MxMIndia

Category: NEWS

  • Signs up exclusively with Alliance Media & Entertainment

    Kamal Haasan finally says ‘yes’ to endorsing brands

    By A Correspondent

     

    One of India’s most loved and popular superstars from South Indian and Hindi cinema, Padma Shri actor-writer-director Kamal Haasan will soon take up something he has never done in his 50-plus-years’ career. The superstar will take up brand endorsements, and has signed up exclusively with India’s leading celebrity and talent sourcing and management firm, Alliance Media & Entertainment Pvt Ltd.

     

    Sunil Doshi, Founder & MD, Alliance Media & Entertainment Pvt Ltd, said: “We are delighted that Kamal Haasan has signed up with us exclusively for our talent sourcing and Management services. He is a truly global Indian icon – a great actor, writer and film maker who is immensely respected, not only for his strong contribution to cinema, but also for his significant initiatives to help the underprivileged. We are honoured that a man of his stature has chosen us to represent his interests, and we look forward to working closely with him.”

     

    It is well known that that Kamal Haasan has converted his legions of fans and fan clubs into a social service organization. This has set a precedent that has percolated through the audiences and has resulted in a social service and awareness movement. All the activities are also self-funded by the fans themselves as a personal initiative, which is strongly supported by Mr. Kamal Haasan.

     

    Revealing why Kamal Haasan has decided to go in for brand endorsement, Mr Doshi said: “Mr Kamal Haasan has certain plans for his work in social service, but is also unwilling to rely on external sources of funding those plans. Therefore, he feels that endorsements with leading companies and brands that have a strong commitment to society and causes would be an appropriate and independent means of fulfilling his vision.”

     

    On why he has signed up exclusively with Alliance Media to represent him, Kamal Haasan said: “I have signed up with Sunil Doshi’s Alliance Media because I believe it is India’s most respected talent management firm and is known to provide excellent strategic counsel to several top celebrities and personalities. I look forward to yet another first – that of brand endorsement – in my creative life, and to keep being able to do my bit for society.”

     

    Mr Doshi said: “We shall soon announce which brand Mr Kamal Haasan will be endorsing. Mr Kamal Haasan is known for his ideals and principles, and needless to say, we shall advise him to pick a brand that fits with his values and stature, and will have a campaign to match.”

     

    Alliance Media & Entertainment Pvt Ltd has exclusively managed and been associated with some of the biggest celebrities and personalities of India, along with some of the most respected corporates. Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan are other superstars who have signed up exclusively with Alliance Media.

     

    Sunil Doshi, who has been advising superstar Amitabh Bachchan for close to two decades now, has also been associated with superstars like Shahrukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Preity Zinta, Rani Mukherji, Govinda, Fardeen Khan and Sonali Bendre, among others.

     

    Mr Doshi was instrumental in Amitabh Bachchan signing the historical Kaun Banega Crorepati deal, which completely changed fortunes in the Indian Cable & Satellite Television Industry. He has also been associated with ace writer-director-producer Karan Johar and was instrumental in suggesting his name for the popular multiple-series chat show Koffee with Karan.

     

    Alliance Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. is a Mumbai based media & entertainment company which, through the past 12 years has earned premium expertise and market stature in celebrity & talent sourcing & management, film production, acquisition and distribution; ad film and TV program production and home video distribution.

     

    It has also been associated with several top corporates, including Idea Cellular, Pepsi Co, ICICI Bank, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance,  Omega and Max New York Life Insurance, among others. The company has also been instrumental in the formation of the world cinema channel Lumiere Movies, which is part of Turner International (earlier known as NDTV Lumiere).

     

  • According to TAM Sports, All India Market, CS 4+ years, IPL5 witnessed an average TVR of 3.76 per cent in the first six matches, which is far lower than the previous IPL seasons

    IPL5 Week 1 TVRs touch new low, media planners say it’s still early days

    By A Correspondent

     

    Indian Premier League (IPL) season five kick started on April 4 amid speculations and fear that the season would fail to deliver high viewership. The recent TVR figures released by TAM Sports may have just proved the naysayers right.

     

    According to TAM Sports, All India Market, CS 4+ years, IPL5 witnessed an average TVR of 3.76 per cent in the first six matches, which is far lower than the previous IPL seasons. The opening ceremony itself received a mere 1.16 per cent of the average TVR.

     

    While the IPL season five ratings for the first six matches is the lowest in comparison to previous seasons, the inaugural season (IPL1) continues to remain the highest viewed with a TVR of 5.59 per cent.

     

    Interestingly, the cumulative reach for the first six matches too have shown a slight decline in season five as compared to season four. The cumulative reach which has been on a rise since the inaugural season of IPL reached its peak in season four and thereafter in season five witnessed a slight decline.

     

    Mr Venkata Subramanian, Senior Director-Investments, MPG India is of the opinion that not only are the numbers positive but, also that the numbers will increase as the matches become more interesting. “These are initial ratings so the numbers are looking positive. As the matches continue to become more interesting, we can expect the ratings to also go up. Even if the TVR reaches 4.5 or 4.6 per cent, the delivery will be good not only because it is the fifth season but, also because of more number of matches.”

     

    According to Mr Janardhan Pandey, Associate Vice President, DDB Mudra, some drop in the reach numbers were expected owing to the poor Indian team performance during the last one year and the fatigue of cricket overdose amongst the viewers. However there is no cause for major worry. “I am of view that, as the game seems to be picking up well and with the onset of vacations, the numbers will improve. Also if the games progresses well, the reach numbers towards the second half of the series may be far better than anticipated. So over all it will deliver value, obviously there will always be standard deviation, after all it’s a huge sporting extravaganza.”

     

    The media planners are of the view that although IPL 5 may not come close to the season one ratings or even cross the season three ratings, nevertheless as the tournament progress the viewership will also increase. What remains to be seen is whether the ratings do improve or will it remain lower than the previous season?

     

    Source : TAM Sports, Period : Wk 14, 2012, TG : CS 4+ yrs, Market : All India, Channel : MAX

    This data is for First 6 matches of all IPL Seasons

    * In IPL 1 one match (47th) was abandoned due to rain

    * In IPL 2 two matches (7th & 13th)were abandoned due to rain

    * In IPL 4 one match (20th) was abandoned due to rain

  • Based in Mumbai, Ms Sarin will work closely with the client servicing and creative teams to manage key clients inIndia,Singapore, Africa and the Middle East

    DY Works appoints Ashita Sarin as Senior GM-Marketing

    By A Correspondent

     

    DY Works (erstwhile dma branding and yellow design), a brand strategy and brand design firm has further strengthened its senior leadership team with the appointment of Ashita Sarin as senior General Manager – Marketing. Based in Mumbai, Ms Sarin will work closely with the client servicing and creative teams to manage key clients in India, Singapore, Africa and the Middle East.

     

    A graduate of Parson’s School of Design, New York, Ms Sarin has over seven years of client management experience, including a stint at Landor Associates, New York and India. A dynamic professional with extensive experience in brand building & client relationship, Ms Sarin has worked on brands like Procter & Gamble, American Express, Tata Group, Mahindra & Mahindra, Taj, Cafe Coffee Day, Tata Realty and Infrastructure Limited, and Hindustan Construction Company among others.

     

    Alpana Parida, President, DY Works, said: “DY Works has always endeavoured to tread new paths in the world of brand building. Ashita brings to the table vast  experience across industries in Indian and international markets. We are confident that with her leadership DY Works will actively grow new client base and expand our existing relationships inIndiaand abroad.”

     

    On her move to DY Works, Ms Sarin said: “At DY Works, I was struck by the passion to make a difference to customers’ brands. The people and the team that I will work with are extremely enthusiastic. To work with HUL as a customer and to be able to deliver value to them consistently is a challenge as well as a huge opportunity. I look forward to partnering with the clients in understanding Indian consumer behaviour and bring my experience to make the brand building exercise more successful.”

     

  • Anil Machado, National Programming Head, Radio One shares his view on the reasons for going retro in Kolkata, how the station is different in other markets and the response received

    Radio One is a station with a difference: Anil Machado

    Beginning March 28, Radio One Kolkata made a transition from a station that played a mix of Hindi and Bengali songs to a full-fledged Hindi retro station. The Kolkata station is now a 100 per cent Hindi retro station, playing the biggest hits from the sixties through the nineties. By going completely retro, the FM station aims to create some differentiation in the Kolkata market which has nearly nine FM stations. The decision to go retro was taken after extensive research was conducted, which found that no FM station in Kolkata dwelled into the retro music space and that there is huge potential for a 100 per cent retro music station in the market. In conversation with MxMIndia’s Robin Thomas, Mr Anil Machado, National Programming Head, Radio One shared his view on the reasons for going retro in Kolkata, how the station is different in other markets and the response received. Radio One, a joint venture between Next Mediaworks Ltd and BBC Worldwide is operational in seven metros – Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Pune and Ahmedabad.

     

    Please throw some light on the decision to go retro in Kolkata?

    Radio One is a differentiated station in every market we are currently present in and there is no market better than Kolkata to go 100 per cent retro.  The biggest retro singers are from this market… Kolkata is a market that swears on retro music, that’s grown up to retro music. Our motive is being different in every market and we noticed huge space in retro music that no one was catering to and if they did, then they were catering in time slots. We did our research and found that people of Kolkata are crazy over retro music and that the market is huge. In fact, no other player has dwelled into this space and hence we took the step and went 100 per cent retro in Kolkata.

     

    What genre of retro music will the Kolkata station play?

    We would be playing the biggest hits from 60s and 70s all the way through the 90s. You can listen to over forty years of the best music ever churned out in the country. The best of retro music will be played on Radio One Kolkata station. Tune in any part of the day and you will listen to songs you have grown up listening to, and therefore you will end up enjoying the station.

     

    And before going retro, Radio One Kolkata played….?

    Before going retro we were playing mainly a mix of Hindi and Bengali wherein Bengali music occupied nearly 25 per cent of the music mix.

     

    You have tried to create a differentiated station across markets…?

    We have differentiated content in all our markets. In Mumbai andDelhi, we are the only radio station playing international music. In Kolkata we are a 100 per cent Hindi retro station. In Chennai we are the only 100 per cent request station. In Pune we are a hardcore Bollywood music station whereas others play a mix of Hindi and Marathi. InBangaloretoo we are truly a Bollywood music station whereas others play Kannada music and in Ahmedabad we stand to a maximum music, maximum choice wherein we air only two shows and the rest is back to back music. The others in Ahmedabad market, on the other hand, air approximate six to seven shows whereas we air only two shows.

     

    What’s the kind of response the Kolkata station is generating, particularly from the advertisers?

    The response, from both listeners and advertisers, has been overwhelming. Advertisers mainly look at audience profiling and the differentiating factors of the station, and Radio One provides that differentiating factor and the audience profile. Kolkata has nine radio stations and advertisers realize that Radio One is the only FM station that plays 100 per cent retro music, our TG continues to remain the same i.e. 30 years plus listeners. What we have noticed in the Kolkata market is that they breed music from the sixties, seventies, eighties, nineties, and the people of Kolkata know their music, the singers and lyricist and so on.

     

    Radio One Kolkata went retro towards the last week of March, 2012, yet you didn’t make much noise about it…?

    We went retro from the March 28, 2012. I believe that the moment your product is differentiated, it works on the principle of network marketing but, if you are similar to other stations in the same market that is when you would invest heavily in marketing. Therefore, the moment you are a differentiated product, you would automatically stand out from the herd.

     

  • They used to be among the most coveted honours for creative talent but at 63rd Cag awards last Saturday, only young talent & a veteran were recognised

    Why Cag has stopped awarding seniors

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    (with generous inputs from a speech by Gangadharan Menon)

     

    Those who’ve been part of the ad and media fraternity for less than a decade may be wondering why the Big Story today is on the Cag Awards. In fact the only CAG in their lives is perhaps the Comptroller and Auditor General, better known for unearthing scams and irregularities so very frequently.

     

    The reason why most of our youth is unaware of what Cag is has perhaps got to do with the decay that has set into the way ad awards were being conducted. Communication Arts Guild, or Cag (written in upper-lower as against all caps) as is popularly known as in advertising circles, was founded in 1950. The sole purpose then, and now, is to spot, nurture and reward talent in the field of creative communications. Initially it started off specifically for commercial artists, but over the years it expanded to include all forms of creative communications. And in fact, the name too changed from Commercial Artists Guild to Communication Arts Guild to reflect this change.

     

    The highlight every year was the Annual Cag Awards in various communication categories, culminating in the Art Director of the Year and the Cag Hall of Fame. The following year would see the release of the Cag Annual that would feature the previous year’s awardwinning work.

     

    Somewhere in the mid-90s, the much-coveted Cag Awards were discontinued. Reason: the unchecked and uncontrolled proliferation of what came to be known as scam advertising. Meaning, advertising that was never released in mass media, but was created only for the purpose of winning awards. The client was fictitious (or perhaps that cobbler or panwallah down the road who never needed any advertising), the brief was non-existent and the media was unaware of their existence. When 90 per cent of the entries started belonging to this obnoxious category, Cag called it quits. And with it stopped the highly sought-after Cag Awards, and thereby dried up Cag’s only source of funding. But the very next year, Cag started the Young Cag Awards, to spot, nurture and reward the young creative talents in the various art colleges across the city. And for a dozen years, it has been feeding the advertising and allied applied arts industries with a steady stream of young talent.

     

    Over the academic year, Cag holds various workshops by practising professionals, and at the end of the year conducts a meticulous talent hunt across all art colleges. Starting this year, the hunt has been extended to art colleges across the country. This culminates in various awards given across categories: Cub Illustrator, Cub Photographer, Cub Copywriter, Cub Typographer, Cub Designer, Cub Ideator and Cub Art Director of the Year. An exhibition of this awardwinning work is held every year after the awards function to inspire younger students to excel in the creative communications field.

     

    These awards are purely funded by the interest earned from the earlier kitty generated by the Cag Awards for Professionals. There is no fresh source of funding as Cag doesn’t believe in charging award entry fees to students. The people who work for Cag do it pro bono, merely giving back to an industry that gave them fame and fortune.

     

    In the year 2010, Cag took a decision to go digital. And it digitised around 36 Cag Annuals and put them on its website. This is a treasure-trove of advertisements that appeared between 1950 and 1995; and is the only source for students, academicians and professionals who want to understand the creative evolution of Indian Advertising.

     

    One of the recognitions that continued uninterrupted is the prestigious Cag Hall of Fame. A citation and award that recognises and acknowledges an individual’s seminal contribution in the field of creative communications, spanning a few decades. This illustrious Hall has already inducted various luminaries into its hallowed precincts: Kersy Katrak, Panna Jain, Ravi Gupta, Frank Simoes, Gerson da Cunha, Avinash Godbole, Arun Kale and Arun Kolhatkar.

     

    This year, Kiran Nagarkar was inducted into the Cag Hall of Fame. For his outstanding contribution in pioneering some of the finest campaigns in Indian advertising and for his versatile talent in other fields of creative writing: as a playwright, screenplay writer and an award-winning novelist.

     

    Nagarkar made a plea to the audience to not let Cag to die and made a clarion call to young creative professionals to shun scam advertising.

    # #

     

    What would you expect creative boys and girls to be doing on a Saturday morning? Majorly hung over, getting off their beds a little before noon? Guess we’ve got it all wrong. On Saturday, April 7, right in the middle of the looong Good Friday weekend, Cag held its 63rd annual awards function. At the Ravindra Natya Mandir at Prabhadevi. Since most of the award-winners were students, it was a packed house. Except for the front rows since the ad fraternity and some of the other leading lights among ‘communication artists’ don’t appear to quite care about being present. “It’s perhaps because Cag is now essentially a students’ show with just one veteran being awarded,” said one senior art director.

     

    The Cag committee comprises veteran professionals like Samir Khanzode, Gangadharan Menon, Sunil Mahadik, Gopi Kukde, Brendan Pereira, Ranjan Joshi and Sachin Puthran. Cag, according to vice president Gangadhar Menon is clear it doesn’t want to revive the awards for seniors. Unfortunate, because surely there ought to be a way in which one should be able to eliminate scam ads. Or at least minimise them. Cag comprises and celebrates creativity. It must now find a creative (and effective) solution to the problem.

     

     

     

     

  • Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific realigns executive management roles.

    Staff restructuring @ Turner

    By A Correspondent

    More than two decades after launching with pan-regional CNN and Cartoon Network services, and having grown to 23 channels and 29 websites in nine languages, Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific (TBSAP) is to realign its structure to reflect its considerable business outside of Hong Kong. The large, geographically-diverse Asia-Pacific region has over the years become a combination of distinct sub-regions, each with its own characteristics, business imperatives and growth challenges. In order to pursue the network’s ambitious new goals in an increasingly dynamic and fragmented Asia-Pacific region, TBSAP is to rebalance its resources to better seize the exciting opportunities in these territories of North Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia/Pacific, each of which will come under a new management structure.

    Mr Steve Marcopoto, President and MD TBSAP, commented, “The driving principle behind our new set-up is to provide ownership and accountability to each Asia-Pacific sub-region in pursuit of growth. To better align us to meet the challenges and opportunities of these distinct markets in the years ahead, business will be run out of each sub-region with Hong Kong oversight and support.”

    Individual roles of the TBSAP executive team are to be realigned as follows: Mr Sunny Saha becomes SVP & MD Entertainment Networks, TBSAP, and takes on expanded responsibilities on strategic planning across the company, while continuing to oversee the functions in Hong Kong that support TBSAP’s new sub-regional operations. Mr Saha will also directly manage the company’s entertainment networks in Southeast Asia/Pacific, with the support of Mr Robi Stanton who assumes the role of GM, Networks Australia and New Zealand. Mr Saha will remain as TBSAP’s lead executive for all activities on global properties such as Cartoon Network.

    Mr Anshuman Misra will become SVP & MD of Networks and Content Distribution (NCD) Asia-Pacific, taking on full responsibility for Turner’s content sales business across the region. He will also assume responsibility for syndication sales.

    The North Asia region will be managed by Yew Ming Lau who will assume the new role of SVP & MD, North Asia. Mr Siddharth Jain will assume management of South Asia as SVP & MD while Ms Monica Tata, as VP & GM Networks, will now manage all of Turner’s India networks with the assistance of dedicated business heads reporting to her. The team at Imagine, until some months back headed by Mr Sameer Nair, will report to Ms Tata.

    In light of the increasing priority of CNN International News Source, Mr Ringo Chan will devote his major focus to this pursuit as SVP, CNN Broadcast Sales & Affiliate Relations, while maintaining his responsibilities for NCD in Greater China as well as the important liaison work he conducts for TBSAP with the PRC.

    Mr Jeremy Carr will assume important additional responsibility for growing TBSAP’s digital entertainment properties as VP Entertainment, Digital & Adsales.

    Finally, Phil Nelson will assume full regional responsibility for Business Development as VP of Business Development, Asia Pacific.

    These new operating arrangements will take effect immediately.

    “We have the best management team in the business and our new approach will focus each of our executive resources more deeply on specific areas, rather than across the entirety of the substantial and complex region of Asia-Pacific,” Mr Marcopoto added. “This is a positive, forward-looking, strategic and long-term initiative to continue to grow Turner Asia and deliver optimum performance to better seize exciting opportunities in the years ahead.”

     

  • Bindass will present itself in a new and refined avatar to the world with a focus that’ll be even more skewed towards the youth of today. The new change would read: Bindass – Rest Less

    Bindass goes Rest Less, for good

    By A correspondent

     

    It’s perhaps a brand that’s far ahead of its time and is known for taking generational leaps to adapt to new market dynamics. It was thus natural on its part to undergo a makeover exercise once again what with the youth of today having undergone a radical transformation in their habits.

     

    Being the third such makeover for the company, youth brand Bindass has announced yet another repositioning exercise that’ll see them don a new garb in everything that they do. Effective April 16, Bindass will present itself in a new and refined avatar to the world with a focus that’ll be even more skewed towards the youth of today. The new change would read: Bindass – Rest Less.

     

    Elaborating on the proposed switchover, Keith Alphonso, Business Head, Bindass said: “April 16 is the switch-on date where you’ll see Bindass in a new packaging, new promos, new music, new logos & graphics, new shows and every other touchpoint as well.”

     

    Delving into the specifics of the makeover exercise, Mr Alphonso said that the entire exercise kicked off in October 2011 where a few important points were taken up for analysis. “The first was we took a long hard look at our business and committed to our stated business intent that we wanted to broadbase Bindass into a youth brand and not just exist as a television channel. The idea was to get Bindass to a position where it was relevant to young people and fulfil a very visible need-gap. We thus went back to the market and for three months did a fair amount of research with Ormax and MarketGate and we zeroed in on a position which we are going to craft Bindass as a brand to occupy.”

     

    Explaining the positioning that the brand sought to occupy, Mr Alphonso said: “The position is something that celebrates success and was based on two trends that we observed over a period of time. One trend was the super-confidence that the Indian youth of today boast about where they see opportunity in everything that they do. But if you scratch a little below the surface, you will notice a certain amount of fragility as well. That’s because of the kind of competition that has been created in the marketplace. As we put it, it’s called ‘fragile invincibility’ – as confident and invincible as they seem they are also plagued with problems and they look for a brand as a touchstone. So what we are doing now is to craft Bindass as the brand that gets you there. The brand that holds your hand on that journey and not to be confused with a career and competition brand, so to speak. That’s because for the young person, success has many connotations. This was the value proposition that we latched on to.”

     

    Having shortlisted on the value proposition, the next move was to get help on the communications front and search for options on how to sell the concept to the desirable TG. That’s where they approached Taproot co-founder Agnello Dias, who has been associated with the brand in its previous makeover exercise as well. Mr Alphonso affirmed: “We got Agnello Dias of Taproot onboard who suggested the tagline Bindass -Rest Less. The idea was that it celebrates constant perpetual energy of the youth of today. So the brand value is about celebrating the people who rest less and succeed. As for the communication, it will happen across multiple mediums, including mass media, print, and so on, but importantly, however we are perceived we will ensure that the spirit of Bindass – Rest less will be embedded there.”

     

    Mr Agnello Dias, Chairman and Co-founder, Taproot India, added: “A key trait that marks youth behaviour today is a sense of constant motion; everyone is either going somewhere or doing something all the time. This non-stop motion, well-channelized is the new objective ideal. Settling down is fast going down the priority list. The bubbling undercurrents of discovery, exploration, invention, challenge, action seem to top that list. The new brand campaign for Bindass captures precisely this, that the youth today are ‘Rest Less’ and actually rest even lesser. We had earlier worked on Bindass’ immensely successful ‘What I am’ campaign as well which really caught on with the youth and this time around with Rest Less we hope to continue connecting with them yet again.”

     

    On how these changes would be reflected on the channel and other properties,  Mr Alphonso stated: “We will be launching two new shows – Live out Loud and Fear Less – in April and July, which will reflect the new change that we are talking about. LOL will let individuals say the one thing they always wanted to say with 250 people from Bindass supporting them in their stance. Fear Less is a gang of friends coming together to help one of their own overcome a debilitating fear. With these shows and more we are moving to a stage where we want to aid in transformation.”

     

    In fact that’s not all, as part of its efforts to be seen as an integrated brand Bindass would be tapping the medium of YouTube in a big way. “We would be launching a new channel on YouTube where we will be releasing short-form programmes only for that space. That medium has its own unique consumption patterns and parameters. We will be creating exclusive content for users on YouTube and not rehash content from somewhere else. Even our Facebook page will go under a radical new layout where you’ll have newsletters giving you information on movie deals, contests, tickets for matches, and so on. The idea is everything that we do is going to be about helping young kids get to their goal faster,” assured Mr Alphonso.

     

    When asked on the need for undertaking continuous makeover exercises, Alphonso reverted: “It has been a deliberate move to undergo repositioning again. When we launched in 2007 we were about Bindass – TV, Web,Mobile- that was a time when other channels were yet to discover multiple content. From there to 2010, we came out with a very attitude-based positioning which was Bindass – What I Am. There was a prevalent thought among young people at that point in time that they just wanted to be themselves. We reflected this non-judgmental spirit of theirs by saying it is an attitude. That was successful for us because it pushed us into a branded play. As of today, because we wanted to broad base our brand, because we wanted to be seen as more than a television channel, to become a new touchstone so that new business opportunities can be explored – for that to happen, brand Bindass had to have a call to action. And, therefore, the new positioning of Rest Less.”

     

    While the first two repositioning exercises did wonders for Bindass in terms of acceptability and attracting GRPs, the idea going forward would be to move beyond being just a channel and move into a space where it could become a huge brand by itself. Affirmed Mr Alphonso: “Probably in a year or two, I could launch Bindass range of jeans and get into doing other such activities; that is what our focus would be going forward. At the end of 18-odd months, you will see the emergence of umbrella youth brand Bindass that will also have a television channel, an events division, branded services, digital, and so on.”

     

  • As part of her new portfolio, Ms Karna will be responsible for creation and marketing of shows designed for regional and Hindi GECs

    Simmi Karna appointed as Business Head for BIG Productions

    By A Correspondent

     

    Reliance Broadcast Network Ltd. (RBNL) has announced a key appointment with Simmi Karna coming on board as the Business Head for BIG Productions, its television content production arm.

     

    As part of her new portfolio, Ms Karna will be responsible for creation and marketing of shows designed for regional and Hindi GECs. She will also be responsible for the P&L of BIG Productions and will report to the CEO of Reliance Broadcast Network, Mr. Tarun Katial.

     

    A molecular biologist by education, Ms Karna was drawn to the television industry as she began researching and writing for television in 1997. Over the last 15 years, she has worked across leading brands in the television industry ranging from Zee, Channel V and IMG, as a writer and creative director across genres of fiction, non-fiction, sports, fashion, among others. Her last assignment, prior to joining BIG Productions, was with Balaji Tele Films as the Chief Revenue Officer.

     

    Commenting on her appointment, Mr Katial, CEO, Reliance Broadcast Network Ltd, said: “Simmi’s vast experience across a variety of genres with her erudite stamp on programming makes her an asset to the organization. Her ability to ideate and conceptualize on the basis of audience preferences, while ensuring in line with clients’ briefs is her strength which will work excellently when coupled with her people management skills to lead the business into its next level of growth.”

     

    On her appointment at BIG Productions, Ms Karna said: “I look forward to working with the young and dynamic team at BIG Productions. The television industry is geared for exploratory programs and these are really exciting times for TV inIndia. RBNL has some great properties for television and I look forward to a challenging and exciting career in television production.”

     

    Reliance Broadcast Network Limited is a multi-media entertainment conglomerate with play across radio, television, intellectual properties and out of home. It is part of the Reliance Group and specializes in creating and executing integrated media solutions for brands.

  • CNBC-TV18 presents Boardroom, the premier show which provides comprehensive earnings analysis of the India Inc

    India Inc prepares for earnings season, expectations muted: CNBC-TV18

    By A Correspondent

     

    It has been a tough 12 months for India Inc. and expectations are subdued from the Q4 results. Political uncertainties continue to plague the markets, revenue and margin are under pressure and the rupee is on tenterhooks. Investors and analysts are not expecting any positive surprises this time around. A disappointing Q4 may lead to a loss in confidence and money moving out of the markets. Questions are already being asked if Indian growth story is losing its sheen and investors are hoping that there is no further negative news.

     

    As the earnings season looks set to provide the barometer for the market sentiment of the nation’s economy, CNBC-TV18 presents ‘Boardroom’, the premier show which provides comprehensive earnings analysis of the India Inc. at the end of this financial year.

     

    The earnings season will start with earnings estimates, analyst views and brokers polls. The day of the results will feature management interviews and stock update of some ofIndia’s largest companies. This will be followed by analysis on Boardroom with the company board, top management, CEOs, noted analysts and fund managers.

     

    CNBC-TV18’s editorial team will go behind the numbers and aim to bring the definitive insights that help to make the best investing decisions. Join the team led by Udayan Mukherjee & Mitali Mukherjee as they discuss the annual number and how this may set the tone for the next move in the markets.

     

    The show kicks off with the Infosys earnings numbers on April 13, and will continue to track the market defining companies through the earnings season.

     

    CNBC-TV 18, an English business news channel, has been an integral part of the Indian economic story, spearheading and mirroring these enterprising times. The channel’s coverage extends from corporate news, financial markets coverage, expert perspective on investing and management to industry verticals and beyond.

     

    The Network18 Group is a media and entertainment company with interests in television, internet, filmed entertainment, e-commerce, magazines, mobile content and allied businesses.

     

  • New DelhiandBangalorelead the viewership with 14 per cent each, with Mumbai coming in a close second at 13 percent

    IPL 2012 first week online viewership registers a 56% increase

    By A Correspondent

     

    Solidifying last year’s stupendous growth during Indian Premier League (IPL), Times Internet Limited (TIL), in partnership with YouTube, is on an upward curve, yet again. In the first week of the tournament, including the opening ceremony, the IPL website has already recorded 13.7 million views, as against 8.8 million views last year. This represents a 56 per cent growth over last year.

     

    New DelhiandBangalorelead the viewership with 14 per cent each, with Mumbai coming in a close second at 13 percent. This leap reflects the growing trend of watching IPL matches online. This year, the IPL website offers a virtual battleground for fans to fight it out, which got 1.5 million engagements in the first week itself.

     

    The matches registered the maximum online views on 10th April for the matches between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders, and between Delhi Daredevils and Chennai Super Kings. The day saw a total of 2.15 million views on the site, which included 0.7 million unique visitors.

     

    Almost 0.6 million viewers have enjoyed the match action on their mobiles over the last seven days on Apalya mobile TV platform across Airtel, Idea and Vodafone. This is double the traffic registered last year.

     

    Rishi Khiani, CEO, Times Internet Ltd said: “Last year, we delivered a superior viewing experience and garnered significant audiences. This year, our emphasis is on higher interactivity and our strong social focus has paid off right at the start, becoming a sign of things to come over the season.”

     

    Praveen Sharma, Head of Media Sales GoogleIndiasaid: “We’re really excited to see the continuous growth in online viewer ship of IPL. This is the third year of our association with live streaming of IPL and the viewership numbers clearly indicate the distributed media consumption pattern of the Indian consumers.”

     

  • Co-writer of Eric Clapton’s ‘Layla’- Bobby Whitlock – to headline Purvankara Indigo n Blues alongsideTexaslegendary blues rock heavyweight Van Wilks Band

    3rd edition of Indigo n Blues Festival promises treat for music-lovers

    By A Correspondent

     

    Indigo Live on Thursday announced the launch of its third edition of Indigo n Blues Festival, one of the most anticipated international jazz and blues festival in the country. The festival will be held on the May 18 and 19 at theEdenGarden, Palace Grounds Bangalore.

     

    Spokesperson of Indigo Live announced that the festival will be headlined by Bobby Whitlock, who is perhaps better known for being a member of the band Derek & the Dominos, recording and co-producing one of Rock and Rolls, most important records in history “Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs”.

     

    He remains the only true writing partner of Eric Clapton, writing memorable songs such as ‘Tell the Truth’, ‘Keep on Growing’, ‘I Looked Away’, ‘Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad’, ‘Any day’ and ‘Roll It Over’.

     

    Bobby Whitlock will present this show with his band Bobby Whitlock & CoCo Carmel.

     

    The other headlining artist at the festival will be theTexasblues rock guitar legend Van Wilks who has had the honour of playing duets with greats like Willie Nelson, Eric Johnson and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top.

     

    Trigam Mukherjee, A&R Associate of Indigo Live said: “ Both Bobby Whitlock and Van Wilks are legends that Bangalore will experience for the first time ever and will sure create ripples in the growth of the genre in India. Both Bobby and Van are excited at the opportunity to perform in a country which is experiencing a surge, especially in the international live music industry. They will present a genre of blues rock, not many in the country would have experienced live.”

     

    The festival will also see many Indian blues and jazz superstars performing alongside them. Blackstratblues, The Saturday Night Blues Band, Overdrive Trio, Adil and Vasundhara, Groove#3 from Chennai andBangalore’s very own Chronic Blues Circus.

     

    The festival promises to be a carnival set at the sereneEdenGardens. The celebration of the finest Jazz n Blues India can experience will be complimented by some sumptuous soul food which will be presented at the venue.

     

    In the past Indigo Blues have features artists like Café Du Sport, Adrian D’souza and Carl Peters, Konarak Reddy, Bob Bonastre, Kaya Quartet, Junckt, Agog from Amsterdam, Alain Brunet trio, Marilena Paradisi from Italy, Wanayran Angerer from Bahamas, Cyril Barbessol from France, Margie Perez from New Orleans, Barbara Jungfer and Holger Jetter from Germany, Matt Littlewood band from UK, Masala Dosa from France.

     

    This year, however, the focus shifts completely towardsAustin,Texas, the mecca of southern blues. The past two years have seen tremendous response from audience from not onlyBangalore, but also adjoining states in the southern region.

     

  • Fever 104 FM proudly supports Delhi Daredevils for the fifth consecutive year and Mumbai Indians for the third year in a row

    Fever is Official Radio Partner of Delhi & Mumbai IPL teams

    By A Correspondent

     

    The teams have changed, the stakes have changed, but Delhi Daredevils’ and Mumbai Indians’ official radio partner in this IPL season has not changed, it is Fever 104 FM yet again. Through changing times and constant churn in the world of IPL, the partnership between GMR Sports and Fever 104 FM has stayed unmoved and ‘not out’!

     

    Fever 104 FM, country’s most sports friendly radio station proudly supports Delhi Daredevils for the fifth consecutive year and Mumbai Indians for the third year in a row.

    For this special association, Fever 104 FM has planned an on-air festival of cricket with some innovative programming to help bring the heroes closer to their fans in both the cities. From giving away match tickets every 104th minute, meet and greet with the players to original IPL merchandise, Fever 104 FM promises to give its listeners experiences that money can’t buy.

     

    While Mumbai campaign talks about ‘RJ Sidhu aur Mumbaikars Honge Ek’ where the evening show RJ will bring together the city to cheer for their home team; the Delhi station is running a campaign of ‘Daredevils Ke Damaad’, where the on-air contest winner gets an exceptional treatment during the match. Another unique campaign by the Delhi station is the ‘Junior Daredevils’ which involves an on-air battles of parents and the winner’s child gets selected to walk with the players till the field.

     

    Fever 104 FM believes the game to be a perfect fit with its brand positioning and beliefs inDelhiand Mumbai. Cricket is a religion across the country and there can be no better opportunity than IPL to leverage this advantage. The radio station has always presented the game in a very distinct manner and intends to take the cricket madness further and amplifying the same on radio with a strong local connect.

     

    Mr. Harshad Jain, Business Head- Radio and Entertainment, Fever 104 FM, said: “It is an honour for us to partner with two of the best IPL teams – Delhi Daredevil and Mumbai Indians. The format of the game is very entertaining and highly active. Our programming initiatives, too, are equally fun and exciting. We aim to provide a platform for our listeners that will help them engage with the IPL team members in an enjoyable manner”.