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  • Laliga football schools come to India

    Laliga football schools come to India

    MUMBAI: Spain’s top division football league, LaLiga has launched a comprehensive grassroots football development programme in India, LaLiga Football Schools, in partnership with India On Track (IOT). The historic move aims at developing the beautiful game at grassroots level in India, as the game is growing rapidly in the country.  The LaLiga Football Schools are going to be set up pan-India, including major centres like Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru and Cochin, among others.

    The rigorous training programme at LaLiga Football Schools will be delivered using LaLiga’s technical curriculum and detailed methodology and will be overseen by the programme technical director appointed by LaLiga for India. It will be a holistic, comprehensive football development programme, with a focus on students within the age range of 6 to 18 years.

    India has shown its love and passion for the game repeatedly in the last few years, with Indian players giving standout performances at local, national and international platforms and the audiences watching and supporting the game expanding at an astounding rate. With India being one of the priority markets for LaLiga, this initiative is part of the several that have been undertaken to bring LaLiga closer to the passionate fan base here and inspire a change in the football environment.

    This announcement comes just days after LaLiga announced a three-year broadcast partnership with Facebook for the Indian subcontinent. The social media giant will show all 380 matches live and free, it will mean over 270 million people in India will have access to watch LaLiga each and every week. Select LaLiga matches will also be telecast on the sports channels of one of the India’s largest broadcasters, Sony Pictures Networks India giving the Indian football fan the most comprehensive viewing experience.

    Jose Cachaza, Head of LaLiga India said, “LaLiga is a strong propagator of developing young football talent. Seeing the kind of talent and passion Indians have for the beautiful game, we decided to collaborate with IOT and create a base to nurture the talent here. We are excited to see young boys and girls from India train with our best coaches and facilities and learn to play the LaLiga way.

    This move is a further sign of our commitment to India and follows off the back of our ground-breaking agreement with Facebook, which will see all 380 games shown live, and for free on the platform. We want to inspire the next generation of Indian football“

    Vivek Sethia, Founder, India On Track (IOT) said, “The future of any sport lies in the development of its grassroots. India On Track has always partnered with top sporting entities to provide the talented youth of India with the best possible training opportunities. Our partnership with LaLiga bears testament to that and LaLiga Football Schools is a continuation in that direction.”

  • India to be APAC’s fourth largest online video subscription opportunity by 2023: MPA

    India to be APAC’s fourth largest online video subscription opportunity by 2023: MPA

    MUMBAI: The latest report by Media Partners Asia (MPA) predicts that by 2023, India will be Asia Pacific’s fourth-largest online video subscription opportunity after China, Australia and Japan.

    The Asia Pacific Online Video & Broadband Distribution report goes on to say that Asia Pacific’s online video revenue, comprising net ad spend and subscription fees, is expected to grow at 18 per cent CAGR, up from $21 billion in 2018 to $48 billion by 2023.

    The growth of online video subscription has been impressive in China, with fees rising from less than $850 million in 2015 to a projected $5 billion in 2018. The growth of online video subscription fees has also been strong and increasingly scalable in Australia and Japan, while meaningful opportunities are opening up in India, driven by the growth of payment infrastructure as well as investment in sports rights, local movies and series. Online video sub fees in Southeast Asia (including Hong Kong) are relatively low, at a projected $267 million in 2018. This could grow to $724 mil by 2023, driven by greater momentum in Hong Kong, Indonesia and the Philippines.

    China will account for the lion’s share of industry value, with more than 60 per cent of Asia Pacific online video revenue and more than 75 per cent of direct-to-consumer SVOD subs by 2023. After China, the largest markets by revenue in 2023 will be Japan, Australia, India, Korea and Taiwan. 

    MPA executive director Vivek Couto said,“Online video monetisation is starting to scale, supported by rising investment in premium entertainment and sports as well as the growth of broadband and digital payments. Strong digital ecosystems are emerging, especially in China while telcos are also becoming important aggregators of video services in markets such as Australia, India and Southeast Asia. Advertising is a major revenue stream for online video across the region, while subscription is also key, especially in Australia, China and Japan, and growing from a low base in India, Southeast Asia, Korea and Taiwan. Different payment models are emerging across China, India and Southeast Asia incorporating, including TVOD and shorter time commitments, freemium tiers, bundles and loyalty programs tied to a broader mix of digital services.”

    Net online video ad spend in Asia Pacific will grow from $13 billion in 2018 to $30 billion by 2023. Ex-China, this opportunity equates to more than $11 billion by 2023, versus $5 billion in 2018. YouTube and to some extent Facebook will remain dominant, with 73 per cent of online video ad spend ex-China by 2023, versus 78 per cent in 2018. The biggest online video ad markets after China by 2023 will be Japan, Australia, India and Korea. Local players will gain share with India leading the way, although Southeast Asia will lag behind.

    Online video content costs across Asia Pacific grew by 27 per cent in 2017 to reach $13 billion, with China contributing 85 per cent. Asia Pacific online video content costs will grow from $16.6 billion in 2018 to $31.5 billion by 2023, a 14 per cent CAGR, according to MPA. Ex-China, OTT video content costs will grow from $2.7 billion to $5.9 billion over 2018-23, a 16.5 per cent CAGR, with Australia, India and Japan driving momentum, followed by Korea.

    Advances in broadband will provide a significant boost to online video consumption, reach and monetisation. Mobile broadband will continue to grow, including the first flowering of 5G in North Asia and Australia post-2020, alongside a slow but steady transition to next-generation fixed broadband. Mobile broadband penetration in Asia Pacific ex-China will reach 80 per cent per capita by 2023 versus 57 per cent in 2018, with some of the biggest growth coming from India, Indonesia and Thailand. With China included, average mobile broadband penetration in Asia Pacific will grow from 74 per cent to 94 per cent per capita over the 2018-23 period. Average fixed broadband penetration in Asia Pacific will grow steadily from 50 per cent to 54 per cent of households over 2018-23, with the focus increasingly on upgrading networks using fibre and next-generation cable technologies.

    High level of online piracy leads the list of barriers to the growth. Apart from China, many local players are also struggling to scale in fragmented marketplaces. The top three SVOD players in a market typically have 50 per cent or more of online video subscription revenues, according to MPA analysis, leaving scope for future consolidation.

    Couto added: “We are in the early innings of an industry evolution which will require high levels of investment and strong balance sheets. For standalone players, there is no clear path to significant free cash generation in any market over the medium term, while integrated digital giants and large-scale TV players are subsidising losses for their online video services, although operational breakeven is likely in the near-to-medium term for local platforms in Australia, China, India and Japan.”

  • India’s ranking falls in latest Netflix ISP speed index

    India’s ranking falls in latest Netflix ISP speed index

    MUMBAI: In Netflix’s July Internet Service Providers (ISP) Speed Index Data, India’s ranking has fallen four spots to 53. The streaming giant releases a monthly update on which ISPs provide the best primetime Netflix streaming experience.

    This month’s index saw biggest jump from South Korea’s LG U+. Its monthly average speed has reached to 3.23 Mbps, up from 2.86 Mbps in June. Spain’s Telefonica-Movistar reached an average monthly speed of 3.26 Mbps up from 2.93 Mbps last month and Taiwan Broadband saw an average monthly speed of 3.70 Mbps up from 3.40 Mbps last month.

    On the other hand, Biznet in Indonesia experienced a speed decrease of 0.30 Mbps, bringing its monthly average down to 2.99 Mbps from 3.29 Mbps and Malaysia’s Telekom Malaysia Berhad saw speed slowing to a 3.24 Mbps monthly average from 3.46 Mbps in the losses category.

    Country wise category saw the Philippines rising five spots to 49th, Malaysia dropping six spots to 27th and India falling four spots to 53rd

  • YouTube joins the race of making original localised content

    YouTube joins the race of making original localised content

    MUMBAI: Till now in several markets including India, YouTube’s ad based model is more popular than the premium ad-free service. Now, in order to draw new customers to its paid subscription service, YouTube is creating scripted series and other original programing for international markets including India, France, Germany, Japan and Mexico. However, in India, YouTube Premium is still not available.

    YouTube global head original programming Susanne Daniels said in an interview that the programming will include music documentaries, reality series, talk shows and scripted series as reported by Reuters. Moreover, it will be produced in local languages which will make the platform more relevant in local markets. The localised content will be subtitled or dubbed for other markets too.

    “We are targeting markets where we believe we have a tremendous upside in potential subscribers,” Daniels said. She also mentioned the talk show on cricket in Hindi, UnCricket, has performed “beyond expectations”. A reality show starring South Korean pop band Big Bang had boosted subscriptions.

    Some of the content will be available on YouTube Premium, the monthly subscription service formerly called YouTube Red while other content will be available on YouTube’s free service.

    The emphasis on localised content from Alphabet Inc’s YouTube will increase the challenge for Netflix and Amazon which are already heavily investing in localised content. Both the platforms are trying to expand their footprint in India too.

    However, YouTube does not hold any plan for more original children’s programming as the company does not believe children’s content will drive subscriptions to YouTube Premium at this time.

  • Mashal Sports initiative #RaidForGold to support Indian Kabaddi team

    Mashal Sports initiative #RaidForGold to support Indian Kabaddi team

    MUMBAI: The Indian kabaddi team is ready with all guns firing for the 18th Asian Games Jakarta in August 2018. Team India asserted its supremacy in the recently concluded Kabaddi Masters Dubai 2018. To support the squad, Mashal Sports, the rights owner and organiser of the VIVO Pro Kabaddi League, has started an initiative #RaidForGold and aims to reach out to children from 2000+ schools across 19 cities in India.

    The team is gearing up for its eighth consecutive gold in the men’s kabaddi tournament and third consecutive gold in the women’s kabaddi tournament. In keeping with the ever-growing popularity of the sport, Mashal Sports with the support of the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI), launched the initiative that reaches out across the country to give Indians the opportunity to rally behind and express their support for the national kabaddi team.

    ‘Raid for Gold’ commencing on 9 July 2018, will represent the ‘Voice of a Million Fans’ for the Indian national kabaddi team to achieve the highest glory yet again for India’s own sport. Alongside signing up digitally to pledge their support, students will also get an opportunity to interact with renowned kabaddi stars like Ajay Thakur, Rishank Devadiga, Rahul Chaudhari, Deepak Hooda and Rohit Kumar as they visit schools across the country as a part of the initiative.

    The campaign gives fans an opportunity to pledge their support to the team by signing up on https://www.raidforgold.in/. 

    Kabaddi was included as a discipline in the 11th Asian Games Beijing 1990, where India’s only gold medal was through the sport. Since then, the kabaddi team has been the pride of India in all editions of the Asian Games.

  • India’s video content budget up by 14% in 2017: MPA

    India’s video content budget up by 14% in 2017: MPA

    MUMBAI: The video content expenditure for TV, movie and online video across India, Korea and Southeast Asia’s five biggest growth markets (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam) has seen a growth of eight per cent in 2017 to reach $10.2 billion, according to the 2018 edition of Asia Video Content Dynamics from analyst firm Media Partners Asia (MPA).

    India’s video content budget soared by 14 per cent to $4.2 billion in 2017, purely driven by pay-TV. Content investment in India’s online video market is also growing rapidly, driven by competition among well-capitalised global and local platforms. This trend is expected to continue over the next three years.

    India is followed by Korea, where investment in video content increased by seven per cent over the year to approach $3 billion. The investment in Korea is also starting to accelerate and will continue to do so over the course of 2018-19. Growth here will likely accelerate when China eventually lifts its ban on Korean dramas, movies and talent.

    The biggest contributors to aggregate incremental growth in video content spend across the seven markets in 2017 were pay-TV (38 per cent) and online video (30 per cent).

    MPA VP Stephen Laslocky said, “In general, content investment dynamics are favourable with content investment growing. Pay-TV content costs in the surveyed markets grew five per cent, led by India and Korea, driven by local entertainment and sports.”

    Free to air content investment was up by six per cent in 2017. Scale and growth in free to air content investment are largely attributable to Korea, the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia, driven by local entertainment.

    Film production budgets in the surveyed markets were up 10 per cent, driven by Korea and India. Online video investment is growing rapidly from a low base, up almost 80 per cent during 2017.

    Laslocky believes that rising competitive intensity is driving up online video content costs as rival platforms produce and acquire local series and movies, especially in India and Korea. “We expect online video content investment to also pick up in emerging markets across Southeast Asia, led by Indonesia and the Philippines,” he added.

    Malaysian market witnessed a decline in video content investment in 2017 mainly due to Astro cutting spend on international pay channels. The outlook for Malaysia could improve as new government policies bolster economic growth, broadening consumer spend and ad dollars.

    Growth in production spend across emerging Southeast Asia markets was generally satisfactory in 2017, according to the report.

  • India to enter top 10 OTT video markets in 2022: PwC

    India to enter top 10 OTT video markets in 2022: PwC

    MUMBAI: With a steadily increasing demand for online video consumption, India is set to occupy a spot in the top ten (over-the-top) video markets in the world in four years, reported the Times of India quoting a study from global accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

    The report titled Global Entertainment & Media Outlook 2018-2022 (Outlook) adds that the OTT video market in India is growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 23 per cent.

    According to the report, OTT video revenue in India reached Rs 2,019 crore in 2017 and is likely to hit Rs 5,595 crore by 2022.

    The report also notes that Indian entertainment and media industry is likely to reach Rs3.5 trillion (Rs353,609 crore) by 2022.

    ” India is expected to post an impressive growth in the entertainment and media Sector at a CAGR of around 11 percent, over the next five years. This is not only on the back of traditional media, such as TV subscription and advertising, cinema and advertising, expected to post robust growth, but also non-linear media such as OTT, gaming and  Internet advertising expected to  significantly high growth rates,” PwC India, partner & leader — entertainment & media, Frank D’Souza told Indiantelevision.com

    The findings of the PwC study do not come as a surprise given the flurry of activity in the Indian OTT space in the last two years. Global giants Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, local brands like ALTBalaji, and those owned by broadcasters like Star India’s Hotstar, Sony Entertainment Television’s SonyLIV and Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited’s ZEE5 are all locked in a fierce battle for India’s OTT pie.

    Viu India country head Vishal Maheshwari said, “This report shines a great light on the OTT market. Original content will play a major role in the growth of the SVOD segment which projected to reach 81.6% of the total in 2022. If OTT players in India produce high quality content, consumers will likely end up with a handful of different subscriptions. Also, with one of the largest populations of millennials who are looking for quality and relatable alternative entertainment avenues, we believe India will surpass other nations to become the largest contributor to the growth of digital entertainment.”

    This intense competition among the Video on Demand(SVoD) platforms was the primary reason behind subscription services generating over 70 per cent of the revenue in 2017. This trend, according to the report, is bound to grow further with SvoD contributing to 79.4% of the total market revenue by 2022.

    India, however, did not find place in the top 10 global SVOD countries by revenue last year. However, for countries with the highest SVOD CAGR in 2017, India was on the number three spot after Indonesia and Philippines.

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  • ITW Consulting appoints Navneet Sharma as president, international strategy, sales & IP development

    ITW Consulting appoints Navneet Sharma as president, international strategy, sales & IP development

    MUMBAI: ITW Consulting, a global sports commerce specialising in crafting and executing multi-faceted brand management solutions across sports, entertainment and media, has appointed Navneet Sharma as president international strategy sales and IP development w.e.f. from May 2018.

    ITW Consulting has recently acquired the in-ground and broadcast production rights from Cricket Ireland and is organising the two T20s against India that will be played on 27 and 29 June 2018 at Dublin. The exclusive deal involves title sponsorship, on-ground and in-stadia advertising rights along with their broadcast production respectively.

    Commenting on the appointment, Joshey John to Director, ITW Consulting Pvt. Ltd. said,“Our objective is to propel the company on a faster growth trajectory as part of its multi-brand strategy. Navneet with exceptional leadership and international record has leveraged an influential contacts portfolio to secure brands, government, federations, corporates and broadcasters’ celebrity services. With his wealth of experience in the global sports industry,we are sure that his contribution will steer the company to greater heights.”

    Sharma will be responsible to create, develop and manage international relationships across shareholders with sports, entertainment and media businesses. He will be based out of ITW’s Dubai office. He will be developing and implementing new IPs in the global market across sports and other business lines and assist ITW consulting management in achieving its next level milestones.

    ITW Consulting co-founder Bhairav Shanth said, “As we further scale up our business in the market with new networks and offerings, we see great potential in bringing more synergy across different revenue functions.We are glad to have Navneet on board as his distinguished background, results-oriented outlook and overall passion for the job allowed him to seamlessly ascertain our goals and objectives. And in turn develop prodigious plans that will undoubtedly contribute to our continued success.”

    Speaking on his appointment, Sharma said, “I am excited to take up this role and explore newer possibilities. I look forward to working with the team to build and execute impactful strategies as I embark on this exciting journey.”

    With more than two decades of experience, Sharma has been developing revenue streams, managing sports franchisees and leagues, working with athletes, executing global sports properties. Sharma has worked with multi-million blue-chip sports, media and entertainment companies internationally. He has previously been associated with IMG, Lagardere Sports Asia, IPTL, Fidelis World, Total Sports Asia,World sport Nimbus among others.

    Also Read:

    ITW Consulting bags rights for T20I series against India in Ireland

    ITW Playworx bags the most innovative act of the year at EMMA Spotlight Awards 2018

  • M&E to add 1 mn jobs in 5 years: Sudhanshu Vats

    M&E to add 1 mn jobs in 5 years: Sudhanshu Vats

    MUMBAI: The Indian media and entertainment (M&E) sector is likely to be worth $1.7 billion in terms of service exports. The figure was estimated by Viacom18 group CEO Sudhanshu Vats while speaking at a CII inauguration.

    India’s services exports were $163 billion which is likely to hit $320-330 billion in five years. The M&E sector is a $21 billion industry with eight per cent being exports. By 2022, the M&E sector will contribute $8.5 billion worth of export revenue. In the overall pie of service exports across industries, M&E makes up one per cent and is likely to hit three per cent by 2022.

    Vats went on to state what makes the M&E sector apt to become the next big thing after IT in the country. With job creation being a government priority, the M&E industry directly employs 1.1-1.2 million people and with indirect employment that will be 3.5-4 million jobs. India’s current total employment is about 480 million and 10-15 million being added every year. The M&E industry will easily add one million direct jobs in five years and though the number may be small, they will be quality jobs that will be future proof.

    For other sectors, added factors build onto export cost such as the cost of product development/customisation, packaging, logistics, maintaining overseas offices etc. But in M&E, this is negligible. The only costs will be QC, subtitling, bandwidth, etc. “ Overnight, I can’t start making a drama that will be loved by say the citizens of Papua New Guinea – but I can make good dramas for Indian audiences – that might resonate in Papua New Guinea as well! This has an important corollary – while it holds true for other industries as well, it holds even more true for our sector where every almost output is a tradeable item – any domestic public policy aimed at making us competitive in India, will make us competitive across the world,” he said.

    The sector has an ability of a multiplier effect on other industries such as tourism, travel, healthcare, etc., the effects of which cannot be ignored. “We have all that it takes to ensure that India takes her rightful place with the next industrial revolution – one that will make human capital, creativity and cognitive ability even more important. From one per cent of our services exports today to about three per cent by 2022 – and significant, disproportionate upside from the standpoint of India’s labour markets, social policy, economic growth and global standing – that is the promise we hold,” he concluded.

    Also Read :

    Sudhanshu Vats on Viacom18’s growth strategy and why data analytics is key

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  • Netflix CCO Ted Sarandos says India is ‘TV starved’

    Netflix CCO Ted Sarandos says India is ‘TV starved’

    MUMBAI: This could really make television executives in India, who have built a multi-billion dollar business, gnash their teeth. We are referring to Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos’ comment at the fifth MoffettNathanson Annual Media & Communications Summit, which is on in New York between 14 and 15 May.

    “There is no real great local television in India,” he said. “It is a television starved market.”

    He went to add that the interesting thing about the Indian market is that it is a culture that loves cinema. “What we are trying to do is bring something new to the country with cinema-infused television. Bit budget big scale productions in long form storytelling. We think this is going to differentiate us from the market,” he explained. “We believe that it is the big budget production with scale and local stars  which I think people like as much as the movies.”

    Sarandos went to explain that the streaming app has six tent pole shows under various stages of production in India and the first one to see the light of day will be Sacred Games.

    The streaming service obviously has got big plans under its sleeves for India. Amongst the senior professionals that it has hired for India  and is currently training in its US HQ figure Shrishti Behl, the Netflix director for originals, and former Fox senior executive Swati Mohan, who will be looking after marketing for Netflix as a brand in India.

    Sarandos added that productions are underway in 17 countries. And the reason that the streaming app is getting into originals is that clearing rights from existing content owners and studios was getting tooi expensive compared to the value they offered. Netflix has no control over the quality of the shows or the structure, hence that was a chellenge, he explained. Also  being able to get early windows was challenging. Additionally, Netflix users were increasingly watching original programming, hence the drive will be more towards creating new shows.

    He pointed out that the French press  read  Netflix’s  withdrawal from the Cannes Film competition wrongly. “We are totally interested in complying with the law that says that films need to be released in theatres and cannot be streamed online on a subscription model until three years between theatrical release is complete,” he said. “That law means we do not release our films in France in theatres. The past year the Cannes Film Festival applied this rule that we have to introduce our films in theatres in France to be eligible for the competition. We decided to pass because we would rather release our movies for millions oif viewers online in France than a limited number involved with the Cannes Film Festival.”

    Also Read :

    Netflix announces unscripted series on Mumbai Indians

    Localised content the way forward for Netflix in India

    Indian content at Netflix to be creatively lead by Disney’s Simran Sethi