ITV

Tag: MEC

  • MEC predicts 25% fall in viewership for IGT

    MUMBAI: Reality television series India‘s Got Talent, which kicked off on Colors on 22 September, will see a 25 per cent fall in its opening viewership over last year, according to a forecast by MEC.

    The GroupM media and analytics agency has predicted the show to score a debut rating of 2.4 among the 15 years+ age group in SEC ABC compared to a TVR of 3.18 in the last season.

    The promo levels are currently similar to last year and, thus, there is nothing additional to drive viewership for a tight time slot, said MEC.

    MEC alongside Meritus Analytics India has extended the same methodology to estimate IGT ratings as was used during Indian Premier League (IPL) and Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) forecast.

    Earlier, the agency had predicted that KBC would clock 5.4 TVR in its opening weekend, 10 per cent higher than the previous edition.

    MEC national director, analytics and insight Geetha Shiv said there will be duplication of audiences between KBC and IGT.

    “Though the formats of KBC and IGT are completely different, both being reality shows there could be some duplication between audiences. With IGT being scheduled immediately after KBC in this season, there could be viewer fatigue which can lead to dip in rating compared to last season,” Shiv said.

    According to MEC, the key influencing factors remain the same for IGT as in the case of KBC, which are: Program promotions on the channel, network and other channels, promotions across other media platforms like radio and newspapers, search volume index as a measure of viewer buzz, the base channel share of the airing channel.

    The KBC and IGT were scheduled in non-conflicting time bands in the last season with KBC during weekdays and IGT during weekends.

    Meritus Analytics managing partner Sunder Muthuraman added, “In difficult times, planning investments and ROI is critical. Forecasting trends and results help in doing the right levels of investment and avoid over/under spending. This applies to media business (and any business) today. Meritus has tested frameworks to help forecast results with given inputs and help businesses plan for better ROI.”

  • MEC forecasts 5.4 TVR for KBC in opening weekend

    MUMBAI: Some more good news for Sony Entertainment Television. The channel‘s mega game show, Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC), which is kicking off its sixth season on 7 September, is expected to clock 5.4 TVR in its opening weekend, according to MEC‘s latest forecast.

    This will be 10 per cent higher than the previous edition of the Amitabh Bachchan-hosted show. MEC, a leading media buying and planning agency and a founding partner of GroupM, has based its estimation among audiences above 15 years from SEC ABC in cable and satellite homes.

    So what will give KBC a big boost this year? MEC believes Sony as a channel has grown its viewership base since the launch of KBC last year. The rise in base viewership for the channel will pump up the show‘s ratings this year.

    The second beneficial factor is the shifting of the show to the weekends this year. This will ensure that KBC doesn‘t clash with the weekly soaps.

    The buzz for the show gathered from search volumes is almost double of last season‘s, according to MEC.

    Says MEC National Director, Analytics & Insight Geetha Shiv, “The performance of this season of KBC will be followed closely by media and clients given that last season had helped Sony displace competition. MEC‘s initiative in estimating ratings of such high expectation properties like IPL, World Cup and now KBC, is part of our endeavour to deliver insights that help our clients in formulating their investment decisions.”

    MEC outlines four key influencing factors: program promotions on the channel, network and also other channels; promotion across other media like radio and newspapers; search volume index as a measure of viewer buzz; and the base channel share of Sony.
    MEC, which had earlier estimated ratings for the Indian Premier League, has again partnered Meritus Analytics India to estimate KBC ratings.

    According to MEC, the approach used for KBC was based on past learning from IPL estimation and the fact that increase in TVRs for a new program is due to a combination of increase in PUT (People Using Television) and people already viewing Television moving to the new program from their regular programming. MEC and Meritus built a statistical model using a set of TV shows to understand the factors affecting PUT and channel share for such non-sports programs.

    Says Meritus Analytics managing partner Sunder Muthuraman, “For big properties where the cost of association is high, the rating the program delivers can be looked at as a very simple measure of ROI. We have used best in class statistical methods to estimate KBC ratings. Our finding that KBC advertising on other channels had the highest impact on the increased PUT of the program time slot seems to suggest that substantial part of the increased rating is likely from viewers of other channels and time bands tuning into Sony during KBC.”

  • MEC Interaction picks Ritesh Singh as national director

    MUMBAI: MEC India has appointed Ritesh Singh as head of digital. He will be designated as MEC Interaction national director.

    Singh moves in from Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) where he was business head – India for SMG Digital He will report to MEC MD India T Gangadhar and GroupM Interactions – South Asia managing partner Tushar Vyas.

    Vyas said, “Ritesh comes to MEC with unrivalled pedigree in managing the digital marketing services business and has the right blend of diversified media experience. We are delighted to have him lead MEC‘s digital agenda and help deliver integrated communications planning for our brands.”

    Singh said, “I am excited to join MEC and thrilled to have an opportunity to work for some of the best brands in the country. In these exciting times for digital media, I look forward to work with MEC‘s talented digital team to create new benchmarks.”

    Singh comes in with over 13 years of experience in activation and digital. Prior to SMG, he has also worked with Samsung, Aircel, Western Union, General Motors, SAB Miller and Himalaya.

  • KXIP unveils OCM as official suiting partner

    KXIP unveils OCM as official suiting partner

    NEW DELHI: OCM India, men’s apparel fabric manufacturer, has announced its association with Kings XI Punjab as official suiting partner for the fifth edition of the cash rich tournament. This partnership was conceptualised by MEC Access, the sports, partnership and activation agency of MEC.

    As official partner, OCM will enjoy a range of privileges and entitlements to display their company logo on platforms that include KXIP official website, player jerseys as well as using KXIP players for public appearances.

    KXIP COO Col. Arvinder Singh said, “We are happy to have a leading men’s suiting brand like OCM as our Official Suiting Partner. We are confident this association with OCM will be rewarding. Both the brands share similar synergies and with an exciting squad and support of our partners, we are heading to the tournament with great zeal.”

    The tie-up with KXIP will offer OCM a platform to increase its brand visibility through on-ground action and amplify the impact by reaching out to the audience through various media platforms.

    OCM India CEO S K Singhal said, “The association with King XI Punjab will help the company to relate with India’s masses in a big way. OCM has a strong retail presence across the country and has its manufacturing base in Amritsar, Punjab. We keenly look forward to zooming to greater heights building on the exciting fervor of IPL and wish all the participating young cricketers the very best for the game.”

  • GroupM introduces GroupM Next, picks Chris Copeland as CEO

    GroupM introduces GroupM Next, picks Chris Copeland as CEO

    MUMBAI: GroupM has launched an innovation unit, GroupM Next, to support the ongoing efforts of its four agencies- Maxus, MEC, MediaCom and Mindshare.

    The agency has named GroupM Search CEO Chris Copeland as the CEO for GroupM Next. Mindshare leader of digital media operations for North America Cary Tilds will be the chief innovation officer of the new unit.

    GroupM Next will focus on providing insights and will help the core partners and emerging players in online, mobile and social develop. The unit will assist them in the creation and management of partnership opportunities, integration into technology and data systems and education to deliver best practices. It also will build on the body of original research focusing on consumer use of new platforms and devices and the impact of that usage on brand marketing.

    GroupM North America CEO Rob Norman said, “GroupM Next is dedicated to creating, capturing and ensuring the implementation of the best thinking and new insights from our community in the digital, social, mobile and addressable media markets. Our goal is to create an active partnership across GroupM and our clients to develop actionable insight and a clear path to action on the platforms that are changing our industry.”

    Copeland is with the organisation since 2000. He has led the development and integration of the global search marketing offering for GroupM agencies. In his new role, he will leverage his experience with emerging media companies to steward the GroupM Next programme in partnership with agency leadership. The focus will be participating with those companies leading changes that most impact consumer media consumption, brand favorability and purchase behavior.

    Copeland said, “There are a number of companies that are transforming media and the way consumers and brands behave. These changes are of paramount importance to GroupM and its clients. It’s our job to provide unmatched competitive advantage for our clients with these partners. It’s the job of GroupM Next to assist our agencies and their clients in realizing this opportunity.”

    Tilds had joined Mindshare in 2007. In her new role, she will be identifying and implementing specific technology and platform opportunities into existing proprietary systems and workflows to ensure that GroupM agencies and their clients can participate with speed and relevance.