ITV

Category: MAM

  • IMG takes up Muhammad Ali’s consumer products licensing

    IMG takes up Muhammad Ali’s consumer products licensing

    MUMBAI: Muhammad Ali Enterprises LLC (MAE), which controls all licensing rights for the legendary boxer, has selected IMG Licensing, a division of global sports, fashion and media company, IMG Worldwide, for consumer products licensing.

    The 1960 Olympic Gold Medallist and three-time world champion boxer dominated the sport over two decades and had instantly classic bouts such as “Thrilla in Manila” and “Rumble in the Jungle.”

    Retired from boxing for decades, Ali has transcended sports and has become an iconic humanitarian figure. His international goodwill missions and fundraising have delivered food and medical supplies to tens of millions of people — especially children — making him one of the most recognised and respected persons around the world.

    Under the multi-year agreement, IMG Licensing will act exclusively as representation for the brand in Europe and Asia. This new agreement will see IMG combine its extensive knowledge of the boxer‘s life with its global capabilities in product licensing, providing opportunities to extend the brand to new consumer touch points.

    IMG Licensing will seek opportunities in both traditional sports licensing categories including memorabilia and apparel, as well as new business areas that capture and leverage the showman and essence of Muhammad Ali.

    Muhammad Ali Enterprises VP of worldwide licensing Kelly C. Hill said, “IMG is clearly the leader in sports licensing of all kinds, but what attracted us most is their proven track record in developing new and innovative licensing concepts that leverage the characteristics of brands and iconic personalities outside of the natural core competency.”

    IMG Licensing executive VP, global MD Bruno Maglione said, “Ali is simply the greatest boxer ever and IMG Licensing is honoured to be entering into this partnership with Muhammad Ali Enterprises. Ali‘s inspiring personal journey, his achievements both in and out of the ring and his devotion to humanitarian efforts are all material for branded concepts and product ideas that can generate interest from Ali fans old and new.”

  • Coca-Cola asks ‘American Idol” fans to join singer Taio Cruz for song

    Coca-Cola asks ‘American Idol” fans to join singer Taio Cruz for song

    MUMBAI: In order to create interactivity for American Idol which airs on US broadcaster Fox, beverage conglomerate Coca-Cola has announced the Perfect Harmony collaboration. This invites fans of the show to help write a new song for it that will be performed during the show’s season finale on 25 May.

    Fans can visit www.AmericanIdol.com where they can listen to the opening segment of a song penned by multiplatinum singer-songwriter Taio Cruz. Then the fans take it from there. Taio will start the song and write the beginning of each verse, but it’s up to fans to help finish each verse in time for him to perform the single on the final show. People can also get the latest updates on the programme by following the hashtag #perfectharmony on Twitter.

    Ryan Seacrest, host of the show, said: “American Idol auditions are proof that many of our fans have a passion and desire to sing professionally. What we don’t get to explore on camera are the many talented songwriters that exist as well. Coca-Cola has created a very exciting and innovative programme that, for the first time, gives fans the opportunity to work with a top artist to create a new song that will be performed live in front of millions of people.”

    Each week till 13 May people in the age group of 18+ will have the opportunity to submit lyrics for consideration for inclusion in the final composition. Following each of the four submission phases, Coca-Cola will select the top three lyrics and then fans, ages 13 and up, will be able to vote for their favorite. The lyrics with the most votes will then be incorporated into the song.

    Cruz said, “Songwriting can be an individual journey or a cooperative effort, and I’ve done it both ways. But creating a new song, with the input of music fans and in partnership with Coca-Cola and American Idol? Now that takes the experience to a completely new place and I’m ready to get it started.”

    Perfect Harmony is part of a new Cola-Cola music programme that offers teens the inside track to the latest in music through opportunities to express themselves and collaborate with popular artists.

    Later this year, Coca-Cola will launch another teen music showcase with emphasis on Hispanic teens. People will be able to vote for an up-and-coming bilingual artist or band that will win the chance to perform with an established artist live onstage. The programme will kick off with a concert celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month in September.

     

  • Times TV Network to up ad rates by 20% across channels

    Times TV Network to up ad rates by 20% across channels

    MUMBAI: Times Television Network (TTN), which claims a reach of 90 million urban affluent Indians with Zoom, Times Now, ET Now and Movies Now, has decided to increase ad rates across the four channels by over 20 per cent from today.

    TTN MD and CEO Sunil Lulla said, “Times Television Network is a very uniquely positioned television bouquet which offers distinctive entertainment and quality information to urban affluent audiences and reaches 35 per cent more viewers than the previous year. Each of our channels has a successful track record and has contributed to growing its category. The ad rates reflect the true value we offer to our very valued customers. We will continue to be differentiated, competitive and ahead of the curve.”

    A total of 2000 brands are present across the four channels. “Movies Now is off to a strong start while Times Now has been dominating in its genre. This, coupled with the completely distinctive offering of Zoom and the rapid rise of ET Now, seems only appropriate for the Network to command a premium over its competitors,” Lulla added.

    A media buyer said that while he hasn‘t received the proposal from TTN increasing ad rates by over 20 per cent, it is a challenge at a time when there are many players. “Due to the fragmentation of viewership, it is already costing more to reach the same number of viewers. From our point of view, delivering efficiency while maintaining costs is a challenge. Right now we are in a complex web. It is not a simple equation. There would have to be a serious justification for a client to agree to such a hike.”

    In the news genre, there are many players and Times Now has had a see-saw fight with CNN IBN.

    The media buyer also noted that while Movies Now has been doing well with its HD quality of broadcast, it might be too soon to go to the market for a hike as it has been operating for less than a year.

    Earlier, Movies Now channel head Ajay Trigunayat had told Indiantelevision.com that the aim would be to double rates. He argued that the rates it charges were not comparable with competition. “Competition gets Rs 3500-5000 per-10 second spot. We want to reach Rs 3000 per spot by increasing the effective rates by 100 per cent over the next three months,” Trigunayat had said in the interview.

  • Rediffusion Y&R stages management reshuffle

    Rediffusion Y&R stages management reshuffle

    MUMBAI: The communications agency, Rediffusion – Y & R, has made top level management changes in its Mumbai and Southern operations.

    Group executive vice president – Eastern region Amitava Sinha has been appointed as chief operating officer – East and South, while business head of Mumbai, Neville Medhora, has been promoted as vice president – Mumbai.

    Following the exit of Meenakshi Achan, the agency will now have N Padmakumar leading the creative forces at Rediffusion as the agency‘s national creative director.

    Sinha’s elevation is a key strategic change leading to the restructuring of the operations of Rediffusion – Y & R in South and East.

    Sinha joined Rediffusion Y& R in October 2003 as head of the Kolkata operations and subsequently assumed a group role.

    In his career spanning over 25 years, Sinha has worked on various brands including Gold Flake, Wills, Scissors, Eveready, Harpic, Cherry Blossom, Bata, Tata Steel, Berger Paints, Spencer‘s, Ananda Bazar Patrika and IFB.

    Said Sinha, “I have been a part of the growth story for East at Rediffusion. I am very excited about the opportunities that the Southern market presents with respect to the multitude of brands that we can work on. I am confident of leveraging the synergies of our talent pool across offices through enhanced collaboration while working very closely with Rajappa.”

    Medhora joined Rediffusion Y&R around three years ago. Prior to joining Rediffusion, he was at TBWA, Delhi, as GM – client servicing and has also worked with Saatchi and Saatchi as group account director.

    Over the last 15 years, he has worked on brands such as Nano, Taj Group of Hotels, Kingfisher Airlines, Rasna, Orra, Sugarfree, Bombay Realty, Bank of India, Kaya, Adidas, Pedigree, Michelin, Moser Baer, National Geographic and the History Channel.

    Medhora added, “Rediffusion – Y&R Mumbai has an eclectic mix of clientele where some great work has been delivered. I will continue to focus on the mandate of driving growth, quality of work and collaborating across offices to deliver world-class communication solutions for our client brands.”
     

  • WC triumph to give team members Hyundai Vernas

    WC triumph to give team members Hyundai Vernas

    MUMBAI: Hyundai Motor India (HMIL), which is the official ‘Car Partner‘ of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, has announced that all the members of the Indian cricket team will win the All-New Hyundai Verna if they succeed in winning the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 tomorrow.

    HMIL MD, CEO HW Park said, “As the official car partner for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, we will be extremely delighted to felicitate the Indian cricket team with All-New Verna much ahead of its market launch in the country. This is a part of our continuous effort to bring passion to the game of cricket and we have taken many such initiatives like the Hyundai Fan Park, First and Last ball tour amongst others during the entire world cup campaign. I wish team India all the very best and hope that they realise the dream of the nation to win the world cup.”

    Hyundai organised many customer based initiatives during the event to bring the game closer to its fans. The Hyundai Fan Park is one such ongoing initiative, which included a marquee set up in prominent malls in the National Capital Region of Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai. These pavilions have giant screens which have been projecting all the matches of the World Cup, a cricket pitch for fans to display their cricketing talent, a fun zone where special tattoos and caricatures were done, cheerleaders and lots of games with interesting cricket memorabilia as prizes.

  • Cheil Worldwide SW Asia appoints Ankur Bose as vice president – BTL

    Cheil Worldwide SW Asia appoints Ankur Bose as vice president – BTL

    MUMBAI: Cheil Worldwide SW Asia has appointed Ankur Bose as its vice president – BTL.

    Bose will be working closely with Cheil Worldwide SW Asia COO Alok Agrawal.

    Says Agrawal, “Ankur‘s rich experience and stellar track record makes him ideal to lead the team and drive integrated experiential solutions that address specific brand problems. He is highly energetic and is well aligned with the agency vision and philosophy.”

    With a work experience of nearly 14 years, Bose began his career in 1997, designing exhibitions and writing copy at JWT (HTA). Then he joined Lintas as business head of their events division.

    After working four years at Lintas, Bose moved to Ogilvy Activation to head their rural business in Delhi, where, after two years he became vice-president and business director.

    Confirming his appointment Bose said, “Last mile and in-store advertising is the fastest growing segment of the industry. If ambient media is seamlessly integrated with last mile advertising, the returns are potentially exponential. Cheil is the ideal platform in India to push this envelope.”

    Bose has worked with a multitude of clients, including Unilever, Vodafone, Dabur, Castrol, Dupont, Motorola, India Post, ICICI, Lafarge, Coca Cola, Berger Paints, ITC, Orissa Tourism, Peerless, Tata Indicom, Mother Dairy and UNICEF.

  • Yahoo! appoints MediaVest as its AOR

    Yahoo! appoints MediaVest as its AOR

    MUMBAI: MediaVest, a division of Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG), has been appointed as the media agency-on-record by Yahoo!.
     
    Mindshare was handling the Yahoo! account globally.

    In October 2010, the account was moved to MediaVest in the US.

    Subsequently, the Internet giant has moved its business to MediaVest across eight countries in Asia.
     
    In India, the account will be managed by the agency‘s Delhi office.
     
    MediaVest will be the strategic lead and counsel for the digital media company’s media planning and buying across Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam and Singapore. 

  • India-Australia match delivers 12.34 TVR

    India-Australia match delivers 12.34 TVR

    MUMBAI: The World Cup quarterfinal match between India and Australia got a TVR of 12.34 with 91 million viewers sampling it, making it the most-watched encounter of the World Cup tournament so fat.

    The match fetched a peak TVR of 26.35, according to data from Tam Sports (c&s4+).
     
    The epic India-England match, which ended in a tie, ranks second as it attracted 82 million viewers to tune in. The match got a peak TVR of 20.96 and an average TVR of 10.97.

    The seven India matches have earned an average TVR of 9.22.The 46 matches played so far have got a rating of 2.43. In 2007, the event got a TVR of 1.89 for the same period. 
     
    The other three non-India quarterfinals this time got an average TVR of 2.44. Partly due to the one-sided nature of the contest, the match where Pakistan thrashed West Indies by 10 wickets got a TVR of 2.18. 37 million viewers tuned in for that contest.

    The England versus Sri Lanka quarterfinal match, which was equally one sided, fared better as it lasted longer. It got a TVR of 2.92 with 51 million viewers sampling it.
     
    In 2007, the 24 Super Eight games had got an average TVR of 1.53.

    The record ratings, however, will come from the mother of all battles as India mauled Pakistan in the semifinals.

  • ESPN Star Sports sells out inventory for WC final

    ESPN Star Sports sells out inventory for WC final

    MUMBAI: With India storming into the cricket World Cup final, broadcasting company ESPN Star Sports (ESS) has sold out its inventory completely.

    According to sources, some companies that bought commercial spots for the India-Pakistan combat also booked for the final at a slightly higher rate.

    The remaining spots for the India-Pakistan encounter sold for Rs. 1.8 million and the final would have gone for a little more than that, sources added.

    Some existing sponsors have also taken spots for the final on 2 April, a contest that will see Dhoni‘s ‘Men in Blue‘ take on Sri Lanka.

    Said an ESS spokesperson, “We are happy to confirm that for the final match of the ICC Cricket World Cup, we have completely sold out our inventory. We have had a tremendous response from all our sponsors and partners, and the tournament has also delivered far in excess of everyone‘s expectations.”

  • Sandeep Lakhina to quit Starcom MediaVest Group

    Sandeep Lakhina to quit Starcom MediaVest Group

    MUMBAI: Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) India chief operating officer Sandeep Lakhina is leaving the organisation after a three-year stint.

    Lakhina is serving his notice period until June.

    Starcom MediaVest Group India chairman CVL Srinivas said, “Sandeep has been a part of the India network for over three years. As COO, he played an important role in managing the operation.”

    Lakhina added, “I have enjoyed working with a bunch of bright enthusiastic people, a set of great clients and brands, and an industry which has seen colossal highs and lows since I joined in end 2007. It is now time for me to pursue other interesting opportunities outside the organisation, and I am looking forward to the next phase of my career with excitement and vigour.”