ITV

Category: Press Release

  • ShopClues rises to the occasion; announces sale of daily home necessities on its platform starting at INR 49

    ShopClues rises to the occasion; announces sale of daily home necessities on its platform starting at INR 49

    MUMBAI: In the wake of the 21-day lockdown to effectively deal with the coronavirus pandemic, ShopClues, India’s leading e-commerce platform with a vast rural and semi-urban reach, has said that its online portal will now be enabled to make available food, medicines and medical equipment to its customers located across the country.

    ShopClues will, with immediate effect, use its e-commerce platform to make available essentials such as sanitizers, masks, packaged foods, groceries medicines and personal hygiene products.

    “In this time of need, we want to use our platform that has a vast reach across Tier II/III/IV cities of India to be able to buy these essential items from our portal. Further to the Prime minister's assurance that essentials will continue to be available during these difficult times, we want people to stop panicking and have access to these items. Please stay indoors. Stay safe and let us reach you,” said Sanjay Sethi, CEO ShopClues. 

    With the supply chain being thrown off track as a result of the lockdown and a shutdown of transport system and bazaars, there was panic buying and hoarding among people with regard to their daily, essential needs.
     

  • VMate Among the Top 10 Most Downloaded Social Media Apps Worldwide

    VMate Among the Top 10 Most Downloaded Social Media Apps Worldwide

    MUMBAI: VMate, a trending short video the platform, is the 9th most downloaded social media app across the world in February 2020, as per a report by Sensor Tower. It ranks 7th in the world with regard to Google Play downloads. With millions of active users, VMate has been strengthening its position with innovative video stickers and engaging campaigns, registering a remarkable presence In India. Recently, VMate entered into the top 5 breakout social media apps as published by App Annie report for “State of Mobile 2020.”

    Link – https://sensortower.com/blog/top-social-media-apps-worldwide-february-2020

    VMate’s engaging campaigns have contributed to its ascent to the top. For instance, one of the latest campaigns by VMate, which won the heart of people in India, is #VMateAsliHolibaaz. The platform roped in famous YouTubers Bhuvan Bam and Ashish Chanchlani and dancing sensation Sapna Chaudhary for the campaign. People from across the country participated in the campaign and made it a huge success. The platform banks on the concept of community building and providing an opportunity to make an earning using their talent. Previously, VMate has launched exciting campaigns such as Filmistaan and New Year with actress Sunny Leone. In most of the campaigns, everyone wins assured prizes while some of the lucky ones win cars, scooters, etc.

    Ms. Nisha Pokhriyal, Associate Director, VMate, said, “We are thrilled to be one of the top social media apps that people across the world love to embrace. India adds a unique flavor to our platform, and we receive an overwhelming response for all our campaigns. We aim to continue being their top choice to express themselves, celebrate themselves and bring their hidden talent out.”

    As a platform, VMate has always stood out in the market for taking care of its users and their desires to become famous. It allows the users to not only follow their passion, get famous but also earn livelihood via VMate videos. Some of the well-known VMate influencers earn close to INR 1-2 lakh a month. Many VMate creators have also made their dreams come true via VMate. Abdullah, popularly known as Muradabadi Hulk, won a date with Bollywood diva Sunny Leone and impressed her with his strength and chivalry. Similarly, various other VMate creators are living the life of their choice.

  • MX Player Wins Big At The App Annie Top Publisher Awards

    MX Player Wins Big At The App Annie Top Publisher Awards

    MUMBAI: MX Player has emerged as a force to reckon with in the Indian entertainment landscape, with its vision of offering users a holistic entertainment platform. Be it offline video playing capabilities, India's largest library of over 1,50,000 hrs of premium video content, audio music and games, all for FREE, the brand aims at answering every entertainment need of our huge and growing user base.

    Reflecting its ubiquitous acceptance and usage across iOS and Google Play, MX has emerged as one of the ‘2020 India HQ Top 10 Overall Publishers by Downloads’ Category at the App Annie Top Publisher Awards. It also topped the list in the ‘2020 Indonesia Top 10 Entertainment Applications by MAU’ (the only country for which entertainment as a category was announced).

    Speaking about this accolade, Karan Bedi – CEO, MX Player said, “This award by App Annie is a great recognition for our team and will inspire us to continue scaling new heights, especially in such challenging times as our users around the world are quarantined in their homes during the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. In the last 14 months, we’ve tried to push the envelope across verticals – be it with content, marketing or product innovations, and we are committed to our vision of ‘Everytainment’ as we are expanding rapidly across the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Nepal and Bangladesh to help serve premium free digital entertainment to a wider global audience.”

    Operating at scale in India with an advertising led model for premium content, this platform has 280 million MAUs globally and 175 million MAUs in India. 

  • Meet Brothers, Kailash Kher, Papa CJ And Others Ensured The Show Did Go On At EEMA’s First Ever #StayAtHomeConcert

    Meet Brothers, Kailash Kher, Papa CJ And Others Ensured The Show Did Go On At EEMA’s First Ever #StayAtHomeConcert

    MUMBAI: The Covid-19 pandemic has taken a toll on the live events and experiential marketing industry in an unprecedented way, foretelling a severe threat to the $ 1 trillion dollar global events industry.

    On March 22, the events and entertainment industry came together under the umbrella of EEMA (Event and Entertainment Association of India) to present one of India’s biggest online concerts that the country has ever witnessed, and to pay tribute to those working on the frontline in the battle to contain Covid 19!

    50 artists across the length and breadth of India came together on social media platforms to urge the nation to stay at home during an online #StayAtHomeConcert, over Facebook and Instagram to mark the Prime Minister’s call for a voluntary #Janatacurfew. Leading artists like Mohit Chauhan, Kailash Kher, Sukhbir, Meet Brothers, Amit Tandon, PapaCJ , Sonam Kalra,  and many more performed during this 9 hour concert which began at 2 PM and concluded with an online version of Sunburn.

    Sanjoy Roy, President-EEMA said, “The entertainment industry is going through one of the worst crises ever faced in recent times. With projected losses of over 10,000 crores, which will affect 80% of MSME’s and may result on 40% of job losses, we are reaching out to the Government to help this sector and will continue to work collectively in the fight against the spread of Covid 19.”

    According to Vipul Pandhi, Vice President North – EEMA, “We believe that in these challenging times for the nation, if we can come together and do what we are best at and make citizens aware of their duty to each other and to society it will be our contribution to the government and the country.”

    Celebrities that participated in the concert showed their enthusiasm, singer Mohit Chauhan commented, “It was amazing to perform online and help in the fight against coronavirus.”

    Sonam Kalra showed her support saying, “It’s a wonderful initiative to bring light, joy and healing to people in this situation of darkness, uncertainty and isolation. It is also a great way of building a community through music and providing an opportunity to artists to continue to perform.”

    EEMA Plans to organize a series of such online concerts in the coming days beginning Wednesday 25th March from 5pm onwards to help the nation stay indoors while ensuring social distancing and supporting India’s medical workers in their fight against Covid 19.

    The association has requested the Government of India to provide relief to the events and entertainment sector by ensuring that all tax refunds due are made at the earliest.

    –   Central and State Governments should clear their outstanding payments from all contracts for the sector

    – MSME’s should be provided credit on accessible terms including to loss making companies with work orders in place

    –  Moratorium of payback on loans and interest for a period of 9-12 months.

    –  Reduction of GST on entertainment and cultural events to 12%

  • Lockdown turning you into a couch potato? Listen to these 3 gripping detective tales by Kahanikaar Sudhanshu Rai

    Lockdown turning you into a couch potato? Listen to these 3 gripping detective tales by Kahanikaar Sudhanshu Rai

    MUMBAI: India has waged a war against the deadly coronavirus pandemic, which has compelled millions to stay indoors. While we are getting to spend more time with family and catching up on the streams, some of us are also getting bored within the boundaries. How does the idea of listening to a thriller-detective story sound? The strange kind of escapism that a dark mystery unravels is one of the best solutions to the trying times we are in. Arshad Warsi-starrer Asur or Kay Kay Menon’s Special Ops have been some of the best ongoing originals from the genre.

    But people with the adrenaline rush aren’t always in the mood of sitting glued to the idiot box, at times they want to remain in solitude in one corner of their balcony and dive deep into the world of detectives and horror and paranormal. And there’s added fun when the story is in audio format instead of text. Kahanikaar Sudhanshu Rai, the creator of popular online character Detective Boomrah, is known for recitation of Hindi thriller and detective short stories. Here we present three of his best ‘Detective Boomrah’ creations, which every adrenaline junkie must listen to:

    # The Mystery of Dark House:

    This is the story of a man who was forced to flee his village years ago due to unusual happenings in his surroundings, which originated from a ‘cursed Dark House’. Now that he is back with a friend after years, nothing has changed – the house continues to haunt the villagers. But when the protagonist, Neel, loses his friend to the house, he calls in Detective Boomrah, who goes to the crux of the matter and unravels the mystery of the dark house. Listen to the story:

    # The Devil’s Game:

    If the title of the story has provoked that thriller-seeker in you, the whole story is certainly the best possible treat for you. The story revolves around a high-end casino that offers a “real-life” game full of risks, gains and losses. It is a gamble of life that the protagonists go through before reaching out to Detective Boomrah, who explores the secrets of the dice game of the mysterious casino owner. Listen to the story:

    # And last, but certainly not the least, the latest offering by Kahaanikar Sudhanshu Rai – The Mysterious Mrs Mcbethy. The story is about an architect who is sent to Goa for an assignment. His search for abode takes him to the world of Mrs McBethy, which is full of mystery and shockers. Sujay takes a sigh of relief when Detective Boomrah enters the scene and rescues him from the situation. Listen to the story:

  • Pocket Aces and Dewar’s teamed up for a year-long campaign driving their key message ‘Double Is Better’

    Pocket Aces and Dewar’s teamed up for a year-long campaign driving their key message ‘Double Is Better’

    MUMBAI: With mass engaging content to the most riveting shows, Pocket Aces, India’s leading digital entertainment company witnessed a remarkable growth in 2019 paving the way to achieve higher benchmarks. Looking back at the hits of the year, the company celebrates its long-standing partnership with Dewar’s, which has been amongst the few players in the alcohol-beverage industry to acknowledge the unprecedented opportunity of marketing by targeting the LDA+ millennial audience with branded content. With both the brands aiming to target the quality experience seekers and progressive minds of today, this made for an ideal partnership for the two brands. Dewar's found the perfect way to cement its double aging product proposition through 'Double Is Better' in a playful and culturally relevant manner which helped in increasing the brand's awareness via a line up of engaging content on Pocket Aces’ channels.

    Dewar’s came on board as a Title Partner on Pocket Aces’ premium storytelling platform, Dice Media, on their recent web series, ‘Brochara’; building brand affinity and recall. Starring Dhruv Sehgal of ‘Little Things’ fame, popular Marathi actor Amey Wagh, and digital faces Varun Tewari (What The Folks) and Sayandeep Sengupta (The Office), Brochara introduces one to the lives of four friends, each with their own ambitions and vulnerabilities, and a strong friendship that helps each tide through life. Breaking away from stereotypes, the slice-of-life, inclusive comedy also takes bold steps towards showcasing modern relationships, including an LGBT one. The series has already amassed over 20 million views and 750k engaged responses from the audience.

    Dewar’s found a perfect fit in this universe, seamlessly blending the brand messaging into the characters’ meaningful conversations. The Double Aged Scotch also finds its rightful place in between a variety of occasions: after-work bar conversations, at a colleague’s house, and at weekend getaways. One can recognize the brand’s tagline “Double Is Better” in the comments below each episode, marking high recall for Dewar’s and its messaging amongst the viewers, and making it one of the loved dialogues from the series.

    Since food is an important aspect of the drinker experience in India, Pocket Aces had commenced the partnership with a bespoke property, ‘You Got Chef’d’ on their food and lifestyle channel, Gobble.

    Season 1 featured some of India's most popular influencers – Dhruv Sehgal, Mithila Palkar, Ranvijay Singha, Sumeet Vyas and Shibani Dandekar cooking street-style versions of their favourite dishes against celebrity chef Kelvin Cheung's gourmet versions. The show brought together delicious food cooked by the guests and candid banter between them, topped with a perfect Dewar's highballs cocktail pairing made by Dewar's India brand ambassador and mixologist. Reiterating on the brand’s messaging of ‘Double is Better’, the show drove home that doing things twice is better, just like the Double Aged Scotch Whisky.

    The season massed over 5 million views with an impressive 111:1 like to dislike ratio. Adding to that, it bagged several accolades including the Gold at Talent Track 2019 for the ‘Best Digital Content – Food’ and Bronze in ‘Benchmark – Branded Content' category at IDMA Awards.

    Following the success of season 1, the second installment, hosted by Chef Ranveer Brar featured some of the top digital faces in India – Barkha Singh, Nakuul Mehta, Shweta Tripathi, Arjun Kanungo and Ayush Mehra. This time around, the series introduced a ‘Double Challenge’ where the guests cooked and also learnt a bar trick from the mixologist. A sizeable 2x increase in engagement for the series and a 60x increase in social media impressions for the brand tagline #DoubleIsBetter was witnessed between the first and second season.

    Commenting on the successful partnership, Vishwanath Shetty, VP, Sales, Pocket Aces says, “We embarked on this journey with Dewar’s India a year back and it gives us great pleasure to celebrate our long standing association with them. Creating fiction series often gives us a chance to mould a narrative in a certain way and also help brands weave their products in the most seamless manner. Dewar’s playful approach as opposed to traditional scotch brands was like the missing piece to the jigsaw for us as it blended seamlessly into our content. With our series You Got Chef’d and Brochara, Dewar’s became a household name, leading them to be a part of many more associations on our channels. We have found Bacardi India to be in sync with our brand ethos and the collaboration so far has been extremely fruitful and benefiting both of us.”

    Speaking on the association, Anmol Gill, Head Customer Marketing, India and neighboring countries said, "Dewar's is a Premium Scotch brand and both properties of Pocket Aces drew synergies with the playful tonality of the brand. Not only did the collaboration help us seed the brand into popular culture and consumption occasions, but also create meaningful and quality content. At Dewar's we believe in partnering with projects and platforms that create relevant content for our Target Audience, and Pocket Aces has played an integral role in enabling that."

  • VLCC starts manufacturing hand sanitizers to support mitigation of COVID-19 crisis

    VLCC starts manufacturing hand sanitizers to support mitigation of COVID-19 crisis

    MUMBAI: VLCC Personal Care Ltd. today announced the commencement of production of hand sanitizers at its GMP certified manufacturing facility in Haridwar (Uttarakhand) – one of its two such plants in India – to support mitigation of the severe health crisis caused by the COVID-19 outbreak and to meet the sudden spike in demand for hygiene products.

    Announcing this today, Mr. Jayant Khosla, Managing Director & Group Head, VLCC, said "We have decided to manufacture and distribute hand sanitizers as our humble contribution to the collective national effort of tackling the COVID-19 crisis and have accordingly diverted a part of our manufacturing capacity to produce them. The pricing of the product will be in keeping with the latest statutory regulations for all pack sizes”.

    The company is ensuring that these products, in 50 ml and 500 ml pack sizes, with retail price of INR 25/- and INR 250/- respectively, reach pharmacies and general stores throughout India immediately, to cater to the surge in demand. VLCC hand sanitizers are now also available at all VLCC Wellness centers, on its on-line platform, www.vlccpersonalcare.com, as well as on e-shopping websites like Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal and Nykaa.

    The advanced formula of the VLCC Hand Sanitizer contains a combination of spirit and Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) which is proven to kill 99.9% germs and bacteria. Further, to protect the skin and prevent it from drying, it is infused with tea tree oil, rosemary oil and aloe vera extract. The product is in gel form and can be applied on the palms and then rubbed gently to layer the protection on all parts of the hands up to the wrists.
     

  • Pristyn Care pledges solidarity; launches #MakeSpaceForSafety to encourage social distancing amid coronavirus pandemic

    Pristyn Care pledges solidarity; launches #MakeSpaceForSafety to encourage social distancing amid coronavirus pandemic

    MUMBAI: With the rising number of coronavirus cases in India, there has been an explosion of conversations related to Covid-19, largely centered around how to treat, contain and suppress it. The volume and the velocity through which these messages are shared can sometimes lead to uncertainty, stress, and panic. To address this, it becomes even more important that information shared should be verified and comes from a reliable source. In a mission to share best practices and knowledge related to the global pandemic, Pristyn Care – a healthcare company that specializes in elective surgeries through the latest technologies, has launched a digital campaign #MakeSpaceForSafety. The campaign highlights the importance of social distancing and to foster realization and motivate people to practice the same. The company is also running a special series of blogs addressing all subjects related to coronavirus which are extremely crucial and essential to ‘flatten the curve’.

    Pledging solidarity, the campaign also salutes doctors and other medical professionals who are working tirelessly in an unprecedented environment to treat patients succumbing to this outbreak. 

    Pristyn Care founders, associated doctors, surgeons, and employees who normally write their name on LinkedIn in tightly connected Myriad Pro script have changed and added — space between each letter. The underlying message here is, “Staying apart is the best way to flatten the curve and break the chain.”

    On the campaign launch, expressing gratitude to the medical fraternity and reiterating the imperative safety measures, Harsimarbir Singh, Co-founder, Pristyn Care said, “We owe a huge thanks to the heroes on the front line of the coronavirus pandemic. As a consumer internet company in healthcare, we often find our associated doctors, surgeons and employees battling hard to keep up the promise to deliver. Dr. Vaibhav Kapoor and Dr. Garima Sawhney, co-founders of Pristyn Care who are surgeons themselves, are courageously treating emergency cases to ensure that no patient is deprived of quality healthcare even in such trying times. But the hard work of these professionals is wasted if the country’s citizens do not follow social distancing, which is, undoubtedly, the need of the hour. We applaud the government’s decision of a nationwide lockdown and urge people to stay at home.”

    Pristyn Care has over 80 clinics and 250 partner hospitals across 17 cities (7 Tier-1 and 10 Tier-2 cities), with surgeons who have expertise across General Surgery (Laser and Laparoscopic specialists), Vascular surgeries, ENT, Gynaecology, and Urology. The procedures are performed using advanced laser and laparoscopic techniques and the company has successfully performed over 12,000 surgeries till date.

  • &PrivéHD to premiere ‘The Tomorrow Man’ on 28 March

    &PrivéHD to premiere ‘The Tomorrow Man’ on 28 March

    MUMBAI: A man obsessed with the future, a woman trapped by the past and a chance to embrace the present! Here’s a story of Ed and Ronnie – two eccentric souls stuck in ‘the wrong side of 60s’ whose lives intertwine in ‘The Tomorrow Man.’ Feel the other side of the story of two stark opposites as &PrivéHD, the premium destination for nuanced cinema, premieres this romantic drama on Saturday, March 29, 2020 at 1PM and 9PM. Available with the Zee Prime English HD Pack, the channel encourages viewers to break-free from your inner inhibitions and live in present with the Privé Premiere of ‘The Tomorrow Man’.

    Written and directed by Noble Jones in his debut feature, ‘The Tomorrow Man’ features two seasoned actors in lead roles – the two-time Academy Award-nominee John Lithgow and the Golden Globe-nominee Blythe Danner. The endearing film, which premiered at Sundance Film Festival, garnered positive reviews for the heart-warming performances and its atypical plotline.

    The movie revolves around the life of Ed Hemsler – a retired and divorced man who is obsessed with the apocalypse. He spends his time living a solitary life and preparing for a disaster that may never come. One fine day, he encounters Ronnie Meisner, an unconventionally attractive woman around his age who spends her life shopping for things she may never use. In a small town somewhere in America, the two try to find love while trying not to get lost in each other’s eccentricity.

    Will the one who dwells in the ‘tomorrow’ accept what life has to offer him ‘today’?

    This Saturday, witness a heart-warming love story of a couple in their golden years as &PrivéHD premieres ‘The Tomorrow Man’ on Saturday, March 28, 2020 at 1PM and 9PM

  • Zee Hindi Movie Cluster promises to entertain movie lovers confined in their homes with its dhamekedaar line up of movies

    Zee Hindi Movie Cluster promises to entertain movie lovers confined in their homes with its dhamekedaar line up of movies

    ‘Gharbaithebaithe bore huye, karnahainkuchkhaastohshurukaro entertainment marathon, Zee Hindi Movie Channelskesaath’. With the growing outbreak of the COVID 19, the need of the hour is to practice social distancing. While, each one of you are being a responsible citizen and being safe at your home sweet home, keeping you company to keep this pandemic at bay will be the Zee Hindi Movie Cluster with non-stop entertainment. Promising a perfect binge watch list of movies for you, each of Zee’s Hindi movie channels has got your back as they have curated a special bouquet of movie titles while you stay safe at home #HumAndarCoronaBahar.

    Curating a line-up to entertain you in the most Bollywood way possible, &pictures brings forward some of its best offerings. Recharge with non-stop blockbusters with the ‘Entertainment Boosters’ line-up comprising of handpicked endless entertainment movies like Dream Girl, SatyamevaJayate, Baaghi, Wanted, amongst others that will air from 23rd March to 31st March at 8pm.  While some may enjoy watching the favorite movies time and again, the channel will air the World Television Premier of the romantic musical thriller Yeh SaaliAashiqui on 27th March. Introducing debutants Vardhan Puri and Shivaleeka Oberoi in the lead, the romantic musical thriller will keep the audience entertained with its gripping narrative.  

    Zee Bollywood’s has a masaledar treat for the viewers with its treasure trove of 101% Shuddh Bollywood blockbuster movies. From 23rd March to 31st March, the channel will showcase the actual tadka of entertainment with its ‘GreatestDramebaaz’ movie festival. Spoiling Bollywood buffs with endless choices, from the dancing superstar, Govinda to Bollywood’s angry young man, Amitabh Bachchan, the Masalon se kootkootkebhari line up will showcase movie like Khudgarz, Raja Hindustani, Gadar, Mard, Beta and Hathkadi amongst others. One movie to look out for will however be the Drama se kootkootkebhari film Kishen Kanhaiya which celebrates its 30th milestone this year. Set to air on 27th March at 9pm, the Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit starrer traces the life of twin brothers separated at birth and how they reunite to fight evil, will indeed take you down memory lane. 

    Catering to the action aficionado, Zee Action will telecast high-on-action blockbuster movies like Manikarnika, Phool Bane Angare, International Rowdy, Samba, Roadside Rowdy to name a few everyday starting 22nd March at 2pm and 8pm. Another power packed treat for all the action lovers is Mahesh Babu’s action blockbuster Encounter Shankar that traces the journey of a guy who goes all out to avenge the death of his brother Bharath. Also, featuring Tamannaah in the lead along with a special appearance by Shruti Haasan, the moviewill air on 28th March at 8 pm. 

    Starting from 23rd to 31st March, Zee Cinema promises to give you a blockbuster entertainment experience with a special line up. Premiering your favorite movies, the lineup will include movies like Simmba, Uri, Dangal, Bharat, 2.0, Saand Ki Aankh, K3 Kaali Ka Karishma, Holiday and Phir Hera Pheri amongst others. And saving the best for the last will and the highlight of the weekend will be the starry award night Zee Cine Award on 28th March at 7:30 pm that brings together the B-town glitterati with the intention to increase the entertainment ka Taapmaan for you while you stay at home safe. Felicitating the stunning performances at the Box Office and celebrating superior quality of films, Zee Cine Awards will double up as a platform to applaud some of the best names and minds in the industry. With some of the biggest names in attendance and electrifying performances by Hrithik Roshan, Sara Ali Khan, Ranveer Singh, Kriti Sanon and Nora Fatehi, Zee Cine Awards 2020 is sure going to be the perfect end to your blockbuster weekend. 

    So, hold onto your couch and grab a tub of popcorn while you are at home as Zee Hindi Movies Cluster promises to entertain you throughout!