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Tag: Raghuram Rajan

  • Kuku FM and Penguin India launch 15 exclusive Hindi audiobooks

    Kuku FM and Penguin India launch 15 exclusive Hindi audiobooks

    MUMBAI: Kuku FM has joined hands with publishing giant Penguin Random House India (PRHI) to launch 15 exclusive Hindi audiobooks adapted from Penguin’s bestselling titles.

    This partnership not only expands both brands’ storytelling universe but also caters to India’s booming demand for regional audio content. With digital audio consumption skyrocketing, the collaboration brings a treasure trove of literary works to life in a more immersive and accessible format.

    The curated collection includes works by some of India’s most celebrated voices Gaur Gopal Das, Devdutt Pattanaik, Harish Bhat, Indra Nooyi, Raghuram Rajan, Ankur Warikoo, and Neena Gupta, among others. These audiobooks, produced and adapted by Kuku FM, promise high-quality narration, cultural resonance, and a deeply engaging listener experience.

    “Our customers have higher expectations from us every day, and at Kuku FM, we love rising to that challenge. They know what they want and need plenty of choices. We aim to bring the best books to them in their language and give them a unique yet engaging listening experience,” said Kuku FM CEO & co-founder  Lal Chand Bisu.

    “We are excited to partner with an iconic publisher like Penguin to not only expand our library but also ensure that we’re opening up a whole new world of entertainment and knowledge for every Indian in more accessible formats.”

    Titles will be available on the Kuku FM Android app from April 2025, priced from Rs 175 making bestselling reads more affordable than ever in audio format.

    PRH India vice president  & product Vijesh Kumar added, “At Penguin, we are committed to making books more accessible and inclusive, ensuring they reach readers in the formats they love. Our exclusive partnership with Kuku FM marks an exciting milestone as we bring some of our most celebrated titles to Hindi audiobooks for the first time. With storytelling evolving beyond the page, audiobooks offer a dynamic and immersive way to experience books welcoming both avid readers and new audiences alike.”

    The collaboration aligns perfectly with the projected growth of India’s OTT audio market expected to hit $1.8 billion by 2025 with over 100 million users.

    “The collaboration is a critical extension of Kuku FM’s highly curated portfolio of stories and we are excited to expand this universe further with PRH India who are known to have some of the most storied authors and books in their library,” said Kuku FM head of content acquisition Prerna Vohra.

    PRH India manager & audio Vidhi Nangia added, “Audiobooks are seeing tremendous growth globally, and India is no exception, with the market expected to grow over 30 per cent annually. Recognising this shift in how audiences engage with literature, Penguin is thrilled to partner with Kuku FM to introduce 15 Hindi audiobooks by beloved authors such as Bhat, Warikoo, and Nooyi. Kuku FM’s commitment to exceptional curation and production ensures that our cherished works are presented with the utmost quality. This collaboration marks the beginning of a promising journey to make our stories accessible to an even broader audience.”

    The exclusive collection of Hindi audiobooks includes Tata Stories by Bhat, Bravehearts of Bharat by Vikram Sampath, and My Life in Full by Nooyi. Listeners can also enjoy Jeevan ke Adbhut Rahasya and Energise Your Mind by Das, along with India’s Most Fearless 1 and India’s Most Fearless 2 by Shiv Aroor and Rahul Singh. The line-up features Mythakon se Vigyan Tak by Gauhar Raza, Jaya and The Book of Ram by Pattanaik, and Breaking the Mould by Rajan and Rohit Lamba. Also included are Make Epic Money and Build an Epic Career by Warikoo, Sach Kahun Toh by Gupta, and Manoj Bajpayee by Piyush Pandey.

  • Droom to sponsor MTV Dropout reality show, founder to mentor entrepreneurs

    MUMBAI: From Bill Gates to Sachin Tendulkar, people who have become some of the most iconic figures in our country have achieved what they have only because they had strong vision, resilience and courage to back their passion in achieving that vision. In keeping with the same spirit, Droom, India’s pioneering online automobile transactional marketplace has now become the title sponsor for MTV Dropout, India’s first start-up reality show that seeks to find out India’s next big entrepreneur. Sandeep Aggarwal, Founder – ShopClues & Droom is a Chief Mentor to the participants throughout the show, along with the founders of two other Internet startups.

    Droom, the marketplace for buying and selling new and used automobiles, has four formats i.e. B2C, C2C, C2B and B2B, and three pricing formats – Fixed Price, Best Offer and Auction.

    Aggarwal, who is known to be among the most prolific investors and entrepreneurs in the Indian e-commerce and entrepreneurial environment, is often considered a maverick when it comes to taking tough decisions, showing resilience and building scalable businesses. Once a globally top ranked Wall Street Internet analyst out of Silicon Valley, Aggarwal gave up his comfortable job and a luxurious lifestyle to give fire to his entrepreneurial dreams and create India’s first managed marketplace-ShopClues – in 2011. Since, in his various roles as an angel investor or mentor, he has always strived to extend a helping hand to entrepreneurs with great ideas, ‘grit in their teeth and fire in their belly.’ MTV Dropout is another such venture which aims to finds out India’s next prolific business ideas through the concept of a reality show.

    Call for entries from applicants across the country has started. The auditions for the show will be held in Mumbai in the month of May to select the final candidates who will then be divided into teams and judged on the parameters of Drive, Strength of Idea, Planning and Attitude.

    Aggarwal said, “During the show, I would try to pass on the trust and the good faith that was bestowed on me and provide whatever experience I have gained into enriching the decisions of the participants to fulfill their dreams. The show has been structured in such a way that it tests all the skills of the participants required to emerge as prospective entrepreneurs and business leaders. From food trucks to corporate events, the participants would need to show their all-round skills, resilience and tenacity apart from continuously working on their individual business ideas. I wish them all the best and look forward to see some great business ideas and interactions on the show soon!”

    MTV Dropout will expand the narrow and negative connotation of the word ‘dropout’ to refer to people who have not accepted the pressures of the system but succeeded by pursuing an alternate, non-conventional idea with belief and pride. It invites entries from prospective entrepreneurs as well as ideas rejected in the VC stage to test their mettle in front of the experienced panel of mentors.

    Droom MTV Dropout will consist a series of episodes and the teams in the final will present to globally-renowned industrialists, investors and iconic economic personalities such as Ratan Tata, Anand Mahindra, Raghuram Rajan, Ronnie Screwala, Anil Ambani and Azim Premji. These stalwarts will select the one winning team that has the potential to revolutionize the business exosphere of India and further helm its start-up journey to a world of endless possibilities!

  • Banks occupy moderate news space on TV compared to advertising budgets: Esha Media

    Banks occupy moderate news space on TV compared to advertising budgets: Esha Media

    KOLKATA: Commercial banks in the country hold a relatively negligible news space in the television spectrum compared to their advertising budgets. 

     

    Also, CNBC TV18 continues to occupy the top slot in banking news space followed by Bloomberg TV.

     

    According to a study conducted by Esha Media Research, State Bank of India (SBI) among all the other banks including the regulator –the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) occupied the maximum space on TV of 20.30 hours in the month of May 2014 that was equivalent to spending Rs 32.73 crore on advertising.

     

    “In other words, SBI, which has an annual budget of close to Rs 400 crore as per its annual report, got itself covered on the merit of news worth Rs 32.73 crore,” said media monitoring agency Esha Media Research managing director RS Iyer.

     

    “Even if the annual budget of SBI is shared in equal proportion between print and TV, the gap between news space and advertising space is extremely wide,” Iyer added.

     

    The study covered around 10 banks, both from the public and private sector. The total coverage cumulatively achieved in terms of advertising replacement value on TV was Rs 231 crore in May 2014 compared to Rs 214 crore in April 2014, Iyer informed referring to the study.

     

    During the month of May, there was a trend reversal with public sector bank occupying more space than private sector banks, who had in April occupied more TV news space.

     

    The Reserve Bank of India followed SBI in occupying more TV space though there was no credit policy statement during the month.  Fourth quarter earnings of banks were key topics that governed the news spectrum during the month.

     

    Among the individual spokesperson, RBI governor Raghuram Rajan occupied the top slot followed by Uday Kotak of Kotak Mahindra Bank.

  • Naseeruddin, Irrfan in double roles for Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro 2

    Naseeruddin, Irrfan in double roles for Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro 2

    The first installment of Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, a satirical take on the ongoing corruption during the early 80s, still remains a cult. Attempting to recreate the impact once again is Kundan Shah, who is currently working on the sequel to the same tentatively titled Hum Honge Kamyab.

     

    Veteran star and the lead actor of the prequel, Naseeruddin Shah, who played a professional photographer, will be seen with Irrfan Khan who will play the fellow photographer just like late Ravi Biswani in the first one.

     

    The sequel too is said to be a satirical take on the latest scams within the country and director Kundan Shah promises that it will be as hard-hitting and non-sparring as his previous film. This film will also have Naseer and Irrfan in double roles and one of their characters is said to resemble the new RBI governor Raghuram Rajan.

     

    The film is slated to go on floor in March 2014.

  • Doordarshan to telecast RBIQ this year

    Doordarshan to telecast RBIQ this year

    MUMBAI: A partnership between RBI and Doordarshan led to the production of the second edition of the quiz conducted by RBI called RBIQ. The quiz that was conducted across 4,000 schools in 42 cities saw the finals being held at the Doordarshan studio in Mumbai, the production for which was done by DD on 2 October. It has recently revamped its whole studio by making it HD friendly.

     

    The inter-school quiz was started last year to impart financial literacy to the country’s students. RBI governor Raghuram Rajan was present for the finale that saw the students of Maharshi Vidyamandir Public School of Guwahati take home the trophy. Questions asked were from the fields of banking, finance and general knowledge.

     

    The show will be telecast on DD in the coming few weeks, the date is not yet finalised. Last year, it was telecast on Zee Business. The number of students participating this year was up by 1,000.