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Tag: EMEA

  • Disney restructures EMEA operations; appoints Tony Chambers as region president

    Disney restructures EMEA operations; appoints Tony Chambers as region president

    Mumbai: The Walt Disney Co has announced the appointment of Tony Chambers as president, of its EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) operations, as part of a strategic restructuring of its entertainment businesses in the region. Chambers will report to Disney Entertainment co-chairmen Alan Bergman and Dana Walden, as well as ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro. Chambers will be vacating his current job as head of global theatrical distribution. Current EMEA president Jan Koeppen will step down in February as part of the transition.

    In the new structure, several of the company’s lines of business in the region, including direct-to-consumer, ad sales, platform distribution, networks, local original content, studio marketing, theatrical distribution and sports will now report directly in to the global business leaders of those businesses, who will have P&L oversight for their respective regional businesses in EMEA.

    The regional president – in this case,  Chambers – will continue to be the company’s representative in the region and be responsible for consolidating strategic priorities and financials and coordinating teams at the regional level, leading local initiatives that span across businesses (excluding Disney Experiences), and overseeing shared service functions including human resources, communications, and finance.

    “EMEA is a key region in terms of the success of our business globally, and as we realign our strategy for our entertainment businesses there, we are fortunate to transition between two fantastic leaders,” said Bergman, Walden, and Pitaro in a joint statement. “Tony Chambers is a seasoned senior executive who has a highly collaborative style and stellar reputation in EMEA and across the company. He brings a wealth of experience to this important new role. We look forward to continuing to accelerate our growth in EMEA and around the world, and we are immensely grateful for Jan’s exceptional contributions, which have made a meaningful and enduring difference to this team and the company during his tenure.”

    Expressing his enthusiasm for the new role, Chambers commented, “I’m truly honored to be leading the world-class EMEA team in this new capacity. It’s a dynamic region that has gone through incredible, positive change over the past several years, and I’m very eager now to build on that momentum.”

    Chambers, who is Irish, has been with Disney for over 30 years and  has had a lot of experience in the EMEA having looked after studio sales and distribution, theatrical, home entertainment in various capacities for either Europe or the region. 

    Outgoing president Jan Koeppen reflected on his tenure, saying, “I’m grateful for the incredible six years I have had at Disney, working with some of the most talented and creative people in the industry through a period of profound transformation and growth as we launched and established Disney+ in the region. I leave with a full heart and with great pride in the exceptional Disney EMEA team.”

    As Tony Chambers steps into his new role, Disney is set to announce a new global head of theatrical distribution in the near future, further strengthening its leadership team for continued growth and innovation in the region and beyond.

  • Chris Riedy is now head of advertising sales at Twitter

    Chris Riedy is now head of advertising sales at Twitter

    Mumbai: Chris Riedy, who previously held the designation of vice president – EMEA at Twitter, has now been made incharge as head of advertising sales at the company. He takes on the reins from Robin Wheeler who was sacked by Elon Musk for declining to lay off more members of his team.

    As per his LinkedIn profile, Reidy has been with the social media giant for about a decade, and has about 25 years of experience across sales, marketing and business development. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Arts (History) from Denison University in Granville, Ohio and is an MBA from Santa Clara University, California.

    Riedy is currently based in Dublin.

  • Xiaomi hires Avow as its agency partner

    Xiaomi hires Avow as its agency partner

    Mumbai: A leading mobile original equipment manufacturer (OEM) Xiaomi has onboarded Avow, the specialist in mobile OEM user acquisition, as its official core agency for the entire regions of Europe, the Middle East and Africa, South-East Asia, and Latam.

    Through this representation, Avow will undertake all media sales activities for Xiaomi’s ad platform (Mi Ads) in the awarded regions and will interact as the main point of contact to manage a 360-degree execution of mobile ad campaigns on the platform—including media inventory buying, campaign set up, result measurement, and campaign optimisation. Brands and agencies looking to leverage the Mi Ads platform will now gain access to exclusive ad formats and reach untapped users from Xiaomi’s diverse user base via Avow’s international teams, who will offer managed campaigns as well as brand awareness activities.

    In India, this partnership will be crucial for mobile marketers, app developers, and brands looking to use OEM advertisement placement to reach previously untapped user audiences and make inroads into Xiaomi’s massive user base. In the past, Avow has engaged with leading brands in India like Amazon Prime, Unacademy, UpGrad, Byju’s, MoneyTap, Avail, and WazirX.

    Headquartered in Berlin, Germany with one of its regional offices in Bengaluru, India, Avow was twice ranked and recognised in the top 10 in AppsFlyer’s Performance Index XII and XIII, including a dedicated growth section: India, South-East Asia, and India, non-gaming finance.

    Mi Ads covers 200+ countries and regions, is supported in 70 languages, and offers reach to 280 million+ quality active users across the world. The platform provides a multi-faceted advertising portal through proprietary apps like Mi Browser, Mi Music, Mi Themes, Mi Video, AppVault, and its official alternative app store, GetApps. Through multiple targeting options, Xiaomi allows marketers to accurately locate target audiences and convert their users into the brand’s customers.

    Xiaomi’s media sales expansion strategy is to outsource these activities by selecting strong core partners to represent them in specific regions. This partnership comes at a crucial time, as marketers looking to promote apps are bound to rely upon third-party advertising sources with very little or no guarantee of fraud detection, booming costs, and user engagement. Xiaomi’s OEM advertising placements allow app marketers to achieve incremental user growth from customers who are brand loyal to Xiaomi in these local markets.

    “We are stoked to enter this new chapter in our cooperation with Xiaomi. Our long-term partnership is based on trust and shared goals for contributing to the mobile advertising industry. This new challenge will strengthen our alliance, and allow us to offer unique opportunities for mobile marketers to access some of Xiaomi’s most extensive markets in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, South-East Asia, and Latam,” said Avow CEO & co-founder Ashwin Shekhar.

    Avow’s reach and ability to deliver growth results for clients have allowed it to expand its global footprint, opening offices in India, Indonesia, China, Vietnam, Brazil, Philippines, and Russia to cater to its large client base in those local markets.

  • Global Bulletin: WarnerMedia restructures EMEA leadership teams

    Global Bulletin: WarnerMedia restructures EMEA leadership teams

    MUMBAI: New WarnerMedia France and Benelux, Germany-Austria-Switzerland country manager Iris Knobloch has restructured her leadership teams across EMEA.

    Olivier Snanoudj, Eric Broet, Caroline Lang, Guillaume Coffin and Gregory Schuber will resume leadership positions for France and Benelux, with Willi Geike, Steffen Schier, Peter Schauerte, Sylvia Rothblum, Matthias Heinze and Tim van Dyk assuming leadership responsibilities for GAS.

    Snanoudj and Schier will overlook theatrical distribution for the France and Benelux and GAS markets, respectively, while Lang will head TV distribution for France and French-speaking territories with Rothblum seeing the same responsibilities for GAS and Israel.

    Home entertainment and consumer products in each region will consolidate under one leadership, handled by Broet along with the support of Yves Elalouf and Jérôme Ollagnier. Schauerte will oversee home entertainment and consumer products for GAS, supported by Veronika Tiedemann and Stefan Hausberg.

    Schuber and van Dyk will look after the marketing teams in the two territories including publicity, franchise management and data. Geike, who last worked on the position of country manager, will now head the company’s local theatrical production for GAS. Broet will supervise local theatrical production for France and Benelux.

    Meanwhile, Warner Bros TV Production UK Group company Twenty Twenty has appointed James O’Reilly as its new creative director. He will report to managing director Leanne Klein and work out of the company’s newly established Bristol offices which will serve as the company’s headquarters starting in 2021.

    O’Reilly will be responsible for overseeing the creation and production of new original content for the company’s slate, and to manage the company’s existing catalogue of ongoing series. He joins the company after more than a decade at Blast! Films, serving as creative director for the last four years.

  • Priya Dogra appointed WarnerMedia Entertainment Networks, EMEA & APAC president

    Priya Dogra appointed WarnerMedia Entertainment Networks, EMEA & APAC president

    MUMBAI: WarnerMedia, a division of AT&T Inc, announced the appointment of Priya Dogra as president, WarnerMedia Entertainment Networks, EMEA and APAC. For the time being, Dogra will continue her responsibilities as executive vice president, strategy and corporate development for WarnerMedia.

    With her added responsibilities, Dogra will report to Gerhard Zeiler, chief revenue officer, WarnerMedia & president, WarnerMedia International Networks. She replaces Giorgio Stock who stepped down at the end of June.

    In her new role, Dogra will have executive oversight and responsibility for programming, advertising, distribution and operations of the WarnerMedia Entertainment Networks which include the basic Turner and premium HBO networks in Europe, Middle East, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region. Dogra will share responsibility for the kids business in EMEA and APAC with Tom Ascheim who was recently named president, Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics at Warner Bros.

    Gerhard Zeiler said: “Priya is a world-class executive who has been driving WarnerMedia’s overall corporate growth initiatives and in particular our direct-to-consumer-strategy internationally. Her leadership, passion and knowledge of our international businesses will make an immediate impact on our organisation. She is a great addition to my leadership team and to our EMEA and APAC businesses.”

    Priya Dogra said: “I am excited to take on this role particularly now as we refocus our efforts to connect our beloved brands and high-quality content directly with consumers around the world. I look forward to working closely with Gerhard, our broader leadership team and the EMEA and APAC organisations to strategically position us for continued success in a highly competitive marketplace.”

    Dogra has been with the company since 2009. She currently serves as executive vice president, strategy and corporate development and was previously the head of mergers & acquisitions for Time Warner, Inc. During her tenure at the company, Dogra has led the company’s global growth strategies and managed investment and M&A activity to support those strategies. Prior to joining Time Warner, Dogra was a vice president in the technology, media and telecom investment banking group at Citigroup.

  • TiVo Renews Personalized Content Discovery Platform Agreement with Foxtel

    TiVo Renews Personalized Content Discovery Platform Agreement with Foxtel

    SINGAPORE: TiVo Corporation (NASDAQ: TIVO), a global leader in entertainment technology and audience insights, today announced that Foxtel, Australia’s leading subscription-TV platform, has renewed its license to TiVo’s Search and Recommendation services and will have access to TiVo’s Personalized Content Discovery platform. As a long-term Search and Recommendation customer, the renewal will provide Foxtel’s subscribers in Australia with the latest TiVo innovations to help power entertainment experiences.

    “We are looking forward to continuing our relationship with TiVo, in order to ensure we have the most advanced content discovery technology at our subscribers’ fingertips across a multitude of devices,” said Michael Ivanchenko, Foxtel’s director of Product Design & Development. “Foxtel has a legacy of driving innovation across the Australian television landscape TiVo’s solutions are a strong contributor in  helping us to stay at the forefront of bringing the latest entertainment services to our viewers.”

    “Foxtel’s continued investment and trust in TiVo’s personalised discovery capabilities demonstrates our innovation leadership and differentiation in such a competitive landscape,” said Samuel Sweet, senior vice president, Sales EMEA and APAC, TiVo. “We are proud to continue working with Foxtel, one of the most progressive and dynamic media companies in Asia Pacific, to enable viewers to benefit from a personalized discovery experience, dramatically improving the viewer experience and increasing engagement.”

    TiVo’s Personalized Content Discovery platform is revolutionizing the way video service providers deliver content to viewers, and ultimately the way consumers find something they want to watch across devices. Guided by the belief that consumers should not have to work to find relevant content, TiVo’s multi-dimensional approach delivers highly relevant search results, customized recommendations carousels and increased convenience with natural voice recognition and insights for an enhanced viewing experience. 

  • Isobar specialists to power globally connected commerce offering

    MUMBAI: Isobar, part of Dentsu Aegis Network, has announced the launch of a global Isobar Commerce practice.

    The commerce practice will deliver commerce experiences for clients through globally integrated platforms and solutions that are informed by local insight. This will bolster Isobar’s strategic capability to deliver commerce solutions through the Isobar Commerce practice and will include 1,000+ commerce specialists across Isobar’s network in Americas, EMEA and Asia-Pacific.

    As part of the launch, centres of excellence have been established in Americas1, EMEA2 and Asia-Pacific3, and market-leading commerce company Bluecom will be rebranded as Isobar Commerce. The practice will include all Commerce centres of excellence, all e-Commerce, m-commerce, retail commerce experts and Commerce off-shore delivery centres within the Isobar network.

    Combined with the digital creative, design capability and omni-channel expertise within Isobar, the Isobar Commerce practice will bring brand inspiration and commercial interaction closer together. The practice will further improve the performance, efficiency, and ROI for a client’s digital transformation efforts and support Isobar’s position as a leading digital agency. Isobar is the only agency named as a Leader on Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Digital Marketing Agencies for the third consecutive time (2015, 2016, 2017) and as a Leader in The Forrester Wave™: Digital Experience Service Providers, Q4 2015.

    The Practice will deliver commerce experiences using platforms and solutions with the biggest technology players, including Salesforce, Adobe, SAP Hybris and Magento –combining strategic, technology and operational support to multimarket and regional clients. It will also cover strategy and brand commerce in third-party market-places, such as Amazon and Tmall. The end-to-end offering includes commerce strategy and consulting, customer experience design, data and technology implementation and platform management to ensure rapid growth for our clients.

    Isobar global CEO Jean Lin explained: “The reinvention of last mile is a key part of business transformation today, and the commerce specialists from our global practice will help our clients to win in the digital economy. As part of Isobar’s Brand Commerce strategy, we utilise data, customer experience and technology expertise to create seamless experiences that deliver measurable commercial success. The creation of the Isobar Commerce practice will further strengthen our commerce capability and global consistency to bring brand inspiration and transaction closer.”

  • News: Facebook edges out traditional media, global: 39% & A-Pac: 22%: Ogilvy survey

    MUMBAI: Survey findings released by Ogilvy Media Influence’s annual global survey of over 250 reporters and editors finds Facebook to be the number one gatekeeper for news, edging out legacy traditional media sources and significantly outpacing other social networks/digital platforms like Google and Twitter. The one distinction that stood out was the inverted results between EMEA and Asia Pacific. Carried out by Ogilvy Media Influence team members in 22 offices across North America, EMEA and Asia Pacific, the survey also uncovered that print media is leading the way with successfully adapting in the digital world across all geographies.

    “Our survey demonstrates that new technology and digital media advancements are changing how we consume news,” said Ogilvy worldwide chief communications officer Jennifer Risi. “As a news aggregator, Facebook is exposing users to news publications they may not have read otherwise. Brands can now leverage traditional earned media to reach key audiences, that is then further amplified through social media and influencer engagement – with built in audiences – for an effective communications campaign aimed at driving reputation and building influence.”

    The 2017 Ogilvy Media Influence global survey also found that digital storytelling and mobile devices are emerging as growth drivers with most journalists [34%] believing that digital platforms – such as live video and podcasts – present the largest growth opportunity for news organizations to reinvent today’s standard industry media model. See infographic.

    Additional key findings:

    Facebook is the #1 gatekeeper for news [39%], edging out legacy traditional media sources [32%] and significantly outpacing other social networks/digital platforms like Google [15%] and Twitter [4%]. However, on a regional level, we see distinctions in EMEA [60%] and Asia Pacific [22%].

    In sum, print media [40%] is viewed as the platform most successful in adapting to the digital world with slight regional differences. North America [45%], Asia Pacific [43%] and EMEA [32%].

    Journalists worldwide see digital platforms [34%] and smartphones and/or mobile devices [26%] as avenues to reimagine news reporting in a mobile era. Other burgeoning technologies, like virtual reality [9%] and artificial intelligence [7%] have yet to meaningfully resonate with media.

    Mix of earned media [40%], social media [27%] and influencer engagement [13%] is most effective for driving brand reputation and influence across all geographies.

    The annual global media survey conducted by the Ogilvy Media Influence staff is quickly becoming an ardent industry resource. The results being unveiled during the 2017 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity represent the first half of the survey. Ogilvy will announce results from the second half of the survey later this year.

  • Netflix expands in Europe, brings in two originals, hires 400

    MUMBAI: Netflix, the world’s leading global internet TV service, has announced the creation of 400 jobs at its new European customer service hub which opened this week in Amsterdam. Supporting customers across 11 European countries (Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Sweden and the UK), the multilingual hub will employ initially a workforce of 170, growing to 345 by the end of 2017 and surpassing 400 by the end of 2018.*

    Amsterdam is the location also of Netflix’s recently expanded European, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) headquarters, which has doubled its workforce since the beginning of 2016.** More than 120 employees from 18 countries work at the EMEA HQ in business development, marketing, PR, public policy and corporate functions such as finance, legal and recruiting.

    The ongoing expansion of Netflix’s workforce in Europe complements the company’s ever-growing investment in European productions (licensed, original and co-productions). Marking the global launch last month of Las Chicas del Cable, Netflix’s first original series from Spain, the company confirmed plans to announce at least six new European original projects before the end of 2017. The first of these, Dogs of Berlin, was announced on 28 April and will be written, produced and shot in Germany before launching in 2018. The second, a new French original called Osmosis, was announced today and is expected to begin production in France in 2018. Netflix has committed more than $1.75 billion to European productions since entering Europe in 2012, including to date more than 90 original productions in various stages of development.

    “We are delighted to announce the creation of jobs in Europe and the opening of our new customer service hub in Amsterdam, as well as two new European original series. Europe is a creative centre for great storytelling that resonates around the world and we continue to invest in European content,” said Reed Hastings, Netflix co-founder and CEO.

    “The decision by Netflix to add a customer support centre along with its EMEA headquarters in Amsterdam illustrates that our business climate is exactly what leading companies are seeking when investing in their future,” said Jeroen Nijland, Commissioner for Foreign Investment, Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA). “The Netherlands’ fast internet speeds, e-commerce strengths and multilingual talent pool make our country a great match for the Netflix expansion to support its rapidly growing European market.”

    *Netflix’s new European customer service hub in Amsterdam is the latest addition to the company’s growing portfolio of internal service centers, the others being located in the USA (Salt Lake City and Utah) and Yokohama, Japan.

    Netflix’s European original series are available to Netflix’s more than 100 million members around the world and include:

    Marseille, Netflix’s first original series from France, now in production for a second season;
    the Golden Globe-winning The Crown set in the UK, now in production for a second season;
    Las Chicas del Cable, Netflix’s first original series from Spain, launched 28 April and already in production for a second season;
    Dark, Netflix’s first original series from Germany, due to launch late 2017;
    Suburra, Netflix’s first original series from Italy, due to launch late 2017;
    Dogs of Berlin, Netflix’s second original series from Germany, due to launch in 2018; and
    Osmosis, Netflix’s second original series from France, due to begin production in 2018.

  • India among A-PAC leaders as animation software market expands at 16% CAGR

    India among A-PAC leaders as animation software market expands at 16% CAGR

    MUMBAI: A-PAC is a swiftly growing segment in the animation design software market, with countries such as China, India, and Japan leading this growth. The rising interest toward 3D animations among the younger demographics is boosting the demand from the market, says Technavio.

    Analysts forecast the global animation design software market to grow to USD 4,288.94 million by 2021, at a CAGR of more than 16% over the forecast period, according to their latest report. Global animation design software market to grow to USD 4,288.94 million by 2021, posting a CAGR of over 16%.

    The research study by Technavio on the global animation design software market for 2017-2021 provides a detailed industry analysis based on the end-users (media and entertainment (M&E) industry and gaming industry) and geography (the Americas, EMEA, and APAC).

    Animation design software is a tool for creating images that appear to be moving. It also creates visual effects with the aid of computer graphics. The media and entertainment industry are the largest end-users for this software, where it is used for movies, television programs, print media, concerts, award shows, advertisements, M&E videos, and Internet media.

    Technavio analysts highlight the following three factors that are contributing to the growth of the global animation design software market:

    1. Increased use of animation design in movies and video games
    2. Use of animation design software for TV commercials
    3. Rise in demand from APAC
    &
    4.Increased use of animation design in movies and video games

    “The use of animation design in the film and television industry is rapidly increasing, driven by the rising popularity of animated movies such as Cars, Toy Story, and The Incredibles. The enhanced graphics, clarity and quick rendering of frames drives the popularity of the software,” says Ishmeet Kaur, a lead analyst at Technavio for enterprise application research.

    The demand for games with animated characters and imageries is another key factor driving the market growth. The gaming industry is a major end-user in the global animation design software market, where they use the software to create stunning animation effects in 3D and complex animations.

    Use of software for TVCs

    The increased use of design and animation in television commercials is a major growth driver for the global animation design software market. Companies across the globe are integrating the best marketing tools to differentiate themselves from their competitors and establish a strong market foothold. Companies are producing 3D animated commercials to provide potential customers with advertisements animation and design software. LG, Rolls-Royce, and Motorola are among the major brands that implemented 3D animation techniques in their product advertisements.

    Rise in demand from APAC

    “APAC is a swiftly growing segment in the animation design software market,” says Ishmeet.

    A notable investment of USD 3.05 million in the Anime Consortium was made in Japan by Kodansha, Shogakukan, Shueisha, KADOKAWA, Bushiroad, Good Smile Company, and Toei Animation. This investment and the collaboration with anime studios and game developers helped Anime Consortium add more value-added anime content in its projects.