ITV

Tag: Chennai

  • Mercedes-Benz India plans to expand its retail footprint with pop-up stores to connect with the youth

    Mercedes-Benz India plans to expand its retail footprint with pop-up stores to connect with the youth

    MUMBAI: In a bid to attract more customers and create brand consumerism, Mercedes-Benz India is coming up with 7 retail pop-up stores. One of which has already been inaugurated in Lower Parel in Mumbai, there are 6 more stores which will be opened in Delhi-NCR, Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai and Goa. 

     For the year 2016, with the brand philosophy ‘Winning with Mercedes-Benz’, the company is reaching closer and making its presence felt to its esteemed and discerning customers. The idea is to win the heart and the mind of consumers based on these innovative initiatives to create more awareness, brand recall and connect with consumers on an interpersonal level. The locations of these pop up stores are selected strategically, based on consumer mapping and behavioural patterns. 

    These pop-up stores will be positioned in places like lounges, pubs, cafes and restaurants to reach out to a larger target audience, this way Mercedes-Benz will be able to reach to youngsters in metros and Tier I markets. These pop-up stores will see sections such as branding and audio-visuals which will enhance consumer interest towards brand Mercedes-Benz. The customers will be able to engross themselves through special Mercedes-Benz applications and merchandise available at these stores.

    Roland Folger, Managing Director and CEO, Mercedes-Benz India said, “The pop-up stores will increase our visibility in the market as we plan to tap the young generation through it. This is a novel way to create a brand connect with youngsters who are extremely enthusiastic about cars. We are opening pop-up stores in multiple places to understand the likeability and choices of today’s outgoing generation. This further helps us in expansion of such initiatives that will give a sense of exclusivity to our customers and build a positive affinity towards the brand.”

    These innovations will help to compete in a market where traditional luxury norms become lesser relevant day-by-day. The year 2016 has a strong line-up of product launches from Mercedes-Benz including 12 new offerings and 10 new dealership inaugurations across markets. Mercedes-Benz aims at a sustained double digit growth in this year too.

  • Doordarshan launches Mobile TV in India, needs no internet

    Doordarshan launches Mobile TV in India, needs no internet

    NEW DELHI: Doordarshan has commenced digital terrestrial television (DTT) services in 16 cities, thereby providing mobile TV to the users.

    The sixteen cities being covered from 25 February are- Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Guwahati, Patna, Ranchi, Cuttack, Lucknow, Jallandhar, Raipur, Indore, Aurangabad, Bhopal, Bangalore and Ahmadabad.  

    Mobile TV can be received in and around these cities using DVB-T2 Dongles in OTG enabled smart phones and tablets, Wi-Fi dongles for moving vehicles, besides the TV sets having built in DVB-T2 Tuner which are called as integrated digital TV (iDTV).

    While Sony, LG, Panasonic, Samsung etc., are providing iDTV, the dongles are also available in online shopping sites like Flipkart, Ebay, Snapdeal etc. It requires the user to download the software and plug these dongles in the smartphones and tablets to receive DD Signals.

    There will be no charges for watching the DD Channels. No internet connection is required after installation of the software. The public and private transportation vehicles and public places are potential environments for Mobile Television.

    Currently, DD National, DD News, DD Bharati, DD Sports, DD Regional/DD Kisan are being relayed. Only one time investment of a dongle will be required by viewers and no extra expenditure unlike streaming with internet. The TV pictures are free from “ghosting” and “snowing”.

    DTT secures greater plurality in platform ownership, ensuring that no single platform owner is so powerful that it can exert undue influence on public opinion or political agendas. The digital transition offers an opportunity to increase the production of local content.

    This in turn creates job opportunity and increases creativity and entrepreneurship. A strong DTT platform is critical for healthy competition in the TV market and to the realisation of a wide range of social benefits and most essentially an all weather reliable platform. There is no risk of catastrophic failure of total network. It provides alternative distribution platform.

    DD channels can be received on smart phones, tablets and in moving vehicles. The new audience on move are the key beneficiary of this technology. Currently, mobile TV can be received using a dongle for mobile and tablets. But the day is not far when it will be embedded inside the devices. Watching TV from a phone is interested in many situations. Public and private transportation vehicle in public places are potential environment for mobile TV services. In the DTT Transmission everybody watches the same content at the same time and it guarantees everybody the same high level of service, since they are all bathed in the same signal. So tablets and smartphones and moving vehicles find new way of watching DD Channels in India in 16 cities, which are going to increase in near future.

     

  • Doordarshan launches Mobile TV in India, needs no internet

    Doordarshan launches Mobile TV in India, needs no internet

    NEW DELHI: Doordarshan has commenced digital terrestrial television (DTT) services in 16 cities, thereby providing mobile TV to the users.

    The sixteen cities being covered from 25 February are- Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Guwahati, Patna, Ranchi, Cuttack, Lucknow, Jallandhar, Raipur, Indore, Aurangabad, Bhopal, Bangalore and Ahmadabad.  

    Mobile TV can be received in and around these cities using DVB-T2 Dongles in OTG enabled smart phones and tablets, Wi-Fi dongles for moving vehicles, besides the TV sets having built in DVB-T2 Tuner which are called as integrated digital TV (iDTV).

    While Sony, LG, Panasonic, Samsung etc., are providing iDTV, the dongles are also available in online shopping sites like Flipkart, Ebay, Snapdeal etc. It requires the user to download the software and plug these dongles in the smartphones and tablets to receive DD Signals.

    There will be no charges for watching the DD Channels. No internet connection is required after installation of the software. The public and private transportation vehicles and public places are potential environments for Mobile Television.

    Currently, DD National, DD News, DD Bharati, DD Sports, DD Regional/DD Kisan are being relayed. Only one time investment of a dongle will be required by viewers and no extra expenditure unlike streaming with internet. The TV pictures are free from “ghosting” and “snowing”.

    DTT secures greater plurality in platform ownership, ensuring that no single platform owner is so powerful that it can exert undue influence on public opinion or political agendas. The digital transition offers an opportunity to increase the production of local content.

    This in turn creates job opportunity and increases creativity and entrepreneurship. A strong DTT platform is critical for healthy competition in the TV market and to the realisation of a wide range of social benefits and most essentially an all weather reliable platform. There is no risk of catastrophic failure of total network. It provides alternative distribution platform.

    DD channels can be received on smart phones, tablets and in moving vehicles. The new audience on move are the key beneficiary of this technology. Currently, mobile TV can be received using a dongle for mobile and tablets. But the day is not far when it will be embedded inside the devices. Watching TV from a phone is interested in many situations. Public and private transportation vehicle in public places are potential environment for mobile TV services. In the DTT Transmission everybody watches the same content at the same time and it guarantees everybody the same high level of service, since they are all bathed in the same signal. So tablets and smartphones and moving vehicles find new way of watching DD Channels in India in 16 cities, which are going to increase in near future.

     

  • ZenithOptimedia’s Equinox bags UrbanClap’s media mandate

    ZenithOptimedia’s Equinox bags UrbanClap’s media mandate

    MUMBAI: ZenithOptimedia Group’s Equinox has won the media planning and buying mandate of UrbanClap, which is inclusive of out-of-home and digital.

    UrbanClap has operations in major metropolitan cities such as Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Bangalore, Chennai, Pune and Hyderabad. It has over 36,000 professionals on the platform, servicing 4,000-5,000 requests each day across 125 categories. Almost 50,000 customers are using the platform on a monthly basis and this number continues to grow each month.

    ZenithOptimedia MD Hari Krishnan says, “The digital medium has re-wired the relationship between consumers and localised service professionals. We are very happy to associate with UrbanClap, which is a well-known on-demand services market place. This is a prestigious win for us. UrbanClap is ambitious and future-facing and is looking at extensive expansion across geographies, categories of services and talent. We will provide them with the right scale, insights and touch points in order to fuel their growth plans.”

    UrbanClap co-founder Varun Khaitan added, “We started this company with the vision of making localised services accessible to the Indian consumer, in view of a fragmented and unorganised industry. UrbanClap is really about convenience and comfort, and more importantly, about trust. We needed a credible media partner, one that understands our zeal and approach to the services business and is able to bring in the same kind of fresh thinking to our media plans. ZenithOptimedia has proven expertise in the e-commerce area, and brings in rich consumer insights and data driven planning in order to strengthen our brand further. We look forward to a rewarding partnership with them.”

  • ZenithOptimedia’s Equinox bags UrbanClap’s media mandate

    ZenithOptimedia’s Equinox bags UrbanClap’s media mandate

    MUMBAI: ZenithOptimedia Group’s Equinox has won the media planning and buying mandate of UrbanClap, which is inclusive of out-of-home and digital.

    UrbanClap has operations in major metropolitan cities such as Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Bangalore, Chennai, Pune and Hyderabad. It has over 36,000 professionals on the platform, servicing 4,000-5,000 requests each day across 125 categories. Almost 50,000 customers are using the platform on a monthly basis and this number continues to grow each month.

    ZenithOptimedia MD Hari Krishnan says, “The digital medium has re-wired the relationship between consumers and localised service professionals. We are very happy to associate with UrbanClap, which is a well-known on-demand services market place. This is a prestigious win for us. UrbanClap is ambitious and future-facing and is looking at extensive expansion across geographies, categories of services and talent. We will provide them with the right scale, insights and touch points in order to fuel their growth plans.”

    UrbanClap co-founder Varun Khaitan added, “We started this company with the vision of making localised services accessible to the Indian consumer, in view of a fragmented and unorganised industry. UrbanClap is really about convenience and comfort, and more importantly, about trust. We needed a credible media partner, one that understands our zeal and approach to the services business and is able to bring in the same kind of fresh thinking to our media plans. ZenithOptimedia has proven expertise in the e-commerce area, and brings in rich consumer insights and data driven planning in order to strengthen our brand further. We look forward to a rewarding partnership with them.”

  • PVR expands into South India with second multiplex in Chennai

    PVR expands into South India with second multiplex in Chennai

    MUMBAI: PVR Cinemas has expanded its presence in South India by launching its second multiple property in Chennai.

     

    The five-screen multiplex is at The Grand Mall, Velachery in Chennai. The company’s first multiple in Chennai is at the Ampa Mall.

     

    With this, PVR now has a a screen count of 482 screens at 108 properties pan India across 44 cities. In southern India, PVR now has 110 screens in 17 properties.

     

    The newly launched property in the region is spread over an area of 50,000 sq ft with a capacity of 1275 seats.

     

    PVR Cinema CEO Gautam Dutta said, “We have received an overwhelming response from the audience here and we ore even more enthusiastic to launch our second multiplex in Chennai. South is on essential market and we have made constant endeavours to reach out to the movie lovers in the city. We have left no stones unturned to bring them an experience filled with convenience, comfort and the best cinematic experience.”

     

    The opening of this multiplex has been designed understanding the market and every other aspect of cinema viewing in Chennai. The artwork in the foyer is a collage of iconic conversations from movies that defined trends in Kollywood; it is a tribute to Tamil cinema.

     

    The cinema also boasts of 2K Christie Digital projection, Dolby Digital 7.1 surround sound, 3D enabled screens and state-of-the-art technology.

     

    PVR joint managing director Sanjeev Kumar Bijli added, “As we aim to excel in our domain by providing movie connoisseurs with a premier experience, we feel pleased to launch our second property in Chennai. We would like to thank the mall developer, PSR Associates for giving us the perfect location which is strategically positioned and stands as one of the most prominent hubs attracting huge footfalls. We are very hopeful to receive a similar positive response from the audience here for our second multiplex as well.”

  • FFI urges film industry to pledge one day’s earnings to Chennai

    FFI urges film industry to pledge one day’s earnings to Chennai

    NEW DELHI: The Film Federation of India (FFI) has appealed to all members of the film fraternity to pledge one day’s theatrical collections from all across the country for the relief work in Chennai.

     

    In a note sent to all association bodies and members, FFI president J P Chowksey said that the amount can be deposited in the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund.

     

    In Chennai, he said several actors had helped people on the streets, and some cinema houses opened their doors for the homeless or those seeking shelter.

     

    He added that the film industry has always come forward to offer help whenever there has been any calamity of this nature in the country.

  • News broadcasters finally surf the wave as Chennai drowns

    News broadcasters finally surf the wave as Chennai drowns

    MUMBAI: A natural disaster in Mumbai or Delhi even if not too severe in nature immediately gets the Indian broadcast news media in overdrive mode. “Breaking News” updates are pushed to the viewers every hour if not every few minutes. Everything else takes a backseat as television journalists and cameramen scamper through water or rubble… whatever the case may be.

     

    But sadly, only the Indian metros of Mumbai and Delhi command that kind of a clout from the Indian news channels, specially the English ones.

     

    As one of the most senior Indian journalists Rajdeep Sardesai recently said in a blog post, Indian news channels need to know that there is an India that exists beyond the Vindhyas.

     

    With incessant rains in Chennai over the last few weeks, the situation there is glum to say the least. However, English news channels have only just woken up to this natural disaster. It was only when news poured in of the Chennai airport shutting down due to water logging on the runway, did many realise the gravity of the situation down south.

     

    The natural calamity has left more than 250 people dead and thousands have been rendered homeless. 

     

    After waiting for some kind of push, news channels are now also participating in aiding the victims who have been stranded in the most inundated areas across the rain-battered Tamil Nadu. News channels are attempting to provide the nation with timely updates about the torrential rains of Chennai… albeit a tad too late in the day.

     

    In his blog, Sardesai discussed the issue and blamed the lack of coverage by national news channels on the “tyranny of distance.” Since most national bureaus are located in Delhi, news around the national capital gains prominence than those in other parts of the country. According to him, the only solution behind this ignorance by the national media towards such a serious incident was by combining local and national content i.e by giving space to local news in the national news channels. “Maybe we need to have two national bureaus, one in Delhi and one south of the Vindhyas,” he suggested.

    News channels have evidently shown the divide between the coverage of news from the north to south of India. Indiantelevision.com tried to get hold of a few news channels that have invested some efforts in reporting the incident.

     

    Take a look…

     

    CNN-IBN

     

    CNN-IBN has sent two of their senior editors Karma Paljor and Shreya Dhoundial to cover the Chennai rains. The channel has also dispatched a group of five reporters who are there at the ground zero in Chennai. The other journalists on ground are Anna Isaac, Deepa Balakrishnan and Jude Sannith who are continuously bringing the latest update of the rains, the damage caused and the difficulties that the people of Chennai are facing.

     

    Speaking on the Chennai rains, CNN-IBN managing editor Radhakrishnan Nair said that the entire emphasis of the channel right now is on helping Chennai and connecting the needy and the good samaritans. He added that till normalcy is restored, CNN-IBN will keep the focus on ‘Help Chennai.’

     

    The channel has been flashing helpline numbers and email ids where people can contact for any kind of assistance. CNN-IBN has tied up with Twitter for people to reach out to their loved ones in Chennai and those who are looking for help. Their social media handles are also posting regular updates about the rains and regarding all the help that can be provided to the people stranded in the city.

     

    India TV

     

    The news channel has deployed three senior reporters covering the floods extensively in Tamil Nadu, which includes the bureau chiefs from Hyderabad and Bangalore and a senior defence correspondent from Delhi. Apart from this, the channel is continuously getting information and news from their local stringer network.

     

    India TV is also carrying out continuous coverage with regular updates on rescue operations, updates from the MET Department, Indian Army, NDRF and from government officials. The channel is covering the floods by way of regular and special programmes in a bid to inform viewers about the situation in Tamil Nadu. The channel’s correspondents, along with the rescue teams are going on aerial surveys to show the extent of devastation and the ground realities.

     

    NDTV 24×7

     

    The channel has its resident editor – South Uma Sudhir in Chennai from the day Tamil Nadu was hit by the torrential rains. The channel has also deployed five reporters to cover the entire incident.

     

    “The Chennai Floods have been NDTV’s main focus since the time the state was hit by the natural calamity and still remains the focus of all our bulletins, including prime time programming, both Left, Right and Centre and The Buck Stops Here have done Chennai related stories. We are also passing on all requests for help to relief officials,” informs NDTV 24×7 managing editor Manika Ahirwal Raikwar.

     

    Times Now

     

    Times Now has its senior editor Vivek Narayan spearheading the coverage in Chennai. The channel has also sent a team of eight reporters covering and reporting minute details about the situation in Chennai. The reporters are spread across the city, reporting from districts like Thiruvallur and Cuddalore.

     

    Additionally, the reporters are also trying to get messages of distress across to the relief teams in a bid to salvage the situation. The channel has also tied up with Twitter and leading news portal of south India News Minute to ensure that these messages reach officials as quickly as possible. “Times Now has been broadcasting non-stop coverage of the situation and has dedicated several hours of programming to the floods in Tamil Nadu,” adds a senior spokesperson from Times Network.

     

    As Sardesai rightly points out, hopefully such situations wouldn’t take a flood for national media channels to discover the India that exists beyond the Vindhyas. The entire nation hopes that this geographical division would not affect our motherland in the future.

  • Sony Pix brings Spectre to Pix Premiere Nights

    Sony Pix brings Spectre to Pix Premiere Nights

    MUMBAI: Sony Pix is all geared up to offer its fans the biggest amazement of the year by partnering for Spectre, the latest James Bond movie, a day before its theatrical release in India exclusively for Pix Premiere Nights. The exclusive screening of the film for Pix Premiere Nights is scheduled on 19 November 2015.

     

    Get set to watch the latest Bond thriller  across the cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad, Kochi, and Chennai. Pix Premiere Nights, the largest integrated on ground brand property in the English movie category is a unique proposition for the viewers to exclusively watch the premiere of the latest Hollywood movies one day before its theatrical release in India. Spectre will be screened in 11 screens across 8 cities.   

      

    Sony Pix has previously hosted Pix Premiere Nights for Robocop (2014), The Hobbit: The battle of the five armies (2014), Amazing Spider Man 2 (2014) and Fantastic Four (2015) among others.

  • Day 23: Ten cities in FM Phase III inching towards Rs 10 crore mark

    Day 23: Ten cities in FM Phase III inching towards Rs 10 crore mark

    NEW DELHI: Around ten cities that have so far got bids of Rs 6 crore or more are expected to raise the cumulative winnings, going by indications on the twenty-third day in the e-auction for the first batch of FM Phase III cities. The cumulative provisional winning price showed a marginal rise to Rs 1139.3 crore at the end of the 92nd round.

     

    The number of provisional winning channels and cities remained the same as yesterday: 94 channels in 56 cities, but the total bids surpassed the cumulative reserve price by Rs 680.5 crore or 148.3 per cent against the aggregate reserve price of about Rs 459 crore.

     

    The cumulative provisional winning price has thus risen over the total reserve price of the first batch of 135 FM channels in 69 existing cities – Rs 550.18 crore – by Rs 589.2 crore or 107.1 per cent. 

     

    As per Information and Broadcasting Ministry sources, the e-auction will continue as long as bids are received for any of the 135 channels, including the 13 cities for which no bids have come.

     

    The Auction Activity Requirement rose to 100 per cent after the 59th round on 14 August, after being 90 per cent after the 37th round on 7 August.

     

    The winning price has gone up by more than 100 per cent above their respective reserve prices: Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Aurangabad, Bengaluru, Bhubaneshwar, Chennai, Delhi, Guwahati, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kolhapur, Mumbai, Nasik, Patna, Pune, Rourkela and Varanasi, which got provisional winning bidders at prices more than double the respective reserve prices. 

     

    A single channel in Bhubaneshwar created a new record by getting the most competitive bidding increment-wise by going up nine times the reserve price.

     

    However, there were still no bids for thirteen cities namely Asansol, Gulbarga, Mangalore, Mysore, Puducherry, Rajahmundry, Siliguri, Tiruchy, Tirunveli, Tirupati, Tuticorin, Vijaywada and Warangal.

     

    The demand in most cities fell by up to three per cent and by four per cent below the excess demand at the price in the 92nd round in Hyderabad.

     

    The Percentage Price Increment applicable for the Next Clock Round rose to five each in Guwahati, Jodhpur and Varanasi but was just one in Shillong.

     

    Provisional winning price in the top three cities reflected no change: Delhi at Rs 169.16 crore (for just one channel); Mumbai at Rs 122.81 crore (for two channels); and Bengaluru at Rs 109.25 crore.

     

    Kohlapur, which appeared to be the next to enter the Rs 10-crore club remained static for the third day with Rs 9.44 crore though cities like Kanpur, Rajkot, Amritsar and Aurangabad do not seem to be far behind.

     

    Chennai at Rs 53.38 crore, Ahmedabad at Rs 42.68 crore, Pune at Rs 42.03 crore, Jaipur at Rs 28.34 crore, Chandigarh at Rs 19.04 crore, Hyderabad at Rs 18 crore, Patna at Rs 17.89 crore, Cochin at Rs 15.04 crore, Nasik at Rs 14.66 crore and Lucknow at Rs 14 crore remained static.