ITV

Tag: India

  • Easy Off Bang now in India

    Easy Off Bang now in India

    New Delhi- 10th Feburary 2006: After fantastic success across Europe, America and South Africa, Easy Off Bang is now available in India. Easy Off Bang is a multipurpose surface cleaner, which removes tough stains like hard-water build up, rust stains and ground-in dirt which ordinary surface cleaners/detergents/or phenyls cannot remove despite rigorous amount of rubbing and scrubbing.

     

    That’s why within two years of its launch in Europe, it is now present in 71 countries across the globe. In Tamil Nadu, where it was launched in June 2005 (TN was the test market), it is already a huge success with 15% market share.

     

    Easy Off Bang is available nationwide at Rs 65 for 400ml in a handy squirt bottle with an easy-use nozzle. It’s suitable for removing stains across various surfaces like tiles & floors, washbasin, taps & showers, window grills & panes, steel utensils, plastics and ceramics.

     

    Anne Engerant, Marketing Director, Reckitt Benckiser (India) Ltd said, “Until now there was no product available to clean “tough” stains like hard-water and rust in India. With the launch of Easy Off Bang, consumers will be delighted as it is an answer to a real need they encounter daily in their lives.” She further added, “We have tested this product in homes across 7 states of India and it’s heartening to see how Indian consumers have reacted so favorably to it.”

     

    Also commenting on the launch of Easy Off Bang, Mr. Chander Mohan Sethi, Chairman and Managing Director, Reckitt Benckiser India Ltd, said “Reckitt Benckiser is the market leader in surface cleaner category in India with excellent products like Harpic for toilet cleaning, Lizol for disinfected cleaning and Colin for glass cleaning. With the launch of Easy Off Bang, we bring yet another unique and innovative solution to the Indian Consumer.”

     

    To showcase Easy Off Bang’s properties of working right before the eyes, it has been launched with “demonstration” led advertising. In the commercial of 45 second duration, the anchor shows the effect of the product on tough stains across various surfaces right before the eyes of the consumer. Thereby demonstrating its proposition of “Bang… And the Dirt is Gone”!

     

    Easy Off Bang was first launched in Europe in 2004 and within two years of launch, it has 21% market share in countries like Hungary. It is one of the fastest launched brands by Reckitt Benckiser and has made the company a global leader in Multi-Purpose Cleaners.

     

    Easy Off Bang is manufactured by Reckitt Benckiser and is called Cillit Bang in Europe and Easy Off Bam in USA.

    Reckitt Benckiser (India), is market leader in Multipurpose Cleaner with strong brands like Lizol and Colin (59% market share)* and Harpic in the specialist toilet cleaner market (86% market share)*

     

    Reckitt Benckiser (India) Limited, formerly known as Reckitt & Colman of India Ltd has many brands in India, namely – Dettol, Harpic, Mortein, Lizol, Colin, Disprin, Veet, Cherry Blossom, Robin Blue, Brasso, Mansion and others. It has major presence in home and personal care, surface care, fabric care, pest control and medicine. The company is present in 140 countries all across the world and is No.1 in Household Cleaning Category. As seen across segments, Reckitt Benckiser brands are either number 1 or 2 in market share, in all the segments it is present in.

     

  • ‘Our aim is to give history a more broad based appeal, which is why we are focussing on entertainment’ : Nikhil Mirchandani – The History Channel India MD

    ‘Our aim is to give history a more broad based appeal, which is why we are focussing on entertainment’ : Nikhil Mirchandani – The History Channel India MD

    Live the Story! With the aim of competing better in the English entertainment space The History Channel is pursuing a new strategic direction in India. The aim is to spread the appeal of the channel to more viewers and increase the stickiness level through a variety of shows. These include television movies, documentaries, mini series and long running series.

     

    Indiantelevision.com’s Ashwin Pinto caught up with The History Channel India MD Nikhil Mirchandani to find out about the plans and what lies in store.

     

    Excerpts:

    Could you talk about The History Channel’s new direction?

    I would like to point out that we have not changed our positioning. We own the theme of history and will continue to do so. Our aim is to give history a more broad based appeal, which is why we are focussing on entertainment. Over the last three years we did a few things that set the stage for what we are trying to do today.

     

    We established our positioning of history that no other channel has. History is our middle name so to speak.

     

    In a scenario of over 300 channels distribution is very important. We are the 16th best distributed channel in the country. We managed to do that since we are a part of the Star family.

     

    We established a loyal viewer and advertiser base. We have also marketed ourselves well like getting Diana Hayden to host Biography. Moving towards entertainment is the next logical stage of evolution in our product lifecycle. Our aim is to attract more viewers and advertisers.

    In what way has the programming strategy been embellished?

    We begin our primetime with factual content at 8 pm. Then there are drama series at 9 pm There will be classic product from our library at 10 pm. At 11 pm there will be a thriller band. On the weekends you have a television movie on Friday at 9 pm For example Hitler The Rise of Evil.

     

    There will also be a combination of fact and fiction. For instance you could see a biography of Marilyn Monroe followed by a drama or a television movie. We are also targeting women in the afternoon with programming that we are confident will appeal to them.

     

    The primetime moves from a youngish factual content to drama to thriller. That evolution of our programming blocks is logical.

    According to research how do viewers perceive the channel?

    Viewers perceive us as a well respected credible authority on the subject of history. They have constantly expected that of us and we will not dilute that offering. They find us interesting as we deal with personalities like Hitler, Helen of Troy.

     

    The great thing about the History Channel is that it is not restricted by formats. That is not the case with a movie channel that focuses on blockbusters. If they deviate one immediately notices that. Our only concern is whether the story is historically relevant. I would say that English movie channels are undifferentiated from each other.

     

    We have a wide basket from the lifestyle genre, to thrillers to even perhaps stories on 9/11. It will be in terms of formats. By this I mean documentaries, movies, series, one off biopics, long series. The topics have also grown. We will also showcase concerts like Woodstock. History is never going to be the same again and we take advantage of that.
    ‘The new stories we are telling are universal. Also with our dubbing initiative in Hindi we see the appeal spreading beyond the current TG that we have‘

    Is it fair to say that the audience has become more sophisticated and demanding in the last three years as their exposure has grown?

    They have more options today. A time will come not far from today when they will have options to choose how they watch content whether it is through cable or IPTV or DTH. He will also have the choice of when he wants to watch it. The environment is also getting more sophisticated in terms of addressability.

    What is the viewer mix like on the channel?

    It is pretty equally distributed between male and female. While our core audience is male-female SEC A, B 25-44 Metros and mini Metros we do realise that there are viewers coming in from other demographics.

     

    The new stories we are telling are universal. Also with our dubbing initiative in Hindi we see the appeal spreading beyond the current TG that we have. Having said that our acquisition and scheduling strategy is governed by the SEC A,B TG in the Metro cities.

    To what extent have acquisition costs gone up?

    Significantly! The drama content are all epic big budget productions. We will leave no stone unturned.

     

    Over a million dollars has been invested in the acquisitions and also on dubbing and marketing activities.

    Could you talk about the strategy The History Channel has followed to debunk the theory that history is boring and staid?

    We have done focus groups to find out what our viewers think. We tested the entertainment initiative out. Previously they might think that history is boring and what they remember from school as in being a textbook, black and white.

     

    However when we shown them our content where history is brought to life then they want to immerse themselves in the story, the cultural setting. Production values also help a lot. One viewer even told us that our television movie Spartacus reminded him of Gladiator. Their minds open up and their imagination works overtime. It becomes a great story that they want to know more about which they may have only read about previously.

    Apart from Biography which of your other shows have proven to be popular?

    Conspiracy, Crusades, Secret Agents, Breaking Vegas were appreciated. The last one was about MIT graduates who cracked the codes in Vegas and made history. They were able to fool the casinos. That is what I mean by becoming more broad based. This is about the glamour of Las Vegas and not dull black and white.
    ‘We think that we should be close to the English movies and English entertainment space. This is between 0.4 – 0.6% of the total C&S viewership‘

    What are the major property acquisitions that have been made in the past couple of months?

    There are many. There is Marilyn and Me. There is Nero, Augustus, Saint Peter. We have formed alliances with BBC, Disney, Granada, Universal, Warner Bros.

    There are two major media events coming up. One is the release of the film The Da Vinci Code. The other is the Fifa World Cup. Will you be showcasing any specials around these two events?

    In June you will see interstitial on the World Cup. June will a Rome month. We will debut the show Rome: Engineering an Empire. This is to coincide with the film release with Tom Hanks. For Fifa there will be short form programming like biographies.

    What targets have been set in terms of viewership?

    We think that we should be close to the English movies and English entertainment space. This is between 0.4 – 0.6 per cent of the total C&S viewership. Our dubbing will help here.

    Who does the dubbing for you?

    UTV does the work for us. Drama dubbing is more difficult than documentary. There is a lot more dialogue, emotion involved with fiction shows. The drama has to be put forth succinctly.

     

    When you dub emotions the talent involved needs to be far better We already offer a parallel feed. In the North and West regions we find that a lot of people prefer the Hindi feed. But down South they would rather have English.

    One challenge for the English entertainment genre is to create a 360-degree environment. This means interacting with the consumer through other mediums besides on air. What plans does The History Channel have in this regard?

    As I pointed out earlier when we exposed out content in our focus groups their minds opened up. This showed us that we need to constantly expose our content to viewers at different outlets. They need to sample us more. So we will use the Star network.

     

    Cinema halls will be important as an audio visual medium best brings out our offerings. We will also use Internet auditoriums. Here you can download links and watch clips, promos. This lets people touch and feel us. This will help us break the myth that history cannot be entertaining.

     

    We are looking to have a presence in malls as they have high footfalls. We also realise that History Channel aficionados also watch movies and read books. So we are trying to tap into them at bookstores and DVD rental libraries. We are looking to expose our content through them through posters.

    Is The History Channel taking a cue from the success NGC has had with its mission property in terms of on ground initiatives?

    We are exploring available opportunities. It wouldn’t be fair though to compare the History Channel to NGC as the content is different.

    Is The History Channel looking to localise? Kindly elaborate.

    We will shortly be airing a show on the Mughals. Next year is the 150th anniversary of the 1857 uprising. We will be doing something around that. We have in the past aired biographies on Gandhi. We constantly talk to production houses to do work. This will unfold over the next couple of years.

    Are you planning initiatives like maybe school and college contact programmes to create awareness about your product?

    This will depend on the show. Most of our audience as I mentioned earlier is in the 25-44 age bracket. If however there is a property that demands that we go to a school then we will.

     

    For example if ninth class students are reading about Mein Kamph or are studying about Hitler then it makes sense for us to show themHitler the Rise Of Evil. That will give them a perspective. As Mein Kamph was written by Hitler a complete perspective is not present. This I am sure will make the subject more exciting for them.

    On the advertising front how is The History Channel being sold to clients? What targets have been set?

    We are looking to double our revenues in the next fiscal. We have a transparent rate card. We are looking to allow the advertiser to pick and choose the content he wants to be associated with. This marks a change in how television channels are sold.

     

    It is not clubbed with NGC. The History Channel has a separate dedicated team and they have their own set of targets. Nokia, L’Oreal, Samsung are some of our major clients. We have received positive feedback from them on our new initiatives.
  • ‘Culturally, linguistically diverse India is a test case for us’ : Sesame Workshop India ED Sashwati Banerjee

    ‘Culturally, linguistically diverse India is a test case for us’ : Sesame Workshop India ED Sashwati Banerjee

     For both Sesame Workshop and its newly-appointed executive director for Indian operations, Sashwati Banerjee, India is a big challenge. The US-based Sesame Workshop might have revolutionized pre-school education through various initiatives, including the path-breaking TV show Sesame Street, but replicating a global model here will be a tough task.

    Rather, if communications expert Banerjee is to be believed, Sesame Workshop is adopting an entirely new game plan for India, apart from innovating on some aspects that incorporate what it has done in other parts of the globe. She agrees that India may become the incubator for a model that could be replicated elsewhere too.

    Founded in 1968, Sesame Workshop changed television forever with the legendary Sesame Street. Today, the Workshop continues to innovate on behalf of children in 120 countries, using its proprietary research methodology to ensure its programmes and products are engaging and enriching.

    For Banerjee, who’s dabbled in various assignments from India to Hong Kong to the US, the changeover to children’s education from healthcare communications is a step that was not taken easily. But after initial doubts were cleared by Sesame Workshop CEO Gary Knell, it has been hectic work for the lady who grew up and studied in Delhi, but spent quite a few years in Hong Kong doing “this and that”, as she would modestly say.

    In this conversation with Indiantelevision.com’s Anjan Mitra, Banerjee spells out her priorities and gives a glimpse into Workshop’s plans for India. She also cribs a bit on procedural delays and lack of readily available comprehensive data/research on government-aided education initiatives and child behaviour.

    Excerpts:

    What’s the aim of setting up Sesame Workshop India?
    Sesame Workshop India would primarily be the outreach arm to promote early childhood initiative and the educational curriculum of Galli Galli Sim Sim (the Indian version of Sesame Street) through a multi media platform, especially to children who are most in need or underserved. The educational curriculum of Galli Galli… has been designed by Indian educators, researchers and writers keeping in mind India’s cultural and social diversity and needs.

    How will that be done?
    What Sesame Workshop really brings to the table is technical knowledge and expertise in early childhood education and development. These are the two broad areas we are working with. How will it go about doing it? One arm of the education initiative is the television show Galli Galli… which is going to be broadcast on Cartoon Network, Pogo and (terrestrial broadcaster) Doordarshan. The other aspect of the initiative is to see how we can extend and reinforce that learning through a variety of other activities with the help of technology to bridge the digital divide.

    The target audience is children aged between two to six years and their caregivers, which include parents and teachers using educational materials that are fun and make learning engaging “because all children deserve a chance to dream and discover, to understand the world and their place in it, to reach their highest potential…”

    We would be working with other organizations that are already active in this field and our mandate is to help them develop programmes that will take such initiatives forward.
    ‘Seed Funding has been provided by Turner India‘

    How would Sesame Workshop leverage Galli Galli…?
    Television is just one of the ways in which the educational curriculum will be delivered is television. Sesame Workshop India will help to deliver Galli Galli… across other mediums – from print, training, interpersonal communication to high technology initiatives like the internet. While the television series is expected to reach audiences across India, there is still a large population who have limited or no access to television. It is through Sesame Workshop India’s outreach efforts that this population will be reached.

    Moreover, research has shown that children who watch Sesame Street or its various local versions in countries round the globe are better prepared for school in terms of cognitive learning and the show has helped prevent children from dropping out of school.

    When is Galli Galli Sim Sim likely to make its debut on Cartoon Network and Pogo?
    Galli Galli Sim Sim will premiere on Cartoon Network in mid-August after which it will be aired on Pogo. But for those broadcasting details, Turner is best placed to provide more information.

    How is Sesame Workshop funding its initiatives in India?
    Seed Funding has been provided by Turner India (a Time Warner company). Sesame Workshop India, like any other not-for-profit organization, will raise funds to support its activities in India.

    When Indiantelevision.com spoke to Sesame CEO Gary Knell, he had said corporate houses too would be roped in for funding activities. Has any development taken place in this regard?
    Those things would take place after we set up shop formally and get our basic act in place. Presently, we are in the process of getting our clearances from various government agencies.

    However, we’d like to tap big corporate houses for funds as part of a corporate’s social responsibilities. There are quite a few business houses that are involved in educational initiatives and we’ll look at partnering with them in various ways.

    What role would the Indian government play in Sesame’s scheme of things? What are those few things that Sesame must consider as it goes forward?
    In order to understand the critical priorities of the Indian government – where Sesame Workshop can collaborate, and highlight areas of concern – Sesame Workshop had organized a workshop that brought together a cross-section of relevant stakeholders in New Delhi in early December 2005.

    Briefly, the discussions were participative and each government department and agency, professional educational bodies, and the voluntary sector brought their own set of issues to the fore providing for comprehensive inputs towards future planning and strategy. In fact, there was a consensus around the fact that the media can help overcome constraints posed by the existing administrative structures across the country, which are highly segmented.

    We are hoping to work with diverse partners, develop and create innovative materials and build capacity at all levels. Our vision is to reach as many children as possible in India by partnering with government’s Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan or Universal Education programme with material that will make learning joyful and help the government in reaching its educational objectives.

    Considering Turner International India had provided the money for a corpus, what would be its role?
    Turner is the TV series’ co-producer and distributor of Galli Galli Sim Sim. Together, Sesame Workshop and Turner are committed to making Galli Galli Sim Sim a break-through educational programme and brand. Sesame and Turner are working closely to ensure that India’s children will have access to this new show and its educational messages, and are actively pursuing promoting the show on multiple platforms across India.

    Is the telecast deal with Turner exclusive or can it be done with other broadcasters in other Indian languages too?
    As far as the agreement with Turner is concerned, all I can say is that it’s for at least five years or five seasons of Galli, Galli… I cannot hand out any financial details or presently comment on the fact whether we can work with other broadcasters or not.

    Generally, Sesame Workshop works with the public service broadcaster of the country concerned, but there had been some initial problems with Doordarshan, which, I am told, have been sorted out now by Turner India.

    India is a vast country and getting educational initiatives in all the local languages would not be possible. But we would certainly be exploring at least one South Indian language, if not two, apart from Hindi. The details haven’t yet been worked out and would be done in consultation with Turner.

    Will the Indian ops undertake merchandising activities too?
    We are focusing on the launch of the show and have nothing to announce at the moment.

    How are such merchandising activities done elsewhere in the world?
    Sesame Workshop operates in 120 different countries. The modus operandi varies from country to country and partner to partner.

    How is the revenue generated from such activities used and what will be the game plan for India?
    Like I said, Sesame Workshop is a not-for-profit organization. Any revenue generated through merchandising or licensing go towards providing quality early childhood education and development around the world – to those who are most in need.

    How important is India as a market for Sesame?
    Of the 103 million children aged 2-6 years, over 35 per cent in rural areas and 48 per cent in urban areas can’t access Early Childhood Care and Education. Roughly 100 million live in urban slums alone, which have no access to Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) that is the primary vehicle for Early Childhood Care and Education in India.

    While Early Childhood Care and Education is definitely a felt need and lot of efforts have been put in by the government and private institutions, other issues like malnutrition and child heath take precedence for ICDS. Demand has never been an issue in education. Supply is what we need to focus on.

    Does Sesame Workshop feel that the Indian regulatory environment requires too many procedural clearances impeding quick start of operations?
    Actually, the Indian regulatory environment has been extremely supportive for us. We have had representation from the government and other public education bodies right from conceptualization to production of Galli Galli Sim Sim, which is being produced for Turner by Miditech. We work closely with Indian educators to arrive at the educational curriculum that looks at ‘whole child’ approach and is very much in line with the education policy of this country.

    However, India is a test case for Sesame Workshop as it is uniquely ahead of most developing countries in terms of market and economy and the size of population. More importantly, India is not a donor funded country as sizeable infrastructure is being built by Indians. Then in India, we are not working primarily with the terrestrial broadcaster, unlike in other countries. We do hope that the time block on DD will continue airing Galli Galli… for a long time to come.

    I don’t see Galli Galli… broadcasting in 22 Indian languages. What we can do is to take the essence of educational initiatives and roll it out in outreach that can happen in multiple languages.

    In those terms, India is a learning experience for Sesame to see what kind of partnerships work best and how sustainable models can be built up for impact in a country that is culturally and linguistically diverse.
  • BBC World Service’s annual review indicates trust on a high

    BBC World Service’s annual review indicates trust on a high

    MUMBAI: BBC World Service has published its annual review. It notes that it managed to enhance its reputation as the world’s leading international broadcaster throughout a “year of change, achievement and innovation.”

    Independent research evidence published in the Review indicates that BBC World Service’s reputation for trust and objectivity is higher than for any other international broadcasters in virtually all markets surveyed – including India, Nigeria, Pakistan, and USA.

    BBC World Service director Nigel Chapman says, “It was a year of major achievements and innovation: a record-breaking audience figure; a step change in our interactive services; and the biggest strategic shift in priorities in BBC World Service’s 70-year history. These welcome developments took place against a backdrop of ever more rapid technological change and the emergence of powerful and often divisive global forces.”

    “It is particularly pleasing to see how our programmes command the highest scores for reputation, trust, and objectivity in most markets when compared to our international competitors.”

    The new weekly audience figure of 163 million, compiled from independent surveys around the globe, is an increase of 14 million on last year’s figure of 149 million. This new figure breaks the previous BBC World Service record audience of 153 million in 2001. The new figure equates to around 50 per cent more listeners than any comparable international broadcaster.

    BBC World Service is now available on high quality FM sound in a record 150 capital cities out of a total of around 190 – up from 145 last year. This higher quality of audibility is vital to retain audiences.

    Online audiences to the BBC’s international facing news sites have also shown significant rises. The sites attracted around 500 million page impressions a month in March 2006 compared to 324 million page impressions in March 2005.

    This is a rise of over 50 per cent over the year. The site now attracts around 33 million unique users each month; up from around 21 million unique users a year ago. BBC World Service achieved efficiency savings of £7.1 million in 2005/06.

  • Discovery most watched channel in Asia among movers & shakers: Pax survey

    Discovery most watched channel in Asia among movers & shakers: Pax survey

    MUMBAI: Discovery is the number one regional cable and satellite channel in Asia for the ninth consecutive year for past month, past week and yesterday viewership, according to the latest quarterly Pan-Asian Cross Media Study (Pax) conducted by Synovate.

    The survey is conducted across eleven key markets including India, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Singapore. It measures the media habits of Asia’s wealthiest urban individuals aged 25-64 covering a universe of 14 million viewers.

    In the survey, Discovery takes the lead position as the most watched regional TV channel amongst Business Decision Makers (BDMs), Professional, Manager, Executive, Business Men (PMEBs) and high net worth individuals. The channel also reaches 30 per cent of the top management viewers on a weekly basis.

    In addition, Discovery attracts the most viewers during primetime amongst all regional channels, has the highest frequent viewers and catches the most audience from 12 pm to 6 am.

    Discovery Asia senior VP marketing and communications Kevin Dickie said, “These results attest to the value cable subscribers place on Discovery Channel, recognising it as a network that continues to deliver high quality real-world entertainment for the ninth consecutive year.

    “We are committed to provide the most compelling factual and lifestyle content that appeals to our target audience, and remain a strong proposition for both our affiliate partners and advertisers.”From a network perspective, Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and Discovery Travel & Living have increased Discovery Networks Asia’s share of the market by 2.7 per cent , with each channel increasing reach by two per cent in tracked markets. Moreover, all three channels rank within the top 10 amongst high net worth individuals, females and frequent viewers.

  • Change of reins at ESPN

    Change of reins at ESPN

    Rik Dovey, formerly Senior Vice president of Production, Operations and Engineering at ESPN Star Sports (ESS) has taken over as managing director of ESS from Alexander Brown, who will now be a strategic adviser to ESS ahead of his departure before the year end.

    In addition to management responsibilities he will also oversee the establishment of espnstar.com, the companys new internet venture which is said to include complete localisation in major markets such as India, China, Taiwan and Korea.

    Dovey brings along with him 30 years of broadcasting experience to the position.

  • Indian Former Captain Sourav Ganguly tells HardTalk extra: I am looking forward to play for India

    As captain of India’s national cricket team, Sourav Ganguly’s achievements were remarkable. In 2003 he’d led his team to a first-ever test series against Pakistan to victory and cemented his place as India’s most successful captain ever. Ganguly is currently playing for Northamptonshire in the English county championship and hopes he can play his way back into the Indian team. However with the Indian team finding form again after a test series win in the West Indies, is there a place for him? In an exclusive interview on BBC World’s HARDtalk extra Rob Bonnet speaks to him. Excerpts from his interview below:

    Talking about his aspirations for a return to the Indian national team, Ganguly says, “It’s not just the World Cup it’s even further beyond. I am going to be 33 so I don’t think it’s an age to make a decision yet about cricket. I’ll keep on performing…I’ve not even thought about anything at this stage except playing the game. I just want to keep on playing, keep on performing, do what is in my hands, that is, playing the game, batting and bowling and fielding, and not worry about the rest…I just want to keep on playing and I still feel that I can be part of a successful side in terms of my contribution.”

    He adds, “I’ll do what’s in my hands, perform, because at the end of the day you can only be judged by your performances. If I don’t perform I don’t get back. If I perform I expect to get back …I am determined to get runs on the board…I had a good domestic season. I got to play in one test match in Pakistan where I was the second highest scorer after Yuvraj [Singh].”

    Ganguly does rule out being captain of Indian team again and feels, “You don’t have captains every six months, if you have captains every six months it’s wrong. I am looking forward to playing as a player.” He confesses he won’ be disappointed if he doesn’t come back in and says, ”I have played 390 internationals for India, captained 200. I must be one of the lucky few.”

    Talking about the controversy surrounding his sacking as captain and subsequent removal from the national team, Ganguly shares plan of possibly writing a book. ‘There will be some time when I will correct this…I’m too lazy to write a 600 page book…maybe when I finish or at some stage when I feel it’s the right time I will clear it up. Talking about the book he says, ”It will be all about cricket…on the field and some things off the field.” When asked if it will include a chapter on Chappell, Greg, he signs off ”’Well when you read the book you’ll find out.” .

    This edition of HARDtalk extra will be telecast on BBC World on Sunday 9th July at 1100 and 1700 IST.

     

    For further information contact:
    Deeptie Sethi/ Neha Sharma Priyanki Ahluwalia
    BBC World Genesis Public Relations
    Tel: 91 11 2341 2672/73 Ext. 102 Tel: 95124 504 4999 Ext. 173
    Email: deeptie.sethi@bbc.co.uk Email: priyanki.ahluwalia@bm.com

    Note to Editors
    BBC World, the BBC’s commercially funded international 24-hour news and information channel, is owned and operated by BBC World Ltd, a member of the BBC’s commercial group of companies. BBC World is available in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide, and reaches 280 million households (140 million 24-hour homes) and more than one million hotel rooms. The channel commenced transmission in 1991 as BBC World Service Television and in 1995 was re-branded BBC World, a 24-hour news and information channel broadcasting across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Japan. For further information on how to receive BBC World, download schedules or find out more about the channel, visit www.bbcworld.com

  • India to host 2011 Cricket World Cup final

    India to host 2011 Cricket World Cup final

    MUMBAI: The International Cricket Council conference held in London has reached a final decision on certain key points pertaining to the 2011 Cricket World Cup venue distribition between India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

    While India will stage the final match, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will stage semi-finals. The opening ceremony has gone to Bangladesh.

    “It has been decided that all four should evenly play a part in hosting the major events of the tournament,” Pakistan Cricket Board director Abbas Zaidi has been quoted in media reports as saying. Pakistan hosted the final of the World Cup, last played in Asia 10 years ago.

    “Traffic will come to a stop in the four countries in 2011. There will be more than a billion television viewers in the sub-continent, and another billion in the rest of the world,” adds Inderjit Singh Bindra of India.

    The 2011 World Cup will see India staging 22 matches, Pakistan 16, Sri Lanka nine and Bangladesh six. The venues being considered for the final include Eden Gardens in Calcutta, the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore and the Feroz Shaha Kotla in Delhi.

  • ‘With cricket action coming up, Sony has initiatives lined up in the digital space’ : Kaushal Modi – Sony Entertainment Television India head licensing & telephony

    ‘With cricket action coming up, Sony has initiatives lined up in the digital space’ : Kaushal Modi – Sony Entertainment Television India head licensing & telephony

    After establishing its digital platform 2525 with a slew of activities in 2004, Sony India’s 2005 plan was to take it to the next level to turn it into a substantial revenue generating model. To drive the strategies, it needed an experienced hand in this space to head the division. The search ended in Kaushal Modi, who was then a key player in arch rival Star India’s digital strategies. Thus, in February 2005, Modi switched to Sony India in the capacity of head, licensing and telephony.

    Going into the second half 2006, Sony’s game plan now mainly revolves around the game of cricket and Modi is banking on the bonanza to contribute significantly to the growth of his digital activities. “With cricket action coming up, Sony has got lots of initiatives lined up in this space. The action will start ticking from October 2006 onwards. We are still working on our plans,” he says.

    On the licensing front, Modi is exploring new markets and under his leadership, Sony has even entered the arena of format sales. “Sony used to sell its shows in the international markets and was never into selling formats. This year, for the first time, we have tried exploring this space with soaps ‘Kaisa Yeh Pyaar Hai’ and ‘Yeh Meri Life Hai’ and the experiment has generated an encouraging response,” says Modi. And he is betting big on new content platforms such as Video on Demand (VoD) and IPTV to drive the growth in this sphere.

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com’s Bijoy A K, Modi explains the market scenario, the strategies and the game plan for the year.

    Excerpts:

    This year’s MipTV witnessed the trend of TV producers investing in buying formats as against just broadcasters doing so. Would it make a negative impact on the syndication strategies of broadcasters?
    Yes. Earlier, broadcasters used to drive these activities at MipTV. But, now, the scenario has undergone a change. There are many international format companies, which are very keen on the Indian market. While bigger companies such as Endemol and Fremantle do have direct access to the Indian market through their offices in the country, some of their smaller counterparts — who don’t have direct access to India — depend on markets such as MipTV and Mipcom. This is the international scenario right now.

    Coming to the second part of your question, this trend doesn’t make a difference to our business strategies. We are content aggregators and not content creators. The format owners are never in a position to squeeze money out of their clients. It is up to the broadcaster (buyer) to pick up a format or not.

    Sony has taken its two shows – Kaisa Yeh Pyaar Hai and Yeh Meri Life Hai, which are not game shows – to MipTV in Cannes this year for the purpose of syndication and formatting. How was the experience? Have you struck deals with international companies?
    Earlier, Sony used to sell its shows in the international markets and was never into selling formats. Now, this year, we have kicked off our format syndication activities. We tried exploring this space with soaps Kaisa Yeh Pyaar Hai and Yeh Meri Life Hai and the experiment has generated an encouraging response. We haven’t signed any buyer yet, but there are enquiries from various foreign broadcasters. Some of the Asian and European (Germany and Poland) have expressed interest in the format. They want to recreate the content, giving it a local treatment. The talks are still going on.

    Please comment on the demand for our homegrown properties abroad? Do you keep the international market also in mind, while developing original formats?
    The advent of new technologies is changing the face of the international content syndication market. In the international market, new content platforms including Video on Demand (VOD) and IPTV have been boosting this business segment. The new technology helps the content aggregator to target niche consumer segments, however small in size they are.

    For example, if you have 5000 Indians living in a certain area in Japan and you want to target them with your content, you can do that with the help of these new technologies. Thus, you have a viable business model in hand. This has opened up new markets across the globe.

    Speaking about the potential of Indian properties in the international markets, there is a significant Indian diaspora – though not critical enough to drive the business — supporting the trade. Genre-wise, I would say there is a stress on movies.

    South East Asia has always been the strong traditional market for Indian content. But now, with the advent of new content platforms, Europe and Africa have also started showing interest in our content. European channels such as RTL2 (Germany) have been showing a lot of interest in Indian content. As I mentioned earlier, there is a demand for movies. But, at the same time, some of these European channels now want to try shorter series as well.

    Hence, developing homegrown properties, which can be saleable in the international markets also, sounds a lucrative idea. But, our main focus continues to be India and the strategy has always been to leverage on the original Indian content. For us, the Indian viewer always comes first while conceptualising ideas.

    What will be the size of the content syndication market with regard to Indian television? Please speak on the market dynamics including growth potential and competition.
    It is a highly fragmented market in India and it will be very difficult to put any number to it. Apart from the three or four big players, there are several medium-sized companies and then hundreds of smaller players including sub-brokers. The traditional syndication market is stagnant. New content platforms will drive the business. This will be driving almost 50 per cent of the revenues in the near future.

    Competition is there in all forms, whether it is producers or broadcasters. Speaking about Sony’s content syndication plan, I would say we haven’t yet exploited the segment to the full extent. We have just started. Healthy competition definitely helps. With competition, you have new markets opening up across the globe. Players keep moving, looking for greener pastures.
    ‘The advent of new technologies is changing the face of the international content syndication market‘

    How much does the content syndication business contributes to Sony India’s kitty?
    It is definitely not a topline driver for Sony. It is more of a bottomline driver. Though it contributes a miniscule compared to other revenue streams, it plays a significant role in the total scheme of things. It creates a market value for the channel. It creates added revenue opportunities through an existing property. We have to keep in mind that, here the channel is not making any new investments.

    Speaking about the future potential, content syndication & licensing will contribute well to drive exponential growth.

    Star India recently revamped its short code 7827 and looks very aggressive on its interactive and digital plans. What can we expect from Sony this year in this space?
    With cricket action coming up, Sony has got lots of initiatives lined up in this space. The action will start ticking from October 2006 onwards. We are still working on our plans.

    Speaking about our digital presence, Sony already has a Wap site. But we haven’t been promoting it much since the Wap technology is still in its nascent stage of growth in India. Hence, we haven’t been banking on the Wap site much to drive user downloads. A good percentage of our content download happens through the telecom operator sites. We are also weighing options to launch a mobile voice platform.

    Please elaborate on your digital and wireless strategy
    The entire department has been created to leverage the opportunities this space offers. Sony envisages that, the future is going to be digital. New technologies driven by mobile phones, iPods and other handheld devices will spearhead an exponential growth. The atmosphere is very encouraging since mobile connectivity in the country has really picked up. Keeping the changes in mind, we are closely working to build a digital content bank and making our programming and content available across all the available platforms. The thrust will be on creating a dedicated mobile and internet community.

    Convergence of television and portals appears to be the latest mantra for entertainment. Please elaborate on Sony’s plans and the progress in this segment.
    We have our online presence in setindia.com. To offer content through broadband, we have tied up with SifyMax. This association helps us to offer some of our popular shows such as Fame Gurukul and Indian Idol through broadband. This way, we are able to capitalise on the significance of SifyMax as a popular destination for online content. This is a win-win situation for both of us. We also have content associations with Indiatimes and Tata VSNL.

    How do you plan to leverage Set India’s programming portfolio with the mobile initiatives? Are there plans to make mobisodes out of your popular soaps?
    I would say, the Indian market is yet to see a proper mobisode. The mobisode revolution is still bit away in the horizon as the technology is not yet ready to accommodate it. What we all have been doing is, repurposing our content for mobile phone. And the advantage: you can target different audience segments with various niche products made out of a single programme.

    Globally, most of the mobile companies are getting out of the content sector to focus on their main areas of strength. In India also, should mobile operators have to move out of the content space? Please offer your take on this.
    The international market has been witnessing lots of alignments between content providers and the technology companies. Internationally, we have entertainment companies sticking on to content operations, while technology companies concentrating on the technical aspects. Obviously, you can’t lay your hands on both the businesses because it is difficult to focus on these diverse segments. The same applies to the Indian market as well.

    Are you looking to partner international companies in the digital space? What is your take on the global scenario?
    Sony in talks with some of the players for digital distribution of content and we have already got Jump TV on board in this space. We are in advanced stages of talks with some of the European and US players and an announcement in this regard will be made soon.
    What are the issues that will foster an even faster mobile market growth in India?
    What is critical is creating best practices and formula for the industry. Industry practices should be standardised so that, it will encourage the players to roll out a variety of services. There should be flexibility in pricing. There is huge potential in areas such as voice offerings and subscription services. By working together as a team, we can capitalise on the huge growth potential the space offers.
    Will web streaming as a concept catch up in India?
    Web streaming is yet to catch up in the country because of the bandwidth issues. But, with falling broadband prices, it has got a huge potential to deliver, especially in the area of interactivity. If the government’s bandwidth targets for the fiscal are met, the market would undergo a tremendous change.

  • Rai Bahadur M.S. Oberoi Media Awards to honour media excellence in exposing corruption in India

    MUMBAI: Transparency International India is pleased to announce the first ever M.S. Oberoi Gold Awards for excellence in exposing the corruption through the media to Mr. Varghese K. George of the Indian Express and Mr. Rohit Khanna of Sit, CNN-IBN.

    The Silver Awards are shared by Mr. M.L. Narsimha Reddy of the Telugu Daily Eenadu and Mr. Samudra Gupta Kashyap of the Indian Express in the Print category and by Mr. Saurabh Shukla of Aaj Tak and Mr. Sidhartha Gautam of SIT, CNN-IBN in the Electronic category.

    Transparency International India, an International Non Government Organization committed to combating corruption with support from the Oberoi Group has instituted these Journalism Awards aimed at recognizing and rewarding journalists for outstanding stories exposing corruption in India.

    The jury comprised of personalities from the fields of journalism, law, industry: Mr. B. G. Verghese, Mr. Harsh Mander, Justice Leila Seth, Mr. Vinod K. Bakshi and Mr. Arun Duggal.

    Speaking on behalf of the Jury, Mr. B.G. Verghese, Chairperson, said, “While shortlisting the entries and selecting the winners, the jury has given weightage to stories that have direct and significant effect on development, progress, human rights violation or public interest.

     

    Also the impact and significance of such disclosures and the risks and challenges countered by the journalist in breaking the story were among the factors taken into consideration in making the final decision.”

     

    The Gold Award carries a cash prize of Rs. 2 Lakhs, a medallion and citation and the Silver Award carries a cash prize of Rs. 50,000, a medallion and citation.

     

    Announcing the awards, Admiral Tahiliani (Retd.), Chairman of Transparency International India said, “These Awards epitomize integrity, determination and excellence, which undoubtedly are a fitting tribute to Rai Bahadur Mohan Singh Oberoi, whose life was an illustration of these principles”.

     

    He added, “Transparency International aims to increase the level of accountability and transparency of government institutions, elected representatives and the government.

     

    In a democratic society all citizens need to take a stand against corruption and must therefore be well informed. The electronic and print media have played a vital role in generating awareness through their reach”.

     

    Explaining the rationale for the awards Mr. P.R.S. Oberoi, Chairman, The Oberoi Group said, “Journalists, who often at substantial personal risk, investigate and expose corrupt practices deserve applause, recognition and encouragement.

     

    The Rai Bahadur M.S. Oberoi Media Awards are an effort to demonstrate our admiration for these compelling tales of courage, character and integrity. I would like to congratulate the winners for their exemplary zeal, which if relentlessly pursued by all of us, has the potential of making India a better place to live in and do business with”.

    The presentations will be made on January 11, 2007 in New Delhi.