ITV

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  • M&C Saatchi trains eyes on Asia; names Ben Welsh as creative chairman

    M&C Saatchi trains eyes on Asia; names Ben Welsh as creative chairman

    MUMBAI: With its eyes trained on the rapidly growing Asian market, M&C Saatchi has named Ben Welsh as the agency’s creative chairman of Asia. Welsh was formerly at M&C Saatchi Sydney as executive creative director.

     

    Welsh’s appointment marks a change in emphasis for the network. Asia as a region has changed dramatically in recent years – China took over as the largest economy from the US in 2014, India has the fastest growing advertising industry in the world and Japan is the second most innovative country in the world. The addition of Welsh demonstrates the network’s spotlight on Asia.

     

    Welsh’s focus will be pitching for both international and national brands in each region, attracting creative talent and developing the creative output of the five agencies the network runs there.

     

    Welsh has helped to establish M&C Saatchi Sydney as the leading creative shop in Australia – and has led the agency to its biggest trophy-haul yet at Cannes this year, consolidating its position as the country’s number one creative agency. M&C Saatchi Australia came home with a coveted Titanium Lion, one of only five up for grabs, to cap off a 10-Lion haul.

     

    M&C Saatchi CEO worldwide Moray MacLennan said, “This appointment underlines our commitment to the core of our business – the creative product. Ben is the best combination of strategic thinker and creative leader. Add in his boundless energy and Asia will be hugely strengthened. He is also an excellent brand ambassador for M&C Saatchi having worked for us for the last 18 years.”

     

    Welsh added, “I’m really excited at the thought of what we can do in the region. We have some brilliant people and I look forward to working with them to create an impact in such a diverse part of the world.”

     

    Welsh will start his new role on 1 October. His appointment follows the departure of Chris Jacques who was regional CEO. He will be based in Sydney but regularly travelling to Singapore, New Delhi, Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai and Tokyo.

     

    Welsh joined M&C Saatchi Sydney in 1997 as a senior writer and was then promoted to creative director in 2003. Previously, he led a team of over 50 creatives working across digital, direct, retail and above the line media in Australia’s largest agency.

  • Bomanbridge Media continues Asia expansion; opens India office

    Bomanbridge Media continues Asia expansion; opens India office

    MUMBAI: Singapore-based content distribution agency Bomanbridge Media as part of its Asia expansion has opened an office in Mumbai. It will be headed by TV veteran Arpit Agarwal as Bomanbridge Media director of sales for South Asia.

     

    India is the fourth country in Asia where the company will have a base, after recently launching offices in Korea and Mongolia, in addition to its headquarters in Singapore. The further expansion follows recent investment by Hera Capital, which is also funding the company’s international lifestyle and cooking show Haute & Saucy with Kelly Randall Sia.

     

    Agarwal, who has worked in various capacities at Fremantle India, Balaji Telefilms, Bang Singapore and Sahara One, comes with over 18 years of experience in creating and managing both mass and niche television content in India and in Singapore. He also headed business development at Starcut Asia Pacific – a Nokia subsidiary and is credited for creating Singapore’s first made-for-mobile series Kumarsutra.  Agarwal began his career as a reporter, producer and host at NDTV in New Delhi, India.

     

    “This entrance into South Asia, and especially India, is the beginning of very exciting times for us at Bomanbridge. With assured improvements in TV measurement, and decreasing carriage costs, we are witnessing not only a surge in demand for niche content but also the need for product differentiation through innovation amongst the major GEC players. India has always been one of our stronger territories in the region and we look forward to enhancing our presence there to better serve our partners. Arpit brings extensive television experience and we look to him to bring us to the next level. Our team is now stronger than ever, ready to serve the entire Asian region with the best programming, and with people on the ground in several countries,” said Bomanbridge Media CEO Sonia Fleck.

     

    Agarwal added, “I am very pleased to join Bomanbridge Media, a company that is respected across the broadcasting fraternity of Asia as exclusive representatives of renowned content from around the world. Sonia and her team have a firm handle on the territory and I look forward to adding value and growing the business further in India and the region.”

     

  • India TV’s Salaam India Awards 2014 left the attendees dazzled

    India TV’s Salaam India Awards 2014 left the attendees dazzled

    MUMBAI: India TV honored the Bravehearts of the nation through the second edition of “Salaam India Awards” with even greater passion and perseverance.

     

    The awards were presented in a dazzling ceremony in New Delhi on Sunday, September 21st. The ceremony that was attended by who’s who of the nation was presided over as Chief Guest by Sh. Rajnath Singh, Honorable Union Home Minister. The ceremony also glittered through a powerful battery of dignitaries present that included personalities like Sh. Ravishankar Prasad, Sh.  Salaman Khurshid, Gen. (Retd.) V.K. Singh, Sh. Kalraj Mishra, Shri Janardan Dwivedi, Maulana Mahmood Madani, Sh. Ram Gopal Yadav, Sh. Amar Singh, Dr. Kiran Bedi,  Col. (Retd.) Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Liqour Baron Mr. Kishore Chhabria, noted galzal Singer Gulam Ali, Manoj Tiwari and Dr. Naresh Trehan to name a few.

     

     

    It was a perfect blend of courage, emotions, selflessness and glory, brought alive on the stage. Fitting the ceremony were the touching performances by Ability Unlimited, a dance troupe comprising differently-abled  dancers & by Sand Artist, Nitish Bharti who took those present at the ceremony to a completely different level.

     

    The selection of the final 14 Braveheats was done by a high-powered Jury that comprised, India TV Chaiman & Editor-in-Chief, Mr. Rajat Sharma, Former IPS, Dr. Kiran Bedi, General (Retd.) Deepak Kapoor, Former Army Chief and Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore, Ace Olympian & MP. The Jury was chaired by India’s former CEC, Dr. S.Y. Quraishi.

     

    Addressing the august gathering, Chief Guest, Sh. Rajnath Singh highlighted, “Salaam India Awards is a great “point of reference” initiative by India TV. Our society that is fast transforming, needs many more similar initiatives. This will surely motivate all of us to rise above of our selfish motives for the larger societal good.”

     

    India TV Chairman and Editor-in-Chief, Rajat Sharma, while congratulating the winners, observed, “These bravehearts are the real heroes. It’s an honor for all of us present here to be able to honor such heroics.”

    “It’s inspiring for us all and such opportunity will go a long way in further stimulating us all as a nation to keep the humanity going.” He added.

      

    Ritu Dhawan, MD & CEO, India TV, said, “We on behalf of India TV promise that we will be working on more such initiatives & further our humble attempt as a responsible news channel to not only honor the extraordinaire but also motivate the society at large.”

    This year’s initiative was presented by Officer’s Choice packaged drinking water in association with Amrapali Group. Dainik Bhaskar & Pioneer Publicity were the media Partners. The event was executed by Showtime events.

     

    Salaam India awards as an initiative was started by India TV in 2013 with an intention to honor those common people who have displayed exemplary sense of courage, valor & selflessness to safeguard others while not caring for their own lives.

     

     

    Winners’ List for Salaam India Awards 2014

     

    Bravery Awards

    1.       Payal Senani

    2.       Late Nitin Yeolekar (posthumous)

    Gallantry Awards

    1.       Gunjan Sharma

    2.       Late Aryan Raj Shukla (posthumous)

    3.       Rosy Ara

    Jyoti Singh Awards

    1.       Fatima Khatun

    2.       Sakshi Vidhyarthi

    Special Awards

    1.       Inspector Gaurav Godbole

    2.       Constable Sunil Kumar T.P.

    3.       Late Sepoy Vikram (posthumous)

    4.       Nathu Singh Uttam Adhikari (QA)

    5.       Late Lt Cdr Manoranjan kumar (posthumous)

    6.       Aadesh Kumar Sea I CD III

    7.       Riffat Abdullah

  • Delhi Advertising Club announces Excellence in Advertising Awards 2014

    Delhi Advertising Club announces Excellence in Advertising Awards 2014

    MUMBAI: In the recent past, many have acknowledged the fact that Delhi has established itself as a major advertising hub.

     

    And to celebrate the most outstanding media initiatives of the year gone by were recognised and awarded at the Delhi Advertising Club – Excellence in Advertising Awards 2014.

     

    17 agencies received 40 DAC Excellence in Advertising Awards. The Agency of the Year Award was bagged by Innocean Worldwide India, whereas Campaign of the Year Award went to McCann, New Delhi.

     

    Delhi Advertising Club president HS Paul said, “Delhi is gradually emerging as the Advertising Capital of India with major companies being headquartered in Delhi & NCR besides the government advertising body like DAVP. According to industry estimates, if advertisers spend around Rs 30,000 crore in India, alone Delhi/NCR contributes to roughly 40 per cent, with release orders to the tune of around Rs 12,000 crore being signed out of Delhi.”

     

    He further added that, “Delhi Advertising Club’s Excellence in Advertising Awards” since its inception in 1991 is an endeavor to recognise the efforts and accomplishments of teams and individuals from the advertising  fraternity here. These awards are not only a matter of honour for creative excellence, but have received tremendous support from media marketers and advertisers as well. I am very much pleased with the support received from the industry and would like to thank all partners, sponsors of trophies, Jury members, board members and ordinary members of Delhi Advertising Club for making the DAC Awards a great success.”

     

    More than 500 executives from advertising world attended the ceremony and awards for 20 categories were presented to the winners selected by the jury out of 228 entries received from various advertising agencies of Delhi and NCR. Award winning Ad-Agencies are: Airads, Adsyndicate, Adman, Bubna, Crayons, Catalyst, Cytomed (Alkem), Graphisads, Havas, Interads, Infinity, Innocean, Linen (Lintas), McCann, Mode, Niyati & Span.

     

    At the ceremony , Delhi Advertising Club founder and past president  Late Dr.Vishwanath was given Lifetime Achievement award which was collected by his son Interads Advertising  MD Anil Sharma from DAC chief Patron VK Chopra.

  • Ekta Kapoor, Sunny Leone promote Ragini MMS 2 in the capital

    Ekta Kapoor, Sunny Leone promote Ragini MMS 2 in the capital

    MUMBAI: Coming with a new version of horror with sex, or ‘Horrex’ as they call it, the cast of film Ragini MMS 2 attended the press conference at PVR Plaza, Connaught Place, New Delhi. Even producer Ekta Kapoor was in tow.

     

    The film starts off from where its prequel Ragini MMS ended which revolved around a young couple Ragini and Uday who went to an isolated house for a dirty weekend and the creepy and paranormal happenings that took place to them there. Uday had planned to make an MMS scandal of Ragini in that house. But the MMS shot goes viral, Uday goes missing and Ragini after that incident became lunatic and ended up in a mental hospital. The Ragini MMS scandal catches the attention of a filmmaker who plans to make a film on it.

     

    Leone, who is already making headlines for her performance in the song “Baby Doll’ and ‘Chaar Bottle Vodka’, talking about her experience of shooting the film said, “Sometimes its  very scary  to be alone at  home after shooting.” 

     

    She also said that it was a great experience working with the singing sensation of the time- Honey Singh. 

     

    When Ekta was quizzed about the reason behind casting Leone, she said, “Sunny looks beautiful on  camera and she suited  the best for Horrex theme.”

     

    Ragini MMS 2 is produced by Ekta Kapoor and directed by Bhushan Patel. Distribution rights are being controlled by Balaji Motion Pictures. Music of the film which is receiving great response from the audience  is given by various artist  like Honey Singh and  Meet Brothers.

    It is releasing on 21 March 2014.   

  • NDTV India piggybacks legacy to outdo competition

    NDTV India piggybacks legacy to outdo competition

    MUMBAI: Political parties and their prime ministerial picks aren’t the only protagonists of the unfolding election drama; news channels of all hues have joined the fray.

    However, when it comes to election coverage and analysis, certain channels seem to have an edge simply because they’ve been there, done that, long before the others.

    Undoubtedly, New Delhi Television or NDTV is one such, with veteran journalists – Prannoy Roy and Vinod Dua – having co-anchored the first-ever election programme on Doordarshan back in the eighties.

    Leveraging this legacy even as it enters the heat and grime of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls is NDTV’s Hindi news channel, NDTV India.

    The channel has re-jigged its entire schedule to exclusively focus on the battle for the prime ministerial position. From 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm, viewers will be treated to Badi Khabar with Nidhi Kulpati followed by a new show titled National Highway 2014 at 7:00 pm that will feature ground reports from key constituencies and will be anchored by Manoranjan Bharati.

    Newspoint with Abhigyan Prakash aired at 8:00 pm will become Newspoint: Target 272 till the election results are announced.

    Primetime at 9:00 pm will be the same with Ravish Kumar while Rann-neeti at 10:00 pm will have Sikta Deo tracking the changing political strategies of the key players. The last show, Mission 2014, will be aired 10:30 pm onward and will see Kadambini Sharma’s 360-degree coverage of the day’s top election stories.

    Bhuwan Bhatt

    “We will track personalities in the manner in which the US Presidential elections are covered. Our focus this time is to look at the strategies of individual parties and their key leaders. Our objective will be to track the path available to different political formations on their way to the magic 272 mark. This is also one of the most personality-driven elections in recent history,” explains NDTV India managing editor Aunindyo Chakravarty.

    More than the south, the channel will keep a watch out for the Hindi heartland while being in close contact with the Election Commission for real-time turnout figures across states. “While we will be covering the entire country, our focus will be on Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, which could hold the key to these elections,” says Chakravarty.

    With the channel’s market share having risen by a significant 25 per cent in the last LS elections, NDTV India is betting big on its poll coverage and hopes to do even better. So much so, the channel has integrated its website khabar.com with its overall strategy. A special Hindi election microsite is on the cards and so are several interactive initiatives on social media.

    NDTV India is also in talks to use the services of nearly 200 stringers across the country to complement its existing network of correspondents.

    While correspondents will be posted at headquarters, stringers will handle election coverage at the district level. Of the stringers, some will be exclusive to NDTV India while others will be a shared resource between NDTV India and NDTV 24X7. To up its technology quotient, the channel plans to backpack live broadcasting equipment rather than hiring expensive OB vans.

    Isn’t Chakravarty concerned about advertisers, given that NDTV does not subscribe to TAM ratings? “We don’t need to know ratings. We have a better brand and credibility and we also earn better revenues,” dismisses Chakravarty. Hero MotorCorp is already on board as presenting sponsor while Kent-RO and Prateek group are the powered-by sponsors.

    To promote its new shows, the channel will conduct a campaign across Hindi speaking markets closer to elections, the creative for which will be done in-house. “India has a lot of new voters – nearly 12 crore. It is important to reach out to these people and let them know about our shows,” says NDTV senior VP for sales Bhuwan Bhatt.

  • Subrato Roy arrested

    Subrato Roy arrested

    MUMBAI: Subrata Roy, head of Sahara group, was arrested in Lucknow today by the Uttar Pradesh police following the Supreme Court’s non-bailable warrant against him for failing to appear in the court on Wednesday.

     

    The Sahara group businesses include Sahara One Media & Entertainment and real estate development.

     

    In New Delhi, Roy’s lawyer Ram Jethmalani informed the Supreme Court that Roy has surrendered in Lucknow.

     

    Police had visited Roy’s residence on Thursday but did not find him at home. Before surrendering, Roy issued a statement saying he was not absconding and was ready to “unconditionally follow” any Supreme Court directions.

     

    The Supreme Court is hearing a case against Roy for non-compliance with its directive to refund money back to investors in the Sahara’s group financial services company.

  • CASBAA India Forum 2014 Indian Content: Going Global?

    CASBAA India Forum 2014 Indian Content: Going Global?

    MUMBAI: CASBAA’s annual India Forum will take place on Wednesday, March 5, 2014 at the Shangri-La New Delhi where an international and local roster of high-level speakers will explore the Indian cable and broadcasting markets in the context of the global economy and challenging regulatory regimes.

     

    “With over 146 million non-terrestrial TV connections in the country representing a 92 per cent reach of the population and multichannel TV accounting for nearly 90 per cent of TV advertising, India continues to be one of the most important markets in the Asia Pacific,” said Christopher Slaughter, CEO, CASBAA. “But to be truly successful nowadays, it takes more than doing well in your own back yard. This year’s forum will explore what it takes to be factor on the global stage.”

     

    Bringing their unparalleled knowledge and experience, thought-leaders representing the many facets of the broadcasting industry will participate in a variety of keynotes, panel discussions and conversations to explore the India market. Confirmed guests for 2014, up to now, include Dr. Rahul Khullar (Chairman, TRAI), Terry Bleakley (Regional VP, Asia Pacific Sales, Intelsat), Paul Brown-Kenyon (CEO, MEASAT), Thomas Choi (CEO, Asia Broadcast Satellite), Jawahar Goel (MD, Dish TV), Punit Goenka (MD & CEO, Zee Entertainment), Siddharth Jain (MD, South Asia, Turner International India), Bharat Ranga (Chief Content & Creative Officer, Zee Network), Narayan Rao (Exe. Vice-Chairperson, NDTV; President, NBA), Shailesh Shah (Secretary-General, IBF) and many others.

     

    Themed “Indian Content: Going Global?”, the forum programme will provide a platform to look inwards on issues such as the ongoing digitization of country’s cable networks and the state of the DTH industry as well as global matters including foreign direct investment and the ‘internationalisation’ of Indian content.

     

    The CASBAA India Forum 2014 continues the Association’s mandate to inform, represent and connect its membership base with key market influencers in the multichannel TV sphere.

    The CASBAA India Forum 2014 recognizes Supporting Sponsor SES and Sponsors AsiaSat, Eutelsat and MEASAT for their generous participation at this year’s event.

     

    For more information about the event, please visit http://www.casbaa.com/events/events-calendar/details/431-casbaa-india-forum-2014.

  • Life OK brings Mahadev Ganga Mahotsav initiative to Kolkata

    Life OK brings Mahadev Ganga Mahotsav initiative to Kolkata

    KOLKATA: After getting an overwhelming response in Haridwar, Allahabad, Varanasi, New Delhi, Kanpur and Patna, general entertainment channel (GEC) Life OK has brought the “Mahadev Ganga Mahotsav” initiative to Kolkata, titled Kolkatta Samvaad.

     

    The initiative was started in January last year and was to be held in eight cities across the states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi and West Bengal with the hope of becoming the harbinger of change. The initiative, during the launch promised to take small differentiating steps to ensure a brighter future for Ganga.

     

    “Mahadev Ganga Mahotsav is a program to sensitise and create social awareness towards the issues impacting and the plausible solutions required to the conservation of the river Ganga,” said a release issued to the press in Kolkata.

     

    In fact, the GEC organised a discussion session on – ‘Need to save the Ganga for the future generations’ which explored the impact of polluted Ganga on every individual and the measures that can be taken to save it.

     

    Life OK general manager Ajit Thakur remarked that the initiative would engage all stakeholders to find probable solutions to conserve the river.

  • 22nd Convergence India 2014 expo ends today

    22nd Convergence India 2014 expo ends today

    MUMBAI: Convergence India 2014 expo, South Asia’s largest ICT, media, entertainment and applications industry expo, was inaugurated by Hon’ble Member of Parliament and Former Union Minister, Shri Syed Shahnawaz Hussain at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. Speaking on the occasion, Shri Syed Shahnawaz Hussain had said, “I am pleased to be present at this important platform that recognizes the potential of the evolving telecommunications, media and entertainment industry and its contribution in boosting the economy, and overall growth of the nation”.
     

    Following this, Dr. Rahul Khullar, Chairman, TRAI set the agenda for the three day expo by opening the floor for dialogue on “Connecting India”, the theme for the 22nd edition of Convergence India 2014. The inaugural ceremony also saw industry leaders such as N Ravi Shankar (Special Secretary & Administrator, USOF, DoT), Anupam Shrivastava ( Director (CM) & CMD (Designate), BSNL), Umang Das, Chief Mentor, Viom Networks Ltd., Rajan S Mathews, ( Director General, Cellular Operators Association of India ), Pankaj Mohindroo (National President, Indian Cellular Association) and Rajiv Bawa (Country Head, Telenor).
     

    The 1stTelecom summit 2014 on “Home Grown Technologies and Skills’ was inaugurated on the day 2 of the 22nd Convergence India, 2014 expo. The summit was jointly organized by Telecom Centers of Excellence (TCOE), Telecom Sector Skill Council (TSSC)and Exhibitions India Group and was supported by Government of India (DoT &DeitY), service providers, manufacturers, training partners, industry associations and academia.
     

    The day 3 of 22nd Convergence India 2014 witnessed the first of its kind Afro-Asian Media Summit which was chaired by Mr. Phil Molefe, Vetran South African Broadcaster. In his address, he said, “Geographical boundaries have fallen away and we are now one big media community driven by the power of technology. We have to be committed, skilled and innovative to capitalize the abounding opportunities”.
     

    This dynamic initiative will create opportunities of partnerships, investments, support and many more collaborations. With this platform in place, there can be an exchange of ideas, expertise between the two nations.
     

    Mr. Albertus Aochamub, President SABA, said, “This is a partnership of equals. Both India and Africa have common history, struggles and challenges. India is a hub of skilled personnel and with the help of media, technology and other ICT tools, both the countries can learn from each other.”

    Mr. Rahul Nehra, Co-Founder Afro Asia-Media Summit, announced the launch of Afro-Asian Media Awards 2015. He said, “We are taking the first step in driving excellence through the awards. We need to felicitate people of our own continents for the work they do”.
     

    H.E. Dr. Perks Ligoya, High Commissioner of Malawi, said “I feel honored to be in the First Afro-Asian Media Summit. This event comes at a very good time”. He also commented on how through e-learning, e-health, e-money, e-commerce, Africa and India can benefit from each other.

     
    In addition, 22nd Convergence India 2014 also witnessed a seminar on FTTH Council Asia-Pacific, also strategic partner of Convergence India this year. The theme for the seminar was ‘Fiber for Convergence’ and offered great opportunities to the participants to network & collaborate while providing consistent information on FTTH from industry experts.

     
     Some of the prominent speakers were N Ravi Shankar, CMD, Special Secretary & Administrator, USOF, DoT, Anil Pande, Director, Dura-Line, Anuj Jain, PWC and Vipin Tyagi, C-DOT.

     
    Prem Behl, Chairman, Exhibitions India Group said, “With this 22nd Convergence India 2014, the roadmap for telecom, media and entertainment industry has been outlined and we will continue to contribute towards the changes and development of these sectors as the journey continues.”