MxMIndia

Tag: Tarun Katial

  • The radio network will replicate its retro legacy in Lucknow and will engage listeners with music from the golden era

    Big FM announces now in Lucknow

    By A Correspondent

     

    After acquiring 14 new frequencies in the first batch of FM Phase-III auctions, Big FM has now entered Lucknow with the launch of 94.3 FM. The radio network will bring in a new wave of timeless Hindi music in the city by building on its distinctive and pioneering retro format on radio. Bollywood actress Huma Qureshi launched the station earlier this week (May 23).

     

    Speaking about the launch, Tarun Katial, CEO of BIG FM said, “With the launch of 94.3 FM in Lucknow, we are extending our legacy of entertaining listeners with original content and distinctive music formats. The strategy for the station is formulated based on thorough research and listening pattern that will resonate well with listeners in Lucknow. This synchronized offering will pave way for the advertisers, to reach out to a wider set of audiences in the city. We are also leveraging the opportunity of launching a new station in the market to spread awareness around safety and respect of women, a major issue that needs cognizance of the society at large.”

  • The developments include Ramgopal Iyer and Gaurav Shukla being elevated to the position of National Head – Account Planning and Regional Business Director

    Big FM makes senior-level appointments

    By A Correspondent

     

    Big FM has bolstered its core leadership team with new appointments. These include Ramgopal Iyer and Gaurav Shukla being elevated to the position of National Head – Account Planning and Regional Business Director, Delhi. Other key appointments include – Sunoj George Abraham and Harish Ravindranath, who have been welcomed in the positions of Cluster Head for Karnataka and Kerala and Station Head, Chennai.

     

    Commenting on the developments within the core leadership team, TarunKatial, CEO of Big FM said: “I welcome Sunoj George Abraham and Harish Ravindranath to the Big FM family and congratulate RamgopalIyer and Gaurav Shukla for their new responsibilities within the company. We are glad to have these highly skilled and experienced individuals onboard who will propel us towards reaching our goals and achieving new milestones.”

  • The new appointees will drive new strategic initiatives as part of their respective new roles in the organisation

    Big FM strengthens core leadership team

    By A Correspondent

     

    Big FM has strengthened its core leadership team triggering a fresh era of growth for the company. Continuing her stint with BIG FM, Divya Singh has been elevated from her previous position and will take charge as the National Sales Head for key vertical, which includes Auto, Consumer Durables and Telecom sectors respectively. Dheeraj Goel joins Big FM as Regional Business Head, North & Rajasthan. Meanwhile, Rahul Saini has joined Big FM as Regional Business Head West. The new appointees will drive new strategic initiatives as part of their respective new roles in the organisation.

     

    Tarun Katial

    Commenting on the same, Tarun Katial, CEO of BIG FM said: “I warmly welcome Dheeraj and Rahul to the Big FM family, and congratulate Divya on her new role. I am confident that the new developments will effectively bolster our core sales leadership team, and fuel our growth story in the new financial year.”

  • With the launch of additional 14 stations, 5 new stations will be added in Maharashtra and Goa (Pune, Nagpur, Kolhapur, Aurangabad and Ahmednagar), making it a total of 8 stations

    92.7 Big FM adds 14 new stations in one go

    By A Correspondent

     

    92.7 Big FMhas launched the test signals of 14 new frequencies acquired recently. On April 1, the network went live with the test signals in one day.

     

    With the acquisition of these new frequencies, the radio network is moving from strength to strength with a total of 59 stations now. In Maharashtra, there will be an addition of five new stations (Pune, Nagpur, Kolhapur, Aurangabad and Ahmednagar), bringing it to a total of eight stations in the state. The network will enjoy complete coverage in UP, Bihar and Jharkhand, with the additions of Lucknow, Patna, Varanasi, Gorakhpur and Muzaffarpur, bringing the total to 13 stations in the region.

     

    Additionally, Big FM will also increase its hold over Northeast India as the radio network will have the largest presence in border regions with new stations in Agartala, Itanagar, Shillong and Aizawl and existing stations in Jammu, Srinagar and Guwahati. With this the network ensures that it is present in all key cities and the state capitals in the North East.

     

    Commenting on the occasion, Tarun Katial, Chief Executive Officer, Reliance Broadcast Network Limited, said: “The launch of 14 new stations will further reinforce our position as leaders in the radio broadcast industry. This is a major step in expanding our presence in all our focus markets to ensure that we continue to grow in the space and deepen our market penetration.”

     

  • Katial, who completes over a decade with Reliance ADAG’s FM radio and television ventures, will oversee Essel Vision’s television and digital production activity

    Tarun Katial to join Zee. To continue helming RBN

    Tarun Katial

    By A Correspondent

     

    It’s confirmed. Reliance Broadcast CEO Tarun Katial is taking on the additional role of head of Essel Vision. He will oversee the television and digital production activity, it is learnt. According to a Television Post report, he will also oversee Jaipur Studios, an independent studio set up by the Zee Group.

     

    Katial will continue in his current role at RBNL, which runs the Big FM radio network and Big Ganga and Big Magic television channels amongst others.

     

    An MBA in marketing, he spent his early years in advertising with agencies like Saatchi & Saatchi, Enterprise Nexus and Ogilvy & Mather. He then joined the Star Network as Executive Vice President – Content and Communications before moving to Sony Entertainment Television as Business Head.In early 2006, Katial joined Reliance ADAG to launch 92.7 BIG FM and then the group’s television foray. Plus Big Live and Big Productions.

     

  • A focus on non-fictional and devotional content plus ensuring parochial pride is part of the secret sauces Tarun Katial has formulated for Big Ganga

    Quiet, but strong flows Big Ganga

     

    Reliance Broadcast Networks’ regional channel Big Ganga, which was launched in 2014 to cater to the Bihar, Jharkhand and Eastern UP markets, has become a leader of the pack in this region after BARC data found that it commands 58 per cent of the viewership here. CEO Tarun Katial speaks with Pradyuman Maheshwari about what has worked for the channel, the focus on non-fiction and devotional content and ensuring parochial pride.

     

    It’s interesting that we’re doing an interview about Big Ganga because until now while weve discussed the channel, it’s almost always been either Big FM or Big Magic.

    Quietly but surely, we’ve created a brand that resonates so well with one of the biggest regions of this country. That makes it worthy of some adulation, or at least some highlighting.

     

    Having worked on GECs over the years, what are the specific characteristics of a Hindi GEC versus a Bhojpuri GEC?

    One of the things you have to be careful about is to not show a state and its people in poor light. They are very proud of who they are. Regardless of how the state is represented by the national media or viewed by people on the outside – in terms of crime, poverty or underdevelopment – the people of the region are very proud of what they are. And you’ve seen the transformation that’s taken place in the last 10 or 15 years, right? So we were very careful to not look down upon the region in any way, but project it in a positive manner. Parochial pride is one of the things we [promoted] with our initial tagline ‘Apna Pradesh Apna Magic’, which actually helped us a lot. It was like saying that we have magic in our region. Since then, we’ve stuck to the philosophy of giving people a platform, and showcasing the best of the culture and the best of the talent, and giving people respect, through all the formats that we’ve built around the channel. We’ve put in all sorts of filters to ensure this.

     

    You’ve obviously gone beyond Shatrughan Sinha and Ravi Kishan…

    Yes, much beyond them because we believe that there is so much more to this region than just a couple of icons. Like, the latest show that we’re doing, called Birhadangal, takes all the Birha stars from the region — from eastern UP to Bihar and Jharkhand — and gives them pride of place. I was amazed with the kind of response it got in terms of timespend.

     

    How is a channel like this different from a large-format Hindi GEC?

    The one thing that we did not do was venture into fiction, because fiction then causes friction, right? And we didn’t want to go down the path of social issues; we wanted to showcase the positive and the uplifting in the Bhojpuri region rather than the social challenges and issues that exist. People are living those challenges every day, so if you fictionalise and exaggerate them, that doesn’t really help, does it? So the channel is primarily based on non- fiction content, and that is the difference.

     

    Doesn’t that affect the economics of it, because fiction is slightly cheaper?

    Yes, but you have to find a way of balancing out the economics, and this has worked very well for us. The other different thing we did was make the Morning Time band bigger than Primetime.

     

    Obviously the Prime Time in those regions is different from what we have here in Mumbai…

    Correct. While primetime in middle India is from 6 to 8 pm and in Indian metros it’s 8 to 10 pm, here it is at 7 to 10 in the morning. Our largest volume comes from viewership between 7 and 10 am. That was something completely different, so we’ve invested in regional content from 7 to 10 in the morning, every single day and through the year, for this reason.

     

    So that means your competition in that region is not another GEC but a news channel like Aaj Tak …

    No, [some of the viewership] in the morning actually goes to devotional [channels] — devotional fiction, devotional non-fiction and devotional music. We realised that faith is a very big pillar of society in this part of the country, and people live by it. Yet, there wasn’t really a platform for people to evoke their faith beyond what they do themselves. So we invested in a lot of original content around music, around singers, around events, around the Panchang, which, in this region, is between 7 and 10 am. It’s a significant investment we made, which has shown significant results.

     

    There’s a significant population of Muslims in this region but your devotional content is all geared towards Hindus. Does this alienate a section of your viewership?

    So during big Muslim festivals, we do go down the route of celebrating it in any form or fashion. Unfortunately devotional music, as we know it, is more popular, and prevalent in Hinduism. Apart from this, we’re doing a show on Buddhism, so we acquired ‘Buddha’ from Zee and dubbed it into Bhojpuri, and it’s done exceedingly well for us in this region. After all, this is seat of Buddhism in the country, with Bodhgaya being a part of this region. So we realised that Buddhism is another thing to tap into. For us, the [religious] colour of region doesn’t matter; it’s about celebration and whatever gets people to celebrate together — and faith is one kind of outlet for that.

     

    How about the synergies, when you launched there were, you know, since you had a existing Big FM presence there, how about the synergies worked for…

    Big FM and?

     

    Big FM and Big Ganga and how possibly you could…

    So like Birhadangal is simul-=cast on Big FM and Big Ganga. It’s unique for a TV show to be actually simulcast on radio. So all the content through the year, is uniquely simulcast between Big FM and Big Ganga. And a lot of the outsourcing on the ground for local talent for some of these shows, is done through Big FM. Listeners get an opportunity to come on television, and finally the show ends up on Big Ganga, which is again simul-cast on Big FM. So it’s a fairly 360 degree reach.

     

    Do you also integrate with a lot of ground-level events?

    We integrate as well as do a lot of ground level events of our own in Patna, Ranchi and Varanasi. These are the three big hubs that we’ve created for ourselves.

     

    And you know, you’re not the first player in this region…

    It’s really crowded, but we have over 15 per cent of the market share, which is good for us.

     

    You had a successful run with a channel like Mahua, before it went under. And for a while Bhojpuri cinema was also doing well. Is there a secret sauce that you use to make sure you’re more successful than [others]?

    The secret sauce is consumer insight and local connect. We don’t rely on movies as the staple to reach out to audiences. Movies don’t contribute more than 20 per cent of our entire GRP across the channel, whereas in some of these Bhojpuri channels? it’s 100 per cent, which leads to a lack of differentiation between you and the next guy on the block. So our content is all original IP that is locally produced, locally shot, provides local people opportunities and is built on local insights. We don’t want to go down as a generic content channel either of music or movies.

     

    Non-fiction and a fair bit of devotional…

    Yes, we’re looking at a fair amount of mythology with [shows] like Ganga Shaurya, which actually showcases the life of achievers from this region, which does extremely well. Then there are comedy shows like Comedy Tanatan and Litti Chokha, which are all locally shot in the cities of this region. There’s a lot of work you have to do at the ground level, to be able to get this right. It’s not something which is so easy to put together, sitting in Bombay. That’s why we have a fairly big team in the region…

     

    My last set of questions…. First, what happens with Big Ganga post the Zee acquisition? I know the final touches are still being put on that…

    Nothing, really. It will be business as usual; we continue to retain the brand Big Ganga, and it continues to operate the way it does. [The channel] benefits from Zee’s ad sales momentum, which are done by Zee Unimedia, and it benefits from Zee’s distribution momentum. It also benefits from cross promotion across platforms, so those are things that will help the economics of the game even more.

     

    In the case of Big FM, you’ve hired some new people for marketing and such. Will they now be merged with Zee?

    No. Big FM continues as is.

     

    And for Ganga?

    As for Ganga, this is a very unique part of the business, where the marketing and all that is done out of Patna. It’s not done out of Mumbai. The region demands its own marketing people and that will continue to be the case.

     

    Zee also has a news presence in this region…

    Yes, and we try to coordinate things as much as we can together.

     

  • The very first phase included time checks sponsored by Sonata; as time-checks have a synergistic fit with the 8‘o’clock button awareness generation

    Maxus co-creates innovative radio campaign for Sonata’s safety watch ‘ACT’

    By A Correspondent

     

    Maxus has partnered with Big FM to co-create and conceptualize a powerful radio campaign for Sonata’s newly launched safety watch ACT– App-Enabled Coordinates Tracker, designed exclusively for women. The watch has a button placed at the 8’clock position which when double clicked sends distress alarms to 10 designated guardians. Keeping in line the safety features and uniqueness of the watch, an innovative three-tiered campaign using radio as a medium was executed in 21 cities.

     

    The very first phase included time checks sponsored by Sonata; as time-checks have a synergistic fit with the 8‘o’clock button awareness generation. The second phase comprised of conversations with some of the great Indian women achievers like Sakshi Malik, Saundarya Rajesh, Sujitha Bora, Tashi & Nungshi, Deepa Malik, Sneha Mohandass and many more with RJ Richa Anirudh on a show titled as ‘ManzilPeNazar’, bringing alive their stories of courage and achievement. In the third phase, Big FM will be shifting their studios at various on-ground public locations and bringing in 12 hours live programming from 8 pm – 8 am with an all-female crew. This first of its kind activity will take place across five metros – Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore and Chennai, from January 4th till January 7th, 2017.

     

    Elaborating on the campaign, Sanchayeeta Verma - Managing Partner, Maxus South Asia, South India said, “Sonata ACT is a smart watch with a purpose, enabling women to courageously follow their dreams. Safety is a need for every woman and concerns not only her, but her family and colleagues as well. However, we also noticed a low adoption of current safety options and realized that we needed de-mystification of the technology, create a wave of collective participation from women to corporates, and build a habit of mindfulness and usage. To do this we needed a platform with relatable real-life people & generate momentum. Our effectiveness studies have shown high ROI for radio. The medium not only helps participation and engagement, but also offers significant digital platforms and multimedia amplification. We therefore worked at creating this unique and mega-scale initiative with Big FM that we believe will show great results.”

     

    Talking about the initiative Suparna Mitra- Chief Marketing Officer – watches and accessories, Titan Company Ltd. said, “In India, safety is a huge concern for women and their families. As Indian women are evolving and progressing to take on more challenges, we realized there is a huge market for a safety watch which will help women pursue their dreams.  With Sonata ACT, we want to bring alive an element of courage and passion. Uniquely priced between Rs. 2,749/- to Rs. 2,999/-, Sonata ACT cuts across all demographics. It is a break-through product from Sonata and our aim is to reach out to every woman and benefit as many consumers through our communication activities”.

     

    Commenting on the partnership, Tarun Katial, CEO, BIG Network said, “We at 92.7 BIG FM, are thrilled about the initiative that Sonata has implemented on a large scale as part of the brand launching a line of safety watches called ‘ACT-App-Enabled Coordinates Tracker’. There are plenty of inspiring stories about women that deserve to be told, and with Sonata ACT we are promoting their unstoppable spirit.”

     

  • Sonal Dabral of DDB Mudra, Senthil Kumar of J. Walter Thompson, Tarun Katial of RBNL & Paresh Chaudhry of Madison PR appointed jurors

    Goafest announces Jury Chairs for Integrated, OOH/Ambient, Branded Content and PR

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Goafest Creative Abbys has announced the third set of jury for the awards event. The Awards Governing Council of Goafest 2016 has declared the Jury Chairs for Integrated, OOH/Ambient, Branded Content and Public Relations. Sonal Dabral, Chairman & Chief Creative Officer, DDB Mudra will chair the OOH/Ambient Jury of Creative Abby; Senthil Kumar – Chief Creative Officer, J. Walter Thompson will chair the integrated category; Tarun Katial, Chief Executive Officer, Reliance Broadcast Network will be jury chair for the branded content category while Paresh Chaudhry, Chief Executive Officer, Madison PR will chair the Public Relations category.

     

    Sonal Dabral

    Sonal Dabral, Chairman & Chief Creative Officer, DDB Mudra has over two decades of experience in advertising industry and has curated many winning campaigns for major local, regional and multinational brands. Senthil Kumar – Chief Creative Officer, J. Walter Thompson has been recognized globally for the ability to amplify deep local insights into simple ideas that solve complicated marketing challenges. His work has risen beyond successful marketing case studies to mine over 100 international creative awards.

     

    Tarun Katial

    Tarun Katial, Chief Executive Officer, Reliance Broadcast Network Limited is at the helm of one of India’s youngest media houses. A stint in adverting followed by over a decade of experience in broadcast with brands like Star and Sony and now Reliance Broadcast, Tarun has successfully led high decibel launches of industry tent poles and has always been able to rightly tap the consumer’s pulse.

     

    Paresh Chaudhry

    Paresh Chaudhry, Chief Executive Officer, Madison PR has over 24 years of Brand Communication & Reputation Management experience across  Industries & key global markets and is also founder President of the Indian Forum Of  Corporate Communicators (IFCC).  Paresh’s last assignment was as Group President -Corporate Communications, Reliance Industries, prior to which he was Head of Communications at HUL & Communications Leader, Unilever South Asia.

     

  • Appoints Senior Team Members to lead the Marketing, Programming and Sales & Distribution function

    Reliance Broadcast strengthens top deck

    By A Correspondent

     

    Reliance Broadcast Network Limited has announced the appointment of Manoj Lalwani as Network Chief Marketing Officer, RBNL; Renuka Iyer as Network Sales & Distribution Head, RBNL; Bimal Unnikrishnan as Creative Director, BIG Magic and Amita Srivastava as National Head – Account Planning, RBNL.

     

    Lalwani in his role will spearhead the overall marketing function of the network (including television and radio), while Ms. Iyer will be responsible for Network Sales & Distribution. Both will report into Ashwin Padmanabhan, Chief Operating Officer, Reliance Broadcast Network Limited. Strengthening the programming team, Unnikrishnan will oversee content creation for BIG Magic. Amita Srivastava in her new role will be responsible for account planning for the network.

     

    Tarun Katial

    Talking about the new appointments, Tarun Katial, Chief Executive Officer, Reliance Broadcast Network Limited said, “We are happy to have Renuka, Amita, Manoj and Bimal on board who bring with them a wealth of experience and immense knowledge in their respective domains. Together, we aim to create differentiated and unique offerings for our discerning audience. I am sure that the team will add to existing talent pool and will successfully drive the growth story of the group.”

     

    With over 14 years of experience in marketing, Manoj Lalwani has been associated with prestigious brands like Mother Dairy, Cargill India, United Biscuits, VLCC Health Care, amongst others. Prior to joining Reliance Broadcast Network Limited, he held a leadership position as Vice President – Sales and Marketing, South Asia, VLCC Health Care for almost a year.

     

    Spearheading the sales function in leadership positions across digital and traditional platforms for close to 15+ years, Renuka Iyer has been associated with brands such as Zee News, Digital Radio Broadcasting Limited and Homeland Networks (USA). She worked with Zee News for 10 years where she was Senior Vice President (Sales) and with Digital Radio Broadcasting Limited as National Sales Head before moving to Reliance Broadcast Network Limited.

     

    Bimal Unnikrishnan has been an integral part of the television industry with an experience of 20 years. Bimal was Senior Creative Director and a key member of the Dance India Dance Franchise. Prior to joining Reliance Broadcast Network Limited, Bimal worked with BIG Productions as Head of Non-Fiction, UTV as Senior Creative Director, Miditech and also ran his own production house for over 3 years.

     

    With an experience of over 17 years in strategic media planning, Amita Srivastava has managed communication solutions for market leaders across segments, from cosmetics and auto to finance and hospitality amongst others. Prior to joining Reliance Broadcast Network Limited, Srivastava was the Vice President at ZenithOptimedia, heading the Mumbai branch.

     

  • With shows like PMS, Boyz and the like, Reliance Broadcast Network Creative Director Paritosh Painter knows he taking a risk with risqué, but his research shows that it will work for Big Magic

    Big Magic’s over-the-top comedy gambit will work: Paritosh Painter

    When in February this year, CEO Tarun Katial announced the appointment of Paritosh Painter as Network Creative Director of the Reliance Broadcast Network’s slew of offerings, friends and broadcast insiders had seen the path RBNL would take. For, Painter is known for being a specialist with comedy – whether it’s on Mumbai’s hyperactive theatre circuit or television and even cinema. He has done over 23 plays in Hindi and English with some 2500 shows across the globe. Besides this, he has scripted Bollywood films like Dhamaal (2007), Paying Guest (2009) (also directed the film), and All The Best: Fun Begins (2009). Being armed with an MBA, he has the much sought after combo of a creative mind who can think numbers and can crunch them with ease. As Reliance Broadcast’s flagship television channel Big Magic, has gone on an offensive in the comedy route, MxMIndia caught up with Paritosh Painter in his office for a quick chat.

     

    Big Magic has seen a recent change of look and positioning. What was the thinking behind that?

    When I joined Akbar Birbal was the No 1 show for Big Magic…

     

    In fact, it had become the driver for the channel. Just when everything was going right, you changed it.

    Since that time Tarun (Katial) and I have been debating on the positioning of the channel.  What should the channel be? I come from a very strong comedy background. I have been doing comedy in my theatre and my films.  I was debating with Tarun about how we can explore the comedy space to the maximum extent possible in the Indian market. The biggest Hindi comedy channel in the market is Sab TV today. But again, we felt Sab is more on the Dramedy zone:  a mix of comedy and drama. So it is not like a hilarious out-and-out Comedy Central kind of comedy. We felt that there is a vacuum in that space. There was no point doing a regular GEC because it is already saturated. We thought we could do a lot more ha-ha comedy rather than the Dramedy. So, that’s how we decided to change the complete strategy and positioning.

     

    But this is the fourth time the channel has taken a new look. It started off as yet another GEC with a focus on the middle end of the market, then it moved to being a light-hearted channel, later more in-your-face humour, and now a kind-of over-the-top comedy channel?

    Yes, it has become over-the-top and edgy since the whole shift was towards youth. Then, we did a lot of research, in terms of watching loads of content available on the internet, watching international content. And, we felt that the edgy comedy or content works more for the youth. That’s how we got all the shows around this concept…whether it is Boyz, PMS, or Akbar Birbal to  Hazir Jawab Birbal. We need to target the youth, we need to do stuff that excites the youth. As per our research, we felt that the edgy comedy space was the space that we need to be in. That’s how we are now focussing and positioning ourselves.

     

    You mentioned over-the-top approach. Does comedy have to necessarily go over-the-top? You have been a practitioner of comedy for long?

    So actually, there is this thing about Indian audiences which I have seen. Fortunately, I have been doing theatre and tend to travel not only across the country but also abroad. And we do shows in the US, UK, the Middle East and all across the globe. What I have noticed that Indians somehow prefer loud comedy as compared to other parts of the world. In fact, within the Indian subcontinent also I find a difference in taste. For example, in Mumbai, when I do shows in the suburbs, folks prefer loud, in-your-face comedy; but the same loud stuff is not preferred by the townies; they prefer more subtle comedy. So there are a couple of jokes we keep reserved for the suburb audience as against the NCPA audience. Again, North Indians love the loud, insulting edgy kind of humour, When we do shows in South India they prefer a subtle, intelligent kind of humour. But since our audience is more from North India so that’s the space we are exploring for the moment. Most of them prefer loud humour.

     

    But edgy also means double entendre… risqué content.

    Yes. We do. People enjoy that. Not only youth, but a large number of men also. I feel shows like Bhabhiji Ghar pe Hain has given us a good start for the Indian television viewers. Or even Kapil Sharma, the kind of humour he uses, I feel it really works. We are looking at exploring that space.

     

    But television is still watched by families in single TV homes. Does the edgy humour work?

    In fact, that’s the reason why we have moved our primetime. On Big Magic, primetime will start from 8.30 pm all the way to 11 pm. That’s how we have planned our strategy.

     

    Some of this could see some problems with the content regulator

    We are ready to take this risk. And, we want to take that risk. We have debated and decided and that’s the way we want to go.

     

    With shows like Boyz, PMS, you seem to be going all out on that path.

    Yes, we are. And there is no point holding back. The AIBs and TVFs of the world are taking over internet by storm. Why should television not be delivering what people want? So we are targeting the TVF, AIB space. They are our direct competitors, not other television channels who have other different programmes. Our competitors are not Sab or MTV. We are the new internet television channel catering to the youth.

     

    AIB has intelligent, news-oriented humour…

    We are getting into that space. We are coming out with two unscripted shows by Diwali which will be unscripted, news-based and topical shows.

     

    For instance, Aktor Calling Aktor, does comment, or does have some suggestions on what’s happening.

    So Aktor Calling Aktor, are the short comedy-based formats. We are also breaking formats. We are breaking rules. That’s what we want to do.

     

    How is it working with potential advertisers?

    If you have the right content, advertisers will lap it up. They would love to be a part of it. And advertisers are looking for a different kind of content. So again, I am probably dragging the AIB and TVF comparison, it is because people want to align with them, because they are different. Today, I believe people are more attached to the shows than channels. I think channel loyalty is dying and show loyalty is coming up. If we can get people to be loyal to our shows, it is better than people just getting loyal just to the channel.

     

    The channel tagline has the word LOL? Would you go in for English or a mix of Hindi and English?

    Yes, we are very keen to get into the Hinglish space also. We want to get into late night comedies. We are looking at some of those formats also. We talk of things which people don’t usually talk on television.

     

    What about targets and TRPs?

    A lot of factors dictate TRPs. There is distribution, there is marketing, a host of other factors. Just because the TRPs meters keep moving up and down doesn’t essentially mean that the content is wrong. There are other factors which could influence TRPs. Right now our target audience is the urban youth.

     

     


  • 92.7 BIG FM, today, ranks second at an all-India level

    92.7 Big FM unveils new logo

    By A Correspondent

     

    92.7 BIG FM has launched a new logo which is contemporary, young, optimistic and fun, both in content and design.

     

     

    Tarun Katial

    Speaking about the new logo, Tarun Katial, Chief Executive Officer, Reliance Broadcast Network Limited said, “At 92.7 BIG FM, our mission is to reach, engage and enrich the lives of India’s vast populace and we stand today as the largest and leading private FM Radio network with 45 stations. This logo is a step forward into a new world of excitement. We are very happy to enter this chapter and I am sure, we will set a new yardstick for success.”

     

    Ashwin Padmanabhan

    Ashwin Padmanabhan, Chief Operating Officer, Reliance Broadcast Network Limited said, “It has been an incredible journey for all of us at 92.7 BIG FM. We have consistently offered the best content to our listeners, associated with brands to create ongoing, far-reaching, cross-platform content driven by great entertainment and received recognition by the industry for our efforts. We continuously challenge our prowess with campaigns that are thought-provoking, entertaining and creating an impact socially. The new logo is a positive change and we are looking forward to creating yet another benchmark”.

     

    With its ground-breaking content and brand activations, 92.7 BIG FM, today, ranks second at an all-India level while reaching out to an astounding 43.2 million listeners per week. As the No. 1 radio station in 18 cities and at the No. 2 position in 8 cities, 92.7 BIG FM has successfully established leadership in key metros across the country.

  • Unilever was Client of the Year at while OgilvyOne Worldwide was Agency of the Year at the DMA Asia Echo Awards held last week

    Big Nite for the Datawallahs!

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    What’s one awards nite where many of the Big Pros of the A&M-land assembled and, no, it wasn’t the Abby, the Effies, the Emvies or Kyoorius? We’re talking of names like Piyush Pandey, D Shivakumar, Madhukar Kamath, Nagesh Alai, KV Sridhar, Bobby Pawar, Manish Bhatt, Damodar Mall, Tarun Katial and many, many others?  It was the DMA Asia Echo Awards, held last Friday (Aug 6) in Mumbai.

     

    Fast Facts:

    Entries from 542 participants, 75 agencies, 175 Brands

     

    Entries from 8 countries – India, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Phillipines, China, Japan, Thailand.

     

    Awards presented:

    4 Overall

    1 Best of Show

    1 Diamond

    142 Metals

    29 Golds

    26 Leaders

     

    Unilever was adjudged Client of the Year, while OgilvyOne Worldwide was Agency of the Year. Ogilvy & Mather was Network of the Year and WPP the Holding Company of the Year. The Best of Show for Creativity was awarded to Visa India for Visa Sarees and the Diamond for Effectiveness was taken away by OgilvyOne Worldwide Philipines.

     

    The International Echo Awards are the most prestigious awards in the data-driven marketing and advertising world. This year, DMAi, the Indian association which has been in existence since 1992, was accepted entries from across 17 countries in Asia for both the awards – the 2015 DMA Asia Echo Awards and The DMA International Echo Awards 2015.

     

    Underscoring the importance of the Echo awards, Rakhshin Patel, Managing Director, Pi Communications & Grand Jury Chairperson, said:  “For an athlete, the Olympics are the ultimate stage. Data-driven marketers share the same feeling about the Echo programme. There is indeed no bigger stage to showcase ideas and work that have yielded measurable, tangible, real results.”

     

    There were 15 Effectiveness categories and 3 Creative Effectiveness categories each headed by a biggie – Piyush Pandey, D Shivakumar, Madhukar Kamath, Geetu Verma, Nagesh Alai, Jasmin Sohrabji, Anupriya Acharya, Agnello Dias, Pratap Bose, Bobby Pawar, KV Sridhar, Tarun Katial, Manish Bhatt, Nishi Vasudeva, Damodar Mall, Susana Tsui, Anant Rangaswami  and Rajesh Kumar.

     

    Said Vatsal Asher, CEO & Shelly Singh, COO, DMAi: “We are honoured to be hosting and managing the Asia Echo Awards. Campaigns got judged with the best in the Region. We had a fantastic panel of Jury Presidents and 194 online judges this year. We hope to see an increase the list of Asian winners at the International Echo 2015 awards in the US where all Asian winners will fasttrack to Round 2.”

     

    As an apex, not for profit DMAi, since 1992, brings about collective action for advancing & protecting responsible Data Driven Marketing and Advertising. The DMAi is run on a day-to-day basis by Vatsal Asher (CEO) and Shelly Singh (COO) and the awards have been championed by Rakshin Patel (Grand Jury Chairperson) and Ajay Chandwani, (Chairman Emeritus).