MxMIndia

Category: MEDIA

  • With the two regional news channels launched, the network is now planning to launch four more news channels in order to expand its reach across the Hindi Hinterland

    Aidem makes regional media portfolio more ‘buland’ with Best News Co channels

    By A Correspondent

     

    Best News Company has announced that it has handed over its national media sales duties for Buland Samachar Plus UP, Uttarakhand and Samachar Plus, Rajasthan to Aidem Ventures.

    Best News Company entered Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand in June 2012 and Rajasthan in August 2013 with an attempt to become the voice of the people. With the two regional news channels launched, the network is now planning to launch four more news channels in order to expand its reach across the Hindi Hinterland.

    Within a span of two years, Buland Samachar Plus has managed to carve itself the second-highest ranking among the regional news channels in UP and Uttarakhand markets, notes a communique.

    Announcing the news, Shashank Bansal, Director – Best News Company said, “The channels are rapidly picking up pace in their respective markets and we are confident that the media representation capabilities of the Aidem team will put the channels on the fast-track to achieving their revenue potential. The team exemplifies relationship-driven sales. Industry colleagues acknowledge that Aidem represents their media owners passionately and have built a strong network base nationally.”

    “We are extremely glad to add Samachar Plus to our regional channels portfolio. While marketers and agency partners continue to increase their focus on improving SOV’s across specific markets, Aidem will consolidate and offer solutions across both Hindi speaking and other language markets. We will also work with brands to create opportunities to leverage by offering customized content solutions,” added Alok Rakshit, Business Head – Regional Channels, Aidem Ventures.

    “We, at Aidem, truly value this association with Samachar Plus. We view them as our partners. With the brand’s best interests in the forefront and our experienced perspective, we aim to work collaboratively with them to achieve measurable results,” said Shailendra Shetty, Senior Vice President, Aidem Ventures.

     

  • Reliance Broadcast Network stable regional channel has inked a distribution deal with Dish TV, adding an 8 million subscriber base to its reach

    Big Magic Bihar & Jharkhand inks DTH deal with Dish

    By A Correspondent

     

    As part of its distribution-strengthening strategy, Big Magic Bihar and Jharkhand, the regional entertainment channel from the Reliance Broadcast Network stable, has inked a distribution deal with Dish TV. Available on the base pack, this move adds 8 million million Dish TV subscribers to the channel’s reach as it reaches out to a larger diaspora across India.

     

    “We are a leading player in the regional market and have delivered excellent performance. We see a huge opportunity in catering to a larger diaspora and our endeavor is to reach our content mix to the discerning audiences spread across the length and breadth of India. Dish TV is a perfect partner to begin the exercise with, from here-on we will increase footprint through strengthened distribution across platforms,” the channel said in a statement.

     

    Big Magic Bihar and Jharkhand is currently available on Hathway, Incable, Manthan, Digicable, GTPL, Siti Cable, Maurya, DEN and other independent operators.

     

  • NewsX has announced another addition to the content line-up with 'Mandate with Destiny'

    NewsX gets Vir Sanghvi to host ‘Mandate with Destiny’

    By a correspondent

     

    Having undergone a repositioning exercise recently, NewsX announced another addition to the content line-up with ‘Mandate with Destiny’. The show would be hosted by distinguished journalist and TV show host Vir Sanghvi.

     

    ‘Mandate with Destiny’ is a show that tells the story of the making of modern India through the elections that have shaped our country.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Kartikeya Sharma, MD, iTV Network which owns and runs NewsX & India News said “We are happy to launch one of its kind show on NewsX. Vir’s understanding of Indian political landscape will provide invaluable insights as he takes us through a momentous journey of the historic elections that shaped modern India. I am confident that the show will generate a huge level of excitement amongst viewers”

     

    Written and presented by Vir Sanghvi, the show unites archival footage, personal insights and interviews with many of the key players to provide a gripping narrative that makes the complexities of Indian politics instantly accessible.

     

    ‘Mandate with Destiny’ goes on air from Friday, 4th April 2014. It will be a weekly show, every Friday 10 pm.

     

  • SITI Cable Network Ltd has achieved the landmark of 4 million digital customers as on 31stMarch 2014

    SITI eclipses 4 million subscriber mark

    By a correspondent

     

    SITI Cable Network Ltd has achieved the landmark of 4 million digital customers as on 31stMarch 2014. Encouraged by the significant improvement in the performance in FY13-14 and to support the aggressive growth plan to grow subscriber base to 10 million in FY 14-15, the promoters have invested additional Rs.2430 million in the business.

     

    As per the approval received from Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) in March 2013 to raise Rs. 3240 million from promoter entities, the company has already received first tranche Rs. 810 million in March 2013 and this is balance tranche fund of Rs. 2430 million. With this total promoter shareholding rises to 72.82 percent.

     

    The funds will be utilized primarily for Business expansion and to partially reduce debt.

     

    Subhash Chandra, Chairman, stated, ” The Indian television distribution industry is on the cusp of high growth value phase as it marches towards the digitization of balance phases of cable television in the country. With the change in leadership last year, SITI Cable has driven higher revenue and profitability through relentless focus on operational excellence despite uncertain environment. Our sustained investment in this sector will further accelerate the growth momentum and will serve the Digital Cable TV viewing needs of many more million Indians on SITI Cable Network”.

     

    Commenting on this development, V D Wadhwa, CEO of SITI Cable said “For the wider digitization roll out, the company needs to invest in upgrading its digital infrastructure further and enter into newer strategic markets. We plan to seed over 6 million set-top-boxes in phase-3&4 markets through organic and in organic growth. We believe that we are well poised to benefit from the ongoing digitization implementation and ready to penetrate the market at a faster rate.”

     

     

  • Bennett, Coleman and Co Ltd was among the four regional winners in the International News Media Association (INMA) Global Innovation Awards for 2014

    BCCL wins INMA Global Innovation Awards

    By A Correspondent

     

    Bennett, Coleman and Co Ltd was among the four regional winners in the International News Media Association (INMA) Global Innovation Awards announced in Dallas,USA. The competition rewards excellence in media company innovation programmes. A global winner will be announced on May 13 at the INMA World Congress in San Francisco.

     

    The other regional Global Innovation Awards recipients were Gannett, US; Fairfax Media, Australia and MittMedia, Sweden.

     

    The Best in South Asia accolade went to BCCL for its entry on “Transforming Print Media Sales Culture Through Technology.” The sales culture transformation programme looked at ending silo selling, more efficient pricing, driving agility and creating a climate of accountability, and data-driven selling. The programme included intense effort at changing the internal culture to one that encourages efficiency, agility, and accountability.

     

    From these four regional winners, a global award recipient will be unveiled at the closing dinner of the INMA World Congress May 13 in San Francisco. Regional winners’ innovation programmes will be presented at the World Congress and awards formally presented.

     

    The INMA Global Innovation Awards are designed to shine a spotlight on the fast-emerging structured innovation programmes of media companies seeking new foundations in transformational times.

     

    “With this new competition, INMA wants to reward the people, programmes, and processes behind the emerging innovation culture in the media industry – the foundations upon which novel ideas are being launched at a rapid rate,” said Earl J Wilkinson, executive director and CEO of INMA. “We want to reward media companies that are mastering the art of innovating routinely.”

     

  • Vuclip has announced the results of a study of Vuclip's user base conducted by leading global marketing and research firm

    Mobile phones a clear favourite for video consumption, notes Vuclip study

    By a correspondent

     

    Independent mobile video and media company Vuclip has announced the results of a study of Vuclip’s user base conducted by leading global marketing and research firm Millward Brown. The study revealed that Vuclip’s more than 20 million mobile video consumers in India are largely trending towards mobile devices as their go-to source for content with 81 per cent of metro and 87 per cent of non-metro survey participants identifying mobile phones as a preferred medium. Moreover, 80 per cent an overwhelming majority, of Vuclip’s consumers report watching videos on their mobile devices at least once every 2-3 days, with more than half opting to watch daily.

     

    The study polled over 500 respondents across numerous locales and demographics in India from the Vuclip user base. 58 per cent of the study participants were from metros; 42 per cent were from non-metros. The greatest number of respondents, 83 per cent came from the age group of 18-34, demonstrating tremendous affinity among youth audiences for the mobile medium.

     

    The mobile phone has emerged as a strong alternative to traditional entertainment media like television, as most of the Vuclip users surveyed regardless of region, watch videos from home (72 per cent). The most popular genres among participants were movies and music, though in non-metro areas, the popularity of TV shows and lifestyle entertainment videos spikes. It’s notable that there is a growing interest in longer videos on mobile, with most metro users (59 per cent) opting for videos over five minutes in length.

     

    The study notes that 2G internet connection is still the most widely used, making up 73 per cent of non-metro and 58 per cent of metro markets, although metro users report higher usage of 3G networks (24 per cent versus 19 per cent). Samsung and Nokia phones lead in both regions, with the former dominating metro areas and the latter favored among those polled in non-metro regions. In metros, 73 per cent of consumers spend over Rs. 4000 (approximately $65 US) for their device where-as in non-metro areas, 44 per cent of consumers favour phones priced less than Rs. 4000, explaining the dominance of Samsung and Nokia devices in metros and non-metros respectively.

     

    “The data speaks volumes for the fact that in a very short time, mobile phones have garnered undisputed dominance in terms of content consumption. For a majority of Indian consumers, it’s the only screen, and no doubt, the demand for mobile video will be pushed to new heights in the days to come,” said Vuclip COO Arun Prakash.

     

  • NDTV and Aircel announced the third season of Aircel NDTV 'Save Our Tigers' – the largest and the most comprehensive media campaign

    3rd edition of Save Our Tigers to highlight key issues

    By a correspondent

     

    Carrying forward the mission to ‘Save Our Tigers’ – the largest and the most comprehensive media campaign on tiger conservation till date, NDTV and Aircel announced the third season of Aircel NDTV Save Our Tigers. Launched in 2010, the campaign was successful in setting the tiger agenda for the Nation.

     

    The launch of the third season of Aircel NDTV Save Our Tigers initiative witnessed the coming together of well known personalities from different walks of life to participate in a panel discussion and set key focus areas for the season. Present on the occasion were Belinda Wright, Executive Director, WPSI, Anupam Vasudev, Chief Marketing Officer, Aircel; Dr. K. Ramesh from Wildlife Institute of India; S P Yadav, ADIG, NTCA; Dr. Anish Andheria, Director, Wildlife Conservation Trust; Bittu Sahgal, Editor of Sanctuary Asia; and was anchored by Vikram Chandra, Group CEO, NDTV Group.

     

    Anupam Vasudev, Chief Marketing Officer, Aircel said, “Aircel has been passionately working towards its initiative ‘Save Our Tigers’ with noted conservationists and organizations with an aim to create mass awareness on the plight of the magnificent tiger and rally efforts to save it. There is no denying the fact that ‘Tigers are Irreplaceable’ and are extremely crucial for securing the environment for our future generations. We are confident that like the past two editions, this year’s edition of Aircel-NDTV ‘Save Our Tigers’ campaign will further increase the level of participation and support for the cause.”

     

    Vikram Chandra

    Speaking on the occasion, Vikram Chandra, Group CEO, NDTV Group said, “NDTV is overwhelmed by the nationwide response received for the first 2 editions of the campaign. We are now coming up with the Tiger Agenda for the 3rd edition and will be looking at key factors such as reducing man-animal conflict, protecting tiger habitats, strengthening the forest department and more.”

     

    The current edition will focus on and highlight key factors – existing buffer zones and corridors to be clearly identified and control to be ensured by forest department; local community involvement; strengthening of forest department; human-animal conflict management solutions; bio-diverse forest areas to remain inviolate and push for political will.

     

  • One would hope that shows like Khatron Ke Khiladi do their bit in making a small difference in creating more exposure for a largely inward-looking populace, writes Shailesh Kapoor

    Shailesh Kapoor: Adventure? You’re in the wrong country!

    By Shailesh Kapoor

     

    The new season of Khatron Ke Khiladi (KKK), the Indian adaptation of Fear Factor, went on-air this March. In its fifth season now, KKK was the launch vehicle for Colors in 2008. Barring a forgettable season with Priyanka Chopra as the host, the show has offered top quality production and hosting. Yet, it has met with only limited success on the viewership front. The current season has opened better than the previous ones, and offers more content variety. If the numbers sustain, this may end up being the most successful season till date.

     

    The tough journey of the show does not surprise me. We are not the adventure-loving country where such TV show formats find natural traction. Adventure sports and activities are not only low on awareness in India, even those aware have little inclination to try them. Hence, the experience of any adventure-based TV show is unlikely to be immersive. The adrenalin rush is restricted because of the watch-from-a-distance mindset with which such shows are consumed.

     

    Two other successful television properties use adventure as a theme too. However, they focus more on the human angle to achieve viewer traction. MTV Roadies is about expression of the youth, than about biking. Man vs. Wild is about survival and the human spirit of excelling against all odds. Both are learning and inspiration led, albeit in very different ways.

     

    Go beyond these three shows and you will struggle to recall any other adventure shows in the two-and-a-half-decade history of Indian satellite television. Survivor India, Star Plus’ brush with the genre, was a washout, reinforcing that the success of Roadies and Man vs. Wild is also restricted to a limited audience base, and the wider GEC audience care little about this genre.

     

    Lack of adventure signifies that the market (India) is low on experimentation, exploration and curiosity. We like our lives well planned out, and the focus is on a collective unit (family) than on individual pursuits. This mindset also lowers the appeal of other genres such as travel, food and science, which are led by similar core needs as adventure.

     

    The infotainment genre is the most affected here. To their credit, they have managed to understand the Indian mindset well, and created a steady flow of local programming that is more conducive to the ‘safe’ needs the market caters to.

     

    Over the next few years, one may expect evolution as new generations take over. But with the subject being so inherently cultural in nature, this evolution may happen at snail’s pace, unlike other changes we are seeing around us, e.g. the whole-hearted embracing of technology our country has witnessed over the last decade.

     

    I’m glad Colors has pushed the envelope and kept faith in KKK. Television is a part of the larger pop culture, and one would hope that shows like KKK do their bit in making a small difference in creating more exposure for a largely inward-looking populace.

     

    TV Trails is a weekly column written by Shailesh Kapoor, founder and CEO of media insights firm Ormax Media. He spent nine years in the television industry before turning entrepreneur. The views expressed here are his own. He can be reached at his Twitter handle @shaileshkapoor

     

  • The Times of India has tied up with Dream Theatre for a a licensing deal with the iconic magazine brands

    Filmfare, Femina ink deal for brand extensions

    By A Correspondent

     

    Mumbai-based brand management and licensing firm Dream Theatre Pvt Ltd has entered into a partnership with The Times of India Group to take its magazine brands Filmfare and Femina toward brand extensions after this unique arrangement.

     

    Jiggy George

    Commenting on this deal, Jiggy George, CEO and founder of Dream Theatre Pvt. Ltd. Said: “We are thrilled to partner with Times Group on their iconic brands of Femina and Filmfare. This ushers in a new era in licensing in India and opens up new and exciting prospects for partnering with and leveraging Femina and Filmfare in hitherto unexplored products and services.”

     

    The Indian licensing market is valued at $450 million at retail and now has a further fillip with the growth of publishing licensing, notes a communique, adding: “The avenues for brand extensions for both magazines are enormous and across sectors. The entertainment magazine Filmfare, having stood for the best of cinema and film personalities is a valuable proposition for forays such as restaurants, cafes, apparel, gifts and themed entertainment. On the other hand, Femina has been the voice of the changing, modern Indian woman and its brand extensions will be intriguing too. From the rapidly changing fashion and accessory market to women’s lifestyle and personal care products, there are a number of doors to open.”

     

  • The Hyderabad- and Atlanta-based internet TV provider has parted 10% stake in the company for the consideration

    YuppTV receives investment of Rs 16 cr from Sashi Reddi

    By A Correspondent

     

    Entrepreneur and angel investor Sashi Reddi has invested $2.5 Million (approx Rs 16 crore) in Hyderabad and Atlanta-based internet TV provider YuppTV for a 10 percent stake in the company. This values YuppTV at $25 Million (approx Rs 160 crore). With access to 170 live Indian TV channels and a large movie library, YuppTV now boasts of five million visitors every month.

     

    According to a communiqué, Mr Reddi will join the board and work closely with founder and CEO of YuppTV, Uday Reddy, in building the company to $100 Million revenue in the next three years. YuppTV currently competes with satellite and cable TV operators offering Indian content. Its primary target markets are Indians living in North America, Europe, and Australia. YuppTV clocked revenues of $11 Million (approx. Rs. 70 crores) in 2013. It grew over 100% year-on-year for the last two years.

     

    “I believe that YuppTV is the most dynamic media company to emerge out of India. Under Uday’s leadership, it has the potential to revolutionize how Indian content is consumed globally in the next few years,” stated Mr Reddi, founder and managing partner of SRI Capital. “We are on the verge of a revolution in content delivery and YuppTV is at the forefront of that revolution.”

     

    “All of us at YuppTV are excited to have a seasoned entrepreneur like Sashi Reddi join us in building our company. This is a clear validation of our business strategy to be the #1 player for Indian content distribution globally,” said Uday Reddy, founder and CEO of YuppTV.

     

  • The music video features 9XM's popular animated characters – Bade and Chote

    ‘Who is the idiot’, asks 9XM

    By a correspondent

     

    9XM has created a music video around the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections titled ‘Who is the idiot’. The music video features 9XM’s popular animated characters – Bade and Chote and has been created in collaboration with Artist Aloud, Rapper BlaaZe and Paul J.

     

    Speaking of the music video Soumini Sridhara Paul, Business & Product Head-Artist Aloud said “Artist Aloud is extremely proud to have been instrumental in bringing 9XM on board as a partner to create an Election Campaign offering for the masses. 9XM’s quick response and creativity to bring this song alive is a true example of how magic can happen when you have the right product.”

     

    Speaking of the video Sunder Venketraman, Programming Head 9XM said, “We at 9XM pride ourselves in presenting our viewers with content which is fresh, topical and entertaining. With elections being the most crucial event for our country, we present ‘Who is the Idiot’ as our latest Buzzworthy video. Our collaboration with Artistaloud.com, BlaaZe and Paul J for ‘Who is the Idiot’ music video will surely appeal to our viewers.”

     

    The video will be promoted extensively across digital platforms to reach out to the ever growing connected generation. 9X Media has created several short videos promoting the cause. They will be spread across popular digital hangouts like Facebook, Twitter (#whoistheidiot) Youtube, Google+, whatsapp, BBM, WeChat, Pinterest, Instagram and Vine. The song will also be available in the form of CRBT (SMS IDIOT to 54646) through popular telecom partners.

     

  • The joint social initiative seeks to encourage users to exercise their core right as a citizen of world's largest democracy, India: to remember to vote

    TOI, Twitter partner to develop social news hub

    By a correspondent

     

    Timesofindia.com and Twitter have joined hands to delight users with a unique integration named ‘Tweet to remember’. The joint social initiative seeks to encourage users to exercise their core right as a citizen of world’s largest democracy, India: to remember to vote.

     

    When a user tweets “@timesofindia [city name]” (like “@Timesofindia Delhi”, they will be guided through a process that easily enables them to add the date for their vote to their calendar on their phone or desktop.

     

    In addition, TimesofIndia.com has developed a Social News Hub, in partnership with Twitter & Frrole. It leverages trend analysis and sentiment analysis via algorithmically filtered tweets to display the latest trends and sentiments around candidates and parties, according to users, with real-time data and millions of data points. The data is beautifully presented with dynamic visualizations, sorted by day or week. The platform offers a new lens to understand the Lok Sabha elections, bringing community feedback as a source of news.

     

    Speaking on these partnerships, Satyan Gajwani, CEO, Times Internet, said, “The social conversation is a new component in today’s news cycle. As a news outlet, Timesofindia.com is always looking for ways to bring new information and new value to its users. With Social Hub, we’re bringing a new perspective that hasn’t been readily visible before, and with Tweet To Remember, we hope to better enable the thriving democracy that powers India.”

     

    Rishi Jaitly, India Market Director, , said, “Twitter is the world’s leading mobile, real-time information network where users follow, share and experience content that is live, public and conversational. During this election season, the Twitter platform has become a vital source of daily information, conversation and communication for citizens and political leaders alike. We applaud Times Internet for innovating on our platform with “Tweet to Remember” and ensuring its audience can use Twitter to add its polling date and additional details to their calendars.”