MxMIndia

Category: MEDIA

  • Reliance Digital TV is the first DTH operator to offer BIG Magic to the viewers

    BIG Magic to be available on Reliance Digital TV

    By A Correspondent

     

    BIGMagic, India’s first variety entertainment channel for the core Hindi heartland from the Reliance Broadcast Network stable, will now be available to all viewers of the Reliance Digital TV platform.

     

    BIG Magic will replace Imagine TV on Reliance Digital TV channel 213, increasing its reach to an additional 4.5 mn digital homes and in effect goes national. This move allows BIG Magic immediate width in reach across the country, and marks the first step in its digital distribution plan.

     

    With the channel’s endeavour to take its unique regional content to the increasingly large base of DTH audiences in the Hindi Heartland, this alliance between BIG Magic and Reliance Digital TV, marks the beginning of a slew of digital alliances that the Channel is in the process of closing.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Anand Chakravarthy, Business Head, BIG Magic said: “The last one year has seen BIG MAGIC build a strong platform on the back of an excellent programming mix and leveraging BIG FM’s brand lineage to fortify its position as a leading player in a very short span of time. As a next step of growth, DTH was the logical move and what better than Reliance Digital TV to begin with. This will only further cement our position as a leading regional television player, serving tailored entertainment to people who belong to the heartland.”

     

    Commenting on this occasion, Mr. Ashutosh Srivastava, Business Head, Reliance Digital TV said: “It has always been our constant endeavour to provide our customers with choice of content thus, enhancing their viewing experience. By adding BIG Magic to our bouquet, we now offer the unique regional variety entertainment content like movies and daily soaps for our subscribers from the Hindi speaking states of UP, MP, Bihar and Jharkhand directly in the comfort of their homes.”

     

    The partnership with Reliance Digital TV will be promoted aggressively on BIG MAGIC as well as on 92.7 BIG FM.

     

    BIG MAGIC is currently being distributed across all cable operators across the states of UP, MP and Bihar and spread across operators like DEN, Digicable, WWIL, Hathway, Darsh and Maurya amongst others, reaching approximately 10 million households in the heartland. Add to this the reach of Reliance Digital TV and BIG MAGIC can now boast of an enhanced reach. The Channel is supported with a high decibel multi-media integration plan across 92.7 BIG FM, Outdoor, and Mall Activation, play-out seeding in malls, print and local cable.

     

  • The much-loved character has leapfrogged from being a mega-hit on Pogo to merchandising and the big screen

    The not-so-chhota success of Chhota Bheem

     

    By Tuhina Anand

     

    Chhota Bheem, the nine-year old boy and his small group of friends – Raju, Chutki and Jaggu (the talking monkey), have been having a dream run on Pogo. Launched in 2008 on the channel, the character of Chhota Bheem has gone on to become immensely popular and we have seen the character move to the bigger screen with Chhota Bheem movie and there is no dearth of merchandise based on his character, including comic book, tee-shirt, fun puzzles, bags, bean bag, toys and more.

     

    Krishna Desai

    Talking about the popularity of the show, Krishna Desai, Director Content, Turner International India Pvt. Ltd, said: “Since its launch in 2008 on Pogo, Chhota Bheem became an overnight success. Today, Chhota Bheem holds several titles to its credit including being ‘Kids’ Favourite TV Character’ (Ormax Media 2011 Report). In addition to other popular shows like Mr Bean and Kumbh Karan, Chhota Bheem has helped Pogo sustain its No 1 since 2011. In fact, this year, the premieres of ‘Chhota Bheem: Dholakpur to Kathmandu’ movie in March and ‘Chhota Bheem aur Hanuman’ movie in May, were the number 1 programs across all channels.” (Source: TAM, All India , 4-14 yrs, 12:00-13:30, March 25 and May 1, 2012)

     

    However, TAM data for the period of April 15-May 12 (CS 4-14 yrs, all India market, excluding feature films shown on kiddie channels) shows that for the channel share, one sees a fluctuation between Pogo and Disney for the top slot where in week 18, Pogo has a share of 25.5 as opposed to 20.4 of Disney. In week 19, Pogo is at 21.2 while Disney has jumped to 24.6.

     

    Giving his take on the popularity of Chhota Bheem and Doraemon, Karthik Lakshminarayan, COO, Crest (Madison Media), said: “Be it Chhota Bheem or Doraemon, both are exceedingly popular in the kids genre. Even for the top slot there is a tussle between both the shows. The popularity works well for the advertisers as well as the channel. However, if one were to look at superior production quality then Chhota Bheem scores over Doraemon as the latter seems dated.”

     

    While Doraemon might seem dated, there is no lacking in its popularity. The show runs on Disney as well as Hungama almost round the clock. Same is the case with Pogo, where Chhota Bheem and its repeats are shown numerous times during the day. Mr Desai, talking about this strategy said: “Normally, most shows face the issue of fatigue over a period of time. But in the cases of popular shows like Chhota Bheem, this factor is not applicable. When any show is launched there is a novelty factor which draws in new audiences. Thereafter, the true test of success begins. If kids like the show, they will tune in to watch their favourite episode over and over again. Over a period of time, kids tune-in to pre-empt the dialogues or even sing along with the theme song, making them feel like a part of the toon world. Also, the non-sequential flow of episodes helps to steer clear of boredom.”

     

    “Being a pioneer in the kids’ genre, we have done in-depth studies analysing the viewing patterns of kids between the ages of 4-14 years so as to effectively target our core TG. Basis these studies we decide the schedule for our channels. The second factor taken into consideration is to ensure that the scheduling of both our channels (Cartoon Network and Pogo) complement each other and don’t eat into each others share. We also consider the competition and other TV genres scheduling while lining up our shows,” he added.

     

    Some of the other popular shows on Kids channel include Kumbh Karan on Pogo, Roll No 21 on Cartoon Network, the Suite Life of Karan and Kabir on Disney, Art Attack again on Disney, Ninja Hattori on Nick, Oggy and the Cockroaches on Nick, Mr Bean the Animated Series on Pogo and Tom and Jerry Show on Cartoon Network.

     

    However, the success of Bheem lies in the fact that it’s an indigenous animated series created by Green Gold Animation Pvt. Ltd, based in Hyderabad. As Mr Desai of Pogo pointed that what stands out about the series is the strong story and characters. Although it is based in the mythical and timeless village of ‘Dholakpur’, the characters are very relevant to the mannerisms of kids today. Thus, kids relate to the characters and aspire to be like them be it a superhero or a best friend. “Yes, we did anticipate the show to do well but we all have been happily surprised at how phenomenally well it is doing,” said Mr Desai.

     

    With the success of Chhota Bheem, came its movies that Pogo co-produced, the recent one being Chhota Bheem and the curse of Damyaan which was released last Friday.

     

    Source: TAM Media Research, TG: CS 4-14 yrs, Market: All India, Period: Week 16 to 19 (Apr 15 to May 12), 2012 *Note : The analysis excludes Feature films aired on Kids channels

     

    Some of these movies were aired in 2011 on Pogo and the channel has a more aggressive strategy for them in 2012, wherein they will showcase one new movie every alternate month. In March, Pogo aired ‘Chhota Bheem: Dholakpur to Kathmandu’ and in May premiered ‘Chhota Bheem aur Hanuman’.

     

    Also seeing the popularity of other supporting characters in the show, like Bheem’s best friend Raju, Pogo  create a successful spin-off movie on him called ‘Mighty Raju’ in 2011. Sequels to Mighty Raju will also be seen in 2012. Its online success can be gauged from the fact that on www.pogo.tv, there are 700+ games on the site out of which Chhota Bheem enjoys a majority.

     

  • The soundtrack becomes the first in India to premiere on the mobile platform before the album's physical music release – thus tapping into the fast expanding base of mobile music listeners

    Airtel & Hungama announce mobile music premiere of Gangs of Wasseypur

    By A Correspondent

     

    Music from Anurag Kashyap’s most-awaited movie ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ became the first soundtrack in India to premiere on the mobile platform, prior to the album’s physical music release thanks to a tie-up between Airtel  and Hungama Mobile. The music is now available exclusively for Airtel mobile customers till May 26 via Hello Tunes and Airtel Radio.

     

    Commenting on this, N Rajaram, CMO – Consumer Business, Bharti Airtel said: “The music premier of ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ on the mobile platform speaks volumes of the changing consumption pattern among customers today. Be it music, movies, gaming, social networking or emailing – the discerning Indian customer is increasingly relying on the mobile phone for accessing content. As more and more customers prefer listening to music on their mobile phones, we expect to see mobile music launches as a fast emerging trend towards catering to the preferences of India’s expanding base of mobile music listeners. We are delighted to join hands with Hungama to announce this industry first and exclusive for Airtel mobile customers”.

     

    Albert Almeida, COO, Hungama Mobile, said: “The mobile ecosystem is evolving and with a staggering number of consumers wanting to consume music and movies directly on their phones, we are happy to satiate their appetite. Airtel has been at the forefront of marketing and distributing entertainment and music content via mobile devices and through this initiative together we will make a compelling offer to music lovers yet again.”

     

    What makes this tie-up special is that ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ has been selected for the prestigious “Directors’ Fortnight” at the 65th Festival De Cannes and has already garnered unprecedented buzz from international media and critics.

     

  • Fans can now listen to the live, running commentary of the last three matches including the final IPL matches on AIR

    Times Internet partners AIR for live IPL commentary

    By A Correspondent

     

    Times Internet Limited (TIL) and All India Radio (AIR) have joined hands to broadcast live commentary of IPL 2012 over AIR’s national channel and the FM Gold Network.

     

    The running commentary of the final matches of IPL 2012 will be broadcast alternately in Hindi and English on National Channel and FM Gold Network.

     

    Speaking on the deal, Rishi Khiani, CEO, Times Internet, said: “By partnering with All India Radio, IPL 2012 will be able to reach out to a much larger base of cricket fans, who are spread all over the country ,especially beyond the metros.”

     

    “AIR has had a very long innings in promoting sports including cricket in the country. We are still going strong in that direction. We are now about to carry live commentary of the last three important and crucial matches including the final match of IPL. We hope that this would provide a new experience to our listeners,” said LD Mandloi, Director General, All India Radio.

     

     

  • The survey reveals that no international English news channel reaches more Indian viewers than CNN International and that BBC World News is the most watched international news channel for mid-level income earners, women, tech enthusiasts and those under the age of 30

    CNN & BBC top intnl channel viewership

    By A Correspondent

    Findings from both the latest Pan-Asia Pacific Cross-Media survey (PAX) and Europe’s Media and Marketing Survey (EMS) reveal that CNN International reaches more viewers globally than any other international news channel. The PAX survey reveals that no international English news channel reaches more Indian viewers on a monthly basis than CNN International. In India, CNN International is more of a daily habit than BBC World News among business decision makers and top management.

     

    Tony Maddox, Executive Vice President of CNN International, said: “What we are seeing is that there continues to be a strong appetite for global news, and that people throughout the world are turning to CNN for that news – and in great numbers. Add in our commitment to global business news and our excellent sports and cultural programming and there is a clear, compelling proposition for viewers.”

     

    In addition to CNN International’s leading on-air positioning, the PAX survey shows that CNN International’s leadership also extends to its digital platforms.

     

    The PAX survey also shows that in India, BBC World News is the top international English news channel and the news destination of both the young and upwardly mobile mid-level corporate managers. BBC World News was also shown to be the most watched international news channel for mid-level income earners, women, tech enthusiasts and those under the age of 30. The channel is also the most watched news channel amongst key audiences such as potential car buyers, international travellers and consumer durable owners.

     

    Colin Lawrence, Commercial Director BBC World News said: “BBC World News and BBC.com are strongly demonstrating impact to Indian audiences-not only top management but also those with their careers on the rise. Our platforms deliver a targeted route to these discerning viewers and it’s more and more clear that our style of impartial international news and business coverage is increasingly relevant to viewers and advertisers across the country.”

     

    The Ipsos PAX study surveys international and local media consumption and product consumption among affluent adults and business professionals in the Indian cities of Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. The latest survey covers Q1 2011 to Q4 2011.

     

    EMS 2012 examines the media and product consumption habits of affluent Europeans. The latest research was carried out across the full year of 2011. 49 million qualifying adults aged 21 and over, across 21 markets, comprise the EMS universe.

     

  • Customers can now learn to speak fluent English within the comfort of their homes

    Airtel DTH launches iEnglish

    By A Correspondent

     

    Airtel Digital TV, the DTH service by Bharti Airtel announced the launch of its new interactive service, iEnglish to help customer hone their English speaking skills within the comfort of their homes.  These English language tutorials are based on an audio-visual format with animated characters and quizzes for easy comprehension.

     

    Priced at Rs30/month Airtel Digital TV subscribers can now avail the benefits of this offering by simply pressing the iTV button on their remote control.

     

    Commenting on the launch,  Shashi Arora, CEO- DTH/ Media, Bharti Airtel, said: “Interactive services on  digital TV platforms are not merely value added services but ‘infotainment plus’. Our new interactive service, iEnglish will enable customers become skilled at day-to-day spoken English by enhancing their learning through entertaining, yet educational activities.”

     

    Powered by Hungama, South Asia’s leading digital entertainment company, and Aptech, a pioneer in providing education and training, iEnglish would help consumers understand specific scenarios and commonly used English expressions for daily communication. Apart from teaching correct pronunciations of words, it would also help customers learn new words and phrases, proper grammar usage and an opportunity to gauge their competencies.

     

    Ninad Karpe, MD & CEO, Aptech Ltd said: “With India poised to emerge as one of the successful player in the field of mEducation, we are excited to launch our first mEducation offerings on Airtel Digital TV”.

     

    Neeraj Roy, MD & CEO, Hungama added: “The DTH platform is emerging as a new tool for more interactive forms of entertainment and learning. We will continue to innovate and create products with ease of access for our consumers.”

     

    Besides iEnglish, Airtel Digital TV currently offers several interactive services such as iExam, iKidsworld, iDarshan, iRadio and iFasal.

     

    Airtel digital TV – the DTH service from Bharti Airtel – has over 7.2 million customers and is one of the leading national level DTH service in the country. Airtel has also HD services to its portfolio.

     

  • Launched in July 2011 at Mehboob Studio, Live from the Console provides emerging music bands an alternative platform to showcase talent and for music fans to discover new music

    Live from the Console goes national with 9XO

    By A Correspondent

     

    Live from the Console, a Day 1 (Sony Music Independent) and Oranjuice Entertainment initiative has now got a national platform on the international Music channel, 9XO.

     

    Shridhar Subramaniam, President – Sony Music EntertainmentIndia&Middle Eastexplained: “What began as a humble exercise to present new bands with an alternative platform that brings about music discovery has now gone national. We’re thrilled to partner with 9XO to promote musicians and independent music to an all new level. Going beyond Mumbai, this year Console edition will also be launched in Kolkata and a few other cities.”

     

    Launched in July 2011 at Mehboob Studio, Live from the Console provides emerging music bands an alternative platform to showcase talent and for music fans to discover new music. These emerging bands will get an opportunity to showcase their talent on a national television channel through this association with 9XO.

     

    Speaking of the association Mr. Luke Kenny, Programming Head for 9XO said: “We are delighted to be associated with Live from the Console, which highlights the independent music talent inIndia. This association with the event will bring to the fore talented artists out there playing original music and give them the national recognition that their music merits.”

     

    Mr. Owen Roncon, Managing Director – Oranjuice Entertainment said: “It’s great news for artists as they usually don’t get any national recognition, and with our association with 9XO, we are sure thousands of people will be able to appreciate indie artists and their music”

     

    Live from the Console is a collaborative effort between Day 1 – a Sony Music Independent and Oranjuice Entertainment. It aims to gives new bands and fresh music talent an alternative platform that puts music first while bringing together like-minded people.

     

  • How do near-ad-free HD channels impact marketers, media planners and creative professionals? An MxMIndia report

    No (or low) ads on HD. Anybody complaining?

     

    By Meghna Sharma

     

    While there is no denying the importance of advertisements in a world where subscribers are unwilling to pay subscription fee for channels, there exist many viewers who are tired of innumerable ads interrupting their favourite soaps or sporting. The good news for them is that their ordeal has been put to an end through HD channels. At least for the moment

     

    With various broadcasters launching HD variations of their channels, many upper-end subscribers are shifting to HD set-up boxes or subscribing to an HD channel. However, as there are no free lunches in the world, these channels come at a premium.

     

    What media planners think?

    Most media planners feel that since HD channels come with a certain cost attached to them, it is but obvious that they cater to a limited audience.  So, most channels are aware of it and their target group.

     

    Anita Nayyar

    Talking about the HD channels’ reach, Anita Nayyar, director (customer strategy), BCCL, agrees that not many avail of the facility. However, with digitization being made compulsory, especially in the four metros things might change. “Unlike the West, inIndia a broadcasters make most of their money through advertisements, and not distribution. So, if HD channels reach only a certain section, then how will a channel make its revenue?”

     

    Ms Nayyar added: “Today, one might pay a premium cost to watch an ad-free telecast, but in the near future, if availability doesn’t increase then channels won’t have an option but to make exception to the rule. They will be forced to show advertisements; however, they might charge a higher cost or have a limited time slot.

     

    On the other hand, Hiren Pandit, managing partner of Group M, felt that broadcasters with HD channels aren’t feeling the pinch, since they want to cater to a different audience: “Apart from the top-notch TG, most broadcasters have non-HD channels as well, so they capitalize through them. And over a certain period of time, they’ll be able to cut losses.”

     

    Agreeing with Ms Nayyar and Mr Pandit, Janardhan Pandey added: “It’s not just about reach or money, there is another reason which plays an important part in making HD channels a hit and that’s viewers’ psyche.  A person who might be able to afford HD package might still go for cheaper option because he/she might feel why pay more when the same can be watched at a lesser cost. For them, a few advertisements don’t matter.”

     

    Marketers’ foresight

    A brand reaches its target audience through advertisements and in today’s time one can reach a cross-section of society through television. Hence, most marketers spend their most of their ad-revenue on TV.

     

    Karthi Marshan

    Karthi Marshan, EVP & Head Group Marketing, Kotak Mahindra Bank said: “Our estimate is that of the 136mn cable and satellite homes in India, 44mn are DTH. Of these, about 8 lakh are currently HD subscribers. That is less than 2% of DTH homes and a tad over 0.5% of all C&S homes. Now whether this affects a marketer or not depends on who is her core TG. For the average brand with SEC A & B as their TG this probably does not matter much, but yes, premium and super premium brands do stand to miss out on what could be core TG due to the fact that some of the HD channels still don’t run advertising.”

     

    He added: “The next question that marketers will have to contend with is broadcasters expecting to be paid separately or additionally for these audiences. While brands will make the argument that we have bought programs or channel presences and hence our ads should carry seamlessly to HD as well, broadcasters may well have a tenable argument to the effect that they are in the audience delivery business, and a premium audience can and should command a premium for access.”

     

    Similarly, Ashutosh Tiwary, EVP- Strategic Marketing, Godrej, feels that one needs to observe the situation over a period of time to know what will happen next: “If the ratings and numbers of non-HD channels on which the media deals are based, get affected due to HD feeds, then HD channels will probably will have to air the ads to make up. However, if HD numbers prove to be totally incremental, then the converse might hold true. Overall, if viewer retention and engagement goes up due to higher quality and reduced clutter, HD might require specific treatment.”

     

    While Simeran Bhasin, marketing head, Fastrack and new brands at Titan said that as a consumer she loves to watch her favourite programmes on ad-free HD channels, but as marketer she’ll have to look for other methods to reach the TG. “HD is here to stay and marketers will have to figure out ways to reach out their consumers. Because with technology available everywhere, one can easily switch-off their TV sets to watch something online which is accessible without any interruptions. So, marketers will have to sooner or later adapt to survive.”

     

    Vipin Mehra, former sales head, Pidilite, said: “It’s very important for any brand to send constant reminders to its TG about its existence, especially in today’s competitive market. So, brands will prefer a channel which will help them in doing so.”

     

    Keeping their fingers crossed

    Creative people on the other hand aren’t very happy with HD channels as they affect their work/business, but feel that things will change for good.

     

    KS Chakravarthy, director, DraftFCB Ulka, felt that though one might want to enjoy an ad-free telecast, it’s just a passing phase because channels have to make revenue which comes from advertisements. KV Sridhar, National Creative Director at Leo Burnett, too agreed with Mr Chakravarthy, adding: “When and as HD channels availability increases, broadcasters might be forced to start showcasing advertisements as well.”

     

    Who’ll be the ‘real’ beneficiary?

    Advertisements or not advertisements, broadcasters have to follow a business plan and many feel that they’ll have to succumb to it. “One or two networks have begun taking a smattering of ads, and this will only grow, I am guessing,” said Mr Marshan. A business is run on revenue and if it cannot be generated, then changes have to be made. However, for the time being, the viewer can enjoy an ad-free programme.

    One will just have to wait and watch.

     

  • Findings also show professionals in the legal industry are the least likely to have checked everything off their to-do list by the end of a workday

    63% Indian pros maintain a to-do list: LinkedIn

    By A Correspondent

     

    LinkedIn, the professional network with over 14 million members in India , released data about professionals and their daily to-do lists. The study examined how professionals in different industries tackle tasks planned for a given workday; the differences between men and women’s to-do list habits; and global insights on where professionals keep to-do lists and what gets in the way of completing them.

     

    LinkedIn surveyed more than 6,500 professionals globally and over 400 in India . The study revealed that among the countries in which the survey was conducted, India ranked sixth in maintaining to-do lists. Out of the India n professionals that were surveyed, 63 per cent reported that they frequently keep a to-do list. This matches the global average, as 63 per cent of all survey respondents reported that they frequently keep a to-do list. Globally, seventy-one per cent of women say they frequently keep to-do lists. Only 60 per cent of men say they frequently keep to-do lists.

     

    In India , 45 per cent of respondents said that they jot down their to-do lists by hand, while 48 per cent said they create them electronically. Globally however 50 per cent of those who jot down to-do lists do so by hand, while 45 per cent create them electronically. The remaining five per cent reported storing their lists in alternative places, like “In my mind only,” “Piles of files,” or other locations like whiteboards or chalkboards.

     

    The study showed that the likelihood that a professional will complete their to-do list varied by industry. Globally, professionals in agriculture claim to be the most productive, with 83 per cent of agriculture professionals stating they regularly fulfill most or all of their planned tasks. Professionals in the legal industry had the lowest completion rate on their daily plans, with 66 per cent of respondents accomplishing most or all tasks.

     

    Art industry professionals (40 per cent) agreed the most with this statement, “I tend to be distracted easily.” Agriculture industry professionals agreed the least with that statement; only 18 per cent of professionals in the agriculture industry are easily distracted.

     

    When it comes to checking the boxes on their to-do lists, only 11 per cent of professionals globally reported accomplishing all of the tasks they plan to do in a given workday. Survey respondents pointed to unplanned tasks (such as unscheduled phone calls, emails and meetings) as primary cause for not completing all items on their to-do lists. In India , 45 per cent of professionals reported splitting their workday equally between planned and unplanned tasks. At 38 per cent, India had the fourth-highest percentage of survey respondents who spent most of their day on planned tasks.

     

    “As professionals, we constantly attempt to plan our day at work in the most effective manner. While surprise phone calls, meetings and other unplanned tasks usually make it difficult to adhere to a to-do list, professionals can rely on the intelligence gathered on LinkedIn to work smarter,” said Hari V. Krishnan, Country Manager, LinkedIn India . “Individuals from every industry can benefit from LinkedIn’s simplified solutions to achieve work-goals while being time-efficient. Even while on the move, professionals can use LinkedIn’s mobile applications to strike off tasks from their to-do-lists.”

     

    Follow these “to-dos” to save time in your workday and cross more tasks off the list:

     

    1. Make meetings more efficient

    Check out meeting participants’ LinkedIn Profiles ahead of time to get a sense for what they bring to the table. Past experience and specific skills of your meeting cohorts could come in handy to creatively solve a problem — thereby keeping your meeting time to a minimum.

     

    2. Crowd source your challenge

    Use LinkedIn Answers and LinkedIn Groups to tap into the wisdom of your LinkedIn network or the rest of the 161 million LinkedIn members. By posing questions and starting discussions you’ll be able to assemble solutions in record time.

     

    3. Get up to speed in an instant

    Rather than visiting various news sources each morning, get your daily news fix in one place via LinkedIn Today. Customize LinkedIn Today so you get news that’s relevant to you and your clients. Access LinkedIn Today from your desk, iPad or phone by downloading LinkedIn Mobile.

     

     

  • The campaign is conceptualised and implemented by Creativeland Asia

    Hippo’s ‘Indian Food League’ for cricket fans

    By A Correspondent

     

    The ‘Indian Food League’ is an online activity in which Hippo asks T-20 fans to support their regional teams by supporting their regional dishes. The campaign is conceptualised and implemented by Creativeland Asia.

     

    The campaign is a crowd-sourced activity that caters to the cricket fan’s love for snacking and eating, while they watch their teams fight it out. The IFL ultimately hopes to tap into every Indian’s latent desire to voice their humorous opinions. Talking cricket online has become engrained in every cricket lover’s match-day rituals. And by bringing food to this already heated and opinionated mix, Hippo has hit on a very successful recipe.

     

    Commenting on this engaging activity, Nadia Chauhan, Joint Managing Director and CMO Parle Agro said: “With so many people conversing on social sites, Hippo has created the Indian Food League as a medium to interact with and engage its consumers on the social media platform during the cricket season. Today, social media is one of the most influential and emerging channels of communication. Hippo’s previous campaign on Twitter to track inventory was a huge success. This further encouraged Parle Agro to engage interactively with its consumers on the same platform,” she added.

     

    Commenting on the campaign, Anu Joseph, Executive Creative Director, Creativeland Asia, said, “Hippo is constantly looking for opportunities to talk about food. He, in fact, looks at the world only in terms of hunger and food. So, a ‘Mumbai Vs Bangalore’ match for Hippo is a match between Pav Bhaji and Masala Dosa. So, whoever wins, at the end of the day, hunger loses.”

     

    The IFL comprises nine regional teams symbolized by the region’s most popular dishes, with Chennai being represented by ‘Idli Sambhar’, Mumbai by ‘Pav Bhaji’ and Delhi by ‘Papdi Chaat’. Other dishes include ‘Kanda Poha’, ‘Aloo Paratha’, ‘Daal Baati’, ‘Masala Dosa’, ‘Roshogolla’, ‘Dum Biryani’, representing the regions Pune, Punjab, Rajasthan, Bangalore, Kolkata and Hyderab adrespectively.

     

    The home of the activity is www.hippofighthunger.com/ifl, a microsite where Hippo puts up a ‘Today’s Special’ poster daily, giving his unique and quirky take on the day’s food match-up.

     

    Over the last 40 days, the activity has received a tremendous response. Hippo has chosen a winner for every match and most winners have been already sent their Hippo Bean Bags.

     

    This is not the first time Hippo and Creativeland are conducting a crowd-sourced campaign on social media. Last year’s inventory tracking campaign, Plan-T has already set a high benchmark for the brand. In fact, the launch of the activity became a trending topic on Twitter and other social networks, nationwide.

     

     

  • The operators stood unanimous as they put their issues in front of I&B Ministry. The issues on which they wanted answers to varied from being given a 'chor' tag to why they should collect entertainment tax for the state government

    Cable operators take on I&B at digitization meet

    By Meghna Sharma

     

    With May coming to an end and only a month left for digitization, the Information & Broadcasting Ministry is trying its level best to get the stakeholders to a mutual consensus. A forum was organized by FICCI and I&B ministry in Mumbai to share some thoughts on ‘ India going Digital’.

     

    Present at the event, Supriya Sahu, Joint Secretary (Broadband & Policy) and Rajiv Takru, Additional Secretary of Ministry of I&B heard what the cable operators of the city had to say. It is not a hidden fact that cable operators aren’t very happy with the whole process. Deadline date, revenue share and carriage fee were some of the strong points put forward by them.

     

    Cable operators’ woes

    The operators stood unanimous as they put their issues in front of I&B Ministry. The issues on which they wanted answers to varied from them being given a ‘chor’ tag to why they should collect entertainment tax for the state government.

     

    Although the topic of revenue share was top of the list, none of the operators agreed with the 45:55 share with the MSOs and wanted the government to do something about it. “How will we survive?” they questioned. The cable operators want a bigger share in the pie; some even suggested of a full 100 per cent share.

     

    Some operators even went on to tell the government to re-work the deadline and launch a phase-by-phase change, wherein both analog and digitization be allowed hand-in-hand, with only a few channels being converted in the beginning.

     

    One operator even compared the cable operators with Jesus and said that they’ll be carrying the set-up boxes to their funerals. Availability of the set-up boxes is a major concern as many reminded the ministry representatives that MSOs have not been able to provide them with the boxes even as the deadline looms in. “How does the government expect us to meet the deadline when we haven’t been provided with the set-up boxes. We don’t even know if the demand will be met before the blackout. And how are we going to face the wrath of our customers when their television sets go blank?” questioned one operator.

     

    Carriage fee was a topic on which all of them agreed upon, stating that they alone shouldn’t be allowed to bear its burden. They also wanted the ministry to intervene and tell the broadcasters to bring out their rate cards as soon as possible so that they can, in turn, inform their customers.

     

    Ministry’s assurance

    Rajiv Takru, Additional Secretary of Ministry of I&B, confirmed that no matter the issues raised or problems faced, digitization will not be compromised upon. “There is still some confusion and doubts in many cable operators’ minds, but one needs to be very clear that digitization will happen and shouldn’t be taken lightly.”

     

    He advised the cable operators to start working on it as very little time is left. He added that it is cable operators’ job to go and talk to their customers about digitization becoming a reality soon. “Multi-system operators (MSOs) have been informed to provide cable operators with set-up boxes before the deadline of June 30 and they will have to follow suit. It is the cable operator’s job to convince customers to change before it’s too late to avoid the chaos.”

     

    He added that the rules of the game have been changed and if anyone is caught evading rules or indulging in any malpractice then according to the Cable Regulation Act, the person will be arrested and made to shut shop as it has now become a cognizable offence.

     

    The broadcasters have been informed and will bring out rate cards by end of this month, Mr Takru assured: “Broadcasters and MSOs have to go by the rules and have to come out with bouquet as well as a-la-carte channels. One needs to understand that digitization is a win-win situation. The customer will be able to chose and cable operators will be able to provide the best quality service.”

     

    Direct to Home (DTH) service is seen as the biggest opponent by cable operators and feel that DTH operators don’t want them to reach the deadline, especially with monsoons approaching as they do not get many customers in the season. To this Mr Takru assured cable operators stating that they shouldn’t see DTH as a challenge: “A lot of DTH operators are still waiting in line to get more channels as they don’t have sufficient signals/transponders whereas cable operators will be able to provide 500 channels to their customers.”

     

    No end to the chaos

    However, no concrete solutions came out of the meeting as the atmosphere at the forum heated up. The cable operators continued demanding the deadline to be pushed back while Mr Takru only said that their point has been noted.

     

    Furthermore, the cable operators didn’t let the MSOs present at the event speak their side of the problem or issues. The agitation ended when Mr Takru and Ms Sahu walked out of the venue citing shortage of time and the MSOs escaped with them.

     

     

  • Hindustan launches a specialised publication targeted at the youth

    Hindustan launches Yuva in Patna

    From the MxMInfodesk

     

    Leading Hindi daily Hindustan has launched Yuva, a specialised publication targeting the youth in Patna on Thursday.

     

    The newspaper was planned given the youth has its unique needs, likes, dislikes, aspirations and views on life. Yuva has special two-minute news sections,  vibrant pictures and special navigation panels  in line with reading habits of the youth. It has dedicated sections like Career, Campus news, Patna news, Technology and Entertainment. There are special sections where tweets are featured along with news on Social Networking. Technology, Gadget reviews.  Automobile tips and reviews are featured in dedicated sections on specific days of the week.

     

    Hindustan has over the last year re-launched with a new positioning and design philosophy. Yuva is a step in that direction to create a young and relevant news brand for the Hindi reading audiences.  The launch in Patna is supported by print, radio spots and outdoor with a aim to establish a strong connect with the youth.

     

    The news and content published in reports crediting MxMInfodesk are mostly unverified and based on press releases and communiques sent by organizations and/or individuals either directly or through their PR agents.

     

    However, not all press releases and requests are carried, and we take care to ensure that at least the source of the information recent is authentic.

    Requests for carrying communiques and intimations must be addressed to editor@mxmindia.com.