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Tag: Content

  • QYou Media India launches animation channel The Q Kahaniyan

    QYou Media India launches animation channel The Q Kahaniyan

    Mumbai: Following the launch of The Q and Q Marathi, global media company QYou Media India on Tuesday announced the setting up of its digital exclusive animation channel – The Q Kahaniyan. With the tagline ‘Hatke Kisse, Datke Masti,’ the animated content channel will target young viewers between age group of 13 to 35 years.

    “The Q Kahaniyan is a category creator that bridges the need gap for entertaining, relatable animated stories and content for young adults in India. Echoing the network’s core proposition, it will showcase differentiated and high-quality alternative animated content that will cut across genres,” said the media company in a statement. 

    The channel will curate and bring forward stories from leading Indian and global animation studios and creators such as PM Toons, Digimonks, Utkal Cartoon World and Core Infotech. Shows such as “Nattu,” “Bakaiti,” “Anokhi Kahaniya,” “Daravni Kahaniya,” “Dilchasp Kahaniya” are sure to strike a chord with viewers and create a niche for themselves as well for animated content in the growing general entertainment category, the statement added. 

    “Globally, the interest in animated content is astonishing; in India however, the category and format are indexed and typically viewed from a kid’s lens,” remarked QYou Media India’s chief operating officer Krishna Menon. “Having experienced success with animation on The Q, we believe that there exists a strong demand for such content and it is only apt for us as a disruptive and differentiated brand to take a step forward and give such content a place and platform of its own.”

    “With The Q Kahaniyan, we are curating stories that are relevant, relatable and different from what is already available. We are certain of the channel’s success and hope to give animated content the limelight it truly deserves,” he further added.

    The Q Kahaniyan is currently available on connected TV and video-on-demand platforms including Samsung TV Plus, Mi, TCL, Cloudwalker, Jio TV, Jio TV Plus, MX Player, and Snapchat, among others.

  • Tata Neu ropes in Akash Banerji as head of content & entertainment vertical

    Tata Neu ropes in Akash Banerji as head of content & entertainment vertical

    Mumbai: The Tata Group has roped in Akash Banerji to lead the content and entertainment vertical of Tata Neu app. Tata Digital unveiled its much-anticipated super app Tata Neu earlier this week.

    In this role, Banerji will oversee the entire content vertical, including P&L, product, content creation, and marketing at Tata Neu, as per media reports.

    Banerji was previously leading marketing for Amazon’s mobile business vertical, having joined the organisation in August 2020.

    Prior to Amazon, he worked with Viacom18’s OTT platform Voot. He was with Viacom18 for five years.

    Banerji has more than eighteen years of experience in the technology, marketing, sales/distribution & P&L domains with consumer centric MNCs.

    He served in multiple industries across digital video (Hotstar & Voot), e-commerce (Prime), Slsports (Star Sports) & entertainment (Star Plus) broadcast & CPG (Pepsi, Marico).

  • Lintas C:EX Entertainment onboards Shailendra Jha as lead content advisor-fiction originals

    Lintas C:EX Entertainment onboards Shailendra Jha as lead content advisor-fiction originals

    Mumbai: Lintas C:EX Entertainment, a vertical under MullenLowe Lintas Group’s newly introduced division Lintas C:EX (Lintas Creative Executions) has announced Shailendra Jha as its lead content advisor – fiction originals. The appointment is effective immediately.

    Lintas C:EX Entertainment is a strategic foray by MullenLowe Lintas Group into the original and branded content space. The group had recently appointed Yogesh Manwani as president to lead its content business. Shailendra Jha’s appointment gives Lintas C:EX Entertainment an additional impetus for creation of premium fictional content Ips, said the statement.

    In this role, Jha will be responsible for driving Lintas C:EX Entertainment’s content output through the lens of an entertainment expert and providing strategic direction to the team. 

    “For Lintas C:EX Entertainment, collaborating with like-minded storytellers to curate a slate of original content IPs is a key purpose. Shailendra’s appointment is a step in the direction of furthering our vision of telling impactful and entertaining stories,” said Lintas C:EX Entertainment president Yogesh Manwani. “We are happy to associate with him on this journey and look forward to his contribution in helping curate an inimitable slate of fiction originals.”

    Before making his foray into the entertainment world, Jha was executive editor of TV Today group, where he was a core member of the team that launched India’s first-speed news channel Tez. He led the content teams of AajTak and Tez during this tenure. He has also directed multiple talk shows including the BBC shows HardTalk India and Face to Face.

    Previously, Jha held the content leadership position at Star India (The Walt Disney Company) where he led various content initiatives across top entertainment channels like Star Plus, Star Bharat and Life Ok. 

    In his two-and-a-half-decade-long career as content creator, Jha has straddled the worlds of both – news and entertainment. He was responsible for creating and writing “Grahan” – a Hindi crime drama series streaming on Disney+ Hotstar. He has also received acclaim and recognition for “Tumhare Bina,” a short film written and directed by him, which went on to become a finalist at the Tokyo International Short Film festival recently.

    Commenting on his new role, Shailendra Jha said, “I am delighted to associate with Lintas C:EX Entertainment at a time when streaming entertainment in India is witnessing significant growth and the demand for premium content is on the rise. The time is ripe for varied stories and storytellers like Lintas C:EX. I look forward to working with Yogesh and the Lintas leadership to curate and create good stories.”

  • MX TakaTak partners with chef Ranveer Brar for its latest offering ‘#BawarchiBrar’

    MX TakaTak partners with chef Ranveer Brar for its latest offering ‘#BawarchiBrar’

    Mumbai: Short video app MX TakaTak has announced the launch of a new property titled ‘#BawarchiBrar’ with chef Ranveer Brar.

    Starting 5 February with #DesiJugaad – viewers can stream interactive food content pieces that are quick & easy to make like Maggie Golgappa and an egg made on an iron, followed by #BachpanKaPyaar that will take you down memory lane of your favorite dishes as a child and #MainPakaunga where the chef himself will validate and bust some myths around certain dishes and ingredients, said the platform in a statement.

    Every Saturday at 7 pm, viewers can tune in to chef Ranveer Brar’s profile on MX TakaTak and watch the videos.

    MX TakaTak VP and head of content Parul Menghani said, “Categorised into three segments, #BawarchiBrar is an attempt to further expand our content buckets by bringing in food, which is an emotion to most people. We are certain that this IP will keep all food enthusiasts entertained and also appeal to viewers who are looking for unique and engaging food content on the platform.”  

     

     
     
     

     
     
     
     
     

     
     

     
     
     

     
     

    A post shared by MX TakaTak (@mxtakatak)

     

    With almost two decades of rich experience in the food industry, Lucknow-born celebrity chef Ranveer Brar enjoys a huge fan base owing to his authenticity, relatable cooking tips and fun banter with his fans. “This is the first time that I am part of such an interesting short format video concept which makes this collaboration with MX TakaTak all the more special for me. At some point or other in our lives, we’ve all had to be jugaadu when it comes to food and I know, sometimes – I still am. While cooking may seem tedious and intimidating for some, I plan to make it fun through this platform by sharing some of my personal tips and tricks, revisiting our school/hostel days through the dishes I make and even cooking in a kitchen with limited resources,” said Brar.

  • WarnerMedia announces three senior content hires in Asia

    WarnerMedia announces three senior content hires in Asia

    Mumbai: WarnerMedia on Friday announced three senior content hires in Asia to bolster its original productions teams in advance of the launch of HBO Max in the region.

    In the Singapore-based team, Mark Francis has been appointed group lead of production and development (scripted and unscripted), and Wee Shi Ming has been named lead of entertainment content acquisition for North Asia content. They both will report to WarnerMedia head of content – entertainment for Southeast Asia, Taiwan and Hong Kong Magdalene Ew.

    In Mumbai, Saugata Mukherjee joins WarnerMedia as head of content – entertainment, India. The newly-created role, like Ew, reports to managing director of India, Southeast Asia and Korea Clement Schwebig.

    “These are vital roles as we look to ramp up our original content and programming ambitions in this region,” said Schwebig. “Saugata, Mark and Shi Ming have a great eye for a winning project and have enviable connections within the industry. With them all now in place over the past few months, we’re looking in great shape to entertain local audiences with a well-rounded and premium slate.”

    Former Astro head of OTT content and iflix chief content officer Francis will lead a regional team to develop Asian original productions under the ‘Max Originals’ banner.

    Wee Shi Ming, in the content acquisition team, started in late 2021 and will focus on securing Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Anime titles. Prior to this role, Wee was at Viu and Sony Pictures Television Networks, where she was head of acquisition and programming for Asian content. Wee now works alongside Katheryn Lim, who leads content acquisition for international and English-language entertainment titles, with both of them reporting into Ew.

    Former SonyLiv and Disney exec Mukherjee also joined in late 2021 and is responsible for commissioning local originals, as well as acquiring and developing Indian content across all general entertainment genres.

    In September 2021, WarnerMedia also announced the appointment of Audrey Wee as the physical production lead for its growing line-up of regional entertainment content in Southeast Asia, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. And in July, May-Yi Lee was named Lead of development and production – unscripted for the same region. Wee reports into Ew while Lee reports into Francis.

  • GUEST COLUMN: The harm that good ads do

    GUEST COLUMN: The harm that good ads do

    Mumbai: If you want to greet somebody in the morning, two things are essential. First, you have to say ‘Good Morning,’ not ‘Good Night’ or ‘Good Afternoon.’ And second, you should say it pleasantly. If this combination goes haywire, you won’t get the other person to say ‘Good Morning’ to you, and with a smile.

    What to say is the ‘strategy’. How to say is the ‘creative’. Effective communication is a perfect blend of content and presentation.

    The job of strategy is to set the message right. And to do that, it has to get the objective right. It should be a precise and well-defined objective. The objective must be in terms of a shift in feeling with reference to the brand in question. And then, to achieve that, the specific message has to be precise like the tip of an arrow. Sharp.

    A creative’s job is to say ‘Good Morning’ but in a way that is interesting and engaging. Saying it with a blank face and with a serious voice won’t cut any ice. At the same time, a creative cannot say ‘Good Night’ in the morning howsoever enchanting the way it is said in. Your audience will like the smile and the charm but won’t get that you wanted to greet them with a ‘Good Morning.’

    When the strategy is right, it may be basic, it may be obvious, but if it is right, the job of the creative is to engage the audience in a powerful manner. And only an emotional approach can engage the audience in a powerful way. Emotions can be of any kind, including humour, which is one of the most powerful emotions used for communication.

    Things start behaving like life when we forget this basic principle. When we create ads that are very engaging but they don’t say ‘Good Morning’ or ‘Good Afternoon,’ they might confuse people but in a very engaging and charming way. The road to disaster is paved with charming ads.  God forgive them for they know not what they were supposed to convey.

    And while they don’t communicate what they were supposed to, they obviously don’t get the right result, which is primarily contributing to the brand image and secondarily, helping sell the product. When the batsman doesn’t score the runs in spite of hitting some beautiful shots, the selectors start believing that those shots must not be used again. While the real culprit is the strategic miscalculation while executing these shots.

    Clients start believing that since these charming ads aren’t working in the long run, charming ads don’t work. They don’t see the bigger picture and become wary of ads that are highly creative. And they go back to dull and boring ads which they believe work for the brand.

    We need to understand and distinguish between four kinds of ads:

    1.     Boring ads based on wrong strategies.

    2.     Boring ads based on the right strategies.

    3.     Highly engaging ads based on the right strategies.

    4.     Highly engaging ads based on wrong strategies, and

    No 1) Boring ads based on wrong strategies are certified and guaranteed disasters. Nothing can save them. Everything is wrong with them. Life looks quite pointless after watching them. Something immediately dies inside you.

    No 2) Boring ads based on the right strategies are mediocre and will bring average results for the image. Look around, the world is full of them. These are donkeys walking in the right direction. But they are donkeys.

    No 3) Highly engaging ads based on the right strategies are the darlings of the industry. Everybody wants them. Though, not everybody recognizes them. There is no debate on these. They build factories.

    No 4) These are highly engaging ads based on wrong strategies. These are the good-looking villains which do the real harm. They are like ‘Asurs’ in the guise of ‘Apsaras’.  Because of them, you don’t get the message right. They say “Good Evening” in a beautiful voice at 7 am, leaving the audience charmed, confused, and lost.

    These ads give a bad name to the really good, charming, engaging, and creative ads. Clients become wary of all creative and clutter-breaking ads. Once bitten, twice shy. The Cred Rahul Dravid ad is the epitome of this category. Highly engaging and disruptive, but leave the audience asking “Arre kehna kya chaahte ho bhai?”

    (Kapil Mishra is a brand and creative Consultant at Indiassetz, where he oversees the entire marketing, social media communication, and advertising. The views expressed in this column are personal, and Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to them.)

  • Podcast Advertising: Opening new doors for marketers

    Podcast Advertising: Opening new doors for marketers

    Mumbai: With ABP Live, Clubhouse, and other similar platforms making the right noise, the long format of audio content has gained popularity, and drawn the attention of marketers too. Previously, podcasts were mostly extended content pieces coming out of radio channels because of their understanding of the medium. However, they have grown immensely over the last few years.

    According to KPMG, India is the third-largest podcast-listening market globally and is expected to be valued at Rs 176.2 million by 2023, growing at a CAGR of 34.5 per cent. The audio was also noted as the most preferred medium among listeners as well as advertisers last year. As per eMarketer’s report from April 2020, 49 per cent of users prefer using audio platforms. According to experts, the age group of 18-25 years has formed an important and growing audience set in the last year for this type of content, while the age group of 35-45 years is positively moving towards consuming podcast content, which is a great platform for brands to be present.

    ABP Live Podcasts: A new favorite for advertisers

    ABP Live podcast has found a loyal listener base too, proving its immense growth potential.  By offering advertising opportunities, the podcast is emerging as an influential platform. The key reason behind brands’ interest and increasing spending on podcast advertising is that it works, and it works more effectively compared to the traditional advertising mediums that have become increasingly less effective. It is a popular medium especially among millennials and GenZ as the medium lets them learn more about self-love, discover something new, cope with anxiety, or simply entertain themselves.

    As one of the leading players in the industry offering a comprehensive platform for advertisers, ABP Live brings a plethora of audio-based content, quenching listeners’ thirst for knowledge, entertainment, sports, news, health, and business. The popular podcast by ABP Live- ‘Car Mein Patrakaar’, has also won wide recognition.

    The podcasts provide a diversity of original content to the listeners that are smart, culturally relevant, highly information-driven, and filled with invigorating conversations. ABP Live has about 30 podcasts under its umbrella as of now which translates into 150 hours of audio content, which further opens doors for advertisers. Furthermore, the ABP Live Podcasts team has also been innovating in the podcasting space by fusing ASMR in their content and audio dramas, to provide the listeners with an immersive storytelling experience.

    Apart from podcasts on Personal Finance, Health, Explainers, Motivation, ABP Live includes “Car Mein Patrakar”– a talk show wherein ABP News’ star anchor Sumit Awasthi indulges in a candid conversation with a popular celebrity. “FYI-For Your Information”– a series of audio explainers which talk about everything under the sun that holds relevance for the common man. “Bollywood, Binge and Beyond”– an English podcast that gives  a detailed hawk eye view about everything from the world of entertainment. “Sange Suman” projects major news and debates from West Bengal, hosted by noted journalist Suman De.

    Opening Doors For Advertisers

    Considering the growing demand for podcasts in India, ABP Live has provided a significant opportunity for advertisers. However, before we decide whether to invest in podcast marketing, we must first understand what, how and what the results could be. Here are the things that make podcasts an ideal medium for advertising:

    ●      Great hosts make great deals : Listeners might skip what a 30-second spot is narrating but they pay high attention to unique, live ad reads narrated by their favorite trusted hosts.

    ●      Higher attention span than radio: Unlike radio listeners, podcast listeners are dedicated enough to tune in at a particular time to listen to their favorite show. Hence, they are much more likely to pay attention. They do not skip ads, simply because they do not want to miss out on any part of the show they’re listening to.

    ●      Hosts make a personal approach: Word of mouth is important in advertising and it becomes 10x more important when it comes from a trusted host. People tend to develop personal relationships with their hosts or podcasts personalities. It’s a psychological process that unknowingly takes place over time. Subsequently, the host becomes an important person to disseminate brands’ messages to the listeners.

    Podcasts like ABP Live podcasts have reached masses and seen tremendous results for early-stage brands who conduct marketing programs that are synergetic to their target profiles. Interestingly the channel has gone too narrow in terms of marketing. It has regional podcasts which allow brands to tap into niche marketing.

    An Opportunity To Tap Into Regional Market

    ABP Network has a language-first approach. Starting from the culturally rich state of West Bengal, the network serves regular content in Hindi, English, and Bangla and is equipped to handle content in all Indian major languages. In the past, ABP Live has created innovative audio content in Marathi and Bangla too. Also for a brand or advertiser, they get to deliver their message directly to their target audience in the language they speak and understand. This opens a big door of opportunities for regional podcasters who can leverage this by keeping a ‘language first’ approach.

    This format of regional language content creation is beneficial for the podcaster in terms of reach maximisation and also revenue growth. Regional podcasters can create their own set of loyal audience bases and can attract brands and advertisers to be associated with them. Going forward, we expect podcasters to grow by exploring innovation in the audio content space.

     

  • Dangal TV gears up for launch of new shows

    Dangal TV gears up for launch of new shows

    Mumbai: Riding on the success of two of its prime-time shows, the 24 hours’ general entertainment channel (GEC) Dangal TV has entered 2022 on a high.  The channel has now announced a slew of new launches that will be premiered in the coming weeks.

    Apart from its growing fandom across the rural areas, the channel has also extended its viewership in the urban segment with two of its popular shows, ‘Rakshabandhan… Rasal Apne Bhai Ki Dhaal’ and ‘Nath Zevar Ya Zanjeer’.

    Launched in July 2021, ‘Rakshabandhan… Rasal Apne Bhai Ki Dhaal’ is an opening prime time show that is running in its seventh month. Based in Rajasthan, the story of a strong bond between two siblings as they navigate through various setbacks in life, has struck a chord with the masses. The show stars Nishant Malkani and Nyra Banerjee in the lead and has taken to finding its place amongst the top shows on Indian Television.

    Another show that connected with the audience is ‘Nath- Zevar Ya Zanjeer’. Launched in August 2021, the show got moved from a 10 pm slot to 8pm slot owing to its popularity. Starring Arjit Taneja, Chahat Pandey and Vaibhavi Kapoor among others, Nath revolves around the story of a progressive girl who takes on an age-old practice to dissolve caste and class boundaries in its utopian pursuit. A take that has found great rapport with its core audience.

    Dangal TV MD Manish Singhal said, “We at Dangal TV are delighted by the success we have found with both these shows, though it doesn’t really surprise us. We have a great connection with the masses and know the kind of content that keeps them engaged. Our social dramas are rooted in deep societal understanding and offer a progressive modern take on issues close to heart. We are working on many more original shows that will build on our success story in 2022.”

    Amongst the array of new shows, another newly launched show ‘Mann Sundar’ that captures the struggles of a dark-skinned girl Ruchita has resonated with audiences and gained mass popularity. Starting the year with a bang, and hitting the marquee soon is show ‘Rang Jaun Tere Rang Mein’ that was first aired on 3 January – a social drama, deep-rooted in the tradition of marriage. 

  • IN10 Media’s Epic readies for brand makeover starting 16 December

    IN10 Media’s Epic readies for brand makeover starting 16 December

    Mumbai: IN10 Media Network’s premier infotainment channel Epic is all set to undergo a brand makeover and offer a slate of new programming starting 16 December. The new brand positioning will carry the vision of ‘Soch Se Aage’ – highlighting the channel’s vision to forge a ‘future of infotainment’.

    According to the media network, this will add another dimension to its offerings, and help evolve the channel in keeping with the times.

    “EPIC is the first Indian platform to exclusively showcase India-centric content in Hindi, and always proudly wear the tag of being India Ka Apna Infotainment,” said IN10 Media Network MD Aditya Pittie. “The media universe is poised on the edge of transforming into a metaverse. ‘Glocal’ is no longer just a textbook phrase for the future, but the very essence of the modern audience. It is this ‘more’ that is at the heart of Epic’s new brand philosophy and will be the cornerstone of showcasing content that is ‘Soch Se Aage’ – beyond the known universe of knowledge, ideas, and stories; into the metaverse of an exciting future that continues to celebrate India.”

    The channel will launch new programming while recreating the old magic of its iconic shows in a reimagined presentation.

    Premiering Soon

    Commemorating Vijay Diwas, the first roll-out in the line-up of fresh content is Lakshya 1971 –‘Vayusena Ke Veer Yoddha’, that recreates the events of independent India’s most comprehensive military victory through the eyes in the sky with never-seen-before visuals and the story of the contribution of the Air Force to the war efforts. The show is anchored by Harman Singha.

    It will be followed by an ode to one of India’s oldest organisations – a four part docu- series on the Indian Postal service. India Post – ‘Dhaage Jo Desh Jode’ will recount the story of the largest postal network in the world by diving backstage and experiencing the ins and outs of its workings with the people who take things from one end of the country, making them appear at another end – almost magically. Narrated by Akul Tripathi, it tells the trials and triumphs of an institution and legacy that helped build a nation.

    ‘Jugaad Mania’ hosted by Chandan K Anand, will bring alive stories of ordinary people creating extraordinary innovations. Thinking not just out of the box but with a vision beyond their times, with a creativity that is intrinsic to Indian-ness; they are paving the way for a future by taking small steps towards viably solving larger problems with limited resources.

    ‘Homecoming- A Nation’s Fight for Its People’ will highlight the efforts of the people and the government, as they face and overcome unprecedented challenges, and implement ambitious solutions as they unite as one nation in bringing back all the stranded Indians during the Covid-19 lockdown.

    The channel will also continue some of Epic’s popular shows, beginning with the third season of ‘Raja Rasoi Aur Anya Kahaaniyaan’, that airs weekly from 17 December, followed by the third season of ‘Lost Recipes and Regiment Diaries’ in the ensuing months.

    Also in the works is a roadmap to bring to Indian screens international projects that resonate with the new brand philosophy, announced the channel on Monday.

    Digital Originals

    In sync with the broadcast originals, are a handful of digital first offerings that pack a punch of infotainment while driving forward the new philosophy.

    ‘Epic Khoj’ endeavors to trace the roots of Indian communities while ‘What’s in the Name’ delves into the stories and myths behind how various cities, rivers, historic places, and much more got their names. ‘Short Mid-Wicket Tales’ is a treasure trove of unlocking cricket-related stories and trivia.

    The content will be available on the network’s super-app, Epic On, for audiences across the globe.

  • Tarun Katial announces his venture- ‘Eve World’

    Tarun Katial announces his venture- ‘Eve World’

    Mumbai: Tarun Katial, a senior media-tech professional has unveiled details of the soon-to-be-launched platform under his new venture Eve World platform.

    ‘Eve’ is a women-only platform that proffers expression, creation, and community enablement said Katial. The platform seeks to build a positive and valuable digital experience for women worldwide. Resting on the pillars of empowerment and building sisterhood, young girls and women of all ages can create and consume content, share opinions and thoughts, engage and build connections in a responsible virtual environment.

    The company has raised initial investment from Singapore-based Jungle Ventures.

    Eve World CEO and founder Tarun Katial said, “The world around us has been traditionally built keeping in mind men as average users. My co-founders shared this vision and purpose for a while and we decided to come together – to innovate keeping women at the center of our universe. Eve World will enable, and empower women to achieve what they want in an environment that furthers their aspirations. We want to become a platform that gives women true freedom online, for them to create and consume content, have meaningful conversations, share opinions, thoughts, and build social connections that will help them grow and develop.”

    Aparna Acharekar has joined the platform as co-founder and will be responsible for building the content and community verticals. Rajneel Kumar, who has successfully built large gaming, streaming, and consumer-tech platforms in the past, will soon join as a co-founder to lead the product, technology, and growth verticals.