ITV

Tag: India Today

  • Star India’s Rs 20,000 crore sports gamble

    Star India’s Rs 20,000 crore sports gamble

    MUMBAI: That Star India is betting big on sports is well-known. How big the bet it is placing is now becoming clear.

    The News Corp-owned media and entertainment leader in India today announced that it is committed to invest Rs 20,000 crore in building the sports business in India. The investment will be used to fuel the expansion of sports coverage in the country as well as in building exciting new leagues including the Indian Super League in football, the Hockey India League and the Indian Badminton League over the next few years, it stated.

    Simultaneous with this announcement, the network today unveiled a new brand for Star Sports across six TV channels – Star Sports 1,2,3,4, HD1 and HD2 and its online portal starsports.com.

    The new logo is a metallic silver star with an incandescent swoosh of colours symbolising the authority and passion of sports with the powerful slugline – “Believe.”

    “Cricket is too big to be confined to just one channel. Today, we are redoubling our efforts to showcase the best of Indian and international cricket to the sports fan. We will cover more of it, have wider coverage, go deeper, use multiple languages and take it beyond television,” says Star India CEO Uday Shankar in a press release. “The new brand is also about showcasing our commitment to other sports. While cricket will be central to our approach, we will also be faithful to our role as a sports broadcaster and bring in the best of local and world sports to India, whether in soccer, hockey, badminton, tennis, F1 or the many other sports that fans in India are deeply passionate about.”
    Uday Shankar is investing big in building a sports ecosystem in India

     He adds: “For us, this is not just about being the country’s leading sports broadcaster. We want to build a platform that will help nurture heroes out of the millions of passionate, young sports fans across India. We want sports to be the trigger for creating and nurturing outstanding new opportunities for India’s youth. And today, we are signalling that we are deeply committed to making this transformation happen, through our investments, our ideas and our efforts.”

    As of midnight 6 November, the six channels under the erstwile ESPN-Star Sports umbrella will give way to new brands. Star Sports will be called Star Sports 1, Star Sports 2 remains Star Spots 2, Star Cricket will become Star Sports 3, ESPN will be rebranded as Star Sports 4, Star Cricket HD will become Star Sports HD1 and ESPN HD will be renamed as Star Sports HD2.

    The big change really is with Star Sports 3, India’s first 24×7 Hindi sports channel with content, graphics and shows in Hindi.  It hopes that this push into Hindi will dramatically increase the reach of sports in India where it says less than 10 per cent of the populace understands English and a much smaller number are native speakers. Star Sports has seen success in Hindi commentary with Hindi now accounting for 70 per cent share of all viewership in the recently concluded CLT20 series.

    A high decibel promotional campaign has been drawn up featuring MS Dhoni as its first brand ambassador

    In addition to this, the Star Sports network said that it will be showcasing new non-live programming and new shows and formats which will run into more than 5,000 hours of content, including around 200 days of live cricket annually.  Amongst these is a half hour show called Star Power which will give comprehensive updates, insight and analysis and will be telecast twice a day at 8:00 pm and 10:30 pm on Star Sports 3 all seven days of the week.

    On the digital front, Star India is aggressively reaching out to young, ardent sports fans who want to access sports across screens. The digital service offers a variety of sports including cricket, soccer and F1, in HD quality streaming. The service has received exceptionally positive consumer feedback for its revolutionary timeline (a first for cricket anywhere in the world) that gives the fan complete control of how he wants to view his favourite games, whether for live or catch-up.

    A high decibel promotional campaign has been drawn up featuring MS Dhoni as its first brand ambassador. The campaign, says the network, urges India to “Believe” and it outlines the beliefs that have made M S Dhoni one of the most iconic heroes of our time. It will run on the Star network’s 33 channels and rolls out on 6 November when India tunes into watch Sachin Tendulkar play the last series of his career.
    Star has the right pedigree to pull off healthy returns for the huge investments it is putting into sports says Ashish Bhasin

    Star’s sports gamble is getting praise from senior media professionals.

    “It is a very professional and calculated move to get deeper into sports and into developing niche sports.  The channels are already established with viewers as they have been around for a long time and the rebranding and promotion will only deepen the connect with them,” says Aegis Group chairman India & CEO south east Asia Ashish Bhasin.  “Star is putting its money where its mouth is and it has the right pedigree to pull off healthy returns for the huge investments it is putting into sports.”

  • IRS Q3 2012: Malayalam magazine Vanitha continues to be most read magazine

    MUMBAI: Malayalam fortnightly magazine Vanitha continues to be the most read magazine in the country despite fall in numbers, according to the latest Indian Readership Survey (IRS) for the third quarter of 2012 conducted by the MRUC.

    Vanitha saw a decrease in its all India readership (AIR) to 2.271 million in the third quarter of 2012 from 2.353 million in the preceding quarter.

    Hindi monthly Pratiyogita Darpan continues to be the second most read magazine with a readership of 1.894 million, down from 1.918 million in Q2.

    Another Hindi monthly magazine Samanya Gyan Darshan was the third most read. Its readership actually increased to 1.733 million in the third quarter of 2012 from 1.644 million a quarter earlier.

    The fourth most read was India Today, which saw an increase in readership to 1.526 million in the third quarter from 1.554 million a quarter earlier.

    The pecking order of Hindi magazines remained unchanged with Patiyogita Darpan at the top followed by Samanya Darpan. Fortnightly publication Saras Salil was at number three, but saw a drop in AIR to 1.351 million in the third quarter from 1.548 million a quarter earlier. Seven out of the 10 Hindi magazines saw a drop in AIR for the third quarter of 2012.

    Amongst the English magazines, India Today retained its top position though its readership decreased from 1.554 million in the second quarter to 1.526 million in the third quarter. Second spot holder General Knowledge Today too saw a drop in readership to 1.047 million in Q3 from 1.087 million a quarter earlier. Seven out of the 10 English magazines saw a drop in AIR for the third quarter of 2012.

    In the Indian language magazines too Vanitha leads. Bengali weekly Karmakshetra takes the second spot with its readership increasing from 1.168 million in Q2 2012 to 1.183 million in Q3 2012. The readership of Malayala Manorama too rose from 1.113 million in Q2 2012 to 1.053 million. Occupying the fourth spot is Karmasangsthaan with .996 million readership in Q3 as compared to .964 million in Q2.

  • Sudipto Chowdhuri to lead ad sales function at India TV

    MUMBAI: India TV has roped in Sudipto Chowdhuri as senior vice president, sales. He will be responsible for leading the advertising revenue function of the business nationally. He will report to India TV MD Ritu Dhawan.

    Chowdhuri‘s last stint was at TV9 Kannada as a national head.
    India TV strategist Paritosh Joshi said, “We are happy to welcome Sudipto and expect that his depth of experience will be catalytic for the strong revenue team. We are confident that this will further accelerate the aggressive growth path Independent News Service is following.”

    With nearly 21 years of experience, Chowdhuri has worked with brands like India Today, Zee Network, INX Network and Star News.

    Chowdhuri said, “I feel proud to be associated with India TV, which is one of the most credible media brands in this country. I am sure it would be quite challenging and equally exciting to do business differently in a fiercely competitive genre like Hindi news.”

  • IRS Q2 2012: Magazines too see slump in readership

    MUMBAI: Malayalam fortnightly magazine Vanitha continues to lead the list of most read magazines in the country, according to the latest Indian Readership Survey conducted by the MRUC.

    The publication, however, clocked a decrease in the All India Readership (AIR) at 2.353 million in the second quarter of the calendar year 2012 as compared to 2.444 million in the first quarter.

    The second place on the list continued to be occupied by Hindi monthly publication Pratiyogita Darpan with a readership of 1.918 million from 1.893 in Q1. Another Hindi monthly magazine Samanya Gyan Darshan figured on the number three spot, having also increased its AIR from 1.644 in Q1 to 1.664 in Q2.

    Jumping up two places on the list, Bengali weekly Karmakshetra (Q1 AIR: 1.142 million; Q2 AIR: 1.168 million) stood at number seven in Q2, sending previous quarter‘s number seven Cricket Samrat (Q1 AIR: 1.176 million; Q2 AIR: 1.135 million) and Malayalam weekly Malayala Manorama (Q1 AIR: 1.163 million; Q2 AIR: 1.113 million) to number nine.

    The pecking order of Hindi magazines remained unchanged with Patiyogita Darpan in top position followed by Samanya Darpan. Fortnightly publication Saras Salil was at number three, but saw a drop in AIR at 1.548 million in second quarter as compared to 1.601 million in Q1. Seven out of the 10 publications saw a drop in AIR for the second quarter of 2012.

    Amongst the English magazines, India Today retained its top spot though its readership decreased from 1.613 million in first quarter to 1.554 million in Q2. Second spot holder General Knowledge Today saw a spike in readers, albeit marginal, from 1.086 million to 1.087 million in second quarter. Stardust jumped up one spot to occupy the seventh place with AIR at 416000. The week suffered decline in readership (Q1 AIR: 418000; Q2 AIR 397000) and thus slipped down two places to number nine.

    The language magazines saw two major changes in the pecking order. Last quarter’s second spot holder Malayala Manorama swapped places with Bengali weekly Karmakshetra which held third position in the first quarter. Malayalam weekly Balaram (Q1 AIR: 787000; Q2 AIR: 738000) was bumped down to number eight by same language weekly Mathrubhumi Thozhil Vartha (Q1 AIR: 735000; Q2 AIR: 782000) which ranked at number seven in the second quarter.

  • Barfi! Star Ranbir Kapoor shoots integrated promo for Aaj Tak

    NEW DELHI: Bollywood heartthrob Ranbir Kapoor shot an exclusive promo saluting the pioneering spirit of Hindi news channel Aaj Tak.

    Kapoor, the lead actor in upcoming film “Barfi!”, shot the promo at studios in Mumbai acknowledging the journey of Aaj Tak over the years.

    “Aaj Tak has been chosen as the No.1 Hindi news channel for the 11th consecutive year this time. This promo is testimony to the channel’s constant innovation and growth story and Ranbir’s gratitude to the country’s top news channel,” an official statement said.

    The promo that incorporates cutting edge technology captures some of the biggest events in recent times and Kapoor is juxtaposed in the frames of the historic moment in politics, sports and entertainment in his Barfi! avatar. Some of the moments include Anna Hazaare’s movement, India winning the Cricket World Cup, A.R. Rahman receiving the Oscar, F1 race in India, Commonwealth Games, Atal Bihari Vajpayee meeting Musharaf, and the Royal wedding of Prince Williams.

    India Today Group CEO Ashish Bagga said, “We are grateful to Barfi! and Ranbir Kapoor in particular for this gesture, this promo is as sweet as Barfi!. Aaj Tak is the most preferred news channel in the country and such a tribute from a superstar gives us a renewed energy to carry forward the legacy of being the No. 1.”

    To add some more buzz to this, Oye! 104.8 FM Sabse Filmi is doing an on-air contest backed on Facebook that will give listeners an opportunity to enact the role of Ranbir Kapoor in the Aaj Tak Barfi news walk through.

    Barfi! is an upcoming Indian romantic comedy film directed by Anurag Basu. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Ileana D‘Cruz in lead roles. It is expected to be released on 14 September.

  • IRS Q1 2012: Mags at top drop readership, India Today leads in English

    MUMBAI: Malyalam fortnightly magazine Vanitha has maintained its lead in the magazines segment even if its readership has decreased marginally, according to the IRS (Indian Readership Survey) first-quarter report released by Media Research Users Council (MRUC) and Hansa Research.

    Hindi monthly Pratiyogita Darpan continues to be second in the pecking order, though it too has lost out on readers. Vanitha’s average issue readership (AIR) has gone down to 2.44 million in Q1 2012 from 2.52 million in Q4 2011.

    Last quarter’s fourth place holder Samanya Gyan Darpan moved up to third spot this quarter, notwithstanding a decrease in AIR from 1.68 million to 1.64 million. Hindi fortnightly Saras Sahil experienced the maximum drop in AIR numbers from 1.77 million in Q4 2011 to 1.60 million in Q1 2012.

    Among English magazines, weekly publication India Today continues to lead with an AIR of 1.613 million compared to 1.611 million in the previous quarter. Also maintaining their respective positions at the number two, three, and fourth spots are General Knowledge Today (AIR 1.09 million), Readers Digest (AIR 1.04 million) and Competition Success Review (AIR 705,000).

    Pratiyogita Darpan with an AIR of 446,000 in Q1 2012 (AIR of 404,000 in for Q4, 2011) displaced The Week (AIR of 418,000) from the number 6 spot.

    In the regional magazine list, Malayam Manorama held on to its position on second rank position, though it experienced a reduction in AIR from 1.21 million in Q4 2011 to 1.16 million in Q1 2012.

    Bengali weekly Karmakshetra was also unmoved at the third spot with AIR of 1.14 million this quarter as opposed to 1.09 million last quarter.

  • Sudipto Chowdhuri joins as SVP — national sales for TV9 Kannada and News9

    Sudipto Chowdhuri joins as SVP — national sales for TV9 Kannada and News9

    BANGALORE:TV9 group has appointed Sudipto Chowdhuri as SVP — national sales and brand positioning for TV9 Kannada and News9.

    Chowdhuri will be reporting to the TV9 Kannada and News9 director Mahendra Mishra.

    In his two decades of experience, Chowdhuri has worked with brands such as Tata Yellow Pages, India Today, Zee Network, 9X and Star News.

    Chowdhuri‘s last assignment was with Star News network based in Mumbai. He has worked across all markets in the country and is equipped with knowledge of corporate and retail advertising in both TV and Print.

    Mishra says, “As TV9 Kannada and News9 continue to grow as South India‘s most powerful media brands, we will look to Sudipto to take these channels to even greater heights.”

  • IRS: Hindi, regional magazines see negative growth

    IRS: Hindi, regional magazines see negative growth

    MUMBAI: The third quarter IRS (Indian Readership Survey) report has no good news for the Hindi magazines.

    As per the report, barring Pratiyogita Darpan, which is at second spot after Saras Salil, all Hindi magazines have seen a fall in readership.

    Saras Salil, though maintaining its leadership, has seen a drop in the average issue redership (AIR) to 2.01 million, from 2.05 million in the Q2 survey. Pratiyogita Darpan saw its AIR increasing at 1.91 million from 1.80 million.

    Meanwhile, Grehlakshmi fell from fifth to seventh place, whereas other magazines – India Today (Hindi), Meri Saheli and Grih Shobha – saw marginal drop in AIR.
     

     
    Amongst the English magazines, India Today is holding on to its numero uno position, with AIR of 1.78 million, slightly up from 1.77 million in previous survey. However, Readers’ Digest and General Knowledge Today, though maintaining second and third position, saw a dip in AIR.
     

    Meanwhile, the picture is equally bad in the regional language magazines. Malayalam Manorama, though, saw a rise in its readership and jumped two places to be on second spot, after Vanitha (Malayalam). Karmakshetra (Bengali) also improved its position from ninth to seventh position.

    The rest – Vanitha, Kumudam, Balarama, Mathrubhumi Arogya Masika, Mathrubhumi Thozhil Vartha and Grihalakshmi (all Malayalam), and Ananda Vikatan and Kungumam (both Tamil) – all lost their share.

  • India Today publishing director Pavan Varshnei quits

    NEW DELHI: Pavan Varshnei, the prime mover behind the India Today group’s launching of a slew of magazines, has quit the group.

    Two senior managers, Raktim Das and Bidhu Sagar, who were working under him, have also quit the group, sources told Indiantelevision.com.

    Varshnei, who left as publishing director-business division, is weighing options in the advertising world and says he decided to move after four years with Living Media because of major opportunities outside.

    Varshnei was with Lintas for more than a decade before he joined the Living Media group.

    Asked about the resignations of Das and Sagar, Varsgnei said: “Sorry, I cannot comment on that.”

    Varshnei took over the division in 2004, with Business Today and Golf Digest as its only two products, but rapidly expanded the portfolio of magazines.

    He identified new segments and, during the past three years, successfully launched four new publications – Scientific American, Harvard Business Review, Men’s Health and BT More, which are leading brands in their respective segments.

    Varshnei also negotiated a joint venture with Germany’s Axel Springer Group, to launch Auto Bild India.

    Prior to the India Today Group, he was Executive Vice President at Lintas India, where he spent 14 years working across the brands of Unilever, Maruti Suzuki, Electrolux, Joyco, Wills Lifestyle and Sony Ericsson, among others.

    During his tenure with Lintas, he also served as the Head of Insight and oversaw the AOR media business for Bajaj Auto, Idea Cellular, UTI, Pantaloon and Parley Agro.

  • ‘Television has brought life back to many sports that were waning on account of declining viewership’

    ‘Television has brought life back to many sports that were waning on account of declining viewership’

    Sports in India today is no longer a leisure activity to be played or watched at one’s own convenience.

    With an increase in exposure through television as well as new technologies like the internet and the mobility space, sports has become a full fledged industry in its own right. This trend is reflected in increasing number of corporate organisations who have realised that the target audience for their product/services are better reached through the medium of sports – the passion of a sports fan today is therefore being tapped in newer ways with every passing day.

    So much so that even non-conventional businesses and companies with smaller pockets are increasingly looking at leveraging opportunities with sports as a medium to further their business goals.

    Though cricket still remains the No.1 sport in India, in recent times, there has been growing interest in non-cricket sports like hockey, soccer, tennis and golf, which has provided options for corporates to find out which sport resonates with their target audience. Looking at the sheer numbers, there has been a significant rise in sponsorships and advertising across all the sporting disciplines.

    As the sports fan becomes more discerning, the consumption pattern of sport is also changing – today’s fan is not happy with whatever is on offer.

    This has seen the growth of interactive broadcasting, quality opinions on air and innovative features which add more impact to the event coverage. This trend is healthy and I expect that in the years to come this will lead to a more specialist approach catering to the individual fan.

    Another heartening fact is that national level tournaments in non-cricket sports are also gaining in stature with increased viewership, leading to more sponsors and advertisers. Events like the Premier Hockey League (PHL), which is now in its fourth edition, have made a mark not just as a quality national event but also garnered sufficient international interest through its high quality offering of entertaining, end-to-end hockey. I believe the years to come will be even more exciting.

    Where does India stand in the global sports business, and where are we headed?

    To my mind, while we have indeed come a long way, India is still a small player compared to countries like the USA, China and West European nations, in terms of global size. But the potential has been clearly recognised and with every passing day the outlook seems brighter.

    To reach the next level, we need to get international sporting events and tournaments like Commonwealth Games and Men’s Hockey World Cup staged in India. This will not only boost viewership but also unlock the vast marketing potential to international sponsors.

    This will help the business grow to the next level. Such events will also provide a further boost to market India as a tourist destination. I am confident about the future – and I think if we can groom the available talent in non-cricket disciplines and create a few home grown superstars in basketball, soccer, tennis and golf over the next few years, there is no reason for India not to catch up with the rest of the world.

    Another factor that has impacted sports and sports media is the Indian economy. It has been booming over the past few years and its ripple effect is being felt in every industry, including sports. With more money flowing in and increased purchasing power leading to more spends, sports has also been cashing in a big way.

    Over the last decade, television has especially influenced the growth of the business of sports. It ensures greater reach across the country, more eyeballs / viewership per match, and, thereby, larger sponsor interest. This has also helped create the base for a host of affiliated businesses to thrive as well sports marketing agencies, celebrity management firms, et al.

    But, more than anything else, what seems most important to me is that television has brought life back to many sports that were waning on account of declining viewership. It has helped provide a stage for the enormous talent that exists in this country of more than a billion people – and hopefully this will help create many more Sania Mirzas and Vishwanathan Anands in the future.