ITV

Tag: phenomenon

  • TV channels drop all else to air Mandela

    TV channels drop all else to air Mandela

    MUMBAI: The lion of South Africa roars no more. Nelson Mandela, who emerged from prison after 27 long years to lead South Africa out of decades of apartheid as his country’s first black president, passed away last night at his home in Johannesburg surrounded by his family members.

     

    Mandela or Madiba, as he was fondly called, proved to be as much a symbol of South Africa’s struggle against racial oppression as one of integrity and resilience when after being freed from prison in 1990 he negotiated a peaceful end to apartheid and urged forgiveness for the white government that had imprisoned him.

     

    It doesn’t come as a surprise that the man who was a phenomenon during his lifetime, is set to make history, even in death. Ever since the news of his demise, social media is aflutter with #RIPNelsonMandela trending on Twitter, Facebook full of Mandela posts and Google News showing close to 1,000 results on him. All publications, big or small, are digging out articles on him for their readers’ information and interest. Not to be left behind, TV channels while news channels have gone berserk showing features around the leader, even the infotainment channels are competing with each other to come with even more special segments on the revolutionary-turned-prisoner-turned-president.

     

    So, if National Geographic Channel is showcasing Mandela: His Life and Legacy on Saturday, December 7 at 11 pm and December 8 at 1 pm; Discovery is airing The Making Of Mandela again on 7 December at 9 pm and 8 December at 8 pm. Similarly, History TV18 is narrating the story of South Africa’s political transformation under Mandela’s leadership with Miracle Rising: South Africa airing tonight (9 pm) while TLC has a special line-up for audiences.

     

    With Mandela having motivated Indians as much as he did the South Africans, television channels started digging for features as soon as they came to know about his passing away.

     

    So what about the programmes that had been lined-up previously? “It’s not easy, but I think in a highly competitive environment where viewer interest can be ephemeral it becomes almost mandatory,” says A+E Networks TV18 VP and head marketing Sangeetha Aiyer, adding that they had to drop Hidden Cities at 9 pm and one of the channel’s biggest shows – Pawn Stars at 10 pm from the regular line-up to accommodate the program on Mandela.

     

    Drawing a parallel to how the channel aired a biography on Steve Jobs two years ago after his sudden demise and how it dropped the regular line up to air a show called The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka when the international community was bearing down on Sri Lanka for war crimes committed by its army, she says: “The effect was quite humbling as the show created a stir in Tamil Nadu and was even discussed in Parliament.”

     

    Coming back to Mandela, NGC has dropped its popular series Taboo. National Geographic and FOX International Channels VP, marketing Debarpita Banerjee, says that shows based on big events and people always bring more viewers. “Our rich and diverse library has always offered contextually relevant shows like Trapped in Kedarnath, Inside the Mahakumbh, 26/11 specials, 9/11 specials, that have fared extremely well. In fact, shows like Trapped in Kedarnath, 9/11 special went on to become one of the top three shows of the infotainment genre. Most of these special features have largely been based on events that have turned into the country’s news headlines. We realise that there are people curious to know more about events that have impacted their lives,” she says.

     

    Business-wise, it isn’t a good deal for channels to change the line-up at such short notice as they rarely find sponsors. Add to that the tough market that makes it even more difficult. With sponsorships taking a few weeks, finding an advertiser for a show that is to be aired in a few hours is difficult for any channel and thus, none of the channels got funders.

     

    However, since the curiosity around the topic is huge, the promotions become big. “For our regular viewers, we promote the shows heavily on the channel along with all our social media platforms. Pertinent shows like these are also promoted heavily on our news network where we can reach out to relevant audiences,” says Aiyer.

     

    “Getting sponsors is but naturally difficult on such short notice, however, our prime focus for such features is to ensure that we have the most relevant and well researched content put together by our programming team and then, try and promote it well so that our viewers are aware of such a show. We reach out to our captive audience of over 4 million fans on Facebook along with running promos, graphic-overs on the channel itself,” concludes Banerjee.

  • Chota Bheem store opens in Chennai

    Chota Bheem store opens in Chennai

    MUMBAI: The kids in Chennai had reasons to rejoice this Children’s day as not only did it mark the official debut of India’s toon phenomenon, Chhota Bheem, Mighty Raju and their friends in Tamil Nadu, but also featured a grand celebration that saw the toon super heroes meeting and greeting their young fans live. It was the opening of Tamil Nadu’s first Green Gold Store, the merchandising arm of the company that created Chhota Bheem. With this, Green Gold has launched its 30th store in India.

     

    The launch of this store adds another feather to Green Gold’s cap. It is the only company to have so many stores across the country retailing merchandise inspired by one of the most popular toon series of India. Chhota Bheem has become a phenomenon with a viewership of over 40 million. A research by ‘Kids Observer’ has ranked Chhota Bheem as the number one choice of kids up to eight years old and amongst the top five for kids in the 9 to 14 years bracket.

     

    “We are excited to launch our store in Chennai on the occasion of Children’s Day. At Green Gold Store, our young patrons need not buy anything. They can simply spend time here and keep themselves entertained with the merchandises for as long as they like. We are looking at creating unrivaled experiences for the young ones at our stores,” says Green Gold Stores head Sudeesh Varma.

     

    “From clothing to comics, bedroom decor to accessories, movies to apparel, board-games to puzzles the store is a one stop destination for every Chhota Bheem fan. Green Gold Store houses all essential Chhota Bheem merchandises and offers a unique experience to his young fans. The store has recently introduced an exciting range of merchandise including a new line of apparel and exclusive range of Chhota Bheem – Avon bicycles”, says Green Gold executive director Samir Jain.

  • Twitter: Strong IPO, followed by even stronger opening

    Twitter: Strong IPO, followed by even stronger opening

    MUMBAI: It began with a tweet on its twitter handle which stated: “We just priced our IPO.” Attached with the tweet was a screen shot of the offering announcement.

     

    And by the time Wednesday 6 November ended, the social networking site that has become a phenomenon across the globe had managed to raise $2.09 billion from its IPO, making it the seventh-largest US tech IPO ever, just ahead of Google, which raised $1.92 billion in its 2004 stock market debut, according to some estimates.

     

    But there was more in store for stockmarket observers and investors as trading began on Thursday morning. The Twitter share – under the TWTR ticker – spurted 90 plus per cent in value as it soared to $45 per share during early trades and then to a high of $50. This took up the valuation of the firm to $25 billion or 32 billion or so, at the time of writing.

     

    Yesterday’s $26 price valued the microblogging service at $18.34 billion, on a fully diluted basis. That is 16 to 17 times forecast 2014 sales, a premium to rivals including Facebook, LinkedIn and Yelp, according to some analysts.

     

    Twitter set an early price range of $17 to $20 for its IPO, which was considered cautious. But there was strong interest from investors, and the company was selling just 70 million of its 545 million shares, leaving an imbalance between supply and demand. That allowed the company and its bankers, led by Goldman Sachs’ Anthony Noto, to raise the range to $23 to $25 and then pick a final price above that.

     

    Analysts felt that the price should have been in the $21 range but the final pricing zipped past that. Other analyst and stock watchers had predicted that the share would go past the $40 market during day one’s trading. The IPO was as much as 30 times over-subscribed.

     

    While Twitter has a broad and powerful influence, its service is sometimes tricky to understand and use, which has reportedly limited the company’s growth. Twitter has about 230 million users, including heads of state and celebrities, while Facebook has more than one billion.

     

    However, Twitter lost $65 million in the latest quarter.

     

    Twitter is expected to generate $1.24 billion in sales in 2015, according to some projections. Its adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) margins will be roughly 6.5 per cent this year and 8.4 per cent in 2014, according to IPO underwriter forecasts that were shared with investors. In 2015, margins may jump to about 16 per cent, the estimates suggest.

     

    During an interview given to CNBC, Twitter CEO Dick Costolo is believed to have said that investors should not be concerned about the company’s current lack of profits, since its part of a plan to invest for the long term.

     

    It looks like the investment community and public is buying his story for now – at least.

  • Radio: The 5 Metro Phenomenon – By Reliance Media World CEO Tarun Katial

    Radio: The 5 Metro Phenomenon – By Reliance Media World CEO Tarun Katial

    India lives in its villages…

    Does it, anymore?

    Let’s look at the statistics…

    A recent Ernst & Young study indicates that 58 per cent of advertisers on radio in the country are national corporate advertisers, while 42 per cent are from towns or states in which the station is based. Not surprisingly, the larger radio networks have taken home a higher share of national advertiser revenues.

    Now, let’s look at the larger picture. India is tipped to become the 5th largest consumer market in the world by 2025, with urban India defining the growth of the domestic economy in the coming years. An independent study has shown that around 45 per cent of Indians will be living in urban areas by 2050, up from 30 per cent in 2007-08.

    This tells us that while the tier II and III cities ensure spread and reach for radio, the metros will continue to play a critical role as far as advertisers and revenues are concerned. Adex data only re-iterates this, when it shows that 70 per cent of the total advertising consumption in the radio industry comes from the 5 metros (Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore and Hyderabad).

    So why do advertisers focus on the metros?

    The answer lies in the fact that the core economy and majority of the educated consumers belong to this cluster. Add to that the fact that people are migrating in increasing numbers from small towns and villages to metros, accelerating the economic growth of these cities, creating concentrated centers with large markets.

    Distinctly higher demographic development, better infrastructural facilities, lower poverty ratios and higher purchasing power are just few of the things that favour the market. Even though the future growth potential of the smaller key urban towns is universally acknowledged, concentration of media spends in metro markets is a well-established reality.

    Globally, radio is used extremely effectively as a tool for brand building. In India too the developments of the recent past have accelerated the growth of the radio industry propelled by the increasing radio listener base, favourable demographics, political advertising, prospects from phase III expansion and the increase in its space in the advertising mix of brands.

    The recession, while had its rippling effect on the radio industry, led several new and first time advertisers to flock to radio after understanding its cost effectiveness, coupled with its high reach and impact. While the ‘West’ was melting down due to the recession, India was empowering itself with effective streamlining of resources and delivering optimal returns to both clients and listeners.

    Today radio offers multiple platforms at a single point to the ‘value demanding’ advertiser, thus moving out from selling vanilla radio to a more holistic approach. While corporate and retail advertising will continue to retain its critical place as a source of revenue, other sources such as on-ground activation, in programme placement, internet and cross media sales are also becoming significant revenue streams. Similarly larger networks work effectively for advertisers who want to reach deeper into the country. 

    The key five metro markets performance for any media platform is critical to business health. An advertiser looks at maximising reach across the 5 metros – selecting media which can deliver this without excessive spillover. That is where radio plays an important role in the advertising mix.

    Advertisers today divide their budgets across the top two players and this works excellently for Big FM which has been performing consistently in the five metros and today commands the second highest reach across these markets, ahead of its contemporaries (Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bangalore, as per RAM and Hyderabad, as per IRS-09 R2 data).

    Going by the way radio is being used extensively as a medium of communication and advertising, the future promises nothing but bigger opportunities and greater growth prospects for this industry, led by the metros!

  • Disney’s ‘Haunted High School Musical’ to be released in theatres in 2008

    MUMBAI: Walt Disney Motion Pictures president of production Oren Aviv has announced that the High School Musical franchise will hit the big screen in 2008 with a musical feature titled Haunted High School Musical.

    The Disney musical has received global recognition and has become a phenomenon among youngsters across the world. Aviv states, “Given the enormous universal appeal and phenomenal popularity of the ‘High School Musical’ franchise, we wanted to bring that same energy, excitement and entertainment to the big screen with a unique and original idea. We’re now ready to transform ‘High School Musical’ into a memorable theatrical musical experience with ‘Haunted High School Musical.”

    The Emmy Award-winning Disney Channel original movie premiered in 2006 and went on to reach over 100 million viewers worldwide. In the U.S. the movie’s soundtrack was the No. 1 album of the year in 2006 (certified quadruple platinum by the RIAA) and is a top-seller in international territories. Additionally, 6.5 million DVD units have been sold to date around the world, states the company.

    High School Musical 2, reuniting the film’s original cast with director Kenny Ortega, will premiere on Disney Channel this summer.

    As a take off from the movie, the 42-date arena concert tour featuring cast members Ashley Tisdale, Vanessa Hudgens, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman and special guest star Drew Seeley (Zac Efron was unavailable due to his movie production schedule) was sold-out. Additionally, Disney Theatrical has licensed the script for local school productions, and it is anticipated that 2000 schools will produce stage versions in the first year alone.

    Internationally the High School Musical aired on Disney Channels (26 worldwide) and free-to-air broadcasters, reaching over 100 countries. For the September 2006 premiere in India, the music was re-recorded in Hindi with Indian instrumentation and rhythmic beats to achieve a “Bollywood” sound.

    In India the HSM phenomenon spread to a multi-city on ground activity tilted ‘My School Rocks,’ giving an opportunity to twinkle toed kiddies from across the country to represent their schools by auditioning to the music of the local adaptation of the musical.

    Disney Channel Worldwide president Rich Ross stated, “When people think ‘big screen’ for a TV movie, they generally don’t think this big – but no plasma TV could contain our plans for ‘High School Musical 3,’ thanks to the Walt Disney Studios.”

    Disney Channel Worldwide president – entertainment Gary Marsh commented, “‘High School Musical’ exploded off the TV screen and into the lives of kids and families everywhere. It skyrocketed to heights never before achieved by a TV movie, so it’s only fitting that its next incarnation should be as a major motion picture. Now millions of kids and families can ‘get their heads in the game’ one more time — and continue to experience this cultural phenomenon”

    High School Musical premiered on Disney Channel on 20 January 2006, and went on to win the Television Critics Association Award for Outstanding Children’s Programming, and received two Emmy Awards (of its total six nominations), a DGA Award, an Imagen Award for Best Children’s Program and a Humanitas Prize nomination. The soundtrack received a Billboard Music Award for Soundtrack of the Year, and was nominated for an American Music Award in the Favorite Album (Pop/Rock) category. The film even earned an entry in the Guinness World Record Book as the first TV movie to deliver nine concurrent singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

    Additionally, High School Musical has spawned a No. 1 New York Times bestseller – High School Musical – The Novel, which has sold over 1.2 million copies. High School Musical was also the first TV movie to be offered on the iTunes Music Store, adds the release.