MxMIndia

Tag: Dinesh Vyas

  • The agency will be responsible for the strategic and creative execution of organic and paid digital communication

    Big Trunk bags digital mandate for H&R Johnson

    By A Correspondent

     

    Big Trunk Communications has bagged the digital mandate for H&R Johnson (India). The association will work towards combining customer experience and process innovation to help the brand attain end-to-end digital transformation and win big in the growing digital marketing arena. The account was won after a multi-agency pitch process.

     

    Dinesh Vyas

    Speaking on the association, Dinesh Vyas, Senior Vice President Marketing – H & R Johnson (India) said: “We are delighted to partner with Big Trunk Communications for digital media services. We were on a lookout for a dynamic and performance-driven digital partner to support our evolving marketing needs and were impressed with Big Trunk’s user first and data-centric approach along with their abilities of thinking out-of-the-box. Their long-term association with other reputed brands also gives us the confidence to entrust the digital duties to this future-facing agency. Our association with Big Trunk Communication is aimed to strengthen our digital abilities extensively, build social engagement and generate leads.”

     

    Bharat Subramaniam

    Added Bharat Subramaniam, Managing Director – Big Trunk Communications: “We are happy to be associated with a brand that carries a legacy of more than 60 years. As a full-service digital agency, we are equipped with a deeper understanding of the digital landscape and can offer enhanced and measurable experiences across platforms. The integration with H&R Johnson (India) will add scale to the depth of our services and help us to grow even further. This acquisition is an incredible opportunity for our team, and we look forward to adding value to this association.”

     

  • NDTV 24×7 is Asia's first news channel to be a part of Virgin's base pack along with other leading international news channels

    NDTV 24×7 now available in UK on Virgin

    By Akash Raha

     

    NDTV Group’s premier English news channel NDTV 24×7 is now also available on Virgin Media in the UK. With this, NDTV 24×7 becomes Asia’s first and only news channel to be a part of Virgin’s base pack along with other leading international news channels. NDTV 24×7 will now be reaching out to an additional 3 million plus households.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, NDTV’s Head – Network Distribution and Affiliate Sales, Rahul Sood, said, “With this launch on Virgin, NDTV 24×7 is now available across a large majority of TV viewing homes across the UK. It helps us further penetrate the UK market and reach out to all those viewers who have a deeper commercial and cultural interest in the news and stories from the sub-continent.”

     

    NDTV 24×7 is available on channel # 621 on Virgin Media’s base. It is also available on Sky and is the only news channel fromIndia which is now being beamed into 75 countries across the world.

     

    Cindy Rose, Executive Director, Digital Entertainment, Virgin Media, said, “We have been working extremely hard this year to deliver a sterling line-up of channels, and adding NDTV 24×7 is one of those initiatives. We are very pleased to have them on board and 2012 promises to be an even more exciting year as we will be launching revolutionary new products and services, reinforcing Virgin Media as the most innovative and pioneering digital home entertainment provider in the market.”

     

    What they think

     

    Reacting to the development, Surbhi C Murthy, Associate Vice President, Allied Media, said, “I am sure this move is likely to get NDTV more viewership and also more Indian and international advertisers who want to be seen in UK market.UK has a lot of Indian population and reaching out to them certainly makes sense, both for Indian and international advertisers.”

     

    There is also the question whether the content will be specifically be curated for the UK market or will the same content being shown inIndia, be telecast in UK. And if it is, will the UK audience of Indian origin be interested?

     

    Dinesh Vyas, Business Head, MEC, said advertising would not be significantly bolstered with the move. “Certainly they will like to have viewers across the world. The US and UK has a substantial populations of NRI and immigrants. But as far as media planners and buyers are concerned, I don’t think this will make much difference. They will not be necessarily excited about this expansion. If they want reach in the UK market, I am sure they will look across the length and breadth of all the media vehicles that are available. That said, expansion in all forms is good and it’s going to pay off for the NDTV group in the long run.”

     

     

  • With GEC viewership patterns changing, prime time looks over its shoulder and channels are targeting the 7-8pm slot with specific programming.

    7pm, the New prime time

     

    By Ritu Midha

     

    Once upon a time in Hindi GEC, 8 to 10 PM was known as prime time. Then happened Kahin To Hoga and Kaahin Kissii Roz (both on Star Plus), and prime time viewership extended up to 11 pm. The interesting thing here was that while 10 to 10.30 pm slot was viewed across HSM, 10.30 to 11 was largely metro centric. And today, the slot is used for more mature stories like Maryada Lekin Kab Tak.

     

    Interestingly, channels have now realised that older children and teenagers are not watching that much television any more – and there really is no requirement for shows tailored specifically for them in the 7 to 8 pm slot. Enter Saathiya – and now 7-8 pm has become an integral part of prime time television viewing. Star Plus successfully proved yet once again that Saas Bahu still works – and good scheduling too can be an excellent programming innovation. More on prime time expansion in a minute.

     

    Another interesting phenomenon one notices these days is that shows are not killed in too much of a hurry – shows that stop being TVR-garners are nudged, and shifted to another time slot preferably in the afternoon – two very recent examples are Na Anaa Iss Desh Lado and Laagi Tujhse Lagan. Elucidates Dinesh Vyas, Business Head, MEC Global, India, “Channels try out possible routes before killing the programme. And as a strategy they try putting programmes between two good performing programmes hoping for viewers to move on to this programme too.”

     

    While quite a bit of television slots are still sold based on GRPs, and many brands insist on prime time slots – there are a few which are keen to advertise on a specific show. what happens when these shows are moved from one time band to the other. Explains V Narayanan, General Manager , Maxus, Delhi, “This requires a deeper analysis of the new slot where the following parameters are taken into consideration in predicting the ratings which includes, Current viewership of the time slot, Whether the new slot is in prime time or non-prime time slot?, Ratings of competing programmes in the new slot, Promotion plan from the channel in promoting the specific programme slot etc.”

     

    Adds Mr Vyas, “The media planner analyses that time slot (over at-least 13 weeks) to which it has been shifted, to estimate drop or rise in viewership. Loaded with this data the planner/buying negotiate with the channel for better deal in rates proportionately to the drop percentage.”

     

    In place of these shows, in their previous time slot arrive new shows- which may or may not capture viewers’ attention – but this is a risk that channels have to take. It is after all about getting the desired eyeballs and audience acceptance.

     

    Moving back to the extended prime time, the 7 pm slot was made popular by Star’s Sathiya and 7.30 by Sasural Genda Phool on the same channel. However, now shows on Zee and Colors too are working well for their respective channels.

     

    A quick look at the delivery of this time slot:Star Plus: 

    Rank Date Day Start Time Programme TVR

    1

    		 25/10/2011 Tue

    19:00

    		 SAATHIYA SAATH NIBHANA

    4.3

    16

    		 27/10/2011 Thu

    19:30

    		 SASURAL GENDA PHOOL

    2.24

     
    Colors:

    Rank Date Day Start Time Programme TVR

    21

    		 25/10/2011 Tue

    19:32

    		 SASURAL SIMAR KA

    2

    87

    		 27/10/2011 Thu

    18:59

    		 HAVAN

    0.76
    Zee:

    Rank Date Day Start Time Programme TVR

    27

    		 24/10/2011 Mon

    19:30

    		 CHHOTI BAHU

    1.84

    70

    		 25/10/2011 Tue

    18:59

    		 EK NAYI CHOTI SI ZINDAGI

    0.89

     

    Target Group : CS 4 + Yrs ;

    For the week from 23/10/2011 to 29/10/2011

    Source: TAM peoplemeter system

     

    Havan, has, incidentally, not been able to do as well as anticipated yet. Says Mr Narayanan, “Saathiya is a popular programme and garners loyal viewership amongst the female viewers. Yes, with Havan being promoted aggressively by Colors, Saathiya viewership did drop during the first week of telecast which was expected. “

    While late night slots attracted metro audiences, the 7 pm to 8 pm slot has succeeded in attracting non metro audiences. States Mr Vyas, “I have always believed 7-8pm slots work best in non-metros where the audiences are home by that time.”

    Mr Narayanan, meanwhile elaborates that it is the mid-sized towns where this slot attracts maximum viewership, “ A closer look at Saathiya viewership across 8 weeks ( 2011, Wks: 33-40 & for the top channels only. Tg: All, AA, 15+, C&S.) indicates that 1 million + towns in Gujarat, Punjab/Haryana, UP, Rajasthan, MP procures higher ratings than 0.1-1million towns within each state respectively. As a comparison, the program ratings within the 1Million + towns of the above markets are relatively higher than Delhi & Mumbai ratings. “

    Interestingly the 7 to 8 pm slot is not doing well only in HSM but a similar trends can be observed in South markets as well. Explains Narayanan, “Within the 7-8 pm slot, the rest of AP and the rest of Karnataka performs better than Hyderabad and Bangalore respectively. Specific to TN, Sun TV programmes do well in 0.1-1 million towns than Chennai and 1 million+ towns.”

    Television always has options – programming experimentation, scheduling experimentation, changing the protagonist, the story line etc – and hence has the capability of being a step ahead of the curve. With three and a half hours of prime time – GEC don’t have much to worry – all they need is good characters. The next battle heating up is for the real prime time – 8  to 9 pm with all the channels bringing up new shows there.

  • It could be the next big thing – but is it too soon for 3D, and will it fizzle rather than pop?

    Much ado over 3D?

    By Akash Raha

    Even as High Definition (HD) television channels are entering the Indian market, blogs and social networks are already abuzz with talk of 3D channels coming soon, and how that will revolutionize the entire TV-viewing experience. MxMIndia took a closer look at these claims, to find out whether such a time is actually anywhere close at hand.

    According to Ms Anamika Mehta, COO, Lodestar UM, “India is already an underleveraged and fragmented market and such innovations will definitely add to the monetary burden.  Indian consumers are yet to fully embrace HD, and 3D in that context is still years away. While some manufacturers have launched 3D products, we still do not have ample content. 3D content would mean significant investment in content cost and advertisers and viewers alike are unlikely to pay in the short run for the experience. Secondly, perhaps barring live sports there isn’t any genre that could see demand for 3D broadcasting. The other genre could be movies in theatres for an experience… Lastly, you need high quality content which lends to 3D viewing and strapped for budgets, very few production houses will bite.”

    But all said and done, the success of Mr James Cameron’s film Avatar in Indian theatres is enough proof that when you offer visually appealing content in 3D, people will flock to see it. Even so, such a number still remains way short of expectations for a market such as India to actually implement a 3D plan. If media analysts are to be believed, making 3D content for television is a very difficult job and the cost is too high to bear. Even today, many media houses use age-old technology for programming and non-35 mm cameras.

    Interestingly, in the US a $14-billion, eight-year deal by ESPN with the National Football League (NFL) includes international rights and distribution of 3D content. This is despite the earlier reports that they might give up on 3D technology altogether. Several other broadcasting plans, internationally, for 3D broadcast of live baseball and basketball games are also on the anvil. MxMIndia’s efforts to reach ESPN-Star in India for their take on the issue failed to elicit any response.

    Mr Dinesh Vyas, Business Head, MEC said that any talks of 3D technology coming into India in the current scheme of things is certainly a gimmick. He said, “HD and 3D televisions are already available in the market, but people are still apprehensive about it, especially, 3D. People get headaches when they see 3D content for extended periods. Such a technology is not going to take off any time soon in India. The Indian market is not very receptive to technology and it takes a long time to appropriate it… Cost of technology too is very high – and currently no advertiser will be interested in it, which implies that even media owners will have to drop any major 3D plan. However, there will always be small news here and there about 3D which might get everyone excited.”

    So is it a good idea for affluent Indians and the upcoming middle class to splash out on 3D television – which is touted as the technology of tomorrow? The answer is a plain simple – no. Or at least, not yet… After all, what use is a large sprawling 3D television in your living room without any 3D content to support it with? That is excluding a handful of 3D movie DVDs and Blu-Ray discs.

    However, not all media planners are pessimistic towards the technology and some still see hope, however dim, for it. Mr Premjeet Sodhi, President, The Collaborative, Lintas Media Group, said, “High value, premium or luxury goods and services are not new to the India market and like any other such goods and services the 3D TV sector is also amenable to adoption and success. However, I don’t think I am qualified to comment on which consumer technology will be successfully adopted. Whether 3D TV will be adopted and when and whether it will be a viable business is something for the custodians of these businesses to dwell upon and work towards. But, as and when the penetration of the technology reaches a critical mass, I am sure the media and advertising services will equip themselves to support the technology.”

    There may well be a time in future when 3D channels and television will be in vogue, but apparently that time is not near. If analysts are to be believed, it will be a long while before demand meets technological advancements. However, India still remains an unpredictable market. It is the same country which discarded pager technology and yet usurped the mobile. To write off 3D technology’s viability in India could be presumptuous.