ITV

Tag: Haryana

  • Gozoop bags 21Diamonds.in’s social media biz

    Gozoop bags 21Diamonds.in’s social media biz

    MUMBAI: 21Diamonds.in, an online jewellery brand, has handed over its social media mandate to Gozoop.

    The digital agency will lead the social media strategy of the brand and will manage the social media communications for 21Diamonds. It will also ensure valuable inputs for key strategic decisions in order to maintain sync between the online and offline activities.

    Gozoop.com CEO Rohan Bhansali said, “21Diamonds has exciting plans for the Indian market. We are elated to work with the team and hope to create a fantastic digital identity for the brand. Apart from Facebook and Twitter, we are focusing strongly on Pinterest since jewellery is more of a visual experience.”

    21Diamonds co-founder and MD Richa Bansal added, “Social media is a critical part of our branding and marketing efforts, and we‘re very pleased to have Gozoop manage this front for us.”

    21Diamonds.in is a jewellery venture from Rocket Internet, currently operational in 18 countries. Indian operations of the brand are headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana.

  • Fox Star Studios, Vishal Bhardwaj to produce Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola

    Fox Star Studios, Vishal Bhardwaj to produce Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola

    MUMBAI: Fox Star Studios India and Vishal Bhardwaj are producing Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola where they have roped in Shabana Azmi to play the role of a corrupt politician.

    Azmi had earlier essayed the the role of a politician in Vinay Shukla’s Godmother.

    The film, scheduled to release on 15 May, is the tale of a wayward man who sets on a rustic journey to reunite with his wife and parents. The film also reunites Azmi‘s pairing with Naseeruddin Shah.

    Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola also features Imran Khan and Anushka Sharma in the lead roles along with Pankaj Kapur.

    The film is to be shot be in the interior regions of Haryana.

  • Paras Dairy assigns creative duties to Rediffusion Y&R

    Paras Dairy assigns creative duties to Rediffusion Y&R

    MUMBAI: Popular dairy brand Paras Dairy has assigned Rediffusion-Y&R to handle its creative duties while its media duties will be handled by The Media Edge (TME), a sister agency of Rediffusion.


    Rediffusion won the account in a multi-pitch process in which agencies like Grey and Crayons among others participated. Earlier, Percept/H used to handle the business of the dairy. Though the contract is for a year, it is renewable every year.


    The size of the account, however, could not be obtained at the time of filing this report.
     
    Confirming the development to indiantelevision.com, Paras Diary brand manger Sumit Mohan said, “We have assigned the creative and media duties to Rediffusion-Y&R and TME respectively based on their credentials of handling large businesses, as well as the strategic and creative prowess shown by their team.”


    Paras Dairy has created a network of 5,000 villages as collection centres for milk across western Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Gujarat and currently sells over 2,50,000 litres of milk per day in Delhi.

  • CNN IBN launches special series on drought

    CNN IBN launches special series on drought

    MUMBAI: CNN IBN is launching a special series covering the drought-affected areas across the nation, the worst in recent times.

    The channel, through its series Spectre of Drought, will try and analyse the impact of the drought throughout the week in the news wheel.

    The news correspondents will travel to all the major states like Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.

    The series will attempt to gauge just how bad the impact of the drought is and how much will it affect the common man in urban areas who are dependent on these rural areas for food supplies.

    Says IBN18 Network editor-in-chief Rajdeep Sardesai, “As the country witnesses a severe drought, CNN IBN brings Spectre of drought for it viewers to bring the real impact and effect of the drought in various parts of the country. The series will also look at the impact of drought on urban areas addressing problems like the food prices rising by the day.”

    The series will cover places like Aurangabad in Bihar where farmers have now begun using guns to protect the scanty and precious water in their barely functioning irrigation canals. It will also show western Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Haryana amongst others.

  • CNN-IBN series takes on finance minister’s ‘pre-poll gimmick’

    CNN-IBN series takes on finance minister’s ‘pre-poll gimmick’

    NEW DELHI: CNN-IBN is going to start a politico-economic series to take on the UPA government in general and the finance minister in particular with The Sixty Thousand Crore Loan Waiver, throughout this week.

    In the series, CNN-IBN is going to evaluate “the possible merits, if any, of this so-called panacea to the rising farmer suicides,” a statement from the channel says.

    Throughout the week, CNN-IBN’s flagship news bulletin, India at 9, will bring stories from across the country that look at the state of farmers from some of the worst-affected areas, including how banks are grappling and how political parties are politicising the entire situation in their favour.

    “The series is aimed at unearthing the real impact of the Rs 60,000 crore loan waiver on those it is supposed to help. It sheds light on the plight and state of farmers across the country, for whom nothing really changes,” says CNN-IBN and IBN7 editor-in-chief Rajdeep Sardesai.

    The channel believes that the farm loan waiver is expected to benefit thirty million small and medium farmers, but in fact the figure is nothing like it.

    The channel statement says that the waiver is in fact only applicable to loans taken from established and recognised banks for less than 2.5 hectares of land.

    “However, a majority of the affected farmers either own more than 2.5-hectares of land and/or borrowed money from private moneylenders,” it adds.

    Therefore, this means that they are exempted from the waiver and that in reality it is just a pre-poll political gimmick.

    The series takes viewers through places like Bundelkhand, Vidarbha, Telengana, Haryana and even the finance minster’s constituency of Shivganga in Tamil Nadu to showcase ground realities that have been overlooked by the government’s otherwise impressive grant.

    “Could it be a political carrot dangling before farmers to gain momentum before the upcoming elections? CNN-IBN finds out,” says the statement.

    In addition, the series also lays focus on the growing migration of people from areas like the Azamgarh-Varanasi belt to the big cities in search of urban opportunities. For these former farmers, agriculture is no longer an option and jobs in metropolises seem more alluring.

    The Sixty Thousand Crore Loan Waiver is a series that looks into the reality of the Budget’s most-hyped provision and how everything is not what meets the eye!

  • Cellebrum develops contest for BSNL, MTNL

    Cellebrum develops contest for BSNL, MTNL

    MUMBAI: Cellebrum, a MCorpGlobal group company and an integrated telecom VAS solutions provider has announced its tie-up with BSNL and MTNL in North India to launch its Kaun Banega Lakhpati contest. The contest, developed by Cellebrum, aims to provide a rewarding experience for subscribers of the telecom operators.

    Subscribers of BSNL and MTNL will be able to win total cash prizes worth Rs 5,00,000 (Four prizes of 1,00,000 each, 20 prizes of Rs 4900 each) as part of the contest. The contest will be available for all GSM and landline subscribers of BSNL and MTNL from 15 October to 30 November, states an official release.

    While playing the contest, the subscriber will have to correctly answer five simple questions. However, subscribers can participate in the contest as many times as they wish to. Winners of the contest will be chosen by Cellebrum after a lucky draw of the eligible subscribers who managed to correctly answer all questions in the contest, the release adds.

    Speaking about the contest, Cellebrum COO Saket Agarwal said, “BSNL and MTNL are two of the largest telecom conglomerates in the country. We believe that our association with these operators will help us reach the virgin territories of this country, vis-à-vis the value added services market. Moreover, with the festive season of Diwali in the offing, we believe that a contest like Kaun Banega Lakhpati will definitely touch millions of aspiring individuals who want to make it big in a short span of time and we are sure that the contest will be received with great enthusiasm across all telecom circles where it is being launched.”

    “At Cellebrum, we have always prioritised on providing new, innovative and rewarding services to our customers and keeping them at the forefront of the revolution,” Agarwal added.

    How does the contest work?
    BSNL/ MTNL Users

    Through IVRS: Users in Haryana and Delhi will have to dial 126300 to access the service while subscribers in Punjab and UP (W) will have to dial 12630000 to participate in the contest.

    Charges as follows: 
    BSNL Mobile/GSM subscribers: Rs 3.60 / minute
    BSNL Landline subscribers: Rs 1.20 / 30 secs
    MTNL Mobile/GSM subscribers: Rs 4 / minute
    MTNL Landline subscribers: Re 1 / 30 secs
    Through SMS [for Mobile subscribers in Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, J&K, UP (E) and UP(W)]: Users are required to register for the contest by sending SMS “KBL” to 6300 and follow the instructions thereafter.

    Charges will be levied as follows: 
    Messages to 6300 for contest will be charged at Rs 2 per SMS.

  • Bharti Airtel inks $ 1 billion network expansion contract with Ericsson

    Bharti Airtel inks $ 1 billion network expansion contract with Ericsson

    MUMBAI: Bharti Airtel today announced the signing of an estimated $ 1 billion network expansion contract with Swedish telecommunications equipment manufacturer Ericsson.

    The contract will enable Bharti Airtel to rapidly expand its mobile services footprint further and reach out to all towns and cities in 15 telecom circles in the country. The three-year service contract with Ericsson is towards the design, planning, supply and installation commissioning of Airtel networks in these circles.

    Ericsson will also upgrade the network with mobile softswitch (Media Gateway and MSC Servers), the solution that paves the way to an all-IP network. Bharti Airtel will be able to reduce the operational costs and introduce new services in a cost-efficient way.

    The scope of the agreement extends to 15 Airtel circles of Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, UP (West), Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Chennai, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, UP (East), Jammu & Kashmir, Assam and North East.

    Manoj Kohli, president, Bharti Airtel said, “At Bharti, it has been our endeavor to find innovative business models to deliver better customer experience. Our partnership with Ericsson is testament to this belief as it allows us to focus on delivering better customer experience even as we leverage the world class expertise of our partners to roll out our networks across all census towns by March 2007. In addition, we are also sourcing next generation products that will allow us to deliver innovative products & services to our customers.”

    This partnership will enable Airtel to channel its resources and expertise to its core areas of product innovation, value added services, marketing, branding & pricing, while simultaneously providing world class mobile services by leveraging Ericsson’s world class expertise in network management.

    “Our partnership with Bharti Airtel resulted in the first managed services contract in the industry. Speed of roll-outs plays an extremely important role in large expansions of this nature. Ericsson has demonstrated expertise in this area. We are honoured and pleased that Bharti Airtel has chosen to partner with us to expand their footprint across India” said Mats Granryd, managing director, Ericsson India.

  • MIH Group forays into Indian internet and digital space

    MIH Group forays into Indian internet and digital space

    MUMBAI: MIH, part of the multinational media group Naspers Limited, is making a foray into the Indian internet and digital space.

    “MIH plans to develop internet and mobile applications for the growing online Indian market. India is an attractive market, which is forecast to show strong economic growth going forward. Internet penetration which is currently only at 4.5 per cent is expected to grow rapidly over the next five to ten years offering many opportunities in online communication. MIH seeks to capitalise on these opportunities in the long run by building strong online communication platforms. MIH Internet’s first office will be based in Gurgaon, Haryana,” said spokesperson for MIH Internet (India) Craig White.

    MIH operates pay television and internet subscriber platforms and related technologies in over 50 countries. Its significant operations are located in South Africa, elsewhere in Africa, Brazil, China, Thailand, The Netherlands, Greece and Cyprus. Given the huge growth in the internet and mobile VAS space in India, the group is now planning investments here.

    The group would be launching a range of innovative applications in the Indian internet and mobile space. Its aim is to create a personal reference world of entertainment and information, which can be accessed wherever you are, whenever you want.

    MIH creates media content, builds brand names around it, and manages the platforms distributing the content. The content is delivered in a variety of forms and through a variety of channels, including television platforms and internet services.

    With a view to expand offices across the nation, the group plans to set up its first office in Gurgaon and hire talent for various functions ranging from engineering, R&D, technology, creative, marketing, sales, support etc.

    The MIH group is exploring media opportunities in emerging markets where strong economic growth is expected. Within emerging markets the specific focus is on the BRICSA countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China and the rest of sub-Saharan Africa.

    In China, the group has an investment in the pioneer instant messaging platform, Tencent, which is a developer and operator of innovative real-time communication and online entertainment technologies and services. Tencent’s instant messaging product, QQ, processes more than three billion messages every day and is one of the top 10 portals globally.

  • Hindi news channels on high growth rollercoaster

    What’s on the news tonight? Well, pretty much the full spectrum – from ghouls to goons, politics, drama, comedy, tragedy, tragi-comedy… and everything in between. We’ve even had our own version of “Ripley’s Believe it or Not” LIVE as it happened beamed into millions of homes. Remember 5-year-old Prince from Haryana and his 50-hour ordeal down a pit that played out over all the television news networks. Some pundits have decried the carpet bombing coverage as indicative of the pits to which news reportage has descended but ask your average media planner / buyer and he’ll more likely tell you (off the record of course): “Bring it on.”

    Rescuers carrying 5-year-old Prince who fell into a 60-foot hole in Kurukshetra, Rajasthan. Zee News, which first broke this story, went all-out on its coverage of what became a national event.

    Because it is this smorgasbord of subjects of coverage, which offers something for everyone, that is driving up not just the ratings, but also revenues for Hindi news channels. And while there are those who wonder when the Hindi news engine will start to lose its steam, most are in agreement that it is not going to be any time soon.

    Just how much Hindi news channels clocked this year varies (depending on who you speak to) from a low of Rs 3 billion to over Rs 4.5 billion. What most seem to agree on though, is that growth is chugging at a fast clip with the expectations for this year being between 20-30 per cent.

    According to Meenakshi Madhvani, head of media audit firm Spatial Access Solutions, “From Rs 350 crores (Rs 3.5 billion) in the last fiscal, I think it (ad revenues) would go up to Rs 450 crores in this fiscal, an increase of 28.5 per cent in the genre. Hence a rate of growth significantly higher than the overall TV business.”

    Jan-06
    Jun-06
    Channel
    Share %
    Share %
    Aaj Tak    24.5    27.0
    Star News    21.3    18.5
    Zee News    14.8    16.4
    NDTV India    19.1    13.5
    Channel 7    6.9    10.0
    India TV    7.2    8.5
    Sahara Samay National    6.1    6.0
    TG CS15+ Hindi Speaking Markets (HSM) Source TAM Peoplemeter
    Giving his reasoning, MindShare managing director West and South R Gowthaman says, “The Hindi news genre is growing as there is still a significant appetite. However, I am not sure whether there is space for more channels now. 2006 over 2005/4 grew on the back of new channels coming on board, in the sense this was an organic growth. Not a reflection of ratings, but a reflection of supply. I would say, the category (Hindi news cluster) “heat” is just right with 10 channels… 

    “Overall share of Hindi News channel as a cluster can grow from now on only on the back of quality content, viz more local segments etc., which could help garner more share. Only garnering more share can provide fillip to increasing revenues…”

    OMS regional director Madan Mohapatra offers his view on the key aspects that are underpinning this phenomenal revenue and ratings growth.

    Based on Card Costs
    Rank    Top Advertisers
    1    Emami Limited
    2    Hindustan Lever Ltd
    3    Coca Cola India Ltd
    4    Tata Motors Ltd
    5    Biswanath Hosiery Mills Ltd
    6    Paras Pharmaceuticals Ltd
    7    Bhawani Textiles
    8    Surya Food And Agro Pvt Ltd
    9    Mahashiya Di Hatti Limited
    10    Action Shoes
    Source: AdEx India, A Division of TAM Media Research Period: Jan-June ’06
    Medium: Hindi News Channels
    Says Mohapatra: “Four years ago, advertisers looking to build reach turned to general entertainment channels. Three years ago, Hindi movies channels got added to the reach build proposition. Hindi news is currently in the phase where this genre is transiting from niche to reach build. And it was Aaj Tak which showed the way for the rest to follow. If the pace at which this genre is moving currently is maintained, one year down the line, live Hindi news will complete that transition (from niche to reach build).

    “Once this happens, the perception factor in determining rates will go down. This is already happening actually. For example, earlier, the faces on the channels made for a great built-in value add. Today, nobody is sure anymore which face will pop up on which channel. Thanks to this, channel perceptions are going to get evermore fragmented.”

    This could well sound a warning bell for channels like NDTV and CNBC, which enjoy a good mark-up on rates because of the “personalities” they carry. As Madhvani points out, “A channel like Aaj Tak is seen as delivering reach in the North, but when it comes to channel decisions, it is driven by personal choices. Because of which there is a lot of dichotomy. I have seen so many instances of people putting fairly large sums of ad money on CNBC, which doesn’t deliver anything in terms of numbers but is seen as a channel which decision makers watch and the channel that delivers corporate India to you. 
    There are these popular perceptions that some channels have very smartly exploited.

    “NDTV for instance, which has a fantastic marketing and sales team, is able to leverage these perceptions to get more than their fair share of advertising. That’s marketing!”

    No Softening of Rates
    The big question that flows out of all this of course is whether fragmentation will lead to effective rates going down in the near to mid-term? The answer is an emphatic NO!

    Jai Jawan: NDTV India trumpets its patriotic credentials.
    Why? Says Madhvani, “This is on account of rates being upped, more advertisers/ad categories being targeted and a greater level of effort being put in by the sales teams and less due to the launch of new channels!

    Mohapatra opines, “This is because the choice of clientele is proportionately growing. This year, I see sectors like property, infrastructure, education, retail, IPOs all contributing to this growth. There will be many first time advertisers as well. Add to that, now, because of the reach deliveries, even FMCGs are looking at news channels.

    Estimated Revenues Hindi channels achieved in FY2006
    Aaj Tak    Rs 1.4 billion
    NDTV India    Rs 900 million
    Star News    Rs 750 million
    Zee News    Rs 600 million
    DD News    Rs 400 million
    Channel7 / India TV / Sahara Samay    Rs 300 million
    “What will happen is that channels at the bottom of the spectrum will be able to up their rates. I see a flattening of rates across news channels happening. And those that can’t raise rates will simply increase the number of spots they carry. What we are also seeing across news channels is an increase in ad secondage per hour. If the average earlier was 10-12, today it is 14 and even higher in some cases.”

    Targeted Advertising
    Media planner Rahul Panchal says, “Today all channels in their own way, indulge in customized ads through lifestyle shows. Major brands like ICICI and Tata Motors spend approximately Rs 60 million to Rs 80 milllion on news channels through this avenue. Adds Panchal, “Customized shows provide mileage to the brands and the show without tampering with the core content.”

    Clients also target their ads. Aaj Tak primarily targets the middle class, servicing the north-east region. (Brands such as vest / undergarments are glaring on the Aaj Tak screen). Research indicates that Aaj Tak primarily brings in and engages male viewers, Panchal says.

    Crime Scene Investigation – Star News style.
    According to Panchal, Star News has a strong hold in Mumbai, while Zee News is strong in Delhi. When looking at Hindi news channels, clients pitch in their money according to frequency plan, besides perception and ratings, he avers. 

    “When a new ad campaign is unleashed on Aaj Tak, it has a high reach in the initial week. While in the following weeks it will witness a low incremental reach. On the other hand NDTV India, where the loyalty is less and it is more of a co-viewing, the incremental reach is high in the following weeks and not in the initial week.” 

    Meanwhile, when it comes to the gore factor, it is the crimes shows on Star News Zee News and Aaj Tak that advertisers flock to.

    Hindi News TG definition Blurring

    One function of the increasing spread of coverage that news channels are attempting is the blurring of distinctions as to what TG defines a Hindi news consumer. Points out Madhvani, “News channels always have the option of the mass route and the class route. The Hindi channels appear to have exploited this better than anyone else. Taking the Aaj Tak example, if Aaj Tak caters to mass markets (including a significant chunk of the class), Tez is specifically targeted at the upper end.

    Aaj Tak – Still leading after all these years.
    “I would say that Hindi news channels are the ‘male mass channels’ that compete with the Star Plus’ of the world. The genre is still evolving and putting a demographic TG to it (to possibly differentiate it from the English news genre) will not do justice to it.”

    Avers Gowthaman, “Currently the content seems to be targeted towards, self employed professionals, traders and to some extent broadly to the chief wage earner of the house. However, I still believe there is no clear cut focus on content that could clearly distinguish the target. All the channels look the same and they cover pretty much the same topics.”

    Distribution Issues Will Drag Down Revenues
    The biggest issue that all news channels are confronting is the ever rising costs of distribution. And with more and more players coming in, there is just no respite from that.

    This is inevitably going to result in the flattening of the growth curve over the next two years. Particularly on the distribution side, revenues coming in look unlikely except on addressable platforms like DTH, digital cable, IPTV, mobile TV, etc.

    An industry observer sums up the situation aptly when he says, “Earlier channels paid carriage fees. Then it became carriage + placement fees. Today, even displacement fees (of rival channels) have come into the picture.” 

    Says Madhvani, “Those who get the distribution game right will rule. Geographic expansion (whether urban, rural, national or international) is dependent on it. And with CAS/DTH in the offing in India, penetration will become a key issue for all players, in urban as well as rural markets.

    “Primary drivers of viewership for a news channel could include variety of coverage, relevance and immediacy (and of course distribution); however it is credibility that sustains viewership and will drive growth in the long run.

    “Channels that have the right mix of all elements and can still differentiate from the rest in terms of content and presentation will thrive.”

    The right mix. That is easier said than done. To quote McCann Erickson India president Santosh Desai from his column – The Last Word – in the 30 July edition of The Week: “Market forces seem to push channels away from balance and not towards it. The moment the success of news channels gets evaluated in terms of its viewership, and not the credibility and impact of its coverage, news becomes a spectacle and channels strain every fibre to keep people hooked.”

    In the near term at least it could well be that spectacle will rule. The billion rupee question is really – will credibility take centrestage in the long run? The road the news channels are taking currently offers no credible assertion that it will.

  • Delhi Aaj Tak sets 29 May as launch date

    Delhi Aaj Tak sets 29 May as launch date

    MUMBAI: Finally the launch date of the proposed national capital region (NCR) channel from the Aroon Purie-promoted TV Today Network has been firmed up (at least targeted). The company has zeroed in on 29 May as the date for the channel’s debut.

    This has been confirmed to indiantelevision.com by senior sources from within the company.

    Targeting Delhi as well as the neighbouring satellite towns of Faridabad and Gurgaon in Haryana and Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, the fourth sibling from the stable will encompass various local issues of the regions aimed at attracting Hindi speaking audiences.

    While the sources refused to divulge any details on the programming front, offering only that while the channel would be a different product from market leader Aaj Tak, nonetheless it would maintain the essence of its established sibling.

    As reported earlier, the uplinking clearance for Delhi Aaj Tak came through last year. The channel’s tag line is ‘Delhi Aaj Tak’: aapka sehar, aap tak (Delhi Aaj Tak: your city, up close), it will be beamed off Insat 2E.

    The other news channels from the TV Today stable are however, likely to shift their beaming base from Insat-2E to Pas-10.

    Last year, the network has launched its second Hindi news channel Tez tracing the format of English sibling Headlines Today (pacy news format). The channel focuses on quick delivery of news.

    What needs to be seen is whether the company will also consider in its offering, other metro-centric products?

    The NCR region already has a few existing players including Sahara NCR, S1 and Total TV servicing the viewers’ news appetite. Meanwhile, NDTV is also proposing a new product to service the metros, including Delhi.