ITV

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  • MTV’s Kartik Chintamani to join Zee as network programming head

    MUMBAI: Former MTV Network India executive producer (production) and director Kartik Chintamani is all set to join Zee Telefilms as programming and creative head. Chintamani will be taking office on 1 August.

    As network head of programming, Chitamani will be working closely with Zee Telefilms CEO Pradeep Guha. His job role will essentially be to provide programming and creative direction for the whole network.

    Chintamani quit MTV a month ago.

    This development was confirmed to Indiantelevision.com by senior sources within Zee. When contacted, however, Chinatamani refused comment.

    Chintamani’s appointment means that the three key positions of network head of programming, ad sales and marketing have now been filled. Former Star India hand Joy Chakraborthy is executive vice president network sales while Suresh Balakrishnan (ex-Hindustan Times) is marketing head.

    The sources said there were only a few more positions to be filled, which would complete the executive matrix at Zee for the near term.
     

    Chintamani was with MTV for over three years and prior to that was with Sony for two years.

  • Ten Sports to join Sony-Discovery bouquet

    MUMBAI: Sony Discovery is carving out a powerful distribution bouquet. Its latest prize catch: Ten Sports.

    The distribution deal is for five years. SET Discovery and Taj Television (India) signed the contract.
     

    Ten Sports will join the Sony Discovery’s One Alliance distribution bouquet with effect from 1 April. Confirming this, SET Discovery president Shantonu Aditya says: “I am confident that this latest addition will complement the diverse mix of programming enjoyed by millions of viewers of TheOneAlliance.”

    One Alliance is working out the price of the new bouquet which will include MTV, Nick, NDTV Profit, Animax, Discovery Travel & Living and Ten Sports.

    Ten Sports was earlier distributed by Modi Entertainment Network but legal disputes affected the contract. For several months, Ten Sports could not collect pay revenues as it did not have a distribution team in place. Taj Television, the holding company for Ten Sports, was in negotiations with Zee Telefilms and Sony Discovery for a distribution deal.

    Welcoming Ten Sports to TheOneAlliance bouquet, SET India CEO Kunal Dasgupta says: “With Ten Sports joining TheOneAlliance, we are sure of providing more value to our customers. The combination of the overall content of Ten Sports, and especially its cricket properties, MAX’s ICC Cricket rights will provide all sports fans in the country a great opportunity to savor the best events in the world .”

    Adds Taj Television CEO Chris McDonald: “As a group, we are delighted with this development. Given the strength of TheOneAlliance distribution team on the ground, I am certain this is a step in the right direction. Ten Sports will continue to bring in quality sports coverage, including many hundreds of days of live cricket.”

     
     

    Sony Discovery will now have two channels engaged in sports broadcasting – the hybrid Max channel which has the World Cup cricket telecast rights and Ten Sports which has the telecast rights to the Indo-Pakistan series next year. Ten Sports broadcasts cricket from Sharjah, the West Indies, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Morocco

    In the new distribution bouquet, Sony-Discovery will have MTV, Nick, NDTV Profit, Animax and the recently acquired Sab TV. The other channels in the bouquet include Sony TV, Max, Animal Planet, NDTV and Discovery, each addressing a specific genre of entertainment.

  • SAB TV VP sales (South) Madhusudan to join Maa TV

    BANGALORE: SAB TV’s Bangalore based VP Sales Madhusudan is migrating to the Telugu channel Maa TV as marketing & sales head. He will be joining the network in the second week of April.
     

    Madhusudan will leave SAB TV on 31 March.
     
     

    Speaking to indiantelevision.com, he scotched rumors about Maa TV sale. He said that this was just testing the waters, probably an exercise to find the value of the channel.

  • Srikanth Raman joins Starcom as media director

    MUMBAI: It has been a brief tenure to say the least for Srikant Raman at Triton Communications. Raman joins Starcom Worldwide’s Mumbai office tomorrow as media director.

    Raman, who was with Triton for barely two months as media director, was one among quite a few departures from Carat after CEO Meenakshi Madhvani left the company.

    One of the key accounts that Raman is expected to look after at Starcom is that of the public sector giant Indian Oil Corporation (IOC). It was in June that Leo Burnett India bagged the integrated “full service” advertising account of IOC. Leo Burnett handles the creative and client servicing functions whereas Starcom manages the centralised media planning and buying. Raman has some experience of working with IOC as it was an account he looked after when he was at Mudra.

    Talking about the move Raman says: “Triton is a great place but the short stint is unfortunate. I suppose the timing was slightly wrong and other factors such as Starcom bagging the account of Indian Oil Corporation were responsible for my decision to shift. I am looking forward to joining Starcom as the media agency is doing some great things. Working with the young and dynamic team at Starcom is bound to be a great experience.”

    So the hirings at Starcom continue, with more announcements expected.

  • Sanjay Sharma quits Media Edge, joins Starcom in Bangkok

    MUMBAI: Sanjay Sharma has ended his two-year stint as media director of The Media Edge, Mumbai, recently. He will soon be leaving for Bangkok to start his next job at Starcom, the media arm of Leo Burnett. Media Edge handles Denstu Young and Rubicam’s media interests in India (including Rediffusion and Everest).

    When contact, Sharma said he had made the choice after much consideration. “I think it will be a step forward in my career,” he explained. He will be joining Starcom as regional brand and communications director from 28 August. “In fact, today is my last day in Media Edge,” he said.

    Sharma’s association with Media Edge was rather enjoyable, he said. “It was here that I won the AOR of Apollo Tyres, United Phosphorus, Hyatt Regent and Kuoni Travel among other brands.” He said he is not sure yet as to what his responsibilities will be at Starcom, but nevertheless expects it to be fulfilling.

  • TV actresses join Aishwarya Rai for Nakshatra launch

    TV actresses join Aishwarya Rai for Nakshatra launch

    MUMBAI: Greek legend has it that diamonds are splinters of stars that have fallen to earth. But, the truth is that even diamonds need a 360-degree marketing spin!

    The Diamond Trading Company (DTC) certainly knows how to stretch every rupee it spends on advertising and promotions. It used television actresses (from serials where it advertises) to walk the ramp and got popular Spanish fashion house Mango to sponsor the dresses! The company also knows how to create photo-opportunities galore by using a rare mix of photogenic television actresses and the one and only Miss Elegance personified Aishwarya Rai who actually made it to the venue in a wheel-chair!.

    DTC launched brand ambassadress Aishwarya Rai’s signature collection from the Nakshatra Diamond Jewellery range – Ash’s Choice. At the launch function held on 7 May 2003 at JW Marriott Hotel, 10 television actresses from various TV serials walked the ramp even as an injured Rai held centre stage. TV personality Sajid Khan was the compere for the show!

    The list of TV actresses included: Nigar Khan (Lipstick), Pooja Madan (Amaanat, Campus), Amita Nangia (Tara, Hum Paanch), Roopali Ganguly (Sanjeevani, Dil Hai Ki..), Prachi Shah (Kyunki Saas…), Kishwar (Kasautii Zindagi Kay), Shruti Ulfat (Chalti Ka Naam Antakshari), Tasneem (Kkusum, Kumkum), Shradha Nigam (Choodiyan, Krishna Arjun) and Smita Bansal (Amaanat, Sarhadein). It looks as if DTC must have roped in the actresses from all the serials in which it advertises!

    Brand ambassadress Rai was quoted in a release as saying: “I am delighted to present my very own signature collection from the Nakshatra Diamond Jewellery range. I am certain that the chosen few women who will purchase jewellery from this range will experience as much delight in owning and wearing it, as I enjoyed putting it together. Every piece of Ash’s Choice is special to me and reflects a part of me. With my signature collection, I can reach out to women who possess my kind of spirit.”

    DTC and Diamond Information Centre chief executive Devika Gidwani and Rai also lit the traditional lamp to commemorate the commencement of Nakshatra Utsav, a month diamond jewellery festival across 44 cities.

    Gidwani says: “The Utsav will showcase all the designs of our exquisite diamond jewellery. We sought designs from some of the top designers in the country. What makes Ash’s Choice highly exclusive and elite is the fact that it is a limited edition of 1,000 pieces featuring 10 unique designs each personally selected and endorsed by our gorgeous brand ambassadress Aishwarya Rai.”

    The collection will be available selectively only at 100 retail outlets in the entire country. DTC also announced that the Nakshatra Utsav has several dazzling surprises in store for consumers, including an “exquisitely designed and specially woven Nakshatra Kanjivaram sari in the rich aqua signature colour of Nakshatra for consumers who make purchases of Rs 30,000 or more.

    Speaking to indiantelevision.com, Gidwani says: “We kicked off the promotion with Sony Entertainment Television’s Kahaani Terii Merii during the wedding season. In order to keep the hype and interest alive, we have conceptualised the Nakshatra Utsav. We shall be focusing on the trade for this promotion. We shall create the requiste ambience at each retailer’s outlet. We shall also offer a lot of incentives to the select group of retailers.”

    The incentive to retailers is understandable considering the prices! Ash’s Choice will be available in two qualities VVS-G and VS-G and priced at Rs 50,000, Rs 75,000 and Rs 100,000. Each piece will be numbered distinctively and carry a special certificate issued and signed by Rai.

  • Initiative Media’s Suresh Balakrishnan to join The Hindustan Times

    MUMBAI: Lowe Lintas’ Initiative Media (IM) executive vice president and Linterland general manager Suresh Balakrishnan will be joining The Hindustan Times group as vice president, media and marketing, from 2 January 2003. He will be involved with various functions such as marketing, new initiatives and strategic planning. He will be reporting to HT group executive president Rajan Kohli.

    Balakrishnan had joined Lintas way back in 1996. Within Lintas, he is considered to be one of the stalwarts responsible for the transition of media from being a mere ‘function’ to a profitable and independent ‘business’ (as he calls it).

    Balakrishnan was head of buying between April 1996-98; head of the strategic marketing for IM between 1998-99; started Millennium Media in April 1999; and started Linterland, the rural communication arm of IM in November 2000.

    Talking to indiantelevision.com, Balakrishnan claimed that Linterland was the highlight of his career. Balakrishnan has been through the entire gamut of rural marketing including outdoor media, mobile vans, melas, ground promotions and sampling exercises.

    Balakrishnan stated: “Rural marketing was a new field and very unstructured at that point of time. However, IM’s foray into rural marketing was a significant one as the urban market was getting too crowded and market shares were getting fragmented. Today, Linterland and O&M’s rural marketing wings are the top two players in this space.”

    Balakrishnan also emphasised that the attitude of advertising agencies and media planners towards the rural market has changed considerably in the last few years.