Tag: Kumar Mangalam Birla

  • Applause Entertainment to produce series on 2016 surgical strikes

    Applause Entertainment to produce series on 2016 surgical strikes

    MUMBAI: Applause Entertainment is making all the right moves.

    The Kumar Mangalam Birla-led outfit is all set to produce its first series based on the cross-border surgical strikes conducted by the Indian army in 2016, according to a media report.

    The 10-part drama series, which is being produced by Irada Entertainment for Applause Entertainment, is being planned for a 2018 launch.

    The company has acquired the rights of the first chapter of Shiv Aroor and Rahul Singh’s book ‘India’s Most Fearless’ published by Penguin Random House India. Samar Khan, who has several movies to his credit, will direct the series.

    The book covers fourteen true stories of extraordinary courage and fearlessness, providing a glimpse into the kind of heroism our soldiers display in unthinkably hostile conditions and under grave provocation. The first chapter deals with the September 2016 surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the Line of Control (LoC).

    Applause Entertainment CEO Sameer Nair is keen to produce content that’s not just great storytelling but also deeply rooted in history and reality.

    “We are most excited to be telling this story. A 10-part drama series will bring to life India’s most audacious military action in recent times, taking the battle deep into the enemy camp. I believe that the stories about homeland security and unsung heroes help make us appreciate their sacrifices and sensitize us as an audience to the enemy within and outside. We are looking forward to working with the authors of the book, and Samar Khan who is leading this Project for us,” Nair was quoted as saying.

    Also read:

    Kumar Mangalam Birla charges into content creation, hires  TV vet Sameer Nair

    Star India gets aggressive with global programme syndication sales

  • Kumar Mangalam Birla charges into content creation, hires TV vet Sameer Nair

    MUMBAI: Sameer “Sam” Nair has made it a habit to go where many  a man has gone before and failed. The only difference: he has made what he has been charged with a success.

    Now, the former Star TV COO and former Balaji Telefilms group CEO, is headed to the $43 billion Aditya Birla group to revive chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla’s long harboured ambitions to chew away a piece of the fast growing Indian entertainment business through his company Applause Entertainment.

    Earlier, attempts by Birla under Applause were abject financial failures, though the company churned out films such as the Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Black and Dev.

    The reason: Birla did not have a strong platform 10 years ago, and attempts to create for cinema and television were challenging. However, with the upcoming Idea-Vodafone giant (around 400 million subs when the two merge by 2018) under his belt, he won’t be facing that challenge in his fresh attempt to build the entertainment side of his business. Additionally, he has  Sam who has a track record of turning around struggling entertainment companies.  Finally,  global platforms such as Amazon, Netflix and Hotstar will be another window of opportunity for revived entity.

    Thus, Kumar Mangalam has kept aside an initial  investment  war chest of  Rs 2-3 billion this time around.

    Sam  and Applause will be focused on creating premium drama series, in multiple genres and languages (Tamil, Hindi and Telugu) in the shorter format with seasons to feed the new emerging audience which is currently gorging on shows such as House of Cards and Game of Thrones. The idea, according to Sam is to work with content producers in the established studio structure to roll out the first batch of shows rather quickly in the next six months. Around 20-30 series  across romance, drama, crime and thriller genres will be delivered over the next 18 months.

    Dropping data prices on mobile and increased consumption of video while on the move are factors which will fuel the explosion in content in India going forward, points out Sam.  Content, he says,  has to play catch-up with technology.

    Also Read :

    ALTBalaji is essentially everything that Balaji on TV is not: Sameer Nair

    Just 11% video viewership is on OTT: Akamai’s Reddy

    Synergy between quality content & branding workable in digital space, feel industry experts

  • Kangana walks ramp for Birla’s new Liva Creme

    MUMBAI: Liva Crème, the new age fabric from the Aditya Birla Group, has been launched by Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla.

    Birla stated, “The ecosystem of our LAPF partners has resulted in also placing India on the global map. We are now a preferred sourcing destination of viscose based products. This is truly in the spirit of the ‘Make in India’ initiative of the prime minister”.

    “Liva’s end-to-end ecosystem of a high quality product, continuous innovation, the LAPF network and aspiration created by communication and brand engagement is a great case study in consumer focus,” added Birla.

    Birla introduced the next innovation – Liva Crème fabric. Embedded in it is the core promise of Liva. Coupled with it are the enhanced features of luxurious fineness and softness. In spawning Liva Crème, he, complimented the LAPF partners who he said have embellished the product with their experience and expertise.

    The event was launched amidst a lot of fanfare and glitterati with Bollywood actress and Liva Crème brand ambassador Kangana Ranaut walking the ramp. Liva Crème fabric – a new variant of Liva fabric – offers consumers the luxurious soft feel which is fluid and natural.

    The fashion show had modeled exclusive Spring Summer ’17 collections of Allen Solly, Van Heusen Shoppers Stop, Biba and Pantaloons made in Liva Crème fabric.

    “Liva Crème fabric has all the attributes of Liva fabric while offering the added benefit of luxurious soft feel. The fabric has found tremendous response from women consumers, as per a research conducted in Mumbai and Delhi. The proposition of luxurious softness has been crafted basis their feedback”, said Pulp & Fibre business director Dilip Gaur.

    “Overall, the designer associations with leading brands to create Liva Crème collection, a stunning campaign with Kangana Ranaut and premium point of sale communications will all work towards positioning Liva Crème as a premium brand in the minds of consumers,” added Birla Cellulose CMO Rajeev Gopal.

  • 4th edition of IAA Leadership Awards to the best in respective industry

    4th edition of IAA Leadership Awards to the best in respective industry

    MUMBAI: The 4th edition of IAA  Leadership Awards was a glorious affair where the who’s who of the marketing, advertising and media industry got together to facilitate the best work amongst their peers and recognise the stalwarts who are leading their teams best in this dynamic ecosystem.  Union Minister of States of Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju was the chief guest and presented the awards to the best creative minds.

    The evening also lent itself to many learnings and forward thinking discussions for the industry at large. Viacom 18 group CEO Sudhanshu Vats in his opening address defined the three ‘I’s and an ‘A’ as ‘ Inference’, ‘influence’, ‘intuition’ and ‘agility’. Elucidating, Vats said a great leader must infer from the emerging trends that he sees around, must take his contacts and networking seriously and be ready to influence with the resources he has at his disposal, be intuitive with the current changing dynamics and be able to translate his judgement into action quickly.

    Speaking on the occasion, IAA’s India Chapter   president Srinivasan K Swamy said, “The IAA Leadership Awards are testimony of the inspirational work that industry leaders and creative minds accomplish during the course of the year. Today, we are celebrating the extraordinary work and journey of the industry at large from the year gone by. The campaigns have achieved much success in the brand’s positioning and perception. I congratulate the winners and hope to see such incredible work for years to come.”

    Seconding him, IAA Leadership Awards committee chairman Sam Balsara said, “This year, at the 4th IAA Leadership Awards, we have seen some tough competition that has been carried out by teams across industries. The decision-making process has been robust and after deep deliberation, we have finally arrived on the list of winners who have been honoured today. As the evening draws to a close, I would like to extend my heartiest congratulations to the winners and look forward to some great work from them in coming years”.

    While Aditya Birla Group CEO Kumar Mangalam Birla took away the CEO of the Year award, ICICI Prudential digital business and marketing EVP and head Manish Dubey, Hindustan Unilever;s Samir Singh, Lenovo marketing director Bhaskar Choudhuri and  Maruti Suzuki’s Randhir Singh Kalsi were amongst the few who won the much coveted The Marketer of the Year Awards that were given away  in 14 categories. Birla credited his win to his impeccable team which is forward thinking and intuitive to the market changes.

    Dentsu Aegis Network South Asia CEO and chairman Ashish Bhasin was awarded with The Media Agency Head of the Year Award. Sharing his joy for being acknowledged for the hard work, Bhasin added, “As late entrants in the industry, it gives me immense joy and pride in the organization’s efforts. We sort of challenged the market with a target to be the second best in the field by 2017. Acknowledgements  such as this from such a  well recognised body makes me feel that we are on the right track and gives us the confidence to move forward.”

    Upon bagging the Creative Agency Head of The Year, BBDO India chairman and CCO, Josy Paul said, “”This is not just a leadership award, it’s a leadership ‘team’ award. I am receiving it on behalf of my partner Ajai Jhala and the amazing leaders at BBDO India who create the outstanding work that gives me this moment of glory. I share it with them. I’m nothing without them.”

    In television, Colors CEO Raj Nayak was awarded the Media Person of the year, while India TV chairman and editor in chief Rajat Sharma was recognised as the Television Anchor of the Year. In the special categories, Bharat Patel was included in the Hall of Fame, while actor Varun Dhawan was awarded as the Brand Endorser of The Year.

    The 4th edition of the IAA Leadership Awards recognized the achievements of diverse groups of individuals for their incredible contribution in designing path-breaking and high impact marketing initiatives to strengthen their respective brand’s promise and standing amongst  consumers.

    Congratulating the winners,  Rijiju said, “I am impressed with how the evening and awards have been conceived. IAA is an important body when it comes to championing the marketers. As India is taking its rightful place in the world, the marketing and advertising world is catapulting India even faster. A decade ago, we used to have respect but we were never perceived as leaders. However, today, we receive tremendous recognition abroad. We have begun recognising our leaders – news is getting anchor-specific and editor-centric. Even Narendra Modi is a brand! This is the moment that belongs to India.”

    Click here for the complete list of winners.

    Winner List for the 4th Edition of the IAA Leadership Awards

    CATEGORY NAME

    WINNER NAME

    Marketer of the Year – Banking

    Karthi Marshan, Kotak Mahindra Bank

    Marketer of the Year – Insurance

    Manish Dubey, ICICI Prudential

    Marketer of the Year – FMCG – Food

    Varun Berry, Britannia

    Marketer of the Year – FMCG – Beverage

    Nadia Chauhan, Parle Agro

    Marketer of the Year – FMCG – Home Care

    Ajay Dang, Godrej

    Marketer of the Year – FMCG – Personal Care

    Samir Singh, Hindustan Unilever

    Marketer of the Year – Auto: Two-Wheelers

    Yadvinder Singh Guleria, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter

    Marketer of the Year – Auto: Passenger Vehicles

    Randhir Singh Kalsi, Maruti Suzuki

    Marketer of the Year – Consumer Durables

    Ranjivjit Singh, Samsung

    Marketer of the Year – Mobile Devices

    Bhaskar Choudhari, Lenovo

    Marketer of the Year – Mobile Services

    Srinivasan Gopalan, Bharti Airtel

    Marketer of the Year – E-Commerce

    Amit Agarwal, Amazon

    Marketer of the Year – Home Improvement

    Amit Syngle, Asian Paints

    Marketer of the Year – Retail

    Sanjay Behl, Raymond

    CEO of the Year

    Kumar Mangalam Birla, Aditya Birla Group

    Media Person of the Year

    Raj Nayak, COLORS

    Television Anchor of the Year

    Rajat Sharma, India TV

    News Editor of the Year

    Sanjay Gupta, Dainik Jagran

    Media Agency Head of the Year

    Ashish Bhasin, Dentsu

    Creative Agency Head of the Year

    Josy Paul, BBDO

    Hall of Fame

    Bharat Patel

    Brand Endorser of the Year

    Varun Dhawan

  • 4th edition of IAA Leadership Awards to the best in respective industry

    4th edition of IAA Leadership Awards to the best in respective industry

    MUMBAI: The 4th edition of IAA  Leadership Awards was a glorious affair where the who’s who of the marketing, advertising and media industry got together to facilitate the best work amongst their peers and recognise the stalwarts who are leading their teams best in this dynamic ecosystem.  Union Minister of States of Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju was the chief guest and presented the awards to the best creative minds.

    The evening also lent itself to many learnings and forward thinking discussions for the industry at large. Viacom 18 group CEO Sudhanshu Vats in his opening address defined the three ‘I’s and an ‘A’ as ‘ Inference’, ‘influence’, ‘intuition’ and ‘agility’. Elucidating, Vats said a great leader must infer from the emerging trends that he sees around, must take his contacts and networking seriously and be ready to influence with the resources he has at his disposal, be intuitive with the current changing dynamics and be able to translate his judgement into action quickly.

    Speaking on the occasion, IAA’s India Chapter   president Srinivasan K Swamy said, “The IAA Leadership Awards are testimony of the inspirational work that industry leaders and creative minds accomplish during the course of the year. Today, we are celebrating the extraordinary work and journey of the industry at large from the year gone by. The campaigns have achieved much success in the brand’s positioning and perception. I congratulate the winners and hope to see such incredible work for years to come.”

    Seconding him, IAA Leadership Awards committee chairman Sam Balsara said, “This year, at the 4th IAA Leadership Awards, we have seen some tough competition that has been carried out by teams across industries. The decision-making process has been robust and after deep deliberation, we have finally arrived on the list of winners who have been honoured today. As the evening draws to a close, I would like to extend my heartiest congratulations to the winners and look forward to some great work from them in coming years”.

    While Aditya Birla Group CEO Kumar Mangalam Birla took away the CEO of the Year award, ICICI Prudential digital business and marketing EVP and head Manish Dubey, Hindustan Unilever;s Samir Singh, Lenovo marketing director Bhaskar Choudhuri and  Maruti Suzuki’s Randhir Singh Kalsi were amongst the few who won the much coveted The Marketer of the Year Awards that were given away  in 14 categories. Birla credited his win to his impeccable team which is forward thinking and intuitive to the market changes.

    Dentsu Aegis Network South Asia CEO and chairman Ashish Bhasin was awarded with The Media Agency Head of the Year Award. Sharing his joy for being acknowledged for the hard work, Bhasin added, “As late entrants in the industry, it gives me immense joy and pride in the organization’s efforts. We sort of challenged the market with a target to be the second best in the field by 2017. Acknowledgements  such as this from such a  well recognised body makes me feel that we are on the right track and gives us the confidence to move forward.”

    Upon bagging the Creative Agency Head of The Year, BBDO India chairman and CCO, Josy Paul said, “”This is not just a leadership award, it’s a leadership ‘team’ award. I am receiving it on behalf of my partner Ajai Jhala and the amazing leaders at BBDO India who create the outstanding work that gives me this moment of glory. I share it with them. I’m nothing without them.”

    In television, Colors CEO Raj Nayak was awarded the Media Person of the year, while India TV chairman and editor in chief Rajat Sharma was recognised as the Television Anchor of the Year. In the special categories, Bharat Patel was included in the Hall of Fame, while actor Varun Dhawan was awarded as the Brand Endorser of The Year.

    The 4th edition of the IAA Leadership Awards recognized the achievements of diverse groups of individuals for their incredible contribution in designing path-breaking and high impact marketing initiatives to strengthen their respective brand’s promise and standing amongst  consumers.

    Congratulating the winners,  Rijiju said, “I am impressed with how the evening and awards have been conceived. IAA is an important body when it comes to championing the marketers. As India is taking its rightful place in the world, the marketing and advertising world is catapulting India even faster. A decade ago, we used to have respect but we were never perceived as leaders. However, today, we receive tremendous recognition abroad. We have begun recognising our leaders – news is getting anchor-specific and editor-centric. Even Narendra Modi is a brand! This is the moment that belongs to India.”

    Click here for the complete list of winners.

    Winner List for the 4th Edition of the IAA Leadership Awards

    CATEGORY NAME

    WINNER NAME

    Marketer of the Year – Banking

    Karthi Marshan, Kotak Mahindra Bank

    Marketer of the Year – Insurance

    Manish Dubey, ICICI Prudential

    Marketer of the Year – FMCG – Food

    Varun Berry, Britannia

    Marketer of the Year – FMCG – Beverage

    Nadia Chauhan, Parle Agro

    Marketer of the Year – FMCG – Home Care

    Ajay Dang, Godrej

    Marketer of the Year – FMCG – Personal Care

    Samir Singh, Hindustan Unilever

    Marketer of the Year – Auto: Two-Wheelers

    Yadvinder Singh Guleria, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter

    Marketer of the Year – Auto: Passenger Vehicles

    Randhir Singh Kalsi, Maruti Suzuki

    Marketer of the Year – Consumer Durables

    Ranjivjit Singh, Samsung

    Marketer of the Year – Mobile Devices

    Bhaskar Choudhari, Lenovo

    Marketer of the Year – Mobile Services

    Srinivasan Gopalan, Bharti Airtel

    Marketer of the Year – E-Commerce

    Amit Agarwal, Amazon

    Marketer of the Year – Home Improvement

    Amit Syngle, Asian Paints

    Marketer of the Year – Retail

    Sanjay Behl, Raymond

    CEO of the Year

    Kumar Mangalam Birla, Aditya Birla Group

    Media Person of the Year

    Raj Nayak, COLORS

    Television Anchor of the Year

    Rajat Sharma, India TV

    News Editor of the Year

    Sanjay Gupta, Dainik Jagran

    Media Agency Head of the Year

    Ashish Bhasin, Dentsu

    Creative Agency Head of the Year

    Josy Paul, BBDO

    Hall of Fame

    Bharat Patel

    Brand Endorser of the Year

    Varun Dhawan

  • Aditya Birla Group enters media, acquires 27.5 % stake in India Today Group

    Aditya Birla Group enters media, acquires 27.5 % stake in India Today Group

    MUMBAI: Confirming a news report earlier put out by Indiantelevision.com, the $35 billion Aidtya Birla Group has acquired 27.5 per cent stake in Living Media India (India Today Group) through its private investment company.

    The transaction is the second high financial investment by a big corporation in the booming Indian media and entertainment industry this year, the other being the Reliance-Network18 deal.

    The financial services-to-telecom and retail conglomerate did not disclose the amount it would be paying for the stake purchase.

    “The media sector is a sunrise sector from an investment point of view. I believe that Living Media India offers one of the best opportunities for growth and value creation,” said Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla.

    The Birla Group will, thus, enter the media sector with a presence across print, publishing, television and radio.

    Living Media owns and operates English weekly magazine India Today, business magazine Business Today, English news channel Headlines Today, Hindi news channel Aaj Tak and radio channel Oye FM, among others.

    “I am delighted to partner with the Aditya Birla Group to aggressively address the current and future potential of the Indian media business which is at a tipping point. The Aditya Birla Group with its strong leadership, global footprint, diversified business interests and its shared values of integrity, commitment and social responsibility make it a perfect fit with the India Today Group,” said India Today Group chairman Aroon Purie.

    Aroon Poorie, the promoter of India Today Group, holds 57.38 per cent stake in TV Today Network as per information on 5 March 2012.

    Indiantelevision.com had on 9 April reported that Aditya Birla Group is likely to pick up 25 per cent stake in India Today Group.

    Also Read:

    TV Today scrip up 15% on market buzz of Birla Group taking stake in promoter company

  • CNN International to turn its ‘Eye on India’ from 14 March

    CNN International to turn its ‘Eye on India’ from 14 March

    MUMBAI: Starting 14 March, CNN International will focus on Indian business, in order to bring global viewers a week of in-depth business coverage live from Mumbai and around the country.

    The week with a special focus – ‘Eye On India’ – will see live programming centers around ‘World Business Today’. Business specialist Andrew Stevens and CNN’s team of India correspondents will profile the players, companies and trends contributing to the country’s economic growth.

    Eye on India will also feature a special edition of Talk Asia in front of a live audience with Indian business icon Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman of the Aditya Birla Group.

    A dedicated site, cnn.com/eyeon, has additional reports, special features and more information about the week of programming.

    As an additional aspect of Eye on India, CNN is also inviting its global audience, especially those in India, to participate by sharing their views on everything that is ‘Uniquely India’. Selected submissions will feature on cnn.com and across the weeks’ programming.

    “These are exciting times for Indian business and industry as the country’s performance on the global economic stage make it an obvious choice for our week of business-focused programming. Eye on India promises our global viewers smart, insightful and surprising reporting from this hugely compelling destination” said CNN International VP of coverage and feature programming Mike McCarthy.

    Stories airing through the week include a look at how a rapidly increasing demand for luxury in segments including apparel, automobiles, retail and real estate, due to India’s increasing number of millionaires, juxtaposes sharply with parts of the country that still lack basic infrastructure. Away from metropolitan India, the emergence of smaller towns as growth and consumption drivers are profiled. 

    Seen by some as a ‘model state’, a visit to Gujarat suggests how India can maximise its economic potential, while a pioneering cardiac surgeon reveals how he provides world class medical care for the masses at minimal cost.

    Eye On India will take viewers on journeys to different countries around the world, exploring the new, revealing the surprising and uncovering the unknown aspects of compelling destinations.