Category: eNews

Network18 Digital Strikes a Fashion Chord: Launches ‘India Ka Fashion Capital’

MUMBAI: Network 18 Digital expands its gamut of original digital shows with the announcement of its new chic offering – India Ka Fashion Capital, powered by Flipkart Fashion and produced by Firstpost Studio. The upcoming show aims to storm the world of fashion, style and glamour. It features a cutting edge concept which revolves around exploring breakthrough fashion trends and their genesis. Ira Dubey, the host takes to the streets of Indian cities to discover how they contribute to the fashion scene of the country.

The digital series will not only show the current fashion trends in Indian cities but will also dig deeper into the evolution of those trends that influence Indian styles. Presented in a five part series of 8 – 10 minutes each, the captivating episodes will be shown in a documentary format thereby establishing a stronger connect with the audience.

The show promises to reveal facts that will fascinate even the most ardent fashionistas. It will share exciting and unknown trivia such as – the name of a popular clothing style ‘dungaree’ originated from the area of Dongri in Mumbai, costumes of the sensational series Game of Thrones came from Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar and more such riveting facts which further makes the show engaging and enthralling.

Commenting on the new show, Azim Lalani, Business Head of English General News Cluster, Network 18 said, “Our priority has always been to engage a diverse set of audience with strong, original and one-of-its-kind content. Our offerings to our viewers are accentuated by effective collaborations with brands such as Flipkart. It’s a two-way association where our content significantly highlights the brands’ efforts and assists them with achieving their communication goals. For Flipkart’s India Ka Fashion Capital we have creatively reinforced the platform’s standing as one-stop-destination for all things fashion. Along with delivering an innovative marketing solution to the brand we are sharing excellent content for our discerning audience that diligently follows fashion trends. The unique show also adds to our repertoire of path-breaking digital offerings.”

Sharing his perspective on the show, Sushanth Ravikumar, Associate Director – Brand Marketing, Flipkart said, “India’s local fashion markets play an integral role in molding the country’s fashion culture. Flipkart aims to recreate and improve on the best aspects of these markets. This web series explores what makes Flipkart Fashion ‘India Ka Fashion Capital’ in a manner that is genuinely interesting and our partnership with Network18 Digital enables us to reach a diverse audience with quality content. “

The series will be launched on August 27, 2018 on Network18 Digital websites and on Firstpost and Flipkart’s YouTube channels.

Promo link: https://www.facebook.com/firstpostin/videos/1938043026255343/

September 3, 2018
Times Internet strengthens leadership team

MUMBAI: Times Internet recently announced two changes. Nidhi Agarwal was named as the head of corporate initiative and planning while Dipti Tandon was elevated as business head for a live video gameshow platform, BaaziNow.

Before joining Times Internet, Tandon was a founding member of JeevanSaathi, one of India’s leading digital matrimonial platforms today. She was the product head at MagicBricks and TechGig driving both these brands to become leaders in their respective categories. Dipti has been with Times Internet for over thirteen years, having taken up multiple roles across various businesses of the company.

Times Internet CEO Gautam Sinha said, “Dipti has been leading the BaaziNow initiative right from the time of its conceptualisation. She has been the driving force in making BrainBaazi and BingoBaazi the most popular and technologically advanced live video gameshow platforms in India.”

“Nidhi brings with her a sharp strategic mind and a keen entrepreneurial spirit. She will be a tremendous asset for all our businesses in identifying new avenues of growth and creating innovative, technology-enabled solutions. To begin with, she will start her entrepreneurial journey within TIL with TimesPoints,” Sinha added.

Sinha concluded by saying, “Both Dipti and Nidhi are proven leaders and entrepreneurs who have started and scaled up digital businesses successfully. They will be pivotal in driving Times Internet’s vision of shaping and defining how internet-based services get consumed and delivered in India.”

Prior to joining Times Internet, Nidhi was the founder and CEO of Kaaryah, a disruptive women’s apparel brand on the cusp of technology, data, and design. She has also worked in the corporate strategy teams at Honeywell International and Bain and Co, with experience across diverse industries including aerospace and defence, telecom, FMCG, and education.

July 26, 2018
Dailyhunt, Sakal Media partner to offer hyperlocal news content

MUMBAI: Dailyhunt, India’s news and local language content application, has announced a partnership with Maharashtra-based print publication Sakal Media Group.

With this partnership, Dailyhunt will now be able to offer hyperlocal Marathi and English news content on politics, entertainment, sports, health, agriculture and other topics.

Dailyhunt founder and CEO Virendra Gupta said, “This partnership is a natural progression towards building robust local language content for our loyal, ever-increasing user base. The local language is the single biggest opportunity in the Indian Internet today. The future for us lies in winning the regional language audiences.

“The core focus of our business is and will always be on regional language content as it plays a significant role in bringing traffic across various verticals of the Dailyhunt Group. It is our privilege to join hands with a brand that has managed to creates huge library of hyperlocal Marathi content and has become a household name across deep pockets of Maharashtra over the last eight decades,” he added.

Headquartered in Pune, the Sakal Media Group owns and operates newspapers and magazines in Marathi as well as English that are circulated across Maharashtra and Goa.

Sakal Media Group CEO Pradeep Dwivedi said, “The Sakal Media Group is poised to take a significant leap forward as it has been expanding its footprint to access audiences across various demographics and geographies in the last few years. We are constantly working towards reaching a wider audience—the Marathi-speaking young audience, not only residing in the state of Maharashtra but also across the length and breadth of the country. We have been curating various distribution technologies and we consider Dailyhunt as our natural ally in this process. This partnership is in line with our long-term vision and content distribution strategy.”

The online version of Sakal, E-sakal garners about three million views per month. In the next phase, the Sakal Media Group is also looking forward to getting its video and multimedia content on-boarded on the Dailyhunt platform.

July 25, 2018
Tencent Sports to digitally stream TdF 2018 in China

MUMBAI: Tencent Sports, China’s leading online sports platform, has announced on 4 July that it will digitally stream the exclusive Tour de France (TdF) 2018 live in China. The one year deal signed in 2017 has been renewed for 2018 as well.

TdF 2018 starts on 7 July and concludes on 29 July. Tencent will use its PC and mobile platforms including Tencent Sports, Tencent News, Tencent Videos, Tiantian Kuaibao and Penguin Live Stream to provide live streaming, on-demand highlights and special reports about the event.

Similar to 2018 deal, Tencent Sports had signed a contract with Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) to exclusively broadcast the 2017 TdF on its platforms in China.

ASO president Jean Etienne Amaury said, “We are delighted to have Tencent Sports as the official digital media partner for 2018 Tour de France and believe they are going to help more Chinese cycling fans have access to the event,” according to ytsports.cn.

Tencent Sports operation general manager Zhao Guochen stated that they will use the strengths of Tencent Sports to help bring attention to the Tour de France in China to new heights.

Tencent said it will upgrade its presentation for this year’s Tour adding features such as expert analysis from former riders.

ASO’s deal with Tencent comes after it extended its television rights contract with Chinese state broadcaster CCTV this week through to 2021.

In India, DSport will broadcast the live action of Tour De France 2018.

July 8, 2018
Indian govt approves accession to WIPO treaties relating to copyright

NEW DELHI: The Indian government on Wednesday approved accession to two important international treaties aimed at coverage and protection of copyright to the internet and digital environment.

Addressing the media here, Minister for Information Technology and Electronics and Law Ravi Shankar Prasad said the cabinet took this decision along with a slew of other policy initiatives.

The proposal had been mooted by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion under Ministry of Commerce and Industry and involved the WIPO Copyright Treaty and WIPO Performers and Phonograms Treaty.

Commenting on this momentous occasion, Mr. Rajat Kakar President &CEO of PPL said “We are committed to professional collective management of rights for our Member Record Labels and this progressive decision by the Indian Government under the stewardship of the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) is a welcome move and enhances the economic value of the members copyrights in Sound Recording”

The government said that the approval was a step towards the objective laid in the National Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Policy, adopted 12 May 2016 and which aims to get value for IPRs through commercialisation by providing guidance and support to content owners about commercial opportunities of e-commerce through internet and mobile platforms.

The government listed the following benefits of the WIPO treaties:

# Enable creative right-holders enjoy the fruit of their labour through international copyright system that can be used to secure a return on the investment made in producing and distributing creative works.

# Facilitate international protection of domestic rights holder by providing them level-playing field in other countries as India already extends protection to foreign works through the international copyright order and these treaties will enable Indian right holders to get reciprocal protection abroad.

#Instill confidence to distribute creative works in digital environment with return on investment.

# Spur business growth and contribute to the development of a vibrant creative economy and cultural landscape.

WIPO Copyright Treaty came in force on 6 March 2002 and has been adopted by 96 contracting parties till date and is a special agreement under Berne Convention (for protection of literary and artistic works). It has provisions to extend the protection of copyrights contained therein to the digital environment. It recognises the rights specific to digital environment, of making work available, to address “on-demand” and other interactive modes of access.

WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty (WPPT) came in force on 20 May 2002 and has 96 contracting parties as its members. WPPT deals with rights of two kinds of beneficiaries, particularly in digital environment: (i) performers (actors, singers, musicians, etc.) and (ii) producers of phonograms (sound recordings). The treaty empowers right owners to negotiate with new digital platforms and distributors. It recognises moral rights of the performers for the first time and provides exclusive economic rights to them.

Both the treaties provide framework for creators and right owners to use technical tools to protect their works and safeguard information about their use, meaning protection of technological protection measures (TPMs) and rights management information (RMI).

July 5, 2018
Comcast to slow video streams, hotspot connection speed

MUMBAI: US telco giant, Comcast, has written to its customers warning them about upcoming changes in Xfinity Mobile. And these plans are not good!

Comcast is said to drop the video quality from 720p to 480p when streaming using mobile data and mobile hotspot speeds will come down to 600 Kpbs, which in known as 3G speed in telco dictionary.

The company believes that the move will allow its users that pay By The Gig to save money and unlimited data plan users will take longer to reach the 20 GB threshold after which the speed is throttled. Streaming over Wi-Fi will however remain unaffected.

Later this year, 720p video over cellular data will be available as a fee-based option, but in the meantime, customers can request it on an interim basis at no charge.

Additionally the internet speed for customers with unlimited data option will not exceed 600 Kpbs. when any device is connected to personal hotspot. According to Comcast, at this speed, users will conserve data so that it takes longer to reach the 20 GB threshold and they will still be able to do many of the online activities.

Only customers who pay by the gigabyte will get full-speed internet, but the cost will rise quickly as Comcast charges $12 for each gigabyte

July 5, 2018
Apple bags rights to novel ‘Shantaram’ for drama series

NEW DELHI: Apple has secured the rights of Gregory David Robert’s Mumbai-set novel `Shantaram’ and will be developing it as a drama series.

The ‘Shantaram’ series will be produced by Anonymous Content and Paramount TV, a PTI report from Los Angeles quoted Variety magazine as saying. The two companies had earlier this year won the rights to adapt the novel.

The 2003 novel, which has been published in 39 languages in 42 territories worldwide and sold six million copies, follows Lin, an escaped convict with a false passport who flees maximum security prison in Australia for the teeming streets of a city where he can disappear.

Oscar nominated scribe Eric Warren Singer will pen the series as well as be the executive producer. David Manson will also executive produce along with Nicole Clemens, Steve Golin and Andrea Barron.

The mob drama was previously being developed as a feature film, with Johnny Depp producing and Joel Edgerton as the lead. However, the project failed to take off.

Last week Apple had announced at its annual developers meet that the company was working on programmes that would have Apple TV powered by the innovative Dolby Atmos-supported audio for the 4K cinematic experience, taking the service to a new level once its tvOS12 was released for general use on the company’s devises for consumers.

The tvOS 12 (part of the iOS12 platform), the powerful operating system designed for enjoying entertainment on the big screen, takes the cinematic experience of Apple TV 4K to the next level with support for Dolby Atmos audio. The company had said there were convenient new features to easily access shows and movies and breathtaking aerial shots from space.

The Apple TV app is being positioned as a prime destination to find and watch TV shows, movies and more from more than 100 participating video apps in 10 countries.

Media reports have also suggested that Apple has already started toying with original content, with Carpool Karaoke as an example. It has also put more than $1 billion toward original programming, with its first efforts due to launch sometime in March 2019.

Also Read :

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Apple TV will come powered by Dolby Atmos audio

2016: Hotstar is Apple TV’s & Voot Google Play’s top app

June 9, 2018
PwC predicts global emergence of ‘Convergence 3.0′ as services’ distinctions blur

MUMBAI: PwC’s Global Entertainment and Media Outlook 2018-22 has predicted global revenues are expected to grow with a CAGR of 4.4 per cent from 2017-22 to $ 2.4 trillion in a digitally-driven world where the distinction between print and digital, video games and sports, wireless and fixed internet access, pay TV and over-the-top (OTT), social and traditional media will blur in what has been described as `Convergence 3.0’.

Explaining the new concept, PwC said that `Convergence 3.0’ is redefining the competitive playing field. Differing from earlier waves of convergence, it’s creating an ever-expanding group of “supercompetitors” and specialized, niche brands that are striving to “secure the engagement and spending of increasingly demanding consumers”.

The fastest growth will be in digitally driven segments, with virtual reality leading the way, followed by over-the-top content (OTT). Esports will be the second fastest-growing segment if it were separated from the overall video games and e-sports segment. By contrast, newspapers and magazines will see declines in revenues to 2022.

While the sector is largely dominated by Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu, PwC said SVOD revenue accounted for 79.6 per cent of OTT revenue in 2017 as niche players increasingly make a dent in the overall business.

The potential power of artificial intelligence or AI in E&M is further increased by the opportunity to combine it with other emerging technologies, especially virtual reality and augmented reality. Revenues from VR apps, gaming and video, which were US$3.9bn in 2017, are expected to soar more than fivefold by 2022.

The VR revenue is expected to grow at 40.4 per cent CAGR till 2022 in the 10 key markets including US, Japan, China, South Korea, UK, France, Germany, Russia, Italy, Spain. The revenue will be close to $ 170 million.

Even among the most dynamic segments, there are sharp differences among sub-segments. Although the video games and e-sports segment will grow at an overall CAGR of 7.2 per cent, the e-sports component will leap by 20.6 per cent compounded annually. Conversely, global recorded music is projected to rise at a robust 6.1 per cent CAGR, but three of its sub-components – physical, downloads and ringtones/ringbacks – will see significant declines.

According to Ennèl van Eeden, Global Entertainment & Media Leader, PwC Netherlands: “The story behind the Outlook’s global figures is a near-infinite accumulation of micro-stories, and a dizzying array of different trends, at a territory and segment level. For almost every trend, there’s a counter-trend somewhere among the 15 segments and 53 territories. Also, the pace of change isn’t going to let up: technologies such as artificial intelligence and augmented reality will continue to redefine the battleground. Across all segments, technology is enabling content delivery to become progressively cheaper and more personalised. This heightens the urgency for companies to invest in technologies that will enable them to compete more effectively.”

The global internet advertising revenue is expected to grow with a CAGR of 8.7 per cent from 2017-22 and will be around $ 345 billion, whereas the broadcast TV advertising revenue will grow by CAGR of 2.3 per cent and reach till $180-200 billion.

Smartphone data consumption will see a huge spike and will overtake fixed broadband by 2020, according to the PwC report. Smartphone data consumption will reach around 650,000 billion megabytes with a CAGR of 33.3 per cent from 2017-22. Whereas the fixed broadband data consumption will grow at a CAGR of 18.8 per cent in the same time span and will reach till 500,000 billion MB.

As people continue to change the way they access content across increasingly sophisticated devices, more robust data is required to build a deeper understanding of consumer habits.

Christopher Vollmer, Global Advisory Leader for Entertainment and Media, PwC US, in a statement said: “To succeed in the future that’s taking shape, companies must revisit every aspect of what they do and how they do it. This means going ‘above and beyond’ in how they envision their business, generate revenues, create and organise their capabilities and build and retain trust. And given the pace and scale of change under way, speed is vital. For many companies, the models, assets, practices and capabilities that support their businesses today will simply not be enough in the future. Standing still is not an option.”

Also Read :

India to enter top 10 OTT video markets in 2022: PwC

June 8, 2018
Latestly achieves new milestones

MUMBAI: In less than two quarters since its launch in January 2018, LatestLY – Pittie Group’s newest offering and a definitive destination for trending stories across categories like World news, politics, sports, entertainment, lifestyle, technology, automobile and among others has achieved several milestones and occupied a favorable position in the digital news and information ecosystem.

Launched as the go-to platform for anybody wanting a complete understanding of trending stories, LatestLY has been growing consistently with over 2 million active unique users in May 18 alone and over 5 million unique users since launch.

LatestLY chief strategy officer Rahul Shrivastava, said, “We are sticking to our mission statement, to provide only authentic information and help the users/readers to answer their questions. We are constantly working on busting the fake news and unverified information doing the rounds of social media with our research and analysis. This has helped us establish ourselves as a credible news and information source, we are growing at a fast pace and are now among the established news portals which are more than a decade old.”

Entering the next phase of expansion, the app has also been launched recently catering to the discerning users consuming information on the go. A multi-format news app, LatestLY provides instant notifications along with breaking news and enables sharing of content across social platforms.

With Hindi content consumption on internet growing at the rate of 94 per cent YoY and has also launched an exclusive Hindi destination that provides content curated for the Hindi speaking users.

In a bid to make its latest and most trending content available to a larger user base, LatestLY has also forged strategic partnerships with leading news aggregators such as InShorts, DailyHunt, Jio News etc.

June 7, 2018
Tax evasion investigations drag Chinese entertainment shares down

HANGZHOU, CHINA: The television industry in China – which is regulated by the State Administration of Radio Film & Television (Sarft) – is going through its own turmoil, regulatory restrictions aside.

Monday saw stock of many media companies involved in production drop between six and 10 per cent. Huayi Brothers Media, Zheijan g Talent Television & Film Co, Spearhead Integrated Marketing Communication, Huawei Culture Co, Ciwen Media Co – all saw market capitalizations vanish even as the media index fell 1.3 per cent. This is a near four year low.

The reason: the Chinese tax authorities are investigating whether the country’s media and entertainment firms are finding innovative ways to evade taxes, especially as far as payment to top talent is concerned (sounds familiar to us Indians right?)

It all started last week when a former TV host Cui YongYuan posted screenshots of several employment contracts (with names blacked out) on networking site Sino Weibo. He accused actors of signing dual or ying yang contracts with production studios. Cui attacked Chinese star Fan Bingbing claiming she was given 10 million yuan (US$1.5 million) according to the contract which was shown to the tax authorities while she had signed another personal agreement wherein she was paid 50 million yuan for the same work. Fan is based in Wuxi, Jiangsu province province of China and with the social media abuzz, the local tax authorities swing into action, pronouncing that they would investigate the tax evasion charge thoroughly.

Local activists and researchers lauded the move as China has tried to regulate the alleged tax evasion abuse by top actors and talent in the past but has failed. The China Alliance for Radio, Film & Television had issued a circular in 2017 ordering producers to limit actors’ remuneration to no more than 40 per cent of the production costs, and that leading actors compensation should not exceed 70 per cent of total actors’ payments.

The hue and cry around Cui and Fan, lead to a broader call for the Chinese tax authorities to investigate all media and entertainment firms. Hence, the slump in share prices.

Observers see good in the tax evasion investigation. “Chinese media shares will be negatively influenced in the short term, but it’s a piece of good news in the medium to long term that film and TV stars will be more compliant about paying taxes and good film and TV producers will stand out,” said a representative of one the Chinese investment banking analysts to China Daily.

June 6, 2018