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Category: Press Release

  • InfoComm India grows from strength to strength

    InfoComm India grows from strength to strength

    MUMBAI: Held from 1-3 September 2015 at Bombay Exhibition Centre, InfoComm India once again received overwhelming positive response. Attracting a record visitor attendance for the third straight year, it generated glowing feedback from exhibitors on its world-class quality and endorsement as the best tradeshow of its kind in India.

     

    InfoComm India 2015 was packed with product debuts, cutting-edge technology demonstrations and visions of smart cities, all of which helped to connect the various stakeholder communities. 6,525 local and international trade and end-user visitors passed through the doors of the exhibition hall. This 16% year-on-year increase in visitor attendance was achieved despite a major disruption in the local public transport system on the first two days of the show which paralysed the city – an indication of visitors’ commitment to attending InfoComm India.

     

    Also attesting to the rapidly-growing standing and vibrancy of the show, there was 33% more exhibitors compared to 2014, bringing the total number of exhibitors to 201 coming from 21 countries. These included names like ZTE, Dexon and Gestton which were among the 40 that participated in InfoComm India for the first time.

     

    The 22% larger show floor and an hour’s extension to opening hours accommodated the increase in visitor numbers and eased traffic flow, allowing exhibitors and visitors the space and time to engage in deeper conversations.

     

    “We are thrilled to be able to produce another record-setting InfoComm India,” said Richard Tan, Executive Director of InfoCommAsia Pte Ltd. “Although this is only the 3rd edition, all the show’s performance metrics, including number of visitors, summit attendance and exhibitors, has surpassed our most optimistic expectations, pointing to a bright future for the development of the pro-AV and ICT industries in India.”

     

    “Visiting InfoComm India was a very useful and rewarding experience for me,” said Neeraj Gupta, VP-Technologies of Accenture. “I came to scout for new products and renew contracts and was able to visit all OEMs and systems integrators under roof. It was a very good platform for networking.”

     

    “The volume of exhibitors passing through our stand was good, comparable to last year,” said Rajesh Patkar, Deputy General Manager of Christie Digital. “The quality of the crowd was also good. We saw visitors from the interior of India like Indore, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.”

     

    “This was the first time that we participated in InfoComm India, and we had an excellent response from a wonderful mix of visitors, including CEOs, decision-makers and technical people who came to learn more about our solutions,” said Parminder Singh,  Enterprise Business Manager of ZTE. “InfoComm India 2015 has proven to be of international standards and exceeded our expectations 150%. We plan to come again next year.”

     

    Not only were the visitors impressed with the range of exhibitors, the quality of the exhibits and the live demonstrations; they were also enthralled by the rich diversity of seminars at the concurrent 3-day Summit which covered the entire spectrum of pro-AV and ICT solutions.

     

    The Summit’s 1,152 total attendance is a 35% increase from previous year. Average attendance per session also went up by 55%. In particular, the entertainment industry-focused and enterprise IT-focused sessions each drew more than 100 delegates.

     

    “Latest Trends & New Technology in Live Events – Challenges & Opportunities” was presented by Alexander Prill, International Sales Director, LANG AG, Germany. Ramesh Kumar T, General Manager & Head of IT at Mindtree spoke on “AV/ IT Convergence – The Future of IT Integrators”. They were among the roster of distinguished speakers who shared expert insights at the various sessions.

     

    An equally-outstanding line-up of experts served as moderators and panelists during panel discussions that followed keynote sessions. A new feature at this year’s Summit, panel discussions encouraged depth of knowledge-sharing.

     

    “I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the discussions, and the depth and breadth of the presentations,” said Sandesh Kulkarni, Manager Sales, Innovative Systems & Solutions (P) Ltd. “It was truly an inspiring experience for me. InfoComm India Summit is the right place for an unmatchable learning experience on topics ranging from acoustics to videoconferencing.”

     

    Under the Indian Government Smart Cities Programme, 100 cities across India will be transformed into Smart Cities by harnessing technology for the purpose of accelerating economic development, creating jobs, raising income levels and lifting the quality of life. This ambitious programme will enhance the impetus to drive InfoComm India to greater growth as audiovisual and information communication technologies are the fundamental building blocks for Smart Cities.

     

    “We are very pleased with the strong growth of InfoComm India, the good response of exhibitors and encouraging feedback from visitors and Summit attendees,” said Richard Tan. “Looking ahead, we are very excited about the long-term growth prospects of the audiovisual and information communication technology industries in India, the huge possibilities unleashed by the Smart Cities Programme and its positive impact on InfoComm India.”

     

    InfoComm India will return from 12-14 September 2016 at the Bombay Exhibition Centre.

  • FX launches TV show ‘The Affair: A concoction of emotions’ on 4 September

    FX launches TV show ‘The Affair: A concoction of emotions’ on 4 September

    MUMBAI: FX is the only exclusive destination in India that brings to its viewers a gamut of genres with the latest of the cult and award winning shows. This year, keeping true to its word, the channel is all set to captivate its viewers with the #AllNewFX. The channel offers a fresh, cutting edge look and will now showcase over 50 of the most edgy, new and acclaimed shows across genres.

     

    The Affair (Season 1) is just one of the many shows in the brilliant line-up that FX has in store for all their viewers. The show has garnered much appreciation and won more than just viewers’ hearts. An IMDB rating of 8, 95% positive response on Rotten Tomatoes, Winner of 2 golden globe awards – Best Actress and Best Television series and Nominated for Emmy, 2015 – Best Actress (Ruth Wilson) are just a few things the show has to boast about.

     

    It depicts an emotional journey of a marriage and an extramarital relationship and a struggle to strike a balance between life and life’s responsibilities, emotions, expectations, memories and more. Between realm and dreams, what’s right and what’s not- join us to view the journey of a couple, Alison and Noah, who is striving to make things work and make ends meet while they are caught up in a roller coaster of their sentiments.

     

    The show stars Dominic West in the role of Noah Solloway – A writer and a schoolteacher; Ruth Wilson in the award winning role of Alison Lockhart – A waitress at a local diner. The story progresses to show how the two give in to an extra-marital distraction battle their moral dualities and stand at the brink of losing everything they have.

     

    Not only that, FX is all set to make the weekends even more exciting by bringing the latest seasons of new and exciting shows, right after the international telecast. Season 2 of Affair has already made it to the list and is set to air after an ecstatic season 1.

     

    Catch the captivating romantic drama of the two couples living on the edge every Mon- Fri, 10pm only on FX!

  • Zee Studio to air blockbuster movies back to back in September

    Zee Studio to air blockbuster movies back to back in September

    MUMBAI: Zee Studio presents a compelling set of movies this September, all month long to enthrall its audiences.  Your hunt for entertainment comes to an end as Zee Studio brings to you some of the biggest Hollywood blockbusters on properties like ‘Prime Time Players’, ‘The Terrific Weekend’, ‘Super Size Saturdays’ and  ‘Lethal Women’.

     

    The one movie that is a must watch for September is the channel premiere of World War Z on 13 September at 9:00pm. Catch the Brad Pitt blockbuster only on Zee Studio.

     

    Watch the most Lethal Women in Hollywood at their ass kicking best starting 10th September, every Thursday at 11:00pm. Catch movies like Bounty Hunter, Lara Croft: Cradle of Life, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans and Aeonflux all month long.

     

    Zee Studio will continue to thrill you with The Terrific Weekend, the channel’s newest programming innovation, which will showcase Indian television premieres of Four 2 and Four 3 on 26th & 27th September at 9:00 pm.

     

    Also watch blockbuster movies back to back all through the day on Super Size Saturdays airing movies every Saturday 8:00am to 9:00pm only on Zee Studio.

     

    Don’t miss out on the blockbuster movies starring top Hollywood actors like Mark Wahlberg, Leonardo Di Caprio, Benedict Cumberbatch and many more. Best of the few best movies like Italian Job, Catch Me If You Can, Eagle Eye, GI: Retaliation and Star Trek Into Darkness will be aired in the 7:00pm slot. This property will feature every Monday-Friday at 7:00pm, starting 7th September.

  • Discovery Channel commemorates 50th anniversary of India-Pak 1965 war

    Discovery Channel commemorates 50th anniversary of India-Pak 1965 war

    MUMBAI: Marking the 50th anniversary of 1965 India-Pakistan war, Discovery Channel will present 1965: India’s Battles and Heroes, a special programme that will recount the valour and sacrifice of the Indian soldiers who put their lives on the line in defence of the country.

     

    To premiere on 14 September at 9 pm, 1965: India’s Battles and Heroes will narrate the complete story of the war by using rare archival footage, reconstructions and first hand experiences of the 1965 war survivors.

     

    1965: India’s Battles and Heroes captures the circumstances of the battle and each milestone. The programme will highlight the various war equipment used during the war and daring challenges encountered. It will also recount the battle fought on the ground and in the air.

     

    Rahul Johri, EVP & GM-South Asia, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific, said, “1965: India’s Battles and Heroes will recount the war through the eyes of the soldiers who were at the battlefront. It will piece together the circumstances of the war and the bravery of the war heroes through rare archival footage and captivating narration.”

     

    The special programme will present the sequence of significant battles alongside the inspiring stories of the war heroes who led these battles, brought victories and eventually left behind proud memories fighting for their regiments and their countrymen. Some of the war heroes covered in the programme includes Lieutenant Colonel A.B. Tarapore, Major Bhupinder Singh, Major R.S. Dyal, Lieutenant Colonel Desmond Hayde, Company Quarter Master Havildar (CQMH) Abdul Hamid, Squadron Leader Denzil Keelor and Flying Officer V.K. Nebb.

     

    1965: India’s Battles and Heroes will start with the war in the Rann of Kutch in August triggered by Pakistan under the aegis of Operation Desert Hawk. This led to a ceasefire in April 1965 brokered by British Prime Minister Harold Wilson. Thereafter, in August 1965, Operation Gibraltar was launched by Pakistan where Pakistani soldiers in civilian outfits crossed the Line of Control in Jammu & Kashmir. This was followed with Operation Bakshi which saw the Indian Army capturing the highest mountain Haji Pir Pass – the main route for infiltration into Kashmir.

     

    The programme will then take the audience through the launch of Operation Grand Slam by Pakistan to take the border town of Akhnoor. Highlighting the crucial role played by the Indian Air Force, India reinforced Akhnoor.  It was soon after this victory, Indian Prime Minister Shastri in his radio broadcast told the citizens to be prepared for a long battle ahead.

     

    The programme will also have the 1965 heroes who survived the war reminisce about their heroic tales of valour, the war-room strategies, the achievements and immense sacrifices made by the Indian soldiers. These include Colonel JS Bindra (Retd), Brigadier VK Vaid (Retd), Brigadier Jasbir Singh Hundal (Retd), Lieutenant General Ajai Singh (Retd), Brigadier Kanwaljeet Singh (Retd), Major General B.R. Varma (Retd), Wing Commander V.K.Nebb(Retd) and Air Marshall Denzil Keelor(Retd).

  • British actor Benedict Cumberbatch on CNN’s ‘Talk Asia’

    British actor Benedict Cumberbatch on CNN’s ‘Talk Asia’

    MUMBAI: He’s Hollywood’s man of the moment. From starring in the Academy Award winning “The Imitation Game”, to the hugely successful TV adaption of Sherlock Holmes, Benedict Cumberbatch is captivating audiences around the world. CNN’s ‘Talk Asia’ catches up with the actor in Shanghai where he opens up about his legions of superfans as well as the British invasion of Hollywood.

     

    Cumberbatch, who has been named “sexiest man alive” by numerous magazines, tells CNN’s Anna Coren about his childhood, his charity work, and his new films. The star also reveals what he really thinks about his female admirers called ‘Cumberbabes’ and meeting his Chinese fan base who describe him as ‘Juan Fu’ (Curly Sherlock).

     

    Airtimes: Indian Standard Time

    Thursday September 3 at 0200PM

    Friday September 4 at 0900AM

    Saturday September 5 at 1000AM and 0900PM

    Saturday September 12 at 0500PM

    Sunday September 13 at 1000AM

  • Mobile Marketing Association reveals speaker list for 4th MMA Forum India

    Mobile Marketing Association reveals speaker list for 4th MMA Forum India

    MUMBAI: The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) has revealed the full speaker line-up and agenda for the upcoming MMA Forum India to be held on 16 September, 2015. Themed: Acquiring, Reaching and Engaging the Right Consumers with Mobile, this one-day conference will see prominent experts and thought leaders from across the mobile marketing ecosystem dissect the different components of mobile marketing from programmatic, mobile video, and location, to creativity and innovation. In-depth discussions will reveal new ways in which marketers can harness the power of mobile to keep up with the ever changing needs of today’s discerning consumer.

     

    Rahul Welde, Regional Vice President – Media of Unilever, will kick-start this year’s Forum, providing insight into Unilever’s innovative approach to marketing, discussing the opportunities presented by the consumer in his session ‘Leveraging Mobile To Drive Innovation and Enhance Brand Experiences.’

     

    CVL Srinivas, CEO GroupM will moderate a key panel discussion on key principles to becoming mobile capable with Vipul Prakash, Vice President – Beverages Category, Pepsico India, Ajit Mohan, Executive Vice President & Head, Digital for Star India and Novi Digital Entertainment Limited, Amrit Thomas, CMO, United Spirits Limited and Amarjit Singh Batra, CEO, OLX India. They will share examples from their client’s perspective and will give insight into how media owners can best work with agencies to build mobile insight and capability so companies can reach a level of maturity quickly and more effectively.

     

    The Forum will also see Fergus O’Hare, Head of APAC at Facebook Creative Shop, talk about the creative renaissance in mobile marketing. His session will explore creativity in today’s connected world, the explosion of mobile video and the implication and opportunities for marketers.

     

    In addition, Dippak Kurrana, Co-Founder & CEO Vserv will host a Fireside chat with Media Specialist and writer Vanita Kohli-Khandekar on the discovery to transaction in the mobile internet world. The smartphone explosion and ever-evolving technology has brought us closer than ever in achieving the marketer’s ultimate goal of shrinking the intent-purchase gap. This session will see the industry leaders discuss how marketers can get ahead of the curve, to maximize their opportunities and future-proof their strategy.

     

    Other key speakers include

     

    ·         Rohit Dadwal, Managing Director, Mobile Marketing Association Asia Pacific Limited

    ·         Nitin Bawankule, Industry Director, Ecommerce, Local Classifieds & Technology, Google India

    ·         Shireesh Joshi, Head Strategic Marketing, Godrej Group

    ·         Joshua Maa, Founder & CEO MADhouse Inc

    ·         Scott Zalaznik, Head of Global, Strategy, Xad

    ·         Joe Nguyen, Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific comScore, Inc

    ·         Nitin Mathur , Senior Director Marketing, Yahoo Asia Pacific

    ·         Vikas Gulati, Managing Director, Asia Opera Mediaworks

    ·         Avinash Jhangiani, Managing Director –Digital & Mobility OmnicomMediaGroup

    ·         Chris Steedman, Managing Director APAC, M&C Saatchi Mobile

    ·         Anita Nayyar, CEO India & South Asia, Havas Media Group

    ·         Milind Pathak, COO Madhouse – South Asia

    ·         Manav Sethi, Group CMO, ASKME India & Findit Malaysia

    ·         Jayesh Easwaramony, VP & GM, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, InMobi

    ·         Rohit Sharma, CEO & Founder Pokkt

    ·         Joby Babu, COO, Nimbuzz Internet Media Pvt Limited

     

    “I am extremely excited about the diverse mix of speakers at this year’s Forum, who will be sharing their insights into how marketers can adapt and reinvent their approaches to mobile marketing to acquire, reach and engage the consumer in line with continuously changing technologies and consumer behaviours,” said Rohit Dadwal, Managing Director, MMA APAC.

     

    The MMA Forum India 2015 will conclude with the awards ceremony of the SMARTIES™ INDIA 2015, recognizing the best mobile marketing works in the region.

     

    The MMA Forum India 2015 is partnered by Vserv.com, MADhouse, InMobi, Nimbuzz, Opera Mediaworks, Pokkt, Hotstar, Yahoo!, Unites Spirits Limited and Pocket Math. 

  • Havas Media India takes a trip to Jodhpur

    Havas Media India takes a trip to Jodhpur

    MUMBAI: So, who wouldn’t like to take off mid-week and head for a trip? That’s exactly what Havas Media Group India did 20-24 August, 2015. Mid 2013, Anita Nayyar announced the India Initiatives which included internal awards and training. Last year it was destination Udaipur, this year following the cancellation of Mount Abu due to the landslides, Team India headed for Jodhpur.

    The idea behind the offsite is for the team to rediscover themselves, their capabilities, to know each other better and simply, to have a great time. The agenda included – induction of new people, demonstration of global tools and processes, sharing of powerful case studies and insights, sessions on the rising media trends, digital and mobile training, team building activities, awards announcements and fun.

    Anita Nayyar, CEO, Havas Media Group India, said, “There is no better time to bond with the team across levels. Fun and enjoyment sprinkled with learning, training and discussions filled our days. We all come back enriched with bonding, relationships, learning and a lot of positive emotions.”

    Mohit Joshi, M.D., Havas Media Group India, said, “Havas is a ‘Happy Agency’ and initiatives like this allow all of us to do Meaningful Connections with our team.” 

    Ranjoy Dey, Head of Digital, Havas Media India, said, “It was a great opportunity to conduct a Digital and Mobile 1-0-1, for the entire HMG India team. When we promote “Digital at Core” as our philosophy of business, we also ensure that our entire team across the board is updated and exposed on the latest trends and knowledge. This builds meaningful interactions and ideations among all stakeholders.”

    Speaking on behalf of the team, Rohan Chincholi, Associate Director Digital Media, said, “What more can you ask from a company – when you have a DJ night the day you arrive? We loved Jodhpur – it made us do some crazy things! The team building activities made sure we were both physically and mentally exhausted. Activities like a hopping relay race, a jumping team race, creating pyramids of excellence and inventing balloon superheroes, all to mathematical specifications, were conducted. One team won, no one lost.”

    The awards included the India Internal Awards for long term service, department champions and employee of the year award which carried cash prizes. The other hit award which everyone thoroughly enjoyed were the ingenious H.U.K.A. Awards (Havas Unanimous Kritic Awards) devised by a creative lot of employees. The H.U.K.A. Awards are a funny take on employee idiosyncrasies, with names to match, identifying the one – who fixes things, who can sell anything, who consumes the most tea bags, who rushes home earliest from office and much more.

    Towards the end of the trip everyone had tested the limits of their physical and mental endurance. It was marked by song, dance, camaraderie; and new friends were made, including – a 120plus years tortoise, a troop of gray langurs and some elusive peacocks.  #HIT2J (Havas India Trip to Jodhpur) was the official hashtag of the trip but most settled for live action.

    “I think we all wanted to stay back a day longer, to create some more memories and to consume some more masala chai, nonetheless we are glad to get back to our clients”, continued Chincholi.

    The team left with a promise to all gather back again, next year, with a new theme, at a new place, a bigger team and a new hashtag!

  • Star Gold HD to premiere ‘Guddu Rangeela’

    Star Gold HD to premiere ‘Guddu Rangeela’

    MUMBAI: Star Gold HD, known for its exclusivity in curating unique movies for its audiences, once again astonishes them with the World Television Premiere of ‘Guddu Rangeela’. The movie is to be premiered first on the channel, adding a unique quotient to it. Known for his satirical comical dramas Phas Gaye Re Obama and Jolly LLB, Director Subhash Kapoor’s Guddu Rangeela is a quirky take on the real-life incident of Manoj-Babli honour killing case. Not to forget the music, the songs have been composed by none other than Amit Trivedi which has managed to please the music lovers with super catchy tracks like ‘Mata ka email’ that has minimal music and super quirky lyrics.

     

    Based in the dusty plains of north India, the story is about two cousins Guddu (Amit Sadh) and Rangeela (Arshad Warsi), trying to make ends meet in the crime infested surroundings. They are the members of a local village orchestra while moonlighting as khabris for the local gangs. The duo gets embroiled into a controversy and to escape from that they need a huge sum. To arrange the ransom money, they kidnap the deaf and mute girl named ‘Baby’ (Aditi Rao Hydari) only to be shocked to know that Baby has a hidden agenda. Suddenly the terror spilling villainous local political leader Billo (Ronit Roy) gets in action and the story later takes an interesting twist which leads to funny sequences.

     

    So gear up to watch this thought-provoking lighthearted film, ‘Guddu Rangeela’ only on Star Gold HD on 5 September at 8:00 pm.

  • BCCI congratulates Indian Team on Test series win against Sri Lanka

    BCCI congratulates Indian Team on Test series win against Sri Lanka

    MUMBAI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has congratulated the Indian Cricket Team on winning the three-match Test series against Sri Lanka.

     

    BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya said, “On behalf of everyone in Indian cricket I would like to congratulate the Indian Cricket Team on their 2-1 Test series win in Sri Lanka. The magnitude of this brilliant win can be ascertained by the fact that the series win in Sri Lanka has come after 22 years. The team and management have made their way in the cricketing history books.”

     

    “I also congratulate Mr. Virat Kohli for this victory. Mr. Kohli has been exceptional in his role as captain of the Indian cricket team. He is doing an excellent job in building a new team and leading from the front,” added Dalmiya.

     

    BCCI Honorary secretary Anurag Thakur said, “My hearty congratulations to the Indian Cricket team on the Test series win in Sri Lanka. A special kudos to Mr. Virat Kohli on winning his first series as India’s Test captain and I hope this is the first of many for the captain and his young team. The boys can be very proud of what they have achieved and I am confident they will now strive for doing it on a consistent basis.

     

    “The challenge for us is to create sustained success and to ensure that Team India’s performances keep on improving in the upcoming season. We believe we are putting in place the foundations to move in the right direction. We are committed to doing everything we can to achieve continuous improvement,” Thakur added.

  • Yahoo announces contest for Apple Music Festival in September

    Yahoo announces contest for Apple Music Festival in September

    MUMBAI:  Yahoo India has announced a contest that will give music fans the exclusive chance to travel to London for the 2015 Apple Music Festival in September.

     

    To participate, fans need to start a blog on Tumblr, create as many music-related posts as they like and register for the contest. Given that Tumblr lets you effortlessly share anything, these posts can be in any format – audio, photo, video, gif, links or a quote. Whether it’s singing a tune, grooving to one or writing a song, participants need to showcase their creative best. The contest closes at 23:59 hours, IST, 9 September 2015.

     

    Five contestants with the most creative, imaginative Tumblr blogs that show plenty of music love, will win the chance to fly (with a friend) to London for the closing night of the Apple Music Festival on September 28.

     

    Pharrell Williams, One Direction, Florence + The Machine and Disclosure are among the headliners at this year’s Festival, which includes ten nights of spectacular live shows at London’s historic Roundhouse venue. Get ready for all the action at this year’s Apple Music Festival with a selection of incredible live performances from years past at www.applemusic.com/festival

     

    Stay updated with the latest news on Apple Music Festival, with exclusive content on Yahoo India Celebrity.