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Tag: Network18

  • Network18 beefs up business news editorial set up

    Network18 beefs up business news editorial set up

    MUMBAI: It’s taking steps to strengthen its business news team. For starters, it has announced the appointment of Network18 long timer (currently president & editorial director TV18 Business Media) Senthil Chengalvarayan as the editor in chief of what it calls the Network18 Business Newsroom – comprising its market leading broadcast and digital news outlets in the business media space, CNBC-TV18, CNBC Awaaz, CNBC-TV18 Prime HD and Moneycontrol.com. The newsroom is slated to act as a common hub to ensure seamless broadcast and digital synergies from both a newsgathering and output perspective across these brands, which cumulatively attract over 40 million viewers and 15 million unique visitors on an average every month, says a company press release.

    In this new capacity, Senthil will be working closely with R. Jagannathan, editor-In-chief of Network18’s web and publishing stable which includes Moneycontrol.com, CNBC Awaaz editor in chief Sanjay Pugalia, CNBC Awaaz and the editorial leads at CNBC-TV18.

    The management has also pushed senior editors Menaka Doshi and Latha Venkatesh upstairs as executive editors. While Menaka will lead corporate reportage, law and associated areas, Latha Venkatesh will take charge of the banking and financial markets vertical.

    Women Power to the forefront at CNBCTV18: ( Left to Right) Latha Venkatesh, Shreen Bhan and Menka Doshi

     

    		  

    This follows managing editor Udayan Mukherjee’s decision to work with the group in an exclusive consultative capacity and the appointment of Shereen Bhan as his replacement.

    “As the country’s leading broadcast and digital player in business news, we are well-positioned to redefine the category in the context of a converging media landscape. The Network18 Business Newsroom is designed to capitalise on the deep engagement and trust our iconic brands enjoy. We are confident that the editorial leadership team under Senthil’s guidance will be able to craft a new paradigm in business media, ” said Network18 founder and editor Raghav Bahl in the press release making these announcements.

    “..As they (CNBC-TV18, CNBC Awaaz and Moneycontrol) propel ahead in their growth journey, it is imperative that we fuse their editorial strengths in a manner that enhances our offering further and the Network18 Business Newsroom fulfills this objective. In Senthil, Menaka and Latha, we have the most trusted voices in business journalism today and we believe that they will bring their deep expertise and insights to bear at the Newsroom,” added Network18 Group COO B. Sai Kumar.

    “I am a firm believer in the benefit that the Network18 Business Newsroom can unleash for our stellar editorial products. We pioneered business news on television and the web in India and the Newsroom is a natural extension of our successful journey,“ expounded Network18 Business Newsroom editor-in-chief Senthil Chengalvarayan. “I believe that it will achieve two critical objectives for us. It’ll ensure that each of our brands access the best editorial expertise across the Group while they continue to fulfill their distinct editorial propositions. And they’ll do so through a structure that capitalises on the new realities in the media landscape.”

    		    
       
  • CNBC TV18’s Udayan Mukherjee steps aside for Shereen Bhan

    CNBC TV18’s Udayan Mukherjee steps aside for Shereen Bhan

    MUMBAI: The news came as a shocker to many. After 15 years with the Network18 group and CNBC TV18, managing editor Udayan Mukherjee has decided to step aside from his full time role, giving way to executive editor Shereen Bhan, who will step into his shoes and manage the channel on a day to day basis from 1 September 2013.

    Udayan, who apart from working on the daily business news bulletin, anchors live market shows like Bazaar Morning Call and other daily and weekly shows like Corporate Radar and Taking Stock, will, however, continue to work with CNBC TV18 in an advisory and consultative capacity.

    A release issued by Network18 stated that Udayan “has been facing issues of professional exhaustion.”
    Udayan Mukherjee will continue to work exclusively with CNBCTV18 in a consultative capacity

    The reasons for his decision are entirely personal; Udayan pointed out that he wants to devote more time to other pursuits. And confirming the Network18 statement on his exhaustion Udayan said in the release: “..the responsibility of running the channel has become repetitive and I had a difficult time motivating myself to continue. At this stage of my life I need to devote more of my time to other personal passions and interests.I wish the new editorial leadership team the very best and will try, in my limited way, to contribute to its success.

    The senior Network18 management showered praise on Udayan even as he announced his decision. Network18 founder & editor Raghav Bahl and group CEO B. Sai Kumar both said that Udayan has ably led the team to many successes and has helped make CNBCTV18 a benchmark in business news. Said Bahl: “Shereen has all the skills and experience to take this mantle forward and we look forward to her leadership.” Added Sai Kumar: “In Shereen we entrust the task of leading CNBC-TV18 onto new levels of growth and leadership… look forward to his (Udayan’s) new role with us.”

    (Updated 10:42 pm, 10 July 2013)

    The Twitterverse was buzzing with tweets at the time of the announcement. Here’s some of them which were on the button and those which were not:

     

     

  • TAM-Broadcaster face-off: Media agencies give their perspective

    TAM-Broadcaster face-off: Media agencies give their perspective

    MUMBAI: The mighty fallout between broadcasters and TAM Media which has left the entire television and media fraternity in a tizzy, will take some time to be mended. While leading broadcasters including MSM, Star India, Viacom18, Zee TV and Network18 obviously think it is okay to unsubscribe from TAM‘s TV ratings service, some media agencies believe that such a sudden halt is not ideal, or rather unfair.

    As ZenithOptimedia managing partner Navin Khemka puts it: “There needs to be an industry metric, a consensus has to be reached. However, just stopping something, which has been in the industry for the past 14 years, is very abrupt and I don‘t agree with it. It could take four to five months to resolve all the issues and there can be a blackout until then. But at the end of everything, an amicable solution has to be reached.”

    A media planner on condition of anonymity said that not subscribing to TAM will not solve any problem. “I expect clients to continue using TAM data. The system is not perfect but there is no alternative. You need some measurement in place. Media buying cannot be done only on the basis of perception.”

    On the contrary, Big CBS business head Anand Chakravarthy says that the company has not yet taken a decision on whether or not to continue with TAM. “We have had issues with data. We have noticed vagaries and we raised it with TAM in the past.”

    He further adds: The issues with data are obvious. A change is needed. It is good that the large broadcasters have noticed it as well. If action can result in a positive change in the ratings system then it is good. A measurement system has to serve a purpose which is helping channels understand what viewers are watching so that they can plan their content better and also help companies plan their ad and marketing campaigns better. If the measurement system is flawed then it does not help either party. You cannot have a measurement system for the sake of it.”

    Khemka throws some light on the contributing factors of this sudden decision taken by the broadcasters: “I think there are a lot of environmental factors responsible for this fallout by the broadcasters- DAS, LC1 and many other factors are at play because of which gauging the viewership has become an issue.”

    Following the fiasco, TAM Media CEO LV Krishnan proposed this morning that he was open to doing away with LC1 markets and deploying people meters elsewhere where they are needed. Asked if removing LC1 cities is a wise solution, most agencies replied in the negative.

    “If you ask me, I think that there should be national representation. Doing away with LC1 is not right and probably not the best solution,” says Khemka.

    Another media planner tells us: “The representation according to me is the issue. The sample size needs to be larger. One thing that the broadcaster‘s decision will do though is wake TAM up and make them do something. If the industry had concerns then TAM should have addressed them.”

    He also thinks that there will be conflict in the future if advertisers rely on TAM but the channels do not. “Things will become clearer in the coming days. But in doing deals if one party (channels) is not using TAM data and the other party (advertisers, agencies) is using TAM data then arguments will happen.”

    Commenting on Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), the alternative suggested by the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), Vivaki exchange CEO Mona Jain says: “I am fine with any organisation until they provide me an authentic viewership data. The idea for BARC has been only conceptualised. So, I won‘t be able to comment anything on this.”

    She also added that “Removing TAM in LC1 markets is not going to help anyone or the data,”

    Either way, probability hints at no ratings in the coming months. In that case, on what basis will advertisers make an informed decision? Khemka tells us the way forward: “For now, we haven‘t received an official statement about the ratings but yes, if all major broadcasters pull out, it will be very difficult for TAM to sustain itself. In the absence of ratings, we would decide on the basis of historical benchmarks and trends. Past records will be our guide.”

  • Dentsu acquires digital agency Webchutney from Network18

    Dentsu acquires digital agency Webchutney from Network18

    MUMBAI: It‘s cashing out on its investment. Media conglomerate Network18 today announced that it was finally divesting its equity holding in digital marketing agency Webchutney to Japanese ad giant, Dentsu. The latter had been circling Webchutney, ogling it as an acquisition for nearly a year. Founded in 1999, Webchutney will reportedly be Dentsu‘s first local acquisition in the digital agency space.

    Network18 had acquired a majority stake in Webchutney through its venture capital arm Capital18 in November 2007 and it says it has managed to get a 300 per cent return on its investment through the current transaction.

    Webchutney, a leading interactive marketing and technology services agency, reported a net profit of Rs 6.35 crore in the financial year 2011-2012 on revenues of Rs 21.55 crore, according to media reports. It boasts a healthy clientele including Airtel, Microsoft, Unilever, Marico, Titan, MasterCard, Barclay‘s, Procter & Gamble among many others, and ranks among the top digital agencies in India.

    Its full suite of digital offerings includes online advertising, web designing and development, search engine marketing and social media consulting. Its award winning teams are spread across Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore and consists of over 200 professionals.

    Network18‘s 80 per cent Webchutney stake is bifurcated between Capital18 Mauritius which holds 49.42 per cent and Capital18 Fincap which has a 20.64 per cent.

    Commenting on the transaction, Network18 MD Raghav Bahl says: “The divestiture of Webchutney, is a reflection of our commitment to profitably monetise our investment portfolio for the benefit of our shareholders and to also facilitate the growth of these businesses to the next level. We would like to convey our best wishes to the Webchutney team as they embark on the next phase of their journey.”

    Webchutney co-founder and CEO Sidharth Rao says: “I am personally grateful to Sarbvir Singh who has been my mentor for the past five years and his team at Capital18 for ensuring that we shared a wonderful journey together. In Dentsu and Rohit Ohri, we have found a partner who is willing to invest in and cultivate our passion to provide path breaking digital creative services to our clients.”

     

    Dentsu India group executive chairman Rohit Ohri along with Webchutney co-founders Sidharth Rao (L) and Sudesh Samaria (R)

     

    Dentsu India group executive chairman Rohit Ohri opined that he is delighted to have India‘s No 1 digital agency as a part of the Dentsu India group. He explains: “We’re now going to be able to put world-class digital solutions in the centre of our offering to our clients.”

    Now that could be music to anyone‘s ears.

  • Web18 appoints CEOs for Moneycontrol and ibnlive

    Web18 appoints CEOs for Moneycontrol and ibnlive

    MUMABI: Web18, the digital content arm of Network18, has decentralised its operating structure built around key strategic business units by assigning new responsibilities to Joyson Thomas and Rajan Srinivasan.

    Thomas, who was earlier the COO at Web18, has now been entrusted the charge of leading Moneycontrol.com as CEO, while Srinivasan, who was serving as the sales and marketing head at Web18, will now take over the CEO of ibnlive.com.

    Web18 CEO Lakshmi Narasimhan said “At Web18, we have built some world-class digital brands which enjoy deep engagement across communities and stakeholders. We are now well-positioned to scale-up our leadership and this move is essential to achieving that objective. Moneycontrol has been central to our growth story and Joyson has been a force behind it since the beginning. His expertise will be critical in taking it to yet another benchmark in the financial space. Rajan has ably led our monetization and brand building effort and we‘re confident that he will now steer the ibnlive and digital news operations based in Delhi onto new successes”

    On his new role Thomas said “It‘s been a momentous journey so far and my experience with Moneycontrol has been intense and enriching over the years. I hope to bring it to bear as we thrust ahead and further strengthen its leadership. I look forward to working with the team to ensure we add new dimensions to Moneycontrol‘s growth path”

    “ibnlive has led from the front as general news has rapidly evolved in the context of social media and mobile growth. The brand is at a very exciting juncture in its journey and I look forward to working with the team to ensure we succeed on all fronts,” Srinivas added.

    Thomas has over two decades of experience in the financial media and advisory space. He was one of the founding members of the Moneycontrol team and has managed a variety of product and technology mandates at Web18 since 1999.

    Meanwhile, Srinivasan has eighteen years of experience in the media industry, including nine in the digital space. Prior to joining Network18 in 2003, he had stints with the Indian Express, Sony Entertainment Television and BBC World.

  • India’s Got Talent set to roll with 11 sponsors

    MUMBAI: Colors has completed its sponsorship roster, signing up 11 advertisers for its talent hunt show India’s Got Talent which begins 22 September.

    The broadcaster has roped in Maruti Suzuki as presenting sponsor and Hindustan Unilever as the powered-by sponsor.

    It has got nine associate sponsors on-board including Amul Macho, Chutki (mouth freshener), Bisleri, Apollo Tyres, Toshiba LED TVs, Tata Motors (Commercial Vehicles), Kinder Joy, HomeShop18 and Lux toilet soap.

    Sources in Colors said the official sponsors will consume 70 to 80 per cent inventory and the balance will be to spot buyers at a premium.

    IGT will replace ‘Zindagi Ki Haqiqat se Amna Samna’ which will move to 11 pm slot. It will be up against Dance Ke Superkids and Fear Files (both Zee TV) and C.I.D on Sony Entertainment Television (Set).

    Produced by Freemantle, India’s Got Talent will air every Saturday and Sunday at 10 pm. The show provides a platform to talented individuals to perform song, music, dance, mimicry, gags, mime, puppetry, ventriloquism, and magic.

    Judged by Kirron Kher, Karan Johar, Malaika Arora Khan and Farah Khan, the show is hosted by Manish Paul and Cyrus Sahukar. The winner of the show will get Rs 2500,000 as the prize money.

    Marketing blitz

    Colors is spending close to Rs 70-80 million on marketing the show. Being a big-ticket property, it is being promoted across all platforms.

    As far as below-the-line marketing goes, Colors had organised ‘Hunar-Divas’ in Lucknow, Ahmedabad and Indore. To drive this activity, the broadcaster has partnered Big FM.

    “This is a parade of talent taking place in these cities where 100-150 people will get a chance to showcase their talent. We are aiming to reach out to 3000-5000 people in each of these cities,” Colors marketing head Rajesh Iyer said.

    Since the launch of the show coincides with Ganesh Festival, the channel is promoting the show by putting up banners at major Ganpati Pandals in Mumbai. The show is also being promoted in select schools in New Delhi.

    Promos of the show will run on channels outside the network (Network18 and TV18) with more than 6000 spots on 44 channels in addition to more than 1500 spots on its own network channels.

    Besides television, the broadcaster will roll out ads in leading newspapers across Hindi speaking markets (HSM). IGT hoardings will be put in as many as 700 OOH sites across 22 cities.

    The promos of the show will also be aired during the screening of Kareena Kapoor-starrer Heroine during 3500 shows across 475 screens.

    Colors is creating a roadblock on YouTube on the launch day. It will do a roadblock on direct-to-home platforms Dish TV and Tata Sky for three days from 20-22 September.

    On Dish TV the promos of the show will appear between 8:45–9 pm while on Tata Sky they will air from 9:45-10 pm.

  • Grey creates Network18’s corporate campaign

    MUMBAI: Grey Worldwide- Mumbai has created the new corporate campaign for Network18 titled ‘Red Tag‘. It has been directed by filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee.

    Grey India national creative director Malvika Mehra said, “The task very simply was to introduce Network18 to the world and explain the role it plays in impacting people‘s lives. We wanted to create something for Network18 that ‘connects‘ with the consumer. We did this in a very simple way. We took an element from the Network18 logo itself – ‘the red tag‘ and had some fun with it.

    “The brief was simple enough, but fitting all the pieces together in a script wasn‘t, believe me! We knew we wanted to be about omnipresence, we knew we had to be fresh, but above all we were sure we didn‘t want a stiff conventional, corporate approach,” Grey Mumbai senior ECD Rohit Malkani said.

    “Rather than have Network18 do a little chest thumping exercise, it made more sense to have people discover for themselves how big they really are. And that was the genesis for the ‘red tag‘ game,” Mehra added.

    The agency has used ‘BachkeRehna‘ track from Pukaar in an attempt to bring alive India and its people, whose lives Network 18 touches.

    The film begins in a regular looking office where a man shakes his head incredulously as he announces that the ‘rupee is 56 to the dollar‘. Suddenly he finds a female colleague rushing towards him with a red sticky tag/note, which she slaps on to his chest. He is surprised at first then realises why she did that as he checks the CNBC moneycontrol page on his phone. To his surprise he now sees her surfing some deals on Homeshop 18.com. In a ‘counter move‘, he rushes to her with glee and slaps her back with a red tag.

    And so it begins…a random, fun and exciting game where people across India tag each other with Red Tags each time they are touched by Network18. A young girl is tagged by her father because she pushes away her dinner plate after seeing a report on Anna, a boy is tagged by his friends after he lets out a volley of abuses at their neighbour, a grandmother is tagged by her granddaughter who spies her watching BalikaVadhu and dabbing her eyes etc. The film ends after a series of rapid tags with a voice over that highlights the penny drop moment. “If you were tagged for every way that we touched your life. This is what your world would look like. This is Network18. The life in your day.”

  • Grey to handle creative duties of Network18’s corporate account

    MUMBAI: WPP owned ad agency Grey has won the creative duties for Network18’s corporate account

    The agency will handle the account from its Mumbai office.

    A multi-agency pitch was conducted prior to awarding the account to Grey.

    Grey recently won the creative mandate for In.com, which is part of Network18’s digital arm Web18.

    The agency will be responsible for brand building for the network and its first project will be along the lines of a corporate campaign in which the various arms, ventures and properties of the media conglomerate are likely to be leveraged.

    Network18 Group has operations across television, internet, entertainment, e-commerce, magazines and the mobile medium. The television operations include business news channels CNBC-TV18, CNBC Awaaz, general news channels CNN-IBN and IBN7, and IBN-Lokmat.

  • Ozone Media gets Siddharth Kelkar as AVP sales

    Ozone Media gets Siddharth Kelkar as AVP sales

    MUMBAI: Siddharth Kelkar has joined digital advertising agency Ozone Media as associate vice-president sales. He will report to senior vice-president sales Sanjay Vasudeva.

    Kelkar has more than 11 years of experience and will be nationally responsible for sales of various business verticals, specifically the mobile platform.

    His earlier stint was with Zapak Digital Entertainment where he worked for five years. In the beginning he was head of West and East region sales for online media, social media, activation and advergaming at Zapak. At the time of leaving the company, he was head of advergames and digital solutions.

    At Zapak Kelkar led the advergaming vertical which was responsible for games that are developed for a particular brand campaign or product. He was also responsible for providing 360-degree comprehensive digital (web and mobile) solutions to clients/advertisers for brand campaigns.

    Kelkar started his career in the ad sales field with Bennett, Coleman and Co. in 2001. He has also worked with Hindustan Times and the Network18 Group.

  • Moneycontrol.com awards creative duties to Contract Advertising

    Moneycontrol.com awards creative duties to Contract Advertising

    MUMBAI: Network18 has given the creative duties of its business portal, Moneycontrol.com, to Mumbai-based Contract Advertising.

    Contract Advertising EVP Kumar Subramaniam confirmed to Indiantelevision.com that the company has won the “mandate to manage the Moneycontrol account in a multi-agency pitch.

    Contract will handle all the creative duties including digital. It is the first time that the leading financial portal will have an agency to promote it.

    Moneycontrol.com was launched on 5 November 1999 as a personal finance portal and was acquired by Network18 on 1 June 2000.