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Tag: Megha Tata

  • Punit Goenka (Managing Director & CEO, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd) will continue as a member of the Managing Committee as the Immediate Past President

    IAA India unveils power-packed mancom

    By A Correspondent

     

    The India chapter of the International Advertising Association has announced the names of co-opted members and invited to the Managing Committee of the India Chapter of IAA for the financial year 2020-21. These were done by newly elected President, Megha Tata, Managing Director – South Asia, Discovery Communications India.

     

    Said Tata: “I am delighted to bring together such a wonderful mix of youthful enthusiasm, experience, and diversity in gender, geography and industry-wide representation”

     

    The Mancom members are:

    :: Rana Barua (Chief Executive Officer, Havas Group India),

    :: Ashish Bhasin (CEO, APAC and Chairman India, Dentsu Aegis Network),

    :: Rajiv Kental (President – Marketing, Amar Ujala Publications Ltd)

    :: Rani Reddy (Director, Indira Television Ltd)

    :: Srinivasan K Swamy (Chairman & Managing Director, R K SWAMY BBDO Pvt. Ltd.)

    :: Sam Balsara (Chairman & Managing Director, Madison Communications Pvt. Ltd.)

    :: Umang Bedi (Co-Founder, Dailyhunt)

    :: Dr Bhaskar Das (Group President, Republic TV)

    :: Partho Dasgupta (President, The Advertising Club, Mumbai)

    :: Pradeep Guha (Managing Director, 9x Media Pvt. Ltd.)

    :: Nina Elavia Jaipuria (Head – Hindi and Kids TV Network, Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd.)

    :: Alok Jalan (Managing Director, Laqshya Media Group)

    :: Salil Kappoor (Business Unit Head-Appliances, Orient Electric Ltd)

    :: Tarun Katial (CEO, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL)

    :: Anbuchezhiyan K (Independent Communication Consultant, Past President- The Advertsing Club, Madras)

    :: V. Shreyams Kumar (Managing Director, Mathrubhumi PTG & PBG Co. Ltd.)

    :: Sunil Lulla (Chief Executive Officer, BARC India)

    :: Ramesh Narayan (Founder , Canco Advertising Pvt. Ltd.)

    :: Sangeeta Pendurkar (Chief Executive Officer , Pantaloons (Aditya Birla Group)

    :: Kallie Purie (Vice Chairperson, India Today Group)

    :: Neeraj Roy (Managing Director & CEO, Hungama Digital Media Entertainment Pvt. Ltd)

    :: I Venkat (Director, EENADU)

    :: Ashok Venkatramani(Founder -Intelligent Insights Pvt Ltd -a business intelligence tech platform )

     

    Other than Tata, ​at the AGM held on September 28, 2020, the following officebearers were elected:

    :: Pradeep Dwivedi (CEO- Eros India of Eros STX Global Corporation) elected Vice President,

    :: Jaideep Gandhi (Founder -Another Idea) as Hon. Secretary,

    :: Abhishek Karnani (Director-The Free Press Journal) as Hon. Treasurer

     

    Punit Goenka (Managing Director & CEO, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd) will continue as a member of the Managing Committee as the Immediate Past President. ​

     

    The other elected members of the Managing Committee were:

    :: Anant Goenka (Executive Director, The Indian Express (P) Ltd),

    :: Avinash Pandey (CEO, ABP News Network Pvt. Ltd.),

    :: Janak Sarda (Managing Director, Deshdoot Media Group),

    :: Nandini Dias (Chief Executive Officer, Lodestar UM),

    :: Prasanth Kumar (CEO-South Asia GroupM- A WPP Company).

     

  • Previously, Chendira was Revenue Head for Kids & Vernacular, Discovery India

    Shaun Nanjappa Chendira to head adsales at Discovery Sales

    By A Correspondent

     

    Discovery has elevated Shaun Nanjappa Chendira as Head of Advertising Sales – South Asia. Previously, Chendira was Revenue Head for Kids & Vernacular, Discovery India. A media industry veteran having two decades of experience, majority of which has been in leadership roles, prior to Discovery, Chendira was General Manager, India at Da Vinci Media India Pvt Ltd. His prior engagements include working with Warner Media as Senior Director, English Entertainment Vertical (HBO, HBO HD & Warner Brothers) and Director, Kids vertical (Cartoon Network & www.cartoonentworkindia.com) for the India region.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Megha Tata, Managing Director, Discovery – South Asia, said: “Shaun has displayed strong and mature thinking required for the future of both, our linear and our digital platforms. With his stellar record of accomplishment and proven experience of driving business revenue, he is well placed to lead the company to the next level of growth in his new position as the Head of Advertising Sales. I wish him all the very best.”

     

    Added Chendira: “I am delighted and grateful to Discovery India for giving me this opportunity. While these last few months have been tough for the entire industry to say the least, here’s looking forward to a better tomorrow. I know there will be a lot of challenges to face going forward, and all I can say is, I am ready to meet them head on. I step into this role with much excitement and a clear vision for Discovery as we step into the future.”

     

     

  • Pradeep Dwivedi, CEO- Eros India of Eros STX Global Corporation was elected Vice President and the other officebearers include Jaideep Gandhi, Founder -Another Idea as Hon. Secretary, Abhishek Karnani, Director-The Free Press Journal as Hon. Treasurer.

    Megha Tata is President, IAA India

    By A Correspondent

     

    Megha Tata, Managing Director – South Asia, Discovery Communications India was unanimously elected President of the India Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA) at its AGM held in Mumbai today (Sept 28) in Mumbai.

    Speaking on her new role as the President of IAA, Tata sai:, “It is an honour and a privilege to be leading the India Chapter of IAA.  The legacy of past presidents, the great work they have done, will be continued as I endeavour to strengthen the India chapter and help build a strong ecosystem for the common good of the industry.  The strong representation of women in marcom is a welcome change and am sure will lead to more meaningful work in the coming year.”

    Speaking at the occasion, Immediate Past President Punit Goenka added: “It was an absolute pleasure for me to lead the entire team of IAA, India Chapter during my tenure as the President of this prestigious association. I attribute the success and milestones achieved over the last 2 years to each and every member of the team. The association is blessed with dedicated professionals who are focused towards bringing a positive change across the industry. I am very glad to note that the mantle is now handed over to Ms. Megha Tata. Her able leadership and experience will add immense value to the association and I wish her and the entire team all the very best. As a proud member of IAA, I will continue to contribute my best, in order to enable the association to achieve its set goals for the industry at large.”

     

    Pradeep Dwivedi, CEO- Eros India of Eros STX Global Corporation was elected Vice President and the other officebearers include Jaideep Gandhi, Founder -Another Idea as Hon. Secretary, Abhishek Karnani, Director-The Free Press Journal as Hon. Treasurer. Goenka will continue to guide the new team as Immediate Past President. ​

    The Members of the Managing Committee elected include Anant Goenka (Executive Director The Indian Express (P) Ltd), Avinash Pandey (CEO ABP News Network Pvt. Ltd.), Janak Sarda (Managing Director, Deshdoot Media Group), Nandini Dias (Chief Executive Officer, Lodestar UM), Prasanth Kumar (CEO-South Asia GroupM- A WPP Company). The list of members co-opted and invited to the Managing Committee will be shortly announced.

     

     

  • Official Animal Planet X WROGN merchandise will be available in retail stores and online

    Virat Kohli’s Wrogn joins hands with Animal Planet

    By A Correspondent

     

    USPL’s apparel line Wrogn, in association with wildlife channel Animal Planet, has launched a new collection – Animal Planet X Wrogn. Conceptualised by Black White Orange, Animal Planet’s licensing arm, each style in the range portrays an endangered animal including the Tiger, Sea Turtle, Gorilla, Sumatran Elephant and Panda, amongst others.

     

    Said cricketer Virat Kohli, the face of Wrogn:  “I’ve been associated with Wrogn since inception and we take some exciting initiatives season after season. I couldn’t be happier that Wrogn is taking a step in the direction of creating awareness around animal endangerment.”

     

    Speaking about the collaboration, Megha Tata Managing Director – South Asia, Discovery, said, “Animal Planet has been striving hard to drive attention towards the importance of saving the endangered species in impactful ways. We are confident that this innovative collaboration with WROGN for this inspirational apparel line will help in spreading the message of conservation of endangered species as well as the wildlife.”

     

     

  • Priced at Rs 299 pa, the app has been developed and curated specifically for India

    Discovery goes OTT with ‘Discovery Plus’

    By A Correspondent

     

    Leading infotainment network Discovery has launched launch of ‘Discovery Plus’, a new direct-to-consumer streaming app. Priced at an introductory offer of Rs 299 per annum, the app has been developed and curated specifically for India. According to a communque, tn the initial phase, the company will reach out to a 25 million base of core TV infotainment consumers across Tier I and Tier II towns (defined as those who watch over three hours of infotainment every month).

     

    Furthermore, in order to drive engagement, Discovery Plus is launching with one-of-a-kind rewards with India’s leading mobile payments app, Google Pay. Google Pay users who tune-in to the premiere of Into the Wild with Bear Grylls featuring Rajinikanth on March 2d at 8:00 PM on Discovery can match the audio for the first four minutes of the show or the promos leading up to the show with Google Pay’s ‘On-Air’ feature, and get a reward upto 100% off on Discovery Plus annual subscription price.

     

    The content will be curated from Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, BBC, TLC, Discovery Science, Discovery Turbo, ID, Food Network, HGTV, Cooking Channel, Travel Channel, DIY Network, Motortrend and VICE.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Simon Robinson, President APAC & CFO International, Discovery, Inc said: “Globally, we are observing healthy trends from direct-to-consumer businesses and Discovery Plus, with its India focused strategy, is a valued addition. The launch of Discovery Plus is a significant development for our business in India and reflects our commitment to this critical market.”

     

    Megha Tata

    Added Megha Tata, Managing Director – South Asia, Discovery: “The consumer is spoilt for choice in the scripted content space but doesn’t have a dedicated offering in the unscripted space – a place we intend to fill with the launch of Discovery Plus,”, “Our large global library of 300,000 hours of premium content and expertise in owning passionate communities will give us a huge competitive advantage in the digital domain.”

     

     

    Issac John

    Added Issac John, Business Head – Digital (South Asia), Discovery: “In a digital world that’s laden with hours and hours of scripted content, Discovery Plus offers a unique and untapped opportunity for us to build on the trust of the flagship brand and offer content that truly powers people’s passions across verticals as varied as Adventure, Science and Lifestyle to name a few. Over the next 12 months, the lineup includes premium content across all our key genres such as Into the Wild with Rajnikanth, Expedition Unknown, Coronavirus: The Silent Killer, Food Factory, Mythbusters, Wild Karnataka and Project Runway among many others.”

     

     

  • In the Corporate Crusader of the Year category, Reliance Foundation won the Gold and Mathrubhumi Printing & Publishing Company the Silver

    Olive Crown awards presented

    By A Correspondent

     

    The India chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA) conducted the 10th edition of the Olive Crown Awards celebrating excellence in communicating sustainability.

     

    In the Corporate Crusader of the Year category, Reliance Foundation won the Gold and Mathrubhumi Printing & Publishing Company the Silver. The two NGOs – People For Animals Wildlife Hospital & Rescue Centre and Chirag Rural Development Foundation – shared the Gold for their contribution to environment sustainability. Carbon Craft Design and Air Link was awarded the New Age Green Initiative Gold and Silver respectively. Earth Edition Drives bagged with the Digital Gold and FCB Interface with the Green Campaign of the Year-Gold.

     

    Maharashtra minister Aditya Thackeray was Chief Guest on the occasion, but he arrived late. Also present was Mark Read, CEO, WPP who addressed the audience.

     

    Said Punit Goenka, President, International Advertising Association (IAA) – India Chapter and MD & CEO, Zee Entertainment Enterprises: “We at IAA are extremely proud of Olive Crown Awards as an initiative. The overwhelming response received from the industry speaks a lot about the need of such initiatives in today’s era. Apart from being the pioneer in recognizing creative excellence in sustainability, Olive Crown Awards as a property has also led to a mindset change in the approach taken by the marketers and advertising agencies while crafting strategic communication campaigns. I am very glad to note that this initiative has touched the 10 year milestone. I am very proud of the entire team at IAA, for their immense amount of energy and time invested in building this initiative and all the key initiatives which bring about a positive change for the industry and the society at large.”

     

    Added Megha Tata, Chairperson IAA Olive Crown Award: “Today we celebrate a decade of communicating sustainability, a decade where we have brought sustainability to the forefront and on the agenda of both Marketers and Agencies alike. We have seen the conversation shift from doing something green to campaigns and brands vested in sustainability. We have seen this shift and are happy to have identified and led the way to acknowledge these initiatives. We have shown that we are not just custodians of our respective Brands but Custodians of Brand Earth.”

     

    Kaushik Roy, Past President IAA, expressed pride of being President IAA during the conceptualization of the Olive Crown Awards, fondly mentioned that if IAA Olive Crown was a tree it would be big today.

     

    Prasoon Joshi, Chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification and CEO of McCann World group India, reminded us of the fact that while it is a great initiative we must imbibe and live by the values. He recited a poem he had written on Water.

     

  • It’s the tenth anniversary of the awards

    Thackeray Jr & WPP CEO at Olive Crown Awards

    By A Correspondent

     

    The 10th Anniversary of the International Advertising Association (IAA) Olive Crown Awards will be held in Mumbai on March 3. Environment, Tourism and Protocol Minister Aditya Thackeray, WPP CEO Mark Read and Headspace founder Andy Puddicombe are scheduled to be present.

     

    Punit Goenka

    Said Punit Goenka President IAA India Chapter: “The Olive Crown Awards are very important because they are the only awards to celebrate creative excellence in communicating sustainability. And we have spared no effort to make the 10th Anniversary of these prestigious awards very special.”

     

     

    Megha Tata

    Added Megha Tata, Chairperson Olive Crown Awards: “This year the response has been very good – both from agencies as well as corporates. The Olive Crown Awards have always been run as a cause, so there were no entry fees charged and the attendance to the awards function is also strictly by invitation.”

     

     

  • Thalaiva to make his TV debut after 43 years of cinema

    Discovery gets Rajinikanth to share screen space with Bear Grylls

    By A Correspondent

     

    Discovery has signed superstar Rajinikanth to feature in the first episode of a new format series called ‘Into The Wild with Bear Grylls’ produced by The Natural Studios and Banijay Asia. The show featured Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year and former US President Barack Obama not too long ago

     

    Said Megha Tata, Managing Director – South Asia, Discovery: “The combination of Rajinikanth in a never seen before avatar and Bear Grylls’ edge of the seat challenges, will make the show a must watch for every Indian. We have decided to give a layer of purpose to each episode of the newly commissioned series, Into The Wild with Bear Grylls, as we aim to contribute to humanity in our unique way. Last year, the show featuring PM Modi, generated much desired attention on conservation of Wildlife; we are confident that the forthcoming episode featuring Rajinikanth will sensitise each one of us about conservation of water.”

     

     

  • There is also a new category for work done by an NGO in the green space

    Entries open for IAA Olive Crown Awards

    By A Correspondent

     

    The International Advertising Association (IAA) has invited entries for the 10th Annual Olive Crown Awards.

     

    Said Punit Goenka, President India Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA): “These awards are very meaningful. They bring the environment on top of the creative agenda for marketers and advertising agencies. They are also unique. In its tenth year now, the Olive Crown are the only awards of their kind in the region. Finally, it is a great example of a global body IAA working together with an Asian industry association, the Asian Federation of Advertising Associations (AFAA) to further a good cause.”

     

    Added Olive Crown Awards Committee Chairperson Megha Tata: “The Olive Crown awards need no introduction to the marketing and advertising community. They are the first and only awards that salute creativity in communication sustainability. This year we have added a few new categories, one for international advertising, which is essentially advertising created and run in Asia, outside India. AFAA have been a part of these awards for a long time and hence this category. There is also a new category for work done by an NGO in the green space. And finally there is an award for New Age Green Initiatives working in the space to reduce, minimise or manage whatever could be harmful to the environment. Keeping in mind the importance of the environment we are anticipating a very good response. And keeping in mind the green nature of this subject, no forms will be mailed out in any physical form.”

     

     

  • Arora will be based out of Mumbai and report to Megha Tata, Managing Director – South Asia, Discovery

    Hemant Arora joins Discovery as Head of New Revenue Streams

    By A Correspondent

     

    Discovery Communications India has appointed Hemant Arora as the Head of New Revenue Streams. Arora joins Discovery from Times Network where he was the Business Head of Times Influence.

     

    During his stint at Times, he also led sales for network channels including Times Now, ET Now & Zoom at different points of time. Arora will be based out of Mumbai and report directly to Megha Tata, Managing Director – South Asia, Discovery.

     

    “We are evaluating each subset of our network strategy in light of the fast-evolving media landscape. The introduction of ‘Head of New Revenue Streams’ in our org structure is a manifestation of that thought process,” said Tata. “We are excited to have Hemant Arora lead the new revenue streams vertical. He will play a key role in conceptualising and building new models to scale revenues from untapped opportunities while Head of Advertising Sales Vikram Tanna will concentrate his efforts in ensuring that [the] adsales revenue stream of our core network continues to grow northward.”

     

    Added Arora: “The new-look aggressive Discovery excites me. The company played a key role in the formative years of my professional life and in this second innings, I look forward to capitalise on multiple opportunities in the horizon to create successful alternate revenue streams.”

     

     

  • The last straw was when CEO Megha Tata announced her departure earlier this year

    BTVi pauses broadcast operations. Website not refreshed. Twitter feed live

    By A Correspondent

     

    On August 31, 11-year-old beleaguered business news channel BTVi announced a ‘pause’ on its broadcast operations. The announcement to this effect was made on August 31 with a statement from the HR department. The announcement claimed that the channel was “consistently ahead” of a channel with an over-two-decade-long existence.

     

    Be that as it may, the channel has been up for sale for a while, with no suitors ready to pick it up. The last straw was when CEO Megha Tata announced her departure earlier this year.

     

    “Over the next few days, we will communicate the future steps towards ensuring a smooth transition of our operations,” the statement announcing the “pause” added.

     

    BTVi was launched in April 2008 as UTVi and was rechristened BloombergUTV in September 2009. In August 2012, with a change of controlling state, it was renamed Bloomberg TV India and and four years later, in August 2016, it became BTVi, with the end of the Bloomberg alliance.

     

    While the channel has seen the pause, there is no refresh of the website too. The Twitter feed though is live.

     

     

  • Discovery Network emerges on the top during the show’s airing

    The Narendra Modi-Bear Grylls show hits jackpot on ratings roster

    By A Correspondent

     

    The special edition of Discovery’s popular franchise ‘Man Vs Wild’ featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi with presenter Bear Grylls, lived up to its hype emerging as the top-rated show for the channel. The premiere on Discovery Network (across 12 Discovery channels) garnered highest slot viewership (on active channels) with 3.69 million impressions overtaking GEC leader Star Plus with 3.67 million impressions (Source: BARC India – TG: All15+AB|Market: India Urban|12th Aug’19: 9pm-10pm|Impressions)

     

    The premiere also delivered the highest ever slot reach for the infotainment genre with 6.1 million tune-in on Discovery Channel which is 15 times more as compared to the last four weeks average of the same slot (Source: BARC India |TG: All15+AB|Market: India Urban|12th Aug’19: 9pm-10pm |Reach). The show also kept the viewers on the hook delivering an impressive average TSV of 29.2 minutes.

     

    The special edition of Man Vs Wild with Bear Grylls and Modi was also being showcased on Discovery network of channels across 179 countries.

     

    Said Megha Tata, Managing Director – South Asia, Discovery: “The historic edition of Man Vs Wild made a larger point about importance of wildlife conservation and sensitised people about environmental change.  In that sense, it was much more than a TV show. We are the undisputed leaders in infotainment genre; our aim is to extend the leadership further with pathbreaking programming. We will go bigger, bolder and better!”