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Tag: Navin Khemka

  • Navin Khemka to take over MediaCom South Asia as CEO

    Navin Khemka to take over MediaCom South Asia as CEO

    MUMBAI: Media agency MediaCom has appointed Navin Khemka as CEO of its South Asia operations effective 16 July 2018. Khemka takes on the role from Debraj Tripathy who will be leaving the organisation to explore new opportunities outside the group. He will be based in Delhi and report to the incoming GroupM South Asia CEs Sam Singh and Mediacom Asia Pacific CEO Mark Heap.

    Tripathy joined MediaCom in 2011 and under his leadership, MediaCom India has been among the fastest growing and most awarded agencies in South Asia. In recent years, MediaCom India was recognised among the top 10 agencies in the Gunn Media 100 Agency Report, named Agency of the Year at the Festival of Media Asia, and delivered many award-winning campaigns recognised as among the best in the world, including Ariel’s “Dads Share the Load”, Gillette’s “Bachelor of Shaving”, and Wrigley’s “Doublemint #Startsomethingfresh”.

    Khemka is currently the managing partner of North and East and new business development lead for the GroupM agency Wavemaker India. He has over 20 years’ experience, working with brands such as Perfetti Van Melle, Hero, Pernod Ricard, PayTM, Nokia, Samsung, Reckitt Benckiser etc. A MICA alumnus, Navin has played a stellar role in growing Maxus and later Wavemaker in New Delhi with his client-centric approach. He joined GroupM to lead the New Delhi branch of Maxus in 2014. He has previously worked in Zenith Optimedia, Cheil and Mudra.

    With the dynamic media landscape in India, Khemka’s challenge will be to drive relevance and effective ROI for the agency’s brands, including several blue-chip clients.

    MediaCom is a member of WPP, the world’s largest marketing communications services group, and part of GroupM, WPP’s consolidated media investment management arm.

    WPP India country manager CVL Srinivas says, “WPP and GroupM are making many investments into areas that will further enhance our market-leading capabilities in India and South Asia. We are excited to see Navin take on this role. With his experience and energy, we are sure he will take MediaCom to even further heights by leveraging all that our group has to offer, for the benefit of our clients. Debraj has done a terrific job leading MediaCom. He has been a fantastic colleague and a very admired leader.”

    Heap adds, “The search for a new leader has been an exciting one as there is no shortage of strong talent in India. We considered many candidates from within and outside the group and unanimously knew that Navin was the choice. In Navin, we have a leader with stellar raw talent and a real thirst for growth, who can capitalise on the enabling assets of the MediaCom global network and the strength of GroupM and WPP India.”

    MediaCom is one of the world’s leading media communications specialists, with billings of US$33 billion employing 7,000 people in 125 offices across 100 countries. Its global client roster includes Dell, Coca-Cola (TCCC), Mars, NBC Universal, P&G, PSA, Sony, Shell and Richemont.

  • Essel registers various entities, rebel league to unfold soon?

    Essel registers various entities, rebel league to unfold soon?

    MUMBAI: Gone are the days when cricket was played between 22 players, officiated by two umpires on a lush green cricket field. The sport is way bigger now and involves entities galore. An increase in the number of television channels changed the entire playing field and slowly but surely the game emerged as a million dollar pie that everyone wanted their fingers in.

     

    While Star India has the broadcasting rights of Indian cricket, it is also a strong contender to acquire the telecast rights to the Indian Premier League (IPL) when it is up for grabs in 2017. On the other hand, Multi Screen Media, which currently is the official broadcaster of the IPL, will try every possible trick in the trade to keep the goose that lays golden eggs to itself. 

     

    However, cricket is not a one on one battle anymore. Dr. Subhash Chandra founder of Essel Group and the father figure in Indian television industry has also evinced his interest in cricket and hinted towards establishing a new cricketing entity, which makes cricket a triple threat battle.

     

    Essel Group has reportedly registered various companies in different countries and also established a domain called www.worldcricketcouncil.co.in, which supposedly is a rebel entity of the International Cricket Council (ICC). 

     

    A detailed report in The Guardian reveals that “the domain names registered by the Essel Group including worldcricketcouncil.co.in and cricketassociationofengland.co.in and that their origins have all been traced back to a Ten Sports employee-senior IT manager Deepak Srivastava.”

     

    The group speculatively approached heavyweight players like Micheal Clarke, Ross Taylor and Correy Anderson. Not surprisingly, the developments have irked ICC officials and this was a prime point of discussion when they met for a board meeting in Dubai. The ICC has voiced its concern on the developments and declared investigation against rebel registrations. Apart from company registrations, ICC is said to have begun investigating the registration of website domain –worldcricketcouncil.co.in by an employee of Ten Sports. Moreover, there is growing concern within the ICC about the formation of a rebel world cricket body. 

     

    “In fact, Cricket Australia was the first to bring to notice these fishy proceedings when they objected to the registration of a new company – Australia Cricket Control Limited, late last year. Other company names bearing resemblances to New Zealand Cricket, Cricket Scotland and website domains similar to that of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have been registered since then,” ICC said in a bulletin.

     

    When questioned about the developments, Ten Sports – the sports venture of Essel Group – CEO Rajesh Sethi tells Indiantelevision.com, “First things first, there is no new league coming up. We need to get that clear. We as a group (Essel Group) keep exploring new territories and our research signifies sport as one of the interesting areas. And while we speak of sports, football and cricket certainly hold the pole position. So it’s just something that we have been doing since a long time and there is nothing new. It’s immature to call it a league at this stage.”

     

    According to a cricket expert, a new global cricketing entity, if established properly, will certainly impact the pitch of IPL, which is the largest source of income for the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) and that can be one of the prime motive behind Dr. Chandra’s aggressive push for cricket. “Essel Group in the past also made various efforts to challenge fast growing BCCI and Indian Cricket League is one of them, which ignited the thoughts of a tournament like IPL. Chandra’s vision cannot be questioned. However, on the other hand BCCI won’t make life easy for him as we witnessed during the ICL days. Essel Group has tasted failure once and this time they are certainly aware of what can go wrong or where the risk lies so this time it won’t be that easy to put them down. Overall it will be a worthy scenario to witness,” the expert opined.

     

    The year 2014 saw the emergence of numerous sporting leagues, which are all directly dependent on advertisements and sponsorship. In a scenario like this, the biggest question that arises is whether there is enough room to accommodate Dr Chandra’s second innings in cricket.

     

    Sharing his viewpoint of how advertisers would react to a development like this and if brands would like to associate themselves with a rebel entity, Maxus managing partner head of the north and east regions Navin Khemka says, “Well, whether the league is rebel or pro has no impact on advertisers. Promoters want a platform that can ensure exuberant reach and that will only come if you have competitive matches and quality players. The way the sporting calendar is currently shaped, I don’t see room for one more cricket league because it will be very tough to find a slot where key players are available.”

     

    Another senior executive from the media planning fraternity adds, “A new cricket league will find it extremely difficult to fit into the current competitive scenario and advertisers, who want cricket as platform will go for the likes of IPL, Champions League, T20 World Cup and other available flagship cricket tournaments. If a brand wants to explore beyond cricket, then there are many other emerging leagues that are promising enough. In my opinion, unless it has something new and exclusive to offer, one more cricket league will find it difficult to make a mark on advertisers.”      

         

    No doubt that the entire sports fraternity will be keenly focused on what unfolds from the Essel Group stable over time and whether Chandra succeeds in making a substantial mark in his second innings. 

  • India Vs Pakistan: A match ‘Not to be missed’

    India Vs Pakistan: A match ‘Not to be missed’

    MUMBAI: Whether it is Kashmir, Baluchistan, football, hockey or cricket; India vs Pakistan is always big news. This time the battlefield is the Adelaide Oval in Australia and war is ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.

     

    The war of bat and ball, of mental strength and temperament, will start at 9.00 am Indian Standard Time (IST) with the national anthems of the respective countries followed by 100 overs of nail biting cricketing action. It will be pride for some and agony for others, but whatever the result may be, it will end with handshakes and hugs. That’s what makes this battle so exciting and one of the most watched rivalries in sports history.  

     

    Commenting on the magnitude of India vs Pakistan match, Colors CEO Raj Nayak said, “It’s indeed a big match and I will obviously cheer for India. But we have to understand the fact that it’s just a match and the team that plays better cricket will win. The timing is very good and hence I will obviously watch the match.”

     

    Multi Screen Media president Rohit Gupta opined, “Though I don’t get to follow the 50 overs format, I will certainly try to watch the India – Pakistan bout. My support is always with India but may the best team win.”

     

    “India vs Pakistan is a big match and it’s great that India is starting their campaign against Pakistan. It will decide the tone of the tournament and build immense interest in the country,” added NDTV executive vice-chairperson K. V. L. Narayan Rao.

     

    Madison Communications COO Kartik Lakshminarayan said, “I am surely going to watch the match and have already made my plans. Around 150 of us will book a place and watch the match live. It is indeed a time to celebrate and obviously India’s victory is what we will be cheering for.”

     

    Maxus managing partner head of the north and east regions, Navin Khemka asserted, “It’s a big day for India, and I would say it’s a super Sunday. The match starts at 9.30 in the morning and it can’t be any better. And as an advertiser I must say this match is very important in context to the tournament. Fans and spectators in India will be looking forward to this match and a good start here can make the tournament a very special one.”

     

    Hats Off Productions founder J D Majhetia said, “India – Pakistan match is a never miss game for me, since the time I started understanding cricket I don’t think I have missed an Indo – Pak match. Last time I flew to Chandigarh with my family when the two teams met in the semifinal of 2011 edition. This time we are planning a mass gathering in one of the studios. I have already announced that there will be no shoots on 15 February because of the match.”

     

    The match is also big in terms of commercial aspect. If sources are to be believed then Star, the official broadcaster of World Cup in India, has hiked its ad rate by around 200 per cent for the India – Pakistan match. However, if an advertiser wants to buy a slot only for this particular match, then the hike is around 350 to 400 per cent. During a normal league match, the ad rate fluctuates between Rs 5 to 10 lakh for a 10 second spot depending on the magnitude of the match. For the India vs Pakistan match, Star is selling a slot for Rs 20 to 25 lakh.

     

    Any cricket lover would not like to miss a single minute of a match of such substance. And this season there are a number of options for a cricket fan to catch the action.

     

    Television: One can sit with a hot cup of tea and breakfast in front of the TV and enjoy every moment of the match. Star has already roped in a number of innovations to make the broadcasting a worthy treat. One can opt for high quality pictures by tuning to HD channels. Amitabh Bachchan will also be there as a commentator to entertain viewers in Hindi. Panel of experts and legends of the game will be in the commentary box to bring detailed analysis of the live action. Additionally, as a never before treat, Star gives viewer choices of opting for regional languages too. But what if one is not subscribed to Star? Not to worry, thank to the Supreme Court of India, DD will telecast the India vs Pakistan match and will be available on cable and DTH platforms.

     

    But what if one has to travel? Will he or she have to miss the match? That brings the digital platforms in the game.

     

    Starsports.com: Gone are the days when television was the only source of audio visual entertainment. One can log in to starsports.com and catch ball by ball action live. Star India’s sports VOD platform will stream all the World Cup matches live and India vs Pakistan is certainly one of them.

     

    But India is a country with a lot of VOD platforms and less bandwidth, 3G is expensive and can take a hefty chunk out of one’s pocket. In case a user does not have access to 3G services to stream the matches live, there are various apps available that can give updates about the match.

     

    Cricbuzz: Times Internet’s sports venture Cricbuzz gives the opportunity to relive the nostalgia. One can opt for audio commentary through that app and it works fine in 2G too. It is quite similar to how radio is, one can plug in earphones and enjoy the audio commentary.

     

    EspnCricinfo: The cricket dedicated app does ball by ball text commentary, updates scores and statistics. The app also enables the opportunity to tune into pre match and post match video analysis.

     

    ICC Cricket World Cup App: The Official ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 app for the first time one can access to live scores, in-match clips, fixtures, exclusive videos, real-time statistical updates and more – all in the palm of their hand.

     

    Besides these apps, one can also log in to any news website to know the score of the match.

     

    This world cup International Cricket Council (ICC) gives fans exclusive opportunity to connect with the marquee tournament. One can easily become a commentator or expert and share their views and opinions in the social media platforms through the following mediums:

     

    Facebook: www.facebook.com/ICC & www.facebook.com/CricketWorldCup 

    Twitter: www.twitter.com/ICC & www.twitter.com/CricketWorldCup 

    Instagram: www.instagram.com/ICC & www.instagram.com/CricketWorldCup 

    Google+: www.google.com/+ICC & www.google.com/+CricketWorldCup

    YouTube: www.youtube.com/ICC       

  • Star upbeat about World Cup

    Star upbeat about World Cup

    MUMBAI: Not long back television was the only source of audio visual entertainment, and for Indians the biggest entertainment was the Cricket World Cup. After the 1983 World Cup victory of Kapil Dev led India in Lords finale, cricket became bigger than a sport; it established itself as a religion. A religion that follows no narrow fragmentation or communal barriers. A six from the bat of Indian batsman was cheered by all, close moments saw prayers to respective God’s in different ways but for one unified reason. Victory got smile, defeat resulted in agony.

     

    Cricket World Cup is indeed a festival of unity in India celebrated throughout the country. With development and growth in the number of television sets in the country, it became a key medium to connect with the mass and World Cup emerged as the biggest event in the second largest populous country of the world.

     

    India is one the largest market and the conversion ratio of advertisements to sale is also maximum in this country and hence during Cricket World Cup creative and captivating advertisements are launched by big brands to enhance their reach. Subsequently the broadcaster charges huge amount for a 10 second slot. 

     

    Reportedly during 2011 Cricket World Cup ad rates reached new heights, India’s tryst with Sri Lanka in the Cricket World Cup final set new record for rates of television ad spots. Official broadcaster ESPN Star Sports (ESS) charged Rs 23-24 lakh for a 10-second slot from last-minute advertisers whereas during league matches it was Rs 3.5 – 4 lakh. The Indo – Pak semi finals cost advertisers Rs 18 lakh for a 10 second slot.

     

    The biggest cricketing extravaganza is knocking at the door and ad inventory is filling fast, but there are a lot of issues to be debated before investing for the event. 

     

    Cricket in India has reached an abysmal low with Supreme Court intervening to restore the integrity of the sport. Several players’ name also came under scrutiny and no clear verdict was sentenced, so the honesty of players is also a matter of concern for the fans. World Cup 2015 will be played in Australia and New Zealand and would be extremely difficult for Indian viewers to restrict themselves to television due to odd timings. Moreover heartthrob of billion Indians and the God of cricket – Sachin Tendulkar – will not be playing this edition of the World Cup. Investors can play safe by investing on IPL, which will start days after World Cup and hence the commercial value of the tournament is ought to be questioned. 

     

    Commenting about the commercial interest of the World Cup, Madison Media COO Karthik Lakshminarayan says, “Various factors like current performance of team India, odd timings, upcoming IPL and the fact that it is the end of a financial year the commercial preparation of the event may take a back step. But World Cup still is an important event and if India performs well things may change dramatically.”

     

    Maxus head of the north and east regions Navin Khemka is of a different opinion. “All I can say is that despite all the challenges World Cup is the marquee event in cricket. This World Cup is also seeing the emergence of new advertisers who are traditionally not big, but are emerging on cricket. Earlier we would have a sense of key categories who will dominate the game. That is changing; it shows the aspirations of a new India taking shape to be a part of the biggest sporting event,” he says. 

     

    Announcing the initiatives, Star India COO Sanjay Gupta had earlier said, “The World Cup is the biggest event for Indian consumers. The last edition was watched by 90 per cent of TV viewers in the country, making it the largest aggregation of consumers possible. With India as the defending champions, the whole country is set to follow the team’s defence of its title in Australia and New Zealand and we, at Star, plan to make this World Cup, a ‘Cup for All’. We will introduce many firsts and innovations in sports broadcasting to take the great game of cricket to the next level and provide an unprecedented viewing experience to the millions of cricket fans in India.”

     

    The broadcaster has already announced Amitabh Bachchan’s entry as a commentator. Moreover this edition of the tournament will be telecast in regional languages, which opens the door for regional advertisers to air their commercials. First time brands like Nestle, Marico,Yepme.com, Paytm, Raymonds, Pidilite, Lloyd have joined the usual cricket partners.

     

    As per sources, Star is selling a 10 second ad slot for more than Rs 4 lakh and the ad inventory consists of over 40 sponsors from various fields.

     

    Ad rates during such marquee event floats with progress, as cricket is a game of uncertainty. And if India starts performing well the ad rates will also reach new heights. It remains to be seen if the tournament manages to retain its charisma and develops as a big thing in cricket crazy nation.     

  • Looking for a digital high

    Looking for a digital high

    MUMBAI: With the number of netizens increasing day by day in the country, for a brand to create conversation with the target audience on the digital platform has become an utmost priority.

     

    And following this mantra are English movie and entertainment channels, who are eagerly trying to tap into the virtual space, where their target audience spends most of the time.

     

    According to Zee Studio and Zee Café content and marketing head Sharlton Menezes social media enables channels to create relationships with their viewers and at the same time raise awareness around their offerings. “It also makes us more accessible to viewers for feedback and queries they may have,” he says.

    Agreeing with the point, Pix VP marketing Neville Bastawalla adds, “Great programming for digital is key which will provide great entertainment, which will in return drive great organic engagement.”

     

    For another prominent player in the fragmented space, HBO,  a major reason for encouraging digital engagement is to have their ‘ear on the ground’, so they get a pulse of what the audience likes, dislikes, expects, accepts and rejects. “The higher the interaction with the audience on a specific film, the greater the probability of this involvement being translated into tune-ins for that film,” feels HBO India South Asia managing director Monica Tata.

     

    English movie channels have a legion of followers on social media. On Facebook for example, Star Movies has 3,877884 likes, Pix has 21,68,570, HBO has 34,17,539, Zee Studio has 14,55,263 while Movies Now has  4,421,487 likes. On twitter, Pix has 49.2 K followers, Movies Now has 133 K, Zee Studio has 63. 4 K , Star Movies has 96.7 K while HBO India has 55.4 K followers.

     

    Social media has been a pivotal stage ahead of movie premieres and campaigns for the channels. For instance, Movies Now’s second season of 100 Mania campaign, starting 7 December, will see viewers stand a chance to win prizes like cars, international holidays, iPhone among others by only giving a missed call on the number flashed during 9 pm movie. The 100 Mania season one witnessed an increase in channel viewership and phenomenal viewer participation. The channel saw 25 per cent increase in the GVTs and close to one million missed calls. In addition to that, over 50,000 fans were added to the Facebook page of the channel and the number of Twitter followers shot up from 31,000 to 100,000 in a period of 100 days, claims the channel.

     
    Similarly, Pix’s recently launched campaign ‘Pix School of Bonding’ initiates a live chat between the face of the campaign, Sania Mirza and the fans.  The channel has a micro property called Notty Pixy, who is a gossip reporter and provides hollywood news first in India on the social media.

     

    HBO, this year, launched a digital campaign #SteelTheDay, for the movie ‘Man of Steel.’  The buzz started with the famous line ‘It’s a bird, it’s a plan…It’s Superman’, with supported creative’s.  Through this campaign, the channel was able to reach three lakh fans generating approximately two lakh interactions on Facebook. On Twitter, within five hours, #SteelTheDay campaign reached 50K accounts generating one lakh plus tweet impressions at an interaction rate of 25 tweets/minute.

     

    Zee Studio, which refreshed the brand this year, had  a digital activation running for 15 days starting 3 October where the channel hosted a ‘See it All’ contest on Twitter for its viewers to tune-in to the 9 pm movie and win goodies through contests.

     

    While some of the online content is managed by the in-house teams of the channels, digital agencies are also hired to take it a notch up. HBO’s social media pages are handled by the digital agency OMLogic, who has been working with them since the past five years. Zee café and Zee Studios digital pages are manned by Interactive Avenues, who have been with the channel for the last two years while Tonic Media handles Pix.

     

    The channels claim strong and continuous posts and interactions help them drive strong engagement rate. Bastawalla claims they currently have a 12 per cent engagement rate on social media versus the nearest rival which has a five per cent engagement rate.  On the other hand, Tata quoting Sprout Social report from 1 January to 21 September 2014 says that HBO has an engagement rate of 100 per cent. She further says, “As per the Klout report, HBO India has the most influential Twitter account among all the competitors.”

     

    According to Maxus managing partner north and east region Navin Khemka, the matrix is changing as brands today are willing to associate with properties which have a high digital success rate. “Even if a channel is not getting the ratings, but has a high digital engagement rate, the brands are willing to ignore the ratings and continue as partners. So the matrix for evaluation from a brands point of view is also changing,” he concludes.

  • Will ‘Everest’ be able to climb the peak?

    Will ‘Everest’ be able to climb the peak?

    MUMBAI: It all began nearly two years ago, when the numero uno channel Star Plus started brainstorming to develop a content which can break the clutter and should help in taking television to the next level.

    To do so, it joined hands with one of the finest filmmakers – Ashutosh Gowariker to produce a series set against an extraordinary background of the magnificent Mount Everest.

    Produced under Ashutosh Gowariker Productions Private Limited (AGPPL) banner, the show – ‘Everest’ is in line with the GEC’s strategy of offering innovative and differentiated content. It has been conceptualised, shot and presented on a scale never seen before on TV.

    The channel re-defined television when it brought a talk show that spoke about social issues in Satyamev Jayate (SMJ) in 2012, and 2013 saw its mythological series Mahabharat. According to Star Plus general manager Gaurav Banerjee, ‘Everest’ is the next step.

    With the first episode telecast on 3 November, indiantelevision.com spoke to people from the industry to know their views on the concept of the show and whether it will re-define television the way shows like SMJ and Mahabharat did in their respective genres.

    According to Havas Media managing director Mohit Joshi believes that Star has taken the right step by going youth with shows like Airlines and now Everest. For Joshi everyone wants to cater to the youth today and traditional housewives’ viewership is not going to be something on which it can sustain for coming years.

    “With the new age viewers being the way they are, I think it is very important to engage with them in multiple test parts and that is what Star is doing through the show. Audiences today are looking for content, doesn’t matter if Star is delivering it or MTV.  With mobile phones in their hands, it only takes a minute for them to switch between devices. So if you give them promising content to watch, you are the king.”

    Agreeing with Joshi, Maxus managing partner north and east region Navin Khemka believes that right from the production quality to the look and the feel, the show seems extremely well done. He further goes on to say that as more and more such programmes launch, the ratings increase, acceptability increases and the channels will be left with no choice but to increase the production quality level and engagement level with the viewers.

    Penned for about 110 episodes, almost 90 per cent of the shoot was canned before the telecast of the show in locations like Mount Everest, Jodhpur, NIM and Mumbai. It has also used a lot of heavy technical equipments like GoPro cameras, 4K technology and a lot more.

    Joshi feels the concept is enterprising and coming from the AG portfolio with big names, it will be able to garner decent amount of visibility. However, he further reasons that overall the viewership has gone for a toss. “The overall fragmentation has led to a lot of drop as far as viewership is concerned which is why all the shows are not performing at the level they used to perform a couple of years ago,” he says.

    He cites an example of SMJ and says that nowadays numbers are not important, but content and the traction from social media buzz plays a major role. “Like for SMJ, more than the numbers it was social media buzz that showed that the program was a hit.” Joshi feels the way SMJ is activating all the social media platforms on television, the channel has done for Everest as well. At present, on Facebook, SMJ has six million likes and Everest has more than 2,000 likes.

    Khemka states that Star has always been a leader in terms of content they provide to the viewers. He presents the example of shows which airs on sister English GEC Star World such as Homeland which is at par with any Hollywood movie. “A similar transition will happen in India. And as more and more channels started investing in content which is of the standard of Everest and as viewers gradually start accepting it, channels will have no option but to change their programming content,” he narrates.

    The series is presented by Fair and Lovely and co-powered by Godrej Ezee while Vinod Cookware has signed up as an associate sponsor. Joshi is confident that the channel should be able to get good mileage from the advertisers’ side too.

    Talking about the ad-rate per 10-second slot, Madhok earlier revealed that the cost of the show is significantly more expensive than anything else on the channel. “As sponsors have demonstrated, this is top quality television produced by an iconic filmmaker so people are happy to be associated and pay the premium required,” he said.