MxMIndia

Tag: Siddhartha Roy

  • To extend the reach of its podcast library

    Hubhopper Studio bands together with Hungama Music

    By Our Staff

     

    Hubhopper Studio, podcast creation and hosting platform, has collaborated with Hungama Music to extend the reach of its podcast library. The collaboration will enable Hungama Music’s users to access Hubhopper Studio’s podcasts with just a click of a button.

     

    Said Gautam Raj Anand, Founder and CEO, Hubhopper: “We are pleased to have joined hands with Hungama, one of the best in the Indian industry regarding music OTTs and apps. This collaboration is a win-win for both parties involved. Now, it will be easier for Hungama users to bank in on 4000+ podcasts in our line-up and enjoy listening to them without any issues. At the same time, we will also benefit from Hungama’s extensive user base, which will allow us to amplify our presence in the world of audio streaming and podcasts”.

     

    Added Siddhartha Roy, COO, Hungama Digital Media: “We are glad to offer Hubhopper’s content to our users. Consumers are increasingly seeking audio content that is exclusive, differentiated and enhance their music streaming experience. The addition of these podcasts to our library is in sync with our plan of providing our users interactive audio content that gives them more value for the time spent on our platform and makes the overall experience highly engaging. We also intend to offer over 1000 hours of original audio programming to our users by the end of the year.”

     

  • Siddhartha Roy named Benglauru Branch Head, Mullen Lintas

    Leadership changes at Mullen Lintas, Bengaluru

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Bengaluru offices of Mullen Lintas and Lowe Lintas have announced new leadership appointments. Kishore Subramanian, who successfully led Mullen Lintas’ agency office for over four years, has passed the baton to Siddhartha Roy.

     

    Meanwhile Subramanian will be moving to Lowe Lintas as its Bengaluru office’s Planning Head.

     

    Speaking about the key changes, Virat Tandon, Group CEO, MullenLowe Lintas Group said “I am delighted to welcome Sid to Mullen Lintas. In him, we found the skills to hyper-bundle the group’s services and give unfair share of attention to our brands. I was truly impressed by his entrepreneurial spirit and a future facing solutions mindset. I am positive that Mullen Lintas Bangalore has an exciting future under his leadership. I would also like to congratulate Kishore for giving Mullen Lintas Bangalore a formidable start by way of the brands and team he put together. Kishore is a planner at heart and that’s what he wanted to get back to. So, he takes over as the Planning Head for Lowe Lintas South. I am certain that he will bring his magic to the fabulous brands that Lowe Lintas Bangalore has and further develop the already strong planning product.”

     

    The new appointments are effective immediately.

     

     

  • Award winning shows from BBC Studios include Happy Valley, Top of the Lake, Almost Royal, Fleming: The Man Who Would be Bond and Yes, Prime Minister

    Hungama Play expands library with new TV shows from BBC Studios

    By A Correspondent

     

    Hungama Play has premiered a slate of TV shows from BBC Studios. Available as a result of a long-standing partnership with BBC Studios, these shows include Happy Valley, Yes, Prime Minister, Top of the Lake, Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond and Almost Royal.

     

    Hungama will leverage its distribution strengths to give the shows a wide release. Besides Hungama Play, the shows will be available to stream through Hungama Play on Vodafone Play, Idea Movies & TV, Airtel TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Tata Sky Binge, SHAREit and Android TVs. Additionally, Hungama’s strategic association with Xiaomi will also enable users to watch the shows via Hungama Play on Mi TV.

     

    Speaking about the new BBC content, Siddhartha Roy, COO, Hungama Digital Media, said: “Hungama Play offers a diverse, multi-lingual and multi-genre library of content. Our partnership with BBC has helped us strengthen our library further by adding award-winning and critically acclaimed TV shows to our content offerings. We are certain that the new shows will offer our audiences a chance to explore content that is enriching, distinct and unique.”

     

    Added Stanley Fernandes, Sales Director, South Asia at BBC Studios: “BBC’s content is well-appreciated by viewers and critics alike, around the world. Our shows are known to be path-breaking and driven by strong stories and characters. We are glad to premiere five of our most-watched shows on Hungama Play. We are certain that Hungama Play’s strong distribution network will make the content available to the viewers readily and easily.”

     

     

  • In addition to this, a significant technology upgrade has brought in seamless streaming on 2G networks ensuring an uninterrupted playback

    Hungama Music launches original audio series ‘Mera Wala Music’

    By A Correspondent

     

    Hungama Music has launched a host of new programming initiatives and an application upgrade that offers a new experience for music lovers and subscribers of the service. Mera Wala Music – an original audio series unveils the story behind your favourite artists’ music. Launched with the first four artists namely, rapper Badshaah, Punjabi music sensation Diljit Dosanjh, ace composer Mithoon Sharma and talented singer Palak Muchhal – Mera Wala Music will bring the listeners closer to their favourite celebrities and their music. Each month a new set of artists will share their untold stories and relive the quirky, happy, fun moments behind some of their most loved tracks. Coming up next in this series are interesting anecdotes from Ayushman Khurana, Hard Kaur, Salim-Sulaiman and many more.

     

    Bolstered with a line-up of new content, the Hungama Music app hosts a lot of new features. The new app has been designed keeping in mind the nativity of the iOS ecosystem and has a cleaner and sleeker look with simple and intuitive user journeys offering an elevated in-app experience. In keeping with the belief that “Offline is the new Online” the app has revamped the offline experience further. The new iOS app gives users an option to download a complete playlist that is available for offline playback as against the erstwhile listing of individual songs. Hungama Music is powered by a recommendation algorithm that recommends music based on users consumption habits offering the user an endless music experience. The video experience has been augmented with a mini-player that allows users to surf the app while the video continues to play simultaneously. In addition to this, a significant technology upgrade has brought in seamless streaming on 2G networks ensuring an uninterrupted playback.

     

    Speaking about the new and improved Hungama Music app, Said Siddhartha Roy, CEO – Hungama.com: “Hungama Music has undergone a complete experience upgrade. The app is packed with a lot of new programming, feature updates and an enhanced experience for the consumers. We have expanded our original content offering and have brought on board the biggest Bollywood celebrities to share their exclusive stories with the listeners who are passionate about their music and everything around it.”

     

  • The active service will enhance DishTV’s portfolio in the field of VAS and music

    DishTV announces tie-up with Hungama

    By A Correspondent

     

    DishTV has announced a tie up with Hungama to launch Music Active. The active service will enhance DishTV’s portfolio in the field of VAS and music and provide unlimited music to its subscribers.

     

    Catering to the need of Bollywood music lovers and the other streams of music such as devotional, western, and pop music Music Active will have a good mix of Bollywood hits and Bollywood retro. Simultaneously reaching out to the music lovers of other genres, Music Active will also have international hits, international classics, devotional, ghazals, Bhojpuri, Kannada Hits, Tamil Hits and Carnatic Hits. Customers of this active service will be able enjoy uninterrupted music as unlike music channels. Music Active is completely ad free. Another important advantage for music lovers would be unlike music apps, there will be no buffering of the songs leading to steady entertainment.

     

    The service is available at an introductory price of Rs.35 till 31st October and will be priced at Rs.45 starting 1st November’15.This audio service can be availed by a simple missed call on 18002700096. The service is available free of cost from 27th Aug – 6th Sep (10 days). Music Active will be available on channel number 671 on DishTV.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Salil Kapoor, Chief Operating Officer, DishTV said, “Being a pioneer and market leader, it has been our constant endeavor to make television viewing a wholesome experience for the entire family and to increase affinity with our audiences by providing them the choice of content they would like to watch. DishTV has always taken the lead in enhancing the value proposition and believes in providing the maximum and the best in entertainment to its subscribers. We are delighted to tie up with Hungama for launching Music Active, with the launch of Music Active, we are continuing with our legacy of offering another unique service for our consumers who are inclined towards music and will have this great opportunity to enjoy music of all genres in the close comfort of their homes.”

     

    Siddhartha Roy

    Speaking on the occasion Siddhartha Roy, CEO of Hungama.com said, “Music Active co-launched by Hungama and DishTV will bring uninterrupted and ad-free music to subscribers. We are proud to associate with the DTH service as we bring subscribers their favorite music across 10 different genres ranging from Bollywood, Regional, devotional to International, etc. I am certain that DishTV subscribers will enjoy grooving to Bollywood, regional and international music’s most popular hits and retro tracks only on Music Active.”

     

  • The association, which began with the launch of the first video in March 2015, has, within a short period of its launch, registered over 1.5 lac views from across the globe

    Hungama.com unveils Studio Diaries Part 2

    By A Correspondent

     

    Hungama.com has launched the second part of the Hungama Studio Diaries by tying-up exclusively with Facebook. The Studio Diaries are video capsules of current musical icons that paid homage to Kalyanji-Anandji at the Hungama Studio launched exclusively over the social media platform.

     

    The association, which began with the launch of the first video in March 2015, has, within a short period of its launch, registered over 1.5 lac views from across the globe and has seen thousands of interactions over Hungama.com’s Facebook. The video is a montage of artists that sang the hit song ‘Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas’ created by legendary duo Kalyanji-Anandji. Musicians like Arijit Singh, Daler Mehendi, Shaan, Pritam, Amit Trivedi, Hariharan, Abhijeet and Armaan Malik are seen in the video performing their own renditions of the timeless classic at Hungama Studio.

     

    Part 2 of the Hungama Studio Diaries was unveiled exclusively on Facebook recently and will show Atif Aslam, Shraddha Kapoor, Shankar Mahadevan, Zakir Hussain, Sivamani, Leslie Lewis, Benny Dayal, Ankit Tiwari, Vasuda Sharma, Aakriti Kakkar, Kanika Kapoor and Runa Rizvi performing their renditions of Kalyanji-Anandji’s hit numbers ‘Har Kisiko Nahi Milta’ and ‘Laila O Laila’.

     

    “Speaking on the association with Facebook and success of the first video, Siddhartha Roy, CEO of Hungama.com said, “Hungama Studio has conceptualized this track to celebrate the evergreen music of Kalyanji-Anandji. The video of the renditions sung by this generation’s most loved artists has been appreciated by one and all over Facebook. The idea to exclusively launch this video over Facebook has brought about massive consumer reach and great results, seeing its success we are all set to launch the 2nd part of our video series. Our association with Facebook has been mutually beneficial, with this we hope to continue building on our space of original content and sharing this exclusively with our subscribers.”

     

  • Hungama launches campaign to focus on engaged consumers via loyalty rewards

    Hungama unveils campaign to promote new offering

    By A Correspondent

     

    Hungama.com has announced the launch of the second phase of its ‘Zindagi Ka Soundtrack’ brand campaign. The second leg of the 360 degree campaign will be following up on the successful October 2014 campaign by introducing a refreshing and lucrative new offering for their loyal consumer base – ‘Dabake Free Gifts’. This new offering seeks to make the Hungama experience even sweeter as along with the music streaming services the patrons already enjoy.

     

    With the plethora of music options to suit every mood, that Hungama has to offer, the music streaming portal is already an indispensible part of the lives of its loyal consumers. And now with ‘Dabake Free Gifts’, Hungama gives its large pool of listeners the unique opportunity to gain something more from the thing they love already.

     

    Hungama.com has handpicked prizes that appeal to its consumer base, which is mainly made up of the youth. The prizes include products from brands like Apple, Bose, Phillips, Blaupunkt, Samsung, Nokia, JBL, Lenovo, Sennheiser, Wildcraft, Portronics, Benetton, Happily Unmarried, Epitome, Chumbak, MOM Italy, etc. as well as experiences like fine dining at select five-star hotels & restaurants, holidays, etc. As an added incentive for users, Hungama will also be offering free talktime to users as a part of the rewards.

     

    Siddhartha Roy

    Commenting on the idea behind the launch of the second phase, Siddhartha Roy, CEO at Hungama.com said, “The first phase of our brand campaign received an overwhelming response from consumers, which also led to Hungama’s mobile app’s move to the top position in the download charts. As the market leader in this space, we felt it was important for us to now start communicating with our consumers about how while Hungama’s app is entertaining them, it can also simultaneously reward them. Hungama, across our multiple platforms, has the largest set of engaged active users and this campaign is our way of acknowledging their loyalty to our platform.”

     

    The TVC of the campaign will go on air from 18 January, for two weeks, across national and regional channels. The campaign will also be extended to the digital platforms. To activate the campaign on Youtube, Hungama.com has created a series of 5-second advertisements for the platform. The campaign will also be promoted via social media, where fans winning prizes will have their pictures clicked and uploaded to Hungama’s pages.

     

  • The agency's prime mandate will be to reach out to the existing consumer base of Hungama.com and target digital music consumers across the country

    Hungama.com awards its creative mandate to Scarecrow Communications

    By A Correspondent

     

    Hungama.com has awarded its creative duties to Scarecrow Communications. With this appointment, the agency will be responsible for designing clutter breaking creative communication that further augments the presence of Hungama.com in the digital music industry.

     

    The agency’s prime mandate will be to reach out to the existing consumer base of Hungama.com and target digital music consumers across the country via 360 degree creative communications that maximise the potential of various medium including print, OOH and digital.

     

    Sidhartha Roy

    Commenting on the appointment, Siddhartha Roy, CEO at Hungama.com said, “Scarecrow Communications comes with a widespread portfolio of media and entertainment brands. With the agency’s deep understanding of the sector and innovative creative campaigns for various brands over the years, we have decided to award the creative mandate to them. We at Hungama.com look forward to a fruitful association with Scarecrow Communications that can help us drive our vision towards being a preferred music streaming service.”

     

    Raghu Bhat

    On winning the account, Raghu Bhat, Founder & Director at Scarecrow Communications said, “Hungama.com is the pioneer in digital entertainment. A new-age brand that exists resides at the cusp of devices, music, Bollywood and the internet – four forces that touch the lives of almost every Indian. We are thrilled with this mandate and will also treat this as a great learning opportunity.”

     

  • The PRO service for Android and iOS distinguishes itself by offering integrated video streaming without internet

    Hungama unveils PRO service for its native app

    By a correspondent

     

    In a bid to further augment its reach in the digital music entertainment industry, Hungama Digital has taken yet another step towards innovation by announcing the launch of its PRO service for Hungama mobile app.

     

    Commenting on the robust digital music industry, Siddhartha Roy, Chief Operating Officer (Consumer Business & Allied Services) at Hungama Digital, said, “It is known fact that as Indian audiences we don’t just listen to our music but we watch it as well. It’s this specific gap, which has prompted us to rollout the Hungama music service that has both Audio & Video offering for our consumers. Hungama has been a pioneer in the digital music industry for over a decade and a half and basis our understanding we have observed that there is a need of providing consumers a solution where they are free from being dependent on their internet connectivity, specially where there is an issue with the quality of connectivity.

     

    Given this, music streaming will continue to grow exponentially, Hungama is delighted to launch the PRO service, which allows consumers to listen to their streamed music without data connectivity.

     

    The unique features of the Hungama app include:

    :: Patented Loyalty feature and Gamification – that rewards you for every action on the app. You can earn (and redeem) points every time you watch videos, play/share music, invite friends or even create playlists

     

    :: Patented Mood Discovery – finds and plays music to match your mood. This feature allows you to discover music based on your preferences – Mood, Tempo, Language, Genre or Era

     

    :: Access to lyrics – You can experience music intelligence with an add-on feature which brings interesting trivia and lyrics with just a touch

     

    :: Artist Radio: With over 20,000 artistes on Hungama.com, you have access to a massive music pool. Tune in to your favourite celeb’s music playlist on Artist Radio feature

     

    Social Music: The ‘My Stream’ option allows you to invite, share and connect with your friends online through social networking platforms and create waves of interesting music conversations online

     

  • Hungama.com has launched a next-generation music application that plans to break the competitive digital music market and elevating the listening experience

    An Ap(p)t offering from Hungama

    By Johnson Napier

     

    Hungama.com has announced the launch of a next-generation music application that seeks to enhance the way users listen to and experience music and videos across devices. With the launch of this app, Hungama.com plans to break the competitive digital music market by not only bringing unique features but also elevating the music listening experience of users by allowing them to watch videos and socialise while streaming their favourite Bollywood, regional and international music.

     

    Sidhartha Roy

    Said Siddhartha Roy, COO Hungama, “Hungama.com has many firsts attached to our name. With the launch of the only music app with video and audio playout, and the only entertainment app that introduces a gamification and loyalty programme within the app, we are confident that we have a stellar product for our consumers.”

     

    Explaining the game-changing experience that the app will offer users, Roy said that there are primarily five features that differentiate it from all the apps out there. “First and foremost it is the great music experience- whether it is the way the app is presenting the music or the great quality it plays etc. Secondly, our music is derivative of our movies- we don’t just listen to music we watch it! Therefore we wanted to give the consumer video streaming so they may enjoy the entire musical experience. Also Hungama.com as a business has always been about music and video. It was a natural to take this visual experience onto our app as well.”

     

    He added, “We also kept in mind the fact that there are times when a consumer wants to express himself, and wants to listen to a curated playlist keeping his mood in mind. The app has a rich Mood Discovery feature that finds and plays music to match the user’s mood. This feature allows users to discover music based on their preferences – Mood, Tempo, Language, Genre or Era. And finally, the biggest game changer is our gamification and loyalty program. We are the first music app to reward the consumer for his every action on the app. With this feature, users can earn points every time they watch videos, play/share music, invite friends or create playlists. We believe this feature will increase engagement and consumer delight.”

     

    On the economics for accessing the content, Mr Roy said that the app is free to download on the iOS and Android devices with full-length music streaming and a 30 seconds preview on video streaming. If a consumer wishes to upgrade to a full length video streaming on iOS, the service costs Rs. 110 or USD 1.99 and on Android it is Rs. 50. Further more on android consumers can also download-to-own content, which is priced at Rs. 5 per music or video, he said.

     

    Explaining the monetization plan from the new service, Roy said, “The app that has been launched comes with transaction, a micro-charging model that is unique to Hungama.com, an integral part of this app. This is enabled through the telco ecosystem. As for monetization, the Hungama.com business has always been and will remain a transaction-driven business. The app is another touch point for the consumer to enjoy his music anytime, anywhere.”

     

  • Powered by Hungama.com, Vh1 Pulse is a music streaming application on Facebook which will enable fans to listen to Vh1's picks of international music

    Vh1 India and Hungama launch app for Facebook

    By A Correspondent

     

    Vh1 has announced its entry into the digital space with the launch of a new generation app, Vh1 Pulse. The app will enable fans to be in sync with their favourite tracks, any time of the day.

     

    Powered by Hungama.com, Vh1 Pulse is a music streaming application on Facebook which will enable over 1.7 million fans of the channel to listen to Vh1’s picks of the best international music.

     

    On the application, all songs will be picked by Vh1 and fans can listen to the playlist specially created which includes the best of all English music.

     

    Speaking about the new app, Ferzad Palia, Senior Vice President & GM – English Entertainment, Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd. said, “With a fan base of nearly 2 million ardent music lovers, this addition to the Vh1 India Facebook page is part of our philosophy of ‘Vh1 Everywhere’.”

     

    Siddhartha Roy

    Siddhartha Roy, COO – Consumer Business & Allied Services, Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, said, “Social communities are the new media real estate for brands where they can increase interaction and engagement with their consumers. There is an increasing demand for international music and Hungama is committed at satisfying this need by powering this service via its platform and content.”

     

  • It also bagged a Gold in 'The Best Innovative concept' category, two Silvers for 'The Best Use of the Internet in a Promotion Marketing Campaign' and 'Best Use of Social Marketing in a Promotion Marketing Campaign'

    Hungama Digital bags Best Campaign award at PMAA

    By A Correspondent

     

    Hungama Digital Media Entertainment Pvt Ltd has won four awards at The Promotion Marketing Awards of Asia (PMAA) – The Dragons of Asia 2012.

     

    Hungama Digital Media bagged the PMAA Dragons of Asia for ‘The Best Campaign from India’ for its Maruti Suzuki Cricket Stock Exchange campaign. It also bagged a Gold in ‘The Best Innovative concept’ category, two Silvers for ‘The Best Use of the Internet in a Promotion Marketing Campaign’ and ‘Best Use of Social Marketing in a Promotion Marketing Campaign’.

     

    Said Sunila Dhar, Deputy General Manager Media, Maruti Suzuki, “We are very happy to have got this award. Our association with CSX has been for two years and it is overwhelming to see the response to the game. It was based on the correct consumer insight of the passion for cricket, and the fact that we all have an opinion on the players and like to give a calculated opinion. Besides, the game has been made highly engaging by Hungama with many new segments in its second avatar.”

     

    Speaking to MxMIndia on the news, Siddhartha Roy, COO, Consumer Business & Allied Services, Hungama Digital Media Entertainment  said, “To be acknowledged by the PMAA for our campaigns is a great boost to the team’s morale, but it does raise the bar for them to keep creating successful, clutter breaking campaigns . Our Biggest winner – Maruti Suzuki Cricket Stock Exchange was a well thought out and superbly executed project by the team.” Speaking about the product, he added, “Cricket by far dominates and drives consumption on digital gaming, and with CSX we created a differentiated offering for consumers. With a trading game that is impacted by the real world cricketing news and stats, consumers have the opportunity to be more involved within the game. Ayaz Memon’s expertise ensures that users have the most accurate knowledge and info to make the trade on the stock exchange so as to maximise their earning.”

     

    Added Ms Niloufer Dundh, Head – Integrated Media, Hungama Digital Media Entertainment  said: “I am delighted, and thrilled with the awards we won, hats off to the team for creating Maruti Suzuki Cricket Stock Exchange campaign and for constantly improving and innovating. This is the second year we aired a campaign for this product, it was first launched during IPL 2011. I am also very happy because we had a brand like Maruti who supported us and had faith in us for these two years.”

     

    This year, the awards witnessed the introduction of the Dragons of Malaysia, in partnership with Marketing Magazine, as a plan to recognize more local agencies. All winning campaigns were then judged locally and then again in the Dragons of Asia, with 50 Gold, Silver and Bronze winners now taking part in the 2012 MAA Worldwide Globes.

     

    Awards won by Hungama at PMAA 2012 – The Dragons of Asia (Orders of Merit)

     

    The Dragons for the Best Campaigns in their Country

    Dragon Campaign Client
    Best InIndia Cricket Stock Exchange Maruti Suzuki

     

    Best Innovative Idea or Concept

    Dragon Campaign Client
    Gold Cricket Stock Exchange Maruti Suzuki

     

    Best Use of the Internet in a Promotion Marketing Campaign

    Dragon Campaign Client
    Silver Cricket Stock Exchange Maruti Suzuki

     

    Best Use of Social Marketing in a Promotion Marketing Campaign

    Dragon Campaign Client
    Silver 7 U Lemon Pattalum 7 UP