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Tag: Prime Focus Technologies

  • Mobile Premier League partners with Prime Focus Technologies for content creation

    Mobile Premier League partners with Prime Focus Technologies for content creation

    MUMBAI: Prime Focus Technologies (PFT) announced that its brands division, PFT Brands, has partnered with Mobile Premier League (MPL), India’s leading mobile e-sports platform, to create multiple ad films and videos for the brand. PFT has created an extensive content inventory for MPL, in sync with the organization’s long-term, strategic communication goals. As a one-stop video agency, PFT Brands is handling all aspects of content creation for MPL – from conceptualization and scripting to production to postproduction.

    As part of the collaboration, PFT has designed a series of ad films showcasing the wide variety of fun games available on MPL, including Rummy, Fantasy Cricket, Fantasy Kabaddi, Carrom, Fruit Chop and Pool. These films have been further localized in Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Bhojpuri, Marathi, Kannada and Gujarati. Leveraging humorous narratives, the films pique viewers’ interest and inspire them to install the MPL app and start playing specific games. The ads are being showcased on both TV and digital platforms.

    In addition, PFT has also created several testimonial videos for MPL which showcase positive real-life stories and experiences of MPL users who have won major cash prizes. The videos aim at inspiring consumers to download the MPL app and start playing to win. The PFT team shot videos of MPL winners from different parts of the country, highlighting their winnings and emphasizing how MPL has made their lives easier and better. 

    MPL vice president – growth Abhishek Madhavan said, “Our users are our ambassadors and thanks to them, we have grown to become India’s biggest mobile gaming and skill monetisation platform. We want to reach out to our users and involve them to reiterate the trust they have placed in us. The PFT team completely understood the user sentiments at play, and executed both the ads and the customer testimonials superbly. We are confident the campaign will be extremely successful, and we look forward to producing more such stellar work with PFT as our partner!”

    PFT  vice president – brand services Umesh Bopche added, “We are immensely excited to be partnering with an innovative market leader like MPL, and are grateful to their team for giving us this incredible opportunity. The content we have created for MPL is based on two key objectives – building brand awareness and significantly strengthening their user base. We look forward to creating a host of world-class videos for MPL in the coming months.”

  • 7 Top Video Trends to Watch Out for in 2020

    7 Top Video Trends to Watch Out for in 2020

    In a world where capturing consumers’ attention is getting harder, and customer acquisition is getting more expensive, video is one of the best ways for brands to communicate with their target audience. With the new year rolling in, now is a great time for brands to rethink their video strategy and take it to the next level in order to maximize conversion. Here are a few exciting video trends that we believe will be game-changers in 2020 and beyond:

    Personalized Videos

    Personalized videos include the viewer’s name and other details in the storyline, enabling brands to deliver communication that is highly relevant and targeted. Such videos leverage CRM data to help build stronger relationships with customers and enable effective generation of qualified leads.

    Interactive Videos

    Interactive videos put viewers in the driver’s seat, enabling them to make choices as they watch. Infused with quizzes, opinion polls, treasure hunts and more, interactive videos pique viewers’ interest and help build brand loyalty. Since they have higher recall value, they result in better conversion rates.

    Shoppable Videos

    Making videos shoppable allows brands to shorten the consumer journey and increase last-mile conversion. Being able to choose products and add them to a cart is not only a ‘wow’ factor for viewers, it also empowers them with greater convenience and ease of access.

    Vertical Videos

    With smart phones becoming the de-facto device among millennials, creating videos for viewing in portrait (rather than landscape) mode is the latest megatrend. As influencer marketing gains popularity, and brands cash in on the FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) factor, vertical videos are fast becoming the norm across platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram.

    360-Degree Videos

    360-degree videos literally provide a larger than life viewing experience, by capturing the action from all directions! This innovative technique offers an immersive, interactive viewing experience that results in higher video completion rates.

    User Generated Content (UGC)

    Today, brands are increasingly listening to their audience and tapping into the stories that people are co-creating. UGC videos are now a vital part of brands’ community building efforts.  They inspire greater trust than brand sponsored content, are shared more widely and require very little investment.

    Silent Videos

    Silent videos, which primarily rely on visuals for messaging, are currently trending on social media platforms. The convenience they offer is clear – people can watch these videos whenever, wherever without missing anything. Whether they are in a busy public place (like an airport/metro), or in a quiet area (like a hospital), they can enjoy an uninterrupted viewing experience.

    As the lines between content and commerce blur, brands must adopt new trends and technologies for video marketing. These can help deliver dynamic, compelling viewing experiences which build brand love, drive transactions and increase ROI. For best results, brands should partner with a one-stop video agency that offers both high quality creative services along and cutting-edge technology.

    (The author is vice president, Brands Services, Prime Focus Technologies. The views expressed are his own and Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to them.)

     

  • Prime Focus Technologies selected as event coverage partner for L’Oréal Professionnel’s Indian Hairdressing Awards 2018-19

    Prime Focus Technologies selected as event coverage partner for L’Oréal Professionnel’s Indian Hairdressing Awards 2018-19

    MUMBAI: Prime Focus Technologies (PFT) announced that its video agency, PFT Brands was selected by L’Oréal Professionnel as the official event coverage partner for the prestigious Indian Hairdressing Awards (IHA) 2018-19.

    IHA was launched as a platform to recognize excellence in not only the art, but also the business of hairdressing. One of the most anticipated events on the Indian hairdressing calendar, it serves as a source of inspiration to hundreds of hairdressers and launches its stars into successful careers of their own.

    Capturing the grandeur of the mega event, PFT created a total of 10 compelling webisodes (10 minutes each), 3 special ‘glam’ videos (3 minutes each) and an exclusive long-form video compilation. The videos feature a wide range of fascinating looks, unmatched on-stage glamour, behind the scenes moments, riveting interviews, stunning location shots and much more. The team filmed the regional rounds for over 6 months, travelling across several locations including Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. They also captured the stunning, first-ever international grand finale of IHA, which was held in Dubai. Jury members included eminent personalities from the global fashion world including Adam Reed, Nonita Kalra, Jatin Kampani, Gavin Miguel, and Mehera Kolah.

    As a one-stop video agency, PFT Brands provided end-to-end creative services for showcasing IHA –  including conceptualization, scripting, production and post production. Watch some of the videos here:

    “IHA is our biggest and most exciting property where L’Oréal Professionnel successfully engages and interacts with the hairdressing industry. We are delighted that PFT Brands helped us create an impactful, out-of-the-box series of videos around the event which captured the attention of viewers on digital platforms and social media,” said Binaifer Pardiwalla, General Manager, L’Oréal Professionnel.

    “In today’s hyper-digital world, creating short-form snackable video content is an excellent way for brands to get on consumers’ radar,” said Bhaskar Sitholey, Senior Vice President, Creative Services, PFT. “We are thrilled to have had the opportunity to showcase this dynamic mega event for L’Oréal Professionnel. Our focus was on delivering great production value while effectively capturing the energy, emotions, innovation and scale of the competition.”

    PFT Brands helps transform brands into digital content destinations that build customer loyalty. 

  • Prime Focus Technologies inks deal with channel 4

    Prime Focus Technologies inks deal with channel 4

    MUMBAI: Prime Focus Technologies (PFT) has signed a strategic deal with UK’s public service broadcaster, Channel 4 for managing media processing and centralised content operations using its flagship product, CLEAR™ Media ERP.

    PFT will manage the following for Channel 4 – (1) media processing activities including ingest, content re-mediation, media management, content aggregation, quality assurance and processing functions within Channel 4’s content workflow; (2) Online services including DRM, VoD transcoding, packaging & delivery, simulcast and live to VoD. PFT will be responsible for providing all the content for Channel 4’s online presence, both on Channel 4’s own ‘All4’ platform, as well as 3rd party platforms. 


    As a single software combining MAM capabilities with Work Order Management, CLEAR will enable Channel 4 to manage end-to-end media operations, including assets, resources, tasks and workflows. CLEAR’s best-in-class task management framework will improve collaboration across all internal and external stakeholders, including Channel 4’s Access services and Playout partners.

    “We are delighted to be forming this new partnership with PFT; a company which shares Channel 4’s innovative spirit” said Keith Underwood, COO, Channel 4. “PFT has proven experience of managing content operations for major international broadcasters, and we look forward to working with them to establish their new UK base.”

    “We are excited to collaborate with a revered broadcaster like Channel 4, and the engagement marks a major landmark in our incredible journey of growth in the UK. We were chosen through a diligent evaluation process and look forward to delivering exceptional business value on the back of our automation-led technology and Cloud- enabled media services,” said Nick Kaimakami, Senior Vice President & Head – EMEA, Prime Focus Technologies. “To support our engagement with Channel 4, we will be creating job opportunities in the UK, and look forward to working with some of the best talent in the region.”

    PFT also announced the launch of a Media Centre in the UK, which will act as the hub of centralised content operations for Channel 4. This new location will strengthen PFT’s presence in the UK and enable them to offer extensive local support to Channel 4.

    CLEAR has been deployed successfully on Cloud for the last eleven years. It automates the content supply chain, and currently manages 1.5 million hours of content across 220+ multi-cloud locations. CLEAR helps content creators enhance efficiencies, lower costs and realise new monetisation opportunities. 

    PFT will be showcasing CLEAR with the latest powerful updates at IBC 2019 – Booth #7.C05.
     

  • Data and creativity go hand-in-hand to create brand success

    Data and creativity go hand-in-hand to create brand success

    MUMBAI: Even though artificial intelligence and machine learning are driving the course of content, much still relies on quality of content despite the world’s best technologies backing it. Nothing can beat good, relatable, and entertaining content, which rides on the back of data, to reach out to the masses, creating a data-inspired environment of work.

    This was the crux of the “Understanding the audience: Data & tech in content creation (Brandfilm breakthrough)” session at the recently concluded Indiantelevision.com BrandVid 2019. The session, moderated by Qyuki Digital Media co-founder and managing director Samir Bangara, had Prime Focus Technologies vice president creative services Bhaskar Sitholey, Shemaroo head of marketing Rahul Mishra, BYJUS App marketing head Atit Mehta Logicserve Digital co-founder and CEO Prasad Shejale, JioGenNext VP group alliances and mentor Mohit Kapoor, and VDO.ai co-founder Arijit Sachdeva discussing the role of data in branded content creation and if the process is data-inspired or data-driven.

    The panelists agreed that a whole of lot of data inspection comes into play in the creation of content today, but what matters the most is the impact the final piece of craft has on the audience. The only dissenting voice was of Sachdeva who quipped that VDO.ai being a young company doesn’t have the leverage to be data-inspired and is instead data-driven.

    Sachdeva said, “We are serving approximately 5 billion ads in a month and we have achieved this scale within a time span of just approximately one and a half year. I do not have the experience of 25 years to say that we are data-inspired.”

    Sitholey shared, “Data can definitely give you a better understanding of what your audience is doing or what they want. But what you craft out, depending on the interpretation of that audience needs, is what is really going to move the needle or not.” He also added that the world is heading to two-way content driven by interactivity.

    Kapoor vouched for a combination of the both as he said, “We will take it a level ahead. We call it ‘data everything’. The magic we have been seeing at Jio is when all the ‘C’ start working together, i.e., commerce, community, content, and connect.”

    He further shared an example of Snickers, “In China, Alibaba team shared an insight with Snickers that people who are buying Snickers are also purchasing a lot of spicy stuff and bingo! Snickers went on to launch a spicy bar, which is the first one in the world and is a resounding success. That is what data delivers.”

    Shejale shared similar thoughts as he said, “I think there are types of role like creative technologist, wherein it is a combination of both (data and creativity). Imagine if a creative person is fed with the right data, it could be really doing wonders.”

    Speaking about the metrics that creators use to inspire their content, Mishra noted that currently the industry relies on broader level metrics that are not capturing emotions. Citing the example of his organisation he mentioned that it is trying and tracking tactical opportunities of content creation in terms of what is trending.

    Sachdeva added that advertisers of today are looking for two fundamental metrics. “One is the number of completed views and the other thing that matters is the view-ability of ad placements.”

    The panel focused on the need to strike a balance between the right amount of data and creativity to meet these metrics and create content that can strike an emotional chord with the consumers.

    Mehta quipped, “Content has to be entertaining. I don’t know whether creativity will lead to entertainment or whether data will lead to entertainment. You can do whatever you want as long as it is entertaining content it will work. Now whether data has given you that understanding or it is happening because of your creative mind is inconsequential.”

    Bangara culminated the session by pointing out that data is important because it is predictable and dependable while creativity is not. It thus helps in ensuring that the money is being put in the right places. He said, “You have to do a CYA to clear 100 per cent of your spends but at the same time you go to the best director, best scriptwriter to write a really amazing story. Data is dependable and creativity, unfortunately, is not. It is hard to draw the distinction between the two. They will always be hand in hand.”

  • Prime Focus Technologies wins TV Technology’s 2018 Product Innovation Award

    Prime Focus Technologies wins TV Technology’s 2018 Product Innovation Award

    Los Angeles, CA – December 28, 2018: Prime Focus Technologies (PFT), the technology arm of Prime Focus, has been awarded TV Technology’s 2018 Product Innovation Award for its ground-breaking native media recognition Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform, CLEAR™ Vision Cloud.

    A module of PFT’s CLEAR Media ERP Suite, Vision Cloud builds Machine Wisdom from intelligence to transform business operations and unlock new revenue potentials for Media companies. While standalone AI engines can recognize objects, faces, actors, locations, sound and more within individual video frames, Vision Cloud can identify complex sequences (like a specific character in a car chase/fighting on a train), actions (like punching/kissing) and video segments (like credits/promos/recaps). It delivers search results that are far more meaningful and contextual, and can be used to easily extract relevant content for multiple use cases – right from creation and post production to distribution and marketing. Vision Cloud leverages the collective intelligence of the industry's most sophisticated AI solutions, and draws on PFT’s decade long experience of collecting, curating and annotating content (400 million tags till date) to build own Machine Learning (ML) models.

    “We’re absolutely thrilled that TV Technology has selected CLEAR Vision Cloud for its Product Innovation Award this year,” said Adrish Bera, Senior Vice President, AI & ML, Prime Focus Technologies “Our objective behind creating Vision Cloud was to make content operations more efficient, cost effective and scalable and create new revenue streams. Validation by an expert jury and winning against stiff global competition is clear testimony to the superior technology innovation and business value that the product brings to the global Media and Entertainment (M&E) industry.”

    TV Technology’s Product Innovation Awards recognize excellence in manufacturing of products to serve the TV/pro video and radio/online audio industries. Winners are selected by a panel of professional users and evaluation criteria include innovation of concept and design, creative use of technology, price value, and suitability for use in a broadcast TV/pro video or broadcast/online radio environment.

  • Prime Focus Technologies and microsoft forge a pivotal partnership to lead the Media & Entertainment industry to the cloud

    Prime Focus Technologies and microsoft forge a pivotal partnership to lead the Media & Entertainment industry to the cloud

    MUMBAI: Prime Focus Technologies (PFT) has partnered with Microsoft to further strengthen its flagship CLEARTM Hybrid Cloud-enabled Media ERP Suite. CLEAR handles 1.5 M hours of content, and its extensive domain knowledge combined with Microsoft’s powerful Azure Cloud Services will create an intelligent, media-savvy cloud solution. The depth and breadth of this collaboration is designed to create new revenue streams for PFT by enabling it to develop new products and services for the Media & Entertainment (M&E) industry. PFT selected Microsoft Azure as its preferred cloud hosting platform to best implement CLEAR across geographies with extreme reliability, scalability, performance, and global accessibility powered by Microsoft.

    “We are seeing an explosion in the creation and consumption of media across platforms around the world. PFT has been offering global media brands the platform to manage their value chain from development to distribution to archiving. By leveraging Azure, PFT’s is positioned to deliver even more innovative, scalable solutions through Microsoft’s global, secure, reliable cloud infrastructure and advanced AI services”, said Meetul Patel, Chief Operating Officer, Microsoft India.

    With traditional revenues shrinking and costs increasing on the back of digital endeavours, this partnership will enable content owners to quickly and easily leverage the efficiencies, flexibility, and agility that the cloud provides-made possible by PFT’s flexible approach to virtualising business processes, content supply chain, and vision to build a connected enterprise. Microsoft Azure also enables innovation by the companies around new media workflows, new operational capabilities and, new business opportunities.      

    The foundation of the alliance begins with the immediate migration of all consolidated data storage to Azure for uninterrupted service, before the migration of core CLEARTM Media ERP to Azure coupled with Microsoft’s Cognitive Services. In addition, the companies will work in close cooperation on the overall go-to-market approach, which will help clients migrate to the cloud easily and more cost-effectively.

    “Increasing accessibility and time to market for content creators is a necessity in today’s fierce and rapidly developing M&E industry. Our flagship product, CLEARTM Media ERP on Microsoft Azure will help M&E companies manage the content supply chain efficiently and create more time for the creative process by truly tapping into automation by CLEAR and agility of Azure,” said Ramki Sankaranarayanan, Co-founder and CEO, PFT.       

    Combined with a full spectrum of capabilities and extensive media services available through 42 Azure regions across the globe-more than any other major cloud provider—Azure is exceptionally positioned to meet the needs of media enterprises and creative professionals around the globe. CLEAR allows M&E organizations to manage workflow orchestrations across the entire content supply chain on one system. It lays the foundation for streamlining content operations and helps M&E players enhance efficiencies across core processes like Acquisition, Review and Approval, Cataloguing, QC, Mastering, Distribution, Promos, and Localization. This exclusive capability by PFT will usher in extreme transparency across the content lifecycle, help automate business processes and lower Total Cost of Operations for M&E enterprises.

  • Big Bazaar urges people to be free spirited

    Big Bazaar urges people to be free spirited

    MUMBAI: As we celebrated the festival of colours, hypermarket chain Big Bazaar had launched a campaign that gives a glimpse into the spirit of Holi.

    Executed by Prime Focus Technologies, the TVC is part of Big Bazaar’s ongoing campaign – Har Tyohaar Mein Big Bazaar. The campaign depicts how over the years Big Bazaar has played an integral role in making all festivals and occasions even more special for its customers.

    The ad film features a free-spirited young girl, who despite being cautioned by her mother, joins in the colourful festivities of Holi with all her heart and soul. The film’s jingle encapsulates the joys of coming together to celebrate India’s colourful festival with enthusiasm.

    Speaking about the campaign Big Bazaar chief marketing officer Jishnu Sen says, “Festivals are special occasions that bring families and friends together and we are glad to participate with our consumers in their endeavour of making these gatherings beautiful memories to cherish. India is a land which celebrates many cultures and colourful festivals and our campaign is a small reflection of our festivities.”

    Talking about working on the ad film, PFT vice president, creative services Bhaskar Sitholey adds, “Holi is all about coming together as a community and immersing oneself in colours and optimism. The TVC aims to capture the delights of celebrating this festival, with Big Bazaar at the core of all the revelry. It celebrates the spirit of sharing with loved ones in its true sense and infuses beautifully.”

  • Game of Thrones episode leak with Star TV watermark traced to Prime Focus Tech; 4 people arrested

    NEW DELHI: “You know nothing, Jon Snow,” Ygritte told her reluctant lover, delivering one of the most iconic lines in the drama series. But  the Maharashtra police do know who leaked  episode four from season seven of  the blockbuster HBO series ‘Game of Thrones’ with the Star India watermark about 10 days back. And, the source of the crime is Prime Focus, a technology partner of Star. 

    Police investigations done in Mumbai and Bangalore have shown that present and former employees of Prime Focus, technology vendor for Star India, were responsible for the leak. GOT airs in India on Star channels and its digital platform Hotstar.

    “The information and material collected at the Bangalore office (of Prime Focus) and the Mumbai Police station were collated, studied and analysed by the police. On being satisfied, the investigating agency sufficiently established the role and involvement of various persons, both existing and former employees as well as outsiders,” Maharashtra special IGP (cyber) Brijesh Singh said in a statement yesterday, adding four persons were arrested on 14 August 2017.

    It transpires that the leak, which was one in the series of many leaks globally involving, GOT in recent times, happened in Prime Focus Technologies’ Bengaluru office.

    The police said interrogations revealed that more than one person was involved, included outside people, who had access to the raw data of the TV series. All the accused persons were produced in a court and later sent to police custody till 21 August 2017.

    During investigations, Prime Focus had come forward accepting the leak had happened at its end. It also lodged a police complaint against one of its serving employees alleging that he, along with another former employee and other persons, illegally gained access to the episode and leaked it online.

    Indiantelevision.com could not independently reach out to Prime Focus for the company’s reactions to the developments on online leak. 

    In a separate statement Star India said, “This was the first time that an incident of this nature has occurred. We are deeply grateful to the police for their swift and prompt action. We believe that valuable intellectual property is a critical part of the development of the creative industry and strict enforcement of the law is essential to protecting it.”

    On 4 August 2017, The Verge had reported an unaired episode of GOT appeared on the Internet early that morning. While HBO’s servers were breached earlier that week, this episode leak happened at GOT producer HBO’s distribution partner in India, Star India, and the company’s logo appeared watermarked throughout the leaked episode.

    According to The Verge, Smartprix spotted a direct link to the MP4 of the episode over at Star India’s own distribution site, allowing people to download GOT freely before sharing it with Google Drive links on Reddit.

     

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    https://www.vox.com/2015/4/12/8394447/game-of-thrones-leak

  • Prime Focus Tech gets funding from PE firm Ambit Pragma

    Prime Focus Tech gets funding from PE firm Ambit Pragma

    MUMBAI: Prime Focus Technologies (PFT) – the technology offshoot of media services company Prime Focus – informed the Bombay stock exchange today that it had received its first round of funding from growth capital private equity fund Ambit Pragma.

    The amount or how much was being divested in favour of Ambit Pragma was not disclosed by PFT .

    It, however, elaborated that it proposes to use the investment for intensifying its development efforts of the software as a service (SaaS) products including its CLEAR Media ERPand gaining deeper penetration and growth in strategic markets such as North America and EMEA with increased sales and marketing efforts.

    PFT’s flagship product CLEAR Media ERP is targeted at M&E companies who increasingly adopt technology to tap the digital consumer landscape while enhancing efficiencies and lowering Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).

    CLEAR is the world’s first and most proven cloud based Media ERP Suite that virtualizes the content supply chain and builds a connected enterprise for M&E companies.

    PFT works with more than 300 clients in India and is the chosen technology partner for more than 100 clients globally including various leading broadcasters, studios, brands, sports and digital organizations.

    PFT’s award winning CLEAR Media ERP suite and Cloud Media Services have been successfully deployed for the last eight years in global M&E companies such as 21st Century Fox-owned Star India, Novi Digital, Hotstar, Miramax, Disney, Warner Bros, Global Eagle Entertainment, Cricket Australia, CBS Television Studios, 20th Century Fox Television Studios, FX Networks, Crown Media Holdings, Legendary Pictures, Starz Media, Lionsgate, A+E Networks, HBO, Mnet, CNBC Africa, SABC, IFC Films, HOOQ, Sony Music, Voot, Hearst Television, Showtime, BCCI, Indian Premier League and The Associated Press,among others.

    “Media ERP adoption in the global M&E industry has been growing steadily. With flat revenues and shrinking margins in traditional media, content enterprises especially broadcasters and studios have a tough time finding resources to invest in new monetization opportunities. M&E companies have to completely rethink technology investments and rejig their business model to survive in the new digital reality,” says PFT founder & CEO Ramki Sankaranarayanan.

    The investment by Ambit Pragma istremendous market validation of the business opportunity we serve and offers us growth capital to execute on our strategy for global leadership in the Media ERP space. We are delighted to have a like-minded partner in Ambit Pragma who appreciates the realities and opportunities within the M&E industry.”

    Adds Ambit Pragma CEO Rajeev Agrawal: “PFT is a global pioneer addressing the challenge s content enterprises are facing in this hyper digital market through their cutting-edge technology. The architectural road map of the product, its multiple use cases and their management’s thought leadership, represent a compelling opportunity for us to make the investment.”