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Tag: covid2019

  • Dream11’s Harsh Jain-speak on the fantasy games leap

    Dream11’s Harsh Jain-speak on the fantasy games leap

    NEW DELHI: Fantasy sports platform Dream11 hit the headlines in early August when its bid of Rs 220 crore for the title sponsorship of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 came out tops, beating back the offers from larger firms. And it polevaulted its founders Harsh Jain and Bhavit Sheth into the limelight once again.

    Set up by the duo in 2008, the Mumbai-based company has more than 80 million users and is the first gaming startup from India to attain unicorn status, an industry term for startups valued above Rs 6,500 crore ($1 billion).

    With an array of top-notch investment firms across the globe, including Kalaari Capital, Multiples Equity, Tencent Holdings and Steadview Capital Management, Dream11 is one of the most stable and thriving start-up ecosystems. Dream11 has expanded its offerings with Fancode, DreamX, Dream Sports Investments, Dream Sports Foundation, DreamSetGo, and DreamPay.  

    According to various media reports, the company spent Rs 785.08 crore on advertising and promotions during FY19, as against Rs 230.30 crore in FY18.

    Speaking at the Internet and Mobile Association of India’s (IAMAI’s) Marketing Conclave on 28 August, Jain explained why he chose to put Dream11’s hat in the IPL title sponsorship ring. "IPL will break all records this year as one billion people stuck at home due to pandemic will definitely watch the sporting event. Our successful associations with IPL in the past gave us courage too,” he said.

    With the Dream11 brand being hammered home all through the tournament, it’s quite likely that an additional few million might chose to download the app and get engaged with the fascinating opportunity to play the skill based matches. Of course, the app would further get embedded into young and old India’s minds.

    During his address, Jain highlighted the need to focus on product development more than on marketing. “I see a lot of products today which use marketing right from the start. I believe it is the wrong thing to do,” he pointed out. “First, you need to develop a product fit for the market and once it is achieved, you should then go for scaling it.”

    Jain explained that in 2008 when IPL was launched in India, it did so without any fantasy games. But today most sports in India cannot be imagined without a fantasy game element. Then there were the naysayers who dissuaded Jain, whose father Anand is a close associate of ace entrepreneur Mukesh Ambani, from foraying into the space when he returned to India after his education in the US.

    "All marketing pundits told us that fantasy games won’t bloom in India and it will be a complete failure, but we succeeded. It was during this time when Sheth (currently serving as a co-founder & COO) joined me in this journey," Harsh elaborated.  

    The initial three years were tough. The company suffered a cash crunch and other obstacles, but what kept them going was their digital agency, Red Digital, which managed social media accounts for  Discovery Networks, Reliance Foundation, and Mumbai Indians to name a few.  By 2012, the company had decided to go ahead with the freemium single match business.

     “Indian consumers don’t like to commit long term to certain products, they like instant gratification and high engagement.Since the time we have focused on organic reach, growth hacking, and targeted digital marketing . We focused on things like virality and getting users to invite their friends,” Jain shared.

    In 2014, the company reported a million registered users, which grew to 45 million in 2018. Last year, the company reported having more than a 80 million user base.

    Jain admitted, "From 2017 we started partnering with leagues and signed Harsha Bhogle as our first brand ambassador. In 2018, we roped in MS Dhoni and started TV advertising for the very first time, and launched the Dimaag Se Dhoni marketing campaign during the IPL 2018 ."  

    Like any other brand, Dream11 faced hurdles in its growth journey, and the biggest challenge was not being available on Google Play store, a hurdle they surmounted.

    “It has been a difficult journey to convince people to download our apps as an APK and answer questions about why we are not on play store. But if people find value, they will find it," Jain said.  

    According to the 2019 report published by the Indian Federation of Sports Gaming (IFSG) and KPMG, the number of fantasy sports operators saw 7x growth during 2016-2018, while the number of users grew by over 25x between June 2016 and February 2019.

    The report also pointed out that the overall revenue of fantasy sports in India saw a three-fold growth from Rs 920 crore in FY19 to Rs 2,470 crore in FY20. As per IFSG-KPMG report, Dream11 commands 90 per cent market share.

  • Beauty & Lifestyle Virtual Round-Table: Time to meet the creme de la creme

    Beauty & Lifestyle Virtual Round-Table: Time to meet the creme de la creme

    NEW DELHI- As consumers increasingly demand inclusivity, transparency and authenticity, beauty & lifestyle companies across price points are overhauling their operations, product assortments, and marketing tactics to stack up. At the same time, they’re navigating a new retail landscape, where stores are community hubs, “meeting customers where they are” is the industry-wise target and every luxury shopping can be done online.

    At Indiantelevision.com's Beauty & Lifestyle Virtual Round-table, brands will discuss how they’re going to respond to the consumer expectations in the post-pandemic era and what are they doing to prepare for the industry’s next challenges.

    The virtual round table will witness crème de la crème of the industry.

    VLCC Health Care Limited chief business officer – south Asia wellness & skill development business Ameet Kkatyal; Baggit head of marketing Atul Rohan Garg; Lotus Herbals Pvt. Ltd. head-Innovation development & brand strategy Ipsita Chatterjee; Myntra head – marketing Harish Narayanan; Max Fashion India senior VP marketing Jiten Mahendra; FBB Future Group India CMO Prachi Mohapatra; mCAFFEINE founder & CEO Tarun Sharma. The session will be moderated by IndianTelevision.com Group founder CEO & editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari,

     The virtual round-table will go live on 29th August at 4.00 PM. Register yourself for the discussion. 

    https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_hCuCFX1ZQbSXtDx6UUP4aA

     Watch this space for more developments! 

  • Rajasthan Royals signs TV9 Network as principal sponsor

    Rajasthan Royals signs TV9 Network as principal sponsor

    NEW DELHI: Rajasthan Royals has signed TV9 Bharatvarsh as the principal partner for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League, scheduled to be held in UAE from 19 September to 10 November 2020. The Royals will proudly wear TV9’s logo on the front of the team’s jersey in the IPL.

    TV9 Bharatvarsh replaces EXPO 2020 Dubai as Rajasthan Royals’ front of jersey brand after the much-awaited mega-event was postponed to 2021 owing to the Covid2019 pandemic. 

    Expressing his pleasure at adding another strong brand to the Royals partner family, Rajasthan Royals’ COO Jake Lush McCrum, said: “ We’re happy to have TV9 on board with us at Rajasthan Royals this season. It’s one of the most well-renowned networks across India and presents a fantastic opportunity for us to express the story and the culture of Rajasthan Royals to a wider audience.”

    “Cricket is not just a sport in India. It’s a religion. That’s why the TV9 Network, India’s largest news network, has partnered with Rajasthan Royals for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL),” said TV9 Network CEO, Barun Das.

    “The association with Rajasthan Royals will enable us to offer our viewers exclusive, behind-the-scenes, 360-degree coverage of all the IPL action both on and off the field. Along with TV9Bharatvarsh, other four regional news channels in the network—all of the market leaders–will also, deliver this unique experience to their viewers," added Das.

  • Dangal seeks to ramp up original TV programing

    Dangal seeks to ramp up original TV programing

    MUMBAI: In March 2019, the big four networks pulled out of DD’s  FreeDish service as TRAI’s new tariff order did not allow FTA (free to air) channels’ inclusion in the pay channel bouquet. However, it was the apt time for FTA channels to make merry.

    One such network was Enterr10 Television. The network’s Hindi FTA GEC Dangal TV gained significant viewers and today, it is one of the most popular Hindi GECs.

    Its top shows, Ramayan and Crime Alert, among others, brought it a one-fifth share of the viewership in the Hindi-speaking market (HSM), Many of the current shows on Dangal TV include those based on Indian mythology and reruns, sprinkled with a few original productions.

    “We have observed that putting original content has been a game changer for the other players in the market. Creating original content is the only way forward,” says Enterr10 Television COO Deep Drona. “ I have observed that the audience in FTA space is no more different then the  paid audience in terms of wanting to watch good entertainment.”

    He also highlights that TV  consumption amongst viewers is back to normal because the original programs are back on track. Drona believes that the many Hindi GEC channels with fresh programming line-up have significant advantage over other channels.

    He is quite optimistic about a new show- Aye Mere Humsafar – which is going to hit the screens in the coming week. Another four new series will debut on Dangal over the next two months, taking costs up by 40 to 50 per cent.

    According to him Dangal continued to be the leader in the rural market for the initial three months of the lockdown in terms of viewership; ad revenues however did not match up to the audience surge. But Drona points out that currently the channel is faring better than the pre-Covid2019 level with inventory fill  levels going back to what they were before the pandemic. He shares that adex had softened in the months of May and June but now things are getting back to normal.

    When most of the channels are worried about IPL, Drona thinks the entire FTA space will be spared from the brunt of the cricket extravaganza. He opines that the impact of IPL will not be very high especially for FTA channels.

    In its thirteenth year, the IPL is coinciding with the festival season, which is expected to lead to a reallocation of ad spends on TV. Drona shares that as IPL is a large property and everybody knows what kind of rating it can deliver; channels have planned a certain strategy to overcome this.

    “IPL is also coming at a time where viewers are dying for live sports content. So, there are many things that are going in its favour,” he explains. “For the past six to seven seasons it has been observed that IPL ratings do not disrupt GECs anymore. But this time it is a unique year no one can predict what will happen because it is coming during festivities. However, it will shake the advertising revenue and viewership.”

    His view is that  post-the- Covid2019 and lockdown period,  rural India  appears to be showing signs of a rebound; urban seems to be lagging behind, because many cities are partially contained still. With DD FreeDish more accessible in rural areas, it’s no wonder that Dangal has become a favourite hunting ground for FMCG advertisers.

    Says MediaDonuts MD Vidhu Sagar: “Advertisers are fundamentally interested in reach. The fact that audiences are flocking to  FTA channels such as Dangal, effectively turning them into potent messaging delivery avenues, is a win-win situation for both advertisers and the channel. The channels have chosen to forgo potential subscription revenues only since they believe greater audience traction would more than make up by way of advertising revenues. And advertisers are basically ROI-oriented. Greater reach is the most preferred option. If it’s courtesy of FTA channels like Dangal, so be it, that is just the way the cookie crumbles.”

    Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra are very strong markets for Dangal as majority of its audiences come from this belt.: “There is a lot of work to be done in places like Gujarat, Rajasthan and other urban markets but our strengths lie in the Hindi speaking belt,” reveals Drona. “As of now, we will continue to focus on these markets.”

    The channel is currently working with Swastik Productions, Shashi Sumeet Productions, Rashmi Sharma Telefilms and few others. Dangal is also looking at creating more home-based shows in the near future.

  • Yardley’s new TVC campaign encourages to celebrate a safe yet joyous Onam

    Yardley’s new TVC campaign encourages to celebrate a safe yet joyous Onam

    NEW DELHI – The year 2020 has witnessed its fair share of upheavals. As India continues to battle with the impact of a pandemic, a sense of fear continues to prevail. While most states continue to struggle with the effects of the pandemic, Kerala has managed to come out fairly well, however, the fear of resurgence persists. This year, as Onam begins, Yardley has released its TV campaign that encourages consumers to celebrate this harvest festival with family and friends while taking all safety precautions.

    The latest TVC by the brand revolves around a Malayali family of three, who are skeptical about celebrating Onam because of the on-going pandemic, however, the mother assures the child and talks about the precautions to take before celebrating the festival. The film showcases the latest additions of hygiene essentials to the Yardley portfolio of Handwash and Sanitizer, the goodness of Lavender oil, and its credibility being a 250-year-old brand that is now offering anti-germ properties in its products keeping in mind the current times. The campaign has been released across television and digital media platforms.

    Commenting on the new campaign Yardley India VP and business head Manish Vyas said, “As the impact of Covid2019 continues to leave our lives in a state of unrest, consumers do still hold a sense of fear when stepping out to get together with friends or even to celebrate festivals. Onam being the biggest festival in Kerala, our objective with this campaign was to encourage our consumers to bring on the celebrations, with the apt precautions. And as they prepare to celebrate in full fervor, Yardley’s Essentials range – infused with anti-germ properties and lavender oil – is here to protect them every step of the way. We at Yardley have always kept in line with the evolving times and keeping our consumers’ sentiments in mind we continue to offer them the best products to address their every need. Our latest TV campaign is a clear depiction of this promise to our consumers.”

    “The antidote to uncertainty is the reassurance that all we hold dear in our hearts…our relationships, our festivals, our celebrations…will continue to be protected. Yardley tells a story of this reassurance and resilience through a product offering that is the perfect coming together of those age-old Yardley values and the need of the hour: protection. It’s a cute little story of the little things we need to do to protect the big things. Onam is an important cultural moment in one of our key markets and this communication is a timely squeeze of reassurance that says that there’s still hope.” said Contract Advertising executive creative director & creative head Mumbai Rahul Ghosh.

  • Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai cast and crew members test positive for Covid2019

    Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai cast and crew members test positive for Covid2019

    MUMBAI: Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai actor Sachin Tyagi, Samir Onkar, Swati Chitnis and four other technicians have tested positive for Covid2019. All of them are receiving medical attention and are under home quarantine, given they do not have any major symptoms. The shoot was happening at Filmcity and was immediately stalled as soon as their reports came in.

    Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai producer Rajan Shahi in an official statement said that the studio followed all the SOP’s and the sets were regularly sanitised and fumigated. He shared, “The three actors are an integral part of Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai. As they are asymptomatic, they are under home quarantine. We immediately got everyone on the set tested, and four of the crew members tested positive. The BMC has been informed, and the entire set has been sanitised and fumigated. Currently, all of them are receiving medical attention under home quarantine. We are constantly in touch with them as their health is our priority. We stand by our commitment to safety and will continue to ensure that all safety and precautionary measures are adhered to.”

    https://www.instagram.com/starplus/?utm_source=ig_embed

    Sachin Tyagi in a statement said that he has been tested Covid2019 positive. He adds, "We have been shooting so peacefully but this has happened nonetheless. I guess we all have to take this positively. I have isolated myself and taking care of my diet. I was asymptomatic. But thankfully I took the test on time. The production house follows all guidelines on the set and is constantly in touch."

    Earlier shootings for Balaji Telefilm’s Kasautii Zindagii Kay and JD Majethia’s Bhakharwadi were halted due to the same reason. Actors Parth Samthaan, Satish Shah, Additi Gupta, Shrenu Parikh, , Kiran Kumar and Mohena Kumari also tested positive for Covid2019.

  • ZEE Entertainment supports West Bengal, donates critical healthcare equipment

    ZEE Entertainment supports West Bengal, donates critical healthcare equipment

    MUMBAI: ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEE) today, in line with its national level CSR drive against Covid2019, officially handed over critical healthcare equipment (20 oxygen humidifiers) to the state of West Bengal in the presence of government of West Bengal health and family welfare department I.A.S secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam,  further strengthening its fight against Covid2019.

    The Company has utilized the sanctioned CSR budget (for the fight against Covid-19) to provide the critical healthcare equipment to West Bengal.

    ZEE MD and CEO Punit Goenka said, “ZEE is committed to stand with the West Bengal Government in its fight against Covid-19. We hope that the donated critical equipment will help the state to address the challenges faced due to the ongoing pandemic and strengthen its overall healthcare infrastructure."

     In a letter issued to ZEE, government of West Bengal health and family welfare department I.A.S secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam said, “We express sincere thanks on behalf of the Govt. of West Bengal to ZEE for its kind gesture of contributing critical healthcare equipment to West Bengal. The support provided will go a long way in providing proper treatment to Covid2019 affected patients in the state.”

     In its national level CSR drive towards enhancing the country’s healthcare infrastructure against Covid2019, ZEE had committed to donate 240+ ambulances, 46,000+ PPE kits, 90+ oxygen humidifiers and 6,00,000 Daily Meals. The donation to the state of West Bengal is in line with this national level CSR drive.

    At a national level, ZEE has also financially supported over 5000 daily wage earners working directly or indirectly with the company. Further, 3400+ employees have contributed towards PM CARES Fund. The amount generated was matched by ZEE, and the collective proceeds were donated to PM CARES Fund.

  • How Mira Nair post-produced A Suitable Boy

    How Mira Nair post-produced A Suitable Boy

    MUMBAI: Do you know Salaam Bombay director Mira Nair worked on her post-production of Vikram Seth’s  A Suitable Boy, which is making waves globally, from her residence in New York’s Upper West Side? 

    The realisatrice was supposed to be in UK to put the whole show together and deliver the final masters to the BBC, but was stranded in the US on account of the Covid 2019 pandemic. After finishing filming in India on 17 December, followed by a two week break, she jetted down to the UK to get into a “neither world”, working on the post-production. “We have been working close to 12 hours a day, sometimes through the weekends, in order to really distil it to not just the story being correct but also finding its rhythm. It takes a lot,” she told the BBC in an interview.

    But then she travelled to the US and got stuck there when the country got into a lockdown. With a deadline to deliver the show for telecast in June, Nair got cracking on creating a work environment in her study in her apartment.

    Mira – who has homes in New Delhi, Kampala, Uganda, apart from Manhattan – had three devices through which she, like a conductor orchestrated the edits, the musical score (this was created in Budapest), the final approval for the episodes of the six part series with colleagues in India, Australia, UK,  and Los Angeles.

    In fact, if we thought jugaad was being resorted to only by India’s TV, short film, TVC directors and producers, Mira resorted to her own innovation methods too. “We had superstars like Tabu, and all the wonderful actors under their bln aked in their bathrooms with their microphones – their dogs muzzled, and everyone recording in these homemade studios we created with them,” she told The Financial Times.

    The series was filmed in India in 2019 with two units being involved in different locations.

    A Suitable Boy stars the ever so charming and acteur naturel Ishaan Khattar (Maan Kapoor), the ever so composed and alluring Tabu(Saeeda Bai), the newfound talent the vivacious Tanya Maniktala (Lata Mehra), Ram Kapoor (Mahesh Kapoor), Shahana Goswami (Meenakshi Mehra), Rasika Duggal (Sameera Kapoor), Mikhail Sen (Amit Chatterji), Randeep Hooda (Billy Irani), Mahira Kakkar (Rupa Mehra), Vinay Pathak, Manoj Pahwa, Ranvir Shorey, Vijay Verma, Kulbhashan Kharbanda, Namit Das (Haresh Khanna),  Joyeeta Dutta (Tasneem), Dhanesh Razvi (Kabir Durrani), Vivek Gomber (Arun Mehra), Gagandev Riar (Pran Kapoor) Geetanjali Agrawal (Mrs Mahesh Kapoor), Shubham Saraf (Firoz Ali Khan),  Vivaan Shah (Varun  Mehra),  among many other sterling talented actors.

    The fifth episode of the series is slated to telecast this evening on BBC One on 23 August at 9 pm UK time. A Suitable Boy comes on to Netflix worldwide – excepting the US and Canada – later this year.

  • Government announces SOPs to restart film, TV, OTT production

    Government announces SOPs to restart film, TV, OTT production

    MUMBAI: It’s all systems go for TV, film and OTT originals’ productions in India. Minister of information and broadcasting Prakash Javadekar today announced the release of standard operating procedures for productions to recommence. Tweeting the announcement Javadekar said, “The general principles behind the SOP will help create a safe working environment for cast and crew in the industry.”

    Amongst the measures the MIB has proposed include:

    ·      Minimum cast and crew to be engaged on sets during shoots.

    ·      Resting and stay over facilities to be provided.

    ·      Staggered call and packup times for production units having multiple production locations.

    ·      Older, pregnant, and comorbid technicians and artistes take extra precautions and preferable not be exposed to front line work requiring direct contact with the public.

    ·      Mandatory wearing of masks by all crew excepting the actors facing the camera for a scene.

    ·      Installation of Aarogya Setu app will be advised to be downloaded and used by all.

    ·      Exit and entry signs

    ·      Special markings to ensure social distancing is maintained at six feet for all during every stage of the film making process.

    ·      Visitors and audiences are barred from sets.

    ·      PPEs for make up technicians as well as hair stylist. Wigs and make up kits to not be shared. As far as possible, actors should do their own makeup.

    ·      Rubber gloves for all working with shared equipment on sets.

    ·      Minimise the use of props, sanitise them, if essential.

    ·      Lapel mikes to be avoided and not share. Direct physical contact with the diaphragms of mikes to be avoided.

    ·      A Covid supervisor to be appointed for each production.

    ·      Permissions to be taken from local authorities.

    The announcement of the SOPs for media production should come as a relief for India’s film studios, ad film and TV and digital originals producers. The sector has for a large part been held back from producing for the past five months, leading to losses running into thousands of crore.

    For a detailed list of the SOPs, click here.

     

     

  • ZEEL donates 20 ambulances, 4,000 PPE kits and 1,50,000 daily meals to Telangana

    ZEEL donates 20 ambulances, 4,000 PPE kits and 1,50,000 daily meals to Telangana

    MUMBAI: ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEE) as part of its  its national level CSR drive against Covid2019, officially handed over 20 Ambulances and 4000 PPE kits to the state of Telangana in the presence of minister of municipal administration and urban development, industries, and IT and commerce KT Rama Rao, to further strengthen its fight against Covid2019. Over and above the support towards healthcare relief, the company is providing 1,50,000 daily meals to migrants and daily wage earners across the state, leveraging its partnership with Akshaya Patra Foundation. The company has utilised the sanctioned CSR budget (for the fight against Covid2019) to provide the following essentials to the state of Telangana:

    • Ambulances – 20 ambulances donated to the state.

    • PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) Kits – 4,000 kits donated to the state.

    • Daily Meals – 1,50,000 daily meals provided to migrants and daily wage earners.

    ZEE MD and CEO Punit Goenka said, “ZEE is committed to provide a strong support to the Telangana Government in its fight against Covid-19, with a key focus on strengthening the overall healthcare infrastructure. We sincerely hope that the donated healthcare requirements will further enable the state to address the challenges faced due to the ongoing pandemic and strengthen its overall healthcare ecosystem."

    Minister of MA & UD, industries and IT & C KT Rama Rao said, “The government of Telangana has strengthened the health infrastructure on a wide scale during this pandemic and is working to ensure health and safety of all citizens in the state. We would like to thank Punit Goenka and ZEE for their support in this time of need towards Covid2019 response and relief."