MxMIndia

Tag: Times Internet Limited

  • TIL's dedicated IPL site, ipl.indiatimes.com, now offers interactive scorecards, high-definition streaming of IPL matches, DVR features, online radio commentary, video-on-demand facility, and 'Battleground' section

    TIL brings a bigger and better IPL season 5

    By A Correspondent

     

    Times Internet Limited (TIL), in partnership with YouTube, is back with a slew of new features to woo cricket lovers for the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which starts on Wednesday.

     

    TIL’s dedicated IPL site, ipl.indiatimes.com, now offers interactive scorecards, high-definition streaming of IPL matches, DVR features (to rewind during a match), online radio commentary in partnership with AIR , video-on-demand facility, and an all new ‘Battleground’ section.

     

    Making its debut this year is the interactive 10 minute video show ‘Pitch Studio’, where fans can interact with stalwarts from the cricketing world including a former cricket team captain and expert, by posting their comments and questions on Facebook and Twitter. These pre-match shows will give a quick recap of past matches and talk about key events, with guest stars adding an element of surprise.

     

    “Having attracted a total of 72 million global views last year, we are looking to make IPL 2012 a lot more user-centric, giving user’s total control over their IPL viewing experience,” says Rishi Khiani, CEO, Times Internet Limited.

     

    In the ‘Battleground’ section, IPL fans can post their comments and also indulge in activities such as throwing tomatoes and eggs at the other side during a live match. The new DVR feature will allow fans to rewind on the time-line and watch any part of the match that they may have missed. Adding to all the fun is the cheerleader application, video scorecard that captures video highlights on the fly during the match stream, and the video-on-demand feature, which offers match highlights such as fours, sixes and face-offs between players.

     

    Given the phenomenal success of the Indiatimes platform during the previous IPL season, it’s no surprise that this year too, some of its heavy weight sponsors including Maruti, Coca Cola, and Samsung, have put their weight behind TIL as premium sponsors.

  • The Times Internet CEO tells MxMIndia that indiatimes.com plans to take its IPL tieup to more interactive lengths in the 2012 season.

    IPL 5: Indiatimes to make experience better: Rishi Khiani

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTWC38mFJB0[/youtube]

    By Shruti Pushkarna

     

    The Indian Premier League (IPL) has signed up with indiatimes.com to be its official online broadcaster for IPL 2012. Addressing the media in New Delhi, Rishi Khiani, CEO, Times Internet Limited shared the enthralling online cricket experience indiatimes.com is set to roll out with its unique new features this year. This is indiatimes’ second IPL season as official online broadcaster.

     

    Mr Khiani shared the new product features that have been added to enrich the viewers’ experience this season. Citing the differentiating factors from last year, he said, “We have taken a lot of social features that we played with last year and the Facebook integration that we did last year and moved to a whole new level. We’ve got something called the IPL Battle Ground which is a far more community driven game-ified version of the Facebook chat that we had last year. So the whole community element is a big differentiator. We have taken the offline experience of watching cricket with friends and made it even more interactive. We have added far more features to the player this season. We have added cue points and a video scorecard below the player. Another functionality that has been built into the player this year is the DVR, Digital Video Recording, this allows you to go back in time to watch something you have missed.”

     

    Indiatimes observed a 79 percent increase in viewership in India last season, and is expecting a similar increase this season as well. Statistics suggest an equal split between the male and female viewership ratio online. To make this season bigger and better, certain innovations have been made to add to the wholesome IPL experience. The homepage is designed in a way that it has everything in and around IPL which makes it in a way, ‘destination IPL’, with all the touch points of IPL in one place. Other innovations include an interactive scorecard, DVR, a high definition video player and a Video on Demand (VOD) section. The VOD page will have a lot of editorial packaging in the form of celebrity moments in the match, fun moments in the match, packages of all Fours or all Sixes and so on. Some of the other content features that have been added this year are, latest tweets, Match key moments, Fun Facts, Player interviews, Pre-match shows and TOI RSS feeds.

     

    Addressing a concern on connectivity issues while viewing live feed online, Mr Khiani said, “The video player is built in with an adaptive streaming as per network availability. We have created a stream that would work for broadband connection but also work really well for people who have narrowband connections, so connectivity shouldn’t be an issue.”

     

    Mr Khiani also said that their idea is to create a 360 degree experience, a holistic experience which is something that TV cannot create. Indiatimes has partnered with All India Radio (AIR) for IPL commentary, so all cricket fans can tune into AIR to listen to commentary of IPL. The commentary will also be available on an IVR which will have the advantage of giving a recap of sorts every time one dials in.

     

    Mr Khiani stated that the total spends for this season would amount to around $6 million. Talking about the overall investment this year, Mr Khiani said, “We will probably spend less this year in marketing because last year it was just ten days before the tournament and we had to make sure that we got all eyeballs onto the site, but this year we know what works and what doesn’t work. We have a community base that’s already been built up last year that we can do some sort of targeting to. So the costs have actually come down in terms of marketing.” In terms of revenue, he said that a 40 percent increase has already been recorded from last year and they are expected to break even this year.

     

    Sponsors for this year who have already signed up include Coke, Samsung and Maruti as presenting sponsors. Out of these, Maruti and Samsung are repeat sponsors from last year. HUL and Hero have signed up as the co sponsors for this season, again both are repeat sponsors from last season. Sponsors under the New Partner Categories include, E Bay, Kotak Mahindra bank, Citi Bank and Karbonn Mobiles.

     

    Mr Khiani said that Indiatimes has observed a clear growth in terms of both page views and monetization through the sponsors. He also said that a tournament like IPL has a ‘halo effect’ in terms of returns on investment. He said, “The halo effect is something that we see not just from current monetization this season but from annual deals we do, like the video inventory that we sell. We also introduce new formats for potential advertisers who then get introduced to the Times Network and once they are introduced to the Times Network and they have seen return on investment, they are bound to advertise with us. We’ve seen them advertise with us through the year. So that halo effect kicks in. So in terms of monetization, it is a good investment and in terms of the brand association with IPL and the halo effect, it’s even better.”

     

  • Tweek can be accessed via iPad and will soon be launched for iPhone and Android devices. The application has been developed in partnership with GENWI

    Times Internet’s ‘Tweek’ hits the market

    By A Correspondent

     

    Tablet users can now discover a whole new world of information and entertainment at their fingertips, with the launch of India’s first tablet magazine, Tweek. Created by Times Internet Limited (TIL), Tweek can be accessed via iPad and will soon be launched for iPhone and Android devices. The application has been developed in partnership with GENWI, inventor and leader of cloud-based mobile publishing.

     

    The weekly magazine will offer content with an urban perspective. Keeping in mind people’s wide range of interests, Tweek will feature stories from around the world across business, entertainment, lifestyle and sport. Its interactive format will allow readers to not just instantly share stories through social networking sites, including Facebook and Twitter, but also share their feedback with the Tweek team. Tweek has also enabled the reader to not just read a story, but also to listen to and watch it and thus, experience the content.

     

    In a first-of-its-kind, readers will be able to actively shape a magazine. They will be able to connect directly with the writers of Tweek, and share their feedback about the stories they enjoyed, effectively ‘Tweek’ing the magazine to something they would look forward to reading every week.

     

    “Tweek offers its readers an unparalleled experience in terms of interactivity, customization and usability. Its content will be kept fresh and relevant by the large database of content available within the TIL network. With its launch, we intend to pioneer the tablet magazine space in India” said Rishi Khiani, CEO, Times Internet Limited.

     

    Mr Khiani also said that they are interested in experimenting with different ways to monetize the content beyond traditional web advertising. Taking advantage of this new medium which incorporates the rich engagement features of the web into a mobile touch experience on a larger screen they hope can deliver new advertising concepts.

     

    GENWI’s Cloud Publish solution enables has enabled Tweek to deliver contextual commerce, rich-media advertorials that are geo-location aware, and switch out advertisers or ad units on the fly.

     

    Given the flexibility of GENWI’s mobile content management system, the partnership with GENWI will allow TIL complete creative freedom and control to deliver a beautifully branded magazine-like experience on an app.

     

    PJ Gurumohan, Founder and CEO of GENWI said: “With the power of the cloud, Tweek will save time and production costs by reusing design layouts from week to week – all in standard web-based protocols such as HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript. But, the most groundbreaking aspect of the application is the way it surfaces existing content and takes full advantage of the tablet experience to create higher levels of reader engagement and the flexibility to explore new monetization channels.”

     

    Times Internet Limited, (TIL), is the internet and mobile venture of India’s largest media house – the Times Group. Indiatimes.com, TIL’s flagship brand, commands more than one billion views per month. The other key properties in the TIL portfolio are Timesofindia.com and economictimes.com.

     

    GENWI ( www.genwi.com ) makes mobile publishing simple – in the cloud. As the inventor and leader of cloud-based mobile publishing, GENWI enables publishers and enterprises to easily manage content across mobile platforms, deliver an excellent brand experience, and find new monetization opportunities.

     

    Also read
    http://www.mxmindia.com/2011/11/inma-toi-launches-tweek/

  • Users can now access local information on the go with the app on Nokia smartphones

    timesPoynt now preloaded on Nokia Lumia 710 and Nokia 800

    By A Correspondent

     

    Nokia smartphone users inIndiacan now enjoy a world of convenience and information at their fingertips with the launch of Nokia’s latest smartphones, the Nokia Lumia 710 and Nokia Lumia 800, which come preloaded with the timesPoynt application.

     

    The new app, timesPoynt, has been developed in partnership with Times Internet Limited (TIL) -India’s leading mobile and internet venture, and Poynt Corporation, a leading provider of mobile local search and advertising services.

     

    The free application powered by data from Timescity.com, allows users to click-to-call businesses, get directions, browse listing websites, send details to a friend or add listings to their device calendar or address book. The Nokia smart phones preloaded with the timesPoynt app enter the market just two months after the application was launched earlier this year.

     

    The Nokia preload marks timesPoynt’s second distribution agreement with a handset manufacturer inIndia. The app is already available in India on iPhone and Android devices, along with BlackBerry smartphones.

     

    “Preburning timesPoynt on Nokia Smartphones augments our reach in the savvy-mobile audiences. With this, we hope to see significant uptakes in our search queries and consequently more contextual and location-based advertising”, says Rishi Khiani, CEO, Times Internet Limited (TIL).

     

    “We have seen tremendous uptake and retention with each preload we have launched and we anticipate that the Indian market will be no different,” said Marco Hunstad, SVP, Business Development & Global Distribution, Poynt Corporation.

     

    As part of its initial plans, the partnership between TIL and Poynt Corp will leverage TIL’s relationships in Indiawith advertisers, agencies and merchants in order to monetize the app. It plans to market and promote timesPoynt through all its media vehicles such as radio, television, magazines and newsprint.

     

    OEM or original equipment manufacturers’ preloads are key to targeting more than 858 million mobile subscribers inIndia(TRAI estimates). They allow users of specific devices, such as the Nokia Lumia 710 and Nokia Lumia 800, to discover the best apps for their device, with the least time spent searching.