MxMIndia

Tag: Viacom18

  • Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) are increasingly becoming crucial drivers of social and economic growth in the 21st century

    Piracy body CIPAM & Viacom18 launch campaign on IPR

     

     

    Viacom18 announced its partnership with the Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM), a professional body under the aegis of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) to launch a sustained behaviour change and capacity building campaign around protection of proprietary content and fight against piracy.

     

    Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) are increasingly becoming crucial drivers of social and economic growth in the 21st century. In this context, the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) is organizing a three-day “National Workshop on Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights” from 22nd to 24th August, 2017. The workshop was inaugurated by Hon’ble Union Minister of Home Affairs, Shri Rajnath Singh. This workshop is designed to help police officials and prosecutors across the country in understanding and appreciating the importance of their role in effective enforcement of IPRs. It will also provide an opportunity to the officials to share their experiences, exchange best practices and coordinate effectively with each other.

     

    Speaking about this initiative, Sujeet Jain, Group General Counsel and Company Secretary, Viacom18 said: “When it comes to consumption and circulation of pirated content, there is very limited knowledge about its economic and social impact. In furtherance to the National IPR Policy adopted by the Government of India and through this partnership with CIPAM, we hope to raise awareness amongst youth and children about the perils of piracy and need for the protection of IPR.”

     

    Added Rajiv Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion: “A possible solution to the problem of piracy lies in creating awareness about IPR among the masses. It is pertinent to note that one of the main objectives enshrined in the National IPR Policy is creating awareness about IPRs to build a healthy IP ecosystem in the country. We are glad that Industry is helping us in our journey of making Creative India; Innovative India. I thank Viacom 18 for taking lead to rally the cause of IPR protection.”

     

  • Fame-istan will be enabling four aspiring filmmakers to live their dream of making a film and being mentored by top- guns in the Indian film industry

    MTV and HP Inc. launch a platform for budding filmmakers

    By A Correspondent

     

    MTV along with HP Inc have initiative an attempt to give a “democratic makeover” to the craft of filmmaking through their latest venture, HP India MTV Fame-istan.

     

    Said Ferzad Palia, Head – Youth, Music and English Entertainment, Viacom18: “At MTV we believe in inspiring and empowering youngsters. Fame- istan is a platform that will enable young movie makers kickstart their filmmaking career that too with the help of ace directors from the industry. Cinema is a powerful and inspiring platform and is by far the only democratic tool in the country that has a mass outreach. Indian cinema has grown in different directions of late and offers more diversity than ever and Fame- istan is a perfect platform for budding artists to showcase their talent through cinema.”

     

    Commenting on the collaboration with MTV, Ayesha Durante – Head of Country Marketing, HP Inc, India, said: “We are delighted to be creating this platform along with MTV. HP has always been at the forefront of innovation, we are looking forward to empowering young filmmakers with this platform to express themselves creatively. With HP and MTV coming together for Fame-istan, HP is furthering its proposition of ‘ReinventMyStory’ by providing the youth a launchpad to showcase their own capabilities, stand out early on in their lives and make their mark in this space, thereby reinventing the story of their lives. This unparalleled access to great Bollywood mentoring and powerful technology of HP has the potential to redefine what creativity can achieve.”

     

  • Famous Dropouts and Entrepreneurs Sandeep Aggarwal, AlokKejriwal, Anisha Singh, Raghu Ram and Rajiv Laxman roped in as masters on the show

    Dropouts get a headstart on MTV

    By A Correspondent

     

    MTV is all set to create an all-new format with MTV Dropout Pvt. Ltd. Created by Monozygotic and co-developed by MTV and Monozygotic, the show will premiere on July 29 at 7pm on MTV and the next day onwards on Voot.

     

    Dropout Pvt. Ltd. is a show that will take viewers through the process of identifying and transforming ‘dropouts’into the ideal start-up team and kickstarting their entrepreneurial journey. It will lead to the birth of a startup which will then be groomed and mentored by senior industry persons.

     

    Speaking about the first season of Dropout Pvt. Ltd., Ferzad Palia, Head, Youth, Music and English Entertainment, Viacom18 said: “India is brimming with young untapped energy keen on making ideas come to life and MTV aims at empowering these youngsters by providing them the biggest encouragement in the form of Dropout Pvt. Ltd. to kickstart their entrepreneurial dreams.”

     

  • At the heart of it, MTV Nishedh will be the centrepiece of a MTV Shuga-styled mass media behaviour change campaign in India

    MTV Nishedh gets set for an India launch soon

    By A Correspondent

     

    At the Family Planning 2020 summit in London, Viacom18 announced its intention to launch MTV Nishedh, a localised format of the critically and commercially acclaimed drama series MTV Shuga, in India. The summit, which was co-hosted by the UK Department for International Development and UN Population Fund, in association with USAID and Global Affairs Canada, saw Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) announce its plans to expand MTV Shuga with two new localised versions in India and Egypt by 2020.

     

    According to a communique, MTV Nishedh will be the centrepiece of a MTV Shuga-styled mass media behaviour change campaign in India, aimed at increasing knowledge and generating positive attitude towards contraceptive use, gender violence, HIV prevention and child abuse. MTV Staying Alive Foundation had pioneered MTV Shuga, its most successful behaviour change campaign till date, in Nairobi in 2009 with a long-running drama TV series and multimedia campaign that follows the lives of young people on the African continent.

     

    “Education and awareness must form the backbone of liberation – be it economic or sexual. With just 15 per cent of the total youth population having being exposed to any form of sex education, as a society we have allowed social stigma to overpower our responsibility to educate and empower our future,”observed Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO – Viacom18. Adding further he said: “‘Entertainment’ is our business, ‘engaging’ consumers, our strength and ‘enriching’ their lives, a responsibility. These 3 Es together form our legacy, that of a network with a humane purpose. With MTV being the country’s most resonant youth brand, we are optimally poised to dial up the reach of sex education in our country, through MTV Nishedh.”

     

    Georgia Arnold, Executive Director of the MTV Staying Alive Foundation and SVP of Social Responsibility for MTV International: “We know that storytelling has the power to catalyse positive social change, and have seen that first-hand in Africa with series like MTV Shuga,” said. “By bringing this format to new countries and new continents, we are committed to challenging misconceptions and inspiring our audiences to talk openly and honestly about their sexual health, encouraging more young people to protect themselves.”

     

  • To launch a range of bottomwear for men including cargo pants, three-fourths, joggers and convertible pants and trousers

    And now, Roadies ‘Bottomwear’

    By A Correspondent

     

    Viacom18 Consumer Products, the consumer products arm of Viacom18, is all set to collaborate with clothing brand Beevee to launch Roadies Bottomwear, inspired by the rough and tough look sported by the participants and gang leaders in MTV Roadies Rising, notes a communique.

     

    Commenting on the association with Beevee, Saugato Bhowmik, Head, Viacom18 Consumer Products and Integrated Network Solutions, Viacom18 said: “Viacom18 Consumer Products has an extensive bouquet of consumer products for the youth. Our products under brand MTV range across apparel, fashion accessories, footwear, tech accessories, personal care and hospitality and Roadies products range across apparel, watches, sunglasses, innerwear, bags and now bottomwear. This association with Beevee for the launch of Roadies Bottomwear will let our consumers experience Roadies in all its glory. The products are super comfortable and have been created keeping in mind the needs of the youngsters of today who especially enjoy being outdoors.”

     

    Speaking about the collection, Sanjay Shah, Managing Head, Beevee said, “It brings us immense pleasure to announce our collaboration with Roadies for bottom wear by Beevee, thinking of roadies the first thing that comes to our mind is connecting to millions of youth which connects to latest fashion. We look forward to create the latest trend for an ever young community.”

     

  • Launches a new campaign for Voot Kids "Bachche ab no more atko'ing, no more latko'ing!"

    Voot curates media campaign for kids

    By A Correspondent

     

    Viacom18’s Video-On-Demand OTT service Voot has rolled a campaign for its kids content segment – Voot Kids.

     

    Commenting on continued focus on understanding kids and their needs, Akash Banerjee, Head – Marketing & Partnerships, Viacom18 Digital Ventures, said:“Kids live in a universe of their own – their toys, favourite toons, games/activities with their friends, their possessions, etc. make up a large part of the world they relate to. The concept of #NoMoreAtakoing is fundamentally rooted in the compulsions of nuclear families and the resulting situations where kids find themselves in dull and un-relatable situations – here is where Voot Kids swoops in to save the day and makes them smile. We’ve delivered this message through an anthem and several relatable situations. Our endeavour at VOOT Kids is to ensure that fun, entertainment and development continues uninterrupted for kids through engaging characters and immersive storytelling. The campaign is set to make Voot Kids’ every child’s best friend, always & forever.”

     

    Speaking about the creative process and relevance behind the campaign, Ayyappan Raj, EVP-Mullen Lintas said:“Voot is one of the leading brands in the Digital Video space and we are very proud to be associated with it. The brief for this particular campaign for Voot Kids was based on a simple but powerful insight of ‘kids being stuck in an adult world’ and we really enjoyed coming up with this creative solve for this message. We made the entire product pitch as a charming appeal from the kids to the adults. That’s what “No more Atakoing, Latakoing” is all about, a jolly anthem of kids being stuck in different situations and Voot Kids coming to rescue. “

     

    Added Garima Khandelwal, ECD, Mullen Lintas:“Kids being lost in their own creative & wonderful world is anyday more fun than them trapped in ours, was the starting point of this brand film from Voot Kids. We used a simple mnemonic of a rotating chair to tie together all the normal and everyday places for adults, but boring places for kids to be in. We are confident of the campaign cutting through very effectively to both parents and the kids.”

     

  • The programme will provide six entrepreneurs a platform to help them reach their business goals through a digital campaign

    Colors Infinity partners with Ketto for Pitch Please

    By A Correspondent

     

    Inspired by Shark Tank and the growing start-up movement in India, Colors Infinity has partnered with Ketto – a popular crowdfunding platform, to support six passionate entrepreneurs raise funds for their start-up initiatives.

     

    The channel has created a series of videos with the selected entrepreneurs that will be published across the digital network of the channel, enabling them to garner financial support and visibility for their unique business ventures.

     

    Looking forward to the campaign, Sabrina Dsouza, Head of Marketing, English Entertainment at Viacom18 said: “Since inception, Colors Infinity has continually been involved in innovative yet meaningful initiatives. The Pitch Please initiative will create a unique platform for six aspiring and zealous businesses to reach their goals, and we’re proud to be associated with Ketto to help these entrepreneurs in their mission.”

     

    Added Varun Seth, Founder – Ketto: “Ketto was born out of a belief to enable visionaries achieve their goals and create a change. This association with Colors Infinity is a step in that direction, and our combined efforts aims at enabling six entrepreneurs reach their goals, and eventually inspire many more businesses.”

     

  • Sane will report to Ajit Andhare, COO – Viacom18 Motion Pictures

    Viacom18 Motion Pictures appoints Nikhil ‘Sairat’ Sane to lead its expansion in Marathi cinema

    By A Correspondent

     

    Nikhil Sane

    In a coup of sorts, Viacom18 Motion Pictures, has appointed Nikhil Sane as Business Head to lead its Marathi cinema foray. Saney will report to Ajit Andhare, COO – Viacom18 Motion Pictures.

     

    Sane has managed the Marathi film division of Zee Studios. And his producer credits have some of the Marathi industry’s most commercially successful films including the  biggest box office grosser in Marathi cinema ever – ‘Sairat’. The other prominent films include Natsamrat, Lai Bhaari, Time Pass, Katyar Kaljat Ghusli and Duniyadari plus awardwinning films such as Natarang, Fandry, Killa and Elizabeth Ekadashi.

     

    Welcoming Sane to Viacom18, Ajit Andhare, COO – Viacom18 Motion Pictures, said: “Viacom18 Motion Pictures is the only studio that operates in all the three Hindi, Hollywood and regional segments. Our success in Hindi and Hollywood is well-established. Our endeavour is to make a similar impact in regional cinema. As a first step we are going after Marathi cinema which has tremendous potential and clear synergy with our broadcast business. Nikhil with his keen understanding of this market will be an asset to spearhead our move.”

     

    Speaking about his move to Viacom18, Sane said: “The Marathi film industry is going through an amazing phase of resurgence and evolution. I have had the privilege of working with some of the best talent from the industry. With Viacom18 Motion Pictures, I intend to combine the strength of the organisation’s experience in the Hindi and English film industries with  the remarkable strength of the Marathi film industry in storytelling and experimentation. I look forward to chanelising my best efforts and strengths into creating the next big leap in Marathi cinema.”

     

  • The only Indian broadcaster to be bestowed with this honour since 2009"

    Rishtey Cineplex bags Gold for Best Channel On-Air Branding at Global PromaxBDA

    By A Correspondent

     

    Rishtey Cineplex, Viacom18’s Hindi movie channel, has been awarded a Gold at the 2017 PromaxBDA Global Excellence Promotion, Marketing and Design Awards held in Los Angeles on June 8. It bagged the Gold for the Best Channel Image On-Air Branding in the category of Total Package Channel Image – On-Air Only (Art Direction and Design).

     

    The design objective of Rishtey Cineplex was to create a branding that is active yet non-intrusive.

     

    Created in collaboration with New Zealand-based visual artist and designer David Frearson who introduced the idea of simply using a bulb and the team then translated the simplicity and beauty of this idea throughout the branding and communication. In addition to the Gold for Rishtey Cineplex, Viacom18 has bagged six other metals including two Golds and three Silvers.

  • Namrata Tata who was previously responsible for Ad Sales – English Entertainment, will now take on the new and expanded role of Head, Ad Sales – Youth, Music & English Entertainment

    @ Viacom18, Namrata Tata elevated, Mandar Natekar takes on new role

    By A Correspondent

     

    Mandar Natekar
    Namrata Tata

    Strengthening its recent organisational restructuring that saw consolidation of Viacom18’s national brands aimed at youth and adult audiences – that’s Hindi, Youth, Music and English Entertainment under the leadership of Raj Nayak, COO – Viacom18 announced a rejig of its business and revenue leadership teams. Namrata Tata who was previously responsible for Ad Sales – English Entertainment, will now take on the new and expanded role of Head, Ad Sales – Youth, Music and English Entertainment. Mandar Natekar, who was earlier heading Ad Sales – Youth and Music, will be moving into a business role and will be responsible for one of the newest ventures of the network, the MTV Music Project.

     

    Raj Nayak

    Speaking on the restructuring, Raj Nayak, COO – Viacom18, said: “With the recent consolidation of Hindi, Youth, Music and English Entertainment clusters, Viacom18 is carving out an identity for itself in the ecosystem that cohesively speaks to adults, youth and millennials, and create opportunities that are multi-dimensional and multi-platform. Namrata and Mandar have been instrumental to the success of the youth, music and English entertainment genres and as we look to dial up synergies and expand to capture white spaces within the genres, they are best suited to support Ferzad in further strengthening our influence in these genres.”

     

    Ferzad Palia

    Speaking about the role expansions, Ferzad Palia, Head- Youth, Music and English Entertainment, Viacom18, said: “In an increasingly dynamic environment, these genres need to look beyond traditional avenues to dial up growth. As a network, our leadership plays in the Youth, Music and English Entertainment genres have set the ground for us to explore synergies within them to dial up revenues. Namrata, with her understanding of the genres particularly and broadcast as a whole, is well equipped to lead the charge for maximizing the revenue opportunities for these related business units. Mandar, with his nuanced understanding of the youth and music genre – both from content and revenue POVs, is best suited to lead the MTV Music Project, as we look to explore our latest business opportunity in this genre. I am confident that we can further dial up our plays across these wide set of brands and solutions in this space.”

     

    Both Tata and Natekar will continue reporting into Palia.

     

  • MTV, MTV Beats, Vh1, Comedy Central and Colors Infinity create anti-tobacco awareness through the digital medium along with Ketto, an online fundraising website

    Viacom18’s youth & English entertainment brands launch anti-tobacco campaign

     

     

    Viacom18’s youth and English entertainment brands MTV, MTV Beats, Vh1, Comedy Central and Colors Infinity joined hands with Ketto, an online fundraising website, to launch an anti-tobacco campaign on ‘World No Tobacco Day’ on May 31. The campaign was not just aimed at creating anti-tobacco awareness but also encouraged people to donate in support of Kato’s initiative to help cancer patients.

     

    Speaking about the initiative, Ferzad Palia, Head – Youth and English Entertainment, Viacom18 said: “We cater to a young and vibrant audience. And while everyone is aware that smoking or chewing tobacco is harmful, most young people do it anyway because it is perceived as ‘cool’ or sometimes due to peer pressure. What we are aiming to do through this unique five brand campaign is to try and speak to them in a language they understand – humour – to truly drive home the message. However, instead of just telling them to quit smoking, we’re also asking them to go a step ahead and donate to help those in need through our association with Ketto. The message is simple – give up smoking to save yourself and others too!”

     

    Added Varun Seth, Founder, Ketto:“Our intent is to change lives by encouraging people to donate for a good cause. We are sure that our partnership with the youth and English entertainment brands of Viacom18 would help us spread the message. These brands are widely consumed by the young population of India, apt as our target consumers for the campaign is the youth.”

     

  • The statement form the Viacom18 Group CEO assumes importance as other than being BARC chairman, Sudhanshu Vats is also Chairman, National Committee on Media & Entertainment, Confederation of Indian Industry and Vice President, Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF)

    Wrong to have dragged BARC into controversy: Chairman Sudhanshu Vats on dual LCN issue

    By A Correspondent

     

    Sudhanshu Vats, Chairman – BARC, has issued a statement on the recent note from regulator TRAI (short for Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) on the multiple LCN (logical channel numbers) issue that recently derailed the broadcast media industry ecosystem.

     

    The statement form Vats, Group Chief Executive Officer, Viacom18, assumes importance as other than being BARC chairman, he is also Chairman, National Committee on Media & Entertainment, Confederation of Indian Industry and Vice President, Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF). This is the statement:

    “The recent note from TRAI on the LCN issue (titled ‘Listing of TV Channels on Electronic Programme Guide) is a welcome step in the right direction. It provides all market players with much-needed clarity and clearly spells out the regulator’s view on the issue. Once again TRAI has taken the ‘consumer lens’ and ensured that she remains at the center of the discourse.

     

    As the dust settles on the matter, three key truths have been proven. The first pertains to BARC and its methods to measure what India watches. In that context, it is safe to say that watermarking is a modern, robust technology that has held the industry in good stead.  In record time, BARC has earned a fair share of its currency of trust and all its stakeholders are committed to its mission, including the IBF which backs it in entirety. To be frank, it was wrong to drag BARC into the issue in the first place. The second truth requires us to introspect as an industry. It is unfortunate that some members have taken issue with the use of multiple LCNs when many have themselves set the precedent for it – either as a promotional or as a defensive tactic. While this should now abate given the recent direction from TRAI, moving forward, all market players must create consensus internally rather than squander away the valuable time of the courts. Our ‘shared credibility’ as an industry should never be dented – especially not by our own actions. Finally, as we look towards a ‘multi-screen future’, ‘Total Audience Measurement’ (i.e. measurement of content consumption across devices including handheld, desktop, TV etc.) will become the norm. In such an environment, all content players will look at innovative ways to increase their reach and sampling while focusing on delivering winning content. This is the new normal that we all need to prepare for.

     

    I’ve always thought of our industry as a large family with members who often quarrel but eventually come together. This time will be no different.”