MxMIndia

Category: TV

  • Sony Six and Sony Kix will screen all 48 matches exclusively live along with daily highlights

    Sony Six bags broadcast rights of Rugby World Cup

    By A Correspondent

     

    World Rugby has announced the appointment of Sony Six as Rugby World Cup 2015 rights holding broadcaster.

     

    In a major boost for the visibility and development of rugby in a market where participation has grown by 33 per cent since 2011, Sony Six and Sont Kix will screen all 48 matches exclusively live along with daily highlights of all the action from rugby’s showcase event.

     

    World Rugby Chief Executive Officer Brett Gosper said: “Rugby is on the rise in India and we are delighted to have secured such a strong platform for Rugby World Cup 2015 to reach new audiences across India and inspire the next generation of players and fans.

     

    “We look forward to working in partnership with Sony Six to showcase Rugby, its character-building values and spirit of entertainment and enjoyment to record audiences within an exciting rugby growth market.”

     

    Prasana Krishnan

    Prasana Krishnan, Business Head, Sony Six and Sont Kix commented: ‘‘The Rugby World Cup is seen as one of the most prestigious competitions in the global sporting calendar and we are proud to have this celebrated event in our bouquet of international content. Rugby as a sport is growing at a consistent clip and with that it’s our primary aim to raise our viewer experience to the next level. The raw nature of the sport will appeal to both our loyal and bench viewers alike.”

     

    World Rugby Head of Commercial, Broadcast and Marketing Murray Barnett added: “Working with the leading sports broadcaster in India underlines the Rugby World Cups global significance and adds to the record breaking roster of international broadcasters that will be taking the Rugby World Cup to the largest audience ever.”

     

    Rugby World Cup 2015 kicks off with hosts England versus Fiji at Twickenham on September 18, beginning a six-week event played across 13 iconic venues the length and breadth of England and Cardiff, culminating in the final at Twickenham on October 31.

     

  • Focus of News Channels shifted from the PATEL case to the Sheena Bora Murder Case in Week 35

    Sheena Bora case becomes the top story on Hindi and English news: TAM analysis

    The Top stories for Week 35, 2015 saw a High Profile Sheena Bora alleged murder case with former media owner Indrani  Mukerjea as one of the accused, along with the news based on demand of reservation by the Patel community in Gujarat. The Sheena Bora case was given a high priority in terms of coverage (26% of overall content), whereas the Patel reservation case received 6% share in coverage. This was determined by analysis done by the S-Group of TAM Media Research.

     

    • The PATEL Reservation was the prime focus in the beginning of Week 35, 2015. But, as soon as the Sheena Bora case saw the light of the day, news channels started covering it more heavily.

     

    • In Week 35, Hindi News Genre witnessed highest biewership on 25th and  26 August, where Patel Reservation case reached its peak and the Sheena Bora case news had just broken.
    • The Sheena Bora case was dedicated 30% duration and hence benefitted as it received 38% of all the viewership on English news channels, whereas on Hindi news channels, it was given 22% coverage and it received only 20% of all the viewership.
    • Sheena Bora case received a reach of 28%, whereas Patel reservation case received 24% sampling levels on the Hindi News Channels. (Hindi News – TG : CS 15+ ; Market : HSM)

     

    • News X and Times Now covered the Sheena Bora case most heavily. NDTV 24×7 on the other hand dedicated the least time to both the top stories with 23% duration as compared to the genre average of 34%, which slipped to 5th position in this week (from 3rd position in the last week)
    • Within the English news genre, Times Now gained maximum viewership on the coverage of the Sheena Bora News owing to the leading News Anchor – Arnab Goswami who contributed to 49% of the Viewership with reference to other Anchors on Times Now.

     

    Considering the high interest levels shown by news channels in the Sheena Bora case it would be interesting to see if their focus remains unchanged in the coming week.

     

  • The channel incorporates a new look-and-feel with the positioning of 'Your Happy Place'

    Comedy Central goes for a new, happy look

    By A Correspondent

     

    Comedy Central, from the Viacom18 stable, has unveils a new positioning of ‘Your Happy Place’ along with a new look-and-feel. After over three years of asking viewers to look at the lighter side of life with “Laugh it off”, the channel moves beyond laughing out loud towards being the channel-of-choice for feel-good and humorous content, notes a communiqué.

     

    Said Ferzad Palia, Executive Vice President and Business Head, English Entertainment, Viacom 18:  “Since its launch, Comedy Central has been expressive and tongue-in-cheek while being irreverent and conversational. Now is the time to refresh our positioning to accurately reflect our programming and ideology, which is to be televisions premier destination where people find their #HappyPlace.“

     

    The channel offers a new line-up of diverse shows like Younger, Betty White’s Off Their Rockers, Your Family or Mine and The Mindy Project Season 3. A 360-degree marketing campaign has been unveiled to coincide with the refresh.

     

  • Reporting to CEO Anil Khera, he will be based in Videocon d2h's Mumbai headquarters

    Himanshu Dhoreliya appointed Content Head at Videocon d2h

    By A Correspondent

     

    Videocon d2h Limited has announced the appointment of Himanshu Dhoreliya as Content Head. Reporting to CEO Anil Khera, he will be based in Videocon d2h’s Mumbai headquarters.

     

    Himanshu Dhoreliya comes to Videocon d2h with an impressive track record and more than a decade of experience in content development, content management and channel distribution for leading media and entertainment companies.  Most recently, he was the CEO and co-founder of TelevisionPost.com.

     

    Saurabh Dhoot, Executive Chairman of Videocon d2h stated, “The expertise that Himanshu Dhoreliya brings to the table will definitely add to and strengthen our content management bandwidth. This is an especially vital role and I believe that with his extensive experience & leadership, he will bring the best for brand Videocon d2h.”

     

    Anil Khera, CEO–Videocon d2h added, “We are very pleased to welcome Himanshu Dhoreliya as Content Head, a role that will benefit greatly from his intuitive knowledge of the DTH industry. We are hopeful that he will help lead Videocon d2h in developing innovative content acquisition strategies while maximizing the use of our services to fulfil the needs of our valued customers – all, of course, keeping in sync with Videocon d2h’s goal of being the best in the industry.”

     

    Prior to TelevisionPost.com, Dhoreliya held positions with MSM Discovery Pvt. Limited, the joint venture broadcast distribution company owned by Multi Screen Media (formerly SET India and owned by Sony Entertainment Television) and Discovery Networks, as well as ESPN Software India Pvt. Limited.

     

  • With shows like PMS, Boyz and the like, Reliance Broadcast Network Creative Director Paritosh Painter knows he taking a risk with risqué, but his research shows that it will work for Big Magic

    Big Magic’s over-the-top comedy gambit will work: Paritosh Painter

    When in February this year, CEO Tarun Katial announced the appointment of Paritosh Painter as Network Creative Director of the Reliance Broadcast Network’s slew of offerings, friends and broadcast insiders had seen the path RBNL would take. For, Painter is known for being a specialist with comedy – whether it’s on Mumbai’s hyperactive theatre circuit or television and even cinema. He has done over 23 plays in Hindi and English with some 2500 shows across the globe. Besides this, he has scripted Bollywood films like Dhamaal (2007), Paying Guest (2009) (also directed the film), and All The Best: Fun Begins (2009). Being armed with an MBA, he has the much sought after combo of a creative mind who can think numbers and can crunch them with ease. As Reliance Broadcast’s flagship television channel Big Magic, has gone on an offensive in the comedy route, MxMIndia caught up with Paritosh Painter in his office for a quick chat.

     

    Big Magic has seen a recent change of look and positioning. What was the thinking behind that?

    When I joined Akbar Birbal was the No 1 show for Big Magic…

     

    In fact, it had become the driver for the channel. Just when everything was going right, you changed it.

    Since that time Tarun (Katial) and I have been debating on the positioning of the channel.  What should the channel be? I come from a very strong comedy background. I have been doing comedy in my theatre and my films.  I was debating with Tarun about how we can explore the comedy space to the maximum extent possible in the Indian market. The biggest Hindi comedy channel in the market is Sab TV today. But again, we felt Sab is more on the Dramedy zone:  a mix of comedy and drama. So it is not like a hilarious out-and-out Comedy Central kind of comedy. We felt that there is a vacuum in that space. There was no point doing a regular GEC because it is already saturated. We thought we could do a lot more ha-ha comedy rather than the Dramedy. So, that’s how we decided to change the complete strategy and positioning.

     

    But this is the fourth time the channel has taken a new look. It started off as yet another GEC with a focus on the middle end of the market, then it moved to being a light-hearted channel, later more in-your-face humour, and now a kind-of over-the-top comedy channel?

    Yes, it has become over-the-top and edgy since the whole shift was towards youth. Then, we did a lot of research, in terms of watching loads of content available on the internet, watching international content. And, we felt that the edgy comedy or content works more for the youth. That’s how we got all the shows around this concept…whether it is Boyz, PMS, or Akbar Birbal to  Hazir Jawab Birbal. We need to target the youth, we need to do stuff that excites the youth. As per our research, we felt that the edgy comedy space was the space that we need to be in. That’s how we are now focussing and positioning ourselves.

     

    You mentioned over-the-top approach. Does comedy have to necessarily go over-the-top? You have been a practitioner of comedy for long?

    So actually, there is this thing about Indian audiences which I have seen. Fortunately, I have been doing theatre and tend to travel not only across the country but also abroad. And we do shows in the US, UK, the Middle East and all across the globe. What I have noticed that Indians somehow prefer loud comedy as compared to other parts of the world. In fact, within the Indian subcontinent also I find a difference in taste. For example, in Mumbai, when I do shows in the suburbs, folks prefer loud, in-your-face comedy; but the same loud stuff is not preferred by the townies; they prefer more subtle comedy. So there are a couple of jokes we keep reserved for the suburb audience as against the NCPA audience. Again, North Indians love the loud, insulting edgy kind of humour, When we do shows in South India they prefer a subtle, intelligent kind of humour. But since our audience is more from North India so that’s the space we are exploring for the moment. Most of them prefer loud humour.

     

    But edgy also means double entendre… risqué content.

    Yes. We do. People enjoy that. Not only youth, but a large number of men also. I feel shows like Bhabhiji Ghar pe Hain has given us a good start for the Indian television viewers. Or even Kapil Sharma, the kind of humour he uses, I feel it really works. We are looking at exploring that space.

     

    But television is still watched by families in single TV homes. Does the edgy humour work?

    In fact, that’s the reason why we have moved our primetime. On Big Magic, primetime will start from 8.30 pm all the way to 11 pm. That’s how we have planned our strategy.

     

    Some of this could see some problems with the content regulator

    We are ready to take this risk. And, we want to take that risk. We have debated and decided and that’s the way we want to go.

     

    With shows like Boyz, PMS, you seem to be going all out on that path.

    Yes, we are. And there is no point holding back. The AIBs and TVFs of the world are taking over internet by storm. Why should television not be delivering what people want? So we are targeting the TVF, AIB space. They are our direct competitors, not other television channels who have other different programmes. Our competitors are not Sab or MTV. We are the new internet television channel catering to the youth.

     

    AIB has intelligent, news-oriented humour…

    We are getting into that space. We are coming out with two unscripted shows by Diwali which will be unscripted, news-based and topical shows.

     

    For instance, Aktor Calling Aktor, does comment, or does have some suggestions on what’s happening.

    So Aktor Calling Aktor, are the short comedy-based formats. We are also breaking formats. We are breaking rules. That’s what we want to do.

     

    How is it working with potential advertisers?

    If you have the right content, advertisers will lap it up. They would love to be a part of it. And advertisers are looking for a different kind of content. So again, I am probably dragging the AIB and TVF comparison, it is because people want to align with them, because they are different. Today, I believe people are more attached to the shows than channels. I think channel loyalty is dying and show loyalty is coming up. If we can get people to be loyal to our shows, it is better than people just getting loyal just to the channel.

     

    The channel tagline has the word LOL? Would you go in for English or a mix of Hindi and English?

    Yes, we are very keen to get into the Hinglish space also. We want to get into late night comedies. We are looking at some of those formats also. We talk of things which people don’t usually talk on television.

     

    What about targets and TRPs?

    A lot of factors dictate TRPs. There is distribution, there is marketing, a host of other factors. Just because the TRPs meters keep moving up and down doesn’t essentially mean that the content is wrong. There are other factors which could influence TRPs. Right now our target audience is the urban youth.

     

     


  • Colors' media response on taking the top spot was restrained, in line with the BARC India advisory on what constitutes responsible use of data. However, the same cannot be said about many other channels, writes Shailesh Kapoor

    Shailesh Kapoor: Silly Point: Taking Trade Communication To Consumers

    By Shailesh Kapoor

     

    It’s been a week of very little action on-air, but there haven’t been too many dull moments behind the scenes in the television business. As the atmosphere around the release of the first rural ratings three weeks from now builds up, so does the battle for top honours in the Hindi GEC category.

     

    Last week, Colors toppled Star Plus by a single GRP (in Hindi-speaking markets), and this week Star Plus took back the top spot, but with an even smaller gap than last week. We may just be seeing the beginning of a very exciting battle for leadership.

     

    Colors’ media response on taking the top spot last week was restrained, and we did not see any press announcements or electronic mailers. It’s also in line with the BARC India advisory on what constitutes responsible use of data in trade communication.

     

    However, the same cannot be said about many other channels. In a silly trend, we are seeing more and more channels promote their “leadership position” on-air, on their own platform itself. Then, there are ads in mainstream print, not just the pink papers, on a certain channel beating others in its genre. The target group, time bands and the period of reporting are selected to suit the output. Even after that, some of these ads promote “leadership” where the gap is less than 5%. And these are genres where total viewership is so low that even a 20% gap won’t constitute real leadership.

     

    This flow of ratings information in the mainstream media is something we could have done without. The usage of the term “TRP” by consumers has gone up significantly over the last two years. When “iski TRP sabse achhi hai” becomes the reason to like a show or a channel, you know there’s a problem.

     

    The problem is not very different from what happens in Bollywood. Box-office figures are central to a lot of communication around films. Consumers speak about the 100-cr club with a lot of false confidence, emanating from truckloads of media information but no perspective on how to read it.

     

    However, there’s a reason why the TV problem is worse. In films, at least the numbers being discussed have a physical meaning. They are in Indian Rupees after all. In TV, no one outside the media industry (and some would say, many within it too) knows how to read the ratings data. It’s just a notion, and hence, it is easy to be misdirected by what one sees and reads.

     

    Once in a while, you see a genuine e-mailer based on ratings data that makes you go: “Whoa, that’s some achievement”. But in the clutter of many claims and counter-claims, they just become one of the many things being said.

     

    But while one can debate the idea of good trade communication vs. poor trade communication, there cannot be much debate against the merits of sparing the end consumer of information on TV ratings.

     

    They, the end consumers, are the ratings themselves. If they start watching something because it rates well, we can be caught in an infinite loop of silliness.

     

  • The new channel will be a unique destination for content and information on the property market

    Times Network launches 24-hr real estate channel ‘Property Now’

    By A Correspondent

     

    Times Network, the broadcast arm of India’s largest media house Bennett Coleman & Co. Ltd. announced the launch of India’s first 24X7 realty and property news channel, ‘Property Now’. The announcement was made by M K Anand, MD & CEO, Times Network at the inaugural session of FICCI’s The Big 5 Construct India 2015 held in Mumbai recently.

     

    Announcing the launch of Property Now, M. K. Anand, MD & CEO, Times Network said, “The Real Estate & Construction industry is a key contributor to the Indian economy today. Poised for an unprecedented growth boosted by the Government’s Smart city and housing-for-all projects, the sector commands investments from over 60 per cent of Indian Household Savings. We felt the industry needs a cohesive and powerful platform, where all the stakeholders can exchange their views, communicate with each other, influence the policymakers for the up gradation of the sector and better the life of the common man. Hence, we are delighted to announce the launch of Times Network’s 24-hours dedicated Real Estate and Property channel – Property Now. The channel will aim to address all needs related to real estate, property and infrastructure.”

     

    The new channel will be a unique destination for content and information on the property market, offering viewers unbiased information that makes the home-buying process simpler and more efficient. The channel will be a combination of news, debates, advice and analysis on real estate and allied aspects focusing not only on the buying decision but also on interiors and home improvement. The channel’s mandate is to provide relevant content and accurate information on the real estate market, home loans, the tax and legal aspects of buying a home and as well as advice on home décor in all price brackets.

     

    Faye D’Souza, Editor, Real Estate and Personal Finance, ET Now, while discussing the programming of Property Now, shared, “The channel will have news bulletins that will share the industry and pricing trends and put into perspective any development happening on the day. It will have debates wherein we will get guests who are accountable to the customers to come and talk about what’s happening in this segment. There will be a show wherein viewers can call and address their queries related to properties, and panellists will be demystifying those queries. Besides, there will be features on various subjects like how to decorate your house, how to make it safe for a child etc. The channel will have a broad spectrum of content related to legality of buying properties, financing related to properties, and so on.”

     

    Distributed pan-India, the channel is targeted towards 1mn+ markets initially. In phases, it will reach the target markets currently being served by ET Now. Property Now is expected to grow further because the subject is of interest to a larger set of audience as it will cater to investors, property buyers, builders and infrastructure industry et al.

     

    The channel will be helmed by Faye D’Souza who is also the Editor – Personal Finance & Real Estate, ET NOW and comes with a wealth of experience in the sector. President-News Times Network, Arnab Goswami will guide the new channel and lead the editorial team.

     

  • One amongst the many reasons for dittoTV to break the record was also because it offers its viewers an engaging content mix from Sports to GEC to Music to News to Movies

    dittoTV makes it to the record books for latest achievement

     

     

    dittoTV, the OTT platform from the Zee Group has created a new record in the Limca Book of World Records as the only OTT platform to present its subscribers content offering for most number of registered channels across 13 languages. dittoTV is the sole OTT platform to be conferred with this recognition. The platform is best known for innovation ­when the OTT space is still in its germination stages in the nation. dittoTVshowcases TV Shows,  movies and videos in various languages alongside having specially designed video content which is available on Android, Windows and iOS based phones, tablets and computer systems.

     

    One amongst the many reasons for dittoTV to break the record was also because it offers its viewers an engaging content mix from Sports to GEC to Music to News to Movies and also presents an incredible experience through its live broadcast from 13 famous religious shrines of India which include Siddhivinayak Temple,Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Iskcon Temple, Vrindavan, DargahHazrat Sheikh Salim Chistito name a few. dittoTV has transcended boundaries by being the solitary platform to have 8 Pakistani channels along with featuring international news channels like BBC, Al Jazeera CNN amongst others across the globe in more than 130 countries. With the breakthrough of technology with every passing day, the platform also offers HD channels for its subscribers

     

    Speaking on this achievement, Manoj Padmanabhan( Business Head – dittoTV) says, “It is a proud moment for us since this record further reaffirms our aim to creating newer benchmarks in the category. We have always strived to push the boundaries and be innovators in every endeavor that we set forth. With the bouquet of content that has earned dittoTV the laurel of being honored by the Limca Book of Records team, we envision more such laurels, keeping benchmarks at the helm as we aim to grow aggressively in this financial year.”

     

  • Multi Screen Summary: BBC Earth is home to the BBC's award-winning factual programmes and the work of some of the world’s foremost factual film makers

    Sony BBC Earth set for India launch

    By A Correspondent

     

    Media Private Limited (MSM) has signed a deal with BBC Worldwide to bring BBC Earth, a new premium factual channel, to Indian audiences.

     

    BBC Earth is home to the BBC’s award-winning factual programmes and the work of some of the world’s foremost factual film makers. It showcases the incredible wonders of our universe, from the smallest creature under the microscope to the limitless expanses of space and brings viewers face to face with heart pounding action, mind blowing ideas and the wonder of being human.

     

    The channel, called Sony BBC Earth on air, will broadcast in HD and will be available in Tamil, English and Hindi across India.

     

    NP Singh

    NP Singh, Chief Executive Officer, MSM said: “This partnership with BBC Worldwide gives us an unparalleled edge in distributing factual programming to viewers across MSM’s network in India and to sharing with them, some of the best television content ever. Sony BBC Earth will combine information and entertainment in real surroundings. And audiences that crave the virgin thrill and adventure of exploring natural environments, demystifying science and rewriting history will find it difficult to meander away from this channel. We are confident that within a short span of time, this new channel will carve its own distinct positioning in the minds of the discerning Indian viewer.”

     

    Paul Dempsey, President, BBC Worldwide Global Markets said: “This is a pioneering model for us. By working with a respected local partner of the calibre of MSM we can bring BBC Earth’s world class content to a new audience who we know have a huge appetite for premium factual programming.”

     

    BBC Worldwide will draw on its extensive catalogue of programming and reputation for excellence in the premium factual, while MSM which runs the Sony network of television channels in the country has extensive experience and expertise not only in programming but also in operating and distributing televised entertainment both, in India and across the globe.

     

    Both, the formation of the JV as well as the launch of Sony BBC Earth is subject to necessary regulatory approvals in India, for which the process is currently underway.

     

     

  • In the entertainment business, if you get even 30% of what you launch right, you are a champion, whereas in any self-respecting FMCG company, that could mean you have to look for another job very soon, writes Shailesh Kapoor

    Shailesh Kapoor: Should 30% Success Rate Still Be Acceptable?

    By Shailesh Kapoor

     

    Over the last decade, the entertainment business has started attracting more senior talent from outside than ever before. The industry has been able to match the pay packages offered by FMCG and telecom majors at senior levels, though a fairly wide gap remains at the entry level. Many have also moved because of their inherent passion for the media and entertainment business.

     

    Anyone who joins the entertainment business from a more traditional industry first observes the alarming difference in the product failure rates of the two industries. In the entertainment business, if you get even 30% of what you launch right (read: It doesn’t lose money), you are a champion. In any self-respecting FMCG company, that could mean you have to look for another job very soon.

     

    Several arguments, in the ‘apples-to-oranges’ domain, are given to justify why we should not compare failure rates in the two industries. In many ways, a myth has been propagated over the last two decades that the process of consuming entertainment is a lot more complex than that of consuming a conventional consumer product, and hence, it is difficult to ascertain what the entertainment consumers want and what will catch their fancy.

     

    I must mention that not all propagators of this myth are ‘old school’ in their thinking. Several are, in fact, fairly liberal in their thinking, making films and TV shows that challenge the status quo. But it’s the lack of an understanding of the other side (the classical marketing side, a la FMCG) that comes in the way.

     

    With ‘outside’ talent entering the industry, things have changed, albeit slowly. A simple way for us to assess that by knowing how many programme concepts, pilots, scripts and films are being tested with consumers before critical business decisions related to them (go or no-go, budgeting, slot, release scale, etc.) are taken.

     

    The number of television concepts tested using Ormax True Value, our content testing tool for broadcasters (predicts on-air performance, specifically the steady-state TSV), has been increasing by 50% year-on-year since 2009. Similarly, the number of films we test using Ormax Moviescope (predicts lifetime box-office)has been doubling year-on-year since 2011. Script-testing for films was non-existent till as recently as two years ago, but there is increasing interest in it today.

     

    Interestingly, many television concepts that do not test well are still being put on-air. Sometimes, this decision has already been taken, and the testing is done to validate the instinct that led to the commissioning decision. When the results are positive, it’s celebration time. But when they are not, it’s a case of hoping that the research is proven wrong. It’s what I like to call ‘The Hope Strategy’. Even a marketing intern will tell you it’s not the best strategy for a brand that aspires to be a leader in its category.

     

    But ‘The Hope Strategy’ is still better than the one that’s based on no consumer information at all (that’s the ‘Hopeless’ one). To that extent, we have made some progress. But there’s a while to go before we can match up to the best in the marketing world on product success rates. There’s a while to go before the acceptable success rate increases from 30% to at least 60%.

     

  • For the first time, viewers will be able to vote for their favorite reality TV contestant through Google Search

    Zee TV introduces voting through Google

    By A Correspondent

     

    Through its strong presence across social media, smartphone apps and innovations in the voting mechanism of its reality shows, Zee TV continues to be at the helm of digital innovation in the Hindi GEC space. This year, Zee is set to introduce yet another exciting voting mechanism as DID Season 5 enters its voting phase. For the first time, viewers will be able to vote for their favorite reality TV contestant through Google search.

     

    With the idea to make voting easy, technology-friendly and progressive, the channel has introduced a search-based mechanism that will only simplify the voting process of Dance India Dance Season 5. All one needs to do is go onto Google and just search for DID5 and just vote for a favourite contestant on the voting panel right below the search bar. Each Google account is permitted 20 votes per week to either one or many contestants. Starting Saturday 19th September, the mechanism will be active from 9pm on Saturday till Tuesday 8am every week.

     

    Sorbojeet Chatterjee, Marketing Head ZEE TV said, ‘With rapid penetration of smartphones and the growing digital audience, we are always trying to raise the bar in terms of engagement and DID Dream Team and Google Voting is testimony of Zee TV being ahead of the curve! With each successive season of DID the objective has been to simplify the voting process for our consumers. The innovation on a global platform like Google will not only encourage wider participation but also give them an enhanced brand experience. We are pleased to associate with the extremely committed team of Google for the cutting-edge thought and a quick turnaround for the same.”

     

    James Rothwell, Head of Social Marketing, Google Asia Pacific said, “We’ve partnered with ZEE TV  to launch Google Search Voting platform in India through the show Dance India Dance and you can vote for free, for your favorite contestants on Google from your phone, tablet, or desktop.”

     

     

  • The CEOs called for speeding up of television digitisation and strengthening of the cellular (mobile) infrastructure

    Media biggies meet Modi, want speeding up of TV digitisation

    By A Correspondent

     

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a roundtable meeting with top American CEOs from the media and entertainment sector.  This happened last Thursday, September 24, to be precise.

     

    The CEOs present included Rupert Murdoch, Executive Chairman, News Corp and 21stCentury Fox; James Murdoch, CEO, 21st Century Fox; Robert Thompson, CEO, News Corp; David Zaslav, President and CEO, Discovery Communications; Michael Lynton, CEO, Sony Entertainment; Michael Roth, CEO, Interpublic Group of Companies; Shane Smith, CEO, Vice Media; Martin Sorrell, CEO, WPP; Jeff Bewkes, CEO, Time Warner; Nancy Dubuc, CEO, A&E Networks, Anthony Pratt, Chairman, Visy Industries; William Duhamel, Route One Investment Company; and Jeff Ubben, CEO, ValueAct Capital.  Uday Shankar, CEO, Star India was the only Indian M&E CEO in the meeting.

     

    According to a release, the CEOs appreciated the Prime Minister for energetic and dynamic leadership, and expressed optimism about the future of India. Specifically, the CEOs were enthusiastic about the digital transformation that is taking place in India through the Digital India initiative. They said that the current strong trajectory of the Indian economy makes it at a unique moment to accelerate growth in this sector.  The CEOs called for speeding up of television digitisation and strengthening of the cellular (mobile) infrastructure.

     

    The Prime Minister and CEOs observed that the changes in technology and media in recent times have led to an enormous democratisation of knowledge. The Prime Minister said that the world is now in a technology- driven era, where growth of digital infrastructure is as important as growth of physical infrastructure. He suggested to the CEOs that India represents both the biggest opportunity and the biggest challenge for them, and urged them to keep regional languages in mind, as they firm up investment plans for India. He spoke of his government’s vision to connect 600,000 villages through broadband connectivity. He asked CEOs to visualise the citizen of the 21st century, and think about what values s/he will represent and what challenges s/he will face. He also spoke of the role that digital technology can play in human resource development. The Prime Minister emphasised that he saw a key role for digital technology in further strengthening democracy, and in India’s development narrative.