ITV

Tag: Bharat

  • Rural India tightens purse strings, but swipes right on digital

    Rural India tightens purse strings, but swipes right on digital

    MUMBAI: Rural India, it seems, is having a bit of a digital dance while keeping a tight grip on its wallet. GroupM and Kantar’s Rural Barometer Report 2025 reveals a nation grappling with the ‘pinch-penny’ reality of rising expenses, yet diving headfirst into the digital deep end.

    Forget the quaint image of the village square; rural India is now scrolling, streaming, and swiping with gusto. Seven in ten rural consumers are now online, a whopping 28 per cent jump since 2022. Social media, video content, and instant messaging? They’re the new village gossip, especially among the young and the loaded. But hold your horses, television and newspapers still hold sway with the older crowd, proving that old habits die hard.

    Financial anxieties are playing a havoc with household budgets. Three out of four rural Indians are fretting about their finances. Younger, flashier spenders are cutting back on the big toys—durables and vehicles—while the older, thriftier lot are keeping things steady. Personal loans are on the up, suggesting a ‘bit of a pickle’ as folks juggle their cash. But, there’s a glimmer of sunshine; job security optimism is bouncing back..

    The government’s PM Garib Kalyan Yojana, especially the free rations, is a ‘real life-saver’, proving that a bit of state-sponsored generosity goes a long way.

    GroupM India managing director -OOH solutions Ajay Mehta said: “The Rural Barometer Report is a strategic compass for brands navigating this dynamic landscape. As media habits evolve and digital adoption deepens even in the heartlands, it’s clear that a dual-channel strategy blending the scale of traditional with the precision of digital is essential. At GroupM, we see this as an opportunity for marketers to go beyond surface-level reach and build meaningful, hyper-local engagement. This report not only helps decode rural mindsets but also empowers businesses to craft smarter, more inclusive growth strategies for Bharat’s next chapter.”

    Kantar director- specialist businesses, insights division Puneet Avasthi  added, “As rural India  becomes more connected and conscious, brands must rethink how they engage with this  audience. The new rural consumer demands relevance, value, and authenticity. Marketers must  move beyond a one-size-fits-all approach to adopt hyper-local, digitally powered strategies,  while still leveraging the trust and familiarity of traditional media.”

    Brands must ditch the ‘one-size-fits-all’ claptrap. Rural India wants it real, relevant, and authentic. Go hyper-local, go digital, but don’t forget the old favourites.”

    In essence, rural India is a ‘right proper’ mix of caution and connectivity, a ‘digital dynamo’ with a keen eye on the price tag. Brands, take note: it’s time to get your digital act together, whilst still paying homage to the traditional.

  • Vi launches campaign to empower youth to speed up their career

    Vi launches campaign to empower youth to speed up their career

    Mumbai: Having good education with the right skills is key to finding the most suitable job leading to a successful career and life. To enable a better future for the youth of Bharat, leading telecom operator, Vi, has launched a new campaign around its unique jobs and education proposition.

    The campaign released during the ongoing T20 Cricket World Cup is running on India’s largest premium streaming platform Disney+ Hotstar currently, and is conceptualized by Ogilvy.

    The campaign showcases Vi Jobs and education as a one-stop solution for the Bharat Youth to find appropriate jobs, improve spoken English skills and prepare for government exams, thus helping them grow in life with speed.

    The campaign positions Vi as an enabler giving wings to its customers by empowering them to fulfil their career dreams and move ahead in life for a better tomorrow.

    In line with its #SpeedSeBadho philosophy, the campaign brings to the forefront Vi’s digital strategy to curate a wide range of relevant content offerings for its users to help them thrive and stay ahead.

    The campaign comprises three TVCs to drive awareness on the Vi Jobs & Education portfolio by highlighting the three unique services – access to unlimited learning material and mock tests for preparation of Govt. Job Exams; access to high quality spoken English learning programme; and free priority access to India’s largest job listing platform.

    Commenting on the campaign, Vi chief marketing officer Avneesh Khosla said, “At Vi, our vision is to create world class digital experiences to connect and inspire every Indian to build a better tomorrow. In line with this, our offerings and solutions are uniquely curated to address the needs of our customers and help them thrive in this digital era. Our approach of deep integrated partnerships helps us curate differentiated and relevant solutions for our customers. Our new campaign highlights Vi Jobs & Education proposition and reinforces our commitment to enable our customers to unlock opportunities, gain a competitive edge and march ahead in life to meet their career aspirations.”

  • Arnab Goswami duologue with Barun Das: Reveals truth about TV ratings

    Arnab Goswami duologue with Barun Das: Reveals truth about TV ratings

    Mumbai: For the first time since the ED cleared Arnab Goswami and his network of any wrongdoing in the ratings scandal, he speaks candidly about it with Barun Das at news video magazine OTT platform News9 Plus, revealing the plot to frame him.

    In a sensational disclosure, Goswami claimed the entire ratings system was paralysed by the television industry in India to target him. “It was a bitter battle between new entrepreneurship and legacy media.”

    In his statement, he speaks not just about the ratings question but about a whole range of issues facing the Indian news media.

    As Goswami gets into the hot seat of Duologue with Barun Das to answer questions, it is a role reversal – both for Das as well as Goswami.

    TV9 Network managing director & CEO Barun Das has disrupted the news television order in the country. He has now been donning a new role facing the camera in his series Duologue, which featured former UK Prime Minister David Cameron as the last guest.

    Arnab responded to criticism about being pro-establishment in a recent episode of Duologue with Barun Das, citing the “nation wants to know” controversy to his days at NDTV and Times Now, as well as his vision for the Republic.

    Speaking about Goswami’s show, Das said, “I believe leadership is all about disruption. Arnab is phenomenal and makes for an unrivalled case study. You may love him or despise him, but you ignore him at your peril. The best part of having him at Duologue has been his uncanny ability to speak frankly on issues that not only define him but also have a significant bearing on the news media scene in India.”

    After the cameras stopped rolling, Goswami added, “Barun has an easy-going yet razor-sharp conversational style. He got me to open up on subjects I’ve been quiet about, and I’m glad we “duologued” like I haven’t before. I wish his OTT platform and this show all the very best.”

    Talking about the clean chit, Goswami said, “I recorded this Duologue with Barun a few days before the final TRP report came out. He made me speak about our incarceration for the first time since my arrest. People should know the truth about what happened to the Republic, how we fought, and how we have won. Most grateful to Barun for the opportunity.”

    Duologue with Barun Das featuring Arnab will host four episodes: The Disruptors; Friends, foes, and fortitude; Media Inc; and Frankly Speaking, Finally.

    Das’ show is a cerebral conversation with a legend or a legend in the making. As the title suggests, it is a two-way interaction to enable the exchange of ideas in a free-flowing manner. Duologue is not provoked by headline management but to evolve emancipated influencer conversations.

  • GroupM India inks a strategic partnership with ShareChat and Moj

    GroupM India inks a strategic partnership with ShareChat and Moj

    Mumbai: Media investment company GroupM India and media aggregator ShareChat, with 400 million monthly active users (MAU) across ShareChat and Moj, has announced entering into a strategic partnership to power a new era of modern marketing.

    This partnership will focus on providing clients with both effectiveness and efficiencies across the pillars of the digital marketing ecosystem—reaching an uncharted Bharat audience and giving brands access to the exploding universe of short-format videos. It will also be translated into a suite of innovative products co-created by GroupM and ShareChat.

    GroupM India is looking forward to supporting the marketing solutions and allied communities to navigate through these challenges by offering privileged access to the ShareChat platforms.

    The partnership will look forward to effectively supplementing and delivering deeper engagement to GroupM India’s clientele through ShareChat’s diverse ecosystem that allows seamless integration of content to commerce and insight into Bharat’s consumption, behaviour, and digital journey. Furthermore, advertisers and brands will also be able to experience the convenience of its self-serve platform.

    The surge of short online videos creates a massive upside for growth. Businesses today need to be ready with a data-driven strategy to maximise engagement. Through ShareChat, GroupM India’s clients will gain access to a growing network of influencers and creators. As a result, brands benefit from unrivalled scale to create and promote content and drive brand engagement across digital platforms.  

    GroupM CEO-South Asia Prasanth Kumar said, “At GroupM, we have embraced the digital disruption and have instilled digital as one of the major cornerstones to drive change. The challenges thrown by digital transformation have immensely contributed to our learning and introduced us to newer consumer habits, in turn enabling us to add value to our clients by offering tailored marketing solutions. We see our partnership with ShareChat going a long way towards benefitting our clients as it effectively connects with a large population of the country.”

    The prospect of co-creating unique products with the help of innovation and technology is an added advantage. This partnership will allow brands to have greater opportunities to further harness new media and technological capabilities to effectively drive performance marketing.

    ShareChat and Moj chief commercial officer Ajit Varghese added, “Today, the consumer ecosystem is constantly evolving, however, the majority of the marketing spends continues to be parked for tried and tested platforms. It’s time for the marketing and advertising fraternity to realise the urgent need to adapt to this rapid change. We are glad to have partnered with GroupM in offering ShareChat’s expertise to enable brands to reach the Bharat and Gen Z consumers effectively and at scale.”

    The strategic partnership comes at the back of a successful association between ShareChat and GroupM India that happened earlier this year to launch the “Bharat Report.” The report classified users that prefer the Indian language on social media as “Bharat” users and “India” users as the ones that prefer using English, across all the regions of India. Since its launch, the insights from the report have introduced multiple brands to the uniqueness of Bharat and allowed them to seamlessly integrate Bharat into their overall media strategy.

  • Watch the digital premiere of Salman Khan starrer Bharat on Amazon Prime Video

    Watch the digital premiere of Salman Khan starrer Bharat on Amazon Prime Video

    MUMBAI: Amazon Prime Video announced the digital premiere of superstar Salman Khan-starrer Bharat. Starting August 3, Prime members across 200 countries and territories can catch the 2019 blockbuster period-drama after its theatrical release. Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, the film stars viewer’s most favourite Salman Khan as the titular character, whose life runs parallel to India’s journey since its independence. Bharat features Katrina Kaif as the bold and beautiful Kumud Raina, a government officer and later, a news anchor. The film marks the return of Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif’s on-screen re-union, which was last seen in the 2017 blockbuster Tiger Zinda Hai (also available on Prime Video).

    Speaking about the digital premiere of Bharat, Salman Khan said, “Bharat is a special film that traces the story of India through the main character. The film is very close to my heart and I had a great time being a part of it. I am happy for the love the film has received through its theatrical release and look forward to all my fans across the globe reliving the experience on Amazon Prime Video.”

    Bharat has been inspired from a Korean film An Ode to My Father, a wartime drama where a man longs to see his father and sister, who have been separated from him at the time of the Korean War. Rewritten in the political context of India, Bharat, is a life saga of an eight-year-old boy named Bharat (Salman Khan), who makes a promise to his Father that he will keep his family together in all circumstances. The boy keeps this promise over the next 60 years of his life, despite each decade throwing a new set of challenges at him – some humorous, some thrilling, some romantic, and some life-threatening. His resilience, loyalty and a never dying spirit mirror the fundamental qualities of our nation Bharat. Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar the film also features a stellar star cast such as Disha Patani, Tabu, Jackie Shroff, Sunil Grover among others, making the movie a delightful watch.

    Amazon Prime Video has the largest selection of latest & exclusive movies and TV shows, stand-up comedy, biggest Indian and Hollywood films, US TV series, most popular Indian & international kids’ shows, and award-winning Amazon Originals, all available, ad-free, with a world class customer experience. The service includes titles available in Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Punjabi, Gujarati and Bengali.

    To watch Bharat and newest releases in Hollywood & Bollywood, the latest US TV shows, kids’ favorite toons and Amazon Originals, please visit www.PrimeVideo.com or download the Amazon Prime Video app today and sign-up for a Prime membership only at ₹999 annually or ₹129 monthly.

  • Malta tourism minister Mizzi invites content producers to Malta

    Malta tourism minister Mizzi invites content producers to Malta

    MALTA: The international leg of the International Radio Festival 2018 (IRF 2018) kicked off in a grand style in the Cultural Capital of Europe for 2018 – Valletta, the capital city of the island nation of Malta, yesterday evening (31 October 2018). The Maltese Minister for Tourism Konrad Mizzi opened IRF 2018 officially for international participants. Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) CEO Gavin Gulia was the other notable VIP from Malta present.  About 150 Radio professionals from across the world and Malta and Italy along with 30 registrations participated in the event. Among the radio professionals was the winner of the Sound of India contest RJ Devaki.

    “There will be 100 million listeners of IRF 2018,” said IRF founder and festival director Darryl von Daniken while inviting Mizzi to open IRF 2018.

    “This is really a celebration of wonderful channels coming together here and broadcasting from Malta,” said Mizzi after thanking all the IRF participants for coming to Malta. “I’m delighted to welcome you all to the city of Valletta, the city of culture. Malta has been changing over the last few years. We’re welcoming nearly 2 million tourists every year and another 800,000 come by cruise liners. We’ve changed from becoming to resort to a city destination. We pride ourselves in having good cuisine, lovely beautiful shows, good parties and good music. Malta is a cosmopolitan place which welcomes business, tourists and welcomes people to come and work here.”

    Speaking with www.indiantelevision.com senior editor Tarachand Wanvari, Mizzi said, “Malta has developed its tourism industry since independence in1964. Now we must have a diversified economy. We have changed from being a resort destination to more of a leisure destination. People come here for 5-6 days, where they can enjoy history, culture and also have fun. We’re trying to create festivals for people of all ages. So we have young festivals like Isle of MTV, but we also have initiative for older generations where festivals such as this (IRF) will bring people together and radio stations from all over the world to discuss a non-controversial topic like radio and music and have fun. We want to be a place where people meet, feel at home, more as a cosmopolitan  nation, becoming a cosmopolitan city and we want to act as a gateway to the Mediterranean.”

    Speaking about benefits for the media and entertainment industry, Mizzi explained, “Malta has amazing facilities. We have the film studio with the largest water tanks in the world where large movies have been filmed and amazing outdoor areas and 200 days of sunshine. That is the reason why films like Gladiator and Troy have been filmed here. More recently, we are also attracting Bollywood Movies. Also, the tax incentives and cash rebate system incentivise productions to be done in Malta. We have a 26 per cent cash rebate. As of next January, that cash rebate is going to increase to 40 per cent which will make it the most competitive cash rebate for producers from around the world.”

    “We encourage producers to make more content in Malta. The supply chain is amazing, props are available. If they want costumes, equipment for making films, they are available here. We would also encourage companies to set up their own productions companies for individual movies in Malta.”

    Mizzi confirmed that the cash incentives would also apply to television companies for television shows. “They will get the same incentives and cash benefits as films. We support television series, especially now, with the advent of Netflix and online content. We support that,” he said.

    During an impromptu on-air in India mini interview with Devaki, Mizzi’s message to India was, “Come to Malta, you will feel welcome here. It’s an amazing place that has also Indian culture. There’s an Indian community here. At the same time, I am also encouraging people from here to visit the beautiful Mumbai, Delhi, to visit Rajasthan and Udaipur and all the wonderful places around India.”

    The minister said that sequences of two Indian movies – Bharat and Thugs of India were shot in Malta. Besides having met Bollywood star Salman Khan (with and without his shirt on) during his production of Bharat, the minister informed that Bollywood diva Vidya Balan would be visiting his country soon. The first edition of the Malta India awards that would alternate between Malta and Mumbai in India would happen in Malta in December this year Mizzi informed further.

  • Coffin Maker to compete at International Competition at IFFI GOA

    Coffin Maker to compete at International Competition at IFFI GOA

    MUMBAI: Nasseruddin Shah’s Coffin Maker, produced by Bharat and Ambika Vijan, Shree Narayan Studios, has trumped all competition and is selected to compete in the main section in the International Competition at IIFI GOA.

     

    The film that was earlier selected for the Indian Panaroma section at IFFI will compete with global films in the International competition section like A Place in Heaven by Yassi Madmony (Israel), Beatriz’s War by Bety Reis, Luigi Acquisto (East Timor-Australia), Brothers. The Final Confession by Victoria Trofimenko (Ukraine), Hush…Girls Don’t Scream by Pouran Derakhshandeh (Iran, In Hiding by Jan Kidawa-Blonski (Poland), My Sweet Pepper Land by Hiner Saleem (France-Germany-Iraq) and Like Father, Like Son by Hirokazu Koreeda (Japan) among others.

     

    Coffin Maker is a life changing film that will resonate and connect globally with its theme. The film exemplifies the genius and the exceptional talent of Nasseruddin as Anton Gomes, yet again.

  • Bharat Nirman Public Information Campaign in Puducherry sees participation by children

    Bharat Nirman Public Information Campaign in Puducherry sees participation by children

    NEW DELHI: A colourful rally featuring children marked the start of the prestigious Bharat Nirman Public Information Campaign at Karaikkal, Puducherry, in the presence of Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s office V Narayanasamy.

    Students from the NSS, Junior Red Cross, Scouts and Guides etc took part in the rally, carrying aloft banners and boards proclaiming the various schemes including the core programmes that fall under Bharat Nirman.

    Narayanasamy lit the traditional kuthvilakku, marking the beginning of the three day information-cum-interactive sessions and exhibition organised by the Press Information Bureau in association with media units of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and Karaikkal administration.

    Narayanasamy also released a set of twelve booklets in Tamil depicting the various Bharat Nirman schemes in simple Tamil. The first copies of the illustrated booklets were received by A H M Najeem, MLA.

    The inaugural session was also attended by Puducherry leader of the opposition V Vaithilingam, Karaikkal District Collector A Muthamma Ministry officials present included PIB Chennai ADG K M Ravindran, and PIB Delhi ADG Manoj Pandy, Director of Field Publicity Director N V Nagarajan, and Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity Assistant Director Ravi Kumar.

    This is the 47th Public Information Campaign being conducted in Tamil Nadu. The objective of the campaign is to highlight the various developmental and welfare programmes of the central government.

    More than 70 stalls, depicting the various developments and welfare initiatives of the government, form part of the exhibition. Various sessions on rural development, Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, National Rural Health Mission, Janani Shishu Suraksha, women empowerment, PM’s 15-point Programme for Minorities’ Welfare, will be held and addressed by government officials and opinion makers. The government’s recent initiatives like the Unique Identification Card “Aadhar”, land acquisition, Direct Benefit Transfer scheme etc., will be in focus during the exhibition.

    Besides the exhibition at the Municipal Ground, Karaikkal, the DFP has already begun village-level campaign programmes in six identified locations around Karaikkal.

  • Fisher-Price unveils ‘Galli Galli Sim Sim’s’ Elmo singing & dancing to the ‘Hokey Pokey’

    Fisher-Price unveils ‘Galli Galli Sim Sim’s’ Elmo singing & dancing to the ‘Hokey Pokey’

    MUMBAI: Fisher-Price, the infant and pre-school brand from Mattel Toys has introduced Galli Galli Sim Sim’s main character Elmo to the Indian market, as a soft toy that can dance, sing and speak. What’s more, it speaks the local language, Hindi. Apart from Elmo, the range also includes other characters like Bharat, Ernie and Biscuit Badshah from the show.

    The surprise element of the range is that the first-ever Hindi speaking Elmo sings and dances to the tune of “Hokey Pokey” while grooving to the beats and doing all the steps, including turning around in a full circle and shaking all about.

    The assortment from Fisher-Price includes soft toys including Bharat, Ernie, Biscuit Badshah and Elmo in 9 and 18 inch sizes, priced at Rs. 299 and Rs. 799 respectively. While a jumbo size of 24 inches is priced at Rs. 1099. The customised ‘Hokey Pokey Elmo’ is 11 inches tall, and is available for Rs. 1399. The complete range will be available at all leading departmental and toy stores, informs an official release.

    Sesame Street’s Indian adaptation Galli Galli Sim Sim aims to empower young children by making learning fun. International versions of Sesame Street are given their own muppets to reflect local issues. In India, they have characters like Googly, Chamki, Aanchoo and Boombah, who have been specially created with Indian characteristics and elements.

    Developed with the help of Indian educational experts, the show exposes children to reading and counting and claims to help children to cope with their emotions, develop healthy habits, value diversity, take pride in their culture and treat others with respect.