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Tag: Bengaluru

  • Fever Entertainment brings back NODDY live to Bengaluru & Mumbai

    Fever Entertainment brings back NODDY live to Bengaluru & Mumbai

    MUMBAI: Fever Entertainment, the finest entertainment company in India is bringing the live production show ‘Noddy in Toyland’ for the 1st time in Bengaluru & Mumbai. The show is travelling to these cities after a full house performance in Delhi last year. The much-loved Enid Blyton character will take on the stage this December and is scheduled to be held at Good Shepherd Auditorium, Bangalore on 28th, 29th November & 1st Dec’ 13 and in Rabindra Natya Mandir, Mumbai from 6th to 8th Dec’ 13.

    Noddy and his friends have been entertaining children for generations now. The performance will see stage actors bring alive the 64 year old series, beyond books, TV and DVDs. The 1.5 hours international show is in English with real life characters of Noddy and his friends who will be performing live. The show features the story of Noddy in Toyland with spectacular music and sets with loads of interactivity for the audience. The live production is produced by Premier Stage Productions UK and would enthrall kids and families alike.

    Commenting on the initiative Harshad Jain – Business Head, Radio and Entertainment – HT Media says, “We got Noddy in Toyland to India for the 1st time last year and got a fabulous response from our audience. People travelled from other cities specially to catch this production ive in Delhi. Noddy is very popular in India and has been a part of growing up for most of us. This year we are taking the troupe to the other 2 metro cities and are sure that this too will be a great success.India at present has limited options when it comes to family entertainment and by bringing concepts like these, we are aiming to provide a platform where families can be a part a world class experience”.

    Noddy and his friends are all fun and excitement and Noddy’s best friends are Big Ears, Tessie Bear, Bumpy Dog and the Tubby Bears.

    Tickets for the show can be bought online through www.bookmyshow.com andwww.mycity4kids.com the prices start at Rs. 1000 and onwards.

  • Kamal Haasan roots for Bengaluru to hold FICCI MEBC in future

    Kamal Haasan roots for Bengaluru to hold FICCI MEBC in future

    BENGALURU: The fifth edition of the FICCI MEBC (Media and Entertainment Business Conclave) came to a new location this year to IT City Bengaluru. MEBC president and actor Kamal Haasan rooted for Bengaluru to be a recurring location for the conclave to be held.

     

    Among the people present at the inaugural function were Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah, Information and Broadcasting secretary Bimal Julka, Film Federation of India president Ravi Kottarakara, Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce president H D Gangaraju, Karnataka government IT BT and S&T secretary Srivatsa Krishna and Association of Bangalore Animation Industry president and technicolor India head Biren Ghose.

     

    “Bengaluru is the second largest IT hub in the world after Silicon Valley and in the years to come we want to surpass even Silicon Valley to become the hub of innovation and convergence of media and entertainment,” said Krishna.

     

    Kamal Haasan said that Bengaluru has all the things needed to make it an IT hub as well as keep FICCI MEBC going in the city. “We will give a push to the digital medium,” he added.

     

    Siddaramaiah emphasised the need for building qualitative online content that will give advertisers innovative ways to reach out to people. “The industry should look at remaking old movies with good value and rich in vernacular content,” he said. He also urged the need for creating programming and growth friendly policies for industry.

     

    Issues that were concerning the film industry were also raised by Kottarakara such as service tax and lack of support from banks for movie funding. “Film making is put in the ‘sinful’ industry along with gambling, drinking and smoking. It is not so,” he said.

     

    The sessions for the two day event included ‘formulating and implementing a viable media and entertainment policy for a state’, ‘reshaping mobile entertainment in the era of digital revolution’, ‘the challenge of news: defining number one in the dizzying newscape’, ‘the broadcasting ecosystem in the digital era’, ‘customising global VFX for Indian cinema’, ‘emerging trends of Indian IP in animation and their exploitation’, ‘the emerging gaming industry in southern India’, ‘emerging technologies and the impact on media and entertainment industry’ and ‘changing trends in regional TV: ratings, content and formats’.

  • New media to lead growth for south Indian media and entertainment industry

    New media to lead growth for south Indian media and entertainment industry

    BENGALURU: The Digital March-Media and Entertainment in South India, a Deloitte-FICCI report was released on the eve of FICCI-MEBC 2013 in Bengaluru. The two day event commences on 29 October.

     

    Note: This is for the year ended 31 March 2013.

     

     The report says that the South Indian Media and Entertainment (SIM&E) industry is slated to grow from its current estimated size for FY-2013 of Rs 23,900 crore to Rs 43,600 crore in FY-2013 at an CAGR of 16 per cent.

     

    The internet continues to have a profound effect on consumers’ viewing habits and the proliferation of devices is altering their media consumption behavior. With the increasing popularity of mobile broadband (3G) and the impending launch of 4G LTE services, mobile phones are expected to emerge as the preferred platform for consuming content. India already has over 65 million smartphone users currently.

     

    In south India, new media, with an estimated size of Rs 690 crore in FY-2013 will grow at 23 per cent CAGR to reach Rs 1600 crore in size by FY-2017, followed by television which will grow at a CAGR of 20 per cent from a present estimated size of Rs 13,470 crore to Rs 27,960 crore.

     

     The television industry in south India is on a transformation path, driven by the government’s digitisation mandate, says the report. It is one of the most flourishing regional media segment in terms of availability of content, reach and distribution. Over the years, it has seen increased action from regional as well as national advertisers. In fact, regional advertisers now contribute almost 40 per cent of the TV industry’s advertisement revenues in states such as Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

     

     Radio will grow at a CAGR of 19 per cent from an estimated present size of Rs 420 crore to Rs 830 crore by FY-2017. The radio industry enjoys greater acceptance in the south than in the rest of the country and thus stands out amongst its peers. This is indicated by relatively higher average radio listenership in cities like Bengaluru where people spend about 20 hours / week on radio while those in Delhi and Mumbai spend 13-14 hours / week says the report.

     

    Films with a present estimated size of Rs 2,680 crore will grow at a CAGR of 12 per cent to reach Rs 4,220 crore by FY- 2017.  The report says that the south Indian film industry with 831 films, accounted for over 50 per cent of total films certified across India. The number of films certified increased by 36 per cent over 2011, primarily driven by a spike in cable  and satellite (C&S) rights’ prices. However, the number of films released increased by only eight per cent during the same period as some producers chose not to release their films due to the high marketing costs associated, and as a result of a correction in the C&S rights’ prices in some of the markets.

     

     Print, a laggard relatively, will grow at eight per cent from the present Rs 6,880 crore to Rs 9,020 crore by FY-2017. South India, driven by a high literacy rate and a sizable vernacular readership base (30 per cent of total readership in India) is one of the strongholds of the Indian print industry. Amongst the four regional states, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh account for about 58 per cent of the total revenue. Most of the markets in the region are dominated by English print in terms of revenue except Kerala, where vernacular prints accounts for nearly 90 per cent of the revenue. However, the advertising revenue from vernacular print in the region is estimated to grow at twice the pace of that of English, largely driven by local advertisers and increasing focus of national advertiser’s beyond tier I cities.

     

    Among the four southern states or southern sisters as they are known, Tamil Nadu with a FY-2013 SIM&E estimated size of Rs 8,420 crore will grow at a CAGR of 17 per cent to reach Rs15,850 crore by FY-2017. SIM&E in Andhra Pradesh with a FY-2013 estimated size of Rs 7,140 crore will reach an estimated size of Rs 12,740 crore by FY-2017 at a CAGR of 16 per cent.

     

    SIM&E in Karnataka with an estimated FY-2013 size of Rs 4,340 crore will grow at a CAGR of 15 per cent to reach Rs 7,710 crore by FY-2017. The smallest in terms of size of SIM&E, Kerala with a FY-2013 estimated size of Rs 3,350 crore will grow to Rs 5,7,30 crore by FY-2017 at a CAGR of 14 per cent.

  • Cisco increases its reach to 100 million digital TV homes in Asia Pacific

    Cisco increases its reach to 100 million digital TV homes in Asia Pacific

    MUMBAI:  In the rapidly-growing digital television industry in Asia Pacific, Cisco, a provider of conditional access (CA) and digital rights management (DRM) solutions, has secured content that is delivered to more than 100 million digital homes in the region.

     Using an industry-estimated average of 3.3 people per household, Cisco’s VideoGuard conditional access and digital rights management technology now provides the critical protection of premium content to over 340 million viewers.
    Cisco has also developed a research and development (R&D) center in Bengaluru that is dedicated to the development of video technology. According to the MPA report of May 2013, the company currently enjoys the largest market share of the estimated 257 million digital TV homes in Asia Pacific.

    Service Provider Video Software Solutions vice president sales, Asia Pacific Sue Taylor said, “Achieving the milestone of over 100 million digital homes in this region is a testament to our commitment to Asia Pacific over the past 20 years, and our partnerships with some of the most successful cable TV and DTH satellite platforms in the region. This industry in Asia Pacific is one of the fastest growing and most dynamic in the world. We look forward to serving million more households that can benefit from Cisco’s enhanced TV-viewing experiences, as the demand for advanced services and applications surges.”

    BOX

    • Cisco® VideoGuard conditional access and digital rights management solutions make Cisco the leading CA provider in Asia Pacific with a market share of 31 per cent (Source: Screen Digest Report 2013 and Cisco’s internal subscriber data).
    • Cisco is a trusted pay-TV technology partner for over 150 Pay-TV operators as well as media and entertainment companies worldwide, including leading Direct-to-home (DTH) and cable operator customers in Asia Pacific like Airtel Digital TV, Astro, Foxtel, Hathway, Oriental Cable Network, Sichuan Cable TV, Tata Sky and DEN Networks.

    Cisco recently announced the key milestone of over 30 million digital TV homes in India with an estimated 150 million viewers.

  • Aircel and Micromax join hands to share channel and retail network

    Aircel and Micromax join hands to share channel and retail network

    BENGALURU:  Telecom player Aircel and Indian handset supplier Micromax announced a strategic partnership with the aim to drive data growth. Under this new partnership, Aircel and Micromax will share their channel and retail networks, sales resources and run an integrated device sales activation program. The announcement was made simultaneously in four cities in India – New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai today. 

    Also, the duo introduced reverse bundling handset offers worth Rs 12,000 per month for every new Aircel customer. Aircel’s focus on data innovation and its expertise in mobile network, along-with Micromax’s expertise in device marketing will redefine the user experience and take data penetration to the next level claim the companies. 

    In Bengaluru, Aircel Circle Business Head, Karnataka, Kadhiravan K, said, “India is at the cusp of a data revolution and device tie-ups will strengthen the telecom ecosystem in the country, which is critical to drive data penetration.  According to a recent study, by the year 2020, mobile internet users are set to grow four – five times and smartphone penetration is set to increase five times to 50 per cent in India. Affordability in devices will give a rise to data proliferation which will be the main revenue generator for both telecom operators as well as handset manufacturers in the near future.” 

    “Aircel recognises the importance of smartphone devices to drive data usage. In line with that, it is our focus to get into partnerships with leading smartphone device manufacturers in an endeavor to bring to our customers exciting bundled products. In this exclusive partnership with Micromax, we will share their robust channel and retail network to deliver innovative and best value for money products and services,” added Kadhivaran. 

    At present, mass media communications will be limited to print media by Aircel and Mircomax individually, where each company will mention the other in their advertisements. Since the festive season is not very far off, a joint multimedia ATL and BTL campaign will be launched before the Durga Pooja/Duhessara and Diwali festivals revealed a source.

  • Emirates Invites Travellers to Explore Dubai

    Emirates Invites Travellers to Explore Dubai

    Emirates, one of the world’s fastest growing airlines is inviting passengers from India to visit its home city by announcing a range of fares. The return economy class fare including taxes from Chennai to Dubai is INR 19,869. The fares are valid for sale and travel until 31st March 2014.

     

    The fares are on offer from all 10 Emirates gateways: Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, Kochi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kolkata and have been specially designed to give travellers from India the chance to experience Emirates’ award-winning product and service and the airline’s home city at an even more attractive price.

     

    An added benefit is that until 7th October 2013 Indian nationals can apply for a Dubai “Express Tourist Visa” at the cost of the “Normal Tourist Visa” for only Rs 5150, a saving of 25% from the normal price.

     

    “We are extremely pleased to give our passengers across India the opportunity to experience Emirates’ renowned product and service at even better value for money”, said, Essa Sulaiman Ahmad, Vice President India and Nepal. “As the fares are valid until March it allows people to plan their trip and visit our home city when they wish. With so much to see and do in Dubai there is always a reason to visit and there are plenty of upcoming attractions in the coming months.”

     

    Emirates offers many features on its flight to and from India which have been specially tailored for its passengers from India. The award-winning inflight entertainment system, ice offers up to 1500 channels and includes programming in Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Malayalam, Bengali, Tamil, Telegu, Gujurati, Punjabi and Urdu. Some highlights onboard this month include:

     

    30 Hindi movies including 4 New Movies in Sept- Go Goa Gone, Shootout at Wadala, Race 2, Jolly LLB

     

         *   4 Kannada movies  including Bheema Theeradalli
         *   4 Marathi movies including Premachi Goshta
         *   6 Malayalam movies including Businessman
         *   6 Tamil movies including Kedi Billa Killadi Ranga
         *   4 Telegu movies including Mr. Nookaiah
         *   4 Gujariti movies including Ver Ni Vasulat – Ek aag
      *   A large selection of TV channels including dedicated channels to Bollywood Pop     Videos, Hindi Classic Songs, Comedy and many more.
      *   Hours of dedicated music & audio channels featuring today’s most popular including:
         *   The soundtrack to Chennai Express (movie soundtrack)
         *   Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (movie soundtrack)
    In addition the airline offers three regional menus onboard designed to cater to the Indian palate and a generous baggage allowance of 30 kilogrammes in Economy Class, rising to 40kgs in Business Class and 50kgs in First Class.

     

    Once in Dubai, there are many activities to keep visitors entertained. The Dubai International Film Festival in December features many movies from Bollywood. The ever-popular Dubai Shopping Festival will start in January and the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature follows in March.
    Dubai is also home to a number of world-famous sites and attractions for visitors to enjoy. From experiencing skiing indoors on year-round snow, experience the view from the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, a walk around the gold and spice souks or enjoying the world-class shopping and hotels; Dubai has so much to offer.

  • Aahar 2013 witnesses a delectable range from Best Foods

    Aahar 2013 witnesses a delectable range from Best Foods

    MUMBAI: A varied range of food selection from Best Foods was recently displayed at the international food and hospitality fair – “Aahar”. The bi-annual event organized by the India Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO) under the aegis of the Ministry of Commerce brings together industry experts and leading players in the food sector to encourage commercial exchange and drive business growth. The event that was held in Bengaluru from September 6th to 8th was attended by 500 participants.

    Best Foods Limited, one of the fastest growing and  amongst the largest rice companies in India, took this opportunity to  put on display their entire range of the highest quality basmati rice and rich flavored  ready to eat foods. At their European style stall they also created an “experience zone” where customers could see and taste the food on display.

    Best Foods Ltd brings the finest Basmati rice of unmatched quality sourced straight from the foothills of the Himalayas and other prime rice growing areas in India to provide an aromatic culinary experience to the consumers.  The company has also ventured into ready to eat segment with the launch of a range of simmer sauces, Indian curries, rice treats and cooking pastes. The extensive product portfolio includes

    Seven varieties of Rice-Best Royale Vintage, Best Super Premium, Best Premium, Best Select, Best Special, Best Shahi Pakwan and Best Brown basmati

    Ready to Eat Meals -Palak Paneer, Dal Makhni, Rajma Masala and Paneer Butter Masala

    Ready to Cook Sauces -Butter Masala, Korma, Roganjosh, Tikka Masala, Madras Curry, Red Pasta sauce and White Pasta Sauce Pastes- Kashmiri, Tandoori and Ginger & Garlic.

    The company has created a strong footprint in the country with 17 fully equipped modern rice mills with a capacity to produce 45000 metric tons of processed rice per month. Best Foods is one of the most penetrated brands available in more than 2000 modern retail format (MRF) spread across India in nearly 200 cities. The products are available at outlets such as Reliance, Big Bazaar, MORE, Easy day, Spencers , TOTAL, SPAR, SMART among others. With key growth drivers – quality, consistency and ability to understand consumer preferences, Best Foods today is a well-entrenched player in the India market.

  • Indian Film Project is back!

    Indian Film Project is back!

    The India Film Project, a platform for amateurs and professional filmmakers which will see them making a film within the duration of only 48 hours, will be held from 20-28 September.

     

    The 2013 edition of the India Film Project will see the India Film Project going online. Participants can shoot a film in their own city within 48 hours over the weekend and upload it online.  The project also announced that it is going international starting this year; which means a larger pool of participants from different countries will be making films simultaneously in two days based on a common theme. It will also mean better production quality from a large number of cities covering different locations with diverse languages and varied lifestyles.  The last date for registrations is 14 September 2013.

     

    A common theme and genre will be given to participating teams when the 48 hours period commences at 8:00 pm on Friday 20 September. These teams will have to script, shoot, edit and submit the film by 8:00 pm on Sunday 22 September 22. Apart from the filmmaking competition, the project will also feature a five day film festival online, conducting workshops by eminent filmmakers and technicians and also include film marketing related panel-discussions, cinema exhibitions, etc.

     

    The winning films made at IFP are also sent to various film festivals across the globe and some of them have also won at several international film festivals.

     

    “It’s lovely to see participation flowing from all across the country. We have received plenty of registrations from teams from Metros like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru to smaller cities like Siliguri, Bhilai, Davangere, Rajkot, Dehradun, Indore, Ranchi, Raipur, etc. and many more tier-II cities. It’s a rare opportunity to make a film and showcase it to such a renowned jury”, said founder and project director Ritam Bhatnagar.

     

    This year’s jury includes 2013’s national award winning film Paan Singh Tomar’s director Tigmanshu Dhulia. Tigmanshu has also directed Saheb Biwi aur Gangster (1 & 2), Shagird and Haasil. Tigmanshu has also acted in Gangs of Wasseypur (1 & 2).

     

    Another jury member, Nikhil Advani, is the man who has directed Kal Ho Naa Ho, Patiala House, Salaam-e-Ishq and D-Day are some of his commercial works. Commenting on the IFP he says, “Our industry is growing exponentially and the need for professionals in-front and behind the camera is also keeping in pace. Initiatives like the India Film Project need to be supported and advocated strongly as they provide a credible platform for new talent to be showcased.”

     

    The third jury member is Bejoy Nambiar. This Indian director, producer and screenwriter is mostly known for his critically acclaimed short films, Rahu and Reflections. He marked his debut with the Hindi film Shaitan (2011) for which he won Most Promising Debut Director at the 18th Annual Colors Screen Awards in 2012.

     

    “Making a film is a real test of time and here I also learnt the importance of team management which is crucial in film making” said Adhish Panchal, second runner up of the IFP 2012 edition and one of the winners of the 2011 edition as well.

    The IFP is a platform which encourages and offers amateurs to learn and feel the experience of filmmaking, showcase their work to a large audience, own the film, and learn the methodological approach to filmmaking. It also provides professional and independent filmmakers a platform to compete with best of teams from across the country, being judged by a versatile jury.

  • Fairfield in Bengaluru, India Hits the Road With New Food Truck

    Fairfield in Bengaluru, India Hits the Road With New Food Truck

    MUMBAI: India is no stranger to street food, from sizzling pakoras to steaming cups of chai, so when it came to creating a fun way to announce and promote its opening, the Fairfield by Marriott Bengaluru Rajajinagar decided to keep things simple, familiar and delicious.

    In mid-August, this new Bengaluru, India hotel hit the streets of Bangalore with its Fairfield Food Truck (FFT), which will continue to tour the area each day for the next several weeks.

    The mobile food truck is a way to spread the word about the hotel’s arrival and also showcase the food, beverage, and catering services at its Bangalore all-day dining restaurant Kava Grill & Lounge. Visitors to the FFT are offered a taste of Kava fare through the panini, one of Kava’s signature offerings, in a setting that emulates that of the actual Bangalore, India hotel restaurant, complete with tables and chairs. Visitors also walk away with vouchers to Kava, giving them the opportunity to visit the restaurant in its permanent location at the property. The actual outlet menu also features rolls, burgers, kebabs, curries and more.

    “We are very excited about the Fairfield Food Truck,” Pranay Verdia, General Manager of this Bengaluru, India hotel, says, “which is possibly the first of its kind. Through the FFT we have explored a unique platform of reaching out to customers. We have been receiving a great response and instant feedback through our interactions. We are looking forward to long and cherished client relationships through the associations that we have formed through this initiative.”

    In addition to touring the city, the FFT will make dedicated stops at corporate accounts including National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, Chola MS, Nabard, Cerner, Philips, Waters, Toyota, Kennametal, Mann Hummel, Avery Dennison and Sab Miller, serving snacks to associates. The truck made a stop at the Army Polo Festival, where it hosted high tea for 500 people, and will also visit a local orphanage as part of Marriott’s Spirit to Serve initiative. To round out its visits, the FFT will stop at social events for Sunburn and the Bangalore Ladies Club.

  • Max to host No Talkies for media agencies

    Max to host No Talkies for media agencies

    MUMBAI: The media agencies are busy brushing up on their knowledge of the names of movies. And why? Well, they are all gearing up for No Talkies, a dumb charades game organised by Sony Max. The movie channel which recently launched its Jahan Dekho Wahan Deewana TV campaign is now finding the deewana in media agencies, buyers and planners. Spread over three rounds, the game will be held in Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai.

    The channel currently is calling for registrations for the same. “No Talkies is a fun concept wherein registered teams from the media agencies will play dumb charades on Bollywood films using hand motifs to emote and communicate with each other,” says Sony Max VP marketing Vaishali Sharma.

    To register for this event, the channel has launched a microsite http://notalkies.sonymax.tv/ “Those interested can log on this site and fill up the registration form. A team comprising of three deewanas can participate. All the participating teams will be slotted into different groups and they will have to compete against each other over a few exciting rounds of the game,” informs Sharma.

    The city rounds of the activity will take place inDelhion18 September, followed by Bengaluru on 19 September and will close with Mumbai on 25 September. A total of five shortlisted teams – two from Delhi, one from Bengaluru and two from Mumbai will battle it out in the finale scheduled in Mumbai on 1 October at Blue Frog. “The finale will have a Bollywood theme with different rounds, all with a twist. To amplify all the fun and frolic, the finale will be hosted by the witty and charismatic VJ, actor and presenter Gaurav Kapoor,” informs Sharma.

    To create visibility and buzz amongst the media agencies, Max will be putting up a round of posters, tent cards, desktop pop ups and standees throughout the agencies. Also customised hoardings for a few key agencies will be placed right outside their offices. The channel also plans to host a special activity within the agencies to further boost the response for participation.

    “At Max, we recognise that the passion for Hindi movies percolates to almost everyone and No Talkies is an initiative specially designed to bring out this very deewangi. Aimed at all the media agencies across Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, this activity has been conceptualised to draw in the movie buffs who have a little bit of movies madness embedded in their daily lives. This dumb charades is bound to be an epic battle of the movie lovers to prove their mettle as the ultimate Hindi Movie fan,” says Sharma.

    The registrations are open for two weeks which started on 3 September. “This is not going to be a typical game of dumb charades. We are bringing in loads of innovations to ensure engagement and an exciting evening for those participating,” she informs.

    Talking about this initiative president Rohit Guptasays, “We share a very special relationship with media agencies who have always supported us. No Talkies is an initiative to bring agencies together to feel the magic of movies as we do. It is a fabulous opportunity for the numerous media agencies to gather under one roof to enjoy, fraternise and discover a little of bit deewangi in one another.”

    First the launch of three new TV campaigns to promote deewangi and now this dumb charades game. Max is surely going maxi on strengthening its relationship with the industry.