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Tag: covid-19

  • Network18’s structural and programming changes during COVID-19

    Network18’s structural and programming changes during COVID-19

    MUMBAI: News channels are at the forefront of this war against COVID-19. Providing news, busting myths and allaying people’s worries – they are doing it all. This even when they too are facing social-distancing challenges.

    Network18 CEO Avinash Kaul says that employee priority is one of its top concerns. “We have come up with a corona response team to provide assistance to our colleagues and their families. Our human resource and admin teams are working tirelessly to keep a tab on all the employees’ health through a unique self-declaring tool called 'symptom tracker’, which is made accessible to all employees,” he says.

    The government, while declaring 21-day lockdown across the nation, added news media under the essential services category. Hence, news channels across languages are operational 24×7 with a reduced workforce or via work from home.

    “The network’s news channels have brought about new working protocols and offered flexibility to its employees. Similarly, the editorial teams are working round the clock and from different locations to stay on top of the COVID-19 story,” says Kaul.

    Since more and more people are watching the news for the COVID-19 update, Network18 has tweaked its programming to cater to the changing demand wherein a special line-up of shows providing healthcare, fitness tips are broadcasted for the viewers.

    Busting myths and countering fake news is also a task for news channels. Kaul says, “We are providing helplines and are ensuring that the viewers have information on their fingertips, be it counselling through doctors, helping the viewers on separating fact from fiction and allaying general fears of the public.”

    The group has a bouquet of 14 regional channels, two business news channels in English and Hindi and two general news channels in both English and Hindi. The network gives 360-degree covering socio-economic and political aspects of news to viewers related to the pandemic.

    In this regard, Kaul says: “CNBC cluster has been focusing on analysing the economic impact of the pandemic. CNN-News18 has lined up a set of special programmes that include Corona Warriors, Corona Files, Corona Control Room and Doctor Call-In which dwell on various aspects of COVID-19. News18 India attempts to give clarity on myths related to the virus through a show called Khabar Pakki Hai.”

    Even though news viewership is at an all-time high, it isn’t translating into ad revenue. “Advertising in April has seen a slow start for sure but one has to compare it in the context of a pre-existing slowdown in the economy, end of a financial year with plans of new fiscal being made and different way of working through online apps,” he says.

    Kaul mentions that it takes time for things to adjust to the new way of working and Network18 is already seeing a lot of interest by various advertisers, who are looking at various creative ways of reaching out to audiences. “We are actively engaging with clients to help them with innovative solutions to gain from the huge rating upsurge that news is seeing. We remain optimistic about the future too,” adds Kaul.

    Additionally, channels have taken the onus of creating campaigns to reduce panic among viewers. One such is Network18’s #MakeYourOwnMask which aims to create awareness about basic infection prevention and control measures by wearing masks outdoors.

    He adds, “We also launched #IndiaGives, a campaign to financially support the country’s most vulnerable citizens during the coronavirus lockdown. As a first step, the over 6000 employees of the Network18 group have contributed a day’s salary to the PM’s National Relief Fund, to be used to provide succour to daily-wage workers whose livelihoods have been affected due to the shutdown.”

  • It’s all-day primetime for Times Network’s English movie channels during lockdown

    It’s all-day primetime for Times Network’s English movie channels during lockdown

    MUMBAI: In the third week of lockdown due to COVID-19, Indians decided that they had had enough news and turned to movies for a refreshing change. While Hindi and regional movie channels gained big, English movie channels saw an 83 per cent rise in viewership in week 13 in 2020, according to the BARC-Nielsen report.  

    Times Network English entertainment cluster president – strategy and business head Vivek Srivastava says: “Overall TV viewership has seen a 45 per cent increase during this lockdown period. News and movies have been the two most-watched genres. Movies have exhibited almost 80 per cent growth. Times Network’s English entertainment brands had adapted to the new tariff order (NTO) very well and we barely lost any eyeballs. However, post the implementation of the NTO, few players lost significant viewership, and it is heartening to see that during this lockdown, the category is seeing resurgence and that’s a positive sign.”

    During the ongoing lockdown, the network is treating the whole day as primetime and is scheduling blockbuster Hollywood content throughout the day. Some of the big titles include The Avengers, Thor: Ragnarok, Thor: The Dark World, Guardians of the Galaxy, Spiderman Franchise, Despicable Me 3, Cars 3, Jumanji Welcome to the Jungle, Ant-Man, Creed 2, Vice, etc.

    Srivastava informs that primetime is still the biggest peak, but there has been significant growth in non-primetime as well, especially the afternoon band. However, advertising has declined during the lockdown period. “That is primarily because of the unavailability of products across most categories and the inability of consumers to step out of their homes during this period. We expect a slowdown till the lockdown remains,” he adds.

    While some advertisers have stopped advertising, those less affected are using it for brand building. For them, the movie genre presents a good opportunity. “We continue to see advertising from BFSI, a few brands in automobiles, e-commerce, consumer durables, and FMCG categories,” he says.

    On the company front, Srivastava says that the Times Network was one of the first broadcasters to adopt a work-from-home system even before the nationwide lockdown was announced. “This was a result of our foresight and preparedness to ensure seamless BCP by equipping our teams with necessary technological services, increased internet bandwidth, collaborative IT tools for meetings and discussions for executing work requirements seamlessly,” he says.

  • Experts predict 25-50% lesser brand spend on rescheduled IPL 2020

    Experts predict 25-50% lesser brand spend on rescheduled IPL 2020

    MUMBAI: As the suspension of the Indian Premier League (IPL) comes to an end today, the ambiguity around the cash-rich tournament has increased amid the extension of nation-wide lockdown due to the COVID-19 till 3 May. This will heavily impact the sponsors, advertisers, and Star India, the official broadcaster.

    India’s biggest cricketing event was supposed to start from 29 March, but got suspended till 15 April. As per media reports, sources within the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) say that IPL is likely to be suspended for an indefinite period with the government’s decision to continue the lockdown. BCCI, being optimistic to host the game soon, is yet to come out with an official statement on its future.

    “With the delay in IPL, the brands are likely to re-look their advertising strategy,” says DigitalKites senior vice president Amit Lall. “I don’t believe advertisers will wait till the year-end, provided IPL gets scheduled in August and October; they may park some budget for the tournament but will also re-strategise themselves for other available properties to garner eyeballs for their brand.”

    Lall adds that the majority of brands associated with the IPL allot at least 60-70 per cent of their spends on the game. But the pandemic could induce brands to halve their original spend.

    “Most of the official sponsors associated with the IPL are international brands and they function according to a calendar year from January to December, unlike Indian companies. With IPL being scheduled in the year-end, it would impact the brands to get estimated numbers,” says Lall.

    It’s expected that the sponsors may lose at least Rs 1200 crore over the uncertainty around the IPL due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The sponsorship money includes Rs 600 crore in on-ground and Rs 500 crore through team sponsorships, an Economic Times report had said.

    On a similar line, Dentsu Aegis Network India chief executive officer Anand Bhadkamkar says: “It’s more likely that brand spend would be lesser as the event is likely to be rescheduled to the year-end. Since the situation has become so grim, the overall advertising spends, eventually, have come down this year due to the COVID-19 situation.”

    The October-December quarter is also the festive season when brands make their highest spends of the year during back-to-back festivals. If IPL coincides with this period, brands can multiply their impact using the property.

    The saving grace for the IPL is that despite ad spends likely to be lower than usual, its brand value will remain intact and the interest around it won’t go away being the most premium property in the country, believes Bhadkamkar.

    He adds, “We may come out of the situation soon, but due to large gatherings it’s possible that the virus may resurface, as there is no vaccine available yet. The government may ask people to follow social distancing after the lockdown ends and this may impact the footfalls of the stand audience.”

    Echoing the same, Initiative chief executive officer Vaishali Verma points out that post June, many brands are likely to stand on their feet again. However, sectors such as FMCG and personal care are doing good even during the crisis.

    She adds, “A lot of money is involved with the domestic cricketing event and things may definitely improve after the IPL is organised." She expects that at least 20-25 per cent of revenue may be lost with the tournament taking time to be organised.

    RunAdam managing director and chief executive officer Yeragaselvan Kumarasamy believes, "IPL 2020 has to happen this year, as it’s not just only about cricket, but multiple businesses are also growing with it and given the current situation, we need something like IPL to re-boost the economy.” He believes August is a good alternative time for this year’s edition.

    The re-scheduling of IPL may impact other international cricketing events such as Asia Cup, England homes series which are slated in August. It will also impact the availability of foreign players who have other commitments in other parts of the year. “We, earlier, have organised the game without some foreign players, who were not able to play. Hence, missing out on a few players from two-three countries won’t impact the tournament much,” Kumarasamy says.

    IPL has been the talk of the town not only for advertisers, sponsors, broadcasters and organisers, but also for every cricket enthusiastic in the country. Estimates are that close to $1.5 billion is riding behind the IPL in terms of advertising, sponsorships and ticket sales.

  • Industry must scale down together to ensure one party does not cannibalise another: Bodhi Tree CEO Mautik Tolia

    Industry must scale down together to ensure one party does not cannibalise another: Bodhi Tree CEO Mautik Tolia

    MUMBAI: The TV production industry had to hurriedly drop everything and wrap up shoots in order to comply with government directives to stop shooting and avoid large gatherings. With shoots re-opening in the near future, production houses will have to implement several changes in the way they function.

    Bodhi Tree Multimedia CEO Mautik Tolia says that production processes will see drastic changes. “Crews will have to be made smaller. Sanitization stations will need to be put up on sets. The temperature of the crew will need to be monitored. Set areas will have to be kept under very strict controls to make sure all areas from the food getting served, props, equipment used are disinfected on a recurring basis.”

    He feels that the decision to halt production to curb the spread of the COVID-19 had to be taken immediately, but it has left almost everyone grappling for solutions as the media and entertainment fraternity has never witnessed a standstill like this. A strong ecosystem consisting of clients, vendors, technicians and talent relationships will help them get through this testing phase.

    “This lockdown is bound to have a ripple effect across the entire chain from broadcasters to the very last worker on sets. We are anticipating the industry to lose close to a few thousand crores in the wake of this lockdown because of the COVID-19 outbreak,” he says.

    This pandemic has also robbed the daily wage workers of their livelihood. Unfortunately, layoffs and pay cuts will be the grim reality that cannot be denied. Tolia says: “We have 40-50 daily wage workers. Some of them have returned to their hometown and are waiting for the lockdown to end. Some of them are in Mumbai. We are in touch with them and make sure of their well-being, ensuring that relief reaches them. We will not lay off people. Instead, we are finding ways for everyone to come together collectively as a company and finding a balance to ensure that everyone is taken care of in the interim with feasible measures.”

    Even though budget cuts are on the anvil, it will be mindful about not compromising on the quality of the content.

    Tolia suggests that the entire ecosystem will have to find a way to scale down together in terms of current market rates.  He says that it is not a matter of an individual company but the entire industry which will have to make corrections across the system from actors, technicians, vendors, set rentals, etc. to come out of the crisis.

    “It will have to be done in a manner where all stakeholders have to come together in the spirit of co-cooperation and solidarity keeping in view the long term and making sure that one party does not cannibalise the other. That is the only way the industry will be able to tide this over,” he adds.

    Due to the lockdown, the company had to halt the shoot of two projects which are on the floor. But the teams are utilising this time to focus on pre-production, research and development.

    The creative team at the production house is keeping busy with ideating, developing new content, continuing with the scripting of existing shows so script banks can be put in place. Casting is also going on with actors sending self-tests from home.

    “We are constantly ideating and brainstorming to understand the changes occurring, both at a practical and philosophical level. While nothing has changed for us with these processes, we will continue to create storylines for our future shows with an understanding of the fact that content value can never go down. In addition, we are also building our bank in terms of scripts for our current on-air shows,” says Bodhi Tree Multimedia founder-director and CCO Sukesh.  

    As creative professionals and writers, Tolia and Motwani feel it is a good time to create a development slate of content that can be pitched to platforms over the next year. It is a time to think and reflect on what kind of content will work in the coming years.

    According to Motwani, COVID-19 is a part of reality and the organisation will have to embrace the new normal. The idea is not to exploit the pain of this time but rather get inspired and inspire and create hope for society with the kind of stories that are created. 

    Tolia adds, “The entire media and broadcast fraternity will be compelled to integrate this reality in some way and it will definitely reflect in our ideas and in our current stories. While some shows may use the impact more subtly in the background, some shows could entirely be centred on the new reality of our pursuits to counter COVID-19. Constant brainstorming sessions on how we as storytellers can capture these times are being implemented.”

    Elaborating more on their OTT venture with Voot’s Marzi and The Raikar Case, Tolia and Motwani say it has helped them immensely with the learning curve on original shows. While Marzi is an adaptation of an international format, The Raikar Case is an original creation that took 1.5 years to write.

    Motwani adds, “It is one of those shows which has a combination of interesting characters, dialogues and twists in each episode. It is probably one of the first ‘whodunit’ in the Indian digital space.”        

    Marzi revolves around the importance of consent with a psychological touch to the storyline. While it has been adapted from a British show called The Liar, Motwani says that it has helped them find the art of science in adapting an international format.

  • IPL 2020 sees further extension as lockdown extends

    IPL 2020 sees further extension as lockdown extends

    MUMBAI: The thirteenth edition of the Indian Premier League has been postponed further with the central government extending the 21-day nation-wide lockdown amid COVID-19 till 3 May. The cash-rich domestic event was scheduled to happen from 29 March but was suspended till 15 April.

    According to a news report of India Today, sources said that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will only be able to review the situation post 3 May when the government would be in a position to come out with further guidelines amid COVID-19 crisis. The richest cricket body is yet to come out with an official communique on the further postponement of the tournament.

    This is for the first time in the history of IPL that the game has been postponed. As speculated, the other windows that are been most talked about are August or October. However, for that, the whole cricketing calendar of the year has to be rejigged.

    Meanwhile, sources speaking to ANI have also pointed out that the IPL is likely to be postponed for an indefinite time period. “Since lockdown has been extended, we have to postpone the IPL for the time being, the decision will be intimated, we will discuss the matter later today,” sources within BCCI told ANI.

    Prime minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday extended the 21-day lockdown period, which was slated to end on 14 April, for three more weeks approximately till 3 May amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “Practically speaking, when life has come to a standstill everywhere in the world, where does sport have a future in this,” BCCI president Saurav Ganguly had told the New Indian Express.

    Estimates are that close to $1.5 billion is riding behind the IPL in terms of advertising, sponsorships and ticket sales. Global advisory Duff
    & Phelps estimates a huge loss of at least $1000 million if IPL gets cancelled due to the pandemic.

  • News Broadcasters Association seeks GST relief on ads

    News Broadcasters Association seeks GST relief on ads

    MUMBAI: The News Broadcasters Association (NBA) has requested the government to either remove or reduce the goods and services tax (GST) on advertisements in par with the print media industry as part of the stimulus package, amid the COVID-19 pandemic in India.  

    NBA president Rajat Sharma, in his letter to union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, said, “Advertisements are an integral and essential part of the business and the main source of revenue for the news broadcasters which has come under severe pressure during this lockdown due to the virus pandemic.”

    The NBA statement mentions that ad agencies are putting huge pressure to defer the payments to broadcasters and to allow more time over 60-day credit period; the recovery of bills is going to be hugely challenging, while facing an even bigger task of almost zero income in the next 30-90 days.

    “While the news broadcasters are coping with the financial problems of dues’ recovery, we are also facing serious problems of advertising inventory/release orders being cancelled and inventory bookings being than 50 per cent for even the top-rated news channels,” said Sharma.

    News channels have gained all-time viewership in recent weeks, as per Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India. However, the exponential rise in viewership has failed to get the ad and inventory sales.

    The statement also read, “The news broadcasters have had to take various steps, make alternate arrangements within and outside the premises for newsgathering, reporting purposes. This has resulted in an increase in the operating costs of the news channels during the lockdown.”

    Moreover, “Poor recovery and lack of future income would mean that the news broadcasters would have to weather the storm for two-three quarters and hope for a partial recovery towards the end of the financial year,” mentioned the association.

  • Star Sports to re-run best of kabaddi action during COVID-19 lockdown

    Star Sports to re-run best of kabaddi action during COVID-19 lockdown

    MUMBAI: Star Sports is giving fans the opportunity to relive some of kabaddi’s most iconic moments; from India’s 2016 World Cup victory to nail-biting matches in Vivo Pro Kabbadi League seventh season.

    The COVID-19 pandemic has halted all live sporting events across the world leading to a dearth of live sports content. Since then, the sports broadcaster has been re-running historical world cup matches played between India and Pakistan from 1992 to 2019.

    Starting Saturday, 11 April, Star Sports has started showcasing all the memorable matches every day at 10.30 am on Star Sports 2 and Star Sports 3. The re-runs will take place till the end of this month, 30 April.

    The programming line-up will begin with the journey of Kabbadi heroes, which will show Pardeep Narwal’s magical Dubkis, Naveen Kumar’s daring raids, Fazel Atrachali’s powerful tackles, Pawan Sehrawat’s hi-flying moments and Maninder Singh’s impeccable season that help Bengal Warrior’s to win their maiden Vivo Pro Kabaddi title.

    Stars Sports will also make fans nostalgic with some of the best moments of the heroes of Vivo PKL seven. In addition, fans will also be able to catch some of Season seven’s most thrilling matches, as well as a show on current champions, Bengal Warriors.

    Star Sports has also lined up the best matches from India’s victorious 2016 Kabaddi World Cup campaign titled ‘India’s road to Glory’. Kabaddi fans across the country have been reaching out on digital platforms ever since Star Sports began broadcasting the winning moments of the cricket world cup.  

    After suffering defeat to the Republic of Korea in their opening match of the Kabaddi World Cup, India, led by captain cool, Anup Kumar, rallied back, stormed to the finals and clinched their third World Cup in stunning fashion against Iran.

  • ViacomCBS launches COVID-19 relief fund

    ViacomCBS launches COVID-19 relief fund

    MUMBAI: ViacomCBS has introduced a $100-million fund to support those who have been affected by the production shutdown on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, says a report by Variety. The fund – aimed at helping actors, filmmakers and crew members who have been bearing the brunt of the production shutdown – will also support grants by The Actors Fund and Motion Picture & Television Fund.

    Earlier, companies like WarnerMedia ($100 million), Comcast ($500 million) and Sony ($100 million) launched relief funds to help workers impacted by the pandemic.

    ViacomCBS president-CEO Bob Bakish said in a note to the staff that in these uncertain times, giving back and supporting “the well-being of our families, communities, and ourselves is more important than ever. And I couldn’t be prouder of how our company has come together to provide relief and support to those who need it.”

    The entertainment company has also launched an employee matching gifts programme.

  • Crisis no bar on creativity: Brands, agencies team up amidst COVID-19 scare

    Crisis no bar on creativity: Brands, agencies team up amidst COVID-19 scare

    MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: The rules of communication had never been so versatile as we are witnessing now. When almost the whole world is under lockdown, business running from homes, probably for the first time in history, and purchase patterns seeing curves deviating from regular,  the communication and marketing industry is functioning in a sort of dystopia no degree could have taught them of.

    As per a recent Kantar Study, despite the disturbing reality people are living in these days, 92 per cent of consumers will prefer brands to continue advertising. The enjoyment percentile for top-quality advertising content has mostly risen for the period. This puts an additional responsibility on brands’ shoulders to not only stay relevant but also educate and entertain consumers in times of distress.

    Muthoot Pappachan Group CMO Sanjeev Shukla tells Indiantelevision.com that it is very important for brands these days to build on the brand value that they have generated over years and make their users their brand advocates in a time when sales are lower than usual. He said his brand is focussing on staying in touch with the consumers and keep their trust intact.

    Asian Paints recently released a shot-at-home video for its Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai campaign to spread positivity and cheers. Asian Paints MD and CEO Amit Syngle said, “While all of us are put to this unprecedented test, the campaign aims to take a moment and look at the brighter side of things, cherish the joy of being with our families and create unforgettable memories.”

    The Kantar study also suggests that brands should refrain from advertising too much around the pandemic and try including light humour in their ads. It also suggested that brands can revisit old videos and footages to fit in this “new world of engagement”, something that Amul is doing by showing its old ads during the Ramayana and Mahabharata episodes on Doordarshan.

    Ogilvy India chief creative officers Kainaz  Karmakar and Harshad Rajadhyaksha believe that agencies will have to be wearing their thinking hats tighter than ever now considering the limitations agencies are working in.

    “Currently, we see no dip in work at all. In fact, more and more brands want to help in sending out the right information about Coronavirus, so that is keeping us very busy and rightly so. Restrictions are a reality of life, at least for the next few months. But thanks to technology and the wonderful World Wide Web, we are still able to create work. Writing needs to be sharper than ever because there will be limits on visuals,” they said.

    FCB Ulka ECD Anindya Banerjee shared similar sentiments as he noted, “The best part of the crisis is that it has no precedent. So, clients are looking for out-of-the-box solutions. And we as an agency are beside ourselves at such an opportunity. The creative team is up to their eyebrows with work. While many of them are prior commitments, they have to be recalibrated to the new normal; the complete dependence on the online media.”

    While most of the work has moved online and mobility restricted, neither brands nor agencies are giving up on the idea of creating fresh TVCs. Case in point being ZEEL’s #HumAndarCoronaBahar campaign by Lowe Lintas, Tata Sky’s campaign by Ogilvy, and Sony Pictures unique short film starring biggies across Bollywood and regional industries including Amitabh Bachchan and Rajnikanth.

    Limited resources and restricted movements have brought out the creative best of many brands and agencies.

    Karmarkar and Rajadhyksha shared, “Our video team has rolled up its sleeves and is finding ingenious ways of making work happen. The office is producing some pretty sweet work. The Vodafone stay at home pug, The Fevikwik ‘don’t repair, Asian Paints and UNILEVER; all these and many more pieces have been written, produced and released in the last three weeks. No one can lockdown creativity.”

    Banerjee also noted that their video team is working hard to innovate. “At the risk of sounding immodest, as an agency, we are used to not giving up, no matter what. Our films department is already planning on how does one do a great film and yet make it look like a million bucks.”

  • Edtech major upGrad and Big Bang Music launch ‘#AageKiSoch’, an anthem to encourage young India

    Edtech major upGrad and Big Bang Music launch ‘#AageKiSoch’, an anthem to encourage young India

    MUMBAI: upGrad, an online higher education company, and Big Bang Music, the new-age pop culture label, is driven towards creating unique musical expressions and experiences have come together to create what can aptly be called the upskill anthem of the nation. #AageKiSoch encourages the youth to spend this time at home productively and engage in activities that will upskill their existing knowledge base in order to prepare for the new world post the COVID-19.

    Written by reality show ‘Dil Hai Hindustani 2’ winner Akshay Dhawan and composed by Shashwat Singh, whose melodies will be featured in AR Rahman's next movie ‘99 Songs’, this never-seen-before collaboration also witnesses leading singing star Jonita Gandhi, rapping for the first time. The music video consists of an ensemble star cast that includes Radhika Apte, Vikrant Massey, Naveen Polishetty, Anto Philip, Fatima Sana Sheikh, Shantanu Maheshwari, Rohit Raj, Aparshakti Khurana, Karan Tacker, Abish Mathew, Akansha Ranjan, Elnaaz Norouzi, and ‘Jordindian’ – Naser and Vineeth.

    Link to the music videos:
    Video 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-Um4rDO9vE
    Video 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1zo4UrrBvI
    Video 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pd7l1IEiNQ&feature=youtu.be

    Conceptualised by the higher education company upGrad to drive the productive habit of learning from home during quarantine and produced by Big Bang Music and KWAN, the partners have joined forces to bring together this eclectic mix of pop culture icons across film, music, corporate, TV and comedy for the upskill anthem. The three video renditions for the same song have been conceptualised, written, shot and edited in all of 72 hours, being directed remotely on video calls.

    Big Bang Music CEO and co-founder Gaurav Wadhwa said: “These are unprecedented times and while it’s important to keep the spirit alive, it’s more important to gear up for the world to come because we all know there is light at the end of this tunnel. World over, life will now be viewed as before and after the virus – BC and AC will have a new meaning in ‘Before COVID’ and ‘After COVID’ and we need to prepare for that! At Big Bang, we truly believe that music unites like no other and no better time than now to encourage people to use this ‘forced’ time at hand meaningfully."

    “Influencers are an integral part of any campaign, and more so today as they become custodians for keeping the morale high and mindset positive during the pandemic. We have carefully put together renowned and diverse names to be able to reach out to a large cross-section of people and encourage them to be productive while locked down in their homes. It’s been an amazing collaboration where an edtech major has chosen music as their preferred route of disruptive communication,” added Kwan founding partner and COO Dhruv Chitgopekar.

     “While everyone is adapting to the new normal, it’s time we to be cautiously optimistic and look at the silver lining of the pandemic. With this upskill anthem, we want to encourage people to stay home and use the time meaningfully to enhance their skillset which otherwise would have parked in their to-do list. Preparedness for the coming economical storm is essential so that the youth and the working professionals can smoothly bounce back to their careers or make a new transition once we resume to our regular lives,” concluded co-founder and MD upGrad Mayank Kumar.

    As a part of the campaign #AageKiSoch, influencers in the music video will tag their friends and urge them to "Bahar Nahi, Ab Tu #AageKiSoch" epitomising the future-forward thinking that, we need to do during the lockdown. The idea is to create a chain of audience propagating the message of strictly staying at home and using this time to upskill oneself with upGrad's educational programs in the areas of Data, Technology and Management.