Category: Event Coverage

GRB Media Ranch to sell ‘Blind Dating’ format to ABY Media

Mumbai: GRB Media Ranch president, Sophie Ferron announced the format sale of “Blind Dating” to Africa’s ABY Media and the acquisition of four-time Emmy-winning docu-series Medical Stories. Produced by Inventi Media Group and airing on PBS, this production has 39 episodes (39×30’) currently available.

Blind Dating: In this classic studio-based dating game show, three single men and three single women must make the perfect match to win a date. In each episode, without seeing each other, the participants must find their love by answering personal questions while digging for clues – and some dirt – on social media. Watch these singles try to impress, get picked and go home with a mate. A hit show in French Canada for many years!

Medical Stories: This acclaimed docu-series captures drama through the lens of cinematic storytelling. It captures the experiences of medical and emergency personnel and their heroic actions and extraordinary measures taken while battling life-threatening conditions of critically ill or injured patients. Follow their emotional journeys as individuals as they navigate their way through illnesses and injuries, often unknown, from the moment of receiving an accurate diagnosis to seeking out support. In-depth commentary is included from renowned medical experts and researchers, providing valuable insight into baffling conditions and the cutting-edge techniques used in developing novel treatments. These intertwined narratives offer viewers a message of hope, empowerment, and awareness of diseases that are often overlooked both by the public and the medical community.

Ferron stated: “The format sale of Blind Dating is especially meaningful to me. I grew up on the set of this series, as my father created and produced it in Canada. It remained a huge hit and was remade twice for new generations. He passed away last year and would be proud to see it travel. I thank GRB Media Ranch’s Liz Levenson for closing this deal with Bernard Azria of ABY Media for many African territories. We are also excited to have acquired Emmy-winning docu-series, Medical Stories which clearly underlines our commitment to delivering diverse and compelling narratives. We are here at MIP to discuss all our fantastic properties. At GRB Media Ranch, we’ve got stories.”

Kimberley Azria of ABY Media stated “ABY Media is very happy to have acquired this special Format from our partners at GRB Media Ranch. We know that it will be a popular show in Africa with many audiences!”

Inventi Media Group’s executive producer and director Brian Chris Capozzi stated: “Inventi Media Group is thrilled that GRB Media Ranch is representing our award-winning series Medical Stories for distribution. Their expertise in the global marketplace is well-known and respected. With them, we are confident that viewers in other parts of the world will soon be experiencing the heartfelt and dramatic stories from our series.”

Inventi Media Group’s executive producer and director Bob Buruchian added “GRB Media Ranch’s global representation of our Medical Stories series is a source of great excitement for our team. With their esteemed expertise, we’re confident our compelling narratives will captivate audiences worldwide.”

April 8, 2024
MIS 2024: Screen revolution: The future of advertising on OTT & CTV

Mumbai: The Media Investment Summit 2024 which is being held on 4 April at Novotel, Mumbai is a dynamic platform that aims to bring together minds from the brand, media, advertising, digital & TV fraternity to explore the ever-evolving landscape of content, Adtech, Martech, metaverse and Web 3.0, the evolution of traditional media planning and buying, data and privacy infringement and ROI on advertising.

The day-long affair is to make sure to tantalise the thoughts of those looking for answers to myriad topics under branding, advertising, TV, digital media planning, and buying a roof.

The session will cover a range of topics relevant to the evolving landscape of OTT and Connected TV advertising, providing an opportunity to share valuable insights and experiences on how one can achieve the right balance between the two.

The session was chaired by GroupM Nexus Advance TV director Anooj Shetty which includes panellists – Tata CliQ director – brand marketing Shishir Kataria, head of media, digital marketing and brand PR (India and Global COE) Marico,

Ankit Desai, Magnite head of demand, India, Chandrahas Shetty, Kantar director- specialist Businesses, insights division Puneet Avasthi, Samsung Ads general manager & sales lead Vikram Chande.

Here are the insights shared by industry experts regarding the overall growth observed in OTT and CTV and how it has impacted our brand and advertising strategies.

Tata CliQ director – brand marketing Shishir Kataria

I believe Connected TV (CTV) is an excellent channel to reach premium audiences. As we’ve been strategizing for 2025, we’ve continually questioned how to achieve 100 per cent penetration of CTV, considering that’s where our audience is. Consequently, we’ve been collaborating with media and other partners to allocate more advertising focus and budget towards TV. Another significant aspect, which I’ve observed since my days at Hotstar, is the ability to customize creative content based on the context. Unlike traditional TV, CTV and OTT platforms allow for the rapid deployment of customized creatives tailored to what consumers are watching. This capability, both from a distribution and creative perspective, is crucial.

Hence, we anticipate a considerable shift in media investment not only from Tata Cliq but also from other premium and luxury brands towards CTV and OTT platforms.

Marico, head of media, digital marketing and brand PR (India and Global COE) Ankit Desai

I believe that when we talk about mass appeal, we’re essentially catering to a wide range of consumer profiles, including both premium and mass brands. As mentioned, it’s evident that different audiences require different approaches. For instance, during a recent visit to rural Rajasthan, I encountered a woman who wasn’t a Connected TV (CTV) consumer but was still accessing content via alternative means. Despite not being affluent, she was resourceful with her budget and took advantage of free data provided with the 5G launch, allowing her to consume content on her phone without needing to pay a cable operator. However, she acknowledged that this situation might change if data prices were to increase. This illustrates that targeting only affluent households is no longer sufficient. While it’s a valuable marker, it’s not the only one. We need to view TV as just the beginning of a continuum that spans multiple screens, including traditional TV, mobile, and CTV. To effectively reach consumers, we must adapt our strategies across all these screens. Additionally, while it’s not ideal to simply transfer TV ads to CTV or OTT platforms without adaptation, this presents a challenge for marketers in refining their communication paths for each platform and screen. It’s an evolving landscape with flux and change, both in consumer behaviour and media platforms, but I’m confident we’re heading towards a better understanding and adaptation.

Samsung Ads general manager & sales lead Vikram Chande

What’s happening now is that the concept of TV has evolved from being just a singular device to becoming a culmination of various mediums through which content is consumed. The nature of TV devices has changed significantly over the past decade, particularly in terms of hardware. Previously, not all TVs were equipped with smart operating systems or provided content recommendations. If you disconnected the cable, you would often encounter several steps to access content. However, as Ankit mentioned, today’s smart TVs offer a different experience. Even in remote areas like rural Rajasthan, individuals are now accessing content via streaming platforms, making them consumers of brands regardless of their income level.

Smart TVs have revolutionized audience targeting strategies due to their connectivity to the internet and ability to provide data insights. This allows advertisers to tailor their strategies based on audience demographics and geographical targeting. Additionally, the shift from linear TV advertising to platforms like Connected TV (CTV) has opened up new possibilities. Advertisers can now measure incremental reach effectively, combining data from both traditional linear TV and CTV. Smart TVs can cater to advertisers’ needs, whether targeting affluent households or those with varying income levels, by providing valuable audience signals. This comprehensive approach enables advertisers to craft audience-driven strategies supported by creative content, leading to a deeper understanding of campaign deployment and impact measurement.

Magnite head of demand, India, Chandrahas Shetty

We’ve come a long way from where we were a couple of years back when programmatic was primarily associated with remnant inventory. Now, a significant portion of buying happens through programmatic guarantees, shifting away from the old resistance of buying through IOs to automatic buying on programmatic guarantees. This shift benefits both publishers and advertisers, with publishers achieving complete 100 per cent fill rates and advertisers gaining confidence in purchasing premium, clean inventory. The landscape of programmatic buying has evolved significantly, offering more than just the open auction format of the past. Today, there’s a wide range of buying options, including PMP buys, providing advertisers with greater flexibility and control over their campaigns. In India alone, we have over 50 platforms, and globally, the number reaches about 110, offering advertisers the option to access all inventory across OTT and CTV through a single dashboard. With programmatic growth at a staggering rate of 32 per cent according to the recent Magna report, India is gradually catching up, currently accounting for 44 per cent of digital inventory bought programmatically. This trend is driven by the increasing flexibility, control, and efficiency that programmatic buying offers, allowing advertisers to capitalise on the growing inventory available as more users switch to streaming and connected TVs.

Kantar director- specialist Businesses, insights division, Puneet Avasthi

By ownership itself, CTV distinguishes itself as an affluent audience. So, that in itself is a marker of affluence and upward mobility, something that tends to differentiate. But I think there are other elements to the CTV audience versus those who are still in the linear TV space. There are differences. Likely, many people who are adopting CTV are also younger. So, there is a profile element in terms of affluence and youth, and where they are in terms of their life stage. Additionally, some elements differentiate them in terms of how they consume communication or media. Data from PGI indicates that the audience who are cord cutters, and cord-cutters are not necessarily solely on CTV, but they could also be consuming content on their mobile devices or smaller form factors. Both groups are more likely to consume a larger part of the ad. As a result, those who are on linear TV are more likely to switch channels frequently, possibly because the targeting ability of the audience is sharper, leading to messages that are more relevant to their interests. This greater stickiness to the ad results in the message registering better. So, yes, there are those differences. I completely resonate with that.

April 5, 2024
MIS 2024: The power of personalisation: Strategies for creating a seamless customer experience

Mumbai: The Media Investment Summit 2024 which is being held on 4 April at Novotel, Mumbai is a dynamic platform that aims to bring together minds from the brand, media, advertising, digital & TV fraternity to explore the ever-evolving landscape of content, Adtech, Martech, metaverse and Web 3.0, the evolution of traditional media planning and buying, data and privacy infringement and ROI on advertising.

The day-long affair is to make sure to tantalise the thoughts of those looking for answers to myriad topics under the branding, advertising, TV, digital media planning, and buying roof.

The session can provide valuable insights into the strategies, challenges, and future trends associated with creating a seamless customer experience through personalized marketing.

The session of the event was chaired by Wavemaker India chief digital officer Sairam Ranganathan and consists of panellists including – Dr Reddy’s Laboratories India director head digital omnichannel & transformation Rupali Krishna Digrajkar, Shemaroo Entertainment COO, digital Saurabh Srivastava, MiQ MD and global board member Siddharth Dabhade, Criteo country head, India Medhavi Singh, Interactive Avenues VP, media, Priyanka Mohanty Nayudu.

Here are the quotes from various industry experts on the power of personalisation: Strategies for creating a seamless customer experience:

MiQ MD and global board member Siddharth Dabhade

I think the evolution we’re witnessing involves a convergence of media and data, with companies worldwide, including those in India, consolidating functions like data science, marketing, and business priorities. Those who’ve successfully integrated these elements have outperformed because marketing can’t solely focus on one aspect; it must combine media and data. Many companies possess vast data, but it often remains fragmented. Thus, the challenge lies in consolidating this data to establish a unified consumer view. Additionally, families are accumulating more first-party data, which is crucial. Moreover, macro trends significantly influence consumer behaviour and brand perceptions. The ongoing challenge is integrating all these elements effectively. For instance, in a recent case study, we targeted consumers interested in inverter solutions while considering the macro trend of power outages driving inverter sales. It’s about merging data from various sources, deriving actionable insights, and ensuring data privacy. Another case study involves an auto player, where we analyzed dealership sales and inventory levels in real time to optimize marketing campaigns accordingly. personalisation should benefit both consumers and advertisers, enhancing relevance and efficiency.

Shemaroo Entertainment COO, digital Saurabh Srivastava,

One business I represent that’s highly relevant to this topic is Shemaroo, which operates a direct-to-consumer OTT business. Effective personalisation is crucial for us as it enhances consumer engagement and drives loyalty, ultimately impacting our business model, especially considering the high cost of acquiring consumers. When content is personalized based on data analysis, it sharpens our proposition and improves user engagement. For instance, our collaboration with Amazon Personalize has led to a significant shift in how users consume short-form video content, demonstrating the power of data-driven recommendations. This collaboration has become a noteworthy case study, indicating potential for further expansion beyond short-form content. Loyalty is paramount for every brand, as retaining consumers is key to maximizing lifetime value. Additionally, the OTT market in India is poised to double, creating opportunities for both global and local players. However, achieving this growth requires significant efforts in storytelling, data utilization, technology, and personalisation to meet the diverse needs of consumers. Ultimately, the collective integration of these elements will contribute to the expansion of the market, albeit with considerable effort.

Dr Reddy’s Laboratories India director head of digital omnichannel & transformation Rupali Krishna Digrajkar

We’re currently in the data-driven era where across various industries like pharma, media, entertainment, and telecom, customers demand both convenience and quality interactions with brands. This emphasis on convenience and expectation highlights the importance of personalisation. At Dr. Reddy’s, we engage with two main segments: B2B/B2B2C customers, such as doctors who then convey information to patients, and the over-the-counter (OTC) segment for direct consumer products. personalisation relies heavily on understanding data and deriving insights from it. Defining customer personas and understanding their needs, triggers, and barriers are essential for delivering targeted experiences to micro-segments. In our case, since we interact with diverse sets of doctors within specialities, influencing their perceptions about our products is key to driving prescriptions. This requires continuous relationship-building and content-based marketing to engage doctors effectively. While the theory is clear, executing personalisation at scale is complex and requires expertise in various elements such as data analytics and customer data management. Dr. Reddy’s is actively involved in orchestrating numerous initiatives due to the breadth of our business, which includes 74 brands. Personalisation efforts extend to content production, which must be customized and distributed modularly across different formats and geographies. Visualization plays a critical role in data-driven decision-making, and defining use cases and selecting the right toolbox are crucial aspects of implementing personalisation effectively.

Criteo country head, India Medhavi Singh

In today’s landscape, personalisation isn’t just about attracting more customers and boosting conversion rates. It’s also about fostering long-term customer relationships and maximizing lifetime value. Some may think personalisation is about individualising every interaction, but it’s crucial to understand that true personalisation occurs at scale. This necessitates investing in the right technologies to enable widespread personalisation efforts across various verticals. For instance, consider streaming platforms that recommend content based on users’ viewing history; this is made possible by their vast user bases. Similarly, at our company, leveraging our extensive data—over 720 million videos and 5 billion products—enables us to achieve personalisation at scale. Across the user journey, from acquisition to engagement, personalisation plays a pivotal role. For example, in collaboration with Clinique, we targeted audiences with high purchasing power, tailoring our approach to appeal to premium and luxury segments. Likewise, in the gaming vertical, we personalize ads to encourage user conversion. Personalisation extends to minute details, such as tailoring ad formats based on user preferences—be it single-window or scroll-based views. Moreover, real-time adaptation is crucial; algorithms must dynamically adjust based on user behaviour shifts, ensuring a personalized experience at every touchpoint. Therefore, creating personalised experiences at scale is paramount in today’s context.

Interactive Avenues VP, media, Priyanka Mohanty Nayudu

From initially attracting consumers to actively engaging with them and ultimately retaining their loyalty, personalisation plays a pivotal role throughout the entire journey. Take Spotify, for example, one of our brands during its launch in India. Globally recognised for its personalized approach, Spotify’s DNA is infused with personalisation. Therefore, our launch strategy had to emphasize personalisation from the outset, incorporating the “person, place, moment” framework along with extensive data analysis to understand our target audience’s preferences. This journey encompasses capturing audiences through media campaigns, acquiring them, engaging them with content recommendations tailored to their tastes, and retaining them by continually adapting to their usage patterns. Remarkably, leveraging personalisation has led to a significant increase in streams—up to 30 to 40 per cent more compared to regular usage. This underscores the critical role personalisation plays throughout the consumer journey.

April 5, 2024
MIS 2024: Catering to the digital India narrative – brands leveraging automation

Mumbai: The Media Investment Summit 2024 which is being held on 4 April at Novotel, Mumbai is a dynamic platform that aims to bring together minds from the brand, media, advertising, digital & TV fraternity to explore the ever-evolving landscape of content, Adtech, Martech, metaverse and Web 3.0, the evolution of traditional media planning and buying, data and privacy infringement and ROI on advertising.

The day-long affair is to make sure to tantalise the thoughts of those looking for answers to myriad topics under the branding, advertising, TV, digital media planning, and buying roof.

The session will cover the multifaceted role of brands leveraging automation in the digital India narrative, providing insights into the opportunities, challenges, and impact on various sectors of the economy.

The session of the event is chaired by Publicis Groupe India CEO digital technology business Amaresh Godbole, consisting of panelists including – Kotak Life EVP & head of digital business unit Prasad Pimple, GSK associate director – customer experience Delnaaz Irani, Lenovo head, corporate citizenship, Asia Pacific Pratima Harite, Fractal ink Design Studio Pvt Ltd co-founder, COO and CBO Geeta Suthar and mFilterIt head of product Arvind Mathur.

Talking about financial services being the most automated industry, Godbole asked Pimple about his insights, “I agree that the way the overall technology stack has been created, it has helped most of the brand and industries to build on automation into the purchase journeys as well as the overall customer experience management but we’re not as fortunate as the leaning business where it is simplified in terms of just financial underwriting based on credit score.”

He also spoke about financial and medical underwriting still remaining unautomated, and that a lot of work has also happened in terms of the automation perspective on the customer experience part of it. He also said, “In terms of automation, significant progress has been made in enhancing customer experience throughout the marketing funnel, from building awareness to tracking it, transitioning to consideration, purchase intent, actual purchase, and finally sharing purchase information with relevant media platforms.” He also spoke a bit about CKYC, EKYC, and the UPI moment in India during the pandemic, among other topics.

Answering Godbole’s question on the challenges in automation, in the pharma industry, Irani said, “The challenge is integrating doctors into the marketing funnel with a clear strategy for exclusive communication and validation.”

Moving on, Harite said, “When we talking about the automation i think we should look at the work for human kind project that we looked at where we were thinking of how do you revitalise millets using technology.”

Sharing her thoughts on automation, Suthar said, “Process optimisation has largely been digitisation. We identify things that are manually done or they’re not efficient and then we figure out ways in which to digitise them, put them on the cloud or some service somewhere and then join the dots to make everything seamless.”

Mathur then spoke about deploying technology, including AI and generative models, to monitor and distinguish between positive and negative elements within the system. He also spoke about the guardrails that need to be made around systems.

April 4, 2024
MIS 2024: Tackling the acquisition – retention juggernaut

Mumbai: The Media Investment Summit 2024 which is being held on 4 April at Novotel, Mumbai is a dynamic platform that aims to bring together minds from the brand, media, advertising, digital & TV fraternity to explore the ever-evolving landscape of content, Adtech, Martech, metaverse and Web 3.0, the evolution of traditional media planning and buying, data and privacy infringement and ROI on advertising.

The day-long affair is to make sure to tantalise the thoughts of those looking for answers to myriad topics under the branding, advertising, TV, digital media planning, and buying roof.

The key highlights of this session encompass defining customer acquisition and retention within the framework of business strategy. This includes mapping the customer journey from awareness to conversion and retention, identifying touchpoints for continuous engagement throughout the lifecycle. The pivotal role of personalization in both acquisition and retention strategies will also be discussed. Additionally, the session will cover the utilization of various channels, encompassing digital and traditional methods, for effective customer acquisition. Lastly, the imperative for businesses to adapt acquisition and retention strategies in response to evolving market dynamics will be addressed.

The very first-panel discussion of the event is chaired by PivotRoots – A Havas company VP – media & strategy Ashok Shinde, consisting of panelists including – mFunnel.ai co-founder and CEO Chintan Soni, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories India head – e-commerce Reethika Nair, Jio deputy general manager – marketing Shaurya Tyagi, CleverTap Sr VP partnerships (East Globe) Tapan Acharya and WebEngage director of growth and strategy Tanisha Doshi.

Sharing the context of the session, Shinde began talking about customer acquisition, retention marketing and perhaps why do brands and marketers of businesses really need to invest and pay attention to it.

Shinde asked his first question to Tyagi, “What are some of the key elements that are important for making a successful customer acquisition and retention marketing strategy?”

Tyagi answered, “Whenever we look at customer acquisition, more than looking it as a funnel, I look it as a loop. Everytime we acquire a new customer, if that customer makes a transaction or makes an action on the app or website, that customer will talk about their experience or whatever action they’ve taken on the web or the app, to other people also which will further get other people also into that.

Secondly, there would be channels that can be grouped into two buckets. One is always on channel, which will give sustained growth as you continuously optimise them over a period of time. The other one would be, the one giving you the spike when a particular offer or promotion is running for a product. If you think of Instagram as an example, the growth will come from specific events when they’re happening. That’s where you’ll get a lot of growth from existing customers.”

Talking about retention, he added, “Retention can be actually broken down into three parts. First one is activation. For example a customer signs up on the app, that’s where the customer has actually taken an action on the app. Second is the engagement. When you think of any social media pp or any ecommerce app, you’ll have to see what core action you want the user to do and that defines the engagement. The last bit is resurrection which is actually linked to the first two. The customer downloads the app but doesn’t sign up, that means he/she is not activated and resurrecting a customer is not possible in that case. But if you see that the customer is talking daily, weekly or monthly action on your app only then you can call them as an engaged user and if that is not happening then you have to resurrect them and bring them back into the loop.”

Moving on, Shinde asked Soni, “What has been you approach to some of the common challenges that you’ve faced and how did you overcome those?”

Soni answered, “When you talk about acquisition, one of the biggest challenge atleast in the digital media is that there’s a reverse economy. Probably if you go from zero to ten, the acquisition cost will be stagnant but if you go from 10-100, that is where you start seeing the cost of acquisition going up. The reason that happens is that 70-80 per cent of the digital media works on the auction based economy, where you have to actually outgrade another advertiser in the poll, to win that impression.”

He then goes on to talk about analysing the whole funnel and lead indicators in each stage of the funnel. He also spoke a bit about click through rate. Talking about customer retention he said, “Customer retention is almost like employee retention in a company. You’ve to understand why they’re not coming back to you again.”

Moving on to his next question, Shinde asked Nair, “What would be your recommendation on how we should go about prioritizing between the two (customer acquisition & retention)?”

Nair answered, “Firstly, a big question is ‘should you have a retention strategy?’. I think one should know what stage their brand is in. If it’s in the starting stage then forget about retention strategy and focus on whether you’ve built the right product or service to get the acquisition done in a very organic or natural fashion. People say that acquisition is five to 25 times more expensive than retention. But the fact is that acquisition becomes expensive when you want scale in very small period of time. You have to figure out ways of getting acquisition done in a cost efficient manner. The second scenario is, retention becomes critical but retention’s first big soul is your product experience. Today it’s a very difficult problem to solve because of the fragmentation that we live in.”

She then talked about the various types of retention that a brand can have including emotional aspect or the price reason.

Shinde then asked his next question to Acharya and Doshi, “How do you see brands leveraging to try customer acquisition or retention strategies?”

Doshi answered, “Every customer does require personalisation to a really large extent. Being an enabler in this space, there are top three strategies that every brand can inculcate in their retention strategy. One is data is king. When we talk about data,not only online but even offline, data becomes important to merge the data between your online and offline customers so that a seamless customer journey can be created for your end customer, i.e, consolidation of data.”

She then went on to talk about the real power of omnichannel marketing, and personalisation.

Acharya then went on to answer the question saying, “The acquisition and retention juggernaut is actually two sides of the same coin. If you have a leaky boat where you’re acquiring and just draining then it makes no sense. Secondly, we pretty much know th CMP or the LTV formula, i.e., ‘what is one transaction making for you, what is the frequency of the transaction, what are the number of years the customer stays with you, that’s your lifetime value for the customer. Keeping these two thing in mind, if you think about acquisition an retention, the whole communication is about the maturity framework. If your integrated opinion is to have customers for life, then acquisition and retention has to be spoken in the same breath. Once that happens, then ofcourse the whole media has evolved to be bidirectional.”

He then went on to talk about the five parts in which money can be made on the internet, that is, through technology, banking services, advertising, subscription models, and gaming platforms.

April 4, 2024
Something Special announces sale of two format options to Spain’s Mediawan

Mumbai: Something Special, Seoul-based #1 independent* international format agency announced the licensing of two formats into Spain and also announced they are taking a hot new dating format to MIPFormats/MIPTV. Something Special’s head of international business Praise ChanMi Shin will be at MIP to present a case study of Still Alive a mystery reality game show format which the company has created with top Korean creator, Miyeon Kim and Bora Lee. The session is taking place at 10:15 am on Sunday, 7 April 2024 in the Palais des Festivals Riviera Stage.

Spain’s Mediawan acquired two formats through its local production labels: Veranda took Something Special’s spooky format Still Alive while Boomerang took celebrity competition format Battle in the Box

Something Special is also preparing for MIPFormats and MIPTV and will bring their hot new dating format: I AM SINGLE (aka I AM SOLO – KR title): In 2023, there were 43 dating shows airing across different channels and platforms in Korea. Among them, this show has broken records as one of the most viewed non-scripted dating shows across three streaming platforms, including Netflix. This show has also been the most searched and viral TV show of 2023.

Something Special president & executive producer Jin Woo Hwang stated: “Something Special is pleased announce that Mediawan acquired our special formats for Spain Still Alive and Battle in the Box. We’re also excited to bring the freshest and the best Korean formats for the first time internationally during MIPTV and MIPFormats. Our head of international business- Praise, will be presenting a case study of Still Alive at MIPFormats which we are proudly representing.”

Boomerang CEO Jorge Pezzi said, “We are delighted to announce that we have acquired the rights for Spain to Battle in the Box. We are convinced that it is a very attractive format for the Spanish public. The Boomerang TV unscripted team is experts in adapting international entertainment brands and I am convinced that they will make a great version of ‘Battle in the box’.

Veranda Media director of non-scripted Tono Hernández stated, “We are thrilled to partner with Something Special to bring Still Alive to Spanish audiences. With its distinctive and straightforward concept, the format delivers a great deal of fun and keep everyone – contestants and viewers alike – constantly guessing and engaged.”

April 4, 2024
Bhilwara Sur Sangam 2024: An ode to India’s musical tradition

Mumbai: The LNJ Bhilwara Group, one of India’s leading conglomerates with diverse business interests, successfully orchestrated a mesmerizing evening of classical melodies in New Delhi with the 11th edition of its iconic Bhilwara Sur Sangam. On its opening day, Bhilwara Sur Sangam attracted more than 500 music aficionados nationwide to immerse in diverse classical melodies.

The event commenced with a solemn lamp-lighting ceremony, followed by a special tribute to one of the finest Hindustani classical vocalists, Late Vidushi Manik Bhide, for her invaluable contribution to the world of music, a gesture that resonated deeply with the audience.

The evening unfolded with a soul-stirring presentation by violinist Manas Kumar, who wove a tapestry of symphony with each note, casting a spell over the audience and transporting them to realms of pure musical ecstasy. The evening reached its pinnacle when legendary vocalist, Dr Ashwini Bhide Deshpande, took over the stage, enchanting the audience with her mesmerizing performance. The resonating voice of Dr Ashwini intertwined with the symphonic melodies of Indian musical instruments, ignited a profound sense of cultural pride among the attendees.

This two-day music festival, Bhilwara Sur Sangam, stands as a testament to the LNJ Bhilwara Group’s enduring commitment to classical music and its profound impact on society. More than a musical event, it is a celebration that symbolises cultural support and artistic brilliance, inspiring future generations to cherish and sustain Indian musical heritage.

As the final notes faded into the night, leaving behind an indelible imprint on hearts and minds alike, Bhilwara Sur Sangam once again united music lovers across boundaries. The spellbinding allure persisted on Sunday as Ustad Waseem Ahmed Khan and Pandit Budhaditya Mukherjee take the stage, ensuring an enchanting musical experience.

April 1, 2024
Asia’s biggest creator’s festival Creators United culminates in Mumbai

Mumbai: Creators United, the leading platform dedicated to influencers and infotainment, has concluded its highly anticipated event, Creators United 2024. Held at NESCO, Mumbai, this festival brought together over 1000 influencers, along with brands, agencies, and industry experts, for an unforgettable celebration of creativity and innovation.

In its second edition, Creators United 2024 exceeded all expectations, solidifying its position as the largest creators’ festival in Asia. Organised collaboratively by Mad Influence in association with the Government of Maharashtra, the event showcased the dynamic synergy between technology and creativity, driving economic growth and innovation in the digital landscape.

Mad Influence CEO & founder Gautam Madhavan said, “Creators United 2024 has been an exceptional platform for collaboration and innovation in the digital space. As we witness the remarkable success of this event, it reaffirms our belief in the transformative power of creativity. We are proud to be the driving force behind Asia’s largest creators’ festival and are excited about the future prospects it holds for the influencer industry.”

Creators United advisor Varun Maloo said, “Creators United 2024 was a resounding success! The energy from the incredible lineup of creators and influencers was electric, and the collaborations on stage were truly magical. We’re so proud to have been a part of this celebration of creativity and collaboration.”

The festival’s theme, ‘Create, Collaborate, and Celebrate’, encapsulated the spirit of the event, offering attendees a platform to engage, exchange ideas, and celebrate the achievements of digital creativity. From brand experience zones to insightful panel discussions, exclusive meet-and-greet sessions, celebrity talks, and exhilarating performances, Creators United 2024 offered a diverse range of experiences for all participants.

The event witnessed the presence of illustrious digital celebrities such as Harsh Beniwal, Jannat Zubair, ScoutOP, Tech Burner, Mythpat, Anubhav Singh Bassi, Saurav Joshi, Sakshi Sindwani, Mumbiker Nikhil, and many more, amplifying the festival’s digital reach to nearly one billion individuals. Notably, Creators United marked a historic occasion as the first platform to unite creators from YouTube and Instagram under one grand event.

https://thecreatorsunited.com/fest

March 21, 2024
The third edition of Femina and Mamaearth presents Beautiful Indians 2024

Mumbai: Embracing the spirit of kindness, Femina, a leading women’s lifestyle brand, joined forces with Mamaearth to celebrate the good deeds of individuals at the third edition of Femina And Mamaearth presents Beautiful Indians 2024. The star-studded event was hosted on 19 March 2024, where individuals from diverse walks of life were honoured, reiterating the fact that there is beauty in every act of kindness. Hosted by Aparshakti Khurana, the event celebrated individuals whose charisma and expertise have not only inspired but also contributed significantly to bringing about positive change. Taking the celebrations higher pop singer Akasa Singh dazzled the audience with her power-packed performance.

The Jury comprising prominent personalities selected the Beautiful Indians who have inspirational stories. These are ordinary people, celebrities, and content creators, who won the award in the People For Good, Creators For Good, and Special Awards categories. A jury includes Nigar Shaji – programme director, Low Earth & Planetary Platforms, ISRO; Amruta Subhash – National Award-winning actor; Bina Lashkari – co-founder and director of Door Step School; actor, producer and author Huma Qureshi; Ghazal & Varun Alagh – founders of Honasa Consumer Ltd. MamaEarth; and Ambika Muttoo, Editor-in-chief of Femina, had taken on the challenge of sorting through thousands of entries.

Amongst the celebrations, the crowd cheered the highest when the Dhak Dhak girl Madhuri Dixit did her iconic step on the ghaghra song along with Tamannaah Bhatia and Ghazal Alagh. The latter also confessed to having started her acting career inspired by Madhuri Dixit. Furthermore, heartthrob Kartik Aaryan shook a leg on stage making the crowd go gaga over his song from his blockbuster movie along with Shilpa Shetty and Aparshakti Khurana.

Among the recipients of the Special Awards, Tiger Shroff with his awe-inspiring action sequences, won the title of Youth Icon, while versatile actor and performer Siddhant Chaturvedi bagged the Rising Star award. Ananya Panday, who gave us a splendid performance in her recent release was declared the Standout Performer Of The Year (Female) while Kartik Aaryan received the Standout Performer Of The Year (Male) award for his performance in his latest movie. Bobby Deol stole hearts as the Most Loved Star and his trending dance on the famous entry track in his superhit movie, while Madhuri Dixit held the spotlight as the Sensational Superstar. Tamannaah Bhatia won the title of Star in the Spotlight accolade. Entertaining us with his gimmicks, social media sensation Orry took home the award for Entertainer of the Year. Karisma Kapoor, renowned as the first Kapoor lady to make a career in films, was hailed as a trailblazer, while Manish Malhotra was honoured with the Fashion Visionary award. Sini Shetty, our dazzling Femina Miss India World 2022, was applauded for her Beauty For A Purpose. Versatile actor Shraddha Kapoor won the title as Fan Favorite, while Sobhita Dhulipala, always on top of her style game, took home the laurel for Fashion It girl.

The People for Good category honoured goodness ambassadors including:

1 Prasiddhi Singh – Child Environmentalist & Social Entrepreneur, Chennai

2 Deep Narayan Nayak – educator transforming lives across generations, West Bengal

3 Kiran Kamdar – Parkinson’s Warrior Ensuring Hospital Patients Get Essential Nutrition, Mumbai

4 Dwishojoyee Banerjee – young environmental activist saving The Planet, One Paper Bag At A Time, Patna

5 Sahil Kaushar – CEO Of The Noble citizen foundation, Bihar

6 Dilshad Mehershahi, Geetanjali Gaur, Beverly Louis & Gautam Lalwani of Mann – co-founders Of Mann, Mumbai

7 Dr Meghana Pemmaiah – Wildlife veterinarian on a rescue mission, Mangaluru

The Creators for Good recognised content creators who have leveraged their reach to bring about change for the better. The winners included:

1 Ted The Stoner – Fervent Advocate for positive social change

2 Aishwarya Sharma – fashion & climate change activist

3 Anupriya Kapur – entrepreneur & inspiring role model

4 Tarun Mishra – founder of Help Drive Foundation

5 Gayatri Bhardwaj – Dedicated Animal Welfare Warrior

6 Revant Himatsingka (FoodPharmer) – influencer creating positive change

7 Barkha Singh – actor and influencer raising her voice for animal welfare

The glamorous awards show witnessed celebrities gracing the red carpet, setting new style standards. Industry divas such as Shilpa Shetty, Madhuri Dixit, Karisma Kapoor, Ananya Panday, Shraddha Kapoor, Sunny Leone, Tamannaah Bhatia, Huma Qureshi, Kanika Kapoor set the evening afire in their stunning gowns, while Tiger Shroff, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Bobby Deol, Kartika Aryan, amongst others exuded charm in their tuxedos and suits.

Worldwide Media director Rohit Gopakumar and CEO ZENL, BCCL TV & Digital Network, reflected on the journey of Femina and Mamaearth, stating, “Femina has a legacy of celebrating beauty which is more than just skin deep. Our longstanding commitment lies in showcasing the remarkable stories of individuals who bring about impactful change in their sphere of work. They are the true heroes of the land who inspire and motivate our audience. Beautiful Indians is an exceptional platform from Femina that shines a light on the innate goodness within every individual. The third edition of Beautiful Indians (2024) was a splendid success. Through this property, we are happy to recognise and celebrate the growing goodness around us.”

Femina editor-in-chief Ambika Muttoo commented, “Our collaboration with Mamaearth has created a powerful platform that honours the impact of good deeds in society. Season 3 of Femina And Mamaearth Present Beautiful Indians celebrates inspiring stories of individuals who choose to spread love and positivity in their actions. This initiative highlights that true beauty lies not just in appearance but in the kindness and compassion we show to others.”

Mamaearth co-founder & chief innovation officer Ghazal Alagh said, “After an overwhelming response for season 2, we are back with Season 3 of Femina & Mamaearth presents Beautiful Indians 2024. Built on the fundamentals of goodness inside, Mamaearth has always believed in celebrating goodness in every form. At Mamaearth, we have always believed that beauty is beyond skin-deep, and our collaboration with Femina for Beautiful Indians is an extension of that philosophy and belief. We are delighted to partner with Femina to bring alive the stories of beautiful Indians around us and hope to continue to further strengthen this partnership through this journey of celebrating goodness.”

March 20, 2024
South India Film Festival set to illuminate the cinema landscape with its inaugural edition

Mumbai: The inaugural South India Film Festival (SIFF), poised to be a beacon of creativity and innovation in the cinematic world, is all set to grace Hyderabad on 22 March 2024. With a fervent dedication to fostering emerging talents and uncovering the next wave of cinematic visionaries, SIFF promises an electrifying extravaganza celebrating the richness of South Indian cinema.

VP of revenue & monetisation Nitin Burman expressed, “SIFF is not just a festival; it’s a platform for the future of Telugu cinema. We are committed to providing a dynamic stage for budding talents, offering them unparalleled opportunities to showcase their creativity and connect with industry leaders. Additionally, we would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the partners who have supported us in our efforts, without whom this endeavour would not have been possible.”

As a platform for emerging talents, SIFF is dedicated to becoming synonymous with opportunities for the next generation of content creators. “Our goal,” said Mr Burman, “is to discover and nurture the future directors who will steer Telugu cinema to national acclaim. SIFF will serve as the launchpad for their careers, propelling them onto the global stage.”

In addition to being a springboard for emerging talent, SIFF offers exclusive insights from industry leaders, providing invaluable knowledge and guidance to aspiring filmmakers. Through panel discussions and Q&A sessions, attendees will gain unparalleled access to the inner workings of the Telugu cinema industry.

“We are thrilled to offer a gala evening extravaganza,” added Mr Burman, “where attendees will be treated to a high-energy celebration of South Indian cinema. From captivating screenings to star-studded events, SIFF promises an immersive experience like no other.”

Arha Media & Broadcasting Pvt Ltd CEO Ravikant Sabnavis said, “The South India Film Festival celebrates South Indian Cinema, serving as a platform dedicated to nurturing creativity and showcasing the diverse talent within the Telugu film industry. Our collaborative initiative with People Media Factory underscores our commitment to deliver unique and riveting content to our audience. This Festival is the beginning of a legacy that we are crafting for future content creators. Join us on Friday, 22 March 2024, to witness this momentous occasion.”

With its unwavering commitment to nurturing talent, providing industry insights, and delivering unforgettable entertainment, the inaugural South India Film Festival is poised to make an indelible mark on the cinematic landscape. Join us on 22 March for a celebration of creativity, innovation, and the vibrant spirit of South Indian cinema.

For more information and ticket bookings, please visit: https://in.bookmyshow.com/events/south-india-film-festival/ET00377474

March 20, 2024