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  • MSLGROUP is Publicis Groupe's flagship strategic communications and engagement company and the largest public relations and social media network in Greater China and India.

    MSL Asia ranks 3rd in M&A leage

    By A Correspondent

     

    Publicis Groupe’s financial communications consultancies in Asia – operating as part of the MSLGROUP network – have been ranked third by volume for Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) deals, according to mergermarket, a leading M&A intelligence service in the ‘mergermarket League Tables of PR Advisers’ for Q1 2012.

     

    MSLGROUP is Publicis Groupe’s flagship strategic communications and engagement company and the largest public relations and social media network in Greater China and India.

     

    The mergermarket study analyzed the Q1 performance (January to March 2012) of PR advisors in Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) deals and placed Publicis Groupe’s financial communications consultancies third in terms of number of deals and eighth in terms of collective deal value ($978 million) within Asia Pacific. This represents a jump in ranking from 49th to eighth by value and from the 19th to third by volume.

     

    In Asia Pacific, the mergermarket report has considered four deals advised by Publicis Groupe’s financial communications consultancies – three by Hanmer MSL and one by MSL China.

     

    mergermarket based its ratings on deal values – considering only those over $5million – and number of deals struck. The ‘mergermarket League Tables of PR Advisers’ Q1 2012 is part of the ‘mergermarket’ report that not only evaluates and analyses M&A transactions all over the world on a quarterly and annual basis; but also the performance of PR advisors who act as strategic counsel.

     

    Commenting on the achievement, Jaideep Shergill, Chief Executive Officer of Hanmer MSL, India said: “The global economy has been witnessing consolidation across industries, much of it in the form of mergers and acquisitions. We sense immense opportunities in the M&A space for our finance practices inAsia, especially at a time when many European, American and even Asian firms are looking for quality acquisitions in the region.”

     

    Hanmer MSL India managed M&A communications for leading Indian business groups including Piramal Healthcare (acquisition of 5.5 per cent stake in Vodafone India by Piramal Healthcare), Network 18 Group (acquisition of 100 per cent stake in Eenadu Group by Network 18) and Binani Industries (acquisition of 100 per cent stake in 3B – The Fibreglass Company by Binani Industries).

     

    MSL China advised and managed communications for the Neiman Marcus Group on the US based company’s merger with Glamour Sales Holding, an online retail company, inChina.

     

  • In his new role, he will be responsible for aligning and strengthening the firm's operations

    Dipankar Chakraborty is COO at Kettle Communications

    By A Correspondent

     

    Kettle Communications, an integrated communication consultancy, announced the appointment of Dipankar Chakraborty as their Chief Operating Officer. In his new role, he will be responsible for aligning and strengthening the firm’s operations. His mandate with Kettle Communications include Strategy Development, New Business Initiatives, Team Development and Management pan India, for all verticals: Main Line Advertising, Below the Line campaigns (Events & Activations), Retail Management, Exposition Management, Digital and MICE.

     

    As a business lead, he will be responsible for the formation of full service teams in all metros of India (Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata).
    Dipankar has over 14 years of experience, which includes leading several corporate and brand reputation programs. “We are delighted that Dipankar has joined our new team as we plan to touch new horizons and increase and establish our foothold in the industry,” said Mr. Aatanu Chakraborty, MD & CEO of Kettle Communications.

     

    Prior to joining Kettle Communications, Mr Chakraborty was with HansaVision, (A part of RK Swamy BBDO group) as National Head – Events and was instrumental in leading campaigns for Samsung, Yahoo, Nestle, LG, Micromax to name a few, where he was responsible for the growth and profitability of the organization.

     

    Mr Chakraborty, in the past, has been associated with prestigious national and international events like, IIFA Awards, London School of Economics Asia Forum, World Mobile Congress Barcelona, AfricaCom South Africa, World Telco Summit UAE, GSM Middle East, Communique Asia, Yahoo BIC Awards, NDTV Business Leadership Awards, Porsche Launch in India, Audi Launch in India, Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Pierce Brosnan, Carl Lewis’ Visits to India.

     

    The bouquet of clients Mr Chakraborty has serviced during his tenure include, FICCI, CII, Yahoo, Airtel, Nestle, Adventz, ACME, Microsoft, Teacher’s, Nasscom, Nike, Porsche, Audi, Samsung, LG, Micromax, Comviva, Ananda Bazaar Patrika, The Times of India, Hindustan Times, Cairn India, ONGC, SAIL, NTPC, Indigo Music, India Today Group.

     

    Prior to this, Mr Chakraborty has worked with Wizcraft for more than 6 years followed by Ogilvy where he spent considerable time strengthening the Below the Line arm called Ogilvy Live.

     

    Kettle Communications has been founded by a group of thinkers consisting of core team with big agency, big brand exposure … thus forming the all weather plate of the Kettle. Kettle Communications believes that the art of communication is to sport a lively, engaging idea that carries the power to evoke emotions. Kettle Communications strive to partner client’s diverse needs by providing a work atmosphere that’s truly inspiring. And all these BOIL inside a “Kettle – Boiling with Ideas”

     

  • The addition of Neon Brand PR will further strengthen Draftfcb Ulka's portfolio of services and provide seamless inputs for their branding assignments

    Draftfcb Ulka lights up with Neon Brand PR

    By A Correspondent

     

    Neon Brand PR is the newest division of Draftfcb Ulka Group with a strong focus on traditional and social media. From conceiving and executing media relations strategies, the approach will be to develop PR for brands and brand campaigns that link marketing and communication initiatives for greater buzz and positive throwback on the brand. The addition of Neon Brand PR will further strengthen Draftfcb Ulka’s portfolio of services and provide seamless inputs for their branding assignments.

     

    Neon Brand PR will endeavour to bring in a significant amount of brand learning from the parent agency into its PR practice, thereby ensuring that the brand positioning and messaging are given the right tone and posture.

     

    Tanya Desousa has joined Neon Brand PR as PR Director. She has experience of about 14 years in PR, having worked in companies like Crest Communications, Hanmer & Partners and Percept Profile. She has been associated with brands like Spicejet, Western Australian Trade Office, Amway, Sanofi Aventis, Piramal Healthcare, Bridgestone Tyres, Asus Incorporated and many more.

     

    Neon Brand PR’s first assignment will be Santoor 25 Years campaign.

     

  • Vibgyor started out as a generic event management services company and has transformed into one of the top activation agencies in the country with a pan-India presence

    Vibgyor Brand Services gets future-ready

    By A Correspondent

     

    Vibgyor Brand Services, a pioneer in brand activation services, has completed 10 years of operations. This not only signifies the coming of age of this specialized industry, but also reflects on its growing importance as a tool of marketing communications.

     

    Vibgyor started out as a generic event management services company and has transformed into one of the top activation agencies in the country with a pan-India presence. Vibgyor has 6 offices and a team of over 90 that support top-notch companies like HUL, Dabur India, Pepsi, Samsung, Flipkart, Toshiba and others for their brand activation strategies including events, exhibitions and on-ground consumer contact programmes.

     

    Ankur Kalra, founder and CEO of Vibgyor recalls that a decade ago he had to explain brand activation and experiential marketing services to his potential clients. Today, no marketing plan is complete without Brand Activation and every forward looking company ensures a healthy balance of ATL & BTL as part of their plan.

     

    The discussions are now more on strategy, on methods of targeting the specific customer profile, engaging them and ensuring that they experience the brand and convert into loyal consumers. “This is the reason that we are adopting a new corporate identity and business philosophy today. Our benchmark is going to be how involved we are as a team with the clients brand and how much excitement we can create around it”, he said.

     

    Today consumers, with the overload of information, are looking for exciting brand experience and Vibgyor is committed to delivering the same. The new philosophy “Involve > Excite” is based on the input output principle – to get involved in a brand to create excitement around it.

     

    The brand activation industry is estimated to be anywhere between Rs5000 – 6000 crore, growing at 15 – 20 per cent per year. Vibgyor clocked a growth rate of 25 per cent last year which is substantially higher than the industry average. “The twin focus on commitment and creativity has enabled us to reach this far and we hope that adding involvement and excitement as part of our service delivery will help our client and in turn enable us stay ahead of the industry and maintain our double digit rate of growth”, Mr Kalra added.

     

  • There should be a PR award that enables entries to compete in the global arena. There is a major vacuum that needs to be filled and no one can help us on this but ourselves

    Amith Prabhu: PR frat needs a Goafest-like event

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    Goafest has become the annual jamboree for the advertising folks in India. And nothing wrong with that if it serves the purpose of those organizing and those attending. It is an expensive programme, especially for younger people. The cost to attend Goafest for a person varies from as low as Rs12,000 (if a person under 30 from Mumbai travels by road or rail and lives in very simple accommodation for 2 nights) to Rs40,000 (if a person over 30 from Delhi flies low-cost and lives in decent three-star accommodation).

     

    The point is that in all this effort and investment or spending (depends who pays the bill) very little is achieved for the industry in terms of learning. Most high profile speakers either use the opportunity to make a sales pitch or are not effective enough to make an impact (I have been to two events and seen for myself).

     

    The few who are impactful and are not making a sales pitch have few takers because they are either not well known, haven’t got the right publicity in advance and therefore those who should be listening to them are either on the beach or in their luxury rooms or sightseeing.

     

    The real achievement is for those who want a break and get it (most often fully or partially company sponsored), great work done in the year gone by gets rewarded (sometimes with controversy), people seeking a job change get to meet their potential employers and those who want to catch up in a non-work environment with former colleagues and buddies get to do that.

     

    Some PR professionals attend because they are involved in some way with the organizing and some others are connected with the ad agency that has a big role to play.

     

    But most inspiring of all the achievements is that all the big boys and girls in creative and media agencies who fight it out like bitter rivals in new business pitches and industry awards between May and March come together in April to celebrate the profession. And this to me is remarkable. No doubt there are a handful of boycotts that happen each year, but those are bound to happen and frenemies come and go.

     

    Cannes, around which part of Goafest is modelled, embraced PR a couple of years ago by including a separate category for PR and having a full-fledged PR jury. I’m not saying Goafest should do that. I’m here to seed the idea of a gathering of PR professionals from around the country. Head honchos of PR firms can collectively do a lot for the industry and the young and mid-level professionals. The three things they should do at break neck speed is put together a forum for PR professionals modelled on PRSA, create an industry award that is transparent, world-class and the gold standard for younger professionals to gain inspiration from and plan a gathering of PR professionals over a weekend to learn from each other. Networking is no longer a major need in the age of Facebook, Twitter and frequent after hours parties in the metros.

     

    There are several forums that function formally and informally in the PR space. But none that brings together corporate communication executives and public relations professionals, at all levels and of all ages, under one umbrella. It is time for a body that works closely and learns from PRSA. There is so much it does through several chapters for the betterment of the practitioner. With almost 15 of the Top 20 global PR firms present in India there is scope to even be handheld by one of the well-established forums.

     

    Thereafter, this organization should establish a PR award that enables entries to compete in the global arena. There is a major vacuum that needs to be filled and no one can help us on this but ourselves.

     

    Finally, the PR fraternity of India needs an annual event where PR professionals get together, listen to experts fromIndiaand around the world and celebrate the profession keeping aside differences for 48 hours at least, if not more. Maybe this could be called PondyPoweR and be held at Pondicherry on the east coast ofIndia. Symbolically, a quaint town with a rich heritage, near the beach for those who want to mix learning with fun.

     

    Hope this happens sooner than later, so public relations people can ponder on how to do some Public Relations for themselves, their firms and most importantly for the profession.

     

    Amith Prabhu is a public relations professional who spent a large part of his career in India and is now based in Chicago working for a PR major. Views are personal and do not reflect that of the writer’s employer. 

     

  • To leverage this association, GCMMF has created a TVC which shows a girl made of milk performing the sports which are part of Olympics

    Amul to sponsor India at London Olympics

    By A Correspondent

     

    The year 2011 saw Amul sponsoring theNetherlandscricket team in the ICC Cricket World Cup and Switzerland-headquartered Sauber F1 team at the inaugural Indian Grand Prix. In 2012,Asia’s largest milk brand will now be sponsoring the Indian contingent at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

     

    Mr. RS Sodhi, Managing Director GCMMF said: “Amul is committed to strengthening the Olympic movement in India and encourage young generation from all corners of the country to take up Olympic sports.”

     

    Explaining the rationale of this association, he said that milk is nature’s original energy drink and plays a pivotal role in building the physical and mental strength of the athletes. Nutritious dairy diet is an important part in the diets of athletes around the world. India is the largest producer of milk in the world and Amul is not only India’s but Asia’s largest milk brand.

     

    To leverage this association, GCMMF has created a TVC which shows a girl made of milk performing the sports which are part of Olympics. Liquid simulation was extensively used for generating realistic animation of milk to form the body shape and movements of the girl.

     

    “How many people are aware that milk is actually the world’s original energy drink…. completely natural and loaded with nutrients. The commercial effectively communicates that, while making the connection between Amul and Olympics,” said Nitin Karkare, Chief Operating Officer, Mumbai, Draftfcb Ulka.

     

    The TVC is scripted by Haresh Moorjani, Group Creative Director, Draftfcb Ulka. Mr Moorjani said: “As the official sponsor of the Indian team for the 2012 Olympics, Amul’s commitment to health is best defined by its signature product – milk. The film demonstrates the potency of the world’s original energy drink by its lusciousness as it transforms into the ‘milk girl’ making milk magical and appetizing for both, kids as well as adults.”

     

    The new campaign will be aired on more than 50 television channels. It has already started getting very good feedback in social media.

     

    Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation is India’s largest food products marketing organization. It procures 4 billion litres of milk annually from 3 million milk producers in more than 16,000 villages, twice a day, and processes and markets its product range comprising butter, cheese, ice cream, fresh milk, yoghurt, milk powders, UHT milk, flavoured milk, ghee, paneer etc in 3000 cities and towns of India and 40 countries around the world. Its annual sales turnover in 2011-12 was US$ 2.4 billion.

     

    Credits:

    Agency: Draftfcb Ulka

    NCD: K. S. Chakravarthy

    Creative team: Haresh Moorjani, Mehul Patil

    Client Servicing: Nitin Karkare, Ruta Patel, Rohan Patil, Ruchi Agrawal

    Account Planning: Vidyadhar Wabgaonkar, Mubina Quraisshi

    Films Coordinator: Alpa Jobalia, Stanley Christian, Ganesh Iyer

    Production House: Famous House of Animation

    Producer & Director: Jayant Hadke

     

  • TAM NCT Data Wk 15 ’12

     

    Source: News Content Track – A service of TAM Media Research Pvt. Ltd
    Channels: Aaj Tak, CNN IBN, Headlines Today, IBN 7, India TV, NDTV 24/7, NDTV India, Star News, Times Now, News 24 & Zee News
    Period : Week 15 – Apr 8 to Apr 14, 2012
    Note : Analysis is based on the Telecast duration

     

     

    About TAM Media Research

    TAM is a joint venture between Nielsen Company & Kantar Media Research. Besides measuring TV Viewership, TAM also monitors Advertising Expenditure of Television, Print & Radio through its division AdEx India. Since 2004, it extended its presence in the PR Measurement & Analysis space for Corporate/Marketing Clients by setting up a separate division Eikona PR Measurement.

     

    In 2007, the joint venture introduced RAM (Radio Audio Measurement) service to track Radio Listenership for the Indian Radio Broadcast Industry. In year 2009, TAM launched a division, called TAM Sports that specializes in monitoring Sports Sponsorship ROI.

     

    TAM Media Research’s objective is to fuel media insights that will drive the growth of the Indian Media Industry.

  • Veteran mediaperson and Star CJ CEO Paritosh Joshi has put in his papers. He proposes to turn entrepreneur, he told MxMIndia confirming the news.

    Paritosh Joshi turns entrepreneur, quits Star CJ

    [updated]

    By A Correspondent

     

    Veteran mediaperson and Star CJ CEO Paritosh Joshi has moved on. He proposes to turn entrepreneur, he told MxMIndia confirming the news. Mr Joshi’s last day at the homeshopping channel was Tuesday (April 23).

     

    Mr Joshi was with Star India since August 2008. After graduating from IIM, Ahmedabad in 1985, Joshi joined Procter & Gamble (then Richardson Hindustan Limited). Since then, his career has spanned FMCG, B2B services, newspapers, industrial perfumery, international trade and of course television. In recent years, Joshi was also overseeing strategic diversifications for Star into a few new business sectors.

     

    Mr Joshi who was with Star CJ since March 2009, is also Mentor at MentorEdge (mentoredge.com) since two years and Member of the Board of Governors of the Media Research Users Council (MRUC). He heads the IRS technical committee at the MRUC. He is also Director, Indian Broadcasting Foundation and was actively associated with the BARC announcement recently.

     

    Meanwhile, Star CJ hasn’t announced who will take Mr Joshi’s position. A Board meeting is scheduled to be taking place later this week and a decision may be announced post that.

    Mr Joshi is likely to continue in his roles with the MRUC and IBF (for BARC).

     

  • This is the first instance of a celebrity endorsement in the eclairs category and also Ms Kapoor's first brand endorsement in the confectionary category

    Perfetti signs on Kareena Kapoor as brand ambassador for Alpenliebe 2 Choco Eclairs

    By A Correspondent

     

    Perfetti Van Melle India (PVMI), the leading confectionery giant, has signed on Kareena Kapoor as brand ambassador for its all new Alpenliebe 2 Choco Eclairs brand. Ms Kapoor will feature in the launch TVC of Alpenliebe 2 Choco Eclairs and also in all mobile and internet campaigns of the brand. This is the first instance of a celebrity endorsement in the eclairs category and also Ms Kapoor’s first brand endorsement in the confectionary category.

     

    Commenting on Ms Kapoor’s association with the brand, Mr. Nikhil Sharma, Director Marketing, Perfetti Van Melle India , said: “Today’s youth immediately identify Kareena Kapoor as a style icon who has established herself through her work in Bollywood. When it came to selecting the right brand ambassador for Alpenlibe 2 Choco Eclairs, Kareena was a unanimous choice. She is an irresistible mix of beauty, elegance and style. She fits perfectly with our product which promises consumers a great indulgent experience.”

     

    Commenting on her endorsement, Kareena Kapoor said: “I am very proud to be associated with PVMI, which is one of India ‘s leading FMCG companies, known for their innovative products and creative advertising. Alpenliebe is one of India ‘s most loved brands and this innovative product under Alpenliebe has given me the opportunity to work on an exciting new campaign.”

     

    The brief to McCann Erickson, PVMI’s partner creative agency was to create a clutter breaking TVC which stays true to the product promise of a rich, magical and indulgent experience. The new TVC conceptualized by Mr. Prasoon Joshi, Executive Chairman and CEO, McCann Erickson Worldwide India , was made with an objective of introducing viewers to a magical world where a princess gets swept off her feet by the most unlikely of characters. Commenting on the script, Mr Joshi said: “We wanted to use Kareena in a unique way and we were happy to stumble upon an idea which has immense charm and I am sure will be loved by the consumers.”

     

    The TVC shot by ad film maker, Ravi Udyawar, involved a shoot at Mumbai’s Reliance studios followed by a complex post production process at animation studios inPolandandBlack Magic,Singapore. “This TVC has been one of my most challenging assignments. We shot live with Kareena and an actor, together to get the interaction and dance movements correct, we then replaced the actor with the bear, which was created on CGI. Getting the dance sequence between Kareena and the Bear required complex animation techniques. The facial expressions were motion captured and applied on to CG bear to look more authentic. The toughest part was creating the bear which is very difficult due to its fur body. Shooting with Kareena was a great experience, due to her understanding of the idea, flawless acting and timing. The music composed by Mikey McCleary adds great value and fits in perfectly with the overall look of the film while staying true to the naughty mood of the original song,” said Ravi Udyawar.

     

    Perfetti Van Melle India Pvt. Ltd. (PVMI) is a name to reckon with in the India n confectionery industry and is a renowned manufacturer, distributor and marketer of several high quality products. With close to a 30 per cent market share, it is one of the leading players in the organized confectionery business in India today. The company, at present, has a diverse portfolio of brands across segments which it sells through various retail channels across the country. As a marketer, PVMI has always been known for its iconic, interesting and entertaining advertising.

     

  • In Freaking News, which will now appear every Tuesday and Friday, Ranjona Banerji reviews the fare in the morning papers and the nightly news. And sometimes the afternooners, the newsmags and all that's on the Web

    [MJR] It’s all about how the media operates

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    The most serious news programme on TV sometimes is The Daily Show by Jon Stewart, aired every week night on Comedy Central at 11.30pm. The only show that comes close is, of course, The Week That Wasn’t on CNN-IBN with Cyrus Broacha.

     

    On Monday night, on The Daily Show, Stewart was all ready to discuss the fact that the Trayvon Martin case was finally going to trial. He was ready with the legalities of the case. Only, his reporters all vanished on him. There they were in Florida, standing outside the courthouse, because story was now no longer about George Zimmerman shooting Trayvon Martin: it was about the media and its reactions.

     

    A programme with a 24-hour discussion on whether the media was over-reacting was proposed. As Stewart had fits in the studio and ordered his reporters to get back to New York, they refused saying that this case was already being called the “case of the century”, “case of the millennium” and “case of the millennia” and they were not going to lose out.

     

    What a fine exaggeration of the way the media operates, I giggled to myself.

    Then, at midnight, I shifted to Times Now. Only to see Arnab Goswami in fine form, as he held forth on morality and the nation and the alleged sex CD featuring former Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi and a lawyer. Some mention of becoming a high court judge as a result of this slap-and-tickle was made.

     

    The panel was three journalists (four, if you count Goswami) and Siddharth Singh of the BJP. The BJP was, as far as I could understand, upset that Singhvi had resigned from his posts. They wanted him to explain the CD in the house (presumably not in a sex education way but knowing the BJP’s penchant for porn in legislatures, anything is possible). If the CD was real, then a probe (not like that!) was required. And if it was not real – as Singhvi has said – then another probe was required.

     

    Vinod Mehta, guiding light of Outlook said it’s all over and done with, Singhvi has resigned and let this remain a private matter. Vinod Sharma of Hindustan Times said the BJP was trying to squeeze every last drop of political mileage out of this, in spite of their own transgressions and once the Pandora’s Box was opened, they would not be safe. Arati Jerath said if this is the way high court judges are appointed, it is shocking and the matter should not be ignored.

     

    Goswami said that politicians can no longer as for privacy when their private lives are made public by the media, given the BJP’s demands.

     

    If this wasn’t fascinating enough, the next debate turned to the rift within Team Anna. Here the viewer was spectator to an incredible public squabble between three Team Anna members as Goswami and Hartosh Singh Bal of Open magazine watched with their mouths opening astonishment. Truly it was jaw-dropping stuff. All sorts of internal problems and ego battles were revealed.

     

    At the end, Goswami sternly admonished Team Anna that the fight against corruption was not anyone’s monopoly!

     

    At the end – 1.30 am — there was only the terrible truth of The Daily Show to think about. I didn’t sleep till about 3am as a result.

     

    * * *

     

    There is plenty of cyber rage over Press Council chairman Markandey Katju’s “proof” that 90 per cent of Indians are fools. People, get over this. The man is entitled to his opinion!

     

  • The show to air across 29 HSMs and reach out to over 5mn audiences

    92.7 BIG FM brings back the memories of Pancham Da with Yaadon Mein Pancham

    By A Correspondent

     

    92.7 BIG FM, India’s No. 1 FM radio network and the Radio Broadcaster of the Year award at Golden Mikes, is bringing back the memories of RD Burman through its late night show Yaadon Mein Pancham hosted by RJ Rajkumari. The show is an ode to Pancham Da, bringing to life the experiences of the people who worked closely with the legend. The show will air Monday to Friday from 9:00pm to 12am.

     

    The show will see biggies from the industry such as Pyarelalji, Kumar Sanu, Abhijeet, Sudesh Bhosale, Kersi Lord and many more who will share interesting experiences and never heard before revelations about Pancham Da.

     

    The show will be promoted on radio with excellent amplification on social media platforms. Yaadon Mein Pancham will air across 29 stations that fall in the Hindi speaking markets of 92.7 BIG FM and will reach a whopping 5 million listeners each week.

     

    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. It houses the following verticals: 92.7 BIG FM, BIG CBS- a joint venture with CBS Studios International which has launched four channels, BIG CBS Prime, BIG CBS Love, BIG CBS Spark and Spark Punjabi. Added to this robust bouquet, the Company also distributes Bloomberg UTV, India’s premier business news channel.

     

  • Digital Pay TV penetration of TV homes in India will grow from less than 20% in 2011 to 50% by 2016, and 61% by 2020, a new report by Media Partners Asia (MPA) indicates

    Digitization to up Pay TV penetration by 150% in 5 years, says MPA report

    By A Correspondent

     

    Digital Pay TV penetration of TV homes in India will grow from less than 20% in 2011 to 50% by 2016, and 61% by 2020, a new report by Media Partners Asia (MPA) indicates. The key demand drivers will come from cable operators, six commercial DTH platforms, and DD Direct, the government-owned DTH platform. A gradual consolidation of last-mile local cable operators will become inevitable, leading to a shift in industry profits and value to centralized distribution platforms and broadcasters, the report observes.

     

    Commenting on the findings, MPA executive director Vivek Couto said:

    “India’s digitization timetable implies a three-year transition to full digital TV (DTV) conversion. This is ambitious though we believe DTV transition will occur but over a longer time frame. The industry will remain capital-intensive until 2017 at the earliest, due to the capEx requirements associated with digitalization. This will lead to more M&A and fund-raising activity in both primary and secondary markets. The sector’s improved transparency, scale and operating leverage will attract large domestic and international strategic players, who will play a key role in M&A activity. Our biggest concerns include: cable execution and capitalization, as MSOs transition from a B2B to B2C model; DTH satellite capacity; and the extent of regulation in the broadcast ecosystem. While digitalization is the result of policy progress, this has not been the case for investment and taxation policies.”

     

    The report, entitled Asia Pacific Pay TV & Broadband Markets 2012, measures consumption and revenue generation across pay-TV and broadband industries in 16 Asian markets, including India, which the remains the key pay-TV market for Asia in the future.

     

    MPA projections indicate that Pay TV industry subscription fees will grow at an 11% CAGR between 2011-16, driven by increased volume over DTH and digital cable. Total Pay subscribers are expected to reach 172 million by 2016, and 199 million by 2020. MPA projections measure Pay penetration after accounting for households that opt for multiple services. Using this definition, MPA estimates that Pay penetration will grow from 79% to 89% between 2011 and 2020.