ITV

Tag: Kochi

  • Shaji Mathews appointed as Kerala MSO KCCL CEO

    Shaji Mathews appointed as Kerala MSO KCCL CEO

    MUMBAI: From Gujarat, where he helped steer MSO GTPL towards its IPO, he is now headed back to his home city of Kochi in Kerala. Shaji Mathews has been appointed as the CEO of Kerala Communicators Cable Ltd (KCCL), a leading cable TV and broadband network in Kerala which is a consortium of operators who are shareholders and participate in management.

    An initiative of Kerala’s independent cable operators it works under the guidance of the 4,000 member strong Cable Operators Association ( COA), the main objective of which is to develop Kerala’s cable TV sector by building wider networks, upgrading technology, finding new avenues of activity apart from addressing various issues and challenges before the industry for and on behalf of its members.

    The company is led by the chairman Boobacker Siddique and managing director PP Suresh Kumar.

    KCCL’s website states that these cable operators have cumulatively invested Rs 5 billion in equipment, networking, studios and other infrastructure all over Kerala. The cable operators have a consolidated turnover of Rs 2.5 billion per annum. KCCL has a network capacity of 300 SD channels and 60 HD channels, and provides 240 SD channels and 28 HD channels to its two million digital subscribers.

    “KCCL has been one of the front runners in Kerala on digitisation and has received appreciation from the MIB and TRAI as well,” says Mathews. “The network derives huge strength from the dedicated team of operators who have active participation in the management. It is quite similar to the state my previous company GTPL was when I joined it four years back. While KCCL has completed its digitsation, there is a lot of scope in the area of broadband for which Kerala’s citizens have a huge appetite. My objective is to create a similar success story like GTPL with KCCL as it is poised for rapid growth going forward.”

  • Thought Blurb Lulu Mall’s advertising partner

    Thought Blurb Lulu Mall’s advertising partner

    MUMBAI: The Lulu Group, headquartered in the UAE, is ranked third on the Forbes List of ‘Top 100 companies making an impact on the Arab World’. The group’s flagship mall in India, Lulu Mall in Kochi, has signed on Thought Blurb as their advertising partner to build the brand in sync with the global retail brand image.

    Lulu Mall Kochi CEO Shibu Philips said that the group is initiating an assertive push into other cities in Kerala and expanding its footprint into various other Indian cities, and it’s imperative to have world class branding and communication design.

    Philips said that an analysis of Thought Blurb’s past experience in environmental and space design, graphic design credentials and overall understanding of mall communication and promotion was an essential criterion in their decision. The 3-month pitch process saw The Lulu Group evaluating the presentations of several top-rung ad agencies from Kerala and other cities. The decision eventually hinged on strategy and domain knowledge of retail marketing.

    Philips said, “Thought Blurb’s past work on Quick Service Restaurants, large retail chains and Malls showcased great acumen and promise. Their strategic thinking reflects a layered understanding of today’s retail customer, their fickle loyalties, and what buttons to press to keep them engaged.”

    The Lulu Mall chain of hypermarkets and supermarkets is spread across 31 countries, including India. The company’s most recognizable presence is the Lulu Mall in Kochi, spread over 10,00,000 sq ft of space that can accommodate 100,000 people at a time. By introducing 56 brands to Kerala, the Lulu Mall has changed the way people shop in Kerala.

    Thought Blurb CEO Vinod Kunj said, “We have sharpened our skills in this field for almost a decade and are raring to go with every resource we have at our call. Our design expertise has been awarded and recognised in every forum. Working on a mall chain is different from the norm. People need to stay engaged through programmed events and activations. Newer experiences for the consumers keep an in-demand mall from becoming a has-been. That would never happen on our watch. We are proud to be associated with the Lulu brand, and intend to ensure its dominance in the future.”

  • Thought Blurb Lulu Mall’s advertising partner

    Thought Blurb Lulu Mall’s advertising partner

    MUMBAI: The Lulu Group, headquartered in the UAE, is ranked third on the Forbes List of ‘Top 100 companies making an impact on the Arab World’. The group’s flagship mall in India, Lulu Mall in Kochi, has signed on Thought Blurb as their advertising partner to build the brand in sync with the global retail brand image.

    Lulu Mall Kochi CEO Shibu Philips said that the group is initiating an assertive push into other cities in Kerala and expanding its footprint into various other Indian cities, and it’s imperative to have world class branding and communication design.

    Philips said that an analysis of Thought Blurb’s past experience in environmental and space design, graphic design credentials and overall understanding of mall communication and promotion was an essential criterion in their decision. The 3-month pitch process saw The Lulu Group evaluating the presentations of several top-rung ad agencies from Kerala and other cities. The decision eventually hinged on strategy and domain knowledge of retail marketing.

    Philips said, “Thought Blurb’s past work on Quick Service Restaurants, large retail chains and Malls showcased great acumen and promise. Their strategic thinking reflects a layered understanding of today’s retail customer, their fickle loyalties, and what buttons to press to keep them engaged.”

    The Lulu Mall chain of hypermarkets and supermarkets is spread across 31 countries, including India. The company’s most recognizable presence is the Lulu Mall in Kochi, spread over 10,00,000 sq ft of space that can accommodate 100,000 people at a time. By introducing 56 brands to Kerala, the Lulu Mall has changed the way people shop in Kerala.

    Thought Blurb CEO Vinod Kunj said, “We have sharpened our skills in this field for almost a decade and are raring to go with every resource we have at our call. Our design expertise has been awarded and recognised in every forum. Working on a mall chain is different from the norm. People need to stay engaged through programmed events and activations. Newer experiences for the consumers keep an in-demand mall from becoming a has-been. That would never happen on our watch. We are proud to be associated with the Lulu brand, and intend to ensure its dominance in the future.”

  • Kochi Cable TV Operators protest levy of Rs ten per connection as entertainment tax by local corporation

    Kochi Cable TV Operators protest levy of Rs ten per connection as entertainment tax by local corporation

    New Delhi: Over 500 cable operators including some multi system operators in Kochi today demanded the scrapping of the entertainment tax on cable connections, insisting that they were providing an essential service to the consumer. Led by the Kochi Cable TV Operators Association, the protesters who marched to the office of the Kochi Municipal Corporation presented a memorandum to both the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor. Describing it as a draconian move, the memorandum on behalf of two associations says that the local cable operators are already burdened with a lot of taxes, and that the consumer will refuse to reimburse the tax

    An LCO told indiantelevision.com that they had demanded a complete scrapping of the Rs ten per connection levied upon them. The levy had been imposed by the corporation in its budget last month. The budget proposed to generate Rs. 2 crore by collecting entertainment tax of Rs 10 for each connection from cable TV operators.

    A delegation of Cable TV Operators Association met Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Minister for Urban Affairs Manjalamkuzhi earlier this week with a petition seeking their intervention to persuade the local body to drop the plan.The Kerala Cable TV Federation also submitted a memorandum to the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Opposition leader with a similar demand.

    The Federation State president E. Jayadevan said since almost all households in the Kochi Corporation have a cable TV connection, the move to collect entertainment tax is just a ploy by the corporation to tax every household albeit indirectly through cable TV operators.

    “The high cable TV penetration in the state is owing to the reasonable prices charged by small and medium operators. The taxation move will force us to hike the rent, thus distancing subscribers from us leaving the field wide open for direct-to-home operators, who are out of this tax net,” he said.

    The Federation said the tax may even force many subscribers to turn to direct-to-home operators and affect the LCOs business. Furthermore, other local bodies would also be tempted to follow suit.

  • Kochi Cable TV Operators protest levy of Rs ten per connection as entertainment tax by local corporation

    Kochi Cable TV Operators protest levy of Rs ten per connection as entertainment tax by local corporation

    New Delhi: Over 500 cable operators including some multi system operators in Kochi today demanded the scrapping of the entertainment tax on cable connections, insisting that they were providing an essential service to the consumer. Led by the Kochi Cable TV Operators Association, the protesters who marched to the office of the Kochi Municipal Corporation presented a memorandum to both the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor. Describing it as a draconian move, the memorandum on behalf of two associations says that the local cable operators are already burdened with a lot of taxes, and that the consumer will refuse to reimburse the tax

    An LCO told indiantelevision.com that they had demanded a complete scrapping of the Rs ten per connection levied upon them. The levy had been imposed by the corporation in its budget last month. The budget proposed to generate Rs. 2 crore by collecting entertainment tax of Rs 10 for each connection from cable TV operators.

    A delegation of Cable TV Operators Association met Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Minister for Urban Affairs Manjalamkuzhi earlier this week with a petition seeking their intervention to persuade the local body to drop the plan.The Kerala Cable TV Federation also submitted a memorandum to the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Opposition leader with a similar demand.

    The Federation State president E. Jayadevan said since almost all households in the Kochi Corporation have a cable TV connection, the move to collect entertainment tax is just a ploy by the corporation to tax every household albeit indirectly through cable TV operators.

    “The high cable TV penetration in the state is owing to the reasonable prices charged by small and medium operators. The taxation move will force us to hike the rent, thus distancing subscribers from us leaving the field wide open for direct-to-home operators, who are out of this tax net,” he said.

    The Federation said the tax may even force many subscribers to turn to direct-to-home operators and affect the LCOs business. Furthermore, other local bodies would also be tempted to follow suit.

  • Sony Pix brings Spectre to Pix Premiere Nights

    Sony Pix brings Spectre to Pix Premiere Nights

    MUMBAI: Sony Pix is all geared up to offer its fans the biggest amazement of the year by partnering for Spectre, the latest James Bond movie, a day before its theatrical release in India exclusively for Pix Premiere Nights. The exclusive screening of the film for Pix Premiere Nights is scheduled on 19 November 2015.

     

    Get set to watch the latest Bond thriller  across the cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad, Kochi, and Chennai. Pix Premiere Nights, the largest integrated on ground brand property in the English movie category is a unique proposition for the viewers to exclusively watch the premiere of the latest Hollywood movies one day before its theatrical release in India. Spectre will be screened in 11 screens across 8 cities.   

      

    Sony Pix has previously hosted Pix Premiere Nights for Robocop (2014), The Hobbit: The battle of the five armies (2014), Amazing Spider Man 2 (2014) and Fantastic Four (2015) among others.

  • Q2-2016: ENIL reports 11.6% YoY revenue & 15.8% PAT growth

    Q2-2016: ENIL reports 11.6% YoY revenue & 15.8% PAT growth

    BENGALURU: Indian private FM player Entertainment Network (India) Limited (ENIL) reported 11.6 per cent increase in Total Income from Operations (TIO) in the quarter ended 30 September, 2015 (Q2-2016, current quarter) at Rs 116.27 crore as compared to the Rs 104.14 crore in Q2-2015. TIO in the current quarter was 14.5 per cent more than the Rs 101.56 crore in immediate trailing quarter.

     

    The company’s profit after tax (PAT) in Q2-2016 increased 15.8 per cent to Rs 26.97 crore (23.2 per cent margin) as compared to the Rs 23.30 crore (22.4 per cent margin) in the corresponding year ago quarter and was 4.2 per cent more than the Rs 25.88 crore (25.5 per cent of TIO) in Q1-2016. The company had entered the Rs 100 crore PAT club in FY-2015 with a PAT of Rs 105.98 crore (24.2 per cent margin) on a TIO of Rs 483.48 crore. 

     

    Notes:  (1) 100,00,000 = 100 Lakhs = 10 million = 1 crore

    (2) The numbers in this report are consolidated unless stated otherwise.

     

     

    Let us look at some of the other numbers reported by ENIL

     

    The company’s EBIDTA in Q2-2016 at Rs 35.71 crore (30.7 per cent margin) was 13.7 per cent more than the Rs 31.40 crore (30.2 per cent margin) in the corresponding year ago quarter and almost flat (up by 90 basis points) as compared to the Rs 35.38 crore (34.8 per cent margin) in the previous quarter.

     

    ENIL total expense (TE) in Q2-2016 at Rs 90.86 crore (78.1 per cent of TIO) was 12.3 per cent more than the Rs 80.89 crore (77.7 per cent of TIO) in Q2-2015 and was 22.2 per cent more QoQ than the Rs 74.38 crore (73.2 per cent of TIO) in Q1-2016.

     

    ENIL paid 48.8 per cent higher license fee in Q2-2016 at Rs 7.83 crore (6.7 per cent of TIO) as compared to the Rs 5.27 crore (5.1 per cent of TIO) in Q2-2015 and 53.3 per cent more than the Rs 5.11 crore (5 per cent of TIO) in Q1-2016.

     

    The company’s marketing expense in Q2-2016 at Rs 15.47 crore was (13.3 per cent of TIO) was seven per cent lower than the Rs 16.63 crore (16 per cent of TIO) in Q2-2015, but 37 per cent more than th Rs 11.29 crore (11.1 per cent of TIO) in Q1-2016.

     

    Employee Benefit Expense (EBE) in Q2-2016 at Rs 21.67 crore (18.6 per cent of TIO) was 7.5 per cent more than the Rs 20.17 crore (19.4 per cent of TIO), but was 1.9 per cent lower than the Rs 22.10 crore (21.8 per cent of TIO) in Q1-2016.

     

    ENIL managing director and CEO Prashant Panday said, “We are extremely happy with our results. Despite a sluggish economy, we have grown our revenues and profits substantially. With Phase-3 auctions over, we are gearing up to launch brand Mirchi into exciting new towns like Kochi and Chandigarh, as well as launch our second brand of radio in most of the major markets of the country. Radio is going to boom in the next five years, and Mirchi will surely be at the forefront.”

     

    ENIL’s participation in the first batch of Phase-3 auctions has resulted in an expansion of its footprint into seven new towns – Chandigarh, Kochi, Kozhikode, Jammu, Srinagar, Guwahati and Shillong.

     

    Further, ENIL recently received the permission from the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) to acquire four stations from TV Today Network Limited, viz., Amritsar, Patiala, Shimla and Jodhpur – which the company says will be re-branded and re-launched shortly as Mirchi, adding to its North India network strength. With these 11 stations, the core Mirchi brand will now be available in 43 cities.

  • DEN Networks introduces 22 HD channels in Kochi

    DEN Networks introduces 22 HD channels in Kochi

    MUMBAI: DEN Networks is looking at serving its Kochi subscribers better. The multi system operator (MSO) has announced the launch of its HD package comprising 22 channels for its existing subscribers in Kochi. With this launch, DEN has become the only cable TV distribution company in Kerala to offer highest number of HD channels.

     

    The HD package would include channels like, Star Plus, Zee TV, Zee Cinema, Star Gold, Star World, Life OK, NGC, NGC Wild, NGC Music, HBO Hits, HBO Defined, Star Movies, Movies Now, Romedy Now, Zee Studio, Star Sports HD1 and Star Sports HD2. 

     

    Commenting on the development, DEN Networks CEO S.N. Sharma said, “At DEN Networks, we have always believed in consistent improvement – both in terms of customer service and our offerings. Our ability to keep our customers in pace with the times has led to us being among the fastest growing players in Cable TV distribution in Kerala. Our new HD Package is yet another step towards bringing a richer, high definition TV viewing experience for our customers in Kochi.”

     

    “Kerala has more than 1.2 million subscribers and most of them are early adapters when it comes to latest technology. At DEN Networks, our ability to sense the evolving demand and offer our customers customised solutions have helped us to garner increasing market share,” added Sharma. 

     

    “In the next few months, while we will increase our presence across all 14 districts of Kerala; we will also introduce this HD Package in other towns like Trivandrum, Kottayam, Kannur, Mallapuram, Pallakad etc,” he concluded.

     

    DEN Network’s Cable TV services are available in 10 of the 14 districts in Kerala, namely Eranakulam (Kochi), Allapuzha, Kottayam, Trivandrum, Thrissur, Mallapuram, Pallakad, Kozhikode (Calicut), Kannur and Kasargode.

     

    The MSO offers 200 SD channels and 22 HD channels in Kochi as of now, all the other places offering is 140 channels, which will be upgraded to 200 and 22 HD channels in the coming months. Also company will soon be introducing packages to subscribers in Kerala, that will offer the choice of deciding what bundle of channels to view and pay for. Kerala has a total market size of six million cable homes, out of which, DEN is having more than 20 per cent market share as of now and fast growing.

  • Draftfcb+Ulka celebrates boyhood with Hero

    Draftfcb+Ulka celebrates boyhood with Hero

    MUMBAI: Hero once again plans to capture the imagination of the youth with its latest commercial, conceptualised by Draftfcb+Ulka, that is a true celebration of ‘boyhood’ with the Hero Maestro – a scooter that’s made for boys.

     

    The idea is to bring out the behaviour of today’s boys and give an enjoyable, light twist and who better to play the role of the quintessential boy than Ranbir Kapoor. Continuing his long standing relationship with Hero, Ranbir brings his inimitable style and incredible talent to this story and makes it more memorable than ever.

     

    Draftfcb+Ulka Delhi group creative director Sanjay Sharma said, “We wanted to bring out the ‘boyish’ attitude which Maestro stands for in a way that is relevant to the contemporary society. It’s a new dimension – a light hearted take on the way future is dear to the girls and present to the boys.”

     

    The commercial has seen an overwhelming initial response. Draftfcb+Ulka Delhi COO Sanjay Tandon said, “Maestro is a brand built around boyish idiosyncrasies. To further reinforce the positioning success of the brand, Ranbir exudes his boyish charm through a typical “men are from mars. women are from venus” storyline.”

     

    Adding to this, Draftfcb+Ulka, Delhi VP Sharad Mathur said, “The aim was to play up the ‘boyish’ attitude through the product as well as in a setting which most of the youngsters can easily relate to. Ranbir effortlessly exudes a playful boyish charm which along with the music and setting brings out Maestro’s attitude and its celebration of boyhood.”

    Shot in Fort Kochi, Kerala, along the quiet roads and vibrant backgrounds, the commercial truly stands out for its visual style and witty dialogue.

  • KG Launches Comfortable, affordable and compact homes starting at Rs. 30 lakhs

    KG Launches Comfortable, affordable and compact homes starting at Rs. 30 lakhs

    Chennai’s most innovative and leading real estate developers with over 33 years of experience, 140 completed projects in Chennai & Kochi and with over 5000 satisfied customers, today announced the launch of KG COZY Homes in KG Signature City, Mogappair – just 5 minutes from Anna Nagar. Now, customers can buy a 2 BHK flat for just Rs. 30 lakhs and enjoy all the benefits of Anna Nagar for just one fifth of the cost and also use all latest amenities including indoor/outdoor games, swimming pool, Meditation room/Multi-purpose/Aerobics Hall, Children’s Playroom, Library cum browsing facility, Terrace party area, jogging track, beauty salon, gym, creche in a 20,000 sft. Club House.

     

    One exclusive block is dedicated for KG COZY homes consist of 252 flats ranging from 610 – 620 sft. in a stilt + 14 floor building. With essential comforts in a compact package of 1 BHK & 2 BHK homes, this one is the ideal choice for bachelors, young couple or elders/retired who want a home that caters to their individual needs. Packed with all the essentials for a modern day lifestyle, these homes are a perfect blend of functionality and aesthetics. All these flats are well-lit and ventilated and excellent investment opportunity at affordable prices. In fact 2 BHK flats are available at 1 BHK prices with no floor rise charges, no premium charges, no hidden cost, with full transparency and construction completed up to basement level.