MxMIndia

Category: MEDIAAH!

Season 3 of Pradyuman Maheshwari’s no-holds-barred commentary on the media

  • Agnello Dias represents the new face of adland and has done some terrific work, writes Pradyuman Maheshwari

    Mediaah!: Aggie – well-deserved Impact Person of the Year

    By Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

    So it’s Agnello Dias as Impact Person of the Year. For the first time in the seven-year history of Impact Person of the Year, an adperson has won the coveted accolade. Guess there have been times when people have come very close, but given the way the selection is done whoever is top of mind in the second half of the year, generally forges ahead (see disclosure).

     

    Deserving choice, and in every way echoes the sentiment of the industry. Aggie, with his Airtel ad, has been the toast of adland. I did a quick dipstick on Tuesday asking for names of the top creative folk in the country. The sample: 11 people from three metros. And this is what 90 per cent of the people said: Piyush Pandey, Prasoon Joshi and Agnello Dias.

     

    Feel sorry for the rest of the immense creative talent that India has, but guess these things happen and I don’t think anyone minds it. While Piyush is around, there is a laaarge creative pool at Ogilvy. Ditto in JWT, Mudra and the mom-and-pop shop based in Patna and Panjim.

     

    Should it have been one of the others?

     

    Haresh Chawla, outgoing Group CEO, Network18 and Viacom18

    Madhukar Kamath, MD & CEO, Mudra Group and Chairman, AdAsia

    Man Jit Singh, CEO, Multi Screen Media

    Rajiv Verma, CEO, Hindustan  Times

    Ronnie Screwvala, CEO and Founder Chairman, UTV

    Sandeep Goyal, Non-Executive Founder Chairman, Dentsu India

    Vineet Jain, Managing Director, Times Group

     

    Guess since it’s the fraternity who decides on who the award should go to, I think the question should be asked to each of us and not the exchange4media group management. For me, Agnello Dias represents the new face of Indian advertising. He is young, dynamic and has done some super work when with JWT and now as an entrepreneur running Taproot.

     

    What you can ask them (and the editorial team) is why they chose Haresh Chawla as Editorial Choice and not Vineet Jain, Sandeep Goel, Ronnie Screwvala, Man Jit Singh, Rajiv Verma and Madhukar Kamath? I think Haresh Chawla deserved it awesomely and since he’s moving out of the Network/Viacom/Web/etc 18 group, there can be no nasties like he was given the award to get more ads.

     

    So just as you may ask as to why cricketer x wasn’t selected for the Australia series, there will be questions asked as to why Haresh and why not Vineet Jain or Ronnie or Madhukar or Rajiv Verma or Sandeep Goel or Man Jit Singh?

     

    Pointless discussion. Many congratulations to Agnello Dias and Haresh Chawla.

     

    (Disclosure: I worked with the exchange4media group until May this year and ran the Impact Person of the Year for the last three years)

    Photograph: Bharat Kapadia

     

    The PR Channel

    Must mention here that I have been think of a specialised PR publication ever since Hanmer & PR founder-bossman Sunil Gautam asked me a question of whether it would work here in India. I didn’t think it would as a standalone, but in a broadbased site like MxMIndia, it should.

     

    SRK: India’s biggest endorser

    His Ra.One may not have worked as well as he would have, but the publicity around it was phenomenal. Clearly the biggest we’ve seen in India. Little wonder that an Economic Times report says that SRK emerged as the most visible celeb on TV followed by Katrina and Kareena. I missed reading it in the Mumbai edition of ET, but here’s a web link: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/services/advertising/shah-rukh-khan-fmcg-cos-lead-tv-advertising-charts/articleshow/11041079.cms

     

     

    Buzz me if you have a story to tell and gossip to share. Confidentiality assured. Andar ki baat will stay under. There are various ways you can reach me: pradyumanm[at]mxmindia.com, BBM @ 23050B5D, pradyumanm[at]gmail.com, @pmahesh, 98338 76278.

     

    Disclaimer: Although Pradyuman Maheshwari is CEO of MxMIndia other than being editor-in-chief, he chucks those hats while writing Mediaah! So, the views expressed here are entirely his own and not those of the website and the team that runs it (especially the National Sales Head!).

  • MxMIndia's Code of Ethics prevents it from carrying illegally-procured content

    Why MxMIndia isn’t bringing you detailed IRS data

    The answer to this question is simple: because the MRUC doesn’t want us to. When we posed a few questions based on the toplines we received, the director-general responded: “The Council is of the view that no further data / analysis to be shared with non-subscribers”.

     

    The MRUC wants the media tracking the IRS to pay up and subscribe. Hansa Research has been asked to not give us the dump (as it would a few quarters back). The reason: apparently there are publications who don’t want to subscribe because they’ll find them on MxMIndia or elsewhere.

     

    We don’t quite agree with this standpoint, but since these are the rules, we will abide by them. The MxMIndia Code of Ethics prevents us from publishing any content that’s illegally procured. And even though a few other websites have indeed carried detailed data, since our discussions with MRUC haven’t concluded, we will not carry.

     

    We believe that by sharing some of the broad numbers with the trade/niche media, the MRUC will only build an appetite for what lies within its data. Quite like the way TAM does for its television rating figures.

     

    In Q2 (2011), like some other trade sites, MxMIndia relied on certain media agencies/professionals for the data. We weren’t aware of MRUC’s diktat on the issue. But now that we are, we’ve stayed away.

     

    We haven’t even carried press releases from media companies. While we trust them, since there is no way to verify the data, we decided to pass these, explaining our predicament.

     

    So, dear reader. Your site is still on the ball with news that’s relevant, but our Code of Ethics determine the way we conduct ourselves. We will, hopefully, have stitched up a way in which we can bring you the real thing in the right way.

     

     

    -Pradyuman Maheshwari

    Editor-in-Chief and CEO

    MxMIndia

  • Pradyuman Maheshwari lists (and comments on) the 12 media organisations worth watching out for this year

    The Anchor: 12 media conglomerates to watch out in 2012

    By Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

    It’s the season for lists and as one who enjoys making (and reading) them, I couldn’t help volunteer to write this one. There were other contenders too for the 12, but these came out top, and not without reason.

     

    Here goes (in alphabetical order):

    1. BCCL:

    If this were a brands’ list, Bennett, Coleman and Company Limited’s products would make for at least five in the Top 12. There are various reasons why I am going to watch BCCL very closely.

     

    1. The editorial stand taken by flagship Times of India and Times Now in the election season. It was after TOI’s belligerent stand that Suresh Kalmadi came under fire and later the Anna Hazare movement gained much legitimacy.

    2. How TOI publications takes on regional superpowers: in markets like Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad with The Hindu, Telegraph and Deccan Chronicle respectively (they haven’t been able to outwit them), their entry in Kerala and managing markets like Maharashtra where competition will get stiffer.

    3. Times Now: Times Now = Arnab Goswami. He can disrobe any political leader on his day and asks the tough question like few others, but it’s not that the channel is invincible in the ratings game as there have been weeks when we’ve seen it trailing.

    4. Paid Content. The Times of India model of paid content may be the most aboveboard, and it has indeed put a line under the mastheads of Bombay/Delhi/etc Times that each of them is an ‘Advertorial, Entertainment Promotional Feature’, but that’s not enough. An announcement to that effect must be made on and off on the first page of the main paper which carries a pointer to the supplement.

    5. The new leadership team: Their vision and ways have been much discussed outside the portals of the Times offices. (One of the many reasons why I am going to be attending ad-tech Delhi next month is to witness director Satyen Gajwani’s keynote).

     

     

    2. Dainik Bhaskar

    If there’s a newspaper group in the country that continues to surprise all with the rapid strides it is taking in publishing, it’s decidedly Dainik Bhaskar. From the time it started the Jaipur edition a decade and a half back, there’s been no looking back for Bhaskar. The group has been diversifying aggressively over the last few years, given that it achieves much strength from its publishing ventures, its face-off with rivals will be watched closely.

     

    3. Dainik Jagran

    Publishers of the largest daily newspaper, the Kanpur-based group has its eyes set on some big things. The acquisition of Mid-Day saw the expansion of Inquilab and a clumsily handled shutting of two English Mid-Day editions. But its war chest is intact and expect some big announcements of acquisitions from the stable this year.

     

    4. Government of India

    What’s the government doing in a companies to watch out for list. Well, that’s because one can’t really do without in almost everything a media company does. Last year, we saw the ministry of information and broadcasting flexing its muscles way too much. Regulation, wage structure, renewals of licences and, of course, stray to outlandish comments from the various powers that be. Note: the DAVP which routes all ads to papers could play a crucial role in an election year.

     

    5. HT Media

    It publishes two newspapers I enjoy reading – Mint and Hindustan Times, but there’s more reason for it to be featured here: the group has been growing steadily across its various markets, and especially Hindustan which has seen a phenenomenal rise in certified readership over the last two years.

     

    6. MSM

    Its three big GEC rivals – Star, Zee and Colors – won’t let it breathe easy, but 2012 could see a golden opportunity for the Multi Screen Media to outshine the big ‘uns. Some of Sony’s fictions are doing remarkably well, the Sab TV magic continues, it’s IPL time soon and other channels aren’t just bystanders. Could MSM be the numero uno by this time next year? It’s tough, but not impossible.

     

    There are six more in the list. But as they do on entertainment television, read about them in the second part tomorrow (as part of Mediaah! which I plan to write more regularly from now on).

     

    Buzz me if you have a story to tell and gossip to share. Confidentiality assured. Andar ki baat will stay under. There are various ways you can reach me: pradyumanm[at]mxmindia.com, BBM @ 23050B5D, Whatsapp/Gtalk pradyumanm[at]gmail.com, @pmahesh, 98338 76278.

     

    Disclaimer: Although Pradyuman Maheshwari is CEO of MxMIndia other than being editor-in-chief, he chucks those hats while writing Mediaah! So, the views expressed here are entirely his own and not those of the website and the team that runs it (especially the National Sales Head!).

     

  • Pradyuman Maheshwari thinks the Reliance Industries Ltd-TV/Network 18-Eenadu deal will help improve the financial health of the news media

    Mediaah!: Why Mukesh Ambani’s Network18 foray is good news for the Indian media

    By Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

    It’s a complex deal and required the financial wizardry of the accounting boys at Reliance Industries, Network 18 and their advisers.

     

    The bottomline is: Reliance is buying into Network 18 and asking it to manage its interests in ETV. Mind it, Network 18 and Television 18 are still Raghav Bahl companies with a majority and controlling stake. Also, Reliance is not going to have Mukeshbhai playing supereditor. RIL has set up a trust (Independent Media Trust) with eminent people as members.

     

    The Ambanis love affair with the media started ever since his father Dhirubhai got into the big league and had a soured relationship with The Indian Express founder Ramnath Goenka. The Ambanis bought over the much revered Commerce Weekly and turned it into a business daily called The Observer of Business and Politics. It also bought over The Sunday Observer. Both the papers shut and there have been rumours ever since of brothers Mukesh and Anil infusing funds in media ventures indirectly.

     

    There were direct ones too like Reliance Entertainment with Amit Khanna at the helm and later Rajesh Sawhney and now Tarun Katial leading the agenda. But it’s the indirect, in-the-closet funding that’s always been of interest. At least one large newspaper and one news channel are said to have benefitted from their largesse.

     

    Interestingly, Anil Ambani’s Reliance Capital had also picked up some stocks in Bahl’s enterprise a while back and more recently a sizeable chunk in Bloomberg UTV. The Bloomberg-licensed channel is now controlled by Reliance ADAG.

     

    While there could be issues of how the interests of big business companies will impact the content of the media they own, especially when there are controversies like we had with Niira Radia and the 2G scam, to my mind the entry of the Ambanis into the media is good news.

     

    The media sector – news media specifically — has been facing awful times. There have been many wrong investments and more importantly the spends are much higher than revenues. The sector is also majorly underleveraged, with airtime most often being sold at a song.

     

    On the possible clash of interests between the business dealings of the large conglomerates and the editorial independence of newsrooms, I have two points on offer:

     

    1. It’s not that all of the the current lot of media companies are squeaky clean and honest. The roster of newspapers indulging in paid news reads like a Who’s Who of Indian media. There are biases which do come in and advertisers often exert pressure and threaten to pull out ads if there are negative stories

    2. The Reliance Industries move of setting up a trust to further its interests in the media is a healthy sign and if it works and is truly independent could lead the way of other business groups entering the media.

     

    I hope the Mukesh Ambani foray sees more big business invest in the media. It will be good for the financial health, lead to more jobs and, Inshallah, better salaries.

     

    Tomorrow: More about the Media and Big Business and the Prime Minister’s speech on Monday

     

    Buzz me if you have a story to tell and gossip to share. Confidentiality assured. Andar ki baat will stay under. There are various ways you can reach me: pradyumanm[at]mxmindia.com, BBM @ 23050B5D, Whatsapp/Gtalk pradyumanm[at]gmail.com, @pmahesh, 98338 76278.

     

    Disclaimer: Although Pradyuman Maheshwari is CEO of MxMIndia other than being editor-in-chief, he chucks those hats while writing Mediaah! So, the views expressed here are entirely his own and not those of the website and the team that runs it (especially the National Sales Head!).

     

  • A man of several parts would perhaps be an appropriate descriptor of Bal Mundkur, founder of Ulka Advertising, who passed away on Saturday

    Mediaah!: RIP, Bal Mundkur

    By Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

    I was sad to learn of Bal Mundkur’s passing on Saturday. I got in touch with Mundkur thanks to my colleague Vidya Heble (her tribute @).

    We were doing a cover feature on 50 years of Ulka for Impact, and while we had interviewed the new captains, we couldn’t have done the story without speaking to the man who started it all: Bal Mundkur.

     

    Vidya and Rishi Vora met him for the story and since we didn’t get him photographed here in Mumbai, I asked former colleague and editor of O Herald O in Goa Sujay Gupta to do a quid pro quo. We would give him the story and he gets us the pictures. Mundkur wasn’t too happy with the story appearing in the Herald, I figured later.

     

    He had wanted to speak to me about the book project that he had undertaken. He also wanted to subscribe to Impact, and sent in a cheque for the subscription as well as wanted some 20 copies of the issue that carried the article.

     

    We would’ve done it without the cheque, but Mundkur insisted.

    Speaking to him on phone meant investing at least half an hour, because you had to hear him out and convince him about what your point of view.

     

    I met him on a Saturday morning at the Orchid. He gave me his room number a week in advance, and the first question I asked him when I met him was how did he know which room he was going to be in. “Because, young man, this is my room,” he said. And he then regaled with me with a countless stories, each of which threw light on a different facet of his personality.

     

    On how we was a naval officer, an aviator, a music enthusiast… how he got into advertising, his pet peeves and the projects back in Goa. I spent some three hours with him. Possibly three-and-a-half. I could’ve spent an entire day soaking in the old stories. But there was a lunch to be at and Mundkur too had a meeting to head to.

     

    The room at Orchid (near the domestic terminal of Mumbai airport) was given to him by hotelier Vithal Kamat who Mundkur said he had helped financially ages ago (note: info not verified).

     

    He spoke about his book, and how it was meant to be a volume on Ulka. But he firmly believed that no such historical account could go without talking of the other greats of the time (note: info not verified). He insisted on it and chose to get on to the Ad Katha project and finally succeeded in launching it at Ad Asia.

     

    I didn’t really stay in touch with him, though tried calling him after his book Ad Katha’s release. I also wanted to speak to him about MxM and seek his blessings.

     

    I also wanted a personally autographed copy of the book. I guess I’ll never get that. I am happy of course that I could spend some time with him.

    Perhaps we should request Vidya to write a biography on the great man. Am sure it will be an uputdownable account.

     

    Amartya Sen on what’s wrong with the Indian media

    Nobel laureate and Bharat Ratna Amartya Sen writes a loooong 2000-plus-word review of the Indian media and what’s wrong with it (@http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/article2781128.ece).

     

    The last para of the piece sums up his argument:

    If the first problem I referred to, that of accuracy, is one of improving the performance of the news media through better quality control, the second, transcending class bias, concerns the media’s role in reporting and discussing the problems of the country in a balanced way. The media can greatly help in the functioning of Indian democracy and the search for a better route to progress including all the people – and not just the more fortunate part of Indian society. What is central to the functioning of the news media in Indian democracy is the combination of accuracy with the avoidance of bias. The two problems, thus, complement each other.

     

    It took me a second read to get a grip on what he was trying to say.

    While being told about the inaccurate reportage is embarrassing, I don’t agree with his second view on class bias. More on that some other day… you don’t want another 2000 words on the issue, do you?

     

    Vij is back at afaqs

    Guess we know why only afaqs carries the story about Sandeep Vij, co-founder of afaqs.com, quitting DDB Mudra. He is all set to do so, the story informs. And where’s he going? Well, to get back to Banyan Netfaqs! Private Limited (BNPL) which runs! and The Mobile Indian. “He plans to help usher BNPL into its next phase of growth in the online media space,” the report says.

     

    Should we be getting worried?

     

    Buzz me if you have a story to tell and gossip to share. Confidentiality assured. Andar ki baat will stay under. There are various ways you can reach me: pradyumanm[at]mxmindia.com, BBM @ 23050B5D, Whatsapp/Gtalk pradyumanm[at]gmail.com, @pmahesh, 98338 76278.

     

    Disclaimer: Although Pradyuman Maheshwari is CEO of MxMIndia other than being editor-in-chief, he chucks those hats while writing Mediaah! So, the views expressed here are entirely his own and not those of the website and the team that runs it (especially the National Sales Head!).

     

  • Participating in the polling process is a good way to help make our respective cities and towns better places to live in. And that’s reason #1 to 100… to infinity for voting

    A request from MxMIndia: Please go out and Vote!

    By Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

    It’s voting day for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections.  Thursday, February 16.

     

    It’s not a huge public holiday as it is on polling day for the Lok Sabha or Assembly, but there are some offices who have given a chhutti or offered concessions to employees in terms of timings.

     

    Here’s what we have done @ MxMIndia. Being a news company, we can’t be shut, but we have allowed the team in Mumbai and around to come in late or leave early to vote. As an incentive, those who do go out and vote and can prove it by showing the indelible ink mark, will have an extra day added to their balance of earned leaves.

     

    Being a small team, it’s more easily done. But if you can, please do incentivise or put an element of fun. Go, effect a tie-up with the neighbourhood nightspot for a glass of draught when it’s not a dry day.

     

    Do whatever, but vote one must. We keep cribbing about how Bombay’s dying. That Delhi’s infrastructure is so much better. That the Metro services would’ve taken half the time to happen had it been the national capital. That no one really cares an eff about the Metro’s development. Ditto with Pune, whose infra will collapse if allowed to grow indiscriminately. And I am sure that’s the case with other urban centres too.

     

    Participating in the polling process is a good way to help make our respective cities and towns better places to live in. And that’s reason #1 to 100… to infinity for voting. There’s no right to recall elected candidates, but the fact that there have been people in other parts of the world (and even here in India) taking on the rulers via mass protests and social media has shown us that there is a way out of the mess.

     

    Enough gyaan. Please do go out and cast your vote. I am going to, for sure.

     

  • For good to triumph over evil, what better place to start than one’s own backyard?

    The Anchor: 10 media evils we’d like to see banished this Dassera

    By Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

    It’s Dassera tomorrow, a festival that symbolises good winning over evil. Here’s my list of 10 media evils that I would like to see the end of. You can say that some of these are predictable since I have written about the issues in the past, but they are genuine evils. Banish them!

    #1 Corruption

    The 10-letter word is not just a preserve of government and politicians. It exists in plenty in corporates and the private sector. Our business included. Bribes to get sales deals through, generating revenues by way of money payouts and favours. Sending media buyers and clients to see the FIFA World Cup or Wimbledon tennis is nothing extraordinary these days. Nor is selling of magazine covers, or newspaper or website stories, in lieu of monies very surprising. Ditto with awards: money or just for old times’ sake. Har ek friend zaroori hota hai!

    #2 Paid news

    This has been institutionalised by certain publications even if it’s for just for lifestyle, glamour and brand launch news. It needs to stop, and a dubious disclaimer won’t do. Paid News is prostitution of editorial space and I don’t have to spell out what its practitioners should be called.

    #3 Industry fiefdoms

    Trade associations are supposed to help the lowest common denominator, but in the media we have a situation that some of the aasociations have become fiefdoms and people hardly mentor or help the weaker players. In fact they often attempt to crush them.

    #4 The ratings race

    Revenues happen only if there is proof that your product is read or seen or heard. Nothing wrong with it. But some newspapers are rumoured to go to any extent to fix things. And channels see nothing wrong tweaking storylines for better numbers. Ratings ke liye kuch bhi karega!

    #5 Dearth of talent and disparity in salaries

    There is need for dramatic change here. Some wings of media and marketing are paid fantastically, others pathetically. Journalists, for instance, are very poorly paid in many establishments. Ditto with staffers in Tier 2 cities. The media needs to attract quality talent and offer great content. Both are critical for good content. Alas, I don’t see this changing in a hurry.

    #6 Abuse of Intellectual property

    In Indian media, copyright is mostly defined as the right to copy. Our media companies are fortunate that legal action takes its time or never happens. Else a few of them could be giving the more high profile criminals company in Tihar or Arthur Road. The discipline has to start from the ground-up. Googled pictures must be a no-no and only licensed content must be used.

     

    #7 Fake ads

    It’s not as severe as other issues here, but the fake ads that advertising agencies craft to win awards are not on. Yes, they are a given these days and some leading agencies patronise the practice. But there has to be a way to end it. Perhaps some introspection?

     

    #8 Content sucks

    The self-regulation mechanism has been set up, but I think some of our channels, especially a few newswallahs, could do with a drive to improve content. And a news channel must air news and possibly some kutta-billi stuff. Not the other way round.

     

    #9 FDI blues

    Foreign direct investment in radio was hiked to 26 percent last week and in news channels it’s restricted to 26 percent till date. However, GECs can be 100 percent owned by foreigners. And creative and media advertising agencies too can be fully owned by non-Indians. Given that ad agencies influence media buying decisions and hence can in turn influence the media, why not allow full FDI in news and radio?

     

    #10 No Ethics!

    It’s a dirty word in most media organizations. Look at how many have a Code of Ethics, and insist on employees (and the promoters) agreeing to practise it.

     

     

    The views expressed here are my own and are not endorsed by MxMIndia.com

  • Pradyuman Maheshwari on why he’s going to do the trek to Powai for FICCI Frames 2012.

    11 reasons why I am going to be @ Frames this year

    By Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

    #1 This is my 11th FICCI Frames. Must say I had lost count of when the event was launched, except when I learnt yesterday that’s it’s the thirteenth edition of the event. If I remember right, I have missed out on just two years. So, couldn’t not make it this year.

     

    #2 This is the only time I visit the the Marriott property at Powai. The Renaissance is a great hotel and I quite prefer it to other convention hotels like Taj Palace in Delhi or Leela at Gurgaon, but three days of the trek here are enough for the whole year!

     

    #3 I can’t do without meeting my Frames friends. Yes, I don’t meet them for the rest of the year… these days I chat with some over Facebook or BBM, but nothing like meeting in the lobby at Frames.

     

    #4 Star-gazing! Thanks to the fact that Yash Chopra is chairperson of the entertainment committee and now with Karan Johar as co-chair, one can’t not find the big stars around. Last year, we had Vidya Balan pre-Dirty Picture. Now, we have Vidya Balan post-Dirty Picture. Ooh, la, la!

     

    #5 There is some serious discussion on digitization and with the presence of all stakeholders – the I&B secretary and the TRAI chairman, the key broadcasters and the distribution biggies, we couldn’t have had a better platform now that the sunset date in metro is a few weeks away

     

    #6 I enjoy Uday Shankar’s keynotes. The industry couldn’t have asked for a better champion. Given that his group is also into films in the country and his own background in news and print, there are few who have a more well-rounded view.

     

    #7 I am also looking forward to the session with all the legal eagles though I am unsure whether the time allotted will be sufficient for a reasonable discussion. Perhaps next year, there should be a day-long discussion with the law-wallahs.

     

    #8 Even though MxMIndia is a media partner and there’s no denying the fact that Frames is the premier event of India’s M&E sector, I have also been critical of a few of the earlier editions. It would get boring and I have seen no real merit in some of the deliberations. I have found media captains snooze and wish I had taken pictures of them. But I see that there is an attempt to get some new names in.

     

    #9 I really like Rajiv Makhni of NDTV and I’m going to try and attend all the sessions moderated by him. In fact I wonder he was only called for three of the sessions… why not all?

     

    #10 Clinch deals, exchange cards and pleasantries and promise to meet. Now that I am in an entrepreneurial mode, all of this assumes much importance.

     

    #11 And for the 11th reason why I am going to be at FICCI Frames this year: Be happy that you are part of the media and entertainment business. Okay, folks in other industry sectors may not think much of us and crib about our work – our newspapers, magazines, channels, films… whatever – but they can’t do without us.

     

    The views expressed here are my own, and not necessarily those of MxMIndia.com and my colleagues.

  • Pradyuman Maheshwari on why the TRAI proposal on ad duration and display need to be rubbished and how market forces must decide on what’s right

    MxMIndia Comment: Let market forces decide ad duration

    By Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

    There is no denying that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has done some splendid work in the world of telecom. It’s also done its homework well on the recommendations for digitized delivery of broadcast signals. The sunset dates (especially for the four metros) are very ambitious, but TRAI is determined to cleanse the system, and this could well help do that.

     

    However, there are some areas where TRAI has failed, and come up with outlandish recommendations. For instance, its advisory that only All India Radio news feeds be used on FM private radios. It’s bizarre. When all and sundry players are allowed to air news on television – via satellite and cable, why not have news on radio? I believe that radiowallahs are also to blame for this delay and somewhere the fact that most of them are also in television and print is impacting pushing this agenda.

     

    Then there’s the issue of cross-ownership. I am aware of the problems that owning various media has, but just following what was implemented in developed nations eons ago is not right. Also, strategic tie-ups between media groups can happen to ensure that they further their collective agenda. An example being of Star and Zee getting together to set up distribution arm MediaPro.

     

    The newest in TRAI’s proposals which has now asked stakeholders to present views is on the duration and display of ads on channels. Surely we knew that the TRAI was working on it, but the timing was interesting. It’s happening at the end of a tough fiscal, but more importantly, the industry bodies have matured in their outlook and are taking necessary steps to get their acts together (like they did on self-regulation). So why not ask the IBF and NBA to get together and deliberate?

     

    [youtube width=”350″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QGcFHfF6kE[/youtube]

    But the issue here is different, should the government really get into the act of regulating ad durations and displays? Let market forces decide (see video alongside where Sunil Lulla, Times TV Network CEO and VP, IBF and NBA board member, advocates the same to my colleague Shruti Pushkarna on the sidelines of the CASBAA convention yesterday). We have already had several instances when broadcasters have dropped ads to up viewership and ratings. Ad breaks on films have been tweaked much to achieve this. I am sure all sports channels know that they can’t play around with the amount of screenspace ads take because it impacts the viewer experiences. News channels go without a break for hours whenever they are pursuing a huge story.

     

    More than regulations, market forces will help decide all of this. The government must have as much, say, in the matter of ad duration as it has in, say, a Hindustan Lever’s pricing of Dove soap. Tracking the policies in other countries makes for good reading, but is not necessarily a good idea. Broadcasters have appointed top marketing and research talent to think through this. Let them do their jobs… they know what’s good for their channels and their viewers.

     

    The problem is that the Indian public doesn’t like to pay for content. They wouldn’t mind paying a few hundred rupees per head on going to the cinema for the movies, but will hesitate to pay even 1/10th that for a month’s subscription of a pay movie channel. Broadcasters are largely to blame for this, but that doesn’t mean that they need to pay so heavily for their mistakes.

     

    The damage is not done yet. I am certain that all stakeholders will damn the proposals and ensure that these regressive policies don’t come in to being.

     

    MxMIndia opposes them, and recommends a liberal broadcast regime. Let market forces rule.

     

  • July 1 is when television distribution in the four metros of Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi is required to go digital. The MxMIndia countdown will focus on the state of readiness and how digitization will impact the business

    MxMIndia Comment: 101 days to digitization

    By Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

    Oh, yes. Just 101 more days to digitization. Day 100 is a holiday in the key market of Mumbai on account of Gudi Padwa, so we thought it was appropriate to kickstart MxMIndia’s countdown in digitization a day ahead.

     

    Not many have appreciated the true significance of digitization. To my mind (and that of various others in the country), it’s the next most important milestone after the advent of colour television and private satellite channels. In relevance, perhaps a shade lesser, but in terms of execution by far the biggest. Which is why there’s no overnight change as they have with petrol fares, and it’s being done in a phased manner with just the four metros of Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi to start with. And that’s July 1. June 30 is the sunset date. The last day for analogue.

     

    So are we ready for digitization? Yes, we are getting there, most people will tell you. But the reality is that we are far from it. Loads need to be done in tough markets like Mumbai and Delhi. Awareness levels are low and there is no clear urgency.

     

    And to top it, last week’s Budget had no sops for set-top boxes, the all-important contraption you need to receive digital transmission. We’ve also had a joint I&B secretary announcing punishment for those who fail to comply.

     

    Starting today, MxMIndia will bring you updates and bytes from various stakeholders. We’ll tell you how channels are getting ready to retain viewers and cope with the transparency that the new mode of transmission will bring in. We’ll tell you more about how all of this will impact audience measurement and media buying.

     

    We’ll bring you the ringside view on the real issues. We may not be able to solve the problems, but we’ll do whatever it takes to highlight the problems and solutions.

    And, as always, we’ll tell you what’s good for you.

    Like we believe digitization is a boon for consumers and the industry.

    101 days to go.  Let’s go for it.

     

    Have a view on digitization? Write to us at editor@mxmindia.com.

    Buzz me if you have a story to tell. Confidentiality assured. There are various ways you can reach me: pradyumanm[at]mxmindia.com, BBM @ 23050B5D, Gtalk pradyumanm[at]gmail.com, @pmahesh, Whatsapp, 98338 76278.

     

  • A piece of news that's going to generate much sound and angst. Hemant Morparia, one of India's foremost editorial cartoonists, has moved from Mid-Day to Mumbai Mirror.

    Mediaah! Morparia moves from Mid-Day to Mirror, Weekend tweets, The Monday Psssst!

    By Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

    Big Switch! Morparia takes his toon from Mid-Day to Mumbai Mirror

    In Mumbai’s media circles, this is a piece of news that’s going to generate much sound and angst. Hemant Morparia, one of India’s foremost editorial cartoonists, has moved from Mid-Day to Mumbai Mirror. There was a time when he could have been called a part-time cartoonist, but since around a decade, he appears to be doing two full-time jobs. The first as a radiologist and sonologist at the Breach Candy Hospital and the second as an editorial cartoonist. Now with Mumbai Mirror, Time Out and a few other publications.

     

    Sound and angst because Mumbai Mirror isn’t an afternoon paper like Mid-Day, but they are kind-of in the same space. So the switch will hurt Mid-Day much. And angst, because it’s sad to see Mid-Day lose Morparia just around the time when it was getting its act together.

     

    In a sense, the Mirror switch is a kind-of homecoming. He started out in the Times building in the late 1980s with The Evening News of India and then the Illustrated Weekly before doing daily toons for Bombay Times for nine years. And then in 2003, he shifted to Mid-Day. Another nine years later, he’s moved to Mumbai Mirror.

     

    I posed a few questions to Morparia on the move.

     

    1. So, why the switch from Mid-Day to Mumbai Mirror?

    > Some change of scene is always good, specially after nine years. It gives you a new audience and new space and new feedback. It helps to re-evaulate your own style and content. I was perfectly happy with Mid-Day, very pleasant people to work with and no problems with them at all. Happy memories with them. Sachin Kalbag is a friend and am saddened to leave.

     

    2. One of my peeves with Mid-Day was that your toon was all over the paper. How much is a fixed slot necessary for a pocket cartoon? Like Laxman had in ToI for years?

    > Ya, a fixed slot is a great attraction for a daily cartoonist, I would say a must. See, a daily cartoon is, or could become, a habit. If all over the place, it does not easily do so.

     

    3. Will we continue to see your toons in Time-Out and elsewhere?

    > Yes, I have only given the daily cartoon slot to the Mirror.

     

    4. So what’s more fun at this stage of your career: doing sonos and xrays, or tooning?

    > Well as I respond to you, I’m at the hospital, having just made a rare diagnosis on an emergency basis at 9pm on a Sunday. I did a sonography on a lady in pain, who just lost her father, two days ago. The diagnosis will be the key to whether she needs surgery or not. With this diagnosis, a surgery has been averted. That does give one satisfaction, undoubtedly. But it’s of a different type from the creative satisfaction that a making a cartoon gives. Creative satisfaction satisfies me first. And that is fun. Medicine and radiology are not fun, but are skills that can be learnt and honed. Being in two professions as different as these give one a sense of balance, proportion and some real-life perspective.

     

    5. Do you find the role of the cartoonist diminishing in the newspaper? There are more illustrations than cartoons offering commentary?

    > I think the reverse is true. Since we famously have a young population and young people enjoy humour, laughs, irreverence, visual stimulation and rebellion, then how can cartoons have a poor future? See how standup comedy has taken off in the country.

     

    6. How would you see cartooning shaping itself in the time of tablets and smartphones?

    > I don’t know. Probably an avenue for many cartoonists who don’t have the space provided by big publishers to access audiences directly and worldwide.

     

    Hmmm. Good to see Morparia welcoming newbies (and possible competition) to the business. Given the nine-year itch, guess the next change will be in 2021. 🙂

     

    Tweets of the weekend

    Until we find a permanent home for this and given that tweets from people across our business are perhaps the best way to keep tabs on what’s happening, here’s a sample of some gems that I picked over the weekend:

     

    Mahesh Murthy (@maheshmurthy): The most amazing discovery at @TimesNow #Foodie Awards? Arnab standing silently on the sidelines 🙂

     

    Satbir Singh (@thesatbir): In Goa, time passes so slowly you can almost hear it go hic hoc, hic hoc.

     

    Shishir Joshi (@joshishishir): What do you do whn a boss asks young reporter to pose as visiting actors fan since the office is falling short of crazy lovers of the star?

     

    Prabhu Chawla (@PrabhuChawla): Norway, gujrat porn gate, Coalgate makes it clear: Media just hypes a story and forgets a story behind such stories?

     

    Lynn de Souza (@lynndesouza): If you want something said, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman. From Lokmat Women Summit at Pune this morning.

     

    Anant Rangaswami (@AnantRangaswami): Just to make you feel better on a Saturday morning. Petrol now costs 1.40 GB Pounds/litre in London….

     

    The Monday Psssst!

    Is there more freedom to journalists in newspapers or on news television? Well, the likelihood of stories getting killed before they are carried is huger in the papers given the lead time.

     

    Recently, a commentator in a much-read daily found that his/her column was not carried because it was negative on a key political leader. It may have been for the first time in many years, but the fact that a column was dropped from the commentator who is a reasonably sound name in the media was shocking. And by a newspaper which prides on its ethical way of doing things.

     

    So why am I not taking names? Well, I’m sworn to secrecy. The column in question has appeared elsewhere, and all will soon be forgotten.

     

  • Network 18 group channels shine at the NT Awards with 39 awards as MCCS bags 24 for awards presented to channels and professionals in Telugu, Marathi, Hindi and English news channels + on Anant Rangaswami on afaqs

    Mediaah! Network 18 bags 39 news TV awards, MCCS 24

    By Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

    Under normal circumstances, we wouldn’t write about an event until we were physically present at an event. But, in India, sadly media entities in the same space are normally not invited by peers (rivals), and so MxMIndia wasn’t present at the annual News Television awards of Anil Wanvari’s IndianTelevision.com. Sad, because we would’ve loved to report on the event. Okay, we would’ve have networked with people, exchanged cards and consumed some alcohol and food, but, heck, by not getting due coverage, the very industry you are trying to promote loses out.

     

    Regardless of this and since I was associated with one edition of the awards, here’s a quick, politicially incorrect report – Mediaah-ishtyle:

    Network 18 channels (and website ibnlive.com) bagged maximum honours at the annual News Television (NT) awards presented by IndianTelevision.com in New Delhi on Wednesday.

     

    MCCS channels bagged 24, TV 9 with 15 and NDTV and TV Today with 12 metals awards each. CNN-IBN (and its website ibnlive.com) bagged 17 awards followed by IBN Lokmat in Marathi and TV 9 in Telugu with 14 awards each. MCCS channels Star News and Star Majha (Marathi) bagged 12 awards each.

     

     

    Some trivia: in general English channels, Headlines Today bagged 7 awards while NDTV 24×7 had 5. Also, ET Now with 5 and Bloomberg UTV with 3 was ahead of CNBC TV18 with 2 in the final tally. CNBC Awaaz was the only Hindi business channel in the awards list with 4 awards. Times Now does not figure in the list of awardees, though ET Now from the stable does.

     

    Note: Since MxMIndia was not invited to the event, this is based on the Indian Television report at link

     

    Full list of winners can be accessed at link.

     

    Important: while reading the tally and list of winners, it is vital to note the number of entries sent by each channel as well as who participated and who didn’t.  Reason: the more you participate, the more you are likely to win. And, an obvious observation, but must be underscored, if you don’t participate, you don’t win.

     

     

    It’s good to see Star News bag a good number of awards… they’ve been consistent at their work and also playing second-fiddle to Aaj Tak in mass and NDTV India in class. Though I don’t find anyone more mass than Deepak Chaurasia and class as some of the other anchors whose names I forget.

     

    Anant Rangaswami on afaqs

    It was nice to read Anant Rangaswami on afaqs.com. He’s a great writer, and having been in the business for a few decades, is on backslapping terms with a host of folks. More importantly, he has a good understanding of advertising and media issues.

     

    The footnote in the afaqs article says he’s a consultant at firstpost.com, but the site notes he’s senior editor, but those aren’t significant issues. I think firstpost.com is picking up well, and I’m beginning to enjoy some of its commentary, even though I don’t agree with some of it.

     

    I had stopped reading Campaign India after Anant quit, but his successor (seasoned theatreperson and Printweek editor) Ramu Ramnathan is a great guy and has managed to set it back on sail. It’s credible, looks good and is still popular… guess that’s what matters.

     

    But lemme not digress any further and get back to Monsieur Rangaswami’s afaqs piece. I was quite surprised to see him believe that regulating ad duration on television is good. Agreed what we have on some of the channels is obnoxious, but that’s because all of them are doing the same. The moment a few channels change their standards, I am sure the rest will follow.

     

    In fact Anant’s very argument that digitization should reduce the pressure on revenues from advertising is what should make things exciting. If the government really want to reap the benefits of a free-for-all, it must watch the fun post digitization. I understand TAM is also getting digitization-ready and the master strategists amongst all broadcasters will be put to test to figure what their revenue policies must be in the wake of viewership data coming in from addressable set-top boxes.

     

    Let the free market prevail, my friend!

     

    The views expressed here are my own and not necessarily those of MxMIndia.com and the team working with it.