Tag: Cricket

Sony Six: gunning for pole position

MUMBAI: If you saw the 2013 film Rush about the fierce rivalry between 70s Formula One racing drivers James Hunt and Niki Lauda, Sony Six seems to be getting into the fast lane too now along with arch rival Star Sports.

Not only does the channel have a diverse sports bouquet on offer, it boasts some of the biggest international sporting properties including The Pepsi Indian Premiere League (IPL), UEFA EURO 2016, Qualifiers for UEFA EURO 2016, European Qualifiers for 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia, Total Non-Stop Action (TNA), The Australian Open Tennis Championship, The NBA, The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) as well as The Indian Open Super Series and The India Open Grand Prix Gold in badminton.

Yes, arch rival Star Sports has some hot cricket properties featuring India’s official team and other niche Indian sports tournaments, but the idea at Sony Six is to stand out from the competition and break the clutter by bringing in a wide array of sports which have their own loyal fan base.

Says Sony Six business head Prasana Krishnan: “We believe in picking up sports that have a lot of latent potential – like basketball – as we really believe that in terms of infrastructure, it’s easily available all over the country and will slowly gain popularity.”

As for content like UFC and TNA, he reasons that traditionally, the country has always had an active fight sports culture, with some of the best international performances emanating from this sphere.

Sony Six has a full programming slate with a good mix of sports and is also making a statement in terms of content acquisition with back-to-back announcements of global sporting properties.

Speaking of the rights’ acquisition of the FIFA World Cup 2014 and 2018, Krishnan expounds: “If we look at the trend in ratings, every time there is a big event like a EURO or FIFA, we see tremendous growth in interest for football in the country. So, keeping that aspect in mind, football is really an area that has not been explored to its full potential thus far.”

Sony Six is looking to position itself as the home for international football for the next five years. “So be it whichever country that is playing like France, Germany, Argentina or Spain. Every time any of these countries play, the viewers get an opportunity to see their favorite stars and it helps build the brand and audience base further,” adds Krishnan.

Besides, the channel has big plans for a 360 degree marketing campaign to promote FIFA comprising outdoor, print, digital, radio and television. “Six will be the main platform for the on-air promotion and we will also use the whole Sony network to spread the awareness. It’s too early to elaborate on the product as it is still six months away, but we will surely make it viral,” explains Krishnan.

Kicking off Sony Six’s events’ calendar is the channel’s very first live international sporting event – India’s tour of New Zealand starting this Sunday, with five ODIs and two test matches.

“Our portfolio for the current year is quite extensive, starting off with India’s tour of New Zealand, followed by FIFA, then European Central Qualifiers and the Australian Open. Thus, if you see in terms of competition, we certainly consider ourselves among the top sports broadcasters in the country. And all this in just under a year,” says Krishnan.

At just 10 per cent, consumption of other sports vis-?-vis cricket is very marginal, leaving a wide space for other sports to build on their following.

“The Indian market is huge and the way it’s structured is enormous; there is certainly potential in this country for various sports beyond cricket, and we as a channel would like to cash in on this opportunity,” stresses Krishnan.

Are there any plans to infiltrate Hindi speaking markets (HSMs)? “Well, we certainly have a lot of plans in the pipeline as we want to penetrate into that market as well and I know it has been a recent trend for running simulcast of events with Hindi and English commentary. But if you just go back in time, Sony has already tried and tested this proposition during last year’s IPL. So if things work well, I really don’t see any problem in doing so. We have taken the rights for multiple languages’ broadcast as well,” concludes Krishnan.

January 17, 2014
SONY SIX bags the exclusive rights to the New Zealand – India cricket Series

MUMBAI: SONY SIX, India’s premier sports and entertainment channel has acquired the exclusive broadcast rights to the New Zealand vs India cricket series. The series will be held in New Zealand and is scheduled from the 19th January 2014 to the 18th February 2014. The 30 day tour starts with five ODIs followed by two Test Matches.

Commenting on this acquisition, Mr. N.P Singh, CEO, MSM said, “We are delighted to partner New Zealand Cricket as the official broadcaster to this series. With this acquisition we are staying true to our objective of delivering high octane sporting events. Sony SIX viewers can now look forward to some of the best cricketing action from two of the most stellar cricket teams in the world.”

Mr. Prasana Krishnan, Business Head, SONY SIX, said, “We are delighted to have this series come our way early into the New Year. Through this acquisition we will give our viewers direct action to one of the most awaited cricket series in 2014. Both New Zealand and India play exciting brand of cricket and we are thrilled to be the exclusive partner to this promising series.”

Mr. David White, CEO, New Zealand Cricket, said, “We are delighted to partner with Sony SIX for the series. India is home to the most passionate and dedicated cricket fans, and with Sony SIX as partners for the series, we are assured to reach out to the fans in the best manner.”

The India tour of New Zealand 2014 bilateral series is a part of the Future Cricket Tour Program (FTP) prepared by International Cricket Council (ICC). This is the first series for the Indian team in the 2014 calendar. The two teams last met in New Zealand five years back in 2009 where India were able to register a series win in New Zealand after 41 years.

Sony SIX, India’s Premier Sports Entertainment Channel is owned and operated by MSM India. The company is well known to exclusively broadcast some of the world’s largest as well as renowned international sporting properties like The Pepsi IPL, UEFA EURO 2016, Qualifiers for UEFA EURO 2016 and the European Qualifiers for FIFA World Cup 2018, The Australian Open, TNA, The NBA and The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Since its inception, the channel has successfully managed to target the youth of India through a mix of sports and entertainment.

January 9, 2014
IPL 2014 auction to be held on 12 February

MUMBAI: The seventh edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to begin its auction early next year with eight teams in the fray. The Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) has announced that the auction for the new edition will be held on 12 February and if needed will be extended to 13 February 2014 as well. An embargo has been placed on franchisees approaching players from other teams before 11 January.

A minimum of 16 players and a maximum of 27 players will be allowed to be auctioned to each of the eight teams in which only nine overseas players can be included. In a match, only four international players can play. Last year, franchisees could have 33 players including 11 from overseas.

Players can stay in a franchisee for a year and then have an extension of a year or two as compared to the one year restriction that was imposed last year. This has to be exercised before 15 December. Maximum of five players from the 2013 squad can be retained before the auction that can include both capped and uncapped players, the contract for which must be submitted to the BCCI on or before 10 January.

The first capped player who will be retained will be charged Rs 12.5 crore and Rs 4 crore for each uncapped player retained. These players will not be auctioned. The minimum requirement for catchment area players has been removed.

The cap for the IPL fees for an entire squad is Rs 60 crore that will increase by 5 per cent per annum for 2015 and 2016 while the minimum would be Rs 36 crore. The fees will now be denominated in rupees for Indian players and international players can have it in their own currency. Last year’s entire squad cost $ 12.5 million.

One addition has been made to the auction with ‘rights to match’ (RTM) available to a franchise depending on number of retained players. For five to three players, one RTM is allowed, for one or two, two RTM is given and three RTM will be given if no players from last year is retained. RTM will allow franchisees to have a final call on the bid price after which no other franchise can bid on it.

December 24, 2013
Micromax ropes in Hugh Jackman as its brand ambassador

Mumbai: Building on the promise of ‘nothing like anything’ experience, Micromax has signed Hollywood actor Hugh Jackman as its brand ambassador.

In a first of its kind association for the brand, the actor will be seen endorsing the Canvas series of the brand. The association would start with its new smartphone – Canvas Turbo that will be soon launched in the Indian market.

Speaking on the association, Micromax chief marketing officer Shubhodip Pal said: “We are very excited to welcome Hugh Jackman in the Micromax family as he truly embodies the aspirational, reinventing and fearless persona of the brand. As we look to expand our footprint across the globe in various international markets, the association with Jackman is an ideal partnership for us to connect with audiences as he is the leading name in the entertainment industry in the world.”

He further added: “At Micromax, we have always believed in offering products and services that empower our consumers with the latest technologies and innovations. This is a strategic partnership and we look forward to creating a strong 360 degrees campaign for our audiences across print, TV and online platforms.”

Reinventing the story of empowerment, Micromax has always urged consumers to explore new boundaries in the Indian market.

out the association with Micromax, Jackman said, “I am extremely thrilled and honored to be a part of the Micromax family. I am a huge lover of India as it is one of the most exciting countries in the world and we also share our love for cricket. Phones are genuinely time saving devices that can help you live a better life while juggling around with different situations. The new Canvas phone is a leap in innovation with great sense of fun and amazing features that helps me balance my work with all the different roles that I play in my everyday life.”

October 17, 2013
NEW DELHI: This year’s Indian Premier League proved to be an expose of the kind of rot that has set into what was once touted as the gentleman’s game. With the who’s who of cricket and entertainment dragged into the murky world of betting and spot-fixing,

NEW DELHI: This year’s Indian Premier League proved to be an expose of the kind of rot that has set into what was once touted as the gentleman’s game. With the who’s who of cricket and entertainment dragged into the murky world of betting and spot-fixing, not to mention two cricketers banned for life, the focus has shifted to the possibility of legalising and regulating sports betting.

At the two-day ‘Conference on Regulating Sports Betting and Sports Law’ organised by FICCI recently, experts from different walks of life, through a consensus resolution, called for stringent laws to curb fraud and doping in sports.

Inaugurating the meet, former Punjab and Haryana Chief Justice and Chairman of the Supreme Court Probe Panel into the IPL 2013 Betting and Spot Fixing Scandal, Mukul Mudgal, said the time had come to stop debating whether there was a need to regulate sports betting or not. Justice Mudgal said that besides doping, one of the biggest threats to the integrity of sports was sporting fraud, which includes match fixing, spot fixing, tanking and point shaving among others.

His reasons for favouring regulation included: the government would earn substantial revenue from taxing sports betting, the unauthorised manner in which betting was currently taking place was a threat to the integrity of sports and sportspersons, some grass root sports programs could very well use the money generated, unauthorised betting was a source of revenue for hardened criminals, and law-abiding citizens were getting unnecessarily exposed to such anti-social elements.

Justice Mudgal opined that the rate at which winnings from betting were to be taxed could be decided by the government and that 20 per cent would not be high, considering that in some jurisdictions like Austria and UK, the taxation rate is up to 28 per cent and 25 per cent, respectively.

olicitor General of India N Viswanathan added: “There are pros and cons involved in legalising and regulating betting but before that, the Government should set up an Independent Regulatory Commission to study the various aspects in depth and come out with a solution, keeping in mind the elimination of book makers.”

Alex Ward, Vice President Commonwealth Lawyers Association said: “The concern in Australia about the results of gambling and betting isn’t as much as the concern about corruption, doping and match fixing. India should legalise and regulate rather than prevent betting. By regulating like in Australia, the central and state government can get more revenue for development of sports. In India, there are some social and ethical problems unlike in Australia.”

Carl Rohsler, Partner in Squire Sanders (UK), LLP, and International Gambling Laws Expert said that India had a choice about whether to regulate certain forms of gambling or not. “One thing that I would like to see is a survey of gambling in India – to try to gain some understanding of the numbers involved. I would also recommend the creation of some kind of committee to formally address issues related to gambling – in order to be a repository of information and knowledge not only about gambling in India but gambling all around the world. FICCI has done a great deal to start the debate – but it cannot be expected to shoulder the whole burden. The time has come for more formal support. I stress that this is not support of gambling, but support of finding out about gambling,” he said. Among the reasons he gave for regulating gambling: the first was to protect society from harm; second to facilitate movement of money from the illegitimate to legitimate sector; third, the government was responsible for operating gambling in an honest, appropriate and transparent manner; fourth, match fixers and money launderers would find it difficult to operate in a regulated market; and finally, illegitimate operators would be kept out of such a market.

Dr A Didar Singh, Secretary General, FICCI, pointed out that with an estimated $600 million betting market in India and a possible 20 per cent tax rate on profit from betting, it would rake in revenue to the tune of $ 120-190 million for the exchequer. He said the moot question of course was whether sports betting could be regulated in India like in other countries in order to aid sports development. Singh gave the example of lottery as a regulated business in India. “While there are no authentic figures about all the states in India because of the different methods adopted for accounting of lottery receipts, it is reliably learnt that a state like Kerala is getting net revenue of Rs 682 crores (FY 2012-13) through the medium of lotteries. It has been estimated that the potential revenue for all the states from lotteries would not be less than Rs10000 to Rs12000 crore a year,” he said.

Meanwhile, Solicitor General of India Mohan Parasaran, in his key note speech during the session on ‘Threat to Integrity of Sports: Match Fixing and Doping’ said there had been extensive discussions between the ministries of sports, and law and youth affairs, regarding drafting modern laws on sports betting with a proposal to bring in stand-alone legislation on the subject. He said ‘The Prevention of Sporting Fraud Bill 2013’ was a step in that direction and had been drafted only after studying the laws of different countries including Denmark, Finland and Germany among others.

Senior criminal advocate K T S Tulsi, in his key note address during the session on International efforts to curb sporting fraud: Information gathering, Regulatory structure, Criminal Law and Courts said: “After the Indian Premier League fiasco, there is a big hue and cry regarding the amendments in sports law and inclusion of issues such as criminalization of sports, invoking criminal law for match fixing and betting, and strengthening of anti-doping laws but, in an effort to clean up sports, sportsmen should not be made scapegoats. Criminal law should be invoked only where a guilty intent is proved and players should not be liable of match fixing and doping on mere presumption. There should be strong evidence to prove a player’s involvement as once an allegation is made in the media, it has a tendency to stick even in the absence of any proof and the player becomes victim to a media trial even before being declared guilty by the courts. At the same time, legalizing betting would be a step in the right direction as this will ensure transparency and lead to removal of corruption from sports, which is the need of the hour.”

Former Attorney General of India Soli Sorabjee said during the same session: “Betting is a natural human instinct, which is inherent to human beings – it should not be denied and time demands that it should be discussed seriously to come out with the solutions to match fixing.”

Expectedly, former Sri Lankan Cricket Team Captain Arjuna Ranatunga, spoke on behalf of players: “There is a need for creating awareness and sensitising players on the consequences of doping and other sports frauds,” he said.

According to him, match fixers often do not catch top players but look out for smaller fish in top teams. On the subject of doping, he said that players coming from rural areas are not aware about the ill effects of doping and are innocent. So they need to be sensitised about various drugs and their consequences.

October 17, 2013
Astill’s study of India through cricket binoculars

The book came out last month; but our review has found space on indiantelevision.com only in September. Readers, who have not yet got their hands on the book, would be wise to do so. I am a cricket fanatic and thoroughly enjoyed reading this fast paced close peek of the evolution of modern India. And would advice you to do the same if you love the game of the red cherry – or white one – if one looks at what‘s in use in modern day cricket.

James Astill

James Astill, the Economist‘s correspondent in India between 2007 and 2010, watched the rise of IPL. With cricket‘s biggest shebang as the back ground, he has gone on to narrate a wider story of modern India. Much of this story is known. Yet while Astill relies on previously published material, what makes his book exceptional is his first-hand reporting.

The ‘tamasha’ of Astill’s title is a Hindi word meaning entertainment or show. As he tells the story, it was inevitable over time that the Indian public would forsake the extended dramas and longueurs of Test cricket for the shorter, more colourful and energetic forms of the game. This process began with India’s completely unexpected victory at the 1983 World Cup under the leadership of Kapil Dev, and has now reached its ultimate incarnation in the cat and mouse game also termed as the Twenty20 format and controversy’s favourite child the Indian Premier League.

Astill is a keen follower of the game and says “the story of Indian cricket is not only about cohesion and success, but is deeply pathetic.” He has very objectively and figuratively described the poor state of infrastructure in the country; a place where millions of children aspire to wear the Indian jersey someday. But the harsh truth is they are unlikely to even get a chance to play an organised version of the game, with a good bat and leather ball. One of the most touching stories is of the railway clerk in Rajkot who, using a concrete pitch and tattered nets, has coached several first-class cricketers, including his son – now a leading light of India‘s Test team.

Politics in democratic India, Astill observes, is “feudal, corrupt and vindictive”, and the administration of cricket is no more than an aspect of politics. Money was everything in the establishment of the IPL, the cricket itself almost incidental. More than $700 million was paid for the first franchises. The Indian captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, is reckoned to earn $21 million a year from the game. Foreign mercenaries such as Kevin Pietersen and Shane Warne were bid for like prize bulls at a livestock market. At some matches the players’ salaries were flashed up on the scoreboard alongside their batting averages; going on to emphasis the fact that the sport has been portrayed in a completely different light.

Astill seems to have talked to everyone who is anyone involved in this deeply unattractive business – including Lalit Modi, the now-disgraced founder of the IPL, whose capacity for intrigue was exceeded only by his genius for making enemies. Almost equally disconcerting is the formidable Sharad Pawar, who combines the job of India’s agriculture minister with controlling the Indian Cricket Board and being president of the International Cricket Council.

In comparison with the corporate (read: administrators) and the Bollywood stars who keenly follow the action from the boundary’s edge, the players seem considerably more likeable. Astill tracks down the inspirational Warne, former captain of the Rajasthan Royals. Warne speaks up expressively on behalf of Twenty20, before innocently sabotaging his case by admitting that “for me it’s always about Test cricket”.

The striking thing about most of those in charge of the IPL is their lack of real passion for cricket itself. They are in it to seek exposure, to sell advertising, to exercise power. Almost none of the money filters down to fund coaching or grass-roots facilities. As for the games themselves, Astill’s judgment is that most lack tension and the real edge of competition.

Astill relentlessly highlights all this and comes to the sad conclusion that India may end up killing the great traditions of cricket. And yet Astill finds that in the streets and on patches of waste ground in the slums and villages of India, (during his stint in the Indian-subcontinent) the game is furiously alive, uniting millions in the simple desire to hurl a ball fast or spin it with conniving intent, and to hit it far. “This is where Indian cricket resides,” Astill writes eloquently, “far from the elite, the corrupt politicians and turkey-cocking film stars who have laid claim to it.” And therein lies the hope that this most beautiful of games will survive.

September 19, 2013
Champions League Twenty20 2013: A Preview

MUMBAI: The coming weeks are going to be a treat for cricket lovers as they have many reasons to cheer. Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid will be playing their last internationl T20 matches. Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad will be competing against giants from the countries of Australia, South Africa, West Indies, Pakistan, New Zealand and Sri Lanka.

The Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians will fight for the top two spots in Group A to qualify for the semis, whereas Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad will compete in Group B.

Six on air sponsors have already been signed – Karbonn Mobile and Tata Docomo have come on board as co-presenting sponsors while Airtel Broadband, Pernod Ricard, Bharat Business Channel (Videocon D2H), Panasonic and Toshiba India have been roped in as associate sponsors.

On ground sponsors include – Karbonn Mobiles, Panasonic, Britannia, Panasonic TV and Jaypee cements. This is the second year in a row that Karbonn Mobile has associated itself with CLT20. Previous sponsors include Nokia and Bharti Airtel.

The total prize money is the same as the previous year as $6 million out of which the winning team will receive $2.5 million. ESPN Star Sports bought the global broadcast rights for CLT20 in 2008 at a whopping $900 million for the next ten years.

A musical anthem Ragad Ragad has been created as part of the marketing campaign for this edition which is currently running on electronic and digital media. Prasoon Joshi has written the lyrics for it and the track performed by Mika Singh, who will also be performing at the opening ceremony on 21 September in Jaipur.

CLT20 will also have bilingual commentary in both English and Hindi. Star Sports and Star Cricket HD will be in English while Star Cricket will have it in Hindi. Additionally, this year the first and the final matches will be telecast on Star Gold as well with Hindi commentary. “We have also invested heavily on building strong Karbonn Smart CLT20 centric programming in the run-up to the league,” says ESPN Software India COO Vijay Rajput.

Commentators who will be giving viewers an ear-gasmic experience include Harsha Bhogle, Sanjay Manjrekar, Wasim Akram, Simon Doull, Alan Wilkins, Ravi Shastri, Sunil Gavaskar, Ian Bishop, Pommie Mbangwa, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, Kapil Dev, Sanjay Bangar, Ayaz Memon, Deep Dasgupta, Murali Karthik, Aakash Chopra and Arun Lal.

The action has already begun on ESPN Star Sports channels but the real deal is yet to begin.

September 19, 2013
Aidem Ventures: A comeback tale

Filling someone‘s shoes is never easy and especially when that someone is the person you‘ve always looked up to. Vikas Khanchandani, director of media outsourcing firm Aidem Ventures, who was part of the founding team humbly acknowledges the fact.

“We all know Raj Nayak the man who started it and had the vision to look at an opportunity keeping in mind the fragmentation that the industry was witnessing. He has left very large shoes for me to fill and I don‘t think it‘s going to be easy doing that. After working with him for 14 years I am glad to make an attempt at fulfilling a dream and I know he is extremely proud of what we have done and continue to do.”

Aidem Ventures was carved out of NDTV Media which ad veteran Raj had set up as a 26:74 joint venture in 2003 with major TV news network NDTV. NDTV Media‘s role was to do ad sales for NDTV (and any other channels it would launch), Mi Marathi and Sahara‘s TV channels. All was well for a few years.

But then NDTV launched a Hindi GEC NDTV Imagine in 2008 and did not hand over ad sales to Raj and his team. He waited and watched for a couple of years for things to change, but nothing did.

Vikas Khanchandani believes obstacles are the best path to take

Hence, in 2010, Raj decided to quit NDTV Media and with the supposed blessings of both Prannoy and Radhika Roy he set up Aidem Ventures taking its entire sales team and business to the new firm in an effort to build a standalone enterprise. Things were hunky-dory, and Raj roped in some senior industry professionals such as Kaushal Dalal, M. Suku to strengthen the organisation. The venture was cruising until a year later when NDTV decided not to renew its contract. It was almost as if the entire floor collapsed under Aidem as NDTV accounted almost 80 per cent of the new fledgling‘s business.
Many of the founding senior management team headed for the exits. Around this time, Raj moved to Viacom18 as the CEO of Colors after finding an investor and well wisher, leaving with the belief that Vikas and team would successfully run with the baton.

Raj also took the efforts to reassure everyone that the company will continue to keep its stakeholders‘ benefit in mind and will work forward to fulfilling its motto.

“But those were tough times,” recollects Vikas. “We scaled down our operations and had to calm clients apart from making sure that our colleagues were absorbed in other companies. We did not lay off anyone.”

The Aidem dream team: Alok Rakshit (regional entertainment & news head), Joydeep Ghosh (eBUS business head, India), Lama Choudhury (business development head)

The investor that came in was none other than a client in his personal capacity: Ashok Gupta of the HDIL group, who was involved in a channel Live India. His entry and financial injection proved to be the proverbial turning point.

From being a near basket case then, the firm has come back very strongly. And how. Today, Aidem has 100 plus employees and 30 clients across broadcasters and publishers nationally and claims to be more experienced in the outsourced model compared to any of its peers. The reason behind this is nothing but years of experience and practice that has built a whole host of services and IT enabled infrastructure that has given it an edge over some of the larger networks.

“We spent two years to create extensive resources to have a robust platform which is web enabled giving people opportunity to feed, view and retrieve information on the go. We have experience across platforms and across genres from news – national and regional, regional entertainment, Hindi entertainment and niche and hence have build extensive knowledge and on pricing and strategy which have immensely helped our partners to improve their yields,” explains Vikas.

He further adds, “We have the finest operations process and teams, something that keeps revenue based errors to negligible levels thereby bringing efficiencies in our service. Aidem also has one of the finest digital sales and operations team offering solutions to our digital publishers. Lastly, we are go-to-market experts, something that we have proven to our technology partners by creating the business model and then executing it as per plan and strategy to create one of the largest service providers in digital delivery of ad commercials within the country.”

Madison Media COO Karthik Lakshminarayan agrees that there is a need-gap in the market and that is when such media-sales organisations have a huge potential to flourish. “Niche and regional channels don‘t have enough revenues to have a specified sales team and hence, such organisations come to their rescue unlike the large networks which have their own set ups.”

The Aidem dream team contd: Neena Dasgupta (digital & international business head), Nikhil Sheth (Hindi entertainment & niche channels head) , Shailendra Shetty (systems head)

Vikas has built a solid team, which is responsible for the Rs 200 plus crore business, Aidem generates across platforms for its clients. Alok Rakshit is the business head across regional entertainment and news. Neena Dasgupta looks after the digital & international businesses as business head. Joydeep Ghosh leads the eBUS Business for India. Nikhil Sheth is business head across Hindi entertainment & niche channels while Shailendra Shetty has been instrumental in devising and developing work flow and system for traffic and sales operations. Lama Choudhury heads the business development team and is actively involved with all commercial negotiations and deal evaluations. He has been with Aidem right from its incorporation.

“Our hierarchy is simple, each business head has people under them looking after different regions,” explains Vikas.

Tamil television broadcaster Jaya Network which has been with Aidem for more than an year is not only content but also thanks it for bringing in more clients (read: revenues). “We started with one channel but now Aidem handles the whole bouquet and within a year we have seen a 30 per cent increase in revenue,” proudly proclaims Jaya TV marketing head S Senthil Velavan.

Similarly, The Economist which is in its second year of association with Aidem never anticipated the results it has got so far. “I knew Neena Dasgupta and when she came with a proposal for our online business, we were open to it. And all I can say is that revenues are now substantial while it was negligible when they came to us,” says The Economist India MD Supriyo Guha Thakurta.

One venture which the organisation feels was a god-send was that of eBus, a digitial delivery and distribution platform for short form TV commercials, which it set up as a joint venture with a Singapore based company (headed by its CEO Carmine Masiello) of the same name in 2010. eBus is arguably one of the largest providers of this service to the advertising and broadcasting industries and was acquired by media logistics company IMD this year. “The acquisition gave us some good cash which has helped us retire all debt,” says Vikas. “But Aidem has the contract to manage it for the next five years. eBus is one of the finest cloud based delivery service and industry swears by it. We have around 300 clients using it.”

Karthik Laxminarayan says outfits such as Aidem Ventures help the smaller players

Like for any other, the journey for Aidem so far has been challenging, trying and exciting at the same breath. Not every client stays and it has had its fair share of losses. For instance, Radiowalla‘s co-founder Anil Srivatsa feels that though they had partnered with Aidem for only six months, the expectations and capabilities didn‘t match. He blames the timing for it, but however hasn‘t struck it off completely and wouldn‘t mind considering it in the future.

Ups and down are a part and parcel of life and keeping that in mind Aidem sees itself as a platform that will create opportunities for many of its partners to grow and in the process grow with them. It has shortlisted some of the growth areas that it needs to put its energies in to and build them into substantial and valuable business over the next three to five years.

“Right now, Aidem 1.0 is about trading while Aidem 2.0 will be about building platforms offering solutions across channels using technology as a tool to scale. We will also be building new business/services verticals using technology as a tool/differentiator that will help bridge some need gap within our industry,” says Vikas optimistically.

He hopes to reduce the revenue dependence on channels too. “We are far better off from the days of the 80 per cent dependency on NDTV for revenues. But I would like it to come down from the 14 per cent to 20 per cent which it is currently. What that means is getting in more channels,” says Vikas.

What was it that kept him going when everything else around him seemed to be falling apart? “It has been touch and go on several occasions,” he confesses. “But for all of us at Aidem: obstacles are the best path to take.”

Maybe the quote by Marcel Proust “We don‘t receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us” can sum up Aidem‘s journey.

July 4, 2013


James Astill

Celkon Mobile Cup trophy unveiled in West Indies

BENGALURU: Cricket, cricket and more cricket… Cricket lovers have never had it so good as this summer…. Starting with the scam tainted IPL Season 6, Indian cricket lovers saw team India winning the ICC world Cup Championship in the UK a few days ago on Star Cricket. Now Indian cricket fans are gearing up for another trophy: The Celkon Mobile Cup trophy – though of a smaller magnitude with just three teams – India, Sri Lanka and the West Indies face off starting tomorrow on Ten Cricket.

The Celkon Mobile Cup Trophy was unveiled in Jamaica by Celkon Mobiles ED Murali in presence of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) officials and all three team captains M S Dhoni, Angelo Mathews and Dwayne Bravo at a glittering ceremony.

Celkon Mobiles is the title sponsor for the tri-nation series which will be played in Jamaica and Trinidad from 28 June to 11 July 2013.

Speaking on the occasion Murali said, “Celkon Mobile Cup is something to watch out for and we are proud to be associated with tri-nation series as the title sponsor. In India Cricket is much more than just a sport that represents the passion and spirit that India truly stands for it’s a culture that connects youth beyond boundaries. We are proud to be associated with this game and are elated to continue our patronage and support for the game.”

He further added, “The sponsorship addresses our commitment towards building a brand that echoes the pulse of the younger generation. We sincerely hope that the event will be a truly memorable experience for all cricket fans.”

The television coverage of the entire series is being produced by Ten Sport and the broadcast TV partner in India will be Ten Cricket, The event will also be broadcast globally.

Celkon Mobile Cup Schedule	Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad
Sabina Park, Jamaica	Friday, July 5 – West Indies v India
Friday, June 28 – West Indies v Sri Lanka	Sunday, July 7 – West Indies v Sri Lanka
Sunday, June 30 – West Indies v India	Tuesday, July 9 – Sri Lanka v India
Tuesday July 2 – India v Sri Lanka	Thursday, July 11 – Final (1st place v 2nd place)

June 28, 2013

Times Mobile brings home the Pepsi IPL play

MUMBAI: Times Mobile Limited has partnered, with Techfront, for their App – FollowOn which will provide a unique home experience to instadia fans at the Kotla for the playoffs on 21 and 22 May.

In a first of its kind, a large format sports venue will enable instadia fans, a fresh experience on the mobile and one that can change the quotient for a fan forever.

The viewers inside the stadium will be able to download the free app – Followon. The app will serve live cricket action to one‘s mobile phone as it happens on the pitch. The viewer will get live scores, commentary, news, features, stats, special scores, graphs, magic moments with push notifications and video content while being present at the venue.

All fans will be able to access free wi-fi connectivity at the venue and download the App from iTunes, Google Play, Market place to have this elevated fan experience at the venue.

FollowOn is from the stable of Techfront- a specialised provider of digital display systems, interactive solutions, instadia lighting for popular sports such as Cricket, F1, Football, Rugby, Tennis, Hockey etc.

May 22, 2013