ITV

Tag: covid2019

  • Liberty General Insurance’s virtual partners’ day sees 3,468 in attendance

    Liberty General Insurance’s virtual partners’ day sees 3,468 in attendance

    Mumbai: Liberty General Insurance Ltd celebrated its annual event, “Flames of Liberty 2020 -Partners’ Day,” on a virtual platform for the first time ever and 3,468 partners and agents participated with their spouses and children.

    With the country in a lockdown due to the Covid2019 outbreak there is unprecedented uncertainty and disruption impacting not just the insurance sector, but the entire economy. With everyone in a stay home mode, Liberty General Insurance organised a virtual event for its Partners and their families which was an entertaining day with performances by a magician and a beat boxer, workshops on fitness, health, grooming tips, cooking, contests, and a story telling session for kids.

    Roopam Asthana, CEO and the Whole Time Director, Liberty General Insurance told the partners day event: “During these challenging times, we were determined to live up to our commitment to our partners by maintaining the legacy we have built over the last four  years of organizing the annual ‘Flames of Liberty’ event. In the current situation, Liberty General Insurance’s priority is the safety and well-being of our employees, customers, partners and the community at large. Nothing can stop us from celebrating our partnership and acknowledging the efforts all our distribution partners have put in through the year and therefore we took the event on a digital platform this time!”

    “We wanted to personally thank our Partners with the reassurance that together we will soon be back on our path of growth,” Asthana added.

    As a mark of appreciation to its partners, Liberty General Insurance started its flagship Partner Engagement Programme called the Flames of Liberty in the year 2016. With this astounding initiative, the Company redefined and set new standards of principal – partner relationships in Indian general insurance sector. The event is a unique initiative to bring its brokers, agents and their families together on one platform, thereby enhancing the engagement between the Company and its partners. It is also an acknowledgement and celebration of their hard work, and to appreciate their families support in all their endeavours.

  • ACC Trust’s social aid to migrant labourers, underprivileged

    ACC Trust’s social aid to migrant labourers, underprivileged

    NEW DELHI: Businesses not only have access to several resources but also outreach to distribute them within the society. In times of crisis, it becomes their responsibility to contribute not only towards the economy directly but also to help the society stand on its feet. Keeping this in mind, the ongoing Covid2019 crisis saw ACC Ltd taking several initiatives to contribute to the goodwill of the whole society.

    The brand’s CSR head Kurian Chandapillai tells Indiantelevision.com that the brand has spent close to Rs 5 crore under the aegis of ACC Trust to help migrant labourers and villagers near its plants in the past few weeks. It has also partnered with Ambuja Cement in several initiatives to support the needy in these tough times.

    “We have been doing CSR activities for close to four decades now, even before it was legally mandated in India. The ACC Trust was started a few years ago to take on our social initiatives. We were very active during the recent Kerala, Orissa and Bihar floods for rehabilitation and relief drives. “We have partnered with several women self-help groups and NGOs to support the community,” Chandapillai elaborates.

    During the crisis, the brand has worked on several initiatives including awareness campaigns in 93 villages across 11 states, disinfection drives benefitting over 3,75,000 people, production and distribution of face masks under alternative livelihood centres (DISHA), and distribution of more than 10,000 packets of provisions and food to migrant labourers and the disadvantaged. The women at SHGs also produced and sold sanitizers to keep themselves financially stable in the crisis.

    Chandapillai says: “We have also partnered with three NGOs, Goonj, Roti Bank and Praja foundation, for taking our initiatives to cities like Delhi and Mumbai. Also, we have been supplying ventilators, in collaboration with Ambuja Cement, to hospitals in Mumbai and Gujarat.”

    All these drives were organised keeping in mind social distancing norms. All the members going on the ground were given clean pairs of protective gears every day. It was ensured that no one defied any legal guidelines.

  • How to tackle lockdown woes the Schbang way

    How to tackle lockdown woes the Schbang way

    NEW DELHI: It can’t be said enough that the ongoing COVID2019 crisis has impacted the business of creative and media agencies severely. From mainline to digital, every business is facing serious problems in functioning. However, creativity has seen no dearth in its virtue during the crisis. 

    Mumbai-based integrated solutions agency Schbang has been one of the top performers during the term, helping its clients with out-of-the-box creative solutions, helping them stay relevant during this time of dip in sales. 

    They have got people growing their hair for BBlunt #GrowOutChallenge, promoting Tinder’s free passport services, and also shot a virtual commercial for Pillsbury Atta that will go live soon. The whole video has been shot virtually and directed via Hangouts, Whatsapp video, Skype etc. 

    Schbang founder-MD Harshil Karia shares, “8 actors from across the country are a part of this video. While the actors are chosen basis their acting capabilities, we are also keeping in mind their respective kitchen aesthetics too as this is being shot from home in their own kitchens.”

    But how has the team managed to create so much of good work despite the many restrictions that the lockdown has come with? The credit can be given to a detailed work-from-home policy that Schbang created for its teams, which consists of not just work but also play. 

    According to Karia, the agency was quick in adapting to the work-from-home situation. “We started acting even before the lockdown was announced and sent to our employees’ homes their computer systems in advance. We also charted out rules, and also introduced several interesting activities and challenges to keep the team engaged.”

    He also shared the detailed WFH Guidelines with us. The document mentions three general tips: maintaining disciplined work hours, reiterating those working hours to clients if needed, and take scheduled breaks. 

    Schbang has also guided its team leads to minimising the number of places they contact with members and sticking primarily to emails for coordination. They are also scheduling daily meetings to brainstorm and has limited the number of participants in those, keeping in mind people spend time on only important things. 

    They have also created a model for sharing feedbacks. 

    This has helped the agency in streamlining its processes better and work effectively in set timelines. 

    Apart from this, the teams across Mumbai and Bengaluru have created several WhatsApp groups to come together for certain activities such as cooking, working out (sessions in the morning and/or evening), photography, trivia/quiz, a jamming team called Schband and some indulgence into groups playing Ludo too online.  

    Karia shares, “These groups are buzzing daily keeping the energy and momentum going. The cooking group called Schefs of Schbang seems to be a bigger hit and we soon will be launching an Instagram page dedicated to that.”

    They also have two tracks for workouts, one for the morning and one for the evening. Karia noted, “The teams come together online and workout or mediate together using some subscriptions we have from Mindhouse and cure.fit. Or just motivate each other to get out there and stay fit.”

    Additionally, a live thematic quiz experience is undertaken every Sunday on various topics like Harry Potter, Friends, The world of Disney & Marvel, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Office, among others. 

    Karia concluded, “While work has not been easy and everyone's had their fair share of highs and lows in terms of energy, these team activities are helping people to stay motivated, connected, and happy. Being in a creative space, people interaction, and feeding off each other's energies is what we enjoy the most. So keeping that going even virtually is a step in the right direction for the team.”  
     

  • The Visual House launches ‘Thank You, Force’ video expressing gratitude to our frontline workers

    The Visual House launches ‘Thank You, Force’ video expressing gratitude to our frontline workers

    MUMBAI: The Visual House a production house and an integrated communication agency, has launched a ‘Thank You, Force’ video in recognition of the generous spirit of the country’s unsung heroes during these difficult times.

    In today’s times when the whole world has been brought to a standstill by the Covid2019 pandemic, we all have found a source of hope and bravery in our frontline workers. Doctors, police personnel, delivery guys, healthcare workers have all come together, putting their own lives at risk, to ensure that we all stay safe and healthy. And for all their work and efforts, all we can offer them is a sincere and heartfelt thank you, which is exactly what this video aspires to do.

    The video titled Thank You, Force is shot entirely at home, following the restrictions of the lockdown. The video features a conversation between six children who come to realize how we all find ourselves today in a unique situation, which is similar to that of a war and how our frontline workers today are the forces protecting all of us. The video draws the parallel between the armed forces and our COVID forces. These children then go on to thank all the workers for their bravery, hard work and efforts. The video thus encourages the audience to join in to salute the spirit and courage of these incredible workers. 

    Link to the video: https://youtu.be/h1n2eubuMl8 

    Commenting on the launch of the video,The Visual House founder and CEO Deepmala says, “The video shows how good, heartfelt stories are needed today more than ever to bring people together. Focused on the significant work that front line workers are engaged in, the video touches an emotional chord with the audience. It also reminds them of a pertinent question – these children have done their best by recognizing the incredible work of our COVID forces, have you?”

  • ENO joins food conversations, launches contextual digital campaign

    ENO joins food conversations, launches contextual digital campaign

    MUMBAI: Due to the lockdown there is increased snacking and experimentation with food, coupled with erratic food timings and reduced physical activity which could all lead to higher chances of acidity. GSK Consumer Healthcare’s leading antacid brand ENO has captured these moments to build a contextually relevant digital campaign and to present itself as trusted ally against acidity.

    The brand has launched a digital campaign, which went live on 9 April, the phase one of which was cantered around occasions like working from home and reduced physical activity. Phase two was launched on 30 April with two digital films titled “Stay @ Home: Food Cravings” and “Stay @ Home: Food Experiments” that highlight the change in eating habits and food experiments these days, which could potentially result in acidity. Cooking has emerged as a favourite activity for many as people are experimenting in the kitchen, leading to social media being flooded with food images and searches for new recipes shooting through the roof. The visually delightful campaign has been shot at home using food shots to drive the message of Eno being your trusted ally to ensure that acidity doesn’t play a spoilsport in the Food experiments and cravings.

    The first phase of the campaign that was rolled out earlier this month has already garnered a massive reach of 7.1 million on OTT (Disney Hotstar and Voot) and 7.5 million on social platforms (Instagram and Facebook) and continues to drive social conversations and relevance for the brand in current times.

    GSK Consumer Healthcare area marketing director-wellness Naveed Ahmed said: “Taking into consideration the emerging consumer trends of frequent snacking and reduced physical activity – driven by people being confined to their homes, our latest campaign enables people to indulge in their food cravings and experiments without having to worry about acidity. We have consciously chosen a humorous approach, online with the brand personality of Eno, to build a connect with our audience and communicate our message effectively.” Below are the links to the films: Work From Home –

    Less Walking –

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  • ZEEL lauds DPOs, urges online payment mechanisms via multilingual campaigns

    ZEEL lauds DPOs, urges online payment mechanisms via multilingual campaigns

    MUMBAI: In these difficult times caused by the Covid2019 pandemic, entertainment and information keep floating into our television sets despite the shelter-in-place mandate. Although the TV viewership growth slowed down in the sixth week of the Covid2019 disruption, it is evident that audiences across India are consuming more content than during the pre-crisis period. While the spike has been attributed to various factors, the “real heroes” who are ensuring the flow of content have been undervalued: the distribution platform operators (DPOs).

    A few days back, the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) also urged Direct-to-home (DTH) operators, multi-system operators (MSOs) and local cable operators (LCOs) in a letter to continue to provide uninterrupted services to their subscribers and cooperate with other players within the distribution chain. Despite health risks, the DPOs have kept working on ground. 

    How ZEEL honours distribution partners through multilingual campaign

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) has come forward to pat its distributors on their backs. The network has rolled out two digital campaigns commending cable and DTH operators. One of the promos features Bollywood Badshah Shah Rukh Khan watching TV in a hall, superimposed with his own voiceover which thanks the ”superheroes” on account of whom Indian audiences are able to watch the superheroes of the screen in the comfort of their homes even as the pandemic is wreaking havoc. For the second short film, ZEEL’’s top TV stars were roped in and they are seen thanking and clapping for the entire workforce employed with LCOs, MSOs and DTH platforms for the effort they are putting into ensuring that viewers at home stay connected, informed and entertained.

    Ideation of the campaign

    ZEEL chief consumer officer Prathyusha Agarwal has said that their creative partner Lowe Lintas worked very closely with their teams on the concept and the execution of the applause film. The ubiquitous mobile phone was innovatively deployed as actors across channels of the network came together to create this extraordinary salute. Moreover, several solutions were deployed to ensure that the post-production work could be done seamlessly. She also noted that the entire concept to production was completed in record time and the major investment was all the people coming together and pouring their heart and soul into creating the film.

    “In line with the rising trend of movie-watching, as part of this campaign we also used the concept of creating a parallel between superheroes and the true super heroes of this lockdown – our distribution partners. This was entirely a movie footage-based film made across languages executed by the teams at ZEEL. In the true spirit of being ‘Extraordinary Together’ we at ZEEL have viewed this adversity as an opportunity to innovate creatively and come up with methods of executing communication even while most stakeholders have been at home,” she added.

    Agarwal says that consumers have been confined to their homes, making TV entertainment an ‘essential service’ infusing positivity and uplifting the mood of the nation. She added that ZEEL wholeheartedly applauds the undaunted efforts of distribution partners across the country through this multilingual campaign.  “As the entire ecosystem is fast moving towards digitization and lower contact, we see this contextualized campaign in each genre and region as a strong trigger for the long due behaviour change towards prompt and proactive online subscription payments,” she added.

    How ZEEL is working closely with DPOs; encouraging online payment mechanisms

    ZEEL chief revenue officer and affiliate sales Atul Das expressed his faith in the long and valuable partnerships with all of the distribution partners making them ‘Extraordinary Together’. According to him, it is this extraordinary partnership that has been instrumental in ensuring that the consumers have been able to enjoy uninterrupted entertainment.  He also added that ZEE recognizes and deeply appreciates the challenges that the distribution partner fraternity has faced as a result of the Covid-19 lockdowns.

    “We had observed that in the changed environment, our distribution partners had been keen to promote contactless payments and online recharge.  We have taken a step further to extend our unflinching support by promoting the online recharge option through our vast network of national  and regional channels with an intention to communicate with them in their local languages. Through this campaign, we also expressed our heartfelt thanks to each of our DPOs, and would like to assure them of our continued support and are committed to work closely with them in the days to come,” he added.

    He stated that ZEEL supports the digitisation endeavours of its partners by encouraging consumers to move towards online payment mechanisms. According to him, the campaign is their effort of extending partnership to help distribution associates by ensuring that the message quickly reaches billions of consumers. This in turn allows DPOs to continue to provide their services seamlessly to consumers, he added.

    How the DPOs respond to ZEEL’s online recharge campaign

    Tata Sky MD and CEO Harit Nagpal: “ZEEL was amongst the first to respond to remind customers to recharge in time, during the lockdown, so that they can remain connected to the world outside their homes.  We are happy that ZEEL partnered with us and other DPOs to come out with a consumer campaign to acknowledge the contribution of DTH partners, and also to encourage consumers to make online payments through the Tata Sky app & website.”

    IndusInd Media & Communications Ltd. (IN Digital & NXT) CEO

    Vynsley Fernandes: “Encouraging consumers to make monthly subscription payments in a contactless manner via online mechanisms has now emerged as a priority for our industry. ZEEL’s online recharge campaign is a reflection of a true partnership approach that comes in at a time when the whole of the industry is adjusting to new ways of collecting subscription payments online. We really appreciate ZEEL’s support to promote this campaign through their network channels at this critical hour.”

    Digiana Projects Pvt. Ltd chairman and managing director Sukhdev Singh Ghumman:

    “We as partners are fully committed to ensure that consumers get uninterrupted access to all content. Through the online recharge campaign, ZEEL has made a pioneering effort in spreading the message to consumers on how to keep the entertainment going while staying in the safety of their homes. We have also played the promos on our local channels to promote the campaign. We thank ZEEL for their wonderful initiative.”

    Asianet Digital Network Pvt. Ltd. president and CCO Shankar Narayan:

    “Online payment mechanisms have emerged as a new normal not just in metros but in regional markets as well. ZEEL with its strong regional presence has truly been very supportive with the multilingual and culturally relevant online recharge campaign for our market. We really appreciate the support that the Zee Network has extended towards making this initiative into a full fledged national campaign.”

    Along with these leading players, several other distribution partners from across the country including Haldwani Digital, Darsh Digital Patna, Cable Combine Communications Siliguri, Skynet Allahabad, KCBPL, Kolkata and many others have  expressed their deep appreciation for ZEEL’s online recharge campaign that is now on-air across the network channels.  

  • Sesame Workshop India premieres animated videos on Covid2019

    Sesame Workshop India premieres animated videos on Covid2019

    MUMBAI: Sesame Workshop in India, the non-profit educational organization behind Sesame Street, has premiered new animated public service announcements to help families across India stay physically and emotionally healthy as the unprecedented Covid2019 pandemic continues.

    The audio and video content are available in English and 11 Indian languages -Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Kashmiri, Bengali, Odia, Assamese, Gujarati, Marathi and include Elmo’s new “Washy Wash” song as well as Sesame Muppets learning how to sneeze properly and how caring for yourself means caring for each other. And with children currently out of school, Sesame content also provides early learning to children at home. Both audio and video content are available across TV, radio and digital platforms operated by Govt of India as well as private media houses. Govt. of Uttar Pradesh will be distributing content over TV, radio, DIKSHA app, WhatsApp and in Maharashtra the content will be available on DD Sahyadri. Some of the new content  premiering today includes the following videos:

    Washy Wash with Elmo: Families can sing along with Elmo as he washes his hands for 20 seconds – washing the germs away and helping everyone stay healthy.

    Learning how to sneeze and cough safely with Grover: Grover helps children remember that when they feel a tickle in their noses or throats, they should remember to sneeze or cough into their upper sleeve or elbow—that helps keep the germs off their hands and away from other people. It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3!

    Time to Wash Your Hands! Sesame Muppets demonstrate different situations where children and families should wash hands—after coughs and sneezes, before eating, after playing, after using the bathroom, and more.

    Caring for Myself, Caring for Others: Sesame Muppets help children understand that when you take good care of yourself, you’re taking good care of others, too.

    “As families across India adjust to their new realities, our Sesame programme is there to support them in staying healthy and fostering learning at home while children are out of school,” said Sesame Workshop India MD Sonali Khan. “With a little help from the funny and furry muppets, together we can help children and families, especially the vulnerable, learn healthy habits and take care of each other during this crisis.”

    Sesame Workshop India, through its muppets has always been at the forefront in promoting healthy habits for life through its various programmes in India, as it believes that children can indeed be agents of change. Through its YouTube channel Galli Galli Sim Sim it has reached ~4.2Mn children and caregivers in the last one month.   

    The emotional, social and physical development of children has a direct impact on the overall development of the country and this assumes greater significance, as children 0-14 years comprise ~ 30 percent or approx. 37 crores of the total population of India as per the census 2011 figures. 

    In India, Sesame Workshop’s community engagement programmes such as Radiophone and mobile community viewings have successfully proven that children who are exposed to its content are twice as ready for school, have higher awareness of healthy foods, hygiene and show increased signs of inclusion. The programmes equip children and their caregivers, with the necessary tools required to transform every day moments into playful learning experiences, helping to set children on the right path to life.

    In addition to the new videos, Sesame Workshop India offers free materials such as e-books, audio episodes, video episodes and digital games for parents and children. The new videos are part of Sesame Workshop’s Caring for Each Other initiative, which provides a rich array of Sesame content designed to comfort, educate, and entertain parents and children during the unprecedented uncertainty facing young children and families around the world. Free resources are available for families at sesameworkshopindia.org/caring/

    Sesame Workshop resources are easy to use and are designed to help parents provide comfort and manage anxiety, as well as help with creating routines, fostering playful learning at home, including staying physically and mentally healthy. Mindful that the adults who care for children need support too, the resources are intended to help caregivers as well as children. Sesame Workshop is offering the content free of cost for families around the world who are struggling to adjust, adapt, and keep each other safe.

    Sesame Workshop is also developing new content including animations on healthy habits, resources providing comfort, and learn-at-home activities on topics including reading, math, and science, that will be available in English, Hindi and other regional languages such as Kannada, Tamil, Telegu, Malayalam, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Odia, Assamese and Kashmiri.

    Washy Wash with Elmo:

    Learning how to sneeze and cough safely with Grover:

    Time to Wash Your Hands!:

     

    Caring for Myself, Caring for Others:

  • Industry pins hope on pent-up demand post-Covid2019

    Industry pins hope on pent-up demand post-Covid2019

    NEW DELHI: Which marketer doesn’t know about the theory of lipstick effect? Tracing its roots to the great depression of 1929, the theory substantiates that glum consumers will continue to spend money on small luxuries during or after times of economic crisis to keep up their spirits. Several reports indicate a similar behaviour demonstrated by Americans after the 9/11 and also the global recession of 2008.

    Most recently, consumers in China recreated the scenario as sales of cosmetics plummeted as much as 80 per cent in February. According to the Chinese ministry of commerce, resumption rate of large supermarket chains and convenience stores reached 99.5 per cent and 95.4 per cent in the month of May, respectively, with their sales volume surpassing the levels recorded in the same period last year.

    The industry is expecting a similar reaction to the lifting up of lockdown in India and is preparing for it.

    According to McDonald’s India West and South head of marketing Arvind RP, the market is observing a lot of pent-up demand in his industry segment as people are reliant on home-cooked meals for over a month because of the lockdown.

    He said: “There is a lot of pent-up demand among the consumers and they will be looking for high-quality, hygienic food. Will it be more towards dining out or deliveries is a separate question, but I guess it will be more towards the latter.”

    He added that since the customer might be frugal and careful with the spends, brands like his, which serve in the value category, will see an upsurge in the sales. He also noted that there will be little to no concept of brand loyalty while making these purchases.

    Wavemaker India VP Kishan Kumar Shyamal said: “Brand availability is going to be greater than brand equity.”

    Madison World Sigma CEO Vanita Keswani put herself in the consumer’s shoes and admits that even she is looking forward to visiting places like Hypercity for purchasing her ration than going to the local stores.

    She also noted: “As per a Kantar study, Indians are hopeful that they will bounce back from the situation quickly. Also, international researches indicate that the recession will not be very terrible in the country.”

    Initiative India CEO Vaishali Verma also pointed out while categories like fashion and apparel are suffering because of the lockdown, there is definitely a lot of pent-up demand that will arise once the situation normalises.

    However, she added that consumers will be more rational in their choices and brands will have to adapt to their needs to benefit the most out of the situation.

  • Facebook’s Asia-Pacific numbers lesser impacted than other regions in pandemic quarter

    Facebook’s Asia-Pacific numbers lesser impacted than other regions in pandemic quarter

    BENGALURU: As people across most of the globe retreated indoors under the lockdown announced by most of the countries to reduce the growth rate of Covid2019, world economies were badly hit. Officegoers had no other option but to use media to keep themselves occupied as the amount of work-to-do shrank. With the closure of education institutions, theaters and malls and hotels, etc., misplaced suspicion about the safety of newsprint, no new television/film content being produced, news and movies on television, OTT, internet, social media, became the new tools for entertainment and information, for networking and socialising distantly, education, occupying minds, etc.  

    Social media networking major Facebook or FB reported its numbers for the first quarter ended 31 March 2020 (Q1 2020, quarter or period under review). Facebook reported 15.87 per cent lower Q-o-Q numbers for the quarter under review as compared to the previous quarter (quarter ended 31 December 2019, Q4 2019), but 17.64 per cent higher Y-o-Y than the year ago quarter Q1 2019. FB has witnessed Q-o-Q revenue declines in the first quarter earlier – in Q1 2018, revenue declined 7.76 per cent as compared to Q4 2018 and in Q1 2019 it declined 10.86 per cent as compared to Q4 2018. Overall, Facebook numbers have shown an increasing trend, the Covid2019 quarter is just a slightly bigger than the normal bump in its path to growth.

    FB reports revenues from four major geographical regions in the world – the largest in terms of revenue being the US-Canada region, followed by Europe, Asia-Pacific (A-Pac) and the Rest of the World or RoW. The US-Canada region contributes about 48 per cent, the Europe region about 24 per cent, APAC region about 18 per cent and RoW about 10 per cent to FB’s revenues. Please refer to the figure below for FB revenue breakup.

    Advertisement is the major revenue stream for FB that contributes to more than 98 per cent to its overall revenues. The figure below shows contribution in terms of percentage of ad revenue to total ad revenue from these geographical regions. As is obvious, the APAC region is the only one that has shown growth in contribution to FB’s ad revenues during Q1 2020 – It contributed 17.56 per cent to FB’s ad revenues in the previous quarter and its contribution to ad revenue increased to 18.56 per cent  in Q1 2020. As a matter of fact, the APAC region has shown only two downward blips in its contribution to ad revenue during 9 quarters (the quarter under review and its preceding 8 quarters). These two blips happened in Q1 2020 and Q4 2018.

    Growth in contribution to revenue from the APAC region has generally been steadier than the other regions. When FB’s revenues have declined Q-o-Q, the decline in revenues from the APACregion has been lower than the other regions during these nine quarters. The APACregion’s total revenue declined 11.13 per cent Q-o-Q in Q1 2020 as compared to declines of 16.45 percent, 17.54 per cent and 17.21 per cent from US-Canada, Europe and RoW regions respectively. Y-o-Y, revenues grew 17.16 percent, 16.55 percent, 21.44 per cent and 15.80 per cent in Q1 2020 from FB’s US-Canada, Europe, APAC and RoW regions, respectively.

    Facebook’s Daily Active Users or DAU grew 4.65 per cent in Q1 2020 to 1.734 billion as compared to 1.657 billion in Q4 2019. The APAC region has a major chunk of humanity, consequently, the company’s largest DAU are from the APACregion, and the number of these APACusers in Q1 2020 has grown 5.77 per cent Q-o-Q. Comparatively, the US-Canada, Europe and RoW regions have seen DAU growth in the quarter under review versus the immediate trailing quarter of 2.63 percent, 3.74 per cent and 4.51 per cent respectively. Please refer to the figure below:

    The US-Canada region has the least DAU  among the four FB regions, however, this region has FB’s highest ARPU or average revenue per person, as well as the highest Family Average Revenue Per Peson or ARPP. Facebook defines a monthly active person (MAP) as a registered and logged-in user of Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and/or WhatsApp (collectively, FB’s "Family" of products) who visited at least one of
    these Family products through a mobile device application or using a web or mobile browser in the last 30 days as of the date of measurement. 

    With drop in revenue, Facebook’s ARPU in Q1 2020 dropped 12.89 per cent Q-o-Q world wide. Q-o-Q FB’s APAC region ARPU declined 6.08 percent. ARPU drops of 13.6 per cent by US-Canada, 13.02 per cent by Europe and 10.43 per cent by RoW also happened in the quarter under review. Please refer to the figure below:

    Excerpts on what the company has to say

    "Our work has always been about helping you stay connected with the people you care about," said FB founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, "With people relying on our services more than ever, we're focused on keeping people safe, informed and connected."

    Impact of Covid2019 on Outlook

    On Revenue: Our business has been impacted by the Covid2019 pandemic and, like all companies, we are facing a period of unprecedented uncertainty in our business outlook. We expect our business performance will be impacted by issues beyond our control, including the duration and efficacy of shelter-in-place orders, the effectiveness of economic stimuli around the world, and the fluctuations of currencies relative to the U.S. dollar.

    After the initial steep decrease in advertising revenue in March, we have seen signs of stability reflected in the first three weeks of April, where advertising revenue has been approximately flat compared to the same period a year ago, down from the 17 per cent year-over-year growth in the first quarter of 2020. The April trends reflect weakness across all of our user geographies as most of our major countries have had some sort of shelter-in-place guidelines in effect.

    On Expenses:We expect to realize operational expense savings in certain areas such as travel, events, and marketing as well as from slower headcount growth in our business functions. However, we plan to continue to invest in product development and to recruit technical talent. In addition, we have committed over $300 million to date in investments to help our broader community during the crisis, which will have an impact on our financial performance this year. As a result, we expect total expenses in 2020 to be between $52-56 billion, down from the prior range of $54-59 billion. While this reflects a moderate reduction in the planned growth rate of total expenses, our overall expense growth in the face of expected revenue weakness will have a negative impact on 2020 operating margins.

    On Capex: Our significant investments in infrastructure over the past four years have served us well during this period of high user engagement. We plan to continue to grow our capex investments to enhance and expand our global infrastructure footprint over the long term. In 2020, we expect capital expenditures to be approximately $14-16 billion, down from the prior range of $17-19 billion. This reduction reflects a significant decrease in our construction efforts globally related to shelter-in-place orders. Given the strong engagement growth and related demands on our infrastructure, this year's capex reduction should be viewed as a deferral into 2021 rather than savings.
     

  • Amazon Prime Video users nearly doubled in March 2020

    Amazon Prime Video users nearly doubled in March 2020

    MUMBAI: It's a trend worldwide that over-the-top (OTT) platforms have seen huge uptake in consumption under shelter-in-place directives due to the Covid2019 crisis. Amazon Prime Video is no exception. The streaming service segment of the e-commerce giant is also experiencing a lot more usage from prime subscribers. Moreover, it's the first time that users also nearly doubled in March. 

    “In March, the first time, viewers nearly doubled, which is I think a good thing for people when they are looking to stay entertained and see our video collection. It's also beyond just Prime Video, our channels and video rentals also went up as I'm sure others in the entertainment business saw that as well,” Amazon senior vice president and chief financial officer Brian T Olsavsky said in an earnings call.

    Olsavsky also mentioned that in the US, the UK and Germany movies are going direct to pay-per-view because of the lack of theatres and that was a good move by the team. It has been very well received and they have also made a lot of kids and family content available free to watch on Prime Video. He said that people are getting a better look at what's available with their Prime memberships other than shopping. 

    Additionally, users are finding more benefit from Alexa as they stay at home. They are listening to more music and asking many questions related to issues around Covid2019. Alexa is also being used for educational purposes for children. Moreover, it is being used a lot more on the communication side as people are using Alexa calling and drop in.

    “So I think the Prime story is that shopping is really important for people now, especially when those people can't leave their houses. I think the digital benefits are scaling well. I think they are handling the additional demand and it gives people a good time and reason to use all of their Prime benefits that maybe they hadn't used as much in the past,” he added.