MxMIndia

Tag: Viacom18

  • The Indian cricket board is set to earn Rs 107.5 crore per IPL match from just TV and digital rights

    It’s raining monies at the IPL 2023-07 media rights auction

     

     

    By Our Staff

     

    There’s a popular reality show on general entertainment channel Colors called Khatron ke Khiladi. It requires contestants to perform daredevil acts, including tasks with snakes and scorpions, jumping off helicopters. And walking the tightrope. Literally.

     

    Now, veteran media professional Uday Shankar who has invested a fair deal in Viacom18 is now set to do a Khatron ke Khiladi act himself (lest it’s missed, the ‘fair deal’ pun was intended). The word ‘khatron’ should of course not be construed in the negative sense, but it’s just that what Shankar has bet really big on with the digital IPL win making him a ‘khiladi’ of the really big stage.

     

    Every summer, at the beginning and end of the cricketing extravaganza when the revenues will be aggregated, there will be an intense sweating, like it’s on the reality show. We should add the word ‘perhaps’ after ‘there will be’. Coz surely this is more than just playing fear factor. Unlike 2018 where he was an employee of Star, now he’s an investor in the project. So we can be sure there’s a method to the bidding.

     

    So, let’s get past the foreplay. Disney Star India and Viacom18 have bagged the TV and digital rights for the five-year 2023-2027 period of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

     

    The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)’s media rights for IPL 2023-27 will – as of now – generate Rs 44,075 crore, up from the Rs 16,347 crore paid by Disney Star for 2018-2022. An official statement from BCCI is awaited.

     

    Package A (television rights for Indian sub-continent) has netted it Rs 23,575 crore

     

    Package B (digital rights for Indian sub-continent) has got it Rs 20,500 crore

     

    Package C sundry digital rights have already touched Rs 1800 crore. The final outcome is awaited

     

    Package D rights results are also awaited

     

    It may be remembered that the entire television and digital rights were owned by Disney Star India until this year. In fact after bagging TV rights for 2023-27, Disney Star challenged Viacom18 in a fresh round of the e-auctions. Finally, Viacom18 took the big leap and closed the bidding with Rs 50 crore per match as its fee. Disney Star will need to pay Rs 57.5 crore per match for television. Overall, as of now, BCCI will earn Rs 107.5 crore per IPL encounter.

     

    During the media rights auctions that were held on June 12 and 13, TV rights fetched Rs 23,575 crore for broadcast rights and Rs 20,500 crore for digital, said people tracking the media rights auction.

     

    What’s balance is Package C and Package D rights, the results of which will be known later today (June 14).

     

    According to industry sources, ad rates will go north by 20-30 per cent on both digital and television. Industry commentators say the IPL 2023-27 dynamics will see a structural change happening in the media landscape. Linear television is going south in terms of viewership, and digital consumption is going to leapfrog. However, even though digital can allow micro-targeting, ad revenues are still found wanting. The play will surely be in the case of subscription-led revenues, and given that Viacom18 is part of the Reliance Industries stable which owns the Jio telecom network, there will be synergies.

     

  • Created by Belgian comic book writer Pierre Culliford, also known as Peyo, in 1958, The Smurfs reside in a community of small, blue, human-like characters who live in mushroom-shaped houses in a forest

    Smurfs now on Sonic

    By Our Staff

     

    Popular show Smurfs will now be part of Sonic, part of India’s leading kids’ entertainment franchise Nickelodeon, starting today, June 13.

     

    Created by Belgian comic book writer Pierre Culliford, also known as Peyo, in 1958, The Smurfs reside in a community of small, blue, human-like characters who live in mushroom-shaped houses in a forest. The show will feature popular Smurf characters, including Papa Smurf, Smurfette, Brainy, Hefty, Clumsy, and others, embarking on new adventures full of humour, heart, and high-stake action.

     

    Speaking about bringing Smurfs to India, Anu Sikka – Head Creative, Content & Research, Kids TV Network, Viacom18, said: “Sonic since its inception, has successfully grown to become an entertainment hub with engaging stories, endearing characters and a solid kids’ connect. We have consistently catered to our young viewers’ evolving preferences with innovative entertainment and immersive storytelling. Bringing internationally acclaimed ‘Smurfs’ will further bring variety and scale to Sonic’s growing content library. With this launch, we hope to further add depth to our programming strategy and fulfil our mission of entertaining kids.”

     

  • The contours of the deal aren’t out yet, but a Rs 13,500 crore deal is huuuuge

    So will Viacom18 be the New Star?

     

     

     

    By Our Staff

     

    1,35,00,00,00,000.

     

    Phew that’s the number representing the investment that James Murdoch and Uday Shankar are making in Viacom18.

     

    The contours of the deal aren’t known at the time of writing. We don’t know what is the exact stake each party will hold, but Rs 13.5kcr is no small number.

     

    So is Viacom18 likely to be the new star, as veteran mediaperson and MxMIndia’s Das ka Dum mentor-columnist put it in the answer to our question of today (See Link)?

     

    It’s clear that the days of linear television are numbered. At least not in the form it is right now. Viewership of even regular entertainment, news and sports now happens via broadband. Yes, cable/DTH aren’t dead yet, but streaming is clearly where it’s all headed.

     

    And if there’s one person who can take some really bold decisions in the space it’s Uday Shankar, the former Disney and Star boss.

     

    So, as our report of last evening said: Reliance and Viacom18 have announced a strategic partnership with Bodhi Tree Systems, which is a platform of  Murdoch’s Lupa Systems and Uday Shankar, to form one of the largest TV and digital streaming companies in India.

     

    Bodhi Tree Systems is leading a fund raise with a consortium of investors to invest Rs 13,500 crore in Viacom18, to jointly build India’s leading entertainment platform and pioneer the Indian media landscape’s transformation to a “streaming-first” approach. Viacom18 owns and operates the suite of Colors TV channels and OTT platform, Voot.

     

    Reliance Projects & Property Management Services Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries which has significant presence in television, OTT, distribution, content creation, and production services, will invest Rs 1,645 crore. In addition, the popular JioCinema OTT app will be transferred to Viacom18. Paramount Global (formerly known as ViacomCBS), a leading global media and entertainment company which owns CBS, Showtime Networks, Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, BET, Paramount+ and Pluto TV will continue as a shareholder of Viacom18 and will continue to supply Viacom18 its premium global content.

     

    This is interesting as there is an additional investment from Reliance in the form of Rs 1645 crore and the JioCinema OTT app

     

    Bodhi Tree Systems, a newly formed company formed by Lupa Systems Founder and CEO James Murdoch and Uday Shankar, the former president of The Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific and former Chairman of Star and Disney India, will leverage the partners’ shared track record of building iconic businesses and shaping the media landscape in India and globally. Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), the sovereign wealth fund of the State of Qatar, is an investor in Bodhi Tree Systems. The finer details of the transaction is likely to close later the year (six months and is subject to necessary government approvals.

     

    Meanwhile, in the offices of Viacom18 in Mumbai, there is, as one staffer put it, cautious optimism. Optimism as it’s clear that the move will energise the organisation in more ways than one, and caution because the new Big(g) Bosses are no newbies to the business. They’ll be surely having a view on how things will be done.

     

    But first they need to know what the investment would mean for the company and the various businesses that it runs.

     

    For now, we could well see the rise (uday) of a new star!

     

  • The duo’s Bodhi Tree Systems will be major shareholders alongside Reliance & Paramount Global

    He’s back! Uday Shankar teams up with James Murdoch to invest Rs 13.5kcr in Viacom18

    By Our Staff

     

    It’s official. Reliance and Viacom18 have announced a strategic partnership with Bodhi Tree Systems, which is a platform of James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems and Uday Shankar, to form one of the largest TV and digital streaming companies in India.

    Bodhi Tree Systems is leading a fund raise with a consortium of investors to invest Rs 13,500 crore in Viacom18, to jointly build India’s leading entertainment platform and pioneer the Indian media landscape’s transformation to a “streaming-first” approach. Viacom18 owns and operates the suite of Colors TV channels and OTT platform, Voot.

    Reliance Projects & Property Management Services Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries which has significant presence in television, OTT, distribution, content creation, and production services, will invest Rs 1,645 crore. In addition, the popular JioCinema OTT app will be transferred to Viacom18. Paramount Global (formerly known as ViacomCBS), a leading global media and entertainment company which owns CBS, Showtime Networks, Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, BET, Paramount+ and Pluto TV will continue as a shareholder of Viacom18 and will continue to supply Viacom18 its premium global content.

    Bodhi Tree Systems, a newly formed platform between Lupa Systems Founder and CEO James Murdoch and Uday Shankar, the former president of The Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific and former Chairman of Star and Disney India, will leverage the partners’ shared track record of building iconic businesses and shaping the media landscape in India and globally. Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), the sovereign wealth fund of the State of Qatar, is an investor in Bodhi Tree Systems.

    Speaking about the partnership, Mukesh D Ambani, Chairman & Managing Director of Reliance Industries, said, “James and Uday’s track record is unmatched. For over two decades, they have played an undeniable role in shaping the media ecosystem in India, Asia, and around the world. We are very excited to partner with Bodhi Tree and lead India’s transition to a streaming-first media market. We are committed to bringing the best media and entertainment services for Indian customers through this partnership.”

    Added Murdoch and Shankar: “We could not be more pleased to announce our new partnership. Our ambition is to leverage technology advances, particularly in mobile, to provide meaningful solutions to meet everyday media and entertainment needs at scale. We seek to reshape the entertainment experience across more than 1 billion screens.”

    The transaction is expected to close within six months and is subject to closing conditions and requisite approvals.

    Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas and Khaitan & Co provided legal advisory and documentation support to RPPMSL and Viacom18. PWC and BDO provided independent valuation of the Jio Cinema business and Viacom18; Citi and HSBC acted as financial advisors to TV18 and RPPMSL respectively. AZB & Partners was the legal advisor to Bodhi Tree while EY provided diligence services to Bodhi Tree. JSA was the legal advisor to Paramount Global.

     

  • The core thought of the initiative is to tell kids to shed their stress, take a break and do what makes their heart and mind happy

    Nickelodeon urges kids to ‘#TakeABreak’

    By Our Staff

     

    Viacom18’s Nickelodeon has announced the launch of the next edition of its global pro-socio campaign ‘Together for Good’ with the message of #TakeABreak. The core thought of the initiative is to tell kids to shed their stress, take a break and do what makes their heart and mind happy.

     

    Speaking on the latest edition of Together For Good, Nina Elavia Jaipuria, Head, Hindi Mass Entertainment and Kids TV Network at Viacom18, said, “At Nickelodeon we always put kids first and understand their constant and infinite pressures they are faced with, especially in these challenging times. We have always believed in leveraging our influence and reach for the betterment and well-being of our young viewers. Our latest edition of Together For Good addresses a concern that is extremely important and requires attention. We are certain that our initiative will strike a chord with kids and their parents and are hopeful that the solutions and messages we seek to deliver will help children unwind, relax and be happy.”

     

     

  • The Viacom18 CEO is first woman executive from media occupying the positio Jyoti Deshpande, Co-Chair of FICCI Media & Entertainment Board

    Jyoti Deshpande is Co-Chair FICCI M&E committee

    By Our Staff

     

    The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) has announces the appointment of Jyoti Deshpande, CEO, Viacom 18 Media Pvt. Ltd. as Co-Chair of FICCI Media & Entertainment Board. This reportedly is the first time that a woman executive from media industry has been appointed as one of the office bearers of this very important vertical.

     

    Commenting on the appointment, Arun Chawla, Director General, FICCI said:“FICCI has always been at the forefront of collaborating with various stakeholders across Indian commerce and the government to effect meaningful policy discussions and adoption. Given the very dynamic nature of the Media and Entertainment industry this engagement is crucial for the development of the sector and the allied ecosystems. Jyoti’s experience across the value chain of this industry makes her an apt choice to lead the Committee’s holistic advisory agenda. I look forward to working with her.”

     

    Elaborating on her vision for the industry, Deshpande added: “I feel truly fortunate to be part of an industry that is at the cusp of phenomenal growth, straddling traditional theatres to metaverse and everything in between like television and OTT. I look forward to working with industry captains, custodians of brands that fuel consumption in our economy and the government as we look to leverage the confluence of technology, content and distribution to move the needle rapidly towards the $100 billion industry that we have been aspiring to be for a number of years now. The M&E industry can very much be a true embodiment of the ‘Make in India and Show the World’ mantra and I thank Mr. Sanjiv Mehta and FICCI for offering me this platform to meaningfully collaborate on shaping the future of an industry that I have invested my whole life in and am very passionate about.”

     

  • Allowing kids to vote and choose their favourites across multiple categories

    Nick back with Kids’ Choice Awards

    By Our Staff

     

    Nickelodeon channel has rolled out another edition of ‘Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards’. It allows kids to vote and choose their favourites across multiple categories. In addition to the existing categories such as Favourite Youtuber, Favourite Dancer, Favourite Mobile Game, etc. Nickelodeon’s KCA 2021 will witness the introduction of newer relevant categories such as Favourite Environmentalists, Favourite Sibling Jodi and Favourite Fashion Icon.

     

    Speaking on Kids’ Choice Awards 2021, Nina Jaipuria, Head, Hindi Mass Entertainment & Kids TV Network, Viacom18, said: “With kids at the heart of everything we do, at Nickelodeon we continue to keep our young dynamic viewers engaged, entertained and motivated through these difficult times with innovations and pioneering initiatives. Nickelodeon has adapted to the new normal to continue to be the most-sought after destination for meaningful entertainment in the kids’ category.”

     

    The awards will happen virtually.

     

  • To air two new brand animated series for young Tamil viewers

    Colors Tamil partners with Nick to launch kiddie segment

    By Our Staff

     

    Colors Tamil has announced the launch of ‘Nick Neram’, a kids’ special segment, partnering Nickelodeon (which is run in India by Viacom18, the owners of the Colors network of channels). As a part of this special initiative, Colors Tamil will air Golmaal Jr and Rudra: Boom Chik Chik Boom, two brand new animated series.

     

    Commenting on the new shows, Rajaraman S, Business Head, Colors Tamil, said: “After the success of our current shows, we are elated to introduce two animated series to our lineup. While all our fiction and non-fiction shows have been popular among the Tamil viewers, we are now confident that Nick Neram will help us gain prominence among children as well. We are certain that this fresh, relevant, localised and compelling segment is another landmark for Colors Tamil in its journey to become the most preferred family entertainment channel in the Tamil entertainment space.”

     

    Speaking on synergising its content for Tamil viewers, Anu Sikka, Head, Creative, Content and Research, Kids TV Network, Viacom18, said: “At Nickelodeon, it has always been our endeavour to make our stories and characters to travel and reach out to a wider audience set. Tamil is an important market for our kids cluster and Colors Tamil’s popularity will help us establish a deeper relationship with our existing viewers while attracting new viewers with home-grown content that is relatable. We are excited on this integration with Colors Tamil and will continue to synergise and explore similar possibilities going forward.”

     

     

  • Its Youth, Music and English Entertainment (YME) cluster launches NFT marketplace Fully Faltoo

    Viacom18 steps into the world of NFTs

    By Our Staff

     

    Viacom18’s Youth, Music and English Entertainment (YME) cluster is now eyeing the big pie of non-fungible tokens with the announcement of the NFT marketplace Fullyfaltoonft.com. It has been setup by GuardianLink.io, an NFT Tech player. The marketplace will offer  ‘fully valuable’ digital art conceptualised and created by the MTV, Vh1 and Comedy Central team in India, and is all set to go live on February 14, 2022.

     

    Speaking on the introduction of Viacom18’s maiden NFT offering, Anshul Ailawadi, Head – Youth, Music and English Entertainment, Viacom18, said: “The global Media and Entertainment industry has recognised the power of NFTs. As one of the world’s largest media markets, India is uniquely positioned to be at the focal point of this ‘Web3 revolution’.  The brands that make our YME portfolio – MTV, MTV Beats, Vh1, Comedy Central and Colors Infinity, have always stayed ahead of the curve when it comes to emerging trends and pop culture. Our entry in the NFT space with Fully Faltoo is another step in the same direction.” He further added, “The Fully Faltoo collection will be edgy and quirky. This is special for us as we’re giving our fans a chance to own a unique piece of our legacy. We look forward to building FullyFaltoonft.com as the go-to destination for must-have digital art.”

     

    Speaking about the new offering, Ramkumar Subramaniam, Co-Founder & CEO, GuardianLink.io, added: “We are elated to work with India’s leading entertainment conglomerate – Viacom18 to launch this NFT marketplace. As a technology framework ecosystem, Guardian has always been on the forefront of the race to build and operate some of the largest Marketplaces and most advanced Creative NFTs in the space. With its foundation in Creative Media, Guardian has led the race in terms of designing high impact creative NFTs protected by our Anti.RIP technology and legitimacy protocol.”

     

  • Will feature handpicked Ullu Originals across genres

    Voot partners Ullu to bring 100 shows

    By our Staff

     

    Viacom18’s video-on-demand platform, Voot, has announced a content partnership with on-demand streaming platform Ullu. Voot will now be home to 100 shows from the Ullu library for the audiences to binge on.

     

    Speaking on the partnership, Chanpreet Arora, Head – AVOD at Voot, said: “As a mass entertainment platform, Voot has consistently been ahead of the game in providing viewers with an entertaining and engaging content experience. Our partnership with Ullu will help us to widen our content library and meet the ever-growing demands of our viewers. This partnership gives us access to quality content across genres and languages and is a step forward in cementing Voot’s leadership in the AVOD ecosystem. We look forward to closely working with the team at Ullu to explore and deepen this existing relationship.”

     

    Commenting on the partnership, Ullu’s CEO & Founder, Vibhu Agarwal added: “It has always been our intent to make our content widely accessible and available. Our partnership with Voot provides us an excellent opportunity to do so. Most of our Ullu Originals have a binge factor and it matches the consumption pattern of binge watching on Voot. We are sure that Voot viewers will certainly benefit from this association as it offers them content that is fresh and exciting. We look forward to exploring more possibilities to make this collaboration as successful as possible.”

     

  • The political satire features actor, host, comedian, Danish Sait

    Voot Select goes original for Kannada

    By Our Staff

     

    Voot Select, the Viacom18 OTT plaform, is set to launch its maiden Kannada-language series ‘Humble Politiciann Nograj’. The 10-episode web series is produced by Applause Entertainment in association with Firstaction Studios and Danish Sait. The show is written and directed by Saad Khan.

     

    Speaking on the launch of its first Kannada Original, Ferzad Palia, Head – SVOD & International Business at Viacom18 said: “At Voot Select, we have been constantly growing our content offering. The release of our first Kannada original, reinforces our commitment to cater to audiences across the country and serve them entertainment in a language of their choice. Humble Politiciann Nograj is the first in a robust list of Regional originals that will drop over 2022. Over the next 12 months, we will significantly dial up our regional language roster, while we continue to strengthen our Hindi, international, sports and kids offering.”

     

  • CJI N V Ramana to felicitate 31 awardwinning journalists

    RedInk Awards for excellence in journalism at virtual event today

    By Our Staff

     

    The RedInk Awards for Excellence in Journalism is to be held at a virtual event this evening. Chief Justice of India NV Ramana will deliver the keynote address and will honour the 31 awardwinning journalists.

     

    The awards will also showcase a discussion on ‘Covid, and its impact on news media’, which will be coordinated by journalist Faye D’Souza. Other participants include Siddharth Vardarajan, Co-Founder and Editor of The Wire, and L P Pant, National Editor of Dainik Bhaskar. The winners’ list in the print/digital and video categories in 12 competitive categories will be declared.

     

    Meanwhile, the coveted RedInk Awards for Lifetime Achievement has been bestowed on senior journalist and author Prem Shankar Jha for his “long and distinguished career of incisive and analytical writing”. Danish Siddiqui, who was the Reuters Chief Photographer based in India, has been posthumously awarded the ‘Journalist of the Year – 2020’ for his spectrum of investigative and impactful news photography.

     

    The RedInk Awards for Excellence in Journalism, instituted by the Mumbai Press Club, have special significance this year as they mark their 10th edition of peer recognition for excellent writing and good journalism. The RedInk Awards were instituted a decade ago to recognize good investigative and feature writing and raise the bar of journalism in the country.

     

    The title sponsor for the event is Zee Entertainment Enterprises (ZEEL). Other supporting sponsors include Indiabulls Housing, L&T Financial Services, Aditya Birla Group, Adfactors PR, Viacom18, and Glenmark Pharmaceuticals.

     

    The virtual event will be hosted on Facebook from 7pm, and one can register at https://experiencenext.in/RedInkAwards2021/login.html to gain access to the event venue as well as to a variety of archival material and sidelights. The event can also be viewed at https://www.facebook.com/mumbaipressclub.