ITV

Category: MAM

  • Comcast sues DirecTV over fake NFL ads

    Comcast sues DirecTV over fake NFL ads

    MUMBAI: Comcast has sued DirecTV for an alleged fake NFL Sunday Ticket advertising.


    The cable company has claimed that the satellite company is fleecing consumers by advertising that the sporting event is available at no extra cost.


    The complainant says that DirecTV is trapping customers into the service, which requires a two-year contract with huge termination fees and renews itself automatically in the second year.


    The service usually costs $66.99 per month for five months or $334.95 per month for one season. According to Comcast, this information is not easily available to consumers.


    According to the suit, DirectTV‘s ad campaign launched in early July and has become more aggressive post NFL Players Association reaching a 10-year labour agreement with the league, which allowed the 2011 season to stay on schedule.


    In a statement, DirectTV reciprocated that new customers get the NFL Sunday Ticket package at no extra charge for one year.


    The campaign also includes radio and Internet ads.

  • Nielsen to kick-off online campaign ratings service on 15 August

    Nielsen to kick-off online campaign ratings service on 15 August

    MUMBAI: The Nielsen Company, well-known for its television ratings services, is launching a new service to help online advertisers achieve better visibility over their Internet-based promotional campaigns.


    The Nielsen Online Campaign Ratings service will be rolled out on 15 August.


    The new ratings service will look beyond traditional online tools such as click-through and impressions and will focus on measuring the efficacy of a campaign with gross rating points, which combine the reach of an ad and the frequency with which users see it.


    With the new system in place, advertisers will be able to measure the combined reach of their TV, Web and mobile marketing initiatives.


    The company said that the new system will facilitate greater accuracy than traditional online metrics that are often manipulated with.


    With over 160 million U.S. users, Facebook has become an online advertising behemoth. The social network‘s ad revenues will continue its upward movement, if the company can demonstrate its ability to match with other advertising media.

  • Nielsen captures viewership trends across platforms

    MUMBAI: Who watches the most TV? Women watch more than men, African-Americans outpace other ethnicities and older Americans tune in at higher rates than those their junior, according to the latest Nielsen Cross-Platform Report.


    The report shares video consumption across traditional TV, mobile and online.


    When it comes to TV viewing, women of all ages spend more time than their male counterparts. Women aged 2+ watch nearly 16 hours of traditional TV more per month than men. On the flipside, men consistently spend more time streaming video online.


    Older Americans (65+) watch more than twice as much traditional TV as teens, and roughly 37 per cent more TV than those ages 35-49. In terms of the size of the audience, Americans 50-64 make up the largest segment of the traditional TV audience (25%).


    Interestingly, adults 35-49 represent the largest segment of the Internet video audience (27 per cent) and Americans 25-34 dominate the mobile video audience (30 per cent).


    There are also distinct viewing trends by ethnicity, with African-Americans watching the most video content.


    When it comes to traditional TV, African-Americans tune in nearly 213 hours per month, more than twice as much as Asians and roughly 57 hours more than Whites. African-Americans also watch the most mobile video, though less time-shifted TV than the general population.


    Asians have emerged as the hands-down leader in time spent watching video on the Internet, averaging six-plus hours more per month than Whites and nearly four hours more per month than the next closest ethnic group, Hispanics. Asians also watch far less traditional TV than the general population.


    Hispanics watch less traditional TV but more Internet video than the general population, but not at the level of the Asian population.


    Whites watch by far the most time-shifted TV—nearly 50 per cent more than Asians, the next closest ethnic group—when looking at all TV homes. They continue to watch the most when the field narrows to only homes with DVRs. Whites also watch less video on the Internet or mobile phones than other ethnic groups.

  • Airtel exits Champions T20 League as title sponsor

    Airtel exits Champions T20 League as title sponsor

    MUMBAI: Airtel has exited the Champions T20 League as the title sponsor, exercising its review option after two years.


    Nokia is likely to take up Airtel‘s place, sources familiar with the development said. Nokia is also a sponsor of the Kolkata Knight Riders IPL team.


    ESPN Star Sports, the official broadcaster for the multi-nation club tournament, is also in talks with two other advertisers.


    “We are in talks with a telecom player, a handset manufacturer and a real estate player. We will be firming up the deal soon,” a source in the company said.


    Airtel‘s five-year deal was worth Rs 1.70 billion. “They had the right to review the deal after two years,” the source added.
     
     
    The Champions T20 League takes place this year from 23 September- 9 October. Before this event, there will be a qualifying tournament featuring among other teams the Kolkata Knight Riders. If the Shah Rukh Khan owned franchise gets through, then there will be four Indian Premier League (IPL) teams in the event.

  • O&M India appoints Joono Simon as ECD for Bangalore office

    O&M India appoints Joono Simon as ECD for Bangalore office

    MUMBAI: Joono Simon has been appointed as the executive creative director of Ogilvy & Mather, Bangalore.


    Simon was previously heading Leo Burnett Solutions – Colombo as chief creative officer.


    Before his Colombo stint, Simon was heading the creative team in Mudra South, overseeing the Bangalore, Chennai and Kochi offices. 
     
    Prior to that, he was senior vice president and senior creative director of JWT Chennai. He has also worked across agencies such as Contract, RK Swami BBDO, SSC&B Lintas and MAA Bozell.


    Ogilvy president south Prateek Srivastava said, “We are sure that under Joono‘s creative leadership, and with the guidance of our national creative directors, Ogilvy Bangalore‘s creative reputation will shine brighter than ever before. Joono comes to us with a robust and much applauded background having won at Cannes, Spikes Asia, and at Adfest.


    Simon joins Ogilvy with 18 years of industry experience and has worked on multinational brands such as Jockey, Louis Philippe, Himalaya, Signature Whiskey, Peter England, Ford, and Pepsi Foods. He was recently named in the top 50 creative rankings for Asia Pacific.
     

  • Wyndham extends sponsorship deal with PGA Tour through 2016

    MUMBAI: The PGA Tour and Wyndham Worldwide have announced that Wyndham has extended its title sponsorship of the Wyndham Championship, one of the golf tour‘s longest-running tournaments, for four years through 2016.


    The 2011 Wyndham Championship will be contested from 15-21 August 2011 at the Donald-Ross designed Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., with 10-time international winner Arjun Atwal set to defend his maiden PGA Tour title.


    The Wyndham Championship is the 37th and final tournament in the PGA Tour Regular Season and plays a pivotal role in the race to the PGA Tour Playoffs for the FedExCup.
     
    The event offers the final opportunity for players to improve their seeding heading into the Playoffs, or in some instances, move into the top 125 to qualify for the first Playoffs event, The Barclays.


    PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said, “We are delighted to continue our relationship with Wyndham Worldwide, especially given the critical role the Wyndham Championship has played in the schedule as the final event in the PGA Tour Regular Season. Thanks to Wyndham Worldwide‘s partnership, the Wyndham Championship has received tremendous support in the region, and our players have embraced the event, its leadership and the golf course at Sedgefield Country Club. These factors have all played a large impact on the increases in the tournament‘s charitable giving since Wyndham signed on as title sponsor in 2007.”


    In the five years since Wyndham Worldwide joined the Piedmont Triad‘s PGA Tour event, the Wyndham Championship has provided more than $1 million annually in charitable impact to organisations including the tournament‘s official charity, Wishes By Wyndham.


    Wyndham Worldwide chairman and CEO Stephen P. Holmes said, “We are excited to continue our partnership with the PGA Tour and extend the legacy of the Wyndham Championship in the Piedmont Triad. The PGA Tour and Wyndham Worldwide remain a great fit, as both hold a commitment to excellence, a dedication for others through philanthropy and a great appreciation for the time to enjoy one‘s passions.”

  • Sanjeev Bhargava is JWT Delhi managing partner

    Sanjeev Bhargava is JWT Delhi managing partner

    MUMBAI: JWT India has appointed Sanjeev Bhargava as managing partner JWT Delhi. He replaces Rohit Ohri who left to join Dentsu as its India head.


    In his new role, Bhargava will be responsible for JWT Delhi and will ensure future leadership in the agency‘s fastest growing office.


    Bhargava comes with over 20 years of experience in advertising. Prior to joining JWT, he was with DraftFCB for 18 years. He joined them in 1993 as group manager and was promoted as COO in 2003. 
     
    JWT CEO Colvyn Harris said, “JWT Delhi is our fastest growing office and Sanjeev‘s proven track record and leadership qualities will ensure our continued leadership in the market. Our client roster comprises India’s most admired and successful companies and helping them achieve their market ambitions and growth is our primary task. Sanjeev’s role will be crucial for this.”


    Bhargava added, “JWT has always been an institution that has led the way for advertising in India. The successful track record of the Delhi office is testimony to the vast resource pool of talent and leadership that exists in the organisation.”


    Bhargava has managed clients like Unilever, Nestle, Pepsi, HP, Compaq, Whirlpool, SC Johnson, Hero Honda, Naukri.com, Godfrey Phillips, Boeing, HCL, Frito Lay and Tropicana among others.


    Before DraftFCB, he was with JWT Delhi for four years and with Lowe where he started his advertising career.
     

  • Dilip Keshu is Whitefield’s CEO

    Dilip Keshu is Whitefield’s CEO

    MUMBAI: Global network of marketing solutions companies, Whitefield, has appointed Dilip Keshu as its chief executive officer with immediate effect.


    Keshu will be based in Whitefield‘s New York headquarters, and oversee the firm‘s global operations in London, Bangalore and Chennai.


    Keshu comes to Whitefield Marketing Group from Xchanging, a FTSE-listed company. As both a member of Xchanging‘s management board and group chief customer officer, he ran sales, relations, service and marketing functions across US, UK, Europe and Australia. 
     
    Previously, he was a member of the board and CEO of Scandent Solutions, which he took public. Subsequently, Scandent was renamed Cambridge Solutions, which was acquired by Xchanging in 2008.


    Keshu said, “Whitefield stands at the threshold of a changing world of marketing, equipped with the best tools, processes and domain skills to help clients market new products in global geographies through innovative media solutions.”


    Whitefield chairman Neeraj Bhargava added, “Dilip is exactly the tenacious, agile leader we need, with the right track record to grow Whitefield. His extensive global management experience and deep understanding of the shift from traditional media to digital prepares him well to build a company capable of delivering innovation and sustainable growth.”


    Keshu holds a Master of Technology degree from the Indian Institute of Technology and lives with his family in Princeton, New Jersey.


    Whitefield aims to increase marketing ROI by applying insight, harnessing new technology, exercising creativity, and exploiting scale and global reach. The company‘s client list includes retail, advertising, travel, entertainment, and media brands.

  • Dharmendra provides best opening for India’s Got Talent

    Dharmendra provides best opening for India’s Got Talent

    MUMBAI: The third season of Colors’ talent reality show, India’s Got Talent, has surpassed the opening day performance of all other non-fiction launches in 2011.


    In this fresh edition, Colors has roped in Bollywood actor Dharmendra as a jury member to share the panel with Sonali Bendre and Kirron Kher.


    India‘s Got Talent‘s opening day (29 July) average rating was 3.91 TVR while it peaked at 5.4 TVR. As per data provided by Colors, the show has surpassed the debut of Star Plus’ biggest dance reality show Just Dance, which scored a TVR of 3.7 TVR, to become the top opening scorer.


    Among the other top-rated reality shows in the year were Guinness World Records – Ab india Todega, which opened with a 3.3 TVR, followed by Khataron ke Khiladi – 4 (both Colors) with 3.0 TVR. Zee TV’s Saregamapa Li’l Champs had opened with a 2.7 TVR.


    Incidentally, with each successive season, India’s Got Talent as a property is getting bigger. The first season of the show opened to a 2.4 TVR while the second season saw a debut day rating of 3.1 TVR. In the first season, Bendre and Kher were joined by Shekhar Kapoor as the third judge, while in the second season Sajid Khan had replaced Kapoor.
     
     
    Colors said that the reach of the show as well as the time spent on watching it is increasing with the successive seasons. In the first season, the show had a 9.8 per cent reach for the first week, which went up to 12.4 in season two and 13.3 in the current season. Overall time spent also went up from 15 minutes in season one to 17 minutes in second season and 21 minutes in the current season.


    Meanwhile, Star Plus continues to rule the Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) space. Powered by the telecast of the IIFA awards ceremony, which clocked a 4.3 TVR, the channel added 29 GRPs (gross rating points) and closed the week with 345 GRPs (316 GRPs in the previous week).


    Colors could not up its ratings despite India’s Got Talent’s strong opening and flagship fiction show Balika Vadhu occupying the top slot among the Hindi GECs (6.1 TVR). The channel clocked 266 GRPs in the week compared to 267 in the preceding week, according to TAM data for the week ended 30 July for the Hindi speaking markets,



    Zee TV maintained its third position but shed 12 GRPs to close the week under review with 208 GRPs. Sony Entertainment Television saw a marginal drop in ratings and closed at No. 4 with 190 GRPs (193 GRPs in previous week).


    Sab stayed steady with 125 GRPs (last week 124). Imagine TV, which launched the Rakhi Sawant-hosted new reality show Gajab Desh Ki Ajab Kahaaniyaan, saw a five GRP climb to close at 71 for the week. Star One got just 37 GRPs while Sahara One trailed behind with 30 GRPs.

  • European Tour launches latest campaign on YouTube

    European Tour launches latest campaign on YouTube

    MUMBAI: They are more accustomed to producing fireworks on the golf course, but could The European Tour‘s best golfers set alight a barrel full of gunpowder on a pirate ship in the Scottish seas with a single strike of a golf ball?


    The Every Shot Imaginable campaign, which was launched today on The European Tour‘s YouTube channel, endeavoured to find out as a select number of the best golfers in Europe attempted to utilise their prodigious talents in the most bizarre of fashions.


    The campaign, which previously featured Englishman David Howell striking a gong in the middle of an Irish lake and Simon Khan shooting down an airborne clay pigeon with a wedge shot in the deserts of Dubai, took to the highlands of Scotland this time around.


    In a live shoot from start to finish, European Tour pros Jeev Milkha Singh of India, Spain‘s Pablo Larrazabal, Scotsman Stephen Gallacher and Grégory Bourdy of France attempted to hit a gunpowder-filled barrel placed on a fishing boat-turned pirate ship 135 yards out to sea from Fort George Castle in Inverness, Scotland.


    The European Tour members Darren Clarke, Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy, Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel winning the last six Majors in a row.


    But when faced with the “Gunpowder” challenge, it took hundreds of attempts before one of the Tour‘s top golfers could hit the gunpowder barrel and set the sky alight.


    Speaking at the launch of the “Gunpowder” edition of the Every Shot Imaginable campaign on YouTube, Jeev Milkha Singh said, “Shooting the film was a crazy experience here in Scotland. We had more than 300 tries for the gunpowder shot before one of us hit the barrel and lit the fire-crackers. It was raining and the winds were too strong but that was the challenge and all enjoyed it.