MxMIndia

Tag: Vikas Khanchandani

  • Republic has taken the media group on board for its nationwide OOH media requirements

    Republic set to take 750 outdoor spots in 100 cities, inks deal with Laqshya Media as OOH AOR

    By A Correspondent

     

    Even as news watchers eagerly await the launch of Arnab Goswami’s Republic TV, the outdoor promotional activity for the channel has started in right earnest. On April 18, the first display came up. This follows Republic signing up Laqshya Media Group as its OOH Agency on Record (AOR). With this announcement, the media group will handle the nationwide outdoor media mandate for Goswami’s media venture for leveraging out-of-home assets for a period of three years starting April 2017.  To start with the high decibel campaign will go live across 80 cities including all metros and Tier 1 cities in India.

     

    Said Alok Jalan, MD, Laqshya Media: “We are thrilled to have signed the exclusive AOR with Republic for the next three years. The first leg of the campaign which launched in Chennai last week has garnered an overwhelming response and we are looking forward to having a successful partnership with the channel.’’

     

    Added Vikas Khanchandani, CEO, Republic TV: “The Laqshya team understands our objectives and has devised a high impact out of home campaign for Republic. The team’s expertise and domain knowledge coupled with innovative solutions has been well appreciated. They are an integral partner and we look forward to a long and fruitful partnership”

     

    Said Goswami in a statement: “We are excited to be partnering with such a dedicated team that believes in our ideologies. With this association, we are looking to maximize Republic ‘s pan India outreach and effectively reach our audiences.”

     

    Satyabrata Das – Head Corporate Alliances & Communications at Laqshya feels, “The game has just begun for us in the media space and with Arnab & Republic, we will create disruptive communication.  So just wait and watch.” Talking to MxM, Das said: “Since they are a media start-up we advised Republic TV to trust our decisions on planning.  With our buying might we helped aggregate options that worked out best for them and dipped into our best OOH assets base to provide visual solutions.”

     

  • He was CFO for the Times Network between 2005 and 2012

    Former Times Now CFO joins Republic

    By A Correspondent

     

    S Sundaram

    S Sundaram has joined Republic, Arnab Goswami’s media entity, as Group CFO for the TV and Digital venture.In a career spanning three decades, Sundaram has served as CFO for 15 years in different organizations – his footprint running across Finance, Legal Compliance & Business Development functions. He was CFO for the Times Network between 2005 and 2012. Sundaram now takes charge of the financial leadership at Republic.

     

    Commenting on S Sundaram joining his team, Arnab Goswami, Founder, Republic said “I have known Sundaram closely for 12 years now. We at Republic are privileged to have a professional of his caliber onboard. He’s easily one of the best CFOs in the business today. We are excited to have him with us”.

     

    Republic CEO Vikas Khanchandani added, “Mr Sundaram’s range of experience in financial leadership is unparalleled in the broadcast business. His successful stint in the Broadcast industry and three decades of experience will help Republic scale new financial benchmarks.”

     

    On joining Team Republic, Sundaram said “Having known Arnab as a colleague and friend for so long and seeing him rewrite the rules of television, I am excited to be with him at Republic and see him become India’s voice for the world.”

     

    Sundaram has been a part of a large bouquet of businesses: Consultancy (A.F.Ferguson& Co),  FMCG (PepsiCo India), Luxury Consumer Products & Services (Bausch & Lomb India & INOX Leisure), Internet (india.com),Television News Media (Times Global Broadcasting).

     

    Apart from being hands-on with Financial & compliance management, the depth of his start-up exposure has equipped Sundaram to be an active business participant -essential to build a robust business process within an efficient value chain from scratch.

     

  • With an impressive experience of over 20 years, Vikas Khanchandani will head the business of the upcoming independent media venture

    Vikas Khanchandani joins Arnab Goswami’s Republic as CEO

    Vikas Khanchandani

    By A Correspondent

    Vikas Khanchandani, former Chief Business Officer of RBNL (Reliance Broadcast Network),has joined Republic as Chief Executive Officer. With over two decades of working across ad sales, digital, television and media technology, Vikas Khanchandani will play an integral roleto grow Republic as an independent media tech company.

    Commenting on the same, Arnab Goswami, Founder of Republic said, “We are delighted to welcome Vikas on board. He is a great leader and joins us with very strong industry experience across multimedia platforms. Together, we believe, we will create the No. 1 news channel in India.’’

    Added Khandchandani: “I am looking forward to working with Republic as I believe in the core objective and vision of launching the first global independent media venture. I am certain we will change the media scenario in India”

     

  • He will be reporting to Ashwin Padmanabhan, COO, Reliance Broadcast Network Limited

    Vikas Khanchandani joins Reliance Broadcast Network

    By A Correspondent

     

    Reliance Broadcast Network Limited has strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of Vikas Khanchandani as Chief Business Officer. With over 20 years of experience working across digital, television and ad/media technology, Khanchandani will be responsible for driving strategic business initiatives – new technologies and customer engagement. He will be reporting to Ashwin Padmanabhan, COO, Reliance Broadcast Network Limited.

     

    On the development, Ashwin Padmanabhan, COO, Reliance Broadcast Network Limited said, “We are happy to have Vikas on board who comes with a wealth of experience and domain expertise. With his extensive knowledge across the television and digital medium, we are confident that he will be able to further accelerate the growth story of the group.”

     

    Before joining RBNL, Khanchandani was the co-founder of AIDEM Ventures where he played the dual role of managing existing businesses of AIDEM even while he was aggressively driving the growth agenda of building a unique and valuable media sales and services company. Prior to that, Khanchandani was part of the core leadership team which set up NDTV Media. Under his leadership, the channel witnessed phenomenal growth, creating a benchmark within the news genre and leading the category. He started his media career with STAR India as a key member of the Strategic Planning and Management team which worked on sales strategies for the Network’s channels.

     

  • Alok Rakshit and Nikhil Sheth will spearhead television monetisation, Joydeep Ghosh is heading the IMD Cloud (eBus) business while Neena Dasgupta is at the helm at Zirca Digital Solutions. Meanwhile, Director Karan Gupta is playing a more active role in the company

    Co-founder Vikas Khanchandani steps down as Aidem as Director, restructured top deck announced

    By A Correspondent

     

    Vikas Khanchandani

    Aidem Ventures and Zirca Digital Solutions Co-founder Vikas Khanchandani has decided to pursue other interests while he continues to mentor across the group’s investments in the media space. Moving forward, Alok Rakshit and Nikhil Sheth will take on the responsibility for the TV monetisation services and Joydeep Ghosh will spearhead IMD Cloud (eBus) business. Khanchandani is expected to announce his new venture soon.

     

    Rakshit and Sheth have been spearheading the TV verticals at Aidem. Ghosh has been instrumental in growing the IMD Cloud (eBus) digital delivery service. The company’s digital business which had been spun out into a separate entity – Zirca Digital Solutions – has Neena Dasgupta at the helm.

     

    The management team has been strengthened with active participation of Karan Gupta, Director at Aidem and Managing Director at Zirca over the last couple of years. Gupta  has been working closely with the entire management team charting the growth for the group making significant investments in India as well as South East Asia.

     

    “While Vikas steps away from his day-to-day role, he will continue to stay involved with the company as a mentor. He will be actively involved with the media technology projects that Aidem is already invested in. Having been part of the organisation since its inception, Vikas has been responsible for driving phenomenal growth for the company and has successfully navigated the business through challenging times,” said Ashok Gupta, Chairman of Aidem Ventures and Zirca Digital Solutions.

     

  • Box Cricket League will air its second season on India's leading Hindi GEC, Colors & Colors HD from Feb 28th 2016

    Balaji Telefilms hands over sales mandate of Box Cricket League to Aidem Ventures

    By A Correspondent

     

    Aidem Ventures has acquired ad sales duties of a celebrity cricket show titled Box Cricket League. This reality show is a joint venture between Balaji Telefilms & Marinating Films.

     

    Box Cricket League is an on-ground property with a unique blend of sports, celebrities & entertainment. It is the only reality show that brings the concept of cricket being played in an indoor format. The top 200 television actors & actresses have been roped in, making it a star-studded battle of equals. Besides the game of cricket, Box Cricket League also promises its viewers with a line-up of dance performances, high-end drama, team-wise strategy sessions, on-field tasks etc.

     

    Sameer Nair

    Confirming the news, Sameer Nair, Group CEO, Balaji Telefilms said, “The networking strength & the rich experience that Aidem has garnered over the years is what sought our attention. We are confident about Aidem’s ability to understand the needs of the brands, living up to the advertisers’ expectation which is vital for our content. Hence, we are looking forward to a prolific business relationship going ahead.”

     

    Vikas Khanchandani

    Vikas Khanchandani, Co-founder & Director, Aidem Ventures added, “Box Cricket League as a concept is exceptional, innovative & untouched in the history of Indian Television. We are not looking at it as a challenge but an exciting task of evangelizing the market about their beneficial association with a unique content like this. Also, Aidem Ventures has been successful in not just selling space but revolutionizing the perception of advertising. I believe Balaji Telefilms’ association with Aidem Ventures will establish an advertising platform of huge success.”

     

    Box Cricket League will air its second season on India’s leading Hindi GEC, Colors & Colors HD from Feb 28th 2016. The show will be telecasted on Saturdays & Sundays, 4.30 – 6.30 pm, with a repeat telecast on Rishtey.

     

  • Engaged audiences and new ad formats open up new possibilities for brand advertisers on Skype

    Zirca Digital offers advertising options on Skype in India

    By A Correspondent

     

    Zirca Digital Solutions announced that it would begin offering advertising inventory on Skype, helping brands take advantage of the growing popularity of Skype in India. Skype inventory will be sold exclusively by Zirca Digital Solutions in India.

     

    Skype is a communications platform that makes it simple and fun to share text, voice and video with friends, family and colleagues; wherever they are on whatever device they choose. Advertising on Skype allows brands to sponsor human emotions – the big and small moments that make life wonderful.

     

    Neena Dasgupta

    Skype has more than 330 million active monthly users in more than 70 markets around the world. In Asia, advertising on Skype is available across Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Australia. From now on, Skype advertising also became available in India.

     

    “People love Skype, which makes it a great platform for any brand looking to reach a large and engaged audience,” said Neena Dasgupta, Director, Zirca Digital Solutions. “Skype is also part of Microsoft’s unique and connected ecosystem that enables brands to tailor advertising experiences across devices and services. Through Skype, advertisers in India will be able to reach audiences at the right time, with the right information, when they are making decisions with the people they trust the most.”

     

    Vikas Khanchandani

    “A Skype session lasts more than 30 minutes on an average. This means greater time spent for the associating brands. Moreover, adding Skype to our existing portfolio of Microsoft products will help us offer a holistic solution to advertisers who stand to make better ROI on their ad spends,” added Vikas Khanchandani, Director, Zirca Digital Solutions.

     

    Zirca Digital Solutions has begun offering premium branded experiences like Conversation Ads, the Connection Hub Ad and Conversation Corridors to give brands access to the Skype community present across PC & Mobile. Many of the new formats are standard and consistent with the creative formats used by advertisers on other platforms.

     

  • Its subscriber base constitutes approximately 52 per cent of the total cable broadband market in India

    Hathway ropes in Aidem to handle ad-sales function

    By A Correspondent

     

    Hathway has announced the launch of high-impact advertising solutions’ suite on its digital platform. To reach out to the nation-wide marketing & advertising fraternity, Hathway has tied up with Aidem Ventures.

     

    Hathway’s cable operations straddle across 140 key Indian cities and towns. It is currently India’s largest cable broadband services provider. Its subscriber base constitutes approximately 52 per cent of the total cable broadband market in India.

     

    Jagdish Kumar

    With Hathway’s digital STB footprint of 8.3 million households and an average family size of 4.5 members per household, Hathway reaches an average of 37.35 million viewers daily. With its high-impact ad solutions, Hathway delivers meaningful campaigns to a captive audience through traditional television advertising. The ad solutions have been created to ensure that brands can capitalize on Hathway’s reach for new product launches and campaigns.

     

    Announcing the news, Jagdish Kumar, MD & CEO, Hathway said, “We are confident that once advertisers experience these ad capabilities, they will be back for more. We plan to roll out more ad products over the coming year, while ensuring that they offer great ROI to advertisers and build a long term partnership.  We are happy to partner Aidem in this journey in creating a market place for Hathway’s ad products and I am confident that they will be able to successfully bridge these partnerships.”

     

    Vikas Khanchandani
    Nikhil Sheth

    “The Hathway ad solutions suite provides clutter-free and exclusive space on TV. It is already emerging as a powerful media option in the hands of advertisers. It is great to see such a positive response in the market. We are very happy about our association with Hathway,” said Vikas Khanchandani, Director, Aidem Ventures.

     

    “In spite of the proliferation of various screens, time spent with TV continues to dominate viewing. Advertisers are seeing a huge captive reach and SOV in the Hathway ad platform. They will benefit immensely by the number of organic and inorganic exposures that it delivers.” added Nikhil Sheth, Business Head, Hindi Entertainment & Niche channels, Aidem Ventures.

     

  • Hindi wedding entertainment channel Shagun TV has mandated its advertising sales business to Aidem Ventures

    Happy union for Aidem Ventures with Shagun TV

    By A Correspondent

     

    Hindi wedding entertainment channel Shagun TV has mandated its advertising sales business to Aidem Ventures.

     

    “We are happy to be associated with Aidem Ventures. We are looking forward to a fruitful bonding and a long-term relationship with this organization of national repute,” added Chakardhar Dhoundiyal, Chairman, Vertent Media Soft Pvt Ltd.

     

    Thrilled about the appointment, Vikas Khanchandani, Director, Aidem Ventures said, “The entire Aidem team is glad to be associated with Shagun TV. With the second phase of digitization, the TV audience will be able to access diverse content and sampling of such content will continue to witness a surge. Beyond the usual FCT buys, the channel offers a wide range of possibilities ranging from events, in-show integrations, selective and premium non-FCT ad elements and sponsored specials. Wedding as a business in India is recession-proof and continues to grow at a steady pace of 25 percent y-o-y. We are also looking forward to working with stakeholders in the wedding business ecosystem to enhance opportunities.”

     

    Shagun TV’s Arunanjan Jha said, “The Indian wedding industry is estimated to be a staggering Rs 1,25,000-crore industry and the number just gets bigger every year. It is for this reason that the largest F&B, apparel, jewellery, consumer durables and furniture players want a piece of this pie. With Shagun TV, we want to ensure that we set the pace for the changing face of the Indian broadcast industry.”

     

  • Media logistics company IMD, headquartered in London, has acquired the eBUS- Aidem Media Network, creating a substantial global footprint, with a combined local presence across major countries in Europe and Asia-Pacific

    Aidem to invest in tech forays post eBus jv cashout

    By A Correspondent

     

    Media logistics company IMD has acquired the Aidem Media Network stake in the eBus-Aidem joint venture paving the way for Aidem to invest in tech and digital forays.

     

    For its India activities, eBus has been in a joint venture with Aidem since 2010, and has built a large network of broadcasters for digital delivery and distribution of television commercials.

     

    Meanwhile, the London-headquarted IMD has acquired eBus. The acquisition allows IMD to strengthen its reach of digital TV ad delivery in the Asia-Pacific market. The new combined IMD and eBus entity hopes to bring a faster and more efficient digital delivery solution from a single provider to the increasing number of customers that have interests in global delivery solutions.

     

     

    Simon Cox

    IMD CEO Simon Cox said, “eBus fits amazingly well with IMD in so many ways; it’s territorially complementary, it’s very focused on TV ad delivery just like IMD and we have the same cultural and customer-service driven values. On top of that, eBus has a brilliant technology platform created by an exceptionally talented team.”

     

     

     

     

    Carmine Masiello

    eBus CEO Carmine Masiello said, “IMD’s investment in eBus will speed up our expansion in the Asia Pacific region. We look forward to being supported by a shareholder that combines financial strength with an intimate understanding of what we do and who we are.”

     

     

     

    Vikas Khanchandani

    Vikas Khanchandani, Director, Aidem Ventures said, “eBus already has a pan-India presence with over 250 channels as destinations and around 200 advertisers using the service. With IMD’s support this coverage is set to grow wider and faster. This acquisition of eBus by IMD will help us scale up our operations in accordance with this dynamic broadcast industry and constantly innovate to keep pace with the same.”

     

     

     

    Kaushal Dalal

    Kaushal Dalal, EVP, Aidem Ventures, added, “IMD has formed a strategic partnership with Aidem, enhancing the way that Aidem works with eBus and allowing IMD and Aidem to work together, more broadly. The management and stakeholders of all three companies support these new arrangements and are excited about their prospects and all the parties are committed to work together for the long term.”

     

  • Media consulting and sales firm Aidem Ventures has been appointed as the media representative for Punjabi GEC GET Punjabi

    Aidem expands regional footprint, bags Get Punjabi

    By A Correspondent

     

    Media consulting and sales firm Aidem Ventures has been appointed as the media representative for Punjabi GEC GET Punjabi. GET Punjabi was launched in India in October 2011 GEE Info Media stable. The network has presence in US and Canada as Punjjabi TV in US and Canada.

     

    The channel is available across Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh (PHCHP). Said Vikas Khanchandani, Director, Aidem Ventures, “We, at Aidem, intend to create an assortment of focused offerings that deliver a pan-India reach to our advertisers. With this deal coming through, we have expanded our footprint in the regional market with channels ranging from the Tamil Nadu’s Jaya TV, Jaya Max, Jaya Plus and J Movies; Odisha’s Lakshyya Entertainment, Mi Marathi and now Get Punjabi.”

     

    Alok Rakshit, head, broadcast business, regional and news, Aidem Ventures said, “We are pleased to have Get Punjabi on board, as it is a perfect fit in our regional TV channels bouquet. It will help shape our growth path for the next few years. The Punjabi-speaking population across Northern India is the target audience for many a brands. With Rs. 75 Crores riding on Punjabi entertainment genre, the growing trend is deemed to continue.”

     

    “We at Get Punjabi invest a lot of time and resources to reinvent our programming and cover every aspect of entertainment in order to connect with evolving viewer interests.  With Aidem’s thorough understanding of what drives profitability and cash flow and its market-oriented approach to business, we are confident that this collaboration will have a progressive bearing on our ROI,” added Manish Vasisht, Executive Director/CEO, GEE Info Media Pvt. Ltd.