MxMIndia

Tag: MTV

  • Aditya Swamy, EVP and Business Head, MTV India on the 'Rock the Vote' campaign and how he hopes to drive home the point that it's 'cool' to vote and sport the indelible ink marker

    Jaldi 5 with Aditya Swamy: Making voting cool with Rock the Vote campaign

    If Sunday’s Assembly elections results have already rocked the nation with the emergence of the Aam Aadmi Party as a potent force, youth channel MTV has unveiled a campaign asking young voters to register with the Election Commission and vote on Polling Day. MTV has partnered with 21-year-old non-profit organisation Rock The Vote for the initiative. Speaking to MxMIndia, Aditya Swamy, EVP and Business Head, MTV India spoke on the ‘Hero Rock the Vote’ campaign and how he hopes to drive home the point that it’s ‘cool’ to vote and sport the indelible ink marker

     

    01. And we thought at least on MTV, we could have things beyond elections. Politics and voting sure is in the air for you guys too?!

    Clearly, voting is the flavor of the season. Everyone is doing a voting campaign, especially the news guys. And they are talking to the electorate as a whole. But some interesting facts were thrown up from the Election Commission saying that 12 crore first-time voters this time. And that’s more than the number of votes the leading party got last time. And if they are all young people, then why not have a call to action that is only talking to young people in their language.

     

    So when we scoped out the environment we figured that internationally MTV works with the US-based organization Rock the Vote. Their sole objective is to make it a fun election campaign. It’s not calling it a youth parliament, it’s not calling people to debate on the Top 5 issues of the country and looking for ways to change them.

     

    It deals with issues that touch the youth everyday in their lives. It’s simple things like ice-cream has become expensive so you and your girlfriend can’t have two ice-creams, you have to share one. Your bike…you don’t go for a joy rides anymore, you go from Point A to Point B…because petrol has become expensive. It’s about talking about issues that are relevant to young people and talking in their voice with their ambassadors.

     

    The biggest platform for Rock the Vote is using music and humour. All communication is very tongue-in-cheek. One of our ambassadors we have selected is YoYou Honey Singh, the music star. He’ll reach out to the youth through music videos and music anthem. The effort is to talk the youth in their voice, with things that interest them, and not make it preachy.

     

    We are not saying log onto the MTV and register. We are not saying become a fan on MTV Facebook page. We don’t have to build our audience through this. All we are saying is: ‘Go Press the Button’. It is – ‘Dabao na Button’ …that’s the tag line for the whole campaign. As we build the campaign we’ll say… Log on to electioncommission.com. A lot of people think we are doing this to build our brand, to increase our Facebook fans, to add Youtube views, to boost viewership to the channel. But that’s not it. We don’t believe it doing it just on TV. We start with the first leg on TV. And then we have 200 college campuses that have tied in with an MTV programme currently where we have campus ambassadors. So we will actually go down to campuses and engage with them. And the fun part is, at the end of it, we hold a mega concert for which there are going to be no tickets. All you need is the voting ink on your finger. And that’s how you get entry.

     

    When is the concert?

    After the elections, a couple of days after the elections. We have worked this campaign out in multiple phases. It has a bunch of promos on air, there are several kind of creatives, we’ll have a lot of user generated videos, we have nice set of animation videos made by some young kids, we have college contact programme, we have the music video and the song, we have a mega concert.

     

    02. Do you think this campaign will be able to address the real issues as to why people don’t go out to vote?

    Of course yes! Like I was in Delhi last week and I was able to drive from Gurgaon to the airport in less than half an hour. When I asked the cab driver why the roads were empty, he said it was because of elections. Voting is essentially considered a holiday, so most people take off on short breaks. I think as it becomes more and more cool to vote… that’s the change we want to bring about. We want to make voting a cool thing to do. So an Arnab Goswami asking the youth to vote versus Honey Singh urging them will be different. So that’s what we are trying to tap.

     

    Our second ambassador is Rannvijay, the most followed celebrity on Indian television. Now on the Roadies audition (which will be aired in January), the first questions being asked of participants is – ‘Do you Vote?’. So we have woven it into our content as well. The idea is to make voting cool. Why do you think we are calling it – Rock the Vote…because its with music..it’s with concert… it’s with cool stuff.

     

    03. Are you also looking at reaching smaller towns?

    Yes. These 100 colleges are spread over 25 cities. The idea is spread to the interiors. I’ll take him Honey to Jabalpur, to Kanpur.

     

     

    Essentially the HSM markets?

    If I take him to Kerala or Karnataka, the language becomes an issue. Rannvijay connects with a crowd that speaks in Punjabi. If I take him to Chennai, and he speaks in Hindi, he’ll will be a loser there.

     

    So you are not looking at South?

    If we find some interesting people, who want to be a part of the campaign, we would love to go South. If there is a cricket icon like Rahul Dravid who wants to talk to masses in Kannada, I would love to do it in Karnataka as well. But right now, we are largely at the Hindi belt.

     

    How else are you promoting your campaign, besides television?

    We are looking at Twitter in a large way. Twitter has come in as a strategic partner. We don’t have a press partner. I don’t think young people read newspapers that much. I would rather have Twitter as a partner. And Twitter is a partner with MTV Rock the Vote in US as well. So through Twitter, we hope to engage the urban youth.

     

    04. Don’t you think it will be good to have the youth as consumers of news so that they understand the real issues?

    Before, young people just wanted to fight the system, fight their parents, be very cynical. Now the attitude is: I will go get drunk, I will go party, I’ll go for a concert, I’ll have a girlfriend, but I’ll also go plant trees, I’ll also use eco-friendly bags and I’ll vote. There is a thing if I am not being responsible about the world around me, I’m not been cool anymore. Some of the lines we have used is : “I can’t picture myself sleeping with a non-voter.” “If you don’t do politics, politics will do you.” “Waiting in line to vote is a welcome respite from waiting in line for gas”.

     

    We’ve had campaigns like these in the past like Jaago Re of Tata Tea. As a campaign it was feel good. What is it that you’ll think will actually get people to get down to come and vote and not take Voting Day as just another holiday?

    If voting becomes a fashion, having a tick, the colour on your hand has to be a cool thing. Looking the number of people who posted their picture on Facebook – “I voted, have you?” It has to become the coolest tattoo in town is the ink on your finger. Every young person today, boy or girl, wants to have a tattoo. Tattoo means rebel, no tattoo means mainstream. We had an office party on Wednesday. Thursday was voting day in Delhi. Lot of people flew back to Delhi just to vote. And some of them couldn’t. And you should have seen the thing on Facebook, Shit man, I missed the voting. Ink your pink…that was one of the things. If you have not inked you are not cool. We are talking about things that young people are.

     

    05. Are you going to sync this with Roadies?

    Right from Barney wearing Rock the Vote T-shirt. For us, Roadies has been a great huge place to partnership. One, that’s the audience we are talking to. Two, it is a great partnership with a hero who is in Roadies, and thirdly, we are using Rannvijay as a very powerful face of the entire campaign, and he is the face of Roadies as well.

     

    And you’ve got Hero which is a Roadies sponsor to back Rock the Vote too?

    We’ve got Hero as our partner. We’ve also got Karbon Mobile. Hero has been associated with us for long time. It is interesting to have Indian brand talking Rock the Vote. They genuinely want to involve the youth to make a better India. Otherwise why would it go and sponsor hockey, when everybody is supporting cricket. Hockey is India’s national sports. Also, Hero’s huge network with their dealership huge is a good way to take the campaign to the masses.

     

  • Five bands selected as the best in rock, sufi, folk and pop were selected at a gig in Mumbai

    MTV concludes multi-city music talent hunt

    By A Correspondent

     

    Music channel MTV India concluded its nationwide contest - MTV Rayban Never Hide Sounds – with a gig last weekend in Mumbai. The hunt across Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Kolkata for the give best bands across genres like rock, sufi, folk and pop gave winners a chance to be mentored by renowned musicians like Raghu Dixit, Benny Dayal, Uday Benegal,Harshdeep Kaur and Shilpa Rao.

     

    The shortlisted bands – Parvaaz, Rang, Frisky Pints, Life and Nasya jammed with one maestro from their specific genre and then went on to collaborate on some of the most iconic tracks by the mentors.

     

    Aditya Swamy

    Speaking about this, Aditya Swamy, EVP and Business Head, MTV India said, “Every young musician needs a mentor to go to the next level and this initiative does just that… Bringing together talent from two different generations has been an incredible experience and I look forward to this becoming a calendar event on the Indian music scene. It’s been an absolute pleasure working hand in hand with Ray Ban in building new talent and giving them a platform to take their music to the people.”

     

    Shirley Gong, Ray-Ban Business Manager, Emerging Markets said, “Ray-Ban Never Hide Sounds is an initiative to put forth upcoming talent.  This year we were set out to search the most unique and talented voices across various genres of Music.  I am delighted to see that this approach has brought a brand new dimension to the latest edition and we have successfully completed this musical journey.”

     

  • Extensive 360-degree marketing campaign with some shock value to promote the show

    MTV launches comedy reality series with Imam Siddique

    By A Correspondent

     

    MTV India has launched a new comedy-reality show with social impresario Imam Siddique. The show titled ‘Time Out with Imam – Ek Insaan, Kai Pehchaan’ will air on Sunday evenings starting July 14.

     

    Speaking on the launch of the show, Aditya Swamy, EVP and Business Head, MTV India, says, “We are opening up a brand new genre – Comedy Reality. Young people are constantly looking for out of the ordinary entertainment and there is no one who is more out there than Imam. Everything about the show is surreal, the situations, the promos and even the marketing. Spending just a day with Imam is full of surprises, 13 weeks is going to be a riot!!! ”

     

    The thirteen part series will document his journey as he expresses his take on various hi profile events that will be topical – Cricket, films, TV, music, fashion…Nothing will be spared by Imam. From reconnecting with his old Bigg Boss frenemies to making a music video on his favourite city Mumbai and styling an IPL team, Imam will be seen doing it all.

     

    The show to preented by Swipe ‘MTV Slash’ Fablet will be supported by an extensive 360-degree marketing campaign. MTV will be promoting the show by joining hands with the rickshaw drivers in Mumbai. Adding to the shock value, the entire city will be swarmed with 500 Imams all around them as the rickshaw drivers and promoters will be seen wearing Imam Masks. The channel will also connect with its audience through the launch of a new app, Imamogram, which will help fans say something bold and cheeky to anyone they want with a personalized message delivered by Imam himself. The series will see real time radio integration in an episode for the first time in a show.

     

  • The second season of 'Drive with MTV', which will begin soon, is a social streaming show, which will showcase the journey of four teams travelling in different regions of the country and sharing their experiences

    MTV India banks on digital wave

    By Ananya Saha

     

    Aditya Swamy

    Tata Nano and MTV have announced the second season of ‘Drive With MTV’, which is set to begin from June 1. The pure social streaming show will showcase the journey of four teams travelling in different regions of the country and sharing their experiences. The 21-day road trip would have 84 webisodes, which will also be aired on MTV, in half-hour weekly six episodes. Last year, the show registered 15,000 tweets, a million likes across photos, videos and text updates.

     

     

    Ekalavya Bhattacharya

    Ekalavya Bhattacharya, Head – Digital, MTV India explained, “It is the future of content. MTV is tapping screenagers.” The social show will depend highly on digital platform. Aditya Swamy, EVP and Business Head – MTV India said, “We realised that we have a wide social and digital footprint. 800,000 people follow us on Twitter. Our Facebook reach is almost 16 million people. Drive with MTV has got over 2500 tweets athe day they did the crowd-souring contest. All of this content will be out on social media and on our website on real-time basis.” Last year, Drive with MTV registered 141,000 tweets.

     

    The contestants will be continuously blogging, tagging videos, tweeting live. “It’s a difficult production. Each team has a dedicated production team, and co-ordination from four different locations is challenging. And it has to be done in real-time.” According to Mr Bhattacharya, what will be shot today, will go live tomorrow. Each team will have a dedicated production team to make this possible.

     

    The travel show is being promoted across MTV, website homepage, Twitter hashtags, and mostly promoting the digital show on digital platform. This year, it has also been extended to Pinterest and Instagram to make the show more audience-inclusive.

     

    Is it difficult ot monetize digital show? “Yes,” feels Mr Bhattacharya. He said, “The total number of people who consume advertisements online, is something I am not convinced about completely. On YouTube, the most used button is ‘Skip the Ad’ button, primarily because people know it is advertising. The kind of audience, which we are catering through this show is an evolved audience. If I show them an ad on their smartphone, they are not going to be consuming it. Hence, on digital platform, MTV over the last two years has entered the branded content space. Here, Nano will be a part of every web episode and also on six episodes that go on-air on MTV. Yes, it is difficult to monetise it to an extent since not many people are capitalising on it. We will also have a telecom partner, and two more as sponsors. The main reason why it is difficult is that digital is very ROI-oriented, you can track everything that when you tell people to step out of ROI and think about the brand and content, and engaging the consumer of your fanpage. Webshows are reaching there with title and associate sponsors like a television programme.”

     

    Mr Bhattacharya insisted that since the point of content consumption is not limited to TV anymore, “MTV is launching a web show every month. The videos are 6-7 minutes long since nobody is going to watch 45 minutes of our show on their tablets and smartphones.” To reach the demography, over the last three years, MTV has been capitalising on its digital properties. And not only digital properties, MTV is doing everything to reach to its TG. “We have lot of music shows. But what we are also doing is other kind of content, music, reality, digital. Whatever young people enjoy, we are going to do that. To be able to connect with youth with one single genre of content – those days are gone. They want a multitude of options. We want to surround sound our audience,” concluded Mr Swami.

     

  • With reality shows becoming norm on every channel, MTV has launched a brand new TV series, MTV Reality Stars

    MTV’s new reality shows takes a dig at reality shows

    By A Correspondent

     

    With reality shows becoming norm on every channel, MTV has launched a brand new TV series, MTV Reality Stars. The theme is that everyone knows and sees reality shows but no one knows the comedy and chaos of what goes on behind the scenes.

     

    So from the makers of reality shows like Roadies and Splitvilla, comes a series which apart from other things takes a healthy dig at MTV and the madness that goes into creating these block buster reality shows. MTV Reality Stars will premiere on March 16, 2013.

     

    Aditya Swamy, EVP and Business Head, MTV India, says, “MTV brought reality to India and today it’s everywhere. You can love it or hate it, but you can’t run away from it. In this show, we take healthy digs at our biggest shows and the ability to laugh at ourselves has always made us more endearing to our audience. Unlike daily soaps, this is a finite series that is built around a tight script, a truly delightful cast and film level production standards. This is the future of Indian television and this is a genre we are committed to building.”

     

    Reality Stars is a 12 episode, 22-minute comedy TV series based on the lives of four crazy friends – Krish, Kuldeep, Zameer and Tania, who get caught in the world of reality television.

     

    The campaign for the show will see 360 degree marketing promotion through various media verticals, including on-air promotions, digital activations, and on ground activities. The campaign will also see a contest run across 200 plus colleges in the country where selected students will get a chance to be a part of the new show.

     

  • The music channel's business head Aditya Swamy says evolving to keep pace with the changing demands of its TA – the youth market – is the secret to staying ahead

    MTV goes multi-dimensional, wearing multiple hats

    By Meghna Sharma

     

    To survive, adapting to changing times is an absolute must. MTV, which started the music revolution in the country decades ago, has not just managed to survive but also remain a hit with its audience, when grabbing attention is an increasingly tough job.

     

    How did MTV do it? Evolution is the answer, according to Aditya Swamy, MTV EVP and Business Head. “Our brand talks to youngsters, who are constantly evolving, so to connect with them we have to re-invent ourselves time and again too.”

     

    The channel now is working towards being multi-dimensional and multi-platform. Ask about the rationale behind the new strategy and the response is that while music is at the heart of MTV, the brand is not limited to it. Therefore, the channel isn’t stopping itself from wearing multiple hats – from music both filmi and independent and reality shows, it also has a slew of new properties since March, starting with MTV Sound Trippin, followed by India’s first social road trip titled Drive with MTV , a 13-part film named MTV Rush, and MTV Coke Studio.

     

    Aditya Swamy

    “Today a channel has to be multi-dimensional especially if it caters to youngsters. Youth wants options – music, reality shows, fiction etc. So, a brand needs to have a well-rounded offering for its TA. Audiences are wearing multiple hats, so why shouldn’t a channel?” asks Mr Swamy. “And as choices evolve, we’ll have change accordingly and maybe a new phenomenon will be created in the future.”

     

    However, the channel is very clear that it will never compromise on music. “Music is in MTV’s heart so we cannot let go of it. But we’ll continue to do different things with it and come up with original content. Our mantra is quality over quantity.”

     

    The brand can be consumed on various social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook apart from its website and, of course, television. “When so many options are available to ‘connect’ with the audience then why should a channel be only be limited to TV? All these platforms give us a total consumer platform, which makes it a two-way communication,” says Mr Swamy about the importance of being available on multiple platforms.

     

    He further explains it with an example of Roadies which won ‘The Most Social TV Show’ at Mashable Awards, last year. The show had gone all out by posting videos, images, updates and exclusive sneak peeks on social networks. The show was the only Indian entry to reach the top 10 slot too.

     

    “Not only does the engagement help a brand reach out to its audiences, advertisers prefer it too, as it also helps them to reach their TA through various platforms which a brand they can associate with is on,” Mr Swamy adds.

     

  • While there is optimism, the industry & planners are keenly awaiting how the music channel's switch to youth entertainment works in ratings & revenues

    Will switching to youth ent work for V?

     

    By Meghna Sharma

     

    Prem Kamath

    Launched 16 years ago as a music channel, Star India’s Channel V is now turning into a full-fledged youth entertainment channel. Starting July 1, V will stop airing music programmes in India and focus on fiction and non-fiction shows. The reason: “Over the last two years, there has been an explosion of ‘music only’ channels, but everyone’s playing identical playlists,” says Prem Kamath, executive vice-president and general manager at Channel V. “In order to grow as a channel and as a brand, it has always been critical to have an offering that is unique in our competitive space,” he adds on being quizzed on the decision.

     

    Many experts feel that it was bound to happen as more and more channels try to mould themselves to stay connected with what their target audience wants. But there many questions arise: could this mean the beginning of the end of music on TV? What is the future of music genre? Where is it headed?

     

    The beginning

    The scene for Indian music channels was set with the launch of MTV in the early 90s. Soon after, Channel V was launched in 1994, and since then there has been no looking back.

     

    The launch of these music channels also led to a boom in international as well as Indie pop culture. However, it was shortlived and Bollywood music took over, and the two channels, along with many other launched afterwards, started playing popular filmi songs. But over a period of time, these two channels moved beyond playing only music with shows like Roadies, Splitsvilla and Dare 2 Date.

     

    Hemant Kenkre

    According to music columnist Narendra Kusnur, somewhere down the line for these channels, music took a backseat: “I’m sure any channel would do thorough research while trying to change their gameplan. So, if a music channel shifting towards being a youth entertainment channel is proved beneficial – for viewership as well as revenue – then it wouldn’t harm them to take such a step.”

     

    He’s not alone in voicing this. Even Hemant Kenkre, a former music channel professional and a corporate and brand communications veteran, feels that channels are now branding themselves differently to reach out to their TG. He, however, does blame the availability of music on various platforms – radio, cellphones, laptops, iPods – as the reason for this shift. “Today, the youth is moving towards reality shows and they want it from the channels meant for them. As for music, they get their share of it from other mediums too.”

     

    Luke Kenny

    Former VJ, musician, actor and 9XO programming head Luke Kenny, on the other hand, feels that the channel (Channel V) decided to shift long back and has been moving slowly towards it, but there are still many who want music on television. “If music was dead on TV, then how would you explain other new music channels cropping up and doing well too?”

     

    He added: “Having said that, I do believe that with more channels showcasing Bollywood songs, music channels have lost their niche and have just became promotional channels. Therefore, if a channel decides to change colours, it might work. And you never know, Star India might come up with a new music channel called Music OK.”

     

    Industry talk

    If one takes a look at various channels, be it music or a GEC, they will find that, there is a great deal of music in some or the other. We have music trailers/songs aired across all channels. Award shows, too, have musical performances and talent shows like Saregama, Indian Idol, DID and even celeb dance show Jhalak Dikhla Jaa  are high on ratings.

     

    Mohit Joshi

    Therefore, according to media planners, the existence of specialised music channels is a difficult game. “Today, unfortunately for the masses in India, music equals to Bollywood. This is the challenge. This was not the case in the ’90s when there were a lot of private music albums that were launched -Silk Route et al, and the music channels were used for their amplification. So, there was something more than Bollywood, which is not the case today. In the current scenario, if music channels do not experiment with music or the content, then there is a fear that they will dilute their relevance over a period of time,” says Mohit Joshi, managing director, MPG India.

     

    Adds Carat Media India’s senior VP Himanka Das: “Channel V’s decision to discontinue music is a welcome change and would offer interesting opportunities to build engagement content with the youth, considering the very little content that is available to them in entertainment beyond music. Music as a genre gets 6-7 per cent share in the youth segment of viewers with Channel V contributing 24 per cent to this share amongst 20+ channels. Channel V vacating this space is someone else’s gain!”

     

    Punit Pandey

    Meanwhile, other music channels aren’t perturbed and are waiting to see how the channel is accepted in its new avatar. As per TAM (CS4+, All India market), there has been a consistent growth in the music genre. In 2007, the genre share of music channels was 2.02 per cent whereas in 2012 (till week 24) the share has grown to 3.62 per cent.

     

    Punit Pandey, senior VP and business head, 9X Media Group, agreed with Mr Das and added: “Music has, and will continue to, work on television. It is close to a Rs360-370 crore industry (in the HSM belt) and growing. More and more people are ‘watching’ music, so there is nothing to worry about for music channels at large.”

     

    Nikhil Gandhi

    Similarly, the view from UTV Bindass which started out as a Youth Entertainment Channel (YEC) and has been a pioneer in the segment is that though in the recent past music channels, especially MTV and Channel V, have started shifting focus from music to fictional and non-fictional shows, there is no reason for sleepless nights. “We have an advantage over other channels entering the YEC genre as we have already created a connect with the TG,” says Nikhil Gandhi, Disney UTV Executive Director – Youth Channels, Media Networks. And adds an alert: “So, I would like to tell other channels entering the YEC genre to work on their strategies well.”

     

    Apprehensive marketers?

    The change in positioning is due to the feeling that youngsters now have a strong spending power. And, hence, are targeted by various brands more than ever before. TV forms a core part of advertisement for these brands as youngsters also spend a lot of time in front of the television sets.

     

    Simeran Bhasin

    But what happens to youth brands if a channel changes its content strategy? According to the various marketing heads, the apprehensions will emerge if the channel isn’t clear about the shift and isn’t able to help a brand reach its TG.

     

    “If the TG of a brand matches that of the channel, it won’t matter if they decide to change over a period of time. However, if there is a shift in TG then a brand would think twice before advertising on that channel,” says Simeran Bhasin, head – Marketing and Retail, Fastrack.

     

     

    Harkirat Singh

    MTV’s latest show Sound Trippin was partnered by Woodland because the brand feels that youth oriented channels helps them reach their TG. However, the brand is clear that it get associated with channels or shows only if it feels there is a connect between the brand and the viewers. “Like any other brand, while media planning, the TG of a certain channel is important for us. We look for shows which are able to reach and connect with our TG. So, if a channel changes its content plan, we will want to go through their new strategy to figure out where do we figure and how it can benefit us,” says Harkirat Singh, MD, Woodland.

     

    Will the shift work?

    According to the industry professionals, the change in content plan by a channel is done after a lot of research and only time can decide if it will work in its favour or not. However, they believe that a channel should remain true to its philosophy because otherwise it will lose its identify as well.

     

    Samyak Chakrabarty

    Expanding on it, Samyak Chakrabarty, MD, Electronic Youth Media Group and Chief Youth Marketer, DDB Mudra Group believes that ‘youth’ is a very misunderstood word and youngsters cannot be defined in one category as all depends on the exposure and the background one comes from. “In their perception to become ‘youth’ channels, they are getting muddled up and don’t know where they are headed. Today, a youngster cannot associate MTV or Channel V with anything like they do for other brands. For instance, technology means iPad, connectivity means Blackberry etc. I think music channels should have remained with what they started as, instead of losing their identify to gain more TRPs. Such moves will only lead to their downfall, in the long term.”

     

    From being largely optimistic to one predicting a downfall, we received mixed reactions to the proposed change in Channel V’s identity. However, one thing is clear, no matter what Star India decides, there will be many who will wait to see what this mean for them and the genre, at large.

     

     

  • Deepak Lamba's rise to President of Bennett, Coleman and Company Limited is phenomenal and inspirational to young media professionals

    The Rise and Rise of Deepak Lamba

    By A Correspondent

     

    When MxMIndia broke the story of Deepak Lamba joining Bennett, Coleman and Company Limited as President, the news spread like wildfire (see link http://www.mxmindia.com/2012/06/first-on-mxm-deepak-lamba-joins-bccl-as-president/). As it spread amongst media circles, it was decidedly the most read story on MxMIndia over the weekend.

     

    Mr Lamba is one of the youngest professionals in Indian media to occupy the position of President of a large Indian media conglomerate like The Times of India group.

     

    Until end-April, Mr Lamba was with Bloomberg UTV as business head. He made a sudden exit with no indicator of his next port of call. Except that it was to be with a leading media corporation with diverse interests.

     

    Although Mr Lamba was not available for comment and nor was it officially announced at BCCL until Friday evening, MxMIndia learns that did join the company on June 1. There is no word on his portfolio except that he is likely to be heading a few new ventures that the group proposes to enter. MxMIndia also learns that the proposed venture may not be in television, the business he has been working with at Bloomberg UTV and MTV, though there may be some linkages.

     

    Mr Lamba’s rise and rise has been phenomenal and is in fact inspirational to those without any godfathers in the business and/or no Ivy League education. A student of Pune’s premier St Bishop’s School later the Wadia College, he did his MBA from the Pune University thereafter. He was business head of Bloomberg UTV from January 2010 to April 2012 and prior to that was Director – Viacom Brand Solutions and worked with MTV India for five years.

     

  • Former Bloomberg UTV business head Deepak Lamba joins The Times of India group as President

    First on MxM! Deepak Lamba joins BCCL as President

    By A Correspondent

     

    Deepak Lamba who had moved on from Bloomberg UTV as business head in end-April has joined Bennett, Coleman and Company Limited as President.

     

    Although Mr Lamba was not available for comment and nor has it officially been announced at BCCL, MxMIndia learns that he has joined BCCL today. He is likely to be heading a few new ventures that the group proposes to enter.

     

    Mr Lamba was business head of Bloomberg UTV from January 2010 to April 2012 and prior to that was Director – Viacom Brand Solutions and worked with MTV India for five years.

     

  • Bloomberg UTV business head Deepak Lamba is moving on. Destination and his replacement are not known.

    Fm y’day: Deepak Lamba quits Bloomberg UTV

    By A Correspondent (updated)

     

    Bloomberg UTV business head Deepak Lamba has put in his papers. Mr Lamba is reported to be serving notice and he will be at the channel till end-April, sources close to the development informed MxMIndia.

     

    Mr Lamba, has been business head of the channel since January 2010, and earlier reported to Mr M K Anand and more recently to the Board said to be comprising two representatives from Reliance, one from UTV and a fourth from Bloomberg.

     

    MxMIndia has learnt that a replacement for Mr Lamba has not been named. Before joining Bloomberg UTV, he was Director – Viacom Brand Solutions and worked with MTV India for five years.

     

    Mr Lamba is reported to be moving to a larger role in a larger conglomerate, sources tell us.

     

  • Colors, MTV and Big Boss are the most watched on Zenga TV, pioneer in mobile TV.

    Mobile TV breaks viewership records in 2011

    By A Correspondent

     

    Zenga TV, a pioneer in mobile TV, on January 9, announced that live and video on demand mobile TV has set new viewership records in 2011. Zenga TV achieved 421 million video views across different channels compared to less than 150 million video views in 2010.

     

    Top 10 Mobile TV Live channels on Zenga TV Top 10 Video on Demand content on Zenga TV
    1. Colors 1. Big Boss
    2. MTV 2. Big Boss Uncut
    3. UTV movies 3. Roadies
    4. AajTak 4. Uttaran
    5. UTV Bindaas 5. Splits Vile
    6. NDTV Good Times 6. Khatron ke khiladi
    7. CNN IBN 7. Stunt Mania
    8. Headlines Today 8. FTV La finnesse
    9. 9xm 9. Bakwas band kar of 9XM
    10. E24 10. Pankaj Avasti

     

    Shabiir Momiin, CEO, Zenga TV, said, “The phenomenal following that Zenga TV content, ranging from mobile TV, video on demand and even the latest launch Web TV, has garnered is truly inspiring. I would like to congratulate our channel and content partners and advertisers for showing faith in this new platform and encouraging our growth for a truly rewarding partnership. To thank our loyal viewers who have made this success possible, I would like to promise them even more compelling content and service in 2012. I would also like to extend my special thanks to content partners, especially Viacom 18, for their support.”

     

    Highlighting the ingredients for success, Vikramjiet Roy, Director, Zenga TV, said, “Our focus on delivering the best quality streaming and optimal content presentation and pricing was the key to this growth in viewership. The Zenga TV team worked non-stop to make sure that a glitch free service was constantly delivered and I thank them for this unrelenting effort.”

     

    Zenga TV is one of the leading providers of TV services for live TV channels, other entertainment, reality shows and news content optimized for viewing on mobile and web screens. Zenga also delivered the Live IPL in 2010 on YouTube, which was again the first time for IPL on web. Zenga holds the exclusive rights to Viacom 18 channels like Colors and MTV which has a strong following in India. Zenga has done many live, unique and exclusive events like Sunburn from Goa and Crunch for MTV which was a Live 24 x 7 reality shows on web and mobile.

     

  • Cornetto ‘Luv Reels Take 2’ by Kwality Wall’s Cornetto and MTV is hitting theatres on Friday, October 7 and premiering on MTV on October 14.

    Take 2 of Cornetto Luv Reels on MTV

    By A Correspondent

    Youth brand MTV and Kwality Wall’s Cornetto in collaboration with Kunal Kohli Productions will present the second season of its series of romantic short films ‘Cornetto Luv Reels – Take 2’. After the successful first season of the series a year ago, this one of a kind project that provides a platform to anybody who has the passion for acting, singing, and writing scripts is back yet again. Starting October 14, 2011, at 7 pm on MTV, it will exclusively showcase a series of three short films / love stories directed by Kunal Kohli Productions.

    Kick-starting the movie careers of several new aspiring actors, singers and music composers; ‘Cornetto Luv Reels – Take 2’ will air a 60-minute short film every week.  Kunal Kohli Productions has extended support for the direction as well as the production of these films. The lucky winners of the contest who will be making their debut on screen are Rahul Preenja as Karan Kriplani, Saahiel Sehgal as Gaurav, Sukhmani Sadana as Payal and Gaurav Kakkar as Karthik. The short films from the ‘Cornetto Luv Reels – Take 2’ series will also be exclusively screened at select PVR Cinemas in Mumbai & Delhi and INOX theatre in Mumbai for the audience.

    ‘Cornetto Luv Reels – Take 2’ brings to your television screens three exciting, delightful and heart-warming love stories to reminisce – ‘Phir’, ‘Ishq Holiday’ and ‘The Saviour’.  ‘Phir’, is a story of two strangers, Karan and Ayesha and their journey through Mauritius and the mysteries surrounding their pasts. ‘Ishq Holiday’ will take you through Payal’s dream of a perfect romantic holiday with her Mr Right only with a few twists and turns.  ‘The Saviour’, is a story about Pia who meets Karthik on her way to her cousins wedding and how circumstances unfold a spell binding saga.

    On the launch of the second season Mr Aditya Swamy, EVP and Business Head – MTV India said, “At MTV, we are continuously looking at boosting the spirit of the youth and searching for new avenues/creative ways to showcase young talent. Cornetto Luv Reels is one such platform for the raw and young talent at large in varied fields”. He further added, “After the tremendous response from the project last year, this year too we have received an overwhelming number of entries, reassuring us that we are doing something that the youth really wants.”

    Mr Sapan Sharma, General Manager Kwality Walls Cornetto Ice-creams commented, “Cornetto is a brand for the youth and is all about expressing what’s inside their heart. That’s what we call Say it with Cornetto! Cornetto Luv Reels has a mission of bringing to surface the talent hidden inside our youth. This is a unique contest in which the aspirants upload their videos, pictures, songs and scripts on www.cornetto.in to take a shot at Bollywood. This year we received over 1.36 lakh entries and that has tripled from last year. Also our Facebook fan numbers are surging and we have close to 5 lakh young consumers on our page.”

    “Cornetto Luv Reels – Take 2 is a path breaking example of how co-creation really works. One of the key tasks at HUL in developing world-class Media Innovation is to drive consumer engagement, media effectiveness and build repeatable and sustainable properties. Cornetto Luv Reels – Take 2 is one such successful example” says Mindshare’s Mr Ravi Rao, Leader-Team Unilever, South-Asia.

    Kunal Kohli, Kunal Kohli Productions also commented, “We are thrilled to be associated with MTV and Kwality Wall’s Cornetto on the project this year too. After gruelling online auditions we came up with the winners who would get an opportunity to be part of three romantic short films this year.”

    The concept of Luv Reels is developed by Mindshare, a Group M Company.