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  • Impact of Covid2019 on global ad spends on Indian ad industry

    Impact of Covid2019 on global ad spends on Indian ad industry

    The Covid2019 pandemic has presented serious challenges when it comes to stabilising the overall economy amidst lockdown, one of which is changing industry dynamics. Covid2019 has impacted the way brands, agencies and various other businesses work which disrupted the ever-evolving advertising and marketing industry. The world’s leading economies have witnessed a downfall in the revenue as the businesses are shut. While there is no handbook that one can follow in such crisis, it is essential for advertisers to re-calibrate their entire approach and connect with the right target audience.

    Since people spend maximum time staying at home during the quarantine, connecting with them through digital media is convenient. In such cases, advertiser’s needs to know the tactic of how to keep their audiences engaged through right media platforms and how to make the brands invest through them.

    Are brands taking a responsible route? Shifts that were witnessed

    Restrictions on travel due to lockdown have posed to be a threat for Out-of-home (OOH) advertising and seems to be a medium that has no realistic lockdown replacement as it has majorly been impacting revenues. But what has actively taken over the current scenario during these tough times and has saved brands from sinking is the way online advertising is responding to it. Brands have started focusing on alternative ways of boosting their businesses online by taking a different approach towards dealing with the current scenario.

    Is global ad spends sinking?

    Spending has now made a shift from the traditional means of advertising from newspaper ads, hoardings, printed pamphlets etc., to digitally active platforms. These include social media like Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and also digital OTT Platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Spotify, Voot etc. 

    Global ads are expected to sink this year as the pandemic has led to dip in travel and tourism and entertainment industry among others, all of which has impacted demand. This change in the global ad spending is what is been highlighted in the way brands have chosen to spend particularly on platforms as a means to increase their sales during and post lockdown. One of the major reasons why ad spends are sinking is because of the attitudinal shift in consumer behaviour. Most advertising companies will experience negative impacts on their business as ad revenues are dropping at a faster pace.  

    Even when sales are at halt because of the pandemic, what was to be noticed is the way how brands did not stop advertising. They continued to create awareness through digital platforms by posting TVCs and coming up with creative ways on Instagram pages which strongly depicted how brands are posing to be with their audience even during these tough times. 

    Creatives from various brands like Metro, Mochi, Burger King, Swiggy, Zomato, Audi etc., have found different ways and means to stay connected with their audiences on typical topics like lockdown, quarantine, isolated, pandemic while playing around strategically with these terms. Changing their logos to promote social distancing, etc brands like Dominos, Swiggy, Big Basket have even started safely delivering groceries by following WHO's guidelines at your door steps to hold credibility in the eyes of its consumers.

    Impact on Indian advertising industry

    While industry is actively dealing with the challenges of OOH during these challenging times, advertisers have now realised that digital progression is the only savior. Digital is the best medium for advertisers to reach their end users. We can already see a shift in Flipkart’s Big Billion Day sale, Myntra’s end of reason sale, etc has always happened in a particular way, but have a possibility of changing due to the crises.

    (The author is co-founder and managing director, Makani Creatives. The views expressed are his own and Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to them.)

  • A hot cuppa instant marketing

    A hot cuppa instant marketing

    'Just take an Uber', is the fastest way of telling, 'arrange a clean, safe, convenient, mode of transport for yourself'. Theoretically, the company and its marketers have at this moment communicated awareness, interest, consideration, preference, purchase, loyalty and even advocacy. Congratulations, dear readers, you just saw a company become a brand.

                                                                “Marketing is a series of events,” said the gurus. Only no longer now and we’ll tell you how!

    With the abundant channels, competitors, digital literacy and logistical accessibility, time has become expensive than money. But the startups and investor backed companies have brought in variety in almost all B2C sectors. As a consumer our intent is to receive the best experience instantly, with least research done. With all of us locked down, all traditional marketing efforts are meagre right now. The marketers are under pressure to create an empirical roadmap to make the target consumer be aware, buy, and become a brand custodian. What’s the bailout?

    Making a quicker marketing journey

    With due respect to the legends, and thanks to the majority imbibing technology across all levels we can jump and skip the non-bankable steps in the various marketing models. Technology and its prodigy, 'the digital', is the push that has triggered the plunge. Our focus on sharper techniques will cut the flab out of the marketing budgets. We’ll hit the target audience where they belong saving a lot of resources and time.

    The new format, we call it the ‘instant marketing’, enables the brand to reach the target customer fast and reduce the cost of communication.

    Marketing today is only as impactful as a user’s attention span

    Marketers have this tremendous pressure to make the consumer make a right swipe within 8 seconds. It’s the ultimate test of seduction out there. Only the best combination of content and media wins the race. This compels us marketers to think slow and act fast. Our goal is to understand everything about our customers, be where they are and then gratify their mind-set.

    In the marketing funnel of 2020, we may not really have to go all the way through awareness, interest, consideration, desire, engagement and action. As per our audience, maybe we jump straight from awareness to engagement and purchase action. Or from interest to desire and action. Any of the combinations work best for our brand! The accessibility of technology and the hand-held medium has given us this superpower to jump our marketing methodology around.

    Covidified consumer behaviour

    Marketers will see themselves become more budget-oriented in order to be cost effective. On its way up to revival, marketers will opt for the most economical methods to reach their audience. There isn’t a lot of liquidity, yet there are huge capacity and inventory. Any player to chance upon and make the fastest dash to be in the playfield will rise above the competition. Post-Covid, brands have a changed course already.

    Consumers will be more thoughtful about what they consume and how much they need to consume. Their value seeking parameters will now be different and they’d look brands with a different eye. Safety, empathy, concern, wellness, purpose driven, social could be some of them. Less experimental now, they’ll choose the brand that they best understand and relate to.

    The marketer’s 2020 tool kit

    Unlike the old dictum, we can now easily measure where half of the money in marketing and advertising goes. We can have instant stats of what works and what doesn't and can promptly change the strategy. We have amazing forces to choose from –

    ·       Programmatic Communication – To shout out loud where your consumer is listening

    ·       Communications Formats – Video and Pictures for tempting their senses

    ·       Performance Marketing – Make a payment on delivery (on a completed lead, sale, booking or download)

    ·       Communications Platforms – Tactically repurposing content for Youtube, Instagram, Google and Twitter

    The organic traffic is down in major industries globally. That’s a huge concern cited by the marketing guru, Niel Patel. When that happens, it reflects, that there is a demand crunch in almost all sectors. It means that disposable incomes are now savings. And it means that the money isn’t flowing. This is the time for consolidation, for being judicious with the expenses and for reaching out to the customers in the tools that use the shortest time. As a marketer, do not be fearful, because right now, everyone is. Be smart, because everyone isn’t.

    By the time you finish reading this article, three businesses got shut down worldwide. You don’t believe me? Google it!

    (The author is integrated marketing specialist at Topline Consulting Group. The views expressed are his own and Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to them.)

  • How to induct modern marketing in your business?

    How to induct modern marketing in your business?

    A clever digital campaign, captivating brand activation or a smart app – what constitutes modern marketing? Does one need to think beyond activation and digital strategies to become a modern marketer in the true sense of the term?

    More than 83 per cent of CEOs of global corporations consider marketing to be the driver for the lion's share of their company's growth. Most senior leaders are of the opinion that their marketing strategies have to modernise, but they have little idea of how to actualise their ideas.

    Modern marketing not only needs new capabilities but also select enablers to support these new capabilities to meet the new demands of the market. The third and fourth quarters of 2020 will usher new challenges that modern marketers have to address for their company's growth.

    Mindset Shift: What you need to become a successful modern marketer!

    A majority of the CMOs are facing stagnation due to the lack of knowledge about the full set of changes necessary. Without the clarity of the inter-dependencies of the elements needed for a shift in mindset, most marketers gravitate towards isolating only the elements they are familiar with.

    Ignoring some elements necessary for developing modern marketing solutions can lead to the creation of blind spots, which may lead to frustration, delays, and loss of ROI. A successful development of modern marketing solutions requires three mindset shifts.

    Making a modern marketer: Three necessary mindset shifts

    Here are three mindset shifts that act as the foundation of the development of the modern marketer –

    i.                 Working together with all CxO

    It’s impossible to drive company growth while working in silos. It is now the responsibility of the good modern marketer to collaborate with all the departments from production and sales, to creative and designing.

    Chief marketing officers (CMOs) can drive greater and faster growth by working with C-suite colleagues as partners by acting as “unifiers”. The “unifiers” collect information on how working together can help the CIOs, CEOs, CFOs and the other CxOs.

    CMOs should serve as the role model for every member of the marketing team. They should lead by example, and show the marketing team members how to collaborate with other colleagues from other teams with respect and ease.

    ii.                Putting the Customers Before Everything Else

    Companies have held a customer-centric mindset for a long while. "The customer's always right" or "the customer always comes first" isn't a new concept. 

    Modern marketing involves the CMO and the rest of the marketing team knowing and facing the set of challenges a company must overcome to achieve customer-centricity and to scale at the same time.

    These steps can include –

    ·       Addressing customer pain points to solve them and meet their evolving necessities

    ·       Setting up a centralized data platform for easy access to all customer profiles by authorized employees

    ·       Generation of real-time insights from customer journeys

    ·       Measurement of customer interactions and site analytics

    ·       Using the insights to design customer-centric journeys and address consumer concerns

    Customer segmentation and micro-segmentation are two important tasks that can enable the CMOs to develop a more customer-centric mindset ideal for the modern marketing team.

    iii.              Focusing on reallocation of assets, new investment opportunities and monitoring returns

    Today, it is possible for every marketer to measure the returns from every channel they have used and are using for marketing their brand/products/services. For example, even when upgrading a company’s website design, one has to measure the impact in terms of organic traffic, by A/B testing. And use the data to make underlying changes to the design or content.

    The ROI mindset requires CMOs to work with the concept that the money they are investing is their own. Therefore, it demands close monitoring of the assets, quantitatively measuring the returns every quarter and drawing insights from market trends before reallocating any resources.

    The ROI mindset demands a close working relationship between the CMO and CFO of the company. It will not only build the company's financial profile but help unlock additional investment opportunities for the company leaders. Moreover, it will demonstrate the importance of modern marketing to the board of directors of the company. 

    These three mindset shifts are inevitable and indispensable for any corporation that wants to adopt modern marketing. A marketer has to rely on modern data sciences, technology, consumer feedback, market surveys and unified working conditions to transform themselves into a modern marketer. 

    (The author is iXceed Solutions MD & co-founder. The views expressed are her own and Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to them.)

  • Impact of Covid2019 pandemic on print media & how ad revenues are affected

    Impact of Covid2019 pandemic on print media & how ad revenues are affected

    Covid2019 is the most dreaded word right now and rightly so. As we know, it hasn't only claimed many lives but the livelihood of many too. While it has been an eye-opener at many levels, it has also changed the economy. It looks like the 'new normal' is here to stay and to keep up with it, we must evolve. 

    Print media had its perks and luxury for a very long time before it got hit by a virtual pandemic – digitalization. Covid2019 is an addition to the already eroding industry. However, when we talk of ad revenues, Coronavirus has affected every possible industry and print media is no exception. Ad revenues have dropped not only for print but also for digital, OOH and every other possible medium. The reason is the paucity of funds. The financial crunch has urged brands and businesses to limit their spends and advertisements are the last avenues where they will place their buck. Who will they advertise for? Who will buy? The financial crunch funnels down to the consumer level too. Even if you print where are the vendors and street sellers who sell your magazines going to come from? Lot of them make it to the “migrant labourer” category.

    The lockdown has everyone at home scrolling through their phone screens all day. If at all brands want to place their money, the best bet is digital at the moment. While print as a medium struggles to stay afloat, this pandemic could result in a big boost for digital platforms in the future. 

    When we look at magazines, newspapers, catalogues, or any other vertical of print, there's no way to reach the consumers and readers. With everything under lockdown, how does one get access to these? The only smart way to deal with the current situation is to bank on digital versions of your magazine copies and newspapers and think of innovative ways to reach your audience via the internet. We have been issuing digital editions in PDF formats ourselves since readers would not necessarily pay for it. This is also to get them lured to the habit of the convenience of reading through ipads, smartphones or laptops. 

    While 'Where tech meets lifestyle' is what we stand for at Exhibit, we could evolve ourselves with the extension of the same thought – 'Where lifestyle leads tech'. Technology needs to evolve in accordance with the current lifestyle of consumers. This isn't going to last forever but this has certainly made way for a lasting change. 

    The show must go on. But, you must know where to play the showreel!

    (The author is publisher & chief editor of Exhibit Magazine & BBC Top Gear India. Thr views expressed are his own and Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to them)

  • How Covid2019 is affecting outdoor media

    How Covid2019 is affecting outdoor media

    Outdoor advertising had a fantastic 2019. Defying predictions, India’s OOH (Out Of Home) industry, grew at over 15 per cent. Driven by IPL, elections and a huge increase in the OTT industry’s outdoor advertising, the industry saw a big increase, enabled adequately by digitization. The industry itself has been seeing radical positive transformation over the years. From the rather primitive static format, it has now become a dynamic audiovisual one, with all kinds of creativity made possible by technology. Global giants like Google Maps and LinkedIn have used OOH to create an impact, in addition to Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hotstar. Events are a big money spinner for OOH, and last year KumbhMela was proof of this. Witnessing audiences in crores, the promotion of brands on-site contributed significantly. In the financial year 2019, the revenue generated from out-of-home advertising across India amounted to over Rs 34 billion. This was estimated to reach up to Rs 52 billion by the financial year 2024, and Rs 38 billion in 2020.

    But all this has now been severely affected by the pandemic Covid2019. Many organizations have slashed their ad campaign budgets and have left the advertisers reeling for their incomes. OOH has been acutely affected in this scenario.

    Looking at history does not help, as during the previous instances of recession or pandemic, digital media or ambient advertising (a variation of outdoor) were not as developed as it is today. 1918 was the year when the Spanish Flu hit the world, and at that point mass television broadcast was at least 25 years away. Much later, in 2008, when the financial crisis hit the world, digital marketing was just fledgling.  But today, it is hard to find a single household that is not reached through digital and/or outdoor advertising.

    Lockdown has changed the way we live and the way in which we consume media. Urging people to stay indoors has resulted in streets and roads being empty. Halting public transport has created a vacuum in bus shelters and train stations and the busy shopping areas are deserted. The familiar red colour of Coca-Cola or the bright branding of Samsung is no longer visible while walking down the busy areas of metros in India. Many hoarding sites are empty as there are no consumers to view these.

    In-home media has been the gainer during this period. Whether it is TV, which has increased reach in terms of viewers and duration of viewership, or web streaming, which has seen a significant climb in the household watching time, or even video games (where playtime has gone up), people staying at home has resulted in a sharp increase in in-home entertainment and viewing.

    Out-of-home also includes ambient advertising i.e., advertising in unexpected areas. Aimed at evoking an emotional response, ambient advertising includes placing products, models etc. in attractive locations like malls and restaurants in order to catch the consumer’s attention. It is also called ‘creative guerilla advertising,’ and that has also hit a new low now. Reduction in public traffic has done away with the need for this kind of advertising, at least temporarily. Cancelling events has also had a bearing on this industry. With no immediate need to promote new products on a mass scale, clients are cancelling these events, leaving the advertisers high and dry.

    So, how can the outdoor media industry buck the trend?

    Outdoor medium is an integral part of our cityscapes and our lives. It has always had a place in building trust with local communities. Located in proximity to where people live and commute, it ensures a special bond with the citizens of that geography. And in times such as the current crisis, the medium is all the more relevant in garnering faith and educating the public. The medium, therefore, needs to play to its strengths. There have been cases where governments have recognized this and placed their confidence in this medium. According to the Ad Council of the US, ‘Out Of Home’ media plays a critical part in informing local communities and residents on how to stay safe during times of uncertainty. As part of their ongoing efforts to address the growing Covid2019 pandemic, the US department of health and human services (HHS) and centers for disease control and prevention (CDC), have convened (OOH) industry leaders, to bring critical Covid2019 safety messaging to the American public. From mall kiosks to airport TVs to Uber car tops and billboards, the industry is leveraging their extensive networks to help slow the spread of the virus. The scenario in India is no different. The advertising giants – Lintas, Ogilvy, JWT, etc. – are all focusing efforts on their outdoor advertising arm to bring more awareness to the public on Covid2019.

    Already known for its novel campaigns in the ambient format, the OOH industry needs further innovations. Take the case of Ro, an American digital health company, that has both men and women health products. Situated in New York, they decided to use outdoor medium and came up with a public utility message on safety on billboards, while also announcing their website-based tele-health assessments. This dual-purpose innovation helped them gain consumer mind share while also doing public good.

    Flexibility is the other aspect that will enable OOH to flourish. Media agency outfits that have a digital or TV component should allow clients to trade their outdoor budgets for digital or TV campaigns during this lockdown period, thereby retaining clientele. This will give them the much-needed revenues and allow them to get back on track once the current crisis is over.

    Making advertising trustworthy has always been a challenge. The metric for measuring trust in advertisements – the AD TRUST Scale – highlights the reliability of source as the topmost. Outdoor medium scores significantly on that front. Seeing China rebound from Covid2019 gives hope to outdoor marketers that all will be well soon. Coincidentally, the Beijing Olympics of 2008 was one of the pioneer outdoor events which showcased what OOH was capable of, through spectacular creativity (and technology). Given that outdoor advertising touches people in a personal, topical way, it is important that the industry adopts a combination of the above-mentioned strategies of playing to its strengths, practicing innovation and retaining flexibility.

    (The author is senior associate professor (marketing), Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai.)

  • New normal: What’s in it for marketers?

    New normal: What’s in it for marketers?

    In today’s landscape, most brands are experiencing marketing budget cuts and looking for more affordable and result-oriented channels like programmatic advertising which can deliver an impeccable ROI. The ‘new normal’ in the advertising and marketing industry is being interactive, informative and creative. Brands are constantly focusing on creating shoppable landing pages and creating new online stores.  Supply and distribution are becoming more important than demand, so it’s very crucial for brands to stay in touch with their B2B audiences like retailers, distributers, and ‘kirana’ stores.  Also, this is a time where brands are now exploring partnerships beyond hyper-local delivery apps and looking for more meaningful connection with consumers in categories like online education, digital wallets and other utility apps. 

    Trends redefining the market

    There has been a big shift in consumer behaviour with more people have started searching and reading content around homeschooling, parenting, immunity, fitness videos, personal hygiene, pet care, healthy cooking and eating. Apart from the usual primetime late evening slots, we are also seeing more prominence being given for other slots such as the one from 12 pm to 2 pm, across news, gaming, and OTT platforms. For media buying, in case of biddable media, we are seeing a trend of a floor price decline by 15 per cent to 20 per cent week-on-week. However, the bigger challenge for marketers now is around advertising goals and strategies that are understandably shifting. Brands today need a deeper understanding of what’s driving real-time results and plan, execute, and measure the success of their media investments better.

    What a marketer should do in these times?

    Being a marketer, one must stay focused on both short and long-term goals and look out for new growth opportunities. But most importantly, in crisis times as such the current one, brands must take the responsibility as consumers need reassurance and they are noticing which brands are playing an active role in their lives and which ones have retreated. Going dark or silent during these times might cost brands heavily in the longer run, as active brands would like to take the advantage to create a halo effect and establish themselves as leaders in their industries. Our recommendation to all brands is to focus on accelerating digital experience and e-commerce capabilities. And prepare for the rebound build strategy for the coming ‘The New Abnormal’.

    The author is Xaxis India Country Head. The views expressed are his own, and Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to them. 

  • How brands position and compete during Covid2019

    How brands position and compete during Covid2019

    The world has come to a literal standstill in the wake of the deadly Covid-2019 pandemic. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that all of us are in the midst of an unprecedented crisis. Even the marketing and communications industry is seeing a downward trajectory, with most companies struggling to stay afloat and keep themselves relevant in times like these. 

    A lot of challenges await brands as they look to maintain their presence among consumers during the lockdown. Market sentiments have hit the purchasing capacity of consumers, both in terms of behavioural and economic approach. It won't be too early to say that humans have adopted 'social distancing' as their way of life, and have begun to understand the difference between ‘needs’ and ‘wants’.

    Amidst all of this, how can a brand gain attention of existing and potential consumers? How does it ensure that its voice is heard? The answer lies in humour, banters with other brands, and showing empathy; at least these options have found some amount of success with a lot of brands that have been trying out these cool new initiatives. 

    And this is also backed by data. According to a Barometer India study by Kantar conducted from 19-22 March, 28 per cent of their respondents are still keen to observe their brands’ creativity in sharing trusted information with the audience. Also, the study has suggested that 79 per cent of the consumers want to experience how helpful brands can be in a new world post Covid-2019, in their everyday lives. This clearly shows that consumers are going to be way more alert and intuitive before building their loyalty towards any particular brand.

    The aviation industry has generally been a big trendsetter in this aspect. A few days ago, Indigo poked some harmless fun at Vistara with a quirky tweet stating 'not flying higher these days we heard?' with the hashtag #StayingParkedStayingSafe. Other Indian airlines were quick to join the conversation with their own witty comebacks, with Delhi Airport finally rounding up the conversation with a hopeful-for-the-future kind of tweet. With no certainty of any of these brands being back to business soon, they not only conveyed the importance of staying home, but also kept themselves relevant in the audience’s mind through a unique take on the current situation. 

    A similar kind of attempt was made by the Mumbai Police to educate netizens to stay home by quoting some of Alia Bhatt’s hit movies.

    This allowed netizens to participate in conversations, and also gave a big boost to the Mumbai Police’s initiative of taking creative routes to impart education about staying home. 

    The radio industry isn’t staying far behind either. Radio has emerged as one of the most credible sources of information during lockdown with credibility score of 6.27. According to AZ Research PPL, 82 per cent of the masses have been relying on radio for gaining access to authentic pieces of information. Radio brands have kept aside their rivalry and joined hands to keep the brand relevant in their own creative ways.

    It all started when Fever FM tagged Radio Mirchi and subtly poked them, asking if they are still happy as Radio Mirchi, playing on the tagline – "Mirchi Sunne wale always khush." Ishq FM and Radio Nasha soon joined this online conversation.

    It is intriguing how brand communications are adapting to evolving consumer sentiment in a short span of time. It’s like the pandemic imparted a whole new perspective to their approach. Whether it is to poke fun, or to show empathy, brands are now connecting more with competitors, without caring too much about fighting for audience mind space. 

    Even influencers have taken up the mantle to educate while staying relevant to their audience on social media. With Covid-2019 bringing all sporting events to a halt, sports personalities like Usain Bolt have also engaged in some fun, albeit educative conversations. He used the iconic picture from his 100m race win at 2008 Olympics to advocate social distancing, while also subtly poking fun at his competitors by showcasing how he had outpaced all of them.

    Once all of this is over, it will be interesting to see how brands approach their communication strategies. Will they continue to remain as empathetic to competition, and creative in their approach to communication? Will we see an innovative and collaborative approach to keep their ‘reborn’ consumers engaged? Only time will give us answers to all these questions.

    (The author is a communication specialist. The views expressed are personal and Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to them)

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  • Don’t break the chain: Why streaming piracy prevention requires industry-wide collaboration

    Don’t break the chain: Why streaming piracy prevention requires industry-wide collaboration

    Video piracy is not dissimilar to a game of cat and mouse where both protagonist and victim are caught up in a seemingly unending match of wits and agility.

    Viewers are enjoying a golden age of TV, spoilt for choice with box sets and movies. But for streaming providers it’s a battle to confound and curtail the pirates’ activities at a time when content costs are spiralling, revenue leakage from casual credentials sharing is rising, and most are struggling to turn a profit. You need look no further than the piracy challenges currently facing many sports platforms to see the full extent of the business risk.

    It doesn’t help that the public perceives video piracy as a victimless crime and that stretched law enforcement agencies are reluctant to pursue people watching content for free. While pirates in Europe might face jail, convictions in many countries are treated as a misdemeanour that incur little more than a fine.  Pirates must feel they have a licence to print money.

    The name of the game is demotivating every player in the pirate chain which is why the industry needs to collaborate to stem the tide and sink the pirates.

    Lessons can be learned from the music industry, when everyone in the industry was encouraged to take an active role in fighting illegal music distribution. Through collaboration and bringing down Napster, the industry turned a corner. It wasn’t the end of illegal streaming, but it gave record companies, artists and rights owners a chance to reinvent their business and survive.

    The weakest link

    Progress to combat piracy is being made by industry organisations such as Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA). But the responsibility has to be broader than the members of these alliances.

    Everyone including CDN and cloud service providers, ISPs, payment providers, chip manufacturers, anti-piracy vendors, integrators, rights owners and streaming providers has to acknowledge their responsibilities and cooperate.

    The goals are to make itdifficult for pirates to start streaming as making it easy to take down illegal networks as soon as they are detected. Legal payment providers such as Visa or PayPaland cloud providers have an important role here.

    Today end user devices are generally the weakest link in the distribution chain. By making streaming services accessible on as many devices as possible, providers have unwittingly ended up making themselves more vulnerable.  It’s not just phones and tablets, this also includes legitimate redistribution systems installed in less rigorously controlled environments such as hotels and bars.

    And when pirates findit is too difficult to steal content through those end devices, the cat and mouse game will continue and pirates will simply turn their attention to finding other vulnerabilities further up the chain.

    Building a better mousetrap

    Anti-piracy vendors need to continually evolve their tools and operational security services to outsmart the pirates. This includes using AI to help streaming providers quickly find pirates who are selling credentials.

    While AI is making it easier to detect piracy, any insight needs to be overlaid with sophisticated human intelligence in order to understand the criminal mind-set and ecosystem; how the pirates are organised; what motivates them; and their business model. With this knowledge it is possible to devise a plan to disrupt and demotivate them.

    This requires diverse skillsets including cyber security specialists, field and undercover investigators, as well as forensic and intelligence analysts, and psychology, criminology, and sociology experts. For example, undercover investigators can be active online including social media and the dark web as well as gettinginside manufacturing facilities with boots on the ground.

    While rights owners and service providers need to invest in these anti-piracy technologies and services, third parties including ISPs also need to ensure that their systems are secure and can move quickly to disrupt or remove any leaks that do occur.

    Plus, if one operator is being targeted by pirates, there are usually other similar victims. By sharing details and even pooling resources, we can frustrate the pirates’ efforts.

    Finally, while streaming piracy is important, don’t ignore other forms of video piracy, requiring ongoing investment in conditional access and DRM technologies. Plus, consumers are still unknowingly buying illegal set-top boxes from criminals who set up shop to look like a legitimate provider – even going so far to use content brands’ logos.

    Together, we can make the pirated content so painful to watch that consumer demand falls away,disrupt their revenues using electronic counter measures that kill pirate devices, and increase legal action. This will minimise and contain piracy and allow legal streaming services to triumph.

    • The author is vice president of intelligence & security operations, Synamedia. The views expressed in this comment piece are entirely Avigail's and Synamedia's and indiantelevision.com need not subscribe to them.

  • Comment: 3 areas that new MIB minister Rathore needs to target

    Comment: 3 areas that new MIB minister Rathore needs to target

    In a recent reshuffle of his cabinet colleagues and their portfolios initiated by PM Modi, a surprise move was not Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) minister Smriti Irani’s removal, but handing the independent charge of the portfolio to her till-now junior, Rajyavardhan Rathore.

    There is some merit in giving Rathore full responsibility of MIB, which was conceptualised by the nation’s founding fathers to be the government interface with the media and public, in general. That MIB could have lost its relevance in this digital age – an issue being debated in certain quarters – is another story altogether for some other time. Why Rathore at the helm of MIB seems just what the doctor advised?

    First, he is young and suave. Second, he comes with a good pedigree of being an army officer and an Olympic medalist. Third, he’s comparatively young and has built a youth and people-friendly image, apart from his work as independent charge holder at Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports – his latest initiative on Twitter, #HumFitTohIndiaFit , aimed at encouraging fitness by inviting celebs is already a hit on social media.

    As Rathore has served as a junior MIB minister long enough to get to know the complex issues that come with the terrain, it is expected that he is best suited to address the challenges being faced by the media industry. But for that, he needs to aim at the following three areas and hit the bull’s eye.

    Content Regulation

    The previous MIB minister waded into controversies because of her largely perceived unpopular move to create a panel in April this year to explore regulations for online media/news portals and online content. It did not help her or the government’s cause as this announcement, though being hinted at for several months, came close on the heels of a widely protested move to cancel the accreditation of journalists if found peddling fake news, while the government did not define clearly what constituted a fake news. Though the order was rescinded at the behest of the PM’s Office, the online content committee lingers on directionless and with nobody willing to father the baby presently. That this move antagonised not just online journalists, but also social media players (many of whom are backed and funded by government’s sympathisers) and video-on- demand portals is a story in itself.

    Rathore knows media in India enjoys certain constitutional freedoms, including the right to exercise freedom of speech and expression. Therefore, any move targeted at “regulating” such content shall only be interpreted as silencing criticism. That the online committee is packed with government officials with minuscule industry representation and zero presence of online media raises questions on government’s motives.

    What’s more, doubts have also been raised on the jurisdictional propriety of MIB to create such a committee in the first place. The government allocation of business rules that determine the remit of various government agencies clearly highlights that for all “policy matters relating to information technology; electronics; and Internet” only Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeITY) is competent to make decisions. The ambit of MIB is limited only to “the enunciation and implementation of the law relating to radio and television broadcasting in India by private Indian companies or Indian nationals”.

    With multiple laws applicable on online content, there seems to be no need of any additional regulation for online content, though MeITY could think otherwise, but it’s for it to take a call. Still, a self-regulating mechanism that places uniform standards over user-generated content platforms and video-on-demand portals is the need of the day. This shall also be in line with Rathore’s views expressed after assuming full charge at MIB where he stressed upon self-regulation as the only means of regulating media.

    As the final authority at MIB now, Rathore needs to walk the talk on online content regulation and, probably, let the committee set up by his predecessor die a natural death.

    Online content aside, in the world of traditional broadcasting there is a need to strengthen the already established self-regulatory mechanisms such as the Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC) of the IBF and a similar self-regulatory set-up of the NBA India.

    Ease of Doing Business

    It would be an understatement to say that the past year has been a difficult period for the Indian media and entertainment (M&E) sector what with after-effects of demonetisation of high-value currency notes and a new tax regime of GST rolled out last year. The story remains the same for ease of doing business in the sector as well.

    On this aspect, Rathore could focus on the recommendations made by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on`Ease of Doing Business in Broadcasting Sector’ and implement them in letter and spirit.

    A unilateral decision by the previous leadership of MIB to impose a processing fee of Rs 100,000 per day/channel on temporary live uplinking of events (such as sports) and the same amount for seeking minor amendments (like change in name, logo, etc) has been causing heart burns.

    What was the rationale behind such moves to review processing fees? Allegedly non-revision for several years and that such a move could bring in some revenue for the government. But, should a government use licensing/permission fee as means of revenue maximisation? Probably, no.

    Another issue that demands attention from Rathore is the denial of permissions by DoS to satellite TV channels using private satellite capacity, especially foreign. Here, the newly appointed minister shall have to display his trademark leadership and try to resolve the concerns of his constituents (TV channels, DTH operators, teleport operators, etc) vis-a-vis DoS.

    Building an Investment Friendly Environment

    In the recently held global Asia Media Summit 2018 in New Delhi, PM Narendra Modi said that Asia has emerged as a promising region for media businesses and offers opportunities for international cooperation. This statement highlights his government’s push for increasing investment inflow across sectors of the Indian economy – including creative industries such as M&E.

    In this respect, Rathore will have to hit the road running — which he has done — and look at all the factors impeding investments in the sectors under him. This could necessitate reviewing licensing conditions and guidelines, which many in the industry believe hamper investments.

    Can Rathore bite the bullet and recreate the magic that he unveiled one fine day years back to get India the first Olympic medal in an individual event? Certainly, he can. Keep tuned in for the next episode.

    Also Read :

    MIB clears TV channel applications; Rathore calls for stakeholder meets

    Comment: India’s NTP 2018 gets digital makeover but needs complimentary policies

    Comment: MIB’s botched whip on fake news akin to testing waters

    M&E to add 1 mn jobs in 5 years: Sudhanshu Vats

  • A tale of two giant mergers and their India fallout

    A tale of two giant mergers and their India fallout

    MUMBAI: Two deals shook the world of media and entertainment last week: Disney-21st Century Fox and Dish TV-Videocon d2h. One was all about content and affects the world of media and entertainment globally including India. The second was all about content distribution and platform and impacts the world of television in India.

    Of course, the ripple effect of the first is oceanic for comparison with the other. So deep will be the impact of Bob Iger and Rupert Murdoch’s decision that the future will look back at the history of media as the pre and post-Disney-Fox and New Fox era.

    Nevertheless, it has created a behemoth in India: the new Disney, which now will house Star India, will have relationships with Tata Sky and the video streaming service Hotstar. The union of Disney and Fox is expected to bring in synergistic savings of close to $2 billion; some of that will be contributed by the Indian division, however marginal that might be.

    In India, the Dish TV-Videocon d2h merger has created the world’s second largest pay satellite TV distribution platform with 29 million subscribers, just behind AT&T’s Direct TV.

    Dish TV Videocon merged is also predicted to bring in large savings through rationalisation of the two companies’ manpower, backend resources and better combined purchasing negotiating power, distribution and infrastructure like offices etc. An estimate is that costs cumulatively will come down by about 10-20 per cent.

    The main leverage it will get is in content costs. Even though the Disney-Fox combine will be unmatchable internationally, in India, Dish TV Videocon could more than prove a match for it. With the expensive IPL under its belt, it will most probably have to kowtow to CEO Anil Dua and chairman Jawahar Goel’s diktats on how much they will pay out for carrying the Star India network’s signals, which includes its premium programming and sports.

    Also read:

    MIB clears path for Dish TV Videocon

    21st CF spins-off into new live news & sports co Fox

    With Star India, Disney emerges as India’s largest M&E firm