Category: Press Release

Celebrate the festival of ‘Giving’ by donating for a special cause on ‘#DaanUtsav’, October 2nd to 8th

MUMBAI: Launched in 2009, #DaanUtsav, the festival of philanthropy, is celebrated every year from October 2 to October 8, marking Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary (Gandhi Jayanti). It is a people’s movement for donating and celebrating the act of kindness and giving for social good. Campaigns are run by numerous partners where people from all walks of life and all strata of society can come forward and give in any way they wish to – donate through a campaign or to an NGO, shop for a cause or give in kind, or simply, give time.

This #DaanUtsav, e-commerce platforms including Flipkart, Ola, Big Basket, CRED, Meesho, and Snapdeal are collaborating with GiveIndia, India’s most trusted giving platform, to reach and engage with over 200 million people whose acts of giving will provide for the underprivileged and those in need, and also create a national community of givers. These corporates aptly demonstrate collaboration and assistance in working towards the cause of ‘giving.’ They are using simple nudges, through messaging and communicating, to engage millions by making ‘giving’ a natural extension of their shopping and interaction occurrences on their respective platforms.

Speaking about the partnership, Atul Satija, CEO, GiveIndia said, “GiveIndia is a pioneer in bridging the gap between donors and trusted nonprofits. #DaanUtsav or the ‘Joy of Giving’ week is a great platform for us to boost our mission of alleviating poverty by enabling the world to give. Through this alliance, we are accelerating towards our aim to simplify giving at scale. Not only are we supporting our partners in their giving journey by connecting them with trusted non-profits but we are also reaching out to their millions of users and contributing towards the building of an everyday philanthropy ecosystem.”

This #DaanUtsav, Flipkart will be running a one-of-a-kind giving initiative, to encourage people to perform acts of kindness by contributing to a cause they believe in. These range from sustainability, women empowerment, equality for the differently-abled, menstrual hygiene, animal welfare, and children empowerment. The partnership with GiveIndia will enable over 160 million Flipkart consumers and lakhs of sellers, and employees, to contribute to any of these six social causes.

BigBasket will run a week-long consumer donations campaign to raise rations for three non-profits in Bangalore. They will also be supporting the #DaanUtsav volunteers to run the “Fists of Joy” campaign that encourages school children to donate a fist of rice to the needy. Bigbasket will match the total amount of rice raised and then donate to support non-profits in need.

CRED will run fundraising campaigns through its successful #credmissions platform across the causes of children’s education, midday meals, tree plantation and medical support for the poor.

Meesho is launching its donation category which covers several causes such as child health, education and food, women's empowerment, nature conservation and elderly care in addition to fundraising campaigns for disaster relief support.

Snapdeal will be raising funds for education supplies for GiveIndia’s partner non-profits. MakeMyTrip is promoting payroll giving supporting environment conservation with GiveIndia’s partner nonprofit Chintan.

October 1, 2019
Diageo named by Equileap as the top company globally for gender equality

MUMBAI: Diageo has been ranked as the number one business globally for gender equality in the Equileap 2019 Global Gender Equality Report and Ranking. Diageo has improved its global ranking from 11th in the 2018 Equileap report and is ranked as the number one business in the UK for gender equality for the second year in a row.

The Equileap report is an in-depth, cross-sector analysis of gender equality in 3,519 companies in 23 developed economies, representing 98 million employees. Equileap ranks businesses based on 19 gender equality criteria, including gender balance across the workforce, the gender pay gap, paid parental leave and anti-sexual harassment policies.

The ranking is evidence of the progress Diageo has made to champion diversity and inclusion both within the business and beyond. Acknowledgements in the report include:

The work Diageo has done to achieve gender balance at the most senior levels of the organisation. Currently 44% of Diageo’s Board are women, and the company is working towards a senior leadership team of 40% women by 2025. In India, women currently make up 17% employees in India compared to 7.5% in 2015. Currently, senior women leaders occupy key leadership positions in various departments such as Legal, Finance, Marketing, Communications, HR and Sales (23%) and women are taking up more specialized roles in our R&D centre, Innovation and Public Policy teams
Diageo’s global parental leave policy which offers female employees in all markets a minimum of 26 weeks of fully paid maternity leave. Diageo has also set a global minimum standard of four weeks paternity leave on full rate of pay in all markets, with a significant number of Diageo’s businesses moving to 26 weeks fully paid paternity leave including the UK, North America, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, Spain, Netherlands, Ireland, Italy, Russia, Colombia, Venezuela, and Australia amongst others. In India, Diageo has announced 26 weeks of fully paid maternity leave which is also mandated by local laws and an enhanced 4 weeks of fully paid paternity leave.
Diageo’s signatory of the United Nations’ Women’s Empowerment Principles, committing to seven values-led approaches to support women in the workplace, marketplace and community.
Ivan Menezes, Chief Executive of Diageo said: “I am proud of our work to drive an inclusive culture and diverse employee base at Diageo. Our aim is to create a culture that ensures all our people thrive, as well as shaping market-leading policies and practices. But there is much more to do and we are committed to championing diversity, to make Diageo stronger and to have a positive impact on society.”

Diageo is also championing gender equality through its brands and advertising. The company has rolled out a framework for progressive gender portrayal in advertising to its 1200 marketers and advertising agencies around the world. Diageo is a member of the United Nations Unstereotype Alliance, and the business has signed up to Free the Bid to increase the number of female directors on its adverts as well as working with Creative Equals to support women returning to the creative industries after a career break.

Mairéad Nayager, Chief HR Officer at Diageo said: “At Diageo we believe that gender equality is a moral imperative and a driver of business performance. We are increasing the number of women in leadership roles across the company and have introduced new progressive family leave policies to support all our people throughout their careers. We will continue to push ourselves to improve and build on our ambitions.”

Diana van Maasdijk, CEO at Equileap said: “It is Equileap’s mission to accelerate gender equality in the workplace as a powerful and under-used way of tackling poverty and inequality. Diageo are setting an example and we commend the team for their ambitious work to champion inclusion and diversity.”

In 2019 Diageo has also been recognised as the second most diverse and inclusive workplace in the Refinitiv Diversity & Inclusion Index (previously the Thomson Reuters Diversity & Inclusion Index), and is listed on the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index.

October 1, 2019
Get your thinking hats on as Sherlock Holmes teaches you the tricks of the trade with the Flix First Premiere of ‘Holmes and Watson’ on &flix

MUMBAI: The greatest sleuth of all time, with a confidante like no other – Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson are back in business. Catch the eccentric yet ingenious detective and his partner-in-crime as they return in a comic yet gripping tale with 'Holmes and Watson'. Go beyond the ordinary and leap forth into the world of mysteries as &flix, the destination for the biggest Hollywood hits, is set to air this rib-tickling crime-thriller as part of 'Flix First Premiere', this Sunday, October 6, 2019, at 1:25 PM and 9PM. The film also airs as a part of Club Privé on this Sunday, October 6, 2019, at 3PM and 11PM on &PrivéHD. Written and directed by Etan Cohen, the film features a stellar cast comprising Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly with Rebecca Hall, Rob Brydon, Steve Coogan, and Ralph Fiennes in supporting roles.

Set against the backdrop of the picturesque London landscapes, the film opens with young Sherlock in a class full of bullies. This sharp-witted child is seen putting his genius brain to task as he conjures up various situations that detain the very bullies from his class. Cut to present, Sherlock and his childhood aide Dr. Watson join forces to investigate a puzzling murder case at London’s exquisite Buckingham Palace. With new twists and clues beginning to emerge, the two set out of a mission to catch the killer before he reaches the Queen.

Will the detective duo get to the bottom of the crime, this time around?

October 1, 2019
Hungama launches Season 2 of ‘Boys with Toys’ – its hit original youth comedy, on Hungama Play

MUMBAI: Hungama, India’s leading digital entertainment company, today launched the second season of its hit original youth comedy, ‘Boys with Toys’. The first season of the show was appreciated by the viewers, receiving over 17 million episodic views since its launch. In its second season, the show will take forward the hilarious misadventures of Adi and Jiggy, its protagonists who find themselves at the helm of running a business that they know nothing about. The show is produced by Viniyard Films, directed by Rahul Aggarwal, and stars Rishab Chadha (Dhrishyam, Lupta), Umang Khanna, Anisa Butt (Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Half Girlfriend) along with Abhishek Bajaj (Student of the Year 2).

Starting today, the show will be available to stream on Hungama Play, Hungama’s video on demand platform. Hungama will leverage its robust distribution network to deliver the show to an audience of over 110 million worldwide. Boys with Toys Season 2 will also be available to stream through Hungama Play on Vodafone Play, Idea Movies & TV, Airtel Xstream App, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Tata Sky Binge, SHAREit and Android TVs. Additionally, Hungama’s association with Xiaomi will enable consumers to watch the show via Hungama Play on Mi TV.

Speaking about the latest original show, Neeraj Roy, Founder and CEO, Hungama Digital Media said, “Hungama Originals have helped us push the boundaries of content available on the digital medium. Locally relevant, yet guaranteed to entertain a global audience, our original shows narrate stories that are unavailable on the traditional medium. We are delighted to launch a new season of Boys with Toys, a show that was loved by a young demographic worldwide. We are certain that our content strategy and distribution network will help us increase our user base by 2X in FY2019.”

Ashvini Yardi, Founder of Viniyard Films and the Producer of Boys with Toys 2 said, “The first season of Boys with Toys received an incredible response from the audience. Season 2 promises to pack in even higher doses of humour and fun. The show is riddled with moments that are sure to make it the perfect weekend watch for the audience. We are certain that the youth, across big and small cities, will enjoy the new season of the show as much as they loved the previous one.”

In the previous season, Adi and Jiggy, unexpectedly receive an unusual inheritance – multiple boxes of sex toys, from Jiggy’s late uncle. Bored at their dead-end jobs, the two boys give up their routine existence for a life of excitement and begin running a sex toy shop – a business that they don’t know anything about.

The new season sees the two boys try and build their business even further. Each new order comes with unique and entertaining complications that they must overcome to make their venture a success, turning their lives into a comic frenzy. At the same time, they must also deal with hysterical situations that arise due to their clueless mothers and grandparents visiting them, potential love interests who don’t turn out to be what they seem and a landlord who just won’t stop being nosy.

October 1, 2019
Tamil Nadu Government directs blood banks and hospitals to use Facebook to boost blood donations

MUMBAI: The Government of Tamil Nadu, today announced that it has directed all blood banks in Tamil Nadu to use Blood Donation feature on Facebook, to reach out to voluntary donors .

There is a huge demand for blood every day all over the world. Acute shortage of voluntary blood donations can lead to lack access for many people to this critical lifeline. However, the Indian health ecosystem is undergoing transformation backed by digital technologies, helping in many ways in optimizing the process of blood donation.

The Tamil Nadu Government feels social media with its power and reach to connect people, can help to create awareness and enable voluntary blood donations. The State government has issued a directive to all blood banks and hospitals in the state to use Facebook blood donation feature, in order to bridge the gap between blood donors and nearby blood banks.

Speaking on the National Voluntary Blood Donor Day, Hon’ble Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Tamil Nadu, Dr. C. Vijaya Baskar said “One of the biggest reasons for blood shortage is the lack of access and appropriate know how among potential donors to donate blood. We believe that Blood Donation feature on Facebook, will help us to reach out many donors and encourage them to donate. It can also be one of the fastest and seamless ways, to let donors know of critical blood needs in their areas”

All banks have gone through comprehensive training workshops to on board them on to Facebook Blood Donation feature and have learnt how about how they can connect with donors on Facebook basis their needs.

Speaking on the occasion, Manish Chopra, Director and Head of Partnerships, Facebook India said “Our Blood Donation Feature is a great example of how extraordinary opportunities emerge when people and technology connect. In the two years since its launch, over 22 million people in India have registered as blood donors on Facebook. We are also continuously working with our partners across the spectrum to help the Blood Donation feature, to be accessible for a growing number of blood donors in India. Our partnership with the Govt. of Tamil Nadu is an extension of our commitment to make sure blood banks have access to these donors / blood banks regularly and help to create safe and sustainable supply of blood.”

Launched in 2017, Blood Donation Feature on Facebook connects people willing to donate blood with opportunities nearby. People can sign up as donors on Facebook and get notified when blood banks near post about their blood requirements. Blood Donation feature was first launched in India and is now available in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Brazil and in USA with over 50 million people are registered as blood donors on Facebook.

This National Voluntary Blood Donor Day, you too can give blood and save a life. Want to find a blood bank near you? It’s simple, sign-up with Facebook and find an opportunity to donate blood today. www.facebook.com/donateblood

October 1, 2019
Sony Pictures Networks India and WWE(R) celebrate SmackDown’s 20th anniversary with a move to a new day and time beginning 5th October 2019 on SONY TEN 1 and SONY TEN 3 channels

MUMBAI: WWE’s flagship program SmackDown will celebrate its 20th anniversary with a move to a new day and time beginning 5th October 2019 at 5:30AM on SONY TEN 1 channels in English and SONY TEN 3 channels in Hindi.

WWE Superstars past and present will be on hand to celebrate the occasion including Kurt Angle, Lita, Mick Foley, Booker T, Hulk Hogan, Trish Stratus, Goldberg, Jerry Lawler, Mark Henry, Ric Flair and Sting.

Beginning with its 20th anniversary celebration on 5th October 2019, SmackDown Live will become Friday Night SmackDown and air, live & exclusive, on SONY TEN 1 and SONY TEN 3 channels every Saturday morning, 52 weeks a year, captivating fans with a unique combination of edge-of-your-seat action, unpredictable drama and world-class athleticism.

In India, WWE is the second most viewed property on pay sports channels, after Cricket, and SmackDown has been captivating audiences from across the country for years. On air since 1999, SmackDown is the second-longest running weekly episodic television show in U.S. primetime history, only behind Monday Night Raw. SmackDown has aired more original episodes than some of the most popular television series of all time, including The Simpsons, Gunsmoke, Lassie and Monday Night Football.

In its 20-year history, SmackDown has also helped launch the careers of pop-culture icons including Dwayne “The Rock®” Johnson, John Cena®, Triple H®, “Stone Cold®” Steve Austin® and The Bella Twins™.

High-octane action featuring a heavily stacked and entertaining roster of some of WWE’s best talent will now kick-start the weekend for WWE lovers in India. The live telecast of RAW will continue every Tuesday morning at 5:30 am on SONY TEN 1 channels in English and SONY TEN 3 channels in Hindi.

October 1, 2019
McCafé celebrates serving 10 Million Cups of Coffee with an ode to #10MillionCoffeeMoments

MUMBAI: Coffee lovers listen up! Your favourite coffee destination, McCafe McDonald’s India’s (West and South) in-house coffee brand, has achieved a major milestone of serving over 10 million cups of coffee. To celebrate this feat, they are giving an ode to the ever-so-comforting cup of coffee with ‘#10MillionCoffeeMoments’.

To bring alive #10MillionCoffeeMoments, McDonald’s India has created a heart-warming slam poetry with ‘Tape a Tale’ that takes you back to your best coffee moments and memories. We know that a cup of coffee can evoke a million emotions, bring back your best memories and get all your creative juices flowing! Truly, with a coffee in your hands, anything is possible! And if you also have #10MillionCoffeeMoments to share, you can head to your nearest McDonald’s restaurant and share your coffee moments on the special tray mats. This undiluted coffee love is going to culminate into a grand ‘slam poetry’ event at a McCafe, where select people will get a chance to share their #10MillionCoffeeMoments.

Speaking at the occasion, Arvind R. P., Director, Marketing and Communication, Westlife Development Ltd., said, “We truly believe that we serve the best coffee and the 10 million McCafe cups milestone stands as a strong testimony to the same. #10MillionCoffeeMoments campaign is our way to celebrate each cup of coffee served at McCafé and give our customers a chance to relive their best coffee moments.”

McCafé is an in-house coffee chain located within restaurants in West and South India. It offers a wide selection of over 45 hot and cold beverages ranging from premium coffees to an array of shakes and ice splashes along with delicious desserts. The 100% Arabica beans are locally sourced from Chikmagalur, Karnataka. These beans are expertly roasted to give the coffee a rich, bold flavour. To make sure that the coffee is crafted to each one’s taste, McCafé baristas undergo 100 hours of training to learn best coffee handling practices, free pouring, and extraction techniques.

A premium, handcrafted cup of coffee can never fail to win a coffee lover’s heart. McCafé, has been doing just that.

October 1, 2019
Likee’s new Parental Controls feature empower parents to filter content exposure

MUMBAI: Likee, the pioneering global short video creation platform from Singapore based BIGO Technology announced the launch of Parental Controls feature in the app, across mobile platforms. This move will enable parents to apply relevant controls to filter content for underage teen Likee users. As Likee is experiencing massive growth in India, the platform has developed a sharp focus to provide relevant and positive content to its audience and promote a safe user experience, especially for the underage teens. This move, coupled with Likee's push to promote positive content by creating relevant virtual events (#IAMINDIAN) will enable the platform to emerge as the most significant positive media-centric social media app.

Parental Controls function has restrictions on the following:

· Block live-streaming videos and news pushing.

· Block viewing of profiles and subscription of users located nearby.

· Users who has turned into Parental Controls mode will not be searched by others.

· Block incoming and outgoing messages.

· Block pop-up messages so as not to attract the attention of the child.

· Limit the purchase of the application’s internal currency – diamonds and beans.

The complete process of applying and disabling parental controls is protected by password, which is required to be changed in every seven days to ensure complete safety. Once enabled, Parental Controls will allow the user to explore and upload restricted content. The controls will alter user experience within each section available in the app.

Used by millions of young Indians Likee is one of the most popular mobile apps in India. Launched in 2017, Likee has topped various app store charts and has created various milestones with its popular virtual events and #challenges. Likee's #IAMINDIAN campaign on the 73rd Independence Day of India had also won the Guinness World Record for creating the 'Largest online video album of people waving a flag in India'. Other initiatives by the platform such as #Likeedreams have been established to support the underprivileged talented youth of the nation. As a platform, Likee's constant endeavour is to encourage young Indians to utilize the platform to achieve their life goals and to inspire others positively. As a platform, Likee is taking all necessary steps to ensure safe usage of its platform and to create a positive impact.

October 1, 2019
Gaming Lifestyle Festival ‘DreamHack’ returns to Asia for its second edition

MUMBAI: NODWIN Gaming, a pioneer in esports and Viacom18, India’s fastest growing media and entertainment network have come together once again to bring DreamHack back to India. This year's event is titled DreamHack Delhi and will be held in the national capital of India, New Delhi, on December 6-8, 2019, at the NSIC Exhibition Ground. Like it’s previous edition, DreamHack Delhi will be streamed live on Viacom18’s OTT platform VOOT.

Dreamhack Delhi will see gamers and esports enthusiasts come together for 72 hours of esports gaming competitions, LAN parties, sections of games from all generations and a perfect stage for artists, cosplayers, developers and gamers to connect and grow. This edition promises all things DreamHack, including some exciting esports tournaments – such as the 55K USD (39 Lacs INR) CS:GO Invitational tournament with top national and international teams invited.

"We at DreamHack are happy to return to the great gaming country of India. Last year's festival in Mumbai was historical as it was the first DreamHack festival ever to be held in Asia,” said Marcus Lindmark, co-CEO of DreamHack. "India has a very strong gaming community, which we got to experience first hand during last year's event. This makes DreamHack Delhi a natural next step in our effort in making the DreamHack experience the perfect culmination of the gaming year in India."

Speaking about the network’s collaboration with NODWIN Gaming, Sidharth Kedia, Head- Strategy and Data Sciences, Viacom18 said, “Esports has been gaining immense popularity in India over the last couple of years. We have seen an increase in the number of gamers, gaming companies as well as brands associating with the gaming industry. The first season of DreamHack validated that India is definitely an emerging gaming market. At Viacom18 we have always been pioneers when it comes to experimenting with new ideas and formats. Considering the network’s affinity towards young audiences and backed with the success of DreamHack’s first Asia edition we were certain that we would bring it back for the Indian gaming community. We look forward to providing Indian gamers with a mega platform to showcase their gaming skills and compete with top gamers.”

“At its core, gaming is about friendships and stories. The bonds we make as friends with our common love for gaming. Nothing signifies that more than DreamHack and its two-decade journey. We at NODWIN Gaming and Viacom18 will put in all our effort to sculpt a DreamHack bigger and better than the last edition. There will be something for everyone at DreamHack Delhi. It’ll be fun, it’ll be a lot of fun,” said Akshat Rathee, Founder and CEO of NODWIN Gaming.

This year’s edition will feature an array of games ranging from esports game titles like CSGO, Street Fighter V, Super Smash Bro, Tekken 7 and PUBG along with the classic collection of retro and table-top games where daily top scorers will be awarded from a prize pool of 75,000 INR for retro games and 100,000 INR for table-top games. Streamers of the country will get a golden chance to stream from the exclusive streamer zone.

DreamHack will bring its signature BYOC LAN party to New Delhi, with a line-up of the most popular games to the city that whole-heartedly loves LAN parties. BYOC at DreamHack Delhi will hold a total capacity of 400 seats to be shared by Epic and Super Epic pass holders. This time DreamHack Delhi will feature not only BYOC but also Bring Your Own Devices (BYOD), where you can bring in your mobile phones and consoles to play on for three days. The BYOC LAN tournaments will have a total prize pool of 3.6 Lacs INR and the BYOD tournaments 2.4 Lacs INR.

Apart from games, the visitors can enjoy the vibrant art of cosplay, live performances by renowned artists, signing sessions with pro players and a merchandise zone to get hands-on the latest gaming apparel and collectibles.

The gamers and non-gamers of the country loved DreamHack when it came for the first time to Mumbai. The South African CS:GO powerhouse, Bravado clinched DreamHack Mumbai’s Invitational title by beating Signify, the top Indian CS:GO roster at that time. On the other hand, Mineski beat Neon Esports to be crowned the Dota 2 champions. Ayaan Biswas for Street Fighter 5, Hugo Randez for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Abhinav Tejan for Tekken 7 were the other notable winners from the last edition.

Tickets for DreamHack Delhi 2019 start at 499 INR and are available on BookMyShow.

October 1, 2019
Shailendra Singh unveils the Jeep for his nationwide rally

MUMBAI: Advertising and brand guru Shailendra Singh embarks on a new mission – One India. My India. A nationwide rally to unite the country and every Indian, breaking barriers of religion, culture, caste, gender, and state. Shailendra will travel right from Kanyakumari to Kashmir over 7000 kilometers, 11 states and 15 cities to spread the message of power through unity, love and harmony.

Along the expanse of India, the rally along Shailendra will stop in 15 cities and meet with local heroes and social equality warriors to ideate, exchange thought and reaffirm the power of One India. My India by showcasing his immensely popular and trending hit song recent Anthem4Good titled One India, My India Ek Bharat Mera Bharat -the mission to unite 1.4 billion Indians across India for unity and peace.

"Today in a world that can easily be influenced by social media trends and stories of divisiveness, of petty culture, and of hate, it has become even important for us as people to embrace our diversities and be united by the love for each other and for this magnificent country of ours. I would like to unite our country through my Anthem4good which was co-created with composer, Mithoon. The Anthem will be played out at every interaction we have with locals. I am actually going door-to-door spreading the message of One Love, literally in that sense", Says Shailendra Singh

Partnering Shailedra on this cross-country unification rally is Jeep India. The automobile manufacturer has contributed three Jeeps that will be used to cover the rugged terrain across the length of the county.

“This exciting journey will be a long one and we definitely needed a vehicle that can endure this massive distance. And who better than Jeep who are known for their technical brilliance and comfortable feel. I’m glad to collaborate with them for this unifying mission”, says Shailendra Singh

Shailendra and his team will live stream the journey on YouTube and Facebook in order to take viewers on the journey with him and showcase the cultural richness of our country.

October 1, 2019