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Category: Press Release

  • The second edition of BUDX is all set to elevate the multi-genre edm scene in india

    The second edition of BUDX is all set to elevate the multi-genre edm scene in india

    MUMBAI: Budweiser is back with the second edition of BUDX, which is all set to offer a closer view into the growing and influential music scene in the country. The renewed program will be a 360-degree experiential platform that focuses on bringing the emerging electronic music culture to the fore while also uniting nightlife’s brightest creative minds and fans through a deeper multi – pronged program entailing collective experiences, workshops, live events and installations. It aims to focus on the development and collaboration of artists within four vastly expanding sub-cultural sounds currently shaping India's music landscape – Techno / EDM, Bass, Hip-Hop and Undercurrent. However, the larger mission is to create a synergy within these genres of music and the brand, building a platform for artists to discover and curate communally.

    BUDX 2019 will witness the unison of local tastemakers, emerging locals and the best of international talent, the likes of Boiler Room, DIVINE, Sub Focus, Foreign Beggars, Ox7gen, amongst others, with the sole purpose of nurturing and growing understated sounds. With the spotlight on local talent, all sessions are designed in a way to empower the upcoming artists by giving them an opportunity to work closely with some of the leading global names from the music industry. Fueling this further, select pairings will also unite for the first time ever and perform together on stage, providing for a truly conducive environment to encourage the local EDM artists and communities of the country.

    Spanning over 2 days in March (23rd and 24th March, 2019) the second edition of BUDX will include various stimulating sessions such as masterclasses, seminars and real-time collaborations. Catering to the rapidly growing influential music scene and modern music lovers, the day sessions will transition into an evening filled with leading artists coming together to perform specially curated sets, an experience that will be open to the public. VICE India is the content and production partner for BUDX 2019 and the event is ticketed by BookMyShow.

    Commenting on the IP, BUDX, Kartikeya Sharma, Vice President Marketing – South – Asia, AB InBev opined, “India’s music scene is evidently evolving, with an explosion of young talented producers across diverse subcultures. We were witness to this in our first edition of BUDX and are now really thrilled to take this program to the next level through the refreshed format. At Budweiser, we believe in energizing young and emerging talents to break free from the ordinary life and seize the extraordinary opportunity to “Be A King” and BUDX is reflective of the same principle. We are positive that BUDX will grow to be the ultimate music lab for artists to share knowledge / resources and collaborate on projects.”

  • Brave New World’s Women’s Day for Project Eve-Song for the Strong

    Brave New World’s Women’s Day for Project Eve-Song for the Strong

    MUMBAI: Project Eve by Reliance Retail is a premium retail brand unlike any other. Its unique concept ensured that independent, sophisticated women between 25 and 40 would be treated to a destination store built to provide everything a woman would need – from clothes, footwear, accessories, cosmetics, in-house salon, personal stylist – to look and feel fabulous. Today Project Eve is going strong with 20 stores and counting across all the big Indian metropolitans.

    This season, Project Eve is honouring a woman's softer strengths: her loving nature, her graciousness, her elegance, her willpower, her tact, her drive with the Soft is Powerful campaign.

    To celebrate International Day and being a brand by women and for women, Project Eve envisaged that that the celebration needed to come from a place personal to the brand, something one would take real pride in. This meant celebrating every woman for all her strengths and putting a smile on her face.

    "The power of music to strike the right chord never goes out of fashion. Add to that the charm of fact over fiction and personalization over carpet-bombing and you can create cost-effective, content-smart ideas. While the charm of heavily produced content still causes thumbs to stop, we're living in an age where simplicity and authenticity have more power than ever before. With such a hungry and dynamic customer environment, it's important to earn the attention of an audience by connecting, creating, and contributing." says Joono Simon- Founder of Brave New World, the agency behind the campaign. 

    Extending the brand’s celebration of these qualities, Brave New World designed Songs for the Strong, a Women's Day campaign where a platform was given, to tag the special ladies in their lives on the brand’s social handles, explaining why they are unique and what their soft strengths are.

    Over the course of four days leading up to Women's Day, the best comments were hand-picked. And together with Kenishaa Francis – the Instagram-famous singer-songwriter, original songs were reproduced with lyrics inspired by comments, which included the names of the nominees and their special qualities. The lyrics were brought to life with tunes that suited each nominee's personality – some upbeat, some mellow and some downright charming.

  • Viu’s ‘Love, Lust and Confusion’ is back with season 2

    Viu’s ‘Love, Lust and Confusion’ is back with season 2

    MUMBAI: Expanding its popular ‘Love, Lust and Confusion’ franchise, Viu announces the launch of the highly-awaited second season of the series on March 8th, 2019. The fresh and relatable storyline of the first season led to a surge in viewership. This second outing gears up to bring double the drama and confusion to these love stories.

    While season one chronicled the character Paroma Sarkar's journey through her to-do list, including indecision, physical explorations and confusion, that every millennial can relate to, this upcoming season will see her deal with her ‘don’t do list’. Paroma will be seen working on a graphic novel based on her relationship escapades creating even more confusion between love and lust.

    Commenting on the launch Country Head of Viu India, Mr. Vishal Maheshwari said, “At Viu,we strive to tell stories that appeal to the youth of today. We created characters and a story that millennials can relate to and are glad that the show struck the right chord with them. Season 2 of Love, Lust and Confusion is our way of thanking the fans of the show for all the support. We aim to continue to expand our originals catalogue with innovative and refreshing content.”  

    The 13-episode light-hearted, realistic romantic dramedy is directed by Victor Mukherjee and produced by Mango People Media. Catch Love, Lust and Confusion Season 2 starting 8thMarch, 2019.Lead characters are played by Tara Alisha Berry, Shiv Pandit and Gaurav Chopra, along with the rest of the gang that includes a mix of new and old faces such as Meiyang Chang, Swati Vatssa, Diksha Juneja, Sanjay Suri and Rajat Barmecha.

    Viu originals can be streamed on www.viu.com and the Viu App. And for regular updates and show announcements, you can follow Viu on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

  • Harmonic Leads Technology Innovation Sessions at the 2019 NAB Show Conference

    Harmonic Leads Technology Innovation Sessions at the 2019 NAB Show Conference

    MUMBAI: Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced that several of the company's executives will speak at the Broadcast Engineering and Information Technology Conference (BEITC) at the 2019 NAB Show in Las Vegas in April. During the conference, experts from Harmonic will examine a wide range of innovative technology-related topics, from OTT to live UHD HDR service delivery, AI-driven video compression, ATSC 3.0 and big data. As the worldwide leader in video delivery technology and services, and an established thought leader at industry conferences, Harmonic is helping the media industry deliver superior-quality broadcast and OTT video services to consumers globally.

    AI-Driven Video Compression: Jean-Louis Diascorn, senior product manager at Harmonic, will spearhead a BEITC session on how "AI Technology Is Changing the Future of Video Compression" on Monday, April 8, from 10:40 to 11 a.m. in Room N256 of the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC). During this presentation, attendees will learn how AI is being applied to video compression and its benefits for broadcast and OTT applications. The session will include a brief history of video compression, ways that AI can be utilized and the different types of AI implementations that can be used for video compression.

    OTT and UHD HDR Innovation: Thierry Fautier, vice president of video strategy at Harmonic and president of the Ultra HD Forum, will lead two presentations at the BEITC. The first session, "How OTT Services Can Match the Quality of Broadcast," will analyze the current challenges involved with delivering live OTT services and describe solutions that are available today, such as content-aware encoding, artificial intelligence and low-latency CMAF. This session will take place on Tuesday, April 9, from 11 to 11:20 a.m. in room N260. The second session, "Demystifying Live UHD HDR Service Delivery," presented on behalf of the Ultra HD Forum on April 10 from 10:40 to 11 a.m. in Room N260 of the LVCC, will examine the different UHD HDR deployment scenarios and analyze the rationale for picking a specific HDR standard.

    Real-World ATSC 3.0 Results: Harmonic's Director of Broadcast Market Development Jean Macher will present a session on "Implementation and Test Results for ATSC 3.0 Hybrid Services at Chicago 3.0" to examine a cloud-based approach to hybrid services that combine over-the-air broadcast with OTT streaming. These hybrid services are currently implemented at the "Chicago 3.0" ATSC 3.0 trial by Weigel Broadcasting Co. The session will take place on Sunday, April 7, from 11:40 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Room N256 of the LVCC.

    Big Data and Service Availability: Chris Pattinson, vice president of global software quality at Harmonic, will lead a BEITC session on "Using Big Data and Workflow Redesign to Enhance Broadcast Service Availability" on Tuesday, April 9 from 3:20 to 3:40 p.m. in room N258 of the LVCC. Attendees will learn how to use everything from the pattern of HTTP requests to log messages from the micro-services that make up the broadcast chain to predict failure and prevent it, and automatically repair the system if failure does happen.

    Harmonic will showcase its innovative video delivery technologies in Booth SU810 during the 2019 NAB Show, April 8-11 in Las Vegas. Further information about Harmonic and the company's solutions is available at www.harmonicinc.com.

  • Thomas Cook targets India’s high potential, high growth segment: Women Travellers

    Thomas Cook targets India’s high potential, high growth segment: Women Travellers

    MUMBAI: Thomas Cook India (Ltd.), India’s leading integrated travel and related financial services company, has curated its exclusive Ladies First, women-only group tours, to popular domestic and international destinations. Recognizing safety as one of the top concerns of women travellers, a key element is the inclusion of a dedicated Thomas Cook woman Tour Manager. The tours celebrate and cater to India’s women with a range of local experiences, out-door/adventure, shopping, spa-wellness, etc. and will be launched on International Women’s Day (8th March).

    According to Frost & Sullivan’s report, travel by India’s business women is expected to increase ten-fold to aprox.10,000,000 (ten million) outbound annual trips by 2030. A recent survey by Thomas Cook India further validated the strong potential of Indian women travellers, reporting a significant 34% growth in both international and domestic trips, across business, leisure and b-leisure segments. Hence, to address this discerning and high growth segment, Thomas Cook India conceptualised women-only tours, keeping security paramount via the selection of safe destinations and the inclusion of an accompanying Thomas Cook woman Tour Manager.

    The women-only tours curated by Thomas Cook India, allow women to enjoy a sense of freedom and comfort in the company of women co-travellers while exploring a range of destinations on offer, including, Switzerland, France, Singapore, Thailand, Dubai, Abu Dhabi; also Bhutan, Ladakh, Goa, Kerala, Rajasthan and the Andamans across the Indian sub-continent. The tours range from 5 to 9 days, starting from Rs. 8,999 for domestic and from Rs. 39,900 onwards for international packages. (Prices are per person on twin sharing)

    Thomas Cook’s data reveals that women today are no longer limited to being part of family vacations, but are increasingly travellers in their own right. Hence to cater to India’s new age women consumers Thomas Cook India’s Customised Holidays offers its “What Women Want” tailor-made programmes and journeys of self-discovery. Included are enriching local experiences such as Muay Thai/kick boxing in Thailand, Flamenco dancing in Spain, or a cooking class with local chefs in Malaysia, Tuscany or at Le Cordon Bleu in France. Fun experiences range from a Vespa tour in Singapore, a pool party in Vegas, kayaking in Qatar’s unique mangrove ecosystem to adrenalin-infused elements like an F1 drive around the Yas Marina circuit or a bungee jump off South Africa’s Bloukrans Bridge. Relaxed programmes offered are a temple stay  amidst Korea’s serene mountains, spa-wellness in Bali or a laid back self-drive through New Zealand’s spectacular outdoors.

    The appetite of India’s HNI-UHNI women travellers has seen a 25% increase for Thomas Cook’s luxury brand Indulgence, with demand for eclectic elements: classic open top car touring along Britain’s coast, private cruises in Croatia, glamping set against breath-taking views of the Swiss Alps, unparalleled wine-dine experiences in Melbourne’s Yarra Valley or high end shopping with a personal shopper/guide in Paris and Dubai.

     Age is no longer a barrier to the Indian woman’s travel aspirations. Thomas Cook has witnessed a significant rise in girl students for its Travel Quest study tours, equally from millennials and corporate women to empty nesters and retired women – speaking highly of their willingness to embrace new cultures, and break out of their comfort zones.

    ‘BFF’ (Best Friends Forever)/‘girl gang tours’, ‘kitty party’ groups as well as bachelorette getaways are also seeing strong uptake of over 27%, with Indian women showing interest in Singapore’s pub crawls, a beach break at Malaysia’s Redang Island, a wild ride on Abu Dhabi’s Formula Rossa or Miami’s famed club hopping.

    While India’s metros and mini metros (including Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru) have been contributing over 63% to the overall pie of women travellers, regional India’s Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities have been emerging strongly, and these include Chandigarh, Nagpur, Kochi, Coimbatore, Panaji, Guwahati, etc.

    Domestic destinations too are showing growth of 18% over the previous year; locales like Shillong, Rann of Kutch, Hampi, Kovalam and Dharamshala are popular for their heritage tours and rich natural beauty. Local experiences include archery sessions, ayurveda, yoga and spa sessions, local cooking experiences, etc.

    Mr. Rajeev Kale, President and Country Head – Leisure Travel, MICE, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd. said, “Women are power driving travel demand and our exclusive Ladies First, women-only group tours are designed for women seeking immersive and fun experiences without the hassle of travel logistics. We have already witnessed a growth of 34% in bookings from women travellers with destinations including Paris, U.K., Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Indonesia, Korea, Japan and Canada-USA in high demand.”

    He added, “Safety is a vital element, and we have ensured that our expert women Tour Managers accompany all our group tours to ensure security and comfort.”

  • NewsX special shows on 9th & 10th march

    NewsX special shows on 9th & 10th march

    MUMBAI: This weekend on NewsX, watch out for an exclusive interview of Justice Dipak Misra, Ex- Chief Justice of India, on the show, Legally Speaking, during the interview, he will speak on the topic Law & Dharma, along with him there will be Mr P.S. Narasimha, Additional Solicitor General of India and Mr Aruneshwar Gupta, Author of the book, ‘Shrimat Bhagwad Geeta: The Song Celestial – A Lawyer's Perspective’.                

    In another show, NewsX-No Holds Barred, there will be another episode of the one on one interaction with Mr Ruchir Sharma, Global Investor and Best-Seller Author who is one of the brightest brain in the world of International finance, he will share his views on the Indian political scenario.

    This weekend on NewsX-The Sunday Guardian-The Roundtable, there will be a discussion between Ms. Priya Sahgal on her book ‘The Contenders’, with the panelists including Mr. Praful Patel, Member of Parliament; Mr. Milind Deora, Member of Parliament; Mr. Jayant Chaudhury, Member of Parliament and Ms. Shaina NC, BJP Spokesperson.  

    In the show Cover Story, there will be a special episode on an interesting discussion on the topic ‘The RSS Way’ between Mr Sudhanshu Mittal, BJP Spokesperson; Ms Aditi Phadnis, Columnist and Mr Pankaj Vohra, Managing Editor, The Sunday Guardian.

  • Imagine Communications Demonstrates Practical Evolution Towards Advanced Technologies at CABSAT 2019

    Imagine Communications Demonstrates Practical Evolution Towards Advanced Technologies at CABSAT 2019

    MUMBAI: Imagine Communications experts will be on hand at CABSAT 2019 (12 – 14 March, Dubai World Trade Center, stand D2-10) to demonstrate the latest practical solutions to key issues including playout, advertising monetization and the managed transition from traditional architectures to software-defined, IP-connected infrastructures. These proven solutions allow broadcasters and media companies in the MENA region to move forward without compromising existing investments.

    “The Middle East has long been a dynamic and forward-looking media market,” said Anas Hantash, head of MESA and North Africa for Imagine Communications. “Today broadcasters and media companies are facing the challenge of developing powerful and agile infrastructures which are at the same time highly reliable and extremely cost-effective. This means taking a reasoned look at the migration from technical architectures built on dedicated appliances towards a fully virtualized, IP-based, cloud-ready strategy, which can deliver the flexibility to respond to changing demands.

    “We led the market towards software-defined solutions, and we have unrivalled experience in addressing the complex issues of integrating hybrid environments, scaling IP networks, and tailoring software solutions to broadcasters’ specific requirements,” Hantash added. “Our CABSAT presence gives us the chance to discuss how we can support customers, no matter where they are in the transition process, and do so at their chosen pace.”

    Visitors to the Imagine stand will be able to see real-world demonstrations in key areas including playout and automation, IP connectivity and networking, and advertising technology. These demonstrations will show how rich functionality is now implemented in microservices software for installing on premises or in the cloud, and show how media businesses can migrate without risk to software-defined, microservices-based virtualization and IP connectivity.

    A key demonstration will be built around Versio™, the industry’s first cloud-native, microservices-based playout solution, which supports a range of functionality including high-availability playout, storage, powerful graphics and multiformat delivery. The inherently scalable nature of the microservices architecture means that not only can it grow as the channel count and online delivery requirements grow, but functionality can also be added, including new resolutions like Ultra HD, as these are needed.

    Central to the future shape of media architectures is IP connectivity.  In action at CABSAT will be the award-winning Selenio™ Network Processor (SNP), a high-density, all-IP-capable processing platform that enables media organizations to simplify operations and reduce costs associated with supporting SDI and hybrid SDI-IP workflows in their studio and mobile facilities. Working in conjunction with the Magellan™ SDN Orchestrator software control, the SNP demonstration will showcase how customers can easily manage and control their legacy infrastructure, while seamlessly incorporating next-gen technologies, switching and interworking between HD, Ultra HD and uncompressed real-time SMPTE ST 2110 streams.   

    Proven in many implementations in the MENA region and worldwide, the Platinum™ IP3 router offers the highest integration of facilities in a single, compact device: video processing, multiviewers and synchronization, plus IP gateways, while switching digital audio, video and IP streams in the same frame. This integrated solution saves power, space and cabling. Alongside it will be the software-based EPIC™ MV multiviewer. Scalable to thousands of PiPs and hundreds of displays, EPIC MV enables operators to monitor mixed signal types on a single canvas and offers media organizations a high-quality, low cost of ownership monitoring solution for both hybrid and all-IP environments. Its flexibility will be demonstrated with HD, Ultra HD and IP inputs into a single, synchronized display.

    Optimizing revenues is the final critical element of future media businesses, and Imagine is hosting a demonstration of its advertising technology at CABSAT 2019. This is a range of uniquely powerful software applications including inventory management, data analytics and targeted advertising delivery, which give media companies the platform to increase revenues and decrease costs across multiple channels and multiple delivery platforms.

    The Ad Tech demonstration will include xG GamePlan™, the only cloud-based application available that leverages battle-tested (AutoBook™) inventory optimisation.  In additional Imagine will showcase its Targeted Delivery solutions, including Dynamic Ad Insertion, Packaging and an industry leading HTTP – UDP gateway. Imagine’s set of Targeted Delivery solutions drive enhanced monetisation and operational efficiencies for video service providers and networks across a range of use cases for both linear and OTT. 

    Also part of the demonstration will be Broadcast Master™, Imagine’s comprehensive suites of modular and scalable rights, sales, scheduling and media management solutions and Landmark™ Sales, which provides for sophisticated campaign planning and control in order to help manage the challenges of this multifaceted selling environment.

    For more information, please see Imagine Communications at CABSAT 2019, stand no. D2-10, or visit https://www.imaginecommunications.com

  • Rajasthan Royals partner with red bull for the eighth edition of red bull campus cricket

    Rajasthan Royals partner with red bull for the eighth edition of red bull campus cricket

    MUMBAI: The Indian Premier League franchise Rajasthan Royals has joined hands with the energy drink giant Red Bull in India for the eighth edition of the annual international T20 tournament for college cricket teams – Red Bull Campus Cricket. The cricket tournament has already kicked off in India across 30 cities with city qualifiers having begun from 3rd February to discover and nurture budding cricketers from college campuses.

    Red Bull Campus Cricket 2019 city qualifiers are taking place from 3rd February to 12th March across 30 cities in India – Mumbai, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Indore, Pune, Nagpur and Goa in the West; Jalandhar, Dehradun, Delhi, Jaipur, Jammu, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Meerut and Dharamshala in the North; Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Kochi, Mysore and Vizag in South; and Kolkata, Raipur, Guwahati, Ranchi, Bhubaneshwar, Patna and Jamshedpur in the East. Meerut and Dharamshala are two new cities that have been added for this edition and will be part of the North Zone.

    The unique partnership between Rajasthan Royals and Red Bull will mark the beginning of one of India’s biggest cricket talent hunts as the former will be scouting young talent during the tournament and at the RBCC National Final this year.

    A team from Rajasthan Royals will closely monitor and pick key players who are bound to impress. The few selected players will get a spectacular opportunity to be a part of the trials conducted by the team along with the possibility of getting picked in the next IPL auctions.

    On the association with Red Bull Campus Cricket 2019, Manoj Badale, Lead Owner, Rajasthan Royals said, “Rajasthan Royals is delighted to be associated with Red Bull Campus Cricket. It is undoubtedly a premier cricket tournament giving a platform to the budding cricketers in India and around the world. We have seen immense cricket potential in India through our grassroots initiatives and we want to do everything we can to nurture this ecosystem.”

    Shubham Nagawde, part of MMC College Pune, the National Final winner of last year’s competition said, “In India, the love and passion for cricket is incomparable to any other sport. Red Bull Campus Cricket is a way to discover raw talents while testing them in different matches at the national level and finally pitching them into international games to polish these talented individuals and bringing the best out of them. It has been a proud moment for me to have had experienced this and I would like to thank Red Bull for giving us the much-needed wings. Now, with Rajasthan Royals coming on board, Red Bull Campus Cricket is a platform offering potential player trials to campus cricketers like me and groom India’s raw talent which will eventually help Indian Cricket.”

    The winning college from each city will then proceed to the zonal/regional finals in April. The top two teams from each zone will then compete in the National Finals, where the teams will play in the knockout rounds of quarterfinals, semifinals and finals respectively. The national winner will represent India in the Red Bull Campus Cricket World Series Championship 2019. MMC College from Pune has managed to grab the winning national finals title thrice over the past seven years and have also claimed the runners up trophy in the last world finals edition. Other past winners from India include Rizvi College, Mumbai; DAV College, Chandigarh and Swami Shraddhanand College, Delhi.

    Red Bull Campus Cricket stars like KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Shradul Thakur and Niroshan Dickwella have represented their country at the international level. Cricketers like Manan Vohra, Shashank Singh, Siddhesh Lad, Himanshu Rana, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Anukul Roy, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ricky Bhui have also reaped the benefits of Red Bull Campus Cricket by earning IPL contracts. Red Bull athlete KL Rahul was the top scorer in the 2013 edition of the competition and credits RBCC for his success at the domestic and international level.

  • Twitter India hosts week-long celebrations to mark International Women’s Day

    Twitter India hosts week-long celebrations to mark International Women’s Day

    MUMBAI: From #EqualPay to #MeToo, a single Tweet has the potential to turn into a worldwide movement, with women across geographies uniting in solidarity and attempting to bring about positive changes. This International Women’s Day, Twitter India is kicking off a week-long celebration of women, starting with honouring 50 rising women achievers  at the #WebWonderWomen (WWW) event in partnership with the Indian Ministry of Women and Child Development and human rights organization Breakthrough, in order to share their stories and ignite dialogues that aim to empower women across the country.

    Twitter is also introducing a custom emoji to add colour to the global conversation around International Women’s Day 2019. People in India and across the world can join the celebration and Tweet with the emoji using the hashtags #नारीशक्ति, #हमसेहैहिम्मत, #महिलादिवस,, #IWD2019, #InternationalWomensDay and #SheInspiresMe. The golden emoji is the gender symbol for females and an ode to the modern woman who is courageous and expressive. The emoji will be active from 7th March until the end of the month.

    Tweet with #IWD2019, #InternationalWomensDay and #SheInspiresMe to activate the special emoji

    #WebWonderWomen Awards

    Earlier this year, Twitter India in partnership with the Indian Ministry of Women and Child Development and human rights organization Breakthrough launched the #WebWonderWomen (WWW) campaign. With an objective to elevate women’s voices, celebrating impacts both big and small, and giving a platform for social change, the campaign called out to people to nominate their favourite Indian woman achiever with her Twitter @handle anywhere in the world.

    The campaign received over 300+ inspiring entries across the following categories: Health/Fitness Community, Media, Literature, Art, Sports, Tech/STEM, Travel, Business, Legal/Policy, Governmental, Entertainment, Fashion/Beauty, Finance, Food, Environment. Shortlisting 50 entries through public voting and jury selection, Twitter felicitated these women at the #WebWonderWomen (WWW) event on March 6th, 2019. Here are the finalists:

    These finalists will further be invited to present their work to Smt. Maneka Gandhi, Minister of Women and Child Development, wherein they would get a chance to narrate their journeys and how they have been using Twitter for Good. They will also get a chance to be a part of a specially curated workshop on social media skills by Breakthrough and will be profiled and featured in Q&As with Twitter India.

    #SheInspiresMe Digital Mentorship series with Women leaders

    Additionally, Twitter will join hands with ELLE India (@ELLEINDIA) to co-host a day-long series of digital mentorship sessions with women leaders. The series of 20-minute interactive videos will be live-streamed from @ELLEINDIA all day on March 7, and can be attended exclusively on Twitter. The video series will feature women achievers at the very top of their game sharing their trade secrets and hard-won wisdom with users, and dialoguing with them. Women leaders across fields including educationist Neerja Birla (@NeerjaBirla), restaurateur Gauri Devidayal (@gauridetails), illustrator and poet Priyanka Paul (@artwhoring), actors Kubbra Sait (@kubbrasait) and Maanvi Gagroo (@maanvigagroo), director Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari (@ashwinyiyer) and internet sensation Prajakta Koli (@iamMostlySane) will present learning sessions for women in the workforce and also address questions on how women can tackle issues in the workplace, sourced through Twitter. People can interact with speakers by tagging them and using the hashtag #SheInspiresMe to get their questions answered.

    Speaking about the initiative, Supriya Dravid, editor-in-chief of ELLE India said, “ELLE is all about celebrating inspiring women who make us believe in the importance of colouring outside the lines. We are so thrilled to partner with Twitter this Women’s Day. Through our collective initiative, we hope that we will be able to get an insight on how they destroy stereotypes and zoom way past glass ceilings to create their own silver linings. The force is and will always be female.”

    In addition, Twitter will be hosting a panel of women leaders in the technology and media industry, in association with @SheThePeopleTV to discuss women empowerment and leadership in the digital era. The session will be live streamed on Twitter and will feature Upasana Taku, Co-founder, MobiKwik; Kavita Devi, Co-founder and Digital head, Khabar Lahariya, and Nishtha Sathyam, UN Women’s Deputy Representative; the panel will be moderated by Shaili Chopra of @SheThePeopleTV. The panel will talk about how media and tech innovation can help increase and amplify women's voices.

    Join the International Women’s Day conversation and spotlight the women who inspire you with the hashtag #SheInspiresMe, and Twitter India will review and add them to the list where relevant

  • Biggest Indian storytellers keen to make their digital debut on Hotstar Specials

    Biggest Indian storytellers keen to make their digital debut on Hotstar Specials

    MUMBAI: Hotstar Specials, the new label launched by India’s biggest OTT player – Hotstar- will bring big, bold, authentic stories to crores of consumers across India, in 7 languages. What has attracted 15 of India’s diverse and impeccable storytellers to tie-up with Hotstar Specials for their big digital debut?

    Speaking about why he chose Hotstar Specials, Shekhar Kapur said, “India is the new platform for global entertainment. I have passionately wanted to create content for India that can go global.  Not just for 8000 cinema screens in India, but I wanted to reach out to India’s heartland, to every Indian home within Hotstar’s reach, and with their global ambitions, it is the perfect fit for me.”

    Highlighting the reasons behind his association with Hotstar Specials, Kabir Khan said, “My venture on Hotstar specials is a documentary drama around one of the most loved teams in the country with crazy fan following. Hotstar is the leading brand in both entertainment and sports in this country and I believe that there is no other platform that complements the story as much as Hotstar Specials. The show will be available in 7 languages, directly connecting with viewers from across India, which makes the endeavour even more special.”

    Neeraj Pandey also said, “This story has been in my head for a while, but I knew I wouldn't be able to do justice to it in a feature length. It’s a massively mounted narrative that merits the longer series format. A formidable cast and crew are coming together on this one. We look forward to bringing a unique viewing experience and Hotstar’s ability to magnify digital content makes it our preferred and obvious partner.”

    On his connection with Hotstar Specials Venkat Prabhu said, “The scope of genres on Hotstar Specials will be too immense and allure all age groups. I have always had distinct perspective on content. It should be enjoyable and at the same time quirkily engrossing. Hotstar Specials has given me an exemplary spot to put that in action and reach across audiences in my very own language.”

    Besides these big filmmakers, even Salman Khan and his Production House (SKF Films) are expected to make their debut on Hotstar Specials with a Sports Biopic.

    Hotstar Specials will feature an extensive variety of Indian stories, mounted on a big scale, unconstrained by format. It will enable makers to showcase never seen before stories for a diverse audience set and every show will be available in seven languages i.e. Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, for viewers to enjoy them in a language of their choice.

    Hotstar Specials has released the teaser of their first big show starring the most popular cricketer in the country, M.S Dhoni. While speculations are rife about what this is all about, it sure looks like something that cannot be missed!