ITV

Tag: Airtel

  • Rediffusion-Y&R CEO Chauhan quits, Rajappa is new prez

    Rediffusion-Y&R CEO Chauhan quits, Rajappa is new prez

    MUMBAI: Rediffusion-Y&R has announced a key change in their senior management. Mahesh Chauhan, who was Group CEO, and has been with the Rediffusion Group for 8 years, has decided to move on. He is being replaced by D Rajappa as Rediffusion-Y&R president.

    Rajappa has been a Rediffusion Group veteran, having served the group for over 15 years in various capacities. He started out as an account director in 1995 and went on to head the Delhi branch of Rediffusion. He later moved to Rediffusion Sri Lanka as president and CEO in 2003. In 2006, he returned to India as president of Everest Brand Solutions.

    Rajappa has worked on many Indian and multi-national brands – Airtel, ACC, CNN IBN, Ericsson, Emami, GPI, LIC, Maruti Suzuki, Parle, Pepsi foods, Tata Housing, to name a few, and has been associated with memorable and result-oriented communication for them.

    He was one among the five professionals from all over India to win the “Advertising Leader of Tomorrow” Award in 1997 conducted by Advertising Association of India and Home TV. In 2005, he completed the Global Advanced Management Program (GAMP) from ISB Kellogg School of Management, a two-phase residential program aimed at CEOs and entrepreneurs. He is today a visiting faculty at Amity School of Communication, IIMC and Indian Institute of Event Management.

    Commenting on Rajappa’s appointment, Rediffusion-Y&R chairman and managing director Diwan Arun Nanda said, “Raja’s clarity of purpose and his integrity have always succeeded in attracting and retaining high talent. The relationships he forms are always meaningful and long term, with colleagues and clients.”

    Said Rajappa about his new role, “I’m no stranger to the group, and I’m here because of the entrepreneurial freedom it offers talented people. I’ve had the opportunity to exercise this freedom in various capacities and this new function definitely offers me further scope to do so. Mr. Nanda has been a great role model. My immediate focus would be to inspire the talented team we have and grow the business and scale of Rediffusion.”

  • Airtel gets a new brand identity and logo

    Airtel gets a new brand identity and logo

    MUMBAI: Bharti Airtel, the global telecommunications company, has unveiled its new logo and look for its operations in 19 countries in Asia and Africa.

    The unveiling of the new identity marks the achievement of 200 million customers by the company.
     
    The new face of Airtel, designed by its creative agency JWT, is youthful, international, inclusive and dynamic and the red colour continues to represent the dynamism of the company.

    With the new curved addition, Airtel intends to gain instant recognition across diverse international markets. 
     
    Bharti  Airtel chairman and managing director Sunil Bharti Mittal said, “Today, as we expand on the global stage, this new brand identity gives us the opportunity to present a single, powerful and unified face to our customers, stakeholders and partners around the world. It reinforces our promise to deliver innovative services and a superior brand experience to our 200 million customers across Asia and Africa.”

    AR Rahman has also made a refreshed version of the original Airtel tune.

    Airtel will launch its 3G services in India by the end of 2010.
     

  • Isro being approached for more transponders for DD Direct

    Isro being approached for more transponders for DD Direct

    NEW DELHI: Doordarshan is expected to switch over to an Indian satellite Insat 4B by early May for its direct-to-home DD Direct service, but it is unlikely to get more than five transponders. The satellite is being launched 10 March from Kourou in French Guiana.

    Prasar Bharati sources tell indiantelevision.com that though the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) had been requested to give first priority to the public broadcaster in the matter of leasing transponders, it was learnt that the Sun Group owned by Kalanithi Maran may get six transponders for its Sun Direct DTH and one for digital satellite news gathering.

    The sources said Isro had been approached to clarify the air on the number of channels it could give to Doordarshan, particularly in view of the efforts by the public broadcaster to switch over to an Indian satellite and not spend money in foreign currency for the American-owned NSS-6 satellite.

    The switchover is expected to result in a saving of around $5 million and Prasar Bharati chief executive officer BS Lalli confirmed that he had turned down the reminder by the American satellite for a renewal of contract.

    (It is learnt that Isro agreed to the demand for Sun for transponders after the failure of the Insat-4C last year. However, Isro has given the option to Sun to take transponders on a foreign satellite with the help of the space agency, since Insat 4B was meant for DD Direct.)

    Switching over to the new satellite will mean rotating the dish antennas slightly from the existing 95 degrees to 93.5 degrees. Lalli does not think any re-programming of
    set-top boxes will be required but said that this could be done easily if needed.

    The Insat-4B, the second satellite in the Insat-4 series, will be carrying 12 Ku band and as many C band transponders for communication and broadcasting services. Airtel is understood to have booked transponders for its services.

  • Vijay TV brings ‘KBC’ in Tamil

    Vijay TV brings ‘KBC’ in Tamil

    MUMBAI: Now you can catch King Khan mouthing the words ‘Vanakkam; neengal parthukondu irupadhu Kaun Banega Crorepathi’. Star Plus’ Kaun Banega Crorepati will be dubbed in Tamil and telecast on Vijay TV for its Tamil viewers starting 23rd January.

    Auditions for the dubbing artistes on the show are on in full swing. The search for SRK’s Tamil dubbing artiste is also to be finalised, a company release sates.

    Says Vijay TV general manager Ravinath Menon, “The question promos are on high rotation on Vijay TV giving Tamil viewers equal opportunity to be part of the show. We hope, in this season, we will see more Tamil viewers get into the hot seat with Shah Rukh and play for the highest prize money. We are also planning different interactive plug-ins around the Tamil version to make it more interesting to Vijay viewers.”

    The show starts 23 January and will be telecast from Tuesday to Friday at 7pm, a time band that was popularized by the channel’s successful show Swamy Iyappan. Advertising clients lining up include Airtel, Hyundai, Motorola, KRBL, HDFC Standard Life, Univercell and Cadbury.

    The release quotes Univercell Telecommunications managing director Satish Babu as saying, “KBC and SRK are two big brands with immense popularity; more so as Shahrukh Khan takes on the role of the Big B, the expectations and interest levels are that much higher; especially among the youth. Vijay TV with its differentiated and innovative programming is the right platform for Univercell to be a part of.”

    KBC will be supported by an extensive on ground campaign spread across various media; with hoardings in Chennai and a road show in three cities; Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai. Specially designed KBC merchandise will be distributed to its active audience during the road activity.

  • Mobile services better, Airtel continues to lead: TNS Celltrack report

    Mobile services better, Airtel continues to lead: TNS Celltrack report

    MUMBAI: The mobile telephony sector in India is not just growing but service providers seem to be getting better at meeting customer expectations.

    According to the latest annual TNS CellTrack 2006 study, the already high TRI*M index for the industry – the metric that measures the strength of the ‘subscriber-service provider relationship’ – got even better, and is today at 82, up from 79 in 2005.

    The performance of the Indian mobile industry measured by their ability to anticipate and meet customer expectations has been increasing consistently over time. From an industry average TRI*M Index of 55 in 2000, the Indian mobile industry has surely come a long way.

    Airtel not only retained its number one position among the national players (see Figure 2), but also scored better, with the TRI*M Index up from 82 in 2005 to 90 this year. Hutch has also managed to improve their performance significantly and stays at second place, while Reliance with a TRI*M Index of 83 (80 in 2005) is third. Idea, BSNL and Tata Teleservices, have maintained performance but are significantly below the industry average of 82.

    Among the regional players, the big surprise is MTNL – dislodging Spice to become the best regional player with a TRI*M Index of 100.

    TNS India head of telecom practice Abraham Karimpanal says, “While it could be argued, and rightly so that MTNL is attracting a different profile of subscribers with different set of expectations, this war is all about each operator understanding and /or crafting, and then managing their subscribers’ expectations. Whether by design or otherwise, MNTL has surpassed all others at it.”

    TNS CellTrack 2006 also tracks the evolving brand choice and purchase behaviour for handsets among the Indian mobile users.

    Nokia continues to dominate the GSM market, with a 79 per cent market share. Motorola is the brand that has been able to significantly improve its share by almost doubling from three per cent in 2005 to seven per cent in 2006. Motorola’s gain is possibly Samsung’s loss as their market share has dropped from six per cent in 2005 to four per cent in 2006.

    LG has consolidated its position as the market leader in the CDMA handset market. The current 49 per cent market share is an improvement of over 43 per cent market share LG had in 2005. While Nokia managed to retain its share of the CDMA handsets, Samsung and Motorola have lost market share from 17 per cent to eight per cent and 12 per cent to four per cent respectively.

  • UTV buys Indiagames, Ignition Entertainment for Rs 1.28 billion

    UTV buys Indiagames, Ignition Entertainment for Rs 1.28 billion

    MUMBAI: UTV Software Communications Ltd. is making a foray into gaming by acquiring controlling stakes in UK-based Ignition Entertainment and Indiagames for a total for Rs 1.28 billion.

    While UTV will pay Indiagames, a mobile and broadband gaming company, Rs 680 million, the acquisition of 70 per cent in Ignition Entertainment will cost Rs 600 million. Ignition Entertainment is a console gaming company with an annual revenue of around $15 million.

    “We presently create, develop and aggregate content for TV, movies and animation. With an objective to create content across all entertainment platforms, the company has ventured into gaming. This will give us exposure to the rapidly growing mobile, PC and console gaming industry,” UTV said in a release.

    Indiagames CEO and founder Vishal Gondal will continue to head the company and evolve synergies with other UTV businesses in the creation of cutting-edge games. The company reported annual revenues of around $5 million for the last fiscal and has an employee strength of 270 people. “Post transaction the shareholders of the company will include Cisco Systems, Adobe Inc. and Management. IG is presently involved with mobile game development, publishing and distribution across 67 countries through 80 telecom partners like Vodafone, Verizon, Hutch and Airtel. Its latest venture into PC games distributed online through broadband ISPs like BSNL, MTNL, Airtel and Tata VSNL amongst others is expected to be a major value driver,” the release said.

    The acquisition of Ignition Entertainment will bring to the table relationships with hardware manufacturers, game developers and distributors such as Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, SNK, Konami, Atari, Virgin and Wal Mart. “Ignition is presently developing a top end game ‘WarDevil’ budgeted at around 10 million pounds and is expected to release it in the year 2008 exclusively on the Sony Playstation3(tm) (PS3) platform. PS3 was launched in November 2006 in Japan and the US and it is expected to sell more than 30 million units by the end of 2008,” UTV said.

    UTV plans to invest Rs 1.35 billion in the development of animation movies over the next three years. “Simi Nallaseth, one of the key animators of the international smash-hit animation movie Ice Age is developing one of the productions. Arnab Chaudhury, former Head of Channel [V] and Creative Director of Turner International (Asia), will be working on another project. We are now in the scripting stage of our CG animation production with Will Smith’s Overbrook,” UTV said.

    UTV’s scrip, however, fell 4.83 per cent on the BSE, closing the day at Rs 263.95.

  • mobile2win, Saregama to distribute Rahul Sharma’s album ‘Ladakh – In Search of Buddha’

    mobile2win, Saregama to distribute Rahul Sharma’s album ‘Ladakh – In Search of Buddha’

    MUMBAI: mobile2win, mobile VAS platform company has partnered with Saregama for the wireless distribution of Rahul Sharma’s latest album ‘Ladakh – In Search of Buddha’.

    Mobile2win has been mandated to distribute mobile content around this album to all telcos and media houses in the country. They will be providing mobile content which includes imagery – wallpapers and music clips – ringtones in monotones, polytones, trutones. One can download ringtones by simply going through browser pages of their operator network. The Ladakh tones are live on the decks of operators to download and consumers are eligible for mobile phones as lucky draw prizes.

    The ‘Ladakh – In Search of Buddha’ content can be downloaded onto any GPRS enabled handsets via the Mobile2Win zone through major mobile operators like Airtel, Hutch, BPL, Idea, Spice, Reliance, BSNL, MTNL, Tata etc covering all circles across the country. This content has also been made available to leading media entities for downloads to their consumers.

    mobile2win India country head Rajiv Hiranandani says, “mobile2win is committed to bringing music and entertainment onto the fingertips of millions of mobile consumers. The demand for good content will always be there and we will make sure it is met via exclusive mobile content and applications.”

  • Investors In Cricket joins forces with DD, Zee, Miditech for cricket based reality show

    Investors In Cricket joins forces with DD, Zee, Miditech for cricket based reality show

    MUMBAI: With new sports channels coming in it is inevitable that new formats will also come in. One such format is a cricket based reality show called Cricket Star.

    This is an initiative to find a budding cricket star who has been bypassed by the system. The idea is the brainchild of Investors In Cricket (IIC) a firm that looks at sports rights relevant to the Asian subcontinent. This will be in the form of a reality hunt and will air as a television event for 11 weeks from 14 January 2007 on DD and Zee. DD and Zee Sports will each week simulcast three episodes. Zee TV will air an episode each week.Miditech has been roped in to produce the show. Airtel and HLL are the presenting sponsors. Aspiring cricketers can apply by calling 5052727 from GSM mobiles, 1277777 from MTNL landlines or 1255527 from MTNL and BSNL. One can also send an SMS CSTAR to 7575.

    Eight selection centres are open and one has to showcase one’s skills there, whether it is batting, bowling or wicket keeping. From there the chosen ones go to a pre academy phase. Finally 23 contestants will go to the Academy. There will be a countdown and thus an elimination process to find the winner.

    The channel has roped in Kapil Dev and Saurav Ganguly as judges. The flamboyant Ajay Jadeja will be the expert analyst. IIC chairman Manoj Badale points out that after the event in India is finished it will travel abroad to the UK and Pakistan among other countries. “This marks the first time a cricket based reality show is launching in India. This marks the first time a reality show that has originated from India travels abroad. Normally it is the other way around.

    This idea has taken a while to put together. We wanted the best possible reach, which is why we approached DD and Zee. DD as the national broadcaster can reach the small towns. Zee with its multi lingual channels will also help get the message across.”

    The winner gets an all expenses paid contract with Leicestershire County Cricket Club and cash. The final 11 contestants will also get a chance to participate in the rollout of Cricket Star in the UK next Summer and in Pakistan. Also, Cricket Star aspirants will play a series of 20:20 matches.These will air on Zee Sports.

    When the 23 chosen contestants enter the cricket Star Academy each week the judges will nominate the four bottom performers out of whom two will be evicted by the participants., When it is down to the final 11 viewers will be able to vote by phone or through SMS. The final episode airs at the end of March 2007.

    Miditech CEO Nikhil Alva points out that the challenge begins from today as the lines are now open. Whether or not it is as big as Indian Idol will depend on the response. “We are confident that with our previous experience we will be able to handle the logistics of the event. There will certainly be drama as viewers get to know the human side of the candidates in addition to their cricketing abilities.

    Zee Sports business head Himanshu Mody says that this is the first time a format has brought cricket and television together in an entertaining manner. “We aim to find the hidden wonders in India’s villages and towns And showcase them to the country along with their travails and struggles. At Zee Sports it has always been about showcasing sports and sportspersons from India. As they say may the best man or woman win.”

    Jadeja says that more than just a show this will also be a coaching platform for aspirants. Kapil Dev and Ganguly will offer advice to aspirants on how to improve their skills.

    Ganguly sees this endeavour as a way to give back to the game for the opportunities it has given him. Dev says that every youngster who is passionate about the game should at least be given an opportunity. It should not be that a youngster feels that he/she could have made it but an opportunity was not given.

    Airtel marketing director Gopal Vittal says, “In India cricket and Bollywood share a passion that cuts across geographies, cultures and religions. Today every street, nukkad or galli in this country has an enthusiastic budding cricketer waiting for an opportunity to perform on a bigger stage. Cricket Star offers them an opportunity to perform at the highest level.”

    HLL is involved through its product Faior And Lovely Mens Active. HLL VP Skin Care Ashok Venkatramani says, ” Our product has already changed the story of male gooming in India. This association will catch the fancy of every male in India who aspires to get that opportunity to see themselves as the next Cricket Star.

    This is our contribution to Indian cricket and we are certain that this will help discover the Sachin’s Dhoni’s, Pathan’s Sehwags etc. Our support is a sure way of changing the story of Indian cricket and taking it to greater heights of glory.

  • PAKA to present a Dilip Chhabria modified Maruti Swift to one lucky viewer

    PAKA to present a Dilip Chhabria modified Maruti Swift to one lucky viewer

    MUMBAI: Pogo Amazing Kids Awards 2006 (PAKA), has added another initiative to engage its young audience. One lucky kid who guesses the correct winners from Pogo Amazing Kids Awards 2006 and votes for them across the eight categories will get an exclusive custom designed Maruti Swift from automobile designer Dilip Chhabria.

    This year, Pogo Amazing Kids Awards, for the first time, includes an audience poll as well as jury decision to determine the winners. The contest will begin on 28 November, 2006. Kids can choose their winners by sending an SMS to ‘8558’ or MTNL users can call – 1250 111 158 and BSNL and Airtel landline users can call – 1250 158, states an official release.

    Turner International India Networks, India and South Asia vice president, advertising sales Monica Tata said, “We are extremely happy to have Dilip Chhabria as a part of Pogo Amazing Kids Awards 2006. Turner has always believed in taking our brands beyond the scope of television and this initiative will prove to be a milestone in our venture. This is one of the most prestigious awards to be given away by a kids’ television show. The idea is to make POGO Amazing Kids Awards 2006 rewarding for both participants and viewers.”

    Commenting on his involvement with kids and Pogo Amazing Kids Awards 2006, the promoter of Dilip Chhabria Design Pvt Ltd., Dilip Chhabria said, “I am glad to be associated with Pogo Amazing Kids Awards 2006. This will be the first time that I will be designing a car for a new audience and I believe that kids are the building blocks of the future. They play a very critical and influential role in today’s time. This is a unique and exciting opportunity for me.”

    Pogo Amazing Kids Awards 2006 is divided into two sections, Pogo Voice Awards and Pogo Kids Awards. The Pogo Kids Awards segment will recognise exceptional talent and brilliance and reward them for their extraordinary talents in multiple areas and the Pogo Voice Awards will yet again empower children from all over India to vote for their favourite celebrity icons amongst nominees in various award categories.

    Instituted by Pogo in December 2004, the Awards recognise child wonders and reward them for their outstanding achievements in eight categories – arts, sports, music, singing, dance, genius, leadership and entertainment.

  • Indiagames launches Games on Demand cyber cafe partnership program

    Indiagames launches Games on Demand cyber cafe partnership program

    MUMBAI: Indiagames has announced the launch of its Games on Demand partnership program for Cyber Cafes. This initiative from Indiagames will help over 100,000 private internet cafes in India compete with organised players in the market.

    Says Indiagames founder & CEO Vishal Gondal, “Besides broadband subscribers and home PC users, there is a large percentage of people in India who access the internet through internet cafes. With the launch of the Games on Demand Cyber Café Program, we hope to take a world class gaming experience to the masses.”

    When it comes to gaming in India, there are a host of issues like software piracy and the high prices of gaming software. Games on Demand is a unique offering that aims to successfully address all these issues. In addition to access to licensed original games, the Games on Demand service will prove to be a new source of income, as well as a great customer retention and loyalty tool for internet cafes, states an official release.

    Games-on-Demand is a unique service which enables a user to choose and play from a catalogue of over 300 games without ever needing to purchase or install them on the local PC. Games on Demand features popular international games like Age of Empires II, Brian Lara’s Cricket, IGI 2 Covert Strike and Toca Race Driver 2 amongst others. New games will be added every month thus offering consumers something to look forward to, the release adds.

    Games on Demand is currently available to home internet users via Indiagames’ partnership with leading broadband service providers like Airtel, MTNL, Tata VSNL, and You Telecom. The service will also be soon launched on BSNL which has India’s largest broadband subscriber base.

    The Games on Demand retail initiative from Indiagames will be supported by a host of advertising and publicity initiatives as well as on-ground events. The company is in the process of starting an online advertising campaign to support the initiative. Currently, the service has over 100 games on offer at just Rs 225 per month. These games will cost almost Rs100,000 at retail prices for legal software. Indiagames has tied up with leading publishers like Microsoft, Codemasters, Playfirst, Atari and Activision amongst others for this service, the release further adds.