ITV

Tag: Pandemic

  • Bikano donates Rs 22 lakh to PMCares Fund

    Bikano donates Rs 22 lakh to PMCares Fund

    Mumbai: As the country battles its worst ever health crisis, Snacks brand Bikano has announced its decision to donate Rs 22 lakh for Prime Minister Cares Fund. The country has recorded over one lakh deaths from Covid-19 in the last 26 days, becoming the third country after the US and Brazil to record the highest cumulative death toll so far.

    “Bikano has always stood for what counts for the greater good. As a company with a conscience, we aim at not only winning the hearts and minds of our patrons and food lovers; we are sincerely looking forward to giving back to the wider society where we belong to. And what better than pitching in for a cause which has affected nearly every one of us in some ways or the other,” said Bikano Director Manish Aggarwal. “It was our bounden duty to come forward and make our small contribution count.”

    The company has remained relatively unscathed from the economic headwinds coming on account of Covid-19 even during the second wave. In fact, only recently, Bikano launched as many as seven products on a single day nationally which was soon followed by separate launches in cities in Punjab and northern Hindi speaking markets of UP and Uttarakhand, demonstrating its brand strength and performance.

  • ZeeL to scale down investment in SugarBox significantly

    ZeeL to scale down investment in SugarBox significantly

    KOLKATA: When things aren’t working out, it’s better you step back until they start looking better.  Exactly how Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) is doing with its investment in internet connectivity start-up Margo Networks. It was barely a year ago that it had announced that it would invest Rs 522 crore in the latter which offers bandwidth to consumers under the brand name SugarBox.

    The broadcaster aimed to create a tech-content synergy through the investment in order to help subscribers get over connectivity constraints that plague India’s mobile networks. However, Zeel has decided to scale down its investment in SugarBox owing to the changing situation.

    “Given the current pandemic and uncertainties, we will not be investing very aggressively behind SugarBox. From our original plan itself, it will be scaled down significantly for the foreseeable future,” ZeeL MD & CEO Punit Goenka said during an investors’ call.

    Of all the reasons behind the decision, one is that the project has been delayed significantly. ZeeL was expecting it to roll out in February but the pandemic has hindered its execution. As no one knows how long Covid2019 will last, there are fair chances of a further delay.

    “More importantly, even after everything stabilises, we don’t know how the traffic will build. Traffic consumption was very different when we planned the project. For FY22, we do not see that kind of investment that we were planning earlier,” ZeeL investor relations, corporate strategy head Bijal Shah said.

    Reduction in non-core investments in Sugarbox due to the COVID-19 pandemic is a welcome step, brokerage firm Motilal Oswal said in a recent note.

    “The unique technology will enable us to serve content to consumers across the nation, without being restricted by connectivity constraints. We are confident that this synergy will create a strong foundation for us, as we progress towards offering relevant content to consumers across platforms,” Goenka said at the time of the investment.

    However, analysts were sceptical of the timeliness of the investment from the beginning. Brokerage firms found it ill-timed due to a weak ad environment.

    In the year 2017, ZeeL had acquired an 80 per cent equity stake in SugarBox. The latter creates a hyperlocal data distribution ecosystem by installing CDN Edge servers at key places of interest (POIs), which users can connect to over a local Wi-Fi network.

  • CNN International boosts its business coverage with new programming

    CNN International boosts its business coverage with new programming

    New Delhi: As the world looks to the future and new ways of doing business, new channel CNN is launching cross-platform programming to cover the macro trends impacting Asia, Europe, and the Middle East and profile the regions’ key industries and corporations.

    Starting this coming weekend, CNN Marketplace Asia and CNN Marketplace Europe will begin airing on CNN International. These monthly shows, and dedicated new sections on CNN Business will focus on the recovery following the pandemic, analysing the new economy and ways of working driven by innovation. It will include in-depth interviews, reporting, and analysis about the very latest sector and regional trends in technology, sustainability, automotive and mobility, health and medicine, energy, and e-commerce.

    The first show will look at some of the biggest e-commerce players in the region as they discuss the possibilities of digital transformations and the acceleration of e-commerce adoption globally.

    “The pandemic has changed the business world’s long-held rules and accepted norms beyond all recognition,” said CNN International, senior vice president and managing editor for the Asia Pacific & Global head of features content, Ellana Lee. “By expanding our Marketplace franchise across multiple regions and platforms, we are responding to our audiences’ desire to know more about both the disruptors and the disrupted as the world of global business enters a new era. With our global reach, unique access, and business expertise – no one is better placed to tell this story than CNN.”

    ‘Marketplace Asia’ will air on 22nd May at 4:00 pm IST on CNN International.

  • How brands are looking at live sports in pandemic times

    How brands are looking at live sports in pandemic times

    KOLKATA: The pandemic has brought live sports to a standstill across the world for a brief period. Despite the re-start of major sporting events, most tournaments continued to be played in empty stadiums.

    The broadcasters relied on the use of augmented reality, virtual reality to sustain the viewer’s attention. But, the tectonic shift in the way a game is being played impacted big brands along with franchises, players, athletes, federations who depend on sports for better reach and higher recall. Many had to tweak their advertising strategies to adapt to the changing times.

    Amid all this, came the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). One of the biggest sporting extravaganzas returned to the home-country after more than a year. But, as the game was beginning to catch momentum, the ferocious second wave of the pandemic compelled the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) to suspend it mid-way, leaving the advertisers in a quandary.

    In India, larger spends on sports revolve around Cricket given the fandom of the game across the country. After an unusual year, the entire industry was looking forward to 2021 with big-ticket tournaments in pipeline. But with the IPL 2021 suspended indefinitely, the eyes are now on the upcoming tournaments in the sports calendar.

    At this critical juncture, Indiantelevision.com is organising a virtual panel discussion to deliberate on ‘Brands and live sports in the pandemic times’ on 21 May (Friday) at 3 pm. The roundtable is part of the Television Boardroom series.

    The esteemed panel includes speakers from brands and advertising agencies: Havas Media Group India CEO Mohit Joshi, DDB Mudra Group Integrated Media country head, managing partner Rajmohan Sundaram, upGrad India CEO, Arjun Mohan and Mobile Premier League (MPL) corporate development, investors relation SVP Joe Wadakethalakal. The panel discussion will be moderated by Indiantelevision.com founder, CEO & editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari.

    The virtual session will begin at 3:00 pm on Friday and will be live-streamed on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. 

    Join us for an insightful discussion! 

  • B4U Network launches Project Revive for Covid relief

    B4U Network launches Project Revive for Covid relief

    New Delhi : In the current scenario, where every section of the society has been impacted by the pandemic for over a year, help and relief have been of prime significance. People across sections have been deprived of appropriate healthcare, employment and education opportunities.

    Continuing with their ongoing relief initiatives, B4U Network has partnered with various NGOS to launch Project Revive to help revive education, healthcare, employment and environment for different sections of society.

    As a part of the project, B4U network has partnered with multiple NGOs – CRY (Child Rights and You) to support children education programs, Disha Foundation to support migrant workers’ employment and healthcare, Sarthak Educational Trust to support specially abled people with upskilling and employment, Responsenet to support women empowerment projects and SankalpTaru Foundation for tree plantation.

    B4U Network through this project aims to provide immediate relief as well long term development programs for various affected sections of the society across India, it said in a statement on Monday.

    India is facing one of the worst health crisis in years, with the second wave of coronavirus  taking a massive toll on people across states. The country is losing as many as 4,000 lives due to Covid-19 daily, as the number of infections continue to surge.

  • OPPO announces launch of ‘sleep sign-in’ campaign

    OPPO announces launch of ‘sleep sign-in’ campaign

    New Delhi: With people struggling with one of the worst health crises in recent times, the need for continuous blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) monitoring has become the need of the hour. Keeping this in view, the global smart-device brand OPPO announced the launch of its new Sleep Sign-in campaign for its consumers.

    People can wear the OPPO Band Style while sleeping and connect it to the HeyTap Health app on their Android phones, for 30 days simultaneously. The company also announced that the first 500 lucky participants will stand a chance to win another OPPO Band Style, absolutely for free. Through its campaign, the brand is also encouraging people to have a good night’s sleep without having to worry about their blood oxygen saturation levels.

    OPPO had also brand donated 5,000 units of OPPO Band Style to front-line warriors of Delhi Police and Greater Noida Authority, reinforcing that safeguarding citizen’s health and wellbeing has always been one of OPPO’S topmost priorities.

    Starting 17 May till 31 July, all participants can sign in to ‘activity in the app’s Health tab. Post joining, they are required to wear the OPPO Band Style every night when they sleep. The data collected after 8:00 PM each day will be taken as sleep data. “When you wake up the next day, make sure your OPPO Band is connected to your phone via Bluetooth so that you can punch in on the activity page. You need to punch in 30 days in a row. Once you punch in, the day count starts. If you forget to punch in, the day count will reset automatically,” said the company during the launch.

    OPPO will send a voucher to the Amazon account of winners within ten workdays after they submit their address and contact information on the prize page of the HeyTap Health app. Once they get the voucher, they can go to their Amazon account that has their valid delivery address in India, add to cart, choose the Payment method, add the gift card or promotion code and continue to finish the transaction.

  • Financial Express managing editor Sunil Jain succumbs to Covid

    Financial Express managing editor Sunil Jain succumbs to Covid

    New Delhi: The ferocious second wave of Covid-19 continues to take a heavy toll on the news industry. Sunil Jain, managing editor of Financial Express passed away on Saturday after battling with post-Covid complications. He was 58. 

    “My brother, Sunil Jain, passed away this evening after post-Covid complications. He suffered a cardiac arrest earlier in the day but was revived, and finally passed after another cardiac arrest around 8.30 p.m. The doctors and all medical staff at AIIMS did their best and more. I thank you for standing by us in this dark hour,” his sister Sandhya Jain said in a statement. 

    A senior journalist with over three decades of experience, Jain started his journalistic career as a reporter in India Today magazine in 1991 and went on to become the magazine’s business editor. He then moved on to head the business and economy coverage for The Indian Express. Six years later, he joined Business Standard. He returned to the Express Group in 2010 as assistant editor of The Financial Express. 

    His sudden demise has left the news media world in a state of shock, with several friends, colleagues, and prominent personages expressing their grief over demise on social media. “Your Express family will miss you,” said The Indian Express’ executive editor Anant Goenka.

    President Ramnath Kovind took to Twitter to condole the senior journalist’s demise. “Sunil Jain was an editor known for his candour and forthright views. It was a treat to read his columns. After his untimely demise, his absence will be deeply felt in the world of journalism. My condolences to his family and friends,” he said in a tweet.

    “You left us too soon, Sunil Jain. I will miss reading your columns and hearing your frank as well as insightful views on diverse matters. You leave behind an inspiring range of work. Journalism is poorer today, with your sad demise. Condolences to family and friends. Om Shanti” said Prime minister Narendra Modi in a tweet.

    Several  Union ministers including the minister of Information and Broadcasting, Prakash Javadekar, Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and Railways minister Piyush Goyal also paid tributes. 

    Hundreds of journalists have lost their lives in the catastrophe that has ravaged the country. India now accounts for half of all global new infections. On Saturday, India recorded 3.26 lakh Covid-19 cases and lost 3,890 lives that pushed the death toll to 2.6 lakhs. 

  • CavinKare to vaccinate all employees in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka

    CavinKare to vaccinate all employees in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka

    New Delhi: Fast moving consumer goods major CavinKare has announced that it will provide Covid-19 vaccination cover to all its employees and dependent family members in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

    The company said it will cover 1,700 employees both at factory and corporate level. In addition, it will provide financial assistance to the bereaved family by paying an annual salary for a fixed time frame as an immediate monetary support over and above the statutory insurance benefits, it said on Friday.

    As part of Covid-19 relief initiatives, the company has also extended educational support and sponsorship till college for two children of the deceased employee, it said.

    “We want to stand by our employees and their family during these trying times by offering the right support and nurturing a positive ecosystem. Their health and safety are of monumental importance to us at CavinKare,” said company director and CEO – Personal Care and Alliances, Venkatesh Vijayaraghavan.

    “We will continue to prioritise the overall well-being of our employees and extend support to their family in these uncertain times” he added.

     to their family in these uncertain times” he added.

  • Times Group chairman Indu Jain succumbs to Covid

    Times Group chairman Indu Jain succumbs to Covid

    New Delhi: Times Group chairman Indu Jain passed away on Thursday night due to Covid-related complications. She was 84.

    The group owns the Times of India and other newspapers.

    Jain had also set up the Times Foundation in 2000 with sustainable development as its key goals. The non-profit organisation provides community services and runs the Times Relief Fund to offer assistance during extreme weather events and other crises.

     

     

    She was also the founder president of FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO), set up in 1983 to promote entrepreneurship and professional excellence among women in India. She also served as the chairperson of Bharatiya Jnanpith Trust to promote literature in Indian languages. The Jnanpith Award, conferred by the Trust annually, is considered to be among the most prestigious honour for authors writing in Indian languages.

    She was awarded the Padma Bhushan in January 2016 and an award for Lifetime Contribution to Media by the All India Management Association in 2018.

    Tributes poured in for Jain, who was also widely recognized for her philanthropist work. Prime minister Narendra Modi also condoled her demise and said that Jain will be remembered for her contribution to the country’s progress.

     

     

  • Twitter launches state-specific Covid updates to aid patients, families

    Twitter launches state-specific Covid updates to aid patients, families

    New Delhi: Microblogging platform Twitter has launched new state-specific Covid-19 pages in the country that surface the latest tweets from people asking for SOS resources, as well as those offering help.

    The social media giant currently has seven state-specific pages available in the places hardest hit by the lethal virus — Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Punjab. 

    “You will find bi-lingual tweets on these pages in both English and the official state language,” the company said in an update.

    Twitter said that it is partnering with news and media organisations as well as journalists across India to bring the latest, most credible news about Covid-19 to your timeline. It has also launched an interactive series called #AskTheDoctor in collaboration with the team of Editorji.

    National broadcaster Doordarshan also live-streams its daily show called #DoctorsSpeak on Twitter, where doctors answer frequently asked questions about Covid-19, including those via tweets using the hashtag.

    Developers in India are building creative tools and apps using the Twitter API to help people source information about medical services, oxygen, medicines, food, and more. 

    “We’ve been working closely with developers to ensure their services are able to have the widest impact, and reach the most people while operating in compliance with Twitter’s developer policies,” Twitter added.

    It went on to explain that these tools are built using the Twitter API and make use of Twitter’s Advanced Search functionality by providing easy-to-use filters that help people navigate tweets about Covid-19 in real-time by applying location filters or other search parameters.