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  • The movers and shakers of 2014

    The movers and shakers of 2014

    To achieve something, one needs to let go of something, 2014 saw many stalwarts of the media and entertainment sector taking that leap.

    From being bitten by the entrepreneur bug to grabbing on to better opportunities, the industry saw a number of movements. Some of these created a stir while others went down as “regular” developments. Nonetheless, Indiantelevision.com lists down some of the major movers and shakers of the years…

     

    Ajay Bhalwankar: He is a man who can be credited to providing valuable programming inputs across content on various channels. The year 2014 was like a shuffling battle for Bhalwankar. After spending almost 19 years with Zee Entertainment Group, with his last stint as programming head at Zee TV for six years, he joined Sony Entertainment Television (SET) on 7 April, 2014 as chief creative officer. Now in SET, he provides creative leadership and direction for the channel, and leads the programming and OAP (on-air-promotions) teams. Spanning various roles of creating, writing, programming, producing and directing entertainment content, he is an industry veteran with over 20 years of experience.

    Ajay Trigunayat: TTN English entertainment channels, Romedy Now and Movies Now CEO Ajay Trigunayat quit the network this year. With M K Anand taking over as TTN CEO and business functions being centralised, Trigunayat moved out. Before joining TTN, he was in the Middle East in an entrepreneurial capacity, and had been the business head of the Zee English Channels bouquet, and put in stints at Lintas, Contract and Rediffusion and at Pepsi in a sales role.

    Ajit Thakur: In a shocking development, the man credited for Life OK’s success story, Ajit Thakur decided to call it quits from the network. It was in July this year that he was given an additional charge of managing the network’s youth entertainment channel, Channel V. Currently he is serving his notice period and his last day in the organisation will be February, 2015.

    Abhijit Avasthi: An engineer by education, Abhijit Avasthi was the right-hand man of India’s ad guru Piyush Pandey. After spending more than 10 years at Ogilvy, he finally decided to hang his boots to pursue what he loves the most.

    However, according to reports, Avasthi is likely to set up his own creative agency, a move that he has been contemplating for a while.

    Alok Agarwal: Zee Media CEO Alok Agarwal ended his one and a half years stint at the network to take charge as Network18 group COO.

     

    Bharat Ranga: Since 1998, he had been an invaluable member of the Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) family. After a 16-year stint with the network, he bid adieu in the month of October to explore new avenues. While at Zeel, he moved across functions and domains seamlessly, from sales to business head to being the international business head and then, the chief content and creative head for the organisation, he has been instrumental in making Zee’s content an unforgettable one for the audiences. His last project – Zindagi is getting critical acclaim from the masses.

    Dilip Venkatraman and Savvy Venkatraman: ITV Network, which owns and operates news channels NewsX and India News, appointed former CNN IBN and IBN7 CEO Dilip Venkatraman as group COO of strategy and business development. Meanwhile, Savvy joined the network as group chief marketing officer.

     

    KV Sridhar: After 17 long years Leo Burnett India chief creative officer, Pops, moved on to join SapientNitro, an interactive marketing, creative design and technology services agency. The movement did create a stir in the industry with many questions being raised on who can fill his shoes. Rajdeepak Das joined the agency as chief creative officer, soon afterwards.

    MK Anand: The former Disney UTV Media Networks MD MK Anand took over as the new MD and CEO of Times Television Network (TTN), stepping into Sunil Lulla’s shoes.  Anand had previously worked at The Times of India group for nearly 19 years, beginning first with the print business for 14 years and later on with the television business at Zoom from 2004 to 2009. He was the managing director for Disney UTV Media Networks till December 2013. The move saw functions like HR, finance, distribution being centralised and direct reportage to Anand.   

    N P Singh: The industry was treated with a good surprise at the beginning of 2014, when in a major development Multi Screen Media (MSM) promoted its COO N P Singh as the new CEO. He replaced Man Jit Singh who was designated as non-executive chairman and moved to Los Angeles (LA).

     

    Namit Sharma: From a creative background to a broadcast space, it was a challenge for former Wizcraft head for television business Namit Sharma. It was in early February when the news of former programming head Ajay Bhalwankar quitting and Sharma stepping into his shoes came to light. From directing fiction shows at Cinevistaas to film production and script writing at Yash Raj and handling events and non-fiction properties at Wizcraft International Entertainment, Sharma has done it all. As the programming head of the channel, he has brought some best creative ideas to the table.

    Nagesh Chhabria: IndusInd Media Communications Limited (IMCL) CEO Nagesh Chhabria too was seen hanging his boot this year. Chhabria later bought 50 per cent stake in Mumbai-based Bhawani Rajesh Cable & Digitech Services through his company Bhima Riddhi Digital Services (BRDS). He also signed an agreement with Atlas Consolidated LLC – a joint venture between Greenwich Equity Partners and Jagran Infra-Projects led by Sanjiv Mohan Gupta – to create a national MSO with about $200 million being pumped into it.

    Prem Kamath: The industry was shaken after former Channel V head and Star Pravah general manager decided to quit from Star for better opportunities at A+E Networks as deputy managing director, Asia Pacific. Associated with Star Network since 2007, Kamath had been heading Channel V for more than four years. Seeing his capability, he was given an additional responsibility at Star Network to head Star Pravah in 2013.

    Pradeep Hejmadi: With more than 18 years of well-rounded experience in the Indian media industry spanning media sales, media planning and buying, consumer research, business planning and product development, he is the man with multi-dimensional understanding of the media business. Former TAM Media Research senior vice-president Pradeep Hejmadi quit the organisation to join Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) as business head in the month of June. At TAM, he was responsible for revenue generation, client management, new business development and new product development and changed the working dynamics of the TV industry.

    Pratap Bose: Omnicom-owned DDB Mudra witnessed a sudden churn at the top, early this year when DDB Mudra Group COO Pratap Bose resigned from the agency after a six-year stint.

    The exit, who was looking to take over the top job, came after group chief executive officer and managing director Madhukar Kamath was given a four-year extension.

    Raghav Bahl: Network18 founder and chairman Raghav Bahl, sold his baby to RIL chairman and MD Mukesh Ambani for a whopping Rs 4000 crore. What followed this was an upheaval of sorts, as one by one, the main pillars of the company began to fall. As soon as the meeting concluded between Bahl and the management of Network18, departures began which included group CEO B Sai Kumar, COO Ajay Chacko, CNN-IBN deputy editor Sagarika Ghose, IBN Network editor in chief Rajdeep Sardesai, Network18 Media CEO Sanjay Dua, Network18 digital CEO Durga Raghunath, Network 18 CFO RDS Binni Bawa and deputy foreign affairs editor Suhasini Haidar.

    Rajdeep Sardesai: It was in July this year that after nine long years, the face of IBN18 and editor-in-chief Rajdeep Sardesai decided to move on from the network. He later on joined the India Today group as consulting editor. Further, penning his expertise of writing, in November he launched his book – ‘2014: The Election That Changed India’. The book tracks the story of the 16th Lok Sabha elections with a media insider’s view. It was in the same month when deputy editor at CNN-IBN Sagarika Ghose too bid adieu to the Network18 group and joined Times of India as consulting editor. 

    Rajesh Iyer: Associated with the channel since its inception, Colors marketing head Rajesh Iyer has been one of the many behind the success of popular shows like Khatron Ke Khiladi, India’s Got Talent, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa and Bigg Boss. Iyer quit Colors in March to join Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) as its business head, new initiatives, Hindi broadcast. With more than 13 years of experience in marketing and business segment, he aims to create some thrilling benchmarks in the industry.

    Ravi Mansukhani: The year 2014 saw the ending of the seven year innings from IndusInd Media & Communications Ltd. (IMCL) managing director Ravi Mansukhani, who decided to step down from his position. It was said that Mansukhani had expressed the desire to relinquish his services, which was accepted by the board of directors in the board meeting held on 31 January. His next move is yet unknown.

    Sameer Nair: He has donned numerous hats. From selling space in Yellow pages to being a member of a political party, Sameer Nair has had a volatile career. It was in July this year when the former Star India CEO joined Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Telefilms as Group CEO.

     

    S N Sharma: In what can be described as the biggest setback was the resignation of DEN Networks CEO SN Sharma, who was one of the founding members of the multi system operator. Sharma’s vision of growth through consolidation and digitisation had laid the foundation for the company. He has also spearheaded DEN’s rapid growth with his visionary leadership and unparalleled execution abilities. He has also been the driving force behind taking the company into the digital era.

    Suhasni Haider: In a major development, CNN-IBN deputy foreign affairs editor and prime time anchor Suhasini Haidar bid adieu to the organisation in May this year. To focus on long-format journalism, she joined The Hindu as its diplomatic editor. 

     

    Sunil Lulla: A 30-year media and communication veteran, Sunil Lulla made headlines in July when he decided to move on from Bennett Coleman & Co. Ltd. After almost 10 years with BCCL, Lulla, joined WPP-owned Grey Group as chairman and MD for Grey Group India.
    His joining the advertising industry was homecoming as he had started his career in one.
    However, his appointment led to Grey Group India president and CEO Jishnu Sen moving on from the network.

    Tony D’silva: With Ravi Mansukhani stepping down, IMCL saw a new MD and CEO in Tony D’silva, who was earlier the president of Hinduja Ventures Limited (HVL) and was overlooking its upcoming Headend InThe Sky (HITS) project. D’silva was given additional responsibilities as Group CEO-Media of HVL, and MD and CEO of IMCL.  

    TS Panesar: Star India EVP for distribution TS Panesar, who was entrusted with the responsibility of handling distribution for national DTH and digital addressable systems (DAS) earlier in 2014 when the JV between Star and Zee- MediaPro was broken, quit.  He later joined MSO Hathway Cable & Datacom as head-video business.  

    Vikram Mehra: After spending close to 10 long years at one of the leading DTH companies in India, Vikram Mehra, the chief commercial officer of Tata Sky moved on to Saregama, this year. While at Tata Sky, he was responsible for subscription revenue management, churn management, brand marketing, new product development, consumer analytics, interactive service operations, consumer research and PR, he is handling the digital platform for Saregama.

    Vikram Sakhuja: It was in October that GroupM announced the appointment of Lindsay Pattison as global CEO of Maxus, the post held by Vikram Sakhuja. Till date his next move in the group hasn’t been decided, but he is expected to take up a global role at parent firm GroupM.

     

    Vivek Srivastava: It came as a surprise when the news of former Colors commercial and digital head Vivek Srivastava quitting, shot the mailers. His extensive background in research, awareness of new media and over a decade in the broadcast industry contributed to maintaining the robust presence of all Colors brands in the digital space and managing the overall costs for the brand.  He headed to Times Television Network (TTN) in the month of October as senior vice-president and head of the English Entertainment Cluster, which includes premium channels like Movies Now and Romedy Now.

    (The names are in alphabetical order)

     

  • “Want to be the ‘Influencer Network’ in 2015”: Sunil Lulla

    “Want to be the ‘Influencer Network’ in 2015”: Sunil Lulla

    With over 30 years of experience, Sunil Lulla brings skills in media, marketing, communication and management.

     

    From spending an early part of his career, which spanned over a period of nine years, in advertising with JWT to rolling out indya.com, in the first wave of the internet; from bringing zing and youthfulness to MTV to help build the television business for The Times Group, Lulla has been a prominent member on many industry boards and forums where he shaped policies and set industry standards and best practices.

     

    His decision to move on from the Times Television Network managing director and CEO to Grey Group India chairman and managing director did come as a shock to many. Nonetheless, the man who engages in a new passion every few years is back to his first passion.

     

    In a freewheel interview with Indiantelevision.com’s Meghna Sharma, Lulla talks about his plans for Grey and much more.

     

    Excerpts…

     

    Back to advertising. So far, so good?

    Very good. The communications business is the best place to stay eternally young (smiles).

     

    If you had to compare, how different has been advertising’s evolution from that of broadcasting industry?

    Both bring new challenges and new ideas each day, blended with a frenetic pace and an youthful environment. TV broadcast is focused around the consumer via which it builds relationships with the customer. Advertising is built around the customer via which it creates story telling for the consumer. They are different spectrums. The TV industry faces significantly more regulatory challenges than the communication industry. There is a zameen aasman ka difference in scale and profitability. Advertising brings the edge of ideas unlimited.

     

    It’s been four months, any changes that you have brought in the company? Why?

    Grey group is a stable, growing business, producing famous and effective work. I’ve used the time to get to understand the business better. Meeting clients and understanding their challenges and in helping gear Grey group offer integrated solutions and ideas, across advertising, communication, the vast spectrum of digital and social; activation and advocacy. These are via our own Grey group services and those with partners / affiliates, such as RC&M, Penn Schoen Berland and Talent House. Importantly, working closely with the team, which is energetic, talented, innovative and always bubbling with ideas and energy. I believe in the short period of four months, gearing to grow and being able to work across services seamlessly, has been my focus.

     

    Many of our clients are now accessing more than one service from Grey group. For our affiliate partners, we have been able to provide Grey thinking, muscle and experience. What’s visible is perhaps the new campaigns of Swacha Bharat, the Border Security Force and the announcement of Quickr and Reach Mobile as new businesses.

     

    Importantly, in the next few weeks there are many campaigns of Grey group, which continue to define culturally sensitive communication, aimed at changing social behaviour, which is one of the biggest challenges any communication company can deliver on. We believe our clients should be satisfied with our services and offerings but continuously challenge us to deliver outstanding performance. Which is exactly what Grey clients do.

     

    How has the year 2014 been for Grey India?

    There has been top line and bottom line growth as per expectations. The new account wins are all based on differentiated communicate on briefs and the focus on adding alliances is preparing Grey group for a strong 2015. Talent has been stable and the awards have been coming in. All in all – a good year for Grey. We are not very boastful about our achievements; our clients hopefully do the talking for us.

     

    One mandate, which you are really proud of, and why?

    I cherish my new role at Grey group, via which we are building a differentiated service business to build strong brands for our clients. Each of our clients are precious to us and the work we do, we believe, plays a big role, in making their brands famous and effective.  I do believe the new ‘Swacha Bharat’ campaign enables us to work with the Prime Minister’s vision of changing behaviour which is always a tough task. The communication is simple, mass oriented and evokes the right emotive and attitudinal cord.

     

    How much of the business that you generate out of India is globally aligned?

    Some of our global alignments are P&G, GSK, Volvo, amongst others. 65 per cent of our business is India alone business.

     

    Competition is growing multifold, so how would you differentiate Grey from the others?

    We believe Grey group’s thinking and capability is being rapidly geared to offer integrated solutions around advertising, social, mobile, web, activation, advocacy, rural and crowdsourcing. With many more to be included. Powered by our vision to create Famous and Effective solutions, work and brands, Grey group is becoming a highly differentiated ‘Influencer Network’. We say Grey groups role to influence consumer choice and thinking and via its array of skills it is designed to be ‘an influencer network of choice, creating famous and effective work’. Each way of approaching the consumer needs to be true to the host medium but interconnected to the behaviour we need to change. Grey enjoys a very strong reputation because of its Planning, Creative, Digital and Communication Skills and this is poised to grow with strength.

     

    According to you, has Grey really been ‘Famously Effective’?

    Absolutely – the wins at Cannes and Effies are a great testimony. The growth of each of our clients business is evidence of the work – working!

     

    What are the plans lined up for the digital side of your business?

    Growth is the obvious agenda. Growing and strengthening resources in the Delhi and Bangalore NCR are on the agenda for 2015. Focusing on having more of our clients across our range of services avail of our Award winning Digital solutions. Continuing to create cutting edge and new solutions is the everyday task. Focusing on learning and training for our talent is the key.

     

    How do you see an increase in media fragmentation impacting creative agencies?

    Agencies should stop worrying about definitions. We do not see ourselves as a creative-alone agency. Grey’s role is to influence consumers and we believe that requires each of us to continuously grow skills and expertise, which is our focus. Agencies can easily learn, adapt and innovate to tell stories be it on a one to one basis or one to many basis. If there is no structured integration, then one must bring it in any way into the service, as businesses will not grow in a linear fashion.

     

    With an increase in penetration of smartphones and tablets, the biggest challenge will be on how to most optimally use the mobile phone for building a brand. What advise will you give the brands and digital agencies?

    We reserve recommendations like these, exclusively for our clients (Smiles)

     

    Do you think Indian advertising has been able to shift paradigms with changing times?

    The glass is always half full, which makes it encouraging for the industry to keep pouring skills, ideas, talent and investment in creating culturally cutting edge work. The new Swach Bharat campaign defines that. On an overview, the Indian industry has successfully paved the way for new paradigms.

     

    What is at top of your wish list for Grey India for 2015?

    Be the Influencer Network which successfully enables Famous and Effective Brands and Communications.

  • Times TV Network to launch another entertainment channel?

    Times TV Network to launch another entertainment channel?

    MUMBAI: Thanks to the new government, the Times Television Network has reasons to rejoice.

    The network had applied for a number of channel licences to the Information & Broadcasting Ministry which included for both entertainment and news channels.

    “Thanks to the quickness of the current government, we have got the three news licences, which were old applications,” says the network managing director and CEO MK Anand while adding that a number of licences are still pending.

    The three news channel licences are for Times Now 2, Times Now 3 and ET Now 3.

    The network currently has Times Now, ET Now, Zoom TV, Movies Now and Romedy Now channels in its kitty.

    Anand goes on to say that though the new licences have been awarded, the current plan will go on as it is. “These licences don’t impact our current strategy or my plans for the network.”

    After the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) came out with its deaggregation paper, a number of networks have applied for new licences while some have even launched a new set of channels.

    The year also saw the launch of three new Hindi entertainment channels – Zindagi, Sony Pal and Epic. TTN is the only network which doesn’t have a Hindi general entertainment channel to its list.  And with a few entertainment licenses applied by TTN pending with the MIB, one can see possibilities of a new GEC entrant in the market.

     

  • ET Now brings the 2nd India Economic Conclave

    ET Now brings the 2nd India Economic Conclave

    MUMBAI:  ET Now is back with the second edition of India Economic Conclave aptly themed, “India: The Giant Awakens”. The conclave will be held on 6 December 2014 at the Taj Palace Hotel, New Delhi, 11 am onwards. The event will bring together the leaders of Indian industry, policy makers, institutional investors and civil society leaders. The deliberations will pave the way for a constructive discussion on how the government and industry can seize India’s unique moment in history.

    Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will inaugurate the event and deliver the keynote address. Key ministers including Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Power Minister Piyush Goyal will be addressing the day-long conclave.

    Times Television Network managing director and CEO MK Anand said, “The domestic and global sentiment over India’s economy has undergone a sea change, which gives us confidence for new beginnings. As a catalyst of positive change, ET NOW feels that this is the opportune time to bring together various stake holders to deliberate and agree on ways so that the potential of the nation can be realized.”

    ET Now managing editor R.Sridharan added, “Buoyed by the success of the first edition of India Economic Conclave, we are delighted to bring it back bigger and with a far more optimistic outlook. The conclave theme aptly captures the prevailing mood in the economy and we believe this unique thought leadership platform will provide breakthrough ideas and solutions for both the government and industry.”

  • TTN ropes in Vivek Srivastava to head English Entertainment cluster

    TTN ropes in Vivek Srivastava to head English Entertainment cluster

    MUMBAI: Times Television Network (TTN) has got on-board Colors commercial and digital head Vivek Srivastava to fill in the place left vacant since April this year when Ajay Trigunayat moved on from the network.

     

    In his new role, Srivastava will be senior VP and heading the English Entertainment Cluster (Movies Now and Romedy Now). He will take charge from today (1 October 2014) and report to TTN MD and CEO MK Anand.

     

    Srivastava had put down his papers two months back at Colors, confirms sources close to the development.

     

    Speaking on the announcement, Anand said: “Vivek’s experience in the broadcast sector combined with our aggressive approach to drive growth for the network will add great value to our business. The experience and calibre he brings to the table, we believe, will set new benchmarks for our channels.”

     

    Commenting on his new role, Srivastava said: “I look forward to being a part of such a dynamic and motivated environment at the TTN. I’ll be working closely with the team at TTN to drive high viewership performance across the English Entertainment Cluster. I look forward to an enriching experience.”

     

    He had been with Colors since its inception in January 2008. He started as a research head for the channel and was later part of its international team before taking up the mantle of digital strategy.

     

    Moreover, last year, he was given additional responsibility of Colors’ commercial business. Prior to that, he was with TAM Media Research, where he last served as director of the S Group. He has also worked with IMRB International.

  • IDOS 2014: News broadcasters still struggling to make money

    IDOS 2014: News broadcasters still struggling to make money

    GOA: The news television industry has been witnessing losses for several years now. To throw some light on what are the hurdles and what needs to be kept in mind while forming regulations, NDTV vice chairperson KVL Narayan Rao, Times Television Network MD and CEO MK Anand and BBC World News India COO Naveen Jhunjhunwala took the stage at IDOS 2014 for the session ‘News Television- a specialised beast’ that was moderated by Castle Media founder Vynsley Fernandes.

     

    The session took off with a keynote from industry veteran Rao, who spoke of the issues facing the most competitive news industry. “News has always been a high cost, low return industry and since 20 years, there has been an unholy dependence on advertising revenue in an environment that doesn’t seem to be changing,” he said while adding that one needs to consider the importance of news in such a landscape. “Not a single news operator in this country is making money,” he stressed.

     

    The recent extension to digitisation has also not gone down well with Rao, who just this week stepped down as the president of the News Broadcasters Association. “Digitisation was to finish by this year but has been extended till 2015 and 2016. To say the least, I am very disappointed with this decision,” he said.

     

    As far as regulations are concerned, he says that content should always be kept separate from carriage. “The business environment that we are operating in is one where we pay a large amount of money as carriage fees. For most news broadcasters, one third of operating cost goes as carriage fees while 90 per cent of revenue is generated from advertising and in some cases 100 per cent. All news broadcasters today pay a large amount as carriage fees and it is a terrible burden that we find impossible to bear,” said he. All the stakeholders must see the way the news channels operate and not look at regulations in isolation.

     

    News channels during primetime end up showing only panel discussions because of the lack of resources. The western countries have subscription revenue of up to 60 to 70 per cent. All these issues were meant to change after digitisation with subscription revenues kicking in and carriage fees eventually coming down. However, Rao hopes that the new government helmed by Narendra Modi would do all it can in its new ‘Digital India’ plan.

     

    He spoke of the statement by the Editors’ Guild regarding denial of access to journalists by government and increasing number of significant government authorities taking to social media to give information. He says that this serious issue needs to be addressed since news is not about press releases but rather about ‘ferreting information out’.

     

    Adding to the issues faced by the industry was Anand. He said that the last six months have seen a loss of collective bargaining due to the deaggregation paper by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). “The paper has hit news broadcasters and unless one diversifies into entertainment, it is difficult to survive,” he said. In order to make money, the idea is generally to go heavy on branding and marketing and create an aura around the channel. The lopsided ad sales revenue also adds to the woes.

     

    Jhunjhunwala said that the BBC has been broadcasting news for decades and the technological advancements have allowed it to make it smoother and more cost effective.

     

    The ad cap has also hit them hard by restricting advertising air time to 12 minutes per hour. Here, the panel agreed that there are times when channels go live for hours without showing any ads and there is no provision to make up for the lost time. Fernandes questioned that in such a scenario, could there be alternative sources of revenue that can be put into use.  Rao said that now, to monetise news one needs to generate revenue through different streams such as sponsorships and associations. “But how can you not have subscriber revenue?” he questioned.

     

    Fernandes then questioned if there should be a limit on the number of channels that exist to which Rao said that the government should not curtail the number of channels because it is a free market. However, he feels the politicians and political parties should not be allowed to be in news.

     

    Anand said that the regulator could think about regulating carriage fees with some focus on news channels. He also pointed out that a decade ago, ad spots on news channels were sacrosanct but today it is being sold at one third the rate.

     

    Jhunjhunwala said that the government could look at raising the FDI limit on news to bring in more investment. There were talks of raising it to 49 per cent but no one has addressed the issue.

     

    Rao finally concluded by saying that though the digitisation deadline has been extended it will hopefully iron out things.

  • Zoom promotes the trending phenomenon of ‘selfie’

    Zoom promotes the trending phenomenon of ‘selfie’

    MUMBAI: From bus stops to the bathroom, youngsters these days can be seen striking a pose and pouting at a smartphone clicking themselves tirelessly. What follows next can be anyone’s guess. ‘Selfie’ has become a form of self-expression and is indicative of one’s state of mind that receives due adulation on social media. What’s amazing is that it’s catching up with a lot of brands as a way to start a conversation with its consumers.

     

    ‘Safi Selfie’ contest is the first off the block to connect emotionally with the youth. By following simple mechanisms like uploading one’s selfie on the social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and hash tagging it #SafiSelfie, youngsters can win a chance to get up close and personal with bollywood celebrities. 

     

    Safi brand manager Nilotpal said, “As we move forward, we are taking initiatives to connect strongly with the youth. Keeping this in mind, we are glad to associate with Zoom that brings us closer to our TG. With an interesting activation like the ‘Safi Selfie’ contest and our association with Zoom, we are certain that we will achieve the desired impact.”

     

    “We are extremely happy to partner with Safi and leverage their brand through an interesting contest. Zoom is not only the number one bollywood channel but also highly active in the digital domain. Through this campaign, we are engaging the youth with something that they love doing the most – taking selfies!” added MD and CEO Times Television Network MK Anand.

     

    ‘Safi Selfie’ is a 21 day contest that will be promoted heavily on Zoom. Four lucky winners with the maximum likes and re-tweets on social media platforms for their ‘selfies’ will not only get a chance to meet and spend some time with the bollywood actors Kunal Kapoor and Sonal Chauhan but also get an opportunity to be featured on the channel.

  • ET Now decodes the most awaited #Budget2014

    ET Now decodes the most awaited #Budget2014

    MUMBAI: As The Modi Government gears up to present its first Union Budget, India’s No.1 Business News Channel ET NOW is set to launch a power packed line up of shows. ET NOW will be kicking off its special two-week long comprehensive programming from June 30, 7:30 pm. Over 10 special shows will be aired in the run up to the Big Budget that will cover not just key sectoral expectations but also the economic imperatives of this Make-or-Break exercise. Given the significance of this budget, ET NOW has aptly used the tagline ‘The Big Reset’ for its entire budget programming.

     

    MK Anand, Managing Director and CEO, Times Television Network said, “This is the new government’s maiden budget and ET NOW will bring together leading experts across different fields in India, think-tanks, global investors and the country’s best editorial minds to decipher and analyse the Union Budget 2014. Through our shows, we aim to reach out to every Indian from industrialists to the common man by providing a detailed coverage on the run up to the Budget and the Budget Day.”

     

    R.Sridharan, Managing Editor, ET NOW said “We have the most powerful line up of seasoned experts in the business. ET NOW will also have the most viewer-friendly screen and the fastest flashes. Our programming line-up caters every key stakeholder in the economy ranging from the CEO to the retail investor.  The viewers’ overwhelming response to our Budget 2013 programming is a vindication of the tremendous value that our content delivers.”

     

    Jatin Bhatt, CMO – TIMES NOW, ET NOW &ZoOm, said, “With all eyes on the much-anticipated Budget from the Modi Government, ET NOW has put together an extensive programming line-up that will give audiences a holistic view on the Indian economy and the impact it will have after the Union Budget 2014 is announced.  For a channel like ours, Union Budget is an opportunity to present the most engaging and eclectic content that builds credibility among our existing viewers and helps generating new audiences.

     

    ET NOW’s Budget programming will be led by India’s most respected economist- SwaminathanAiyar, who is also the channel’s Consulting Editor. Apart from SwaminathanAiyar, other prominent economists like BibekDebroy and MythiliBhusnurmath will be commenting exclusively on ET NOW.

     

    The key shows are as follows:

     

    Budget 2014:The Politics of Budget

     

    Budget 2014 will be the budget presented by the new government in power. ET NOW’s Policy Editor SupriyaShrinate to quiz the biggest political commentators on the politics that will be at play for Budget 2014

    Date:  30th June, 7.30 pm

     

    Budget 2014:Cracking the Tax Code

     

    Panel Discussion will focus on  the key taxation issues in the run up to Budget 2014. Some of the biggest tax experts and lawyers will be analysing the likely tax reforms and their impact on corporate India and the taxpayer.

    Date: 1st July, 7:30 pm

     

    Budget 2014: The Global View

     

    The show to decode the game changing reforms that could change market sentiment and attract foreign money, the expectations of the investors. Catch top Global Fund Managers and Market experts share their budget expectations exclusively on ET NOW.

    Date: 2nd July, 7:30 pm

     

    Budget 2014: The Market Makers Budget Special

     

    Stocks Editor Nikunj Dalmia to interview big market voices on market expectations from Budget and stocks and sectors to watch out for.

    Date: 3rd July, 7:30 pm

     

    Budget 2014: Macroscope

     

    A discussion programme anchored by MythiliBhusnurmath that gives a view of the macroeconomic imperatives faced by the  government, and how the Budget is likely to address them.

    Date: 4th July, 7:30 pm

     

    Budget 2014: What Markets Want

     

    Nikunj Dalmia to interview (3-person panel) with three of the biggest market voices analysing the market expectations from Budget 2014

    Date: 7th July, 7:30 pm

     

    Budget 2014: Rail Budget

     

    The NarendraModi-led NDA government will announce its maiden Railway Budget in Parliament. Just as the General Budget, the Rail Bugdet is also keenly watched by experts and the country as a whole. Watch the extensive coverage of the Budget only on ET Now with eminent experts from various fields

    Date: 8th July, 11:00 am

     

    Budget 2014: Budget & India Inc

     

    A panel discussion anchored by ET NOW’s National Editor Sandeep Gurumurthi. It will bring together the top names from corporate India to talk about how the Budget can spur growth, and give an impetus to the reform process. India Inc’s biggest CEOs  will share their wishlist.

    Time: 7:30 pm

     

    Budget 2014: Eco Survey 2014

     

    A detailed coverage of annual document of the Ministry of Finance, In the Economic Survey programming ET NOW will speak to experts about the developments in the Indian economy over the previous 12 months and will also analyse the reforms roadmap of the govt.

    Date: 9th July; 11:00 am

     

    Budget 2014: An Agenda for the FM

     

    The biggest Macro-minds and economists come together to present an Agenda for the FM. Catch ET NOW’s Budget Think Tank:  SwaminathanAiyar, BibekDebroyand  Punita Kumar Sinha present an Agenda for the FM.This show will be anchored by ET NOW’s Policy Editor SupriyaShrinate.

    Time: 6:30 pm

     

    Budget Day programming

     

    The Budget Day will have budget special programming all through the day with ET NOW’s best line of experts comprising CEO’s, Economists, Market Experts and Foreign investors.

     

    Stay Tuned to ET NOW all this Budget season for the most credible and accurate analysis of Budget 2014.

  • Sunil Lulla quits BCCL

    Sunil Lulla quits BCCL

    MUMBAI: The BCCL corporate development president Sunil Lulla has bid adieu to the company.

     

    “Today is my last day,” he confirmed the development to indiantelevision.com. However, his future plans are still not clear.

     

    The former MD and CEO of Times Television Network (TTN), Lulla, who took over the charge of BCCL a couple of months back when MK Anand was brought in to lead the charge, just got back from his holiday in Norway.

     

    This follows a series of high-profile exits from the company. Times Now, ET Now and Zoom CEO Avinash Kaul and TTN English Entertainment Channels CEO Ajay Trigunayat had moved on in April, this year.

     

    What is notable is that these exits came after Anand took charge in January.

     

    Lulla has spent close to nine years in TTN in various leadership roles. Prior to joining TTN, he was at Sony Entertainment Television as executive VP for three years.

     

    In 2000, he had started indya.com, which was later acquired by News Corp/Star. He is also the man behind the launch of MTV and credited to bring it to number one position in India. Lulla was general manager and country head at MTV India from 1996 to 1999.

     

    In his 25 plus years in the industry, Lulla has worked with media, entertainment, technology and television broadcast. His early years were spent in sales and soon thereafter with JWT in senior positions in India, China and Taiwan. He was member of the team which helped turn around Sa Re Ga Ma (HMV) in India.

     

    Lulla is a member of many industry associations and helps drive policy and agenda setting themes for the advertising, media and entertainment industry.

  • NBA makes changes in its board of directors

    NBA makes changes in its board of directors

    MUMBAI: Even though the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) holds an election for office bearers every year, a few changes have been made mid way due to various reasons.

     

    With Zee Media CEO Alok Agrawal stepping down from his position, Zee Media Group CEO Bhaskar Das has been appointed in his place on the board of directors (BOD) of NBA. The replacement for NBA honorary treasurer B Saikumar, the former Network 18 Group CEO has not yet been finalised.

     

    Another change in the board of directors is Times Television Network MD and CEO MK Anand taking charge in place of the network’s former MD and CEO Sunil Lulla.

     

    Other members on the BOD include president and NDTV executive vice chairperson KVL Narayan Rao, vice president and MCCS CEO Ashok Venkatramani, India TV chairman Rajat Sharma, India Today group CEO Ashish Bagga, BAG network chairperson and MD Anurradha Prasad, Mathrubhumi director MV Shreyams Kumar and Odisha Television MD Jagi Mangat Panda.