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  • Q4-16: Apple Services clocks 24 per cent growth, Other Products revenue falls

    Q4-16: Apple Services clocks 24 per cent growth, Other Products revenue falls

    BENGALURU:  Apple Inc (Apple) Services product recorded a 24.4 percent year-over-year (y-o-y) growth in revenue for the quarter ended 30 September 2016 (Q4-16, current quarter) amidst a 9 percent y-o-y fall in total revenues. Apple Services includes revenue from Internet Services, AppleCare, Apple Pay, licensing and other services.

    Apple Services reported revenue of $6,325million for Q4-16 versus $5,086 million in the corresponding year ago quarter, while Apple Total revenue in Q4-16 was $46.852 million versus $51,101 million in Q4-15.

    However, across sequential quarters, Apple Services revenue increased only 5.8 percent in Q4-16 from $5,976 million as against 10.6 percent growth in total revenue from $42,358 million during the same period.

    Apple Services contribution to overall revenue grew to 13.5 percent in the current quarter from 9.9 percent in the corresponding year ago quarter, but was slightly lower than 14.1 percent in the immediate trailing quarter.

    Apple’s “Other Products’, which include sales of Apple TV, Apple Watch, Beats products, iPod and Apple-branded and third-party accessories saw a 22.1 percent y-o-y decline in revenue to $2,373 million in the current quarter from $3,048 million. Across sequential quarters (q-o-q), ‘Other Products’ recorded a 6.9 percent growth in Q4-16 from $2,219 million.

    ‘Other Products’ contribution to overall revenue declined to 5.1 percent in the current quarter from 5.9 percent in the corresponding year ago quarter and 5.2 percent in the immediate trailing quarter.

    Major Products

    Apple’s major Product is the iPhone which saw y-o-y declines of 5.3 percent and 12.6 percent in number of units sold and revenues respectively in Q4-16. iPhone sales revenue in the current quarter was $28,160 million (60.1 percent of total revenue) versus $32,209 million (62.5 percent of total revenue) in Q4-15. 40.513 million iPhones were sold in  the current quarter versus 48.046 million in the corresponding year ago quarter.

    During sequential quarters, iPhone sales witnessed growth rates of 12.7 percent and 17.1 percent in number of units sold and revenues respectively in Q4-16. iPhone sales revenue in Q3-16 was $24,048 million from 40.399 million units.

    Among Apple’s other well-known products, the iPad witnessed y-o-y and q-o-q declines in number of units sold and revenues, while the Apple Mac recorded q-o-q declines.

    Geographical split

    Apple’s segments are Americas, Europe, Greater China, Japan and Rest of Asia Pacific (APac), with the America’s contributing more than 42 percent in terms of revenue.

    Revenue from the Americas declined 7.1 percent y-o-y to $20.229 million (43.2 percent of total revenues) from $21,773 million (42.3 percent of total revenues. Across sequential quarters, revenue from the Americas increased 12.6 percent in the current quarter from $17,963 million (42.4 percent of total revenues).

    Revenue from the European segment grew 2.5 percent y-o-y and 12.4 percent q-o-q to $10,842 million (23.1 percent of total revenue) from $10,577 million (20.5 percent of total revenue) and from $9,643 million (22.8 percent of total revenue) respectively.

    Revenue from the China segment declined 29.8 percent y-o-y and declined 0.7 percent q-o-q to $8,785 million (18.8 percent of total revenue) from $12,518 million (24.3 percent of total revenue) and from $8,848 million (20.9 percent of total revenue) respectively.

    Revenue from the Japan segment grew 10.1 percent y-o-y and 22.5 percent q-o-q to $4,324 million (9.2 percent of total revenue) from $3,939 million (7.6 percent of total revenue) and from $3,529 million (8.3 percent of total revenue) respectively.

    Revenue from the APac segment declined 1.2 percent y-o-, but grew 12.5 percent q-o-q to $2,672 million (5.7 percent of total revenue) from $2,704 million (5.3 percent of total revenue) and grew from $2,375 million (5.6 percent of total revenue) respectively.

    Profits, Apple’s board declares dividend

    Apple posted a 19 percent y-o-y decline in net income at $9,014 million (19.2 percent margin) for Q4-16 versus $11,124 million 21.6 percent margin). Earnings per diluted share declined to $1.68 in the current quarter from $1,96 in Q4-15.

    Apple’s board of directors has declared a cash dividend of $0.57 per share of the Company’s common stock. The dividend is payable on November 10, 2016 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on November 7, 2016.

    Company speak

    “Our strong September quarter results cap a very successful fiscal 2016 for Apple,” said apple CEO Tim Cook. “We’re thrilled with the customer response to iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus and Apple Watch Series 2, as well as the incredible momentum of our Services business, where revenue grew 24 percent to set another all-time record.”

    “We are pleased to have generated $16.1 billion in operating cash flow, a new record for the September quarter,” said Apple CFO Luca Maestri. “We also returned $9.3 billion to investors through dividends and share repurchases during the quarter and have now completed over $186 billion of our capital return program,” added Cook.

     

  • Q4-16: Apple Services clocks 24 per cent growth, Other Products revenue falls

    Q4-16: Apple Services clocks 24 per cent growth, Other Products revenue falls

    BENGALURU:  Apple Inc (Apple) Services product recorded a 24.4 percent year-over-year (y-o-y) growth in revenue for the quarter ended 30 September 2016 (Q4-16, current quarter) amidst a 9 percent y-o-y fall in total revenues. Apple Services includes revenue from Internet Services, AppleCare, Apple Pay, licensing and other services.

    Apple Services reported revenue of $6,325million for Q4-16 versus $5,086 million in the corresponding year ago quarter, while Apple Total revenue in Q4-16 was $46.852 million versus $51,101 million in Q4-15.

    However, across sequential quarters, Apple Services revenue increased only 5.8 percent in Q4-16 from $5,976 million as against 10.6 percent growth in total revenue from $42,358 million during the same period.

    Apple Services contribution to overall revenue grew to 13.5 percent in the current quarter from 9.9 percent in the corresponding year ago quarter, but was slightly lower than 14.1 percent in the immediate trailing quarter.

    Apple’s “Other Products’, which include sales of Apple TV, Apple Watch, Beats products, iPod and Apple-branded and third-party accessories saw a 22.1 percent y-o-y decline in revenue to $2,373 million in the current quarter from $3,048 million. Across sequential quarters (q-o-q), ‘Other Products’ recorded a 6.9 percent growth in Q4-16 from $2,219 million.

    ‘Other Products’ contribution to overall revenue declined to 5.1 percent in the current quarter from 5.9 percent in the corresponding year ago quarter and 5.2 percent in the immediate trailing quarter.

    Major Products

    Apple’s major Product is the iPhone which saw y-o-y declines of 5.3 percent and 12.6 percent in number of units sold and revenues respectively in Q4-16. iPhone sales revenue in the current quarter was $28,160 million (60.1 percent of total revenue) versus $32,209 million (62.5 percent of total revenue) in Q4-15. 40.513 million iPhones were sold in  the current quarter versus 48.046 million in the corresponding year ago quarter.

    During sequential quarters, iPhone sales witnessed growth rates of 12.7 percent and 17.1 percent in number of units sold and revenues respectively in Q4-16. iPhone sales revenue in Q3-16 was $24,048 million from 40.399 million units.

    Among Apple’s other well-known products, the iPad witnessed y-o-y and q-o-q declines in number of units sold and revenues, while the Apple Mac recorded q-o-q declines.

    Geographical split

    Apple’s segments are Americas, Europe, Greater China, Japan and Rest of Asia Pacific (APac), with the America’s contributing more than 42 percent in terms of revenue.

    Revenue from the Americas declined 7.1 percent y-o-y to $20.229 million (43.2 percent of total revenues) from $21,773 million (42.3 percent of total revenues. Across sequential quarters, revenue from the Americas increased 12.6 percent in the current quarter from $17,963 million (42.4 percent of total revenues).

    Revenue from the European segment grew 2.5 percent y-o-y and 12.4 percent q-o-q to $10,842 million (23.1 percent of total revenue) from $10,577 million (20.5 percent of total revenue) and from $9,643 million (22.8 percent of total revenue) respectively.

    Revenue from the China segment declined 29.8 percent y-o-y and declined 0.7 percent q-o-q to $8,785 million (18.8 percent of total revenue) from $12,518 million (24.3 percent of total revenue) and from $8,848 million (20.9 percent of total revenue) respectively.

    Revenue from the Japan segment grew 10.1 percent y-o-y and 22.5 percent q-o-q to $4,324 million (9.2 percent of total revenue) from $3,939 million (7.6 percent of total revenue) and from $3,529 million (8.3 percent of total revenue) respectively.

    Revenue from the APac segment declined 1.2 percent y-o-, but grew 12.5 percent q-o-q to $2,672 million (5.7 percent of total revenue) from $2,704 million (5.3 percent of total revenue) and grew from $2,375 million (5.6 percent of total revenue) respectively.

    Profits, Apple’s board declares dividend

    Apple posted a 19 percent y-o-y decline in net income at $9,014 million (19.2 percent margin) for Q4-16 versus $11,124 million 21.6 percent margin). Earnings per diluted share declined to $1.68 in the current quarter from $1,96 in Q4-15.

    Apple’s board of directors has declared a cash dividend of $0.57 per share of the Company’s common stock. The dividend is payable on November 10, 2016 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on November 7, 2016.

    Company speak

    “Our strong September quarter results cap a very successful fiscal 2016 for Apple,” said apple CEO Tim Cook. “We’re thrilled with the customer response to iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus and Apple Watch Series 2, as well as the incredible momentum of our Services business, where revenue grew 24 percent to set another all-time record.”

    “We are pleased to have generated $16.1 billion in operating cash flow, a new record for the September quarter,” said Apple CFO Luca Maestri. “We also returned $9.3 billion to investors through dividends and share repurchases during the quarter and have now completed over $186 billion of our capital return program,” added Cook.

     

  • News Republic’s Shafi Saxena shares India plans

    News Republic’s Shafi Saxena shares India plans

    MUMBAI: In an age where the average time span that a reader spends on an article continues to decline, Indian readers, especially the youth, have emerged as voracious readers, with a knack for in-depth articles heavy on data.

     
    The perspective comes from news consumption surveys done by one of the leading global news syndicators, News Republic that launched in India six months ago.

    “We do regular news consumption surveys on our platform based on global trends. We have found that young Indian readers are very similar to the global readers in terms of topics and trends they follow. The number one reason they follow news is to be connected with the rest of the world,” says News Republic, chief brand officer  Shafi Saxena who recently visited Mumbai.  But when it comes to long form versus short form journalism, Indians, including the young readers who form the bulk of India’s readership, are inclined towards the former.

    “I think India is one of the robust long form markets in the world. Indians like to read and they love data. For instance, in India, right now, the user is reading about a hundred pages on our app every month. In France and Germany which are both well-established markets for us, they are reading two hundred pages a month, with the global average being 150 pages a month approximately. If we look at the fact that we just launched in May in this market, and are still in the process of bringing more partners and content on board, if India is already reading 100 pages on the app, that’s pretty significant,” asserts Saxena.

    In terms of subjects or beats, the Indian news reader is interested in political news, technological news and sports and entertainment. “I have seen huge traction for sites such as cricbuzz, cricinfo, etc.”

    Saxena informs that she is looking at a target group of young educated Indians making more use of the app which is mobile only, and has 40 editions worldwide and content partnerships with over 1,100 leading news organizations. Shafi breaks down News Republics’ syndication partnerships with publications across the board as ‘a simple revenue sharing business,’ while giving due credit to the publication and journalists involved. Available on Android, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Samsung Watch (Gear S2), News Republic syndicated news articles from 1,500 licensed publishers.

    With 50,000 licensed articles made available on the platform daily, curating them for the readers becomes a crucial step. Shafi explains how they go about it while staying impartial to a topic or a publication. “If we find 700 articles written about say Bihar elections, and two of them are being clicked on the most, and readers are spending more time on them, we will prioritise quality and interest and boost those articles. Instead of sending all 700 articles, we will push those two. The algorithm running on the app takes the call based on several variables such as readership, level of interest, how long are people staying on the article as well as how many moods, shares and comments readers have shared on it. It sounds simple but it’s a complex analytical tool that powers our curation,” she ifnorms.

    Infact, the app locates a user with geotagging and pushes local articles relative to their current location if users enable the service. Moreover the service has also curated articles in eight regional Indian languages, from regional news producing partners such as Aaj Tak.

    With Digital India still in the making and most of the country not having uniform internet connection, would an app like News Republic be able cater to tier II and tier II users with same amount of coverage? “We are aware of the limited availability of high speed internet in India and have taken a few steps keeping that in mind,” Saxena clarifies, “For example, in the metros you can opt for the full-fledged robust interface of the app, with videos and photos and all the multimedia. But those in areas of weaker internet connection can access the app in just the HTML format, which is lighter and easily downloadable. You can opt to download rich media when you have Wifi access. Moreover one can access and save articles while in a 3G or 4G zone, and read them again offline as well.”

     

    Despite such a diverse range and coverage News Republic comes completely free for a user. “Our app is free. We do have a subscription based model, but its contribution is tiny when it comes to our total revenue. The rest is all ad based. We have not turned on ads in India yet. We cannot do advertisement in a market in the first year of our launch. Having said that, we are a revenue generating company in markets we have been in for a while such as Europe and the western market. We use the revenue we generate in such markets and the funding that we have to reinvest  in newer markets like India and Russia,” Shafi explains, while adding that the app just celebrated one year of its presence in Russia.

    The company plans to cash-in on advertisement revenue in India in about a year of being in operation after studying the market. “When you launch in a new market, there are so many variables that are out of your control. Anything from bandwidth to spectrum, to server, to usage, to the kind of phones people are using, affect us. It’s takes about a year to learn the market,” Shafi adds, saying she is highly optimistic about doing business in India, going by the rate at which mobile users are increasing.

    “Indians are spending more time on mobile. They are spending three to five hours per day online, and a bulk of that is on mobile. So an ad revenue generated model of the app will soon launch in this market,” she adds with optimism, while also revealing the kind of advertisers her company sees on-board in a year’s time. “As per our TG, I see automobiles, education and technology related advertisers spending on News Republic. And of course e-commerce players are also major potential advertisers for us.”

    Speaking about News Republic’s future plans for the Indian market she says, “The Indian market is growing very quickly. Strategic conception points can happen overnight in a country as technology savvy and aspirational as India. Mobile and social is the name of the game in the media business here. We have some big plans for the market which we will reveal in about three months’ time.”

    “While we are looking at virtual reality and 3D video and other exciting stuff in the west, we will bring them to India as well, after addressing the country’s bandwidth issues first. For now we will be looking to a multi-lingual, mobile optimised format with respect to the ecosystem. There’s lots in store for sure,” Saxena concludes.

  • HOOQ expands viewing experience with Google Chromecast

    HOOQ expands viewing experience with Google Chromecast

    MUMBAI: In a bid to expand the viewing experience of users in the country and address the home entertainment market, video-on-demand service HOOQ app’s latest version will support Google Chromecast.

    With this, HOOQ subscribers will now be able to use Chromecast to cast movies and TV series from any connected device to their television screens. HOOQ offers unlimited streaming of over 15,000 English, Hindi and regional language films as well as TV shows on its platform. 

    HOOQ chief marketing officer Ravi Vora said, “We are very thrilled to bring the best in class entertainment from HOOQ to Chromecast users enabling them to enjoy the best content on their televisions right in their living rooms. We believe this partnership further solidifies our position as the country’s biggest premium video-on-demand service.”

    Chromecast is a thumb-sized media streaming device that plugs into the HDMI port on TVs. Viewers can use an Android phone, tablet, iPhone, iPad, Mac or Windows laptop, or Chromebook to cast the HOOQ app and its programming onto a television.

    HOOQ launched in India earlier this year with a subscription price of Rs 199 per month. Users can access entertainment content, which can be viewed on upto five connected devices. The service also offers a unique offline download feature of up to five titles at a time ensuring that there is always video content to be enjoyed even when users are offline or facing connectivity challenges.

    Customers, who purchase Google Chromecast through Snapdeal and Reliance Digital, will get free access to HOOQ for six months, which is worth Rs 1500.  

    Some of the content that is available on HOOQ includes movies like The Matrix, The Lord of the Rings, The Dark Knight Rises, Iron Man 3,Don, Chennai Express, Barffi, Kai Po Che, Lai Bhaari, Harishchandrachi Factory and Chandrmukhi, and TV shows like Friends, Nip Tuck, ER and first and exclusively in Asia – Ash vs. Evil Dead.

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  • Prime Focus Technologies launches secure screener application for movie studios

    Prime Focus Technologies launches secure screener application for movie studios

    MUMBAI: With awards season around the corner and multiple screeners currently in circulation, Prime Focus Technologies (PFT) will be offering SecureScreener as the industry’s first digital, contemporary and safe screener application.

     

    SecureScreener, a superior substitute to DVD and online channel distribution, is part of Clear, the world’s first and most proven hybrid cloud-enabled Media ERP Suite that virtualises the content supply chain.

     

    SecureScreener provides entertainment companies with a robust alternative to the logistical hassle of shipping DVD screeners, as well as peace of mind that screener content is always secure. The application offers access to content anytime, anywhere, while also providing instant feedback including exactly who has viewed, shared and downloaded watermarked content with the option to further customise with expiration and access settings. Recipients even have the option to view the content offline.

     

    Through Clear’s unbreakable Secure Player, SecureScreener delivers a safe, high-quality viewing experience on a variety of platforms, ensuring a seamless end-to-end experience.The Secure Screener is also available as an iPad app.

     

    The cloud-based application also addresses the financial commitments made by studios by eliminating recurring costs that has no productive use. In fact, it is estimated that for every $20 of direct cost spent on physical screeners, $80 more are lost in indirect costs. SecureScreener provides a solution to this monetary drain, reducing the overall cost of screener distribution.

     

    “As studios continue to grapple with the challenges of security in the digital age, SecureScreener stands alone as the safe, cloud-based solution to piracy threats, providing peace of mind that content is secure. In addition to the threat of piracy, there’s a large financial commitment made each year to screeners, both direct and indirect. SecureScreener reduces costs, while also providing studios with more control over their content than ever before,” said Prime Focus Technologies founder and CEO Ramki Sankaranarayanan. 

     

    SecureScreener is one of five Clear modules addressing specific business challenges to help broadcasters, studios, brands, sports and digital businesses drive creative enablement, enhance ecosystem efficiencies and sustainability, reduce cost and realise new monetisation opportunities. SecureScreener is available as a standalone business solution or bundled together as a Cloud Media ERP Suite with: Cloud MAM, Operations Cloud, Broadcast Cloud and Production Cloud.

  • “CNN Digital’s goal for 2015 is to create personal & engaging mobile news experience:” Etan Horowitz

    “CNN Digital’s goal for 2015 is to create personal & engaging mobile news experience:” Etan Horowitz

    A former journalist, with experience in print, broadcast, online and mobile, Etan Horowitz is currently serving as CNN Digital senior mobile editor. Horowitz, throughout his career, has combined his love of technology with his passion for journalism.

     

    As the editorial lead for all of CNN’s mobile products, Horowitz works closely with CNN editorial teams to plan and publish news and information optimized for phones, tablets and other mobile devices. As a key member of the homepage team, Horowitz also drives awareness of mobile audience behavior through increased training and the use of analytics tools.

     

    He works closely with the mobile product, business and design teams on setting CNN’s global mobile strategy and updating CNN’s mobile apps. He also oversees CNN’s editorial strategy on news reading app Flipboard. During Horowitz’s tenure, CNN has continued to show substantial growth in mobile.

     

    Before CNN Digital, Horowitz worked as a digital media producer for CNN International. While there, he was responsible for producing content for TV that originated on digital or social platforms. He played an important role in the coverage of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the Arab Spring and the Royal Wedding.

     

    In a t?te-?-t?te with Indiantelevision.com, Horowitz talks about the journey of CNN apps so far, building of the mobile audience for CNN and more…

     

    Excerpts:

     

    What initiatives did CNN Digital undertake to cross the 50 per cent mobile audience mark?

     

    We had a three-part strategy focused on awareness, analytics and action. Awareness meant making sure our staffers were constantly looking at our mobile products as they did their jobs. So we made sure to put live views of our mobile website and apps on everyone’s computers as well as on big monitors throughout the newsroom. At key meetings, we made sure to always show our mobile products. We even devoted an entire week in May 2014 to raising awareness among the staff, which was a big success. 

     

    Once we had more people looking at our mobile site and apps, we focused on analytics to get a better understanding of how our audience was consuming our journalism on mobile devices. We made sure to have the same reports for mobile that we’ve always had for desktop and we also explored mobile only analytics reports, such as data on how many people tap on a breaking news app alert from the CNN apps. A big takeaway from this exercise was that our peak usage times for our desktop and mobile sites are different. Specifically, in the United States, between noon and 1 pm ET is the biggest usage period for our desktop website, while between about 8 and 11 pm ET is the peak usage time for our mobile site. These learnings helped us to focus our staffing and efforts appropriately. 

     

    Finally, “action” meant making sure that all of our staffers had the knowledge and skills to make changes and tweaks to our mobile platforms to ensure we were delivering the highest quality journalism to our audience. Without the awareness or analytics, this would not have been possible. When stories are commissioned or when headlines are being written, we keep the mobile audience at the top of our minds and always ask ourselves “what’s the best way to tell this story to someone reading it on a phone?”

     

    What happened after crossing that mark and what are CNN’s ongoing investments in mobile?

     

    Globally, we crossed the 50 per cent mark in the summer of 2014. Since we had already been preparing our staff for crossing that mark, nothing special happened once we passed it. However, passing that mark and our continued mobile growth has helped keep everyone focused on providing the best experience for our mobile users. Our executives have made mobile our top digital priority and we often share metrics and numbers to keep everyone up to date about our mobile growth. 

     

    Is there any special strategy to create editorial content primarily aimed at mobile audiences?

     

    The best strategy is to put yourself in the shoes of someone seeking news and information on a phone and thinking about what you would need. So mobile app push alerts are incredibly important to our strategy because they deliver important news to your pocket. This year we’ve been focusing even more on mobile-native storytelling with projects like Snapchat Discover and John Sutter’s Poor Kids of Silicon Valley interactive, both of which were designed primarily for a mobile audience. Video is a big focus for CNN and something that has been very popular with our mobile audience, so we always try to incorporate video into our mobile storytelling efforts.

     

     

    Personalization is a big focus for us this year, as evidenced by our recent CNN App for Apple Watch, which lets users choose the news sections they want to see. 

     

    Is there a special analysis to understand how CNN’s mobile consumption is different from consumption on other platforms and to implement plans based on audience patterns and habits?

     

    Yes, as mentioned earlier, we rely heavily on audience analytics to tell us how mobile audiences consume our journalism. For instance, users of our mobile apps tend to consume more stories and videos per visit than users of our other digital platforms.

     

    Are the mobile app push alerts a key driver when it comes to the long sustainability of apps?

     

    Mobile app push alerts are incredibly important to our mobile strategy as they serve as a utility for users of our apps. This year we are working to improve the alerts experience to offer more control and personalization to users of our apps.

     

    Don’t you think it is highly important to have journalists who understand the mobile platform?

     

    Any journalist working today needs to understand the rapidly changing ways that users are accessing news and information. We work hard to make sure our staffers know how our mobile sites and apps work, how users are consuming our content on them and what the latest trends in content consumption and delivery are. 

     

    How do mobile apps fit into your overall mobile strategy, especially when you have a responsive website?

     

    In January of this year we re-launched CNN.com as a responsive site. This was a huge improvement because it meant that all of our content was easily accessible to users on any device. Now that we have the responsive site, we are putting a lot of effort into rethinking our mobile apps to focus on being more engaging and personal. A top strategic pillar in 2015 for CNN Digital is to “create the world’s most personal and engaging mobile news experience,” and we think our mobile apps will play a big role in meeting that goal.  

     

    What role does social media play when it comes to content creation? Is it important to have a good social media base?

     

    Social media and mobile consumption are very closely linked together because the majority of social media consumption happens on mobile devices. So when someone taps on a link to a CNN.com story on Facebook, they are often opening our mobile website because they are using Facebook on a phone. Stories that perform well for us on social media also perform well for us on our mobile sites.

     

    We’ve recently added some features to our mobile site to further strengthen this connection. For instance, when you read a CNN.com article on your phone, we now have an icon to share that story directly to the WhatsApp messaging app. 

     

    Do you see mobile apps as the future when it comes to platforms for news gathering?

     

    There are many examples of journalists using mobile devices today to capture news as it is breaking. CNN does a great job of placing journalists in the field around the world, and our team is often well positioned to both live report through their mobile devices and connect with others who are capturing content. We have a Social Discovery department dedicated to finding and verifying content because it can be the first window into a story.

     

    Every news agency has a mobile app now. What is your strategy to stay ahead of the others?

     

    CNN’s mobile apps have been downloaded tens of millions of times and are widely praised as a top app to download across devices. We are really focusing on making our apps even more personal and engaging. One recent innovation was the launch of CNNgo in our CNN App for iPad, which puts users in control of how they watch CNN TV and offers related content to the stories they are watching. We’re also making a big push onto wearable devices, as evidenced by the launch of our CNN App for Apple Watch. CNN was the only news provider featured on stage by Apple as the company unveiled the Apple Watch.

  • HBO partners Apple to launch standalone streaming service

    HBO partners Apple to launch standalone streaming service

    MUMBAI: Home Box Office will launch its standalone premium streaming service called HBO Now in April, bringing the new product to audiences in time for the fifth season of Game of Thrones. HBO has joined hands with Apple, wherein for the first time an HBO subscription will be made available directly to Apple customers through HBO Now.

     

    HBO Now provides instant access to HBO’s programming. Watch every episode of every season of the best series programming, more of the biggest and latest Hollywood hit movies, original HBO Films, groundbreaking documentaries, sports, and comedy and music specials.

     

    Apple will give viewers the ability to enjoy HBO programming via HBO Now. Upon launch, customers can subscribe using the HBO Now app on their iPhone, iPad or iPod touch or directly on Apple TV for instant access. Users can purchase HBO Now directly in-app for $14.99 a month. Upon registering, subscribers will also be able to watch at HBONow.com. HBO will offer a 30 day introductory free trial period to new HBO Now customers who sign up through Apple in April.

     

    HBO continues to be in discussions with its existing network of distributors and new digital partners to offer HBO Now. At launch, HBO Now will be available on iOS devices and on PCs.

     

    “HBO Now is the next phase of innovation at HBO. With this new partnership, a natural evolution for the network, we have access to millions of Apple customers who are used to getting their favorite apps immediately. Now, they can do the same with an HBO subscription,” said HBO chairman and CEO Richard Plepler.

     

    “HBO Now offers a new generation of HBO fans many of the best TV programs in the world without a cable or satellite subscription. Now, with the same simplicity as buying an app, customers can subscribe to HBO Now and instantly start viewing their favorite HBO programs as they air—this is huge,” added Apple senior vice president of Internet software and services Eddy Cue.

     

    Similar to HBO Go, HBO Now will offer more than 2,000 titles online. This includes series like Game of Thrones, True Detective, Silicon Valley, Girls, Veep andThe Leftovers, as well as classics like The Sopranos, Sex and the City, True Blood, The Wire and Deadwood. 

     

    Upcoming original programs like Westworld, the drama series starring Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris and Evan Rachel Wood; The Brink, the dark comedy series starring Jack Black and Tim Robbins; the new season of the Emmy-winning True Detective, with Vince Vaughn, Colin Farrell and Rachel McAdams; and HBO Films’ Bessie, starring Queen Latifah, will become available on HBO Now as they air on HBO.

     

    In addition, HBO Now will showcase Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, named “best of 2014” on many critics’ lists; Vice, the Emmy-winning, cutting-edge news magazine series hosted by Shane Smith; HBO Sports documentaries, series and World Championship Boxing events; and documentary programming like Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst and the Oscar winning, Citizenfour.

  • Times Internet launches gocricket.com

    Times Internet launches gocricket.com

    MUMBAI: Times Internet recently launched a cricket portal – www.gocricket.com – a cricket news destination with original, editorial content, deeply integrated video features, and a rich, cross-platform experience. 

     

    Cricket fans will be able to watch Pepsi Indian Premier League 2014 anytime, anywhere on gocricket’s multiple digital platforms. Gocricket launches live on web, iPhone, Android, iPad, and WAP, readily enabled for featured phones and low bandwidth users as well. And when Pepsi IPL begins, the website will also feature a video scorecard, with real time video clips integrated into the scorecard. 

     

    “We are also proud to announce that one of India’s most successful captains, Sourav Ganguly, will exclusively share his critical insights into the game on our platform.” said gocricket.com business head Ruchir Khanna in a statement. “Gocricket will be the most comprehensive web and mobile cricket destination, offering a multimedia experience.”

     

    Sourav Ganguly on his part added: “I am extremely happy to be associated with go cricket.com and be involved as a guest editor. We will bring cricket news to you like never before. Stay with us.”  

     

    Along with rich photos and videos, gocricket will also feature writing from around the world, connecting cricket fans with experts and writers. It will distinguish with cricket records and trivia, making it simple and easy for the fans. In one sentence, gocricket aims to be consumers’ first stop for all cricket content needs.

     

  • WWE app surpasses 10 million downloads

    WWE app surpasses 10 million downloads

    MUMBAI: WWE’s mobile application has surpassed 10 million downloads in 220 countries since it launched in August 2012. The WWE App will be a key component in the delivery of WWE Network, the first-ever 24/7 streaming network that launches on Monday, 24 February.

     

    WWE Network will be available through the WWE App on TV via connected devices including Roku streaming devices, Sony PlayStation(R) 3, Sony PlayStation(R) 4 and Xbox 360. WWE Network will also be available through the WWE App on iOS devices, including Apple iPad and iPhone, Amazon’s Kindle Fire devices and Android devices, as well as on desktops and laptops via WWE.com.

     

    Through the WWE App, the company keeps fans connected with a second screen experience during its flagship TV programs. The experience includes live match continuation during TV commercial breaks, backstage content, live polls, photos and exclusive information on WWE superstars and divas. WWE Network will offer fans a similar interactive fan experience for all original programming and live events via the WWE App.

     

    Over the past year, the WWE App has been downloaded more than six million times with more than 500,000 fans experiencing its second screen capabilities on Monday nights.

     

    The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE continues to be committed to provide family friendly entertainment on its television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing platforms. WWE programming is broadcast in more than 150 countries and 30 languages and reaches more than 600 million homes worldwide. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, London, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, Istanbul and Tokyo.

  • Motivator retains Apple media mandate as AOR for iPhone, iPad and Mac

    Motivator retains Apple media mandate as AOR for iPhone, iPad and Mac

    MUMBAI: Motivator, one of the country’s leading media agencies has retained the Apple brand media mandate for the iPhone iPad and Mac product. The account is under the Ingram Micro & Redington account, the exclusive distributors for Apple products in India.

     

    Motivator won the account after a month long pitch process in December. The pitch process included higher weight for strategic strength, ability to think fresh ideas and execute them in alignment with Apple guidelines, Digital capability and precision execution. Motivator was chosen on the basis of strength of its strategic recommendation, its understanding of brand Apple and its executable ideas leveraging Apple’s iconic status without making it populist.

     

    The iPhone account will be handled in New Delhi while the iPad and MAC mandates will be out of the Bangalore office. The agency has been handling the Apple account for the last 14 months. Motivator will also leverage GroupM’s specialist practices- Digital, Mobile, Activation, Social, Search, Analytics, Content and Trading. Apple India spends Rs. 150 Cr. on media including Print, Radio, Digital, Activation and Out of home, with Iphone leading the contribution with more than 70%.

     

    In the last few months, the iPhone grew by 400% on the back of its new product launches and Buy Back offers. Ingram Micro and Redington decided to put the Iphone business on review given their ambitious growth plan.

     

    Rabe. T. Iyer, Managing Partner, Motivator confirmed the news and affirmed that a top team is already in place to deliver from Feb 1st onwards. “Apple’s Iconic status coupled with ‘less is more’ approach puts a huge responsibility in building cutting edge solutions keeping to the brand standard, we have successfully done this for the last 14 months and are confident of pushing the envelope further to win in the market place”. He further added, “This year the emphasis is going to be on powering iPhone sales through innovative digital solutions besides a strong content strategy across platforms. Print’s tactical use will have to be balanced by creative use of media to keep the brand in the desirable space.”