MxMIndia

Tag: Hike

  • To enable the orderly growth of the Web3 ecosystem in India

    Bharat Web3 Association unveiled

    By Our Staff

     

    Industry leaders across Web3 verticals unveiled the Bharat Web3 Association (BWA), to enable and support the growth of India’s Web3 ecosystem. Members of the BWA span multiple verticals including NFTs, Web3 Gaming, Infrastructure Providers, Virtual Digital Assets (VDAs), and Token Projects.

     

    The BWA will focus on — 1) driving awareness through research to help keep pace with this evolving technology; 2) promoting dialogue between key stakeholders; 3) setting standardised principles in the Web3 industry; 4) encouraging and promoting Web3 and blockchain innovation; and (5) nurturing India’s talent pool.

     

    Web3 works on the core principle of blockchain technology. It is the future of the internet and can empower users by returning control into the hands of consumers and communities. The BWA believes that India has the potential to lead the world over the next decade by building a strong Web3 ecosystem in the country, in line with the government’s ‘Make-In-India’ initiative.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Kavin Bharti Mittal, Founder & CEO, Hike, said: “Indian consumers spend an average of 7+ hours per day on their smartphones, almost half their waking lives. The blockchain finally enables consumers to own the value associated with their time spent digitally thus potentially unlocking brand new economic opportunities for themselves. It’s becoming increasingly clear that the next wave of wealth and value creation will come from a financial world that is programmable end to end. India could be at the centre of this next wave and boost its economy to strengthen its position on the world stage. With the BWA we aim to support the government to develop a strong Web3 ecosystem in India.”

     

    Emphasising on the Web3 potential and the key role that the association will play, Sandeep Nailwal, Co-Founder, Polygon Technology added: “With the advent of Web3, we are at the cusp of a technological revolution, which has immense potential to stimulate economic growth, create jobs, boost financial inclusion, and enhance privacy and security. Owing to its thriving developer community, entrepreneurial spirit, fast-growing economy, sound digital infrastructure, and deep digital adoption, India is poised to become a leader in the Web3 space. Indian entrepreneurs have already made a mark in the ecosystem and are innovating for the world, developing valuable public use cases. BWA will play a pivotal role in helping India achieve its potential as a global Web3 leader.”

     

  • It's our third 'big story' on Republic, but then it's perhaps one of the biggest media launches in the last decade

    Can Republic TV kill Competition?

     

     By Pradyuman Maheshwari [updated]

    For a television channel that’s determined to fight for the need for transparency in public life and government, its launch date appears to be a closely guarded secret. But now it’s confirmed: Tomorrow, May 6. Why a Saturday, one may ask. Because that’s the first day of the week (Week #19 of 2017) as per BARC measurement. And Goswami, as he must, keeps a close watch on his viewership numbers.

    Before we had  confirmation on the date, we did have word from the Star India Corporate’s PR agency that Republic TV would start streaming on the OTT platform with effect from tomorrow. No time stated.

    Having said that, Republic is on a roll in terms of marketing across media. It has a healthy set of advertisers: Vivo, Jio, Renault, Hike, Yes Bank, Microsoft, Ravin, Nestaway, Future Group, Havell’s, Gionee, Lloyd, Raymond and Ola. Star India, we are told by sources, will continue to be an advertiser, though its logo is missing from today’s Mint ad.

    We asked ChromeDM, specialists in research on connectivity to give us a report on the availability of Republic TV, for, distribution along with content and revenues will eventually speak about the success of the channel.

    And this is what Pankaj Krishna, Founder & CEO, Chrome DM said: “Currently, on an average, an English News Channels has an availability of 45.1% among Urban Homes in India. With its soft launch, Republic has 18.4% Urban India availability (as per Chrome OTS or Opportunity to See, 3rd May 2017). In Mega Cities, Republic is currently available in 32% of the Households.”

    Note this is for data as of May 3. A distribution industry expert we spoke with said that the availability will leapfrog once the channel goes on air, as even though the deal is inked, some discerning networks do not like to air test signals. So the expert we spoke with said the ChromeDM data as of now may not be the right measure to look at right now.

    However, MxMIndia is a neutral observer and it’s important that you know facts as they are. Also, according to the ad, distribution deals have been inked with all platforms. Other than Hotstar, Republic will be available on Jio, Ditto and we are sure other platforms too.

    “There’s a buzz around Republic TV, and even if deals aren’t inked, viewers will want to watch it and will ask for it… at least for the first few weeks. Moreover, it’s free-to-air, so the pull factor increases,” said one distribution network owner.

    A media buyer and marketer we spoke with requested to speak on anonymity. Here’s what both echoed.

    1. That the buzz around Arnab Goswami has increased after he quit his previous employer.
    2. The legal notice which Goswami spoke about making an emotional appeal touched a chord, and there is a certain amount of sympathy for him.
    3. The issues with Pakistan are raging, and that’s a topic Goswami is passionate about
    4. There are enough inefficiencies across the country which Goswami will definitely dwell on

    Meanwhile, other channels are also getting their act together. Both India Today and CNN-IBN have launched shows at 7pm and also relooked at the rest of the primetime programming. Extension of primetime to 7pm will expand the viewership in all.

    As per BARC ratings for Week 17 (April 22 to 28), Times Now was the leader followed by India Today, CNN-News18, NDTV 24×7 and BBC World News. NewsX and WION didn’t figure in the Top 5. This data is for urban and rural viewership from amongst males of 22 years and above.

    MxMIndia also spoke to industry captains and while all of them wish Republic TV and Arnab Goswami the very best, they do acknowledge that it’s not going to be an easy ask. There are comparisons made to how CNN-IBN (now CNN-News18) scored a march over NDTV 24×7 when Rajdeep Sardesai started the channel, but those were early in the history of English news television in India. Times Now didn’t exist and Headlines Today (now India Today) was near-inconsequential.

    And what is our view? Well, who doesn’t like a David outwits/ outshines/ kills Goliath story. We all love it. But then we are going to be as neutral as it’s possible. We report on the business regardless who gives us business.

    However, there are issues which are beyond just R&R… in this case ratings and revenues. It’s the kind of journalism we will see on Republic TV. And hence across all channels. Will channels talking about the noise be contributing to the noise in their own way? Will the new style of television journalism – nationalism and raising questions against it – actually damage situation on the ground, even though the viewership of English news channels is limited.

    It’s our third ‘Big Story’ on Republic. Or fourth? We’ve lost count. But, then, it’s possibly one of the biggest media launches in the last decade.

    The last question to ourselves (and as in the headline): Do we see Republic TV killing Competition?

    Our response: We don’t know. Yes, we do care and we will be delighted to report on the numbers. We will await the BARC ratings over the next few weeks quite how in the old Hindi films the old parents would wait for the ‘daakiya’ for an update.

    Our normal end-line would’ve been: May the best channel win.

    But here, we will say: May good (and smart) journalism win.

    Now don’t say who cares!

     

     

  • Asks consumers to create their own gang on hike with the tagline 'Got a Gang? Get on Hike'

    Hike unveils biggest ever brand campaign

    By A Correspondent

     

    Hike messenger, one of India’s fastest growing Internet companies, announced the launch of their biggest ever brand campaign that aims to reach around 200 million consumers. The brand campaign rollout comes on the back of the launch of biggest ever productupdate, hike 4.0, which is 5X faster and loaded with over 10 new features.

     

    The campaign with its tag line ‘Got a Gang? Get on hike’ aims at showcasing the ‘World of hike’ by bringing alive groups of friends and asks consumers to create their own gang on hike and experience the fun & spice that the product features can bring to their social conversations.

     

    The 18-week long campaign that runs across TV, print, digital, radio and outdoor will showcase new features like ‘Sticker Suggestions, Free Calling, Group Chats with over 500 people, Multi-type file transfer up to 100 MB, enhanced privacy options, photo filters &doodles and much more. Each product feature & its benefit are brought alive by a different group of friends shown in different situations, with a storyline that makes the campaign fun to watch.

     

    Speaking about the campaign, KavinBharti Mittal, Founder and CEO, hike messenger, said, “”Got a gang? Get on hike. Succinct and clear. Our goal with this campaign is to highlight those quirky groups that you cherish so much in your life and how that world would be so different, better and more expressive in so many ways in the world of hike. This campaign truly brings out the all the great things about the latest version of hike, hike 4.0, which is a big step up from where we’ve been. We can’t wait for India to see it.”

     

    “The all-new hike, with its unique features, is an intelligent messenger in the world of instant messengers. Our campaign aims to bring alive the fun that these wonderful features can bring to social interactions and conversations. ‘Got a gang? Get on hike.’ is an inescapable invite from the world of hike to join in and have fun,” commented GV Krishnan, President – Lowe Lintas.

     

    To engage with consumers in India and make messaging more relevant hike also announced that along with the campaign, it will be releasing special sticker packs for all major festivals in India starting with Rakhi, thatfalls on the 29th of August. Consumers can access Rakhi sticker packs on the hike app, which is available for android users on the Google Play store and Apple users on the iOS App store.