Smule and Radio Mirchi is observing a two-week celebration of companionship for the music-loving community.
Candid jam sessions with renowned music celebrities, live online events with Radio Mirchi’s top RJs and special Smule Friendship Jam playlist are some things Indian music lovers can look forward to.
Excited about the Smule Friendship Jam, Viral Jani, Senior VP Investments Operations, Times Bridge, said: “As the custodian of the Smule brand in the Indian market, we at Times Bridge value the love Smule gets from the growing community of millions of music lovers who bond on the Smule platform over music and have formed lasting friendships. We are delighted to co-create the Smule Friendship Jam with Mirchi, a unique celebration of friendship and music which is true to the brand essence of Smule – Making friends with Music and Music with friends.”
Added Yatish Merhrishi, COO, Radio Mirchi: “Radio Mirchi is delighted to partner with Smule yet again to create the Friendship Jam Anthem. Radio Mirchi and Smule both being synonymous to music, this partnership bodes well to the Friendship anthem being launched on Friendship day. Along with various renowned artists and a robust digital media plan, we look forward to our anthem successfully reaching out to all parts of the country.”
Twitter announced a partnership with Jio Filmfare Awards through Twitter Amplify, a content sponsorship package that will enable the brands to extend their presence to targeted Twitter audiences in India. The first Twitter Amplify deal in the entertainment industry in India, @Filmfare will broadcast exclusive curated content live from the Twitter Blueroom at 6:30pm IST on 18th February 2017, an hour before Jio Filmfare Awards television telecast, available worldwide to Twitter’s logged-in and logged-out audience and connected devices.
The special broadcast will include a special show LIVE on Twitter from the #BlueRoom with film director Karan Johar (@KaranJohar) and Jitesh Pillaai (@jiteshpillaai), editor Filmfare; hosted by digital creator and comedian Abish Mathew (@abishmathew). The special broadcast streamed from @Filmfare will see Karan and Jitesh revealing inside scoop on Bollywood’s biggest stars and sharing interesting backstage trivia from this year’s awards. As the trio speak about movies and more and engage in a fun Rapid Fire Round that will pit Karan and Jitesh against each other, fans will get a special sneak peek into Bollywood’s biggest night exclusively on Twitter.
Jio’s pre-roll video will be added to the multiple creative executions including behind the scenes, sneak peeks from the Red Carpet, nominations and celebrity reactions from the event itself. The Amplify deal for the 62nd JioFilmfare Awards 2017 began with the Red Carpet episode and runs through the final broadcast of the awards on television this weekend.
Twitter Amplify enables media companies and brands to capture the excitement on TV and distribute it to fans and audiences across Twitter, far beyond their existing followers. Audiences can immediately relive that moment or experience it for the first time on their mobile phones while they engage in Twitter conversations.
Viral Jani, Head of Entertainment, Twitter India said, “People come to Twitter to be a part of the social TV conversation around celebrities which is constant on Twitter. Twitter is where the virtual world of entertainment unfolds and we are excited to have Jio and Filmfare on board to further enhance Twitter’s second screen experience. Our collaboration with Filmfare will give fans a sneak peek into exclusive content that they can engage with on Twitter while viewing the content on television.â€
“Filmfare is always looking for innovative ways to bring the best of Bollywood to fans all over the world. We are thrilled to team up with Twitter and provide users around the world never before seen glimpses from the event and behind the scenes peek to one of the most prestigious awards in the film industry.The idea is to enhance the digital footprint of the Filmfare brand with this first of a kind partnership for any awards property in India.†says Deepak Lamba, CEO, Worldwide Media that owns Filmfare.
Twitter India has appointed Viral Jani as Head of TV Partnerships, who will be based at the company’s office in Mumbai. As part of his new role, Viral will work closely with the complete TV ecosystem of broadcasters, production houses and audience measurement systems to make Twitter the second screen to TV in India.
Viral’s main responsibility will be to forge strategic partnerships with broadcasters to help channels amplify their message, drive more viewers, and generate more user engagement with their content on Twitter. He aims to lead  this social TV movement in India in two ways: by bringing the best content from TV channels to Twitter’s platform for live, public conversations, while enabling Twitter as an incredible video and visual-driven storytelling platform to drive tune-in and audience engagement for the TV channels.
Moving forward, Viral is keen to position Twitter as the largest virtual couch for viewing TV content in India, and facilitate broadcasters to use the full suite of Twitter’s products such as Twitter native video, Twitter Amplify, Vine, Periscope, SnappyTV and TV analytics. The real magic takes place, Viral believes, when brands follow a thorough content-driven strategy to optimise on the Twitter+TV experience. Each of the Twitter TV products boosts viewer engagement and helps provide unique Twitter content surrounding a TV show – Tweets, photos, videos, live chats with on-air talent, Twitter polls, and behind-the-scenes Periscope videos. Twitter is complementary to the full experience of a TV channel today, and each Tweet is an opportunity to strengthen relationships with the TV audience.
Rishi Jaitly, Vice President, Media, Asia Pacific and Middle East, Twitter said, “Twitter is the ultimate companion to television and we have invested considerable time and effort in partnerships with TV broadcasters worldwide to ensure they are able to amplify the live, public conversations about their shows on our platform. In his new role, Viral will expand Twitter’s leadership and footprint in the social TV market in India, prioritising TV partners that drive audience engagement and growth.â€
With more than 12 years of experience in the media industry, Viral has previously worked at broadcasting group Times Television Network, where he was instrumental in building a strong social media presence for their channels – Times Now, Zoom & ET NOW, in addition to managing the portfolio of content strategy and audience insights for their TV Business. Under his leadership both entertainment and news verticals of Times Network achieved the best in class engagement on Twitter and other social platforms.
