S Sivakumar to take charge as Chairman, Executive Committee (CEC) at leading media conglomerate Bennett, Coleman & Co Ltd. , BCCL. Raj Jain will be concluding his tenure with the media group on March 31, 2020 after a tenure of five years.
Sivakumar will take charge on April 1. In the new role all functions of the company will report to Sivakumar as CEC. In addition, the RMD team will relate with Mohit Jain who in turn will relate with Sivakumar.
According to an office advice, both Sivakumar and Jain will join the Board of BCCL as Executive Directors.
After a number of questions were raised on the safety and efficacy of handling newspapers due to Covid-19 outbreak, BCCL CEO Raj Jain put out a statement on Tuesday:
“Let’s not go by rumour mills and fear mongers. The newspaper delivered to your home is safe. And this fact is endorsed by several reputable authorities.
WHO, perhaps the organisation in the best position to comment on the matter has stated that couriers or packages delivered to homes (and that would include newspapers) carry a very low risk of infection even if they come from an infected zone!
“It is safe to receive a package even from an area where COVID – 19 has been reported.” In their release, they’ve further state that “The likelihood of an infected person contaminating commercial goods is low and the risk of catching the virus that causes COVID-19 from a package that has been moved, travelled, and exposed to different conditions and temperature is also low.”
Eminent doctors and leading virologists of India have stated categorically that newspapers delivered to your home are safe.
The government itself which has put the country in a lockdown have maintained that newspapers are an essential service and plays a positive role in disseminating authentic information and updates on the epidemic.
Despite the assurances from medical and other authorities certifying the newspaper delivered to homes as safe, we as the publishers continue to take extraordinary precautions to avoid infection under any circumstances.
Our plants are fully automated so the risk of infection is zero. The transportation and handling right up to the depot is done in fumigated trucks by masked and gloved handlers.
The vendor community is acutely aware of the dangers of infection not only to themselves but to the readers they cater to. With the help of the publishing community, they are taking extraordinary precautions themselves. They are turning back any delivery boy who has any symptoms like cold, cough or fever. They are using sanitizers liberally as also gloves and masks wherever they are available.
We are confident that the product we deliver is safe and we encourage our readers to enjoy their daily read with confidence.
On October 11, MxMIndia reported on Anita Nayyar moving out of day-to-day ops at Havas Media. She had then moved to a larger group-level assignment with Vivendi, the holding company of Havas. But now the news is that Nayyar, the New Delhi NCR-based media agency veteran is moving on from the agency network and the holding company to pursue other interests. She will leave the group in the beginning of May 2020. Her India leadership role, as reported by MxMIndia earlier, has transitioned to Mohit Joshi, Group MD, who is reporting into Rana Barua, CEO, Havas Group India.
Nayyar joined Havas in 2007 as CEO of Havas Media India and save a few months when she moved to Bennett Coleman and Company Ltd (BCCL) as Head of Customer Strategy and joined back seven months later, she has been spearheading Havas Media. Joshi has also been working with the group since 2007. In 2018, Nayyar was promoted to CEO of Havas Media Southeast (SEA) Asia in addition to her role as CEO of Havas Media India.
Vishnu Mohan
Commenting on the development, Vishnu Mohan, Chairman & CEO, Havas Group, India & Southeast Asia said: “Anita has played a pivotal role in Havas Media India’s success and growth over the years. A future forward-thinking leader with a deep understanding of people, brand and media, Anita has also been an inspiration to many young professionals. We are grateful for her significant and lasting contribution to Havas Media India and wish her the very best for her next chapter.”
On her departure, Nayyar added: “It has been an extremely fulfilling and meaningful journey at Havas India over the last 13 years. I am grateful for the opportunities given by the network including the broader remit of SEA in 2018. As Havas Group India continues to reinforce its integrated model of operations, I am confident the Group will continue to chart its success story and I wish the team at Havas Group well with its future development.”
Rana Barua
Said Rana Barua, CEO, Havas Group India in a statement: “Anita is credited with growing Havas Media India’s footprint and elevating its presence. Her dedication and passion are exemplary that has led to her becoming a strong voice in the industry. On behalf of the network, I would like to thank Anita for all that she has done and wish her all the best going ahead.”
And this is what Joshi has said: “Working with Anita for over a decade has been an immensely rewarding and learning experience. She has been an integral part of Havas Media and valued by both clients and colleagues alike. As I welcome the new challenge, I would like to thank the network for the opportunity and Anita for her mentorship and guidance.”
That, we must say, is a nice tribute for a mentor and former boss from Joshi, which is part of an official release from Havas.
Welcome to an all-new week of Q&As as part of Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das. (And do come back tomorrow, for the most provocative question asked thus far!)
If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar..
If you were given the option to start your career all over again – and in 2019 – which media would you join – print, television, radio, digital, outdoor or whatever else? And would you still like to join BCCL or would it be some other conglomerate? Or a company like InShorts or Dailyhunt?
If wishes were horses… but I am not a dissatisfied soul to opt for an imaginary throwback. But then I can’t upset you… So: I would love to join Elon Musk and would love to be part of a voyage to a visionary future. Now don’t liberate me by saying: “Ja Bhaskar, Ji le teri Zindagi”
Veteran mediaperson Dr Bhaskar Das is reportedly moving out from the Zee group with effect from end-October 2017.Das joined the Zee group to helm Zee Media Corporation Limited and is currently President and Chief Growth and Innovation Officer of Zee Unimedia.
Although both Das and Zee PR were not available for a confirmation, reasonably reliable sources close to both the Zee group and Das have confirmed that Das is moving on after his five-year contract is due to expire next month.
Das exited Bennett, Coleman and Company Ltd (BCCL) in end-september 2012 after having worked for 32 years with the organisation. He joined BCCL as a management trainee in 1980 and worked his way up to be President from 2005. For a short while he also took on the additional responsibility of working with BCCL Managing Director Vineet Jain’s office.
Active in the advertising industry associations, Das has been President of the Advertising Club for four years and is currently an officebearer with the Ad Club and the IAA India Chapter. He is part of the Governing Council of MICA, Ahmedabad and is one of the few seniors in the marketing services domain with a PhD in marketing from Pune University. He is reportedly working on his second PhD in marketing.
Bennett, Coleman & Co Ltd, the owner of The Times of India, Economic Times, Times Now and a slew of topselling media brands, has fired a fresh salvo against former Times Now editor-in-chief and President News’s entrepreneurial venture, Republic TV.
The clip of the report on Page 8 of The Economic Times Mumbai dated June 12, 2017
Since the data for the first week of Republic TV’s launch, Times Now, which was the highest rated amongst English news channels, found itself ousted from the top spot by Goswami’s channel. Consequently, the channel along with a few others, prevailed upon the News Broadcasters Association to act on the usage of dual LCNs and advise that they remove the watermarking on their channels thereby opting out of the BARC measurement.
Other than NBA, many channels are also part of the Indian Broadcasting Federation (IBF). Interestingly, IBF in turn is 60 per cent owner of BARC India, which is a joint industry body.
The channels came back to the BARC fold after they felt assured when Republic TV is said to have told the Court that is not taking multiple LCNs. Interestingly, India Today TV also filed a complaint with TRAI about Times Now using the dual LCN route to boost ratings.
Last Thursday, BARC released date for Week 22 which marked the return of all English news channels to watermark-led measurement.
While there is a sentiment that even this data is boosted by channels employing landing pages, an Economic Times report has cautioned media buyers and advertisers that all isn’t well with BARC viewership data. It is evident from the report that the high timespent of Republic is a sore point and Times Now hasn’t gone up in terms of timespent.
There are questions that need to be addressed now:
01.Will BARC probe the charges in the ET report?
02.What does BARC think about the ET report? While ET is not indicting BARC in any direct way, the fact that the timespent data has been questioned, it impacts the reputation and credibility of the joint industry measurement body. What do BARC and owners IBF, ISA and AAAI have to say on this?
03.Is this a misuse of sibling media by Times Now? If it was such a grave issue, how come other business dailies haven’t taken it up?
It’s perhaps time for NBA and/or IBF to bring order in the house. It should bring together the four or five top English news channels and get them to stop throwing muck at each other and more importantly conduct their business in a fair manner.
Pardon the forced use of the word flaunt. But the occasion demanded it. Shoppers Stop and Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. (BCCL) announced a strategic partnership to extend Femina, one of BCCL’s flagship brands, into the consumer products space. As part of this unique ‘co-create and co-own’ partnership, BCCL will license ‘Femina Flaunt’ to Shoppers Stop, to design, develop, and retail the brand, exclusively across Shoppers Stop stores, in the core fashion categories – apparel, footwear, accessories and bags. Flaunt is the retail identity developed by BCCL for Femina.
Vineet Jain
Commenting on the partnership, Vineet Jain, Managing Director – BCCL, said, “This is in line with our brand extension strategy to partner with the best-in-class players to unlock immense hidden value in many of our marquee brands. As a group, we’ve always been ahead on the innovation curve, and this partnership is another such example.â€
Govind Shrikhande, Customer Care Associate & Managing Director, Shoppers Stop Ltd. added “In line with our brand philosophy of ‘Start Something New’, we have embarked on a new partnership with the BCCL group to launch ‘Femina Flaunt’ in our stores. The premium positioning of this brand fits seamlessly into our diverse portfolio of premium brands. We are positive that ‘Femina Flaunt’ will be a huge success with our discerning customers.â€
The ‘Femina Flaunt’ range will be retailed exclusively through 300-400 sq feet of dedicated shop-in-shop space, within Shoppers Stop stores. The range will be launched in the Fall-Winter season this year, and will be available across 20 Shoppers Stop stores to begin with, and going upto 50 stores by year-3.
‘Femina Flaunt’ range is being developed for the premium space, targeting today’s urban, independent, progressive and discerning woman, who is 25-35 yrs old, working and residing in the top 25 cities.
Is Sunil Lulla heading to WPP agency Grey? The buzz in adland says he is, though there are no official announcements as yet.
Sunil Lulla, President – Corporate Development Bennett, Coleman & Company Limited, has decided to move on, a development he has confirmed. Mr Lulla has spent around nine years in at Times TV Television. Earlier this year, he moved to the Corporate Development role, when MK Anand took charge as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Times Television Network.
Bennett, Coleman and Co Ltd was among the four regional winners in the International News Media Association (INMA) Global Innovation Awards announced in Dallas,USA. The competition rewards excellence in media company innovation programmes. A global winner will be announced on May 13 at the INMA World Congress in San Francisco.
The other regional Global Innovation Awards recipients were Gannett, US; Fairfax Media, Australia and MittMedia, Sweden.
The Best in South Asia accolade went to BCCL for its entry on “Transforming Print Media Sales Culture Through Technology.” The sales culture transformation programme looked at ending silo selling, more efficient pricing, driving agility and creating a climate of accountability, and data-driven selling. The programme included intense effort at changing the internal culture to one that encourages efficiency, agility, and accountability.
From these four regional winners, a global award recipient will be unveiled at the closing dinner of the INMA World Congress May 13 in San Francisco. Regional winners’ innovation programmes will be presented at the World Congress and awards formally presented.
The INMA Global Innovation Awards are designed to shine a spotlight on the fast-emerging structured innovation programmes of media companies seeking new foundations in transformational times.
“With this new competition, INMA wants to reward the people, programmes, and processes behind the emerging innovation culture in the media industry – the foundations upon which novel ideas are being launched at a rapid rate,” said Earl J Wilkinson, executive director and CEO of INMA. “We want to reward media companies that are mastering the art of innovating routinely.”
Business daily The Economic Times has launched ET Panache, a thrice-a-week lifestyle and leisure accompaniment to the main newspaper. ET Panache is ET’s stylish nod to bigwigs, honchos, top guns – be it in India Inc, sports, politics, Bollywood, et al.
“ET Panache is a reflection of the lives of today’s young readers – busy, driven, ambitious and forever pursuing new dreams,” said Ravi Dhariwal, CEO, BCCL.
As a reading experience, ET Panache will comprise lists, recommendations, reviews, opinions, DIYs, great finds and more, constitute the staple, even as it delves in-depth into the rarefied universe of upscale travel, dining, wellness and style, notes a communique.
The first issue of ET Panache appeared with the paper today. The supplement will be published on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
M K Anand, until last month Managing Director, Media Networks at Disney UTV is set to be joining Times Television as its head, according to our sources. Sunil Lulla, currently Managing Director and CEO, is reportedly moving into parent Bennett, Coleman and Company Ltd (BCCL) in a new role, possibly as part of the Managing Director’s office.
Although Mr Anand’s moveback to Times has been in the grapevine ever since he announced his departure from Disney UTV last month, neither of the movements have been confirmed by BCCL or Times Television. MxMIndia has learnt of these from reliable sources.
The appointments are likely to be effective February 3, 2014. Mr Anand has worked with The Times of India group for 19 years, first with print for 14 years and later with the television business as VP for Zoom from 2004-09. He moved to lead UTV Software as CEO and see through the acquisition by Disney as well as the transition to Disney UTV.
The 2013 edition of the International News Media Association South Asia Conference took off in New Delhi to a full-house.
Over 30 speakers including management experts like Rama Bijapurkar, media agency honchos, equity and consulting firm captains are scheduled to speak and deliberate on the theme ‘Print: Thriving in the age of digital’.
Sanjay Gupta, President, INMA South Asia and CEO, Jagran group and BCCL President and conference co-chair Arunabh Das Sharma had made their opening remarks at the time of filing this report.
S Sivakumar to take charge as Chairman, Executive Committee (CEC) at leading media conglomerate Bennett, Coleman & Co Ltd. , BCCL. Raj Jain will be concluding his tenure with the media group on March 31, 2020 after a tenure of five years.
Welcome to an all-new week of Q&As as part of Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das. (And do come back tomorrow, for the most provocative question asked thus far!)
