations under Section 11 (1) (a) on the following:

     

    “In order to ensure fair competition, improved quality of service, and equity, should any restriction be imposed on MSOs/LCOs to prevent monopolies/accumulation of interest? If yes, what restrictions should be imposed and what should be the form, nature and scope of such restrictions?

     

    Accordingly, amendments required in the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) 1995 Act and Rules framed there under may also be suggested.”

     

    Multi System Operators (MSOs) and Local Cable Operators (LCOs) are required to be registered with local Post Offices to be able to operate in the permitted areas of registration, adds a communique from the ministry. However as per recent amendments in the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment Rules 2012, it has become mandatory for MSOs to get registration from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to operate in those areas which are notified for analogue switch off.

     

    The communique further adds that it has been observed that the cable TV distribution is virtually monopolized in some States as operation of the entire cable TV network is dominated by a single entity in that State. At present, there are no restrictions on the issue of accumulation of interest in terms of market share in a City, District, State or country by individual MSOs and LCOs in the Cable Sector. MSOs and LCOs are free to operate in any area(s) of their choice after obtaining registration from the Ministry. It is felt that such monopolies may not be in the interest of consumers and may have serious implications in terms of competition, pricing and healthy growth of cable TV sector in that market.

     

    Earlier, the Ministry had made a reference to TRAI on May 16, 2012 to examine and recommend measures to address issues of cross-media restrictions and safeguards. With this reference, the issues of monopolies in the broadcasting sector in the most comprehensive sense is set to get addressed by TRAI.

     

  • The strength of the Indian SEC is attested to by its utility and durability over the last quarter century, but it may finally be past its 'best by' date. Enter, the NCCS

    Paritosh Joshi: Open Secret: The New Consumer Classification System

    By Paritosh Joshi

     

    How many times a day do you use a phrase beginning “SEC A…”? Yes, dozens. Not surprising either. You are in the business of Media & Communications in India and you have spent absolutely years hearing and using SEC.

     

    Socioeconomic Classification has a storied history as a major tool of market research. SEC, as it is universally abbreviated has several advantages over predecessor systems that were typically based on personal or household income. For one, most respondents have a variety of reasons to be economical with the truth in reporting it. The more wealthy will tend to damp it down, the less fortunate inflate it. For another, it has long been known that income by itself has little predictive value in understanding buying and consumption behaviour. Marketers, market researchers and other social scientists, confronted with the inadequacies of income based systems have long sought, and long been eluded by, the perfect system that can explain consumer behaviour. They began to sense promise when they examined the Chief Wage Earner’s (CWE’s) occupation, though. It became clear that people of similar occupation and occupation level had more in common with one another than those that were dissimilar. Systems evolved that were predicated exclusively on CWE’s occupation. The UK, by way of example, evolved the NS-SEC (National Statistics- Socioeconomic Classification). Some countries; India was among the pioneers; went further, developing systems that used two classification variables. Our system used the CWE’s Occupation and Education to determine the socioeconomic class to which a household belonged.

     

    The strength of the Indian SEC is attested to by its utility and durability over the last quarter century, the system having been launched by the Market Research Society of India (MRSI) back in the mid 1980s.

     

    But here’s the bad news. It is finally past its ‘best by’ date. And nobody has told you.

     

    For the last few years, researchers and statisticians have found it ever harder to explain observed behaviour with the SEC. This triggered a joint exercise between the MRSI and the Media Research Users Council (MRUC), the joint-industry body that publishes the Indian Readership Survey to develop a system to replace the SEC. The joint exercise required a lot of very talented analysts and statisticians to test a range of alternative structures using single or multiple classificatory variables to dice the data. One candidate, the winning candidate, paired Education of CWE with Durables Ownership. A pre-specified list of 11 assets is presented to a respondent and all that the system needs is not the specific items ticked but the number of items ticked. Hard is it might appear prima facie to believe this might have some practical application, you end up with a system with very good discriminating ability. The base dataset used to test the validity of all models in reckoning was successive rounds of the Indian Readership Survey. Voila! The New Consumer Classification System (NCCS) was born.

     

    Now here are some cool things about the NCCS.

     

    It is truly Pan India, covering urban and rural audiences. Unlike SEC that was only for urban India.

     

    It discriminates the most premium audiences much more sharply than the predecessor.

     

    It is naturally adaptable. If the current list of 11 durables is no longer able to discriminate in a few years, it will change the list. Indeed, the system is committed to revisiting the list with a pre-specified periodicity.

     

    While the IRS has now started publishing its tables classified both by SEC and NCCS, very few users seem to have actually started looking critically at the NCCS tables. Don’t you want to be the early adapter?

     

    Paritosh Joshi has been a marketer, a mediaperson and a key officebearer on industry bodies. He is developing an independent media advisory practice. His column, Media Matrix, appears on MxMIndia every Thursday

     

     

  • Dentsu Communications, a full service independent communications agency and a part of the Dentsu India Group, has begun operations in Kochi

    Dentsu strengthens Southern India network

    By A Correspondent

     

    Dentsu Communications, a full service independent communications agency and a part of the Dentsu India Group, commences operations in Kochi.

     

    Rohit Ohri, Executive Chairman said, “Our commencement of operations in Kochi is part of our larger strategic plan of accelerated growth in India. We’re now fully equipped to offer integrated communication services to all our clients in the Southern India. Arijit Ray, CEO Dentsu Communications, Suresh Mohan Kumar, National Planning Head and Ashwin Prathiban, Regional ECD (South) will drive this new initiative. I’m confident that under their leadership, we shall see a new spurt of growth in this region.”

     

     

    Commenting on the expansion and the South market, Arijit Ray, CEO Dentsu Communications said, “We are extremely upbeat about our operations in the South. The Bangalore operation is our largest and most integrated with 3 pillar clients. Toyota, Nissin and TVS. With a clear focus on building the Bangalore operation into a hub of excellence to cater to all markets in the South, the capability and talent building process is bearing fruit. With a fully integrated, Creative, Events, Media and PR Team, that has conceived and executed the Etios Motor Racing programme, the team is set to leverage integrated opportunities on current and potential clients. What is heartening is that we have been able to build our strategic integrated capabilities around our clients brand and business mandates.”

     

    Adding further, Mr Ray said, “We see a lot of potential in Kochi. We have a great team that understands the local nuances to start our journey in Kerala. Saji Jayakumar our Kochi head and his team will surely do everything to make it a stellar operation.”

     

    Ashwin Parthiban, Regional Executive Creative Director, Dentsu Communications said, “Dentsu’s Kochi presence offers exciting creative possibilities, and an interesting opportunity to work on a mix of both local and national brands that are based in Kerala. There is a refreshing appetite for path-breaking creative ideas among clients here, and benchmarks are set very high. But most importantly, Keralites have a rich story-telling culture, not to mention a very evolved appreciation of film, and this mix provides delightful creative inspiration.”

     

    Suresh Mohan Kumar, National Planning Head, Dentsu Communications said, “Kochi office underlines Dentsu’s emphasis on and commitment to southern markets. Our key differentiator would be our ability to conceive and deliver totally integrated communication solutions. Bangalore will continue to be the planning and creative hub but we will tap into our teams’ local expertise to provide our clients with solutions that make a difference in the market place.”

     

  • The gaming application marks another successful digital marketing campaign for Homeshop 18

    MindShift launches gaming app for Homeshop18

    By A Correspondent

     

    MindShift Interactive, digital research and marketing firm has launched Land of Luck, a gaming application for Homeshop18.com, to engage consumers online. The four-level game that ranges over a span of 45 days allows fans and participants to explore various lucky charms through their journey, shop through Homeshop18’s offerings within the game and win exciting prizes, leading onto winning the luckiest person prize too with an international holiday of the players choice.

     

    Users could participate through the Land of Luck microsite or use the Facebook application. The score in the first level, spread over 26 days converted into time that allows users to Shop in the second level, ‘Mall of Luck’. Users were given 11 lists comprising of various products that they need to shop from the Mall in a given time and then select the same products from HomeShop18, sharing their favourite brands. This level of over 15 days enabled winners to win an iPad or Samsung Galaxy S3, thus, resulting in an increase in visits onto the website as well. The third phase allowed users to put their names in the lucky jackpot which was an entry point for the international holiday phase. The fourth and final level was a four-day activity where users answered ‘What made them the Biggest & Luckiest Fan’. The answer with the maximum Votes won an International Holiday.

     

    A filler by Network18 allowed users to win exciting prizes by guessing the number of logos that have featured in the Network18 TVC that plays during the game. Through this game, Homeshop18 has managed to maintain a balanced brand connect, whilst also making the game highly viral and addictive.

     

    Zafar Rais

    Said Piyush Bhargav, Vice President – Product and Marketing, HomeShop18.com: “Social Media is an extremely challenging medium in terms of achieving new numbers since the audience is quite selective. The only way to engage a picky audience is to offer something new and refreshing, every time. It’s this reason that led us to design an engaging game play – Land of Luck – which could stir a two-way communication rather than a run-of-the-mill gaming experience.” Said Zafar Rais, Founder & CEO of MindShift Interactive: “Innovation in marketing and its techniques is what makes or breaks a brand. On insights gained about consumer purchase trends, we built Land Of Luck, taking a shoppers belief in luck further and giving him an addictive platform to test his luck at all levels. In Social Media, we need to constantly evolve and that’s exactly what we continue to do.”