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Tag: India

  • Sachins farewell frenzy works in favour of Star Sports

    Sachins farewell frenzy works in favour of Star Sports

    MUMBAI: He isn’t called the God of cricket for no reason. Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar certainly has some supremacy that creates magic. His farewell test match has emerged as the highest rated test match on television in India in the last eight years. According to the TAM ratings provided by the channel, the match garnered 1739 average TVTs (TG: C&S 15+, M, SEC ABC) that remains unmatched since 2005.

     

    The two test matches in the India-West Indies series were telecast on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 2 and Star Sports HD1 in English, while Star Sports 3 showcased the match in Hindi. Star Sports network channels together had the maximum channel share across all genres during the six days when the test series was on in terms of overall TVTs generated during the day.

     

    Even online, the Sachin frenzy worked well for the Network. The series was also streamed live on www.starsports.com that attracted 3.5 million unique visitors during the two matches of the India West Indies test series. A Sachin Memory Project that captured Sachin’s 24 years with videos and stories was also launched on the website and has received rave reviews with many regarding it as the best salutation to the cricketer.

     

    The series along with the 360-degree marketing campaign launched around it has made the Star Sports brand really big. Its campaigning involved interesting programming, innovative production, disruptive marketing to add buzz around the maestro’s farewell series. The network also launched three high quality programs to engage deeper with the cricket fans.

     

    Besides, a distinctive “Cheer for Sachin” campaign featuring stars from Bollywood, cricket and television stars calling Sachin fans to cheer ‘Sachin Sachin’ was also popular. Many other on-ground activities were also initiated to make the test series memorable for fans who came together to watch the maestro in action.

     

    Star India head of sports business Nitin Kukreja said, “We are delighted with the ratings. We are humbled that maestro’s farewell series was played on our network and wanted to give him a befitting farewell. I am happy to note that cricket fans have appreciated our efforts. Our strategic investment in the Hindi language feed over the past year or so is now paying us huge dividends. We will continue in our endeavor to promote sports culture in the country.”

  • Kashish Queer Film Festival invites entries for fifth edition

    Kashish Queer Film Festival invites entries for fifth edition

    MUMBAI: The Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgender (LGBT) community is set for a filmy outing very soon as entries for the fifth Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival has been invited.

     

    The festival will be held from 21 to 25 May 2014 (tentative dates).

     

    Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival is the only LGBTQ film festival in India to be held in a mainstream theater and the only queer festival to receive clearance from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.

     

    The previous four editions of the festival were well received and attracted close to 6,500 footfalls over five days at two venues. Almost 120 to 130 films including shorts, documentaries and features with LGBTQ themes from across the world are screened at the festival every year.

     

    The competition categories in the festival are: Best Narrative Feature, Best Documentary Feature, Best Documentary Short, Best International Narrative Short, Best Indian Narrative Short, and Riyad Wadia award for Best Emerging Indian Filmmaker.

     

    The last date of submission of forms is January 31, 2014. However, the festival encourages early submission as previews begin mid November. The selected filmmakers will be notified by email by March 31, 2014.

     

    The winners will be selected by a panel of eminent jury.

     

    For details and online submission of forms, one can log on to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/K2014-FilmSubmissionForm

  • 9XO and Sony Music to present ‘Teach 1D to dance Bollywood style

    9XO and Sony Music to present ‘Teach 1D to dance Bollywood style

    MUMBAI: 9XO, the international music channel from 9X Media is providing One Direction fans in India, an opportunity never to be missed.  The channel in association with Sony Music is the official partner celebrating the 1 D Day in India. 9XO has launched a contest titled ‘Teach 1D to dance Bollywood style,’ offering the viewers an opportunity to teach some cool Bollywood style dancing to this popular English-Irish pop boy band.

     

    1D Day which will be held on 23 November is a global event providing an exclusive insight into the lives of ‘One Direction’ band members consisting of Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson. Being the official partner of 1 D Day, 9XO will also premiere their latest song Story of My Life exclusively in India. The channel has also created the ‘Teach 1D to dance Bollywood style’ contest for the fans to showcase their love for One Direction.

     

    9XO channel head Luke Kenny said “Our exclusive partnership with Sony Music, will give our viewers the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to associate with One Direction. Every country has planned a unique challenge for the boys and with Indian cinema going global; we were keen on the band members experiencing the vibrant flavor of Bollywood through the ‘Teach 1D to dance Bollywood style,’ contest. One Direction is a rage amongst the youth across the globe and this is our treat to their fans across India. So, bring it on all you One Direction fans and let’s teach them some super cool Bollywood moves!”

     

    ‘Teach 1D to dance Bollywood style’ contest by 9XO will provide the hardcore fans a chance to teach the Boys their most favourite Bollywood moves. The best video selected will be played on 1 D Day on 23 November for the band.

    The ‘Teach 1D to dance Bollywood style’ contest will be promoted on air and across all the digital platforms.  Fans can also log on to Twitter.com/9XOIndia for the latest updates. Last date for participating in the #1DDayIndia challenge is 19 November.

  • Zee Business consistently remains the No.1 Business Channel in India

    Zee Business consistently remains the No.1 Business Channel in India

    NEW DELHI: Zee Business, the business channel from Zee Media Corporation Ltd. continues its trend of being the No. 1 business channel has proved that it is the most preferred business channel in India and has been a resounding hit. As per the latest TAM data, the channel is No. 1 in terms of viewership, leaving behind the competition.

    India’s first 24 hour Hindi business channel, Zee Business has emerged as the nation’s preferred source of business news amongst all English & Hindi business channels. Zee Business tops the charts with highest GTVT’000 of 1901 (Source: TAM, TG: CS 25+ Male ABC, Market: HSM, Period: wk 45 ’13), which is even higher than all English business channels put together.

    Going by its philosophy “Aapka Faayda”, the channel strikes right balance with national and international business news. Zee Business give a complete and comprehensive update about the markets to its viewers, and takes credit in expanding the viewership for business channels beyond the stock market trading hours with an aggressive evening programming and a varied weekend line-up.

    Alok Agarwal, CEO Zee Media Corporation Ltd said, “We are glad that our viewers have put us in No. 1 again which shows our efforts have been accepted and rewarded by them. We will keep on trying to provide them best content in the future as well.”

    Samir Ahluwalia, Editor, Zee Business said, “We are thankful to our educated and empowered viewers for making us no. 1. We promise to deliver better programming mix and content which will be successful in educating & empowering the viewers. It has been our constant endeavor to deliver relevant and useful content to the viewers on a daily basis, and this is the reason why we have been preferred over the competition”.

    About Zee Business

    Zee Business, was conceived to offer ‘information’ and ‘insight’ and bring business and economy coverage to the viewers in their own language. It is the channel to profit and wealth and strives to create an entrepreneurial climate in the country that can help stimulate innovation and drive economic growth. ZEE BUSINESS continuously strives to empower viewers on smart decision-making related to investments, savings and spending. It endeavors to meet the highest standards of editorial excellence and always make its content relevant to the work and lives of its viewers.

  • Chota Bheem store opens in Chennai

    Chota Bheem store opens in Chennai

    MUMBAI: The kids in Chennai had reasons to rejoice this Children’s day as not only did it mark the official debut of India’s toon phenomenon, Chhota Bheem, Mighty Raju and their friends in Tamil Nadu, but also featured a grand celebration that saw the toon super heroes meeting and greeting their young fans live. It was the opening of Tamil Nadu’s first Green Gold Store, the merchandising arm of the company that created Chhota Bheem. With this, Green Gold has launched its 30th store in India.

     

    The launch of this store adds another feather to Green Gold’s cap. It is the only company to have so many stores across the country retailing merchandise inspired by one of the most popular toon series of India. Chhota Bheem has become a phenomenon with a viewership of over 40 million. A research by ‘Kids Observer’ has ranked Chhota Bheem as the number one choice of kids up to eight years old and amongst the top five for kids in the 9 to 14 years bracket.

     

    “We are excited to launch our store in Chennai on the occasion of Children’s Day. At Green Gold Store, our young patrons need not buy anything. They can simply spend time here and keep themselves entertained with the merchandises for as long as they like. We are looking at creating unrivaled experiences for the young ones at our stores,” says Green Gold Stores head Sudeesh Varma.

     

    “From clothing to comics, bedroom decor to accessories, movies to apparel, board-games to puzzles the store is a one stop destination for every Chhota Bheem fan. Green Gold Store houses all essential Chhota Bheem merchandises and offers a unique experience to his young fans. The store has recently introduced an exciting range of merchandise including a new line of apparel and exclusive range of Chhota Bheem – Avon bicycles”, says Green Gold executive director Samir Jain.

  • Nokia Music Connects 5 Announces its Greatest and Most Diverse Speaker Line Up Ever

    Nokia Music Connects 5 Announces its Greatest and Most Diverse Speaker Line Up Ever

    MUMBAI: The fifth edition of India’s leading music and digital platform Music Connects is back in Mumbai, at ITC Central, Parel, on 26 – 27 November 2013 with a speaker line up that is bursting at the seams with global and local music and digital entertainment leaders.

     

    The following are leading this year’s speakers table, many of whom are making a first time appearance:

     

    • Rajesh Kamat, CEO India, CA Media
    • Satyan Gajwani, CEO, Times Internet
    • Brian Message, Co Manager, Radiohead
    • Jyrki Rosenberg, Global Head of Media & Entertainment, Nokia
    • Bhaskar Sharma, General Manager, Red Bull India
    • Deepak Jolly, Vice-President – Public Affairs & Communications, Coca-Cola India
    • P Balaji, Managing Director, Nokia India
    • Graham Perkins, Director for Market Development – Asia, Fender
    • Kavita Seth, Artist
    • Shilpa Rao, Artist
    • Nikhil Chinapa, Founder, Submerge
    • Seymour Stein, Co founder and Chairman, Sire Records
    • Simon Wheeler, Director of Digital, The Beggars Group
    • Vince Bannon, Vice President – Entertainment Partnerships and Development, Getty Images

     

    Produced by Hong Kong based Music Matters producer Branded and Indiantelevision.com group’s Radioandmusic.com, Nokia Music Connects is supported by the Indian and international music industry trade bodies IMI, SIMCA, PPL, IPRS, BMI among others.

     

    Global Head of Media & Entertainment at Nokia, Jyrki Rosenberg, is no stranger to the Nokia Music Connects event or to India’s shores. Remarking about his Keynote interview Mr. Rosenberg said: “I am proud of the leading role that Nokia has played in the evolution of the digital music industry in India in recent years and I am looking forward to sharing our views on how the pace of change is about to explode. Indian consumers show a passion for music that, allied with increased access to legal digital content, means that there are amazing opportunities for artists, rights holders and distributors on the horizon. Nokia Music Connects is the perfect platform for people to gather and share their thoughts to help shape the future of entertainment in India.”

     

    On his first business trip to India, Co Manager of global rockers Radiohead, Brian Message said: “In recent years the good news coming out of the Indian music market has grown considerably, capturing the attention of many of us in the UK who have traditionally looked west. It was therefore an opportunity not to be passed up when an invite came to attend Nokia Music Connects and I’m very much looking forward to jumping on the band wagon.”

     

    Seymour Stein, the A&R supremo who discovered many household names including Madonna, Talking Heads and Depeche Mode has a deep-seated passion for Asian music. This will be his third visit to Nokia Music Connects on which he remarked: “I attend many music conferences around the world, and Nokia Music Connects is one I feel is exceptional and can’t miss. It’s enlightening, well organized, always up-beat and attracts the most important people in Indian Music, as well as the right people from around the world.”

     

    Seymour is attending the conference exclusively to mentor young Indian artists and impart invaluable knowledge from a career spanning over five decades.

     

    Music Matters President, Jasper Donat has been working with the Indian entertainment industry since 1995 and is excited to be returning for the fifth installment of Nokia Music Connects: “Of all the events that we are fortunate to produce around Asia Pacific this is easily one of my favorites. The passion shown by Indian music industry practitioners always makes for healthy and entertaining debate on stage that we miss in some other Asian territories. Matched with great entertainment and my favorite food on the planet I can’t wait to be back in Mumbai with my friends.”

     

    Says Radioandmusic.com Founder Anil Wanvari: “Entertainment is being consumed across the traditional platforms even today but the share of digital entertainment consumption is increasing quite rapidly in India with bandwidth costs falling. In the fifth year of Nokia Music Connects, we will be looking at trends in overall entertainment, with a focus on music. This apart there are focuses on live entertainment, the investor’s perspective with – Bollywood Artist crossing the divide and also mentoring sessions by some international big names. Our endeavor is to nurture relationships, leadership thought processes through NMC.”

     

    The organisers are also excited to announce the first ever Indian Music Matters Academy in association with Fender taking place during Nokia Music Connects. Designed to educate musicians in the business of music and giving back to the creator community, invited musicians will be given a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet and receive mentoring and guidance from some of the biggest names in the music industry including Brian Message and Seymour Stein.

     

    Speaking on behalf of Fender, Graham Perkins the Director for Market Development Asia; “Having supported the Music Matters Academy in Singapore, we see the tremendous value that the Academy provides for artists. Being able to get up close and personal with major industry figures, provides a great chance for new and emerging talent to learn from these mentors through their own experiences.”

     

    On the launch of the Academy in India, Mr. Donat remarked: “You can’t Google “how to be a rockstar” so this is some of the most useful content produced at any of our events and a great example of the industry giving back to the people who fuel its creativity. Musicians trying to survive in a digitally flat world are given the tools they need to survive by people who have already made it and willingly give their advice at no charge.”

  • Starsports.com and Twitter join hands

    Starsports.com and Twitter join hands

    MUMBAI: Starsports.com and Twitter have evolved their ongoing strategic partnership. Twitter users will now be able to directly view Starsports.com videos in-stream, without leaving Twitter. This is a first of its kind integration for a TV brand in India.

     

    This is yet another step forward for the broadcaster to create a stronger sports experience on digital. As part of the partnership, whenever a link to Starsports.com is tweeted, Twitter users on mobile will have the option to download the Starsports.com App. Earlier this year, @starsportsindia also became one of the first ‘handles’ that viewers could follow through Twitter’s SMS service and choose to receive tweets from the account as texts. Star Sports also regularly leads innovative broadcast integration of Twitter to fuel social TV experiences, as has been evidenced during this year’s Women’s Cricket World Cup, Super Fight League, BCCI International matches where fans have been encouraged to follow, tweet and more.

     

    Twitter India market director Rishi Jaitly said, “Twitter is the world’s leading, real-time information network where users consume content that is live, public, conversational and mobile. In India, Twitter has brought our users closer to the best of national and international sport. We applaud Starsports.com for embracing the Twitter platform in this way.”

     

    World over, sports is a key driver of social conversations. The strategic partnership with Twitter is a step in transforming the sports landscape on social media. Starsports.com was launched in June creating India’s first multi-sport destination on digital, with a live video experience that gives the fan complete control of his viewing experience, including a video timeline that allows him the ability to watch exciting moments of the game in an easy and intuitive fashion. Starsport’s launch campaign hashtag #GetOverTV trended worldwide during its launch, establishing Twitter as a key medium to engage with its core followers. The network’s handle @starsportsindia, which was started earlier this year, already has close to 1.5 lakh followers. It is amongst the most influential accounts in media in the country.

     

    Star India head of digital business Ajit Mohan said in a release, “Starsports.com is the leading multi-sports destination on digital in India. We are keen to continue to engage the most ardent sports fans in the country and our partnership with Twitter is a continuation of that commitment. Making these videos available for easy consumption will dramatically improve the nature of the social conversation around sports in India.”

     

    The in-stream video service will be first rolled out for videos that form a part of the Sachin Memory Project – a unique initiative by Starsports.com to commemorate the little master’s retirement. Over a 100 curated videos dating back to the 1980s will be made available as part of this initiative on a timeline that marks how his career has evolved, even as the world changed around him.

  • Digital Asia Festival 2013 announces shortlist

    Digital Asia Festival 2013 announces shortlist

    MUMBAI: The Digital Asia Festival Awards, honouring the best digital marketing communications across Asia Pacific, has announced this year’s shortlist.

     

    Chaired by Jason Kuperman, vice president of Omnicom Digital Asia Pacific, India, Middle East and Africa, the jury consists of 40 industry professionals with a mix of leading client marketers, digital media practitioners and agency strategists, judged 506 pieces of work based on strategy, creativity and innovation, execution and results with a total of 80 entries making it onto the shortlist. Japan leads with the most shortlisted entries (14), followed by Australia (13), New Zealand (10), China (9), Hong Kong (9), India (7), Singapore (7), The Philippines (5), Malaysia (4) and Thailand (2).

     

    Commenting on the judging process so far and the quality of the work, some jury members had the following to say in a release:  

     

    “I found this year’s entries seamlessly integrating technology into the creative leap turning the communication into truly refreshing and engaging consumer experiences. Several of the shortlists had started with a fabulous consumer insight and market/media opportunity that had never been explored before. We saw a lot of first-of-its-kind innovations and we could see technology playing along beautifully with the big idea. That’s a very encouraging sign,” said Tigress Tigress founder, CEO and CCO Meera Sharath Chandra.

     

    “Judging the DAF awards this year demonstrates that the region is thinking big and acting big in digital.  It’s no longer just an add-on to a TV campaign, but brands and agencies are genuinely looking at how they can build participation throughout their initiatives.  In a world where we often seem to be obsessed with daily posts on Facebook, it’s brilliant to see how much scale and impact can be really achieved with digital innovation,” said Iris Worldwide planning director, APAC regional Paul Gage.

     

    “The work that stood out for me was based on a single sharp insight and a strong idea – simply presented and well executed. Several entries made me go, Aha, wish I had thought of it,” said Infosys global head – digital marketing Ashok Lalla.
    The winners of the 2013 awards will be announced online through www.digitalasiafestival.com on 18 November.

  • Bag Films q-o-q loss up 34% for Q2-2014; Radio segment major contributor to loss

    Bag Films q-o-q loss up 34% for Q2-2014; Radio segment major contributor to loss

    BENGALURU: B.A.G. Films & Media Limited (Bag Films) reported consolidated income from operations of Rs 32.65 crore for Q2-2014 which was 9.7 per cent lower than the Rs 36.13 crore for Q1-2013 and almost flat as compared to the Rs 32.67 crore for Q1-2014. The company reported a 33.8 per cent higher loss at Rs (-4.35) crore for Q2-2014 as compared to the Rs (-3.25) crore for Q1-2014. Bag Films had reported a profit of Rs 5.62 crore for the corresponding quarter of last year (Q2-2013). For FY-2013, Bag Films had reported a loss of Rs (-8.86) crore.

     

    Bag Films’ Radio segment was a major contributor to the loss for Q2-2014. The segment reported revenue of Rs 1.01 crore for Q2-2014, which was 44.4 per cent lower than the Rs 1.82 crore for Q2-2013 and 35.3 per cent lower than the Rs 1.56 crore for Q1-2014.

     

    Bag Films FM Radio segment incurred a massive loss of Rs 1.71 crore (39.3 per cent of total loss) for Q2-2014. FM Radio segment had returned positive results of Rs 0.1257 crore for Q2-2013 and Rs 0.5086 crore for Q1-2014. Bag Films FM Radio segment operates under the brand name ‘Radio dhamaal’ and is available at the frequency of 106.4 and is present in seven states and 10 towns of India.

     

    Let us look at the other consolidated figures reported by Bag Films for Q2-2014

     

    Total expenditure for Q2-2014 at Rs 33.99 crore was one per cent more than the Rs 33.64 crore for Q2-2013 and 1.6 per cent higher than the Rs 33.44 crore for Q1-2014.

     

    Other expense at Rs 26.03 crore for Q2-2014 was eight per cent higher than the Rs 24.09 crore for Q2-2013, but 13.4 per cent lower than the Rs 30.07 crore for Q1-2014.

     

    Finance cost for Q2-2014 at Rs 3.61 crore was 29.4 per cent more than the Rs 2.79 crore for Q2-2013, but 1.9 per cent lower than the Rs 3.68 crore for Q1-2014.

     

    Segment Results

     

    Bag Films operates in five segments: Audio-visual production, Movies, Leasing, FM Radio and Television Broadcasting.

     

    Its audio-visual production segment reported revenue of Rs 12.80 crore for Q2-2014 which was 42.2 per cent more than the Rs 9 crore for Q2-2013 and 28.2 per cent more than the Rs 9.98 crore for Q1-2014. This segment returned positive result of Rs 1.56 crore which was 24.6 per cent lower than the Rs 2.07 crore of the corresponding quarter of last year. The segment had returned negative results of Rs (-0.44) crore for Q1-2014.

     

    Bag Films leasing segment had segment revenue of just Rs 0.1357 crore for Q2-2014 as compared to the Rs 0.1871 crore for Q2-2013 and the Rs 0.4634 crore for Q1-2014. Loss from this segment was another major contributor (26.7 per cent of total loss for the quarter) to the overall loss incurred by the company. For Q2-2014, Bag Films leasing segment reported loss of Rs (-1.16) crore, which was 7.5 per cent lower than the Rs (-1.25) crore for the corresponding quarter of last year about 2.61 times the loss of Rs (-0.44) crore for the immediate trailing quarter.

     

    Bag Films runs News 24 and E24 television channels. Its television broadcasting segment reported 25.6 per cent lower revenue at Rs 18.70 crore as compared to the Rs 25.13 crore for the corresponding quarter of last year and 9.5 per cent lower than the Rs 20.67 crore for Q1-2014. This segment returned a 20 per cent lower positive Rs 7.02 crore as compared to the Rs 8.78 crore for Q2-2013,but 15.3 per cent more than the Rs 6.09 crore for Q1-2014.

     

    The company reported nil results for its Movies segment.

  • uCoz, the leading free website builder from Europe, launches in India

    uCoz, the leading free website builder from Europe, launches in India

    MUMBAI: uCoz, the leading free website builder in Europe, announces the launch of a new localization. Starting with November 2013, the renowned system for creating free websites is available for Indian users under a local domain uCoz.in. This gives the opportunity for the local Internet users to create modern and fully customizable websites, using a .ucoz.in free subdomain name, provided by uCoz.

    “We strive to give our best response to the rapid growth of the internet usage in the emerging markets, and a significant part of these demands are coming from India. Besides, by providing a strong solution in the field of free website creation we want to be the number one choice for individuals and companies who want to sell products online, using our competitive e-commerce solution.” said Evgeny Kurt, uCoz’s CEO.

    At the moment the platform is available in 16 languages and has about 1.2 million active websites. Currently standing in Alexa’s Top 250 websites on the Internet, uCoz wants to achieve with this strategy for the Indian market the same success it attained in Eastern Europe, in countries such as Russia, Ukraine or Romania.

    “We understand that we can make our services more convenient and closer to the users by providing versions in different languages and, therefore, building strong local communities. This will have a positive impact on the quantity and quality of sites, created by the Indian users. It will be a great change for them, as well as for the small and medium enterprises, which can have now their own self manageable website, developed with professional quality.” said Kurt.

    uCoz can be used to create different types of web projects such as blogs, forums, fan sites, company websites and online stores. Company plans to soon launch in Hindi as an operating language, it is already offering its services in English. Launched in 2005, uCoz’s Content Management System (CMS) became popular due to its simplicity and functionality for users just entering the world of website development. With over eight years of operation, the platform is now considered the starting point for a whole generation of webmasters and web developers.
    Internet users interested in website building can learn more details about the platform, by joining the system tour.