ITV

Tag: Karaoke

  • We’re excited to make people’s lives more Jing-a-la-la with HBO: Vikram Mehra

    We’re excited to make people’s lives more Jing-a-la-la with HBO: Vikram Mehra

    Under her watch, the English movies channel has only grown from strength to strength. Before taking charge as MD, HBO India, Monica Tata worked with Turner International India, quitting as General Manager, Entertainment Networks, South Asia, in 2012. Tata has nearly two and a half decades’ experience in the media and entertainment industry, and spent most of her formative years at Star India before moving on to Turner.

     

    Indiantelevision.com was more than happy to have Tata over as Guest Editor for a day and play fly-on-the-wall even as she grilled Tata Sky chief commercial officer Vikram Mehra about the association with HBO and more…Excerpts of the conversation between the two:

     

    Monica: What is the business model for providing the ‘HBO On Demand’ service?

     

    Vikram: The way we are looking at it right now, which is also in sync with our philosophy at Tata Sky is that apart from offering television channels which customers are used to, providing those channels with great picture quality and better customer service is our lookout.

     

    We are also very keen to try out unconventional products and services, which customers haven’t tried out till now and give them a flavour of that. Whether it’s trying out varied services like Karaoke which nobody ever thought could be offered on a television-based platform, which is a global first for us. On our partnership with HBO, where customers are showing interest in watching premium content like HBO Defined and HBO Hits. Not only are they getting to watch 100 per cent ad-free content, but also older seasons that they would not have been exposed to otherwise.

     

    So, somebody who has never been exposed to say, a Game of Thrones, and is keen to watch season four, what with so much publicity around it, need not bother with downloading bad quality content from Torrentz or buying it from the pirated market. Our partnership with HBO is such that any customer subscribing to its premium offering would also get a free entitlement to watch back seasons of all leading shows on VOD.

     

    Monica: So will this be available to everybody or only to HBO premium subscribers?

     

    Vikram: This will be available only to HBO premium customers. This content is offered only as a free value-add to people who have decided to go out and subscribe to the HBO premium service. Conventionally, what used to happen; people would pay for a channel and just get that. But with HBO, for the first time in India, when you pay for the channel, you will not only get the channel but also the free VOD entitlements along with it.

     

    Monica: Please share your views on the genesis of this unique partnership. For the first time, ‘HBO On Demand’ has been brought into the country. Where did it begin and how was the experience?

     

    Vikram: Not only the ‘HBO On Demand’ part but also HBO channels are a complete breakthrough in this country. Nobody else has been able to come out with their high-profile channel which shows you great movies in great picture quality and ad-free. Nobody has that kind of service in the country today.

     

    For us, it is a very big experiment that we genuinely believe in. We have been getting fabulous response from customers about these two channels. And our constant endeavour is to keep thinking what more can we bring to customers.

     

    We have a very well established VOD service today with over 3,000 video titles that we typically sell on a transaction basis or a subscription basis. But you cannot get this content unless you go out and subscribe to the television channels of HBO premium.

     

    We are already getting a large number of calls at our call centres and people want to know more about it. If you check twitter, there are people tweeting about how Tata Sky has brought in a great initiative and we are extremely excited about it.

     

    Monica: What has the response been like and how excited is Tata Sky about the season 4 premiere of the HBO Original Series, Game of Thrones, on HBO Defined?

     

    Vikram: I am a huge fan of Game of Thrones and we are pretty excited about it. It will be an absolutely new audience that we can open up in this country for a Game of Thrones kind of high quality production. I am yet to see anything of this kind of production quality to be put on television. It’s mind-blowing and a new generation, a new kind of crowd is going to open up to this show.

     

    Hence, we are very clear that when we promote season four, it will not be limited to just larger towns but also mid-size and small-size ones. And our communication will say, “Don’t worry if you have missed the first three seasons, why don’t you download from VOD and check it out!”

     

    Monica: Do you think that the dual language proposition is an interesting one and is working well?

     

    Vikram: It is working quite well. Our endeavour is not only limited to people in Mumbai or Delhi. It’s a huge mental block for people in smaller towns who think they won’t be able to catch the accent. The moment they understand that there is a provision to shift to Hindi, it’s a huge comfort to them.

     

    So, ever since we have started promoting the dual-programming concept with HBO, we have seen absolutely fresh households opening up to the entire concept. We have seen a substantial increase in the subscription of the service.

     

    Monica: What do you expect further from this Tata Sky-HBO partnership?

     

    Vikram: Our endeavour is to keep on doing newer things. As a company, we take pride in the fact that we are not just a digital TV service provider. I think there has to be newer things brought to this market, which India has never seen and some of the things globally have never been out here. We believe that in HBO, we have a partner with whom we can go and try these things out. So, we are very excited about making the life of Tata Sky people more ‘Jinga Lala’ with HBO.

  • Tata Sky launches first ever DTH Karaoke service in the World

    Tata Sky launches first ever DTH Karaoke service in the World

    MUMBAI: In a global first, Tata Sky, the leading DTH player today announced the launch of a new video-based music service, Karaoke in partnership with Hungama.com.  This innovation, gives Tata Sky subscribers a fun way to spend time with loved ones this Valentine’s Day.

    Commenting on the launch, Mr. Vikram Mehra, Chief Commercial Officer, Tata Sky said: “The love for singing & dancing is epitomized by Bollywood movies. Be it wedding celebrations, a picnic or a night out with friends, singing our favourite Hindi songs in loud chorus adds tremendously to the fun factor of any evening. Capitalizing on this sentiment, Karaoke enables our subscribers to share a few laughs and great moments with family & friends without the need for an occasion. Simply, tune into the service any time of the day for non-stop entertainment.”   

    Unlike other traditional Karaoke services, Tata Sky’s Karaoke service showcases music videos along with lyrics which enhance the overall singing experience.  A distinctive feature of the service is the ‘Sur Meter’ that rates an individual’s singing performance and provides for interesting competition opportunities. The song library will be refreshed on a monthly basis to keep boredom at bay.

    Neeraj Roy, Managing Director, CEO of Hungama.com also emphasized that, “Hungama’s relationship with Tata Sky has been deep rooted with the vision of providing entertainment to their consumers.

     
    Music is a derivative of films that generates mass appeal and now we are presenting a new innovation to the consumer giving them the ability to watch and sing music with Actve Karaoke. A first in the industry this should prove to be a game changer of how the masses will enjoy music.”

    Karaoke systems available in the market are very expensive. At just Rs 1990 for a mike & annual subscription, the Tata Sky Karaoke service is affordable and definitely worth the investment.  The service will be   available   from 20th February 2014 and can be enjoyed by subscribers with the Tata Sky+ HD box.

     Salient features

    •    A Karaoke mic along with 12 month subscription will cost Rs.1990

    •    On-going annual subscription will cost only Rs. 600/-. One album will always be available free for subscribers to sample the service

    •    Albums available on the service include popular songs of Salman Khan, romantic hits, party hits and a range of foot tapping nos. from Sonu, Shreya & others

     

  • The Channel V Nokia IndiaFest 2014 Rocked!

    The Channel V Nokia IndiaFest 2014 Rocked!

    MUMBAI: Channel V Nokia IndiaFest 2014 turned out bigger and better than previous years with rock competitions, DJ duels, fashion shows and what have you along with prizes worth Rs 50 lakh and dream-come-true career opportunities to be won.

    Held at Goa’s Baga Grounds from 7 to 8 February, the fourth edition saw Nokia once again as the title sponsor apart from adding four new sponsors, taking the tally to 12 sponsors on-board.

    A host of competitions like Footloose, Karaoke, Gaming Challenge, Director’s Cut, Campus Stud, Popstars, Nokia Tamasha, Beat it – Thumka, Turning Tables and Nokia Launch Pad marked the two-day fest which also saw electrifying performances by music composers Vishal-Shekhar, singer Sunidhi Chauhan and UK’s DJ Vicky Devine among others.

    Of the 30 events spread across two days, some were online like photography, while the rest happened on-ground. Judging these were celebrities from all walks of life including Neha Dhupia and Dino Morea, who chose the Campus Diva and Campus Stud, respectively; Nishka Lulla, who decided the winners of the Fashion Show; Rohan Sippy, who picked up the best filmmaker; DJ Suketu, who zeroed in on the DJ of the future, Suraj Jaggan, who pronounced the winner of the rock competition and so on.

    Speaking at the grand finale, Channel V general manager and EVP Prem Kamath exulted: “It’s a no-holds-barred finale to a rollercoaster fourth edition of the IndiaFest. The Channel V Nokia IndiaFest is no longer just a college fest but the one-stop coming-together of a generation every year.” Kamath said he wouldn’t be surprised if the number of visitors this year had doubled from last year’s 40,000.

    The vision behind IndiaFest – taking it to as many cities as possible and having the quality of participation grow year-on-year – stems from the knowledge that there is no real pan-Indian college festival. So, in its very first year, IndiaFest had four zonals whereas this year, the number rose to eight. The 2014 edition reached out to a record over 2 million students in 2,200 colleges across Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Pune, Calcutta, Chennai, Chandigarh and Goa. “We were very clear we wanted to keep IndiaFest free for everybody. We are funded entirely by our sponsors. If we manage to increase the number of cities and convince our sponsors that it’s an exercise worth the effort, we will definitely do 12 zonals next year,” said Kamath.

    Not just the number of zonals, the participants per zone too has increased from just 500 to 600 last year to over 1000 this year. However, there’s more to the fest than just quantitative growth. “It is not a rock concert. The fest is not evaluated by how large it is or how many people attend it. First and foremost, it is a college festival and our priority has always been that the participants are college goers. Also, with college kids organising it, they should enjoy the organisation part as well. And they should own it as their own festival. This has been our focus from the beginning,” clarified Kamath. “Although I’d like more students to engage and more cities to be added to our zonals, at its heart, it’s a college festival and college festivals are all about events, display of talent and competition. Those are the things I’d really like to push going forward.”

    About their continuing association with IndiaFest, Nokia director – marketing Viral Oza said: “It is really exciting for us to associate with IndiaFest for the third consecutive year. We continue in our endeavor to bring the youth closer to their passions. At a time when the youth are constantly looking towards expanding horizons, we bring to them Nokia IndiaFest, a perfect platform for them to showcase their talent in front of their peers.”

    IndiaFest follows the tradition of collecting feedback and suggestions from both participants and organizers after conclusion of every edition. As per last year’s feedback to incorporate elements of a finale in the zonals, this year, mini India fests as well as concerts were held during the zonals. “The mini fests are on a smaller scale but try and mirror a lot of what happens in the grand finale,” Kamath explained.

    The other thing is that the network tries to showcase the winners at these festivals. For instance, winner of the solo dance competition at IndiaFest 2013 was featured in Hrithik Roshan’s dance show on Star Plus while the winning short film was aired on Star World. “As a network, we have the ability to do two things. One – we can improve the scale of our festivals tremendously. Two – we can create a platform to showcase talent; we haven’t done this as much as we would like to but next year, we will go for it,” said Kamath.

    Marketing and promotion

    Like every year, Channel V Nokia IndiaFest 2014 had 350 students as campus representatives or V Reps.

    Interactions happened through the year on a closed group on Facebook and work took speed when the festival drew near with the V Reps helping Channel V to put up posters in colleges and so on.

    The entire sponsorship revenue was generated on-ground with IndiaFest being a 100 per cent on-ground event. Instead of the entire fest, only one hour showcasing festival highlights was aired on television. Apart from streaming the fest on YouTube, there was no other digital promotion of the event.

    According to Kamath, the reason for not promoting IndiaFest as a television property is that they don’t want an on-ground event to be measured in terms of the number of spots or promos put on air. In any case, sponsors benefit tremendously from the two-day show. “It is great value for the sponsors and it is definitely value for the channel and the students who participate. We started as a marketing initiative where we were not planning to make any revenue in the first year. However, it has to be a win-win for organizers, the channel, sponsors and everyone who is attending it. That is what makes it successful,” said Kamath.

    Meanwhile, Nokia head – activation, media, consumer intelligence Abhish Chandhok said: “For us, it is not about sponsorship but a partnership. It is not about putting a logo in the background, but about how we can use IndiaFest to engage with our core target audience. Nokia targets the 15-24 years age group and there is no bigger platform than IndiaFest to engage with them. It is giving us a lot of scale because of the number of people coming in and the conversations you can start around these activities.”

    Road ahead

    From the first year where IndiaFest generated close to Rupees four and a half crore of revenue, it is now worth nearly Rs 10 crore, according to industry sources.

    Plans are afoot to add two more events to the property. “Now we are fairly confident in terms of our understanding of organizing these events, how to manage the scale in terms of numbers and participants. We want to make sure that our team is in place and organized well,” Kamath signed off.

    ArtistSpeak

    “It is always fun to perform at college festivals. The energy is very different from other kind of shows. I was never good at communicating, and I formed a band and decided not to do any covers.”

    –          Suraj Jaggan

     “It is a beautiful experience. It brings a lot of memories I had during my college days. When I come to see and judge, it feels so good. I used to take part in dance and public speaking activities, so judging at IndiaFest is always fun.”

    –          Dino Morea

     “It is great to be in Goa for Channel V’s IndiaFest. The crowd is so energetic here; I think it is going to be a mad concert. We are going to rock the stage. The youth is crazy and it is always special performing here at a huge platform like Indiafest.”

    –          Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravjiani

     “It is flattering to be at a place where we know the large chunk of our future lies. Today, the youth is at the largest festival of the country, I have been called to judge it. I feel it is an awesome experience. It is nice to have such an association for the second consecutive year with Channel V. Getting on stage is one thing, but getting on stage and doing what you want to is like having big guts.”

    –          Neha Dhupia

  • McDowell extends the ‘Spirit of Friendship’ through Karaoke app

    McDowell extends the ‘Spirit of Friendship’ through Karaoke app

    MUMBAI: Over the last four years, the McDowell’s No.1 has been addressing its young Indian target audience with its positioning as the No.1 spirit of friendship with the intent to add cheer to moments of camaraderie and friendships amongst the youth.

    It has come up with an integrated approach of communication wherein it is important to actively engage with the youth. Music has always been at the forefront of the young Indian’s favorite hobbies. Hence, Karaoke became McDowell’s No.1’s perfect opportunity to reach out to its consumers.

    The McDowell’s No.1 came up with a Karaoke App which is an easy to download mobile App across all platforms. The aim of the app is to create moments involving the participation of friends whenever and wherever, bringing to life the role of McDowell’s No.1 as the No.1 spirit of friendship. McDowell’s No.1 leveraged its brand ambassadors Chris Gayle and his friends – actor Purab Kohli and Indian Idol Meiyang Chang – to come up with a fun commercial.

    The app is meant for a group of friends who want to have a good time regardless of the time or place feels Vipul Thakkar

    DDB Mudra South ECD Vipul Thakkar said, “The McDowell’s No.1 Karaoke App is meant for a group of friends who want to have a good time regardless of the time or place. With this app you don’t need to be at a party, or a specific venue, and neither do you have to be a great singer to enjoy karaoke. And what better way to communicate this than to show a hard-hitting batsman become a singing sensation overnight and belting out totally different kind of hits from his app.”