ITV

Category: Social Media

  • YouTube announces free TV shows and films for US viewers

    YouTube announces free TV shows and films for US viewers

    Mumbai: Google-owned YouTube has announced that popular television shows and films from major studios will be available in the US for free, with ads, using smart televisions, mobile devices or web browsers. The video platform has over 1,500 films from Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution, Warner Bros, Paramount Pictures, Lionsgate, FilmRise, and more.

    The American audience will now have access to nearly 4,000 episodes of TV shows like “Hell’s Kitchen,” “Andromeda,” “Heartland,” and many more. New titles in March include “Gone in Sixty Seconds,” “Runaway Bride” and “Legally Blonde.”

    US users can access these films and shows and up to 100 new titles each week on web browsers, mobile devices, and most connected TVs via the YouTube on TV app.

    “More people are choosing to experience YouTube on the big screen with friends and family. In fact, according to Nielsen, YouTube reached over 135 million people on connected TVs in the US in December 2021. YouTube is at the forefront of the consumer shift to CTV viewership as the top ad-supported streaming platform with the content people enjoy and the creators they love,” YouTube said in a blog post.

    To enhance the viewing experience, the video platform is also unveiling brand new streamlined navigation and immersive banner art. The rich visuals and new menus will help users more easily find their favourite TV shows, whether they choose to rent, purchase, or watch for free with ads. Many of these titles are also now available in high definition 1080p with 5.1 surround sound audio on supported devices.

  • Holi 2022: Koo launches #HarRangKiHoli anthem to celebrate

    Holi 2022: Koo launches #HarRangKiHoli anthem to celebrate

    Mumbai: Homegrown microblogging app Koo has launched a Holi anthem #HarRangKiHoli to celebrate the festival of colours in their ways by flaunting their distinct traditions.

    The film #HarRangKiHoli – through influencers and celebs – weaves in cultural diversities and ethos from across India. It has glimpses of Uttar Pradesh’s Lathmar Holi, which is played with colours and sticks, to capturing Punjab’s Hola Mohalla – an amalgamation of folk dance and martial arts, further panning down to Goa’s vibrant Shigmo where locals welcome the spring, to the Dol Jatra in West Bengal, which includes a grand procession of Lord Krishna.

    The Koo anthem has been composed by Siddharth Saxena and Chandan Jaiswal with music by Swapnil Tare, lyrics by Richa Dholi and sung by Chandan Jaiswal.

    The anthem invites Indians to exhibit the unique ways in which they celebrate the festival, stated the brand. Users on Koo – through hashtags like #Milerangmeratumhara #SabkiBoliHappyHoli #IndiaKiHoli – have been sharing videos and photographs which aptly capture their rituals, festive recipes, cuisines and heritage.

    “Our platform salutes everything that India celebrates; whether it’s sports, elections, films, or festivals. Holi is one of India’s most popular festivals and is celebrated differently across states. 2022 is special since people are now vaccinated, and hence eager to celebrate Holi with utmost gusto and enthusiasm after two years,” said a Koo spokesperson.

    “Koo – as a platform which empowers people to express themselves in their native language – is thrilled to showcase India’s celebratory mode through #HarRangKiHoli, and we invite everyone to come onto our platform, share their Holi traditions, and interact with like-minded people in a language of their comfort,” Koo’s representative added.

  • Twitter India brings in Samiran Gupta as public policy head

    Twitter India brings in Samiran Gupta as public policy head

    Mumbai: Twitter India has announced the appointment of public policy veteran Samiran Gupta as head – public policy and philanthropy, India and South Asia. 

    Gupta is an experienced public policy and stakeholder engagement leader. He has over 30 years of experience, much of which has been spent in assisting corporations set up industrial and services activities. His strengths lie in leadership roles linking business and public affairs skills to corporate strategy.

    Prior to joining Twitter, Gupta was with Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) as head of stakeholder engagement, South Asia.

    Announcing Gupta’s appointment on the microblogging platform, Twitter’s senior director public policy & philanthropy, APAC, Kathleen Reen said, “Pleased to welcome @Samiran01 to @Twitter to lead our public @Policy & philanthropy efforts in India & S Asia. A deeply respected leader in public affairs & tech policy, we’re excited Samiran joins our journey toward an inclusive & open Internet that empowers public conversation.”

    “Thrilled to join Twitter to lead the Public Policy team’s work and engage with govts, NGOs, and partners in India & South Asia. Can’t wait to get started with the incredible Policy team and contribute towards an Internet that is a global force for good,” replied Gupta.

  • Meta expands Facebook Reels to over 150 countries globally

    Meta expands Facebook Reels to over 150 countries globally

    Mumbai: Meta has announced the availability of Facebook Reels for iOS and Android to more than 150 countries across the globe. The company is also introducing better ways to help creators to earn money, new creative tools and more places to watch and create Facebook Reels. 

    “Watching video is half of time spent on Facebook and Instagram, and Reels is our fastest growing content format by far. We’re focused on making Reels the best way for creators to get discovered, connect with their audience and earn money. We also want to make it fun and easy for people to find and share relevant and entertaining content,” said Meta in a statement.

    Facebook Reels will be available in Feed, Groups and Watch. When viewing a reel, users can follow the creator directly from the video, like and comment on it or share it with friends. Meta is exploring ways to make it easier for creators to share Reels to both their Facebook and Instagram audiences, such as crossposting. 

    With this move, the company is creating a variety of opportunities for creators to earn money for their reels. The Reels Play bonus program, part of its $ one billion creator investment, pays eligible creators up to $35,000 a month based on the views of their qualifying reels. These bonuses have helped creators fund their reels creation and better understand what types of content works on Facebook. In the coming months, the bonus program will be extended to more countries.

    Building on deep experience in helping creators earn meaningful income from its monetisation products like in-stream ads and Stars, Meta is also building direct monetisation options for Facebook Reels through ad revenue share and fan support.

    “We’re expanding tests of Facebook Reels Overlay Ads to all creators in the US, Canada and Mexico, and to more countries in the coming weeks. We’re starting with two formats: banner ads that appear as a semi-transparent overlay at the bottom of a Facebook Reel, and sticker ads: a static image ad that can be placed by a creator anywhere within their reel. These non-interruptive ads enable creators to earn a portion of the ad revenue,” said the statement.

    Any creator in the US, Canada and Mexico who is part of the in-stream ads program is automatically eligible to monetise their publicly-shared reels with ads. By mid-March, these tests will expand to creators in nearly all countries where in-stream ads are available.

    Meta will also begin testing Stars on Facebook Reels in the coming weeks, so that people can buy and send them while watching reels to support creators. Both overlay ads and Stars are designed so that as more people view and engage with Reels on Facebook, creator payouts can grow.

    Brand suitability controls, including Publisher Lists, Blocklists, Inventory Filters and Delivery Reports for Banner and Sticker Ads in Facebook will be launched shortly. Reels in every region they are available, give advertisers more control over how their ads appear in places they don’t consider suitable for their brand or campaign. The company has been testing full-screen and immersive ads in between Facebook Reels since last October, and will roll them out to more places around the world over the coming months. Just like with organic content on Facebook, people can comment, like, view, save, share and skip them.

    In addition to the features announced last year, creators around the world will be able to access: 

    ·Remix: Create their own reel alongside an existing, publicly-shared reel on Facebook.

    ·60-second Reels: Make reels up to 60 seconds long.

    ·Drafts: Create a reel and choose to “Save As Draft” below the Save button. 

    ·Video Clipping: In the coming months, video clipping tools that will make it easier for creators who publish live or long-form, recorded videos to test different formats will be rolled out. 

    Over the coming weeks, following updates will be introduced to make it easier to create and discover reels in new places:

    ·Reels in Stories: Share public reels to Stories on Facebook, making it easy to share favourite reels with friends and giving creators more visibility and reach. Creators will also be able to create reels from existing public stories.

    ·Reels in Watch: Watch reels directly within the Watch tab. Tools to help create reels in the Watch tab are in the offing 

    ·Top of Feed: New Reels label at the top of feed to easily create and watch reels in just a few clicks.  

    ·Suggested Reels in Feed: Available in select countries, it will suggest reels that users may like in their Feed from people they do not already follow.

    Since launching in the US last September, Facebook Reels has seen creators like Kurt Tocci (and his cat, Zeus) share original comedic skits, author and Bulletin writer Andrea Gibson offer a reading of their published poetry, Nigerian-American couple Ling and Lamb try new foods, and dancer and creator Niana Guerrero do trending dances, like the #ZooChallenge.

  • #WeMetOnTwitter: Love in the digital age

    #WeMetOnTwitter: Love in the digital age

    Mumbai: Valentine’s Day is around the corner, and nothing warms the cockles of the heart like a good love story. In the digital age, love is just a tweet away! Oftentimes on Twitter, people find those who ‘get them’ forming meaningful bonds. In fact, people go on to share such stories on the service, recounting how they met on Twitter, with the hashtag #WeMetOnTwitter.

    It’s no surprise given that Twitter is the conversational layer of the internet and people come to the service to talk about what’s happening and connect with like-minded individuals.

    The conversation about #WeMetOnTwitter is steadily growing in India with 370 per cent more tweets about it in the last year (2021) than in 2020. Not only that, this year (2022) in just one month (January-February) we have seen the conversation increase by 28 per cent.

     

     

    As they say one finds love in the rarest and unexpected of places, and sometimes a tweet is all it takes, let’s look at some of these epic love stories made on Twitter:

    That’s a catch! Sameer Allana (@HitmanCricket) a cricket enthusiast found his perfect match, Sana Shariff (@SanaShariffHai) a dentist, #OnlyOnTwitter

     

     

    Love is love! Artist Sif (@sifofftherocker) met @sadboihoursonly on the service and to say that we absolutely love this tweet isn’t enough.

     

     

     

    Manifest it into existence: Love really struck a chord with Kanupriya (@kanupriya) and Mohit (@HaramiParindey), and their love story is music to our ears.

     

     

     

    Bigg Boss lovers unite: While #TejRan was the most talked-about couple and Tweeted hashtag this Bigg Boss season, Zain (@ZAIN17_) and Katha (@daffahojaosare) met on Twitter and fanned the flames of love outside the Bigg Boss house.

     

     

    Love is patient, love is kind! Artist Ronin (@priyanthan_)’s love story stood the test of time and is aww-inducing.

     

     

    Lastly, while love is in the air, remember that platonic love can prompt conversations and connections too. Through the power of conversations, Twitter has brought people closer and enabled connections and communities. With #WeMetOnTwitter we aim to find such stories of meaningful bonds, to be continued…

  • WhatsApp bans 1.75 million Indian accounts in November 2021

    WhatsApp bans 1.75 million Indian accounts in November 2021

    Mumbai: Instant messaging and voice-over-IP service WhatsApp has banned more than 1.75 million accounts in India, while it received 602 grievance reports, according to its compliance report for November 2021. An Indian account is identified by a +91 phone number.

    The social media intermediary has published its sixth monthly report in accordance with the IT Rules 2021 which contains the details of the users’ complaints received and the corresponding action taken by WhatsApp, as well as the messaging service’s preventative actions to combat abuse on the platform.

    The company had previously stated that 95 per cent of the account bans are due to unauthorised use of automated or bulk messaging (spam), according to a report by PTI. In October, the messaging service banned over two million accounts and registered 500 grievance reports.

    In its latest report, the company revealed that out of 602 grievance reports, 149 users requested account support, 357 were ban appeals, 21 were other support, 48 were product support and 27 were for safety. Based on the reports received, the company took remedial action against 36 accounts that were flagged under ban appeals.

    The IT Rules 2021 which came into effect in May 2021 require digital platforms with over five million users to publish compliance reports every month, detailing complaints received and action taken.

  • Instagram announces 25 Under 25 Instagrammers of India

    Instagram announces 25 Under 25 Instagrammers of India

    Mumbai: As part of Instagram’s ‘We Are In The Making’ campaign that celebrates young people who’re in the making, and in the run-up to Meta Fuel For India 2021, the platform has now announced its 25 Under 25 Instagrammers of India.

    This year, as part of the platform’s marketing campaign, content creators have been recognised by highlighting their success across media formats. Now, ‘25 Under 25 Instagrammers of India’ is another step as part of the same effort, said the social media platform in a statement. “Instagram has always been a platform for people to express themselves and be entertained. Since the launch of Reels though, the platform has seen a rise in the number of young people showcasing their talent and garnering a strong community in the process,” it added.

    The list has been selected by a diverse and accomplished set of judges, along with Instagram. They are – Bollywood actor Sara Ali Khan, creators Kusha Kapila and Masoom Minawala, youth media company Yuvaa’s CEO and co-founder Nikhil Taneja, popular music composer for Tamil and Telugu films GV Prakash, influencer marketing agency @fabsquadmedia’s co-founder Aju Philip, and Facebook India director and head of partnerships Manish Chopra.

    “Reels has transformed the way content is created and consumed on Instagram and given rise to a whole new wave of young creators. This list is our way of recognising and celebrating them,” commented Manish Chopra. “I am glad and thankful for the jury, for bringing their knowledge and experience in selecting this diverse and inclusive list of 25 creators. We look forward to engaging with them, and many more like them, to further support and augment the creator ecosystem in India.”

    “I am constantly amazed and enthused by the creativity that people are showcasing on Instagram,” stated actor Sara Ali Khan. “With Reels especially, it’s great to see new and young faces that are constantly breaking out with their transitions, trends, and challenges. It was an absolute privilege looking at their accounts and I’m taking inspiration from them, for my upcoming Reels too.”

    Highlights from the 25 Under 25 Instagrammers list include:

    Creators from Patiala to Chennai, and Ahmedabad to Darjeeling. From beatboxer Surya MKR (@suryamkrofficial) to mental health advocate Divija Bhasin (@awkwardgoat3), and from trans activist Trinetra Haldar Gummaraju (@trintrin)  to entertainment sensations Rupa Ram (@superstar_dewasi99) and Sagar Pop (@sagar_pop02) – people representing varied interests.

  • Manish Agarvwal joins social media startup Loktantra Mediatech as CMO

    Manish Agarvwal joins social media startup Loktantra Mediatech as CMO

    Mumbai: Manish Agarvwal has joined Loktantra Mediatech, a startup in the social media space, as chief marketing officer (CMO). He was previously associated with Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) as vice president and head of marketing for their lifestyle channel Zee Zest.

    Agarvwal has 15 years of experience out of which a decade was spent in the television broadcast industry. He joined Zeel in February 2014 as brand head for Zee Cinema SD and HD, Zee Action, Zee Anmol Cinema and Zee Cine Awards. Prior to that, he was associated with Times Network as content and digital marketing manager for Movies Now and Movies Now HD. He has also had stints at broadcasters Star TV Network and Sony Pictures Networks India.

    He is an alumnus of NL Dalmia Institute of Management Studies and Research.

  • LinkedIn urges professionals to hit ‘pause’ with new #FindTheBalance campaign

    LinkedIn urges professionals to hit ‘pause’ with new #FindTheBalance campaign

    Mumbai: Online professional network LinkedIn has tied hands with digital creative agency The Glitch to launch the second phase of the #FindTheBalance campaign that provokes honest conversations about the realities of working from home and the struggle of finding work-life balance amid the pandemic. The new creative films spotlight the importance of well-being in today’s remote hustle culture by encouraging professionals to hit pause and strike the right balance between work and life in the new world of work.

    In the second phase of the campaign, the three films take a deeper look at the lives of the characters introduced in the first #FindTheBalance film and present three 35-second films that depict the lives of professionals Vedika, Andrew and Gaurav, who struggle to keep up with work-from-home challenges.

    Conceptualised and executed by The Glitch, the second phase of the campaign comes as an extension of its first phase, which sparked honest conversations about the realities of working from home amid the pandemic across India.

    “Professionals in India are grappling with burnout at this time, and our Future of Work perception study also finds that today professionals value work-life balance (52 per cent) even more than job security (50 per cent),” said LinkedIn APAC head of brand marketing Sivaram Parameswaran. “The #FindTheBalance brand campaign is a reminder for our members to hit pause, reconnect with their family, friends, and colleagues, and find a new idea of balance.”

    These films are also being supported by a social media campaign across LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter that encourages professionals to rewrite motivational quotes to make them more relatable for the post-pandemic world of work that professionals find themselves in today.

    “What I love about this campaign is the mirror it holds up to our lives. In the last 1.5 years, working from home gave us so many new perspectives,” The Glitch creative director Lucille Pereira said. “It showed us how to make time for family, or carve out time for self, whether it’s doing things we love or just a quiet coffee & sunset session. Whatever it means to you, however you do it, this campaign is a beautiful reminder to #FindTheBalance.” 

    With six million engagements on Facebook alone, the first phase of the campaign resonated with the Indian workforce aching to discuss issues of burnout and an increasingly toxic hustle culture.

    “The world around us has changed and many of us have experienced the blurring of our professional and personal lives. This film aims to showcase this very relatable narrative — the monotony that has become part of our everyday. Our hope is that it leaves professionals with the message of how we are all in this together, and as we navigate these unprecedented times it is important to remember to find our own unique version of balance,” The Glitch associate business director Riya Lalchandani stated.

    Professionals in India are also taking to LinkedIn to spark conversations, and share tips and learnings about how they can #FindTheBalance to beat the pandemic blues.

    The three films are now live on LinkedIn and other digital channels including YouTube.

  • Whatsapp set to roll out new multi-device feature

    Whatsapp set to roll out new multi-device feature

    Mumbai: Instant messaging app, WhatsApp is set to roll out a feature that would allow users to log into the messaging platform on their personal computers without being online through their smartphones.

    The feature is currently at the beta testing stage on selected Android and iOS devices, and has been made available in the settings menu of the app. Users will have to manually opt in for the feature.

    Presently, in order to use WhatsApp Web, which is the personal computer version of the messaging service, users have to keep their phones online. With the potential roll-out of the latest feature, users will no longer need to keep the phone near their laptop and make sure it is online before using WhatsApp Web. The linked personal computer would be able to receive and send messages for up to 14 days. This, if the user decides to not manually log out.

    The feature will be useful when users lose their smartphones but require Whatsapp to stay connected.