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Tag: Czech Republic

  • Honda drives forward as Takashi Nakajima takes the wheel at HCIL

    Honda drives forward as Takashi Nakajima takes the wheel at HCIL

    MUMBAI: Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL) is shifting gears at the top, with Takashi Nakajima set to take over as president & CEO from 1 April 2025. Nakajima, a Honda veteran with over 30 years of global experience, succeeds Takuya Tsumura, who will return to Japan after an impactful three-year stint at the helm of HCIL.

    During his tenure in India, Tsumura bolstered Honda’s premium brand positioning, enhanced customer-centric solutions, and steered the company toward profitable growth. His leadership saw the launch of several landmark models, including the Honda City e:HEV, India’s first mainstream hybrid model; the Honda Elevate, the brand’s new global SUV; and the 3rd Generation Amaze, a refreshed take on Honda’s popular compact sedan.  

    Under his watch, Honda’s export operations expanded, with the Made-in-India elevate hitting Japanese roads. Tsumura also focused on integrated marketing campaigns to engage a diverse audience, while implementing efficiency-driven initiatives to enhance both customer experience and dealer profitability.

    Bringing decades of expertise from markets including Japan, China, Spain, Czech Republic, and Russia, Nakajima is no stranger to strategic growth. His impressive career spans business planning, product strategy, marketing, and sales promotion, with a recent role as president of Honda Motor Russia. He also led product planning and corporate communications for Honda’s domestic automobile business in Japan.

    With Honda gearing up for its first Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) launch in India, Nakajima’s entry signals a bold new chapter in Honda’s journey. As he prepares to take the wheel, all eyes are on how he will steer innovation, expansion, and electrification in one of the world’s most dynamic auto markets.

    As the industry shifts towards sustainable mobility, Nakajima’s leadership promises to accelerate Honda’s evolution in India. With a strong foundation laid by Tsumura, the road ahead looks primed for bigger ambitions, smarter technology, and an electrifying future.

  • India gives “poor” video streaming experience on smartphones

    India gives “poor” video streaming experience on smartphones

    MUMBAI: Despite India gaining momentum for video streaming on smartphones, the country still lags far behind on global standards — falling in the poor territory characterised by frequent stalling during video playback and long loading times even for low-resolution video, an OpenSignal report revealed on Tuesday according to ET Telecom.
    OpenSignal’s video experience metric, a first-of-its-kind measurement in the mobile industry, was derived from an International Telecommunication Union (ITU)-based approach for measuring video quality.
    For the analysis, OpenSignal examined 69 countries spread throughout the globe to see how they stacked up in video experience.
    “Our tests sample video at multiple resolutions accessed from multiple content providers, and they weigh three main criteria: the load time before the video begins playing, the stalling rate characterised by stops and stutters in the video playback, and the level of picture resolution,” OpenSignal said in a statement.

    When it comes to overall mobile video experience, India joins Iran and the Philippines below the “Fair” threshold into “Poor” territory (0-40), according to the report.
    The best video experience was recorded in the Czech Republic.
    According to the report, countries with extremely powerful LTE networks in terms of download and upload speeds, availability and coverage, aren’t always providing the best video experience.
    In general, European countries tended to rank higher than their counterparts in the Americas, while Asian and Middle Eastern countries are scattered throughout the rankings, the report pointed.
    “Eleven of the 69 countries we analysed earned a very good rating on OpenSignal’s video experience scale, meaning mobile video loaded quickly and rarely stalled even at higher resolutions,” the report added.
    A score that falls within 75-100 is Excellent, 65-75 is Very Good, 55-65 is Good, 40-55 is Fair and 0-40 is poor.
    While no country fell into the Excellent (75-100) category for average video quality, South Korea (with top download speed of 45.58 Mbps) was the fastest of the 69 countries analysed in the report.

    The vast majority of the 69 countries fell into a relatively narrow range of scores between 40 and 65, earning them either fair or good ratings.
    “It means for much of the world, the typical mobile video experience leaves something to be desired. Video load times are sluggish; stops and stutters mid-stream is common to varying degrees; and connections often have trouble coping with higher-resolution formats,” the report noted.
    Judged by the user experience rather than rote measurements, the mobile industry still has work to do when it comes to video.

  • The 13th Edition of The Times of India Sudoku Championship offers players an opportunity to represent India at the global stage

    The 13th Edition of The Times of India Sudoku Championship offers players an opportunity to represent India at the global stage

    MUMBAI: The Times Sudoku Championship, flagship tournament of the Times of India enters its 13th edition this year. As flag-bearers of Sudoku in the country, The Times of India has successfully spearheaded the championship for over a decade. One of India’s longest running Sudoku Championships provides the winners with an opportunity to represent the country at the World Sudoku Championship, which will take place on 4th -11thNovember 2018, in Prague, Czech Republic.

    The first set of rounds of the Times Sudoku Championship will be held across 5 cities including, Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata and Chennai over the next few weeks. Winners for the regional rounds will be picked on the basis of their performance during the on-ground event. The city finalists will be brought to Bennett University, Greater Noida for the national finale. The top four talented players will get a once in a lifetime opportunity to represent India at the World Sudoku Championship 2018, to be held in Prague.

    Sudoku has remained a mainstay in the publication’s leisure pages. In its 13th edition, the property will see an amplified push across the most engaging sections in Bombay Times, Delhi Times, Calcutta Times, Bangalore Times and Chennai Times as well as their digital platforms.

    Speaking about the Times Sudoku Championship 2018, Sanjeev Bhargava, Director-Brand TOI said, “Sudoku has a rich history of challenging intellectuals across the world. Its addictive nature comes from the fact that it can be formulated at varying degrees of difficulty and hence force the player to rise to that level of difficulty.Readers of The Times of India are the intellectual elite of this country and have always been fond of the puzzle that the newspaper has published regularly for the last 13 years. The Championship is yet another initiative by TOI to provide an opportunity to take their intellectual interest to a world stage.”

    The previous editions have seen some skilled minds take their passion and addiction for Sudoku to the next level. The Championship will be an opportunity for ardent players to compete with the best from around the world and win some medals for the country. The registration process is fairly simple and can be done via their website or a SMS to 56161 with the message ‘SUDOKU <space> Full Name <space> City’.

  • Tata Sky Kids’ Showcase service launched; features films from across globe

    Tata Sky Kids’ Showcase service launched; features films from across globe

    MUMBAI: Tata Sky, pioneer of innovative services in the DTH industry, will be launching an exclusive array of kids-based cinema from multiple countries with the launch of Tata Sky Kids’ Showcase service.

    Launched on 21 May, Kids’ Showcase features films from across the globe; including Denmark, Norway, France, Japan, Russia, Czech Republic, Finland, United Kingdom and United States of America apart from Indian movies. The bouquet of over 40 kids film on Kids’ Showcase will feature Indian, English, foreign feature & short films. 

    Tata Sky chief content and business development officer Paolo Agostinelli said, “With Kids’ Showcase, Tata Sky aims to create an opportunity for our kids to enjoy some unique, mostly unseen, high quality content, coming with different perspectives from India and around the world. Not just as some fun times, this could be an opportunity for them to share some quality time with their parents, hopefully stimulating reflections and discussions around a broad range of beautiful, diverse and meaningful stories.”

    Children can look forward to an exciting mix of award winning and nominated films, features and shorts from renowned studios such as Celluloid Dreams, Ghibli, Trust Nordisk, Folimage, Entertainment One and many more. Some of the movies acquired for the platform are The Nut Job, Labrinthus, Giraffada, Secret of Kells, Gattu, Jalpari, La Cage and many more.

    This new showcase service will air children’s films selected with the help of eminent children’s content curator, Monica Wahi, who is the founder of South Asian Children’s Cinema Forum and curated kids content at festivals such as The Mumbai Film Festival.

    Kids Showcase will run movies all day back-to-back and children can watch what they like on both the television and the Tata Sky Mobile App. With a bouquet of 21 kids channels, and 4 unique interactive services, Tata Sky has been continuously bolstering offerings for children.

     

  • Tata Sky Kids’ Showcase service launched; features films from across globe

    Tata Sky Kids’ Showcase service launched; features films from across globe

    MUMBAI: Tata Sky, pioneer of innovative services in the DTH industry, will be launching an exclusive array of kids-based cinema from multiple countries with the launch of Tata Sky Kids’ Showcase service.

    Launched on 21 May, Kids’ Showcase features films from across the globe; including Denmark, Norway, France, Japan, Russia, Czech Republic, Finland, United Kingdom and United States of America apart from Indian movies. The bouquet of over 40 kids film on Kids’ Showcase will feature Indian, English, foreign feature & short films. 

    Tata Sky chief content and business development officer Paolo Agostinelli said, “With Kids’ Showcase, Tata Sky aims to create an opportunity for our kids to enjoy some unique, mostly unseen, high quality content, coming with different perspectives from India and around the world. Not just as some fun times, this could be an opportunity for them to share some quality time with their parents, hopefully stimulating reflections and discussions around a broad range of beautiful, diverse and meaningful stories.”

    Children can look forward to an exciting mix of award winning and nominated films, features and shorts from renowned studios such as Celluloid Dreams, Ghibli, Trust Nordisk, Folimage, Entertainment One and many more. Some of the movies acquired for the platform are The Nut Job, Labrinthus, Giraffada, Secret of Kells, Gattu, Jalpari, La Cage and many more.

    This new showcase service will air children’s films selected with the help of eminent children’s content curator, Monica Wahi, who is the founder of South Asian Children’s Cinema Forum and curated kids content at festivals such as The Mumbai Film Festival.

    Kids Showcase will run movies all day back-to-back and children can watch what they like on both the television and the Tata Sky Mobile App. With a bouquet of 21 kids channels, and 4 unique interactive services, Tata Sky has been continuously bolstering offerings for children.

     

  • WPP’s Kantar Health acquires consulting company in Czech Republic

    WPP’s Kantar Health acquires consulting company in Czech Republic

    MUMBAI: WPP’s Kantar Health has acquired CEEOR, a specialist research and consulting company in the Czech Republic. 

     

    Founded in 2006 and based in Prague, with offices in Slovakia and Hungary, CEEOR is a research and consulting organisation specialising in analytical services for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and healthcare industries in Europe and beyond. It has a market-leading reputation as a customer-oriented and technology-focused market intelligence provider. CEEOR’s core business is centered on commercial effectiveness activities, electronic data collection, and real-world research studies, including epidemiology and health outcomes. 

     

    Through this acquisition, Kantar Health will further strengthen its capabilities in the commercial effectiveness field, helping clients to better optimise decisions in marketing and sales, investments, timing and targeting. 

     

    CEEOR’s consolidated revenues for the year ended 31 December, 2014 were €1.6 million, with gross assets of €0.7 million as at the same date. 

     

    In Central and Eastern Europe the Group (including associates) generates revenues of almost $600 million and employs over 6,000 people. In the Czech Republic, the Group (including associates) generates revenues of almost $100 million and employs around 1,000 people. 

     

    Kantar generates revenues of almost $5 billion (including associates) and employs over 34,000 people. 

  • Ditch your suits for robes with Travelxp HD’s new show – BLISS

    Ditch your suits for robes with Travelxp HD’s new show – BLISS

    MUMBAI: A wonderful trip to an idyllic destination paired up with a luxurious stay at one of the best hotels in the world.. Wouldn’t it be a dream holiday? Travelxp’s new show, BLISS brings this dream to reality, Premiering on March 28, Friday at 9:30 PM.

    Studded with Beautiful beaches, rich history, vast landscapes, amazingly delectable food, distinctive architecture, picture perfect destination, castles and gardens, art nouveau world, basking in azure, serene lakes and laced by the grassy hills….The show host Kirsty, sets out to discover the finer nuances of a world class hotel to cater a rich rewarding experience for the viewers.

    The show ventures out to the most alluring countries of the world like Bulgaria, Austria, Bulgaria, Turkey, Czech Republic to name a few.

    The first episode takes you to the exotic beauty of Santorini, Greece. Most popular destinations of Santorini’s main island are the volcano and the hot spring. Watch out for the impeccable beauty of Santorini bare footed.

    So, get ready to unwind yourself in the lap of luxury and exotic locations on our latest offering Bliss, on March 28, Friday at 9:30 PM.

    Check out the show promo on :
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkvZ7SCN_fw&list=UUuOEJKsxQkkfj_NRUT8rX-g

     

  • Cineworld to buy European cinema chain

    Cineworld to buy European cinema chain

    MUMBAI: England’s largest movie theater operator, Cineworld, has announced that it will be buying over 100 multiplexes across Eastern Europe and Israel for $828 million (?503 million).

     

    The purchase will be done in a mix of cash and shares, from Cinema City International (CCI), listed on the Warsaw stock market in Poland.

     

    The company will pay CCI $448 million (?272 million) in cash, and has launched a $181 million (?110 million) share rights issue to help fund the purchase. The proposed tie-up with Cinema City will give it leading positions in Poland, Israel, Hungary, Romania, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Slovakia. The cash and shares deal is due to complete in March.

     

    The merged group will have 201 outlets and 1,852 screens across Europe, with the addition of 966 from Cinema City making it the second largest operator in Europe behind Odeon UCI, which has more than 2,100 screens.

     

    According to The Financial Times, Cineworld, which snapped up 21 Picturehouse sites last year, shares rose 5.87 per cent at 415p, continues a run that has pushed up the price almost 50 per cent in a year. CCI shares rose 7 per cent to 32.30 zlotys in Warsaw.

  • Minister invites Indian film industry to shoot in France

    Minister invites Indian film industry to shoot in France

    MUMBAI: France‘s culture minister Aurélie Filippetti has urged the Indian film industry to consider France over other European countries like Switzerland for shooting mountain scenes.

    Filipetti, who is part of the entourage accompanying President François Hollande, reasoned that France under the Socialist government has brought about changes in tax and visa regulations to make it a preferred shooting destination.

    “In the world of Indian cinema, particularly Bollywood, mountain scenes are often filmed in Switzerland or the Czech Republic,” Filipetti told reports.

    “So in France we have introduced tax breaks and more flexible visa regulations for foreign artists and technicians in order to better accommodate them. I hope we can welcome more Indian artists so that the French mountains can become a part of Indian filmmaking,” she added.

    India cinema which has completed 100 years will serve as guest of honour at the Cannes Film Festival in May.

  • Dev Anand memorial planned

    Dev Anand memorial planned

    MUMBAI: A Dev Anand Memorial has been planned in the newly reconstructed Anand Studio at Pali Hill, Bandra.

    Anand, who was never found without a muffler around his neck and a pen in his hand, will now be immortalised through the many things he made popular in a one of its kind. The memorial will house the legend‘s personal belongings along with the many film manuscripts, props, posters, slides among many other things.

    Suniel Anand said, “We do plan to preserve all the valuable memories… everything that was close to his heart. My father had an obsession for hats and pens. It was a part of his style statement. He was very fond of writing and he loved collecting pens of which he had a huge collection.”

    Apart from hats and pens, the evergreen star was also fond of scarves, sun glasses, jackets and watches. Observed Suniel, “He used to wear Tissot watches regularly. Those will be a part of the display in the memorial. A lot of his written work will also be a part of it. We want fans to know and understand the professional and personal Dev Anand.”

    Apart from building the memorial for his father, Suniel will also be completing his last project – the remake of Hare Rama Hare Krishna.

    Talking about the memorial, he further added, “My father had a fetish for hats and pens. It was a part of his style statement. He was very fond of writing and he loved collecting pens. He had a huge collection.”

    The memorial is expected to be opened for visitors after 10 months.

    Meanwhile, Suniel has also planned to re release Guide as part of his respect to his father. Speaking about the decision to re-release the film, he said, “An American company has restored Guide. It‘s being converted to wide screen and we will do a fresh soundtrack maybe in the Czech Republic. “It‘s a big, big responsibility. The world is watching me. I will have to live up to their expectations.”