ITV

Category: GECs

  • APOS 2016: Reliance Industries’ Adil Zainulbhai & the Jio launch

    APOS 2016: Reliance Industries’ Adil Zainulbhai & the Jio launch

    BALI: For all those who have been speculating about the commercial launch dates of Reliance Industries Jio services – whether wireless broadband and 4G or wired broadband – in India, here’s  the final word from the Network 18 Media & Investments chairman and Reliance Industries independent director Adil Zainulbhai.

    Speaking at APOS2016 in Bali, Zainulbhai admitted even he does not know it. “There is probably one person who knows when the launch date is: that is the chairman. And the chairman of the board will decide one day when it will launch and I don’t think even he knows today what that date is. He will let us know when that is to happen.”

    Zainulbhai stated that Jio was very close to being ready in terms of infrastructure for broadband wireless. He pointed out that the company was currently looking at what all was required from the marketing and processes perspectives.

    He revealed that close to 250,000 km fibre has been laid for wired broadband. These services will follow only after the launch of wireless broadband.

    “In the next 18-24 months, a large proportion of the high net worth homes in India will have the potential to have a fibre connection. And then they will have to choose when they want it or not,” he expounded. “Today an average data user on wireless broadband uses 0.18 GB a month. We have 500,000 users on our network testing it –they are using on an average 20GB. This is going to be a disruption. We don’t know how things will roll out when you give people an opportunity to consume as much as they want for a very reasonable price.”

    Zainulbhai stated the Reliance group has never looked at any project business case wise. “The thought has always been how can we disrupt the existing scenario, improve lives of people and  in the process make money,” he disclosed.  “Right from the founder Dhirubhai Ambani’s time. And this has worked well for it with every project paying off.”

    He directed the attendees attention to benefits like health and education which will be the other services the group will provide under Jio. “There’s a shortage of doctors and teachers in India. We want to help plug that gap through our broadband digital infrastructure. Entertainment services will pay for the laying of the fibre. The biggest change will happen in other fields.”

  • APOS 2016: Shane Smith, Viceland and ageing down networks

    APOS 2016: Shane Smith, Viceland and ageing down networks

    BALI: “Don’t hire traditional TV people.”  With those closing remarks during his keynote conversation at APOS 2016 with MPA executive director and  co-founder Vivek Couto , Vice Media co-founder and CEO Shane Smith set the tone for what his company stands for.

    Smith stated that the media today  is changing. “The Baby boomers have run media for the past 40 years. Gen Y – which is companies like us – will run it for the next many years,” he stated with absolute confidence.

    Like at a Mipcom a couple of years ago, Smith – dressed in shorts with a tattoo on his leg – reiterated that Vice hires interns and gives them money  to produce content for his network which includes news, food, music and lifestyle channels. “Yes, you give them $10 million. Sometimes you win, sometimes you get a law suit as the intern runs away to Mexico,” he said with a wry smile.

    Smith was clear that he will extend his brand to all screens and he will extend his networks to other territories with local partnerships. Earlier this year, his company launched Viceland in both Canada (with Rogers Cable) and US (in partnership with A+E Networks and Disney).  Something which got sniggers from traditional TV execs that Vice was going the traditional way. But Smith has his point of view on this.

    “Our extension to TV is helping ageing down the networks,” he stated. “We are bringing back the younger demographic to TV. We will produce anywhere there is a younger audience.”

    His belief is that the younger audiences had no programming for them, which is what has helped Vice.com succeed.  “Whether it is in China, India, Indonesia, we will move in there to serve our key demo,” he said.

    “OTT and mobile are very important for us,” he added. “But so is delivery across television but with content which is of a quality that appeals to our audience.”

    Viceland is a multinational television channel brand owned and programmed by Vice Media. Viceland’s programming consists primarily of lifestyle-oriented documentaries and reality series aimed towards millennials, directed in Vice’s trademark style of ‘character-driven documentaries’ 

  • APOS 2016: Shane Smith, Viceland and ageing down networks

    APOS 2016: Shane Smith, Viceland and ageing down networks

    BALI: “Don’t hire traditional TV people.”  With those closing remarks during his keynote conversation at APOS 2016 with MPA executive director and  co-founder Vivek Couto , Vice Media co-founder and CEO Shane Smith set the tone for what his company stands for.

    Smith stated that the media today  is changing. “The Baby boomers have run media for the past 40 years. Gen Y – which is companies like us – will run it for the next many years,” he stated with absolute confidence.

    Like at a Mipcom a couple of years ago, Smith – dressed in shorts with a tattoo on his leg – reiterated that Vice hires interns and gives them money  to produce content for his network which includes news, food, music and lifestyle channels. “Yes, you give them $10 million. Sometimes you win, sometimes you get a law suit as the intern runs away to Mexico,” he said with a wry smile.

    Smith was clear that he will extend his brand to all screens and he will extend his networks to other territories with local partnerships. Earlier this year, his company launched Viceland in both Canada (with Rogers Cable) and US (in partnership with A+E Networks and Disney).  Something which got sniggers from traditional TV execs that Vice was going the traditional way. But Smith has his point of view on this.

    “Our extension to TV is helping ageing down the networks,” he stated. “We are bringing back the younger demographic to TV. We will produce anywhere there is a younger audience.”

    His belief is that the younger audiences had no programming for them, which is what has helped Vice.com succeed.  “Whether it is in China, India, Indonesia, we will move in there to serve our key demo,” he said.

    “OTT and mobile are very important for us,” he added. “But so is delivery across television but with content which is of a quality that appeals to our audience.”

    Viceland is a multinational television channel brand owned and programmed by Vice Media. Viceland’s programming consists primarily of lifestyle-oriented documentaries and reality series aimed towards millennials, directed in Vice’s trademark style of ‘character-driven documentaries’ 

  • Colors strengthens its weekend with 7th season of India’s Got Talent

    Colors strengthens its weekend with 7th season of India’s Got Talent

     MUMBAI: Talent doesn’t discriminate; it knows no biases, it has no preferences. After Khatro Ke Khiladi, Colors is once again back with its one of the finest show which brings rarest of jewels of the country with India’s Got Talent season 7. The weekend show will start airing from 30 April on Saturday – Sunday at 9pm time band.

    The judging panel- Karan Johar, Kirron Kher and Malaika Arora Khan will return yet again to turn dreams into reality for the contestants. Produced by Fremantle India, IGT-7 will be hosted by Bharti Singh and Sidharth Shukla.

    The channel has  roped in Maruti Suzuki as presenting sponsor, L’Oreal Paris as the powered by sponsor, and  Nivea, Liberty Shoes and Kent RO Systems as associate sponsors specially for its HD feed.

    This year’s highlights include performances  like sand art, beatboxing, mind-reading, underwater and water-sport acts, aerial yoga, horse acrobatics, and for the first-time-ever ice-skating and sky-diving acts. This edition will also see the team travel to every nook and cranny of the country to bring to the fore unheard of talents looking for a stage to perform. Further, special episodes will celebrate rustic and traditional art forms which have lost their individuality over the years.

    Colors programming head Manisha Sharma said, “The beauty of India’s Got Talent is that it just lets you be. It doesn’t try to restyle you. Hence the focus is purely on what you bring to table in terms of your talent. It’s the only credible platform that the country has which gives opportunities to the uniqueness in an individual. As we venture into the by-lanes of India in search of the best, with a promise of larger than life performances, we promise to create an unparalleled viewing experience for our discerning audience.”

    Fremantle India  content head Aradhana Bhola, “In its seventh season, India’s Got Talent’s search for superlative talent has taken us to the smallest towns and villages including  Loharika in Punjab  and Nunerbhari in Bengal. With double the dose of entertainment, drama and never-seen-before spectacles, the show will be a treat to the audiences’ senses. We hope that the show’s larger-than-life backdrop and nation-wide search for superior talent will enthrall viewers and keep them glued to their television sets.”

    The channel has devised an extensive marketing campaign incorporating multiple mediums reaching out to viewers at various touch-points for top-of-mind recall. On the digital front, the channel has devised various activities including a blogger outreach program, a glimpse into the lives of talent from previous seasons including last year’s winner Manik Paul, and invite talent-led stories on social media platforms using the hashtags #IFeelTalentedWhenI and #HunarHiPehchaanHai amongst other initiatives.

  • Colors strengthens its weekend with 7th season of India’s Got Talent

    Colors strengthens its weekend with 7th season of India’s Got Talent

     MUMBAI: Talent doesn’t discriminate; it knows no biases, it has no preferences. After Khatro Ke Khiladi, Colors is once again back with its one of the finest show which brings rarest of jewels of the country with India’s Got Talent season 7. The weekend show will start airing from 30 April on Saturday – Sunday at 9pm time band.

    The judging panel- Karan Johar, Kirron Kher and Malaika Arora Khan will return yet again to turn dreams into reality for the contestants. Produced by Fremantle India, IGT-7 will be hosted by Bharti Singh and Sidharth Shukla.

    The channel has  roped in Maruti Suzuki as presenting sponsor, L’Oreal Paris as the powered by sponsor, and  Nivea, Liberty Shoes and Kent RO Systems as associate sponsors specially for its HD feed.

    This year’s highlights include performances  like sand art, beatboxing, mind-reading, underwater and water-sport acts, aerial yoga, horse acrobatics, and for the first-time-ever ice-skating and sky-diving acts. This edition will also see the team travel to every nook and cranny of the country to bring to the fore unheard of talents looking for a stage to perform. Further, special episodes will celebrate rustic and traditional art forms which have lost their individuality over the years.

    Colors programming head Manisha Sharma said, “The beauty of India’s Got Talent is that it just lets you be. It doesn’t try to restyle you. Hence the focus is purely on what you bring to table in terms of your talent. It’s the only credible platform that the country has which gives opportunities to the uniqueness in an individual. As we venture into the by-lanes of India in search of the best, with a promise of larger than life performances, we promise to create an unparalleled viewing experience for our discerning audience.”

    Fremantle India  content head Aradhana Bhola, “In its seventh season, India’s Got Talent’s search for superlative talent has taken us to the smallest towns and villages including  Loharika in Punjab  and Nunerbhari in Bengal. With double the dose of entertainment, drama and never-seen-before spectacles, the show will be a treat to the audiences’ senses. We hope that the show’s larger-than-life backdrop and nation-wide search for superior talent will enthrall viewers and keep them glued to their television sets.”

    The channel has devised an extensive marketing campaign incorporating multiple mediums reaching out to viewers at various touch-points for top-of-mind recall. On the digital front, the channel has devised various activities including a blogger outreach program, a glimpse into the lives of talent from previous seasons including last year’s winner Manik Paul, and invite talent-led stories on social media platforms using the hashtags #IFeelTalentedWhenI and #HunarHiPehchaanHai amongst other initiatives.

  • APOS 2016: Decoding APAC’s digital video and TV future

    APOS 2016: Decoding APAC’s digital video and TV future

    BALI: The stage is set for a crackling APOS 2016 in Bali. The annual do organized by Vivek Couto’s Media Partners Asia got off to a flying start this evening with the opening and welcome reception hosted by Disney.

    It was held on the lawns of the Ayana Resort in the Jimbaran district of Bali. The mood was perfect: the skies perfectly clear and the breeze gentle, unlike one of the years earlier when rain disrupted the proceedings. The beer, fruit juices and cocktails flowed freely as Asia Pacific’s TV and digital industry professionals hobnobbed with each other.

    The attendance was stellar: distribution executives, owners & promoters, CEOs, APAC heads,  from the broadcast, cable, satellite sides of the business were all there. HBO Asia head Jonathan Spinks, the new Netflix vice president business development Asia Tony Zameczkwoski, Vice’s iconoclast co-founder & CEO Shane Smith, Walt Disney Co SEVP and chief strategy officer Kevin Mayer, Fox Networks Group Asia President Zubin Gandevia, SES Asia senior VP commercial Deepak Mathur, TV5 Asia director Alexandre Muller,  were among the familiar faces from the APAC region. and elsewhere.

    Among the Indian big names who showed up included: Zee Entertainment international head Amit Goenka was seen with his international team of Rajeev Kheror and Mukund Cairae. Videocon d2h deputy CEO Rohit Jain, COO Himanshu Patil were seen chatting with partners. Indiacast’s Anuj Gandhi was seen hobnobbing with executives from the region. Times Network was represented by international business head Naveen Chandra. For some the festivities continued late into the night as they headed to various restaurants and warungs  across Bali for some of the delicious Balinese food.

    APOS 2016 is markedly different this time because of the focus on different countries. Australia, China, India, Korea and Japan have special sessions that will look at unraveling the opportunity in each of these markets.  

    Global media leaders have sessions on their own. Whether it is Shine Endemol’s Sophie Turner Laing, or Netflix’s Reed Hastings and Ted Sarandos, Disney’s Kevin Mayer or A&E Networks EVP & CFO David Granville-Smith or Kudelski Group chairman & CEO Andre Kudelski or Viacom International Media Networks President & CEO Bob Bakish, or Emerald Media CEO Paul Aiello – they have all turned up to attend, hear, network and speak. One noteworthy absence is Dreamworks’ Jeffery Katzenberg who has not been able to make it for personal reasons.

    Of course, as most of MPA’s gigs are vaunt to be, APOS 2016 has oodles of investment banks, private equity firm executives all lined up to give their perspective on video distribution opportunities in the Asia Pacific market and in which territories and businesses they are willing to invest in. Among the notable names here: Evolution Media Capital’s founder & co managing partner Rick Hess, CAA head of global client strategy Brian Weinstein, CMC Capital Partners chairman & founding partner Li Ruigang and MD Alex Chen, Providence Equity Partners Head of Asia Bis Subramanian, and senior advisor Tony Ball, Jungle Ventures managing partner David Gowdey, Paul Aiello, iflix group advisor David Goldstein, and Raine Ventures managing partner Godron Rubenstein.

    Several operational heads from the US, Europe and Asia who have their teeth in the business are also speaking. Among these: Discovery Networks Asia Pacific president & CEO Arthur Bastings, PCCW Media group MD Janice Lee, A+E Networks president international & digital media Sean Cohan, Optus CEO Allen Lew, Cartoon Network president & general manager Christina Miller, Taiwan Broadband executive vice-chairman Thomas EE, CJ E&M media content business president DJ Lee,

    Additionally,  the two days of the conference are peppered with digital video discussions considering that OTT and digital VOD services are exploding in the region, including in India.

    The India session looks appealing especially considering the rollout of digitization in India cable and satellite TV. Star India managing director Sanjay Gupta, Reliance Industries’ independent director o the board Adil Zainulbhai, Tata Sky MD Harit Nagpal and Viacom18 Media Group CEO Sudhanshu Vats slated to give their perspectives.

    Indiantelevision.com will be reporting from Bali to give you updates that are relevant to the Indian distribution ecosystem – right from cable TV to DTH to OTT platforms to content creation. So stay tuned

  • APOS 2016: Decoding APAC’s digital video and TV future

    APOS 2016: Decoding APAC’s digital video and TV future

    BALI: The stage is set for a crackling APOS 2016 in Bali. The annual do organized by Vivek Couto’s Media Partners Asia got off to a flying start this evening with the opening and welcome reception hosted by Disney.

    It was held on the lawns of the Ayana Resort in the Jimbaran district of Bali. The mood was perfect: the skies perfectly clear and the breeze gentle, unlike one of the years earlier when rain disrupted the proceedings. The beer, fruit juices and cocktails flowed freely as Asia Pacific’s TV and digital industry professionals hobnobbed with each other.

    The attendance was stellar: distribution executives, owners & promoters, CEOs, APAC heads,  from the broadcast, cable, satellite sides of the business were all there. HBO Asia head Jonathan Spinks, the new Netflix vice president business development Asia Tony Zameczkwoski, Vice’s iconoclast co-founder & CEO Shane Smith, Walt Disney Co SEVP and chief strategy officer Kevin Mayer, Fox Networks Group Asia President Zubin Gandevia, SES Asia senior VP commercial Deepak Mathur, TV5 Asia director Alexandre Muller,  were among the familiar faces from the APAC region. and elsewhere.

    Among the Indian big names who showed up included: Zee Entertainment international head Amit Goenka was seen with his international team of Rajeev Kheror and Mukund Cairae. Videocon d2h deputy CEO Rohit Jain, COO Himanshu Patil were seen chatting with partners. Indiacast’s Anuj Gandhi was seen hobnobbing with executives from the region. Times Network was represented by international business head Naveen Chandra. For some the festivities continued late into the night as they headed to various restaurants and warungs  across Bali for some of the delicious Balinese food.

    APOS 2016 is markedly different this time because of the focus on different countries. Australia, China, India, Korea and Japan have special sessions that will look at unraveling the opportunity in each of these markets.  

    Global media leaders have sessions on their own. Whether it is Shine Endemol’s Sophie Turner Laing, or Netflix’s Reed Hastings and Ted Sarandos, Disney’s Kevin Mayer or A&E Networks EVP & CFO David Granville-Smith or Kudelski Group chairman & CEO Andre Kudelski or Viacom International Media Networks President & CEO Bob Bakish, or Emerald Media CEO Paul Aiello – they have all turned up to attend, hear, network and speak. One noteworthy absence is Dreamworks’ Jeffery Katzenberg who has not been able to make it for personal reasons.

    Of course, as most of MPA’s gigs are vaunt to be, APOS 2016 has oodles of investment banks, private equity firm executives all lined up to give their perspective on video distribution opportunities in the Asia Pacific market and in which territories and businesses they are willing to invest in. Among the notable names here: Evolution Media Capital’s founder & co managing partner Rick Hess, CAA head of global client strategy Brian Weinstein, CMC Capital Partners chairman & founding partner Li Ruigang and MD Alex Chen, Providence Equity Partners Head of Asia Bis Subramanian, and senior advisor Tony Ball, Jungle Ventures managing partner David Gowdey, Paul Aiello, iflix group advisor David Goldstein, and Raine Ventures managing partner Godron Rubenstein.

    Several operational heads from the US, Europe and Asia who have their teeth in the business are also speaking. Among these: Discovery Networks Asia Pacific president & CEO Arthur Bastings, PCCW Media group MD Janice Lee, A+E Networks president international & digital media Sean Cohan, Optus CEO Allen Lew, Cartoon Network president & general manager Christina Miller, Taiwan Broadband executive vice-chairman Thomas EE, CJ E&M media content business president DJ Lee,

    Additionally,  the two days of the conference are peppered with digital video discussions considering that OTT and digital VOD services are exploding in the region, including in India.

    The India session looks appealing especially considering the rollout of digitization in India cable and satellite TV. Star India managing director Sanjay Gupta, Reliance Industries’ independent director o the board Adil Zainulbhai, Tata Sky MD Harit Nagpal and Viacom18 Media Group CEO Sudhanshu Vats slated to give their perspectives.

    Indiantelevision.com will be reporting from Bali to give you updates that are relevant to the Indian distribution ecosystem – right from cable TV to DTH to OTT platforms to content creation. So stay tuned

  • DD to auction prime time slots: Rathore – viewership & revenue dropping

    DD to auction prime time slots: Rathore – viewership & revenue dropping

    NEW DELHI: Doordarshan is to auction some of its prime time slots on DD National instead of commissioning them or taking them on self-financed commission basis. Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore admitted in parliament today that the current acquisition of programmes through commissioning and self finance commissioning (SFC) route had resulted in dipping of viewership of DD National and consequently decreasing revenue.
     
    Prasar Bharati has therefore considered the option of sale of time slot /time bands on DD National channel as a strategy to source high quality content at no cost. The SFC scheme was launched in 2005 and it worked well for DD in the initial years but SFC serials did not deliver either on increasing viewership or revenue in recent years.
    Rathore said the Prasar Bharati Board had advised DD to proceed with an alternative policy by opening-up prime time slots for sale. DD is coming up with a slot sale policy so that genuine external and creative professionals can mount their programmes on DD Channels through slot purchase, the minister said.
     
    In this scheme, DD would stop financing production through ‘Pay Out’ modes and instead have revenue assurance in the form of a slot fee. The policy envisages that producers are made stakeholders in the scheme. They would invest in the content and recover the same from the market through sale of associated commercial time. In such a situation, the minister added, market forces would ensure that high quality standards are maintained for the content mounted, while assuring revenue for Doordarshan.

    In reply to another question, the minister said Television Rating Points (TRP) and viewership details of DD National according to the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) data including rural viewership initiated in October 2015 fluctuates on weekly basis. He admitted that Doordarshan has suffered a setback because of sharp drop in number of terrestrial TV viewers. He said the Prasar Bharati Board had also decided to invite good external programmes to be telecast on all its channels in different phases.

  • DD to auction prime time slots: Rathore – viewership & revenue dropping

    DD to auction prime time slots: Rathore – viewership & revenue dropping

    NEW DELHI: Doordarshan is to auction some of its prime time slots on DD National instead of commissioning them or taking them on self-financed commission basis. Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore admitted in parliament today that the current acquisition of programmes through commissioning and self finance commissioning (SFC) route had resulted in dipping of viewership of DD National and consequently decreasing revenue.
     
    Prasar Bharati has therefore considered the option of sale of time slot /time bands on DD National channel as a strategy to source high quality content at no cost. The SFC scheme was launched in 2005 and it worked well for DD in the initial years but SFC serials did not deliver either on increasing viewership or revenue in recent years.
    Rathore said the Prasar Bharati Board had advised DD to proceed with an alternative policy by opening-up prime time slots for sale. DD is coming up with a slot sale policy so that genuine external and creative professionals can mount their programmes on DD Channels through slot purchase, the minister said.
     
    In this scheme, DD would stop financing production through ‘Pay Out’ modes and instead have revenue assurance in the form of a slot fee. The policy envisages that producers are made stakeholders in the scheme. They would invest in the content and recover the same from the market through sale of associated commercial time. In such a situation, the minister added, market forces would ensure that high quality standards are maintained for the content mounted, while assuring revenue for Doordarshan.

    In reply to another question, the minister said Television Rating Points (TRP) and viewership details of DD National according to the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) data including rural viewership initiated in October 2015 fluctuates on weekly basis. He admitted that Doordarshan has suffered a setback because of sharp drop in number of terrestrial TV viewers. He said the Prasar Bharati Board had also decided to invite good external programmes to be telecast on all its channels in different phases.

  • TV meets digital; Sab TV ties up with Twitter

    TV meets digital; Sab TV ties up with Twitter

    MUMBAI: Gone are the days when the social media platform Twitter was just for a casual chit chat, it is now an important tool for mainstream media. Breaking the stereotype trend, Sab TV staying true to its brand belief of ‘Differentiation through Innovation’, brings to its audience yet another unique concept- Khidki.  The channel in partnership with television producer JD Majethia and Bollywood director Umesh Shukla has called in for entries i.e. stories from the common man through Twitter – #TweetAFunnyStory.

    The brief is that entries should encompass unique yet funny stories that one has experienced in life, something that holds a special place in one’s memories and brings out the laughs. The shortlisted stories will then be presented to the world in the form of an episodic series on the channel.

    Sab TV will give an opportunity to millions of families to tell their funny stories to the world. The viewers can submit their entries on Twitter or email them to humarifunnykahani@setindia.com. The most interesting and entertaining story will be told on-screen and the family will also get a chance to be a part of the series as the story heads towards the climax.

    Until now, the channel has received around 4,000 stories.  The show Khidki will be a half-hour weekday show. Though the channel has not finalized the date as yet, it is planning to launch the show post IPL.

    Speaking with Indiantelevision.com, Sab TV senior EVP and business head Anooj Kapoor said, “The show will be based on real life stories. So we are asking them to send their stories and incidents to us which we shall develop into an episode. At the end of that particular episode, the person who sent that incident will get a chance to appear on the show and get to talk little more about it. This will be not only give a chance to the viewer to get the sense of complete engagement, it will also make the story extremely relative to the audiences.”

    Kapoor further added, “We have to attract such stories from various platforms and therefore the partnership with Twitter became a very obvious choice because it is very easy for twitterti to tweet the story and same could be evaluated by us.”   

    The channel is following a robust marketing strategy for Khidki. Sab TV is going all out to aggressively promote the show and invite stories through innovative marketing.

    Using a unique concept, the channel is conducting marketing activation programs in the Rajdhani Express and the Shatabdi Express and some long distance trains to engage with family commuters and invite stories.  Further, window-structured ‘Khidki’ outdoor innovations have been installed to generate a buzz around the initiative. These are in addition to the traditional media mix which includes television, print, radio and outdoor. “Besides our partnership with Twitter for #TweetAFunnyStory, we are collaborating with multiple digital platforms to generate stories,” revealed Kapoor.

    Twitter is complementary to the full experience of viewing a TV channel today, with each tweet being an opportunity for channels to strengthen relationships with their audiences. Twitter India continues to build strategic partnerships with broadcasters helping them amplify their message, drive more viewers and generate more user engagement with their content on the platform

    On the partnership between the channel and Twitter India, Twitter India TV partnership head Viral Jani said, “We are coming together and inviting stories from the platform to give consumers a platform. We amplify their effort on our platform and with this initiative we want to tell to the world that it is a great example how you can use Twitter to reach out to your consumer. There is no deal per se, but it’s a partnership which can be mutually beneficial and also beneficial for our consumers.  Sab TV is not only engaging with our users, but also giving them an opportunity to be a part of a TV show. It is just a first step in the long term relationship with Sab TV. We will be in partnership with Sab TV for more events that it is planning to launch in few months, this is just a beginning.”  

    With television being one of the largest conversation generators on the platform, Twitter aims to become the second screen to TV in India engaging audiences in real-time with the best of television content. “Twitter has always been a second screen app for TV viewers, globally and as well as in India. People watch shows on television and tweet about those shows on Twitter. They love to engage with the shows, channels and celebrities who are the part of the television series. They are interested in behind the scenes, pictures, videos, and they love to do interactions, be it for a reality television show or a new show. Twitter is like a unique platform where all of them can interact with each other. Considering this, there was a hunger from the users and the TV partners, and we believe that it’s a great thing for us and for them,” concluded Jani.