Tata Sky has recently launched value-added services – Tata Sky Telugu Cinema and Tata Sky Tamil Cinema.  Said Arun Unni, Chief Content Officer, Tata Sky: “Telugu and Tamil film industries today have a fan following that transcends the state boundaries and captures the interest of viewers across the country. To cater to the ever-increasing demand for regional cinema, Tata Sky has partnered with Star Maa for Telugu films and Star Vijay for Tamil films to offer the best of content in an ad-free format to all movie lovers.â€
As Kerala struggles to rebuild after the most devastating floods in a century, The NDTV – Tata Sky initiative, in partnership with Dabur, organised a special telethon to raise funds for Kerala. The effort was to enable the rebuilding of villages in the three worst-affected districts and provide immediate assistance in terms of rehabilitation and food kits to people in the worst affected areas.
The telethon was held on Sunday 26 August at the Trident Hotel, BKC, Mumbai with guests and donations coming in from across the country. Joining NDTV hosts Vikram Chandra and Nidhi Kulpati and lending their support to this cause were Union Ministers, Nitin Gadkari and KJ Alphons; Dr Rajiv Kumar and Amitabh Kant from Niti Ayog; Chief Ministers Pinarayi Vijayan, Conrad Sangma, N Biren Singh, Raman Singh, Naveen Patnail and Devendra Fadnavis; State Ministers and politicians Thomas Isaac, Khushbu Sundar, Priya Dutt, Aditya Thackeray and Shashi Tharoor.
Also lending their support were Bollywood film and music celebrities Raveena Tandon, Rana Daggubati, Javed Akhtar, Manisha Koirala, Resul Pookutty, Jimmy Shergill, Abhishek Bachchan, Anand Rai, Sonakshi Sinha, Nandita Das, Mudassar Aziz, Shruti Haasan, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayan Ali Bangash. Singers Sonal Kalra, Ankur Tewari, Shaan, Tochi Raina, Kanika Kapoor, Hariharan, Shilpa Rao, Purbayan Chatterjee, Jasbir Jassi, Indian Idol participants Nitin Kumar and Renu Nagar sang and played during the six hour telethon.
Col Aman Anand, Wing Cdr Anupam Banerjee and Captain DK Sharma, spokespersons from the Army, Air Force and Navy; Environmentalists Chandra Bhushan from CSE, Rishi Aggarwal and Vimlendu Jha; animal rescue activist Anand Siva; Dr Sandeep Gore, Fortis Hospital; Columnist Anil Dharkar; Cricketer VVS Laxman; former Indigo Airlines President Aditya Ghosh and Mohammed Asif from Plan India also lent their support to this campaign.
Child artist Aarav Verma made a painting on the set to raise funds, which was bought by Arti Agarwal of Faber Castell; children from Uday Foundation donated their pocket money and R Abhilash and his techies group described their contribution to rebuilding Kerala.
Every creative team dreams to create a unique communication style deeply associated with a brand. Something so unique, it becomes the default signature style of the brand. It redefines brand tonality and the brand-consumer connect.
However, creating a unique style of expression, tonality, storytelling or a strong association with a person or character is a dual-edged sword. Few brands, which succeeded in this area, are consistently sensitive to their responsibility. Instead of getting cramped, these brands have learnt to exploit the constraints such associations impose on the brand.
Tata Sky latest campaign #HarSceneKaMazaaLo leverages India’s favourite brand ambassador Amitabh Bachchan playing a character resembling his role in the recent film; 102 Not out.
Playing the role of a Bengali movie critic who holds nothing back, he interacts with easily recognisable scenes and character from Indian cinema across screen formats. The campaign features famous Sindoor ki kimat , Khamosh, Babu Moshay, KKK Kiran and Singham dialogues and acts. It lacks the humour quotient and underutilises the inherent potential of the concept and the actor. It even alienates few of the potential subscribers*.
Not sure what holds Tata Sky back. The brand in its earlier work has demonstrated how well it celebrates unrestrained creative expressions.  Watch the acting classes advertisement series. Watch the main DVC centred on Ramleela or the DVC that shows AB practising facial expressions. They are entertaining works resonating with the audience.
I may find few subscribers to the view that the brilliance of Amitabh Bachchan is limiting the scope of creativity for Tata Sky. Here is another work, the Rs 199 Dhamaka pack and suddenly the doubts start raising their head.
There is no point comparing current communication with the era when Aamir Khan was the brand ambassador. Tata Sky creative expression and execution far better leveraged the talent of Aamir’s talent. He portrayed multiple roles like salesman, saloon guy, Sardar or Milkman and thus was more endearing to a substantial subset of consumers.
I think Tata Sky needs to rethink its brand ambassador strategy. At least for this series of communication, the brand needs to interact with its audience playfully but in a younger and vibrant avatar.
Meanwhile, brand Flipkart has extended the hugely successful format of Adult Kid. It is a unique expression style strongly associated with the brand. They have been treating the subject and the characters with sensitivity and newness preventing staleness to develop. You can watch every TVC many times over and not feel bored.
Here watch Flipkart Fashion or Big Billion Day where kids and adult both roles are played by kids.
In the recent ‘tested furniture’ advertisements, Sofa or Trampoline or Table or Tabla, Flipkart remains as lovable and endearing as always. Maybe the brand can consider creating this unique style into a TV Serial.
Many brands have experimented to create a unique expression style and tonality of the brand. Two of them need special mention. Vodafone with the character Zoozoo , Voltas All Star AC with Murthy and AIRTEL with the Airtel Girl.
If you now wish to have a signature style of expression and tonality, take the route at your own risk.
*Based on my interaction with TV viewers across segment
Sanjeev Kotnala is a senior marketing and business strategy consultant. He writes every Wednesday on MxMIndia. The views here are personal
Tata Sky’s latest ATL campaign highlights its multiple entertainment offerings with two versions – one featuring Amitabh Bachchan and the other featuring Southern superstar Nayanthara.
In Tata Sky’s ad campaign ‘#HarSceneKaMazaaLo’ Amitabh Bachchan adorns the role of a Bengali critic giving his point of view on iconic film dialogues and superstars in a series of nine ad films. The objective of the ad campaign, notes a communique, is to showcase how an individual enjoys the offerings of Tata Sky to the fullest, highlighting the abundance of entertainment across platforms.
Said Tata Sky’s Chief Communications Officer Malay Dikshit: “In a country which is obsessed with movies, it’s not a surprise that feature films aired on TV contributes to over 28% of the total viewership. Mr. Bachchan’s legacy and Nayanthara’s versatile personality along with Ogilvy and Mather’s creativity has helped us create the Magic for Tata Sky. It beautifully depicts our objective to offer maximum and some of the best entertaining content to our consumers at any budget, on any screen, anytime, anywhere.â€
Added Ogilvy and Mather Chief Creative Officer Sukesh Nayak: “When you truly enjoy watching a film you begin to respond to an actor’s performance. You are either awed or disappointed by their performance and you maybe vocal about it. We used this insight as an entry point to talk about the huge bouquet of movie channels Tata Sky has to offer. The core idea of ‘Har scene ka mazaa lo’ was beautifully brought to life by none other than Mr. Bachchan enacting the role of a tough film critic with Shoojit directing. For the south leg of the campaign, we worked with Nayanthara to create a very hard hitting anti cable campaign. Each film in this campaign is amplifying Tata Sky’s superior offering with a memorable story.â€
GroupM agency Wavemaker has announced the retention of media duties for Tata Sky. Maxus (now part of Wavemaker) has been the media agency on record ever since the DTH service provider launched its operations in India in 2006.
Said Kartik Sharma, Managing Director – Wavemaker South Asia: “I am grateful to Tata Sky team for selecting us as their strategic media partners right from the start of their launch in India. Associating with Tata Sky for over a decade now has been an enriching experience for all of us. Tata Sky is one of our oldest client partners in India and we are extremely happy to continue our relationship with them. We are excited about our new global framework – ‘Rapid Growth Planning’ which will help Tata Sky in identifying growth opportunities and help in further strengthening the brand.â€
Added Malay Dikshit, Chief Communications Officer – ‎Tata Sky:  “GroupM has been associated with Tata Sky for the past 10 years and it was time that we scanned the media industry for best practices, great leadership and sound commercials. While there were some brilliant and very strong contenders delivering on all of these requirements, team Wavemaker stood a step ahead with their strategic steer and detailed planning. Tata Sky welcomes Wavemaker on board again.â€
Tata Sky has launched Tata Sky Marathi Cinema, a new service bringing Marathi movies, songs and plays to subscribers. In the launch film, actor Swwapnil Joshi adds light on the irreplaceable treasures of Marathi Cinema that will be available on the service.
The service, launched in partnership with Shemaroo, will give subscribers access to more than 120 films, 500 songs and the best in Marathi theatre. Viewers will be able to watch as many as three movies a day apart from access to plenty of ad-free content including comedy special and trailers.
Said Arun Unni, Chief Content Officer at Tata Sky: “Tata Sky Marathi Cinema, like Tata Sky Bangla Cinema and Tata Sky Punjab De Rang, is a reaffirmation of our belief that there is considerable demand and interest for a good regional cinema experience – high quality movies and plays in a convenient ad-free format. Marathi Cinema is currently amid a resurgence, appreciated not just by Marathi speakers but by cinema lovers across the country. This product is our way of engaging lovers of iconic Marathi masterpieces.â€
Added Hiren Gada, Director – Shemaroo Entertainment: “Shemaroo Entertainment is pleased to associate with Tata Sky and bring the finest of marathi films, songs and theatre on Tata Sky Marathi Cinema. The service will be fueled by Shemaroo’s exhaustive and eclectic library of content and programming expertise. Our endeavour has always been to add value to our business partners and boost their offerings with our content prowess. With strong, bold, wide content and scaled production values, Marathi cinema has not just managed to grow in the recent past but also break the regional shackles and create a buzz amongst cinema lovers. We are confident that the audiences will enjoy this new offering.â€
So the headline is that 21st Century Fox has  announced that its has entered into a definitive agreement to combine a part of its businesses with Disney that includes the film and television studios, cable entertainment networks and international TV businesses. The deal value: $52.4 Billion
The merger move is subject to customary conditions, including regulatory and shareholder approval. But as we have seen in the recent past, these could well be more than just a formality as we’ve seen in the AT&T acquisition of Time Warner.
It intends to spin off a portfolio of its news, sports and broadcast businesses to create a new “Fox,†which will be a growth company centered on live news and sports brands, anchored by the strength of the Fox Network. The new “Fox†will include Fox News Channel, Fox Business Network, Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox Sports, Fox Television Stations Group, and sports cable networks FS1, FS2, Fox Deportes and Big Ten Network (BTN). It will also include the Company’s studio lot in Los Angeles and equity investment in Roku.
Combining with Disney are 21st Century Fox’s critically acclaimed film production businesses including Twentieth Century Fox, Fox Searchlight and Fox 2000, which together offer diverse and compelling storytelling businesses and are the homes of Avatar, X-Men, Fantastic Four and Deadpool, as well as The Grand Budapest Hotel, Hidden Figures, Gone Girl, The Shape of Water, and The Martian – and its storied television creative units, Twentieth Century Fox Television, FX Productions and Fox21, who have brought The Americans, This Is Us, Modern Family, The Simpsons, and so many more hit TV series to viewers across the globe. Disney will also acquire FX Networks, Fox Sports Regional Networks, Fox Networks Group International, Star India, and 21st Century Fox’s interests in National Geographic Partners, Hulu, Sky, Tata Sky and Endemol Shine Group.  21st Century Fox remains committed to completing its proposed acquisition of the shares in Sky it does not own, and anticipates that the acquisition of Sky will close by June 30, 2018. Robert A. Iger will stay on as Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company till the end of calendar year 2021.
“The acquisition of this stellar collection of businesses from 21st Century Fox reflects the increasing consumer demand for a rich diversity of entertainment experiences that are more compelling, accessible and convenient than ever before,†said Robert A. Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Walt Disney Company, adding: “We’re honored and grateful that Rupert Murdoch has entrusted us with the future of businesses he spent a lifetime building, and we’re excited about this extraordinary opportunity to significantly increase our portfolio of well-loved franchises and branded content to greatly enhance our growing direct-to-consumer offerings. The deal will also substantially expand our international reach, allowing us to offer world-class storytelling and innovative distribution platforms to more consumers in key markets around the world.â€
Added Rupert Murdoch, Executive Chairman of 21st Century Fox: “We are extremely proud of all that we have built at 21st Century Fox, and I firmly believe that this combination with Disney will unlock even more value for shareholders as the new Disney continues to set the pace in what is an exciting and dynamic industry.Furthermore, I’m convinced that this combination, under Bob Iger’s leadership, will be one of the greatest companies in the world. I’m grateful and encouraged that Bob has agreed to stay on, and is committed to succeeding with a combined team that is second to none.â€
With the critical fourth phase of digitisation underway, DTH major Tata Skyrolled out its latest ‘Dhamaka Rupee’ campaign. The 360-degree campaign features Nayanthara for the southern markets and Amitabh Bachchan across other markets in India. The campaign aims to encourage consumers to make the right switch from analogue cable to Tata Sky, with the Dhamaka Pack (for the rest of the country) and South Special Pack (for the five South states).
The campaign, directed by award-winning director Shoojit Sircar, has superstar Amitabh Bachchan portraying a grumpy yet loveable shop owner – ‘Uncleji’ whose life has turned upside down because of the success of the Dhamaka 199 pack. The pack, selling like hot cakes, forces him to keep stocking one rupee coins as change to give back to the customer. Meanwhile, in a small village in southern India, the affable Meenakshi, essayed by Nayanthara, is grumpy too as she looks for the elusive one rupee coin, thanks to the success of Tata Sky’s South Special Pack.
Said Malay Dikshit, Tata Sky’s Chief Communications Officer: “It’s second nature for us Indians to be exact about the value for what we buy. The simple and humorous communication in this campaign makes use of this peculiar behaviour and lands the price, the pack details and value for money messaging – all in a few seconds. Through this campaign we are looking at targeting 70 mn cable TV households across the country.â€
Added Sukesh Nayak, Ogilvy and Mather‘s Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy West: “To sell Tata Sky’s most popular and extremely competitive value pack, priced at just 199, we decided to play on the fun side of the struggle that a shopkeeper has to go through, when he has to return the change for such a popular pack.”
Tata Sky has announced the launch of a brand-new ad campaign featuring actor Amitabh Bachchan. The new campaign was launched alongside its latest interactive service ‘Tata Sky Acting Adda’ powered by FTheCouch (FTC).
To launch this service, Ogilvy & Mather conceptualised a campaign with the tagline ‘Bade Break ka BadaManch’using Bachchan. Shot by director Shoojit Sircar, the ad – a series of four TVCs – captures Bachchan’s transformation into a confident actor in a very simple yet extremely fun way.
Said Malay Dikshit, Chief Communications Officer, Tata Sky: “This service caters to a much under serviced need of aspiring actors to get the much needed break as well as the need of casting experts to have a ready talent pool. The communication, which delivers a smile has the service woven into a beautifully simple story. Mr Bachchan and O&M have once again created magic for Tata Sky.â€
Added Sukesh Nayak – ECD, Ogilvy & Mather: “What better way to launch an acting school platform than have India’s superstar play a role of an ordinary man with a desire to act. We hope with this product, every Indian, no matter living where, now gets an opportunity to embellish his acting skills and show his talent on big stage.”
With the Oscars just around the corner, it is that time of the year when viewers wish they could watch that Oscar nominated movie today. Â Tata Sky has just made that thought a little easier with the new Showcase service called Tata Sky Hollywood Winners.
Available in both SD and HD, Tata Sky Hollywood Winners will be complimentary for all Tata Sky subscribers. Catering to the trend of watching movies on the move the service will also be available on the Tata Sky Mobile App. Starting this week, the service will run for a period of one month, up to first week of March. This service will showcase select movies that were winners or nominated for ‘Best Picture’, ‘Best Director’, ‘Best Actor/Actress in a lead role’ in the previous years’ Academy Awards.
On the launch of Tata Sky Hollywood Winners, Paolo Agostinelli, Chief Content and Business Development Officer at Tata Sky said, “The last Oscars was watched over 200 countries with a viewership of over 30 mn. Apart from viewership the demand for Oscar nominated or winning movies also goes up during this time of the year. True to our objective of providing world-class quality content, Tata Sky hence went about collating a bunch of acclaimed Oscar movies that would appeal to viewers across age groups and genres. We have in the past seen a positive sentiment and higher loyalty with HD subscribers whenever we launch such unique and differentiated services. We look forward to many more subscribers enjoying our offerings.â€
This service becomes a one stop destination for Oscar movies that will run all day throughout the week. Some of the best films on offer are The Wolf of Wall Street, The Hurt Locker, Crash, The Reader, American Hustle and many more.
The service comes as a prelude to the Oscar Awards on 27th Feb.
Tata Sky Music+ has brought out a musical online activation where a diverse set of bands and musical talent from The Yellow Diary (@tydtheband) to Kanchan Daniel and The Beards, Hriday Gattani to Sharma and The Besharams. Held live from October 18 to 22, across Twitter and Facebook, all the viewers had to do is answer the questions asked on the Tata Sky handle (@TataSky) with the hashtag #MyKindOfMusic.
Based on responses, the selected bands and artists created the song from scratch in real time along with videos and uploaded onlinewithin 8-9 hours. Only the best responses were selected for the tailor-made songs.
It was a four day social marathon, four bands, 10 music compositions, real-time music and video production, live behind the scene videos, eight genres and four 360-degree videos.
On the occasion of celebrating its 10th Anniversary, Tata Sky has roped in superstar Amitabh Bachchan to wish all its subscribers with a series of ad films.
Titled ‘Aao Khushiyan Manaye’ and directed by Shoojit Sircar, these ad films showcase the silver screen icon celebrating the birthday of Tata Sky with a bunch of children. Young at heart and in the industry, these films, highlight Tata Sky’s special offering to its subscribers on this joyous occasion.
Celebrating the campaign, Malay Dikshit, Chief Communication Officer at Tata Sky said, “We needed to wish our subscribers a big Thank You on Tata Sky’s 10th Anniversary. Our subscribers come from across the country, cultures and age group. Who would be better than the universally recognized icon – Amitabh Bachchan to deliver the message in a simple and playful manner.â€
Sukesh Kumar Nayak, Executive Creative Director at Ogilvy & Mather says, “There can’t be anyone younger at heart then Mr. Bachchan. He was as eager as any other 10 year old at the shoot. It was fun to watch him become a child again to execute this idea and make the 10 year celebration of Tata sky even more enjoyable.”
As a part of the celebrations, all subscribers will get to view over 500 + channels and services that Tata Sky  offers at no additional cost to their on-going subscription between 8th to 21st August 2016. Tata Sky, is also carrying a special ‘Celebrating 10 Years’ logo on its platform.
Every creative team dreams to create a unique communication style deeply associated with a brand. Something so unique, it becomes the default signature style of the brand. It redefines brand tonality and the brand-consumer connect.
Tata Sky has launched Tata Sky Marathi Cinema, a new service bringing Marathi movies, songs and plays to subscribers. In the launch film, actor Swwapnil Joshi adds light on the irreplaceable treasures of Marathi Cinema that will be available on the service.
With the Oscars just around the corner, it is that time of the year when viewers wish they could watch that Oscar nominated movie today. Â Tata Sky has just made that thought a little easier with the new Showcase service called Tata Sky Hollywood Winners.