MxMIndia

Category: MEDIA

  • There will no edition or scheduled updates on March 17 on account of Holi

    It’s a Holi-day! No MxM edition on Mon, March 17

    By A Correspondent

     

    If you are working on Monday, March 17, your mid-morning water cooler conversation will need to have a different them. We are shut on that day as our editorial office is in Mumbai where Holi is celebrated with colour and water and many eats-and-drinks.

     

    But in all of this, we will have our smartphones tucked in a plastic ziplock back. So if you have anything urgent, do mail or text or call. If there’s that significant ad that you want inserted, please call, sms or mail. We’ll get back to you soon.

     

    Meanwhile, we’ll be back with our updates and editions on Tuesday, the 18th.

     

    Please play responsibly. Use safe, organic colours.

     

  • The session on 'Television is Dead – Long Live Television' discussed how content providers can reach out to consumers in a multi-platform world and who will be the ecosystem winners and losers in the future

    #FF14 Day 2: Despite advent of multiple platforms, television still rules

    By A Correspondent

     

    With the explosion of a host of content delivery platforms in India, it is increasingly becoming demanding for traditional mediums to spruce up their offering and do it in a manner that is platform-agnostic. The observation is particularly true for the medium of television that is being confronted with newer challenges as a host of platforms are making a beeline to offer content in their own unique ways.

     

    The session on ‘Television is Dead – Long Live Television’ on day 2 of FICCI Frames discussed how content providers can reach out to consumers in a multi-platform world and who will be the ecosystem winners and losers in the future. The panelists comprised of Anuj Gandhi, Group CEO, Indiacast Media Distribution; Sanjay Gupta, COO, Star India and Todd Miller, CEO, Celestial Tiger Entertainment. The session was moderated by Vivek Couto, Executive Director, MPA.

     

    Mr Couto began by shedding light on how the traditional medium of television was still ruling the viewership pie and was not being as impacted by the emergence of other digital options including mobile. He presented the example of a developed market like US that was still seeing a healthy growth trend. Asserting that the future will be about consolidation, Couto said that the medium needed to get away from its garb of being a defensive medium and rather play the role of being an aggressor.

     

    Sanjay Gupta began by taking the audience back to a decade ago where it was prophesied that the medium of print would die with the invasion of television. “But that is obviously not the case with the medium of print growing by two times its total share today. We therefore are living in exciting times as new mediums are providing newer opportunities.” Mr Gupta advised that instead of looking at it as a TV business, the players should be platform-agnostic and receptive of changes that the newer platforms have to offer.”

     

    For Anuj Gandhi, the last two years were indeed exciting for the Indian broadcast industry largely for the digitization exercise that was undertaken on a national level. “While there were more than 40 companies that were launched, more than half of them shut down after facing challenges. The problem is that we lack scale,” said Gandhi. Mr Gandhi affirmed that it was still looking at opportunities on the digital platforms in terms of providing content for ‘binge viewing’ format.

     

    Todd Miller pitched in by saying that whatever the prevailing trend, the important medium to connect with the viewer still continues to be television. Despite the emergence of multiple platforms, television will still be the preferred vehicle as that is where the viewer’s tend to be the stickiest, he said.

     

    Offering an advice to the audience, Sanjay Gupta said that there was no attempt being made in terms of scale for viewing content of choice on linear platforms. “That is a challenge that the content creators need to resolve,” he said.

     

    According to Anuj Gandhi, the challenge still remains that the bandwidth speeds for accessing data on internet continues to be problematic. And this is despite the explosion of smartphones and tablets in the country. He cautioned the gathering that brands needed to be ready with high-value content when technologies like 4G etc take off. But come what may, television will continue to evolve as a medium and will become more ‘pull’ medium for attracting viewers than being a ‘push’ medium.

     

  • The session on ‘Monetization Opportunities in the Multiscreen World’ sought to throw light on how the ecosystem was witnessing an interesting shift in revenue-sharing models and how companies could monetize effectively during these challenging times

    #FF14 Day 2: Need to monetize big in a multi-platform era

    By A Correspondent

     

    There’s a lot that is being said on how the advent of technology has revolutionized the M&E ecosystem. With the emergence of newer technologies and players offering these services, it becomes a challenge to find a balance in providing technology with creativity and content. The session on ‘Monetization Opportunities in the Multiscreen World’ sought to throw light on how the ecosystem was witnessing an interesting shift in revenue-sharing models and how companies could monetize effectively during these challenging times.

     

    The panelists included Sam Balsara, Chairman & MD, Madison World; Satyan Gajwani, CEO, Times Internet Panel; Chakrapani Gollapali, General Manager, Consumer Channels Group, Microsoft India; Neeraj Roy, MD & CEO, Hungama Digital Media; Rishi Jaitly, India Market Director, Twitter; Nikhil Naik, Head – Director, Global Content and Distribution, Vuclip; Karan Bedi, Founder & CEO, Tutorific! and Ramki Sankaranarayanan, CEO, Prime Focus who moderated the session.

     

    Presenting an insightful outlook, Sam Balsara highlighted how the television and mobile will be the only two mediums that will continue to be dominant in the future and how the interplay between the two would result in positive growth of the industry. Balsara said that while television continued to find favour with advertisers, they were gradually waking up to the medium of digital as well. “But advertisers need to be flexible about how the viewer’s see their ads; not just on television but across multiple screens.”

     

    Cautioning the audience, Balsara expressed discontent on how the older norm of doing business was seeing a shift that was not healthy. “The older model of doing advertising was 50-50; half from subscription and half from advertisers. But that has changed of late with more revenues coming from advertisers allowing them to have a greater say in content. It is important that we move back to the old model of 50-50 so that equilibrium is maintained and focus around content remains intact.”

     

    According to Neeraj Roy, it is not true that monetization in India is not up to the mark. “Around Rs 1500-2000 crore is still being directed towards content and that was a very positive sign. But he expressed worry as he said that the monetization exercise was being limited to certain mediums only. The way out is to have a balance in the advertising-transaction ratio, said Roy. With the shift to 4G being imminent, Roy urged content providers to focus on providing content that is high on value as consumers will be willing to pay more provided they get quality content.

     

    Providing a synopsis of his company, Rishi Jaitly said that more than 25 million users use twitter to discover content. Jaitly said that if companies concentrated on investing in value then the monetization will actually go up. “The world today is becoming mobile-first, so content providers needs to work on providing content that is of context and relevant. As a network, our focus would continue to be on fueling public conversation across multiple platforms,” affirmed Jaitly.

     

    Highlighting the scope and challenges faced by his company, Satyan Gajwani said that it was great to see the digital ecosystem in India thriving but the challenge is in delivering content that is high-quality because at the end the customer is going to pay for it. Talking about the issue of piracy facing his portal gaana.com, Gajwani said that the only way to overcome that was by offering such high-value and widespread offering that the user will be forced to come back for anything and everything got to do with music. This will indirectly bring down the number of users going to pirated websites to seek such services.

     

  • When Arnab Goswami of Times Now became a subject of debate in the session titled 'The Big Fight for Primetime'…

    #FF14 Day 2: Traditional or sensationalism – what works more for primetime?

    By A Correspondent

     

    The tone for the session was already set by the speaker from the earlier session, who was invited to make a keynote address to the audience on Day 2 of FICCI Frames 2014. Having shared with the audience his secrets to being a popular anchor on news television, Arnab Goswami of Times Now became a subject of debate in the next session titled ‘The Big Fight for Primetime’.

     

    The panelists included Ashok Venkataramani, CEO, MCCS India; Dr Bhaskar Das, CEO, ZEE Media; Vishnu Som, Editor & Sr Anchor, NDTV and Jon Sopel, Senior Anchor, BBC Global News who moderated the session.

     

    Sounding put off by the adulation that his friend and former colleague had received at an earlier session, Vishnu Som was critical as he said that what sells in news journalism today is an element of sensationalisation or entertainment. “The job of any news journalist is to provide news, not infotainment or entertainment. I find Arnab’s Goswami’s style of reporting a bit more dramatic or aggressive if you may call it. Personally, what matters for me is providing content that is high on quality. In that sense, the old style of journalism is much better and remains desirable even today.”

     

    Bhaskar Das highlighted how it was essential to have content that was centered around the interest levels of the viewers. Ultimately, he opined, if you manage to provide good content that will result in better viewership which will translate to better revenues for the channel at large. “It is essential that news broadcasters figure out what is the primetime for the viewer and work towards providing content accordingly.”

     

    On a question on the high number of news channels in operation today, Ashok Venkataramani said that there were too many channels existing in the marketplace which was not feasible. “There are too many news channels operating today and beyond the top 3 players, others will continue to face survival challenges. That is possible by having a sound business model with renewed focus on content.” Mr Venkatramani went on to add that the best way to see that people do not chase TRPs is to stop giving them TRPs. He asserted that it was important to build brands that stayed loyal to their core objective and accordingly, give them enough space to grow.

     

    Taking a hard jibe on the regulators, Vishnu Som was quite vocal when he said that one of biggest problems arising out of the ongoing primetime battle is due to a flawed measurement system. “I find the ratings system to be highly flawed as it is based on limited number of meters installed at homes. In fact, an internal study undertaken by us show NDTV as the clear No 1 in primetime but that is not the case with the current measurement system.” Adding further Som said that news channels today were relying only on advertisers for making money and therefore when the numbers were not right it was causing a dent on the revenue making model for channels.

     

    Pointing again to antics followed on rival channel Times Now, Som said that the primetime in India is majorly between 7-11pm and people have realised that all it takes to get numbers is get in people to talk. “Talking is a cheap exercise as there are no costs involved in getting panelists to speak on air for free, but it results in certain channels getting undue favour from advertisers while those offering quality content don’t get the desired returns. All this needs to change.”

     

    Bhaskar Das opined that the challenge for news channels will be to get the youth hooked on to the content especially since many new platforms were evolving that were offering similar content. But the good thing is that digital is still evolving as a medium and there is still about 3-5 years for television to make changes if it had to stay relevant in the future as well, he remarked.

     

  • The digital world has managed to play the role of a catalyst in disseminating information to the people at large. more aspects concerning the digital world were discussed in detail at the session 'Internet and Democracy: Interloper or Catalyst?'

    #FF14 Day 2: Internet – playing catalyst to change

    By A Correspondent

     

    The year 2014 is turning out to be a turnaround year for political parties who are turning to the digital world to reach out to the masses. While their popularity with the masses on the medium is questionable, what is noteworthy is that it has managed to play the role of a catalyst in disseminating information to the people at large. But it is not as smooth for most politicians who are looking at the medium as an intrusion into their public life.

     

    These and many more aspects concerning the digital world were discussed in detail at the session ‘Internet and Democracy: Interloper or Catalyst?’ The panelists at the session included Chetan Krishnaswamy, Head, Public Policy and Govt Relations, Google India; Suparna Singh, Director of Strategy, NDTV, and Managing Editor, NDTV.com; Ronak Samantray, Founder, NowFloats.com; Mike Best, Berkman Center for Internet & Society, Harvard University and Roger Fisk, PR Expert, President Obama’s Campaign. Jon Sopel, Senior Anchorperson, BBC Global News was the moderator at the session.

     

    Chetan Krishnaswamy of Google began by warming up the audience on the spectacular growth story being put up by the medium of digital. “From what it was around a decade ago, internet has grown by 600 per cent to a $2.5bn industry today. In fact over the next six years, the country would have about half a billion users accessing the internet, easily surpassing countries like US and being a close second to China.” Krishnaswamy went on to add that much of the growth on digital was coming from the mobile platform with over 4 million users using the medium to access content. “What is interesting is the growth that is being reported from non-English websites or language websites that have grown by more than 56 per cent whereas the English websites have grown by just 11 per cent. All these are indications that the internet can only make the democracy better and act as a catalyst.”

     

    According to Suparna Singh, what social media, in addition with players like facebook, twitter can do is become an apparatus of change. “What is being witnessed right now is that such platforms are becoming more opinion oriented and not informational; it needs to shed its baby weight and become more mature. There needs to be more dialogues and exchange of ideas and information on these websites,” reiterated Singh.

     

    Highlighting the action that was being witnessed on the medium with the general elections around the corner, Singh said that though there has been an invasion from the political parties on these platforms, it is still in its infancy. “But that will change in the next general elections where a lot more political parties will take a liking to the medium and will be reaching out to the masses in a much profound manner,” affirmed Singh.

     

    Highlighting the work done by his firm, Ronak Somantray said that the objective of his firm was to get businesses online and promote them largely through the medium of messaging (SMS). There is a lot of response that we have generated in the marketplace and are hopeful of making a big impact in the future as well, he said.

     

    According to Mike Best, the role of social media is not being comprehended in a manner that it should. “If you see the impact that social media websites created on countries like Iran and Syria during the turmoil, it was quite an extraordinary effort.” Best bought up the example of Nigeria where his company had helped the country in the run-up to the elections by providing insights and data on the trends that were being spotted. This, he said, prepared the people to either vote for change or be ready for the worst. Highlighting his objective in 2015, Best said that his company will be monitor social media as well as well as observer missions at the same time when the elections take place again in Nigeria.

     

    The panelists went on to discuss the intricacies surrounding privacy on the internet and how the process had to be simplified so that the owners do not face a harrowing time answering questions from the consumers’ end.

     

  • The fashion portal has got the two top agencies to spearhead a marketing strategy in order to maintain its leading position in apparel retail

    Myntra hopes to maintain high with Lowe & Ogilvy in tow

    By Radhika P Nair

     

    Myntra, a fashion portal, has roped in advertising agencies Lowe Lintas and Partners and Ogilvy India Worldwide to spearhead its marketing strategy in a bid to maintain its leading position as an online apparel retailer.

     

    The Bengaluru-based company will also create separate brand identities for a few of its in-house labels that it plans to sell on other portals and offline stores, as these will provide higher margins. While Ogilvy will focus on the private-label branding, Lowe will handle the overall strategy for Myntra.

     

    Companies such as Flipkart and Myntra are vying for a pie of an overall online retail industry worth more than $3 billion ( 18,000 crore). Lifestyle, including fashion, accounted for 35% of the industry. Myntra aims to be a 10,000-crore firm in the next three to four years and is targeting 1,500 crore in sales during the next fiscal year.

     

    “A couple of our private labels have become quite large and we will now create a brand identity for them beyond Myntra,” said Vikas Ahuja, Myntra’s chief marketing officer. “They will also be available in other online and offline stores by end of the year.” Some of the private labels in the company’s stable have the potential to become a 500-crore brand in two years, Mr Ahuja said.

     

    The company is also finalising kidswear and men’s formalwear ranges to be unveiled in the coming months. A private label is a range of products manufactured and sold by a multi-brand retailer. While third-party apparel brands provide margins of between 30% and 40%, in-house labels can provide over 60%.

     

    Mr Ahuja said the appointment of the two agencies was the next step in the company’s journey. “Our objective is to be the largest and preferred fashion destination in the country. Brand communication is almost as important as the products on offer,” said Mr Ahuja, who was Nestle India’s country business manager til last year.

     

    Online retail market leader Flipkart, on the other hand, has so far used a little known Bengaluru-based agency, Happy Creative Services, which came up with the retailer’s distinctive kids-masquerading-as-adults ads.

     

    Lowe’s recent ads include the one for Tanishq which was scripted around the topic of remarriage and the series of Micromax ads featuring Hollywood actor Hugh Jackman.

     

    While Myntra and the agency did not go into specifics of the marketing strategy, G V Krishnan, Lowe’s executive director, said the focus will be on creating a ‘fandom’ for Myntra. “We want to make the brand endearing, aspirational and yet inclusive to all its consumers.”

     

    Myntra’s Mr Ahuja said the company is still finalising the private labels around which they will announce specific marketing campaigns. The firm, which raised $50 million (over Rs 300 crore) earlier this year, has a range of western casual wear labels for men and women and an ethnic wear label for women.

     

    Poran Malani, president at Ogilvy India Worldwide, said Myntra was “forging the New Digital India.”

     

    It makes business sense for Myntra to create specific campaigns around their successful labels, Aashish Bhinde, executive director at financial services firm Avendus Capital, said. “The idea is to bring in higher margins and they will keep introducing private labels for that.”

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2014, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

    Licensed to republish

     

  • This is perhaps one of the most creatively exciting new ventures NDTV has launched, with so many 'firsts' for television in India

    NDTV Profit splits to offer stockmarket shows at trading hours, sponsored bands as NDTV Prime in the evenings and on weekends

    By A Correspondent

     

    NDTV has announced the rollout of a two-in-one channel – NDTV Profit and NDTV Prime. The announcement was made at a function held at the Trident, Bandra in Mumbai.

    On the channel, NDTV Profit, in a fresh association with The National Stock Exchange of India will operate from 9am to 5pm on weekdays and will offer viewers in-depth and credible business news and analysis during market hours.

    Speaking on NSE’s partnership with NDTV, Chitra Ramakrishna, MD & CEO of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) said, “I think this is a very good initiative and comes together with what NSE has been trying to do over the last few years in terms of investors outreach. NSE always reaches out to various segments of audiences starting from school children at one end to senior citizens. Some of you may be financially savvy, some of you may not be. But we believe that it is really our accomplished sort of objective to reach out to everyone to spread financial literacy at one end, and better investor awareness. So the best way to do this is to have knowledge outreach programmes and the more creative and varied the channels are, we are able to reach out to impart that kind of education.”

    From 5pm and on weekends, the channel will sport a brand new avatar – NDTV Prime, which is in association with Micromax. The channel is targeted at the 25+ urban male and will offer an interesting blend of ‘specialty bands’, which will showcase through the week across genres such as Technology, Auto, Property, Education & Careers, Entertainment and Comedy.

    Rahul Sharma, Co-founder, Micromax said, “Micromax has always looked at unique partnerships that bring alive newer experiences for Indian audiences through our brand associations and product offerings. We are very happy to partner with NDTV for their new and exciting venture NDTV Prime – India’s first dual channel, a new infotainment channel that will reach out to newer audiences through great content across different genres. With digitization and advancement of technology, we are seeing a trend for greater consumption of high quality content among the viewers. NDTV Prime provides an ideal opportunity for Micromax to reach out to evolved viewers through new programming on lifestyle, reality, automobiles, sports, music, property, gadgets & gizmos and comedy, all of which are showing increasing acceptance among Indian viewers. Our best wishes are with NDTV, and look forward to a long-term association.”

    Announcing the launch of NDTV Prime, Dr Prannoy Roy, Co-Chairperson, NDTV said, “This is perhaps one of the most creatively exciting new ventures NDTV has launched, with so many ‘firsts’ for television in India. The reactions so far, from advertisers and sponsors have been very, very positive. This new concept, with two prime times, changes many of the traditional views on what primetime viewership is all about!”

    In a first, sponsors are already on board partnering with the genres that fit in with their brands. Videocon d2h has come on board for ‘Ticket to Bollywood’ while Croma is the overall Technology Band sponsor. MRF is on board for the Auto Band and Supertech continues its association with the Property Band.

     

  • The NBA statement unequivocally ask Kejriwal and AAP to stop making preposterous allegations failing which its members would be forced to reconsider coverage of the activities of the Aam Aadmi Party

    NBA says members may boycott AAP if Kejriwal doesn’t stop hurling allegations against media

    By A Correspondent

     

    In what is a severe and what many consider justified indictment of the Aam Aadmi Party and its leader Arvind Kejriwal, the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) has asked the AAP convenor to “immediately refrain from making preposterous allegations failing which NBA Members would be forced to reconsider coverage of the  activities of the Aam Aadmi Party”.

     

    In a statement, the NBA said it was “shocked to note the unverified and objectionable statements being made by Mr Arvind Kejriwal and his associates regarding the electronic media and accusing the electronic media of being “paid” by political parties to drive their agenda during the General Elections of 2014″

     

    “NBA wishes to remind Mr Arvind Kejriwal & his associates that the electronic media is independent and is discharging its responsibilities in a fair, transparent and balanced manner and urges the AAP not to hurl unsubstantiated and unverified charges on the electronic media,” the statement noted

     

     

  • The campaign is inspired from the fact that Pepsi IPL is the biggest cricketing extravaganza in the world

    ‘Come on, bulaava aaya hai’, says MAX

    By a correspondent

     

    MAX & SIX, the official broadcasters of the Indian Premier League have announced their mega marketing campaign for the Pepsi IPL 2014 titled ‘Come On, Bulaava Aaya Hai’. The campaign is inspired from the fact that Pepsi IPL is the biggest cricketing extravaganza in the world.

     

    The campaign kicks off with a series of four films set in diverse situations of different people’s life reaching a crescendo with three films and culminating into a final bulaava film. Be it a runaway bride drawn to the call of the IPL bugle, a son by the side of his ill mother or a priest struggling to free a woman possessed with a spirit, all films have the essence of the key nuance of IPL  ‘Bulaava’  prompting people to literally drop everything to watch Pepsi IPL.

     

    The entire campaign is the brainchild of the creative agency Havas Worldwide and has been directed and filmed by noted ad film director Rajesh Saathi of Keroscene Films.

     

    Neeraj Vyas, EVP and Business Head, MAX expressed, “In India, nothing supersedes the passion for cricket and during the IPL, that passion rises to an all-time crescendo. That is where we draw our latest campaign ‘Come On, Bulaava Aaya Hai’  emphasizing that irrespective of anything that takes place in your life, the calling for the IPL will always reign supreme. This enthralling campaign coupled with world class talent on display is sure to entertain our viewers through this edition of IPL.”

     

    Vivek Rao, Executive Creative Director, Havas Worldwide said, “The campaign idea of ‘Come on, Bulaava Aaya Hai’ is played on a simple truth – no other property provides more action, more entertainment or more opportunity whether you’re a viewer or a player. So no matter what calling you have, it’s the call of the IPL that’s more irresistible. After last year’s campaign, we needed something that would entertain as well as move the IPL brand forward. This seemed instinctively right.”

     

  • The company commemorated the triumph with a star-studded event graced by accomplished cinematographers, directors and producers

    Reliance MediaWorks crosses 400-film mark

    By a correspondent

     

    Reliance MediaWorks, the media and techno-creative solutions provider and a part of the Reliance Group, announced the landmark achievement of completing 400 films successfully at their digital lab.

     

    The company commemorated this triumph with a star-studded event graced by accomplished cinematographers, directors and producers that Reliance MediaWorks has worked with on their projects.

     

    Set up in 2008 as Asia’s first Digital Intermediate Lab with a 4K facility, the Reliance film lab revolutionized the way films are processed in India. It also offers cutting edge VFX Solutions to Indian and international productions through its state of the art VFX studios in LA, London and Mumbai. With specialization in highly complex VFX, the company and its team of award winning artists stand at the forefront of an extremely dynamic world of VFX production.

     

    Equipped with a state of the art DI facility to cater to film, TV and web related video content, the team has worked on a slew of recent blockbusters that include Chennai Express, Ram Leela, Krrish 3, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, 3 Idiots, Singham, amongst others.

     

    Venkatesh Roddam, CEO, Reliance MediaWorks said, “At Reliance MediaWorks we have always believed in adding value to the filmmaking process by keeping up to date with the latest technology and techniques. The completion of 400 films is a testimony of our commitment and hard work.”

     

    Krishna Shetty, President – Post Production Services, Reliance MediaWorks said, “Digital filmmaking has opened up greater possibilities and opportunities for filmmakers than ever before. Every movie, from the massive big budget blockbusters, to the small independent films made on a shoestring budget, have been influenced by the advents in digital technology and filmmaking. We look forward to continuing our efforts to reinvent the ways in which movies are viewed.”

     

  • ZEE Cinema has partnered with the South Asian International Film Festival (SAIFF) as a signature partner

    ZEE appointed partner for SAIFF

    By a correspondent

     

    ZEE Cinema has partnered with the South Asian International Film Festival (SAIFF) as a signature partner. The festival opened with ‘Monsoon Shootout’ and capped off with “The Good Road”. Other films included in the roster were “Animal State” “Ankhon Dekhi” “First Sight” “I.D.” “Qissa” “Siddarth” “Tasher Desh” and the centrepiece feature, “Good Morning, Karachi.” The line-up showcases a combination of films from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

     

    Shilen Amin, President and Founder of SAIFF said, “For the past decade, SAIFF has highlighted the vision of gifted Directors and Writers of full-length feature productions, documentaries, and short films that move and inspire us. New York City has become the most important venue in showcasing the works of some of the world’s best South Asian filmmakers and since then the Festival has become the connection that strengthens the bond between Bollywood and Hollywood in the US. We are proud to announce a new partnership with ZEE TV, the #1 South Asian Channel, along with its family of networks, and the South Asian International Film Festival on its historic 10th Year Anniversary.”

     

    Sameer Targe, General Manager of ZEE TV Americas added, “ZEE TV Americas has had a long-standing commitment in providing South Asian viewers outstanding entertainment here in the U.S. and abroad, and it was only a matter of time before the largest South Asian TV platform and largest Film event in the U.S. would come together in order to continue producing memorable cinematic and cultural experiences for its audiences.”

     

  • Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) has announced the appointment of of Rajesh Iyer as Business Head – New Initiatives|Hindi Broadcast

    Zee pulls Rajesh Iyer from Colors as Biz Head for new channel

    By A Correspondent

     

    Bharat Ranga
    Rajesh Iyer

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) has announced the appointment of of Rajesh Iyer as Business Head – New Initiatives|Hindi Broadcast. Mr Iyer was until last Friday, Vice-President – Marketing at Colors. He will be responsible for the overall functioning of the new initiatives in Hindi broadcast and will report in to Bharat Ranga, Chief Content & Creative Officer, ZEEL. Although the title says New Initiatives|Hindi boradcast, the grapevine has it that Mr Iyer will head the proposed new Hindi GEC that Zee is planning to launch in the next quarter.

     

    Speaking on his appointment, Mr Ranga said: “Rajesh is a superior talent with marketeering approach and consumer focus. We are delighted to have him on board to create some thrilling benchmarks in our industry.”

     

    Commented Mr Iyer: “I have always admired the Zee Group, who have been pioneers in the satellite and broadcast space. To be a part of this ever-growing dynamic industry is going to be challenging and I further, look forward to developing and strengthening the brand.”

     

    Mr Iyer brings with him over 13 years of rich experience in the areas of marketing and business. Prior to joining Colors, he worked with Star India and also with Ambience Publicis and Ogilvy & Mather.