ITV

Tag: Pandemic

  • Covid-fueled ad claims lead over 6149 complaints in FY 20-21: ASCI

    Covid-fueled ad claims lead over 6149 complaints in FY 20-21: ASCI

    Mumbai: While FY 2020-21 was a rough one for the advertising industry because of the turmoil caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers too were vulnerable to the, sometimes far-fetched, claims made by brands. In this scenario, the role played by the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) in protecting consumer interests was vital. 

    In all, 332-covid related ads were picked up by ASCI through consumer complaints as well as its own monitoring, of which only 12 ads were actually able to substantiate the claims they made, as per the latest annual complaints report released by the self-regulatory body. These advertisements belonged to categories across the board such as paints, apparel, detergents, skincare, ACs, fans, water purifiers, plywood and laminates, supplements, and food- all promising Covid related benefits.

    Besides Covid complaints, the ASCI Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) also processed 1406 complaints in the education sector, 285 complaints against food and beverage advertisements, and 147 complaints related to personal care. In addition, 364 advertisements were found to be, prima facie, in violation of The Drugs and Magic Remedies Act.

    From the first quarter itself of the pandemic, following a directive from the Ministry of AYUSH asking for ASCI to identify advertisements that violated its advisory dated 1 April 2020, the advertising body escalated 237 objectionable ads. While 164 ads complied and modified the untrue claims, 73 covid-related ads needed further investigation and action by the Ministry due to non-compliance.

    The self-regulatory body’s independent Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) convened 37 times during the year, and ASCI achieved a 97 per cent compliance rate from advertisers on its recommendations, scoring a strong point for the efficacy of self-regulation, said the report.

    In September 2020, ASCI tied up with TAM to monitor 3,000 digital platforms. Since then, it has observed a rise in complaints related to online ads, both received from end consumers, as well as taken up suo motu. 35 per cent of the advertisements looked into by the CCC were from the digital medium.

    ASCI’s expert panel that comprises highly seasoned microbiologists were kept busy examining Covid related evidence provided by advertisers, said the report. Given the rampant exploitation of vulnerable consumers in the pandemic situation, the industry watchdog issued a Covid advisory in October 2020, giving advertisers a clear directive to fully substantiate their Covid related claims through recognized testing facilities. 

    The pandemic year also saw a massive jump in online gaming activities and concerned with the unabated rise of online real money gaming advertisements which did not explain risks to consumers in a transparent way, ASCI developed guidelines for the sector. ASCI processed 67 complaints related to online real money gaming from Jan-March 2021.

    Its initiatives and guidelines helped brands, agencies, and other stakeholders cope with a changing marketing paradigm and shape the industry’s narrative in one of its toughest phases ever.

    ASCI secretary-general Manisha Kapoor said, “In a period where consumer vulnerabilities were at an all-time high, many brands took unfair advantage of this, and tried to peddle their wares without establishing any robust evidence of their actual utility against the SARS Cov-2 virus. ASCI has worked hard to weed out such advertisements by using very stringent standards of evidence. Brands that offer proven benefits to consumers have a genuine role in the pandemic, but unfortunately, most of the Covid-related advertising fell woefully short. Most advertisers were unable to prove that the products actually worked to help consumers in a real way as claimed in the ads.”

    ASCI also launched the Trust in Advertising report in partnership with Nielsen IQ and the Indian Society of Advertisers, and the ‘Chup Na Baitho’ awareness campaign for consumers, encouraging them to report objectionable claims in advertising.

    In addition, ASCI recently released detailed guidelines for influencer advertising. These guidelines make it mandatory for influencers and brands to specify what content is promotional in nature. Influencer marketing is mainstream now and the guidelines, that were the need of the hour, were welcomed by all stakeholders and are being implemented.

  • Premium MTB & kids’ bikes drove higher profitability during pandemic: Hero Cycles’ Pankaj Munjal

    Premium MTB & kids’ bikes drove higher profitability during pandemic: Hero Cycles’ Pankaj Munjal

    “The world is a lot faster now, but still, it’s the steady consistent approach that wins”, Pankaj Munjal wrote on a microblogging site in August last year, alluding to the age-old fable of the rabbit and tortoise.Words of wisdom that hold true today more than ever, when the world has been brought to a virtual grinding halt by the novel coronavirus.

    While the COVID-19 outbreak has hurt many sectors, the two-wheeler sector has largely been insulated, and even witnessed growth. The pandemic has firmly put the spotlight on a corona-safe, sustainable and environment-friendly mode of transit- good for good health. And what epitomises it better than the humble bicycle!

    Hero Cycles Ltd, the flagship company of Hero Motors Company, was established in 1956 in Ludhiana Punjab, manufacturing bicycle components. HMC, chairman and managing director, Pankaj M Munjal had joined the company in 1988. In 2015, he took over the reins of the company from his father and founder of Hero Cycles, Om Prakash Munjal. Today, the brand is considered the single largest producer of bicycles in the world, producing over 19,000 cycles per day.

    A cycling enthusiast himself, Munjal likes to stay ahead of the curve. Being one of the earliest makers of cycles in India hasn’t deterred the brand from evolving with the times. Hero recently dived into the eco-friendly, electric cycles market, with the launch of its Hero Lectro range of e-bikes. With the rocketing fuel prices, e-cycles could well be a pocket-friendly, safe and sustainable transit solution for the young consumer, while also being a turning point in the country’s cycling culture.   

    IndianTelevision’s Anupama Sajeet caught up with the two-wheelers veteran – Hero Motors Company, chairman and managing director, Pankaj M Munjal for an in-depth conversation on the Indian cycle market, the impact of the pandemic, its latest offering of  e-cycles and the plans to reach out to people through digital campaigns. Munjal also shares his views on the emerging trends, opportunities and challenges in the sector and on the road ahead for the cycle company

    Edited excerpts:

    On the challenges to the cycle industry due to the pandemic

    Initially, there was a constraint in supply and logistics due to the lockdown & other macro factors that led to a restriction on imports. Towards the end of last year, local disruptions prevented the movement of freight trains, causing further supply shortages. However, the government policies helped us to keep going. The challenges for the cycling industry are the same as they were before lockdown — the issues related to the safety and infrastructure of cyclists. We believe that simple measures like a dedicated lane for cycles and e-bikes can encourage more people to adopt cycling.

    On the opportunities presented by the pandemic

    The cycle industry posted a quick recovery after the lockdown. In the past one-and-a-half years, Hero Cycles has witnessed a 100 per cent increase in demand. Our traditional bicycles witnessed a 50 per cent increase in demand while the demand for electric cycles went up by 100 per cent, especially among the young people in urban India where cycling emerged as a viable alternative for health, fitness, and recreation when gyms and studios were closed. It presented a major opportunity to motivate the mobile urban youth about the suitability of cycles and e-bikes. The benefit of switching to a more eco-friendly mode of transport was evident by the impact of lockdown on air pollution and improvement in air quality across India.  

    On the brand’s market share & growth over the last year

    The Indian bicycle market, combining the organised and the unorganised markets, is estimated to produce and sell about 18 million to 20 million units. Hero Cycles has nearly 42 per cent of the share in the organised market. We have seen a spurt in the number of first time cycle users in the past 1.5 years and an improved product mix comprising premium and kids’ bikes with a market share of over 50 per cent now- have driven higher profitability.

    On the new emerging trends in the Indian cycle market

    Demand for premium kids bicycles, nearly 40 per cent of the demand, grew during the pandemic, driven by fitness and leisure needs. The pandemic has increased the number of people focusing on general health and immunity-building through exercise, while children have opted for cycling as a means of recreation. As a result, we have seen a 100 per cent increase in the demand in the premium MTB (mountain bike), and kids segments. The demand in the export segment grew by more than double.

    On the seasonal outlook

    With the second wave ebbing, we are seeing markets opening and therefore there is a palpable increase in demand. Demand for cycles does not have any relation with the seasonal variations like monsoons; rather it is the time when leisure activities like people going for trails or weekend rides generally increase, and therefore may drive fresh demand.

    On the e-cycles market in India and potential for growth

    Hero Lectro e-cycle has an estimated 70 – 80 per cent market share in India. Our wide portfolio of e-cycles ensures that we are catering to all those who may benefit from e-cycles — right from someone who needs it for daily commute to somebody wanting to have fun and adventure on long-distance journeys. We have introduced many innovations over the last few years such as the connected bikes with an iSmart app, detachable battery, USB charger and many more.

    India has immense potential to adopt e-bikes, provided the challenges that impede its growth are taken care of. Lack of adequate charging infrastructure is a problem, though Hero Lectro E-Cycles do not need any dedicated charging infrastructure; one can charge the e-cycle from any regular socket. And that readies the vehicle within a few hours for a 25km plus journey on a single charge. Additionally, Hero Lectro is creating dedicated retail and service channels for E-Cycles with our first-ever Experience and Service centre having been launched recently in Chennai. It is important for our potential customers to be aware of its benefits and make a conscious choice towards e-cycles.

    On the way ahead and plans for global expansion

    Hero Cycles is looking to add a manufacturing capacity of two million SKD (Semi Knocked Down) bikes per annum immediately, with the International e-Cycle Valley project in Punjab, built at an investment of nearly Rs. 200 crore. The state-of-the-art Hero Industrial Park is a significant milestone in HMC’s journey to becoming a global leader and a critical link between the company’s global engineering and manufacturing chain. While 50 acres of the Valley houses the factory, another 50 acres will have a dedicated Suppliers Park. Hero E Cycle Valley has been envisaged as the manufacturing hub to meet the rising demand for exports, currently done to Germany and the UK. Our plan is to have a large market in Europe and integrate it fully with our manufacturing facilities in India.

    On the brand’s 2021 marketing roadmap

    In the coming months, focusing on both urban and semi-urban areas, Hero Cycles will roll out digital & and on-the-ground activities to continue generating awareness about the products, especially the premium, off-road MTB bikes and kids cycles, as well as their benefits among the youth, in view of the increased focus on fitness and health due to pandemic.

  • Resilient rural market drives HUL’s growth in Q1, net profit rises to Rs 2,100 cr

    Resilient rural market drives HUL’s growth in Q1, net profit rises to Rs 2,100 cr

    New Delhi: A resilient rural market, coupled with subsequent decline in Covid cases has infused growth in theFMCG major Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) this quarter. The company reported a 10.7 per cent increase in its consolidated net profit for Q1 ended June, 2021.

    The FMCG major posted a net profit of Rs 2,100 crore in Q1 2021, compared to Rs 1,897 crore recorded in the April-June quarter of the previous fiscal. Net sales during the quarter under review stood at Rs 11,996 crore, up 13.49 per cent, as against Rs 10,570 crore in the corresponding period a year ago.

    HUL’s total expenses were at Rs 9,546 crore in the quarter under review, up 14.68 per cent from Rs 8,324 crore a year ago. The FMCG major delivered a strong performance with domestic consumer growth of 12 per cent, underlying volume growth of 9 per cent and profit after tax growth of 10 per cent, said the company in a statement.

    “In a challenging environment, we have delivered a strong performance across topline and bottomline. Our performance in the quarter has been resilient and is reflective of our capabilities, the agility in our operations and the intrinsic strength of our portfolio, “said HUL CMD Sanjiv Mehta.

    The number of Covid cases have come down June onwards, paving the way for FMCG industry’s growth and market levels to reach close to March 2021 levels. “The rebound that we have seen in the month of June and early July is led by rural. So, the good news is that rural is resilient, and it has started to come back, strongly ahead of urban,” HUL CFO Ritesh Tiwari while talking to the media virtually post Q1 results. “Rural has been a good engine for FMCG for the last few quarters, and it continues to be resilient. Hopefully, we see a good monsoon and this will augur well for the rural economy.”

    The company witnessed double-digit growth across all three divisions — Home Care, Beauty & Personal Care and Foods & Refreshment.

    Household care continued to perform well growing in high double-digits on a strong base. Liquids and Fabric Sensations also benefited from robust market development initiatives. HUL’s revenue from the home-care segment was up 11.94 per cent this quarter to Rs 3,797 crore, as against Rs 3,392 crore in the corresponding quarter in 2020.

    The company’s revenue from Beauty & Personal Care was up 13.41 per cent to Rs 4,585 crore, as against Rs 4,043 crore of the corresponding quarter. This was led by Hair Care and Skin Care, both growing in high double-digits, said HUL. “Contextual communications in Hair Care continue to yield good results. Skin Cleansing continued its strong momentum, soaps grew on a high base and the premium segment performed well. Hand Hygiene portfolio declined against an exceptionally high base,” it said in a statement.

    The Food & Refreshment segment was up 12.2 per cent to Rs 3,319 crore, as against Rs 2,958 crore in the corresponding period, helped by double-digit growth in segments as tea, ketchups, soups and nutrition business. According to HUL, all Tea brands also continued to grow in high double-digits despite a very strong base in the prior year.

    HUL said it is cautiously optimistic about future demand recovery.

  • Byju’s acquires US start-up Epic for $500 mn

    Byju’s acquires US start-up Epic for $500 mn

    New Delhi: Signalling its bid to expand its global footprint, edtech major Byju’s has announced that it has acquired Epic, US based digital reading platform for kids for $500 million.

    The company said it will invest an additional $1 billion in the US to strengthen its vision of “helping students fall in love with learning”.

    The acquisition will enable the ed-tech major to bolster its presence in the US market by providing access to the more than two million teachers and 50 million kids in Epic’s existing global user-base, which has more than doubled over the last year, Byju’s said in a statement. It will also enable it to create engaging and interactive reading and learning experiences for children globally.

    “Our mission is to fuel curiosity and make students fall in love with learning. Knowing that Epic and its products are rooted in the same mission, it was a natural fit. Together, we have the opportunity to create impactful experiences for children to become lifelong learners,” said Byju’s founder and CEO, Byju Raveendran.

    Epic CEO Suren Markosian and co-founder Kevin Donahue will continue in their current roles.

    “The alignment of missions and shared passion makes Byju’s the perfect partner, as Epic is confident that this acquisition will ignite excitement for learning around the world,” said Epic co-founder, Markosian. “Together, we can help empower future generations of kids by fostering a lifetime love for reading and learning.”

    Byju’s has aggressive plans for international and US market expansion, and the acquisition with Epic will not only lead to significant investments in technology that will help to further personalised learning for students but also enable Byju’s to become a natural part of America”s learning culture, the statement said

  • Network18 posts net profit of Rs 121 cr in Q1′ 21

    Network18 posts net profit of Rs 121 cr in Q1′ 21

    New Delhi: Network18 Media & Investments Ltd reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 121.51 crore for the first quarter ended June 2021. The company had posted a net loss of Rs 60.60 crore for the April-June period of the previous fiscal.

    Consolidated revenue from operations rose 50.47 per cent to Rs 1,214.43 crore, as against Rs 807.07 crore in the corresponding quarter a year ago. The operating margin stood at 15.5 per cent, highest-ever in the first quarter, despite the impact of the second wave. News margin at 15 per cent, revenue up 17 per cent YoY, while digital News maintained its break-even; revenue rose 89 per cent YoY (up 44 per cent vs Q1FY20).

    Total expenses were at Rs 1,080.79 crore, up 23.99 per cent from Rs 871.65 crore earlier.

    TV News advertising remained resilient despite the second wave, led by a rise in news consumption and digital events replacing physical ones. News genre viewership jumped 28 per cent quarter-to-quarter led by the second wave and multiple state and elections. “The TV News ad-revenue remained in growth territory vs Q1FY20, adjusted for election-linked advertising, Digital News was minimally impacted by the second wave. Growing salience of the medium for advertisers as well as consumers (especially during COVID peaks) supported revenue,” said the company.

    Network18 Chairman Adil Zainulbhai said, “The second wave of COVID-19 could have been the dominant theme for the industry and indeed for us during the quarter…. but it wasn’t. We have been able to continue our businesses relentlessly and profitably. While advertising hit a speedbreaker (primarily in entertainment), growing engagement on our platforms across TV and Digital make us confident of delivering for all our stakeholders even amidst a choppy environment. We continue to invest to ramp up offerings on our class-leading digital platforms, as their reach expands to highest ever levels. At the same time, we are selectively creating segmented offerings to enhance our TV portfolio in a capital-efficient manner.”

  • ‘Get Well Soon India’ says Youva Stationery in new campaign

    ‘Get Well Soon India’ says Youva Stationery in new campaign

    Mumbai: As the country recovers from the second wave of the pandemic, it is necessary for people to take precautions and hope for the recovery of the ones who are suffering. To educate children about the effects of the pandemic and how it impacts us, Youva, the domestic stationery brand from the house of Navneet has launched a heart-warming campaign “Get Well Soon India” where kids are seen creating a greeting card for the country.

    The campaign designed and produced by ANTS Digital brings out the innovation in children and at the same time spreads a positive social message targeted at generating health awareness.

    The campaign delivers a powerful message that defeating the novel coronavirus is a collective responsibility as a society and urges people to help India get well soon. It stresses the importance of wearing a face mask and washing hands as frequently as possible. It also urges people to participate in the nationwide vaccination drive against Covid-19.

    Youva, chief strategy officer and spokesperson, Abhijit Sanyal said, “Youva, as a brand, was conceptualised keeping children and the youth in mind. Our brand philosophy is creation, this campaign creates hope for our fellow citizens who are suffering, stressed, and are losing self-belief in these testing times. As a brand, if we can create positivity and confidence through our communication then we will be able to say that we made some contribution in these trying times. We earnestly hope our message is as well received as our products!”

    ANTS Digital Pvt Ltd, CEO, Sanjay Arora said, “We created this film for our client to send a strong message to the public that to fight tough situations like the ongoing pandemic we need to be disciplined all the time. Social distancing, vaccination and wearing a mask is not only important but mandatory. The Youva of this country is wishing the very best to all and encouraging them to do the right thing. We wanted to highlight the heroes of the future, our greatest asset, our children. We hope our key message of maintaining safety protocols reaches people at large.”

  • Bisleri forays into hygiene segment with new TVC

    Bisleri forays into hygiene segment with new TVC

    Mumbai: Bottled drinking water brand Bisleri has announced its foray into the personal hygiene segment. The company launched a new TVC for its new range of hand purifiers, with the tagline – ‘For the love of hands’, and became the latest entrant in the hand sanitisers market, a segment which has witnessed an upsurge in demand since the onset of the pandemic.

    With the frequent use of regular sanitisers, consumers experience adverse effects on the skin, like coarseness and dryness. The TVC aims to portray how Bisleri’s new range of hand purifiers that are enriched with aloe vera, glycerol, and vitamin E, can keep the skin moisturised and nourished while ensuring protection from germs.

    The film’s visuals effectively drive across the message in a simple yet engaging manner that Bisleri Hand Purifiers not only provide safety to the hands but also keeps them soft, fragrant, and refreshing. In addition to the TVC, the company also has plans to roll out digital campaigns on social media and OTT platforms for the new product range.

    Bisleri chief executive officer Angelo George said, “There has been exciting growth in the personal hygiene segment triggered by increasing health and hygiene concerns. We developed Bisleri hand purifiers with these enhanced features in premium packaging, to provide a superior experience. With our distribution reach across the country, the exciting range of Bisleri hand purifiers is available at leading general trade stores, pharmacies, and modern trade outlets as well as e-commerce platforms.”

    The skin-nourishing formulation, packaging design, and fragrances were developed under the guidance of Bisleri vice-chairperson Jayanti Chauhan. Bisleri’s range of hand purifiers is available in three refreshing fragrances- citrus, fresh & floral in both gel and spray formats, the company said.

  • Animation Xpress’ KAM Summit 2021 begins

    Animation Xpress’ KAM Summit 2021 begins

    Mumbai: Kids, Animation & More (KAM) Summit and Ann Awards are back again with yet another insightful and exciting edition. The second edition of KAM Summit and Ann Awards 2021 began virtually on Thursday. 

    AnimationXpress launched the first edition of the KAM Summit and Ann Awards in 2019 at The Lalit, Mumbai which saw a participation of about 700 delegates and 45 speakers. The industry has gone through a lot of changes since then.

    One of the very few sectors that flourished tremendously during the lockdown period was Animation! A form of entertainment that is not reliant on production that presupposes physical gathering unlike live-action content and yet entertains children and adults alike. 

    The key theme of KAM Summit 2021 is ‘The Next Big Rise’. The three-day event will witness insightful sessions with industry leaders across studios, broadcasters, OTT platforms, creators as they discuss the options Indian animation has before itself and the direction it can take to propel it further. It will also focus on the medium’s expansion into myriad genres and platforms.

    The mission of the KAM Summit is to celebrate the stupendously growing animation industry and to bring together the animation industries – both in India and internationally – to pause and reflect on trends and developments in every aspect of the business and technology associated with it.

    With the animation industry’s creme de la creme on the advisory board, the summit is set to be a definitive virtual gathering and a vantage point for the entire animation industry.

    The advisory members include Toonz Media Group CEO P Jayakumar, Vaibhav Studios founder and director Vaibhav Kumaresh, Zebu Animation CEO Adi Shayan, Green Gold Animations CEO Rajiv Chilaka, FICCI AVGC chairman and Punnaryug Artvision founder Ashish Kulkarni, Technicolor country head Biren Ghose, Assemblage Entertainment founder and CEO AK Madhavan, Walt Disney Animation Studios character technical director-simulation supervisor Avneet Kaur, Autodesk India technical solutions manager Samit Shetty, Joan Vogelesang Consultants president and CEO Joan Vogelesang and Srinivas Sribhakta who is the CEO of VedAtma Animation Studios, director & CEO at ‎Arena Animation Malleswaram & Rajajinagar and secretary ABAI.

    KAM Summit is presented by Nick and is co-powered by Cosmos-Maya, Unreal-Engine, and Discovery Kids. ABAI and COE are the associate partners and the event is supported by GUBBARE and HUION. Digicon6 Asia is the festival partner and ASIFA India serves as the community partner.

    Viacom18 Hindi and Kids TV Network head Nina Elavia Jaipuria said, “The kids’ entertainment space is at a very exciting stage. With carefully curated IPs that are entertaining, engaging, and transport kids into a world of escape, it is no wonder that the category is on a growth trajectory. Since kids influence almost all major household purchase decisions and co-viewing of the genre, it is no wonder that kids’ channels remain attractive to advertisers. An event like KAM brings all the relevant stakeholders together- be it content creators, platform owners, or advertisers. It is collaborative forums such as this that will lead to greater storytelling and innovation in the sphere of kids’ entertainment.”

    Unreal Engine Epic Games evangelist Arvind Neelakantan also expressed his excitement for the virtual summit. “Unreal Engine is reimagining storytelling and revolutionizing production pipelines for episodic, feature-length, and short-form animations. We are excited to be at the summit to see how we can enable creators to transform their first idea into a final frame, all using Unreal,” he said.

    In its statement, Cosmos-Maya said, “The KAM Summit is an effort to take the Indian animation industry global and also celebrate our landmark achievements as an industry. As a leading industry player Cosmos-Maya is happy to be part of an industry-wide initiative like this and we expect it to be a great event. An opportunity to make any new professional collaborations would be the cherry on the cake.”

    YOTTA serves as the workstation and OTT service partner whereas Green Gold Animation is the summit partner. 

    In a statement, YOTTA Infrastructure said, “Technology has been powering content creators and digital platforms. At Yotta, we are democratizing technology by offering innovative solutions on a subscription model. This is the first time we are participating in the KAM Summit 2021, and looking forward to presenting our solutions for Creative content creators and OTT Players/Broadcasters.”

    Green Gold Animation stated, “Animation as a medium has been evolving to accommodate the changes or rather the growth in reach and access along with the technology of the industry. The digital platforms have opened up the world of content across the world. With storytelling itself no longer bound by regions and language, the animation is gaining acceptance across age groups with the myriad tales that appeal to human emotions and shared experiences that we all share during our lives. We look forward to sharing our bit of experience gained along our journey and be privy to the same from the various participants and speakers at KAM 2021.”

    ABAI president Biren Ghose who has been supporting the initiative also as an advisory board member shared, “ABAI is delighted to present the “go-to-market” strategy and the traction it has achieved for the Center Of Excellence that has provided high-end technology solutions; incubation and a subsidised set of infrastructure to the start-up community at Bengaluru. The finishing school is in the process of taking its talent development mission to high-tech areas in virtual production and game engine technologies and also to act as a hub for the virtualisation of the digital arts education programme. No industry association has been able to show multi-million-dollar support to the community like ABAI has done thanks to the Government of Karnataka and the KAVGC Policy.”

    Keeping the ongoing lockdowns and work from home stress in mind, this year’s KAM Summit will be held in two parts of the day; morning sessions will be from 10 am and evening sessions will be held from 5/6:00 pm.

    We are excited to bring to you this massive extravaganza and information-loaded KAM summit to make the animation industry propel to new heights.

    Click here for the complete KAM SUMMIT 2021 Agenda

    For additional information and for Summit Registration kindly visit the KAM SUMMIT 2021 

    Click here to know more about Ann Awards

  • PepsiCo’s snacks unit reports double-digit Q2 growth in India

    PepsiCo’s snacks unit reports double-digit Q2 growth in India

    New Delhi: Despite the severe impact of the second wave, global food and beverage major PepsiCo has reported double-digit growth in India in the second quarter for March-April-May.

    PepsiCo’s net revenue from the Africa, Middle East, South Asia (AMESA) division under which India falls, was at $1.6 billion in the quarter, up 62.97 per cent as against $0.98 billion in the corresponding period in 2020. Overall, the company’s global net revenue growth was up 20.52 per cent to $19.21 billion.

    In the AMESA division, PepsiCo’s snacks unit volume reported “double-digit growth in India and Pakistan and mid-single-digit growth in the Middle East, partially offset by a high-single-digit decline in South Africa,” said PepsiCo in an earning statement for Q2. “Beverage unit volume grew 38 per cent, primarily reflecting a four percentage-point impact of our Pioneer Foods acquisition and double-digit growth in India.”

    Additionally, the Middle East and Pakistan each experienced double-digit growth and Nigeria experienced mid-single-digit growth, it added. “The recovery from the pandemic contributed to a current-year increase in consumer demand, which had a positive impact on net revenue, unit volume and operating profit performance,” the US based company said, PTI reported.

     “As mobility trends improved, our international beverage business accelerated and delivered 22 per cent organic revenue growth, while our international snack business delivered 11 per cent organic revenue growth,” said PepsiCo.

    Over the outlook, the company is expecting its international markets to perform well despite an uneven recovery across geographies as vaccination efforts and mobility trends vary.

  • India-Sri Lanka ODI and T20I series set to begin on 18 July

    India-Sri Lanka ODI and T20I series set to begin on 18 July

    Mumbai: The start date for India’s tour of Sri Lanka has been changed ahead of the limited overs series that features three ODIs and three T20s. The first ODI will now take place on 18 July and the tour will conclude with the third T20 on 29 July.

    The series, which was originally scheduled to begin from 13 July, had been postponed after Sri Lanka’s batting coach and data analyst tested positive for COVID-19.

    Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has informed its official broadcast partner SPN that in consultation with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), it has decided to reschedule the dates of the ODI and T20I series as a precautionary measure aimed at providing more time for the Sri Lanka National Players and the Support Staff to complete required health protocols.

    Led by former India captain Rahul Dravid who will step in as coach, Shikhar Dhawan will captain the young side while Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be the vice-captain in the three-match ODI and T20I series against Sri Lanka.

    Revised schedule of India tour of Sri Lanka is as below:

    1st ODI: 18 July
    2nd ODI: 20 July
    3rd ODI: 23 July
    1st T20I: 25 July
    2nd T20I: 27 July
    3rd T20I: 29 July

    Viewers can catch live coverage of the series on 18 July, 2pm onwards on SONY SIX & SONY TEN 1 channels in English, SONY TEN 3 channels in Hindi and SONY TEN 4 channels in Tamil & Telugu on SonyLIV channel as well as on its on-demand OTT platform.