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  • Tom Jacomb takes charge as DNEG president, animation division

    Tom Jacomb takes charge as DNEG president, animation division

    Mumbai: Animation and VFX studio DNEG on Wednesday announced the promotion of Tom Jacomb as president of the animation division.

    Previously serving as managing director, Jacomb helped launch the feature animation division at DNEG in 2014. Based in London, he has guided the growth of the team to more than 500 employees across DNEG’s animation studios in London, Los Angeles, Montréal, and Mumbai. 

    “In his new role as president, Jacomb will oversee further worldwide investment and expansion of DNEG Animation, including expansion into Vancouver and the creation of up to 100 new animation roles in the city,” said the company in a statement.

    Jacomb’s promotion is effective concurrently with the appointment of five new senior members of DNEG Animation’s team and the studio’s expanding slate of new feature film and episodic animation productions.

    Freddy Chaleur and Yancy Lindquist have joined DNEG Animation’s team of VFX supervisors, which includes Philippe Denis, Archie Donato, and Taylor Moll; animation director Jay Boose joined the team’s animation leadership group, which includes Kapil Sharma, Troy Saliba, and Dave Lowry – all led by Ted Ty. The new hires are rounded out by the head of look development Sonja Burchard and producer Audrey Ford.  

    “Jacomb’s promotion and the onboarding of five new senior members of his team support our ambition for DNEG Animation to become one of the best and most highly regarded animation studios in the world,” said DNEG CEO Namit Malhotra. “Jacomb will continue to build a superlative global team and build upon the great successes.”

    “DNEG has long been known for its creative pedigree in visual effects, and I am incredibly proud of the opportunity to lead our amazing team and prove that DNEG can also excel in delivering the highest-quality animation projects,” said Tom Jacomb. “The team’s talents and hard work get the credit for our growth and the incredible projects that we are embarking on. Looking to the future, I am very pleased to welcome our new senior crew members, who will bolster DNEG Animation’s global capabilities with even more creativity, experience, and expertise.”

  • Route Mobile subsidiary elevates Shefali Sharma as CEO

    Route Mobile subsidiary elevates Shefali Sharma as CEO

    Mumbai: Route Mobile Ltd on Tuesday announced the promotion of Shefali Sharma as chief executive officer (CEO) and appointed Ramachandran Sivathanu, member of the board, as chief operating officer (COO) of its wholly-owned subsidiary, Call2Connect India, with immediate effect.

    Sharma is a seasoned business leader with over 26 years of experience, largely working in the ITeS sector, and has worked with companies like Omnia, Spanco, & Spice among others. She has been an integral member of the company since 2012, having held several key leadership portfolios during her tenure. As CEO of Call2Connect, Sharma will be responsible for driving innovation, nurturing talent, and growing the business at the company.

    Sivathanu is an industry veteran with in-depth telecommunications expertise and has worked with companies like Loop Telecom, Meridian Mobile, RPG Cellular Services, and Red Bottle Telecommunications Consultancy.

    “Shefali has displayed excellent leadership in steering the company through a turbulent 2020 ensuring business continuity, and as we pivot to the next normal, I am confident that Call2Connect is on the right path of success in her leadership. Ramachandran’s rich technology & telecom experience can add depth to the business operations at Call2Connect,” said Route Mobile Ltd, MD and group CEO, Rajdipkumar Gupta.

    “The business process outsourcing industry is growing rapidly and will be worth an estimated $52 billion globally by 2023. Both Shefali as well as Ramachandran bring in years of experience and are fully capable to accelerate Call2Connect’s potential to tap this addressable market,” he added.

    “Customer and employee first are two key elements that make successful organisations. I’m honored to lead a company that prioritises its customers’ needs and nurtures its employees to become successful leaders,” Sharma said. “As a company, we are well-positioned to accelerate growth with agility in giving the best possible ITeS solutions to our clients, and make Call2Connect the employer of choice.”

    “I am excited to be a part of the next phase of growth for Call2Connect with Shefali Sharma and under the leadership of Rajdipkumar Gupta,” Sivathanu said. “The ITeS sector is rapidly evolving and digital technologies are constantly changing customer communication. Call2Connect’s customer-centric approach and high-quality service delivery make us a partner of choice for businesses wanting to re-think their outsourcing strategy.”

  • Indian M&E industry can reach $100 billion by 2030: K Madhavan

    Indian M&E industry can reach $100 billion by 2030: K Madhavan

    Mumbai: The Indian media and entertainment industry touched $19 billion in 2020 down from an expected $22 billion, but it’s poised to grow up to $100 billion by 2030, said The Walt Disney Company India and Star India, president, K Madhavan. This goal is ambitious and challenging but not impossible, he added.

    Madhavan was speaking at the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) SummitFX – Global AVGC and Immersive Media Summit, which began virtually on Tuesday. “The pandemic forced the M&E industry to adapt, but it is still growing and that is an encouraging sign. There have been changes in the habits of audiences, in the way content is produced and new and evolved methods of distribution”, said Madhavan, who is also the chairman of the CII National Committee on media and entertainment.

    Over 55-60 million Indians subscribed to video-on-demand services, more than doubling from the 23 million in 2019.The paid subscribers are likely to grow to 89 million by the end of 2021, and reach 150 to 160 million by the end of the decade, contended Madhavan.

    “The rise of digital subscription did not lead to a fall in TV viewing audience” he noted, adding that there are 300 million households out of which only 200 million are connected to TV. There are 120 million pay TV households.

    In a developed country, the media and entertainment industry generally contributes three per cent to the country’s GDP. In India, however, the contribution is one per cent. Also, customers in developed countries spend $7-10 for entertainment whereas in India it is less than $1. The pricing in India is very customer friendly, he noted.

    Speaking about the animation, visual effects, gaming and comics (AVGC) industry, he said, “The global market for AVGC industry is close to $260 billion and India’s share of that is less than one per cent i.e., $2.1 billion. The AVGC industry in India has the highest potential to grow and we should aim for a five per cent share of the global market with annualised growth at 25-30 per cent.”

    Similarly, the global gaming market is pegged at $160 billion worth more than music and movies combined. Online gaming in India has grown by leaps and bounds and last year there were 360 million gaming audiences and 17 million viewership of esports in India. “The gaming and esports industry are still in infancy and need freedom to grow without conflicting regulation. The Indian AVGC industry can be a global success story for India, the same as the IT revolution,” said Madhavan. “The emerging esports landscape is projected to grow at 36 per cent CAGR over the next few years.”

    The Star India president also charted a roadmap for India to capture five per cent of the global AVGC market. Currently, 65 per cent of India’s AVGC revenues come from exports. Madhavan emphasised that we need to create B2B opportunities in the country. Policymakers, regulators and industry must work together for ease of doing business. There should be convergence initiatives between technology and the creative sector.

    “There’s a huge demand for VFX and animation, globally and in India but we are not in a position to deliver” he said. To make this happen, job creation in this sector must increase by three to four times in the next four to five years. “We have 400,000 engineers graduating every year, but they need to be trained properly and brought into the content pipeline. There must be regional content creation and distribution hubs in Tier II and III cities.”

    “I’m sure this industry will thrive with innovation,” he summed up.

  • Wipro’s former COO Bhanumurthy Ballapuram joins Google Cloud

    Wipro’s former COO Bhanumurthy Ballapuram joins Google Cloud

    Mumbai: Wipro Ltd’s former president and chief operating officer (COO) Bhanumurthy Ballapuram has joined the regional leadership team at Google Cloud as vice president for customer experience of the Japan and Asia Pacific region.

    Ballapuram will report to Google Cloud’s global vice president for customer experience, John Jester, who is based in the US, according to a statement released on Tuesday.

    An NIT Warangal and IIM Ahmedabad alumnus, Ballapuram served as president and COO of Wipro until he moved on from the IT major in June this year. Joined in 1992 as senior VP, he oversaw business application services during his tenure, which is by far the largest service line for Wipro. 

    He has over 25 years of experience in senior management roles in the high-growth IT services industry.

    “Ballapuram will partner with our regional leadership, including Karan Bajwa for APAC and Tomoyuki Hirate for Japan to further our commitment to the success of our customers and continue to advance Google Cloud’s enterprise momentum in the market,” Google Cloud said in a statement.

  • Confluence Media appoints Rajeev Chaurasia as chief business officer

    Confluence Media appoints Rajeev Chaurasia as chief business officer

    New Delhi: Confluence Media has roped in seasoned media professional Rajeev Chaurasia as chief business officer. He was earlier working with Viacom18 as senior media consultant.

    Confluence Media, the platform agnostic media entity was founded by journalist-writer Josy Joseph in 2019 to produce deeply researched, and engaging stories from South Asia in the form of scripted series, feature films, documentaries, podcasts, and books. The entity is backed by several investors including Jim Swartz.

    Confluence Media founder Josy Joseph said, “Rajeev brings his vast experience in India and abroad to strengthen our efforts in the market. He is a very valuable addition to the Confluence Media team. Over the last two years, we have created a content hub for edgy, deeply researched and engagingly told stories, and now has an advanced pipeline of a couple of dozen large projects in both India and abroad.”

    In his previous role at Viacom 18, Chaurasia helped set up and scale Voot Studio, the branded content wing of Voot, bringing in large advertisers interested in brand solutions. He also delivered on conversions along with award-winning campaigns for Voot Studio.

    Prior to Viacom 18, Chaurasia has consulted with Network 18, and headed Programming & TAR for MTV India, a Viacom company.

    “He has extensive background in television (both GEC and Niche) and OTT space. His acute understanding of TV and OTT platforms will help his transition into the new role as chief business officer (CBO) at Confluence Media, developing new business opportunities with OTT platforms as well as brands,” the organisation said in a media statement.

    Talking about his new role, Chaurasia said, there has never been a more opportune time in the history to unleash the power of gritty and untold stories based on real life incidents from India and South Asia to global audiences. “The Confluence Media team has some of the sharpest minds and exceptionally high standards of research in journalism with an uncanny ability to weave visual stories. I am looking forward to this new and exciting journey,” he said.

    Apart from his professional stints, Chaurasia has directed a full-length documentary on his father the legendary flautist Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, licensed to Discovery Networks. His documentaries on the ecological imbalance in North East India and the Man-Elephant conflict have been screened by History TV Digital.

  • SIA-India to set up portal to facilitate govt-private interface for satellite industry

    SIA-India to set up portal to facilitate govt-private interface for satellite industry

    Mumbai: Over 48 noted experts from as many as 12 countries attended – ‘SatCom Emerging trends: Post reform era’ – a two- day conference organised by the Satcom Industry Association (SIA) India from 5-6 August.

    The virtual event saw various eminent speakers discussing the future role of the Satellite industry especially in the context of India. Supported by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) the objective of this conference was to provide a platform to various stakeholders to come together and address the critical issues and challenges faced by the Satellite industry.

    In his opening remark, SIA India president and Ananth Technologies, CMD Subba Rao Pavuluri outlined the importance and future prospect of space technology especially the Indian Satcom ecosystem. According to Dr Rao, over 500 firms engaged in space technologies will benefit from these reforms.

    Airspace IX founder CEO and Speedcast founder CEO Thomas Choi said, “India should focus more on developing systems which are not expensive”.

    In his special address, ISRO Scientific Secretary R. Umamaheshwaran who was also the guest of honour talked about the fantastic growth of the SatCom industry in India in the last 40 years which has drastically affected the lives of the common people. Space has the opportunity to play a complementary role for development and growth, he said.

    ISRO former chairman and department of space secretary, Dr AS Kiran Kumar emphasised on the larger participation of private and global players in this field to fulfil the need and demand for Satcom Industry overall growth in India.

    “In a country with 57 per cent rural India is unconnected, satellites will play a pivotal role in bridging the digital divide. SIA-India’s emphasis is to play an important role in facilitating a regulatory and policy framework to make this happen,” said Satcom Industry Association, director general, Anil Prakash.

    The day two of the event saw eminent speakers deliberate on the participation of the private sector in the SatCom industry. ‘Space Startups connecting to International markets with emerging business Models’ was also a subject for the discussion.

    The conference aimed to help create a bridge between the government and the industry bodies to understand the importance of the space economy as the next big leap towards making India a global superpower.

  • PlayerzPot extends its association with Smriti Mandhana & Bhuvneshwar Kumar

    PlayerzPot extends its association with Smriti Mandhana & Bhuvneshwar Kumar

    Mumbai: Online gaming platform PlayerzPot has announced the extension of its association with cricketing stalwarts Smriti Mandhana and Bhuvneshwar Kumar as brand ambassadors. The sports stars were roped in by the brand in 2020.

    Both Mandhana & Kumar will drive 360-degree communication through various campaigns and activities and promote the brand through their social media, the platform said in a statement. “This comes close on the heels of announcing a massive re-branding exercise,” it added.

    “We are thrilled to announce that we have agreed to extend this successful association with Smriti and Bhuvneshwar by another term,” said PlayerzPot CEO Sunil Yadav. “We have another action-packed year ahead, and we could think of none better who understand our brand DNA and culture the way Smriti and Bhuvneshwar do. We look forward to another fantastic year of collaboration with them.”

    Smriti Mandhana shared, “It is interesting to witness the remarkable growth of fantasy gaming in the country. I am delighted to be a part of PlayerzPot that has been at the forefront of this growth. The platform has been exceptional in building a strong connection with sports enthusiasts.”
    Bhuvneshwar Kumar added, “I am excited to extend my partnership with Playerzpot. The brand has only grown from the time this partnership started. The category and the company are giving people an opportunity to take their passion to the next level. It is empowering & entertaining sports enthusiasts at the same time.”

    Ahead of IPL 2021, Playerzpot recently launched a campaign with its brand-new logo, tagline, and groovy rap. The campaign proved to be successful for the brand with app downloads and user time per session zooming up, the platform said.

  • Universal Music Group inks licensing deal with Lomotif

    Universal Music Group inks licensing deal with Lomotif

    Mumbai: Singapore-based short video app Lomotif and Universal Music Group (UMG), on Monday announced a global agreement that allows Lomotif’s users to creatively tap into UMG’s vast catalogue of music for their videos.

    Lomotif has seen more than 225 million installations of the app globally, and its users are watching more than 300 million videos a month in over 200 countries, the platform said in a statement. With the new agreement, UMG becomes the first major music company to globally license Lotomif, empowering the company’s community of users to create clips using songs from UMG’s music library, it added.

    “Our deal with Universal Music Group will continue to grow users and increase engagement within our platform, a destination for emerging artists, and will significantly expand the types of music our community can utilise, collaborate with, and share,” said Lomotif’s CEO and founder Paul Yang. “With nearly 800 million videos created to date, we are heading in a great direction as a platform, and making high-value content, functionality, and features available to our community will only help us grow exponentially.”

    “We are very pleased that Lomotif’s fast-growing community of users around the world will be able to take inspiration from the artists and music they love, all while ensuring UMG’s artists are fairly compensated for the value music generates on Lomotif’s platform,” said UMG’s executive vice president of digital strategy Michael Nash. “UMG continues to broaden the creative and commercial opportunities for our artists by licensing an ever-expanding array of new digital platforms and supporting early-stage entrepreneurs. We look forward to working with Lomotif to help unlock even more innovative music-based features for their community.”

  • Sportskeeda gears up for special coverage of 2020 Tokyo Olympics

    Sportskeeda gears up for special coverage of 2020 Tokyo Olympics

    New Delhi: The countdown for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics has begun, and fans couldn’t be more excited. The biggest sporting spectacle starts in less than 10 days while adhering to all the necessary Covid-19 protocols.

    Multi-sports platform Sportskeeda, which recently claimed the number two spot on the Comscore sports website rankings in India is also set to bring all the major action from the Olympics. The platform has been previously recognised for its coverage of Olympic Games Rio 2016 by then sports minister Ajay Maken.

    This year, Sportskeeda aims to bridge the gap between the viewers and the on-field action with the latest updates through several avenues like Medal Tally tracker, Live Blogs, Exclusive Videos, Expert Analysis, Feature Articles, SKLive video series, and much more, it announced on Thursday.

    The experts’ panel at Sportskeeda will consist of former Olympics athletes and sporting legends like Anju Bobby George, Srikanth Kidambi, Abhinav Bindra, Vijender Singh, and Somdev Devvarman, along with several seasoned journalists.

    Sportskeeda’s Olympics content head, Suromitro Basu said, “Olympic Sports content has always been a core part of Sportskeeda’s editorial coverage, and we plan to engage our users with engaging content throughout the Games. A pool of top experts, journalists, and athletes will regularly bring out all the relevant narratives covering the whole gamut of India’s contingent and Sportskeeda also offers customized and innovative brand integration/advertising options on its platform, which would enable brands to reach out to a large audience during the event.”

    People all over the world have had to brave several tough setbacks during the pandemic, and that includes Olympics athletes who have spent their whole lives training for this moment. India’s formidable contingent of 119 athletes, with the likes of PV Sindhu, Saurabh Chaudhary, and Neeraj Chopra will be cheered by billions back home as they strive to attain glory at the Games. “Sportskeeda wishes them all the very best for Tokyo, and the Sportskeeda team will be at the forefront, cheering for and celebrating their incredible feats,” he said.

    Founded in 2009, Sportskeeda claims to serve 200Mn+ readers annually and clocks 50Mn+ monthly users with its vibrant coverage of sports like Cricket, Football, Olympic Sports, Wrestling, Esports, and Gaming.

  • Ex-Gaana CEO Prashan Agarwal launches spiritual wellness platform OMI

    Ex-Gaana CEO Prashan Agarwal launches spiritual wellness platform OMI

    Mumbai: Prashan Agarwal, ex-CEO of Gaana and co-founder of PropTiger, has teamed up with Aniket Lila, ex-Nexus Venture Partners, to launch OMI, an online spiritual and wellness platform.

    OMI aims to combine ancient Vedic methods with a new-age lifestyle. It has received an undisclosed amount of funding from Nexus Venture and is looking to disrupt the spiritual wellness market in India that is valued at more than $ ten billion, the platform in a statement on Wednesday.

    “Today the world is faced with a multitude of changes in our life in terms of the way we live, we connect, we embrace, unprecedented things we go through and this has had an impact on the spiritual, devotional, and mental wellbeing of all of us,” Agarwal said. “Alongside, the internet and digital payment penetration amongst the Indian population is at an all-time high and growing. These dynamics make the market ripe for innovation in this category.”

    “We are disrupting what is nearly a 4000-year old market in India by bringing the best of what ancient India has to offer to millennials through a convenient, private, holistic, and personalised platform,” Lila said. “OMI will be your personal spiritual guide. Our mission is to make the world a happier place. Most Indians are spiritual and this presents us with a blue ocean opportunity.”

    “We’re excited to partner with Prashan and Aniket. This is a very deeply India-specific problem, with very large existing profit pools,”  said Nexus Venture Partners principal Pratik Poddar. “No one has addressed the market in a millennial-centric way and made a product-first, scalable and trustworthy solution. Having known the founders for many years, I am very excited to get a chance to work with them to crack this $ ten billion market!”

    Prashan is an alumnus of IIT Kanpur and ISB alumnus. At Gaana, he was instrumental in growing the business and raised more than $ 200 million from Tencent to build Gaana into a household brand. Lila is a graduate of Northwestern University and was most recently part of the investment team at Nexus Venture Partners, India’s largest home-grown VC.

    On the undisclosed amount of funding from Nexus Venture Partners, Agarwal further said, “Primarily, the funding will be used to hire talent across product, technology, and operations. We are looking to onboard leaders with a passion for the stage and who want to help us build OMI from Day zero.”

    “Our aim is to improve the wellbeing of ten million people in five years and create the largest spiritual wellness community in the world. Starting out, on the OMI platform, you can consult with our ‘Astro Guides’ and get a personalised remedy plan which includes activities like meditation, chanting mantras, affirmations, and journaling. Currently, we are focusing on aggregating a fragmented supply and building a trusted brand. As OMI scales, you will see us expanding and adding many more services on the platform aimed at helping you improve your spiritual wellness,” added Lila.

    OMI is available for download in Google Playstore.