ITV

Tag: Rajiv Bakshi

  • Discovery Kids & WWF-India partner to bring Wildlife Quiz ‘Wild Wisdom Quiz 2016’

    Discovery Kids & WWF-India partner to bring Wildlife Quiz ‘Wild Wisdom Quiz 2016’

    MUMBAI: WWF-India and Discovery Kids today announced their partnership to host the 2016 edition of the Wild Wisdom Quiz – India’s biggest and only national-level wildlife quiz. Focusing on the theme of ‘Evolution and Biodiversity’, the quiz not only tests children’s knowledge about the planet and its various facets but also aims to build awareness and knowledge among children about the constantly evolving biological diversity that makes our planet special.

    Discovery Kids & WWF-India’s Wild Wisdom Quiz 2016, reaching out to more than 15,000 schools and over 40,00,000 children, will be conducted in 13 cities across India,. Supported by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the quiz will be conducted at the primary, middle and senior level. The National Finale will be held in New Delhi in October during the Wildlife Week (Oct 2nd-8th). The top 3 winning teams will be taken on an all-paid trip to a conservation landscape to witness on-ground activities as well as experience wildlife and nature like never before.

    Registrations for the quiz are open till 15th August, 2016. To register, visit http://quiz.wwfindia.org/wwq/.

    Commenting on the association, Rajiv Bakshi, Vice President, Discovery South Asia said, “We are proud to associate with WWF India for the Wild Wisdom Quiz 2016. It is the ideal platform to engage young minds to learn about the rich natural heritage of our country. Our objective is to spread the message of a healthy and sustainable environment and encourage children to participate and take pride in our bio-diversity.”

    “The tremendous response to the quiz is a testament to the growing awareness amongst young minds about the environment. It gives us immense pleasure and reassurance in the kind of work we do, to inspire and empower young minds of India, which might help them in taking action for a better future”, said Radhika Suri, Director, Environment Education, WWF-India.

    The Discovery Kids & WWF-India’s Wild Wisdom Quiz 2016 aims to provide students an opportunity to delve deeper into the evolution and biodiversity of India and to think about our collective responsibility to preserve this legacy.

  • Discovery Kids & Creative Children Media to host India’s largest kids event

    Discovery Kids & Creative Children Media to host India’s largest kids event

    MUMBAI: Discovery Kids along with Creative Children Media, presents India’s largest kids and family event – World Children Expo 2015 (WCE) from 14-16 August at Ambience Mall, Gurgaon. The 5th edition of the expo will bring fun, games and a lot of excitement for kids and families. India’s favourite superhero Kisna will do special performances at 2 pm, 4 pm & 6 pm each day.

     

    Kids can visit Kisna’s hometown of Anandnagri and enjoy Kisna themed activities where attractive fun and games zones have been created. They will get to meet and interact with Kisna as he will make a special appearance enthralling his fans. There will be exciting contests, interactive games and exclusive Kisna gifts offering a complete immersive experience from the storyboard of the popular series that is currently airing on Discovery Kids.

     

    Rajiv Bakshi, Vice President Marketing (South Asia), Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific said, “Kisna has gained immense popularity across India. At World Children Expo 2015, the young fans of Kisna will get a chance to meet their beloved hero and create wonderful memories.”

     

    At WCE 2015, Discovery Kids will be recreating the enchanting stories of Anandnagri with Kisna along with his friends Radhika, Suddi, Ballu and Toto who battle the evil Raja Durjan. The stories narrate Kisna’s zeal to save the village and its citizens from the atrocities by the greedy Raja Durjan and his accomplice Trikaal.

     

    Kids can also watch new episodes of Kisna on Discovery Kids at 2 pm and 6 pm every day.

  • Both TV & digital mediums are here to stay: PromaxBDA

    Both TV & digital mediums are here to stay: PromaxBDA

    MUMBAI: With the advent of social media and new usage platforms, the way people consume media has changed and how.

     

    At the PromaxBDA conference, an interesting session with Google partnership director South Asia Ajay Vidyasagar and Discovery Networks VP marketing Rajiv Bakshi threw light on how media is consumed and is leading the way for television of tomorrow.

     

    Spatial Access founder Meenakshi Menon moderated the session.

     

    Vidyasagar said, “The space has moved from creating content to creating a fan base. The consumer uses content to express himself.” Citing an example of when he joined Google in 2010, he said, “In 2010, the Indian audience gave a total of 500 million views, while today it gives about 350 billion views for the content that is available on YouTube.”

     

    YouTube is a platform for creators to engage and communicate with audiences, which television lacks. Sharing his views on how television will continue to exist, Bakshi said, “We’re no longer a traditional medium. We’re a contemporary medium. In spite of having entered the phase of digitisation, we are growing. So even if digital exists, television will continue to be there for the audiences. It caters to different sets of audiences. Moreover, people like to consume content on all platforms.”

     

    “We started Discovery in India with two channels. Today we have 11 channels, including one GEC – ‘Investigation Discovery,’ which we launched recently. So there is an audience for all types of content. India is evolving and TV is robust and growing,” Bakshi added.

     

    Raising a question, Menon asked how TV reconciles with the fact that content cost on TV is very high, whereas on YouTube it is bare minimum and in spite of this, YouTube gets a million views and a billion fans to their content.

     

    Answering Menon’s question, Bakshi said, “From a short term business point of view, the YouTube model is fine. But from a long-term business point of view, one needs to have a 24-hour content model. Eventually, in India people want maximum entertainment and minimum effort and TV is giving exactly that.”

     

    Speaking about the evolution of media, Vidyasagar said, “When print came, the word of mouth publicity did not lose its business. Similarly, when radio and television came, print did not die. None of them have impacted the value of existing media. The need for one to consume news is increasing and hence every medium is here to stay. The only important point to keep in mind is that content is an asset and in today’s world it needs to be made relevant to different devices.”

     

    While we know that a lot of producers are creating content for digital and showing it on digital, Vidyasagar stated an example where Jimmy Fallon actually engages with audiences on digital to bring relevant content back on TV. In the end, it’s a loop of usage. Digital is not taking away from anybody, and neither is television. Both the mediums engage consumers.

     

    Vidyasagar added, “For instance, in India the highest searched channels on YouTube are that of television networks because their content is available on YouTube. Eventually, the consumer gets the core benefits of the content available on digital and on television.”

  • Discovery going all out to promote ‘Kisna’

    Discovery going all out to promote ‘Kisna’

    NEW DELHI: The Discovery Kids channel is going all out to popularise its new animation series ‘Kisna’ as it is an India-based series and is a ‘driver show’.

     

    told indiantelevision.com on the sidelines of a press meet on the launch of the new series by, and series maker Rahul Johri and renowned filmmaker Ketan Mehta that the percentage of marketing was very high for this show.

     

    Discovery Channel Asia Pacific VP marketing Rajiv Bakshi  said while the series has already been promoted for almost a month on all Discovery channels, it will now be promoted on other channels as well as on billboards and through school activities. While Facebook was being used to promote the series among adults so that they could encourage the young to see it, the social network was not available to those under 18 years of age.

     

    Filmmaker Ketan Mehta said that the aim of the series was to impart education and entertainment at the same time. He said the name ‘Kisna’ had been used because it had an association with everyone in the subcontinent, but the series would be contemporary and every episode would also have some education value. Thus, it was not the story of Lord Krishna.

     

    The series, produced by Cosmos Entertainment and Maya Digital Studios, would be telecast from 19 October at 2 pm every Friday in English, Tamil and Hindi. It would be repeated at 6 pm.

     

    Discovery’s current portfolio in India includes 11 channels – Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, Investigation Discovery, TLC, Discovery Kids, Discovery Science, Discovery Tamil, Discovery Turbo, Discovery HD World, TLC HD World and Animal Planet HD World – apart from a Discovery Channel Magazine.

     

    Apart from the three High Definition channels – Discovery World, TLC World and Animal Planet World – Investigation Discovery (ID) was launched early this month and carries true stories of crime and their investigation. Though the stories are all American, they have been dubbed in Hindi.  Each story is complete in itself.

     

    Kisna is the story of an adventurous and amusing young boy from Anandnagri and his adversary the wicked Raja Durjan of Andhernagri. During the series, Kisna will clash with Raja Durjan and each time squash his evil plans of spreading fear in Kisna’s hometown.

     

     Mehta said, “Kisna is a fascinating story told through captivating characters. Kisna’s endearing personality combined with his superhero powers will make him a favourite character amongst the kids. We are delighted to partner with Discovery Kids, a renowned brand that delivers fun and enriching entertainment.”

     

    Discovery Kids is available in Hindi, English and Tamil languages across India on both analogue and DTH platforms including Tata Sky, Dish TV, Reliance DTH, Airtel Digital and Videocon d2h.

  • ‘It is a good time to launch specialised channels as they help break through the clutter’ : Rahul Johri – Discovery India senior VP

    ‘It is a good time to launch specialised channels as they help break through the clutter’ : Rahul Johri – Discovery India senior VP

     Discovery is in restructuring mode. Earlier this year, it announced a reshuffle at the top to handle India operations. And the India office, which was reporting directly in to the Discovery headquarters at Silver Spring, Washington DC, will now come under Singapore as part of the integration strategy.

     

    On the content front, Animal Planet introduced a Hindi feed in April to increase penetration. Discovery Travel and Living is eyeing to put its personality-driven shows at the 10 pm slot.

     

    The company is also adding new channels like Discovery HD to grow the market in India.

     

    Indiantelevision.com’s Ashwin Pinto caught up with Discovery India senior VP, GM Rahul Johri to find out more about the company’s aggressive plans in India.

     

    Excerpts:

    What is the main reason behind the restructuring that took place in Discovery recently?
    Discovery went into local markets in Europe a few years back, and this yielded very good results. Applying the same model, the Asia Pacific region has been broken up into six – the Saarc countries which include India, China, Japan, North Asia, Australia/New Zealand and South East Asia (Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore).

     

    In India, people have moved up a level. I have management responsibility for India while Rajiv Bakshi looks after marketing. Then there is a regional managing director who sits in Singapore.

     

    We now work and coordinate with Singapore. The response time is much quicker.

     

    Earlier when we reported to Washington, the time zones were different. Also, what is a priority for us may not be as important for them. Now operations are easier in terms of taking decisions and getting clearances.

    How does the new operational structure help Discovery India?
    Discovery Asia has a strong infrastructure. This will now be more accessible to us. We can approach opportunities on an Asia wide basis as opposed to simply focussing on one country. For instance if a local production is being done out of India or Singapore, it can then be expanded to include other Asian countries. Solutions can be provided to enable this. On the client side also, we can provide solutions more easily so that they get visibility across the region and not just in one country.

    What are the key focus areas for India?
    Collaborating with the other regions in Asia to drive growth will be important. Sharing of content and resources will be key. We will also strengthen the branding of our channels by making the content more definitive. We will keep refreshing content across all the channels so that audiences get what they want to watch.

    Are you looking at growth through launch of more channels?
    Yes! As the Indian television market matures, it is a good time for specialised channels to launch as they help break through the clutter.

     

    We have 14 channels and we will bring what we feel will click the best. Discovery HD is definitely a channel we are keen on bringing to India. Discovery Science is another channel that we feel would work well here. Of course, it is also important for cable to go digital. Otherwise getting carried gets difficult.

    Discovery has launched Planet Green, a new channel for environment, in the US. Do Are there plans to launch in India?
    The channel has just launched in the US. A band of the channel will launch in Southeast Asia. We will see how viewers respond to it. We will test the programming in India and then decide on whether or not to launch the channel here.
    ‘Starting Hindi feed worked for our two channels as there is a lot of commentary. This won’t work in Discovery Travel and Living‘

    In terms of revenue, how important is India within Asia?
    India is one of the top markets along with Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Subscription plays a key role everywhere. In India there has been strong growth in ad sales.

    How is Animal Planet faring after going Hindi?
    The most important thing was the Hindi feed being introduced in April. Now we are able to compete better with National Geographic. Going Hindi was, thus, a progressive step. We play to the core strength of the channel which is focussing on the animal kingdom. We also have hosted shows.

    Will you be doing a Hindi feed for Discovery Travel and Living?
    No! It worked for our other two channels as there is a lot of commentary. In Discovery Travel and Living, though, it will not be natural to see, for instance, two Chinese people speaking in Hindi.

    How has Discovery Travel and Living evolved as a brand since launching four years back?
    DTL is perceived as being a distinctive lifestyle channel for upmarket viewers. People are now familiar with our anchors like Nigella Lawson. They also identify with individual shows like our biker content. We keep refreshing our programming. We bring new shows regularly.

    What have been the programming highlights for the channel this year?
    We did a show with Manish Arora. We are doing two more India productions which will premiere later this year. Our big show now is Cheese Slices. Food is a popular genre for us. So we will kick off a show, Indian Food Made Easy, which will be hosted by Anjum Anand.

     

    We will be launching a multimedia campaign to push our 10 pm slot. This is because our viewers tune in a little later. Personality-based shows will air at this time, seven days a week. The message of the campaign is that at this time you will see hosts like Nigella Lawson, Ian Wright and Anthony Bourdain; the campaign theme will focus on the most recognisable faces on the channel. This will be the largest campaign ever done for the channel.

    Is the aim to bring in appointment viewing?
    This is one of the goals. The campaign will showcase our biggest properties. We are hoping that it will help expand the reach of the channel and drive in new viewership. It is important that our campaign not focus on just one show. By pushing a band, the recall will be high among viewers.

    In what way is the programming strategy being fine tuned for local audiences?
    When we started, we had very little India content. We now produce shows from India. Every global show that is being produced, has a segment on India. So if Anthony Bourdain does a new season, he will visit India as well. This is how the relevance of India is growing. Ian Wright used to just host Globetrekker which is about backpack travel. Most of our viewers do not do that. So we tweaked it and now Wright does VIP Weekends. He visits the best hotels globally.
    Has the thematic weekend concept worked?
    It has done well and the thematic weekends are continuing. But over time our aim is to build a theme across a day – rather than having one theme continuing everyday. Our aim is to strengthen the genres. For instance if you take shows like Anthony Bourdain and Cheese Slices, it is not just about food. It is also about travel, visiting new places. Different genres get intertwined.

    What do you look for in a local show?
    We always look out for good local concepts. Our aim is to have a definitive show in a certain genre. Once we have decided on this, then we go with the best talent. So we roped in Manish Arora to do a fashion show. He is suited for television as he is so colourful.

     

    Our shows have to have an individual and distinctive personality. They need to be of the same class and quality as the other shows that we air. There can’t be any compromise as the same shows travel abroad and showcase India to the world.
    What are the other time bands that DTL is developing outside the 10 pm slot?
    We are also looking at the midnight to 1 am time slot. People watch us at that hour. I think that some channels are missing out on viewership by not concentrating on this audience. They simply run repeats at this hour. Many people work till late and then watch television.
    Is it difficult to get clients to commit serious monies for Discovery Travel and Living with the economy in a downturn?
    Our market is on an upswing. Our TG has not been impacted by the downturn. We have over 600 brands with us including L’Oreal and the car companies. Volkswagen is starting a marketing campaign and they are using our channel as a vehicle. Packaged good companies also advertise with us. Companies that want to target the premium audience cut out wastage completely when they come to us.

    What are the tentpole properties coming up for Discovery?
    Ultimate Olympics is a show that we will air. It looks at the work that has gone behind putting the Olympic Games together. The show gets over a day before the Games start. Another show that will air is Download. This focusses on stories from the internet like the competition between EBay and Amazon.

     

    We will also celebrate Nasa’s 50th anniversary with a show When We Left Earth. Nasa has given us footage of the Apollo Missions. This is the first time that Nasa has done this.
    What is Discovery’s new media strategy?
    We already have our website. For the mobile, 3G has to happen; the phones have to support rich media content. Right now one is still with ring tones and music tones.