ITV

Category: Event Coverage

  • Satisfying writer, client and customer is biggest challenge: Arunabh Kumar

    Satisfying writer, client and customer is biggest challenge: Arunabh Kumar

    MUMBAI: The room was jam packed. Industry specialists came in droves to support Indiantelevision.com’s flagship event, Vidnet 2016: Content on the Go, India’s first focused OTT conference.

    The speaker line-up made a beefy face. Some of the biggest names shared knowledge and expertise on the podium.

    And the one who rose to a thundering applause, thanks to his cult following and inimitable personality, was Arunabh Kumar, CEO & Founder at The Viral Fever.

    In a one-to-one with indiantelevision.com CEO, Founder and Editor-in-Chief Anil Wanvari, Arunabh shared some valuable insights on the ever evolving content ecosystem. The session began with the airing of the promo of TVF’s upcoming venture, Tripling.

    “This is the first time ever that a promo of a web-series has gone viral. With Tripling, we are touching new levels of execution,” Arunabh said with a chuckle.

    Anil, snappy as ever, shot a flurry of questions to Jogi from Pitchers (character played by Arunabh). Answering why TVF is yet to partner with an established OTT platform, the beardy Arunabh said: “We are open to do so, but sadly none can afford us.”
    Confident and brave…indeed!!

    Arunabh revealed TVF’s upcoming ambitious venture, a full-fledged movie. Yes, a movie which will be a game-changer.

    “The team is currently working on it and we assure that it will be three times better than 3 Idiots. It’s going to be a full-length feature film. Once it is complete, we will plan its distribution. All big players in the movie industry have entered web space, so we decided to do the opposite.”

    The conversation proceeded with Anil and Arunabh discussing possibilities of a collaborative approach, to merge energies of different creators.

    “We would love to work with others. Our aim is simple. Whoever is working with us should be creatively satisfied and feel that they have done their best work with us,” added Arunabh.

    TVF has been one of the driving forces in the space of branded content. Arunabh shared his mantra on the same.

    “There is more competition now, which is good. It means better content will be produced. Satisfying the triangle of the writer, the client and the customer is the biggest challenge. Though the headcount of content creators have increased, there are enough brands out there to support all of us.”

    He summed up with a masterpiece: “The USP is teamwork. You need to have a good team which will believe in your project. Rest, anything can be achieved.”
    Touché!!!

  • Satisfying writer, client and customer is biggest challenge: Arunabh Kumar

    Satisfying writer, client and customer is biggest challenge: Arunabh Kumar

    MUMBAI: The room was jam packed. Industry specialists came in droves to support Indiantelevision.com’s flagship event, Vidnet 2016: Content on the Go, India’s first focused OTT conference.

    The speaker line-up made a beefy face. Some of the biggest names shared knowledge and expertise on the podium.

    And the one who rose to a thundering applause, thanks to his cult following and inimitable personality, was Arunabh Kumar, CEO & Founder at The Viral Fever.

    In a one-to-one with indiantelevision.com CEO, Founder and Editor-in-Chief Anil Wanvari, Arunabh shared some valuable insights on the ever evolving content ecosystem. The session began with the airing of the promo of TVF’s upcoming venture, Tripling.

    “This is the first time ever that a promo of a web-series has gone viral. With Tripling, we are touching new levels of execution,” Arunabh said with a chuckle.

    Anil, snappy as ever, shot a flurry of questions to Jogi from Pitchers (character played by Arunabh). Answering why TVF is yet to partner with an established OTT platform, the beardy Arunabh said: “We are open to do so, but sadly none can afford us.”
    Confident and brave…indeed!!

    Arunabh revealed TVF’s upcoming ambitious venture, a full-fledged movie. Yes, a movie which will be a game-changer.

    “The team is currently working on it and we assure that it will be three times better than 3 Idiots. It’s going to be a full-length feature film. Once it is complete, we will plan its distribution. All big players in the movie industry have entered web space, so we decided to do the opposite.”

    The conversation proceeded with Anil and Arunabh discussing possibilities of a collaborative approach, to merge energies of different creators.

    “We would love to work with others. Our aim is simple. Whoever is working with us should be creatively satisfied and feel that they have done their best work with us,” added Arunabh.

    TVF has been one of the driving forces in the space of branded content. Arunabh shared his mantra on the same.

    “There is more competition now, which is good. It means better content will be produced. Satisfying the triangle of the writer, the client and the customer is the biggest challenge. Though the headcount of content creators have increased, there are enough brands out there to support all of us.”

    He summed up with a masterpiece: “The USP is teamwork. You need to have a good team which will believe in your project. Rest, anything can be achieved.”
    Touché!!!

  • OTT players have many content, technical challenges to overcome: Akamai’s Dev Gupta

    OTT players have many content, technical challenges to overcome: Akamai’s Dev Gupta

    MUMBAI: More and more ‘OTT players’ are entering India’s fast churning online video ecosystem in a bid to make something out of the double digit growth rates in digital ads in India. If one were to go by industry estimates some thirty odd new digital video services will launch in this market by the next financial year. Those jumping the gun to make fast money in all this disruption fail to realise the challenges that this new media poses in the long run.

    How will all these players co exist and be self-sustaining without a well defined USP when there is only a limited space for apps in smart devices? Which ones will get loyal users and which one will be forgotten in a pile of uninstalled apps?

    The key to having an edge over the rest out there is to see the larger picture and build an ecosystem around content, network and technology — something that technology based companies such as LeEco have realised and already implementing through their massive web of CDNs or Content Delivery Networks. While big players have the financial and technological backbone to support CDNs, the emerging players thus turn to media solutions providers such as Akamai to build this ecosystem for them.

    Speaking at indiatelevision.com initiative ‘Vidnet 2016′, Akamai’s global VP for Media Solutions Services, Dev Gupta, laid down the fundamentals of what an aspiring or existing OTT player must heed to if it planned to survive in the market till when the space becomes revenue generating.

    Global trends such as growing audience size, longer watch hours spent on online videos, and preference for higher bit rate videos or inclination towards high quality streaming point towards the fact that the consumer is not only giving significant time to digital videos but also is picky about the content and how it is served to him or her, pointed out Gupta.

    “Add to that the growing number of connected devices options in the market, and the OTT player has already found itself challenged to deliver the right type of content for the right type of device and operating system, in the right format. Easier said than done,” Gupta reiterates.

    Gupta insisted it is essential for each player to get the basics right to ensure a seamless service for the end user. ‘It starts with securing the content for the consumers which includes getting the rights and licenses of the content in place, ensuring your distribution channels be it for offline or online viewing and theft proofing the entire content flow from content producer to the audience from end to end,” he stated.

    The next important step in ensuring a profitable future in this business is to position oneself as a trustworthy brand that includes protecting the audience’s privacy and their payment information. “If you have content sitting in your servers or clouds, without a doubt there will be people trying to hack into it. Similarly, if you have databases with credit card information of millions of customers, who have put faith in your service by sharing delicate information with you, it needs to be protected as dearly as the content,” Gupta advised.

    Having a clear brand strategy in communication is also a must, according to Gupta.

    Players with AVOD business model have to especially make sure the advertisement do not dilute the experience of the content. Gupta further added that every player must be ready to handle multiple fold challenges, including different operating systems, devices and formats.

    Gupta aptly concluded with a final advice: be nimble.

  • OTT players have many content, technical challenges to overcome: Akamai’s Dev Gupta

    OTT players have many content, technical challenges to overcome: Akamai’s Dev Gupta

    MUMBAI: More and more ‘OTT players’ are entering India’s fast churning online video ecosystem in a bid to make something out of the double digit growth rates in digital ads in India. If one were to go by industry estimates some thirty odd new digital video services will launch in this market by the next financial year. Those jumping the gun to make fast money in all this disruption fail to realise the challenges that this new media poses in the long run.

    How will all these players co exist and be self-sustaining without a well defined USP when there is only a limited space for apps in smart devices? Which ones will get loyal users and which one will be forgotten in a pile of uninstalled apps?

    The key to having an edge over the rest out there is to see the larger picture and build an ecosystem around content, network and technology — something that technology based companies such as LeEco have realised and already implementing through their massive web of CDNs or Content Delivery Networks. While big players have the financial and technological backbone to support CDNs, the emerging players thus turn to media solutions providers such as Akamai to build this ecosystem for them.

    Speaking at indiatelevision.com initiative ‘Vidnet 2016′, Akamai’s global VP for Media Solutions Services, Dev Gupta, laid down the fundamentals of what an aspiring or existing OTT player must heed to if it planned to survive in the market till when the space becomes revenue generating.

    Global trends such as growing audience size, longer watch hours spent on online videos, and preference for higher bit rate videos or inclination towards high quality streaming point towards the fact that the consumer is not only giving significant time to digital videos but also is picky about the content and how it is served to him or her, pointed out Gupta.

    “Add to that the growing number of connected devices options in the market, and the OTT player has already found itself challenged to deliver the right type of content for the right type of device and operating system, in the right format. Easier said than done,” Gupta reiterates.

    Gupta insisted it is essential for each player to get the basics right to ensure a seamless service for the end user. ‘It starts with securing the content for the consumers which includes getting the rights and licenses of the content in place, ensuring your distribution channels be it for offline or online viewing and theft proofing the entire content flow from content producer to the audience from end to end,” he stated.

    The next important step in ensuring a profitable future in this business is to position oneself as a trustworthy brand that includes protecting the audience’s privacy and their payment information. “If you have content sitting in your servers or clouds, without a doubt there will be people trying to hack into it. Similarly, if you have databases with credit card information of millions of customers, who have put faith in your service by sharing delicate information with you, it needs to be protected as dearly as the content,” Gupta advised.

    Having a clear brand strategy in communication is also a must, according to Gupta.

    Players with AVOD business model have to especially make sure the advertisement do not dilute the experience of the content. Gupta further added that every player must be ready to handle multiple fold challenges, including different operating systems, devices and formats.

    Gupta aptly concluded with a final advice: be nimble.

  • Vidnet 2016: India’s First Focused OTT Conference

    Vidnet 2016: India’s First Focused OTT Conference

    MUMBAI: In today’s mobile-first-with-the-young-generation scenario, content creation, distribution and consumption is constantly evolving.

    Capturing the rapid emerging mood of innovation is Indiantelevision.com’s breakthrough conference, Vidnet 2016: Content on the Go which is to be held on 24 August at the swanky Westin Hotel in Mumbai’s Goregaon suburb.

    Indiantelevision.com’s Vidnet is a day-long congregation of the OTT ecosystem to discuss business models, tech trends, revenue streams, content creation and consumption patterns, success stories within the ecosystem and the way forward for its various constituents.

    The morning will begin with the Vidnet 2016 Summit, which will be followed / accompanied by a closed door VOD / OTT / broadcast CTO conference called Vidnet Tech.

    Vidnet Tech is chaired by Broadcast Media Consultant and Project Specialist, Vynsley Fernandes, Castle Media Pvt Ltd.

    Industry biggies and who’s who of the media and entertainment fraternity are set to attend the event in different capacities. Some confirmed attendees are Ajit Mohan, CEO, Hotstar, Neeraj Roy, MD and CEO, Hungama Digital, Uday Sodhi, Executive VP and Head, Digital Business, Sony Pictures Network India, Abhimanyu Singh, CEO, Contiloe Entertainment, Ajay Chacko, Co-Founder, Arre, Archana Anand, Business Head, DittoTV, Shamsuddin Jasani, Managing Director, ISOBAR, Mahesh Narayan, Managing Director, Saavn, Salil Kapoor, Managing Director, Hooq India, Vivek Bhargava, MD & CEO, iProspect, Tushar Vyas, CSO, GroupM, Baskar Subramanian, Co-founder, Amagi, Gautam Mehra, Data Stack, Aparna Joshi, Radioandmusic.com.

    Vidnet will begin at 10.30 am with an introductory note by Anil Wanvari, CEO, Founder & Editor-in-Chief of Indiantelevision.com Group.

    It will be followed by Presentation on OTT trends in the APAC Region by Vivek Couto, Media Partners Asia.

    The sessions and individual key notes will address holistically many pivotal issues and questions pertaining to the OTT and VOD ecosystem and usher new knowledge paradigms which will set industry trends in time to come.

    For full information on the agenda and list of speakers, visit http://vidnet.in/

    Speaking on the initiative, Anil Wanvari said: “There’s disruption in the video ecosystem, with viewers wanting to consume content wherever and on any device – at home or on the move. The industry has responded through independent or broadcaster affiliated on-demand offerings –either through an ad model or through subscription. Nobody knows what will work, what is needed to make it work and for how long. We hope that Vidnet – Content on the Go will help OTT players, content creators, advertisers, media buyers and planners, brands and the ad delivery measurement guys go a little further in their understanding of the way ahead.”

    In attendance will be major OTT players, individual content creators, advertising and media professionals, tech gurus, writers, journalists among others.

    Akamai is the CDN Partner for the event, Summit Partners include Hotstar and Voot, Elemental is Associate Partner and Amagi is Support Partner. Animationxpress.com, Tellychakkar.com and Radioandmusic.com are Online Partners. The event is executed by ITV 2.0 Productions.

  • Vidnet 2016: India’s First Focused OTT Conference

    Vidnet 2016: India’s First Focused OTT Conference

    MUMBAI: In today’s mobile-first-with-the-young-generation scenario, content creation, distribution and consumption is constantly evolving.

    Capturing the rapid emerging mood of innovation is Indiantelevision.com’s breakthrough conference, Vidnet 2016: Content on the Go which is to be held on 24 August at the swanky Westin Hotel in Mumbai’s Goregaon suburb.

    Indiantelevision.com’s Vidnet is a day-long congregation of the OTT ecosystem to discuss business models, tech trends, revenue streams, content creation and consumption patterns, success stories within the ecosystem and the way forward for its various constituents.

    The morning will begin with the Vidnet 2016 Summit, which will be followed / accompanied by a closed door VOD / OTT / broadcast CTO conference called Vidnet Tech.

    Vidnet Tech is chaired by Broadcast Media Consultant and Project Specialist, Vynsley Fernandes, Castle Media Pvt Ltd.

    Industry biggies and who’s who of the media and entertainment fraternity are set to attend the event in different capacities. Some confirmed attendees are Ajit Mohan, CEO, Hotstar, Neeraj Roy, MD and CEO, Hungama Digital, Uday Sodhi, Executive VP and Head, Digital Business, Sony Pictures Network India, Abhimanyu Singh, CEO, Contiloe Entertainment, Ajay Chacko, Co-Founder, Arre, Archana Anand, Business Head, DittoTV, Shamsuddin Jasani, Managing Director, ISOBAR, Mahesh Narayan, Managing Director, Saavn, Salil Kapoor, Managing Director, Hooq India, Vivek Bhargava, MD & CEO, iProspect, Tushar Vyas, CSO, GroupM, Baskar Subramanian, Co-founder, Amagi, Gautam Mehra, Data Stack, Aparna Joshi, Radioandmusic.com.

    Vidnet will begin at 10.30 am with an introductory note by Anil Wanvari, CEO, Founder & Editor-in-Chief of Indiantelevision.com Group.

    It will be followed by Presentation on OTT trends in the APAC Region by Vivek Couto, Media Partners Asia.

    The sessions and individual key notes will address holistically many pivotal issues and questions pertaining to the OTT and VOD ecosystem and usher new knowledge paradigms which will set industry trends in time to come.

    For full information on the agenda and list of speakers, visit http://vidnet.in/

    Speaking on the initiative, Anil Wanvari said: “There’s disruption in the video ecosystem, with viewers wanting to consume content wherever and on any device – at home or on the move. The industry has responded through independent or broadcaster affiliated on-demand offerings –either through an ad model or through subscription. Nobody knows what will work, what is needed to make it work and for how long. We hope that Vidnet – Content on the Go will help OTT players, content creators, advertisers, media buyers and planners, brands and the ad delivery measurement guys go a little further in their understanding of the way ahead.”

    In attendance will be major OTT players, individual content creators, advertising and media professionals, tech gurus, writers, journalists among others.

    Akamai is the CDN Partner for the event, Summit Partners include Hotstar and Voot, Elemental is Associate Partner and Amagi is Support Partner. Animationxpress.com, Tellychakkar.com and Radioandmusic.com are Online Partners. The event is executed by ITV 2.0 Productions.

  • Zee Mindspace Awards 2016 to acknowledge marketing fraternity

    Zee Mindspace Awards 2016 to acknowledge marketing fraternity

    MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) has instituted the Zee Mindspace Awards to give recognition to brands.

    The awards ceremony will be held on 27 August at #ZEEMelt 2016 in the capital.

    ZEE Mindspace Awards aim to serve as an additional independent barometer for marketers. It will recognize the overall marketing mix implemented by the brand owners to carve a mindspace within the consumers.

    ZEEL chief business officer Sunil Buch said, “Achieving ‘consumer mindspace’ is every marketer’s ultimate goal. The thought of extending our three-year old brand intellectual property ‘ZEE Mindspace’ also as an awards property was based on this very essence. The marketing fraternity is an integral part of our overall business value chain, and in today’s digital era it is indeed a challenge for the marketers to arrive at the right marketing mix. The proof of the pudding is being present in the ‘Mindspace’, which is the foundation of ZEE Mindspace Awards.”

    The network has partnered with market research company Nielsen to execute a nationwide research to identify brands which have created maximum impact on the minds of the consumers. The primary criteria to arrive at the winning brands are popularity, advocacy, desire and buzz. Brands which have a top of mind recall are also a part of the structured research methodology.

    Nielsen has targeted a sample size of 12000+ audiences, covering key zones across the country.

    The winning brands will be awarded at the ZEE Mindspace Awards 2016 in the presence of over 500 CMOs and stalwarts from the marketing and advertising industry.

    Nielsen South Asia MD Prashant Singh said, “Nielsen’s research methodology is a brand assessment among consumers who have adopted new age media in addition to traditional media and provides brand owners’ insights into how brands are adapting to this fast-evolving space. More than 12000 online surveys were conducted to evaluate 288 brands across 36 categories. The research was broken into multiple phases – from initial screening of brands to final rounds focusing on understanding what makes a brand resonate in the consumer’s mind. The winners were identified after undertaking a rigorous process, based on top-of-mind recall, popularity, the kind of advocacy the brand commands, the desire to own the brand and finally the buzz it generates. Above all, it’s the brand’s ability to pop-up in mind at the first instance that holds maximum weightage.”

    #ZEEMelt 2016 will also witness the 4th edition of Zee Mindspace Conference which aims at bringing the marketing fraternity together to connect, discuss and explore new possibilities. The sessions under conference comprise of two main themes: Previewing tomorrow – where one gets insights into the future of several areas in the industry, and Open possibilities which introduces the many advantages that data, content, consumer analysis and branding offer in transforming businesses.

    The speakers at the conference are Constellation Research founder and chairman and principal analyst R Ray Wang, News Works deputy chief executive Vanessa Clifford, Havas Media SVP of strategy and innovation Tom Goodwin, strategist and speaker Jeff Bullas, Financial Times chief data officer Tom Betts, Semcon corporate communication and marketing director Per Nilsson, XAxis global CEO Brian Gleason, technology and media author, strategy consultant Tomi Ahonen.

    ZEEL has embarked on an extensive promotion campaign in key markets targeting print, outdoor, digital, social media platforms and PR. Further, as a part of integration with Twitter, the awards ceremony will be live-streamed on Periscope and extensively promoted on the social media platform. Actor and Television presenter, Gaurav Kapur who would be the event anchor, will also interact with the users through Twitter’s #BlueRoom today at 6.30 pm.

  • Zee Mindspace Awards 2016 to acknowledge marketing fraternity

    Zee Mindspace Awards 2016 to acknowledge marketing fraternity

    MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) has instituted the Zee Mindspace Awards to give recognition to brands.

    The awards ceremony will be held on 27 August at #ZEEMelt 2016 in the capital.

    ZEE Mindspace Awards aim to serve as an additional independent barometer for marketers. It will recognize the overall marketing mix implemented by the brand owners to carve a mindspace within the consumers.

    ZEEL chief business officer Sunil Buch said, “Achieving ‘consumer mindspace’ is every marketer’s ultimate goal. The thought of extending our three-year old brand intellectual property ‘ZEE Mindspace’ also as an awards property was based on this very essence. The marketing fraternity is an integral part of our overall business value chain, and in today’s digital era it is indeed a challenge for the marketers to arrive at the right marketing mix. The proof of the pudding is being present in the ‘Mindspace’, which is the foundation of ZEE Mindspace Awards.”

    The network has partnered with market research company Nielsen to execute a nationwide research to identify brands which have created maximum impact on the minds of the consumers. The primary criteria to arrive at the winning brands are popularity, advocacy, desire and buzz. Brands which have a top of mind recall are also a part of the structured research methodology.

    Nielsen has targeted a sample size of 12000+ audiences, covering key zones across the country.

    The winning brands will be awarded at the ZEE Mindspace Awards 2016 in the presence of over 500 CMOs and stalwarts from the marketing and advertising industry.

    Nielsen South Asia MD Prashant Singh said, “Nielsen’s research methodology is a brand assessment among consumers who have adopted new age media in addition to traditional media and provides brand owners’ insights into how brands are adapting to this fast-evolving space. More than 12000 online surveys were conducted to evaluate 288 brands across 36 categories. The research was broken into multiple phases – from initial screening of brands to final rounds focusing on understanding what makes a brand resonate in the consumer’s mind. The winners were identified after undertaking a rigorous process, based on top-of-mind recall, popularity, the kind of advocacy the brand commands, the desire to own the brand and finally the buzz it generates. Above all, it’s the brand’s ability to pop-up in mind at the first instance that holds maximum weightage.”

    #ZEEMelt 2016 will also witness the 4th edition of Zee Mindspace Conference which aims at bringing the marketing fraternity together to connect, discuss and explore new possibilities. The sessions under conference comprise of two main themes: Previewing tomorrow – where one gets insights into the future of several areas in the industry, and Open possibilities which introduces the many advantages that data, content, consumer analysis and branding offer in transforming businesses.

    The speakers at the conference are Constellation Research founder and chairman and principal analyst R Ray Wang, News Works deputy chief executive Vanessa Clifford, Havas Media SVP of strategy and innovation Tom Goodwin, strategist and speaker Jeff Bullas, Financial Times chief data officer Tom Betts, Semcon corporate communication and marketing director Per Nilsson, XAxis global CEO Brian Gleason, technology and media author, strategy consultant Tomi Ahonen.

    ZEEL has embarked on an extensive promotion campaign in key markets targeting print, outdoor, digital, social media platforms and PR. Further, as a part of integration with Twitter, the awards ceremony will be live-streamed on Periscope and extensively promoted on the social media platform. Actor and Television presenter, Gaurav Kapur who would be the event anchor, will also interact with the users through Twitter’s #BlueRoom today at 6.30 pm.

  • Government & private initiatives required to achieve ambitious goal of Digital India

    Government & private initiatives required to achieve ambitious goal of Digital India

    MUMBAI: According to Akamai’s 2015 Asia Pacific Survey, India had the lowest average broadband speeds of 2.5 Mbps. As 3G speeds increase and 4G adoption is still nascent; the quality of internet access and affordability in terms of data tariffs and on 3G/4G enabled devices continue to remain a challenge to deliver consumer value. On the regulatory side, there have been a lot of discussions on net neutrality and licensing of OTT services. These will have a significant impact on how digital media evolves in the future.

    Sony Pictures Networks India Pvt Ltd. head – marketing & analytics, digital business Abhishek Joshi strongly believes that content is where you stream it and the government has the a say in it. “The OTT industry has graduated from the innovators stage to the early adopters stage within the innovation diffusion curve, based on distinguished product strategies by players in the market. However to cross the chasm to gain the majority market, policy makers will have to play a very big role. Infrastructure and regulatory policies are going to be the biggest differentiators for industry growth for the next 18 months.”

    While on the other hand, Ping Networks co-founder Rajeshree Naik is of the opinion that the government should not play any role in an individual’sprivacy. “That is a grey area. The government should rather focus on the infrastructure, companies coming up, partnerships, investments, etc rather than on content. Infrastructure does not bother pay because I know it is going to get better soon. The thing that scares me are the two terms related to digital i.e. no censorship and payment methods. Though, the beauty of digital is having no regulations, collective responsibility is to be taken ensuring that the government stays away.”

    Supporting Joshi on government interference was VOOT head, marketing and partnerships Akash Banerji. “Short form of content is not the solution. “These are early days for OTT in India. Players are either following the AVOD or SVOD model today. Both are profitable but for now what concerns me about the SVOD model is that why should a consumer pay for subscription when he is already paying a lot for mobile data. “

    Banerji adds, “There also is limitation of vast content on platforms. 80-90 percent of content is with the top players and a minuscule number of hours of great quality content is curated. For a new entrant for eg VOOT, it is difficult to drive money immediately after it rolled out.”

    Whereas Joshi thinks that even the consumers are not inclined to pay. “There is no inclination to pay. They will pay for content that has some value for them. They want quality content, expect HD, streamless service, etc.”

    Hungama.com COO Siddharth Roy opined that transactions have worked. “There is massive copyright infringement. The government needs to have a robust and strong IPR. Branded entertainment is the driver of this entire eco-system. Branded IP makes money.”

    “Value comes from the content and the way it is consumed. The business needs a lot of clarity. Government and all the players should work together to come to a concrete conclusion. In the end, crows is the king,” asserts Banerji.

    Naik believes that videos and original content will co-exist and that content will keep evolving.

    With global players like Netflix and Amazon Prime in India, the players present in the panel are looking forward to the global entrants. “If Netflix is a success in India, the creators will have more chance to put their content on the digital platforms. It is investing plenty on producing original content here and will be a good example. Viewers will love to pay for quality content that can entertain them.”

    Joshi is also excited with the entry of this global player and India and thinks that it is only going to be good for the business.

    Sharing his thoughts on the future of India’s burgeoning digital market, Technicolor’s country head for India Biren Ghose, in his valedictory remarks, said, “Content is assuming new life in the emerging digital economy. Technology enables innovations in imagery that could hitherto neither be produced nor consumed. FICCI and LA India Film Council need to be complimented on encouraging the conversation for the Indian agenda in this space.”

    Panelists at FICCI Knowledge Series 2016 for the Regulatory and Infrastructural Challenges for Digital Media, concluded that a combination of government and private initiatives would need to be rolled out to achieve the ambitious goal of a truly Digital India.

  • Government & private initiatives required to achieve ambitious goal of Digital India

    Government & private initiatives required to achieve ambitious goal of Digital India

    MUMBAI: According to Akamai’s 2015 Asia Pacific Survey, India had the lowest average broadband speeds of 2.5 Mbps. As 3G speeds increase and 4G adoption is still nascent; the quality of internet access and affordability in terms of data tariffs and on 3G/4G enabled devices continue to remain a challenge to deliver consumer value. On the regulatory side, there have been a lot of discussions on net neutrality and licensing of OTT services. These will have a significant impact on how digital media evolves in the future.

    Sony Pictures Networks India Pvt Ltd. head – marketing & analytics, digital business Abhishek Joshi strongly believes that content is where you stream it and the government has the a say in it. “The OTT industry has graduated from the innovators stage to the early adopters stage within the innovation diffusion curve, based on distinguished product strategies by players in the market. However to cross the chasm to gain the majority market, policy makers will have to play a very big role. Infrastructure and regulatory policies are going to be the biggest differentiators for industry growth for the next 18 months.”

    While on the other hand, Ping Networks co-founder Rajeshree Naik is of the opinion that the government should not play any role in an individual’sprivacy. “That is a grey area. The government should rather focus on the infrastructure, companies coming up, partnerships, investments, etc rather than on content. Infrastructure does not bother pay because I know it is going to get better soon. The thing that scares me are the two terms related to digital i.e. no censorship and payment methods. Though, the beauty of digital is having no regulations, collective responsibility is to be taken ensuring that the government stays away.”

    Supporting Joshi on government interference was VOOT head, marketing and partnerships Akash Banerji. “Short form of content is not the solution. “These are early days for OTT in India. Players are either following the AVOD or SVOD model today. Both are profitable but for now what concerns me about the SVOD model is that why should a consumer pay for subscription when he is already paying a lot for mobile data. “

    Banerji adds, “There also is limitation of vast content on platforms. 80-90 percent of content is with the top players and a minuscule number of hours of great quality content is curated. For a new entrant for eg VOOT, it is difficult to drive money immediately after it rolled out.”

    Whereas Joshi thinks that even the consumers are not inclined to pay. “There is no inclination to pay. They will pay for content that has some value for them. They want quality content, expect HD, streamless service, etc.”

    Hungama.com COO Siddharth Roy opined that transactions have worked. “There is massive copyright infringement. The government needs to have a robust and strong IPR. Branded entertainment is the driver of this entire eco-system. Branded IP makes money.”

    “Value comes from the content and the way it is consumed. The business needs a lot of clarity. Government and all the players should work together to come to a concrete conclusion. In the end, crows is the king,” asserts Banerji.

    Naik believes that videos and original content will co-exist and that content will keep evolving.

    With global players like Netflix and Amazon Prime in India, the players present in the panel are looking forward to the global entrants. “If Netflix is a success in India, the creators will have more chance to put their content on the digital platforms. It is investing plenty on producing original content here and will be a good example. Viewers will love to pay for quality content that can entertain them.”

    Joshi is also excited with the entry of this global player and India and thinks that it is only going to be good for the business.

    Sharing his thoughts on the future of India’s burgeoning digital market, Technicolor’s country head for India Biren Ghose, in his valedictory remarks, said, “Content is assuming new life in the emerging digital economy. Technology enables innovations in imagery that could hitherto neither be produced nor consumed. FICCI and LA India Film Council need to be complimented on encouraging the conversation for the Indian agenda in this space.”

    Panelists at FICCI Knowledge Series 2016 for the Regulatory and Infrastructural Challenges for Digital Media, concluded that a combination of government and private initiatives would need to be rolled out to achieve the ambitious goal of a truly Digital India.