Category: Music and Youth

MTV’s latest brand film has an epic response. Watch out!

MUMBAI: In a fiercely competitive world where each individual is part of a rat race, career choices for students become talk of the town, with parents planning the lives of their little ones according to their wishes. While there are a plethora of career opportunities currently, the perception associated with only a selective profession continues to dominate the mindset. MTV’s recently launched film, “Bachchon ka Future, Bachchon Pe Chhod Do” unconventionally mirrors the reality that prevails within this competitive world.

With one’s arrival in this world comes a series of career plans, decided by your baaju wali aunties, nagging fufajis, mamas and chachas. The film creatively shows the persona of a new-born via an ‘egg’, in a hospital set-up where the family members are discussing the ‘egg’s future’, seconds after it has stepped into this world- “yeh bada ho kar omelet banega”, followed by the other concerned folks who think, scrambled egg, egg bhurji or even an ‘MBA, Mast Boiled Anda’ are perfect options for the new-born.

This funny yet relevant film brings to light a serious concern. The pressure of board exams in schools, semester exams in college and several competitive exams that continue to control your life, lead to disturbing consequences- depression and suicide. MTV’s film drives home a significant message that encourages the future of the nation to choose what suits them the best, without anybody’s uncalled for advice, interference, and subjugation. Understanding the importance of this issue, MTV has associated with Childline India to extend support. So, if you see any child in distress dial 1098 or log on https://www.childlineindia.org.in/ to save the future.

July 15, 2019
India’s biggest band, SANAM collaborates with VYRL Originals for their latest Original

MUMBAI: Pop Rock band, SANAM, associates with VYRL Originals for the release of its latest single. Known for its classic covers and originals, SANAM will now be coming up with a non-film single for their fans.

SANAM has carved a niche in the music industry with their unique style creating a genre for the classics, for the music lovers. The band has made pathbreaking music, showing their versatility, time and again with their latest World Cup Anthem with international artists from all around the World. SANAM is ranked as a top band on the digital space with over 6 Million subscribers on YouTube already. Today their association is sure to create a benchmark for non-film music.

The band has always believed in being independent artists, until they met VYRL Originals team. VYRL Originals has been the frontrunner in developing the culture and category of non-film music in India and the collaboration with SANAM is a befitting partnership of music ideologies. Non-film music has been making its way into top music charts across the country and it’s a rage amongst the youth who are looking for new and meaningful original music today.

“SANAM has been amongst the biggest music artist digitally in India for a while now. And VYRL is a very promising platform for independent releases. This association will ramp up the game for SANAM & VYRL to reach out to newer audience and markets. I can see a lot of synergy in this association given the enthusiasm of the VYRL team and concordance in our approach on independent music and the need to revive it.” said Ben Thomas, Business Manager of SANAM band, Founder & MD, Kurian & Co Talent Management

Commenting on the association of the band, SANAM shared "Our association with VYRL began more than a year ago, when our manager Ben Thomas met with Vinit. The comfort of working independently has always been our strength. Because we like to enjoy the process of making music together and every song to us is a story that goes beyond just how many views you can get on YouTube. However, with VYRL, we have finally found a comfortable team who believe in the same things we believe in. We are excited to explore this association further!”

Speaking on the association, Vinit Thakkar, Senior Vice President, Universal Music Group India & South Asia, said, “SANAM is undoubtedly one of the finest bands in the country and I have personally been a big fan of them. They are extremely talented singer-song-writers and I have great respect for their craft. We at VYRL Originals are privileged to work with SANAM and are in an incredible position to feature their originals to new heights in the non-film music space.”

July 11, 2019
Shemaroo announces licensing agreement with Macmerise for iconic bollywood movie dialogues

MUMBAI: Shemaroo Entertainment Limited, India’s leading content house, today announced the collaboration of its official Bollywood licensing and merchandising brand, Yedaz with Macmerise, India’s largest licensee in the mobile accessories business across genres of superhero characters, movies, sports and fashion. This licensing arrangement between Yedaz and Macmerise will allow the latter to have access to the iconic Bollywood movie dialogues, characters and designs for the digital gadgets and accessories such as Phone cases, Covers, laptop skins, decals and many more.

This licensing deal will enable Macmerise to use iconic movie dialogues such as ‘Hum jahan khade ho jate hain, line wahi se shuru hoti hai’, ‘Father ko baap bolte hain’, ‘Apun bahut famous aadmi hai’, ‘Main apni favorite hoon’, ‘Ishq ke saat mukaam hote hain’, ‘Sikhni hoon main Bhatinda ki’, ‘I can talk English, I can walk English’ and many more from evergreen movies like Amar Akbar Anthony, Namak Halal, Disco Dancer, Jab We Met, Don, and others from Shemaroo’s huge repertoire, that will be a delight for every Bollywood fan.

Commenting on this collaboration, Ms. Smita Maroo, Sr. VP – Licensing & Merchandising, Shemaroo Entertainment said, “Shemaroo understands the evolving needs of the consumers. The new age Bollywood fans want to embody their favorite movie moments, dialogues, actions into everything they do. Bollywood is an attitude and is seamlessly woven in our everyday vocabulary and living. With this partnership, we will be able to provide our consumers another great avenue to express that inner Bollywood attitude.”

Ms. Binal Shah. C.M.O Macmerise commented, “We believe that customers should indulge in personalizing their gadgets. Our association with Yedaz will allow us to connect with all our Bollywood die-hard fans. With this partnership, we will add another iconic brand in our portfolio, and it will help us to bring alive the thrilling collection of Bollywood’s memorable dialogues for our consumers.”

The brand is present across major online stores like Amazon, Flipkart, Tata Cliq, Paytm Mall, and so on in multiple countries across the globe. In addition, the association between Yedaz and Macmerise will further promote Bollywood merchandise category through social media and other media assets.

July 3, 2019
B4U Kadak in the HSM market & B4U Bhojpuri in the regional market both leading in their respective genres

MUMBAI: B4U Network, the global leader in Bollywood entertainment, added two new channels to its bouquet of offerings in the month of May 2019 – B4U Bhojpuri and B4U Kadak. While B4U Bhojpuri is a Bhojpuri movie channel, B4U Kadak is a premium channel in the Hindi Movie genre.

And going by the latest viewership figures of BARC, both the newly launched channels have created a big impact in their respective genres, ranking among the top players in the very first week of their release.

Launched on 15th May 2019, B4U Bhojpuri arrived with a unique offering of 2 WTP’s (World Television Premieres) every week along with a mix of music and devotional content in multiple time bands for the regional language audiences in the UP, Bihar & Jharkhand market. The programming struck a chord with the core Bhojpuri audience as the channel generated remarkable figures of 57 million impressions in Bihar/Jharkhand market (U+R) on NCCS 2+ Yrsin week 25, 2019 of BARC.

B4U Bhojpuri is all set for further growth as the content is going to get richer in the coming months. With its premium packaging, special festive programming during cultural events like Chatt, Navratri, Diwali & Holi, devotional content and unmatched library, including Dinesh Lal starrer Nirhua Hindustani 2, B4U Bhojpuri will capture the hearts and minds of Bhojpuri audience like never before.

The other newly launched channel, B4U Kadak, went on air on 31st May as a premium offering in the Hindi Movie genre. The channel arrived with an incredible promise of 101 WTP’s (World Television Premieres) with a mix of cherry picked Bollywood films and South Indian movies dubbed in Hindi. B4U Kadak’s library boasts of a number of award winning and critically acclaimed films, along with Original South Indian films which were successfully remade in Bollywood.

With such an impressive array of films, B4U Kadak was lapped up by the audience right after its launch, and the channel generated amazing figures of 427 million impressions in the HSM market (U+R) on NCCS 2+ Yrsin week 25, 2019 of BARC. With a number of incredible films making their WTP on B4U Kadak in the days ahead, the channel will climb up even higher on the ladder in the Hindi Movie genre.Along with B4U Movies, B4U Kadak will further expand the audience base of B4U among the Hindi movie lovers.

June 28, 2019
Music Inc. 2.0 concludes on high note with 100 speakers and 600 participants

MUMBAI: The second edition of Music Inc. 2.0 witnessed phenomenal success with the coming together of thought leaders, young entrepreneurs and brand representatives to discuss trends shaping the music space.

Over 600 delegates and over 100 speakers participated in this two day thought fest.

During his inaugural keynote, Dr. Anurag Batra, Chairman and Editor-in- Chief exchange4media Group & Businessworld Group said, “Music Inc. and Loudest is a platform where we cover musicians and brands. It is where music meets technology, people who give them business and where they meet brands. It is about the business of music. You cannot have the business of music without musicians, without the people who create music.”

Neeraj Roy, Founder –CEO, of South Asia’s largest digital entertainment service –Hungama, spoke about the changing landscape of the music industry from the prism of the digital world and how it is likely to shape up over the next few years.

Day one continued with speakers and panelists discussing on varied subjects like Consumer Engagement and Technology in Music, The Big Fat Indian Wedding, OTT Platforms in India, Rise in Creative Entrepreneurship, The Developing Technology, Applications and Smartphone Usage, Genres of Music and Intersections of Music and Sports, Music In Advertising And Many more. It had some of the finest names come together to share their thoughts on the technological and digital advancement experienced and its impact on the artists and the industry.

The second day of the conference brought together some interesting viewpoints on topics such as Understanding the Global Music Landscape, Tourism & Music, Creating Global Impact with Music, Mapping India’s Pop Culture, Bringing Music Alive Through Social Video Experiences, Music In Advertising – Sync, Licensing, Endorsements And Sonic Branding. The panel saw some of the outstanding music Artists, Entrepreneurs discussing music holistically.

Speaking at the event Grammy Award winning artist Ricky Kej said, “Music is the only way I connect to the world and being an impact in their lives. One can try to change the world but it’s important is to create impact one needs to be creative with their work.”

In a fireside chat Jackky Bhagnani, Artist, Film Producer and Founder, JJust Music spoke about his startup record label and making music for the millennials.

Mandar Thakur COO, Times Music spoke about emergence of independent music and technology, “The West is an artist-driven economy – whereas in India the music industry had pretty much started off as traders and that is precisely why the Indian industry is lagging behind. But with the emergence of independent music and technology, we have seen a change. I believe in the coming years we won’t look very different from the western world,” he said.

Music Inc. with the success of its second edition has created a mark in the music conference space bringing together some of the finest talent from across the country on one stage.

June 25, 2019
Hungama Play premieres ‘For All That You Are’ – an award-winning short film about love and retribution

MUMBAI: Hungama Play, a leading video on demand platform owned by Hungama Digital Media, today premiered a new short film – For All That You Are. The film explores the relationship between two female ex-lovers from different cultural backgrounds, who happen to reconnect post an abrupt break-up but are unaware of each other’s intentions. Replete with unexpected twists, the film highlights the women’s varied beliefs and shocks the viewers with an unpredictable climax. Besides Hungama Play, the short film will also be available to stream through Hungama Play on Airtel TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick and SHAREit. Additionally, through Hungama’s association with Xiaomi consumers will also be able to watch the film via Hungama Play on Mi TV.

Appreciated for its unusual theme, the film has won several awards at film festivals around the world. These include Best LGBTQ Film at Top Shorts Film Festival USA, Best Woman Filmmaker at The IndieFEST Film Awards, Best Actress at Actors Award Los Angeles and Accolade Global Film Competition USA along with the Best Short at MedFF. Besides these, the film has also been an official selection at New York Film Awards and a semi-finalist at Nassau Film Festival.

Speaking on the release of the short film, Siddhartha Roy, COO, Hungama Digital Media said, “We take pride in offering our users a multi-lingual and multi-genre library that includes a wide range of Indian and international movies, short films, documentaries, TV shows, kids’ content, original shows and short-format videos. For All That You Are will join our curation of award-winning films and offer our viewers a fresh form of storytelling.”

The film is directed by Avantika Khattri, who also plays the main lead along with Tatiana Tat. The film has been produced by Avantika Khattri and Dhiraj Sarode under the banner of Mad Hatters.

Speaking about her film, Avantika Khattri said, “For All That You Are is a film very close to my heart as it’s my directorial debut and has also turned out to be a super success story for my company ‘Mad Hatters’. It explores the relationship between the two leads in an emotionally mature manner. The protagonists are vulnerable, yet act in ways that shock the audience. I am glad that with its availability on Hungama Play, users worldwide will be able to watch my film.”

Available on Hungama Play starting today, For All That You Are, will join Hungama Play’s vast content library that includes over 5000 films in English, Hindi and regional languages, 1500 short films, original shows, kids’ content, TV shows and over 150,000 short format videos in various genres like music, film gossip, humour etc.

June 21, 2019
Thoughts Leaders To Discuss The Business Of Music and Emerging Trends in Music Consumption at Music Inc 2.0

Mumbai: Music Inc 2.0, which is set to take place in Mumbai on 21st and 22nd June 2019 at JW Marriott Juhu, Mumbai, promises to offer never before experience when it comes to content, speaker line up, workshops and master classes around the business of music.

The two day conference will bring together thought leaders from the music, brand and experiential domains who will share insights on topics ranging from–The Role of Technology and Data in Music Design, Rise in Creative Entrepreneurship, Building Festival Experiences and Building The Hip Hop Ecosystem in India. And that is not all. There will also be discussions round —How to Grow Your Business Using Music, Sports and Music, OTT Platforms and Music, Music and Tourism and Automobile Industry and Music.

The conference will also have exclusive workshops and master classes curated by some of the top names in the music and experiential space. Live performances and fireside chats and keynotes by global thought will be another highlight of this two day conference.

Some of the speakers this year include names like Oscar winning music producer, Arthur Pingrey – along with India’s leading rap artist Raftaar, renowned Hindustani classical vocalist Shubha Mudgal, quirky YouTube star Prajakta Koli, Bollywood composer Tanishk Bagchi, independent music scene’s star composer singer Ankur Tewari, singer Dhvani Bhanushali, film critic Rajeev Masand, cultural ambassador Zila Khan, Grammy award winner Ricky Kej, Mahindra’s Group CEO Vivek Nayar, Lydia Buthello, Ex VP, Brand Experience and Events, Star India, well known singers Papon and Tony Kakkar to name a few.

Industry leaders like Prashan Agarwal (CEO, Gaana), Amarjit Singh Batra (Managing Director at Spotify India), Mandar Thakur (COO, Times Music), Blaise Fernandes (President at Indian Music Industry), Gurpreet Singh (Co-Founder at One Digital Entertainment), Neeraj Roy (Managing Director – Hungama), Sabbas Joseph (Co-Founder & Director, Wizcraft), Lloyd Mathias (Former Marketing Head APAC – HP) and more, and companies including Universal Music, Sony Music, Spotify, Gaana, OneDigital Entertainment, Zee Entertainment, Gracenote (Neilson), Hungama, Havells will also be present at this conference.

Another highlight of the event will be unveiling of Gully Life: The Story of Divine is an in-depth documentary on one of India’s favourite rappers. Produced by Red Bull Media House in association with Supari Studios, the film traces the rise of Vivian Fernandes, aka Divine, from his humble beginnings in Mumbai to global superstardom.

Over the course of the fifty-minute-long film, viewers are introduced to some of the most important people in Divine’s life – from his mother, with whom he is especially close, to the friends he grew up with and who remain his closest aides – and taken on his remarkable journey, evolving from a teenager discovering hip-hop to the icon he is today.

In all, the two day conference will be the melting pot of art, culture and conversations centered on brand building using music as a core tenant.

June 21, 2019
ShemarooMe Recognised as the “Best Newcomer” at OTTv Mumbai 2019

MUMBAI: ShemarooMe, the one-stop destination for blockbuster Bollywood, Regional, Devotional, Classic and Kids’ content, added another feather to its cap as it received recognition of being the ‘Best Newcomer OTT’ at the 2nd edition of OTTv MUMBAI 2019’.

The recognition was bestowed in the presence of key players and prominent personalities from media and entertainment industry. OTTv Mumbai 2019 felicitated brands that proffer a connect with the Indian audience.

ShemarooMe, which was launched earlier this year was conferred the endorsement on its remarkable entrance in the Indian market. It redefined the rules of the OTT game, by specifically targeting markets beyond metros with its devotional and other region-specific content. The brand also emboldened its presence by entering the US market in April 2019 to cater to the Indian American audience in the country.

The ShemarooMe OTT app can be downloaded through Google Play, the iOS App store or online at http://shemaroome.com/,and is available on Amazon Fire TV Stick and Apple TV.

June 19, 2019
MTV ka #TVKahaanGaya campaign puts spotlight on platform agnostic youth content

MUMBAI: MTV, India’s no. 1 youth brand, today revealed its ‘MTV Ka #TVKahaanGaya’ campaign, showcasing the channel’s strength on Viacom18’s digital platform VOOT. With an aim to entertain, lead, break stereotypes and collaborate with young people through its evocative communication, MTV has always stood out of the crowd with youth relevant shows. Proving once again that good content is platform agnostic, the MTV ka #TVKahaanGaya campaign is a pragmatic showcase of how the youth is attracted to consuming relevant content at their own pace and time. MTV’s leading shows such as Roadies, Splitsvilla, Love School, MTV Unplugged and The Anti-Social Network are being watched for 2.5 Billion2 minutes on VOOT.

Commenting on the campaign, Ferzad Palia, Head – Youth, Music & English Entertainment, Viacom18 said, ““The perception today is that the Indian youth spends lesser time-consuming content on TV, which couldn’t be farther from the truth. Time spent on TV content AND online video has gone up amongst youth. As the country’s leading youth brand, we understand that to keep our audience engaged, content that is platform agnostic, speaks their language and is available to them any time is what will win their heart. The MTV ka #TVKahaanGaya campaign is conceptualised from that thought and lands this creative rendition in the quirky MTV style. Over the last year, our TV ratings have doubled and consumption on VOOT has grown 3-fold, a testament to our belief that content is the king. Comparing to the previous season, shows such as Roadies Real Heroes have accounted for 42% viewership3 growth on VOOT and MTV Unplugged has seen an increase of 52%, respectively.”

The ‘MTV Ka #TVKahaanGaya’ campaign exhibits an equilibrium between the linear television and its digital platform, VOOT. With a mix of content available on the channel, the monthly watch time for MTV shows on VOOT has been consistently growing. With youth driven shows being aired on VOOT, Splitsvilla S11 has seen a growth of 77% in its hours of content as compared to the previous season. With major share of consumption happening in the non-metro cities, the digital platform, VOOT is in sync with linear television.

Speaking about youth content on VOOT, Akash Banerji, Head- Advertising Video On Demand Business, Viacom18 Digital Ventures said, “Fandom is a phenomenon that transcends platforms and can help brands grow in both linear and OTT. MTV content works very well on VOOT and has engaged 30% of VOOT Viewers4 till date. As a network we have successfully explored content synergy between MTV and VOOT with popular MTV series – Kaisi Yeh Yaariyan season 3 being launched as a VOOT original garnering 32 mn views5.

April 9, 2019
Eros Now inks deal with Veriown Global to bring digital entertainment, energy to rural India

MUMBAI: Eros Now, the cutting-edge digital over-the-top (OTT) South Asian entertainment platform owned by Eros International Plc (NYSE:EROS) (“Eros”), a Global Indian Entertainment Company, today announced it entered into a partnership with Veriown. Through this alliance, Eros Now powers Films, Originals and other content on ‘The Connect’ a product designed and conceptualized by Veriown.

Over 300 million people in rural India are currently living in the dark deprived of electricity, entertainment and educational content. Access to reliable energy sources plays a key role in making available additional services that consumers from rural India are seeking. In-line with the Government’s Saubhagya plan to bring electricity to all households and provide additional benefits in the form of entertainment, ‘The Connect’ will offer ‘light, learning and fun – all in one powered by the Sun!’ The initiative will cut the air pollution and expense for fuel to generate electricity while screening highly entertaining content.

Through internet-powered solar devices, rural Indians will have access to reliable energy and a digital entertainment offering of the largest movie library, original shows, short-format content, originals, music and much more brought exclusively to them by Eros Now. The alliance also promises to make a social impact and create inclusion for the large population which requires access to the 4E’s – Entertainment, Energy, Education and E-Commerce.

Commenting on the announcement, Rishika Lulla Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Eros Digital, said, “Eros Now has always been a pioneer in carving new dimensions to enhance its audiences’ lifestyle. ‘The Connect’ aims to improve lives by not only providing electricity but also a wide range of digital content for entertainment. This technological advancement & innovative solution is a market first. It will also help in building a digital ecosystem by fulfilling the demand for entertainment in remote villages of rural India in line with our promise of penetrating deeper in tier 3 & 4 markets. The service acts as a sense of safety and security during the night and works towards enhancing social status by giving consumers access to entertainment and educational content.”

“Since its inception, Veriown has focused on improving the lives of those with the least access by bringing them into the digital economy through our Connect. By partnering with EROS NOW, we expand on our mission to bring the 4Es, Energy, Education, Entertainment and E-Commerce to rural India. We believe the partnership will bring substantial engagement with our customers and open new markets for both our companies.” Says, Wael Aburida, CEO, Veriown Global Inc.

The pilot phase for this initiative is expected to begin Q2 2019 and will see the markets of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan benefitting from clean, affordable and reliable electricity. Soon the product will also be made available to other remote villages across India and overseas.

April 1, 2019