Category: Press Release

Vh1 India brings a music showdown closer to home – Vh1 Sound Nation League 2019

MUMBAI: Are you ready to witness and partake in a music showdown of 2019’s hottest tracks by Indian artists? Starting Monday July 29, Vh1 India once again brings to viewers and music aficionados, an epic battle between eight chart-topping songs of 2019, with the winner being determined by fans. In this three-staged knockout competition, popular Indianartists like PrateekKuhad, EmiwayBantai, Tienas and many more will go head-to-head, in a bid to emerge as the winner of Vh1 Sound Nation League 2019.

Commenting on the launch, Hashim Dsouza – Head of Programming, English Entertainment, Viacom18, said, “Over the years, Vh1 India has continually infused music culture from various parts of the globe into the Indian music space, while simultaneously encouraging and endorsing homegrown independent Indian artists. Staying up-to-the-minute, Vh1 has always showcased the latesttracks and trends to connect and further engage with our viewers. Following the overwhelming response to Vh1 Summer League, that saw Boy With Luv by BTS Ft. Halsey defeat seven other international chartbusters from 2019, it was only befitting to bring a rendition for the immensely popular tracks by Indian artists. And we’re confident Vh1 Sound Nation League2019 will see fans more excited and participate to make their favourite artists and tracks emerge victorious.”

Vh1 Sound Nation League 2019 line-up;

MATCH 1 (July 29–30)
JUJU (TIENAS)	VS	CHARLIE (MALFNKTION FT. SHAYAN ROY)

MATCH 2 (July31–August 1)
FREEVERSE FEAST (DAAWAT) (EMIWAY BANTAI)	VS	TOAST OF THE TOWN (FUZZ CULTURE)

MATCH 3 (August 2–3)
WITH YOU/FOR YOU (PRATEEK KUHAD)	VS	LITTLE ONE (KOMOREBI)

MATCH 4 (August 4 – 5)
AMBER (THE F16S)	VS	CHAPEL O FOPALOP (FOPCHU)

The winning tracks from the first-stage will face-off in the semi-finals spanning another two days each, until two finalists emerge. Eyeing ultimate glory, the two remaining music heavyweights will battle right down to the wire in the all-important grand finale;and vie for fan votes to win the coveted title of ‘Vh1 Sound Nation League2019’.

Here’s the unique grading system for each platform;

FACEBOOK		TWITTER		INSTAGRAM
Like	1	Like	1	Like	3
Comment	3	Retweet	3	Comment	5
Share	5

July 26, 2019

Zee Telugu launches new fiction show- Rama Sakkani Seetha

MUMBAI: Zee Telugu is set to bolster it’s programming line-up by introducing another fiction show – Rama Sakkani Seetha, a story of love and mysticism. It’s all set to premiere on July 29th.

The narrative highlights the journey of Seetha as she fights to protect her family from a curse which was bestowed upon her family. During the auspicious time of Seetharama Kalyanam, Seetha gets married to Rama Raju accidentally and they are forced to accept each other as husband and wife. She goes into a family which has four brothers and the brothers fear the priest who cursed their parents that, a single woman will destroy the entire family. The core of the story lies in finding out who cursed them and how Seetha will set them free

Seetha is played by Jyoti who, previously mesmerized the viewers with her acting in Mangamma Gari Manumaralu and Rama Raju is played by Nanda Kishore who has an immense fan following through Rama Seetha.

Rama Sakkani Seetha shall telecast every weekday at 7:30 PM starting July 29th, replacing Meenakshi, while Meenakshi shifts to the 2:30 PM slot as Na Kodalu Bangaram goes off-air on 26th July.

July 26, 2019
Exhibit’s 501 Startups – a Pitching Event culminates on a high note

MUMBAI: Exhibit Magazine, India’s leading title on technology, fashion and lifestyle hosted the 6th edition of its prestigious startup pitching summit. Rechristened Exhibit’s 501 Startups, the event was held on 24th July at JW Marriott, Juhu, Mumbai where up-and-coming entities battled it out in front of an eminent panel, comprising venture capitalists and investors. Powered by GoDaddy and held in association with Poker Saint, Exhibit ‘501 Startups’ celebrated the startup wave in India, and brought to the forefront distinct startups from the nooks and corners of the country. The day-long pitching event was also supported by IAN, NASSCOM, TiE, Inc42 and Business Standard.

The conclave saw participation of startups with an operating cycle of at least a year; from verticals across technology, sports, e-commerce, food, hospitality and travel and the likes. The esteemed jury appointed for the sixth edition of the awards included Niren Shah of Norwest Ventures, Nikhil Arora of GoDaddy, Ashish Sharma of Innoven Capital, Mohit Dak & Nilesh Balakrishnan of Orios Venture Partners, Sajad Fazalbhoy of Blume Ventures, Harish Talreja and Varun Varma of Lightbox Ventures, Vishesh Sharma of Accel Partners, Dr. Apporv Ranjan Sharma of Venture Catalysts and Ramesh Somani of Exhibit Magazine.

Exhibit 501 Startups witnessed over 5000 registrations and concluded with 25 innovative startups making the final cut to present their business models amidst the stellar jury. From the call for entries, 501 startups will also feature in an exclusive issue that will bring to light the unique ideas of these young companies. Wearable startup tech – Broadcast Wearables emerged a clear winner securing maximum scores and was closely followed by ProMeTheUs, a human resource startup focussed on talent identification and mapping, who ranked second amongst competing organisations. Startups were adjudged basis uniqueness of their product idea, presentation, and business model.

Commenting on the prestigious summit, Ramesh Somani, CEO and Editor-In-Chief, Exhibit Group said, "We are elated with the response received for the 6th edition of Exhibit 501 Startups. It’s always amazing to see the startups come in and pitch with exemplary grit, determination and passion! The Indian startup machinery has churned out some promising startups, who are waiting for their one chance of sunshine. Being a startup myself, it gives us immense satisfaction in helping startups inch closer to their goal and we’re glad, we at Exhibit provide that stepping stone. Kudos to all the winners and look forward to next year."

July 26, 2019
Exhibit’s 501 Startups – a Pitching Event culminates on a high note!

Mumbai: Exhibit Magazine, India’s leading title on technology, fashion and lifestyle hosted the 6th edition of its prestigious startup pitching summit. Rechristened Exhibit’s 501 Startups, the event was held on 24th July at JW Marriott, Juhu, Mumbai where up-and-coming entities battled it out in front of an eminent panel, comprising venture capitalists and investors. Powered by GoDaddy and held in association with Poker Saint, Exhibit ‘501 Startups’ celebrated the startup wave in India, and brought to the forefront distinct startups from the nooks and corners of the country. The day-long pitching event was also supported by IAN, NASSCOM, TiE, Inc42 and Business Standard.

The conclave saw participation of startups with an operating cycle of at least a year; from verticals across technology, sports, e-commerce, food, hospitality and travel and the likes. The esteemed jury appointed for the sixth edition of the awards included Niren Shah of Norwest Ventures, Nikhil Arora of GoDaddy, Ashish Sharma of Innoven Capital, Mohit Dak & Nilesh Balakrishnan of Orios Venture Partners, Sajad Fazalbhoy of Blume Ventures, Harish Talreja and Varun Varma of Lightbox Ventures, Vishesh Sharma of Accel Partners, Dr. Apporv Ranjan Sharma of Venture Catalysts and Ramesh Somani of Exhibit Magazine.

Exhibit 501 Startups witnessed over 5000 registrations and concluded with 25 innovative startups making the final cut to present their business models amidst the stellar jury. From the call for entries, 501 startups will also feature in an exclusive issue that will bring to light the unique ideas of these young companies. Wearable startup tech – Broadcast Wearables emerged a clear winner securing maximum scores and was closely followed by ProMeTheUs, a human resource startup focussed on talent identification and mapping, who ranked second amongst competing organisations. Startups were adjudged basis uniqueness of their product idea, presentation, and business model.

Commenting on the prestigious summit, Ramesh Somani, CEO and Editor-In-Chief, Exhibit Group said, "We are elated with the response received for the 6th edition of Exhibit 501 Startups. It’s always amazing to see the startups come in and pitch with exemplary grit, determination and passion! The Indian startup machinery has churned out some promising startups, who are waiting for their one chance of sunshine. Being a startup myself, it gives us immense satisfaction in helping startups inch closer to their goal and we’re glad, we at Exhibit provide that stepping stone. Kudos to all the winners and look forward to next year."

July 26, 2019
HISTORY TV18 unveils documentary on the Lok Sabha Election in association with the Election Commission

MUMBAI: HISTORY TV18 today announced the release of its original production,“India Inked:History’s Biggest Election”whichbrings to life,‘the making of’the world’slargest ever, democratic exercise.The documentaryshowcases incredible facts, facets and stories of the colossal event, as never-seen-before. The show premieres exclusively on HISTORY TV18 on 7th August 2019, at 9 PM.

India Inked:History’s Biggest Electiongoes beyond politics, age, gender, religion and geography to bring forth diverse narratives of voters, as well as of the unsung heroes ofthe record-setting endeavour. The one-hour special takes viewers on a mission across the length and breadth of the country and reveals the efforts of the Election Commission,various institutions and individuals,who overcome seemingly insurmountable odds, to conduct a free and fair election.

Sunil Arora, Chief Election Commissioner of India said, “India’s General Election 2019, was the largest democratic exercise in history, with staggering statistics and daunting logistic needs. It is an example for the rest of the world in how to conduct free and fair polls. The EC’s teams, both permanent and those requisitioned for the specific purpose of conducting and overseeing the elections, have been exemplary in their service to the nation and to the fundamentals of democracy, as enshrined in India’s constitution.

The Election Commission is happy to be associated with HISTORY TV18 in the creation of the documentary ‘INDIA INKED: HISTORY’S BIGGEST ELECTION’ that showcases what it takes to make it possible for the people of India to elect their parliamentary representatives. It is equally a testament to Indian voters, who turned out in the largest numbers ever, to cast their vote.”

Avinash Kaul, Managing Director A+E Networks | TV18 and CEO- Network18 added "With ‘India Inked: History’s Biggest Election’, HISTORY TV18 reaffirms its promiseof offering content that is contemporary, compellingand informative. We sincerely thank the Election Commission for providing special access to our teams in the creation of the show. The documentary also reasserts our core philosophy thathistory is made every day, by ordinary people doing extraordinary things.”

July 26, 2019
Dentsu Grant Group launches Amnet operations in Sri Lanka

Dentsu Grant Group has announced the launch of Amnet, the programmatic expert from Dentsu Aegis Network, in Sri Lanka. Amnet is a trusted source for programmatic buying and audience management solutions. Amnet comprises a team of programmatic experts from the Dentsu Aegis Network, who specialize in programmatic buying, programmatic media planning, data analytics and audience data. Amnet’s mission is to build and leverage data, in order to deliver more meaningfuland personalized messaging insights.

With the launch of Amnet, Denstu Grant Group is once again set to disrupt the status quo of digital advertising through expanding local media inventory and offering more sophisticated, customized campaigns to clients. Among othermarkets, Amnet has a presence in India, USA, UK, France, China and Hong Kong. For the record, Dentsu Grant Group is the oldest serving advertising group in Sri Lanka that was acquired by Dentsu Aegis Network, the global media and marketing communications conglomerate, in 2017.

Speaking on the launch, Shamsuddin Jasani, Group MD, Isobar South Asia and Executive Sponsor AMNET South Asia states, “Sri Lanka’s advertising trends have considerably shifted from traditional to digital advertising behaviour within a short span of time. As a leading global player in digital, we wanted our clients to get the best of global standards in this important area; hence, the decision to bring Amnet to Sri Lanka.”

"It's been an incredible year for Dentsu Aegis Network in Sri Lanka…constantly innovating and disrupting the local advertising industry. After successfully becoming the fastest growing digital agency in the country this year, we asked ourselves, what could we do next? Embracing data is in the DNA of our network and what we have been spearheading here in Sri Lanka as a business. So, we are thrilled to announce the launch of Amnet, one of the premier programmatic platforms available in the world to-date. This is the next wave in media planning and buying in this country and is yet another achievement we can add to our long history of establishing industry firsts," commented Neela Marikkar, Chairperson and Managing Director, Dentsu Grant Group.

"With client needs evolving for quicker turnarounds and data-driven marketing at scale, we needed to get the best of global standards in this important area; hence, the decision to bring Amnet to Sri Lanka. This is head-and-shoulders above anyone else in the market on Programmatic media buying," said Chamith Buthgumwa, Director Isobar, Sri Lanka & Response at Dentsu Aegis Network.

Nisal De Silva from the Dentsu Grant Group will head the operations for Amnet in Sri Lanka and will operate from the Colombo office.

July 26, 2019
‘SHEIN INDIA’ collaborates with ‘MAKE A WISH’ foundation making wishes come true

MUMBAI: Shein, a leading online e-commerce fast fashion brand joins hands with Make a Wish Foundation, an NGO that grants wishes of children with life threatening diseases, to make their wishes come true and dress in their best.

Life is the most unpredictable journey and Shein feels honored in making sure that they fulfill wishes to add happiness and spread love in the times of their suffering. As a part of the association, Shein granted the wishes of children who desired specific outfits/apparels adding a special memory to cherish.

Shein fulfilled over 30 wishes of children battling life and the association is an attempt to fulfill many such wishes for an entire year while the event took place in the Shein’s office with the near dear ones of the children. Shein soon shall take the endeavor to other cities.

The afternoon started with a painting and drawing competition followed by an interactive session with the children. Most of the children wore their outfits and SHEIN provided them with matching caps for their attire and glasses to flaunt their outfit and slay the day. This afternoon called wraps post-lunch and it was an end to one merry day out for the children.

On this association, the Spokesperson of Shein says,'‘ We are glad to be associated with Make A Wish foundation. It’s an amazing initiative which grants wishes to some very deserving children and we are really looking forward to this year long collaboration with them"

Deepak Bhatia, CEO of Make a Wish says, ‘This CSR support from SHEIN will help us grant wishes of all the children with a critical illness, who wish to have new clothes. This support will help us enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.’

Details of the children:

1. Ayush Raju suffering from brain tumor aged 5 wished for new clothes

2. Trisha Cosavi suffering from brain tumor aged 8 wished for a Cinderella dress

3. Rishika Chorasiya suffering from VSD aged 4 wished for a gown as an attire.

4. Ankita Mondal suffering from Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia aged 6 wished for a T-shirt paired up with a skirt.

5. Krishna Patel suffering from VSD aged 6 wished for a Punjabi dress for herself.

6. Varad Chauhan suffering from SV ASD aged 4 wished for formals to wear on his hospital visits.

7. Arfat Khan suffering from Nepheotic aged 7 wished to done a T-shirt with a pair of jeans.

8. Kinjal Chouksey suffering from Pineblastoma aged 7 wished for a Long gown along with a Skirt for herself.

9. Aditya Chaurasia suffering from Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia aged 4 wishes to have new T-shirts to wear.

10. Shivraj Bargoti suffering from VSD aged 6 wished to have a T-shirt with a pair of jeans

July 25, 2019
PVR announces results for quarter ended june 30, 2019

MUMBAI: PVR Limited today announced its unaudited standalone and consolidated financial results for the quarter ended 30th June, 2019.

The revenues for quarter ended June 2019 were Rs 887 crores as compared to Rs 701 crores during the corresponding period of last year, witnessing a growth of 27 per cent. Consolidated EBITDA for the quarter was Rs 285 crores as against Rs 141 crores in the same period last year, witnessing a growth of 102%. EBITDA margin for the quarter was 32.2%. Consolidated PAT for the quarter was Rs 18 crores as compared to Rs. 52 crores during the corresponding period of last year.

During the current quarter company transitioned to new accounting standard on leases – Ind AS 116. While this accounting standard has no economic impact on the business, there is a material change in the reported financials. Under this new standard company needs to capitalise all operating leases on the Balance Sheet as Right of Use and its corresponding liability as Lease Liabilities. On account of this transition the reported results of Q1 FY 2020 are not comparable to corresponding quarter last year. After adjusting for impact of this new accounting standard the Consolidated Revenue, EBITDA, EBITDA margin and PAT of the company would have been Rs 887 crores, Rs. 165 crores, 18.6% and Rs. 44 crores respectively. This would represent a revenue and EBITDA growth of 27% and 17% respectively.

The box office revenues for the quarter were up by 19% from Rs. 385 crores to Rs 457 crores led by a 19% growth in admits. F&B revenues were up by 29% from Rs 205 crores to Rs 263 crores. Advertising revenues witnessed robust growth of 28% increasing to Rs 92 crores, up from Rs. 72 crores in Q1 last year.

During the current financial year, company has aggressively expanded its presence adding 36 new screens till date across 6 properties and now operates a network of 794 screens spread over 168 properties in 67 cities across the country. The company intends to add a total of 80-100 screens in FY 2019-2020.

Commenting on the results and performance, Mr. Ajay Bijli, Chairman cum Managing Director, PVR Ltd said “We are extremely pleased with the performance of the business for Q1 FY 19-20 with strong all round performance of content at the box office despite two big cricketing events, IPL and World Cup, taking place during the same period. This truly reflects the strength of the cinema as a medium for entertainment, especially during a period when the consumer is spoilt for choice in terms of modes available to him to consume content. This give us conviction to continue with our growth plans and keep innovating to provide a better movie watching experience to our consumers.”

July 25, 2019
Madison Hiveminds wins the mCube 2019 Award for best performance driven social media campaign

MUMBAI: Adding yet another feather in its already colorful cap, the digital specialist agency of Madison World, HiveMinds won the Inkspell mCube 2019 Award for the ‘Best Performance Driven Social Media Campaign’ ideated and executed for the largest watch selling brand of India – Sonata.

The third edition of Inkspell Media’s Masters of Modern Marketing Awards & Conference 2019 acknowledged this years’ greatest marketing stories of the nation and the brains that crafted them. Its Digital Marketing Awards further listed and shortlisted the exemplary marketing and/or advertising campaigns that were both creative and effective, made significant business impact in terms of visibility and/or ROI, and were executed through digital media.

It is worth mentioning that the campaign for which HiveMinds garnered this award managed to gain Sonata Watches a whopping 1 million fans in a span of just 3 months, consequently making it the 3rd fastest growing brand page in India.

In order to reach this phenomenal benchmark, HiveMinds ran Indic campaigns ‘Khudh Par Yakeen’ and #WomanOfSteel targeting Tier 2 cities. This vernacular approach gained the brand not only a 6x growth in organic reach but also enabled it later to reach a larger audience base at zero cost.

Jyothirmayee JT, founder & CEO, Madison HiveMinds said “We are immensely happy about achieving this feat as this award further strengthens our conviction of being a forerunner in the pavilion of performance marketing in India. Where earlier we used to be primarily recognised as the growth partners of dynamic startups, now we are also delivering sustainable growth to the social footprints of established brands like Sonata.”

July 25, 2019
Anupama Chopra’s digital entertainment platform ‘Film Companion’ turns five today

MUMBAI: Five years back, the entertainment universe got a new platform which took over all spheres to provide us a wholesome deal of narratives and perspectives. Film Companion is a pan-Indian platform for entertainment journalism which offers a 360-degree coverage on everything that’s trending in pop culture. Helmed under the aiges of Anupama Chopra, the main focus of the platform is films ranging across the world of Bollywood, Hollywood, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Punjabi and Bengali.

With an aim at keeping the audience up to date with the what’s happening around, Film Companion carries reviews, interviews, features and masterclasses around cinema while also, covering television, short films, web series, stand-up comedy, cinema-related books and music- which has been a treat to the audience over these five years!

Expressing her journey through the five years, Anupama Chopra shares, “Film Companion has been a great adventure. The dream was to create a pan-Indian entertainment platform. It’s been a joy to toil in the trenches with my wonderful colleagues. I have learned so much from all of them. I genuinely think that barriers between the many exciting film industries in India are disappearing. And we at Film Companion are here to celebrate all industries and all cinemas.”

Holding a massive influence across social media with the pop culture relevance, Film Companion has over 8 lakh subscribers across two YouTube channels – Film Companion and Film Companion South (headed by National-Award winning journalist Baradwaj Rangan). Over the years, many of the interviews under the banner have triggered larger conversations about the industry bringing a narrative shift towards a more inclusive and entertaining time.

Some of FC’s most talked-about interviews are Roundtable with leading stand-up comics on gender equality and competition in the industry. Secondly, the story of Mumbai watchman Savi Sidhu’s tryst with movies along with a roundtable with film producers on the content crisis in Bollywood as a separate evening.
Also, very recently, the interview with Sandeep Reddy Vanga post-release of Kabir Singh was another hit amongst the audience.

Film Companion is led by founder and editor Anupama Chopra, who has over 25 years of experience in entertainment journalism which continues to be the driving force behind the successful five years and the times to come!

July 25, 2019