MxMIndia

Category: TV

  • Brad Bedford, a veteran audience measurement executive, has been appointed Global Managing Director of GAMMA

    BARC, three others form alliance for video measurement

    By A Correspondent

     

    Television audience measurement body BARC has joined hands with its counterparts in France (Mediametrie), Canada (Numeris) and Japan (Video Research) to collaborate on “the future of audience measurement initiatives including the development of common technical standards and operational processes, in order to benefit the existing currency services each member operates, in their respective market, through their current organisation and measurement partners.” Brad Bedford, a veteran audience measurement executive, has been appointed Global Managing Director of GAMMA.

     

    Said Partho Dasgupta, CEO, BARC India: “Audience measurement across the world needs to constantly innovate to keep pace with emerging trends. We at BARC India have always been open to learning from our global counterparts and this international alliance offers a tremendous platform to not only learn from our peers, but also to contribute.”

     

    Added Bedford: “There is an ever-increasing demand for cross device measurement internationally and the partnering of these audience measurement companies seeks to facilitate continued movement in that direction. I am truly honoured to represent this effort on a global scale. We are confident GAMMA will be a source of great knowledge sharing and continued learning for the industry.”

     

     

  • Angoori, Guddan and six other leading protagonists of popular shows surprise viewers with their ‘Chatpatey khayaal’

    Kurkure partners Zee channels for in-show integration

    By A Correspondent

     

    Kurkure will be seen as part of shows on channels from Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) including Zee TV, &TV, Sarthak and Big Ganga. The protagonists of eight shows will be seen delivering a thought-provoking script; enabling their families to take a step towards embracing forward-thinking through fun and intelligent humor.

     

    Expressing his thoughts, Dilen Gandhi, Sr Director, Marketing – Foods category, PepsiCo India, said: “Kurkure is an ally to the Indian homemakers, who are the center force behind every positive transformation in the household. With the unique integration with Zee TV plays, we hope to continue encouraging our consumers to take unconventional routes to help their families embrace progressive thinking, while at the back of being anchored to rich Indian values. Aided by a mood uplift through Kurkure’s crunch and chatpata taste, each of the protagonists will be seen delivering a thought provoking and entertaining storyline, and we hope that Indian homemakers enjoy this Chatpata twist.”

     

    Added Ashish Sehgal, Chief Growth Officer, Zee Network commented on the association: “ZEEL shares great thought synergies with PepsiCo India, who has been a cherished client over the years. Our brand philosophies intersect beautifully when it comes to igniting a spark amongst the Indian masses to achieve the extraordinary. Through this collaboration we are happy to amplify this message Khayal to Chatpata hai across channels through the medium of our network influencers and ensure that it reaches the largest denominator in the form of engaging television content.”

     

    Sharing her thoughts on the in-show integration, Prathyusha Agarwal, CMO, ZEEL said: “Our protagonists, be it Zee TV’s Guddan or &TV’s Angoori Bhabhi, are the Indian viewers’ most sought-after dinner table companions who they not only connect closely with but also draw inspiration from. While our flagship channel, Zee TV with its brand ethos of Aaj Likhenge Kal, has stood for inspiring viewers to take charge of their destiny and work proactively in the present to build an extraordinary future. Our collaboration with Kurkure is a mark of our continued commitment to inspire our viewers every day to be their extraordinary selves. The protagonists, through evocative scripts will bring alive the synthesis of our brand philosophy with Kurkure’s new campaign ‘Khayaal Toh Chatpata Hai’. The collaboration will have our viewers look through the lens of celebrating Indian homemakers in a new light; a message relevant for viewers across gender, age and community.”

     

     

  • It may be noted that since there is no third-party measurement of access data, the Republic TV numbers of watch minutes has not been independently verified by MxMIndia

    Republic TV’s HD feed reports new high on OTT platforms on Exit Polls Day

    By A Correspondent

     

    Leading English news channel Republic TV has reported healthy numbers on its outreach via smartphones and digital devices on OTT platform, telco apps and OEMs like Hotstar, Jio TV, Zee5, SonyLIV, Vodafone Play, OLAPlay, Mi TV, Samsung My Galaxy, PayTm, YouTube and JustDial.

     

    The Republic TV ‘Double’ Exit poll show saw 19.8 million watch minutes being clocked digitally. Source – Brightcove Analytics, Hotstar Analytics, YouTube Analytics and Frrole Insights. The above data does not include data from Jio TV. It may be noted that since there is no third-party measurement of access data, the Republic TV numbers of watch minutes has not been independently verified by MxMIndia.

     

    Said Vikas Khanchandani, Group CEO, Republic Media Network: “News and sports categories have been the driving force for video consumption across AVOD Platforms. News is here and now and video news access across devices makes Republic TV the most accessible News brand. Our teams have worked hard on building capacity and technology to offer a native user experience with Ad Serving (SSID) capability. The demographic profile across our own platforms are extremely young with 60% of the audience under the age of 35. We are extremely confident that this will build a yet another strong platform for advertisers to reach the younger, aware, informed and engaged audiences.”

     

     

  • The platform will offer a subscription service for a range of horror, thriller and crime related content

    Airtel and Shemaroo launch ‘The Horror TV’

    By A Correspondent

     

    Airtel Digital TV, the DTH arm of Bharti Airtel, and Shemaroo Entertainment have launched ‘The Horror TV – Ab Lagega Darr’ – a subscription-based service offering a variety of horror movies, TV shows and web series. The platform will offer a subscription service for a range of horror, thriller and crime related content.

     

    Said Richa Kalra, Product Lead – DTH, Bharti Airtel: “At Airtel, we are always innovating to expand our offerings with a discerning array of specially curated content to fulfil the preferences of each of our customers. Today, we are excited to launch a service which is a platform for horror and thriller content on TV. With an aim to truly delight our customers we promise to continue to add exciting content to our bouquet of entertainment offerings.”

     

    Commenting on the partnership, Kranti Gada, Chief Operating Officer, Shemaroo Entertainment Limited said, “The Horror TV – Ab Lagega Darr consists of the most popular and engaging horror content. The finest collection of movies, television shows, web series will definitely entice horror and thriller genre fans and fulfil our promise to provide the best entertainment packages. We are glad to partner with Airtel Digital TV and curate the innovative service in our effort to constantly delight the consumers.”

     

     

  • For India’s future to be robust, the media has to be even more robust, writes Ranjona Banerji

    Sound, fury & graphics on Results TV

     

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    One thing one has to say for our beloved news channels is that they do not let us down. You are guaranteed a proper Indian jatra-tamasha when it comes to election results coverage. Your TV screen is covered with colours, faces, numbers, words all competing for attention. Graphics run around everywhere, and they change faster than a pulsar can rotate on its own axis – 17 times in one second, I believe in the case of one.

    I have not understood until today where these channels get their figures from because every channel gets different numbers on leads and trends! As you switch from one to the other, the same party can win between 283 and 291 in the space of eight channels and 10 seconds. And the best for me is that none of them tally with the Election Commission’s results website.

    Aah, well. Having been forced to run through these channels thanks to this column, I found that surprise surprise, the least scary and most readable graphics were on India Today, although once people started speaking you had to run for cover. The easiest to watch was Mirror Now with Faye D’Souza providing a friendly face and personable presence to viewers. The most “sound and fury”, as expected, was on Times Now, with strong competition between Rahul Shivshankar and Navika Kumar as to who could outshout the other (the guests had to try really hard here).

    CNNNews18 was less obnoxious than I thought it would be. NewsX was more watchable than I had assumed, although there were too many faces on the screen. Wion was boring by comparison but less frenetic. Tiranga TV was all right. The most amusing was Republic TV because from what I could understand, Arnab Goswami speaks mainly in Hindi now. NDTV remains the most reliable and generally un-screechy. I missed Dorab Sopariwala, usually a regular with Dr Prannoy Roy, but perhaps I watched at the wrong times?

    Most news channels of course, true to type, were overjoyed at the projected massive mandate for Narendra Modi and the BJP. (How close the exit polls, otherwise known as pre-voting surveys, were to the actual results, we shall discuss in another column.) So therefore, no chance of expecting much journalism from the usual suspects into the next five years.

    The twin concepts of showing truth to power, of holding a government accountable for its policies and actions, will once again fall to a smattering of newspapers and news sites and a couple of news channels. I sincerely hope that I am wrong. But, judging from the last five years and the looks of utter triumphant joy on the faces of anchors like Rahul Shivshankar, Navika Kumar, Rahul Kanwal at a BJP win, to name just three of the usual suspects, we have to be prepared for more of the same.

    For the rest, the battle is on. We must be prepared for a rise in bigotry and notwithstanding the Sensex and Nifty rises of May 23, India’s economic situation remains precarious. For India’s future to be robust, India’ democratic institutions which includes the media has to be even more robust. Here’s our test. I can guarantee now, unless a huge reckoning happens, we are going to fail again.

     

    Ranjona Banerji is a senior journalist and commentator. She is also Consulting Editor, MxMIndia. Her views here are personal

  • The channel is associated with an Illayaraja musical concert on June 9 as its publicity partner.

    Super TV unveils new logo, mandates Fourth Dimension for network sales

    By A Correspondent

     

    Super TV has unveiled a brand new logo and a new programming line-up. It has roped in Fourth Dimension for the national ad sales duties of the channel. The channels is associated with an Illayaraja musical concert on June 9 as its publicity partner.

    Said K Sanjeevi, MD, Super TV: “We consider this development as a great opening to national ad sales market and Fourth Dimension’s strong ground presence in the South market and the team’s sound knowledge about the Indian advertisement trends would definitely power up the growth process of the channel coalesced with a nationwide visibility.

    Added Shankar B, CEO, Fourth Dimension Media: “Super TV, a GEC channel was launched on 2011, with a motto of non-stop entertainment and has been successfully delivering the same for the past eight years with its footprints in most of the leading MSOs and DTH services. It’s a great opportunity for us to represent another brand from South/ Tamil Nadu, there can’t be a better opportunity for us to start other than musical legend Illayaraja, we thank Mr Sanjeevi for this chance.”

  • And sadly so. Since 2014, many media houses and journalists have worked as publicity agents for the government and the BJP, writes Ranjona Banerji

    Space for Criticism and Scrutiny has Shrunk

     

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    The new 100-day agenda for the Modi government’s second term include, according to CNNNews18, e-vehicles, farmers’ income and Make in India. The first actions by Modi supporters have been to terrorise and attack religious minorities. The first action by Modi has been to give a grand speech against such attacks but the second action has not been to stop such attacks.

    Since journalists have very short memory span these days, do not expect much insight into what happened over the last five years. The past is a foreign country to quote LP Hartley, (he wrote books, but never mind) and most of today’s journalists have no passport into the past. If they had, more than a few relics like me lurking about, would have remembered how Raj Narain defeated Indira Gandhi in Rae Bareli in 1977. No, no, how can I say that? No one has ever defeated a Nehru-Gandhi since Smriti Irani defeated Rahul Gandhi in Amethi, right?

    So, Make in India and farmers, eh? Here’s some advice from Indian economists to the new government on how to revive the Indian economy, because make no mistake, after the last five years of Modi Sarkar, it needs CPR. But we can’t really say that or the government will feel bad. I quote from this Economic Times article:

    “The four major engines of the economy — private investment, exports, private consumption and now even public investment — have stalled or are sputtering. Irrespective of the data — not withstanding growing concerns about their credibility — the economy’s health warrants concern.

    “GDP growth has been slowing. The crucial automobile sector is hurting. Agricultural distress, lack of fiscal manoeuvrability, serious concerns around unemployment and a stubborn investment drought in the private sector are among a slew of challenges that the new government must tackle head on.”

    https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/top-five-economic-issues-that-the-new-government-must-prioritise/articleshow/69498185.cms

    Any chance that government action on the flailing economy is going to be scrutinised every night full scale on our proud nationalistic TV channels? Okay, that was a joke, don’t answer it.

    Let’s look at  the other aspect of the re-election of Narendra Modi and his second term as Prime Minister of India.

    It did not take long for supporters of Modi, the BJP and the Sangh Parivar to continue their attacks on Muslims and Dalits. All the usual violent behaviour and intimidatory tactics by the majoritarian rightwing we have seen over the last five years were on display once again. Modi’s grandiloquent grandstanding about building trust amongst minorities and those who disagree with him and the BJP, was lauded and applauded by our “neutral” commentators, as if it was the Gettysburg address. Ground realities have never really bothered these “journalists” but some in the media luckily have their eyes and ears open.

    https://scroll.in/article/924841/dalits-adivasis-muslims-targeted-in-at-least-five-incidents-since-bjp-won-the-election

    The more things change…

    ~~

    We discussed in 2014 the honeymoon period and how the media will eventually get to work. The last five years exposed those naive beliefs since as shibboleths. Since 2014, more and more media houses and journalists have worked as publicity agents for the government and for the BJP. The space for criticism and scrutiny has shrunk. Or let me rephrase that. There is plenty of scrutiny for every opposition party and so it should be.

    But when it comes to holding the government to account… let’s finish that quote by Alphonse Karr: “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

     

    Ranjona Banerji is a senior journalist and commentator. She is also Consulting Editor, MxMIndia. Her views here are personal

     

     

  • Jagran Prakashan won two Gold medals, while Viacom18, Sony Pictures Network, Tree Design and Tonic Worldwide were awarded one Gold medal each

    Jagran, others win big at Montreux

    By A Correspondent

     

    At the recently conducted 30th Golden Award of Montreux Switzerland Festival, Indian agencies won six gold medals across the categories of Media, Design, TV/Cinema and Events.

     

    Of the winners, Jagran Prakashan won two Gold medals, while Viacom18, Sony Pictures Network, Tree Design and Tonic Worldwide were awarded one Gold medal each.

     

    Jagran Prakashan won in the media category for their work on “Cleaning Mindsets before Cleaning India’’ and “The Conspiracy of Silence’’. Viacom18 won for “India’s Got Talent’’ in the events category. In the TV Cinema category, Sony Pictures Network won Gold for “My Second Country – The 2018 FIFA World Cup’’ while Tonic Worldwide’s entry for MTV titled  “Woofer’’ also won Gold. Tree Design won Gold for “Love Knows No Boundaries’’ for Cadbury’s Mondelez Silk Packaging in the category of design.

     

    Also, Republic TV was awarded with two Finalist awards while Viacom18 and Jagran Prakashan won three Finalist awards each. Mathrubhumi Publication, Tree Design and Ignite Media each won a finalist award too.

     

     

  • The channel will launch on June 1 with eight premieres on 8 consecutive days

    Viacom18 to launch Colors Gujarati Cinema on June 1

    By A Correspondent

    Viacom18 has announced the launch of Colors Gujarati Cinema, the first 24-hour movies channel in Gujarati. With the tagline of Filmo Matrubhasha Ma, which translates into Movies in your mother-tongue, the channel will launch on June 1, 2019 as a pay channel. It will be a part of the network’s primary distribution ‘value pack’.

    Said Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO & Managing Director, Viacom18: “Four years ago, we consolidated and rebranded our play in regional TV broadcast under the Colors umbrella. Since then not only have we added seven more channels but also entered new markets through our broadcast, digital and films businesses. Over the last two years our regional cluster has grown at a CAGR of 36.5% in viewership and 22% in revenue,” adding: “Gujarat presents a unique opportunity for us as we can leverage our regional GEC Colors Gujarati’s strong 43% market share position and capture a current whitespace in the market – movie broadcast.”

    Ravish Kumar, Head - Regional TV Network,and Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO & Managing Director, Viacom18 at the announcement of COLORS Gujarati Cinema
    Ravish Kumar with Sudhanshu Vats

    Added Ravish Kumar, Head – Regional TV Network, Viacom18: ‘’Gujarati language has clocked the highest growth rate amongst all language TV viewership with an astounding 36% year-on-year growth. Movies as a TV genre enjoys 25% viewership in Gujarat, a state with an 87-year-old legacy of producing films and plays. With the absence of a premium television channel showcasing Gujarati movies, it was the perfect whitespace for us to capture. Not only does Colors Gujarati Cinema provide for a business case but also allows us to give the people of Gujarat a destination to enjoy movies in their mother-tongue. With Colors Gujarati Cinema, we aim to respond to the regional market’s appetite for high-quality content while retaining its socio-cultural identity through a rich library of 300+ films and plays.”

    The network is planning a 360-degree marketing campaign across pre-launch, launch and sustenance phases. The state will see major print and radio campaigns across all major publications and stations. Marketing campaign will be headlined by an industry-first RAP anthem which has been shot with popular Gujarati actor Jimit Trivedi to capture the pulse of the youth. An OOH campaign across 23 major towns of Gujarat and a television campaign across Colors Gujarati and the market’s top non-network channels will see an ad blitzkrieg with 1000 spots aired. In a marketing tie-up that brings unprecedented scale to the launch, Colors Gujarati Cinema will run an in-theatre campaign that will launch with Salman Khan’s upcoming Bharat.

  • The top Tier I and II cities like Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Gurgaon notched the traffic

    Republic TV’s HD OTT boasts record watchtime on Counting Day

    By A Correspondent

     

    English news channel Republic TV is impressed with its Counting Day numbers of 122 million watch minutes on its digital live stream. The top Tier I and II cities like Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Gurgaon are said to have notched up traffic and recorded deepest engagement. Republic TV’s digital platform also recorded its biggest global audience mainly from USA, UAE, Australia and Canada. It may be noted that MxMIndia has not verified the data with any source.

     

    Said Ashwin Rao, Director, India at Limelight Networks: “Millions of viewers in India and around the world tuned into Republic TV for the much anticipated 2019 Lok Sabha Elections results. While the traffic spikes were expected, Republic TV successfully managed to provide a seamless and a broadcast quality experience on millions of connected devices to their India and global customer base.”

     

    Arnab Goswami

    Added Arnab Goswami, Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of Republic Media Network, in a statement: “News is instantaneous and video news access across devices makes Republic TV the most accessible news brand. Video consumptions have sky-rocketed during the Election season and Republic TV clearly emerges a leader amongst its fellow publishers. With 60% of our audience being below the age of 35, we are extremely confident that we will start a wave of knowledge that will attract more such inquisitive minds and provoke them to think”.

     

     

  • The film accentuates the need of skilled labour for a prosperous economy in India

    NGC’s upcoming film to showcase needs of skilled workforce

    By A Correspondent

     

    National Geographic will premiere India’s Mega Workforce, a documentary, which accentuates the need of skilled labour for a prosperous economy in India.

     

    Commenting on the film, Gayatri Yadav, President & Head-Consumer Strategy and Innovation, Star India said: “National Geographic is synonymous with delivering impactful and compelling stories across all consumer touch points. In line with our philosophy, we aim to educate the world about the dire need of required skillsets amongst youngsters for a flourishing economy. Through this film, the viewers will be provided with a balanced view on the topic – presenting all possible facets of the subject, the impact of technological advancements and the need to prepare our workforce for the new technology age.”

     

     

  • The channel collaborates with the performer to produce exclusive content for its #KaamBadnaam campaign celebrating ‘oddly satisfying jobs’

    Mallika Dua lends voice to Zee TV’s digital campaign

    By A Correspondent

     

    Zee TV has collaborated with actor, writer and stand-up comedy star Mallika Dua to produce exclusive content for a digital campaign to promote the launch of its new fiction offering ‘Hamari Bahu Silk’. The show highlights the story of a young girl Pakhi who signs up for a job of a voice-over artist for sensuous films so that she can financially support her family.

     

    Said Prathyusha Agarwal, Chief Marketing Officer, Zee: “Hamari Bahu Silk touches upon the subject of unconventional career choices, the judgements they draw from amongst one’s own inner circle and the filters of Log Kya Kahenge that come in the way of taking up these jobs. But with the show addressing the issue in a light-hearted manner, we took a humorous approach to build the digital surround for its launch. Mallika Dua, widely applauded for her spot-on observations and irreverent takes on social phenomena makes for a fine fit for us to collaborate with on a campaign like #KaamBadnaam where we celebrate oddly satisfying jobs like the one taken up by our protagonist of Hamari Bahu Silk.”