Category: iWorld

DD News goes mobile, launches app

MUMBAI: In its efforts to make the channel available far and wide especially on new platforms, DD News has launched the new mobile app to make live TV, news feed and top videos available on smart phones.

The app was launched by the Finance, Corporate Affairs and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting minister Arun Jaitley.

The DD News mobile app has a user friendly interface and is available even in poor network conditions. Both Android and iPhone versions of the app are available.

Speaking at the launch he said that in view of the multifarious channels of information dissemination, the objective presentation of news should never become a casualty. While the news domain currently was event based, competitive and anchor driven, there still existed space for news based on facts and correct information. The audience for information was extremely keen to have a comprehensive view of issues and events. At the same time the credibility of presenting objective news depended on the ability to update information consistently.

Elaborating further, Jaitley said that the launch of the application by DD News was an important milestone for Prasar Bharati as it catered to the information needs of the pan-Indian audience. It also provided DD News a platform to instantly communicate the objective news on a 24×7 basis and added a new dimension to its profile in addressing the vast needs of the Indian audience. The app also seeks to adress the changing profile of viewers who today sought information through the app mode.

Regarding the e-version of India-2015 and Bharat-2015, Jaitley said the availability of these publications on e-mode would enable the digital medium audience to utilize the wealth of information on India at large. By placing itself on the digital mode, Publications Division was in tune with the contemporary changes taking place in the publications industry. It was imperative to constantly and consistently improve the ongoing efforts to go digital. The focus of the e-book was to present the content in a multi-media, reader friendly format with pictures and embedded videos.

The e-version of the India/ Bharat-2015, reference annual was aimed at providing better reading experience to public. These e-books are easily downloadable and supported by major operating systems like iOS, Android, Windows etc. The e-India / e-Bharat has a variety of reader-friendly features like search ability, hyperlinks, easy referencing, assured back up and retrieval.

May 7, 2015
Mobile media company News Republic launches in India

MUMBAI: News Republic, a global mobile media group and the winner of “The Best Mobile Media And Publishing App” at Mobile World Congress 2015, is set to enter the Indian market. This innovative, “born mobile” company has operations in America and Europe and it recently launched in both Russia and China.

It will launch two free news apps: News Republic, which focuses on global news and Appy Geek, which will majorly bring technology news to the subscribers.

Both apps deliver fully licensed articles, photos and videos from over 1100 leading news organizations from around the world like Reuters, BBC, AFP, Bloomberg, India Today, Guardian, HuffingtonPost and Mashable. The content can be fully personalized for a news flow uniquely customized for each reader in a beautiful and seamless mobile interface.

“We are passionate about the news because it is connective tissue for humanity. Those who read better know better and do better. It is our mission to spark global conversations about issues that matter. And, no global conversation is complete without India,” said News Republic chief brand officer Shafi Saxena.

India engages vibrantly with both news and mobile. It is the biggest newspaper market in the world with more than 70,000 newspapers. India’s unique visitors to online news and information sites grew 45 per cent, from 31 million in 2011 to 45 million in 2014 as per comScore data and mobile Internet users will number over 200 million by June. Mobile, with 24/7 access to content, will transform the media landscape.

“We live in an age where connectivity risks connection. We’d like to change that. Too much information can overwhelm and result in what’s important going unseen, The News Republic team believes that Intelligently informed citizens become powerfully empowered citizens – this is what galvanizes us,” Saxena adds.

“This is why News Republic hones its best in class semantic algorithms to deliver insightful, hyper-personalized news in a fast, contextual flow to our readers. You get the news that you care about without the noise that you don’t,” explains Saxena.

News Republic India country director Radhika Shukla will spearhead the company’s operations. Shukla will widen and deepen the company’s content and OEM partnerships to enrich user experience for Indian readers and to help bring Indian media perspectives to News Republic’s global audience. News Republic publishes 13 editions in six languages.

In India, News Republic has partnered with Hindustan Times, India Today, Aaj Tak, Business Today, Sportskeeda.com, The Mobile Indian, trak.in, autoportal.com and Bollywood Hungama amongst others. Its apps also incorporate RSS feeds to cover specialized reader interests.

May 7, 2015
IPL frenzy spills on Twitter with 180.4 million live impressions

MUMBAI: When it comes to pure cricketing entertainment, the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) never disappoints. The first three weeks of this tournament have been breathless, both on field and off field i.e on social media. Fans of the tournament have not only been present at the stadiums but also on micro blogging site, Twitter. During the live match windows, 180.4 million live impressions were registered on Twitter for the matches held between 8 to 29 April 2015.

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) versus Mumbai Indians match held on 8 April was the top game garnering the highest live tweet impressions so far. This was followed by Mumbai Indians vs. Chennai Super Kings (17 April), Chennai Super Kings vs. Delhi Daredevils (9 April), Royal Challengers Bangalore vs. Mumbai Indians (19 April) and the Kolkata Knight Riders vs. Royal Challengers Bangalore (11 April).

The following is the Twitter leader board for the most mentioned teams on Twitter in week three of the mega sporting tournament:

Chennai Super Kings (@Chennaiipl)

Kolkata Knight Riders (@KKRiders)

Royal Challenger Bangalore (@RCBTweets)

Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan)

Delhi Daredevils (@DelhiDaredevils)

Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals)

Kings XI Punjab (@lionsdenkxip)

Sunrisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers)

The most-tweeted about moments during the first three weeks of the tournament also feature several of the most-mentioned teams. The winning moment came during the one run win of @Chennaiipl over the @DelhiDaredevils, which was the most talked about moment during the IPL so far.

The micro blogging site also gave out the weekly #PurpleCap and #OrangeCap honours for the most-mentioned bowlers and batsmen, respectively. For this week, the top pair is an overseas couple. Dwayne Bravo received the vote amongst batsmen, while Mitchell Starc was the most mentioned bowler.

The IPL is helping fans stay in touch through tweets via SMS for free by giving a Missed Call on 011 3008 2008. The IPL has also integrated Twitter into their official Android app with #IPLSelfie where fans can click a selfie along with their favourite team’s logo. Fans by tweeting the pic can get featured on a special page on iplt20.com on the @IPLSelfie. To add to the fun, the @IPL is posting slow motion replays of explosive on-field moments using six-second Vines.

May 6, 2015
IAMAI hails CCI order to close investigation against e-commerce

MUMBAI: The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has welcomed the Competition Commission of India’s (CCI) decision to quash charges of cartelization and anti-competition practices by e-commerce companies.

IAMAI hopes that this will finally put a stop to motivated charges brought up regularly by certain interested groups against e-commerce companies. IAMAI is of the view that this order will allow e-commerce companies to continue to provide innovative services to consumers in a free and fair manner.

In recent months, charges have been brought by various malcontent elements that discount sales launched by numerous e-commerce websites were anti-competitive in nature. It was also alleged that e-commerce websites and online product sellers entered into exclusive agreements, thereby leading to market dominance.

The CCI has ruled that e-commerce companies did not violate competition norms by indulging in cartelization or by abusing their dominant position. “The Commission is of the prima facie view that no case of contravention of the provisions of either section 3 or section 4 of the Act is made out against the opposite parties,” it said in its order.

With regard to exclusive agreements, the CCI said that such pacts need not result in appreciable adverse effect on competition. “It does not seem that such arrangements create any entry barrier for new entrants. It seems very unlikely that an exclusive arrangement between a manufacturer and an e-portal will create any entry barrier as most of the products which are illustrated in the information to be sold through exclusive e-partners face competitive constraints,” the order stated.

In fact, the CCI order praises the e-commerce companies by observing that online distribution channel provide an opportunity to the consumers to compare the prices as well as the pros and cons of the product. Furthermore, through the option of delivery right at their door steps, consumers have the opportunity to accept the purchase at their convenience and do not need to set aside a couple of hours at a stretch to make the purchase through a brick-and-mortar retail outlet. Therefore, at this stage, it does not appear that the exclusive arrangement between manufacturers and e-commerce/portal companies lead to Appreciable adverse effect on competition (AAEC) in the market.

May 6, 2015
COAI’s net neutrality campaign garners support of 40+ lakh Indians

MUMBAI: Cellular Operators Association of India’s (COAI) campaign – ‘Sab ka Internet, Sab ka Vikas’ – for net neutrality, net equality and consumer choice, has received support from over 40 lakh Indian mobile users in under a week.

Launched on 22 April, 2015, the campaign is about making the internet accessible and affordable for every Indian. In addition, it is about ensuring that everyone has the right to choose what they want to access, ensuring access to solutions that make the internet affordable for all, and applying the same rules for the same services to all.

The campaign was announced by CEOs and representatives of the member companies of COAI on 24 April in New Delhi.

COAI members had reaffirmed their commitment to the government’s ‘Digital India’ programme and to promote net equality, so as to facilitate an open, inclusive and affordable access to the internet for every Indian.

COAI director general Rajan S. Mathews said, “The campaign championed the cause of customers choosing what they would like to access in the web space, benefitting from affordable internet packages and with the same rules being applicable to services as well. COAI started the outreach effort to ensure mobile customers have the freedom to benefit from the power of the internet in the way they would wish to. This includes the choice of platform, device and technology.”

“We respect the choice of our customers and support the Prime Minister’s vision of ‘Digital India.’ #SabkaInternet has always been the essence of our philosophy and the billions of dollars investments made by all the telecom operators in the space,” added Mathews.

SMSes and voice calls were leveraged to promote the core thought of the campaign and to garner the support of a large number of people across the country. To ensure ease of understanding, the messages were conveyed in 12 local languages across India. This medium was intentionally selected so as to be able to reach out to and include the views of the millions of mobile customers who are yet to be connected to the internet.

In the past week, more than 40 lakh people showed their support for the cause, while about 10 per cent chose to opt out.

May 4, 2015
Zee TV introduces Facebook voting for ‘DID Super Moms’

MUMBAI: Zee TV has carved a distinct niche for itself in the digital space through a slew of path-breaking initiatives across its different shows over the last decade.

Whether it is through Facebook and smartphone apps, e-books and games, augmented reality consoles at malls or innovations in the voting mechanism of its reality shows, Zee TV continues to innovate in the digital space to ensure optimum consumer engagement with every big-ticket launch.

Marking yet another first on Indian television, the channel has activated ‘Facebook Voting’ for DID Super Moms.

Starting 3 May, viewers can vote for their favourite Super Moms by updating their Facebook status with the hashtag #supermoms followed by the contestant code. People can also vote via SMS and on the official Zee TV website www.zeetv.com/vote.

Zee pioneered the concept of missed call voting and made it free for viewers in 2012. The channel went one step further in 2013 and gratified viewers for voting through a Freecharge for every vote.

Speaking of the digital initiative, Zee TV marketing head Sorbojeet Chatterjee said, “The beauty of this initiative lies in its simplicity. We’ve taken the biggest social media platform – Facebook, that helps us make our voting mechanism easily accessible to viewers across various demographics, age groups, geographies and across multiple devices.”

May 2, 2015
Reliance Jio selects Ballard Power Systems for backup power system

MUMBAI: Ballard Power Systems has received a purchase order from Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (RJIL) for 100 ElectraGen-ME fuel cell backup power systems to be deployed in its wireless telecom network in India.

Shipment of these initial 100 systems is expected to be completed in 2015.

The purchase order follows successful completion of a 12-month trial by RJIL of fuel cell systems from various vendors, with Ballard’s ElectraGen-ME methanol-fueled system ultimately having been selected for use in backup power applications. This purchase order is the first of a series of planned deployments in RJIL’s India network.

“This is an important commercial milestone for our telecom backup power growth strategy in a major emerging market. Based on the performance and value demonstrated by our systems throughout the trial, we are now advancing to extensive commercial deployments with a major telecom service provider,” said Ballard chief commercial officer Steve Karaffa.

As the only company with a pan-Indian broadband wireless access license, RJIL is in the process of building out a new 4G telecom network, which requires the acquisition of hundreds of new base station towers.

India is one of the fastest growing telecommunications markets, with more than 10 million new subscribers added each month, according to the Groupe Speciale Mobile Association (GSMA). This growing demand for telecom services is also driving increased energy consumption in India, a challenge given the poor quality of the country’s electrical grid.

According to a KPMG report, approximately 300,000 telecom towers in India face electrical grid outages in excess of 8-hours on a daily basis. As a result, telecom network operators have been relying on diesel generators and lead-acid batteries to provide backup power, resulting in the consumption of more than 475 million gallons (1.8 billion litres) of diesel fuel annually, with the attendant negative greenhouse gas impacts. Therefore, there is an acute need for reliable and cost-effective extended duration backup power solutions – such as the ElectraGen-ME fuel cell system – at telecom base station sites.

To limit the environmental impact, India’s Department of Telecommunications has mandated that tower companies reduce the dependence on diesel generators by powering at least 50 per cent of rural towers and 20 per cent of urban towers with clean energy systems by 2015. Increasingly, telecom network operators in India are considering zero-emission fuel cell technology as an extended-duration solution that effectively addresses this clean energy requirement.

April 30, 2015
Pepsi IPL 2015 reigns on Hot Star with 110 million views

MUMBAI: After setting the record for the largest sporting event on digital with the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, Star India’s Video On Demand (VOD) platform Hotstar is blazing a new trail for the ongoing Pepsi Indian Premier League 2015.

The platform has recorded more than 110 million views for the tournament to date. In comparison, the entire 2014 edition of the tournament registered 62 million views on starsports.com last year.

With 13 million views on Pepsi IPL 2014 at a similar point in the tournament last year, Hotstar has registered an 8.5x growth in viewership.

Hotstar is streaming all the 60 games of the IPL, as well as programming original sports shows including a made-for-digital pre show 20-Minute 20-Second Twenty20 as well as a weekly show, Juicy Half Volley.

April 29, 2015
Star’s ‘Mauka’ campaign drives YouTube’s views in Q1

MUMBAI: With a whopping 10 million views, Star India’s ‘Mauka Mauka’ ad campaign for the ICC Cricket World Cup earlier this year, has been the second most watched campaign in the first quarter of 2015 on the video platform YouTube.

The campaign comes second only to Gillette’s ‘the best a fan can get’ ad campaign.

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 was a money raker in Q1 2015 as advertisers flocked to the tournament. With India’s stupendous performance throughout the World Cup, it was indeed one of the most important moments of the year. However, a lot has also changed since the last edition of the World Cup in 2011. For example, there are more users now on the Internet, social media commentary drives live entertainment and the match is played both on field and off the field across the Internet. Keeping the third reason in mind, YouTube India came up with the top trending ads of Q1 and cricket was the flavor of the quarter.

A number of users lapped up campaigns built around the gentleman’s game. With the UGC around Mauka Mauka garnering a total of 10 million views only went on to prove the power of YouTube as a platform that can amplify the reach of a campaign through endemic content.

The third campaign making it to the list was the Boost Cricket Anthem – Hey Champion, Stay Champion. The fourth in the list is the innovative #LiveItAbhi campaign undertaken by FMCG brand Pepsi.

Ranbir Kapoor and Saavn Cricket World Cup 2015 ad featured on Valentine’s Day came in fifth followed by Pidilite. The Sony Bravia TVC called The Most Colourful Cricket Experience stood at the seventh spot while Cricket Face Paint campaign by Google+ took the eighth spot.

The #YehGameHiHaiTasteKa brand campaign by Lays was at the ninth spot while the tenth spot was taken by the Micromax Unite Cricket Anthem 2015.

As per the report, the list suggests that users love content that is built around things that they are passionate about, in this case cricket.

“As a marketer, when these big sporting moments occur, one wants to be there for people, helping them have the time of their lives before, during and after the game — not just waiting for a break in play to get a word in,” states the YouTube India report.

April 29, 2015
Govt. mulls setting up BSNL cell to monitor working in border areas

NEW DELHI: The Government is committed to revive Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and several initiatives are in the pipeline to bring it back to the position of market leader.

Communication and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad directed the Department of Telecom to explore the possibility of setting up a dedicated cell in BSNL to monitor the effectiveness of its network in border areas and also in areas badly affected by extremism.

Prasad said that the management of BSNL would also regain lost confidence of people by improving services and response.

According to him, BSNL has launched a major initiative to improve quality of signal for which it plans to add another 1150 towers during this fiscal in Bihar alone.

The minister has also asked BSNL to improve services and ensure that better quality of signal is maintained specially in the border and extremism affected areas. Prasad was addressing members of Parliament from the States of Bihar, Meghalaya, Manipur and Nagaland. The meeting was part of the series of meetings planned to make telecom officials directly answerable to the parliamentary representatives so as to have a firsthand account of public sectors performance, problems faced and possible solutions.

Members of Parliament from the States of Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and North Eastern States participated in the first meeting. Prasad directed the Department to call five such meetings so that all members of Parliament are given opportunity to raise issues directly with officials concerned.

At the meeting, officials were also informed that the public sector, which came into being only in October 2000, has a net worth of Rs 51,203 crore with an equity capital of Rs 12,500 crore only.

New initiatives taken to improve viability include Wi-FI services, data centre services and introduction of next generation network switching technology. It was pointed out that four million lines in Phase I will have NGN by the end of this fiscal while total number of 14 million ports are planned. 2500 hot spots are planned for the year of which 41 hot spots have already been deployed.

Interestingly, the meeting took place within days of a meeting held by the Telecom Ministry with private telecom service providers to improve their services, following complaints by Members of Parliament.

April 29, 2015