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  • Private investment firm acquires Sony Online Entertainment

    Private investment firm acquires Sony Online Entertainment

    MUMBAI: Columbus Nova, an investment management firm based in New York, has acquired Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE).

     

    Best known for its community-first approach, and blockbuster hits and franchises including EverQuest, PlanetSide2, DC Universe Online, H1Z1, Landmark and EverQuest Next, SOE has developed compelling online entertainment for a variety of platforms since 1999.

     

    With the completion of the transaction, SOE will now operate as an independent game development studio and will continue to focus on creating quality online games, providing excellent service to its extensive player base, while centering on its untapped potential as a multi-platform online gaming company. Along with the transaction, SOE will be rebranded and operate under the new name of Daybreak Game Company LLC. 

     

    “Sony Online Entertainment, newly rebranded as Daybreak, is a great addition to our existing portfolio of technology, media and entertainment focused companies. We see tremendous opportunities for growth with the expansion of the company’s game portfolio through multi-platform offerings as well as an exciting portfolio of new quality games coming up, including the recently launched H1Z1 and the highly anticipated EverQuest Next to be released in the near future. The recent Early Access launch success of H1Z1 is just one testament to the talent and dedication of the studio’s developers to create great online gaming experiences,” said Columbus Nova senior partner Jason Epstein. 

     

    “We are excited to join Columbus Nova’s impressive roster of companies. They have a proven track record in similar and related industries and we are eager to move forward to see how we can push the boundaries of online gaming. We will continue to focus on delivering exceptional games to players around the world, as well as bringing our portfolio to new platforms, fully embracing the multi-platform world in which we all live,” added Daybreak Game Company president John Smedley.

  • Q2-2015: Reliance Retail juggernaut grows 20 per cent y-o-y

    Q2-2015: Reliance Retail juggernaut grows 20 per cent y-o-y

    BENGALURU:  The Mukesh Ambani led Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) announced its Q2-2015 results on 13 October reporting a y-o-y  de-growth of 4.3 per cent in consolidated turnover to Rs 1,13,396 crore in Q2-2015 from Rs 1,18,439 crore in Q2-2014, and a growth of 5.1 per cent versus the immediate trailing quarter Q1-2015 turnover of Rs 1,07,905 crore. During HY-2015, the company’s revenue grew just 1 per cent to Rs 2,21,301 crore from Rs 2,19,054 crore in HY-2014.
     
    The company’s organised retail segment contribution to RIL’s turnover grew from 2.93 per cent (Rs 3470 crore) in Q2-2014 to 3.67 per cent (Rs 4167 crore) in Q2-2015, registering a 20.1 per cent growth y-o-y. In Q1-2015, RIL’s retail segment contributed 3.71 per cent (Rs 3999 crore) to the company’s turnover registering a 4.1 per cent growth q-o-q.  In FY-2014, the segment had reported revenue of Rs 14,566 crore or 2.69 per cent of RIL’s turnover of Rs 5,41,599 crore. A Reliance earnings release for Q2-2014 says reports EBDIT figures for its retail segment at Rs 186 crore, recording a y-o-y EBDIT growth of 96 per cent.

    This quarter, the company’s overall operational outlet count crossed 2000 with a presence in 155 cities of the country.  Some of the store formats under Reliance Retail Brands include Reliance Retail, Reliance Market, Reliance Fresh, Reliance Digital, Reliance Trends, Reliance Footprint and Reliance Jewels.

     

    In the overall context of RIL numbers, its retail segment figures may seem small, but how many companies can boast of annual revenues of about Rs 15,000 crore plus, that the segment must cross this fiscal? Not too many.

     

    According to an Economic Times report, in comparison, Tata group’s retail divisions, including Titan, Croma, Trent and Landmark, had revenue of about Rs 17,000 crore. Kishore Biyani’s Future Retail had revenue of Rs 11,336 crore in fiscal 2014.

     

    India’s retail industry has been pegged at a quarter of India’s gross domestic product (GDP) about $525 million or Rs 31.5 lakh crore and is expected to double over the next five years leading to 2020. There is more than enough scope for the company’s organised retail segment to grow and contribute in a big way to RIL’s numbers over the next few years.

     

     

    Click here for the financial statement

     

  • Blue & Blues aims to be a Rs 50 crore brand

    Blue & Blues aims to be a Rs 50 crore brand

    KOLKATA: Blue & Blues, an Italian leather products brand, plans to expand its presence to other Asian and Middle East markets by the year 2015, apart from setting up new trends in leather accessories.

     

    It aims to build Rs 50 crore brand within next one and a half year.

     

    The brand was created by two Italian fashion visionaries – Francesco Lanzaratto and Fulvio Rovaris, but after the death of Lanzaratto, Kolkata headquartered leather good exporting company, Unique International, joined hands with Rovaris, to bring the brand to India.

     

     “Our aim is to create a distinct mark of tradition in this lifestyle brand vertical. We are looking at tapping other Asian and Middle East, US and UK markets by the year 2015 for expansion. We aim to build Blue & Blues as a Rs 50 crore brand in the next one and half years,” says Blue & Blues Fashion (India) director Praveen Agarwal.

     

    On the various marketing initiatives undertaken to promote the brand, he says, “The company undertakes various point-of-purchase activities to promote the brand and through different strategies they always highlight a factor which is ‘value proposition’.”

     

    Highlighting some strategic campaigns like ‘coloured leather is all about coloured skin’, Agarwal informs that Ogilvy & Mather is the communication partner.

     

    All Blue & Blues products are styled in Italy. Instead of the conventional black and brown leathers, it uses original leathers in vibrant colours like red, orange, yellow , blue, pink, golden, silver, just to name a few.

     

    When asked about the availability of the leather products, he said that the brand is available at premium MBO’s like Shoppers Stop, Landmark, Central, Lifestyle, Ritu Wears, Witco and in select boutique stores apart from standalone showrooms in Kolkata and Gurgaon. “Internationally, it has its presence in countries like Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Greece, and Belgium among other places,” says Agarwal.

     

    The company also plans to open stores in Delhi followed by Bengaluru, Mumbai and Hyderabad within the next year, concludes Agarwal.

  • Cutthroat sets new crowdfunding record

    Cutthroat sets new crowdfunding record

    MUMBAI: Adding an important landmark to the ever-evolving crowdfunding potential in India towards supporting independent films, Cutthroat – a film to be based on real life in a Business School – announced that it has managed to raise Rs 5.94 lakh in a span of last eight weeks.

    Directed by Sarthak Dasgupta of The Great Indian Butterfly fame, the film was seeking pre-production funds through Catapooolt, an industry-backed crowdfunding platform. The collection makes it the highest ever amount crowdfunded for a film project on any Indian crowdfunding platform.

    The total budget the project is seeking is Rs10 lakh.

    Commenting on this feat, Sarthak Dasgupta who recently received the Sundance Global Filmmaker Reward 2013, said, “I’m really humbled and honored with this extensive support and recognition that my proposed script Cutthroat has received so far. I always believed that this film should be made on basis of community support – and I’m glad that with Catapooolt – I’ve got the right team and platform to take this project to the desired communities. I’m sure that with this continuing momentum and interest in this film, we should be able to achieve the set crowndfunding target.”

    Recognising this step as a key indicator of growing interest and trust in crowdfunding in India, Catapooolt MD Satish Kataria said, “Globally, crowdfunding has been accepted as the new future of funding creativity and independent projects – and through Catapooolt – we continuously endeavour to populate this empowered way to support upcoming talent in India. We are ensuring that we don’t only stop ourselves as a platform, but go beyond and completely work hand-in-hand with project managers to help them achieve their desired targets.”

    So far, more than 50 contributors, from across the world, have come forward and lend their support for the film which is based on how things change during the placement season in a B School and how the peer pressures can play with dreams of the management students.

    Furthermore, as a part of really innovative exercise, Catapooolt along with the Syndenham Institute of Management Studies – has brought together more than 163 teams from leading management institutions to compete and draft the best possible marketing and outreach strategy for this film.

  • Spuul and Star TV announce landmark deal

    Spuul and Star TV announce landmark deal

    MUMBAI: In a landmark deal with Star TV, Spuul – one of the most popular online streaming service for Indian movies and TV shows – will be streaming Star Plus shows 30 minutes after their TV broadcast in India. This first of it’s kind deal for Spuul, will give Spuul subscribers in India and Pakistan unlimited, on-demand access to the best soaps and reality television from Star Plus, on their computers and mobile devices.

    Starting now, you can watch Star’s 10 most popular soaps including Diya Aur Bati Hum, Ek Nanad Ki Khushiyon Ki Chaabi – Meri Bhabhi and Pyaar Ka Dard Meetha Meetha Pyaara Pyaara and reality TV show Junior Master Chef on computers, iOS, Android, smartphones and tablets. This widely watched Star Plus offering will now be available as part of Spuul’s premium subscription plan. The low monthly subscription price also includes unlimited access to all free and premium movies on Spuul.

    “We are delighted to announce this agreement with Star TV. This deal further strengthens our exceptional and unrivalled content mix, said Spuul CEO India Prakash Ramchandani. Elaborating further, he said, “We are offering Spuul subscribers these popular daily TV shows at no additional cost, giving them even more value, and further validating why we are the preferred service for quality Indian content online.”

    Other Star Plus shows on Spuul include Ek Ghar Banaunga, Saraswatichandra, Saath Nibhana Saathiya, Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behnaa Hai, Arjun, Veera and Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai. As part of launch promotions, upto seven episodes of each of the 11 shows released prior to 2 September 2013 will be available for free on Spuul throughout September 2013.

    Besides these daily soaps, Spuul’s TV library also includes evergreen hits such as Mahabharat, Fauji, Malgudi Days and Nukkad.

  • 2011: Getting ready for the next growth phase: Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific SVP and general manager (South Asia) Rahul Johri

    2011: Getting ready for the next growth phase: Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific SVP and general manager (South Asia) Rahul Johri

    2011 was a year of dynamic transformation for the industry. It will be remembered as a landmark year with the most noteworthy announcement being the government‘s new Digitisation Policy. The other major development which stands out was the sizeable M&A activity in the sector.

    The competitive landscape intensified with every major broadcaster expressing their interest in India with strong actions. New channel launches increased fragmentation. To keep the viewers engaged, companies invested on the brands and launched multiple high-cost productions. Offering a new experience, the HD channels gained attraction. And, of course, there was increased pressure on the limited distribution bandwidth.

    During the year, one of the most evident trends we witnessed in favour of the lifestyle and factual entertainment genre was the increased preference and value for differentiated, high-quality and entertaining content amongst all stakeholders.

    For Discovery India, it was a momentous year. We consolidated our leadership as India‘s No. 1 non-fiction media company by making consistent investments in content, distribution and promotion.

    During this exciting period, we expanded our business on all counts: new channels, new language feeds, path breaking India productions, quality global programmes like Curiosity, increased availability to over 173 million households, robust ad sales growth, all round innovations and high-decibel marketing and communications.

    Discovery‘s guiding principle, “Right Place, Right Time” was in action in all our strategic launches in the year – be it the introduction of our first regional channel Discovery Channel Tamil or the 24-hour Bangla and Telugu language feeds or the innovative local productions like Oh My Gold with Lisa Ray. During the last year, we also showcased our preparedness for the emerging new media landscape.

    India is witnessing a strident demand, amongst all stakeholders, for refreshing and distinct television entertainment. Discovery Channel has risen to the challenge and is today ranked in top 10 channels in India amongst more than 600 plus channels, measured on cumulative annual reach. A nationwide distribution encompassing more than 200,000 villages and a notable presence in the basic packs of the DTH companies are prime indicators of changing India and its strong preference for quality and differentiated entertainment.

    Comprehending the emerging trends, along with the ability to produce matching products and solutions, has been the foundation on which Discovery has created its robust business in India. I am confident that Discovery will continue to be both a beneficiary and catalyst of this fantastic change.

    2012 will be a year of new opportunities. However, it will also present unique challenges. The environment will be extremely vibrant with action on all levels – policy, industry, regional and genre. The year, amongst other things, will test the brands‘ strength and viewer loyalty. One can also expect an increase in spends by channels on both content creation and promotion. The viewer will get an even wider choice of networks, programmes and distribution platforms.

  • Cartoon Network Enterprises unveils ‘Galli Galli Sim Sim’ merchandise

    Cartoon Network Enterprises unveils ‘Galli Galli Sim Sim’ merchandise

    MUMBAI: Cartoon Network Enterprises (CNE), the global licensing and merchandising division of the Network has announced the launch of consumer products featuring the Galli Galli Sim Sim characters including Elmo, Biscuit Badshah, Bharat, Ernie across four categories. In their efforts to extend the magic of the series, Turner International wants to give children a chance to touch, feel and own the characters outside of their TV sets.

    The first phase of the Galli Galli Sim Sim merchandising programme will commence with the launch of an entire range of apparel, publishing, plush and home furnishing for which CNE has partnered with Liliput, Euro Kids, Scholastic, Mattel and Portico.

    Cartoon Network Enterprises – India and South Asia director Jiggy George said, “The objective of Cartoon Network Enterprises is to mirror the success of the channel off-air. The fabulous response received for the revolutionary pre-school series Galli Galli Sim Sim along with the instant popularity being enjoyed by the show’s Muppets are reasons enough for us to offer kids’ merchandise centered around these new stars of kids’ programming.”

    “We are bullish about the Indian market and endeavour to consistently expand our products portfolio by constantly adding newer characters, brands, categories and retail partners.”

    Targeted at 2 – 8 years old, the Galli Galli Sim Sim range of apparel merchandise will be manufactured and distributed by Lilliput and will be available in 60 Liliput stores across India and multi-brand outlets.

    Euro Kids will offer eight storybooks across 25 cities while Scholastic will offer six titles across the Book Club catalogue to be sent to 2200 schools across 500 cities as well as various book fairs.

    Mattel will manufacture and distribute non-toxic Classic Sesame plush across multi-brand outlets and toy stores in over 20 cities. The range will introduce a Hindi-speaking plush for the first time in the country.

    Home furnishing merchandise will be manufactured and distributed by Portico and will include bedsheets, pillow covers, duvets and quilts featuring the Galli Galli Sim Sim Indian Muppets.

    Priced between Rs. 70 to Rs. 1399 across categories, the products will be available in multi-brand retail chains such as Lifestyle, Shoppers’ Stop, Pantaloon, Piramyd, Landmark and Hypercity. Galli Galli Sim Sim branded merchandise will be launched across several other categories in 2007.

    With this, Cartoon Network Enterprises continues to strengthen its retail presence with over 700 products currently available in over 13 categories such as apparel, plush, home furnishings, home décor, party products, stationery across 3000 plus counters and 20 cities, including branded in-store Cartoon Network corners in retail chains such as Lifestyle, Piramyd, Pantaloon, Shoppers’ Stop, Liliput, and others.