ITV

Tag: Alexa

  • TVS shifts gears with NTORQ 150, India’s first hyper sport scooter

    TVS shifts gears with NTORQ 150, India’s first hyper sport scooter

    MUMBAI: TVS Motor Company has blurred the lines with the launch of the NTORQ 150, billed as India’s first hyper sport scooter. Unveiled in Bengaluru at a starting price of Rs 1.19 lakh (ex-showroom, all India), the NTORQ 150 promises to give riders more than just a daily commute. It offers acceleration, attitude and Alexa.

    Powered by a 149.7cc race-tuned engine, the scooter rockets from 0 to 60 km/h in just 6.3 seconds, topping out at 104 km/h. Add in ABS, traction control and a racy muffler note, and it makes a strong case as the quickest scooter in its class.

    Design-wise, TVS has gone full stealth mode. Inspired by fighter jets, the NTORQ 150 comes with Multipoint projector headlamps, aerodynamic winglets, a naked handlebar and a distinctive ‘T’ tail lamp. The forward-biased stance and arrowhead front give it the look of a machine always ready for take-off.

    But performance isn’t the only talking point. Riders get a hi-res TFT cluster packed with over 50 connected features, including Alexa and smartwatch integration, live vehicle tracking, turn-by-turn navigation and even social media alerts. The adaptive display, styled like a gaming console, underscores its Gen Z appeal.

    Safety hasn’t been left in the rear-view either. ABS, traction control, hazard lamps, theft alerts and an emergency brake warning all feature as segment firsts. Comfort is boosted with telescopic suspension, adjustable brake levers, a patented EZ centre stand and roomy 22-litre under-seat storage.

    The NTORQ 150 comes in two variants, with colourways like Stealth Silver, Racing Red, Turbo Blue and Nitro Green ensuring riders won’t go unnoticed on city streets.

    Speaking at the launch, TVS Motor Company, president of India 2W business, Gaurav Gupta said the new scooter combines “race-inspired performance, advanced connectivity, and first-in-segment safety features” to delight a new generation of riders.

     

  • “Digital marketers need to lean into multi-format”: YouTube India head of consumer marketing Mansha Tandon

    “Digital marketers need to lean into multi-format”: YouTube India head of consumer marketing Mansha Tandon

    Mumbai: At The Advertising Club’s third edition of D:CODE, YouTube India head of consumer marketing Mansha Tandon spoke about shaping creativity with culture and trends in the digital space. She added that leaning into multi-format is important, while offering tips and tricks for digital marketers. She mentioned, “Trends are born from creativity that is no longer restricted to one digital video format.”

    Tandon said that years ago, success on YouTube was about a viral video like ‘Charlie Bit My Finger.’ The video represented a monolithic pop culture moment, a one-to-many phenomenon. The video gained immense views in a very short period of time.

    Today, digital trends are continuous, interconnected, and cumulative. The latest trend, ‘Choti Bacchi Ho Kya,’ from the movie “Heropanti,” released back in 2014 starring Tiger Shroff, is now popular due to a mimicry artist on the platform. It became a remix song. It became a gaming video on YouTube Shorts. It became a promotional video for “Heropanti 2.”

    The monolithic pop culture has become personally relevant fragmented moments based on the user’s tastes and preferences. It is not about one viral video at present. It is about how those viral videos go into different formats.

    The second tip she shared is that digital marketers should capitalise on community creativity. Communities are groups of people united by the same interests and passions. What YouTube is seeing today is that one of the most powerful forms of this community is fandom. For instance, K-pop. Then there has been an increase in professional Marvel fans in India. The way they create content is through short-form videos, episode breakdowns, and deep dive podcasts. The fact is that it is not niche. Many of these channels have millions of subscribers. The lesson is that marketers should not only demographically and psychographically do digital campaigns. They should tap into the shared passions and sources of fandom of very young consumers.

    Her third and final point was that marketers should truly represent regional creativity in their digital work. Marketers should not underestimate the kind of creativity going on in areas across the country. Localising creativity in the language and culture is important. But there are other interesting ways in which this is happening. International trends with regional nuance are being followed. Apart from hyperlocal, global into local, there is something being seen that she called interlocal. It is about pan-India content. So something from the North finds a huge fan following in the South. When trends go national, regional creators find the inspiration to create magic. She gave the example of the Badshah’s Jugnu Challenge, seen last year. It spawned many versions across the country. An absolute evolution in entertainment and creativity is being seen.

    She further noted that without entrepreneurs, creators, and users, digital would not be where it is today. She gave the example of Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra, who was on-boarded as a creator on YouTube. It was not enough to just make a film about his story. The aim was to connect the dots. Now he has 1,00,000 subscribers. A short challenge, ‘JavRun,’ was done for GenZ users. It was so successful that a question on the ‘JavRun’ challenge made it to KBC. This is an example of a digital campaign seeping through pop culture and bleeding into offline touchpoints.

    She also spoke about Nike. It was about NFT sneakers and other stuff that makes young people excited. She also gave an example of Alexa, which is Amazon’s voice assistance software. Alexa was inserted into a YouTube talk show among humans. It showed the human and conversational side of Alexa. It is a strong example of how brands and creators can collaborate.

  • Amazon buys robot vacuum maker iRobot for $1.7 billion

    Amazon buys robot vacuum maker iRobot for $1.7 billion

    Mumbai: Amazon is all set to expand its collection of smart home appliances. It has announced plans to acquire the vacuum maker, iRobot, for approximately $1.7 billion.

    iRobot is famous for its list of smart home appliances, including the Roomba vacuum, the Astro robot, and the Ring security camera, among others.

    GlobalData Retail managing director Neil Saunders said, “The move is part of Amazon’s bid to own part of the home space through services and accelerate its growth beyond retail. A slew of home-cleaning robots adds to the company’s tech arsenal, making it more involved in consumers’ lives beyond static things like voice control. The latest line of Roombas use sensors to map—and remember—a home’s floor plan, offering a trove of data that Amazon could potentially integrate with its other products.”

    Amazon will acquire iRobot for $61 per share in an all-cash transaction, including iRobot’s net debt. The company has total current debt of approximately $332.1 million as of 2 July.

    This is not the first time that Amazon has made a move in this space. It has been aggressively tackling the robotics space in the decade since it acquired Kiva Systems. Last year, Amazon also unveiled the Astro Robot at an introductory price of $1,000.

    Speaking about this acquisition, Amazon Devices SVP Dave Limp said, “We know that saving time matters, and chores take precious time that can be better spent doing something that customers love.”

    He also added, “Over many years, the iRobot team has proven its ability to reinvent how people clean with products that are incredibly practical and inventive—from cleaning when and where customers want while avoiding common obstacles in the home, to automatically emptying the collection bin. Customers love iRobot products—and I’m excited to work with the iRobot team to invent ways that make customers’ lives easier and more enjoyable.”

    iRobot CEO Colin Angle commented, “Since we started iRobot, our team has been on a mission to create innovative, practical products that make customers’ lives easier, leading to inventions like the Roomba and iRobot OS.”

    “Amazon shares our passion for building thoughtful innovations that empower people to do more at home, and I cannot think of a better place for our team to continue our mission. I’m hugely excited to be a part of Amazon and to see what we can build together for customers in the years ahead,” he added.

    The deal is subject to approval by shareholders and regulators. Upon completion, iRobot’s CEO, Colin Angle, will remain in his position.

  • boAt rolls out campaign to celebrate the Gen-Z smart way of life

    boAt rolls out campaign to celebrate the Gen-Z smart way of life

    Mumbai: boAt has rolled out a new campaign promoting its Alexa Built-in smartwatch, boAt Xtend, that put the spotlight on GenZ and how they like to extract the most out of every hour, every day. 

    Titled as #MoreInEveryday, the campaign effectively brings out the various intelligent features of the watch such as setting reminders and counting calories that complement the GenZ way of life. 

    The brand roped in influencers like RJ Kisna and Divija Bhasin to bring out the content creators’ POV of doing more with an Xtend. They even collaborated with digital channel Filter Copy with millions of viewers to bid goodbye to all things made redundant when their watches enabled voice commands. To generate more relatability among the Indian audience, boAt pushed out a series of influencer-led videos highlighting the quirks around ‘Stuff Indians ask Alexa’. 

    Designed for a tech-savvy generation, the smartwatch can be operated with simple voice commands to Alexa, which is its standout feature. 

    Speaking about the campaign, boAt brand manager Siya Wadhawan said, “We get this generation. We know what makes them tick. The Xtend watch with Alexa Built-in has been designed to fit perfectly into their lifestyle, and we’re pretty sure that the campaign will resonate with them and make voice-enabled smart wearables mainstream.”

    Digitas chief operating officer Sonia Khurana, added “#MoreInEveryday was a reminder for every GenZ, every hustler, and every doer, of all the things they can achieve with an Alexa on their wrists. It was a treat to partner with boAt to create yet another exciting campaign.”

    Amazon India head of Alexa skills and voice services Teena Sidana added, “Customers in India interact with Alexa millions of times every day to ask for information, start their workout and manage their day with reminders, to-do lists, alarms and more. With the boAt Xtend smartwatch customers can interact with Alexa on the go, wherever they are, and continue to make the most of their day. We are sure this campaign will resonate with GenZ and they will be able to see a little bit of themselves in the videos.” 

  • Aaj Tak to stream news on connected devices

    Aaj Tak to stream news on connected devices

    Mumbai: Aaj Tak has launched connected devices live streams. First of its kind in the news genre, it will allow viewers to stream Aaj Tak on connected devices such as Alexa, firestick smart TV etc.

    The viewers consume content on a variety of devices, and every step of their journey matters. Having accessibility to a variety of content across genres and a plethora of options has given rise to the “My Time Prime Time” concept.

    AajTak has always been a pioneer in understanding the customers and providing a top-notch news viewing experience at lightning fast speed at the preferred time of viewers. The connected devices Aaj Tak live news stream is the first of its kind launched in the news genre curated towards the always-connected news audience.

    Be it Alexa, FireStick or your Smart TV, you can stream Aaj Tak and enjoy the news experience on all the connected devices to keep yourself updated with the Sabse Tez news. Also for the advertisers, this provides a unique platform to target the premium audience, the connected audience and the ever elusive cord cutters.

    India’s video OTT market is expected to grow from $1.5 billion in 2021 to $4 billion in 2025 and further to $12.5 billion by 2030 on the back of access to better networks, digital connectivity, and smartphones, according to a report by RBSA Advisors. The gap for news on these platforms will be aptly filled by India’s No. 1 news brand with this new curated live stream.

    At the same time, EY estimates connected television sets to grow to 14 million by 2023 and 40 million by 2025, led by the increase in wireless and wired broadband connections alongside proliferation of low-cost smart television sets. Going by these numbers, it is evident that Aaj Tak would lead the consumption basket on connected TVs with this new curated stream.

     

  • IPL 2022: Amazon Alexa unveils new feature of live commentary

    IPL 2022: Amazon Alexa unveils new feature of live commentary

    Mumbai: With IPL 2022 happening in full swing, cricket fever is on everyone’s mind. Amazon Alexa too joined the fervour with a new feature of live commentary. Users can ask a variety of questions to Alexa about live match updates.

    From match schedules to information about the participating teams and player stats, Alexa has answers to all of these questions and more. Here are a few things that you can ask Alexa:

    Participating teams

    With the shuffle in the players and the addition of new teams, it really becomes difficult to keep track of who is playing for which team this season. Well, worry not, Alexa’s got you. Just say, “Alexa, what teams are playing tomorrow?” or ask “Alexa, who is the captain of RCB?” and you will have this information delivered to you within seconds.

    Match schedule

    Keeping a track of your favorite team’s match schedule just got easier. A simple “Alexa, चेन्नई का मैच कब है” or “Alexa, Mumbai Indians match schedule” will ensure that you never miss watching your favorite team in action.

    Team and player stats

    It is always nice to have the stats of your favorite team and players handy to help you understand and predict the game better. Just ask, “Alexa, what is KKR’s rank?”, “Alexa, CSK का highest total क्या है?”, “Alexa, विराट कोहली ने कितने रन बनाए?” and your questions will be answered.

    Live Match details

    To get live updates of the match, just ask “Alexa, who won the toss?”, “Alexa, what is the score?” or “Alexa, क्रिकेट स्कोर बताओ.” If you are looking for the score of a specific team, then try “Alexa, what is Mumbai’s score?” or “Alexa, दिल्ली Capitals का score क्या है?”

    Post-match details

    Once the match is complete you can ask your Alexa Built-in device for information about the man of the match and the leading run-scorer and wicket-taker. Just say “Alexa, who was the man of the match?” or “Alexa, सबसे ज़्यादा wicket किस player ने लिए?” to know more.

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  • One in three Fire TV customers said farewell to cable/DTH in 2021: Amazon

    One in three Fire TV customers said farewell to cable/DTH in 2021: Amazon

    Mumbai: One in three Fire TV customers said farewell to a cable or DTH connection in 2021, while one out of every four added or upgraded to a newer, faster version of Fire TV devices to enhance their TV watching experience, according to findings from Amazon’s ‘Fire TV Streaming Trends for 2021’ released on Monday.

    The report, sharing detailed insights on content consumption across its Fire TV devices in India, also revealed that customers spent nearly four hours each day watching content on their Fire TV devices, up from three hours per day in 2021. They interacted with Alexa on an average of once every four seconds on Fire TV devices.

    The devices were purchased in 80 per cent of the pin codes across India, with smaller cities like Hisar, Tiruvallur, Chittoor, Alwar, Imphal, and South Andaman witnessing an increased growth in sales. Fire TV Stick was among the top 10 most popular products on Amazon.in during Prime Day and Amazon Great Indian Festival. 35 per cent of customers gifted or shared Fire TV devices with their friends and families

    Comedy retained its spot as the most preferred TV genre. Fire TV users asked Alexa to play “Tarak Mehta ka Ooltah Chashmah” once every minute, making it the most searched TV show on Fire TV devices. “Peppa Pig,” “Doremon,” and “Cocomelon” were the most popular kids’ shows, with at least one user asking Alexa for these shows every minute.

    On Fire TV devices, consumers enjoyed watching the latest movies across languages, from the safety and comfort of their homes. Some of the most streamed films on Prime Video include Hindi – “Shershaah,” “Sherni,” “Sardar Udham,” Tamil – “Jai Bhim,” “Sarpatta Parambarai,” “Master,” Malayalam – “Drishyam 2,” “Cold Case,” “Malik,” Telegu – “Drushyam 2,” “Tuck Jagadish,” “Narappa,” and Kannada – “Rathnan Prapancha,” “Yuvarathnaa,” “Roberrt.”

    “The Family Man Season 2” was the most-streamed Indian show while “The Wheel of Time” was the most streamed international show on Prime Video on Fire TV devices.

    Further, one in every four users tuned into their Fire TV device to listen to music. Customers increased their streaming hours of Yoga and fitness apps by 15 per cent versus last year. Games on Fire TV devices emerged as another favourite for Indian customers. “Ludo King,” “World Cricket Championship,” and “Little Singham” were the top online games played on Fire TV devices.

    Smart home control requests by customers using Alexa on their Fire TV devices increased by over 150 per cent in 2021 versus last year.

    With the launch of the signature Fire TV Cube as well as Amazon’s first local manufacturing line to produce Fire TV devices, 2021 was a milestone year for Fire TV in the country.

    “With Fire TV, we want to keep the entire family entertained, especially now when people are spending more time at home,” said India head of Amazon Devices Parag Gupta. “There’s something for everyone, be it content for kids, grown-ups, movie buffs, or fitness enthusiasts. Fire TV is a preferred streaming media device for all-things-entertainment across India and globally—over 150 million Fire TV devices have been sold worldwide, with users streaming billions of hours of content every month. We will continue innovating on behalf of our customers to help them seamlessly discover and enjoy new shows, movies, and more.”

    Fire TV has sold more than 150 million devices worldwide and with users streaming billions of hours of content every month, Amazon aims to make it their go-to destination for all things entertainment.

  • ALTBalaji promotes ‘Cartel’ via interactive quiz

    ALTBalaji promotes ‘Cartel’ via interactive quiz

    Mumbai: OTT platform ALTBalaji has tied up with Amazon Alexa for an interactive quiz to promote its new action-drama show “Cartel”. 

    The interactive quiz is designed for an immersive audience experience and players stand a chance to win ALTBalaji’s subscription along with a gift hamper and a virtual meet and greet with the stars of the show. The quiz will be live till 10 October and the winner will be announced the next day, said the platform in a statement.

    “ALTBalaji is always on the lookout to help get viewers every chance to hop on to the platforms and witness the magic we have created with over 87 Indian original shows,” said ALTBalaji, SVP – marketing and revenue, Divya Dixit. “With millions of Alexa skill embedded devices spread across the globe, this collaboration is one of our initiatives to encourage viewers to experience the immersive magic of Cartel as well as win prizes.”

  • HBO Max now available on Amazon Fire TV

    HBO Max now available on Amazon Fire TV

    NEW DELHI: WarnerMedia has revealed that HBO Max, the US streaming platform, will begin rolling out immediately on Amazon Fire TV streaming devices, Fire TV Edition smart TVs, and Fire tablets.

    HBO Max is WarnerMedia’s direct-to-consumer streaming offering, with 10,000 hours of curated premium content. The platform features content from HBO, Warner Bros, DC, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies, and more. As per media reports, the platform has nearly 38 million subscribers.

    The current subscribers of HBO through Amazon’s Prime Video channels will be able to log in to the HBO Max app with their Amazon credentials at no additional cost. The HBO app on Fire TV and Fire tablets will automatically update to become the HBO Max app; customers will be able to log in using their existing HBO credentials. New customers can also subscribe to HBO Max directly in the app. Additionally, all existing HBO Max customers – regardless of how they subscribe to the platform – can now access all of HBO Max via supported Fire TV and Fire tablet devices using their existing provider credentials.

    WarnrerMedia head of sales and distribution Tony Goncalves said, “We are very excited that Amazon customers will now be able to enjoy the best-in-class content that lives within HBO Max. Our continued goal is to make HBO Max and its unparalleled content available to customers across all the devices they love. Fire TV is a favourite among customers and we look forward to working with the Amazon team to engage and grow our existing subscriber base by showcasing all that HBO Max has to offer.”

    “We’ve worked closely with HBO for many years to bring their great content to Fire TV and to make it easier to discover and enjoy with features like search integration, Alexa and personalised recommendations. We are excited to continue that partnership with the launch of HBO Max to bring even more incredible content to customers on Fire TV,” Amazon Entertainment devices and services VP Marc Whitten said.

    With Amazon Alexa, at launch customers can navigate to the HBO Max app by saying “Alexa, find HBO Max” with Fire TV’s included Alexa Voice Remote or a paired echo device for hands-free control. HBO Max content is also integrated into universal search on Fire TV, meaning that its content will appear in searches such as “Alexa, find dramas” or “Alexa, find Game of Thrones.” Customers can also ask Alexa to start watching something specific; “Alexa, play The Undoing.”

    WarnerMedia has plans to energise the India ops with HBO Max. 

  • VOOT skill introduced on Alexa

    VOOT skill introduced on Alexa

    MUMBAI: India’s second largest premium AVOD platform by Viacom18 has always created high engagement and interactive experiences through its diverse and immersive content slate. Adding to this, to amplify the reach of its content, VOOT has now introduced the all new VOOT skill on Alexa for Amazon’s range of Echo devices with screen – the Amazon Echo Show, NEW Amazon Echo Show 8 and Amazon Echo Show 5.

    Enhancing discoverability and convenience, users can now activate and enable the skill on any Amazon Echo Show smart speaker with simple voice commands. So now an Asli Fan of Bigg Boss on VOOT only needs to say “Alexa, watch Bigg Boss on VOOT” to enjoy the national phenomenon.

    VOOT, AVOD Business Akash Banerji, Head said, “At VOOT we have been committed to creating highly interactive and engaging experiences for our users. We’re constantly driven to exceed our efforts beyond industry standards and benchmarks set by ourselves. We have wide ranging, language agnostic content like Bigg Boss Hindi, Feet up with the Stars, Silsila, Bigg Boss Kannada, Bigg Boss Marathi, Kodeeswari Tamil and many more; and now the all new VOOT skill on Amazon Alexa allows us to make it easier and more convenient for our customers to access their favourite content, in a highly technology forward and futuristic environment.”

    “Entertainment is one of the most popular categories on Alexa and we’re very excited that the VOOT Alexa skill is now available for customers,” said Amazon India Alexa Skills and Voice Services Country Manager Dilip RS. “VOOT is extremely popular for some of their flagship shows such as Bigg Boss, Feet up with the stars and a host of regional content. With the new VOOT skill, customers are just an utterance away from enjoying their favorite shows, giving them even more choices for engaging content.”

    With the VOOT skill now on Amazon Echo Show, NEW Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 5, your favorite entertainment needs and best of shows like Bigg Boss, Splitsvilla, MTV Hustle, Kodeeswari Tamil and more are just a conversation away with Alexa. So, enjoy the new enthralling VOOT experience on the Echo Show range of smart displays that come with HD screen and premium sound.