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Tag: Bala Iyengar

  • The channel will also have shows on tourist destination, Vaastu and interiors, new concepts in living styles

    Spin TV mandates Helios Media with revenue monetisation

    By A Correspondent

     

    Spin TV, the speciality TV channel focussing on the Real Estate sector have assigned the mandate of revenue monetisation to Helios Media

     

    Spin TV will offer consumers the ease of surfing from the comfort of their homes for a complete view of the property that they so desire to short-list. Along with such show-cases the channel will also have shows on tourist destination, Vaastu and interiors, new concepts in living styles and dream homes.

     

    OMNIL CEO, Manish Rachh said, “In Helios Media we saw their ability to position channels in the advertiser market in a way that works both in the favour of the advertiser and the channel. Since SPIN TV is in a very segmented space, it was important for us to assign the monetisation to a team that truly comprehends the value of such an offering.”

     

    Bala Iyengar , COO of Helios Media said, “The core of Helios Media is to look “Beyond Obvious” and we have been successfully achieving huge wins purely on the basis of providing the missing link between content and communication who are both addressing the same consumer base. Identifying of this space and appropriate positioning will therefore lead to true value of the channel.”

     

  • The channel that was launched last year has achieved the lead position among the youth of West Bengal

    Helios Media to handle revenue monetisation for Fatafati

    By A Correspondent

     

    Bangla music channel Fatafati has moved its revenue mandate to Helios Media with immediate effect. The channel that was launched last year has achieved the lead position among the youth of West Bengal.

     

    Siddarth Misra, Promoter of the channel said “We created a unique position for Music F Fatafati by bringing in 3D animated characters and cartoon shorts as interstitials for the first time in the Bangla market. Our characters are extremely popular among the youth and has managed to dislodge the reigning channel Sangeet Bangla from its position this week. We are confident that our alignment with Helios Media will help FataFati in realising its full potential.”

     

    Bala Iyengar, COO Helios Media said, “Just like how in Hindi market, youth TG is addressed with music channels, the reflection of it in its regional counterparts is not appropriately valued. It is all generally clubbed under one umbrella called regional. With our proven track-record of building true-value for the channels we work with, we are confident that we will be in a position to raise the bar for Fatafati as well. In a similar space, MTunes HD is among the top 3 channels on commercial inventory week after week due to selling prowess of Helios Media.”

     

    Helios Media also handles revenue monetization of FoodFood, EPIC, Channel X and Fashion TV.

     

  • Having completed two years, Helios is now transitioning to the next level with revenue management extending beyond traditional space-selling. Business Director Bala Iyengar has been elevated as Chief Operating Officer.

    Helios Media expands, elevates Bala Iyengar as COO

    By A Correspondent

     

    Bala Iyengar

    Helios Media, the speciality services company for the broadcast sector recently completed two years in operations, already carving a niche within the industry as a revenue maximization catalyst. With MTunes HD, Channel X, FoodFood, Fashion TV as the properties it services, Helios is now transitioning to the next level. Business Director Bala Iyengar has been elevated as Chief Operating Officer.

     

    “As we move forward, our focus will be on getting into deeper partnerships with relevant platform creators to enhance the solutions we offer our clients. A TV channel is not just for TVCs anymore, and we will work with them in the overall revenue management space, going beyond traditional commercial inventory. In addition to inventory sales, we have enhanced our teams to include talent in the areas of content syndication, custom events, celebrity management and strategic digital initiatives, said Divya Radhakrishnan, Founder & Managing Director of Helios Media.

     

    Divya Radhakrishnan

    “To take this scale of operations forward, it’s only natural that Bala steps up to take charge of our complete offering and provide seamless service to our clients,” Ms Radhakrishnan added.

     

    Commenting further on his elevated role and plans ahead, Mr Iyengar said: “We will shape ourselves to be the go-to destination for advertisers seeking innovative ways to connect with audiences, and for channels seeking breakthrough strategies to boost revenue.”

     

  • Music channel MTunesHD is set to scale up its content library this year in an attempt to offer differentiated programming

    MTunesHD to scale up content library

    By A Correspondent

     

    Music channel MTunesHD plans to scale up its content library even while offering differentiated programming in a digitized era, notes Saravanan P, CEO of Pioneer Channel Factory, the channel’s promoters.

     

    Reflecting on the past year and sharing the agenda for the way ahead, Mr Saravanan P said:, “2012 was both satisfying and encouraging for MTunesHD. We’ve delivered an experience of watching Music Like Never Seen Before with a series of programming innovations like ‘On The Streets’, ‘AlterNative’, ‘Trending20’, exclusively airing Gangnam Style to rounding up the year with Bollywood’s Top 100 of 2012. With the right mix in programming and strategic selling, we’ve sustained pole position over few weeks among core TGs for music channels and seen higher inventory consumption than competitors. Extended reach, inclusion of global audiences, scaled up content library, digitization, continued differentiated programming and several other enhancements lie ahead for MTunesHD in 2013 to make viewers and advertisers feel the music.”

     

    Starting the year positioned as the channel that is ‘UNbelievable’, MTunesHD has seen programming innovations like MConnect, MBox, Handmade, Kal Ka Superhits amongst others.

     

    Keeping differentiation at the core of programming policy, Sunil Sahjwani, Group Creative Director of Pioneer Channel Factory says, “2012 has been a creatively fulfilling year for us at MTunesHD. In ‘AlterNative’ – our segment dedicated to non-Bollywood hits, we aired Gangnam Style exclusively in India. Launching with Gangnam Style, ‘On The Streets’ went on to make the common man have fun and dance to popular Bollywood tracks. ‘MOriginals’ featured hit Bollywood songs performed in unique styles like ‘A Capella’ where sounds are created through voice, with several other styles to be unveiled in the new year. ‘Trending20’ is the only countdown show formulated using viewership data. We launched ‘Off The Record’, a biopic series with a unique perspective on the life of singers and music directors. ‘AsliVoice’, introduces the video by a tete-a-tete with the singer and a few lines sung by them. And rounding up the music scene from across the country, ‘Gig Guide’ showcases music events in key metros. We ended the year with a tribute to the ‘Bollywood Top100 of 2012’. In the new year, fresh renditions of these existing properties and exciting new properties such as ‘MBio’, ‘MTrivia’, ‘MShots’ and ‘Back To Back(B2B)’ that deliver music like never seen before, will add spice to the channel and make the competition feel the heat while our viewers Feel The Music!”

     

    Giving his perspective on selling a niche channel in a mixed market where even GECs play music, Bala Iyengar, Business Director of Helios Media who manage Sales & Marketing for the channel commented, “Acquiring a list of advertisers across key categories like FMCG, Automobiles, Beverages, Accessories, Electronics, Mobile, Sportswear has been an uphill task. Carefully balancing the programming and business objectives was the major challenge. With innovative properties like Trending20 by Airtel, MFeatures by Sony Bravia and most recently Bollywood’s Top 100 by Sony Vaio, we’ve established the perfect balance between inventory and concept selling. We will continue to lead with innovation in programming and the way it is sold, while reaching out to a wider audience, in 2013.”

     

  • Helios Media will offer services in sales, marketing, research and traffic management verticals as a composite piece or as a standalone, based on the requirements of broadcasters

    Divya Radhakrishnan launches Helios to serve non-content needs of broadcasters, ropes in Bala Iyengar

    Divya Radhakrishnan

    By A Correspondent

     

    It’s now public. Divya Radhakrishnan, former TME president, has formed Helios Media Private Limited, an integrated ancillary service company for broadcasters. Helios, which was launched by Ms Radhakrishnan on November 1, has roped in Bala Iyengar as Business Director.

     

    The vision of this company has been crafted on the premise that the growing number of TV channels, and a large list waiting to come into the country, are facing a key business challenge. While content is the primary scope of these channels, a lot of effort has to be invested in creating a robust ecosystem to run the business. This puts a lot of stress on the channel business head, resulting in dilution of focus from the key delivery, which is content. Also, proliferation will lead to further slicing of the revenue pie making the all-encompassing business model non-viable.

     

    Helios Media has set up sales, marketing, research and traffic management verticals, offering services as a composite piece or as a stand-alone, based on the requirements of the broadcasters. It has offices covering the geographies of Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai.

     

    Bala Iyengar

    The need for such a platform is amplified with the fact that Helios has already signed up three channels/ groups at the outset. M Tunes is India’s First Bollywood Music Channel in HD. Music Express, the second music channel from the same stable, will have a combination of music, trailors, short filmy programming on current affairs and retro music.

     

    Meanwhile, Helios Media is also the Asian arm of World Media Connect which markets Indian channels to the ethnic population based in US and UK. The channels under this portfolio are 6 channels of the Sun Network (Sun TV, KTV, Gemini TV, Udaya TV, Gemini Movies, Surya TV) and Punjjabi TV. Helios will be aligning with some more channels shortly.

     

    With the above contracts already in place, Helios is in advanced stages of negotiations with four speciality channels coming into India.

     

    Ms Radhakrishnan, who has been in the business of media management for the last 24 years, is the Managing Director of Helios Media. She has worked with leading advertising agencies like Publicis and Rediffusion Young & Rubicam. In her last assignment, Divya headed the Contact Practice at Rediffusion Y&R.

     

    Mr Iyengar, who has 14 years of experience, leads the Sales and Content syndication function at Helios Media. He has held senior positions at The Times of India, Sony Entertainment Television, Star Network and MTV. In his last assignment, Bala was the Business Head of Zoom.