Tag: Asianet

Asianet News’ digital business turns profitable

Mumbai: Asianet News Media and Entertainment, one of the leading players in the Indian media industry has closed the financial year 2021-22 EBITDA positive for its digital business. The group has a multi-media presence across the country in multiple languages via its digital platform (asianetnews.com, indigomusic.com), TV channels (Asianet News and Asianet Suvarna News), print publication (Kannada Prabha) and radio channels (Indigo).

On the back of significant revenue growth and cost optimisation, the digital business of AMEL delivered positive EBITDA for the first time. During the year, the company has re-organised many parts of its business with a focus on increasing ARPUs and on delivering positive unit economics.

Executive chairman of the group Rajesh Kalra spoke about how tough times brought people together to deliver despite all odds. “It has been phenomenal to witness how our teams came together during the most trying times to optimize and grow at a record rate. The determination and discipline that our hands-on leadership team and our immensely talented colleagues have tirelessly demonstrated has resulted in this outstanding performance. I am confident that this is just the start of much greater things to come for the group,” he said.

“FY-22 was a tough year on multiple fronts. Many of us lost near and dear ones, but the way our teams with complementary skill-sets have supported each other and remained focused towards our common goal was heartening to see,” commented Asianet News chief operating officer Ruchir Khanna. “Top/bottom line growth is only a reflection of a healthy ecosystem that we have been able to form in the last year. We will continue to pull on our P&L levers in the coming year, and launch several new products that will drive our audience reach, engagement and retention.”

Commenting on this achievement for AMEL, chief business officer Samarth Sharma said, “The last FY posed several challenges at both personal and professional levels. The synergies drawn from the adversity that the teams witnessed last year have translated into our digital business delivering record revenue There have been several innovative revenue initiatives from our teams across the globe that contributed to this success and we’d like to thank our client, agency, data and intelligence partners for showing faith in us in our journey.”

Besides strengthening its Indian language footprint across the country, Asianet News has also made significant investments in English and Hindi to extend its dominance pan India.

April 26, 2022
Disney Star to launch Odia GEC Star Kirano in June

Mumbai: Disney Star is all set to enter the Odisha market with its new Odia general entertainment channel (GEC) Star Kirano launching in the first week of June. Star Kirano will be the network’s seventh regional foray after Asianet (Malayalam), Star Suvarna (Kannada), Star Maa (Telugu), Star Vijay (Tamil), Star Jalsha (Bangla), Star Pravah (Marathi).

The channel aims to scale up the TV viewing experience of Odisha through engaging storytelling, enhanced production quality, and star-studded casting. Its content will be deeply entrenched in the values and cultures of the state and showcase stories of inspiration, hope and progress.

“Viewers are core to us at Disney Star and we have always set high benchmarks in delivering best-in-class entertainment to them in the language of their choice and in a manner they prefer,” said Disney Star head – network entertainment channels Kevin Vaz. “We have seen immense success across our regional portfolio with viewers having a strong affinity for our brands and content. Odisha is a fast-evolving market with a high affinity towards its local language and we look forward to elevating the entertainment experience for the Odia-speaking viewers.”

April 18, 2022
Asianet to premiere four blockbuster films in April

Mumbai: Kerala’s entertainment network Asianet is all set to premiere four blockbuster films in April including “Minnal Murali,” “Marakkar – Lion of the Arabian Sea,” “Keshu Ee Veedinte Nadhan” and “Pushpa: The Rise.”

As a part of this programming lineup, “Minnal Murali” will be telecasted on 10 April starting at 5.30 p.m. “Marakkar- Lion of the Arabian Sea” will be the next on 15 April starting at 2 p.m, followed by “Keshu Ee Veedinte Nadhan” on 17 April starting at 4.30 p.m. The channel is yet to announce the premiere date for “Pushpa: The Rise.”

Last year, Asianet presented blockbuster films such as “Drishyam 2,” “Nayattu,” “Joji,” and “The Great Indian Kitchen.” According to a statement, the channel has more than 1500 titles in its content library.

“We are focused on delivering high-quality entertainment to viewers and the addition of these blockbuster titles reiterates our commitment to delivering non-stop entertainment that resonates with them. We are humbled by the response received from the Malayalam-speaking viewers to our content, and we will continue to strengthen Asianet’s library comprising of contemporary and quality films,” said an Asianet spokesperson.

Screened at the Mumbai Film Festival last year, “Minnal Murali,” the first Malayalam superhero film received an astounding response from audiences. Penned down by Arun Anirudhan and Justin Mathew, the story revolves around the life of Jaison portrayed by Tovino Thomas, a young tailor who gains superpowers after being struck by lightning and transforms into a superhero. As he realises his superpowers, he starts to help people around him.

One of the most anticipated Malayalam movies, “Marakkar – Lion of the Arabian Sea” is a biopic on Kunjali Marakkar the fourth, who is considered one of the greatest naval chiefs of India. The movie is credited to be the most expensive film ever made in Malayalam cinema and bagged the Best Feature Film, Best Special Effects, and Best Costume awards at the 67th National Film Awards in October 2021.

Starring renowned artist Dileep, “Keshu Ee Veedinte Nadhan” is a humorous and feel-good family drama. Keshu, a 60-year-old driving tutor along with his family visits Rameswaram for his father’s funeral rites. Something unforeseen happens during the journey, which changes his life.

The biggest grosser of 2021, “Pushpa: The Rise” bagged the ‘Film of the Year’ accolade at Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2022. Directed by Sukumar, the action thriller feature superstars Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna.

April 8, 2022
Kishan Kumar joins Star TV as executive director

Mumbai: Media veteran Kishan Kumar has joined Star TV Network as executive director. In this role, he will lead the channel business for Malayalam GEC Asianet.

Kumar is armed with 22 years of experience with most of it spent on the media agency side of the business. He was associated with GroupM’s Maxus Global for 13 years.

In his most recent role, he was associated with media agency Wavemaker India as chief growth officer for more than three years.

An alumnus of MICA Ahmedabad, Kumar’s expertise lies in strategic planning, business development, trading, new media, product development and talent management. He was one of the key architects in building Maxus into one of the biggest media agencies in the South of India. He led the South business across Bangalore, Chennai, Kerala and Hyderabad for Wavemaker India.

March 22, 2022
‘Bigg Boss’ Malayalam set to return with new season on Asianet

Mumbai: In a bid to further bolster its content portfolio, Asianet on Monday announced the fourth season of “Bigg Boss” Malayalam. Hosted by veteran actor Mohan Lal, the show is slated for premiere on 27 March.

The show has signed-up Nerolac Paints as the ‘co-presenting sponsor,’ India Gate Basmati Rice as the ‘co-powered sponsor,’ and Eyetex Dazzler as ‘special partner.’ Asianet recently unveiled the official logo of the latest season.

“The show has been one of the highest-rated properties in Malayalam entertainment on TV for the last three seasons, and with the upcoming season of Bigg Boss, we are confident of further strengthening our content portfolio in the Malayalam-speaking market,” said the channel’s spokesperson. “Every brand that has been associated with Bigg Boss has managed to redefine their presence in the market and we look forward to continuing this trend.”

March 21, 2022
Disney Star to broadcast TV premiere of ‘Pushpa: The Rise’

Mumbai: Disney Star Network is all set to broadcast the world television premiere of “Pushpa: The Rise” across four languages in Star Maa, Star Suvarna, Star Vijay and Asianet. The film will premiere on Star Maa and Star Suvarna in March followed by Star Vijay and Asianet in April.

Directed by Sukumar, the action thriller featuring superstars Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna, took the country by storm and garnered phenomenal success with its theatrical release in December 2021.

“’Pushpa: The Rise’ is a rage worldwide across theatres and social media and is a welcome addition to the Disney Star network’s robust regional portfolio,” said the media company in a statement.

“’Pushpa: The Rise’ is one of the most sought-after films in recent times and we are thrilled to bring the blockbuster title to our viewers at the comfort of their homes,” said a Disney Star network spokesperson. “We remain committed to delivering exciting content on our channels that delight our viewers and derive immense value to our advertisers. Demand for rich content amongst viewers is only growing and we look forward to presenting an exciting line-up of movies and entertainment shows on our network throughout the year.”

As per IMDb, “Pushpa: The Rise” is the biggest grosser of 2021 and the film’s list of accomplishments continues as it also bagged the ‘Film of the Year’ accolade at Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2022.

“As the multi-lingual viewing culture strengthens in India, the movie industry is betting big on regional content,” said the statement. “‘Pushpa: The Rise’ is one of the few regional movies that have managed to capture the hearts of both the Hindi and regional speaking audiences.”

February 28, 2022
Asianet set to premiere ‘#Home’ on 25 December

Mumbai: Malayalam general entertainment channel Asianet is set to premiere “#Home” on Christmas Day.

The channel is gearing up to air the biggest releases in 2022 including “Marakkar- Lion of the Arabian Sea,” “RRR,” “Bro Daddy,” “Aarattu,” “12th Man,” “Kaaval,” “Bhramam,” “Keshu Ee Veedinte Nadhan,” “Kanakam Kaamini Kalaham,” “Kaane Kaane,” “Lalitham Sundaram Minnal Murali,” and “Malayankunju” to name few.

“Asianet is a household name in Kerala and we remain committed to delivering high-quality entertainment that resonates with the viewers in the market,” said Star and Disney India head – network entertainment channels Kevin Vaz. “Watching movies on television as a family continues to be the norm and there is a high demand for quality movies from Malayalam speaking audiences across demographics. Asianet’s library of contemporary and quality movies makes it a sought-after destination for brands to reach out to their key target segments,” he added.

Asianet has a library of 1500+ Malayalam films. In the last few years, the channel has significantly ramped up movie acquisitions in line with the constantly evolving tastes of the audience. These include some of the biggest 2021 hits like “Drishyam 2,” “Nayattu,” “Joji,” and “The Great Indian Kitchen,” all of which were well received by audiences outside of Kerala as well. Asianet also has 41 out of the all-time top 50 IMDb-rated films in Malayalam.

December 21, 2021
TV news channels face-off ahead of counting day on 2 May

KERALA: As people in four Indian states and one union territory await the vote counting day on 2 May, television news channels in the country are all set to cover all major developments religiously. With exclusive live shows, debates, and up-to-date coverage of counting statistics, broadcast news outlets are adopting various strategies to ensure dominance in the ratings game.

The states which went to polls in the last month are West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, and Kerala, and the union territory of Puducherry.

List of channels that are covering election results

News channels in India, both regional and national will be extensively covering election result news on counting day. In West Bengal, the key players are News18 Bangla, Zee 24 Ghanta, TV9 Bangla and ABP Ananda. The recently launched Republic Bangla, an arm of Arnab Goswami’s Republic Media Network, will also devote its energies to election coverage.

In Assam, the most popular news channels are News18 Assam/North East, DY365, and Assam Talks, while in Kerala, the election results will be reported by major players that include Asianet News, Manorama News, Mathrubhumi News, News18 Kerala, and 24 News.

When it comes to Tamil Nadu, Sun News is gearing up to broadcast the election results live to the audiences. Considering the popularity of the news channel in Tamil Nadu, most of the viewers are expected to tune in to this channel to get live election results. Interestingly, the stock of Kalanithi Maran-owned Sun TV jumped a little over 14 per cent ahead of the verdict on the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, from Rs 458 last week to Rs 519.30 by the end of Thursday. Some other news channels that will telecast Tamil Nadu legislative election results live are Jaya Plus, News18 Tamil Nadu, and Raj News.

Apart from these regional channels that cover election results in their respective states, national channels that include News18 India, ABP, Republic TV, News Nation, NDTV, and CNN will be broadcasting compiled live election results from various states.

News channels competing hard

News18 India, in a recent statement, said that the channel will bring the fastest and most accurate results along with comprehensive coverage of the counting day beginning at 6 am.

“News18 India has set up a Live Result Hub which will leverage the strength of the channel’s on-ground team and reach. The channel’s team present across all the counting booths across the states will share live counting results which will be then collated and analysed at the Live Result Hub. The reportage on the channel will comprise a combination of live coverage from ground zero and in-studio discussions with renowned political analysts and commentators,” the channel said in the statement.

On 2 May, news shows, debates, and counting updates on News18 India will be anchored by Kishore Ajwani, Amish Devgan, and Prateek Trivedi.

Popular Hindi news channel ABP News aired its exit poll survey on 29 April. The channel has also set up an active team to cover all the counting day updates beginning at 6 am on 2 May.

News Nation has also planned several election special programs for counting day. Live telecast will begin at six in the morning with Faisla Aapka which means ‘Verdict is Yours’.

NDTV’s counting day coverage will also begin at 6 am, and news outlet has roped in several political leaders, observers, and analysts to participate in their news shows on the day.

Malayalam news channel Asianet News revealed that this will be its first hi-tech election coverage. Asianet News editor-in-chief MG Radhakrishnan said that the channel will use advanced possibilities of augmented eeality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies to bring the latest updates on the counting day.

“We will be the first in India to introduce our own ‘Follower’, a GFX tool by which the anchors with a device held in their hands can present a gamut of graphic displays. Besides, as always we have made elaborate arrangements to get the trend and results as quick as possible to our viewers. We go live from early morning with our reporters ready at the counting centres,” added Radhakrishnan.

Asianet News in association with C-Fore made live its post-poll survey results on 29 April. Manorama News, Mathrubhumi News and 24 News also have an extensive line-up of election coverage shows including live updates, debates and analysis sessions.

Legislative assembly elections 2021: All you need to know

In West Bengal, the ruling party Trinamool Congress (TMC) will lock horns with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in a high voltage battle. Tamil Nadu, as always, will witness a tough battle between DMK and AIADMK. In this election, Kamal Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Maiam is also eyeing to grab some seats.

Kerala is witnessing a tough election battle, as the Left Democratic Front (LDF) led by incumbent chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan is aiming to get a second term. However, the United Democratic Front (UDF) believes that there is a strong anti-incumbency factor in the state.

In Assam, the BJP and the Indian National Congress are going head to head, and recent post-poll predictions suggest that the saffron party is likely to retain power in the state.

The battle in Puducherry is between BJP and the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) consisting of Congress, DMK, CPI, and VCK.

May 1, 2021
Fixed broadband demand peaks again as offices switch to work from home

KOLKATA: India has exemplified its excellence in democratising internet through mobile data. But the growth of fixed broadband was at a much tepid rate until the country had to turn to work from home and school from home due to the raging Covid2019 pandemic. While more and more people needed high speed and stable internet and opted for home broadband connections last year, the demand for new connections is again on the rise as many parts of the country descend into lockdown.

UCN Cable Network director Jagdish Paliya said that demand for connections has again picked up in last one month or so but not as much as last year. The company has witnessed a ten per cent growth in demand. In addition to that, data consumption of existing consumers has surged drastically, up 25 per cent, he added.

Compared to the last quarter, broadband customer addition has gone up for GTPL Hathway too, one of the leading players in the segment. GTPL Hathway cable TV head & chief strategy officer Piyush Pankaj said the requirement for new connections has increased somewhere around 15-20 per cent month-on-month. However, this trend has been on an upward trajectory since March 2020 itself. As a large part of the workforce switches to WFH mode for the next few months, the incremental demand will remain for the next quarter at least, he noted.

Kerala based Asianet is witnessing the same trend with 25 per cent surge in demand, Asianet Satellite Communications vice president & technology head Salil Thomas shared. “We saw a surge in demand when lockdown started last year because lot of employees started working from home. There was a surge in demand during first quarter of lockdown. That trend was evident throughout the year but when people started moving back to their respective workplaces at the end of the year, there was slow decrease in demand. Now, it has picked up again,” he detailed.

Siti Networks CEO Anil Malhotra had a different take. According to him, the trend is not similar this year because the impact of the pandemic is much severe. Even the workers who do installations are at risk right now, people both in-office and on the field are getting infected. Consumers are also affected as the virus is permeating almost every household.

Everybody is focused more on providing seamless service to existing customers rather than improving numbers, Malhotra stated. However, if the situation again culminates into a prolonged work from home culture, and more people start staying at home, there will be surge in demand in the long run, he added.

Considerably, even the players who are seeing a surge in demand are facing on-ground issues. With a Covid positive case in almost every household, it is becoming increasingly difficult for operators to install new connections in these homes. Societies have barred entry to resist rapid spread of the deadly virus. But the situation is not dire like last year, as the service providers have learnt how to tackle the issues. On the backend of the services, broadband players are facing fewer issues with advance planning. In terms of inventories, these firms have stocked enough equipment – although a longer lockdown may create difficulties again.

According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s report, there were 22.67 million wired broadband subscribers in the country as of 31 January 2021. The top five wired Broadband service providers were BSNL (7.69 million), Bharti Airtel (2. 90 million), Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd (2.25 million), Atria Convergence Technologies ( 1.80 million) and Hathway Cable & Datacom ( 1. 06 million).

“Penetration of home broadband in India is very low compared to advanced countries. We have a long way to go to reach ideal penetration,” Win Broadband MD & CEO K V Seshasayee noted. “It is cheaper to consume data through fibre than wireless. Customers can get a much better deal at a lower price. Fibre-based wired broadband is beneficial for small businesses as well. Couple with these factors, the work from home culture will accelerate the demand for home broadband in India. Moreover, the bandwidth requirement will also go up with more users in rural areas.”

April 29, 2021
Asianet News drives Covid awareness as anchors appear on air with masks on

MUMBAI: In an attempt to raise awareness among the general public regarding the usage of face masks to combat the spread of Covid2019, Asianet News anchors have been using face masks while on air over the past few days. The move by Asianet is now receiving positive responses from all corners, as this is for the first time in Indian television that all the news anchors in a channel are appearing on screen with their masks on.

“The primary aim of this move is to create awareness among the general public. We have been discussing for a long time that all reporters and news anchors should wear masks, as it will give a positive message to the public. Moreover, we are also giving masks to guests who are attending the news shows without a face mask. This message has to go deep down, and that was the intention behind this mask-wearing campaign,” said Asianet News editor-in-chief MG Radhakrishnan.

Following Asianet’s lead, a few other Malayalam news channels are also planning to make their news hosts wear masks when they go live.

“I am very happy about the fact that a message has been conveyed to people regarding the vitality of wearing masks. Moreover, I feel glad that Mathrubhumi News has also followed our path after two days since our news anchors started wearing masks,” added Radhakrishnan.

Talking about the challenges of wearing face masks while news reading, the media veteran said, “We pretty much know that news reading is all about communicating with the general public. Some people told me that communication is not effective when news anchors are wearing masks. However, we have a bigger message to convey, especially at this time of pandemic, and I believe we have succeeded in our attempt.”

Radhakrishnan also underscored the necessity of giving journalists the status of frontline workers who should get priority in the vaccination rollout program.

“The government should do something to classify journalists as frontline workers, as media people have been working from the front since the day of the pandemic outbreak. Media personnel are getting infected by Covid, and it is very much necessary to classify the entire community as frontline workers. The government should consider us as frontline warriors, and should give vaccination,” he concluded.

April 23, 2021