Category: Viewership

Mumbai: haeywa, a financial technology company, has announced its collaboration with Dish TV, a television service provider, to streamline petty cash payments and management using its innovative platform, haeywa.

haeywa is a petty cash management solution that simplifies and automates the process of managing petty cash transactions, providing businesses with greater control, visibility, and security over their petty cash operations. Through the collaboration, haeywa will enable Dish TV to enhance its petty cash management processes, resulting in improved operational efficiency, reduced administrative overhead, and enhanced visibility into petty cash transactions. Dish TV will be able to leverage haeywa’s features such as digital receipts, real-time reporting, and automated workflows to streamline its petty cash operations, ensuring compliance, accuracy, and accountability in all petty cash transactions.

“We have always been looking for technology solutions that help us to introduce convenience as well as optimization in our workflows. When haeywa team approached us we were impressed with their focus on these aspects along with the focus on reducing manual efforts revenue leakage. We are excited about this partnership and we sincerely believe they will be a game changer in petty cash management domain,” said Dish TV D2H head finance & accounts Chittaranjan Mohanty.

“I have been closely working with the haeywa team for deploying the solution at Dish TV D2H for the past few weeks. The platform agility is powerful. Quick onboarding and reduced reconciliation efforts is making all employees very happy. We look forward to working with them,” said Dish TV D2H divisional manager finance & accounts Dharmendra Kumar Agrawal.

haeywa founder Shilpa Mahna Bhatnagar said, “We are thrilled to collaborate with Dish TV to provide them with our innovative platform for their petty cash management needs. haeywa will enable Dish TV to optimize its petty cash processes, ensuring greater control and visibility over their expenses, and helping them achieve their financial management goals more efficiently. This partnership will provide us with the tools and technology to streamline our petty cash operations, improve compliance, and enhance our overall financial management processes.”

Mumbai: Sustainable is indeed attainable. In a big push to its long-term mass movement on promoting green energy adoption in India, Tata Power, one of India’s largest integrated power companies, and News18 released an inspirational film on television and digital platforms on Earth Day 2023, promoting the theme of “Invest in our planet”. 

Set in Ladakh, the film depicts how solar power is leading to a future of great possibilities, and inspires us all to ‘switch to’ greener options, without being worried about ‘switching off.’ Tata Power exhorts all Indians to invest in the planet by adopting clean energy and #DePowerKoGreenSignal.

The protagonist in the film, a young aspiring boxer in Ladakh, need not compromise on her training schedule due to power supply constraints. Solar power lights up the boxing arena she practices in and keeps on track, her dreams of making it big in the sport, where Indian women are already shining at the global stage.

“This Earth Day, we want to reinforce how solar power is lighting up lives across the country and taking ahead India’s vision of clean energy transition. The film showcases this effectively,” said Tata Power brand & communications chief Jyoti Kumar Bansal.

With this motivational film, Tata Power is underlining its ‘Sustainable is Attainable’ movement – highlighting how it is working to make adoption of sustainable products and services easy and affordable for both corporate India and consumers, and how that is spurring behavior change. “In line with Mission LiFE introduced by the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the movement is taking the discussion around sustainability into our daily lives and Tata Power is proud to be leading this conversation,” added Bansal.

The Sustainable is Attainable movement has been encouraged by Hon’ble Union Minister of Power Shri R K Singh, Hon’ble Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari, Amitabh Kant (G20 Sherpa) and supported by corporate leaders across India and the world. 

The movement aims to continue propagating the use of green and clean energy in the country. It is also working on popularizing how a sustainable lifestyle is ‘attainable’ for millions of Indians through wide-scale adoption of affordable green energy products and solutions. Tata Group has identified new energy as a large focus for the group as part of its contribution to India’s net zero goals.

“This film is an effort to amplify the power of solar, showcase how easy it is for us to switch to an alternative source for our energy needs, and encourage behaviour change, in keeping with goals of our initiative ‘Sustainable is Attainable’. We hope that our audience finds the messaging heartfelt and, more importantly, that the film inspires them the way it does us,” said Network 18 Studio Sr VP Sidharth Saini. 

Tata Power, which supplies power to 12.5 million users across four states, has many iconic projects including one of India’s largest – vertical solar farms in Bengaluru, carport installation in Pune, solar-powered cricket stadium, Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. With its path breaking initiatives in the energy sector, it is leading India’s mission of energy transition.

The ongoing TATA IPL has witnessed a significant shift in consumer behaviour, with Connected TVs (CTV) eating into HD TV viewership in a big way. Data from BARC shows that CTV viewership for TATA IPL accounts for 44.4 million, nearly double of HD TV Viewership of 23.9 million. As the popularity and significance of digital services continue to grow among the masses, premium cosmopolitan audiences particularly are opting to watch live sports via CTVs. This trend highlights the growing consumer affinity for consuming live sports via digital platforms. As things stand, the contribution of English-speaking audiences takes a bigger share of the CTV pie.

Here’s a closer look and break-down of some of the key data

IPL HD viewership stood at a meagre 23.9 Mn viewers vs 44.4 Mn on JioCinema’s Connected TVs.

The HDTV numbers come apart further when scrutinized, as urban viewers account for about only 12.4 Mn of the 23.9 HDTV viewership, with the rest coming in from rural India. This evidences the vast divide between HDTV and CTV viewership.

The decline is not limited only to this season of TATA IPL, though. When viewed on a five-year timeline, statistics show that this season’s urban viewership contribution to HDTV is the lowest it has been since the past five seasons.

An additional point which brings alive the HDTV decline reality is the language contribution pie. TATA IPL viewers on HD channels on TV are heavily skewed towards Hindi feed, with only 17% contribution coming from the English feed.

On the other hand, CTV viewers on TATA IPL on JioCinema show way higher affinity towards English feed, where 48 % have watched the high-octane tournament in English- a stark difference when compared to HDTV for the same parameters.

Separating the Fantasies from Facts

Star has claimed a higher number on HD reach of above 43 Mn, which is not a fair representation of the premium HD tv audiences. When broken down under a scanner, 19.8 Mn of the claimed 43 Mn is accounted for by OOH HD TVs. These include tv sets at establishments like malls, restaurants, bars, etc. which inflate the minuscule real figures.

Take the dilution of 19.8 Mn away, and one is left with just 23.9 Mn, which is the more accurate residential viewership of HDTV.

Why does this matter? Advertisers typically pay higher CPRP for HD Households to access premium customers in their houses to get attention for their ads. The OOH TV HD screens do not have audio on. Additionally, the profile of people on OOH is not necessarily premium.

As a result, advertisers/agencies paying for HD Pay TV households, end up truly reaching merely 23.9 Mn.

Where viewers go, advertisers follow !

Previous season no of advertisers on IPL TV HD was 62 which has come down to 28 this season (source Barc)

Most advertisers seeking premium audiences on IPL are moving away to Connected TV .This is reflected in 3x more advertisers on CTV than on HD Channels on Linear TV.

Mumbai:  A spontaneous adventure begins. Shenaz Treasury, one of India’s travel influencers, shall explore her way through Karnataka, with special focus on state capital Bangalore, on HistoryTV18’s newest made-for-mobile series #LivinHerStory. Known as India’s Silicon Valley and considered the beating heart of innovation in the country, Bangalore is just as known for its beautiful gardens, breweries and youthful buzz, alongside its brilliant IT talent. But the city has still more to offer that’s relatively unexplored. Starting Saturday, 22 April 2023, the journey and experiences come to life on the social media accounts and pages of @ShenazTreasury, @HistoryTV18 and @FYITV18. HistoryTV18 has a strong digital ecosystem with over 12.6 million subscribers, and Treasury has over two Million followers across platforms. Over the course of 10 days, Treasury will vlog about her experiences through posts, stories and reels.  
HistoryTV18’s latest digital series follows Treasury’s travels and unique perspective as a woman traveller on a mission to collect smiles and stories. As one of India’s leading online content creators and the host of #LivinHerStory, Shenaz will showcase the hidden and offbeat –  cultural riches, natural splendours and modern marvels of the region. The stunning sights and sounds of Karnataka await viewers every day of her trip, from amazing aerial views while dining in the sky and the joys of virtual flight, to the pursuit of inner calm at the hidden Pyramid Valley – home to the world’s largest meditation pyramid with a capacity of hosting 5,000 people at a time. There’s more of the zen and tranquil vibe at India’s first saltwater deprivation tank, where Shenaz will take the journey within, to recharge and rejuvenate.

Follow the journey to see and learn what makes Bangalore the sustainability capital of India, as Treasury goes behind the scenes at eco-friendly restaurants that harness green energy to achieve zero-waste status. Also on the itinerary are residential projects and communities for whom sustainability is not an experiment, but a lifestyle. This theme continues as she meets the pioneering group of people who created ‘Mitti Mane’ – an eco-village made of sustainable, local raw materials with a vision to live closer to, and in harmony with nature. Understand the philosophy behind ‘Kachra Mane,’ a strikingly different dwelling from neighbouring urban homes, constructed from refuse and reused materials. 

Treasury’s infectious positivity, charm and energy will win over viewers and fans, as she sets out to discover unfamiliar locales and initiatives in and around Bangalore. Speaking about her latest trip and collaboration with HistoryTV18, Treasury remarked, “I am super stoked and look forward to exploring one of India’s most dynamic cities on #LivinHerStory. I am looking for stories that are inspiring and new; I don’t think people follow me for travel tips, but for the lifestyle and freedom that my travels bring along with fresh stories. What is great about a city like Bangalore is that it offers a melange of adventure, wellness, modernity and local inventiveness! There is always something novel to discover in a place that thrives on innovation and is yet so beautifully connected to its roots.”

Looking forward to the launch, AETN18 president content & communication Arun Thapar said, “In recent years, HistoryTV18 has gained a significant following online with innovative and engaging content, targeting a growing audience who prefer to watch on-the-go. Social media serves as a vital source of content discovery and we have leveraged its incredible reach, to deliver mobile-first originals that offer viewers amazing local stories and experiences, which they might otherwise overlook. Younger audiences value authentic stories with immersive storytelling that combine entertainment, inspiration and learning. All the more so when created in shorter formats and delivered on personal devices for easy consumption. For our latest digital content offering, #LivinHerStory – we are excited to collaborate with Shenaz, a trusted voice in travel. As a traveller and content creator, Shenaz has built a loyal and growing fan following with her style and perspective that are unique and deeply personal. I am sure her characteristic energy and sense of wonder about places, people and new experiences, as well as the series’ format and content, will appeal to viewers.”

Mumbai: The realm of regional entertainment has been making waves, attracting viewers from across borders and languages. Recognising this trend, Promax India recently hosted the third edition of the ‘Promax India Regional Awards 2023’ on 20 April. The event aimed to dive into the evolution of regional markets while also recognising the best in regional entertainment. 

The event was virtually hosted by the charming and witty host of India’s first LGBTQIA radio show RJ Kabir of RED FM and was live-streamed on Promax India’s official facebook page. The competition was fierce, with over 120 jurors judging 39 categories, and the winners were well-deserving. 

Sony Pictures Networks India has emerged as the biggest winner of the night, taking home (Sony Sports Network with six gold and three silver, Sony Marathi with five gold and three silver and Sony LIV with four gold and three silver) followed by Shemaroo Entertainment with nine gold and three Silver, Disney Star with three gold and six silver, ZEE Entertainment Enterprises – ZEE Marathi with three Gold and six silvers and Viacom18 Media with two gold and six silver.

Commenting on the occasion, Promax Asia conference director Andy Chua said, “We are thrilled to see the growing popularity and development of regional entertainment in India. This year’s entries represent the amazing talent in the industry in terms of quality and diversity. Promax India is honoured to be the platform that acknowledges and celebrates outstanding talent.”

The event was a celebration of the best in regional entertainment, and the winners showcased creativity and innovation in the industry. The event’s popularity has skyrocketed in the three years since its inception, and the event has seen a massive increase in participants. Promax India looks forward to supporting and recognising talent in the regional entertainment industry in the future.

Promax India Regional Award winners now advance to compete at the national level, the Promax India Awards. The Promax India conference and awards show are set to take place in Mumbai on 24 and 25 August. 

https://www.promaxindia.tv/winners-guide/

Mumbai: The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 has been consistently witnessing a sharp drop in the number of advertisers on television. According to the latest BARC data, the number of advertisers on TV has fallen by 50 per cent in the first 19 matches of this season. The data shows that this year IPL has only attracted 35 advertisers on TV, while this number was 72 in the last season.

The reduced advertiser interest is also evident in the number of brands and categories that advertised on TV during this season. According to the BARC report, only 27 categories have advertised on TV this season, resulting in a 52 per cent drop in categories advertising on TV this year. Last year, 48 categories were advertised on TV. 

Consequently, the number of brands advertising on TV has tumbled as only 67 brands joined this year. In 2022, IPL witnessed 118 brands advertising on TV. With a 43 per cent decrease in the brands spending on TV, IPL’s future on TV is not looking so bright.

Mumbai : Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc) India has released currency data for week 15, i.e. eight April to 14 April 2023. As per data for the all India 2+ target group, STAR Sports 1 Hindi is the most watched channel in India with an average minute audience (AMA) of 2827.31(000). It was followed by Sun TV at 2618.58(000) AMA, STAR Maa at 2363.67(000) AMA, Star Plus at 2156.59(000) AMA, and Dangal at 2126.51(000) AMA.

The average minute audience (AMA) is defined as the number of individuals within a target audience who viewed a televised “event,” averaged across minutes. In the Hindi speaking market (HSM), STAR Sports 1 Hindi emerged as the most watched channel at 2788.01(000) AMA, followed by Dangal at 2120.08 (000) AMA, STAR Plus at 2092.07(000) AMA, Goldmines at 1800.53(000) AMA and Sony Sab at 1529.65(000) AMA.

In the South market, Sun TV was the most watched channel at 2598.68(000) AMA, followed by STAR Maa at 2302.59(000) AMA, Zee Telugu at 1658.59(000) AMA, Zee Kannada at 1322.74(000) AMA and STAR Vijay at 1276.52(000) AMA.

In the Maharashtra/Goa market, Star Pravah was the most watched channel at 1269.91(000) AMA , followed by STAR Sports 1 Hindi at 726.15(000) AMA, Colors Marathi at 413.51(000) AMA, SONY Sab at 387.68(000) AMA and Zee Marathi at 378.41(000) AMA.

In the West Bengal market, Star Jalsha was the most watched channel with 904.25(000) AMA, followed by Zee Bangla at 804.83(000) AMA, STAR Sports 1 Hindi at 224.78(000) AMA, Jalsha Movies at 142.83(000) AMA and Colors Bangla at 130.71(000) AMA.

In the megacities market, including Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Chennai, STAR Sports 1 Hindi was the most watched channel at 458.28(000) AMA followed by Sun TV at 445.88(000) AMA, STAR Plus at 325.52(000) AMA, Colors at 286.69(000) AMA and SONY Sab at 279.23(000) AMA.

 

Mumbai: What was claimed to be a ‘watershed moment’ in the consumption of live sports in India has turned out to be a damp squib, at best. Live sports streaming has returned to its humble state shortly after the start of IPL 2023. The overestimation of Connected TVs, smartphone penetration and decline in Pay TV has been issued a reality check, just one week into IPL 2023. App analytics company DATA.AI quashes the tall claims made on digital across key app metrics as TV continues to be the viewer’s choice for IPL in India.

The Downloads Claim: Shortly after IPL 2023 began, the streaming platform claimed that their app downloads on the opening day stood at 2.5 crore whereas opening weekend downloads were five crore. However, the actual number of downloads was ratified by DATA.AI to a miniscule seven lac for the opening day and 30 lac for the opening weekend, a staggering difference that further escalates the need to validate self-reported data.

The Reach (DAU) Claim: The app claimed that the opening day of IPL witnessed six crore daily active users, whereas the DAU for the game stands a massive 40 per cent lower at 3.4 crore. In fact, what’s interesting is that the DAU for a free IPL on digital this year was 22 per cent lower compared to last year when IPL on digital was behind the paywall.

Video Views – Currency at Convenience: Over the years whether it be IPL on TV or digital, the measure for viewership of the event has always been viewers and not video views. Video views are not a function of high viewership, but only a function of increased number of sessions among viewers which is a consequence of interruptions or distractions while watching a live game on digital. The opening day of IPL faced widespread social media backlash across the country as the streaming app witnessed buffering issues, app crashes and playback errors that led to users restarting or reinstalling the app, which led to an inflation in video views. Advertisers have evaluated platforms on the count of viewers logging into the event and not the multiplicity of sessions required for a viewer to watch a live game of sport, which has never been a function of watching live sports.

The FIFA WC Story repeats itself: As the FIFA World Cup ended in December, the streaming app made two big claims that were stalled shortly after. The first claim was about the viewership for the FIFA World Cup final touching 32 million on digital, whereas only 9.3 million watched the game on mobile as per DATA.AI. The second claim was about digital viewership overtaking TV for the first time during the final match, and that too was quashed as the TV viewership during the final was 4X of digital. This happened even though there were no promotions for the TV broadcast of the event.

While TV continues to dominate viewership during IPL with growth across key metrics of evaluation, digital continues to be the secondary platform marred with inconsistencies in corroboration of its performance.

Mumbai: NR Narayana Murthy and Sudha Murty, has onboarded ‘Duologue With Barun Das’ in a 60-minute exclusive ideas fest. The engaging conversation holds important lessons on leadership for India, Infosys lessons for India Inc and the success recipe for the institution of marriage and parenthood. 

True to their inimitable style, the power couple spoke their mind on a plethora of issues. In a never before conversation, the couple held forth on why despite being the best qualified candidate on all parameters, Sudha chose to be an angel investor for her husband so he could chase his entrepreneurial dream. And, she herself pursued her passion to be the best possible mother to her children.

Opening up the engagement, Das tossed up one on what if Infosys were to have Kulkarni (Sudha Murty’s maiden surname) as the founder, given her impeccable credentials over those of Murthy.

“I think right in the beginning we both discussed… Of all the wives of the founder and the co-founders, she is the most qualified. However, we both sat down and discussed whether both of us should be in it or one of us should be in it. I think my view was that at that point of time I was trying to reduce unnecessary friction amongst the group of founders,” said Murthy.

Concurring with her husband, Sudha Murty recalled how then Murthy as a young man dreamt of building a software company. “He explained to me in the year 1981 the role of entrepreneurship in our country.”

The chemistry between the two was on display as the power couple now represented two diverse and distinct ends of enterprise – the pureplay P&L and the social contract. Their aspiration for India taking the global head table navigating myriad opportunities and challenges featured as the key takeaway.

“I was truly captivated and inspired during my conversation with NR Narayana Murthy and Sudha Murty. Witnessing the journey of building a company like Infosys, with his unwavering determination and strong leadership, was truly admirable. However, I still feel that 40 years back, had Sudha Kulkarni, truly being the better half, not taken the back seat and donned the chairperson’s seat, fair and equal participation of women in India Inc corner offices would have been fast tracked,” said TV9 Network CEO & MD as well as show host Das. 

“In my opinion, India can learn a lot from Murthy’s leadership and vision to recreate the Infosys success story across diverse businesses. By doing so, we can pave the way for further growth and achieve even greater glory for India.” Das added. 

‘Duologue With Barun Das’ is a cerebral conversation with a legend or a legend in the making. As the title suggests, it is a two-way interaction to enable exchange of ideas in a free-flowing manner. Duologue is not provoked by headline management but to evolve emancipated influencer conversations.

In this episode of ‘Duologue With Barun Das’, the conversation was a veritable feast of experiences, touching upon India’s competitive index, acquiring the zeal to win as a nation, changing a generation’s mindset, and the role of the youth in shaping the future. 

The three-part series is now streaming on News9 Plus. 

EP1: INDIA’S WORLD

EP2: MAN, WOMAN, & INFOSYS

EP3: THE STARTUP DILEMMA

Link: https://news9plus.onelink.me/gGJb/73sibycz

Mumbai: aha, a 100 per cent local OTT platform, has introduced the limited-time mobile pack exclusively for Telugu-speaking audiences across India on its popular streaming service. Priced at Rs 99, this mobile pack offers unparalleled access to some of the most popular Telugu content available today.

As mobile usage continues to skyrocket across India, aha is proud to offer this unique opportunity for audiences to experience its vast library of high-quality, locally produced content on their mobile devices. The platform boasts over 2000+ hours of content, including 350+ hours of exclusive and original programming, and has garnered 32 million app downloads and 12 million monthly active users, making it one of the fastest-growing OTT platforms in India.

With the new Rs 99 mobile pack, users can enjoy hit shows such as Telugu Indian Idol 2, Unstoppable 2 with NBK, Newsense, Intinti Ramayanam, Vinaro Bhagyamu Vishnu Katha, Das Ki Dhamki, and much more. The content line-up includes a diverse range of genres, including daily serials, K-drama, news, and games, making it a comprehensive entertainment option for Telugu-speaking audiences.

Commenting on the mobile pack, aha head SVOD & business strategy Rakesh CK stated, “We offer Telugu-speaking audiences in India a convenient and affordable way to experience our high-quality, locally produced content with our new Rs. 99 mobile pack. As a fast-growing OTT platform, aha understands the demand for flexibility and value for money in digital entertainment. We are committed to delivering exceptional value to our customers while supporting the growth of the regional entertainment industry.”

aha, which initially launched as a 100 per cent Telugu OTT platform in 2020, has now expanded to include aha Tamil, providing 100 per cent Tamil web series, reality shows, and movies. The platform has also expanded its overseas network to the US, UK, Australia, and Southeast Asia, including Malaysia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Singapore, catering to the entertainment needs of diverse audiences.