ITV

Tag: Airtel

  • Wireline broadband subs base falls, overall broadband subs base grows

    Wireline broadband subs base falls, overall broadband subs base grows

    BENGALURU: India’s wireline broadband internet subscriber fell further by 1.04 percent in the month ended 31 July 2017 (Jul-17) as compared to the previous month (Jun-17, month ended 30 June 2017). Earlier, the wireline broadband internet subscriber base had eroded by 0.11 percent in the month ended 31 May 2017 (May-17) as compared to the previous month (Apr-17). On both occasions, among the major contributors to the shrinkage of the overall subscriber base was the loss of subscribers by the two government telephone companies – Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and its smaller and metro-centric peer Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL). At the same time, ACT Broadband, probably the largest private wired internet service player in South India, continued to lead subscriber acquisitions in calendar year 2017 (CY-17, since 31 December 2016 or Dec-16) to July-17  with the addition of about  110,000 (0.11 million) broadband internet subscribers.

    It must be noted that TRAI reports indicate data in millions of numbers up to 2 decimal places. Hence it is assumed in this report that a figure of 0.51 million (5.1 lakh) subscribers for You BB for Dec-2015 would be granular to the nearest 10,000. While percentages have been mentioned up to two decimal places, the accuracy may vary, depending upon the exact number of subscribers.

    Overall Broadband Internet Subscribers

    The good news is that the overall broadband internet subscriber base in the country which includes wired, wireless by mobile device users and fixed wireless subscribers (Wi-Fi, Wi-Max, Point-to-Point Radio & VSAT) increased 3.17 percent to 300.84 million in Jul-17 from 291.61 million in Jun-17. The growth was led by a growth in wireless internet subscribers that access the internet on their mobile devices, with Reliance Jio Infocom Ltd once again leading in the growth.

    The top five service providers constituted 89.79 percent market share of the total broadband subscribers at the end of Jul-17. These service providers were Reliance Jio Infocom Ltd (128.58 million), Bharti Airtel (58.91 million), Vodafone (42.50 million), Idea Cellular (27.70 million) and BSNL (21.45 million).

    Wired Broadband Internet Subscribers

    As per data published by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) broadband wireline subscriber base in India declined in Jul-17 to 18.14 million from 18.33 million in Jun-17. Among the top five wireline broadband internet services providers in the country, BSNL and MTNL lost 70,000 and 10,000 subscribers respectively in the month of Jul-17. Airtel, the second largest wireline broadband internet player did not gain or lose any subscriber, while the minnows- Atria Convergence Technologies – ACT Broadband and You Broadband each added 10,000 subscribers. This implies that the other wireline broadband internet service providers in the country besides those mentioned above lost about 0.11 million subscribers in the month of Jul-17. Amongst the other wireline broadband internet service providers are Multi-system operators (MSOs’) and Local cable operators (LCOs’) that provide internet services through their video cables using technology that includes various versions of DOCSIS technology.

    As per TRAI data, as on 31 July 2017, the top five Wired Broadband Service providers were BSNL (9.66 million), Bharti Airtel (2.10 million), Atria Convergence Technologies (1.23 million), MTNL (0.97 million) and You Broadband (0.66 million).

    Please refer to the figure below for the total wireline subscriber base and subscriber base of the top 5 wired broadband internet service providers in India in calendar year 2017.

    public://111111111111111_2.jpg

    Wireless Broadband Internet Subscribers

    As mentioned above, Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio juggernaut still continued to lead growth in wireless broadband internet subscriber growth in the country ten months after its commercial launch on 5 September 2016. Jio has added 56.42 million subscribers in calendar year 2017 (CY-17) until Jul-17.

    Wireless broadband numbers grew 10.23 million or 3.36 percent month-on-month (m-o-m) to 292.22 million in Jul-17 from 281.99 million in Jun-17 according to TRAI) data for the month of July 2017. As on 31 July, 2017, the top five Wireless Broadband Service providers were Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd (128.58 million), Bharti Airtel (56.80 million), Vodafone (42.49 million), Idea Cellular (27.70 million) and Reliance Communications (12.75 million).

    Please refer to the figure below for the top 5 Wireless Broadband Internet Service Providers in India.

    public://22222222222.jpg

    As mentioned above, MSOs’ and (LCOs’) or cable video service providers also provide broadband internet services in the country. These cable service providers have a number of subsidiaries and alliances, hence broadband numbers are split as applicable. The consolidated subscription numbers of these entities could be larger than the numbers of some of the wired internet services providers mentioned above.

  • Guest Column: Star India’s IPL deal raises three crucial questions

    Guest Column: Star India’s IPL deal raises three crucial questions

    “Astronomical”, “whopping” and “staggering” were some of the words used to describe Star Group’s consolidated global bid of $2.55 billion for the media rights of the Indian premier League (IPL). Several newspapers described it as the “costliest” cricket property in the world.

    It seems to be an opportune time to look at the truth behind the numbers, and answer a few relevant questions. Was Star’s “all or nothing” bidding strategy exceptionally brilliant or extremely stupid? Does the seemingly-high price reflect the enormous and growing valuation of the IPL? Are IPL’s media rights costlier than those for the Indian national team?

    The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) allowed two kinds of bids – a consolidated global bid for the seven rights, including TV and digital, through a consortium, or individual bids for the specific rights. For example, a company could bid for the TV rights for the sub-continent only or only for the ‘Rest of the World’. Another could bid for two, three or four of the seven rights. A fourth could bid for all the seven rights separately. A fifth could do this, and also put in a consolidated global bid through a consortium.

    All-or-nothing Strategy

    From the information that’s available, Star was the only bidder to exercise the last option – a consolidated bid and separate bids for the seven rights. The others chose to focus on specific rights based on their strengths. Sony, which held the IPL TV rights for the first 10 years (2008-2017), put almost all its budgeted payment – over 99 per cent — on the TV rights for the sub-continent. Facebook, Airtel and Reliance Jio had huge, but single, bids each for the digital rights.

    The second component of Star’s “all or nothing” strategy was to bid really high for its consolidated bid, and fairly low for the specific rights. The idea was simple: make sure that it had a relatively higher chance to bag the composite bid, and ensure that if it got only a few individual rights, it paid much less. This is clear from the bid amounts. Star’s consolidated bid was Rs 163,475 million for five years. However, the sum of its bids for the seven individual rights was only Rs 788,247 million, or less than half of the former amount.

    Take a look at the comparative individual bids by the various players to understand Star’s game plan.

    Its bid for the subcontinent TV rights was Rs 61,969 million or much less than Sony’s Rs 110,500 million. Its price for the digital rights was Rs 14,430 million, or even lesser in percentage terms than Facebook’s Rs 39,000 million, Airtel’s Rs 32,800 million, and Reliance Jio’s Rs 30,757 million. Thus, Star made certain that it wouldn’t overpay for the individual rights.

    But Star was willing to go overboard for the consolidated and overall rights. The reason for this was obvious: BCCI’s tender stated that a combined bid could win only if the amount was higher than the sum of the highest bids in the individual categories. The latter figure, as it turned out, was Rs 158,195 million, or just over 3 per cent lower than Star’s consolidated bid of Rs 163,475 million. It was a lucky break for the winner – if its bid had been four per cent lower, it would have got only a puny ‘Rest of the World’ right that was worth Rs 487.5 million.

    Seeking Synergies

    In the future, the “all or nothing” strategy may turn out to be exceptionally brilliant or extremely stupid.

    This can be explained by two examples. When entrepreneurs opt for mega takeovers, they generally have two kinds of plans. The first is to sell off the various assets as they feel that the sum of the parts will be considerably higher than the whole. The other is to leverage and extract synergies that will result in a higher valuation for the whole.

    Both can work, but will the latter strategy work for Star? The quick answer: only if it knows the art and science of synergies.

    Over the past several years, sports organizers, media rights-winners (bidders) and advertisers have explored ways to take advantage of sport viewers’ habits in the age of convergence. According to a 2016 working paper by the Harvard Business School, some of the organizers, like UEFA (football), have successfully integrated “commercial activities and resources of sponsors into sports events” to improve “audience experience”.

    According to a 2016 piece by Patrick Hanavan, Chief Client Officer, Extreme Reach, a cloud technology platform, “There is increasing evidence that consumers are pairing their TV watching with ‘second-screen’ behaviour on social media….” This provides advertisers with “more opportunities for synergy between their TV buys and video buys… and potentially more cost-effective inventory.”

    public://BCCI_1.jpg

    Given such trends, a rights-holder, who has combined and comprehensive TV and digital rights presence, is ideally-placed to woo a larger set of audience, reach more advertisers, grab more spend from the same advertiser, and work closely with the sport organizer. The global trend is towards a seamless ‘rights’ strategy that encompasses TV, digital, broadband and social media.

    Although it’s not strictly similar, Turner Sports’ handling of the NBA media properties is an example. According to a report, Turner’s handling of the NBA’s digital business became so extensive to encompass “everything from mobile and social to broadband and the NBA’s out-of-market package”. Add TV to this mix, and what you have can be a winning combination.

    Star can easily drive, rather than merely woo, IPL traffic to its different properties. Star owns Indian cricket as it has the crucial rights for IPL and national team (the Indian cricket rights are with Star till first half 2018). It can extract cricket synergies if it innovates and thinks differently. Over time, the IPL viewership can translate into increased audience for non-IPL content on Star’s properties like Hotstar. The net result: higher returns on overall investment.

    Unfortunately, such grand strategies can unwind easily. Star’s attempt to drive traffic internally can drive it away. Seamless integration requires time, and five years may not be enough to translate the objectives into reality. Moreover, the fresh bidding for the Indian team’s rights will take place in 2018, and Star may lose them. It will be left with the IPL rights for a short summer period.

    Crucially, competition will keep nipping at Star’s heels, and may overtake it in the future. Next year, Sony, Facebook, Airtel and Reliance Jio will bid more aggressively. This will definitely happen when fresh tender for the IPL bids are floated in 2022. The story of how the bidding for the IPL digital rights has panned out is an indicator. The last time, Star won them for mere Rs 3,030 million for three years or Rs 1,010 million a year. This time, FB bid Rs 39,000 million for five years or Rs 7,800 million a year. It implies that the annual worth has gone up by nearly 225 per cent. Clearly, the social media network hopes to ride the cricket wave. The next time, Star’s “all or nothing” may come to nothing.

    Worth of IPL

    In 2009, when the IPL rights were renegotiated, Sony agreed to pay Rs 82,000 million for a nine-year period or Rs 9,111 million a year. At a simple inflation rate of 10 per cent, the figure will escalate to Rs 17,311 million over nine seasons. At a compounded rate of 10 per cent, the figure will be Rs 21,483 million. Star agreed to pay Rs 32,695 million per year, or a sizeable over 50 per cent higher than the 10 per cent compounded figure. This indicates that the IPL’s valuation has shot up, or at least the stakeholders think so.

    Of course, if one accounts for the rupee devaluation between 2009 and 2017, the math will be different. In 2009, the dollar averaged Rs 46, and is now just over Rs 64.

    A similar 10 per cent inflationary calculation for the price paid per match for the national team (the contract was bagged by Star in 2012) and IPL (2017 deal) will reveal that the conclusion that IPL is more expensive isn’t correct. If one looks at the overall scenario from a different perspective, IPL’s valuation has come down. A couple of years after the inaugural season, the league’s value was $4.1 billion in 2010. In 2016, Duff & Phelps found that it was still worth the same — $4.16 billion.

    Only this year did Duff & Phelps upgraded the valuation of IPL to $5.3 billion. Even this signifies an increase of 29 per cent over seven years, or less than what you can earn on fixed deposits. In fact, according to Brand Finance, the value of the league has diminished from a high of $4.1 billion to $3.8 billion now, after reaching a low of $2.9 billion in 2012.

    But at the same time, other deals indicate that the stakeholders still have faith in IPL. Recently, IPL title sponsorship was sold for Rs 22,000 million or twice the figure for the Indian team sponsorship.

    Only time will tell whether Star India can convert the opportunities to shore up its bottomlines further, considering its financial clout and business acumen.

    ALSO READ:

    Star bids highest for BCCI’s IPL media & digital rights and is the winner

    IPL has come to the rightful home of cricket in India: Star’s Uday Shankar

     

    public://Alam_Srinivas.jpg(Alam Srinivas, a senior business journalist and Executive Editor of Patriot, has authored two books on IPL, `IPL: Cricket and Commerce’, and `Cricket Czars: Two men who changed the gentleman’s game’. The views expressed are personal and Indiantelevision.com need not necessarily subscribe to them.)
  • Star bids highest for BCCI’s IPL media & digital rights and is the winner

    Star bids highest for BCCI’s IPL media & digital rights and is the winner

    MUMBAI: Star India has been investing heavily in Indian sport. And that investment – and promise to invest more – got the vote of confidence from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) when its  offer of Rs 16,3475 million or Rs 16347.5 crore or approximately $ 2.55 billion proved high enough for it to snare the five year global consolidated (telecast & digital) rights for the most lucrative and prized cricket league in the world – the Indian Premier League (IPL). 

    Star India’s offer was about Rs 5000 million more than the consolidated highest individual bid total which stood at Rs 15,8195.1 million.  The bidding rules had made it clear that the global rights  (Rs 16,347.50 crore) bid would get precedence over the individual bids if the latters’ sum total (Rs 15,8195.1 million) was lower than the former.  For viewers, what this means is that they will be watching IPL action on Star India’s sports channel bouquet and VOD platform Hotstar for the next five seasons of the IPL (2018 to 2022).

    Though 24 companies picked up the offer documents, only 14 turned up for the bidding process early this morning, from which BAM Tech was disqualified. Those who took part included:  beIN, Star India., Followon Interactive Media, Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) , Times Internet, Supersport International, Reliance Jio, Gulf DTH, Econet Media, Facebook, DAZN / Perform Group, Yupp TV, Airtel and BAM Tech.

    Star India and SPN India were the only two bidders for the Indian subcontinent TV rights and the latter’s  bid  of Rs 11,0500 million was much higher than Star India’s Rs 6,1969. million.  Facebook India was the highest bidder for digital Indian subcontinent rights with its offer of Rs 3,9000 million. It beat back telcos Jio, which bid Rs 3,0757.2 million, and  Airtel’s offer of Rs 3,2800 million, and even Star India that had bid Rs 1,4430 million. The Rest of World A (Austrailia, New Zealand & rest of world) telecast rights saw a bid of Rs 700.1 million by Followon emerging as the highest offer, ahead of Times Internet Ltd’s  (TIL’s) Rs 533 million and Star at 178.8 million. 

    The beIN bid of Rs 3900 million for the Rest of World B (Middle East) rights  was much higher than OSN’s Rs 2112.5 million, YuppTV’s Rs 1001. million and Star India’s Rs 650 million.

    Supersport came out tops on the Rest of World C (South Africa) rights with its bid  of Rs 1202.5 million as against Econet’s Rs 845 million and Star India’s Rs 617.5 million. The Rest of the World D (UK) rights  had only one bidder: Star India with its offer of Rs 487.5 million, the only territory for which it emerged as the highest  individual bidder.

    The Perform group led the race for the Rest of the World E (US) rights by bidding Rs 2405million leaving YuppTV (Rs 2346.5 million), TIL (Rs 1852.5 million) and Star India (Rs 491.6 million) far behind.  The consolidated figure for the highest bids for each individual right thus worked out Rs 15,8195.1 million.

    Almost all the cricket ecosystem players were cock-a-hoop with delight about the successful global bid placed by Star India.

    Said BCCI acting president CK Khanna in a press release:  “We are happy to announce Star India as our new global media and digital partner. We thank all the bidders that participated in the process. We have ensured that transparency of the highest form was maintained throughout the process. I would like to thank cricketers and franchises for making the league one of the eminent sporting leagues in the world. I would also like to thank all the fans for showing their continuous support for the VIVO IPL for the last 10 years.”  

    Added BCCI acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary:  “We welcome Star India on board as our broadcast and digital partner. Cricket as a sport has evolved over the years, and today’s bids were a reiteration of VIVO IPL’s growing global popularity.”

    Star India chairman & CEO Uday Shankar too expressed his excitement about his company’s successful bid. Said he:  “We are honoured to be selected as IPL’s global media rights partner and we thank BCCI for conducting such a transparent process. The VIVO Indian Premier League is undoubtedly one of the most exciting sporting leagues in the world and this acquisition of media rights reaffirms our commitment to serve cricket fans and make cricket even bigger than it is. We are delighted that in Star, IPL has found its natural home. We look forward to bringing this exciting format to our audiences across the world in a quality that all our viewers are accustomed to both on television as well as on digital on Hotstar.”

    Shankar further added, “At Star India, we believe that Indian sports have barely scratched the surface of its potential. Both the viewership of sports and more importantly participation in sports is something that we would like to grow substantially over the next few years. The acquisition of these rights is symbolic of our commitment to not just cricket but to the growth of a wider sports culture in the country.” Not to let go of a chance like this, Shankar also added that Star would have to come up with solid business proposal to monetise the IPL property over a period of five years as pay TV revenues — read tariffs — were highly regulated in India.

    BCCI CEO Rahul Johri expressed:  “We are grateful to the Supreme Court, the Committee of Administrators and the office bearers of BCCI. We are also thankful to Deloitte and our legal partners Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas for their support in carrying out a fair and transparent bidding process efficiently. We would like to welcome Star India on board as our IPL global media and digital partner.  We believe this is a global benchmark and all the stakeholders of IPL will significantly benefit from this association with Star India.”

    Sportingly, SPNI congratulated and wished Star India all the best in its endeavor to shape the  IPL over the next five  years.  Said the previous rights holder in a press note:  “SPNI  has nurtured the IPL since its inception and within a span of 10 years established it as one of the most popular sporting properties in the world. We would like to thank all those who supported us in curating the lineage and legacy of IPL.  At the same time, we take this opportunity of wishing STAR India the best as they shape IPL over the next five years. With our recent acquisition of the Ten Sports network, the sports network of SPNI holds the broadcast rights to five cricket boards, guaranteeing that our channels will continue to offer a strong mix of programming for cricket fans.”

    Also Read:

    IPL has come to the rightful home of cricket in India: Star’s Uday Shankar
     
    IPL net realisation up, digital ad revenue grew astronomically as compared to TV

    IPL tender submission & result date rescheduled

    IPL chief Shukla recuses from ‘live-streaming’ media rights auction

  • IPL chief Shukla recuses from ‘live-streaming’ media rights auction

    IPL chief Shukla recuses from ‘live-streaming’ media rights auction

    MUMBAI: The BCCI has planned to live-stream the bidding process for awarding media rights of the Indian Premier League (IPL) media rights on 4 September. Although an appeal by Rajya Sabha MP Subramanium Swamy’s for e-auction was struck down by the Supreme Court, this seems to be ‘transparent’ part of the process, which will bring in Rs 200 billion for BCCI in a five-year deal — a growth of 455  per cent from the last deal.

    Efforts are reportedly afoot to live-stream the auction either on iplt20.com or bcci.tv or both.

    Meanwhile, IPL chairman (Congress leader and a television channel co-owner) Rajeev Shukla, who faces allegations of conflict of interest despite getting a clean chit from former BCCI ombudsman retired justice AP Shah, has recused himself from the auction of the T20 League to be held in Mumbai. Shukla has refuted allegations that BAG Films, which is owned by his wife, had an understanding with the potential bidder Star Sports.

    Considering recent entries of Yahoo, Airtel, BAMTech and DAZN/Perform Group, the list of bidders has reportedly gone up to 24 including Star India, Followon Interactive Media, Taj TV India, Amazon Seller Services, Sony Pictures Networks, Times Internet, Supersport International, Gulf DTH FZ LLC, Reliance Jio Digital, GroupM Media, beIN, Econet Media, SKY UK, BTG Legal Services, ESPN Digital Media, BT PLC, Twitter and Facebook Inc.

    Two significant changes can be seen in this time’s auction. The rights would now be auctioned for a five-year period up to 2022), and rights for seven territories are being auctioned as opposed to 2008’s two sections — India and international rights. Television rights in India are believed to see a neck-and-neck race. Conditions stated in the tender make it compulsory for the digital partners to delay the live-streaming by five minutes and allocate 80 per cent of the bidding amount to broadcast rights, eventually making the equation favourable for Star India and Sony Pictures.

    ALSO READ :

    IPL media rights e-auction plea denied, BCCI-channel ‘conflict of interest’ interim application allowed

    IPL net realisation up, digital ad revenue grew astronomically as compared to TV

    Comment: Jawahar Goel gets into the boxing ring with iron gloves

  • Patanjali most advertised brand on television in week 33

    Patanjali most advertised brand on television in week 33

    BENGALURU: Baba Ramdev’s Patanajali Ayurved Limited has generally been among the top 10 television advertisers according to Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) weekly list of Top 10 Advertiser *Across Genre : All India (U+R) : 2+ Individuals during the first 33 weeks of 2017. It’s brand of products were the most advertised brands on television in week 33 (Saturday, 12 August 2017 to Friday, 18 August 2017) of 2013 as per Top 10 Brands *Across Genre: All India (U+R) : 2+ Individuals. The Patanjali range of products were present on television 13,626  times (insertions) in week 33 of 2017.

    It must be noted that FMCG giant Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) is by far the biggest advertiser on television in India– period. Its television ad insertions far exceed ad insertions by any other company. Four of its brands were present in BARC’s weekly list of top 10 most advertised brands in week 33 with combined ad insertions of 37,846.

    HUL’s beauty care brand Dove’s Dove Cream Bathing Bar was the second most advertised brand on television in week 33 with 10,324 insertions, followed by GlaxoSmithKline’s malted milk drink brand Horlicks with 10,248 insertions at third place. HUL’s toiletry and personal care brand Lux’s Lux Toilet Soap was the fourth most advertised brand in week 33 with 9,569 insertions followed by another HUL brand – toothpaste brand Closeup Ever Fresh with 9,431 insertions at fifth place.

    Bharti Airtel has been pushing its Airtel Postpoid Promise a lot over the few weeks on television. This Airtel product had the second highest insertions in the previous week (week 32) – 11,364 insertions. In week 33, Airtel Postpoid Promise was the sixth most advertised product with 9,187 followed by a product from banking and financial services  – the Axis Bank Credit/Debit Card with 8,993 ad insertions at seventh place.

    HUL’s detergent brand Surf Excel Easy Wash was the eight most advertised brand in on television week 33 of 2017 with 8,522 insertions  followed by television DTH brand Videocon D2h with 8,146 insertions. Reckitt Benckiser’s toilet cleaner brand Harpic 10X completed the list of top 10 brands on television with 8,092 insertions.

    ALSO READ :

    Truecaller claims 3X ad growth, VP cites Patanjali’s unprecedented rise

    Biggest advertisers on television during first eleven weeks of 2017

    Hindustan Lever, Patanjali had largest TV ad insertions

     

  • STAR, Zee & Times top media list, Airtel & Tata Sky entrenched

    STAR, Zee & Times top media list, Airtel & Tata Sky entrenched

    MUMBAI: STAR, Zee and Times have continued to lead in the list of top 10 media groups in India. The growth of television distribution firms, Business Standard reported, has been one of the major changes the listing has seen in five years. Bharti Airtel and Tata Sky are now well-entrenched in the leading 10 companies.

    A noticeable fact is that a film company is missing from the list of Top 10 or 20 firms.

    Among the media firms, the pattern in India is similar to the global one where some of the biggest media houses are the ones with a grasp on distribution. For example, Comcast, the largest global media firm (Rs 5.15 trillion revenue), is a distribution giant.

    Only Times, Jagran and HT Media are the only print media firms in the top 10. The Times group, BS states, receives an estimated 60 per cent of its revenues from its print business.

    The rest is a mix between Internet, radio and TV. Although Zee, as Times, is also diversified with print, cable, DTH, radio and TV broadcasting, but its major revenues come from TV broadcasting and distribution.

    ALOS READ :

    Hat-trick: Sony Pictures Distribution among best Indian media companies

    Sony only media & broadcast co. among Aon’s best employers’ list in India, employee engagement up at 81%  

  • Airtel & TVF create internet’s live reality show

    Airtel & TVF create internet’s live reality show

    MUMBAI: Nomophobia – the fear of being without your mobile phone or being unable to use your phone for some reason. Bringing this phobia to life with a hilarious twist is internet’s first ever live reality show, TVF is presenting — Airtel connected live. In a world where people have a fear of not being always connected through their smartphones, TVF and Airtel come together to create this first-of-a-kind live event & branded content IP in India.

    From the TVF stable, creators of the most compelling web content in India and makers of the immensely popular series like “TVF Pitchers”, “Permanent roommates”, “TVF Tripling” amongst others, comes a yet another first in its category. TVF presents Airtel connected live is a live web-reality event which will take place from August 18 – 20th. Featuring Jitendra Kumar, one of TVF’s most popular faces, lovingly called Jeetu by his fans, the live reality show will see him being dared to live alone in a house. Little does he know, TVF & Airtel have some surprises in store for him. That’s not all! Even you the viewers can throw a dare at Jeetu. Filled with 3 days of entertaining tasks playing on Webcast live on TVFPlay and on Facebook; Airtel Connected Live is an opportunity for fans to see their favourite TVF faces up close and personal. Featuring cameos from popular TVF faces like Anant Singh, Nidhi Bisht, Nidhi Singh, Biswapati Sarkar and others, Airtel Connected Live promises to take branded content on the web in India to the next level. Recently, TVF also took a step towards live entertainment by conducting its first live Truth or Dare.

    Jitendra Kumar popularly known as Jeetu shared, “My love to Airtel for supporting us crazy TVF people in this larger than life dare plan. Initially I was taking it lightly but now I am a little scared about these three days. At the same time I am also looking forward to it because it gives me a feeling of our childhood video games where our hero used to face different situations and clear all the stages successfully in the end. I am looking forward to a lot of fun and expecting the toughest and most entertaining tasks from our crazy TVF Truth vs. Dare team. Looking forward to the love and support from people out there in finishing my tasks.”

    Vineet Kanabar, Head of Marketing, TVF said, “The Viral Fever has always been a leader in experimenting with new formats of digital entertainment. Live videos on Facebook & YouTube emerged as an exciting format and we have used these extensively to entertain the audience. With Airtel Connected Live, we’re taking the next leap in digital entertainment. Interactive real-time live entertainment is the holy grail of digital branded content and we’re excited to be among the first movers in this space. Kudos to Airtel & GroupM for reposing their trust in us to take this giant leap. Stay tuned, there will be more to come in this space from us.”

    Mausumi Kar, Managing Partner, Team Airtel @ GroupM elaborated, “Airtel Connected LIVE is inspired by the popular ‘escape from locked room’ concept; but that’s where the similarity ends. The edge-of-the-seat fear and anxiety fare usually connected with this format was replaced being alien to our brand DNA. Instead the viewer is made a part of a journey of fun and humor. We are glad to partner with TVF to bring alive our idea and add the dimensions of subtle brand integrations with easy camaraderie with viewers that they have delivered.”

    Airtel spokesperson shared, “As a platform, Airtel Connected Live helps demonstrate the power of Airtel network. This is a first-of-its-kind three day continuous live activation created in conjunction with TVF that challenges all thresholds of digital engagement experienced before. It also proves how the right choice of network enables the true use of smartphones.”

  • Bhojpuri GEC Dishum launched, targets 65 mln C&S homes

    MUMBAI: It’s hoping to make a big impact on Indians love for everything Bhojpuri. Mumbai-based Dishum Broadcasting flagged off the free-to-air Bhojpuri TV GEC  Dishum just as India entered its seventy-first year of becoming independent.

    Branded Bhojpuri Dhamaka- Dishum, it is expected to have the majority of its audience in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and Jharkand, apart from the millions of Biharis/Jharkandis spread all over India and the world.

    The company’s management is working on making Dishum available on major Indian DTH and cable TV platforms such  as Tata Sky, Airtel, Den UP, Siti Maurya, Dash Digital and other local MSOs.  The goal: to reach a cumulative  65 million C&S homes. The international rollout will follow later.

    The channel has a slate of programmes covering both, fiction and non-fiction at different  time slots covering devotional, bhakti, mythological, drama, movies and music.

    Dishum has launched in a cluttered Bhojpuri TV space crowded with the likes of BIG Magic (now owned by Zee), Dabangg, Dhamaal, and movie channels like Oscar Movies Bhojpuri,  Bhojpuri Cinema TV, apart from other DD channels and news services.

    However, the company’s director Vishal Gurnani is undaunted by the competition and is quite focused on pole-vaulting the new launch into the second position amongst Bhojpuri channels in the next six months.

    Says he: “We are here to bridge the void left behind by Mahuaa, and are looking forward to bringing world class content, packaging and production values to the large Bhojpuri audience spread across UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and the migrant Bhojpuri audience across India and the world. We are working with the best production houses and the research agencies to understand the audience better.”

    Observers are of the view that Dishum will have its task cut out. Recently, the Bhojpuri cinema ecosystem saw investments being upped in production of movies.

    “However, the challenge has been in collection at the box office; the theatres simply refuse to pay up for a successful movie,” says a media observer. “While this does not directly affect Dishum, it shows the lack of transparency in that ecosystem. Dishum, being free to air, will have to depend on advertising. And, advertising spends from local brands; not just the national FMCG brands from the likes of Levers, P&G, Patanjali, Dabur etc. The latter will give it loose change in terms of ad spends. However, if it does manage to nurture and collect from local advertisers, it could have a good future.”

    ALSO READ :

    Dishum plans to break even in 3 yrs & a network soon, says Vishal Gurnani

    Dishum Awards hoist Bhojpuri flag in London, to be telecast on 27 Aug

  • Airtel CEO Vittal heads IndIAA Awards jury

    MUMBAI: The India chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA) has released a list of initial confirmations of jury members for the third edition of their IndIAA awards which would be presented in Mumbai on 8 September at the St. Regis Hotel, Mumbai.

    The high profile jury members who will judge what has been positioned as “the awards for real, hardworking advertising, backed by real budgets” are:

    Gopal Vittal, CEO Bharti Airtel – Chairman

    Members:
    Sunil Duggal, CEO, Dabur India
    Suresh Narayanan, CMD, Nestle India
    Shikha Sharma, MD & CEO, Axis Bank
    Sunil Kataria, Business Head, India and SAARC, Godrej Consumer Products and President, ISA
    Nitish Kapoor, SVP Regional Director South Asia & Managing Director, Reckitt Benckiser India
    Sanjeev Bikchandani, Founder & Executive Vice Chairman, Info Edge

    IndIAA Awards Committee chairman Pradeep Guha said: “Any award is only as good as the jury who judges it, and I am very pleased to announce such a stellar list of names. These are people who have judged advertising every day and are best suited to decide on the merit of real work.”

    IAA India Chapter president Neeraj Roy said: “We all recognise the importance of real advertising that is created following a brief, and which has passed through the rigor of client approval, to address a genuine need in the market. This jury will lend their expertise to pick deserving winners, and the teams comprising the CMO/Brand Managers, the agencies behind creating the work and placing them on media, will together go up on stage to collect the Awards.”

    IAA Global SVP & president-elect Srinivasan Swamy said, “The jury’s stature and their commitment will reflect very positively on the results that will be declared. I am pleased to hear that Mathrubhumi has come forward as the Title Partner for the second year in succession.”

    Mathrubhumi JMD M V Shreyams Kumar said: “Being in the news space, credibility is very important to us. Awarding real advertising therefore appealed to us. The announcement of such a distinguished jury only adds to that credibility factor.”

  • Airtel lists 32.7 mn paperless Aadhar-based acquisitions in ‘Sustainability Report’

    MUMBAI: Bharti Airtel (Airtel), India’s largest telecommunications company, has released its 2017 India Sustainability Report that outlines its approach towards responsible, sustainable business practices and making a positive impact on all stakeholders including customers, suppliers, local communities, investors, employees and government bodies.

    Bharti Airtel MD & CEO (India & south Asia) Gopal Vittal said, “As part of our governance DNA, we attach a deep sense of purpose to the way we conduct our business and ensure it has a positive impact on all stakeholders. Being a responsible corporate citizen, we have implemented a host of sustainability initiatives across the organization and remain fully committed to building on this strong foundation.”

    Green Initiatives

    81% reduction in CO2 emissions across network infrastructure in the last five years and 27% reduction in the last financial year.
    23% reduction in CO2 emissions per square feet in our facility and 9% reduction in CO2 emissions per rack in data centre operations against 2015-16
    Airtel saved over 1280 million sheets of paper since FY 2011-12 on paperless billing initiatives.
    Adopted Aadhar based instant verification process which is secure and eliminates paperwork
    Managed to recycle 2400 tonnes of e-waste and refurbished over 500,000 direct-to-home set top boxes
    Over 1200 tonnes of paper have been saved since FY 2011-12 with the paperless billing initiative, over 170 millions have opted for e-bills. 191 tonnes of paper was saved across facilities

    Adopted Aadhar based instant verification process which is secure and eliminates paperwork. 32.7 million such paperless Aadhar based acquisitions were completed last year.

    Customer Initiatives

    Unveiled India’s first Open Network, setting a new benchmark for transparency in the industry, by making the entire network information including coverage, site details and signal strength available to customers.
    Doubled mobiles sites in just two years by deploying 180,000 sites. This is the same number deployed over the past 20 years.
    Self-regulation: Airtel will contribute INR 100,000 for every 0.01% increase in call drop rate beyond 1.5% / month against the TRAI prescribed limit of 2%. The amount will be contributed towards education of the under privileged.

    Listening to customers through various touch points – stores, customer care, website and social media. There is 74% increase in online interactions and 10 million social media queries were answered last year.

    Community Initiatives

    The company supports over 254 Satya Bharti School Program, Learning Centers and Quality Support Program through its educational initiatives and benefitted over 43,500 underprivileged children in rural India, impacting over 198,000 underprivileged children cumulatively.

    Benefitted over 3.8 million farmers through the IFFCO-Kisan Sanchar Ltd by undertaking mobile based agriculture awareness Implemented a host of initiatives in the field of disaster relief management, environment protection and other social causes

    Other key interventions

    Deployed a ‘Win with people’ strategy. To help talent grow through strong learning, mentoring and succession planning, started conducting Career Fairs. Over 370 hours of training interventions with over 935,000 man hours of training delivered in FY 2016-17

    Launched Airtel Payments Bank, the first payments bank in India, further consolidating the government’s agenda of digital payments and financial inclusion.

    Enabled over 1000 villages to go cashless across India, through enabling Airtel Payments Bank accounts with over 250000 banking points and onboarding merchants who accept digital payments