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Tag: MSM

  • MSM unleashes high voltage plans for IPL season 8

    MSM unleashes high voltage plans for IPL season 8

    MUMBAI: India is pumped up as cricket mania of another kind is all set to take the entire country by storm just as Chris Gayle’s massive sixes. As India Ka Tyohaar, the Indian Premier League (IPL) welcomes Indians in its eighth season, official broadcast network Multi Screen Media (MSM) is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that India’s hot selling multimillion dollar property reaches audiences across the length and breadth of the country.

    MSM’s newly launched channel Sony Kix will carry Tamil and Telugu feeds, Sony Six will have the English feed, while Max and Sony Aath will have Hindi and Bengali feeds respectively.

    “Our flagship show Extraaa Innings will continue this year as well. It will be a pre-show, mid-show and post analysis of the match that will be common across feeds. Our marketing plans involve a nationwide campaign focused on a 360 degree plan, right from radio, print, television as well as outdoor. Along with the BCCI, we will have mass scale screenings in 16 cities with 10,000 odd capacities,” informs Sony Six and Kix business head Prasana Krishnan.

    The commentators for the Telugu feed will be Venugopal Rao, Venkatpathy Raju, and MSK Prasad, while for the Bengali feed it will be Arun Lal, Devdas Gupta, Abhishek Jhunjunwala, Devang Gandhi, Savadun Mukherjee and Ranade Bose. On the other hand S Ramesh, Hemang Bhadani, V Chandrashekhar, Satyanarayan, and S Srinivas will be the match commentators for the Tamil feed.

    The network is clearly betting big on outdoor to reach a wider range of audience. Throwing light on the marketing activations, Max marketing head Vaishali Sharma says, “Apart from mass media, we will come up with clutter breaking innovations. We have already started a countdown ticker at Juhu beach in Mumbai along with LED lights and it will continue till 8 April. Fireworks display will start before the opening match.”

    Sharma also informs that LED projections along with the IPL logo and fireworks will be displayed on prominent buildings as projector vans move across Mumbai.

    “We will also project our TVCs keeping in mind India Ka Tyohaar and it will continue for a couple of days. Something similar has also been planned in Kolkata besides Mumbai since the games begin there,” adds Sharma.

    Speaking about the plan to stage screenings in 16 cities, Sharma opines that the concept is completely new to the country. People who do not have a chance to visit the stadiums will be able to experience the magnitude of the games and the in-stadia experience. A huge outdoor hoarding has also been displayed near Hotel Tulip Star Juhu in the western suburbs of Mumbai. Accompanying this hoarding is a photo booth where people can go and click pictures as India rejoices in an all new season of the IPL. 

    “Canters will move across the city creating a high amount of buzz of dhol baaja announcing and encouraging people to come and visit these venues. The entry is free and people can come and cheer together,” says Sharma.

    Sharma also adds confidently that year on year the network has increased its audience base and already has a cumulative viewership of 190 million so far. “It’s only going to go up further with the addition of all the language feeds we have launched this year besides the great season we have this year,” concludes Sharma. 

    The tournament will feature a total of 60 matches, including the live telecast of the opening ceremony on 7 April, the home and away matches between the franchises, the qualifying playoffs and the finals. The knockout stage will be from 19 – 22 May and conclude with the final match on 24 May, 2015. As MSM bets big on this season of the IPL, we wish it all the very best.

  • GroupM ESP lists top 10 trends for IPL season 8

    GroupM ESP lists top 10 trends for IPL season 8

    MUMBAI: Move over Cricket World Cup, welcome Indian Premier League (IPL) Season 8! 

     

    With the home grown league becoming a global reputable property, GroupM ESP (Entertainment & Sports Partnerships), has predicted top trends in 2015.  

     

    Commenting on the trends for this season, Group M ESP national director Vinit Karnik said that the sports entity has come a long way in how it addresses sponsorship sales and convergence of technology. “From selling tickets to selling an experience, IPL has come a long way. This further extends from the execution of sponsorships across major platforms — all the way to the idea/solution generation phase during the sales process,” he added.

     

    Karnik also stated that in 2015 teams will continue investing in the in-stadia experience content delivery. With feeds available through internet, Sony’s regional channels, mobile applications etc the content is truly taking the center stage. “It makes sense because if fans aren’t in the stadium consuming content, they’re consuming it somewhere else — work/ home/ in a cafe… wherever,” he informs.

     

    According to him there will be an amalgamation of technology integration and enhancement throughout the sport. The proliferation of video and statistical information backed by increased social exchange will define the popularity of teams.

     

    Uniquely positioned at the intersection of media and marketing, GroupM ESP has made the following predictions: 

     

    1) Smart talent acquisition by franchises increasing competitiveness with teams evenly matched.

     

    2) Enhanced broadcast production quality with regional language feeds from the broadcaster MSM.

     

    3) Fan Park idea will heighten interest and involvement in smaller cities and towns.

     

    4) Digital platforms to create sustained and deep engagement with real time analytics.

     

    5) Surround content to drive social conversations via social media platforms.

     

    6) Technology to enhance spectator interactions and engagement inside stadium.

     

    7) Realistic sponsorship pricing strategies resulting in repeat purchases and a stable sponsor ecosystem.

     

    8) Apparel as an emerging and popular sponsor category among franchises.

     

    9) Sponsor’s increased dependence on crowd sourcing to create excitement around their brands .

     

    10)  E-commerce brands will dominate ad spends on broadcast platform.

     

    “In all aspects, IPL offers a consumer delight by integrating newest technologies and enhanced fan experience while building affinity with future generations of fans who have moved from passive viewers to engaged amplifiers. We also see a lot of new generation brands jump onto the IPL bandwagon, making it a high spend high visibility and now high engagement business,” concluded Karnik.

  • Sony Aath to broadcast Pepsi IPL 2015 in Bengali

    Sony Aath to broadcast Pepsi IPL 2015 in Bengali

    MUMBAI: After tasting success with airing FIFA World Cup 2014 in Bengali, Multi Screen Media’s (MSM) Bengali entertainment channel Sony Aath will offer Bengali language feed for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL).

     

    This will be the first ever broadcast of the Pepsi IPL on the channel and will also be the first such exercise by MSM to launch a Bengali feed of the tournament. Sony Aath will cover the opening ceremony and all 60 matches of the eight edition of Pepsi IPL.

     

    MSM senior vice president Tushar Shah, who also manages the operations of Sony Aath, said, “With an aim to provide the most premium content to our viewers in West Bengal, we are back yet again to enthrall them by offering a whole new experience of consuming the largest cricketing extravaganza in their favourite language. We believe this initiative will not only help further expand the popularity of the nation’s most beloved cricketing tournament but also augment a larger fan base for the channel.”

     

    MSM CEO N P Singh added, “West Bengal has always been one of the key markets for Pepsi IPL. We believe that by offering the world’s largest cricketing spectacle in one of the most popular and widely spoken languages in the country will help enthrall the viewers. It will create a holistic viewing experience unlike anything else seen before on the channel. Given the tournament’s aggressive growth and ability to connect with millions on a national scale, this year we are positioning the event as ‘India Ka Tyohaar,’ which establishes the event as an annual sporting and entertainment festival.”

     

    As a prelude to the event the channel will run the ‘India Ka Tyohaar’ marketing campaign till the tournament kick-starts on 8 April 2015.

     

    The tournament will feature a total of 60 matches, including the live telecast of the opening ceremony on 7 April, the home and away matches between the franchises, the qualifying playoffs and the finals. The knockout stage will be from 19 – 22 May and conclude with the final match on 24 May, 2015.

  • Sony ushers in new programming with ‘Dil Ki Baatein’

    Sony ushers in new programming with ‘Dil Ki Baatein’

    MUMBAI: It has been struggling to regain lost ground in the Hindi general entertainment space for quite some time now. But, undeterred, the MulitScreen Media owned Sony Entertainment Television is taking another shot at attracting hordes of viewers to its prime time fare. In its first step towards that, the channel has launched a show called Dil Ki Baatein starring the popular TV actor Ram Kapoor in the lead. 

     

    “Sony has always prided in telecasting innovative shows. In the next 100 days we will be launching five new shows with interesting concepts as we believe there is an audience out there that exists for such content,” says SET senior executive vice president and business head Nachiket Pantvaidya.

     

    Dil Ki Baatein will be Kapoor’s come back to TV. He will be seen opposite Gurdeep Kohli. The show also stars Pankaj Dheer as Kohli’s father, whereas Mahima Makhwana and Ratna Shinde will essay the roles of the couple’s daughter and son respectively. 

     

    Dil Ki Baatein has been helmed by filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and SET together. Sony took note of Bhatt’s narration about the concept a year and half ago.

     

    Talking about the concept of the show, SET senior vice president and marketing head Gaurav Seth says, “It is an unusual love story that brings out the struggle and various emotions of the family to the fore. It questions how far one can go for a loved one and to what extent? The show explores the complexities of human relationships and one’s emotional downfall when fate intervenes.”

     

    According to Seth, the biggest USP of the series is the role essayed by Kapoor. He will be portraying the role of a supportive husband to his cancer stricken wife, who faces a blood cancer relapse after two years. The programme has been produced by Guroudev Bhalla and Dhaval Gada from Bhatt’s production house, which also produced the show Udaan for Sony previously.

     

    “We have shot five different promos where Ram Kapoor is essaying a different role and emotion. In the first promo, for instance, he is seen conversing with God about his problems,” informs Seth.

     

    The promo was first launched on digital media, where along with active engagements from fan clubs, it trended at the top spot for five to 10 minutes. “For the first time, the promo itself registered one million views on YouTube,” says Seth.

     

    A robust marketing campaign has been planned across 35 Indian cities along with active OOH campaigns. Seth informs that the communication showing Kapoor along with a bald headed Kohli, has generated the necessary buzz. It has also generated 21 crore digital impression so far across various social media platforms. On Twitter, SET invited reactions from fans of how far would fans go for their loved ones.

     

    The show has LIC as the presenting sponsor and advertisers such as Otriven, Cadbury, KFC, Samsung Galaxy among others on board.

     

    Dil Ki Baatein, which went on air on 23 March, will be telecast from Monday to Thursday at 9:30 pm on Sony.

  • TheOneAlliance to switch off signals for Reliance Big TV

    TheOneAlliance to switch off signals for Reliance Big TV

    MUMBAI: TheOneAlliance has decided to suspend the signals of its premium channels to direct-to-home (DTH) service provider Reliance Big TV for non-payment of outstanding dues.

     

    According to TheOneAlliance, the DTH operator has failed to make payments of the outstanding amount despite constant follow ups and repeated reminders.

     

    This resulted in an issuance of a public notice for disconnection of signals on 18 March. In case the DTH operator fails to clear the outstanding dues, approximately 1.6 million Reliance Big TV subscribers will face a blackout after three weeks of the issuance of the public notice. 

     

    The switch-off could be a setback for sports enthusiasts, in view of the upcoming season of Pepsi IPL 2015, which commences on 8 April and will be aired on Sony Six and Max.

     

    In addition to the Pepsi IPL 2015, the subscribers of Reliance DTH platform will also miss viewing other channels including Sony Entertainment Television, Max2, Sab, Sony PAL, Mix, Pix, AXN, Animax and Aath.

     

    It seems as though Reliance BIG TV is making a habit of this. It may be recalled that last year too, TheOneAlliance had informed subscribers of Reliance Big TV via a public notice that the channels it aggregates can go off, if the DTH player doesn’t clear outstanding dues.

  • “Smart monetization can generate good revenue from badminton”: Prasana Krishnan

    “Smart monetization can generate good revenue from badminton”: Prasana Krishnan

    MUMBAI: Continuing the process of building a strong portfolio, Multi Screen Media’s (MSM) sports and entertainment channel Sony Six has acquired the rights of yet another event of international magnitude – the Yonex Sunrise Badminton Open.

     

    The second super series of 2015, the Indian open is one of the flagship badminton tournaments with a prize money of $250,000. Renowned shuttlers will fight their way in Siri Fort Sports Complex, New Delhi to win the title.

     

    India’s contingent is led by top seed and World number 2 Saina Nehwal. It is for the first time in the last four years that a non Chinese woman player sits in the pole position before the start of the tournament. The other X-factor in the tournament is Olympic Gold medalist and five time World Champion Chinese superstar Lin Dan, who will fight hard against Danish top seed Jan O Jorgensen and India’s second seed Kidambi Srikanth to win the tournament and earn a Rio Olympic berth.

     

    The tournament has potential of upsets and high expectations as both Srikanth and Jorgensen defeated Dan in the recent past. Moreover, World Champion Carolina Marin may face Saina Nehwal if both eves manage to qualify for the final. Such uncertainties are the main reason for Sony Six’s decision to showcase the tournament.

     

    Sony Six business head Prasana Krishnan says, “We’ve been having this tournament since a good time and the main reason behind it is the fact that it is played in India. Whenever a sport is played in India, the fan connect is more and a badminton tournament involving Saina Nehwal, Lin Dan and others is certainly a big thing.”

     

    Unlike cricket, badminton has a very limited space to fit in an advertisement during the course of the game. The fastest racquet sport of the world sees a mere one minute gap after 11 points when the players change court and hence making money from the sport is immensely difficult for the broadcasters.

     

    “It depends on how you manage. While it’s true that badminton does not have equal room for monetisation as cricket but we also have to understand that the acquisition value is also comparatively low and hence if you smartly manage and monetize, you can generate good revenue from badminton and other non cricket sports too,” Krishnan opines.

     

    Speaking on advertisers’ reaction to the tournament, Krishnan asserts, “We have got a good response so far. Our associate and co-presenting sponsors have been locked and we have sold out our inventory.”

     

    Total Lubricants has been roped in as co-presenter whereas Yonex Sunrise is the associate sponsor on-air.

     

    The acquisition is backed by marketing initiatives to generate awareness. “We have put ads on various channels of our network in order to back the asset and I am happy with the progress so far,” he adds.

     

    Multi-lingual feed in sports is fast becoming a trend. Not long back the Syed Modi Badminton tournament was aired in both Hindi and English on Sony Six and Pal respectively. However, Krishnan said that there are no such plans for the 2015 Indian Open. “With Syed Modi we tried something, which we may execute again in the near future but Sony Pal will not be involved this time and the Indian Open super series will only be aired in Sony Six and we will stick to the world feed.”

     

    IPL is knocking at the door and once the million dollar league starts, there are high possibilities of other sport properties of Sony Six getting suppressed by the glitz and glamour of IPL. When queried about the same, Krishnan says, “Yes there will be a lot of changes in the scheduling as the entire prime time is devoted to the IPL but that necessarily does not mean that other properties will get suppressed. We will use IPL, which is the biggest platform for promotion in India, to promote our established assets like Fight Sports, NBA and others. IPL actually benefits getting more viewers and complements the other sports that we have.”

     

    2014 was a good year for Sony Six as it touched new heights in terms of garnering viewership. The year started with India playing New Zealand followed by IPL and the FIFA World Cup. Continuing the growth process, Sony Six started 2015 by hosting the Australian Open Grand Slam, which was followed by the Africa Cup of Nation football. “We are trying to grow bigger and whenever there is an opportunity to acquire broadcasting rights of an event of international importance, we will aggressively go for it,” Krishnan informs.

     

    Badminton is the largest played racquet sport in the world and India is emerging as a strong contender in international events. However, the sports’ brand value was always under question. Commenting on the same, GroupM national director – entertainment, sports & live events Vinit Karnik says, “Badminton is a very popular sport in India. It is the only sport that is equally played by men and women. Having said that, the sport doesn’t deliver compelling ratings for advertisers to leverage its popularity. Popularity is restricted to follow the top three players, watching top three marquee matches only. Ratings only improve when Saina Nehwal plays her semis and finals. This needs to change for advertisers to look at badminton as a lucrative platform to promote their brands. Badminton as a sport needs aggressive marketing and more Indian players need to perform and win international marquee tournaments.”

     

    Adding to that, Maxus ESP client leader Jigar Rambhia asserts, “Unfortunately badminton is not an advertiser friendly sport and therefore it fails to attract sponsors. Also, there aren’t many opportunities to advertise with very few breaks for advertising. However, of late, there have been some opportunities like branding on the net, court and perimeter boards etc. This might be able to get some sponsors, which in turn can bring in revenue to broadcasters. Since there aren’t many opportunities to advertisers during telecast, brands don’t look at badminton as a promotion platform. Though this might change, as Saina Nehwal is likely to be World No. 1 if she reaches the finals of the Indian Open. In case that happens, advertisers will definitely start looking at the sport more seriously.”

     

    It remains to be seen if the Indian contingent in the super series successfully manages to overcome obstacles and win the prestigious title. The entire badminton fraternity will closely observe Nehwal as the World Number 1 spot is up for grabs. The crowd at Siri Fort will be biggest boost for Nehwal, even as Marin tries every possible option to block her progress.

     

  • AXN bets big on 2015; launches new shows

    AXN bets big on 2015; launches new shows

    MUMBAI: Come April and English entertainment channel AXN from the Multi Screen Media (MSM) stable is all set to redefine itself. The channel will be extending its content offering and has lined up a slew of new shows for this year. Moreover, April will also see the launch of the channel’s high definition offering – AXN HD.

     

    Speaking on the launch of the HD channel, Sony Pix and AXN EVP and business head Saurabh Yagnik says, “Due to digitisation, issues relating to distribution and availability have been addressed. The category has now become more amenable to appointment based viewing and audiences are seeking two kinds of shows – iconic and fresh shows from the US.”

     

    As part of its revised strategy, the channel will do away with telecasting movies.

     

    Brand New FPC

     

    Keeping consumer insights in mind, the channel has increased its programming line up. For instance, the weekday programming slot from Monday to Thursday has been re-jigged to Monday to Friday. The 8 pm slot will have signature shows like Guiness, Ripley’s, American Ninja Warrior and Wipeout.

     

    This will be followed by reality shows at 9 pm like Fear Factor, So You Think You Can Dance, Top Chef, Survivor and The Amazing Race. 

     

    The 10 pm slot will have famous crime shows like 24, Elementary, NCIS and CSI amongst others.

     

    Finally, the 11 pm slot will have edgier content with shows like Sex and the City, Dexter, Ray Donovan and Californification.

     

    Weekend Slot Strengthened

     

    In August 2014, AXN introduced a new weekend slot, ‘Not So Ordinary Weekend,’ which aired on Friday and Saturday. Since the weekday slot will now be extended from Monday to Friday, the ‘Not So Ordinary Weekend’ slot has been moved to Saturday and Sunday. During this slot, the channel will air fresh content airing closer to US dates. Shows that air in this slot are: Sherlock (season four), Supernatural (season eleven), Orphan Black (season three), Hannibal (season three), Elementary (season four), Voice (season nine and 10), Madam Secretary (season two), Extant (season two), and Scorpion (season three).

     

    New Shows:

     

    Beginning 6 April, fresh seasons of shows like 24 and Dexter will be telecast at 10 pm and 11 pm respectively on weekdays. Top Chef Masters season five will begin from 9 April at 8 pm during the weekdays. Another long running reality show Survivor is back in its season 27 from 21 April from Monday to Friday at 9 pm.

     

    The channel has partnerships with 20 global studios like CBS, Sony Pictures, BBC, WB, MGM, NBC Universal, Buena Vista International, Fremantle Media, Endemol, and FOX for content deals. The channel also has 2000 plus hours of content supply every year.

     

    AXN HD Launch

     

    On 6 May, 2014 MSM received two licences from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry (I&B). The aim was to increase its high definition (HD) offering to its viewers. The licences obtained were for AXN HD and SET HD. The network today announced that AXN HD will be launched on 6 April, 2015. It will have 1080i HD picture clarity and 5.1 sharp surround sound. The network is currently in talks with various platforms for its distribution. It is currently priced at Rs 30.

     

    “While the shows will be same on the two channels, we will be tweaking some of the content for the HD feed. We could also have certain exclusive content for the HD feed in the future,” informs Yagnick.

     

    Social Engagement

     

    Providing some inputs from digital agency Social Bakers for the period December 2014 to February 2015, the channel claims to have an engagement rate on social media of 5.80 per cent versus its closest rival Zee cafe at 2.90 per cent. For the same period, FX, Comedy Central and Star World had an engagement rate of 1.70 per cent, 1.36 per cent and 0.76 per cent respectively. A third of the channel’s marketing budget is dedicated for digital activations that are handled both by AXN and digital agency Tonic Media. Through this, AXN targets to reach an additional five million fans on social media. 

     

    The target audience for the channels is the 15-34 age group.

     

    Marketing

     

    AXN has also put in place an aggressive TV plan where promotions will run across the MSM network channels. A print plan targeted in four cities on 6 April is on the anvil besides robust social media promotions. However, radio and OOH will not feature for the promotions.

     

    Sharing an insight about the genre’s growth, Yagnick says that the average weekly viewing (time spent) of 10 minutes on the genre has increased by approximately 50 per cent. While the metros have been performing well for the channel, the U.P. market has grown substantially as distribution has helped increase availability.

     

    Pix and AXN vice president and head programming and acquisitions Amogh Dusad informs that drama is the biggest performing genre on the channel. “Comedy is well being explored and reality shows too have performed well for the channel,” Dusad adds.

     

    With a robust line up and a focus ahead on retaining its leadership position, AXN is aiming at making it big this year.

     

  • IPL 2015: 65 percent ad inventory of Sony already sold

    IPL 2015: 65 percent ad inventory of Sony already sold

    MUMBAI: Even as the cricket World Cup fever is on, Multi Screen Media (MSM) is gearing up for the next big cricket tourney – the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015 and advertisers are flocking to it nineteen to the dozen.

     

    The tournament starts right after the World Cup. Speaking on advertisers reaction so far, Multi Screen Media president Rohit Gupta says, “We have got amazing responses so far and the way it’s shaping up, we may have to extend our ad inventory. We already have our two presenting sponsors in Vodafone and Amazon. It must be noted that Amazon has upgraded itself as a presenting sponsor and it’s an encouraging example. The seven associates are Hero Moto Corp, Cardekho.com, Intex, Vimal Pan Masala, Pay TM, Pepsi and we have one more advertiser who has confirmed its participation. Hero Moto Corp, Cardekho.com and Vimal Pan Masala are first timers and it proves the growing interest of the tournament.”

     

    Sony Max and Six have already launched India Ka Tyohaar campaign for IPL’s 2015 edition. The campaign, which has been orchestrated by DDB Mudra, speaks about unity and celebration, and portrays IPL as a festival that is followed by one and all irrespective of caste, communities and creed.

     

    Way before the campaign launch, Gupta had told Indiantelevision.com that ad rate for the 2015 edition will be hiked by 15 per cent and MSM has successfully managed to achieve the figures.

     

    “As decided, we have hiked our ad rate by 15 per cent and the hike was not on the basis of arrogance or overconfidence, it’s because we had a seven per cent increase in viewership. We have already sold 65 per cent of our ad inventory and we are in last stage talks with many companies. IPL is a tournament that consistently delivers in terms of meeting viewership expectations and advertisers are presented a platform for the entire tournament. IPL is not a tournament where fans have to wait for a week’s time to have a good match. Moreover all the IPL matches are played in prime time and each and every match has equal interest. The growth of viewership is constant in each and every match unlike World Cup where non India matches failed to garner viewers so far. Overall IPL is an insured platform for advertisers where whatever may happen viewership never declines.”

     

    Talking about the campaign, Sony Max senior EVP and business head Neeraj Vyas says, “IPL is beyond any barrier; it’s a huge event that connects everyone. A family that has members of different generations sit together to enjoy the cricketing extravaganza, which has nail biting finishes and entertainment to satisfy everyone’s need. We are our biggest competitor and the only challenge for us is to do better than what we have done in our previous editions. We did aisa mauka aur kahan milega in 2012, which we followed up with Jumping Japang and Come on bulava aaya hai in the following years. But this year we are going to be better than any other year.”

     

    MSM is known for aggressive marketing of IPL, which is their biggest asset and this year is no different. “We have spent 15 per cent more than previous year for the India ka tyohaar campaign,” informs Vyas.

     

    DDB Mudra chairman and chief creative officer Sonal Dabral is satisfied with the progress and the feedback received so far. “India ka tyohaar is something that everyone has been missing. Festivals in India are based on religion and region. IPL is one such festival where everyone participates in the celebration,” Dabral tells Indiantelevision.com.

     

     

    When queried about the other campaigns that are already buzzing, Dabral says, “There will always be a flurry of creative campaigns and it’s not about what others are doing. You have to understand the brand and then come up with a creative concept. Mauka is a good and creative campaign but India Ka Tyohaar is different and it will emerge as the testimony of all campaigns.”

     

    Sony will launch an interactive digital campaign to connect with youth on various social media platforms. The broadcaster is going to feature the 2015 edition of IPL in different languages and there will be a regional awareness initiative to promote the multilingual strategy.

     

    The anthem of the campaign has been composed by musical duo of Salim – Sulaiman, who hope to get everyone to dance to the anthem of Pepsi IPL 2015. “With Pepsi IPL that reflects the fervour of the nation and an idea as powerful as ‘India Ka Tyohaar’, we tried to create a song, which is very Indian in its spirit but yet has the sound of ‘The Now’. Once we had the lyrics we composed the tune and created a rhythm around it which is the beat of our folk music and festivals all across India. The song is infectious! We hope the audiences will celebrate the music and this festive spirit of the Pepsi IPL across the globe,” the duo said.

     

    When asked if composing music for a tournament of such high magnitude is different and difficult from feature films and music albums, Salim Merchant told Indiantelevision.com, “After composing Chak De nothing seems to be difficult anymore but it is indeed different. The tournament will be watched in each and every household and the audience is across age groups. While we ensured that the song pumps up, we also took care that the unifying factor, which is the USP of the campaign, is kept alive.”

     

    Stretching across a four-week period till the launch of the tournament, the Pepsi IPL 2015 campaign will have a complete 360 degree rollout across mass media. The communication will be seen by viewers across mediums like television, print, radio, digital, outdoor, on-ground, mobile and BTL.

  • Sony files copyright infringement case against ‘Badmashiyaan’; Delhi HC restraints release

    Sony files copyright infringement case against ‘Badmashiyaan’; Delhi HC restraints release

    MUMBAI: The Delhi High Court today has put on hold the release of the Bollywood film Badmashiyaan on a plea filed by Multi Screen Media (MSM), which is the Indian subsidiary of Sony Entertainment Television, alleging copyright infringement by the movie’s producers.

     

    Justice Indermeet Kaur has restrained the producers of the film from airing trailers of the movie, which according to MSM, is a copy of a Korean film titled Couples as well as its own production Mango, which is yet to be released.

     

    The court, in its interim ex-parte order, also issued notice to VRG Motion Pictures, which has produced the film as well as Sidus FNH Corporation, the producer and copyright owner of the Korean film, and has sought their replies by 22 May, 2015.

     

    MSM, in its petition has also sought damages of Rs 25 lakh from VRG for infringing its copyright. It has contended that rights to make a Hindi remake of Couples was obtained by co-producer Kaleidoscope Entertainment (KEPL) from Sidus FNH in March 2013. Thereafter, MSM and KEPL entered into a film production agreement, before commencement of production of the film, and “hence MSM is the first owner of copyright in and to the said film,” the petition claimed.

     

    Mango, was produced in 2013-2014 while its trailers were exhibited in February-March 2014. In January this year MSM and KEPL had come across trailers of Badmashiyaan on YouTube and found that the movie was an adaptation of the Korean movie as well as that of Mango.

     

    It was also alleged that the producer of Badmashiyaan copied the plot, treatment and screenplay of Couples as well as Mango. Badmashiyaan, starring Suzanna Mukherjee, Sharib Hashmi, Siddhant Gupta, Gunjan Malhotra and Karan Mehra, was slated for release on 27 February.

  • Sab launches new ad campaign showcasing digital divide

    Sab launches new ad campaign showcasing digital divide

    MUMBAI: Sab, a family entertainment channel from the Multi Screen Media (MSM) stable, has launched a new brand film as part of its #DigitalDividesSABUnites campaign. The brand film shows a very existing phenomenon faced and witnessed by families today, that of the digital world encroaching their personal lives but there is always some common thread that gets the family together.

     

    The satirical film shows a joint family living together where everyone is busy on some gadget or the other. In spite of all the family members being together there’s no conversation, everyone is focused on chatting on their phones, playing games, surfing the net or is listening to music with earphones plugged in. The film features the father of the family singing a song and narrating the grievance through it, at the end even after the commotion, everyone is still glued on to their device. This is when, he mentions latest update and character from Sab shows and everyone joins in to comment over it.

     

    Inference being, how Sab’s light hearted family centric shows entertain every member of the family and is one of the uniting factors amongst them all. The brand film accentuates Sab’s brand philosophy of ‘Asli Mazaa Sab Ke Saath Aata Hain’ by also concurrently urging people to stay together in harmony and savour life as one instead of the virtual space overpowering your personal one. 

     

    Sab senior EVP and business head Anooj Kapoor said, “Our film takes a light hearted dig at how the virtual world is beginning to overpower the real world which we inhabit. The fact that virtual world has made us individualistic and introverted in nicely contrasted with how SAB continues to makes us extroverted and re-enthuses us to bond with our family through fun and entertainment.”

     

    The media mix includes TV, DTH, cinema halls, digital and on-ground events. The channel has also launched a contest, which gives the audience an incentive to share unpleasant experiences as a result of imprudent usage of mobiles and social media during family and friends get-togethers.