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Tag: entertainment

  • A research by GfK reveals a rise in cord cutting in the US

    A research by GfK reveals a rise in cord cutting in the US

    MUMBAI: A research conducted by GfK Media & Entertainment shows that the estimated number of Americans relying exclusively on over-the-air (OTA) television broadcasting increased to 59.7 million, up from 54 million just a year ago. The percentage of TV households currently OTA reliant has grown from 14 per cent in 2010 to 19.3 per cent in the current survey, a 38 per cent increase in just four years. The survey also found that the demographics of broadcast-only households continue to skew toward younger adults, minorities and lower-income families.

    The 2013 Ownership Survey and Trend Report, part of The Home Technology Monitor research series, found that 19.3 per cent of all US households with TVs rely solely on OTA signals to watch TV programming; this compares with 17.8 per cent of homes reported as broadcast-only last year. Overall, GfK estimates that 22.4 million households representing 59.7 million consumers receive television exclusively through broadcast signals and are not subscribing to a pay-TV service (i.e. a traditional pay-TV service such as cable, satellite, Verizon FIOS or AT&T U-Verse).

    “Over-the-air households continue to grow, making up an increasingly sizeable portion of television viewers,” says GfK Media & Entertainment senior VP David Tice. And, the proportion of households that have never paid for cable or satellite service also continues to grow. “Our research reveals that over-the-air broadcasting remains an important distribution platform of TV programming; this year‘s results confirm the statistically significant growth in the number of broadcast-only TV households in the US, which we identified in 2012.”

    According to the 2013 study, 5.9 per cent of TV households “cut the cord” in their current home at some point in the past. Among households that eliminated pay-TV service responding to the 2013 survey, most report overall cost-cutting or not enough value for cost as the reason for doing so (respondents could give more than one reason). These were also the top reasons given in the 2012 survey for eliminating pay-TV service.

    Homes headed by younger adults are also more likely to access TV programming exclusively through broadcast signals. Twenty-eight percent of homes with a head of household age 18-34 (up from 18 per cent in 2010) are broadcast only, compared with 19 per cent of homes in which the head of household is 35-49, or 17 per cent of homes in which the head of household is 50 years of age or older. Two out of ten (21 per cent) younger over-the-air households have never purchased a pay TV service according to the current survey.

  • Media companies’ digital revenues will overtake traditional by 2015: Ernst and Young

    Media companies’ digital revenues will overtake traditional by 2015: Ernst and Young

    MUMBAI: The average revenue of media and entertainment (M&E) companies will shortly cross the 50 per cent mark from majority traditional to majority digital, according to a new report, ‘Digital agility now! Creating a high-velocity media and entertainment organisation in the age of transformative technology‘, released by Ernst and Young. It has surveyed more than 550 senior executives from global M&E companies.

    Today, revenue from digital is 47 per cent and survey respondents say that by 2015 it will account for 57 per cent of revenue – thus making digital the new norm and the primary source of revenue for M&E companies.

        Over 550 senior executives from global media and entertainment companies see 57 per cent of their revenue coming from digital by 2015, up from 47 per cent today
        Organisational agility singled-out as a leading success factor in the digital era
        The study indicates that “digital leaders” have embraced smart mobile-social-cloud and big data analytics technologies to achieve agility

    The study goes on to identify the characteristics of M&E ‘digital leaders‘ – companies that are using new technology not only to deliver digital products and services, but to build more agile organisations capable of sensing and responding far faster to shifting customer expectations and marketplace opportunities and risks. The digital leaders are pioneering the path to a higher level of organisational agility as the M&E industry transitions to digital as its new norm.

    Ernst and Young global technology industry leader Pat Hyek said, “Mobile-social-cloud and big data analytics technologies are game-changers for M&E firms. These technologies can help M&E digital leaders who broke ahead of the pack in the early stages of digital to extend their advantages, as well as offer opportunities for those who fell behind to adapt quickly and catch up.”

    According to the report a major differentiator between these digital leaders and other survey respondents is a greater emphasis on mobile-social-cloud and big data analytics technologies for internal collaboration. For example, digital leaders are 60 per cent more likely than all other respondents to emphasise the importance of social media for internal communication among employees: 67 per cent said it was ‘very‘ or ‘extremely‘ important, versus 42 per cent of all others. The study points to the kind of rapid collaboration that is enabled by social networks and characteristic of an agile organisation, where silos are broken down by the ready flow of information.

    The study shows that digital leaders‘ advanced social listening programmes, leading-edge analytics and cloud-based infrastructure enable rapid deployment of new products and resources, and give companies the ability to quickly learn from and fix mistakes. This organisational agility is necessary to meet the demands of rapidly evolving digital consumer behavior.

    Ernst and Young Global Media and Entertainment Leader John Nendick said, “Media and entertainment companies no longer live in a world where everything lives in ‘their‘ world. It‘s a connected eco-system with consumer technology leading the way”.

    Other results from the survey include:

        Technology alliances: Digital leaders emphasise alliances that let them act faster than “going it alone”; 51 per cent rank alliances with technology and other M&E partners among their top three strategic priorities for digital transformation, versus 30 per cent for others.

        Second-generation deployments: Digital leaders were generally more than twice as likely to incorporate lessons learned from initial technology deployments to achieve more advanced functionality. For example, 49 per cent of digital leaders use second-generation mobile technologies to develop products/services versus 16 per cent of all others.

        Smart mobility: Similarly, 32 per cent of digital leaders use second-generation or later techniques in mobility to enhance employee engagement and communication, versus 13 per cent of all others.

        Cloud: Digital leaders emphasise the importance of cloud computing to enhance internal and customer-facing flexibility. For example, 74 per cent of digital leaders say it‘s important to host business tools in the cloud, versus 49 per cent of all others; and 43 per cent of digital leaders use second-generation cloud solutions to speed product/service development vs 12 per cent of all others.

        Big data analytics: Digital leaders are three times more likely than other respondents to use second-generation big data analytics techniques to improve customer engagement (26 per cent versus nine per cent). Among all respondents, 66 per cent rely on in-house resources to get insight into customers yet 41 per cent say they gain no insight from their data, suggesting they don‘t have the right big data analytics tools or skills in place and may be better off partnering to access external resources.

    Agility Index:

    The report concludes with an agility index that ranks the relative organisational agility of different M&E segments as well as enabling technology and digital leaders. The average score of all respondents is indexed to 100. A score of 110 denotes performance 10 per cent above average; 90 is 10 per cent below average.

  • Juliette Lewis signs with Untitled Entertainment

    Juliette Lewis signs with Untitled Entertainment

    MUMBAI: Lewis will be soon hitting theatres this November in The Weinstein Company‘s star-studded edition of August: Osage County, playing Karen Weston, the youngest daughter of Meryl Streep‘s character, states The Hollywood Reporter.

    Juliette Lewis has inked a deal with Untitled Entertainment. She had been with Buchwald/Fortitude until the agency split this spring.

    She received an Oscar and a Golden Globe nomination for her supporting role in Martin Scorsese’s remake of Cape Fear at the age of 18.

    Her steady and prolific film career has spanned comedy (Christmas Vacation and Mixed Nuts), drama (Husbands and Wives and What‘s Eating Gilbert Grape) and thrillers (Natural Born Killers and From Dusk Till Dawn).

    The recent Portlandia guest star was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for her work in Showtime‘s 2001 adaptation of the YA novel My Louisiana Sky, and she followed up the next year with a Primetime Emmy-nominated performance in the HBO movie Hysterical Blindness.

  • MSN appoints NowThis News as video content partner

    MSN appoints NowThis News as video content partner

    MUMBAI: MSN, Microsoft‘s information and entertainment network, has appointed NowThis News as the network‘s video contributor.

    NowThis News, the new video news network built for the digital generation, will provide MSN and its hundreds of millions of users with original, distinctive reports on topics ranging from breaking news to politics, entertainment, technology and viral videos.

    “NowThis News is thrilled to work with MSN, one of the world‘s most popular outlets,” said NowThis News GM Eason Jordan. “As consumption of on-demand news videos skyrockets, this partnership will introduce MSN‘s massive user base to NowThis News‘s unique take on the news, while significantly expanding the reach of NowThis News.”

    “Offering high-quality, informative, and entertaining video is core to the MSN promise of keeping our audience in the know,” said MSN GM and Executive Producer Rob Bennett. “NowThis News is a perfect addition to MSN Video and our MSN News line-up in the US.”

  • Mindshare introduces content marketing, strategic partnerships practice

    MUMBAI: Mindshare, a WPP strategic planning and media investment agency, has announced the establishment of a newly formed Content Marketing and Strategic Partnerships practice.

    This is Mindshare‘s most recent response to increasing client demand for a unifying content strategy across all forms and formats – paid, owned and earned. In 2005, Mindshare launched Mindshare Entertainment (MSE).

    MindShare MD- communications planning Stacy Minero has been promoted to lead this initiative for Mindshare.

    Minero will be responsible for driving a more strategic and systematic approach to content marketing from advanced planning to development, discovery, and distribution.

    Drawing from a suite of proprietary tools designed to inform strategies and evaluate opportunities, she aims to infuse more insights and analytics into content marketing.

    Minero will report to Mindshare Communications Strategy practice head Tim Elton.

    Mindshare North America CEO Antony Young said, “Technology is driving consumers to access their entertainment and information across multiple emerging channels, devices and platforms. Our clients are recognising that marketing messaging has to go beyond traditional advertising formats such as, 30 second TV ads if they are to engage consumers and communicate more persuasively. We see a major opportunity to develop content marketing strategies early in the brand communications planning process that captures wider content formats and build these into a wider brand communications effort.”

    “Stacy‘s demonstrated expertise in creating this link between brands and the often unarticulated needs and desires of their audiences. She also has exceptional digital acumen that can turn content strategies into actionable ideas and partnerships,” Young added.

    As Practice Lead, Minero will leverage a team across Mindshare‘s entertainment, digital and broadcast groups. They will also look to actively partner with external and independent technology, entertainment and content companies seeking to work with brands.

    Minero said, “Everything starts with consumer insights and a deep understanding of mindset and motivation. To create human connections, we need to understand what compels people and link those insights to content ideas that transcend traditional advertising.”

  • Tewari says govt pursuing Phase II digitisation deadline

    Tewari says govt pursuing Phase II digitisation deadline

    MUMBAI: Information & Broadcasting (I&B) Minister Manish Tewari said the government will pursue implementation of the second phase of switchover to digital delivery of television channels in 38 cities with population of one million.

    The government has mandated digitisation in the 38 cities by 31 March, after going ahead with the first phase of digitisation in Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata. The switchover to digital delivery in Chennai is stuck in court proceedings initiated by Tamil Nadu cable operators against digitisation itself.

    “We will stay the course,” Tewari said in response to a question about digitisation in the 38 cities when he was in the city to give away the first edition of International Advertising Association’s leadership awards. He further said, “Phase II digitisation is on track.”

    He said the government has the learning from the implementation of phase I digitisation and expected all the stakeholders to be firmly backing the effort.

    Addressing the advertising fraternity, advertisers and the media, the I&B Minister dwelled on the issues concerning the media and advertising industries. These included freedom of speech with reasonable restrictions, imperfect television audience measurement model, the need to observe advertising regulations on television and self-regulation vs statutory regulation of content.

    He asked all concerned to think whether content can remain in the self-regulation domain, while suggesting an overarching statutory mechanism to address issues related to convergence across media, entertainment and telecom.

    Tewari assured the media and advertising industries that they will be taken into confidence before taking any decision on any of the contentious issues.

  • IAA announces categories for Leadership Awards

    MUMBAI: The International Advertising Association‘s (IAA) India chapter has revealed the categories for the first IAA leadership awards.

    The categories cover a wide spectrum of verticals from auto, banking, media & entertainment and telecom to FMCG.

    The IAA Leadership Awards categories are — Media Agency Head of the Year, Creative Agency Head of the Year, Marketer of the Year: Media & Entertainment, Marketer of the Year: Banking, Marketer of the Year: Insurance, Marketer of the Year: Auto Passenger Vehicles, Marketer of the Year: Auto Commercial vehicles, Marketer of the Year: Household Products, Marketer of the Year: FMCG – Food & Beverages, Marketer of the Year: FMCG – Personal Care, Marketer of the Year: FMCG – Consumer Durables, Marketer of the Year: Telecom Products, Marketer of the Year: Travel & Hospitality, Best CEO, News Anchor of the Year, Media Person of the Year, Editor of the Year and Hall of Fame.

    IAA leadership awards aim to bring together the disciplines of Marketing, Advertising and Media under one roof. The awards will recognise and honor “outstanding” individuals in the fields of Marketing, Advertising and Media.

    Presented by Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) Colors, the award is scheduled to be held in Mumbai on 2 February.

    IAA president Srinivasan Swamy said, “The IAA Leadership Awards salutes the hard work put in by individuals to make a difference to the brands they work for. The categories have been selected to ensure that individuals from various sectors are covered.”

    In order to ensure the process is seen as transparent, IAA has appointed the experienced marketing research company AC Nielsen to execute the nomination and voting process.

    Further Ernst & Young has been appointed to conduct audit and validate the entire process. The winners will be decided in a two-stage selection process; the first stage will include nominations and shortlisting by seasoned marketing, media and advertising professionals; and the second stage will be the final selection of winners by a voting process among the shortlisted nominees, by respective senior industry peers.

    In the first edition of the annual awards, Information and Broadcasting minister Manish Tewari will be present as the chief guest.

  • Specialised channels: The growing flavour of entertainment

    Specialised channels: The growing flavour of entertainment

    The Indian television industry is poised for a dramatic transformation. 2012 saw significant changes in almost every aspect–increase in channel offerings, high-decibel launches, variety in content, innovative programming formats, renewed interest in the regional market and a range of speciality channels being launched.

    At the same time, delivery technologies have been upgraded, demanding a review of broadcasters’ growth strategies. The defining event for the industry, undoubtedly, was the roll-out of digitisation process in the four metros. Six years ago there was no DTH. Today, DTH and digital cable are transforming the television viewing experience for thousands of Indian households.

    Digitisation will continue to be the game changer for the Indian television industry in 2013 as well, when it expands into 38 more cities in the second phase and beyond. Viewers will not be restricted for choice of content because of capacity constraints in analogue cable. Digital delivery, while providing superior broadcast quality to viewers, will highlight the real value of media brands and their unique offerings.

    Discovery‘s gains in digitisation

    The growing footprint of digitisation is important for Discovery Networks. It gives us the opportunity to offer viewers a complete spectrum of our channels, a wide variety of quality content and the highest possible viewing experience. It is one of the reasons for us expanding our portfolio to eight channels and adding multiple language feeds across brands.

    Our unmatched and robust bouquet of unique content channels–Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Discovery Kids, Discovery Science, Discovery Turbo, Discovery HD World, and Discovery Tamil—enjoys immense brand equity and continues to delight viewers with its sheer range of programming.

    Our programmes probe myriad mysteries, explore countries, people and cultures, celebrate scientific, engineering and medical breakthroughs from around the world and delve into thought-provoking subjects to gain insights into some of the most fascinating subjects. We have been the market leader in introducing unique channels globally and in India such as Factual, Lifestyle, Auto, Wildlife, Science, Animation and High Definition. With the launch of Discovery Science, Discovery Turbo, Discovery HD World, Discovery Channel Tamil, and most recently Discovery Kids, we’ve even pioneered new genres in television programming.

    Importantly, the immense affinity to our networks has proven that viewers, when offered choice, will prefer well-defined, entertaining and high-quality content. All these channels have created new and distinct viewer groups. Others in the industry have also responded to this consumer trend by launching multiple channels across categories. In an emerging digital environment, this ability to innovate will be a crucial determinant of value for media brands.

    Digitisation to broaden scope of TV viewership

    Going forward, digitisation is bound to broaden the scope of television viewership. The growth in television audience population representing varied interests, languages and disparate content preferences has led to audience segmentation. This, in turn, is encouraging broadcasters to launch new and differentiated channels and innovative packaging.

    Post digitisation, it will be a different game plan for advertisers to reach their consumers. For advertisers who are continuously looking to reach out to their unique target group, digitisation allows them to customise their delivery according to content platforms, viewer demographics and distribution reach of channels.

    The new breed of Indian TV viewers seeks programmes dealing with information and experiences that have a direct bearing on their lives and lifestyle. They want insights into the world that they live, work and travel in just as much as they crave to see themselves through global points of view. Evidently, no single channel can hope to be a one-stop shop for entertainment anymore. Only those channels that have a distinct proposition will thrive in this new order, and emerge as the most-preferred destinations for viewers, advertisers and affiliates alike.

    Once digitisation is complete, we will enter into a pay-per-use scenario where television viewers can choose from among multiple options of specialised content according to their preferences. We foresaw this trend much ahead of others, and launched TLC in 2004, as we believed DTH will be a significant step in empowering viewers to demand content of their choice. The success of TLC fuelled our decision to launch more specialised channels like Discovery Science and Discovery Turbo. Our high-definition offering, Discovery HD World continues to woo viewers and the trade alike with its breathtaking content. Discovery Kids, our latest and 8th network offering, has already ignited the imagination of millions of kids across India.

    We believe that the pay-TV model will be dominant for years to come and will change the television landscape for everyone’s benefit.

  • Xeon to do brand integration for Dar films

    MUMBAI: Xeon Films & Entertainment, film branding and marketing agency, said it has signed a long-term nine film deal with Dar Motion Pictures (DMP), the film entertainment division of Dar Media, to become the exclusive agency to meet all brand integration requirements for DMP slate of films.

    The brand integration includes sourcing, integration and activation of brands through in-film, co-film and promotional tours. Dar slate for next one year includes films with directors like Anuraag Kashyap, Sudhir Mishra, Nikhil Advani and many more.

    Xeon Films & Entertainment Director Amit Singh said, “With our history of association with Brands, we are keen to extend them to Dar bouquet of films and derive a win-win situation. Our key strategy would be creating a long term association with brands and providing them a multilevel platform in form of in-film and co-film branding, the diversity of Dar slate and our concept based integration approach would help us offer innovative brand integration options and associations with films.”

  • Bacardi India’s Dewarists makes it to the Branded Content and Entertainment shortlist

    Bacardi India’s Dewarists makes it to the Branded Content and Entertainment shortlist

    MUMBAI: Music reality show The Dewarists, which was sponsored by Bacardi India’s brand Dewar‘s Scotch, has won itself a place in the Branded Content and Entertainment Lions category at the 59th Cannes Lions Festival.

    The entry, sent by Bacardi India, has qualified in the sub category ‘Best non-fiction program, series or film where a client has successfully created a reality, documentary or light entertainment show around a product(s) or brand(s).’

    The agencies involved in the campaign are Babble Fish Productions, Only Much Louder Entertainment and Design of Information.

    The category of Branded Content and Entertainment category has been introduced this year and has received 800 entries. There were 18 entries from India and Bacardi was the only one to make it to the shortlist.

    The Dewarists, a 10 part TV series, documented the stories and journeys of over 40 musicians from different genres. It was designed for a young urban audience. It saw participation by independent musicians ranging from Grammy-winners to lesser-known believers in their craft, as they explored 10 different locations across India, while creating seemingly unlikely but equally unique collaborations across musical genres.

    It was also the first Indian TV show to be simulcast online, rendering it more accessible as it got over 45 per cent mobile viewers.

    The target audience had been identified as the 25-34-year-old male consumer who likes to experiment but at the same time is apathetic towards commercial messaging. This young set is also least likely to watch television by appointment and most likely to be found online.

    The show’s YouTube channel got over 1.7 million, making it the top rated brand channel in the country at the time. Considering there are restrictions on advertising by liquor brands in India, Dewar’s Whiskey gained over $ one million in publicity from The Dewarists. Through distribution of the 10 collaboration tracks created during the show for free, Dewar’s India Facebook page generated over 3.2 million social engagements and over 120,000 downloads.