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Tag: Airtel

  • Airtel further strengthens its partnership ZEE5

    Airtel further strengthens its partnership ZEE5

    KOLKATA: As part of its strategic alliance with ZEE5, Bharti Airtel (Airtel) today launched new propositions for its mobile customers in India. These prepaid propositions are designed to deliver an exciting digital entertainment experience to Airtel smartphone customers by unlocking the full ZEE5 premium content catalogue to go with generous high speed data allowance and unlimited calling benefit.  

    1. The new Rs 289 prepaid bundle offers Unlimited Calling, 1.5 GB/day, 100 SMS/day plus full access to the entire ZEE5 catalogue, which includes hits such as Ghoomketu, Chintu Ka Birthday, Rangbaaz Phirse, Lalbazaar to name a few. The bundle comes with a validity of 28 days. In addition, as part of Airtel Thanks benefits the customer also gets access to Airtel

    Xstream content and Wynk Music subscription .  

    2. The Rs 79 top-up offers subscription to the entire ZEE5 catalogue for 30 days. The convenient top up will be available to all Airtel customers through the Digital Store Section on Airtel Thanks App.  Customers can purchase the new prepaid pack on Airtel Thanks app, www.airtel.in and at all Airtel retail stores across India.

    Bharti Airtel chief marketing officer Shashwat Sharma said: “With the massive surge in consumption of digital content on smartphones, Airtel’s new prepaid packs make it simpler for millions of customers to access rich content from ZEE5 without having to worry about managing separate

    subscription charges. Our users can enjoy this exclusive content offering on Airtel 4G, which has been consistently rated as India’s top mobile network for video by global experts.”

    ZEE5 India business development and commercial head Manpreet Bumrah said, “During such unprecedented times, we urge all the citizens to stay home and stay calm, while we continue to serve the best of entertainment content across languages, genres, and a spectrum of devices. Our partnership with Airtel enables us to maximise reach by appealing to a large base of Airtel consumers present across the country. With this proposition, we are enhancing our existing relationship and reach through prepaid bundle & top-up plans further democratising access to world-class entertainment at consumer’s fingertip.”

  • Airtel acquires strategic stake in ed-tech startup Lattu Kids

    Airtel acquires strategic stake in ed-tech startup Lattu Kids

    MUMBAI: Bharti Airtel (“Airtel”) has acquired a strategic stake in Edtech startup Lattu Media Pvt Ltd (“Lattu Kids”) as part of the Airtel Startup Accelerator Program. Mumbai based Lattu Kids specializes in digital learning tools for children. Its highly popular Lattu Kids app focuses on improving English vocabulary, English reading and Maths skills for children under the age of 10 years through entertaining, fun learning animated videos and games. 

    At over 500 mn, India has the second largest number of internet users in the world, driven by affordable smartphones and the lowest 4G data tariffs globally. This deep penetration of internet has also led to wide adoption of online learning tools. The COVID-19 pandemic and closure of schools has further accelerated the adoption of virtual classrooms and digitally enabled learning. It is estimated that in India Edtech will become a USD 2 bn plus industry by 2021. 

    The investment will enable Airtel to add Edtech to its premium digital content portfolio and give distribution scale to quality learning material from Lattu Kids. Airtel already has over 160 mn monthly active users across its digital platforms – Airtel Thanks app, Airtel Xstream app and Wynk Music. 

    Bharti Airtel product officer Adarsh Nair said: “At Airtel, we aspire to support the growth of the start-up ecosystem through our digital platforms. And now more than ever, online education is a critical need for millions of young children who do not have access to regular classrooms. We believe that Lattu Kids can make a positive impact in the space of online education and are excited to have them in our accelerator and partner in their growth.”

    Lattu Kids co-founder and CEO  Vivek Bhutyani said: “Our Vision with Lattu Kids is to impact learning outcomes for young children in Nursery to Grade 2 and lead this category in India by using Digital content, Gamification and Technology. With Airtel, we have found an equally passionate partner and our synergies in this space will allow us to scale Lattu to millions of kids in India across classes and make it a much-loved home grown EdTech brand.” 

    Lattu Kids becomes the fourth company to join the Airtel Startup Accelerator Program, which allows start-ups to leverage Airtel’s robust ecosystem, including its core strengths in data, distribution, networks and payments. This includes access to a vast online and offline distribution network that touches 300m+ customers, deep market understanding and platform of global strategic partners. Further, start-ups also get access to advisory services from Airtel’s executive team. 

  • Airtel ecstatic about home broadband opportunity; collab with local cable operators paying well

    Airtel ecstatic about home broadband opportunity; collab with local cable operators paying well

    MUMBAI: A recent report by Fitch which indicates a slow revenue growth in FY21 for telecom players might be bad news for Airtel, which is already losing market shares to Jio. But its home broadband business is gradually taking off. In the last quarter of FY 20, the telco operator added almost 60,000-65,000 net additions, one of the highest numbers it has seen in many quarters. Moreover, the lockdown has boosted the demand for home broadband.

    “We are excited about the home broadband opportunity. I think India is an underserved market and there is a very big opportunity to expand broadband on a structural basis. Having said that, I think what we have seen in the recent few weeks is a massive surge in latent demand and home broadband,” Bharti Airtel India and South Asia managing director and chief executive officer Gopal Vittal said in an earnings call.

    Vittal also spoke about an innovative model that it is experimenting with: collaborating with local cable operators to provide the last mile and using a digital model to access more cities and expand the scale of its broadband business. While the model has already been rolled out in 13 cities, he claims it has seen good traction reinforcing its trust on opportunities for broadband internal expansion.

    Talking about the strategy, Vittal added that they need to expand a lot more in top ten cities at first. Hence, there will be some step-up in capex directed to expanding Airtel’s broadband in these large cities. Airtel rolled out over 250,000 home parcels in the last quarter while total capex for the quarter stood at Rs 97 crore.

    “The second part is going beyond 10 cities or 50 cities. We got into smaller cities. For example, we have gone into Jammu, Dehradun, Bareilly, and Nasik. These are cities where we hadn't gone before and now have partnered with local cable operators and created an Uber-like model, which is entirely digital and gives them a share of revenue and this is actually working quite well,” Vittal said.

    “We are unleashing entrepreneurial energy of these cable operators, in managing the last mile for us, and at the same time, we have the Airtel brand, customer support, billing systems, technology and of course the purchase of routers and all of the other backend equipment coupled with the fact that we have fibre availability at the towers for which the backhaul is available. So I think we are using the best of both worlds to actually partner and expand,” he added further.

    According to TRAI data, the top five wired broadband service providers were BSNL (8.23 million), Bharti Airtel (2.43 million), Atria Convergence Technologies (1.54 million), Hathway Cable & Datacom (0.92 million) and Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd (0.84 million) as on 31 January, 2020.

    Bharti Airtel India and South Asia chief financial officer Badal Bagri said that affordability has been one of the key drivers which he terms war on waste. This ‘war on waste’ is not just about operating expenses but also about efficiency and capital expenditure. He also mentioned that Airtel’s cost of the rollout of home passes has substantially reduced over the last two-three years. Hence, he is of the view that the cost structures which it operates in are fairly affordable, enabling them for an aggressive bid in the sector.

  • PUBG Mobile welcomes Airtel as preferred network of PMPL league

    PUBG Mobile welcomes Airtel as preferred network of PMPL league

    MUMBAI: As part of its mission to enable a superior and highly differentiated digital experience for its customers, Bharti Airtel will start supporting the esports dreams of millions of Indians.

    Airtel will power the PUBG MOBILE Pro League (PMPL) as the preferred network of the coveted esports tournament and will also bring the best of PUBG Mobile esports on the Airtel Xstream app.

    Bharti Airtel chief marketing officer Shashwat Sharma says: “Airtel has been consistently rated as India's best network by multiple global experts and we are thrilled to join forces with PMPL to power the country’s Esports revolution. We will also be bringing the best of Esports in India to our digital entertainment platforms as part of Airtel Thanks.”

    The PUBG MOBILE Pro League (PMPL) South Asia will take place from 22 May to 14 June, where the top 20 teams are competing for a spot in the PUBG Mobile World League. PMPL South Asia will be broadcasted 18:00-22:20 IST (+5:30 GMT) on Friday to Sunday per week from 29 May to 14 June.

    Tencent Games, PUBG MOBILE Global Esports, director James says: “PUBG MOBILE is always to deliver a good quality product and superior Esports experience to players and audiences around the world. With the help of Airtel high-speed network service, we have more confidence that players can enjoy wonderful PUBG MOBILE Esports tournaments."

    PMPL is a new pro-level of competition to take place across four regions – Southeast Asia, South Asia and Americas (North and South America)- allowing teams to compete for a slice of the $5 million USD prize pool on offer from the 2020 program.

    NODWIN Gaming co-founder and MD Akshat Rathee says: “Bringing together two of our partners who have shown a deep commitment to growing esports in India is the natural evolution of the ecosystem in India. In PUBG MOBILE, we have a partner who deeply understands the youth of India and in Airtel we have a partner who has deep customer insights. This is a match made in heaven”

  • Made in lockdown: The story of Airtel’s ad film

    Made in lockdown: The story of Airtel’s ad film

    NEW DELHI: Covid2019’s impact on ad houses and production companies has been massive. It’s been quite challenging with all shoots halted for more than two months now. However, many production houses showed great resilience against the odds, drafted newer ways of working and came out with some exceptional shot-at-home campaigns, because the show must go on.

    Recently, Equinox Films with Taproot Dentsu launched a new campaign for Airtel, shot across Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Noida while adhering to all the lockdown norms and guidelines.

    The film’s producer Annum Waris talked to Indiantelevision.com and shared how different the experience was for her to get the whole film ready. “It was a very challenging job as everything that we had learnt about production and shooting ad films over years stood at test. Production department’s job is to pre-empt problems that might occur during the whole process of creating a campaign and be ready with solutions. However, this time, the feeling was handicapping as there was no way we could have guessed the problems that we could be facing.”

    She added, “However, it was very thrilling to manage things remotely, work across hurdles, and come out with the final product.”

    According to Waris, the coordination within the team helped them create the film in around a week. “We had to work with a much smaller team than we are used to. So, we decided that we will involve all the HODs to process the workflow and ensure a pro-level quality. We were 5-6 people, including the cinematographer, the director, and the production design. We all worked in close collaboration.”

    While each and every moment of working on the film was challenging, what was most difficult was to find the right cast. “As the process goes for ad films, we audition for people, do screen tests, and that’s about it. However, this time we did not just require the right face and good acting skills, we wanted people who had a good house, the right wardrobe, and room to shoot the way we wanted to.”

    Waris feels she got lucky with the cast she managed to get, as all of them were very supportive. “They knew and understood that they would have to go out of their way to complete this. They were so beautifully cooperative, I must say, from presenting wardrobe options to learning ‘jugaad’ for keeping the camera still, they worked really hard.”

    She continued, “And not just them (the cast), even people around them were so supportive. The old lady you see in the film, her husband was handling the camera and we were facing issues to find a spot where he can sit and record. I must mention that their house help, a young boy, did so much of running around for us, finding the right frame and spot. It was heart-warming.”

    Asked if she would continue shooting remote projects like this, even after lockdown, she replied, “I don’t think that it can become a norm, as being on a set is a different feeling altogether. You get to manage everything on your own, you can plan the frames on your own, discuss with the team personally, and it just eases the process. While we are capable of giving a pro-quality film shooting remotely, it comes at the expense of time. So, I believe we still could be working on a few special projects now and then, but it will not be a regular thing.”

    Though she feels that it will take some time to get back to the same routine and hustle. “The ray of hope is that our government is open to dialogue and we are hoping that we will be able to give a slight start soon. However, it might be some time before we get there.”

    She added, “Right now, we are looking for smaller crews, and safeguard measures on the sets and offices to start. At Equinox, our belief is that we don’t organise a shoot but host a shoot and we share the responsibility for everyone involved in the process. This is how it is going to be in future as well.” 

  • Equinox Films creates Airtel’s new commercial, adhering to lockdown norms

    Equinox Films creates Airtel’s new commercial, adhering to lockdown norms

    MUMBAI:  Equinox films directed and produced a new commercial, “Recharge Revolution.” scripted by Taproot Dentsu ECD Pallavi Chakravarti for Airtel. During the nationwide lockdown, communication remains a key requirement and should be seamless. Stranded due to the novel pandemic, the only hope for everyone is to stay connected to their loved ones and to be well-informed about the situation. Understanding the need of the hour and guiding the users, Equinox films have ensured that Airtel’s messages reach one and all, through the ad commercial.

    The commercial has been shot through four cities in Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Noida while adhering to the norms and guidelines of the lockdown. The actors and team headed by Equinox Films producer Annum Waris involved have taken the right precautions against Covid2019 during the shoot.

    Equinox Films director Nitin Parmar said, “These are tough times for filmmakers but as the famous saying goes, the show must go on. You have to keep challenging yourself and look for new ways to stay relevant. If you’re in the business of filmmaking, you have to embrace technology and make the most out of it. The Airtel commercial brought an opportunity for us to experiment and reinvent as ad filmmakers. We are extremely thankful to the actors, their families, and home support for their cooperation in filming this commercial amidst the lockdown.”

    Link – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxwpXODIJG8

  • Airtel Thanks customers get free access to ZEE5 premium content

    Airtel Thanks customers get free access to ZEE5 premium content

    MUMBAI: Airtel Thanks customers will be able to access the entire catalogue of ZEE5 premium content without having to pay any subscription charges. ZEE5 and Bharti Airtel have been deepening their collaboration to bring best-in-class digital entertainment to customers in India. This special offer for Airtel Thanks customers will be available from 4 May, 2020 to July 12, 2020.

    Manpreet Bumrah, business development & commercial head, ZEE5 India, said: “ZEE5 is extremely happy to strengthen the relationship further with Airtel. ZEE5 is a complete entertainment destination with a depth of offerings across content types, genres and 12 languages which is hard to beat. Having established ourselves as an entertainment super-app of India, with the largest catalogue of content, we have captivated audiences across geographies and demographics. We are looking to expand our reach through this partnership with Airtel as we will leverage synergies between the brands and further bolster our presence across the country. We are certain that the plethora of choices we offer will keep the Airtel customers highly entertained throughout this summer.”

    Bharti Airtel chief marketing officer Shashwat Sharma said: “Airtel Thanks is now one of the largest REWARDS programs in India and offers a truly differentiated experience to our loyal customers. We are delighted to work with ZEE to bring high quality premium video content to our customers as part of the expanding Thanks Rewards.”

    As ZEE5 enters its third year of operations, the leading OTT platform in the country is looking to strengthen its relationships further. Airtel’s pool of audiences will allow ZEE5 to tap into an evolved customer base consuming content on the move.  While ZEE5 continues to partner with brands that are cutting-edge and best-in-class, the core focus of all alliances is to enable a seamless content viewing experience for consumers.

    Airtel Thanks is the flagship customer programme of Airtel as part of its strategy of winning with quality customers. The program is designed to deliver exclusive rewards and is tiered in its offering – Silver, Gold and Platinum. Each tier opens a whole new set of benefits for Airtel customers. The benefits are powered by Airtel’s strong partnerships, which go from premium content, device protection and much more.

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  • Airtel launches new prepaid data pack with Disney+ Hotstar VIP subscription

    Airtel launches new prepaid data pack with Disney+ Hotstar VIP subscription

    MUMBAI: Airtel has come up with a new prepaid data pack which gives the user subscription to one year of Disney Plus Hotstar VIP. A prepaid recharge plan of Rs 401 comes bundled with the OTT platform’s subscription which also offers 3GB of high-speed data access for 28 days.  

    Airtel launches the pack at a time when OTT consumption is witnessing a very high growth across the country due to the ongoing lockdown. Airtel has listed the new pack on its
    website mentioning the subscription, and details like shows, movies, and kids content from Disney+, exclusive Hotstar Specials, and live sports.  

    Disney+ made its entry in India on 3 April 2020 in conjunction with Hotstar as the latter upgraded to Disney+ Hotstar with a fresh new look and enhanced user interface. The service already boasts of eight million subscribers, as Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer and international chairman Kevin Mayer shared earlier this month.

  • Dish TV – Bharti Airtel deal called off over valuation differences: report

    Dish TV – Bharti Airtel deal called off over valuation differences: report

    MUMBAI: The deal between direct-to-home (DTH) operator Dish TV’s promoter Essel Group and Bharti Airtel has been called off due to differences over valuation, according to a report in Business Standard.

    Now, the promoters of Dish TV have begun talks with a global financial investor which does not have operations in India, for half of their stakes. According to the report, Essel Group will use the cash from the sale to repurchase a five percent stake in its flagship property Zee Entertainment Enterprises (ZEEL) in the next 12 months.

    The strategy is eventually to go up to 26 per cent, the report added. The Essel group expects Rs 2,000 crore from the deal, if it goes through. Last year, it sold 16.5 percent out of its 22.37 percent stake in ZEEL.

    As Bharti Airtel is looking out at expanding its DTH business to face the challenge thrown by Jio, the deal would have helped Sunil Mittal’s Airtel to emerge as the largest force in the DTH sector. Dish TV’s subscriber base is way higher than that of Airtel Digital TV.

  • Airtel Digital TV revenue stands at Rs 792.2 crore in the third quarter

    Airtel Digital TV revenue stands at Rs 792.2 crore in the third quarter

    MUMBAI: Telco giant Bharti Airtel’s direct-to-home (DTH) arm Airtel  Digital TV’s  total revenue increased to Rs 792.2 crore in the third quarter from Rs 789.3 crore in the previous quarter. The DTH operator’s EBITDA stood at Rs 544.1 crore for the quarter compared to Rs 560.7 crore in the trailing quarter.

    “This quarter, we witnessed strong 4G customer additions of 2.1 crore. Digital TV revenue witnessed a growth of 15.6 per cent on an underlying basis (decline of 23.3 per cent on reported basis due to reporting changes in DTH pursuant to the new tariff order). Airtel business revenue witnessed a growth of 6.6 per cent on YoY basis,” the company said.

    The DTH operator added 101,000 subscribers during the quarter compared to 181,000 in Q2. The average revenue per user (ARPU) remained flat at Rs 162 while the monthly churn increased to 1.8 per cenr  from 1.6 per cent. During the current quarter, the company incurred a capital expenditure of Rs 350.9 crore.

    Airtel Digital TV currently offers a total of 648 channels including 86 HD channels, 7 international channels and 4 interactive services.  As on Dec 31, 2019, the operation was available in 639 districts.

    Overall, the telecom major reported a consolidated loss of Rs 1,035 crore for December quarter compared with a profit of Rs 86 crore in the same period last year.