ITV

Tag: music

  • Dish TV adds B4U on its platform

    Dish TV adds B4U on its platform

    MUMBAI: Music channel B4U will now be available on Dish TV in all packs that the DTH platform offers.

     

    With this move the music channel aims to strengthen its position in the entertainment world.

     

    The channel’s CFO Sandeep Gupta said, “We are extremely excited to get access on the Dish DTH platform which has more than 11 million active subscriber base. This will facilitate the music loving Indian audience with more choice to entertain themselves. The demand for Indian music across the world has been encouraging us to offer our content through various mediums so that they can entertain themselves with their own choice.”

     

    With a rich film and varied music library, B4U is a strong platform for Bollywood film soundtracks and latest blockbusters to classic old time movie’s which is now contentedly accessible for all the Bollywood music and old classic movie lovers.  

     

    B4U music channel will be available on channel number 668 while B4U movie channel will be available on channel number 207.

  • Life OK to reward good content through ‘Life OK Now Awards’

    Life OK to reward good content through ‘Life OK Now Awards’

    Updated: 09:50 PM

     

    MUMBAI: In the age of instant noodles and even instant sex, why should entertainers from the world of music, television and films wait for as long as a year or even six months for their 15 seconds of fame? It was this thought that led to the conceptualization of the ‘Life OK Now Awards’, a partnership between Star Plus’ sister channel, Life OK, and BIG Productions.

     

    Billed as the country’s first instant awards celebrating excellence in the field of film, television and music, they will be held every month, with the first edition scheduled for 31 May and film star Akshay Kumar roped in as its face. According to Life OK general manager Ajit Thakur, “In the events space, we went ahead and did the Screen Awards, which we are quite happy about, but we always thought of them as a product that we got and took to the next level. By contrast, this initiative is our own innovation.”

     

    Further explaining the thought behind the awards, Thakur said, “It’s not that Bollywood releases movies only three or four times a year. It’s the same like television; we keep launching shows every now and then and the same goes for music. So this is where the whole insight came from that if there is so much excellent work happening week after week and month after month, why should the celebration, rewards and coming together happen only once or twice a year? That was the basic premise on which we worked with Big Productions and turned the whole thing on its head.”

     

    The ‘Life OK Now Awards’ have been conceptualized by Life OK and will be produced by Big Productions along with 92.7 BIG FM as radio partner.

     

    Thakur recalled that when RBNL CEO Tarun Katial and he met a month ago to discuss something interesting, they never imagined that 30 days of thinking would get such a WOW reaction from the industry. With Life OK planning to get at least six sponsors for the awards and huge amounts of money required every month, are clients ready for this? “We have been pitching it only for the last 15 days because the earlier 15 days went into finalizing the idea. We have four-five powered by and associate sponsors. We are in the middle of locking the main sponsor,” said Thakur.

    The channel has got wild stone as it’s powered by sponsor. Though Life OK officials chose to remain tight lipped about financial details of the show, an industry source revealed that the channel is expecting close to anywhere between Rs 80,000 to Rs 100,000 per 10 seconds slot.

    The ‘Now’ awards encompass film, music and TV, and are not restricted to television alone. “It is not a television award show at all. It is primarily a Bollywood show and will happen every month unless we feel that there is a particular month in the year where there are not enough film releases. We may skip say July while during Diwali, we may do something much better depending on the scale of releases,” said Thakur.

     
    This month’s shoot will be shot on 21 May at Reliance Studio and will telecast on 31 May at 8 pm. Significantly, these awards will see no involvement of the jury save for short-listing movies. Even the Life OK shows that will be chosen will be purely on the basis of ratings. While seven categories will remain constant from month to month, Life OK plans to introduce newer categories every month, depending on the film releases during that month. For the first edition of the awards, voting will go live from 15 May.

     

    There will be categories like best actor (male and female), best movie, best picturised song and Life OK hero of the month and many more. Each subsequent edition of the awards will have a different face. “It is a great platform for these actors to promote their movies. Otherwise, they only get to promote their films on reality shows. This way, every month, they will have a platform to promote their films and even the music,” said Big Productions business head Rajesh Chadha.

     

    Speaking of movies nominated for the ‘Now’ awards, would ‘B’ and ‘C’ grade films qualify? “Television is a mass platform. We also want to promote experimental content. I don’t categorize films as ‘B’ or ‘C’ grade but each film which has got noticed by the audience will be taken into consideration. Remember, small films need all such platforms as compared to big films in terms of budget,” said Thakur.

     

    Wouldn’t there be a saturation point with so many awards flooding the market? “Depends on how you see it. If you look at celebration of good content, talking, showcasing, presenting good content and interacting with your favorite stars; I don’t think there is any problem then. Look at the content on your channel and look at the content on your online platform, look at the content in the extension of the newspapers, every day, there is content around Bollywood, television and music,” said Thakur. “I don’t think there will be saturation. Today, supplements are growing thicker by the day because people want to know about things. For me, if there is so much content and so much curiosity and so much engagement with respect to entertainment, then why would you postpone the celebration, rewards and recognition? Many people work hard to make one film and by January next year, with 500 films, the smaller films get lost. I don’t think there is any saturation.”

     

    Regarding the association with BIG FM, Thakur said, “I think the 45 stations are great to take the message across. They are our only media coverage; we have not roped in any other media partner.”

     

    Are the ‘Now’ awards just an experiment? “We don’t give up easily on something which we are quite excited about. We are not going to give up on the experiment for sure.  But I also think it is not going to be an overnight success, so we have to be different in every way. It will take time for us to build it but we will be on it,” said Thakur. “Both the industry feedback and advertisers’ feedback has been excellent. People have come and told us they want to sponsor from July to October.”

     

    Starting with the first edition, every installment will be shot around the middle of the month and telecast over the last weekend of the month. Viewers can avail exclusive content by giving a missed call on 1800 270 8701 or downloading the Life OK Now Awards app from the Android Store or Google Play or by logging into www.lifeok.com/NowAwards. 

  • Creative Abby Awards expands branded content & entertainment vertical

    Creative Abby Awards expands branded content & entertainment vertical

    MUMBAI: This year the Abby Award has added new verticals as well as sub-categories to become truly the complete Communications Award that it has always wanted to be.

     

    Last year Abby Awards added Branded Content and Entertainment as a new vertical with 8 sub-categories. This category attracts those projects which involve natural integration into original content by a brand. Typically here entrants can show how a brand has independently or in association with a content producer or broadcaster/publisher has created or co-created entertaining and engaging content for their audience. This can cover original content or programming for a brand by natural integration of a brand into existing formats by partnering with a publisher or media partner.

     

    Branded content integration goes beyond television and includes web, radio, print, music, user generated video, social, blogs, experiential events etc.

     

    This year more sub-categories have been added to bring this vertical on par with international festivals.

     

    Who can enter?

     

    Creative agencies who may have partnered with content producers or publishers, media agencies ,content producers who have produced the content, broadcasters who may have pioneered the concept, publishers who have worked closely with creative or media companies or even clients who may have led the initiative.

     

    What kind of work can be entered?

     

    The intelligent extension of a brand’s theme or position into the content, projects that enhance a brand’s position by integrating with content in different media or events, use of innovation in the integration.

     

    What is the material to be entered?

     

    A presentation board which is at the end of Entry Form and a 2 min audio visual that explains and gives excerpts of the entry has to be entered on DVD along with a presentation board for evaluation by the jury.

  • Hathway launches 151 SD and 4 HD channels

    Hathway launches 151 SD and 4 HD channels

    MUMBAI: Hathway Cable & Datacom is doing all that is needed to enhance consumer experience. The multi system operator (MSO) has announced the launch of 151 additional Standard Definition (SD) channels and four new High Definition (HD) channels to their existing cable TV distribution network in Bengaluru and Mysore.

     

    With this, the number of channels now offered by Hathway is 442 including 31 HD channels. “Hathway now has the largest bouquet of SD and HD channels in Bengaluru and Mysore and covers the entire spectrum of south Indian channels (both paid and free to air),” says the statement released by the MSO.

     

    The MSO in order to enhance the regional flavour now also has a line-up of Kannada channels.  “We are the only MSO in Bengaluru to offer key regional TV channels in HD and now have 31 HD channels, which is the largest HD portfolio in Bengaluru,” reveals the release.   

     

    That apart, Hathway has also introduced its new HD digital set top box, which will deliver high quality HD video with Dolby Sound technology thereby enhancing the television viewing experience for its subscribers in Bengaluru and Mysore.

     

     “This is the single largest channel expansion in the country; more than 150 additional TV channel expansion at one go is unprecedented in India,” said Hathway Cable & Datacom MD & CEO Jagdish Kumar.  

     

    “We are the largest provider of digital TV services in Bengaluru and Mysore, thanks to the quality of our services and now with this channel expansion, we are in a position to cater to the diverse viewership demands of our subscribers in Bengaluru and Mysore,” he added.  

     

     This channel offering will be available to Hathway subscribers in Bengaluru, Bengaluru Rural and Mysore. Hathway is expanding to other cities in Karnataka and has already started services in various cities of North Karnataka.

     

    With on-going digitisation of the Indian cable television industry, “Hathway is committed to bringing compelling content to its consumers in India.”

     

    The MSO has launched Hathway – CCC, Hathway Entertainment and Hathway Movies. In addition to these, it will soon launch many more channels covering genres like general entertainment, kids, music, regional movies, lifestyle and adventure.

  • Genesis Burson-Marsteller launches Step Up

    Genesis Burson-Marsteller launches Step Up

    MUMBAI: Genesis Burson-Marsteller has launched a new initiative, Step Up, catering exclusively to the communication needs of the two most important stakeholders of the entrepreneurial ecosystem: the start-ups and investor networks.

     

    Designed to provide affordable and relevant service offerings spanning traditional as well as new digital formats, Step Up, helps young companies and SMBs take the next leap in their journey to success, by not only narrating their story creatively but also by communicating on what impacts their business.

     

    Commenting on the launch, Genesis Burson-Marsteller principal and founder Prema Sagar said, “Step Up is our endeavour to go back to our roots. We know, feel and understand the challenges having been a start-up ourselves, 22 years back. With Step Up, we have already begun to partner with new and upcoming brands in their journey so as to take it to the next big thing. What differentiates Step Up from the rest is our strong understanding of the ecosystem and the changing media scape, the right talent and the ability to provide affordable services.”

     

    The new initiative offers customised services from branding and partnerships to media engagement. The offering to start-ups have been created keeping in mind various challenges faced by early-stage ventures. These offerings aim to develop and device a compelling and effective communication strategy to narrate the story of the ventures in the most innnovative manner.  

     

    Genesis Burson-Marsteller public relations president Nikhil Day said, “We are delighted by the creativity of our young colleagues to have come up with the idea, presented the strategy to the India Management Team, developed the proposition and already won their first client!. Our firm has, from the very beginning, encouraged entrepreneurship – it is for our people to take the initiative.  And Step Up is a great example.”

     

    The clients could be from Consumer (e.g. FMCG, beauty, sports, art, theatre, music, movies), Technology (e.g. products, services) Health and Wellness (e.g.pharma, services, ayurveda) and Corporate (e.g.financial, engineering, aviation).  Genesis Burson-Marsteller’s experience already exists for large companies, learnings from which will be applied for Step Up companies.

     

    Step Up India lead Atul Sharma added, “In the last few years, the Indian start-up environment has made a mark on the global entrepreneurial map by producing unique and globally relevant propositions. Being noticed by the right audience can make a great difference to a young company’s journey. This unique initiative by Genesis Burson-Marsteller, Step Up, aims at empowering these innovative start-ups to create a space for themselves in an otherwise cluttered market. We are looking to create the next ‘whatsapp’ story in India! ”

     

    Step Up is inspired by Genesis Burson-Marsteller and has the same gene pool of expertise and excellence but, it aspires to bring alive creative communication in a completely different genre of companies, which may have not enjoyed the benefits of experienced communications partners owing to their size.  

  • Times Internet launches Gaana Awards 2014

    Times Internet launches Gaana Awards 2014

    MUMBAI: The much-awaited  awards in the digital music platform is here. Times Internet presents the inaugural Gaana Awards which celebrates music, both Indian and international.

     

    Gaana.com, the largest online music broadcaster in the country which has a catalogue of 3 million songs across various languages, has announced the launch of the Gaana Music Awards 2014. The awards will be determined on the  basis of actual playouts & user consumption across  the digital platforms on Gaana. With over 2 billion minutes of music consumption & over  half a billion song playouts, Gaana is poised to declare the “actual music tastes and preferences of Indians globally.”

     

    The Gaana Music awards will have innovative and interesting award categories like Fastest-to-First Song and the Fastest Growing Music Label in the country. The other categories for which the awards would be presented are Most popular International song, Most popular Hindi song, Most popular Hindi album, Most popular regional song (Tamil and Kannada) and Most popular playback singer (Male and Female). It will honour both Indian and international music, another first in the industry.

     

    On this delightful occasion, Pawan Agarwal, Business Head, Gaana, said, “We are excited, as we launch these much anticipated awards. As a pioneering award in the digital music space, we hope, it will become much bigger in the coming years as the online consumption of music grows. We are extremely delighted to honour the best of the best in the Indian music fraternity.”

     

    On this delightful occasion, Pawan Agarwal, Business Head, Gaana, said, “We are excited to launch these much anticipated award in the digital music space. We hope it will become much bigger in the coming years as the online consumption of music grows. Also, we are extremely  delighted to honour the best of the best in the Indian music fraternity.”

     

     Awards will be promoted across TIL networks with a unique visitor base of more than 45 Million visitors per month.

     

     Gaana.com is India’s No. 1 music broadcasting service with 7.5 million active monthly users. Around 4.2 million apps are downloaded in less than a year. It has 3 million registered users and is growing with a content catalogue of over 3 million songs in more than 21 languages.

     

    TIL is the digital venture of  the Times of India Group which spans news, MVAS, E-Commerce, Music, Video and Location Based Services.

  • Amazon.in launches India’s largest selection for Video Games, Music and Luggage

    Amazon.in launches India’s largest selection for Video Games, Music and Luggage

    MUMBAI: Amazon.in today announced the launch of three new stores: Video Games, Music and Luggage & Bagson its marketplace, www.amazon.in. With the launch of these three new stores, Amazon.in now has  a wide selection across 18 product categories comprising of  over  900,000 products, more than 10 million books and over two million eBooks.  All three stores today offer India’slargest selection with thousands of products eligible for Amazon’s guaranteed next-day delivery service in several cities.

    “We are very pleased to offer our customers the largest selection of productsin the country in all of the three categories that we launched today. This is a reiteration of our commitment to relentlessly focus on building a place that customers in India can trust to find and discover virtually anything they want to buy online ,” said Amit Agarwal, VP and Country Manager for Amazon India.

    “We are also very excited to have been the partner of choice for both Sony DADCand Wildcraft and offer our customers a unique opportunity to be the first to own or gift the popular International catalogues of Warner Music and Wildcraft’s Back-To-School collection,” he added.

    Video Games store- the largest gaming products store in India on Amazon.in

    Amazon.in has launched its dedicatedVideo Games store with the largest selection in India consisting of more than 2600gaming products across gaming consoles& accessories and 2000+ games. Some of the bestselling titles available on the store are Grand Theft Auto 5, FIFA 14, and the latest gaming console – PlayStation 4.Consumers can purchase products from leading console brands such as Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo, as well as Gaming Studios such as Electronic Arts, Rockstar, Ubisoft and more on Amazon.in.

    Music store on Amazon.in –the largest store in India for physical music products

    Amazon.in’s new onlineMusic storehas the largest collection of physical music products across both online and offline stores in India, offering more than 400,000 albums from all leading national and international labels.

    Coinciding with the launch of the music store, Sony DADC, the physical licensee to legendary record label, Warner Music Group, has made available Warner Music Group’s international music catalogue on Amazon.inThe Warner Music repertoire is being re-launched in India after a hiatus of 8 monthsby Sony DADC and will be exclusively available on Amazon.in till 11thFebruary 2014. Consumers in India can now buy the most iconic albums and special box-sets of legends such as Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Doors & Pandit Ravi Shankar. Buyers would also have ready access to CDs from the most popular International bands in India including Iron Maiden, Linkin Park, Michael Learns to Rock & Coldplay; to current sensations such as Bruno Mars, David Guetta, Deadmou5 & Skrillex.

    Amazon.in’s intuitive search & browse experiencewill help customers easily discover titles from among  Original Sound Tracks (OSTs), Concert and song videos, Karaokes and Compilations. Consumers can also search via Genre (Film music, Classical, Devotional, Instrumental, Pop, Rock) and formats (Audio CD, MP3, Vinyl), to find their favoritealbums and make purchases.

    Luggage & Bags storeon Amazon.in

    Indian customers can now shop for luggage &bags in over 3500 styles spanning more than 50 brands, both Indian and international on Amazon.in’s new Luggage & Bags store. The store carries something for all ages, across price ranges and storage and travel needs. Travel enthusiasts can find products such as backpacks, messenger bags duffels, carry-ons, accessories and other luggage items across various sizes and colors. In addition, the store also offers the advantage of having access to bags in niche categories like sports & outdoors. Customers can find popular brands such as Samsonite, American Tourister, VIP, Skybags, Wenger, Victorinox,Wildcraft,Fastrack, Travel Blue and Rhysetta as well as some really differentiated names like Camelback, High Sierra, and many more.

    Amazon.in has worked with key brands, reputed sellers and in-house fashion editors to add interesting features like AmazonExclusive Styles, Fashion Trend stores and Frequent Flyer Collection ensuring that discovery from this vast collection is fun. Ability to walk through and select from the vast selection based on various parameters such as color and outer material, would help customers buy the right travel gear for themselves.

    Sellers for the three categories include GamesThe Shop, Planet M, Chroma Retail, Rhythm House, Pritam Music, Smart Buy Movies,WALLETSNBAGS, Godaam E-Commerceand TORTOISE among others.  

    Customers across several cities in India can also avail guaranteed next-day delivery at Rs. 99 per order on more than 135,000 items fulfilled by Amazon.

    Customers on www.amazon.in can shop with ease and confidence from over 900,000products, over 10 million books and over 2 million eBooks across 18 categories ranging from Books, Movies and TV shows; Kindle Devices, Tablets and eBooks; Computers & Accessories; Mobiles & Accessories; Cameras & Photography; Portable Media Players; TV & Home Entertainment; Toys & Games; Baby Products; Personal Care Appliances; Health Care Devices; Watches; Fashion Jewellery; Home and Kitchen; Beauty Products; Video Games; Music and Luggage & Bags.

    All customers benefit from a safe and secure ordering experience, convenient electronic payments, no-risk hassle-free returns policy, Amazon’s 24×7 customer service support, and a globally recognized and comprehensive 100% purchase protection provided by Amazon’s A-to-Z Guarantee.Furthermore, over 135000 plus products are available for next day delivery across eligible pin codes in several cities on Amazon.in

    Customers can also now shop on Amazon.in through its latest mobile shopping apps for iPhones, iPads and Android phones. They can use these apps to conveniently shop on the go just as easily as they do on their PC; they can browse & search for their favorite products, view recommendations & customer reviews, add to wish lists & cart and complete the purchase using all of the payment options available on the site and track the status of their orders. The Amazon mobile shopping App is available as a free download through Amazon Appstore: www.amazon.in/apps

     

  • 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.

  • 4th Gionne Star GiMA sees outstanding success

    4th Gionne Star GiMA sees outstanding success

    MUMBAI:  The 4th Gionee Star Global Indian Music Academy (GiMA) Awards powered by Reliance 3G unfolded this evening at NSCI Stadium, Worli. Initiated by Wizcraft International to applaud the finest achievements in the music Industry, GiMA has grown into an established dais that unites the biggest musical talents in the country onto a common stage.

     

     

    The ceremony hosted by Ranveer Singh featured some of the best performances by some of the finest stalwarts in the music industry as well as some of the brightest stars of Bollywood. Asha Bhosle’s also paid tribute to music legend R.D. Burman with her performance on some of his most iconic songs Mera Naam Shabnam, Dum Maro Dum, Gulabi Chehra, Duniya Mein and Aa Dekhe Zara among others.

     

    The evening also saw a spellbinding performance by Sonakshi Sinha who performed as last year’s ceremony as well. With an exciting segment hosted by the hit comedian Kapil Sharma and some electrifying performances by Mika and Honey Singh, the evening hit all the high notes.

     

    The love story Aashiqui 2 walked away with 6 GiMA awards leading in the film category. The prestigious Lifetime Achievement Honour was awarded to Asha Bhosle in the Popular category for her outstanding contribution to the music industry. Pt Ram Narayan, considered the finest sarangi exponent in the country and the man who made it a popular instrument was also awarded the Lifetime Achievement Honour – Classical.

     

    On winning Best Playback Singer Female, Shreya Ghosal said, “It’s very special when you win an award, it reminds you that there is so much work to do, so much more music to enthrall audiences, I am very proud to be a part of this industry. Aashiqui 2 has definitely been the flavor of the year.”

     

    The show also showcased a host of promising and upcoming artistes including Aditya Narayan, Shefali Alvares, Ankit Tiwari, Sreeram, Bhoomi, Aditi Singh Sharma, Siddharth Mahadevan and Nikhil Paul George come together in a very special act, rendering the chart busters of the year gone by. Usha Uthup also had a special performance singing a number of songs, most notably, Skyfall.

     

    The 4th edition of the Gionee Star GiMA Awards is presented by Gionee and Star TV and powered by Reliance 3G. Brand Partners for the event are Renault and the Videocon Group.

  • IMG Worldwide acquired by WME-Silver Lake for $2.3 bn

    IMG Worldwide acquired by WME-Silver Lake for $2.3 bn

    MUMBAI: The curtains have finally fallen on an acquisition which was in the news for quite some time now. Private investment firm Forstmann Little & Co has agreed to sell global sports, fashion and media business IMG Worldwide to US-based William Morris Endeavour  Entertainment (WME) and its stakeholder Silver Lake Partners at a price tag of around $2.3 billion.

     

    The final bidders CVC Capital and Chernin Entertainment and a consortium of ICM Partners and the Carlyle Group, bid less than $1.8 billion, thus losing out to WME.

     

    WME is a leading US-based entertainment and media company with an unparalleled client list of artists and content creators across film, television, music, literature, theatre and digital media and is led by co-CEOs Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell.

     

    It was formed by the 2009 merger of the William Morris Agency and Endeavor. The company has over 1,000 employees and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, with offices in New York, Nashville, London and Miami. Through its partner companies, including award-winning global creative agency Droga5, WME also provides clients with unique advertising, brand integration and marketing opportunities across traditional, social media, mobile and gaming platforms. Amongst the big names it represents figure: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Adam Sandler, Christopher Nolan, Lady Gaga, Oprah Winfrey and Seth MacFarlane.

     

    IMG on the other hand has 3,500 employees and tremendous strengths in the sports business – representation, marketing, production and distribution – apart from representing 500 athletes, models and entertainers as clients. Among the names figure: Gisele Bundchen, Novak Djokovic, Taylor Swift and Justin Timberlake.

     

    IMG owns IMG College, the leader in collegiate marketing, licensing and media rights  (it handles marketing and ticketing for 200 collegiate sports properties). It is slated to generate revenue of about $375 million and operating income of $75 million.

     

    The group has joint ventures like IMG Reliance, IMX, IMG CCTV and IMG Dolu in the emerging markets of India, Brazil, China and Turkey. Additionally, IMG Media is the world’s largest independent producer and distributor of sports programming. Its IMG Reliance joint venture promotes the All-India Football Federation.

     

    IMG Events and Federations owns and manages some of the most sought after events and includes long standing associations with the world’s most important sports organisations, leagues, and federations. IMG Fashion owns and operates fashion events around the world and IMG Models represents the world’s top models and leading designers. IMG Art+Commerce represents the most influential photographers, art directors and stylists.

     

    Silver Lake, on the other hand, is a global leader in private investments in technology and technology-enabled industries. The firm has offices in New York, Menlo Park, San Mateo, London, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tokyo and has approximately $20 billion in combined assets under management. The Silver Lake Partners portfolio includes or has included technology and technology-enabled industry leaders such as Alibaba, Allyes, Ameritrade, Avago, Business Objects, Dell, Flextronics, Gartner, Gerson Lehrman Group, Global Blue, Go Daddy, Instinet, Intelsat, Interactive Data Corporation, MCI, Mercury Payment Systems, MultiPlan, the NASDAQ OMX Group, NetScout, NXP, Sabre, Seagate Technology, Skype, Spreadtrum, SunGard Data Systems, UGS, Vantage Data Centers, Virtu and William Morris Endeavor.

     

    IMG was created by McCormack and golfer Arnold Palmer in 1960. Forstmann Little purchased it a year after McCormack died in 2003, and then Forstmann Little founder Theodore Forstmann died in 2011.

     

    With the acquisition of IMG Worlwide, WME has now leaped ahead of its once larger rival the Creative Artistes Agency.