MxMIndia

Tag: Covid-19

  • Opens up school curriculum learning through virtual classes on Paathshala Funwala app

    Nihar Shanti Amla provides free access to education to rural students

    By A Correspondent

     

    Nihar Shanti Pathshala Funwala has announced ‘Padhai Par Lockdown Nahi’- an initiative that ensures students can keep learning English even at home through the ‘Phone Uthao India ko Padhao’ programme that was launched last year. Free virtual classes are available for the next two months for grades 6-10 through the Paathshala Funwala app on Google Playstore.

     

    Commenting on these initiatives, Koshy George, Chief Marketing Officer, Marico Limited said: “Nihar Shanti Amla has always believed that education is the foundation of nation’s growth. COVID-19 pandemic has posed serious challenges to continuity of learning. We understand this and to ensure that learning doesn’t stop even during the lockdown, we have launched Padhai Par Lockdown Nahi campaign. This programme gives an opportunity to urban adults sitting at home to teach spoken English to a rural child who can access it anytime, anywhere through a simple, convenient phone based intervention. In addition, the partnership with AAS Vidyalaya helps make all other subjects available free on our app for 2 months. It covers 6th-10th grade curriculum designed as per CBSE, UP State Board and NOIS board. Together we all can make a difference to these children’s lives and strive towards building a confident, educated young India.”

     

    Added Russell Barrett, CCO & Managing Partner, BBH India: “Nihar Shanti Amla has been built on the promise of Look good, Do good. And for years now the brand has dedicated itself to doing good by educating India’s underprivileged children through various on- ground and digital initiatives. During these exceptional times, exceptional brands reinforce their worth by their actions and Nihar Shanti Amla has dedicated itself to ensuring there is no lockdown on learning. We’ve used technology to give children in the remote interiors of India the same privileges that our own children enjoy during this time through the Phone Uthao India Ko Padhao programme. We’re so proud to partner Marico in this initiative and to ensure the next generation of India doesn’t stop their onward march to a better future.”

     

     

  • TBWA joined hands with CRY to help all attendees learn about disruption while donating any amount they deemed fit to CRY

    TBWA collaborates with CRY for Covid-19 relief efforts

    By A Correspondent

     

    As the lockdown continues and India battles with its biggest healthcare crisis, life has come to a standstill for thousands of economically disadvantaged families and their children. TBWA\India confronted this problem in a webinar by teaching the Art of Conscious Disruption, the philosophy behind all its creative work.

     

    An online session titled ‘Disruption and the art of seeing differently’ was hosted by CRY and conducted by Parixit Bhattacharya, Managing Partner – Creative of TBWA\India and Krishnan Subramanian, its Chief Strategy Officer.

     

    Commenting on the initiative, Bhattacharya said: “While it seems like our hands are tied and donation drives start to lose steam, it is crucial to figure out an equal exchange. Something that will add value to individuals while making them want to donate to the cause of Covid relief.”

     

    Added Subramanian: “At the core of this initiative was our desire to give netizens the tools to create something good for people and society, while supporting CRY’s Covid Relief measures which attempts to help 1.76 lakh households and children by providing them with ration and health kits.”

     

    Said Puja Marwaha, CEO of CRY:  “Solutions to stubborn problems, like child marriage and school dropout, need simple yet disruptive ideas. We are deeply grateful to TBWA India for this session which doubled up as a fund raiser for CRY and we found the session immensely helpful not just from an advertising lens but also for social workers, teachers, parents and children themselves.”

     

     

  • Even as we mourn the terrible loss of two talented movie actors, the lives of the forgotten people also impact us, writes Ranjona Banerji

    Ranjona Banerji: For a profession in tatters, there’s some real work happening

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    Journalists are at the forefront of the Covid-19 pandemic, as we have discussed. We do not really care except to pay lip service because it’s so much more fun debating over some toxic TV personality’s rants and rights.

    But enough of him. As more and more field journalists test positive in India, we need to urge their employers and news organisations to have better safety guidelines and measures for their staff. The general tendency in newsrooms has been “to get on with it”. Safety is of little concern. And post-incident help is not formalised. It’s all ad hoc depending on management/owner mood and senior editorial power. Imagine what that must be like in these sycophantic, spineless times.

    This is a witty, courageous and understanding personal account by Simrin Sirur, a young reporter, who has just tested positive for Covid-19. She is also a friend’s daughter, which is when you realise how close you are to this virus. (This is the second friend’s daughter who has tested positive. The other is a doctor in the UK, forced back to work after two weeks, but that’s another story.

    https://theprint.in/iwitness/disbelief-guilt-regret-amusement-when-a-covid-reporter-herself-tests-positive/411840/?fbclid=IwAR3QbsDbNML5d21EviOuBFvDPUsfCeBLkDPF8IM-F9fdy0RlNEkMKdX92J4

    **

    Luckily for a profession in tatters in several senses, there also is some real work happening out there. The Scroll has this report on the problems of tea garden workers forced back to the grind because of hunger. These are also India’s forgotten people whom no one wants to think about.

    https://scroll.in/article/960142/one-reason-why-tea-garden-employees-went-back-to-work-despite-covid-19-fears-hunger

    Livemint goes to Tirupur, India’s textile hub, which is now stretched thin:

    https://www.livemint.com/news/india/a-tense-textile-hub-spins-out-of-control-11588261831485.html

    I share these stories because I know that not many will read them and most people do not care. Yet, even as we mourn the terrible loss of two talented movie actors, the lives of the forgotten people also impact us. It is heartening therefore that some sections of the media provide space for such reports even in such times. Revenue loss has led to budget cuts which have led to salary cuts, size cuts, and all the rest of the horror.

    Freelancers have it especially tough because they are seen as the most expendable. They have lost assignments, columns, consultancies, and also any future prospects. Sadly, they are often the first casualties when money is tight, even though they do exemplary work. We understand. Rock and a hard place. But lack of spine and plans are also evident in newsrooms where managements are permitted to get away with murder. And that’s not really a metaphor either.

    **

    Amidst all this doom and gloom, luckily we have some media gems to lift our spirits.

    Both these are from my former employer, Bennett Coleman.

    In this first one (please see the screenshot), a little bit application of mind and a little less dependence on Whatsapp forwards may have saved the “brand” some embarrassment. Is there no desk which works here?

    It can work for anyone, not just late lamented talent. If you add your age today and your date of birth, guess which number you will reach? Take a minute to think it through. Even my third grade maths got this one!

    The second is not about a media mistake but in fact a perfect story to get you laughing. Rich person’s privilege is always a fantastic release mechanism!

    https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/mumbai/cover-story/industrialist-sues-guest-for-spilling-wine-on-his-sofa/articleshow/75438612.cms?fbclid=IwAR0OBWqn61BBdgVM6Qz1eeUYUBR_q-haJ8BSmVKG6v0pgfl6LQk2C6Eailg

    **

    On which note, Happy May Day. Please take that any way you like!

     

    Ranjona Banerji is a senior journalist and commentator. She is also Consulting Editor, MxMIndia. Her views here are personal

  • There is a dearth (or complete absence, if I may say) of basic news reports and articles where a CXO has openly confirmed and announced his love or dependency for the CCO and the PR/Earned Media industry, writes Siddhartha Mukherjee

    Siddhartha Mukherjee: Covid-19 disruption offers Opportunities for CXO-CCO Love Affair!

    By Siddhartha Mukherjee

     

    I doubt if there are any official public records for us Brand & Communications professionals which demonstrate a CXO’s dependency on their Chief Communications Officer (CCO) and PR/Earned Media Agency. There is a dearth (or complete absence, if I may say) of basic news reports and articles where a CXO has openly confirmed and announced his love or dependency for the CCO and the PR/Earned Media industry.

     

    To achieve their business objectives, CXOs depend on CCO skills and PR/Earned Media Tools to the fullest. Much more than 50% of a Brand’s PR/Earned Media visibility is based on the CXO quotes. But then why this?  Has anyone even asked the CXOs why they don’t say “I Do” publicly. Well, we all know the reasons, isn’t it?

     

    Instead, let’s talk of something motivating and focus on why to strengthen and how to build public records.

     

    Why Covid-19 disruption is an opportunity to strengthen CXO – CCO relationship:

     :: Demand Creation, Sustenance & Rise in Corporate “Risks” attracting huge Management time. Management pushing for Proactive & Credible Communication

    :: Fall of ATL/Advertising Effectiveness becoming steeper

    :: Customers (B2C) are not the only TG; Govt, Employees, Investors, Community, Traders, Other Influencers need simultaneous promise delivery and perception management

    :: Multiple TG need messaging seeped with Emotional Quotient (EQ). Earned Media offers formats, flexibility of time and cost effectiveness to create and build EQ

    :: For real effectiveness, Messaging, its Frequency & creation of Innovative Target Audience Touchpoints have to be of extraordinary levels. Best efficiency possible only through PR & Earned Media.

    :: To keep the business numbers chugging, CEOs have to depend on a lubricant that can be achieved only through the most cost-effective brand communication matrix of Earned, Owned and Shared Media Communications.

     

    All the above are some of the many reasons why the CCO should be the GO-TO-DESK during the current disruptive times for the CXO.

     

    How can this relationship be announced and made official:

    Block 1- Demonstrate data/Build MiS:

    :: If you think of it, CXOs process the KRAs given to them in terms of Data – which further gives way to the MiS matrix. Hence, any help or value addition towards his KRAs will also therefore be through the language of Data

    :: A CCO needs thorough understanding of every single KRA of the CXO and translate that into data

    :: This needs investment of time, discipline and most importantly, the knowledge of the Art & Science of showcasing CXO efforts in Data language

     

    Block 2 – Documentation Touchpoints:

    :: Media News Reports: Journalist fraternity need to start providing space for editorial writeups which establish the role of PR/Earned Media in CXO’s life. One can start with trade journals.

    :: Education Institutes: Business & Media Schools should start publishing papers which highlight brand success stories using Earned Media tools and how it helped CXO objectives.

    :: PRCAI & CCO Groups can authenticate: Industry body can do a lot in this. Periodic reports can be created and published on how PR Agencies and Clients worked together using PR & Earned Media.

     

    It is a time of prepare, strengthen and announce the CXO-CCO love affair! And mind you, post Covid-19, this love affair should only get stronger and better.

     

    If done well, it will be one of the best “PR needs PR” initiatives that I have been campaigning for since 2008.

     

    Siddhartha Mukherjee is a senior marketing services research professional. He was until last year Business Head at Eikona and has spent a fair time in the PR industry. This column will appear every other Thursday.

     

  • Avian WE will support the collaborative with media advocacy

    Avian WE pledges support in battle against coronavirus

    By A Correspondent

     

    Communications agency Avian WE has extended its support to the Covid Action Collaborative , a platform dedicated to combining capabilities and resources to respond effectively to the Covid-19 outbreak. Avian WE will support the collaborative with media advocacy, establishing partnerships and information dissemination among stakeholders including central and state government.has

     

    Said Nitin Mantri, Group CEO of Avian WE: “In this difficult period, the need of the hour is to come together and show solidarity. Individuals and organisations from all sections of society must work together to address the public health crisis. Avian WE is humbled to join hands with over 150 strong individuals and organisations, with a reach of over 2 million people in 11 states and 100 districts to do our part in the Covid-19 pandemic. We are confident that through this collaborative we will make a positive impact in our community.”

     

    Added Shamal Karkal, CEO, Swasti: “I am pleased that Avian WE have joined The Collaborative. Like others who have joined, they bring their strengths towards deepening the collective impact and their expertise in integrated communications can be leveraged by the members of the collaborative.”

     

     

  • It tracks lockdown traits across top six cities

    Enormous Brands decodes lockdown trends in study

    By A Correspondent

     

    Enormous Brands has surveyed the changing sentiments, attitudes, and habitual changes in India’s citizens, across top six cities during the unforeseen lockdown.

     

    Commenting on the outcome of the study, Ajay Verma, Managing Partner, Enormous Brands, said: “The young Indian population is behaving very differently from other parts of the globe. The study suggests a high level of optimism even in a situation that has brought the entire world in a lock-down and also showcased that households feels confident about the revival of the Indian economy,” adding: “This study was conducted to help brands understand how the current situation is molding the habits, behavior and attitudes of Indians. We believe this will help us shape client communication and offer strategic counsel in line with the prevailing sentiments of the consuming class.”

     

    Some of the trends include:

    Television grows from strength to strength during lockdown

    The study suggests TV still shines over OTT. 43 per cent see cable TV as the primary entertainment in the high-income households. 13 per cent across the sample size have re-activated their DTH / cable subscription.

    Interestingly, ‘news’ has emerged as the new GEC’s. A staggering 64 per cent of TV viewing time across the TV viewing population is spent on the news channels. 43 per cent believe that news reporting is unbiased and 27 per cent believe that there is a clear indication that few news channels are pro a particular political party.

     

    Newspapers poised for a strong return

    Lots of international researches suggest 21 days can break or form a habit. However, this study suggests otherwise when it comes to a daily newspaper. 74 per cent miss their daily newspaper and are waiting for the service to resume.

    While 29 per cent have moved to reading newspapers online, only 4 per cent would unsubscribe from the hard copy. Looks like the newspaper is a habit like coffee that has grown on the Indian palette, making it difficult to part with.

     

    India’s older adopt digital

    The study shows a sharp increase, as much as, 47 per cent adoption among elders (55-65 years) of e-commerce – ordering milk, grocery and home essentials and paying through wallets / UPI.

    The banks have been promoting Internet banking for over a decade, in just the last month the data suggests that first time users have increased by 28 per cent. The maximum shift of 33 per cent is among the age group of 35-50 years age segments – this is the ‘bankers’ delight segment as it is the most profitable customer band.

     

    Covid-19 helps push the ‘Make in India’ agenda

    42 per cent believe that there is an active and deliberate attempt by China to spread COVID across the world for economic gains. This has led to a strong anti-China sentiment.

    The data suggests that 47 per cent of Indians are willing to pay up to 25 per cent higher for Indian made goods over Chinese made ones. There is a strong sentiment that the world should unite against China to stop using China as the world’s manufacturer, even if it is cost-inefficient.

     

     

  • Company said that the interviews for such people will be conducted online

    ICCPL to hire PR execs losing jobs due to Covid-19

    By A Correspondent

     

    Amidst growing news of companies laying off and deducting salaries of the employees, Integrated Centre For Consultancy Pvt. ltd. (ICCPL), a Delhi-based PR firm, has announced that it will hire competent PR professionals who lost their jobs during the lockdown situation. The company also has plans to expand post-Covid-19 lockdown. The consulting firm has presence in over 17 cities across India and plans to open five more cities soon.

     

    ICCPL has said that the interviews for such people will be conducted online and on meeting the company requirements the joining letter will be offered immediately.

     

    Announcing the decision, Dushyant Sinha, Founder Director, ICCPL Group of Companies, said: “We fully understand the current situation and want to help the economy grow. This is the reason that we have decided to help people who have been fired from a PR company. Apart from this hiring we will go in for a hiring spree once the lockdown is over according to our expansion plans.”

     

     

  • India finds itself in the piquant situation of having no deaths but an  increased pressure on Indian journalists for reporting news perceived as “anti-government”, writes Ranjona Banerji

    When Real Journalists Suffer

     

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    The annual press freedom index published by Reporters without Borders (RSF) for 2020 sees India drop down two places from 140 in 2019 to 142 in 2020.

     

    The 2020 report “suggests that the next 10 years will be pivotal for press freedom because of converging crises affecting the future of journalism: a geopolitical crisis (due to the aggressiveness of authoritarian regimes); a technological crisis (due to a lack of democratic guarantees); a democratic crisis (due to polarisation and repressive policies); a crisis of trust (due to suspicion and even hatred of the media); and an economic crisis (impoverishing quality journalism).”

     

    India, according to RSF, finds itself in the piquant situation of having no deaths, a relief, upended by the increased pressure on Indian journalists for reporting news perceived as “anti-government”.

     

    This is what the RSF report writes on India:

     

    “With no murders of journalists in India in 2019, as against six in 2018, the security situation for the country’s media might seem, on the face of it, to have improved. However, there have been constant press freedom violations, including police violence against journalists, ambushes by political activists, and reprisals instigated by criminal groups or corrupt local officials. Ever since the general elections in the spring of 2019, won overwhelmingly by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, pressure on the media to toe the Hindu nationalist government’s line has increased.”

     

    This is especially true as far as coverage of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic is concerned. Journalists have been arrested, jailed, had draconian laws used against them, all for questioning government information or presenting the government’s relief efforts in a “bad light”.

     

    https://rsf.org/en/2020-world-press-freedom-index-entering-decisive-decade-journalism-exacerbated-coronavirus

     

    https://rsf.org/en/india

     

    The Committee to Protect Journalists has done a number of stories about the threats and attacks which journalists, especially those who cover the Covid-19 crisis, face from the police, local administrations or the enormous might of the state or Centre face.

     

    https://cpj.org/blog/2020/04/journalists-in-indias-uttar-pradesh-say-threat-of-.php

     

    The CPJ and 73 media and rights groups have issued this statement to several Asian heads of state:

    https://cpj.org/2020/04/cpj-73-media-and-rights-groups-urge-asian-heads-of.php

     

    Journalists working in Kashmir have been targeted since the state was stripped of its civil liberties and disenfranchised by the Modi-led government last December. Now, those covering the virus are being attacked once again.

     

    The CPJ has issued statements to stop harassing Masrat Zahra and Peerzada Ashiq:

    https://cpj.org/2020/04/jammu-and-kashmir-police-launch-investigations-int.php

     

    Posts on social media are also being used to harass journalists, as with Gowhar Geelani:

    https://cpj.org/2020/04/jammu-and-kashmir-police-launch-investigation-into.php

     

     

    And this is Tamil Nadu, and again the crime is giving a “bad name” to the government in their Covid coverage.

    https://cpj.org/2020/04/police-in-indias-tamil-nadu-state-arrest-journalis.php

     

    When much of the general public refers to “the media”, they usually mean TV anchors orchestrating hate talk in their studios or what they see as intrusive TV reporters and camerapersons. The tremendous work that goes into a news report or an investigation by a number of people is obviously unknown to them. So also is the danger under which they work. And the main job of journalism has to be questioning the government in power. Which includes showing it in a “bad light” and giving it a “bad name”. Every journalist who has acted as a govermment – any government – publicity agent has helped to create this situation where journalists are harangued and harassed for doing their basic job.

    When you consider that a substantial number of journalists on the ground have caught the virus themselves, that should alert even us within of the hazards of our profession. If, that is, we can tear ourselves away from the drama of Arnab Goswami and hot social media debate over his inalienable right to hate speech under the Indian Constitution. However horrific a 12-and-a-half-hour interrogation by the Mumbai police, it cannot compare to Masrat Zahra having the UAPA used against her for posting her photos on social media. Nor, if it is not unfair to mention this, Gauri Lankesh being shot at her doorstep by rightwing goons, for daring to oppose the rightwing.

    We go down the press freedom index because of people like Goswami, people who do not just toe the government line but actively exacerbate the hatred of Muslims, other minorities, Dalits and whoever else the Hindutva machinery takes against. These are the people who help the Modi government to carry on with its RSS agenda. It’s not as if they don’t know. They do it because they know.

    Goswami is at the “increase hate” part of the pro-Modi-BJP spectrum, others are the Modi-BJP publicity end like India Today TV, which may well lose its mega-city TRP status after the Goswami drama. One shudders to imagine what new lows they will now come up with to compete.

    The result, as we can see, is that journalism as a whole suffers; and real journalists suffer.

     

    Ranjona Banerji is a senior journalist and commentator. She is also Consulting Editor, MxMIndia. Her views here are personal

     

  • It believes #PadsAreEssential especially during Covid 19 pandemic

    Paree unveils #PadsAreEssential ad campaign across India

    By A Correspondent

     

    Committed to making menstrual hygiene products available to all women, Paree is reaching out to women in need and has introduced the initiative #SheFirst because it believes #PadsAreEssential especially during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

     

    Talking about the campaign, Sahil Dharia- CEO & Founder, Paree said: “Women are the backbone of our society and the primary caregivers in our families. Yet, she always puts everyone else ahead of her own needs when in fact, she should come first. Our belief that pads are essential for every menstruating woman is driving the dialogue that at a time of crisis, She comes first. As a brand, I want to assure each woman that during Covid-19, we are with you, you can trust us. We are proud to have support from Punjab Police, CII IWN, Rasoi on Wheels and many others. #PadsAreEssential and I pledge #SheFirst.”

     

    Added CII IWN, Chairwoman- Rinki Dhingra: “CII- IWN Delhi chapter is delighted to have collaborated with Paree; whose vision is so panoramic. Women across segments in India have struggled to gain access to the basics, with menstrual hygiene products being the most elusive to them. I am glad that corporations like Paree have stepped in with their foresight and initiative to distribute free sanitary pads to the women workforces who are most in need. CII IWN is committed to take forward and support #SheFirst campaign and we pledge that #PadsAreEssential.”

     

    The campaign is active in cities like Punjab, Delhi and Gurugram through various channels and so far Paree have supplied sanitary napkins to areas across Delhi/ NCR and districts of Punjab.

     

     

  • The film pays homage to the workforce at Adani Group for its relentless efforts

    Adani group expresses gratitude to frontline warriors with #GoodnessNeverStops

    By A Correspondent

     

     

    https://www.facebook.com/AdaniOnline/videos/227697331787084/

     

    Adani Group has joined hands with DDB Mudra to salute the frontline warriors with #GoodnessNeverStops. The film pays homage to the workforce at Adani Group for its relentless efforts and unwavering support during the lockdown amid the Covid-19 crisis.

     

    Elaborating on the objective of the campaign, Paresh Chaudhry, Group President – Corporate Brand Custodian, Adani Group said, “This crisis demanded continuous supply of certain essentials so that people can stay indoors safely. Thanks to our ever-reliable workforce, we were able to deliver when it mattered the most. This film is our tribute to our workforce and to all those who are working relentlessly to help bring the country back to normalcy.”

     

    Talking about the concept and execution, Shekhar Pandey, VP – Strategy, DDB Mudra said, “In this unprecedented scenario, there are so many fellow citizens who are putting duty and the country above everything else. This film is our tribute to all such brave hearts who are truly demonstrating the goodness that is inherent in humanity. As we faced various execution-related limitations due to lockdown, we decided to take up the animation route and produced this film totally in-house at our Ahmedabad office.”

     

     

  • Viewership growth is highest in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi compared to other megacities, Indrani Sen

    Indians more optimistic about recovery after Covid-19

     

    By Indrani Sen

     

    BARC India and Nielsen Media jointly released the fifth edition of the report on ‘Crisis Consumption on TV and Smartphones’ last week. Their presentation before discussing the details of the TV and smartphone consumptions, gave a brief glimpse of a global scenario showing that Indian consumers are more optimistic about their country’s recovery after Covid-19. Similar trait has also been found among consumers in China, Indonesia and Nigeria who have shown higher levels of optimism than Indian consumers.

    Another chart showing a comparison of growth in TV viewing across the globe compared to the pre Covid-19 period and last week (Week 15) highlights the growth in India (40%), Australia (34%), Czech Republic (25%), France (20%) and United Kingdom (17%). The viewership growth in India was driven by both reach and ATS.

    After a huge dip in FCT in week 14, there was a rise in FCT during week 15 with many Indian advertisers using the COVID19 theme. Advertisement of essentials category saw a growth across TV genres, but Digital Video Advertising spends dropped across most categories. Reruns driven Hindi GEC in HSM were at an all-time high with 8.5 BN impressions with Mythological shows leading the way. HSM Urban maintained a all time high for 3rd week in row.

    TV viewership growth was led by News and Movies and the Movies growth came more from the PAY platforms. Consumption of both News and Movies genre surged after the lock down and now continue to maintain their higher shares. Viewership growth is highest in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi compared to other megacities.

    Nonprime time is still driving the overall growth in TV consumption which raises doubts about the long term stability of this growth as after the lockdown is lifted, consumers would not have time for engaging with nonprime time shows. NCH A has seen the highest viewership growth across urban and rural markets with India rural showing high growth of consumption in non-primetime.

    Strong double-digit growth was seen across various segments of OTTs (movies, originals, etc.) while audio streaming apps show a decline possibly on account of commuting going down. During the lockdown period consumers might be opting for audio visual entertainment against just audio entertainment.

    The new normal of 3 hrs, 40 minutes+ a day on Smartphone continues – 10% increase over pre-Covid-19 times. News franchise on Smartphone continued to be nearly 50% of all smartphone audience, Views grew by 40%. Almost 4 in 10 searches in week 5 were around Coronavirus which is 4 times the searches made during week 1.

    One in five smartphone consumers in India were using the Aarogya Setu app in Week 5 – an 80% + increase v/s the launch week of the app. Consumer time spent on social networking has grown by 35%+ and 1 in 5 spends more than 1 hour per day. With large number of Indians working from home, a staggering 200% increase was seen in time spent on video conferencing and time spent on virtual drives almost doubled.

    There is already lot of speculation on the scope of extending WFH and flexible working hour concepts to our work culture as the lockdown is likely to be lifted gradually and definitely not uniformly across the country. It will take quite a few months for our school and college education system to return to normalcy. The growth spurts which we have witnessed in TV and smartphone consumption will not be reduced abruptly. The higher level of smartphone consumption is more likely to continue even after the cloud of Covid-19 starts moving away from India, whereas the higher level of TV consumption is bound to come down and settle at a level above the pre-Covid days.

     

     

  • All the signatories have submitted this request in “SD mode”

    FTA channels seek govt help to combat losses

    By A Correspondent

     

    In view of the hardships being faced due to the lockdown, a section of FTA broadcasters have written to the Government of India, asking for immediate assistance.

     

    Here’s what is their missive:

     

    “This is a unanimous humble request extended by a syndicate of Free-to-Air Broadcasters having their channels placed on Prasar Bharati’s esteemed DTH Platform DD Free Dish. Due to this pandemic, all the signatories are submitting this request in “SD mode”, names of whom are mentioned at the end.

     

    Sir, as we all know the COVID-19 pandemic has adversely impacted the Indian economy. All sectors of the economy are reeling from the impact of the nationwide lockdown, including media and entertainment. Advertisement bookings have nosedived by ~80%. Commercial advertisements are the sole revenue stream for Free-to-Air channels to support all its costs of Content, Operations, Carriage, Marketing and Transmission and in the current scenario, we have been struggling to deal with a steep de-growth and the biggest impact is on advertising revenues that is likely to see a 70-80% pullback.

     

    In line with Government’s vision of making best of entertainment accessible freely to all socio economical class of Indian population through the DD Free Dish platform, all the Free-to-Air channels play a very important role especially for the poorer sections of our society  and thus it’s commercial viability & sustainability must be taken into consideration.

     

    We would also like to take this opportunity to thank the Government of India for inclusion of “Electronic Media”, which reaches the length and breadth of the nation as one of the “Essential Services” during the lock down period. We intend to continue reaching out to our millions of viewers on a daily basis and for which our teams are working tirelessly.

     

    Sir, as early as end of March, we all in our individual capacities had reached out to DD Free Dish with a certain request of waving carriage fees for a quarter (April, May and June) owed by us to them in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic.

     

    In response of which we were in receipt of letter dated April 7, 2020 offering a deferred payment schedule in lieu of the waiver of 3 months’ outstanding payments sought for, and that too with a provision for furnishing a bank guarantee (valid upto 31.07.2020) of equivalent amount. Availing the said relief has been subjected to interest levy at 5.7% per annum and GST on the interest amount.

     

    Sir, the aforesaid relief would not serve the purpose at this juncture, but instead put additional hardships on the Company in terms of bank guarantee charges, interest payments and GST amounts with effectively no relief on the total carriage fee payments.

     

    In light of the current adverse business environment, our request requires a lot more sympathetic consideration, considering our revenues have been eroded. There are few channels which have been recently launched on 01.04.2020 and they are facing the brunt with no revenues at all.

     

    As responsible corporate citizens of this nation, upon the request of our Hon’ble Prime Minister it has become our foremost duty to pay all our salaries on time which in turn will ensure that livelihood of hundreds of people. We wish to draw your attention once again to the fact that with business coming down to 10-15% of normal monthly business, we will be only in a position to disburse salaries and any more expense burden in the current & coming months will affect our salary paying capacity in such marginalised incomes.

     

    We, therefore, humbly place our request in front of your kind self which is a waiver of 100% Carriage Fees due to Prasar Bharati for first quarter (April, May and June) and 50% for second quarter i.e. (July, August and September) for Channels who have secured MPEG-2 slots on Prasar Bharati’s Free Dish Platform during the recently held 44th E-auction.

     

    We base our request post understanding the time that the entire industry would need for normalcy to return.

     

    In view of the facts furnished above, we all would appreciate your personal intervention in this matter so that broadcasting sector as a whole tides over the current situation.”