Category: NEWS

  • Sanjev Hiremath bids adieu to IndiaCast

    By A Correspondent

     

    Indiacast, a joint venture between Viacom18 and TV18  has announced that Sanjev Hiremath, EVP at IndiaCast Media Distribution Pvt Ltd, has resigned from the company. He was responsible for setting up the Digital and New Media business for Viacom18, TV18 and ETV channels.

     

    Announcing Mr Hiremath’s departure, Anuj Gandhi, Group CEO IndiaCast said, “Sanjev has admirably led our New Media and Digital business over last year or so and has put us on a path of high growth trajectory. Sanjev is an old friend and colleague and we will miss his expertise and knowledge in the Cable and Satellite industry. As he now ventures out, I wish him all the success in all his future endeavours.”

     

    Sharing his experience, Mr Hiremath said, “It’s been a fantastic 18 years (in MTV India, Viacom18 and Indiacast) launching television brands and building businesses and along the way making great friends, and these relationships have made the journey meaningful and enjoyable. From roof top dishes to set top boxes and recently with the evolution of both technologies and changing consumer viewing to build a business in the new media space on internet enabled devices, it has been a privilege to be a part of this industry.”

     

    Mr Hiremath, a veteran who has been closely associated with the cable and satellite industry, joined MTV Networks as Head of Network Development for India & South Asia, when it was launched in India in 1996. He was instrumental in the successful launch and distribution of several channels including MTV, Nickelodeon and VH1. Post the joint venture between Viacom and Network18 he oversaw the launch of Colors, Comedy Central & Sonic.

     

  • BoxTV brings Shaw Brothers catalogue to India

    By A Correspondent

     

    BoxTV, the online video-on-demand service from Times Internet, has entered into a content deal with Celestial Pictures (CPL), a diversified entertainment company for showcasing more than 100 titles of Shaw Brothers martial arts movies. As a result of this, BoxTV will offer its subscribers access to a wealth of Shaw Brothers martial arts content in a dedicated genre.

     

    All the films will come with English dubbed tracks and supported with English subtitles. Some popular titles include “Blood Brothers”, “Buddha’s Palm”, “Return to the 36th Chamber”, “The Brave Archer”, “Perils of The Sentimental Swordsman”, “The Dragon Missile”, etc. The multiyear agreement also marks CPL’s first digital video-on-demand (VOD) deal in the country.

     

    Officially launched in February 2013, BoxTV currently offers a huge selection of full length movies and television content on its portal. Consumers can access the content by paying a monthly subscription fee of INR199 in India. In addition consumers can browse and watch over 10,000 hours of content free.

     

    “Celestial Pictures is excited to work with video-on-demand platform, BoxTV, to give Indian consumers access to some of the best martial arts content anytime and anywhere they want. The distribution deal also affirms the incredible value of our library titles, and also provides our content with great exposure on a new digital platform,” said Kristen Tong, Head of Legal and Business Affairs of CPL.

     

    “Martial arts content has always been very popular content genre in India. Our association with Celestial Pictures brings to us the Shaw Brothers catalogue, one of the foremost and largest producers of kung-fu/martial arts movies. We are excited to bring a bouquet of the highly regarded martial arts library to our premium user base in India. This is in line with our unique push to get the best of world cinema in a legal and high-quality experience for Internet and mobile users in India,” said Pandurang Nayak, Business Head, BoxTV.

     

  • Facebook campaign reveals first look for Krrish 3

    By A Correspondent

     

    Filmkraft Productions’ Krrish 3 will launch its first look on Facebook, as the film’s star Hrithik Roshan chats with fans on Facebook on June 27 at 3pm, followed by a chat on Instagram (@hrithikroshan).

     

    The Krrish 3 digital campaign is spearheaded by Hungama Digital Media Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. and will touch over 50 million people just on Day One of the launch.

     

    The live video chat will be activated on four Facebook pages: Hrithik Roshan’s official fan page , the ‘Krrish 3’ movie official fan page , the BollywoodHungama.com fan page and the official Bollywood on Facebook fan page.

     

    Listeners from FM radio station Radio City 91.1 will have a special opportunity to ask questions to Hrithik Roshan during the chat, which will be moderated by Radio City’s RJ Archana.

     

    Hrithik Roshan said, “I am really excited about chatting with my fans through the Facebook Live video chat and eagerly look forward to the big unveiling of the Krrish 3 digital motion poster. Today’s technology is simply phenomenal, as in an instant we can get immediate reactions and feedback on our films. I’m a huge believer in the power of social media as it directly involves our fans and supporters, and for a movie such as Krrish 3 it takes the experience to the next level.”

     

    Neeraj Roy

    Neeraj Roy, MD and CEO of Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, said, “In India, 25 percent of all internet usage is for social networking. With over 78 million Indians on Facebook, digital really opens an array of opportunities that will impact the way entertainment is marketed and consumed today. With the launch of Krrish 3’s first look on Facebook, we are addressing not only the domestic audience, but 1.5 billion south Asians globally. This is just the kickstart for numerous of activities we will roll out for the film including music, videos, gaming, etc.”

     

  • Comm consultancy Spag starts global ops

    By A Correspondent

     

    Healthcare communications professional Aman Gupta has launched a new multi-discipline communications organization with a global footprint. Spag (Strategic Partners Group), a firm focused on delivering impact and value to its clients through a research-led and creative approach, has offices in India (New Delhi, Mumbai) and Singapore with network offices in London, Washington and Toronto.

     

    Commenting on the launch, Mr Gupta, Managing Partner, Spag, said, “Research and creativity are increasingly becoming cornerstone for any successful communications campaign and with SPAG we will be focused on delivering impact and value based on these two drivers.”

     

    He further added, “In my long journey and based on interactions with senior management, across industry, a big void was recognized, wherein holistic approach to communications using analytical tools merged with covenants creativity would be provided to the clients so as to ensure that we deliver impact and value for which clients engage us.”

     

    Spag along with public relations and advocacy will provide services that will include aspects like influencer management, stakeholders mapping, brand marketing, cause marketing, digital marketing, and CSR consulting.

     

  • Saavn & Tata Docomo launch multi-channel mktg prog

    By A Correspondent

     

    Digital music service Saavn has announced the rollout of a pop culture marketing campaign to complement its recent data partnership with telecom operator Tata Docomo. Docomo’s target audience in India is comprised of more than 80 percent youth, resulting in a conscious effort to roll out a marketing campaign featuring US artists Justin Timberlake and Daft Punk. Saavn and Docomo have taken a joint initiative to run the campaign aimed at increasing the level of awareness through various touch points. The campaign will include TV, in-store, social and a massive SMS marketing programme.

     

    The marketing campaign is an extension of a deal between Saavn and Docomo that kicked off earlier this month, bringing Indian mobile users a music-integrated data plan for the first time ever. Docomo’s subscribers will now have access to Saavn’s catalogue of 1.1 million songs via a special stream-anywhere data plan – no WiFi necessary. Three monthly plans are available for Docomo’s GSP Prepay customers: 500 minutes, 1,000 minutes and 2,000 minutes.

     

    Both companies believe the campaign and new data service will create more value for Indian consumers to adopt smartphone data services while enjoying free social music services.

     

    With 700 million mobile users, India boasts one of the largest mobile phone user bases in the world. This partnership marks the first-ever streaming music and carrier deal in India following a global trend of similar deals in America, Brazil, Scandanavia and France. Slacker and Muve recently teamed with carriers in the US, and Spotify and Deezer have launched similar programmes in Scandanavia and France respectively.

     

    “In India, consumers need an emotional reason to purchase data plans – music is the answer,” Paramdeep Singh, Co-founder and Managing Director of Saavn, said. “The combination of Docomo’s stellar reputation as a carrier, our vast Indian music catalog, and the appeal of global pop brands like Justin Timberlake, Daft Punk, Pink, Michael Jackson and Rihanna will only amplify the benefits of a worldwide shift in the way mobile users consume data.”

     

    Content-integrated data plans are emerging as a three-way win: content providers can win millions of users out of the deal, carriers further substantiate date packages and open themselves up to a mobile advertising market worth billions of dollars, while consumers retain the freedom to consume data without being penalized.

     

  • Bharti Airtel & Google join hands to launch Free Zone in India

    By A Correspondent

     

    Bharti Airtel and Google have announced the launch of Free Zone powered by Google, which will give Airtel mobile customers access to mobile web search and feature-phone-friendly versions of Gmail and Google+ in India. The first page of a website linked from search results is provided at no data cost.

     

    Airtel mobile customers can access the service by visiting www.airtel.in/freezone and start using the internet without having to sign in to the service. Any user can create a Gmail account instantly on the Free Zone homepage and enjoy a multitude of connectivity and social media services from Google.

     

    Rajan Anandan

    Rajan Anandan, VP and Managing Director, Google India said, “The mobile internet user base is growing really fast in India. Working with Airtel on this exciting trial means that we can offer internet services at no cost to anyone with a phone. This gives people easier access to information in a way that benefits everyone, whether it’s an individual or a small business that wants to reach more people on the web. We hope this initiative will encourage more Indians to experience the value of the internet and gain from it. Students can easily look up facts to work on their assignments, housewives will be able to easily check on recipes and connect with their friends and family from their mobile phones.”

     

    “In this market, where feature phones predominate, our association with Google to bring Free Zone to India will encourage millions of users to discover the power of mobile internet for the very first time and leverage the amazing world of information search, email and social collaboration – at no incremental cost,” said N Rajaram, Chief Marketing Officer, Consumer Business, Bharti Airtel.

     

    Free Zone aims to make the web accessible and affordable to all mobile users. The set of powerful internet services available via Airtel includes Google Search, which will take Free Zone users to websites matching their search query, Gmail, and Google+ which enables users to share photos and messages with social groupings of family, friends and business or work associates. While Airtel subscribers will not incur any data charges to access these services on Free Zone powered by Google, access to more advanced services such as Attachment Download or browse through to web sites from the ones accessed in the Free Zone would be enabled through the subscription to a standard data package.

     

    Airtel mobile customers will be able to access the following services from mobile phone browsers through Free Zone powered by Google:

    – Gmail: Users have unlimited access to Gmail from their mobile browser. If users click on a link or attachment within the email they are directed to a page where they can purchase a data package.

    – Google+: Users can share online photos and messages with circles of family, selected friends or the public; follow updates on the things they are passionate about – from cricket to photography, music to news; and follow people they’re interested in.

    – Google Search: Users can search the entire internet and access the first page of websites from the results for free. If they click further into a website after that, they are directed to a page where they can purchase a data package.

     

    When users leave the Free Zone to navigate deeper into a website or download an attachment they are informed about the data charges and given the option to purchase an appropriate data package.

     

  • No kiya! Tired of telecom, D Shivakumar wants to move on

    By Shelley Singh

     

    After eight years in the sector that showered him with both stirring recognition and stinging criticism, D Shivakumar is done with telecom.

     

    Talking to a week before he calls time on an eight-year stint in the sector that saw him catapult handset maker Nokia into a leadership position in India only to find it fall steeply from grace, 56-year-old Mr Shivakumar says while he hasn’t firmed up his plans, he will not be involved with telecom, a sector he painted as brutal and unforgiving.

     

    “It’s an industry with possibly the highest rate of innovation -  lifecycles are very short,” says the senior vice-president, Nokia, India, Middle East & Africa. “In other categories, you have six innovations in 100 years; in telecom, you will have that many in months. One thing telecom teaches you is to be extremely fit, mentally and physically, as a company and as a brand. Otherwise, telecom can punish you.”

     

    Nokia, both in India and globally, found that the hard way. When Mr Shivakumar switched from Philips, where he headed consumer electronics, to Nokia India in 2005, the Finnish handset marker was in the midst of a strong run. According to figures from IDC, it had 49% share of the Indian handset market in 2006, which peaked under Mr Shivakumar at 56% in 2008, amid a significant expansion in the overall market size.

     

    But then, the company was slow to change, first in the dual-Sim space and then in the touchscreen space, and saw its share dip to 33% in 2010. In 2011, Mr Shivakumar moved to a global role in Nokia and relocated to Dubai.

     

    Mr Shivakumar leaves Nokia at a time when it is trying to claw back globally, which he feels it will accomplish on the back of its Asha and Lumia ranges of phones, and transition from Symbian-based platform to Windows-based platform. “Turnaround is defining strategy, aligning resources and capability, and correcting the wrongs of the past,” he says. “When you are in a turnaround phase, people expect it to happen tomorrow morning.”

     

    In 2012 (January to December), Nokia posted revenues of €30.1 billion globally, down 22% over 2011. Its operating loss stood at €2.3 billion compared to loss of €1.1 billion in 2011. “It’s (a Nokia turnaround) an uphill task,” says a telecom analyst with a multinational consultancy firm, on the condition of anonymity. “Rivals aren’t going to give room to Nokia to bounce back.”

     

    Mr Shivakumar’s resignation, announced in March, has led some to believe that he is leaving a sinking ship. “How long do you stay in a company that is going down?” asks the country head of a global hardware major, not wanting to be named.

     

    Calling telecom a “brutal” market, consultant Mahesh Uppal says the challenge in the sector is to manage expectations. “A leader in telecom needs a hawk’s eye on marketing, applications and services, to get the pulse right and not lose sight of the market,” says the director of Com First, a telecom consultancy firm, without referring to a specific individual. “Hardly a day passes without something new. It can be nerve-racking and exhausting.”

     

    But Mr Shivakumar, who is relocating from Dubai to Delhi, says telecom has been a “wonderful journey”, and though he is not tired off it, he now wants to go beyond. “Good leaders cross boundaries of categories as what they bring to the table is clarity, strategy and leadership,” he says. “I’m not a one industry person.”

     

    Areas that attract Mr Shivakumar include retail, education, skills development, health and wellness. “I haven’t thought what I’ll do next, but the few things that I really value are institution building, growth and brand,” he says. “Any industry that has a combination of this will attract me. But it won’t be telecom again. I’m done with it.”

     

    Back in India, its Indian arm was hit with a 2,000-crore demand from the income tax department for violation of transfer pricing norms. Mr Shivakumar asserts the company has complied with tax rules and denies this was a factor in his leaving. “Nokia followed every single rule in filing its returns. The issue is of interpretation,” he says. “It’s completely incorrect to associate my leaving to the tax case.”

     

    Source:The Economic Times

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

    Licensed to republish

     

  • SRK returns to push relaunched Emami Fair and Handsome

    By A Correspondent

     

    Emami Ltd has relaunched its fairness cream for men, Fair and Handsome, in a bid to expand further on its dominant market position in personal care segment. Riding on the brand equity of its endorser Shahrukh Khan, the brand has had a numero uno run with market share volume clocking in at 58 percent of the Rs 329 crore men’s fairness market, in FY 12-13.

     

    The relaunch of the new Fair and Handsome, which is developed in collaboration with Actiogen Corp, USA, is supported by a 360-degree integrated communication. The relaunch will see an A&M spend of 20 percent of the total targeted sales of the brand for the current financial year.

     

    With Indian middle class expected to increase tenfold to 583 million by 2025, the Indian consumer market is at the threshold of becoming the fifth largest in the world, offering vast opportunities for personal care segment. The transformation in Fair and Handsome is expected to be a category driver and boost sales substantially.

     

    Speaking on the occasion of the relaunch, Mohan Goenka, Director, Emami Ltd said, “When we launched Fair and Handsome in 2005, the then consumer insight revealed that 30 percent of fairness cream consumers were males. There was a yearning for men’s fairness cream, but no available option. It presented us with an opportunity to create a new category – men’s fairness in the existing fairness cream space. Recent research reveals men’s fairness category has evolved and men want more from fairness products, resulting in the advanced formulations in the new advanced Fair and Handsome. Today, the Fair and Handsome brand offers much more ‘zyada’ to become more than just a fairness cream. With the launch of the new Fair and Handsome, we aim to capture a sizeable market share in the booming men’s grooming product category, with a substantial increase of 40 percent in our A&M spend for the brand over last year.”

     

    Developed by Situations Advertising and produced by Raj Kumar Hirani’s Canvas Films, the new TVC has been directed by Shakun Batra of Ek Main aur Ekk Tu fame. The all-new TVC revolves around the theme of Shah Rukh Khan’s ascent to the pinnacle by virtue of his pursuit for zyada (more) from life. The campaign will go on air in early July 2013 nationally.

     

  • World Industrial Design Day being marked tomorrow in Pune

    By A Correspondent

     

    On the occasion of World Industrial Design Day on June 29, the Pune chapter of Association of Designers of India will hold a seminar on Design Flavours at Sumant Moolgaonkar Auditorium, ICC Towers on Senapati Bapat Road.

     

    The seminar will feature keynotes by Prof Youngchol Chon (DYPDC), Shashank Deshpande (Clarice Technologies) and Abhijit Takle (Neodes). This will be followed by an interactive discussion with panel including celebrated automobile designer Dilip Chhabria (Founder, DC Design).

     

    The event will commence with a sketching competition at 3.30pm where the winning participant will walk away with a Wacom Bamboo pen tablet.

     

    The seminar will open at 4.30pm and will conclude by 8pm.

     

    Design enthusiasts are welcome to attend and participate in the competition and discussions. Pune has a very active community of design professionals with several Indian and international awards and accolades to credit. Pune also has some of the best upcoming design institutions.

     

  • Rajasthan Royals launches new media asset for enhanced content

    By A Correspondent

     

    Rajasthan Royals has announced the launch of RR TV, a new media asset that offers enthusiasts a compilation of up-to-the-minute content related to the team and its activities across all media platforms worldwide.

     

    Launched in partnership with Engage Sports Media in order to give fans access to exclusive original content, RR TV fired up a week before the Pepsi Indian Premier League 2013 started, and goes behind-the-scenes with Captain Rahul Dravid and the Royals team.

     

    The partnership between Rajasthan Royals and Engage Sports Media will create, produce, distribute and market a broad range of media products to help build a worldwide fan base and boost the commercial value of the Indian Premier League franchise.

     

    RR TV includes daily online video clips of the team and offers a number of TV shows during the current season and post-season. It is syndicated and distributed to the Royals’ website and fan zone, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, as well as online publishers, news and sports websites, radio, mobile and television networks in India, the sub-continent and selected international territories. The platform will continue to produce and distribute content in the off-season to give a year-round media product to build both the fan base and fan engagement around the world.

     

    Talking about the association, Raghu Iyer, CEO, Rajasthan Royals, said, “We believe our fans are our biggest stakeholders. They live and breathe the brand, taking it with them wherever they go. As far as the IPL is concerned, RR TV is a highly innovative media platform and one that looks at offering enthusiasts exciting exclusive team-based content. We’re continuing to give fans a unique digital experience taking them very close to the team and all the action.

     

    Gregg Oldfield, CEO of Engage Sports Media, said, “We are delighted to be working with Rajasthan Royals and to be building RR TV into a valuable media asset for the IPL franchise. There is real fan engagement as we bring to life ‘behind-the-scenes’ and ‘player access’ for fans across all digital and TV platforms.”

     

  • DNA launches Augmented Reality application

    By A Correspondent

     

    English daily DNA has launched an augmented reality application (‘DNA It’) to further enhance the reader experience. Most of the important stories are supported with multimedia features including video playback, audio transcripts, image galleries, related web articles, etc.

     

    DNA Editor Ravi Joshi said, “In today’s age when the young urbanite prefers to Google it, Tweet it and even WhatsApp it, we give our readers an opportunity to DNA it. The ethos of the new paper is to ensure that the connect between DNA and readers is no longer a one-way street. Interactivity is the only way forward and we are taking multiple steps to remain the most vibrant newspaper product. The response has indeed been overwhelming.”

     

    The ‘DNA It’ app can be downloaded from the App Store for Apple and Android devices. Readers can also download it from www.dnaindia.com/apps. The entire application and the technological backbone has been built by Prisma Global.

     

    Amitabh Roy Chowdhury, Executive Director & COO of Prisma Global, said, “This unique technology provides an excellent opportunity to amalgamate the print media with the mobile digital world, thereby providing relevant, timely, handy and augmented information to increasingly discerning readers. For today’s increasingly info-hungry, Google-addicted generation, this app whets their appetite for augmenting real news with add-ons in the palm of their hands.”

     

  • Mu Sigma algorithms help companies accelerate Big Data analysis

    By A Correspondent

     

    Mu Sigma (http://www.mu-sigma.com), pure-play provider of decision sciences and analytics solutions for global enterprise customers, launched a new addition to its series of analytical products. muHPC (for High Performance Computing) is a library of popular statistical algorithms written in MapReduce, designed for enterprise-class Big Data analysis in Hadoop environments. As with Mu Sigma’s other products, muHPC was successfully and extensively used within Mu Sigma on many client engagements before the company brought it to market.

     

    Traditionally, enterprises that wanted to leverage R and Hadoop for Big Data analysis have had to write their own algorithms, or rely on open-source options that had not been widely used or tested. Quality varied, and it was a challenge for companies to acquire talent with relevant skills and competencies in order to code their own algorithms. Mu Sigma’s offering enables enterprises to accelerate their R and Hadoop initiatives, and their overall Big Data analysis programs. In testing, muHPC packages consistently outperformed a leading commercial software in equivalent procedures in terms of execution time on large data sets, proving to be 2-4 times faster while achieving the same results.

     

    “We talk with so many large enterprises that want to leverage open-source tools such as R and Hadoop but simply cannot find staff with the requisite skills,” said Zubin Dowlaty, Head of Innovation and Development at Mu Sigma – the group responsible for developing new technology solutions for Mu Sigma’s internal use and for eventual launch to the public. “muHPC directly addresses that market need by providing a packaged set of the most common R-based algorithms that can be used in a Hadoop environment right out of the box. muHPC is a breakthrough concept that removes significant barriers to Big Data analysis.”

     

    muHPC consists of three packages currently:

    – muGLM: Offers easy-to-use R functions for building a wide variety of generalized linear models (OLS, Logistic, Poisson, Negative Binomial, Gamma etc.) on Big Data.

    – muEDA: Offers easy-to-use R functions for performing exploratory analysis on Big Data.

    – muKMeans: Offers easy-to-use R functions for data clustering on Big Data using the K-means algorithm.

     

    Mu Sigma leveraged technology from Cloudera and Revolution Analytics to build muHPC. “Cloudera’s Distribution including Apache Hadoop is a great platform for organizations to store and analyze data,” said Tim Stevens, vice president, Business Development, Cloudera. “Mu Sigma developing and certifying their new solution on top of Cloudera ensures that their approach to solving big data challenges is both innovative and effective.”

     

    muHPC algorithms have been written using components from Revolution Analytics’ open-source RHadoop project. Hadoop integration is based on the rmr2 package, which provides Hadoop MapReduce functionality in R, and has been implemented and tested with Cloudera’s distribution of Hadoop and Revolution R Enterprise.

     

    “Mu Sigma’s initiative to utilize open-source R packages for commercial implementations provides a great impetus to R’s popularity and it being adopted as the standard environment for mainstream analytical analysis,” said Greg Fuller, Vice President, Partners and Channels at Revolution Analytics.  “We are very pleased that our Alliance partners are building differentiated solutions based on Revolution Analytics solutions. We look forward to doing even more with our partners as we further develop Revolution R Enterprise Platform-as-a-Service.”

     

    muHPC is available now, and comes with an annual subscription license on a per-cluster basis with an incremental price-per-node. More information is available at www.mu-sigma.com/muhpc.