ITV

Tag: MK Anand

  • Times Now launches Election Mobile App

    Times Now launches Election Mobile App

    MUMBAI: In order to enhance viewers’ access of the ongoing general election, Times Now has come up with its election mobile application. In partnership with Nokia, the app has been developed to provide real time information through video, image and text feeds on the general election.

     

    Users can download it on Android, iOS, Nokia X and Windows phone. People can watch feeds in the form of YouTube videos and it also provides options to like, reply or share feeds and plug in Times Now’s social feeds from Twitter and Facebook.

     

    Users can chat with each other while shows are on air. Apart from this, they can also watch live telecast of the channel from the Indiatimes website link that is given in the app.

     

    Speaking on the launch of the app Times TV Network MD and CEO MK Anand said, “We have launched an exclusive app for all the people on the move so that we can keep them informed regarding all news, updates and the entire coverage on election news. We have created this app to empower them to make the right decision as to who they want to see as their next leader.”

  • Disney India sees senior level exits

    Disney India sees senior level exits

    MUMBAI: It was in October, last year, that the news of Ronnie Screwvala deciding to step down as the managing director of Disney India (then Disney UTV) broke.

     

    Screwvala, since then, has pursued his entrepreneurial goals and invested in various companies and Siddharth Roy Kapur has taken over the company’s India operations, effective 1 January.

     

    Nonetheless, the move has lead to many other changes in the company. In the recent past, many at the senior management have left the company.

     

    The first one to leave after this change was the Disney UTV Media Networks managing director MK Anand. He is currently the managing director and chief executive officer at Times Television Network.

     

    Anand had joined UTV Global Broadcasting in 2009 as CEO and after the Walt Disney acquisition in 2012, he was appointed the managing director of Disney UTV Media Networks.

     

    He was followed soon by others. Two of its employees left to join Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainments. Gaurav Verma joined the production house as its new chief revenue officer while Manish Hari Prasad joined it, after being instrumental in getting the (Disney) studio its most successful film, ‘Chennai Express’, on board.

     

    Verma , as Disney executive director theatrical distribution, handled worldwide theatrical distribution, while Prasad was the creative director of UTV.

     

    The latest to move on from the network is Shikha Kapur. Kapur who was heading marketing for Studios, Broadcasting (youth and movie) and the Interactive business and served as the vice president of the company has joined Fox Star India as chief marketing officer.

     

    As per industry sources, this isn’t the end of top management leaving the company. Many more will be soon following in biding goodbye to Disney India.

     

    The sources blame Ronnie’s exit and Kapur’s elevation behind these exists.

     

    We will have to just wait and watch what happens next.

  • Sunil Lulla promoted to President, Corporate Development of BCCL Group

    Sunil Lulla promoted to President, Corporate Development of BCCL Group

    MUMBAI: Nine years ago, Sunil Lulla was given the challenge of steering the Times Television Network’s (TTN) fortunes in a competitive Indian TV landscape. Today, the late entrant in the industry has blossomed as a broadcast major. And it seems like the former TTN MD and CEO’s  efforts have not gone unnoticed by the board of Bennett Coleman & Co Ltd (BCCL). Lulla is being challenged once again to work his magic on and grow some relatively nascent activities within the group.

     

    Lulla has been designated as President of Corporate Development in the BCCL group and has been been given the task of replicating his earlier success with TTN in smaller BCCL businesses like music, sports, new IP, international events and other initiatives. The Times Music division will now be reporting to Lulla who will be working closely with Times Internet CEO  Satyan Gajwani and BCCL group  MD Vineet Jain.

     

    Former Disney UTV Media Networks MD MK Anand will be taking over as the new MD and CEO of TTN, stepping into Lulla’s shoes. The date when both of them will be taking on their new roles is not yet clear but it will be sometime in February.

     

    Lulla has nearly three decades of experience in the industry. He has worked with leading organizations such as MTV, Sony Entertainment Television and successfully built TTN into an enterprise.  Now he will have to create a new legacy for TTN’s parent-BCCL.

     

    While MK Anand was unavailable for comment, Sunil Lulla confirmed the news about his new role. Apparently an official announcement was made internally by the BCCL management very recently.

  • Bloomberg UTV targets the growth aspirants with bluntness

    Bloomberg UTV targets the growth aspirants with bluntness

    MUMBAI: Bloomberg UTV, the English business news channel, is eyeing a wider set of audiences with its new makeover.

    The channel, which has changed its tagline to ‘Blunt and Sharp’, claims that going forward, its focus will be on a larger audience who are growth aspirants, and not just on the stock markets.

    Talking to Indiantelevision.com, UTV Global Broadcasting (UGBL) CEO MK Anand affirmed that he is looking at an overhaul by practically measuring the way business news is being presented in India. “After a detailed eight-week survey of our SEC AB 25+ male audiences, we have come to know that only nine per cent viewers invest actively in the stock market. The business news should be much more than that and thus, we believe our focus should be on catering to the needs of the remaining 91 per cent audience.”

    The channel has been correcting its distribution post IPL, and changed its look and feel during May-end. Recently, it had also launched a new advertising campaign to promote its new programming strategy.

    Via the new ‘blunt and sharp’ campaign, the channel is addressing its various stakeholders, including viewers, traders and advertisers. The campaign is done by TapRoot India, the channel’s creative agency.

    Talking about content, Bloomberg UTV business head Deepak Lamba said that within the next three months, the channel will launch new shows with a complete refreshed perspective.

    “We will be using simpler terms, and launching new shows on smart money, real estate etc. Our aim is to simplify the things for our viewers,” Lamba said.

  • ‘The Merrill Lynch deal has given us a Rs 5 billion valuation’ : MK Anand – Zoom business head

    ‘The Merrill Lynch deal has given us a Rs 5 billion valuation’ : MK Anand – Zoom business head

    After selling 25 per cent stake to Merrril Lynch for Rs 1.25 billion, Zoom is gearing up for more programme launches to race ahead of competition that has arrived in the form Showbiz and E24.

     

    Targeting upscale audiences, the channel from the Bennett, Coleman & Co Ltd (BCCL) Group has increased its dosage of Bollywood-centric prime time content with a slate of new shows. Aided by a rise in ratings, Zoom is eyeing a revenue of Rs 1 billion this fiscal.

     

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com’s Richa Dubey, Zoom business head MK Anand discusses the growth track of the channel and the need to push the Bollywood genre of content across different markets through the syndication route.

     

    Excerpts:

    Has Zoom Entertainment Network (ZEN) diluted 25 per cent stake to Merrill Lynch for Rs 1.25 billion?
    We got a valuation of Rs 5 billion when Merrill Lynch bought this stake in around May-June. We are utilising this amount to develop stronger content for the channel. Some of the new shows are already launched and we will gradually unveil a few more.

    Will you also not spend more on distribution as channels are finding it difficult to find space on choked analogue cable networks?
    We are content with our present distribution. We will be utilising the money only for new programmes.

    Why has Zoom shifted gear to Bollywood-centric shows?
    Getting viewers closer to celebrity life was the whole idea on which Zoom was launched. The metamorphosis happened when we realised that ‘celebrity’ as a word in India is congruent with Bollywood.

     

    Originally when we started, we were showing programmes based on popular influential people from all walks of life (corporate, sports, page 3). As we went along, we had to change and make it a Bollywood-centric channel because that is what people whom we target want to see. We tried to make the channel more holistic from the Bollywood point of view by showing many related things.

     

    Even our lifestyle shows are centred arround Bollywood. We will, for instance, not have a cookery show. But if a Bollywood actor likes some particular food, then we will show him cooking something. So we will always look for a Bollywood element in whatever we show.

    Was this metamorphosis dictated by the generic revenue limitations of a lifestyle channel?
    The lifestyle content on Zoom was always negligible compared to the glamour factor.

     

    Our programming budgets have definitely doubled over last year as our offerings have increased. Other than short form of content, we are now getting into longer formats which cost more.

     

    But it is also important to note that we operationally broken even last year. This has happened in just three years of our existence!

    Have advertisers been more supportive after Zoom shifted to a Bollywood-centric channel?
    When we launched, an advertiser could not classify us in any category because we were the first ones in the space. But now we have been substantially increasing our rates even while other channels were dropping theirs. This has been possible because we have an ad sales team which is bigger than what a channel of this size would normally have. As a group we are very ad-focussed.

     

    Our inventory is sold out. Some 300 clients must be active every year. We would be having 15-20 exclusive deals.
    ‘When we started, we were showing programmes based on popular people from all walks of life. As we went along, we made it a Bollywood-centric channel because that is what people whom we target want to see‘

    What is your revenue target this year?
    We are targeting Rs 1 billion this fiscal (August-July period). This is after taking into account revenues through ads, video ads and content syndication that we do with other broadcasters.

    Whom does Zoom compare with when you pitch to clients?
    We normally compare ourselves with Star Movies, MTV, HBO and 9XM.

     

    These are the players focussed on this TG (target group) – SEC AB 1 million+ in the age group 15-34.

    What are the positioning changes Zoom has undergone ever since its launch?
    The Times of India Group as a whole has affinity with the urban upscale English speaking audiences. That has always been the Group’s focus. Similarly when it came to TV, we decided not to go for a mass channel and invest heavily in it. Instead, we thought of launching something for the particular audience we have affinity with.

     

    So we launched a channel catering to 1 million+ cities of India. Our weekly reach has gone up from 15-20 per cent in mid-2006 to 36 per cent this year.

     

    As a brand we promised to deliver glamour and we have done that successfully. In terms of brand proposition, we have evolved in terms of our offerings.

    How do you see Bollywoood evolving as a genre?
    Bollywood shows are still evolving as a genre. It is the most popular content, after fiction shows and movies. Even news channels have special shows centred arround Bollywood.

     

    We position ourselves as a generic channel for Bollywood.

    How does Zoom source content?
    We have a reporting team of about 40 people. They continuously shoot and get stories on Bollywood related stuff which is archived. That is the main store for us and we take footage from there and develop shows.

     

    Our in house team uses them to produce shows like Zabar 10, Planet Bollywood. Besides, we also have external production houses which make shows for us. Bollywood Club is done by Optimystix, Bollywood Case Files is done by Moving Pictures Company. We give our archived stuff to them as well.

    What is the movie acquisition strategy?
    For the movies that we telecast, we acquire them from other channels or producers for limited airings.

    What is the prime time on Zoom?
    Advertisers identify prime time from 5 pm in the evening till 1 am. But from the viewers point of view, it lasts from 7 pm – 9:30 pm, the time band where we have launched our new shows. Our core prime time would be 8-9 pm where we will launch stronger shows.

    Zoom also provides shows to other channels. How strong is this business?
    Yes, we do shows for other channels. We have realised that the bank that we have is more than what we can use. So why not commercially exploit our content further?

     

    We have not approached any Hindi channel, but we have some channels in the regional space who use our content. We have given our shows to ETV and Sun Network.

     

    We also have two deals in Pakistan. We are doing a one-hour show for Safron TV in South Africa.
    Will this not kill the exclusivity element on your channel?
    Zoom enjoys more channel loyality as far as Bollywood content is concerned. We have a first mover advantage in the genre. We also have exclusive coverage. Besides, we can leverage exclusive tie ups which Bombay Times has with others.

    What are the digital initiatives Zoom has undertaken?
    We are looking at opportunities in the digital space. Our channel is made up of short form of content. Say three stories of four minutes each are clubbed in a half-hour episode. If we unstring these episodes and put these videos on internet, they become easy to download.

     

    These small videos are more popular than the longer format due to lower streaming capacity in India. We unbundle the entire episode and put these videos on our site.

     

    For further promoting them, we have started putting these videos on other websites. We realised that there was an opportunity in syndicating Bollywood content. This has, in fact, increased traffic on our video online content.

     

    Realising the importance of this, we are looking at synergies now. We have an ad sales deal with these websites. We also promote our other shows through these videos. This makes the marketing of our shows easier and consumption increases.

    Which are these websites?
    Rediff iShare, Yahoo, Youtube and Nautanki TV. They have good traffic and for us they become a platform to share our shows.

     

    We have an ad sales contract with all of them.
    How big a challenge is distribution?
    Distribution is key to the business. But since we also have the consumer pull factor, cable operators will find it difficult to dislodge us from their networks. The Bollywood genre is also expanding with other channel launches. In another 18 months, we can expect the genre to develop and be widely accepted.
  • Zoom, Reliance in interactive deal for Glam Awards

    Zoom, Reliance in interactive deal for Glam Awards

    MUMBAI: Lifestyle and glamour channel Zooms goes interactive. In a unique tie-up with Reliance, Zoom’s first Glam Awards can be viewed by subscribers of Reliance World.

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com on the initiative, Zoom’s national head, marketing and sales, MK Anand said, “The Glam Awards is a signature event showcasing that glam in India has finally arrived. Interactive Marketing has always been high on Zoom’s agenda, and the tie-up with Reliance is yet another achievment on that front.

    “In the first phase of this tie- up, we had partnered with Reliance for a contest prior to the Glam Awards where subscribers voted for the ‘Best Glam Music Video’. They could download the full music videos selected in this category and vote for the best video. The winner in this contest was a special invitee to the Glam Awards, held recently in Mumbai. Details of the contest were aired on Zoom. Now, in the second phase, we are sharing content for the ‘Curtain Raiser’ and the ‘Glam Awards’ will be telecast on Zoom on 14 May at 9 00 pm.”

    Zoom is the first entertainment channel that will now be included in the Reliance Mobile TV bouquet. So far the only channels who have been in the bouquet have been news channels Aaj Tak, NDTV, CNBC and Times Now.

    Saying that for Reliance, this was a WAP tie up for its subscribers, Anand adds,”We are essentially targeting the upwardly mobile viewers, the imagery that can be downloaded is targeted to the youth from 15 to 34 years who also constitute our target audience. There is, therefore, a lot of synergy with Reliance.”

    “We are redefining the marketing activities by going beyond just print, online and ground initiatives for the Glam Awards. Glamour is also about high technology so this is a step in that direction. The time lag between the airing of the Awards on 14 May and being able to download the special clips it on the cell is just a few minutes,” says Anand.

    The first Glam Awards can be viewed by 5 million subscribers of Reliance World. Whether it is Kareena thanking her “best friend’ on stage or John and Bipasha’s very evident real life chemistry at the awards – it will now be accessible to the Reliance world customers. Snippets such as memorable moments, terrific performances and acceptance speeches will be content that Reliance users can avail.

    The first annual Zoom Glam Awards were held in Mumbai on 30 April.