MxMIndia

Category: NEWS

  • Media logistics company IMD, headquartered in London, has acquired the eBUS- Aidem Media Network, creating a substantial global footprint, with a combined local presence across major countries in Europe and Asia-Pacific

    Aidem to invest in tech forays post eBus jv cashout

    By A Correspondent

     

    Media logistics company IMD has acquired the Aidem Media Network stake in the eBus-Aidem joint venture paving the way for Aidem to invest in tech and digital forays.

     

    For its India activities, eBus has been in a joint venture with Aidem since 2010, and has built a large network of broadcasters for digital delivery and distribution of television commercials.

     

    Meanwhile, the London-headquarted IMD has acquired eBus. The acquisition allows IMD to strengthen its reach of digital TV ad delivery in the Asia-Pacific market. The new combined IMD and eBus entity hopes to bring a faster and more efficient digital delivery solution from a single provider to the increasing number of customers that have interests in global delivery solutions.

     

     

    Simon Cox

    IMD CEO Simon Cox said, “eBus fits amazingly well with IMD in so many ways; it’s territorially complementary, it’s very focused on TV ad delivery just like IMD and we have the same cultural and customer-service driven values. On top of that, eBus has a brilliant technology platform created by an exceptionally talented team.”

     

     

     

     

    Carmine Masiello

    eBus CEO Carmine Masiello said, “IMD’s investment in eBus will speed up our expansion in the Asia Pacific region. We look forward to being supported by a shareholder that combines financial strength with an intimate understanding of what we do and who we are.”

     

     

     

    Vikas Khanchandani

    Vikas Khanchandani, Director, Aidem Ventures said, “eBus already has a pan-India presence with over 250 channels as destinations and around 200 advertisers using the service. With IMD’s support this coverage is set to grow wider and faster. This acquisition of eBus by IMD will help us scale up our operations in accordance with this dynamic broadcast industry and constantly innovate to keep pace with the same.”

     

     

     

    Kaushal Dalal

    Kaushal Dalal, EVP, Aidem Ventures, added, “IMD has formed a strategic partnership with Aidem, enhancing the way that Aidem works with eBus and allowing IMD and Aidem to work together, more broadly. The management and stakeholders of all three companies support these new arrangements and are excited about their prospects and all the parties are committed to work together for the long term.”

     

  • With digitization the mantra of the times, digital archiving of media libraries is now in focus

    It’s the time to go digital!

     

    By Ananya Saha

     

    Media libraries are a rich source of history, especially given the vast history of journalism in India. And looking up this treasure trove of information has been made far easier with the advent of the digital age. No more thick tomes and long afternoons among the shelves – Google has quickly become the one-stop for all searches. But not everything is on the internet, and there is an increasingly urgent need for proper digitization of media archives and libraries, to both preserve information better and also make it easily accessible.

     

    Speaking at the first National Conference of Association of Media Libraries and Archives (AMLANC-2013) on the theme, ‘Managing Indian Media Libraries and Archives: Challenges, Opportunities and Best Practices’, Jawhar Sircar, CEO, Prasar Bharati, predicted that as the Indian media continues to grow, the future prospects of media libraries and archives is very bright and “the latest developments technology is playing a major role in offering digital and online library and archival services in various media organizations”.

     

    In his brief address, Chaitanya Kalbag, Editor-in-Chief, Business Today, stressed on the importance of the availability of high-quality and authentic information for journalists. He further stated that it is the professional duty of media libraries and archives to constantly innovate and offer value-added library and information services in media organizations. Mr Kalbag said, “Every issue of the 21-year-old Business Today has been digitally archived.”

     

    ED!

    So why is a feature on media libraries and digital archiving the Big Story today?

    Because the heart of any newsroom is its library and digital archiving resource. I still remember how as a rookie journalist in the late ’80s in Mumbai, I would discuss story ideas with the librarians at the Indian Express and Centre for Education and Documentation (CED) reference sections. They would often come up with suggestions and provide clips of stuff that I hadn’t even heard of.

     

    Now, as the biggest reference source in the world in the form of the internet (and more specifically Wikipedia) easily accessible to all of us, not many of us acknowledge the role of a library or a digital archiving system in news media. Journalists are satisfied with the web presence of all content and the only reason why a librarian is sought after is to enable the easy tracing of file photographs. As one media CFO asked me a few years back, do you need a medium ticket librarian to do all of this? Can’t a couple of entry level staffers do the job?

     

    It’s critical that the ‘librarian’ or the ‘digital archivist’ is made an integral part of a newsroom. Let her/him be part of news meetings. Equip this team with ‘infographicists’ and see how archives-based content can make a newspaper or magazine come alive. Ditto with news television. For this to happen, it’s vital that those running libraries in news media organizations move out of their cubicles and get proactive.

     

    I wasn’t able to make it to the first National Conference of the Association of Media Libraries and Archives in Delhi, but by way of our editorial coverage as well as MxMIndia being a  Media Partner, we’ve tried to promote the cause. For, even as we can’t do without Google and Wikipedia, there is a huge role that the library and archives section can play in a newsroom.

     

    – Pradyuman Maheshwari

    Editor-in-Chief, MxMIndia.com 

    Why do digital?

    Dr Dinesh Katre, Associate Director, C-DAC said, “Digital preservation provides benefits such as legal protection, knowledge heritage for future work or generations, trend analysis, reuse etc.” If the data is not digitally archived, the heaps of papers might just become a part of library with no or limited access and loss of data in the long run. With 24X7 inflow of news, it is impossible for someone to go through heaps of newspaper archives. Everybody needs information at a click of a button.

     

    A media enterprise basically needs two broad types of information sources to expand its body of knowledge as well as carry out its business process, according to R Venkata Kesavan, DGM & Head, Times Archives & Knowledge Centre, a) editorial information sources and b) business information sources. “While the professionals working in a media organisation may have more than one information source, it is primarily the responsibility of a media library/information centre to cater to the information needs of employees from time to time.

     

    Mr Kesavan said that the TAKC was set up over a century ago in Mumbai, and the centre now has digitally archived all Times of India editions since the first issue – Nov 3, 1838. He highlighted how the three A’s rule the digital preservation: Authenticity, authentication and access. Not all articles or pictures, according to the archivists, are preserved. Only the authentic exclusive articles and pictures are usually archived digitally.

     

    Digital preservation is the need of the hour, yes, but enough it is also important to keep in mind the reasons to go digital. It is important to create ‘fit for purpose’ project management; identify the users and organisational needs; draw up a development policy and project management plan. Besides it is also important to digitize authentic copyright articles or images, especially in a media group. What is also important that budget estimates are prepared well in advance. Once the content digitization process begins, it is imperative for the organisation to educate the employees to make appropriate use of the digital archives. Besides adding value to the parent organisation, digital archives also help in saving the time of library staff and information users.

     

    Media houses, such as DNA and Times of India, are also earning revenues off their digital archives through syndication services. The syndication is not only available on articles, but also on cartoons and images. TOI’s digital archive from 1838-2003 is charged for the users. For newspapers like DNA, being born in digital era is an advantage since all their editions are e-editions as soon as they go into print. According to Priya Pai of DNA, archival system is important to collate and build intellectual property. DNA has been syndicating its content since January 2006.

     

    “Apart from syndication, digital archiving helps ad sales team in special features and supplements by providing background information and pictures from the archives. We can also trace the articles that were published in the newspaper in past so as to help make the pitch to convince the clients for ads,” Ms Pai shared.

     

     

    Framework of digital archiving

    • Data capture and creation: Formats and compression; managing hardware and software; copyright IPR and ethics; metadata; indexing and cataloguing
    • Data Access and Delivery: Search and retrieval; access management
    • Data Collection Management: Database creation and system design; workflow and procedure management; quality assurance
    • Digital Preservation: Storage and archiving

     

     

    Benefits of digital archiving

    • Anytime, anywhere availability of authentic data
    • Information can be uploaded on continuous basis
    • Wider access
    • Monetization possibilities though syndication
    • Improved preservation

     

     

    Issues regarding digital archiving

    • Non-availability of quality manpower
    • Digital preservation of huge volume of archival data
    • Data security of digital archives
    • Maintaining copyright
    • Analogue to digital conversion remains an expensive process
    • Evolution of, and obsolete, storage media

    Challenges

    The benefits of digital archiving do not come without challenges. Careful planning is required when building digital archive. Issues such as copyright clearance, metadata issues and project management can have severe impact on both resources and time. Dr Katre said that the data that is stored on software today, might become obsolete in another 20 or 50 years, as technology changes every six months now and “we do not even have access to systems that can read data on floppies”.

     

    India does not have a legal framework regarding digitized data unlike the US. Digital records do not have legal sanctity in India. Copyright is always critical for media houses. Then there are technology issues, which includes conversion and security. The protection of copyright data, however, can be beefed up with encryption technology, watermarking, digital signature and back up, and signing contracts with outsourced digital archiving management.

     

    Vrunda Pathare, Chief Archivist, Godrej & Boyce, also put forth her concerns. “It is not really true that if data is digitally archived, it is preserved. There is an increasing unreliability of storage mediums and obsolete technology. And to convert analogue data to digital is very expensive, even for corporates like us.”

     

    Digital preservation is a constant interaction between data and technology. Thus, inter-disciplinary co-operation becomes imperative. Trained manpower that understands and adapts to changing technology is also a concern for the industry.

     

    But as Mr Kesavan concluded, “Nobody has the perfect answer to digital preservation for every case. If we try we may fail; if we do not try we will certainly fail.”

     

     

    AMLANC has been jointly organised by the Association of Media Libraries & Archives (AMLA) and Central Library, Jawaharlal Nehru University. MxM India is the Media Partner of the conference. In the two-day conference about 40 papers on the main theme and related sub-themes will be presented.

     

  • The fourth edition of “The Laadli National Media Awards for Gender Sensitivity 2011-12” for honouring Media and Advertising professionals was organized by the NGO Population First on Tuesday, February 5 at the NCPA, Mumbai

    Laadli awards for gender sensitivity presented

    By A Correspondent

     

    The  fourth edition of “The Laadli National Media Awards for Gender Sensitivity 2011-12” for honoring Media and Advertising professionals was organized by the NGO Population First on Tuesday, February 5 at the NCPA, Mumbai.

     

    The Laadli Media Awards were instituted in 2007, as part of the media advocacy efforts under the Laadli girl-child campaign. The objective of the awards was to felicitate, acknowledge, recognize and encourage media, journalists and advertising professionals to keep working on gender issues and to draw the attention of the public to their positive efforts in the media with regard to gender sensitive reportage.

     

    The Oscar-winning and Indian cinema’s most well-regarded costume designer - Bhanu Athaiya – received the Laadli Lifetime Achievement Award at the event. The awards also had renowned ad-film director, Gauri Shinde receiving an award for Best Mainline Film for her directorial debut, ‘English Vinglish’. Other noted personalities like singer Sunita Rao, noted film director Ashutosh Gowariker and famous Indian film director and screenwriter Sudhir Mishra, Director, R. Balki, Bollywood actress, television talk show host Pooja Bedi, Prof. Nandini Sardesai, Rajashree Birla were also present while the event was hosted by television journalist and columnist Ms. Barkha.

     

    The leading author and columnist Ranjit Lal was awarded a Special Award for Best Book-Fiction on the issue of female infanticide for ‘Faces in the Water’. Sylvester da Cunha received a Special Award for Laadli moppet the Amul baby girl.

     

    The Laadli National Media Awards was graced by the presence of the well-known classical singer Shubha Mudgal, who rendered few songs on women empowerment. There were short performances by children trained by India’s famous choreographer, Shiamak Davar, the Saxophone Sisters, and children from a village in Shahapur.

     

    The book “Sense And Sensitivity” was launched during the award ceremony. This book is a compilation of the award winning entries of last three editions of the Laadli Media Awards for Gender Sensitivity. It showcases the real stories from all over India and brings to limelight investigative reports, editorials, features and human interest stories on gender inequality and violence.

     

    A panel of distinguished jury members, comprising eminent media and social sector personalities namely Vishwanath Sachdev, Sathya Saran, Mahesh Bhatt, Vimla Patil, Pradeep Guha, Deepa Gahlot, Ramesh Narayan, Pradyuman Maheshwani, Prakash Bal Joshi, Aanand Mahendroo, Neeru Nanda, Sameera Khan, Goutam Rakshit, Juhi Chaturvedi and Mrinmayee Ranade selected the awardees.

     

    Eighteen awards were presented which were selected by eminent jury members. In the four regional awards organized over the year, around 80 awards were given across all the States and Union Territories of the country covering 12 languages. The Laadli National Media Awards comprise the best of the season in addition to the special awards.

     

    List of Awardees

    WINNERS OF NATIONAL LMAGS 2011-12

    Category/ Language Name of the Awardees Channel/ Publication Title of the Entry Sub- Category
    Electronic – Malayalam P.P. Sandhya Asianet News Shisuva Vivaham (Child Marriage) Best Issue Based Programme
    Print – English Sharmista Choudhury The Week Tribal Warrior Best Human Interest Story
    Print – Marathi Amita Bade Prahaar Mahila – Kacharavechak Nave…Swachata Vyavasthapak (Waste Managers, Not Garbage Pickers) Best Column
    Print – Hindi Priyanka Dubey Tehelka MadhyaYugeen Pradesh Best Investigative Report
    Electronic – Malayalam Shiny Benjamin Jaihind TV Ottayaal Best Documentary
    Print – English Neha Bhatt Outlook What A Girl Wants Best Feature
    Print – Odiya Susama Misra Margadarshi Sustha Samaj Gathanare Nari (Women in the Creation of a Healthy Society) Best Article
    Web – English Deepa Ranganathan The Alternative Boys Don’t Cry Best Feature
    Electronic -  Marathi Prajakta Dhulap IBN – Lokmat Reportage – Kolhapurchya Leki (Daughters of Kolhapur) Best Feature
    Advertising-  Hindi DDB Mudra creative team DDB Mudra  Age of Marriage (NRHM) Best Public Service Advertisement
    Advertising – Hindi Sumanto Chattopadhyay Ogilvy & Mather Tejaswini (Tata Steel) Best Advertisement
    Special Award
    Book – English Ranjit Lal Penguin Books India Faces in the Water Best Book – Fiction
    Gita Aravamudan Penguin Books India Disappearing Daughters: The Tragedy of Female Foeticide Best Book – Non-Fiction
    Film – Hindi Gauri Shinde Eros International English Vinglish Best Mainline Film
    Film – Beary K V Suveeran Thanneer Films Byari Best Feature Film
    Drama – English/Hindi Purva Naresh Ok Tata Bye Bye Best Drama
    Special Award  Sylvester da Cunha  Amul Moppet
    Bhanu Athaiya The Laadli Lifetime Achievement Award

     

    Laadli the Girl Child campaign was launched in June 2005 by NGO Population First with the purpose of creating a positive image of the girl child. In Hindi the word ‘laadli’ means the ‘beloved girl-child’. The programme works to stop the practice of pre-natal sex selection by addressing the core issue of son preferences and discrimination against the girl child. Since then, it has been working actively on various campaigns, activities with various groups like college youth, NGOs and other communities and has received an overwhelming response from various segments of Mumbai.

     

    Population First is a communications and advocacy initiative for a balanced, planned and stable population. Its main focus is on reducing gender imbalances in the population and work towards gender sensitive and social development oriented health and population programmes.  (For more information: log on to www.populationfirst.org, www.creative-excellence.org )

     

    For more information, please contact:

    Crisscross Communication: Stacy Fernandes | stacy@crisscross.in  | 9819829870 || Anshu Ahuja | anshu@crisscross.in | 9987423546

     

  • The line-up at the forthcoming Indian Magazine Congress is nothing short of a consortium of great minds and discussions

    Much to look forward @ Indian Mag Congress ’13

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Indian Magazine Congress, set to take place in Mumbai on Feb 14-15 (more here: http://www.mxmindia.com/2013/01/publish-or-perish-indian-magazine-congress-2013-to-discuss-future-of-mags-in-digital-era/), boasts of impressive line up of speakers. As Indian magazines and publishers re-look at their strategies (BusinessWorld decided to go fortnightly: http://www.mxmindia.com/2013/01/publish-or-perish-indian-magazine-congress-2013-to-discuss-future-of-mags-in-digital-era/), IMC 2013 will focus on the best practices from the magazine publishers from around-the-world.

     

    The 2013 edition of Indian Magazine Congress would focus on print magazines in the era of Tablets and multi-media platform readership. As magazine publishers try to work on sustainable and scalable models that will embrace new revenue streams, Peter Kresiky, Chairman, Kreisky Media Consultancy,USAwill share his thoughts on new business models and operating processes and how they may have a very positive impact on the bottom lines of magazine publishers. Arnaud Saint-Simon, CEO, Psychologies Group, France and Fabrizio d’Angelo, Managing Director, Burda Holding International will talk about how their magazine brands converted themselves to become multi-platform brands, leveraging their brand strength to gain revenues from multiple streams.

     

    Chris Llewellyn, President, FIPP, will be presenting the FIPP report which brought together data and case studies from more than 100 research projects from all around the world, proving how effective advertising with magazine media is. The report also includes, for the first time, studies of magazine brands’ digital editions and tablet apps.

     

    Sanoma Media, recently, used neuro-scientific research methods and fMRI scanning techniques for the research on magazine engagement, called Media Brain. Ingrid van der Werf,Sanoma Media,Netherlandswould present more on this at the congress.

     

    Case studies will form an important part of the Congress with Girish Ramdas, CEO & Co-Founder, Magzter and Michal Galin, E.V.P. Research, GfK Mediamark Research & Intelligence, LLC talkign of international trends in consumption of Tablet Editions and interesting case studies on promotion of Digital editions.With increasing innovation and newer business models emerging, Do licensors need to reinvent them selves from binding agreements, be flexible and ensure that the licensing relationship can montise newer bsiness models? Mike Greehan, COO at Cue Ball, LLC and Owner, Cue Ball, LLC, Sandra Gotelli, International Publisher and Head of Licensing, Mondadori will talk about it as Mala Sekhri, Chief Operating Officer, Lifestyle Magazines and Music Today, India Today and Indranil Roy, President, Outlook Group also take part in the panel discussion.

     

    Another interesting session would be: What India can learn fromChina. Torsten Klein, President, International Magazine Division, Gruner + Jahr International,Germany: the international publishers working in both the countries spills the beans on where we lack and how we can crack the Chinese code to our advantage. Increasingly, new merchandise sold under a magazine brand’s name is contributing to the revenues of magazine publishers. Take the case of international edition of Good Housekeeping, which also sells gardening tools. Mike Lovell, International Director, Licensing, Meredith will throw more light on the topic on the second day of the conference.

     

    Power CEO Session will see international and Indian publishers speak on the new challenges and opportunities with panelists such as Stefano De Aleessandri, Chairman and CEO, Mondadori International; Torsten Klein, President, International Magazine Division, Gruner + Jahr International, Germany; Ashish Bagga, Group CEO, India Today; Paresh Nath, Chairman, Delhi Press Group; and Chris Llewellyn, President, FIPP.

     

    The conference will also see the editors of Indian magazines debating on ‘Church vs. State- Has the wall between editorial and business breached’. This session will explore the new paradigm that is fast gaining currency in all media- the involvement of editors in running viable and profitable organizations has increased of late. Indrajit Gupta, Editor, Forbes; Hormazd Sorabjee, Editor, Autocar India and – Krishna Prasad, Editor-in-Chief, Outlook, will talk if collaborating with the advertisers and agencies to create newer areas to help advertisers reach out to the right audiences is happening at the cost of the integrity of the content.

     

    Did someone order a power-packed media conference? Here it is!

     

  • ESPN Star Sports, the official broadcaster of Hero Hockey India League, announced on Feb 5 a comprehensive line-up of global syndication partners that are showcasing the tournament in more than 83 territories worldwide

    ESPN Star Sports secures worldwide broadcast partners for Hero Hockey India League

    By A Correspondent

     

    ESPN Star Sports, the official broadcaster of Hero Hockey India League, announced on Feb 5 a comprehensive line-up of global syndication partners that are showcasing the tournament in more than 83 territories worldwide.

     

    The tournament which has been a success and saw 2.27 crore hockey fans way ahead of full tournament reach of the UEFA Euro 2012 which stood at 2.04 crore individuals at the end of two weeks. The inaugural edition of the league is being broadcast with Hindi commentary on Star Sports while Star Cricket is showcasing select matches of the league in English. Live streaming of all the matches is also available on www.youtube.com/thehockeyindialeague.

     

    Some of the leading names in the world of sports broadcasting like Fox Sports from Australia, Sky Sports from New Zealand, Ten Sports in Pakistan and SE Asia and MENA region are showcasing live coverage of HHIL in their respective territories.

     

    Aloke Malik, Managing Director, ESPN Software India Pvt Ltd, said, “These partnerships reinforce our commitment to set new benchmarks in the distribution of Hero Hockey India League. We look forward to working closely with all our partners and serve hockey fans all over the world with some mouth-watering high quality content.”

     

    Dr. Narinder Batra, Chairman, Hero Hockey India League, said, “We are delighted to have a strong and committed broadcast partner. It is great to know that the first edition of the league can be seen by hockey fans across the world. We are confident that the popularity of the league and the game of hockey per se will greatly benefit from these international distribution tie-ups.”

     

    List of syndication partners

    Sr. No Name of the broadcaster Territory
    1 Sky Sports New Zealand
    2 Fox Sports Australia
    3 TEN Sports Pakistan
    4 TEN Sports SE Asia
    5 OSN MENA
    6 TEN Sports MENA
    7 Supersports South Africa
    8 One World Sport USA
    9 One World Sport Canada
    10 Life OK UK, Europe & South Africa
    11 Fox Sports (last 4 matches only) SE Asia

     

  • Lifestyle channel TLC has partnered with outdoor food festival Taste of Mumbai, and has launched a contest on world cuisine for viewers

    TLC partners with Taste of Mumbai

    By A Correspondent

     

    Lifestyle channel TLC has partnered with Taste of Mumbai to celebrate fine cuisine and wines, live demos and much more. To be held in India for the first time, Taste of Mumbai is part of the well-known Taste Festivals held across the world. Taste has produced over 56 festivals in 20 cities around the world. In just eight years, Taste Festivals has served over 1 million foodie enthusiasts and has firmly established itself as the world’s greatest restaurant festival.

     

    The festival will be held from February 22-24 at Marine Drive in partnership with American Express. To offer a delicious experience, TLC has launched an exciting contest for the viewers based on world cuisine. Viewers can participate by sending their answers via sms or logging on to www.tlcindia.co.in and win exclusive passes to Taste of Mumbai.

     

    Rahul Johri

    Rahul Johri, Senior Vice-President and General Manager – South Asia, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific, said, “TLC’s partnership with Taste of Mumbai is a natural fit as both aim to celebrate great taste. Bringing in the best of the food world, the festival will be a gastronomical delight.”

     

    Taste of Mumbai will feature international culinary experts such as Alain Fabregues, famous for producing the finest of French cuisine with a strong Australian influence; South African executive chef Margot Janse; Ian Kittichai, culinary specialist who has some of the most recognizable international hotels, restaurants, and food companies, Jehangir Mehta, Vivek Singh and many acclaimed Indian chefs including Ritu Dalmia and Vicky Ratnani, among others.

     

  • PrecisionMatch, provider of high quality audience data for display advertising, has announced partnership to expand its presence in Indian digital media space. Within three months of operation, PrecisionMatch has struck a new partnership with Velocity

    PrecisionMatch expands presence in India

    By A Correspondent

     

    PrecisionMatch, provider of high quality audience data for display advertising, has announced partnership to expand its presence in Indian digital media space. Within three months of operation, PrecisionMatch has struck a new partnership with Velocity, targeted reach network, to offer data-backed display advertising.

     

    Nitin Chowdhary, Business Head, PrecisionMatch said, “I am very excited at the prospect of serving Velocity’s customers with our unique data targeted display offering. Velocity is amongst the top 3 ad networks in India. The future of display advertising on the internet lies in data targeted RTB; I have no doubt that with Velocity’s reach, the number of advertisers that have access to PrecisionMatch’s unique capabilities will continue to grow.”

     

    In addition, PrecisionMatch strengthened its team with hires in product, business development and technology roles. It recently appointed Gaurav Seth as the Director for Product & Publisher Development. Mr Seth comes with over seven years of experience in online marketing, business development, operations & technology implementation. Prior to PrecisionMatch, Mr Seth was associated with Komli Media for almost 3 years.

     

    In December 2012, PrecisionMatch appointed Anshul Joshi as the Director for Business Development and Pramod Sharma as the Senior Technology Lead. Both the executives have significant experience in the digital media and joined PrecisionMatch from Tyroo and Tribalfusion respectively.

     

    “Monetizing publisher data, enabling multiple channels and delivering scalable technology are critical aspects of our business. We will soon be announcing new categories for which consumer data would be available, thus strengthening our endeavour to make data the backbone of display advertising. I am also thrilled to have Gaurav, Anshul and Pramod in my team, they bring significant energy and capability to PrecisionMatch,” added Mr Chowdhary.

     

    PrecisionMatch currently offers audience data across categories such as – Auto, Mobile Handsets, Online Transistors, Travel/Holiday seekers, Technology etc. and works with industry leaders such as – Samsung, General Motors, Tata Motors, Snapdeal.com, Expedia.com etc.

     

  • DDB MudraMax has been appointed as the sole media planning and buying partner for Jyothy Laboratories Limited (JLL). The consolidation will be effective from March 2013

    DDB MudraMax Media wins Jyothy Laboratories

    By A Correspondent

     

    DDB MudraMax has been appointed as the sole media planning and buying partner for Jyothy Laboratories Limited (JLL).

     

    Currently, DDB MudraMax is the planning partner and BPN (of IPG Media Brands Network) is responsible for the media buying, implementation across all brands of JLL brands.

     

    Speaking on the decision to consolidate its business with DDB MudraMax, JLL’s CEO Raghunandan said, “Our belief is that consolidation with one agency partner will enable us to maximise efficiencies and effectiveness of our marketing investments. Basis our experience with DDB MudraMax and their potential to offer end to end solutions, we have decided to put all our eggs into one basket. We are confident that they will do their job well.”

     

    Sathyamurthy NP

    Sathyamurthy NP, President, DDB MudraMax said, “It is always a delight to work with the JLL team and we are glad they have reaffirmed their confidence in DDB MudraMax, through this consolidation. JLL is poised to further fortify their brands in the next few years and we are glad to be their partners in this challenging and exciting journey. We are ready to roll and I am sure that you will see some great work from the team.”

     

    Pratap Bose, COO, DDB Mudra Group added, “My brief to the team is simple – deliver and demonstrate, once again, that we are a formidable force to reckon with. All the stake holders will benefit from this consolidation, I am confident.”

     

    Pratap Bose

    This consolidation will be effective from March 2013 and industry sources peg the JLL portfolio of business in the vicinity of Rs 100 crore.

     

  • Retail giant Hennes & Mauritz from Sweden and the British Topshop are putting finishing touches to their India arrival

    H&M, Topshop get set for India

    By Samidha Sharma & Boby Kurian

     

    Swedish fast-fashion giant Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) has asked leading mall developers to block space for its initial stores in India, as the world’s second largest fashion retailer hopes to open a local office in the next three months. British billionaire Philip Green-owned Topshop is another foreign retailer finalizing plans to enter the country through a local joint venture, as global biggies revive interest in India on the back of recovering consumer sentiments and the recent reform push.

     

    India allowed 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in single brand retail, a route which H&M would take to enter this market just like its Swedish peer furniture retailer Ikea. H&M’s international expansion head Frederik Olsson has frequented the local market in the recent past, asking leading mall developers like DLF and Phoenix Market City to block potential store locations, said people directly familiar with the matter.

     

    “H&M is likely to open an India office within three months after they move the Foreign Investment Promotion Board,” said a source who did not wish to be named. H&M’s chief executive Karl-Johan Persson while announcing the company’s quarterly earnings recently said the retailer would enter India on its own, and was ready to meet 30 per cent local sourcing norms.

     

    UK’s Topshop, which came close to partnering the Tatas five years ago, has revived India plans and is close to firming up a local joint venture partner. “We are actively speaking with a number of parties about the market, but as yet nothing is confirmed,” said a spokesperson for Topshop. An H&M spokesperson declined to comment on future plans.

     

    These developments come even as Japan’s Uniqlo is moving towards striking a joint venture with Arvind, while American retailer Gap Inc has made moves to identify its best possible market access. H&M and Uniqlo could open maiden stores in the first half of 2014. Another iconic US retailer Abercrombie & Fitch has started work to enter the country, possibly through the 100 per cent FDI route.

     

    The New York-listed A&F’s Hong Kong office has begun work with leading real estate consulting firms to explore an entry strategy, said sources cited earlier. An emailed query to Abercrombie & Fitch remained unanswered.

     

    Notwithstanding the reviving euphoria, India still represents a complex market for most retailers, with real estate costs among the most expensive in the world. Zara, part of the biggest global fashion conglomerate Spain’s Inditex group, opened nine stores in an aggressive three year expansion.

     

    But Zara’s 18,000-sq-ft stores, which pay a fixed 6 per cent fee on sales to mall owners, have not gone down well with many developers in a market with huge shortage of quality retailing locations.

     

    The mall owners who in the past chased Zara, even offering to take up store fit-ins, have cooled off, with some preferring to wait out for the newer global entrants like H&M, Uniqlo and Forever 21 while deciding on space allocations for the next 24 months.

     

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2013, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

     

  • Adworld veterans Lynn de Souza and Meenakshi Menon have come together to launch a new company called Social Access

    Lynn de Souza & Meenakshi Menon launch Social Access

    By A Correspondent

     

    Lynn de Souza
    Meenakshi Menon

    With decades of experience in the industry, Lynn de Souza and Meenakshi Menon have come together to launch a new company called Social Access.

     

    The company will use strategic communication and creative ideas to re-orient society towards the social sector by building channels among the four key players – NGOs, Corporates, government bodies and the society.

     

    The venture, applauded by counterparts from the industry and others, was announced by Ms de Souza on February 5 on her Facebook page. The movement as described by them is open to everyone and anyone can join it. “We’ll soon have an event to formerly announce the launch as well as to discuss the core idea and plan behind it,” said Ms de Souza.

     

    Lynn de Souza had quit Lintas Media Group as Chairman and CEO last year. Meenakshi Menon is the founder and chairperson of Spatial Access.

     

  • The dance show has roped in choreographer Remo D'Souza and actress Koel Mullick as judges

    Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa goes regional on ETV Bangla

    By A Correspondent

     

    ETV Bangla is gearing up to produce dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa (JDJ(, which has proved immensey popular among Hindi general entertainment viewers. JDJ has been running for five years and is entering the regional space for the first time through ETV Bangla. Judging the line-up of 12 celebrity contestants will be choreographer Remo D’Souza and actress Koel Mullick. The show, produced by BBC Worldwide Productions India, will run on ETV Bangla as Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Bangla, and is scheduled to begin in March.

     

    Speaking about the show, Ritika Roy, Programming Head, ETV Bangla, said, “ETV Bangla is proud to present Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Bangla which will showcase known and much loved faces from the industry who will be stepping out of their comfort zones and will be exploring the beautiful world of dance. Supporting and guiding them in this endeavour will be their choreographers who will help them out at every step.”

     

    Bengali heartthrob Jishu Sengupta will anchor the show while the 12 contestants will take on everything from Salsa to Bhangra and from Cha-cha-cha to Chhau.

     

    Speaking about the format of the show, Myleeta Aga, General Manager and Creative Head of BBC Worldwide Productions India, said, “Since the adaptation of BBC’s international hit format Dancing with the Stars appeared on Indian screens, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa has grown to become one of the most popular reality dance shows on television in the country. Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Bangla will be extensively remodelled from the international version to appeal to Bengali viewers.”

     

  • International financial magazine Euromoney has ranked Dish TV as the best managed company in Asia in the media sector, in Euromoney's 'Best Managed and Governed Companies – Asia poll 2013'

    Dish TV is best managed co in Asia: Euromoney survey

    By A Correspondent

     

    Direct-to-home company Dish TV, Asia’s largest today announced as best managed company in Asia in the Media sector by Leading international magazine Euromoney for the Euromoney’s ‘Best Managed and Governed Companies – Asia poll 2013’.

     

    This is the 14th year of the poll, which is conducted among a total of 144 leading equity analysts at the largest investment banks and research houses in the Asia Pacific region. Analysts were asked to name the companies they found most impressive across a number of factors including management accessibility, accounting transparency, profitability, growth potential and corporate governance procedures, among others.

     

    RC Venkateish, Chief Executive Officer, Dish TV India, stated, “We are very proud of the acknowledgement that Euromoney has given us. This success is the result of continuous efforts of the team, ensuring that investors and stakeholders confidence is maintained through transparency and good governance. We have always believed we have a strong investment case and will continue to push the barriers by gaining further access to a wider investor base. Such recognition of our efforts incites us to move forward with the same zeal and enthusiasm.”