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Tag: covid-19

  • CINTAA seeks donations to help film, TV artists amid COVID-19 crisis

    CINTAA seeks donations to help film, TV artists amid COVID-19 crisis

    MUMBAI: The cine and TV artistes' association (CINTAA) has appealed to the masses and its A-lister members to donate rations and funds for the benefit of film and TV artists who have lost their livelihood amid the ongoing 21-day lockdown.

    “Since CINTAA has a very limited corpus, we are not a cash-rich association. Our charitable sister trust, the cine artist welfare trust (CAWT), is also running out of funds,” said actor and CINTAA senior joint secretary and chairperson outreach committee Amit Behl. “We have appealed to all our members and A-listers to start helping us by donating ration and some funds. We have also circulated the account number and IFSC of cine artist welfare trust giving them the benefit of 80G certificate.” 

    “The responses have already started pouring in. We have learnt that many of CINTAA's senior and well-established actors are also sending their appeal videos. Apart from members, A-listers and the masses, CINTAA has also approached the I&B ministry and Maharashtra government, urging them to request the broadcasters to release payments during this crisis. Generally, there is a 90-120 day cycle for clearing payments,” said Behl. 

    From CINTAA’s own corpus, the association has pledged to help their members in need. They have been making and distributing ration packets. “Also, Rs 2000 per member based on the actual needs is also being compensated. The start has happened. We are also trying our best to help our members,” affirmed Behl.

  • Lockdown binge-watching a boon for OTT

    Lockdown binge-watching a boon for OTT

    MUMBAI: This unprecedented crisis called COVID-19 has turned out to be a blessing in disguise for OTT platforms. With people locked indoors, the only refuge has been their smartphones, giving way to, possibly, the next wave of growth for OTT companies. New-age entertainers, such as ZEE5, MX Player, Voot, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, seem to be the obvious beneficiaries as people stay cocooned in the comforts of their homes for weeks.

    Will ad and subscription revenue go up along with the viewership?

    According to the BARC-Nielsen report, the time spent on smartphones, the main device to consume online content in India, has increased by almost three hours per week in week 2 of COVID-19 disruption. Time spent on video streaming apps also grew by 11 per cent which was driven by original series and movies. Hence data has proved what experts predicted at the beginning of the crisis.

    “There will be an impact on all industries. OTT is one of the few sectors which will have a silver lining. Bandwidth for data consumption for telcos will also shoot up. A lot of reality shows and soap-operas which are on a running model have suddenly dried up for short to mid-term and TV channels have to show alternate content. However, when you are confined at home, content consumption both on TV and OTT will go up dramatically. While the supply chain has certainly been affected, content creators and media players will have to be smart enough to see how they build their business continuity plan of content and how they maximise the increased TV or OTT viewership,” says PwC India media, entertainment and sports advisory, partner and leader Raman Kalra.

    SBICap Securities institutional equity research head Rajiv Sharma reaffirms that this is a great thing for the sector. He believes the industry will see a quantum jump in OTT viewership and consumption. Sharma adds that while TV channels are running out of content, OTT platforms have a lot of content which has not yet been consumed by all viewers. According to him, some platforms like Netflix can always have more English content. He, however, reminds that if the lockdown gets prolonged to three to six months, then OTT platforms too will struggle to churn out fresh content.

    Sharma adds that movies can play a role here. Those that were slated for a theatrical release, but had to be called off due to the current situation, can be released digitally through OTT platforms. Irrfan Khan-starrer Angrezi Medium had a short run in theatres before it decided to make its digital debut on Disney+ Hotstar.

    Kalra believes that the situation could even boost subscription for OTT platforms. As more people consume content, some of them will get converted into paid subscribers, bringing in revenue to the digital medium. Sharma also believes that these new subscribers will rake in the moolah for OTT platforms once the situation stabilises.

    The next 90 days will witness growth for the space, according to Sharma. Ad spends will shift to digital, but at a lower rate than the normal. According to him, overall ad sales combining TV and digital may decline by 15-20 per cent if COVID-19 disrupts the business for more than 30 days.

    “With this surge in traffic, telecom operators are struggling to provide adequate bandwidth. When bandwidth consumption reaches the threshold, the user experience gets affected. At this point, companies wouldn’t want to show ads because that will put an extra burden. Currently, ad-dollar is down and no brands want to push them. The only ones that can break through are those that can create relevant content around COVID-19,” says DigitalKites senior vice president Amit Lall says.

    The promise of innovative offerings

    Eyeing opportunities, some platforms have opened up their premium content for free viewing during this period. Some others are trying to push their content to television or partnering with payment gateways. These are inorganic growth mechanisms that are being targetted.

    Amazon Prime Video has brought out a special catalogue of children and family content, available for free; and ZEE5 has also made an array of premium content available on the AVOD side. Eros Now is offering a free two-month subscription. Three of Alt Balaji's shows are being run on Zee TV.

    While media planners laud the social cause behind these moves, they also mention that this is a big opportunity for the SVoD players to get consumers to sample premium content. Media professional Lalit Agrawal says that this sampling will help consumers make an informed choice about the quality of content when they would want to subscribe in the future after the turmoil is over.

    Lall says, “For two to three months, consumers will get to taste the content and since everybody has a sizable inventory in terms of content, once viewers are habituated, they can stick. These people who are now getting into the wheel will move up to pay.”

    Indeed, this phase, caused by a sudden change in lifestyle, is scripting a new chapter for online content with more consumers adapting to streaming services and existing ones increasing the uptake and sampling more platforms. Both AVOD and SVOD platforms will try to convince new floating users with not only great content but also volume. 

  • Crowdfunding platform Milaap launches campaign to fight Covid-19

    Crowdfunding platform Milaap launches campaign to fight Covid-19

    MUMBAI: Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, has infected more than 4.9 lakh people worldwide.

    However, there are many people in our society like doctors, nurses, delivery staff,conservancy workers (garbage/waste segregators) and field volunteers, among others, still working tirelessly to ensure our societal needs are met: often at the risk of their personal safety.  Moreover, with the increasing number of people being tested positive worldwide, it’s also important to remember that not everyone can remain in quarantine without their lives being completely upturned. The financial impact of the pandemic, especially on blue-collar workers and families that survive on a daily wage, is far reaching.

    This Sunday, on 22 March 2020, Milaap opened itself up for fundraisers around Covid-19. In an attempt to help those whose lives have been worst affected by the pandemic, a separate page, milaap.org/covid19 has been launched. The causes range from providing essentials to nearby slums in bigger cities to equipping doctors/their social initiatives with protective gear, and even ventilators for smaller hospitals without the facility. While renowned people like Luis Miranda and Venkat Iyer have set up fundraisers on one hand, there are many regular individuals who are raising funds to support particular families in distress around them. In the spirit of global solidarity, Milaap has waived off their platform fee completely for all fundraisers under this cause.

    Milaap CEO and co-founder Mayukh Choudhury said,“This crowdfunding project is to highlight citizen initiatives across India to mitigate the economic crisis faced by vulnerable families, as well as support those who are in the frontlines, with the monetary resources they deserve. Our larger objective is to inspire each one of us to look within our circles, our neighbourhoods, and support the vulnerable in this hour of need. While it might take a while to get back to normalcy, even small acts of kindness can make this easier.”

    “We have always stood by communities during natural calamities and disasters. This is no different. In this digital era, generosity can flow unhinged even when physical infrastructure crumbles. Many of our donors have reached out to us for verified, credible avenues to express their support for citizen-led fundraising initiatives. Within a week, nearly 6000 donors have supported fundraisers under the cause and the number is rising as we speak. Since the only way to fight a crisis at this scale is to do it together, Milaap is doing it’s best so that people can help each other. On our end, we are offering the platform at a 0% fee so that people in need can get all the help coming their way.” he added.

    Milaap, a crowdfunding platform primarily for personal medical causes has so far raised nearly ten Crores from 40,000+ donors for such emergency causes and disaster relief, including the floods in Chennai, Assam and Kerala. While the platform can only extend support for causes in India, fundraisers can accept help from anywhere across the world.

    There are three ways to participate

    o    Make a donation to any of the campaigns listed at milaap.org/covid19

    o    Start your own fundraiser for someone who’s been affected by the crisis. It could be an individual (eg your household help, an office colleague) or a neighborhood initiative (eg local restaurant, school meals program).  Rally your friends, neighbors, and colleagues to contribute. Fundraising is free – there are NO charges on donations received.

    o   Get inspired and do it in your circle (family/neighbors) supporting a vulnerable family directly 

  • Admitad India comes forward to support daily wagers amid COVID-19 lockdown

    Admitad India comes forward to support daily wagers amid COVID-19 lockdown

    MUMBAI: As the world passes through a period of turmoil, Admitad India has joined hands with Fiinovation, a global CSR consultant, to distribute essential commodities including food rations, masks, sanitizers and hygiene kits amongst migrant labourers and daily-wage earners in slum regions.

    The initiative comes at a time when the coronavirus outbreak has gripped the entire globe. Its subsequent lockdowns have dealt the worst impact on the marginalised community the world over. Daily wagers have lost their employment and are running dry of essential supplies for sustenance. Admitad India and Fiinovation will distribute ration and hygiene kits to such families via Discipleship Centre, a Delhi-based NGO that works towards sustainable development of the economically downtrodden communities. It will further spread awareness around coronavirus and brief them about protective measures that are needed to be taken.

    Speaking about the Initiative, Admitad India’s Neha Kulwal said, “Today, we stand in solidarity with everyone who is at the frontline of the outbreak or is vulnerable to the same. It is our responsibility to help and support them with concerted efforts against the pandemic. Together, we will make the world a better place to live in, much better than it is at present. Admitad India expresses gratitude to both Fiinovation and Discipleship Centre as they drive the relief programme on the ground and save thousands of people from the pandemic’s wide-ranging implications.”

    Fiinovation CEO Soumitro Chakraborty said, “At Fiinovation, we have identified several regions that urgently require aid and have assigned teams that can best deliver them. Fiinovation would like to thank Admitad for its constant support and Discipleship Centre for driving the measures on a war footing. We are constantly taking stock of the situation and making sure that no stone is left unturned vis-a-vis implementation.”

    Apart from helping out the needy in this hour of crisis, Admitad India is also ascertaining business continuity as India passes through a period of lockdown. The affiliate network has ensured that India’s digital journey and adoption don’t bear the brunt of lockdowns. At the same time, it is empowering people to make the most out of their time at home. The platform is currently enabling publishers and advertisers to tap trendy categories for customer outreach and has registered a sharp 19 per cent rise in mobile consumption during March itself. Perhaps, a good indication for both advertisers and publishers as they can use such mediums and reach out to the consumers in time of need.

  • ALTBalaji partners with PayPal

    ALTBalaji partners with PayPal

    MUMBAI: ALTBalaji, one of India’s leading homegrown OTT platforms, has joined hands with popular payment gateway PayPal, to ensure its audiences non-stop entertainment and offering them a host of convenient payment experiences.

    As a part of the association, audiences via a PayPal payment can get a minimum of Rs 10 and a maximum of Rs 300 cashback vouchers during the offer period. Valid till 30 June 2020, the offer is on the first PayPal transaction. The terms of the deal require one to make a minimum transaction of Rs 100 to utilize the offer. 

    Through this partnership, ALTBalaji adds another feather in its social awareness campaign, #StayALT, which urges the audience to practice social distancing by staying at home and be entertained by the platform’s extensive and diverse content library. Being a responsible brand, ALTBalaji has been running #StayALT by introducing exciting offers to motivate the audience to stay at home. The OTT platform earlier this week announced its association with Amazon Pay and Paytm under the same initiative. ALTBalaji’s associations with these payment gateways will help reach out to a wider set of audience and have enabled a slew of payment options to choose from. 

    Balaji Telefilms group COO and ALTBalaji CEO Nachiket Pantvaidya said, “We have always worked in the direction of creating an ecosystem for our viewers where they not only get quality content but easy access to it. Our association with PayPal is a strategic move in this direction that improves our relationship with our audiences and provides them with multiple payment gateways to choose from. During times like this, we have been urging everyone to stay at home while we make sure that they are getting smooth access to our content library and hence keep themselves entertained.”

    ALTBalaji has built a legacy of creating iconic shows like Apharan, Mentalhood, Code M, Kehne Ko Humsafar Hain, Karle Tu Bhi Mohabbat, M-O-M: Mission Over Mars, Coldd Lassi Aur Chicken Masala, The Verdict – State v/s Nanavati, Broken…But Beautiful, Ragini MMS Return, Test Case, Bose among others which have been lauded by the audience. The subscribers of ALTBalaji will get access to a content library of 60+ Indian originals created for the masses.

  • Sony Pictures Networks pledges Rs 100 million to film, TV daily wage earners

    Sony Pictures Networks pledges Rs 100 million to film, TV daily wage earners

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) will contribute Rs 100 million to support daily wage workers in the media and entertainment industry, in response to the nationwide lockdown to contain the widespread impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    With the entire media ecosystem including all television, cinema shows and films production coming to a halt since 20 March, the M&E industry is grappling with mass unemployment. It has especially impacted the sustenance of the daily wage earners from production crew involving a gamut of people like artists, camera men, spot boys, light boys and their dependent families.

    The network is reaching out to the daily wage earners identified by their respective trade associations with free coupons which they and their families can exchange for their daily necessities like food and essential items at select retail stores. SPN is also working with its various commissioned production houses to disburse a month’s salary to each daily wage earner.

    Additionally, the network has also contributed to the ‘Swades COVID Fund’, set up by the Swades Foundation. Founded by Zarina & Ronnie Screwvala, the foundation is providing authorities of Mumbai, Raigad and Nashik districts of Maharashtra state, medical equipment and consumables, procured under their direction for their fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, in Mumbai, the foundation is supporting infrastructure, healthcare staff, volunteers and consumables in identified government & private hospitals.

    SPN managing director and CEO NP Singh said, “In light of the global pandemic, we are witnessing large communities across the world coming together to tide over the crisis. These unprecedented times have had a cascading impact on the media and entertainment industry, which employs a huge number of daily wage workers. As a conscientious conglomerate, it is our responsibility to direct efforts towards ensuring aid reaches our primary beneficiaries who have contributed to the success of the network.

    'Besides this initiative, we are also providing coupons to the migrant workers from this daily wage workforce, which they can trade off at certain retail outlets for groceries and essential supplies. We will leverage every opportunity to help our country at large to get through trying times like these.”

    Additionally, in an unanimous support with the industry, the network has made its channel Sony PAL available free of charge on all DTH and cable networks to its viewers for a period of two months. This will provide people who are restricted to their homes wholesome entertainment and invigorating content and will help provide relief during the period of lockdown.

    Several channels in the network including Sony Entertainment Television, Sony SAB, Sony Pictures Sports Network, Sony Marathi and Sony YAY! have created PSAs. Additionally, advertising inventory across SPN is being extensively used to promote public service messaging.

    For more consumer-facing television news, read: tellychakkar

     

     

     

  • Companies learn the positive side of WFH

    Companies learn the positive side of WFH

    MUMBAI: As the spread of COVID-19 is causing ripples in the economic system, companies around the globe have temporarily shifted to the work-from-home (WFH) model. They are enabling remote working to keep the business running while helping employees to follow social distancing.

    Considering the recent world crises around the COVID-19 outbreak, industry experts believe it has become more critical than ever for companies in India to be able to support remote working for their employees. They are resorting to virtual meet-ups, VPNs, Google Slack, Zoom calls, Microsoft Teams, etc., for better functioning.

    Sodexo vice president technology and operations Priya Dronadula says, "Sodexo BRS India has adopted the split – team routine for employees to work from home. Cloud video conferencing tools like Microsoft Teams and Blue Jeans have been deployed for employees to connect virtually and share presentations and have multi-party conversations, real-time. We are also encouraging our clients to adopt these safe and reliable tools for virtual meetings. Even our customer support teams have moved to this model so that there is business continuity without impacting the customer experience. VPN connection network creates a safe, encrypted network-enabled with strong authentication factors for hustle-free communication.”

    The way people work has evolved significantly. Digital offers businesses the right tools to support remote work schedules at any time and on any device that they can imagine. Logicserve Digital founder-CEO Prasad Shejale thinks that it is important for companies to evaluate and make necessary arrangements to equip remote workers at scale. Companies should check whether their workers can join virtual meetings and accomplish important tasks irrespective of their location with available devices and applications.

    “At Logicserve Digital, the health and safety of our team members and partners is our top priority. We are aligned with the government's efforts to curb this global crisis and have instituted a robust work-from-home programme as we already had the right collaboration tools in place including uKnowva," he says.

    Shejale elaborates, “Logimates have stepped up engagements with our colleagues as well as clients on emails, calls and video chats. The company has made sure that all the teammates have available resources to work from home and there is a separate ‘Emergency Response Team’ that engages with co-workers regularly to ensure everyone is safe.”

    Every morning, the live stream is led by Prasad with 350+ team members, which is another step towards social distancing and prioritising employee engagement while keeping them abreast of important updates and also motivating them during these tough times.

    Dentsu Aegis Network India has been working from home since the outbreak and teams have adapted to this efficiently and are not causing any work-related hassles. Says CEO Anand Bhadkamkar: “Availability of internet bandwidth and connectivity is definitely critical; yet, the infrastructure across the country during this period is holding up quite well thanks to our network operators. This robustness and stability will surely provide a push towards the transition to digital.”

    Surprisingly, the WFH trend has been growing around the world, but without much acceptance in India. To this, Bhadkamkar adds, “People are now getting used to this working environment, be it through choice or by force. Hence, it won’t be surprising if some companies completely switch to digital now when we come out of these challenging times.”

    “A few companies including Ogilvy have introduced partial WFH in the last year or two. But, overall in the Indian industry, very few jobs allow full WFH. In fact, this approach has been looked down upon as a 'part-time' way of working for someone who is not properly employed. The lockdown is teaching us the positive side of WFH and after the crisis is over, it will become a far more significant way of working in India than ever before,” says  82.5 Communications chairman and chief creative officer Sumanto Chattopadhyay.

    While work from home becomes the temporary norm, it will be worthwhile to check on the same a few months after this pandemic will be under control.

  • How hotels and private clubs can retain brand recall among customers in times of COVID-19

    How hotels and private clubs can retain brand recall among customers in times of COVID-19

    The impact of the current COVID 19 pandemic on multiple industries is being noticed across the world. In the time of social distancing and home quarantine, travel and hospitality are among the worst impacted sectors! The hospitality industry is highly dependent on tourism which has borne the brunt of the current situation. This has led to multiple cancellations of room bookings, occasion celebration and even general dining, greatly impacting their revenues and raising concerns of possible layoffs post the pandemic crisis.

    Private Lifestyle clubs, which offer F&B, activities and event venues, are mostly dependent on members and guests for revenue generation. The current lockdown has impacted not only the footfalls but also the rising cost of maintaining the expensive infrastructure without actual revenues coming in. It has also adversely impacted the members’ lifestyles, who were used to a routine of working out or spending leisure time at the club.

    However, once normalcy resumes, club members might want to resume their daily routine and may even do so more enthusiastically than ever. This could primarily be so in case of using the gym and working out, so as to get back in shape and make up for lost time and also to get back to socialising – one of the greatest deprivation in the lockdown. In order to address this influx, clubs would have to be prepared with the following measures:

    The clubs will have to ensure

    –  The club building and facilities are sanitised and there are clear visual indicators of the same to reassure the members of the safety and reiterate the management’s focus on the members’ health and well-being

    –  They are ready to service their members like never before as they would be visiting the club after a long hiatus and thus need to have a great experience to keep their loyalty intact

    –  Ensure there is no downtime of any of the facilities as the tolerance levels for the same might be quite low. The members would be raring to use all the facilities available to the same extent as during normalcy or even more

    During this downtime, it is also essential to continue to work on brand recall and maintain contact with patrons by sending out e-mailers and through digital medium with social awareness messages and informing them about the efforts taken up by the club. This would help brands to a) resume operations on a high note post the hiatus, and b) have adequate prospective sales in the pipeline to be able to weather the losses incurred.

    The digital media is a big boon in the current situation, allowing businesses to stay in touch with their current consumers and lure in prospective customers too as most people are currently resorting to digital media for information and entertainment. Those businesses that can effectively use the same would definitely be able to reap its benefits in the near future once we approach normalcy!

    As the markets and the economy finally come back to normalcy, hospitality, travel and private clubs will play an essential role in bringing people back together and share the sense of solidarity in these times of collective grief.

    (The author is general manager, The Acres Lifestyle Club & The Fern Residency. The views expressed are his own and Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to them.)

     

  • Balaji Telefilms’ Ekta Kapoor foregoes one-year salary for workers

    Balaji Telefilms’ Ekta Kapoor foregoes one-year salary for workers

    MUMBAI: Balaji Telefilms joint managing director and creative head Ekta Kapoor will give up her one-year salary, Rs 2.5 crore, to ensure that her workers will not suffer due to the ongoing lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

    In a social media post she announced that she is doing this so that her "co-workers don't have to take a hit during this period of crisis and complete lockdown".  

    She wrote in the note: "The impact of CORONA crisis is huge, unprecedented and multi-pronged. We all need to do things that will ease the hardship of people around us and of our country at large. It is my first and foremost responsibility to take care of the various freelancers and daily wage workers who work at Balaji and who are going to suffer immense loss due to no shootings in the current scenario and uncertainty over the indefinite period to follow. I would thus forsake my one year’s salary that is Rs 2.5 crore at Balaji Telefilms so that my co-workers don't have to take a hit during this period of crisis and complete lockdown. The only way ahead, is together. Stay safe, stay healthy.”

    It may be recalled that earlier the producer donated to various relief funds in order to fight the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • Ad Club Bangalore to host webinar to discuss COVID-19 impact on media industry

    Ad Club Bangalore to host webinar to discuss COVID-19 impact on media industry

    MUMBAI: The Advertising Club Bangalore will host a webinar on 7 April, 2020 focusing on COVID-19’s impact on the advertising industry. According to the organisers, the webinar will help industry professionals equip themselves with the knowledge to tide through the economic downturn caused by the virus.

    Vincent Dong, President Ad – Vice Software & Consulting Inc, widely acknowledged as one of the finest in the business, will conduct the webinar, sharing insights from his diverse experience ranging over three decades. He is expected to shed light on the immediate steps agencies should be taking to prepare for the recession, as well as tips on how to stay stable in these trying times.

    Sharing his thoughts about the ongoing situation, Laeeq Ali, President of The Ad Club Bangalore and Co-founder of Origami Creative and Bloombox Brand Engineers, said: “There are times when you are thinking and wondering how to recalibrate or re-engineer your business. Uncertainty is all around us and many thoughts would be running through the minds of the leaders.”

    The Advertising Club Bangalore executive director Arvind Kumar says: 'The media and advertising industry – across the spectrum – have been distressed due to the impact of the lockdown on account of Covid-19. Businesses are unsure about what is there in the immediate future, particularly in the next three months, as businesses are at a standstill, supplies flying off shelves and logistics being a concern. This is a beginning of a series of initiatives envisaged by The Ad Club – Bangalore to help find some answers to various problems of the industry. This is a joint fight as the current environment might lead to a recession and it might take months to recover from it. We hope various constituents of our industry will take part in this Webinar, in the process of coping with and handling this unfortunate situation."

    Tune in to the webinar on Tuesday, 7 April at 7 pm for 'Ad-Vice' on agency operations, finance, consulting, and software consulting to ensure that your business stays prepared to face challenges and emerge a winner.

    Register at: https://adclubbangalore.net/ad-vice-webinar/

    Further, in order to assess the impact of the pandemic on ground, Ad Club has also decided to conduct a survey, calling on agency heads, brand owners, CEOs, CMOs, and brand managers to share their experience via the following links:

    Link for Agency Heads:  https://lnkd.in/ewXF6SZ

    Link for CEOs, CMOs, brand managers:  https://lnkd.in/edkAsrE