ITV

Tag: Lockdown

  • Zeel embraces technology solutions to create fresh content amidst lockdown

    Zeel embraces technology solutions to create fresh content amidst lockdown

    MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) has embraced and optimally utilised technology solutions amidst lockdown, in order to create and offer fresh content for its consumers.

    The company has leveraged technology and implemented various solutions across its key functions, swiftly and collaboratively, creating the bedrock for creative innovation in the content offering. The teams have enabled innovations through remote production of content over mobile and professional cameras by using video and audio production technologies to support broadcast, digital and social platforms.

    On the television front, it is ready with an array of new shows in multiple languages across its regions. To begin with, Zeel is all set to bring together the entire music industry across ten states with celebrities, music stalwarts, best of SRGMP singers and judges to deliver the SRGMP 25year – Silver Jubilee Concert for a Golden cause. This 25-hour Live Music Marathon, ‘Ek Desh Ek Raag’ will raise funds for India ‘COVID Response Fund’ by GiveIndia. As a first of its kind TV + Digital Musical initiative, the show is all set for a 25 hour Digital Live-athon on 23 May and the Mega Finale TV Concert on 24 May on Zee TV and our other leading channels. The popular SRGMP title song is being rendered in 10 languages with the contribution of musical stalwarts like Pandit Jasraj, Ronu Majumdar, Selva Ganesh, Himesh Reshammiya, Shaan, Udit Narayan and more.

    Keeping the consumer need at the fore, we will bring exciting new offerings across non-fiction with Zee Kannada launching ‘Lockdown Diaries’ and ‘Coffee with Anu’, where the former is a fun filled game-chat show with its own artists. Zee Marathi is geared up to launch three non-fiction shows, titled as Vedh Bhavishyacha – a spiritual chat show, Gharchya Ghari Home Minister – a virtual format of the popular show Home Minister and Gharat Basle Saare – a first-of-its-kind standup comedy puppet show by Ramdas Pandhye.

    Zee Marathi is also set to offer four new fiction shows shot locally in Maharashtra under the new social distancing guidelines. Zee Sarthak has been airing ‘Lockdown Challenge’, a unique non-fiction show, showcasing lives of their leading celebrities during the lockdown. Zee Sarthak is also ready with a two-hour original movie, titled as ‘Mu Tame Lockdown’ to be launched this June 2020. Both, the pieces of content have been shot at the homes of the respective celebrities using mobile phones. 

    Zee Bangla has launched three shows Priyo Tarakar Andarmanal, Abol Tabol – a comedy show and Lockdown Diaries inspired by true human stories. Completely shot on mobile, Lockdown Stories is a tribute to the human spirit of fighting through short stories that aim to portray the human bonding, family strength and positivity this time has allowed us to re-establish. Airing for 6 days, the stories are inspired by real life and includes frontline health workers, young couples, a kid trying to explore his imagination and middle-class inhabitants in a city landscape represented by renowned artists like Gaurav, Debolina, Arunodoy, Tanima Sen and more. With each story, Zee Bangla and its artists intend to take a pledge to be more respectful, more patient, more empathetic and more humane.

    &TV, spearheaded innovation through two special initiatives and brought alive the festive spirit with an interactive episode on Hanuman Jayanti, enabling viewers to sing along Hanuman Chalisa on TV. Ek Desh Ek Awaaz, was a yet another special initiative undertaken on Ambedkar Jayanti. 

  • Lex Sportel brings first-ever live cricket in lockdown: BetBarter Vanuatu Blast T10 League

    Lex Sportel brings first-ever live cricket in lockdown: BetBarter Vanuatu Blast T10 League

    MUMBAI: 1SPORTS will bring the first ever live cricket during the Covid2019 pandemic shutdown for the benefit of billions of diehard cricket fans waiting to watch their favorite sport live.

    For the next four weeks, 1SPORTS will telecast, high-energy and extremely action-packed T10 cricket from the West Indies at the most suitable Indian times.  

    1SPORTS has acquired the rights to telecast BetBarter Vanuatu Blast T10 League in the Indian subcontinent. This tournament is set to start on 21 May, 2020 and culminate in a summit clash on 13 June, 2020.  Vanuatu Cricket Association (VCA) is a part of West Indies and has been affiliated to the International Cricket Council (ICC) since 1995.

    This tri-nation T10 tournament will comprise three teams: MT Bulls, Ifira Sharks and Mighty Efate Panthers. As per the organisers' schedule, each team will play the other thrice in the round-robin stages, and all the matches will be hosted at the Vanuatu Cricket Ground. Matches to these tournaments will be played every Saturday (except first week) morning starting 7.30 am and 9.30 am India time.  

    Lex Sportel CEO Dilip Sharan (pictured) said Lex Sportel, which owns 1SPORTS, has always endeavored to bring sports content that offers immense value and variety to sporting fans across various genres. “Vanuatu Cricket will add great value to all sports fans as it has extremely talented cricketers, many of whom are being closely followed for their immense potential that will bring them to global prominence! Indians have always enjoyed watching West Indian cricketers with special delight.”

    “1SPORTS carries the most variety of sports on a single channel at the most affordable rates in India. After cricket, it is wrestling/contact sports that is most viewed; 1SPORTS not only has the most diverse contact sports content that are extremely popular globally but also we have continued to show fresh content even during this lockdown. Our key theme has been to grow the sports market by promoting more variety of sporting at the most affordable rates to consumers.”

    Said Andrew from BetBarter: “In the emerging competitive world of cricket, a little push plays an important role in fueling growth of the local talents and building a strong base for them. Vanuatu Cricket Association has proven itself to be highly effective at unleashing the talents of the local talents‟ spirit in the world of cricket.”

    The details of the BetBarter Vanuatu Blast T10 League are as follows:

    BetBarter Vanuatu Blast T10 schedule:

    May 21, 2020

    MT Bulls vs Ifira Sharks- 07:30 AM IST
    Ifira Sharks vs MT Bulls- 09:30 AM IST
    May 23, 2020

    Ifira Sharks vs Mighty Efate Panthers- 07:30 AM IST
    Mighty Efate Panthers vs Ifira Sharks- 09:30 AM IST
    May 30, 2020

    Mighty Efate Panthers vs MT Bulls- 07:30 AM IST
    MT Bulls vs Mighty Efate Panthers- 09:30 AM IST
    June 06, 2020

    MT Bulls vs Ifira Sharks- 07:30 AM IST
    Mighty Efate Panthers vs MT Bulls- 09:30 AM IST
    July 13, 2020

    Ifira Sharks vs Mighty Efate Panthers- 07:30 AM IST
    Final- 09:30 AM IST
    BetBarter Vanuatu Blast T10 Squads

    Mighty Efate Panthers:

    Brian Tari, Edwell Kalfau, Jarryd Allan, Joshua Rasu, Junior Alfred Carlot, Kendy Kenneth, Kenny Tari, Manu Kenni, McMillan Markia, Richard Barnes, Selwyn Garae, Shem Sala, Simpson Obed, Tony Tamata, Wesley Vira, William Laumae, Lazaro Carlot, Lency Shem, Lenika Natapei

    MT Bulls:

    Andrew Mansale, Clement Tommy, Damien Chilia, Nono Chilia, Patrick Matautaava, Philip Tsione, Rival Samson, Shay Narai, Vincent Matautaava, Wamejo Wotu, Williamsing Nalisa, Darren Wotu, Eddie Mansale, Godfrey Mangau, Julian Tommy, Malon Tastuki, Marcel Taea

    Ifira Sharks:

    Alex Stephen, Fernando Laumae, Gilmour Kaltongga, Harry Pakoa, Jamal Vira, Michael Avock, Ambong Rakau, Apolinaire Stephen, Nalin Nipiko, Niko Unavalu, Obed Yoseph, Stephane Sandy, Vince Vira, William Yamak, Wolford Kalworai, Bethan Moli, Brenan Meyer

  • OTT release of films: Theatres not to lose appeal

    OTT release of films: Theatres not to lose appeal

    MUMBAI: As theatres continue to remain closed amid the countrywide lockdown, the impact has been felt on the release of scheduled films. While many producers are waiting for theatres to reopen, some of them have chosen the OTT route to cope with the crisis. Multiplex owners are miffed at the newly emerging distribution model. Although the battle between exhibitors and producers is visible now, globally the direct-to-digital model has been coming for quite sometime. While OTT platforms stay at the centre of the controversy, they strongly endorse the co-existence of both the windows and the rest of the industry, too.

    Earlier, we at Indiantelevision.com reported that some of the producers and distributors might look at streaming platforms for an early release. Experts said that large-scale films in India will wait for this crisis to get over to have a proper theatrical release but mid-scale or small-budget films have higher chances of looking at streaming releases if lockdown continues. Unfortunately, the country is still grappling with the Covid2019 crisis and the possibility has proved to be true.

    Movies including Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana-starrer Gulabo Sitabo and Vidya Balan's Shakuntala Devi have lined up for a digital release on Amazon Prime Video along with five others. Ghoomketu, featuring Anurag Kashyap and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, will be available for streaming on ZEE5. Some south Indian films are also looking at releasing on streaming services under pressure.

    “This is a ‘short-term opportunity’ in a unique situation. Eventually, theatres and OTT will have to learn to co-exist because it is the consumer mandate and we have to be where the consumer is. It is similar to a new wave of films being produced in a particular industry or when theatres had to be re-imagined from a single-screen experience to multiplexes,” ZEE5 India programming head Aparna Acharekar says. On ZEE5, movies and originals grew by more than 2X in terms of users; original grew by 203 per cent and movies by 236 per cent.

    TheSmallBigIdea CEO Harikrishnan Pillai says that direct-to-digital doesn’t give the revenue or the 'frenzy' that a theatre release gives a film. According to him, this is not a pleasant decision for a producer or an actor. But if social distancing becomes a norm, there may be decisions for hybrid launches and films of the future might release on all screens together with a unique pricing strategy, he states.

    Although the trend is very clear, analysts still believe the question remains if producers will be able to make up the cost on digital releases. Pillai adds that producers have always been selling satellites overseas and have covered a part of their cost. OTT right was a new norm that added to this revenue. According to him, with an OTT-first release, these films could command a premium but that premium won't cover the loss made by muting the biggest distribution channel, which is the theatre. So, theoretically, revenue loss is imminent.

    “But here’s the twist. When you make a film, there is a chance of it tanking at the box office. So if the film is sold outright to a platform on the back of the starcast and the perception, there is a possibility that the producers will end up hedging possible losses,” he adds.

    “Small and medium films are quickly picked up as they offer good content at a reasonable price and have value for money. For big-budget films, there is a lot of number crunching. In addition to this, producers of big films may have the patience and financial capacity to hold on but the same is not the case with smaller films. But going forward, be it smaller-budget or big-budget, the digital boom will see a lot more movies being released on OTT. And we are positive that consumer habit formation and behaviour post-pandemic will also influence this trend in a major way,” Acharekar notes.

    Pillai comments that films on OTT are also a platform for marketing and nothing sells a content distribution network the way good content does. So when a film releases on OTT, the platform stands to benefit not just from downloads but also from perception.

    “Won’t OTT platforms like to be called the next box office? But this is great for a cash-rich platform and for the early days. As time progresses, prudence will prevail. Big films with big star cast might go for models where they will have a fee and a percentage of new downloads or have a completely different pay-per-view model being developed with the OTT platform and make it the new box office window,” he adds.

    Disney was one of the first studios to foray into this new distribution model, with the streaming release of Frozen 2 on its OTT platform Disney+. However, Walt Disney Ltd CEO Bob Chapek also said in an earnings call that they very much believe in the value of the theatrical experience overall to launch blockbuster movies. But he added that they also realise that either because of changing and evolving consumer dynamics or because of certain situations like Covid2019, they may have to make some changes to that overall strategy just because theatres aren't open to the extent that anybody needs to be financially viable.

    “So we're going to evaluate each one of our movies on a case-by-case situation, as we are doing right now during this Covid2019 situation. I think you know that Artemis Fowl is moving over to Disney+ given the demographics of the appeal of that film, which was not originally the plan. But all our other tent-pole movies have been rescheduled theatrically for later in the year. So we very much believe in the power of that launch platform for our big movies,” Chapek added. Notably, reports suggest that Disney+Hotstar is in talks with big producers in India for acquiring movies.

    However, some analysts are highly optimistic about the never-ending appeal of cinema in India. “India is one of the few countries which does not have anything except cricket as an entertainment and family outing; the screen count (screen penetration) too is very less vs global counterparts given the variety of content (Hindi and regional). We, hence, believe that cinemas will be a priority if people want to go out… Multiplexes will never fall short of content given a large number of releases (almost 400 Hindi films out of a total of almost 1500 films released every year),” Elara Capital VP – research analyst (media) Karan Taurani says.

  • After Ramayan, Dangal back as most watched channel across genres

    After Ramayan, Dangal back as most watched channel across genres

    BENGALURU: Enterr10 Television’s flagship free to air (FTA)-cum pay TV Hindi GEC Dangal had to normally battle it out with either the Sun Tv Network’s flagship Tamil GEC Sun TV, or with the Hindi sports channel that aired India’s cricketing bonanza – the Indian Premier League or IPL live since the implementation of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) New Tariff Order (NTO) in early 2019. The lockdown during Covid2019 changed all that. The edition of the IPL for 2020 has been postponed with no firm date of its playout being announced until the writing of this paper. However, Lockdown 4.0 may provide some relief to the public and the broadcaster – sports grounds will be opened with restrictions and without spectators. 

    Further, pubcaster network Doordarshan started airing is library Mythologies and classical programmes on its Hindi GECs’ DD National and DD Bharti with the advent of lockdown 1.0. Even during their initial weekend runs on Sunday’s in the previous century, roads across the countries emptied as people across languages, religions and faiths had eyes glued to their television sets. Now, suddenly a new generation of the country along with their parents were exposed to these magnum opuses – and note – not once a week, but every day. Viewership of DD National and DD Bharati and along with them, viewership of Hindi GECs’ shot up to all time highs’.

    Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) weekly data for week 18 of 2020 (Week 18: Saturday, 2 May 2020 to Friday, 8 May 2020) reveals that the Top 10 Channels on All Platforms Across Genres comprised of six Hindi GECs’, and one channel each from the Hindi Movies, Kids, Tamil and Telugu genres. From the networks’ perspective, there were two channels each from DD, Sony Pictures Network India (SPN) and Sony Star India, and one channel each from Enterr 10 Television, the Sun Tv Network, Viacom 18 and Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (Zeel).  While DD National, DD Bharti and Dangal are available on both the pay TV and FTA platforms, Zeel’s acquired Hindi GEC Big Magic is FTA. The other six channels were Pay TV.

    Nine of the channels in BARC’s weekly top 10 channels on all platforms across genres list in week 18 of 2020 were same as the previous week with some shuffling of ranks. One channel – the Sun Tv Network’s Telugu GEC Gemini TV exited the list in week 18 0f 2020 to make way for the Star Network’s flagship Telugu GEC Star Maa. Please refer to the chart below:

    Top 10 Pay TV channels Across Genres

    Nine of the channels in BARC’s weekly list of Top 10 Pay Channels Across Genres in Week 18 of 2020 were same as in week 17 with some shuffling of ranks. As above, Gemini TV exited the list in Week 18 of 2020 only to make way for Zeel’s Hindi Movies channel Zee Movies.

    There were four Hindi GECs’, three Hindi Movies channels and one channel each from the Kids, Tamil and Telugu gernes in BARC’s weekly list of Top 10 Pay TV Channels Across Genres in week 18 of 2020.  There were three channels  from Star India, two channels each from DD and SPN and one channel each from the Sun Tv Network, Viacom18 and Zeel in the list.

    Please refer to the chart below:

    Top 10 Free Channels Across Genres

    All the channels in BARC’s weekly list of Top 10 Free Channels Across Genres for Week 18 of 2020 were the same as in the previous week with some shuffling of ranks. Four of the channels were Hindi GEC, there were three Hindi Movies channels, two were Bhojpuri channels and there was one Youth channel in BARC’s weekly list of Top 10 Free Channels Across Genres for Week 18 of 2020, There were three channels each from Enterr 10 Television and Zeel and two channels each from DD and B4U Network. Please refer to the chart below:


     

  • Vogo appoints Leo Burnett Orchard as its creative agency

    Vogo appoints Leo Burnett Orchard as its creative agency

    MUMBAI: Scooter-sharing company Vogo has appointed Leo Burnett Orchard as its creative partner. Apart from developing strategic narrative for the brand, the agency will also help Vogo build a brand connect with its potential customers and communicate the brand message of easing the burden of daily commuting.

    As cities reopen post-lockdown and consumer’s anxiety heightened as they identify means of transport that are safe and reliable, personal mobility will be at all-time high among daily commuters. Keeping this in mind, Vogo intends to undertake aggressive marketing efforts including digital and other innovative media options as well as key strategic partnerships to target the Indian commuters and offer a compelling value proposition.

    Vogo CEO Anand Ayyadurai said: “At Vogo, we truly believe that this is the inflection point for personal mobility solutions like ours and are building new products to ensure safe, reliable commute for all consumers – be it office commute, leisure or errands. In a post lockdown world, brand trust and salience are both key competitive advantages. Given the unique and heightened relevance of our service in these times, we looked for a partner that understands how to build new markets. In Leo Burnett Orchard, we found just that and are excited to work with them in the long term on seizing the opportunity in personal mobility. Their deep experience in building some of the most beloved brands in India is a key advantage as we set off to build India’s best and most reliable personal mobility brand.”

    Dheeraj Sinha, MD – India & chief strategy officer, Leo Burnett South Asia, said: “At Leo Burnett we are always excited about opportunities where we have to build new markets and change behavior. The Vogo proposition is extremely exciting and very timely. We are looking at a sharp rise in areas of personal transport in the post-COVID world, and propositions such as that of Vogo sit right there. This is also an exciting win as the entire process, right from the inquiry to the pitch to the closure has happened virtually. We look forward to bringing our strategic thinking, technology-led creative approach and our understating of platforms to help Vogo succeed.”

    With a sheer focus, Leo Burnett will develop the long-term brand strategy, brand identity, and the relaunch campaign, among others, for Vogo. The account was secured through a virtual pitch and will be handled by Leo Burnett’s Bangalore office.

    Follow Tellychakkar for the consumer facing news & entertainment

  • Is television viewership petering out as India adjusts to lockdown?

    Is television viewership petering out as India adjusts to lockdown?

    BENGALURU: Television consumption in India seems to be petering out, according to Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC)-Nielsen Reports. Of course, even in the sixth week and the second extension of the national lockdown to lockdown 3.0, television consumption is 29 per cent higher than during pre-Covid2019 periods. BARC and Nielsen have compared data for the pre-Covid2019 period with average numbers for Weeks 2 to 4 of 2020. Television consumption had peaked in Week 13 of 2020, the first full week since the lockdown commenced in the middle of Week 12 of 2020, on 25 March 2020 in India. Television consumption grew 43 per cent in Week 13 of 2020 as compared to the pre-Covid2019 period. BARC-Nielsen reports are available for the period starting Week 11 of 2020 until Week 17 at the time of writing of this paper.

    Please refer to the figure below for All-India television consumption trends.

    The basic currency for total television consumption is trillion minutes. Average television viewership during the pre-Covid2019 weeks considered in the BARC-Nielsen Reports (Average of Weeks 2 to 4 of 2020) was 887 billion minutes with an average daily reach of 560 million. This worked out to a daily average time spent (ATS) watching television of 3 hours 46 minutes. In Week 13 of 2020, this peaked to 1,266 billion minutes with a reach of 627 million and ATS of 4 hours and 48 minutes.  These numbers have been sliding down since then. Please refer to the figure below.

    In the pre-Covid2019 weeks, four genres had 89 per cent of viewership share – in terms of size, they are GEC, Movies, News and the Kids genres.  During the 7 weeks for which BARC-Nielsen Reports are available (Weeks 11 to 17 of 2020) at the time of writing this report, their combined share grew to 93 per cent. During the pre-Covid2019 weeks considered in the BARC-Nielsen Report (Weeks 2 to 4 of 2020) GEC had the largest viewership share of 52 per cent, followed by Movies with 23 per cent, the news and the kids’ genres with 7 per cent each. During Week 13 of 2020, this had changed to 40 per cent for GEC, 29 per cent for Movies, 18 per cent for news and 7 per cent for Kids. It must be noted that though share of the Kids channels was has generally been steady, overall television viewership has gone up during the lockdown period, and hence the number of viewers and ATS on the Kids was much higher than earlier times. It must further be noted that News had a share of 21 per cent in Week 13 of 2020.

    GECs, which had been experiencing a decline in viewership share during the Covid2019 lockdown due to the lack of fresh programming, got a breath of fresh air by way of re-runs of mythology and old classics on pubcaster network DD’s DD National and DD Bharati.  GECs’ viewership share has climbed to 44 per cent in weeks 16 and 17 from a low of 39 per cent in Week 12. The Movies genre seems to have stabilized at abut 27 per cent share as compared to the 23 per cent share during the pre-Covid2019 weeks considered in the BARC-Nielsen Reports.

    Please refer to the figure below:

    Overall, television consumption seems to be petering out slowly across the other major genres also.  Besides the four genres mentioned above, business news, youth, infotainment and lifestyle have witnessed changes in consumption growth. Relatively, the lifestyle genre seems to have had stabilized with about 32 per cent growth since week 13 of 2020 as compared to the average of the pre-Covid2019 weeks considered by BARC-Nielsen. The news genre, which had seen consumption triple in week 12, has stabilized consumption at around 165% growth in Weeks 16 and 17 of 2020 as compared to the average of the pre- Covid2019 weeks. Please refer to the figure below:

    BARC considers the Hindi Speaking Market or HSM as All India minus the four Southern Languages: Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu. The South is a mature market with a higher penetration of television as compared to the HSM. Television consumption is also higher in the South. Hence, growth in the South market has been more muted as compared to the HSM during the lockdown weeks to date as compared to the average of the BARC-Nielsen Covid2019 weeks. The North Eastern states saw television consumption peak in week 12 itself – this was the week when the Janata Curfew and a couple of days later the first series of Lockdown or Lockdown 1.0 were announced by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.  Most of the states saw viewership peak in Week 13. The exceptions were a few states where more of local ‘Covid2019’ and or/or events such as the lynching of the Sadhus in Maharashtra or the swearing in of ministers in Madhya Pradesh. There has been a general decline in television consumption since then, as mentioned before. Please refer to the figure below:

    Further, as mentioned above, South India has seen lower growth in viewership during the lockdown weeks because of its higher base and longer ATS spent even before the Covid2019 lockdown weeks. Hence the decline in television viewership since the peak has been lower in the South markets as compared to HSM. Please refer to the figure below:

    Is this the way forward?

    Television networks have tried to bring in viewership and maintain viewer stickiness. News by itself has grown as a genre because of the playout of events around the lockdown. Taking a cue from the movies genre, many networks have started beaming film-based content, but this has not been enough. The South GECs have witnessed growth on the back of comedy films over the last few days. Channels have brought back mythology and classics. Reruns of the Ramanand Sagar Ramayan and the B R Chopra Mahabharat, through daily episodes as opposed to the weekend episodes that were experienced when these magnum opuses were first aired, have brought in viewers and ensured their loyalty in the case of DD National and DD Bharati. Since mythology seems to have worked for DD, private networks have decided to include them in their programming mix. This seems to have worked to an extent in the case of Star Plus which launched of Ramayan in Week 17, and that slot for the channel has seen viewership grow by 65 per cent according to a preview of data by BARC for Week 18. Viacom18’s flagship Hindi GEC Colors has seen viewership growth of 24 per cent in Week 18 for the time slot when it commenced airing Mahabharat.

    It is still early days for a cure or vaccine for the pandemic to make things easier for humans, to bring back some form of normalcy. A lot more people will continue to stay at home. As the world and India slowly limp back in a phased manner to a ‘new normal’ from the Covid2019 lockdown, fresh content will surely be produced. However, given the circumstances globally, the ‘new normal’ has yet to take on a definite shape. If study, work, exercise, etc. from the home becomes the ‘new normal’, then ‘entertainment consumption at home’ is definitely set to be a big part of daily life. Content viewership from home, be it on the OTT platform, or the idiot box, or on the smart phone or a computing device, is definitely set to be much larger than during the pre-Covid2019 weeks. The question is“Will it be higher than during lockdown weeks?”

  • Agency recovery to take at least 6 months: Havas Group CEO Rana Barua

    Agency recovery to take at least 6 months: Havas Group CEO Rana Barua

    NEW DELHI: Human beings are a creature of habit and it won’t take them long to get back to the routine once the lockdown is lifted, believes Havas Group CEO Rana Barua. In an exclusive interaction with Indiantelevision.com, he, however, notes that the number of brands that a person usually relies on will drop drastically.

    “From a consumer perspective, people have somehow understood that a brand has to have some relevance in their life. In the past weeks, they have realised that they can manage their lives without certain brands. For example, a person who used to own 150 brands prior to the lockdown will use only 70 now,” Barua says.

    He adds that only those brands that have a purpose and the ability to indulge people in meaningful conversations through stories will survive. “I am very sure that the coming months will see great stories from advertisers.”

    Barua also sees a lot of positivity around the growth of businesses across categories in the coming months. “People are willing to buy stuff. You witnessed what happened with the liquor shops opening up. Even with governments adding Covid2019 special taxes in disproportionate percentages, record sales happened. Several brands like Amul and Reckitt Benckiser performed exceptionally well even during the lockdown. I see things coming on track for green and orange zones by the end of June and red zones following it by the middle of July, provided the lockdown is lifted.”

    "Our client Hyundai opened 225 showrooms across the country and it recorded 500 bookings in just two days. All of this shows that the consumer is willing to spend,” he says.

    Barua emphasises that the overall impact on categories and brands will be “mixed-matched” depending on the role a product plays in a consumer’s life. Businesses like events and experiences will not see any positivity in this year.

    While most of the client-side will pick up pace in the next 30-40 days, the agencies will take at least six months to get back to the pre-lockdown form, Barua observes.

    “I think the agencies will follow the trail in a slow manner. Large and scalable companies like ours will take at least six months to get back in some form. Obviously, a brand that had been missing from a consumer’s life for three months won’t start advertising suddenly.”

    However things are going to be challenging for small scale businesses while bigger networks have cash reserves  “They could possibly take a year to recuperate, due to issues like cash flow, rents, salaries, payment to vendors, collections and more, taking a bit longer to recover."

    He concludes that he is hoping that the economy opens up soon so businesses can start functioning. He also remains quite positive about new launches.

    “I think that the launches will go on as planned once the lockdown is lifted. They (brands) might have to rework on their numbers and the return they were expecting from the calendar year, but launches will happen. Summer brands are obviously at a bigger loss, but if the monsoon is delayed and summer continues for two weeks extra, they too might come out with their new ranges.”

    Follow Tellychakkar for the consumer facing news & entertainment

  • MTV Beats innovates programming strategy amidst lockdown

    MTV Beats innovates programming strategy amidst lockdown

    MUMBAI: With lockdown 3.0 underway, MTV Beats is bringing for all music lovers a fresh content line up starting 14 May. The channel will offer five new shows, five days a week.  These include new shows like MTV Beats Pyaar Karo Na, MTV Beats Lockdown House Party and MTV Beats Sessions From Home coupled with innovative ‘lockdown’ renditions of its existing popular properties Baba Ki Chowki and Dil Beats with Darshan Raval. Some of the young talents such as Darshan Raval, Dr Sanket Bhosale, Akasa, and DJ Chetas will entertain our viewers ‘At home’.

    MTV Beats head business planning  and content partnerships, youth, music and English entertainment Viacom18 Vikas Boni said: “As a one-stop destination for all things Bollywood, MTV Beats has always stayed ahead of the curve offering not only music but a fresh take on it with artists. The channel’s reach has jumped, and viewership has grown significantly during the lockdown. With limited new music videos being launched amidst the lockdown, the need for fresh content to supplement music is even higher. Our new programming line-up, therefore, caters to the consumer demand for fresh content and intends to push the growth trajectory further.”

    First up is MTV Beats Sessions from Home that will let viewers rejoice with unplugged versions of some of their most favorite songs and sing along with their favorite artists like Jonita Gandhi, Lisa Mishra, Nikhita Gandhi, Shashwat Singh and many more. As they make viewers swoon to their most melodious tracks, each of them will also share anecdotes about the songs they choose. Also, catch the fun segment, MTV Beats Wants To Know, a zappy rapid-fire, full of amusing answers and candidness. Watch your favorite artists react like never before!

    Baba is back but this time with a digital twist! MTV Beats Baba Ki Chowki- Lockdown Edition will have comedian Dr. Sanket Bhosale pump up the humor, not just with leading Bollywood stars but also fresh faces from the world of digital, all on a video call! In addition to funny news and quirky trends, the show will be filled with interesting segments like a question by a fan, fun games, Baba’s lockdown messages and don’t forget to catch the ‘Lockdown Step of the Week’ to drive your boredom away.

    How about a virtual love dost to settle your lockdown love problems? Darshan Raval is here to the rescue. Post the astounding success of the last 2 seasons, the channel brings a unique rendition of Its most loved show, Dil Beats with Darshan Raval. Premiering every Wednesday, Dil Beats Lockdown Love will have musical heartthrob Darshan Raval present real-life Lockdown wali Love Stories and discuss challenges of keeping love afresh, amidst the current scenario. Viewers will also be asked to share their real-life love stories on social media and talk about their ‘lockdown’ relationships.

    There’s more in store. Offering a unique opportunity to unlock your hearts inside locked up houses, the channel brings a refreshing take on love and dating with MTV Beats Pyaar Karo Na- a first of its kind digital dating show from home. Hosted by singer Akasa, the show, set to air every Sunday, will see a virtual date being set-up between two strangers via a video call followed by some interesting segments, love tasks, and a final proposal at the end. Contestants will also be picked from our social media audience to feature and find love on the show.

    When you find love, how can a party be far away! MTV Beats gives you a chance to set the perfect mood at home. Tap to the tunes of DJ Chetas on MTV BEATS Lockdown House Party, chill out with some electrifying dance music and turn your regular Saturday evenings into an unforgettable one.

    And most importantly, national sacrifice warrants national praise. Through a special property, MTV Beats Desh Ki Beat, the channel will dedicate a ticker on air to display messages of love and encouragement to all those risking their lives for our safety and comfort, sent to us by our audience on social media.

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  • Hotstuff creates unique TVC for ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund amidst lockdown

    Hotstuff creates unique TVC for ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund amidst lockdown

    MUMBAI: ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund is wanting to uplift the sentiment through an offbeat positive message on the lockdown which would encourage the investors to invest. Hotstuff, its creative and advertising partners, came up with a unique idea of creating a film that complimented the spirit of Indian investors, who have adapted to the lockdown in different ways. The route was clear and the campaign was a perfect platform to extend the thought of their previous widely acclaimed campaign for ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund 'Chal Kuch Smart Kar, SIP Start Kar'. 

    However, the lockdown posed a challenge as no production unit could mobilise resources. As an experiment, the Hotstuff creative team planned out the script breakdown and sequences in a manner that could be directed via video calls. The actors were trained to film themselves. The music and post-production teams coordinated through remote work terminals to fuse things together. “A majority of the work was done in-house; since external resources were not possible in a lockdown scenario. We had already organized our operations at least a month prior to the lockdown being announced by ensuring business continuity via remote working terminals. Processes were redefined to ensure quality at the same level of output and on time. That is what enabled us to pull off this film in record time from script to release, amidst a lockdown,” said Hotstuff CEO Arun Fernandes.

    Hotstuff, with over two decades of experience, specialising in BFSI communications, is known for its pithy MARCOM solutions and off-beat content, backed with result-driven strategies for its portfolio of brands. Speaking on how advertising and marketing solutions will get impacted post-COVID era, Fernandes further added – "A new normal comes into place and the format in which content is created will have to be relooked at. While we cannot let go off the creative principles of the past, we have to explore a new creative language for the future." This actually resonates as the world over there is a large shift in how we are managing our lives without stepping out in current times by embracing smarter ways of doing things.

    The brief was succinct and clear and so was its interpretation. The lockdown gave the creative team, a chance to explore a new format of storytelling. The actors filming themselves and the realistic at-home setting brought a sense of realism to the film. Also, the story was inspired by stories heard on social media which helped the narrative to be more relatable. "A lot had to change in the way we work to get this film done. However, we realized that creative agencies have a vital role to play in situations like these. We have to adapt and become solution providers for brands that would want to stay relevant in the post-COVID era,” detailed out Hotstuff creative director Terence D’Souza.

    Cueing an investment agenda into your daily lockdown routine would help the investors relate to the key message and make the most of the given the situation, financially, through SIPs. Through this communication the endeavor is to highlight the benefits of digital investing and SIP as the preferred investment route in volatile market conditions.

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  • Producers Guild of India issues clarification on shooting resumption guidelines

    Producers Guild of India issues clarification on shooting resumption guidelines

    MUMBAI: The Film & TV Producers Guild of India (the guild) today issued a clarification relating to shooting guidelines that would be put in place once the lockdown courtesy the Covid2019 pandemic is lifted and filming is permitted by the various governments.  Certain media outlets have carried reports detailing the list of protocols that would need to be followed while filming, sourcing it to the guild. 

    A release issued by the guild today had the following to state: 

    “A work-in-progress document prepared by the guild of draft guidelines for resumption of shooting activities has recently been circulating widely in the media and industry.

    This is to clarify that this document is only an early internal draft prepared by the guild in preparedness for the future resumption of shooting activities. Any final safety protocols and guidelines will be formalised only after comprehensive consultations with government officials, medical professionals and relevant industry bodies.”

    As readers may recollect, film and TV productions have been stalled for more than a month and a half and broadcasters have been airing reruns of old shows on their channels. The cost of constructed sets and rentals of different shooting floors and studios have been accumulating in certain cases. And both producers and broadcasters have been working on finding a solution around this along with studio and shooting floor owners.

    It may also be recalled, a publication carried a story quoting minister of information and broadcasting Prakash Javadekar saying that film and TV shoots could start in response to a plea by the Indian Broadcasting Foundation, if the Maharashtra government gives the production sector the go ahead.

    But since then, the Maharashtra government lead by Uddhav Thackeray took a decision to move into Lockdown 3.0 in order to get a handle on the spread of the Sars Cov2 virus. 

    Meanwhile, reports have appeared about TV productions commencing in Australia and a local publication carried a news report that Karnataka is likely to green signal film and TV shoots from next week.