MxMIndia

Category: MEDIA

  • Mail Today, a product of the joint venture of the IndiaToday group-and Daily Mail of London, has entered the UK with a London edition

    Mail Today launches in London

    By A Correspondent

     

    The large population of Indian descent in and around London have reason to cheer. Mail Today, a product of the joint venture of London’s Daily Mail and the India Today group, has announced its entry to London. The paper had launched in New Delhi four-and-a-half-years ago and Chandigarh more recently.

     

    “Targeting the large south Asian population in London, Mail Today wants to connect with the diaspora by bringing the best of Indian news packaged in a modern avatar,” Aroon Purie, Editor-in-Chief of the paper, wrote in the e-edition of the newspaper.

     

    British citizens of Indian descent as well as the growing number of Indian nationals studying or working in England have reason to cheer given the India Today group’s pre-eminence and of course Daily Mail’s local leadership.

     

  • After the Internet, C&S is the second largest medium to have grown in double digits i.e. a CAGR of 13.9 per cent

    IRS 2011 Q4: Media consumption grows but Radio and Cinema continue to decline

    By A Correspondent

     

    IRS Q4 2011 findings have revealed that the literacy rate and media consumption in India has witnessed growth when compared to IRS Q3 2011. The other media categories to have grown are Press, Television, C&S (Cable and Satellite) and the Internet. While Radio and Cinema consumption have witnessed a decline, the Internet has emerged as the fastest growing medium in the country.

     

    Press has seen a marginal increase of 1.5 per cent in the CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) whereas TV grew only 6.9 per cent of the CAGR. After the Internet, C&S is the second largest medium to have grown in double digits i.e. a CAGR of 13.9 per cent. Radio and Cinema on the other hand declined -5.8 per cent -5.2 per cent respectively.

     

     

  • English magazines may bring some respite to the sector after the results of the 2011 Q4 IRS show an overall lack of growth.

    IRS 2011Q4: Same old magazine story

    By Robin Thomas

     

    While consuming the data for magazines, it may be remembered that many magazine publishers have been critical of the IRS numbers as worthy  indicators of their readership. The Association of Indian Magazines has readied an Engagement Study in order to educate advertsiers and agencies. Having noted that, let’s look at the IRS 2011Q4 topline figures for magazines.

     

    Top 10 Hindi Magazines

    IRS2010 Q4 Vs IRS2011 Q4:

    AIR figures for Q4 2010 vs Q4 2011 may bring mixed feeling for the Magazines, as only four of the Top 10 Hindi magazines have grown in AIR (Average Issue Readership). Hindi monthly magazine, Pratiyogita Darpan is the most read Hindi magazine and is one of the Top Ten Hindi magazines to have witnessed growth in its readership figures. The other three Hindi magazines to have also grown in their AIR numbers are Meri Saheli and Cricket Samrat, both of which are Hindi monthly magazines, and Champak, Hindi Fortnightly has also witnessed growth.

     

    Interestingly, Samanya Gyan Darpan, another Hindi monthly magazine is a new entrant in the IRS and has already emerged as the third most read Hindi magazine with a readership of 16,78,000 AIR in Q4 2011.

     

    IRS 2011 Q4 Vs IRS 2011 Q3:

    The Q3 Vs Q4 2011 AIR numbers could certainly be disappointing to most Magazine publishers as only one in the Top 10 Hindi magazines has registered a growth in readership. Hindi monthly magazine Meri Saheli is the only Hindi magazine to have witnessed a growth, the growth however is a marginal 0.33 per cent. The most read Hindi magazine, Pratiyogita Darpan declined 1.19 per cent. Its nearest rival Saras Salil also declined 8.91 per cent.

     

    It may be noted that the most popular Hindi magazines are mainly monthly magazines followed fortnightly magazine. There is only one weekly magazine in the Top 10 Hindi Magazine category.

     

     

    Top 10 English Magazines:

    IRS2010 Q4 Vs IRS2011 Q4:

    The English magazines may bring some cheer to the industry as an overwhelming seven out of ten English magazines have registered growth in AIR. The Week has received the highest growth in its AIR from IRS 2010 Q4 to IRS 2011 Q4 data i.e. it grew from 302000 in Q4 2010 to 438000 in Q4 2011, that is a 45.03 per cent growth in AIR.

     

    India Today is the most read English magazine however the Weekly witnessed a decline of -8.31 per cent in AIR. The other English magazines to have increased in readership are General Knowledge Today, Reader’s Digest, Outlook, The Week and Stardust. Interestingly, the most popular English magazines are mainly monthly magazines followed by the weeklies.

     

    IRS 2011 Q4 Vs IRS 2011 Q3:

    The Q4 vs Q3 2011 results seem to be even more encouraging for the magazine industry, especially those in the English magazines as nine out of ten English magazines have witnessed growth in AIR. The only English magazine to have received a decline in readership is India Today, the number one English language magazine. The Week has again witnessed a double digit growth wherein its AIR grew from 3,87,000 in Q3 2011 to 4,38,000 in Q4 2011, a growth of 13.18 per cent. English monthly magazine, Pratiyogita Darpan is a new entrant and has already emerged as the seventh most popular English magazine of the country with an AIR of 404000 in Q4 2011.

     

     

    Top 10 Language Magazines:

    IRS2010 Q4 Vs IRS2011 Q4:

    The Top 10 Language Magazines reveals a gloomy result as nine out of the Top 10 Language magazines have witnessed a decline in readership. The only magazine to have grown in its AIR is the Bengali weekly, Karmakshetra. The weekly received an AIR of 10,90,000 in IRS 2011 Q4 as against 8,75,000 in IRS 2010 Q4, a growth of 24.57 per cent. Vanitha and Malayala Manorama are also among the Top 10 Language magazines to have declined in readership.

     

    IRS 2011 Q4 Vs IRS 2011 Q3:

    The scene is no different when compared to Q3 2011. However Bengali weeklies are the only magazines to have recorded growth in AIR. While the Bengali weekly Karmakshetra continues to grow even against Q3 2010 numbers, the other two Bengali language magazines to have witnessed significant growth are Karmasangsthaan and Saptahik Bartaman.  It may be noted that unlike the English dailies or even the Hindi dailies, most of the language magazine readership i.e. those in the Top 10 categories are coming from weekly magazines.

     

     

  • Mr Prabhu has an experience of over 13 years, out of which seven have been in pure digital arena

    Chaitanya Prabhu joins Jump Games as Business Head

    By A Correspondent

     

    Chaitanya Prabhu has joined Jump Games (subsidiary of Reliance Entertainment Digital) as of March 1, as Business Head - India. Mr Prabhu has an experience of over 13 years, out of which seven have been in pure digital arena.

     

    His last stint was with Nokia, wherein he was responsible for setting up the Ovi Music Unlimited Service inIndia. After the success of the Ovi Music Unlimited inIndia, he was moved within Nokia to build the developer ecosystem for the Nokia store business. He worked with developers’ ecosystem to build monetization models for publishers/ developers and created some marquee apps for Nokia with Windows devices.

     

    Under his guidance and leadership, app download from Ovi store shot up from one  million a week to 2 million per day.

     

    Ask him one thing that made him leave the music lineage and join hard core gaming and the prompt reply: “Looking at how content owners play a key part in the success of the mobile ecosystems, I was very excited when I got an opportunity to head theIndiabusiness at Jump Games. I did foresee a big opportunity for Jump Games to be an integral part of the content and developer ecosystems and work with them to create exciting monetization models around gaming”

     

    Before Nokia, Mr Prabhu has worked with several renowned companies like Universal Music and Reliance Retail. He has completed his Masters in Business Administration from NMIMS, Mumbai.

     

  • Sahara One Media and Entertainment's Hindi GEC Sahara One has increased its ad rates three times on account of improved performance over the last few months.

    Sahara One hikes ad tariff post healthy ratings

    By A Correspondent

     

    Sahara One Media and Entertainment’s Hindi GEC Sahara One has increased its ad rates by three times, on account of improved performance over the last few months.

     

    The channel’s ratings have increased from 45 GRPs in week 04 to 54 GRPs in week 08 (TAM, C&S, Females, 15+ ABC, HSM).

     

    As a part of the strategy, Sahara One has not only raised the bar on some of the existing shows but have also got more banners on board to produce a couple of promising fiction shows, beginning with two horror shows which went on air in the second half of February 2012.

     

    Commenting on the new launches, Vikas Khanchandani – Director, Aidem Ventures said, “Sahara One has been consistently delivering numbers in the recent past, with almost all shows showing consistent growth.”

     

    Commenting on the ad rate hike, Gunjan Rege Karkera, Business head, Broadcast Media (Entertainment), Aidem Ventures said, “Sahara One’s ratings have been increasing gradually but consistently over the last one year. The increase in ad rates was necessitated by rising cost of talent, increased cost of production, spiralling marketing expenditure and wider distribution platforms. Owing to this Sahara One’s advertiser base has widened substantially. We have got several new brands on board this year and we are looking forward to adding more to the list. Besides, owing to our wider distribution network the advertiser benefits from a lower cost of reaching 1000 people. This rate increase is a part correction in lieu of this growing network.”

     

    The said increase has already come into effect. All proposals include fixed spots considering all the prime time shows have been performing consistently well.

     

  • The Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) of ASCI upheld complaints made against 17 advertisements, from various sectors like agro products, deos, and Home Shopping Networks

    ASCI upholds complaints against 17 of 31 ads

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) of Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) received a complaint against Bollgard, which had made claims of boosting cotton farmers’ income by Rs31,500 crore, reducing usage of insecticides, containing in-built plant protection and increasing yields. The CCC concluded that the claims made in the advertisement and cited in the complaint, were not substantiated. The advertisement contravened Chapter I.1 of the ASCI Code.

     

    The complaint was upheld.

    PassPortDeodorant’s TVC, which focuses on a woman’s body and lewd expressions on the face of the male actor, was pulled up by the CCC. It was concluded, that the advertisement was obscene and that, in the light of generally prevailing standards of decency and propriety, the TVC was likely to cause grave or widespread offence.

     

    The complaint was upheld.

    Telemart Shopping Network Pvt Ltd’s advertisement of Sandhi Sudha was under scanner as the TVC made claims of curing arthritis and spondylitis and of a ‘Money Back Guarantee’, if the product was ineffective. The CCC concluded that in the absence of scientific substantiation, the claim “Sandhi Sudha cures the disease of arthritis and spondylitis” was not substantiated and was misleading. The complaint regarding “money back guarantee” was misleading as the terms and conditions for the refund were not mentioned in the TVC.

     

    The complaint was upheld.

    Association of Mutual Funds inIndia’s booklet states that “Every Mutual Fund is managed by a fund manager, who, by using his investment management skills and necessary research work, ensures better returns than what an investor can manage on his own”. The objection is to the word “ensures” as it could be misleading.

     

    Hence it was upheld.

    Dr. Ayurveda Power Prash and Body Growth’s advertisement for ‘enhancement of sexual power’ was questioned for its claims stating “increasing sperm count, helping people suffering from infertility to have kids.” The CCC remarked that these claims were not substantiated. The advertiser should provide clinical data in substantiation of these claims. The CCC concluded that the TVC contravened The Drugs & Magic Remedies Act.

     

    Hence, the complaint was upheld.

    The advertisement of Glen Appliances Pvt. Ltd’s print advertisement states “Do you know cooking in aluminium can be harmful?” while the website states “Do you know aluminium cookware is not safe?” These claims are not truthful, and have not been substantiated by any reputed international organization such as the World Health Organization (WHO) or by any country noted for a high standard of vigilance in consumer protection. The claims are not based on facts, and incapable of reasonable substantiation. It also unfairly denigrates attacks and discredits all aluminium cookware directly. The CCC concluded that the print ad’s and the website’s claim that cooking in aluminium is not safe were misleading.

     

    The complaint was upheld.

    Vanesa Inc’s advertisement of Denver Deodorant contains the tagline “play it cool”. However, the brand John Player’s has been using the same tagline since 2005. Since copying the slogan amounts to plagiarism, the advertisement contravened Chapter IV.3 of the ASCI Code.

     

    The complaint was upheld.

    In the personal hygiene segment, the CCC received a complaint against Stayfree All Night. As per the complaint, the advertisement claims that “Stayfree all night has the unique five guard. This in comparison to your Ultra is longer, wider, with more body coverage, more absorbent and drier too.”

     

    This claim means that the Stayfree All Night is better than all the pads in the market which use the word “Ultra”. But in reality this is not the case as has been admitted by the TVC itself in the form of a super which states, “When compared only with Ultra napkins of 280 mm length and 105 mm back width.” Making comparison against product in different segment is unfair and misleading. As the comparison was not made between products of a similar size, the TVC was considered misleading.

     

    The complaint was upheld.

    Health drink Complan’s advertisement was under the scanner this time around. The TVC claimed that “children who drink Complan grow 2 times faster than children who drink other health drinks”. This claim was substantiated through independent clinical research.

     

    This complaint was Not Upheld.

    However the comparison in the Chart between Complan and non-Complan drinkers is likely to mislead consumers that Complan is superior on the basis of its main ingredient (Milk Solids)

     

    Hence, this complaint was upheald.

    In the education sector, Noesis Education and Management Services was pulled up for their advertisement which made claims of being ‘Biggest in India, attended by 1200 students at a time’, ‘Do not miss out on being trained by the best subject experts from all over the country,’ ‘High quality contents from Bestselling authors, rank holders and subject matter experts.’ In the absence of comments from the Advertiser, the CCC concluded that the claims mentioned in the advertisement, and cited in the complaint, were not substantiated.

     

    Hence the complaint was upheld.

    In the healthcare and pharma sector, Pfizer’s advertisement on Gelusil Antacid was questioned. As per the complaint, the TVC shows “a boy running along a parked vehicle and using a sharp article scratching the vehicle, possibly scraping the paint and even denting the body”. The question asked: “Does this make your Heart burn” followed by “Gelusil be used to avoid heart burn and acidity”.

     

    The CCC concluded that the depiction of the young boy vandalizing a car is likely to encourage minors to emulate such acts, the careless use of which could lead to their suffering cuts or other injury.

     

    The complaint was, therefore, upheld.

    Eureka Forbes’ Aquasure water purifier’s TVC claimed that the product provides ‘World’s Safest Water’. The TVC does not provide any basis, facts or reference to any study or research work which substantiates this claim. The CCC concluded that, whilst the water from Aquasure water purifier is safe, the claim of the “World’s safest water”, is misleading. The complaint was upheld.

     

    The CCC also received a complaint against Eureka Forbes’ Aquasure Xtra water purifier’s leaflet which makes comparisons and propagates false statements about Pureit products, Classic and Compact. The tabular format compares the product features and puts a ‘?’ against Pureit products. The CCC concluded that, while Eureka Forbes has gained trust of the consumers, to say that Pureit products have not, is disparaging. By marking a ‘?’ against the Pureit brand is misleading and creates doubts in the minds of the consumer. It was thus concluded that the leaflet contravened the code.

     

    The complaint was upheld.

    During these two months, the CCC also received complaints against Cadbury- Bournville, Piramal Healthcare Ltd’s Supractiv Complete, Jockey, MetLife India Insurance Company Ltd, Ad promos of C.I.D., Fast Track watches, Killer Deodorant, Wild Stone Deodorant, TATA Docomo, Colgate Palmolive, Dulux Paints, and Santoor Soap amongst others. As these advertisements did not contravene ASCI’s codes or guidelines, the complaints were not upheld.

     

    Advertising Standards Council of India is a self regulatory voluntary organization of the advertising industry. The Role and Functioning of the ASCI & its Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) is dealing with complaints received from Consumers and Industry against advertisements which are considered as false, misleading, indecent, illegal, leading to unsafe practices, or unfair to competition, and consequently in contravention of the ASCI code for self-regulation in advertising.

     

  • The initiative is to acknowledge and encourage the young turks and honours stars with the potential to become tomorrow's superstars

    RBNL announces Big Star Young Entertainer Awards 2012

    By A Correspondent

     

    BIG Live, the intellectual property vertical from Reliance Broadcast Network Ltd. and Star India, on Tuesday announced the launch of their new offering Big Star Young Entertainer Awards, 2012. The awards have been conceptualized to appreciate and recognise the young stars that have risen quicker than their contemporaries across different genres of the entertainment industry including film, television, music and sports. These are stars that have spent less than 5 years in their respective industries and are poised to become the superstars of tomorrow.

     

    The Big Young Star Entertainer Awards will honour the dedication of these young superstars while applauding their achievements for the year gone by.

     

    These awards will be chosen by a set of esteemed jury members who will nominate the characters and then leave it open for India to vote, leveraging the vast network of RBNL’s radio brand – 92.7 BIG FM.

     

    This is the second initiative by BIG Live and Star India after the success of the BIG Star Entertainment Awards 2010 & 2011, which achieved a rating of 5.78 TVR in its first year and a rating of 4.63 in its second year.

     

    Partners on these awards stand to gain tremendously from the synergies within Reliance Broadcast Network, with promotions across 35 stations in the Hindi speaking belt of 92.7 BIG FM, BIG MAGIC – the regional channel exclusively for the Hindi heartland of UP, MP and Bihar, Spark Punjabi – India’s first international Punjabi Channel, its strong out of home arm BIG Street and a very robust digital marketing plan with BIG Digital.

     

    Commenting on this new initiative, the Company said in a statement: “This is another industry first, which, like all our intellectual properties, is influenced by a high degree of consumer centricity and delivered through engaging ideas and multiple touch points to create unprecedented impact. Our partnership with STARIndiawill ensure excellent synergies coming into play, as we offer the young stars the acknowledgement and encouragement that they deserve. ”

     

  • The Good Times Ambassador is the first brand inIndiato switch to the new Facebook guidelines

    Kingfisher set to recount its ‘Brand Journey’ with Facebook Brand Timeline

    By A Correspondent

     

    Kingfisher, one ofIndia’s top 10 brands on Facebook, has proved yet again that it is one of the most digital-savvy brands in the country. It is the first brand inIndia to adapt Facebook’s ‘Brand Timeline’, giving its consumers ample reasons for a qualitative interaction with the brand.

     

    The switch to Facebook Timeline comes not just as a new look but a strategic move to engage with its consumers more qualitatively while also highlighting the milestones and narrating the story of the brand that was never told before.

     

    The Kingfisher page has been positioned as a facilitator of ‘Good Times’ and strategically does not promote beer, considering the profile of the Facebook users. The Kingfisher Facebook fan page currently enjoys more than 3.3 million likes.

     

    Commenting on the new move, Samar Singh Sheikhawat, Senior Vice President, United Breweries Ltd said: “In the rapidly evolving world of digital communications, the changes might be multiple but the crux remains the same – finding innovative and instantaneous ways of touching the lives of consumers. At Kingfisher, we’ve always strived to set these benchmarks by moving on to new platforms swiftly and utilizing the inherent strengths of the medium to forge a deep, meaningful relationship with our consumers. In keeping with that philosophy, Kingfisher was the first Indian brand to adopt the recently launched Facebook Timeline on February 29. Our endeavour now will be to use the key features of the format in a uniquely creative manner and make the consumer interactions on Facebook richer and more memorable.”

     

    Facebook Timeline went online in September 2011. It offered Facebook users the joy of revisiting their lives with a collection of photos, posts and apps facilitating a digital autobiography! Facebook has now rolled out the Timeline for brands which will transform the way brands communicate and interact with consumers drastically. The latest format provides brands with new options for self expression, allowing them to narrate their corporate story with milestones, highlight the brand’s key campaigns and so on.

     

    Kingfisher made its entry into Facebook in April 2008 and has been successful in constantly engaging with its consumers for the last 4 years. The numbers of fans have been growing in leaps and bounds year after year, a clear indication of the ever increasing popularity on Facebook.

    Initiating, fuelling and sustaining conversations remains to be the key challenge any brand faces on social media – Kingfisher is perceived as the benchmark in this space with consistently high levels of interactivity. As a result, currently the brand’s Facebook page flaunts more than 3 million fans, making it one of the top 5 brands on Facebook inIndia. Incidentally, this also makes Kingfisher the second largest beer brand globally on Facebook.

     

    On the other hand on Twitter, Kingfisher has a fair presence with about 17,000 followers. Though Twitter is a fairly new channel in the social media universe of brands inIndia, Kingfisher is perceived as a thought leader and as a brand that listens to consumers, not just talk. This is reinforced by even some of the top global blogs on social media mentioning Kingfisher’s Facebook & Twitter presence individually as amongst the best uses of social media inIndiaby brands.

     

  • Mr Sharma will take over as the head of the Chennai operations in addition to the Bangalore office. He will report to Mallikarjunadas CR, CEO, SMG India

    SMG strengthens South ops, Sriram Sharma elevated

    By A Correspondent

     

    Starcom MediaVest Group has promoted Sriram Sharma as the Vice President, Starcom MediaVest Group, South India. He will take over as the head of the Chennai operations in addition to the Bangalore office. He will continue reporting to Mallikarjunadas CR, CEO, SMG India.

     

    In another senior management appointment GV Sudha has been appointed as the Business Director, Starcom & VivaKi Exchange, Chennai. She will lead all businesses in Chennai and will report to Sriram Sharma. Ms Sudha comes to SMG after a two year stint with Madison. She has 14 years of experience in media and has worked with organizations like Lodestar UM, Ogilvy & Mather and Lintas.

     

    Confirming the appointments, Malli CR said: “We are delighted to announce that Sriram Sharma has been appointed the Vice President for South. His track record with us speaks volumes of his talent and capabilities. We are sure he will lead the southern offices successfully. As for Sudha, we are extremely happy to welcome her to the SMG family. Her experience in media will surely accelerate the growth of SMG in Chennai.”

     

    Commenting on the appointment, Sriram Sharma said: “I am thrilled and honoured to be given this opportunity to lead SMG in the South. My experience till now has been fabulous and I look forward to the new responsibilities.”

     

    Starcom MediaVest Group is one of the youngest, largest and most diversified media networks in the country. It has over 250 human experience strategists and activators across its four full service offices. It prides itself on its ‘people first’ approach at workplace and is known as one of the best places to work in. In addition to communication strategy development through its two networks Starcom Worldwide and MediaVest Worldwide, the group offers solutions in the area of ‘any screen content’ LiquidThread.

     

  • The Gujarat Tourism is now branding one entire Reliance Metro Airport Express train for a period of three months with the 'Khushboo Gujarat ki' campaign

    Delhi to get a whiff of Gujarati flavour

    By A Correspondent

     

    The ‘Khushboo Gujarat Ki’ Campaign featuring the mega star Amitabh Bachchan is currently omnipresent. Whether you switch on the TV or tune in to your favourite FM Radio Station or flip through the magazines and newspapers, the Khushboo of Gujarat is inescapable.

     

    Now the Gujarat Tourism is now branding one entire Reliance Metro Airport Express train for a period of three months. The ‘Khushboo Gujarat ki’ Campaign in its entirety would be branded on both the outer body and insides of the train by BIG Street, Reliance Broadcast Network Ltd’s OOH arm.

     

    The train would be jointly flagged off by Shri Vipul Mittra, Principal Secretary Tourism, Government of Gujarat and Shri Sanjay Kaul, Commissioner of Tourism & Managing Director, Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Ltd. on March 7 from the Reliance Metro Airport Express New Delhi Metro station.

     

    Gujaratis considered to be a land of myriad of opportunities. Though the impression about Gujarat is only that of land of ‘industrious people’, the state, renowned for its beaches, holy temples, and historic places of interest with immense architectural wealth, wildlife sanctuaries and hill resorts, also offers a lot to an avid traveller.

    The USP of Gujarat Tourism is its diversity of tourism products. It is being promoted as a complete family destination.

     

    The state has been ranked as the third best unsung tourist destination of the world by Lonely Planet. Gujarat Tourism also won the prestigious PATA Gold award for its coffee table book –‘The White Rann’ in the Secondary Destination Category.

  • In its second year, the event comprises a conclave featuring master class sessions and an Experience Zone, culminating into one of the biggest tech awards night of the country

    NDTV Good Times to hose ‘Gadget Guru Conclave & Awards’ 2012

    By A Correspondent

     

    NDTV Good Times has announced the second edition of the much anticipated and coveted Gadget Guru Conclave and Awards 2012.

     

    In its second year, the event comprises a conclave featuring master class sessions by the likes of Sony, Dolby and Canon, amongst others and an Experience Zone showcasing the best that the tech world has to offer. All this will culminate into one of the biggest tech awards night of the country, to be held on March 12 atKingdomOfDreams, Gurgaon. An exciting addition this year is the Launch Pad initiative, which is a unique platform for the latest innovations and product launches by renowned brands.

     

    The Gadget Guru Awards are the biggest the country has seen in the field of Consumer Electronics, Gadgets and Technology and provide a unique opportunity for experts from the industry to ideate, discuss and analyze the latest trends.

     

    The event will be hosted by NDTV’s Tech Gurus Rajiv Makhni and Vikram Chandra, the duo behind the flagship tech show Gadget Guru, bringing the latest technology-related news and reviews to the consumers.

     

    Sharing his views on NDTV’s long term relationship with technology and the Gadget Guru Conclave & Awards 2012, Vikram Chandra, CEO, NDTV Group, said: “It’s great to be back with the second edition of the Gadget Guru Conclave and Awards. We were truly inspired by the overwhelming response received last year and have decided to go even bigger this year with additions like master class sessions and the Launch Pad”

     

    The awards have 18 categories which include Audio Product of the Year, Audio and Video Innovation of the Year, Portable Audio Product of the Year, Computer Peripherals of the Year, Computing Product of the Year, Consumer Electronics of the Year, Gadget Eye Candy of the Year, Budget Phone of the Year, Smartphone of the Year, Imaging Product of the Year, TV display of the Year, Celebrity Endorsement of the Year, App of the Year, Gaming Product of the Year, Technology/Innovation of the Year, NDTV Gadget of the Year (Viewer’s choice), NDTV Gadget of the Year (Jury choice) and Portable Computing Product of the Year.

     

    Talking about the unprecedented success of the first edition of the awards and its bigger and better version this year, Smeeta Chakrabarti, Chief Executive Officer, NDTV Good Times said: “Gadget Guru Awards have become a benchmark in the field of technology and gadgets and we are extremely excited about the second edition. The awards will celebrate the best innovations in the tech world over the past one year and will honour those brands and companies who have made a place in the consumer’s hearts.”

     

    The distinguished jury for the awards features award winning actor Gul Panag, tech expert – Atul Chitnis, techonolgy consultant – Kishore Bharagava, Nishanth Padiar – Editor, Stuff Magazine, Ashish Bhatia – Independent technology writer and

    columnist, Prasanto Kumar Roy – President and Chief Editor of Cyber Media’s ICT Group besides Vikram Chandra & Rajiv Makhni. A special audio jury includes KJ Singh – National Award Winner for Sound Design in Omkara and Milinid Rane Rao – Electro-Acoustic Expert.

     

    Speaking about the jury and the credibility of the awards, Rajiv Makhni, Editor,

    Technology, NDTV Limited, said: “The Gadget Guru Awards are the most esteemed and anticipated awards in the Indian tech space. The award jury has some of the most respectable names in the industry and an extremely rigorous and exhaustive process has been put into place for the nominations and selection of winners.”

     

    Gadgets launched between February 1, 2011 and January 15, 2012 are eligible for this year’s nominations. All nominations have been tested and rated by NDTV Good Times’ Knowledge Partner, Living Digital. The final winners will be shortlisted based on the test results and an extensive jury meet process and rating system verified by Ernst & Young.

     

    NDTV Good Times is the flagship channel of NDTV Lifestyle, part of the NDTV Group. Launched in September 2007, NDTV Good Times quickly becameIndia’s top-ranked English-language lifestyle television channel. NDTV Good Times presents world-class, aspirational lifestyle programming that advocates living large. The lineup of shows covers every aspect of the lifestyle genre to portray and cater to an increasingly globalIndia.