ITV

Tag: publishing

  • Dream Sports and Microsoft team up to play hard in India’s gaming market

    Dream Sports and Microsoft team up to play hard in India’s gaming market

    MUMBAI: Dream Sports is putting on its game face with Microsoft. At the inaugural World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (Waves) 2025 in Mumbai, the sports tech powerhouse inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the American software giant in a bid to supercharge India’s booming gaming industry.

    The tie-up will explore local publishing opportunities for Microsoft’s global gaming portfolio, while co-developing AI-fuelled innovations tailored to Indian tastes. The goal: build cutting-edge online experiences for the country’s 600 million-strong gamer base.

    Dream Sports co-founder & chief executive Harsh Jain said, “We are eager to build innovative & future ready experiences by leveraging Microsoft’s deep technical & AI expertise along with our base of 250 million Indian users. We look forward to working together to redefine the future of online gaming in India.”

    Microsoft India  and south Asia president Puneet Chandok echoed the enthusiasm: “We are excited to explore a collaboration with Dream Sports, leveraging their vast ecosystem of 250 million users. Together, Microsoft and Dream Sports aim to elevate the Indian gaming landscape by tailoring it to local needs and delivering transformative AI-driven experiences”

    The partnership lands as India’s gaming market hits a high score—$3.8 billion in FY24, with mobile users leading the charge. More than 66 per cent of gamers now hail from non-metro cities, and 44 per cent are women, according to the Leveling Up: State of India Interactive report.

    With cheap data, smartphone ubiquity, and growing backing from investors and policymakers alike, India is no longer just a player—it’s becoming the arena.

    Game on.

  • ConsCent.ai unveils its intelligent e-reader solution for publishers

    ConsCent.ai unveils its intelligent e-reader solution for publishers

    Mumbai: ConsCent.ai has introduced an e-reader solution. It is a future system that combines intelligence, engagement, retention and payments, enabling publishers to increase their subscription business by utilising their e-papers and e-magazines.

     ConsCent’s e-reader solution aims to restore publishers’ control over their data, and enable them to improve subscription conversions and lifetime value of users using ConsCent’s suite of paywalling, recommendation and engagement suite, bridging the innovation gap in e-publishing services currently used for publishing e-papers.

    The product is launched with a goal to reduce cost and increase productivity for publishers by providing them with a full stack solution for all their content offerings in which data is unified, visualisation is simplified, and decision making is faster.

    In India, at present e-papers account for about 80 per cent of all digital subscriptions sold, which makes it vital for the digital reader revenue strategy. With these figures, the tool is quite relevant for the upcoming times.

     The tool reduces the time required to publish, organise, and maintain e-papers and e-magazines by uploading PDF pages with a single click. It also controls sharing and minimises leaks. It lets the user segment readers, retarget them and connect with them. Other key features of this solution include using information derived from a centralised dashboard and diversifying revenue streams, select, customising and implementing various paywalls (hybrid, dynamic). The tool ensures that users have a pleasurable experience. 

    For an understanding, 50+ news publishers and OTT platforms in India use ConsCent to maximise user revenue. India Today Group (India Today, Cosmopolitan, and Business Today), Outlook India Group (Outlook India and Outlook Business), MidDay, Jagran News Media, Amar Ujala, Udayavani, Amar Chitra Katha, EPIC On, Tinkle Comics, and are amongst some of the company’s key partners.

    ConsCent has surpassed seven lakh users who can access premium content on ConsCent’s partners without creating multiple logins and can unlock premium content with a single click. The firm’s partners have not only increased their paying user base 10X in a year, but have also assisted publishers in making their premium content more discoverable through recommendations, engaging with users through audience segmentation-based targeting, and even retaining them through a host of marketing tools – all through one single dashboard.

    ConsCent co-founder and CEO Sunny Sen shared, “Newspapers are the most valuable and editorially rich content produced by publishers. However, if it is limited to print, it loses the ability to develop, maximise brand recognition and truly monetise its content. As readers and advertisers rapidly migrate online and to mobile devices, publishers have little choice, but to adapt.”

    However, a digital presence is not sufficient. A publisher must be able to effectively monetise their valuable editorial content, which is essentially a result of how well they can understand their audience and use the information about their preferences, reading habits, reading behaviour, propensity to pay, etc. to deliver them with a personalised experience.

     “The option to consume anything at any time with the choice of what time of day you would like to consume your content has made capturing user data an essential requirement for publishers in the internet age. Existing E-publishing software gives publishers little to no control over user behaviour understanding, resulting in a significant loss of user comprehension,” he concluded.

  • Justice Sikri to chair grievance redressal board for digital publishers under IAMAI

    KOLKATA: The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) announced on Thursday that former Supreme Court Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri will chair the Grievance Redressal Board (GRB), formed as a part of the Digital Publisher Content Grievances Council (DPCGC). 

    The GRB will address content grievances about any of the DPCGC member’s video streaming services. It will function as an independent body and act as the second-tier within the three-tier grievance redressal mechanism as envisioned by the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. Under Justice Sikri’s leadership, the GRB will aim to provide independent adjudication on content grievances escalated to it.

    The members of the GRB include prominent personalities from the media and entertainment industry, online curated content providers, experts from various fields including child rights, women rights, and media laws. The Grievance Redressal Board includes National award-winning actress Suhasini Maniratnam; Madhu Bhojwani, Indian film Producer and partner at Emmay Entertainment and Motion Pictures; Gopal Jain, senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India; and Dr. Ranjana Kumari, eminent Civil Society representative who currently serves as the director of the Centre for Social Research and as the chairperson of Women Power Connect. The two members from the Online Curated Content Providers are Amit Grover, senior corporate counsel, Amazon India, and Priyanka Chaudhari, director-legal, Netflix India.

    IAMAI had recently announced the formation of the Digital Publisher Content Grievances Council as an independent self-regulatory organization to provide a grievance redressal platform for Online Curated Content consumers. The DPCGC will empower consumers to make informed viewing choices and promote creative excellence, which are keys to the long-term success of the Indian entertainment industry.

    The appointment of GRB members is a crucial step towards setting up an independent grievance redressal mechanism in alignment with IT Rules 2021, it said on Thursday. The GRB will oversee and ensure the alignment and adherence to the Code of Ethics by the DPCG Council members, provide guidance to member entities on the Code of Ethics, and address grievances that have not been resolved by the publisher within the stipulated period.

    The DPCGC currently has 14 publishers of online curated content as members, which include Amazon Prime Video, Alt Balaji, Apple, BookMyShow Stream, Eros Now, Firework TV, Hoichoi, Hungama, Lionsgate Play, MX Player, Netflix, Reeldrama, Shemaroo, and Ullu.

    Tags: IAMAI, Netflix, Amazon India, OTT, Streaming Service, New IT rules, Justice Sikri.

  • GEMS | Monetisation, improved experiences required to level-up e-gaming in India: Dhaval Ponda

    GEMS | Monetisation, improved experiences required to level-up e-gaming in India: Dhaval Ponda

    NEW DELHI: Gaming and e-sports is swiftly going mainstream in India and for the industry, it’s only onward and upwards from here. PUBG ban not withstanding, the sector is giving stiff competition to major sporting events while simultaneously attracting broadcasters, aggregators, players, and viewers – all the markers of a robust ecosystem of growth and success. 

    However, there are still certain areas that need work in order to fully tap into the industry’s potential. At the first Gaming, E-sports, and More Summit (GEMS), presented by indiantelevision.com and AnimationXpress.com, co-powered by Tata Communications, this hot-button issue was taken up and thoroughly examined by industry experts.

    Opening the two-day-long virtual summit with his keynote address, Tata Communications global head media and entertainment Dhaval Ponda shed light on the emerging trends, growth drivers, and barriers impacting the Indian e-sports and gaming industry. 

    Read more news on gaming industry

    While the Indian gaming crowd is growing at a faster click than the global community, it is still not getting the right monetisation and publishing support within the country, says Ponda. Indian gamers today make for 15 per cent of the global total but the domestic market size is less than 1 per cent in value. Indian game publishers are only 3 per cent of the global value. 

    Though he insisted that things have started improving since 2018, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done in the sector of broadcasting and monetisation.  

    “We are seeing that e-sports gaming content is now being treated by these broadcasters as good as tier-1 traditional sports, and is being watched by millions of viewers. So, you (broadcasters) are also going to attract the same rights-holding fee that you would charge from tier-1 sports, like cricket and football,” stated Ponda.

    Broadcasts will not only be crucial to gauge interest and get tongues wagging about e-sports,but also sustain andreinforce the community, he explained.

    He added that the platforms also need to consider what else they can do beside streaming e-sports live to grab eyeballs, and make it an wholesome experience for viewers as well as the gaming community. “If you are investing, try and understand how you can be unique in your content. Ask yourself if you can have content outside of just gaming,” said Ponda. To drive his point home, he added: “For example, the way you document the NBA champions. Everyone knows where the player was born, what their history is.”

    Read more news on Tata Communications

    Ponda insisted that a similar culture needs to be developed for players in e-sports and gaming categories too. “People want to know who they (the players) are and where they are coming from. It is the sort of content that also sustains engagement and active viewership.” 

    User-experience is also going to be a crucial factor in promoting and supporting the community. “The digital infrastructure needs to grow leaps and bounds in terms of broadband and mobile internet availability. Furthermore, a sound cloud architecture, transcoding infrastructure and CDN infrastructure is required to have a good viewing experience,” he said.

    Artistic and technical talent for the game development side is quite crucial too, Ponda pointed out, and suggested that the industry take inspiration from gaming studios in LA, London, and south Korea to finetune the culture within India. 

  • CBS revenue up 2 per cent for Q3-2014, operating income down 2.4 per cent

    CBS revenue up 2 per cent for Q3-2014, operating income down 2.4 per cent

    BENGALURU: CBS Corporation (CBS) reported a 2 per cent growth in revenue in Q3-2014 at $  3367 million from $  3302 million reported in the year ago quarter. However, 9M-2014 revenue fell 3 per cent to $ 10125 million from $ 10434 million in 9M-2013.

     

    The company’s operating income before depreciation and amortisation (OIBDA) in Q3-2014 at $ 814 million was 2.4 per cent less than the $ 834 million in Q3-2013. 9M-2014 at $ 2477 million was 2 per cent lower than the $  2527 million in 9M-2013.

     

    Entertainment, Cable Networks, Publishing; and Local Broadcasting segments contribute to CBS numbers. Poor OIBDA results from CBS Entertainment segment which contributes a major portion to revenue and OIBDA, resulted in lower operating income.

     

    Segment results

     

    Entertainment

     

    CBS Entertainment segment reported revenue growth of 1.4 per cent in Q3-2014 to $ 1911 million from $ 1884 million in Q3-2013. However, for 9M-2014, revenue at $ 6049 million fell 5.9 per cent from $ 6431 million in 9M-2013.

     

    Entertainment segment’s OIBDA fell sharply by 22.3 per cent q-o-q to $ 335 million in Q3-2014 from $ 431 million.  OIBDA during 9M-2014 fell 12.8 per cent to $ 1168 million from $ 1340 million in 9M-2013.

     

    Cable Networks

     

    This segment reported 4.7 per cent growth in revenue to $ 624 million in Q3-2014 from $ 596 million in the corresponding year ago quarter. Revenue during HY-2014 at $ 1677 million was 5.3 per cent more than the $ 1592 million in 9M-2013.

     

    OIBDA from this segment rose 4.2 per cent to $ 272 million in Q3-2014 from $ 261 million in Q3-2013. During 9M-2014, OIBDA from CBS Cable Network segment rose 7.3 per cent to $ 750 million from $ 699 million.

     

    Publishing

     

    CBS Publishing segment saw a 11.2 per cent fall in revenue to $ 199 million in Q3-2014 from $ 224 million in Q3-2013. Revenue from this segment fell 3.6 per cent to $ 563 million in 9M-2014 from $ 584 million in 9M-2013.

     

    OIBDA for publishing segment remained flat at $ 43 million in Q3-2014 and Q3-2013. For 9M-2014, OIBDA was 5.3 per cent more at $ 80 million as compared to the $ 76 million in 9M-2013.

     

    Local Broadcasting

     

    Revenue from this segment increased 6.1 per cent to $ 680 million in Q3-2014 from $ 641 million in Q3-2013. Revenue from local broadcasting in 9M-2014 fell by a 0.3 per cent to $ 1971 million from $ 1977 million in 9M-2013.

     

    OIBDA for this segment rose 18.2 per cent in Q3-2014 to $ 214 million from $ 181 million in Q3-2013. 9M-2014 OIBDA rose 2.7 per cent to $ 652 million from $ 635 million in 9M-2013.

     

    Company Quotes

     

    “CBS continues to succeed on the strength of its tremendous content,” said CBS executive chairman, Sumner Redstone. “Les and his team are optimising the Company for future growth at every turn, and I have the utmost confidence in their ability to increasingly drive shareholder value in these dynamic times of great opportunity.”

     

    “Our third quarter growth reflects the success of our efforts to create and monetize our premium content,” said CBS president and CEO Leslie Moonves. “I am particularly pleased with the CBS Television Network’s encouraging start to the fall season, which has reloaded our owned content pipeline in a big way with Madam Secretary, Scorpion, and NCIS: New Orleans, along with new owned hits from Showtime and The CW. Our local businesses had a strong quarter as well, including increasing political spending and higher retransmission consent fees. Also during the quarter, we renegotiated new station affiliate contracts with LIN Media, Tribune Broadcasting, Media General, and Gray Television with more to come later this year, bringing us that much closer toward our stated goal of $ 2 billion in retransmission consent and reverse compensation revenues by 2020. We are also capitalizing on growing consumer demand by expanding into emerging platforms. This includes the recent launch of CBS All Access, which allows our “super fans” to watch CBS wherever they are. At the same time, we are returning more value to shareholders than ever before, and we continue to have great confidence in our future as a content company in this ever-expanding marketplace.”

     

    Company speak

     

    Revenues of $ 3.37 billion for the third quarter of 2014 increased 2 per cent from $ 3.30 billion for the same quarter a year ago. This growth was driven by a 4 per cent increase in content licensing and distribution revenues from higher international and domestic licensing of television programming.

     

    Advertising revenues grew 2 per cent, driven by the broadcast of Thursday Night Football on CBS and political revenues associated with midterm elections. Affiliate and subscription fees were even with the third quarter of 2013, because of a significant pay-per-view boxing event a year ago that affected the revenue stream comparison by six percentage points. Cable affiliate fees, retransmission revenues, and fees from CBS Television Network affiliated stations all continued to grow in this year’s third quarter.

     

    Adjusted OIBDA of $ 814 million was down 2 per cent as a result of an increased investment in television programming, mainly associated with new contracts with the National Football League (“NFL”). The investment in NFL programming contributed to the successful launch of three new CBS-owned television series in the 2014/2015 television broadcast season, which all generated higher ratings in their respective time periods compared with the prior year.

     

    Adjusted net earnings from continuing operations were $ 400 million for the third quarter of 2014 compared with net earnings from continuing operations of $ 431 million for the same prior-year period. The decline primarily reflects the higher programming investment as well as losses of $ 23 million ($ .04 per diluted share) associated with changes in foreign exchange rates. Adjusted net earnings from continuing operations per diluted share for the third quarter of 2014 grew 6 per cent, to $ .74, from diluted net earnings per share from continuing operations of $ .70 for the same quarter in 2013.

     

    The increase was driven by lower weighted average shares outstanding from the split-off of CBS Outdoor Americas Inc. (“Outdoor Americas”) on 16 July 2014, as well as the Company’s ongoing share repurchase programme.

     

    Operating income was $ 668 million for the third quarter of 2014 compared with $ 764 million for the same prior-year period. Operating income for the third quarter of 2014 included restructuring charges of $ 26 million and a noncash impairment charge of $ 52 million in connection with a radio station swap. Net earnings from continuing operations were $ 72 million for this year’s third quarter compared with $ 431 million for the same quarter a year ago. In addition to the items above, net earnings for the third quarter of 2014 included a loss on early extinguishment of debt of $ 219 million, net of tax ($ .40 per diluted share), associated with the Company’s debt refinancing and a discrete tax item of $19 million. Adjusted results exclude the impact from all of these non-comparable items.

     

    Net earnings per diluted share of $3.03 for the third quarter of 2014 include a gain of $1.56 billion recognised in connection with the split-off of Outdoor Americas.

     

    Click here to read the financial release

     

    Click here to read the consolidated results 

  • Global fashion and lifestyle brand “Smiley” to enter India

    Global fashion and lifestyle brand “Smiley” to enter India

    MUMBAI: Smiley, one of the most recognized icons in the world and an iconic global and lifestyle fashion brand, today announced its plans to enter India market through its anchor brand Smiley. The company’s plan is to set up exclusive Smiley stores which would have the complete merchandise of The Smiley Company – apparel, sportswear, shoes, bags, jewellery, school merchandise, accessories and even Smiley branded chocolates and confectionery.

    Brandspoke is seeking Indian partners including distributors, manufacturers, and franchise partners to establish Smiley as the preferred fashion and lifestyle brand.

    Smiley was founded in 1972 by creator Franklin Loufrani. Owner of the iconic smiley logo and emoticons, in 1997, Franklin’s son Nicolas Loufrani introduced the first emoticons which later became the universe of Smiley¬ World. Its products are sold worldwide with strong trademark and copyright protection.

    Smiley has already registered its trademark in over 100 countries and active in more than 25 different industries. The Smiley brand and logo have significant exposure through licensees in sectors like clothing, home decoration, perfumery, plush, stationery, publishing, and through promotional campaigns.

     
    Speaking on the Smiley Company’s strategy for India market, Mr. Nicolas Loufrani, CEO, Smiley said, “Smiley’s number one market in the digital world is currently India which represents almost 15% of our entire global fan base. Having started to seed our positive values online and seeing the tremendous interaction with our Indian fans we feel it is now time to extend our activities here and provide them with the Smiley products they all dearly wish to see”.

    About “Smiley London” and Smiley “Happy Sports” product ranges showcased at India Fashion Forum 2014, Mumbai, India.

    “Smiley London” is a daring revival of the Smiley heritage born out of the Brit¬ish electronic and house music scene, where Smiley ruled the dance floors. Smiley London revisits back in the day when it was about unity and togeth¬erness and revives the spirit of wearing your smiley with pride and keeping the beats alive.

    Smiley “Happy Sports” delivers a colourful and vibrant alternative to an overtly branded sports fashion market, drawing from the original concept behind sports fashion and reminding people that sport and activity is about movement, teamwork, togetherness, enjoyment and making the most of your life. Happy Sports works with bold and bright colour ways to deliver a collection which catches the eye.

    The ever expanding collection targeted at a young 18-to-35 years fashion audience is bang on trend stylish high quality tee’s, tops, hoodies, varsity jackets, baseball caps, beanies all with on trend print applications, such as metallic foils, urban camo’s and classic smiley prints.

    The designs are positive and energetic which is both universal and accessible, appealing to all ages and sporting interests. Smiley ‘Happy Sports’ sells a philosophy of ‘Stay Active, Stay Happy’.