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Category: iWorld

  • Yahoo announces contest for Apple Music Festival in September

    Yahoo announces contest for Apple Music Festival in September

    MUMBAI:  Yahoo India has announced a contest that will give music fans the exclusive chance to travel to London for the 2015 Apple Music Festival in September.

     

    To participate, fans need to start a blog on Tumblr, create as many music-related posts as they like and register for the contest. Given that Tumblr lets you effortlessly share anything, these posts can be in any format – audio, photo, video, gif, links or a quote. Whether it’s singing a tune, grooving to one or writing a song, participants need to showcase their creative best. The contest closes at 23:59 hours, IST, 9 September 2015.

     

    Five contestants with the most creative, imaginative Tumblr blogs that show plenty of music love, will win the chance to fly (with a friend) to London for the closing night of the Apple Music Festival on September 28.

     

    Pharrell Williams, One Direction, Florence + The Machine and Disclosure are among the headliners at this year’s Festival, which includes ten nights of spectacular live shows at London’s historic Roundhouse venue. Get ready for all the action at this year’s Apple Music Festival with a selection of incredible live performances from years past at www.applemusic.com/festival

     

    Stay updated with the latest news on Apple Music Festival, with exclusive content on Yahoo India Celebrity. 

  • ESPNCricinfo & Twitter tie up to take #CricIQ social for #SLvInd

    ESPNCricinfo & Twitter tie up to take #CricIQ social for #SLvInd

    MUMBAI:   ESPNCricinfo and Twitter have walked out to the middle together to take #CricIQ social for the series deciding third test between Sri Lanka and India.

     

    Cricket fans around the world can now play CricIQ, which is ESPNCricinfo’s flagship cricket trivia game, by simply Tweeting their answers to @ESPNCricinfo.

     

    They will then get an auto-reply as an acknowledgment of their answer and fans who Tweet the right answers the fastest climb up a leaderboard which is announced on every day of the test match. Three daily winners and the Top 3 fans at the end of the test match win exciting prizes.

     

    Twitter India  head of sports partnerships Aneesh Madani said, “Twitter is the mobile microphone for sports fans around the world when they have something to say. We have consistently worked to bring more for the cricket fan and our partnership with ESPNCricinfo, who have built one of the largest audiences in the world for cricket on the platform, is another step in that direction . With this innovation to bring #CricIQ to Twitter, we’re delighted that ESPNCricinfo is giving cricket fans another fun reason to Tweet.”

    ESPNCricinfo director – business development Gaurav Thakur added, “ESPNcricinfo CricIQ has evolved to become one of the finest cricketing quiz destinations for ardent cricket fans and quizzers across the country. With the on-going India v SriLanka Test series, we decided to take the quiz social. This partnership with Twitter for #CricIQ gives fans a chance to play the quiz, and have fun with the uniquely real-time and interactive nature of the experience.”

  • Shemaroo acquires mobile rights for live video content distribution of Lalbaugcha Raja

    Shemaroo acquires mobile rights for live video content distribution of Lalbaugcha Raja

    MUMBAI: For the fifth consecutive year, Shemaroo Entertainment has acquired the exclusive video content rights of Lalbaugcha Raja for mobile platforms.

     

    Consumers will now be able to enjoy aarti, live darshan and many more videos of Lalbaugcha Raja anywhere and anytime on their mobile handsets. All they need is to send an SMS – ‘SELBR’ to 56060. They will receive a link on their mobile via which they can access the content.

     

    Live darshan of Lalbaugcha Raja will be available from 17 September, 2015.

     

    Shemaroo Entertainment will distribute content to all telecom operators. The company will also provide live feed of the deity to selected mobile apps with good subscriber base to reach to a wider audience.

     

    During the 10 days of Ganesh Utsav, around 1.5 million devotees come each day to seek the blessings of Lalbaugcha Raja. This number has been growing every year.

     

    Shemaroo Entertainment director Jai Maroo said, “We feel happy to be once again be blessed with the opportunity to offer darshan of Lalbaugcha Raja to the devotees. There are millions of people who believe in Lalbaugcha Raja, but not all of them are able to come for his darshan. They can now easily watch the Raja live on their mobile handset.”

     

    “We not only plan to tie up with the telco giants but also join hands with popular mobile apps to make sure that we reach to the maximum number of the devotees,” he added.

     

    Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshostav Mandal secretary Sudhir Salvi added, “We are glad to partner with Shemaroo for the fifth consecutive years to distribute content of Lalbaugcha Raja to his devotees through mobile platform. The divine power of prayers offered to the deity here is fulfilled, but not all the devotees get the opportunity to get his darshan. Our association with Shemaroo will help people across the country to get live darshan of their God anytime and on any network.”

  • Sooperfly launches ‘Mission Everest’ web series

    Sooperfly launches ‘Mission Everest’ web series

    MUMBAI: Sooperfly has launched a new web series on YouTube that captures the adventure and tribulations of the two young mountaineers, Samir Patham and Sauraj Jhingan through Mission Everest 2015.

     

    Sooperfly, which is a joint venture between India’s The 120 Media Collective and UK based Diagonal View, has created the web series from concept to finish and will manage Mission Everest, which documents real-life experiences.

     

    Sooperfly business head and senior vice president Vishal Nongbet said, “At Sooperfly, we support fresh narratives and share compelling content through custom distribution. Mission Everest follows Samir and Sauraj – two youngsters who chose to help rather than flee in the wake of a crisis. It is a narrative that appeals to fellow youth on a medium that is most accessed by them.”

     

    About a month into their 29,030-feet climb, on 25 April, a massive avalanche triggered by a 7.8 earthquake tore through Everest Base Camp, Nepal, leaving in its wake, 19 dead and over 60 casualties.

     

    “We emerged from the avalanche to witness a trail of destruction. The quake had claimed our camp as well. We were confronted with the choice of retreating from the valley to safety or staying back and helping,” Sauraj adds.

     

    “We decided to do the unconventional, leaving our day jobs and following our dream to climb Mount Everest. After two years of preparation and giving it our all, the biggest tragedy in the history of mountaineering hit us. Sooperfly helped us tell our story as it happened,” recounts Samir, one of the two qualified mountaineers, with wide trekking and climbing experience, featured on Mission Everest.

     

  • e-Governance necessary for citizens’ digital empowerment

    e-Governance necessary for citizens’ digital empowerment

    NEW DELHI: “There is need to focus on strengthening of e-Governance, which is an important pillar of the Government’s ‘Digital India’ campaign – to digitally empower the administrative and Governance process for providing Citizen Centric Services,” said Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances secretary Devendra Chaudhury.

     

    Inaugurating a workshop on ‘UN e-Government Development Index,’ Chaudhury highlighted the importance of process change, which can be effectively enabled by IT tools and consequential changes in approach to e-Governance as a business model similar to e-Commerce. 

     

    Commending the government’s plans to transform governance, UN resident coordinator and resident representative of the United Nations Development Programme Yuri Afanasiev said, “e-Governance is like building a house. Build a strong foundation and everything works.”

     

    In his view, the key challenge for the country was to deliver services to the last mile population, removing the digital divide, towards improving the quality of their lives. 

     

    Acknowledging India’s progress, Inter-Regional Adviser on e-Government with the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs Richard Kerby said, “e-Government has to be a part of the national development strategy and sustainable development. While open data is a key to empowering people, it should support a bottom-up approach, with citizens contributing to the data collection process equally with governments.”

     

    Electronics and IT additional secretary Tapan Ray stressed on the need to “integrate efforts across government to achieve the vision of a digitally empowered India.” 

     

    A key focus of the workshop was to understand the United Nations e-Government Survey, which assesses e-Government development across all 193 member states of the UN launched in 2003. The global Survey has three components – Telecom Infrastructure Index, Human Capital Index and an Online Services Index. The Workshop threw up a number of innovative and transformative ideas of which the States have undertaken to serve the Citizens. 

     

    The workshop featured presentations by four States, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh on innovative e-Governance initiatives launched by them to improve service delivery to citizens.

  • Sony Liv forays into original digital programming with ‘#LoveBytes’

    Sony Liv forays into original digital programming with ‘#LoveBytes’

    MUMBAI: Multi Screen Media’s (MSM) OTT platform Sony Liv has set its foot into original web programming with the launch of its signature series #LoveBytes. Going online from 7 September, the web series has been exclusively made for the digital platform and is centred on an urban Indian romance, which is relatable for the digital destination’s millennial audience.

     

    The web series is unlike regular television soaps as it deals with the real life situations between a young couple. The digital platform through this offering invites viewers to take a sneak peek into their daily lives. Sony Liv has created a 360 degree marketing campaign with video blogs and social connect with the protagonists to market the show.

     

    Multi Screen Media EVP and head – digital entertainment Uday Sodhi says, “From launching digital premieres of the world’s best entertainment properties to becoming the country’s first digital VOD platform to produce a song, Sony Liv has been at the forefront of innovation. With our signature series #LoveBytes, we offer consumers a digital-first experience like never before. The fact that the show has been made as an independent, exclusive series for Sony Liv also bolsters the widespread popularity of the digital destination. With this, Sony Liv becomes the first digital OTT platform to foray into original production. Setting a benchmark in the video entertainment space, we plan to further invest in original content with new concepts and ideas.”

     

    Sodi informs Indiantelevision.com that the show will have 26 episodes, wherein two episodes will be released per week. “This is just the beginning. Liv will come up with a series of original shows, which will be exclusively produced for the digital platform,” he adds.

     

    Sony Liv has been seeing a year on year growth of 35 per cent on mobile advertising, which, according to Sodhi is indeed encouraging. “The ecosystem will also be enhanced with technical upgradations like 4G,” he says.

     

    While currently Sony Liv follows the advertising based revenue model, Sodhi says that depending on the scenario and market insights going forward, the company may evaluate the possibility of a subscription based platform.

     

    Directed by Vishal Mull, #LoveBytes stars Kushal Punjabi and Sukhmani Sadana. Each episode of the show plays out the trials and tribulations of the leading characters Ananya’s and Abhishek’s romantic relationship.

     

    Ananya Singh is a 26-year old girl from Lucknow who has been working in Mumbai for the last six years. Simple, not very social and rather homely, Ananya is possessive and doesn’t quite understand or appreciate all the female attention her boyfriend gets. Abhishek on the other hand, is a 28 year-old copywriter in a media firm. A party animal, he is best described as driven, ambitious and affable all at once.

     

    With a deliciously urban and youthful flavor, the series underlines what makes these two very different individuals click and sometimes clash, the show also elucidates all those things that are necessary for an urban Indian relationship to sustain itself and the daily challenges that come in the way.

     

    The theme of the show has been specifically crafted keeping Sony Liv’s cosmopolitan viewership in mind. Viewers can delve into this entertaining and delightful world of squabbles, love and drama on the Sony Liv website or mobile app, anytime anywhere.

     

    While the presenting sponsor for the show is Integriti, the associate sponsor is Caprese. The radio partner for #LoveBytes is Fever 104 FM, beverage partner is Café Coffee Day and outdoor partner is Bright Advertising.

  • ‘Kaun Kitney Paani Mein’ partners #fame to spread awareness on water crisis

    ‘Kaun Kitney Paani Mein’ partners #fame to spread awareness on water crisis

    MUMBAI: I am Kalam director Nila Madhab Panda has partnered the live video entertainment app #fame to promote the upcoming film Kaun Kitney Paani Mein, which is set to hit the theatres on 28 August.

     

    The film is a satirical take on the scarcity of water. As the Official Live Video Partner of Kaun Kitne Paani Mein, #fame created more than 15 hours of live video content including exclusive trailer launches, interviews with the film’s cast, city promotional tours, press events and customised live content around the film created by talent performing on the #fame app. #fame beamers from respective cities followed the cast throughout the promotional tour to create content and engage fans with all the buzz around the film.

     

    Apart from live beaming, #fame also produced customised content like #Bajaoed and Why to Watch with the cast of the film.

     

    #fame CEO Saket Saurabh said, “#fame is glad to be associated with Kaun Kitne Paani Mein as the film highlights an issue like shortage of water, which normally people tend to ignore. Our younger generation should be aware of it and #fame is happy to spread KKPM’s message. With this tie-up, the enthusiasm of Kaun Kitney Paani Mein climbed up further with the trailer launches, promotional tours, special events and fan interactions with the cast all being captured live. Our aim is to bring the best live entertainment to every smartphone user.”

     

    “Good content will work no matter where it is displayed and if the content is live, it is all the more exciting. We are happy with this tie-up because viewers constantly look out for stars when a film is about to release and #fame is exposing the cast of the film to viewers in real time. The exclusive Live Chat of Kunal Kapoor on #fame was watched by fans from various countries and Kunal was happy to answer individual questions. He unveiled the trailer on the app and spoke about the film. During the Bhubaneshwar trip, #fame reporters were constantly following the star cast as they went to various places in the city. This is definitely a great step in film promotion to be able to give something new and exciting to the viewers,” said Panda.

  • Oxigen Wallet partners Payback to maximise customer benefits

    Oxigen Wallet partners Payback to maximise customer benefits

    MUMBAI: Pre-paid service provider, Oxigen Wallet has partnered with Payback to bring a unique value merging loyalty and usage for the benefit of the users. The partnership allows Oxigen Wallet customers to earn and redeem Payback points.

     

    The most powerful feature of this partnership is that customers who have earned Payback points on any other platform can redeem them as cash into the wallet and use it for Oxigen’s service offerings, utility payments and online shopping.

     

    Oxigen Wallet CEO Ankur Saxena said, “Our partnership with Payback builds up inertia to load money into the wallet for transaction. Redeeming Payback points and converting them into cash automatically eases that process and enhances customer value. As a wallet player, we are cautious about discounts and cash backs as it erodes our bottom line. In order to be a long term & stable player we want to focus on strategic tie ups that drive customer value and rewards in a manner that meets business objectives and the Payback partnership is one such example.”

     

    Payback CEO and MD Rahul Rana added, “Our partners are mostly the forerunners of their sectors and we are proud to be associated with Oxigen Wallet. We are looking forward to a longstanding partnership as our focus coincides with each other, i.e. to maximize customer benefit.” 

     

    Using one single card, members earn loyalty points when they shop at a wide range of different merchants and brands – offline and online. This feature is currently enabled on Android and will be out on iOS in a month.

  • ErosNow unveils first look of digital graphic series ‘Blazing Bajirao’

    ErosNow unveils first look of digital graphic series ‘Blazing Bajirao’

    MUMBAI: In a unique marketing initiative, Eros International’s OTT platform Eros Now unveiled the first look of India’s first animated digital series, Blazing Bajirao for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s magnum opus, Bajirao Mastani.

     

    Blazing Bajirao is dedicated to the adventures and victories of Bajirao Ballal Bhat, Peshwa to the fourth Maratha emperor, Chhatrapati Shahu Raje Bhonsle.

     

    Speaking on the origin and creation of Blazing Bajirao, ErosNow chief creative officer Vaibhav Vishal said, “The approach behind the series has been two-pronged. First, educate the audiences about Bajirao, the legend of Bajirao Mastani and the socio-political-cultural history of the era. Second and more importantly, make Bajirao the hero that he must be for our young audiences. We want them to know how cool he was, discover and associate with the charisma of Bajirao. And, in the process, get ready for the film when it releases.”

     

    “Had Bajirao been on Twitter, he would have been one of the biggest influencers around. So come to think of it, he always was a superhero. To showcase the magnificence of Bajirao’s character, we have got the best people in the business to do the series; the graphic style is unlike anything that has been seen before in any Indian series,” he adds.

     

    A first for the Indian film industry, Blazing Bajirao is a full-fledged digital graphic series, created for the audiences to familiarize themselves with the lives and histories of the lead characters – Bajirao and Mastani – ahead of the release of film Bajirao Mastani.

     

    Produced by Eros International and Bhansali Productions, written and directed by Bhansali, Bajirao Mastani tells the story of one of the least known parts of Indian history – that of the Maratha and Peshwa princes and the love story of Bajirao and his second wife Mastani.

     

    The movie is slated to release worldwide on 18 December, 2015.

  • Cyrus Oshidar launches youth centric digital venture 101India.com

    Cyrus Oshidar launches youth centric digital venture 101India.com

    MUMBAI: Digital ventures are mushrooming in the country nineteen to a dozen. With the big daddys of Indian media and entertainment like Raghav Bahl and Ronnie Screwvala leading from the front in the space with new ideas and bags full of investment, it doesn’t take much to figure that digital is where the future lies. And another such media personality, who is putting his money where the mouth is, is the former MTV man Cyrus Oshidar.

     

    When it comes to interacting with the youth in India, there’s no bigger name than Oshidar. Under his supervision at MTV India, iconic creative series targeted at the youth were launched, which successfully managed to garner the TG’s attention. Be it Roadies, or the musical voyage in Sound Trippin, uniqueness was forever visible in each and every concept.

     

    The man who played a pivotal role in establishing youth market in India with multiple innovations, is now set to connect with the youth yet again and this time with the digital portal 101India.com. The portal was launched a month ago with the aim of providing unique and differentiated content for young Indians. What’s more, his team’s unique skill sets were also used to create deeper and more relevant brand solutions. With 101India, Oshidar and his team aim to lead the digital content movement in India.

     

    Speaking exclusively to Indiantelevision.com, 101India.com MD and chief creative officer Oshidar says, “It was at the 2012 Cannes’ first branded content and entertainment contest that the concept of 101digital.com came into my mind. It’s time for the movement to begin. We need to talk to the youth in a creative manner, which they will acknowledge and then eventually interact with.”

     

    Combining adverts in a subtle manner with content on the platform is how the portal will look at making an impact on the youth’s mind. Oshidar says, “We are not a million hits platform and hence we are not going to go pitching to advertisers with promises to millions in return for their crores. We know how to speak to the youth of the country and that’s all we will do. Gone are the days of putting ads in between content. Now we have to fit the brand in the content itself and that’s what we will do in 101India.com.”

     

    The content publishing platform will target educated metro youth aged between 21 – 25 years and hence majority of the marketing and promotional activities to promote the venture will revolve around social media.

     

    Broadband speed in the country is poised to get a major fillip what with Airtel 4G already hitting the market and Reliance Jio impending launch by year end. Oshidar is of the opinion that these rollouts will enhance the infrastructure and bridge the gap between quality streaming and content.

     

    While internationally acclaimed over the top (OTT) venture Netflix is speculated to start its India operation in 2016, another player HOOQ has already launched its India ops. The space is getting cluttered by the day with the addition of Indian OTT players like Ditto TV, Hotstar and Eros Now amongst others. There’s cut-throat competition in the market and established ventures can often overpower startups. However, Oshidar believes that quality content will always sustain. “Game Of Thrones will remain Game Of Thrones and people will consume it irrespective of the platform. So we need to have premium content to sustain in the long run,” he asserts.

     

    101India.com will soon launch an app to reach out to more mobile customers. In terms of content, the venture has created a documentary on the issue of transgenders in association with Times of India’s online venture Indiatimes.com. Also in the pipeline are a series of fiction shows along with a few short movies.

     

    The entire production is taken care of by the in-house team at 101India.com. “We are blessed to have a group of creative talents, who have worked closely with me at MTV and we execute the production all among ourselves,” Oshidar concludes.

     

    More digital power to Oshidar we say!