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Tag: Anuj Gandhi

  • #DilSeSalaam thanks operators for their constant efforts in keeping India entertained minus interruption

    Viacom18 recognises work of DTH & Cable operators with #DilSeSalaam

    By A Correspondent

     

    Viacom18 Media has unveiled a campaign titled #DilSeSalaam which is a tribute and salute to DTH and Cable TV operators across India who continue to make efforts in ensuring that viewers are being entertained without interruption even during such unprecedented times. Recognized as a network with a humane purpose, Viacom18 has always recognized that DTH and Cable TV operators are the backbone of the broadcast industry and it is purely because of their hard work and diligence that television viewing across India hasn’t faced any interruptions.

     

    Currently live on Viacom18’s social media channels, #DilSeSalaam, is a 50 -econd video with a message from Viacom18’s talented pool of actors. Speaking about the campaign, Anuj Gandhi Group CEO, Indiacast, said: “Since the pandemic outbreak and the lockdown was imposed, our cable TV and DTH operators have been working relentlessly to ensure there is no disruption in TV viewing across the country. We have seen TV viewership surge across India and this has been possible due to no disruption in the last mile delivery by DTH service providers and cable operators. #DilSeSalaam is our way of saying thank you to our cable and DTH operators for their constant effort and hard work during these tough times and for ensuring that our viewers aren’t missing out on their daily entertainment. We are truly grateful for all their support and efforts over the past month and assure them that they have our full support wherever and whenever required.”

     

     

  • Viacom18 and TV18 have launched a multi-media marketing campaign, titled ‘Ek Me Hai More Yahaan, created by Leo Burnett Orchard

    Viacom18 and TV18 offer entertainment + news pack for new tariff regime

    By A Correspondent

     

    Viacom18 and TV18 have launched their Value Pack comprising some of their leading channels across genres in the wake of the forthcoming new tariff regime.

     

    Said Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO & Managing Director, Viacom18: “TRAI’s new tariff order is a pioneering move that will benefit all players across the broadcast value chain. Consumers will now have the choice to select the channels of their choice, broadcasters can see greater transparency in the value chain with under-reporting getting curtailed and distributors stand to benefit from the commissions and incentives they will earn. After the DAS implementation, this mandate will go a long way in bringing equity into the industry,”

     

    Explaining the company’s pricing and consumer connect strategy, he added: “If you thought that the one-rupee coin in your wallet has no value, think-again as Viacom18 and TV18 are all set to bring your family’s daily entertainment needs just for ₹1. Being home to the most loved and viewed channels in the country, our bouquet pricing will ensure that our viewers truly get the best of news, general entertainment (Hindi and Regional), kids entertainment, youth and English entertainment, music, infotainment and movies for every family member at only ₹1 a day. ‘The COLORS wala Pack’ is the most comprehensive pack and at a price point that keeps the budgetary concerns of our viewers in mind. After roti, kapda, makaan, entertainment is India’s 4th basic need and being the country’s fastest growing network, it is our constant endeavor to keep that need affordable.”

     

    Added Rahul Joshi, MD, Network18: “The new tariff order is a transparent and consumer-focussed regulation that gives freedom and choice to the end user. At a network level we remain committed to create quality entertainment and news content and firmly believe that in the new pricing regime, we will be the go-to network that best caters to content needs across demographics and geographies.”

     

    Adding to Vats’ and Joshi’s views, Anuj Gandhi, Group CEO, IndiaCast said, “We have created economical & competitive bouquets to bring the best value for money for an Indian household. India is a diverse market with multiple needs for entertainment in a family. Our channels have presence across a wide range of genres such as GECs, Kids, News, Infotainment etc that puts us in the best position to deliver entertainment for subscribers & earning potential for service providers. Furthermore, we are confident that TRAI shall work to put the Quality of Service Regulations into effective implementation so that transparency is achieved across the value chain in benefit of all stakeholders.”

     

    Viacom18 and TV18 have launched a multi-media marketing campaign, titled ‘Ek Me Hai More Yahaan, created by Orchard Advertising. The Ek Mein Hai More Yahaan campaign will be driven by the most prominent faces seen on Indian television such as Rohit Shetty, Neha Dhupia, Malaika Arora, Mahesh Manjrekar, Arya, and a galaxy of celebrities from Viacom18’s stable, educating the audience of all the entertainment and news that they can avail at INR 1 per day.

     

     

  • Viewers in Thailand will be served content from the network’s Indian repository through an exclusive soon-to-be-launched digital channel on JKN’s OTT Platform titled 'Bflix' in 2019

    IndiaCast to take Viacom18 content via new OTT channel

    By A Correspondent

     

    IndiaCast Media Distribution, the domestic and international distribution arm of Viacom18 and TV18, has partnered JKN Media, Thailand to take content from the network’s Indian repository through an exclusive soon-to-be-launched digital channel on JKN’s OTT Platform titled ‘Bflix’ for Thai viewers in 2019.

     

    The channel will showcase exclusive content from the vast Viacom18 library, dubbed in Thai, that will be available in Thailand and key South East Asia markets. The deal was inked at the recently held Asia Television Forum (ATF) in Singapore.

     

    Sudhanshu Vats

    Said Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO and MD of Viacom18:, “With an increasing number of viewers graduating towards the digital mode of entertainment worldwide, we are continually evaluating our play in the international digital distribution space. This symbiotic partnership with JKN Media will further strengthen our equation with the country’s viewers who have enjoyed and appreciated our shows from Colors over the years. There are many cultural similarities between India and Thailand, and hence the strong resonance with our offerings. This endeavor is another step towards providing seamless and individualized Indian-origin entertainment to Thai viewers.”

     

    Anuj Gandhi

    Added Anuj Gandhi, Group CEO, IndiaCast: “We want to reach to audiences who want to experience contemporary, imaginative and high-quality relevant entertainment. It gives us immense pleasure to partner with JKN, to now take Viacom18 content to Thai viewers in their local language. We are confident that this will be a whole new exciting experience for the audiences. We would also like to thank JKN Media for their continuous partnership in scaling new heights in Thai market.”

     

    Said Anne Jakrajutatip, CEO, JKN: “At JKN, we constantly strive to partner with brands that share our sensibilities towards great storytelling and the emotions that high-quality content can evoke. Over the past five years, we have formed a strong association with IndiaCast, which has seen us exclusively acquiring almost all the drama series from ‘Colors’ for Thailand. Shows like Madhubala, Balika Vadhu, Chakravarti Ashoka Samrat, Chandrakanta, Udann, Naagin, Shakti, Shani, Mahakali, Ishq Mein Marjawan, Bepannah and many more have been hugely loved by all audiences in Thailand. I am glad that we have now extended our association with IndiaCast through this digital channel which will enable us to distribute all their content on our OTT platform in Thailand and across distribution platforms in Thailand, Taiwan and Hong Kong.”

     

     

  • Both Amit Arora and Govind Shahi will continue to report into Anuj Gandhi, Group CEO, IndiaCast

    IndiaCast restructures its revenue leadership team

    By A Correspondent

     

    IndiaCast has announced an organiational rejig of its revenue management structure.

     

    Amit Arora, who steered the domestic business for IndiaCast over the years, has been elevated as President, India Affiliate Business.  Additionally, he will also drive the South Asia business along with linear distribution with telcos.

     

    Govind Shahi, will now take over the mandate of heading the International Business for IndiaCast. As the International Business Head, Shahi will oversee and drive business and revenues across functions and regions. All regional and vertical heads would report to Shahi.

     

    Sachin Gokhale, previously responsible for nurturing and developing and rapidly growing the Middle East and Africa region will now assume the new role of heading the Americas’ Business. Gokhale would be responsible for expansion and growth of business to new markets in the Americas and dialing up various digital initiatives in the region.

     

    And lastly, Debkumar Dasgupta, who continues to grow the global syndication business, will take on the added responsibility of heading the Middle East and Africa region.

     

    Anuj Gandhi

    Commenting on the organisational restructuring, Anuj Gandhi, Group CEO, IndiaCast said: “As technology opens up newer viewing platforms and content evolves in both duration and variation, the business of distribution and syndication of content is evolving rapidly – in terms of new markets and new avenues of showcase, thereby ensuring that monetization opportunities are scaling up beyond traditional markets and platforms. This organisational rejig allows us to leverage the existing capabilities and strengths of our leaders and their teams in growing revenues and to explore new opportunities across various technologies and markets globally”.

     

    Both Amit Arora and Govind Shahi will continue to report into Anuj Gandhi, Group CEO, IndiaCast.

  • The channel is available for a free preview run till August 13 noon

    Viacom18 launches Colors Tamil HD in Singapore on Star Hub

    By A Correspondent

     

    After launching in the Tamil GEC market in India earlier this year, Viacom18 has launched Colors Tamil HD in Singapore. The channel went live on July 3 on StarHub with five original fiction series and will be available for a free preview till noon on August 13.

     

    Ravish Kumar

    Said Ravish Kumar, Head – Regional Entertainment, Viacom18: “Regional content is growing exponentially and Singapore with nearly half a million Tamil speaking households is a significant regional entertainment broadcasting market. Colors Tamil HD is one of our pathbreaking channels that promises to deliver new and never seen before content to Singaporean Tamils. Thanks to our successful partnership with StarHub, we are now happy to be part of the Tamil speaking homes in Singapore directly.”

     

    Anuj Gandhi

    Added Anuj Gandhi, Group CEO – IndiaCast: “We are delighted to associate with StarHub in yet another momentous launch occasion. After having successfully positioned Colors andRishtey globally, it gives us immense pleasure to now take ColorsTamil HD to the Tamil diaspora across the globe starting with Singapore. We are confident that this will be a whole new experience for the Tamil-speaking audience and offer them new, refreshing entertainment.”

     

    Anup Chandrasekharan

    Added Anup Chandrasekharan – Business Head, Colors Tamil: “It is encouraging to hear about the popularity of our channel from far and wide. Tamil which is one of the four official languages of Singapore will now have for its viewers a channel that has powerful, thought provoking and socially conscious content. Our endeavour is to provide a ‘meaningful Tamil experience from India’ for our Tamil speaking Singaporeans. A special thanks to Arya for being a significant part of the Colors Tamil journey.”

     

     

  • IndiaCast is a TV 18 and Viacom18 venture and offers quality content to viewers spanning across various genres including General Entertainment, Kids, News, Music, Infotainment, Movies etc

    Turner appoints IndiaCast as exclusive distribution agent

    By A Correspondent

     

    After parting ways with Zee, Turner International India announced the appointment of IndiaCast Media Distribution, as its exclusive distribution agent from April 1 for distribution of Turner channels: CNN International, Pogo, Cartoon Network, WB, HBO and HBO HD to consumers in India, Nepal and Bhutan.

     

    IndiaCast is a TV 18 and Viacom18 venture and offers content to viewers across genres including General Entertainment, Kids, News, Music, Infotainment, Movies etc.

     

    Commenting on the announcement, Siddharth Jain, Managing Director, Turner South Asia said: “I am delighted to announce the appointment of IndiaCast as our exclusive distribution agent for India, Nepal and Bhutan. I am very confident they will enable us to further enhance our footprint and bring the choicest content to our fans in the Indian subcontinent. We look forward to a long term strategic relationship with

     

    Added Anuj Gandhi, Group CEO, IndiaCast: “At IndiaCast, it is our constant endeavour to curate the best possible exposure for our content creator partners. Turner has a fantastic bouquet of channels catering to a bespoke audience. As we ramp up the distribution network for its channels, across India, Nepal and Bhutan, I look forward to a long-term association that is founded on mutually beneficial economics.”

     

     

  • The move aims to consolidate operational efficiency and bring in synergies

    IndiaCast recasts international team

     

     

    IndiaCast has announced an organisational rejig of its international team. With this move, IndiaCast has emphasised its focus on alternative revenue sources such as digital and live events in its International business.

     

    The role of Govind Shahi has been expanded as the Business Head for Europe, Americas, APAC & Outbound Sales. The functional heads of the above-mentioned regions will now report to him directly.

     

    Sachin Gokhale will now assume the role of Heading the Corporate Strategy, Operations for International business and will continue to oversee the Middle East & Africa region. He will also take charge of VOOT’s (Viacom18 digital initiative) International expansion into the overseas markets.

     

    Debkumar Dasgupta continues to Head the Syndication, New Media / Digital licensing businesses. In addition to the same he will also oversee the South Asia linear business.

     

    All the business heads will report into Anuj Gandhi, Group CEO, IndiaCast.

     

    Commenting on the restructuring, Gandhi said: “We are at the cusp of a big change in our industry with alternate sources of growth emerging in terms of the technology and business models globally. Keeping in mind the ever-changing landscape, It is important for us to have a structure which is agile, empowers business heads to challenge the given and capitalise on opportunities. I am confident that with this exciting structural change coupled with our bold growth agenda will help us excel in our business ambitions.”

  • The channel is part of a growing bouquet of offerings from the Indian media and entertainment conglomerate Viacom18, a joint-venture between Viacom Inc. and India-based TV18 network

    Rishtey Cineplex takes off in the US with Amagi

    By A Correspondent

     

    Amagi announced that Viacom18 has launched Rishtey Cineplex in the United States, using its Cloudport-managed services. Rishtey Cineplex is a Hindi movie channel that airs Bollywood movies, along with Hindi-dubbed South Indian movies. The channel is part of a growing bouquet of offerings from the Indian media and entertainment conglomerate Viacom18, a joint-venture between Viacom Inc. and India-based TV18 network.

     

    “Indian films are a powerful and popular medium of entertainment globally,” said Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO at Viacom18. “Launching Rishtey Cineplex helps us ride the wave of inherent relationship between the expatriate Indian population and the sense of cultural inclusivity that our films evoke. Associating with Amagi, we are enhancing our footprint across the U.S. market, cementing the same home connection our network has built for viewers here.”

     

    “Adopting new age technology and giving our viewers a heightened viewing experience have always been key focus areas of our organization,” added Raj Nayak, CEO, Hindi Mass Entertainment at Viacom18. “With the help of Amagi’s state-of-the-art technology, Rishtey Cineplex’s enviable movie library will come alive for all of our viewers residing in the U.S. It will also help in streamlining the broadcast operations workflow, thereby increasing efficiency.”

     

    “When we decided to launch the channel in the US market, we were looking for a partner who could provide us an efficient delivery of our channel at significantly lower costs compared to traditional methods,” said Anuj Gandhi, Group CEO, IndiaCast, a Viacom18 and TV18 venture that manages distribution and monetisation for the group’s channels.

     

    “Viacom18, with its wide array of Bollywood content, is an exciting network to watch out for in the U.S. market. Amagi is proud to be their managed services partner of choice,” added KA Srinivasan, Co-founder at Amagi. “Through CLOUDPORT, we have been able to automate most of the key workflows, making the entire broadcast operations simple yet sophisticated — at a fraction of cost of traditional broadcast models.”

     

  • All International Business Heads will now report to Sanjay Jain

    IndiaCast appoints Sanjay Jain as Head of International Business

    By A Correspondent

     

    IndiaCast has announced an organizational realignment within its top management. Sanjay Jain, Chief Financial Officer, IndiaCast, has been additionally appointed as Head of International Business, IndiaCast. Sanjay will continue reporting to Mr. Anuj Gandhi, Group CEO, IndiaCast.

     

    IndiaCast also announced a series of leadership changes by establishing empowered business responsibilities across regions. Govind Shahi is made Business Head UK & USA. After successfully managing the business in UK, Govind is now elevated to manage the US region along with his existing remit. Sachin Gokhale promoted to Business Head MEA & APAC. In addition to his current role as the Business Head of the MEA region, Sachin will now also oversee the companies’ activities in APAC. Debkumar Dasgupta has been chosen as Business Head Syndication, New Media & South Asia. Debkumar will take on the added responsibility of New Media business.

     

    All the International Business heads along with Outbound Sales and International Operations teams will report into Sanjay Jain.

     

    Commenting on the organizational restructuring, Anuj Gandhi, Group CEO, IndiaCast said, “Over the last several years our top management has demonstrated innovative approaches in content monetization and marketing across the globe. Sanjay brings to the table nearly two and half decades of financial and general management experience. I am confident that Sanjay’s proficiency and experience coupled with our bold growth agenda will help us excel in our business ambitions”.

     

    Sanjay Jain joined IndiaCast as the CFO after having successfully managed critical roles at Turner General Entertainment India and TV Today Network. A Chartered Accountant by qualification, Sanjay has over two decades of experience in diverse sectors including manufacturing and service sectors.

     

  • Partners with SKY to enthrall viewers starting 9th February, 2016

    Colors set to enthral viewers in New Zealand

    By A Correspondent

     

    After engaging viewers across more than 135 countries, IndiaCast is all set to further strengthen its footprint in the New Zealand market. Starting 9th February 2016, IndiaCast will reinforce Colors’ presence to viewers in New Zealand, giving them access to the finest offerings from their content library as part of SKY’s foreign language subscription channel line-up.

     

    The Colors bouquet of offerings includes a robust combination of fiction dramas, non-fiction, reality shows, live events and blockbuster movies. The programming line-up caters to many entertainment needs of the Indian diaspora across the world.

     

    Commenting on the success story, Raj Nayak, CEO – Colors said, “It has been our constant endeavor to present viewers with path-breaking content across the globe, which has fortified our position as a game changer in the television industry. As the channel launches on SKY in New Zealand, it strengthens our belief that our programming line-up provides not only Indian viewers but also international audiences with entertainment avenues in sync with their sensibilities and preferences.”

     

    Commenting on the association, Anuj Gandhi, Group CEO – IndiaCast, said, “IndiaCast has been at the forefront of bringing Indian viewers spread across the world one step closer to home and Indian culture, by bringing them the best of Indian content. Our association with SKY enables us to reach out and further strengthen our footprint with content that engages and entertains.”

     

    Commenting on the association, Megan King, Director of Content Strategy – SKY, said “At SKY, we’re always evolving to provide our customers with a world class entertainment experience. COLORS offers superb Hindi entertainment content and its inclusion in our foreign language channel line-up helps bring this culture closer to home here in New Zealand.”

     

  • Partners with MultiChoice to launch COLORS in Southern Africa starting 15 October, 2015

    IndiaCast expands footprint in Africa

    By A correspondent

     

    Come October 2015, Viacom18’s leading Hindi general entertainment channel, Colors will be available to DStv Indian customers  in South Africa as well as Southern Africa, inclusive of Zambia, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana giving viewers access to the choicest offerings from the Colors content library.

     

    With a combination of fiction dramas, non-fiction and reality shows, blockbuster movies, and live events, Colors has become the one-stop entertainment destination for viewers across the globe. With its presence in more than 135 countries, Colors has been providing quality entertainment avenues to the Indian diaspora scattered across the world.

     

    Raj Nayak, CEO – COLORS said, “In the 7 years since it first launched, Colors has been a game changer in the television industry with path-breaking content that has appealed to viewer sensibilities. As the channel launches on DStv in Africa, the channel’s global penetration in more than 135 markets, with shows syndicated in over 100 markets, further reinforces our belief in our offerings and ability to match viewing preferences of our audiences.”

     

    Commenting on the association, Anuj Gandhi, Group CEO – IndiaCast, said, “At IndiaCast, it is our endeavor to present South Asian viewers across the world with quality Hindi entertainment avenues bringing a taste of Indian culture and values to their fingertips. Our association with MultiChoice is a partnership which enables us to further expand our footprint within Africa and keep viewers entertained through our varied offerings. We are happy to be able to reach out to DStv customers with content from the COLORS library and look forward to reaching out to more viewers in Africa as our relationship with the network strengthens.”

     

  • The session on 'Television is Dead – Long Live Television' discussed how content providers can reach out to consumers in a multi-platform world and who will be the ecosystem winners and losers in the future

    #FF14 Day 2: Despite advent of multiple platforms, television still rules

    By A Correspondent

     

    With the explosion of a host of content delivery platforms in India, it is increasingly becoming demanding for traditional mediums to spruce up their offering and do it in a manner that is platform-agnostic. The observation is particularly true for the medium of television that is being confronted with newer challenges as a host of platforms are making a beeline to offer content in their own unique ways.

     

    The session on ‘Television is Dead – Long Live Television’ on day 2 of FICCI Frames discussed how content providers can reach out to consumers in a multi-platform world and who will be the ecosystem winners and losers in the future. The panelists comprised of Anuj Gandhi, Group CEO, Indiacast Media Distribution; Sanjay Gupta, COO, Star India and Todd Miller, CEO, Celestial Tiger Entertainment. The session was moderated by Vivek Couto, Executive Director, MPA.

     

    Mr Couto began by shedding light on how the traditional medium of television was still ruling the viewership pie and was not being as impacted by the emergence of other digital options including mobile. He presented the example of a developed market like US that was still seeing a healthy growth trend. Asserting that the future will be about consolidation, Couto said that the medium needed to get away from its garb of being a defensive medium and rather play the role of being an aggressor.

     

    Sanjay Gupta began by taking the audience back to a decade ago where it was prophesied that the medium of print would die with the invasion of television. “But that is obviously not the case with the medium of print growing by two times its total share today. We therefore are living in exciting times as new mediums are providing newer opportunities.” Mr Gupta advised that instead of looking at it as a TV business, the players should be platform-agnostic and receptive of changes that the newer platforms have to offer.”

     

    For Anuj Gandhi, the last two years were indeed exciting for the Indian broadcast industry largely for the digitization exercise that was undertaken on a national level. “While there were more than 40 companies that were launched, more than half of them shut down after facing challenges. The problem is that we lack scale,” said Gandhi. Mr Gandhi affirmed that it was still looking at opportunities on the digital platforms in terms of providing content for ‘binge viewing’ format.

     

    Todd Miller pitched in by saying that whatever the prevailing trend, the important medium to connect with the viewer still continues to be television. Despite the emergence of multiple platforms, television will still be the preferred vehicle as that is where the viewer’s tend to be the stickiest, he said.

     

    Offering an advice to the audience, Sanjay Gupta said that there was no attempt being made in terms of scale for viewing content of choice on linear platforms. “That is a challenge that the content creators need to resolve,” he said.

     

    According to Anuj Gandhi, the challenge still remains that the bandwidth speeds for accessing data on internet continues to be problematic. And this is despite the explosion of smartphones and tablets in the country. He cautioned the gathering that brands needed to be ready with high-value content when technologies like 4G etc take off. But come what may, television will continue to evolve as a medium and will become more ‘pull’ medium for attracting viewers than being a ‘push’ medium.