ITV

Tag: Facebook

  • KFC India targets net-savvy teens with first ever interactive digital campaign

    KFC India targets net-savvy teens with first ever interactive digital campaign

    BENGALURU: For its 3.8 million Facebook fans, KFC launched what it claims as ‘the first ever User Generated Graphic Novel in India‘ – Krushers Komic. The Facebook initiative allows consumers to input pictures, names, and a couple of favorite catchphrases into a storyline. A consumer can then read and share with friends a personalised graphic novel.

    KFC claims that its Facebook application has already seen 17,000 consumers creating their own “Krushers Komics” within 7 days of its launch. Each day, the best male and female entries are rewarded with a print version of their novels as memorabilia. Weekly winners with the best novels get the opportunity to win an Xbox 360.

    On YouTube, KFC has created a digital interactive brand channel – Krushers Time. A user has to liberate two teenagers by dragging them to a Krusher from the bar above and then events unfold based on the flavor of the Krusher selected.

    KFC India and Area Countries GM Tarun Lal said, “With the launch of a dedicated social media campaign for Krushers, we are taking forward our journey of fan engagement on digital platforms to the next level. The youth of today, our core TG spends most of their time online and our initiatives in the past like “Currycature‘, ‘KFC Wow‘ and ‘Design Your Own Bucket‘ have done very well for us. Going forward, we are hoping to achieve deeper engagement with more and more consumers, making KFC the Most Social QSR brand in the country.”

    KFC says that digital and social media is a key focus for it. It has recently made it to the Social Bakers “Top 5 most Socially Devoted Brands in India” list, and has seen consumer and critical acclaim for key digital campaigns like the KFC WOW mobile app, Currycature, and the Design Your Own Bucketapplication.

  • Forecast sees big payoff for Google’s mobile ads

    Forecast sees big payoff for Google’s mobile ads

    MUMBAI: Google will sell more mobile advertising than the rest of its rivals combined for the second straight year, according to a new forecast that highlights the expansion of the internet search leader‘s moneymaking competency from personal computers to smartphones and tablets.

    The report released on Thursday by the research firm eMarketer projects Google Inc will generate nearly $8.9 billion in mobile ad revenue throughout the world in 2013. The figure reflects the projected amount that Google will retain after paying commissions to its ad partners.

    The prediction calls for Google to hold a 56 per cent share of the overall mobile ad market, which is expected to approach $16 billion this year. In 2012, Google accounted for 52 per cent, or $4.6 billion, of the worldwide mobile ad market, according to eMarketer.

    Facebook Inc, the owner of the largest online social network, is expected to rank a distant second in mobile advertising this year with about $2 billion in revenue from phones and tablets, eMarketer predicted. Although still far behind Google, Facebook has been making rapid inroads in the mobile market. Last year, Facebook sold less than $500 million in mobile advertising.

    The report marks the first time that eMarketer has released digital ad numbers spanning the entire globe. The firm‘s previous estimates, which are closely watched in the industry, have been confined to the US ad market.

    eMarketer‘s figures are intriguing because Google doesn‘t disclose how much of its total ad revenue flows from the rapidly growing ad market. Google‘s success in mobile advertising stems from its ability to establish its internet search engine and other services, such as digital maps, Gmail and the Chrome browsers, as frequently used applications on mobile devices.

    The company accomplished that largely by forging a partnership with Apple Inc when that company‘s iPhone came out in 2007. Google then baked its services into Android, a free operating system now running on more than 900 million mobile devices.

    Android‘s success transformed Google into a competitive threat to the iPhone and iPad, prompting Apple to dump some of Google‘s services as built-in programs on those devices. But many iPhone and iPad users are still relying on Google products by installing apps on their Apple devices.

  • “Sab will be among the Top Three Hindi GECs”

    “Sab will be among the Top Three Hindi GECs”

    From being a copywriter, director to business head, the soft-spoken Anooj Kapoor has worn various hats. But what makes him different from others is the way he manages the work-life balance. He proudly claims that in his more than 20 years of career there has rarely been a day when he has been in office later than 6 pm. Even today, he leaves office at six in the evening and on weekends he switches off from work, unless required. Someone who believes in working hard hasn’t forgotten to live to the fullest too…

    Indiantelevision.com’s Meghna Sharma spoke to the executive EVP and business head of Sab Anooj Kapoor about the channel’s current plans,the reason for there being no other channel like Sab and the channel’s future plan. Excerpts:

     
    The channel underwent a revamp recently, was it really needed? 

    Nothing we do here is what everybody else does, starting from our programming which is totally differentiated from the rest in the GEC space. So, this revamp is not because others have done it too. All we have done is revamped the packaging of the channel. The last revamp was done almost six years ago, and we thought we have had a wonderful growth in the past five years. So we wanted the packaging to be more colourful. We have retained the old colours and added more colours to our package to convey freshness, more audience on the channel as well as more people sitting together to watch our shows. It can convey a lot of things, but essentially, we wanted a fresh look.

     

    You said you are adding more people who are watching your channel. So through the revamp and apps are you targeting youth now? 

    Asli maaza sab ke saath aata hai… has stood true for us. The entire family comes together and watches TV. We have a mix of audience, from males, females to kids. We also have a healthy mix of Sec A, B and C. So we are not trying to broad base our TG, it is already 4+.

    However, we cannot deny that new things always appeals to people. In the age-group of 4-14, we are the number one channel. In the last TAM rating, we were ahead of Star Plus. In the higher age-group, 15-24, we are fairly strong but we realised there is a need to engage audience on fresher platforms – facebook, comics, SABurbia and other apps. And the age-group after that, we keep appealing through our ads where the whole family comes together.

     

    Our other initiative ‘Sab ki Saafari’, is also first of its kind. The idea was to get people from smaller towns meet their favourite characters or watch a shoot. Through this initiative we get our loyal audiences to meet their favourite characters and also show them what goes on behind the camera. We have another loyalty program called SABprise wherein the more you watch the channel the more you get rewarded for it. We feel that today it has to be a two-way communication. If they have given us so much and helped us grow 600 per cent in five years then we should also give them something in return.

     

    With the awards season on, when can we get to see Sab ke anokhe awards? 

    We are coming back with Sab ke anokhe awards in August. The first round did well for us as we got a rating of 2.8 which I’m not going to compare with other award shows, but for a channel like ours which has a limited reach it is a very healthy rating. It was purely because of the uniqueness of the show. We came up with categories which went beyond the clichéd categories. This time we are going to add even more categories and try to be as anokha as possible. We will be sticking to our strategy of being different and innovative.

     

    What kind of weekend programming does the channel currently have? Any plans to introduce new shows?

    Currently, we have two silent comedies on Saturday – Guttur Gu and Malegoan ka Chintu. Guttur Gu has been recognised as the longest running silent show in the world by the Limca Books of Records, and then we have Waah Waah Kya Baat Hai which consistently rates among the top five shows in the non-fictional category on the weekend. So, we have fresh weekend programming. We might add new programs in the future wherein we will look at reality or mix of unique concepts like silent comedy but nothing is crystallised yet.

    “We touched our highest rating of 159 in February this year and now with digitisation when we are far better placed”

     
    SAB is the only comedy-centric Hindi GEC, wherein other networks have second GEC channels, why do you think there aren’t many players in this genre? 

    We are the number one comedy channel in the world. We are the only channel in the world which does daily comedy shows. If you will look at channels like Zee Café or Star World, the sitcoms they have are weekly and have seasons. We have Tarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah which has done 1200 episodes now, Lapataganj in its first avatar had done 850 episodes and FIR will be touching 1000 soon (in September). So while we have been able to be innovative, we have also done successful programming. All this while we know that there is a limited pool of comedy actors, writer, directors and producers.

    Also, before SAB, comedy wasn’t seen as an important genre by GECs. We have been able to reign in that limited talent and try to cultivate a few more. With the limited pool I don’t think there is enough talent for more than one channel to survive. And secondly, we have a DNA which has gotten us consistent success. There is no doubt that other channels have dabbled into comedy especially after seeing SAB’s success, but all the top three or four GECs have not been able to succeed. And, therefore they are apprehensive.

     
    Do you work with a certain set of production houses or open to others as well?
     
    We have always encouraged new producers, but at the same time we have certain set of producers that have consistently worked for us. We also have people who have never done comedy before and doing it successfully for us. For instance, Malegaon ka Chintu is produced by Deepti Bhatnagar Production which hasn’t done comedy in the past, Gutur Gu is done by Fireworks who have in the past done CID and Aahat. And of course, we have Asit Modi, JD Majathia, Vipul Shah and Ashwini Dheer. So, we have been able to mix both.

     
    You are also available in the US, UK and Europe, what has been the response there? 

    We are extremely popular abroad. In the UK we are the fastest growing channel.

    It is a fact that we have created almost 7,000 hours of original programming and when we compare data with other channels dedicated to comedy we are miles ahead of them. From the 70s, since DD started, no channel has claimed or can claim to be the number one channel based out of India but we can!

     
    It’s going to be a year now since digitisation took place. How has it helped the channel? 

    We have a business model which by definition doesn’t afford us very high rates and because we also have to keep our profits in mind, we couldn’t place ourselves where top three or four GECs could. This meant, we could not be well placed in the analog. However, with digitisation, we now fall in the GEC cluster. Now our sampling will soar up. We also strongly feel that our trial retention rate is high.

     
    Currently, which are the weak slots that you would like to strengthen?

    The difference between manufacturing and television is – that in manufacturing you can perfect a formula whereas in our industry, the same raw material will go to the same factory but the end product sometime works and sometime fails.

     
    Lastly, when do you see Sab among the top three? 

    We are well on our way. We have never stopped growing. We touched our highest rating of 159 in February, this year and now with digitisation when we are far better placed, I hope we will one day be among the top three.

  • 30 per cent of American parents let children use Facebook unsupervised: Study

    30 per cent of American parents let children use Facebook unsupervised: Study

    MUMBAI: Do parents in the US trust their children on Facebook?

    While a large percentage of adults say they monitor the activity of children in their households on social networking sites such as Facebook, almost one-third (30 per cent) do not, according to findings in the annual study of the impact of the Internet on Americans by the USC Annenberg Center for the Digital Future.

    The Center for the Digital Future director Jeffrey I. Cole said, “It‘s every parent‘s dilemma to know when to trust their children. In the last five years, we have seen many new issues about parenting and technology evolve that previous generations never encountered. How parents cope with their children using social media like Facebook represents only one aspect of these issues.”

    The study, conducted in association with Bovitz found that although 70 per cent of adults said they monitor the activity of the children in their households while on Facebook or other social networking sites, a smaller group (46 per cent) have password access to the children‘s accounts.

    The findings also show that of the adults who do not monitor the social networking activity of the children in their households, 40 per cent cite trust as the explanation; either they trust their children or they believe that monitoring online behavior would show lack of trust. Nine per cent of adults don‘t monitor their household‘s children on Facebook because they don‘t know how to use the social networking site, and seven per cent don‘t because “they don‘t have time to do it.”

    And in related questions, adults were asked at what age the children in their households should have a mobile phone or Facebook account. They responded the appropriate average is 13 for mobile phones and 15 for a Facebook account.

    The responses about parent supervision of children on Facebook are among the more than 180 issues explored in the 2013 Digital Future Project, the longest continuing study of its kind and the first to develop a longitudinal survey of the views and behavior of Internet users and non-users.

    Conducted in conjunction with Bovitz, the current study includes new questions that explore negative online attention (bullying, harassment, and unwanted sexual attention), and a closer examination of the “Millennial rift” – the vast differences between how Millennials (age 18-34) and non-Millennials use and perceive online sites and services.

    The “Millennial Rift”: Differences between Millennials and non-Millennials in the spectrum of online behavior

    The Digital Future Survey found that Millennials, when compared to non-Millennials, have different views about using the internet and report significant differences in many aspects of their behavior online.

    Buying online:

        Millennials are more involved with mobile shopping and comparison shopping than non-Millennials. 68 per cent of Millennials have done a price comparison on their mobile devices while in a store to find if there is a better deal available online, compared to 43 per cent of non-Millennials.
        Twice as many Millennials (23 per cent) as non-Millennials (10 per cent) have purchased products online on their mobile device while in a traditional retail store.
        46 per cent of Millennials compared to 24 per cent of non-Millennials have done an online price comparison in a store to find a better deal at another retail store

    Millennials as consumers of online media content – Compared to non-Millennials in the study, Millennials spend:

        three times as much time watching movies online.
        twice as much time listening to online radio.
        four times as much time watching television online.
        more than twice as much time watching paid online television services such as Hulu Plus.
        and almost twice as many watch movies sometimes or often through a fee service such as CinemaNow or Netflix.

        Online video content – More than twice as many Millennials as non-Millennials watch online versions of television shows or music videos.
        Perceptions of social networking sites – Higher percentages of Millennials (70 per cent) compared to non-Millennials (51 per cent) value social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus as important for maintaining their relationships.
        Following and friending companies and brands – Compared to non-Millennials, Millennials follow nine times as many companies and brands on Twitter, and ‘friend‘ more than twice as many companies and brands on social networking sites such as Facebook.
        Changing patterns of online purchasing; views about sales tax: The 2013 report explored a variety of new issues involving online buying, including purchasing on mobile devices and the impact of sales tax on Internet buying:

    Sales tax and online purchasing – More than half of Internet buyers (52 per cent) said that if their state starts to collect tax for online purchases, they would buy less online, and nine per cent said they would stop buying online altogether. Only 39 per cent said that sales tax charged for online purchases would not change their purchasing.

    Browsing and price-comparing in retail stores with a mobile device – The survey found popular use of mobile devices while shoppers browse in traditional retail stores:

        49 per cent of Internet purchasers who browse in local retail stores said that they have compared prices on a mobile device while in a store to see if there is a better deal available online.
        30 per cent of Internet users overall said that they have used a mobile device while in a store to determine if a better deal was available at another store nearby.
        13 per cent of online purchasers who browse locally said they have purchased a product online with a mobile device while in a store. 70 per cent of that group made the purchase from a competing online retailer, and not from the store‘s website.

    Bullying, harassment, unwanted sexual attention:problems that cross all age groups: The Digital Future Project explored the darker side of Internet use by asking new questions about online bullying, harassment, and unwanted online sexual attention.

    Online bullying and harassment – A small group of respondents (10.4 per cent) said they had been bullied or harassed online. Almost equal proportions of men (10.3 per cent) and women (10.5 per cent) reported being bullied or harassed online.

    Online bullying: a problem across all ages groups – Although bullying and harassment of young Internet users has dominated media coverage of this problem, the survey found that measurable percentages of users in all age ranges report that they have been bullied or harassed. The largest of these groups was users under 18 (18 per cent of them reported being bullied or harassed).

    Online bullying and harassment (impact) – Sixty-eight percent of those who have been bullied or harassed online report that the impact was minor. However, more than 30 per cent of those who have been bullied or harassed online said the impact was moderate or worse, and 14 per cent said it was serious. That impact was judged moderate or serious by more than twice as many women (21 per cent) as men (10 per cent).

    Unwanted sexual attention online – Compared to the percentage of those who have been bullied or harassed online (10 per cent), more than double (21 per cent) said they have received unwanted sexual attention online.
    Unwanted sexual attention online: men vs. women – Both men and women receive unwanted sexual attention online; a higher percentage of women (24 per cent) than men (18 per cent) face the problem of receiving unwanted sexual attention online.

    Unwanted sexual attention online: by age – While more than one-third of users under 18 reported receiving unwanted sexual attention online, significant percentages of users in all age categories reported it as well.

    Cole added, “Negative online attention – including bullying, harassment, and unwanted sexual communication – produces effects ranging from minor nuisances to tragic consequences. While prominent cases in the news focus on how negative online attention affects young users, our study found that these issues affect users of all ages; these issues demand continued exploration.”

  • Comedy Central US launches a stand-up app for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch

    Comedy Central US launches a stand-up app for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch

    MUMBAI: US broadcaster Comedy Central has announced the launch of CC: Stand-Up, a free app for iPhone and iPad, available exclusively on the App Store. This video App is a stand-alone extension of the channel that brings comedy fans a new stand-up channel, a tool to discover new comics and a platform for sharing comedic content.

    Comedy Central adds that it has a history with stand-up. The genre has been a part of the brand since its launch in 1991. As home to the largest stand-up library in the world, the brand‘s CC: Stand-Up App features over 700 comedians, giving fans deep access to a constant stream of content. The App‘s tool for discovery, “Six Degrees of Stand-Up”, uses a recommendation algorithm that will enmesh fans into a web of comedic connections to discover new comics.

    For example, after viewing Pete Holmes, Six Degrees generates a web of additional comedians based on similar sensibilities (alternative comedy), topics (animals) and relationships (love of Ryan Gosling).

    With comedy content being the social currency in which young men connect, the App also gives fans the ability to watch curated playlists and share videos via Facebook and Twitter.

    Viacom Entertainment Group executive VP multi-platform strategy, development Erik Flannigan said, “At its simplest, CC: Stand-Up is a digitally distributed, pure stand-up channel, in which fans can immerse themselves for hours with just one touch. Layered onto that is an intuitive on-demand and recommendation platform, which makes the discovery of new comedians something fun to explore. It‘s got the whole ‘lean forward, lean back‘ thing people always talk about, only for real.”

    The CC: Stand-Up App content will be promoted on all the broadcaster‘s brand extensions including the linear channel, cc.com, Comedy Central Certified Clubs, Comedy Central Radio and Comedy Central Live Entertainment.

    Axe Face is the official launch sponsor and has created a “Laugh Your Face Off” featured playlist.

  • Google acquires Waze for over $1 bn

    Google acquires Waze for over $1 bn

    MUMBAI: Google has acquired Israeli technology company Waze for an estimated $1.03 billion.

    Waze makes a crowds-sourced traffic app that uses input from drivers. It will complement Google‘s mapping capability. Reports add that the deal is seen by many as a defensive move by Google to keep Waze from being acquired by Apple or Facebook.

    Google says that the aim is to help drivers outsmart traffic. Drivers will be able to find the best routes from home to work, every day. The Waze product development team will remain in Israel and operate separately for now. Google Maps will be enhanced with some of the traffic update features provided by Waze. At the same time Waze will be enhanced with Google‘s search capabilities.

    Google adds that it will also work closely with the Waze community, who are the DNA of this app, to ensure they have what‘s needed to grow and prosper. Google notes that the Waze community and its dedicated team have created a source of timely road corrections and updates. The effort is to make a comprehensive, accurate and useful map of the world.

    Waze founder Noam Bardin said, “Larry Page, Brian McClendon and the Google Maps teams have been following our progress closely and are excited about what we‘ve accomplished. They share our vision of a global mapping service, updated in real time by local communities, and wish to help us accelerate. We are excited about the prospect of working with the Google Maps team to enhance our search capabilities and to join them in their ongoing efforts to build the best map of the world.”

    “Nothing practical will change here at Waze. We will maintain our community, brand, service and organisation – the community hierarchy, responsibilities and processes will remain the same. The same Waze people will continue to collaborate with you, and we will continue to innovate, our product and services, making them more social, functional and helpful for everyday drivers. Our employees, managers, founders and I are all committed to our vision for many years to come,” he added.

    He also wrote on his blog on why the company did not go in for an IPO. “Why not stay completely independent? We asked ourselves: “Will Waze still be a fun project to participate in, and a fun place to work, as a stand-alone public company?” He noted that choosing the path of an IPO often shifts attention to bankers, lawyers and the happiness of Wall Street. “We decided we‘d rather spend our time with you, the Waze community. Google is committed to help us achieve our common goal and provide us with the independence and resources we need to succeed. We evaluated many options and believe Google is the best partner for Waze, our map editors, area managers, champs and nearly 50 million ‘Wazers‘ globally.”

    He adds that Waze will continue to make a real impact on drivers globally, helping them save time and money while making everyone‘s daily commute a bit more efficient and fun.

  • Star extends marketing campaign for Champions Trophy to the digital realm

    Star extends marketing campaign for Champions Trophy to the digital realm

    MUMBAI: Star Sports has launched a digital campaign to engage cricket fans on-line for the on-going ICC Champions Trophy 2013. An extension of the main marketing campaign, this digital initiative is built around the main promotional theme – ‘Zor Lagao, Champions Banao‘. The channel has launched a microsite http://cheercam.starsports.com inviting people to show support for their favourite team and wish them all the best for ICC Champions Trophy 2013. Select cheers or entries with most views or shares online will be aired on-air during the pre/post programming show ‘Cricket Live‘.

    Cricket aficionados can cheer for their favourite team using the CheerCam application which allows them to express their feelings in as expressive a way as possible. The more different one‘s cheer is, the more traction he or she will generate in the digital universe. The CheerCam application aggregates cheers across different social platforms like Facebook Posts, Likes, Shares, Tweets etc.

    Users can also share their cheers on their individual Facebook walls, invite their friends to participate and also tweet about it. The campaign will have extensions of the “Zor Lagao” theme on the Facebook page – www.facebook.com/starsportsindia, where fans can go and record/upload/share/write their cheers for their country. On Twitter, fans can cheer for their teams using the twitter hash-tag #ZorLagao.

    ESPN Software India COO Vijay Rajput said, “The campaign is based on the powerful insight that there is a symbiotic relationship between a spectator/fan & a player and that the spectator is as much part of the game as the player. The idea here is to inspire fans to support their favourite team who further gain strength when millions of fans express their support in the most vociferous way. We believe that fans should do their part – “Zor Lagao” and fervently hope that their favourite team comes back victorious from the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 – “Champions Banao.”

    This campaign will have on-air support on the entire Star network. As had been reported earlier by Indiantelevision.com Star Cricket and Star Cricket HD will showcase all the 15 matches of the event with English commentary while STAR Sports 2 will showcase all matches with Hindi commentary. Besides, the sports broadcaster will also showcase four of the six kick-off matches live before the start of the main tournament. India takes on Sri Lanka on 1 June while India Australia kick-off match is scheduled for 4 June.

  • How Sony Entertainment is driving its online ambitions

    How Sony Entertainment is driving its online ambitions

    Nitesh Kripalani is a man on a mission. His weapons: a MacBook Pro, a high tech smartphone and a 3G internet connection. His battleground: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and the oceanic mobile app market. Kripalani spearheads the very dynamic ‘digital team‘ of 10-15 young and passionate social networking experts at Sony Entertainment Television (SET). It is his responsibility to create a virtual and online connect for hundreds of millions of Sony Entertainment Network Television viewers – in India and worldwide. Kripalani is one of the masterminds of the digital revolution that has gripped India‘s Hindi general entertainment TV channels (GECs).

    The future of television could very well be digital. What could not have even been imagined a decade ago is now an indispensable part of our television viewing experience. Social interactivity with viewers at home is now just a ‘comment‘ away. ‘Tweet‘ and express your views on the latest twist and plot of your favorite daily serial. Guess what? The future is here and how!

    Catching up with the pulse of the audiences, Multi Screen Media‘s (MSM‘s) Hindi GECs Sony and SAB have carved out an online indent for themselves. The need for making their presence felt on the dynamic platform of new media urged Sony to gradually devise a social media integrated communication plan around three years ago.

    Let‘s consider the statistics to gauge the digital reach of the two GECs of SET.

    Sony and SAB both have an official Facebook profile and Twitter handle with a commendable fan base. While Sony‘s Facebook page boasts of around 0.17 million likes with 7,500 plus facebookers talking about it, SAB has 50,249 likes and 2,649 active followers. The quintessential TV viewing audience is increasingly engaging on Facebook. Then its official Facebook pages for its TV shows tot up large numbers. Itsiconic Ram Kapoor and Sakshi Tanwar starring Bade Acche Lagte Hai Facebook page has 0.7 million likes with 21,000 active followers. The official page of its Kaun Banega Crorepati has 0.35 million likes with 6,700 active followers and the show‘s registrations have yet to start. Crime Patrol has knocked up 0.1 million likes with 3,800 active followers. The long running CID, which garners huge ratings for the channel, however has a comparatively low 33,000 likes with 1,110 active followers.

    The thirst to know more about their favourite shows is quenched on these Facebook pages. Sony constantly updates these with pictures and teasers of upcoming episodes. The buzz is also kept alive by the Sony‘s TV show addicts who go to make up its fandom. When looking at a channel‘s Facebook presence, fan driven pages cannot be left in isolation. A lot of action takes place through these fan pages. Look for Bade Acche Lagte Hai, Sony‘s popular fiction show, in the Facebook search bar and chances are that you will be looking at 10 active Facebook pages with as the most popular sporting close to 0.25 million, with 40,000 fans being active.

    Twitter, being an indispensable aspect of social media, cannot be left out. And it is here where the Sony Network has to buck up and it lags behind its rivals Star and Colors. Hindi GEC Sony has an active twitter handle with around 7,500 followers, while SAB follows with approximate 4,500 followers. @SonyTv is buzzing with tweets and re-tweets every couple of hours.

    What more? The numerous fan-driven handles of their popular shows are busy re-tweeting and sharing every Sony update, making for a huge cacophony of views across the digital world.

    Ironically, the Facebook and Twitter fan base is just the tip of the iceberg. What takes the cake is Sony‘s official YouTube channel which has one of the most massive subscriber‘s bases in India of nearly 1.6 million and a humongous video views count of over 660 million. SAB has its own share of digital audience with around 28 thousand subscribers and 190 million video views. Ever since Set India joined YouTube on 20 September 2006, it has uploaded 1,69,994 videos so far and counting. No wonder, Sony leads most other GECs in the rat race of YouTube subscribers.

    In order to aggregate all its social media activities under one umbrella, SET India launched a vibrant and ‘lively‘ Sony Liv this January. Sony Liv is a branded website cum app which is slowly but surely gaining momentum which has generated nearly two million downloads on android and iOS platforms. The official SonyLiv Facebook page has over 0.12 million likes. In five months, the branded site has attracted around 12 thousand followers with 15 million videos watched so far. The fans are more than happy to catch up with not only the latest episodes of their favourite on-going shows, but also remain loyally connected with their beloved shows which have gone off air.

    All in all, SET has done it all from having an official Facebook page to its twitter handle; from one of the largest YouTube channels to a newly launched Sony Liv. The numbers are heartening! On an average, each YouTube upload by Sony garners as many as 25 thousand video views! The episodes are uploaded within two hours of telecast and by the next day, the newly discovered online audience has watched it repeatedly.

    Bade Acche Lagte Hai leads the race on Sony‘s YouTube channel. The adorable middle-aged married couple – Ram and Priya have a dedicated fan-following of around 35 thousand viewers who watch every episode within a couple of days. Next in the YouTube popularity index stands the veteran fiction-crime show CID, which continues to garner a massive count of more than 30 thousand video views for each episode.

    We have finally entered the era where the quintessential TV viewing audience is engaging on the digital platforms. Who knows, in the not so distant future, our stereotyped Saas-bahu sagas will drive a lot more traction online than what the TRP‘s tell us now!

    Sony began targeting the online space around three years ago. The first phase focused on handphones with the Indian Idol audition mobile registrations and special Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) apps. The second phase promoted the Sony YouTube channel and the third phase which continues today, involves the development and promotion of its own branded website-cum-app Sony Liv.

    Sony Entertainment Network SVP – new media, businessdevelopment and digital/syndication Nitesh Kripalani says: "We have covered all social media platforms from mobile to our own branded site that is the newly launched Sony Liv. It is an integrated marketing communications approach. We look at the online space as the means to reach maximum audience. The main aim is – first, to interact with and engage with our audiences and get their valuable feedback; second, to spread the word and promote our shows through this mass medium; and finally third, it is to monetise the online traffic."

    Kripalani estimates that the Indian digital market is Rs 1,000 crore – Rs 1,500 crore out of which approximately Rs 200 crore constitutes the mobile market; the rest is left to digital. Understandably, this digital revolution has opened up a whole new universe for revenue generation.

    Sony derives its online revenue through its existing advertising associations. Last year, Sony‘s official YouTube channel earned significant online revenue from brands like Axis bank, MTS and Maruti that sponsored popular shows like KBC and Indian Idol.

    As far as social media such as Facebook and Twitter go, Kripalani says, "Currently, our goal is not one of maximum monetisation. In fact, we believe the platform must be primarily used for reaching out to our viewers. Perhaps a year from now, we may look at subscription based content following a premium model where 80 per cent of the content is free while the rest is paid for."

    Sony Liv has been attractively packaged with several elements including videos, photos, behind the scenes videos and archived content. Some of the older shows like Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi, Aahat, Heena and older episodes of Crime Patrol, Comedy Circus and CID receive considerable traction as well. This content that was otherwise rendered useless after the shows went off air is now being made to eke out revenues through digital media.

    Comparatively, among on-air shows, fiction has an upper-hand over non -fiction shows. Kripalani reasons, "Fiction series dominate the most watched content online because of loyal viewers who watch episodes repeatedly. However special episodes of non-fiction shows like Indian Idol, Comedy Circus or a KBC attract thousands of views. Fiction series have a consistent following which is understandably missing in case of non-fiction."

    Sony‘s revenue from its online initiatives runs into millions of dollars. Yet the network has not moved into producing web exclusive content like some of the other Hindi GECs. However, Kripalani does not dismiss a possibility of producing such content in the future. "As the market expands and becomes more receptive, we will look at generating content exclusively for the web. Let‘s say in the next year and a half, Sony Liv will be the one stop destination for exclusive web content. After all, the digital platform is very profitable and is growing rapidly," he concludes.

  • Facebook could go the way of ‘crappy’ MySpace: Murdoch

    Facebook could go the way of ‘crappy’ MySpace: Murdoch

    MUMBAI: Rupert Murdoch whose company News Corp suffered a big loss after having to sell ‘crappy‘ MySpace for less than a tenth of the price it was bought at has warned that Facebook could suffer a similar fate.

    On the occasion of the one-year anniversary of Facebook‘s IPO Murdoch took to Twitter and wrote, “Look out Facebook! Hours spent participating per member dropping seriously. First really bad sign as seen by crappy MySpace years ago.”

    It may be recalled that News Corp bought MySpace for $580 million way back in 2005. Some people at the time felt that the price was a steal. Rival media company Viacom had also been eyeing MySpace and was furious at losing out.

    But MySpace lost the opportunity to build itself and Facebook came in 2007 and blew everything in its path away. News Corp sold MySpace for a mere $35 million two years ago.

  • InMobi study reveals that Indians love mobile phones more than TV

    InMobi study reveals that Indians love mobile phones more than TV

    MUMBAI: The Indian television industry which is pegged at a humongous Rs 37,000 crore (KPMG at India analysis 2012) may have some reason to worry if the latest study by Bangalore based independent mobile advertising network InMobi is to be believed. The study which is part of its – Mobile Media Consumption Report – claims that Indians prefer mobile phones over TV! It covered 2,004 respondents nationally.

    According to this InMobi study, dual or second screening, the phenomenon of users spending time on additional electronic devices while watching TV, continues its upsurge. This implies that the number of hours a consumer spends on his mobile phone is rising rapidly and is also invading his TV viewing space. Take a look at some of the intriguing revelations.

        63 per cent of users now actively spend time on a mobile device while watching TV, compared to 26 per cent in 2012. Now, that is quite a jump.
        57 per cent users engage in social networking while watching TV.
        79 per cent of Indian mobile web users plan to conduct m-commerce in the next 12 months.
        65 per cent of Indian mobile web users are now as comfortable with mobile advertising as they are with TV or online advertising
        80 per cent noticed mobile ads on their smartphone, while a majority of 48 per cent users experience these ads on mobile apps specifically.

    Observing these trends, InMobi vice president & general manager India and south east Asia Phalgun Raju stated: “The tiny mobile phone has overtaken the mighty TV in India from a media consumption perspective. With over 850 million active mobile connections in India, the mobile marketing channel presents marketers an unprecedented opportunity to engage with the always-connected consumers. The onus is now on brands and content agencies to create compelling, engaging mobile rich media to capture consumers‘ attention.”

    The study, developed with Decision Fuel, finds that mobile web users in India are increasingly influenced by mobile, with nearly a third of their media consumption time being spent on mobile devices.

    Raju concludes: “The Indian app market is showing strong growth, as smartphone penetration continues to accelerate with lower and lower price points and mobile consumers turn to apps. Our research shows that on an average 7.1 apps are actively used by Indian consumers over a 30-day period. This has huge implications for both publishers and advertisers as they seek to garner an audience for their offerings and monetise through advertising.”

    Interestingly, most broadcasters are now engaging with their viewers on social networking platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and have also launched several mobile apps to seek the attention of the ever so easily distracted audience.