ITV

Tag: Rakesh Singh

  • India News makes Dish-tinct move, returns to DD Free Dish on Channel 0073

    India News makes Dish-tinct move, returns to DD Free Dish on Channel 0073

    MUMBAI: Breaking news just found a new address Channel No. 0073. India News, Itv Network’s flagship Hindi news channel, is back on DD Free Dish, renewing its promise of fearless, fact-driven journalism for every Indian household, from metro hubs to remote hamlets. DD Free Dish, the country’s largest free DTH platform, already beams into 49 million homes making India News’ renewed slot a move of scale and substance. Securing one of only two vacant MPEG-2 slots in Prasar Bharati’s 90th e-auction, the channel has cemented its place in an increasingly crowded media landscape, giving advertisers a rare opportunity to tap into one of India’s widest free-to-air audiences.

    For India News, the return isn’t just about numbers, it’s about purpose. “Strengthening our nationwide reach through DD Free Dish allows us to take fearless, accurate journalism to millions more,” said India News managing editor for input Rakesh Singh. “In an era where reliable information is more important than ever, this expansion ensures citizens can make decisions based on facts.”

    Echoing the sentiment Itv Foundation chairperson Aishwarya Pandit Sharma added: “This renewed inclusion is a strategic step in our commitment to democratising access to quality journalism. It brings our content to every corner of the country while offering advertisers a trusted and credible platform.”

    Renowned for its investigative reporting, hard-hitting analysis, and no-nonsense coverage, India News has long stood out in the Hindi news space. With this move, it doubles down on its mission: to empower citizens with reliable, unbiased, high-impact journalism, one household at a time.
     

  • News18 India to kick off the ‘Diamond States Summit’ series from Bhopal

    News18 India to kick off the ‘Diamond States Summit’ series from Bhopal

    Mumbai: News18 India is all set to organise the inaugural edition of ‘Diamond States Summit’ on 2 July, in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. This event marks the beginning of a series of summits that will be held across key states in India, highlighting regional achievements and fostering dialogue on the contributions of each state to the nation’s development.

    The upcoming edition of the ‘Diamond States Summit’ aims to provide a platform for in-depth discussions and insights into the progress and potential of Madhya Pradesh. The event will bring together distinguished leaders and influential personalities from the state for a meaningful discussion.

    The esteemed speakers who will be attending the summit are chief minister Dr. Mohan Yadav; Madhya Pradesh; state president of BJP  V. D. Sharma; minister of urban development and housing Kailash Vijayvargiya; minister of labour, panchayat, and rural development Prahlad Singh Patel; minister of public works department Rakesh Singh; minister of cooperatives, sports, and youth welfare Vishwas Sarang; minister of backward classes and minority welfare Krishna Gaur; minister of women and child development Nirmala Bhuria; minister of transport and school education Uday Pratap Singh; and actor Annu Kapoor amongst others.

    The summit will delve into various aspects of Madhya Pradesh’s growth story, including economic development, social progress, and cultural contributions. The discussions will be aimed at promoting a comprehensive understanding of the state’s role in India’s overall development.

    The ‘Diamond State Summit’ promises to recognise the human and social development efforts made by various states of the country and thus their contribution in making India a developed nation.

    Tune into the Diamond States Summit – Madhya Pradesh, 4 pm onwards on News18 India.

  • Aircel launches new consumer initiative with CSK

    Aircel launches new consumer initiative with CSK

    NEW DELHI: With Indian Premiere League (IPL) upon us, the brands associated with it and various teams have started their campaigns.

    One of the first to do so is Aircel which has launched a consumer initiative with Chennai Super Kings – Aircel High Flyer Contest as part of its customer engagement programme.

    The contest gives lucky winners a rare opportunity to fly with the CSK team, stay in a hotel and get match tickets to watch a cricket match. Customers can relive their dream of being with all CSK players in one flight, engage with their favourite players, share their experiences and much more. With this all-expense paid offer, Aircel intends to share a unique opportunity and experience with all its prepaid and postpaid customers. 

    Aircel chief marketing officer Anupam Vasudev said: “Aircel is giving this big opportunity to its customers to have an access to be on the same flight with the Chennai Super Kings. It is a dream fulfilling experience for a fan and a memorable day of his life. We are delighted to launch this contest which is a great platform for us to connect and engage with our target audience, especially the youth. We are also launching our new ad campaign on the theme of ‘High Flyer’ which will be on air from today. We will augment the promotions through electronic, radio and digital media.”

    Apart from the bumper prize, the contest also offers customers an exciting chance to win 800 match tickets at various locations in India. Customers will also get an assured prize of local Aircel to Aircel 10 minutes talk time when they participate in the contest. In this manner, Aircel offers something ‘extra’ to all its subscribers participating in this exciting contest.

    Click here to watch the video

    All existing pre-paid subscribers who recharge for Rs 100 and above are eligible to participate in this consumer promotion. All existing post-paid subscribers are eligible if they have no outstanding balance payment on their last bill. Non-Aircel subscribers can participate in the promotion by buying a new Aircel connection, post paid or pre paid. 

    India Cements marketing president Rakesh Singh said: “Chennai Super Kingshas a long term association with Aircel and it has worked well for both the brands. With some exciting engagement contests launched by Aircel we hope that the team will receive the same support it has been receiving over these years from its fans. We are a fan driven team and all our, as well as partner endeavours, have been to bring them closer and closer to their home team.”

    Aircel will also run some interesting VAS contests for its customers during the IPL with some exclusive content – pictures and videos of CSK and IPL. Tapping into the digital world to create buzz around CSK in the social media community, Aircel launched an online engagement contest for its fans giving them also a chance to fly with their favorite team. 

  • CSK eyes 15-20 per cent revenue growth from IPL 6

    MUMBAI: The economic slowdown notwithstanding, the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is eyeing a revenue growth of 15-20 per cent.

    The franchise has a roster of 16 sponsors which includes Nissan and VGN who came on-board this year.

    “We expect revenue growth of 15-20 per cent led to an extent by sponsorship. We have a roster of 16 sponsors this year,” says India Cements joint president marketing Rakesh Singh.

    Apart from KKR, CSK has been the only franchise whose lead sponsor Aircel has continued with the team since the inception of IPL. The franchise had also de-risked itself from slowdown by doing long-term deals.

    “The good news for us is that brands have stayed on with us through the years. Aircel has been there with us from day one. Deals that we do are generally for three years and after that they get renewed,” avers Singh.

    Singh adds that local sponsorship and central revenue put together account for 75-80 per cent of CSK‘s total revenue which last year was said to be around Rs. 1.5 billion.

    “Ticket sales account for 15-20 per cent. This year there will be more seating as three more stands have opened. So there is more capacity which we expect will lead to more revenue. Licensing and merchandising accounts for around five per cent but we expect this area to grow by 30-35 per cent for us this season as we are being more aggressive on this front,” reveals Singh.

    The franchise has launched cricket kits this year. The main focus is Tamil Nadu. The team has tied up with Switcher, a European company owned by Tirupur-based PGC for merchandise.

    The cricket gear for all age groups will be available from 15 April. These kits will include kit bags, batting gloves, leg-guard, thigh-guard, arm pad, abdomen guard and English willow bats will be sold through retail sports stores, gift shops and whole sale stores in Tamil Nadu ranging from Rs. 3800 to Rs 9900.

    CSK has also launching their new range of merchandise strategically dividing them into categories such as fan gear and fashion wear. The new range includes school bags, sippers, and key chains along with a variety of home, office products and other accessories.

    “Our aim is that at least every second month there should be an activity. The Chennai Super Kings cannot be just about two months. So we do things across the year that touches different segments of society,” adds Singh.

    As part of its on-ground activities, CSK had organised a multi discipline tournament called Super Cup before the IPL involving corporates. The franchise had also organised a cricket event with schools a few months to find a CSK junior team. It had also associated with a chess tourney as the game is very popular in Tamil Nadu.

    “We feel that it is important that when the CSK brand engages with constituents it should not be only about cricket. This way CSK will be built as a sports brand,” explains Singh.

    For fans, there is a loyalty programme called Kings Club which has an estimated 18,000 paid members. They get to avail of special offers like meet and greet events with players, match tickets etc.

  • ‘We are looking at 20% revenue growth this year’ : India Cements joint president marketing Rakesh Singh

    ‘We are looking at 20% revenue growth this year’ : India Cements joint president marketing Rakesh Singh

     

    IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings has been slowly and steadily building its brand over the past four years on the back of its iconic captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The sustained efforts of the last four years are beginning to show result as the franchise looks at a 15-20 per cent revenue growth this year.

     

    By retaining its key players, the franchise has managed to build a loyal fan base not just in Tamil Nadu but also among the Tamil diaspora. The two time IPL champions is leaving no stone unturned as far as engaging with fans is concerned and is stepping up efforts on the merchandising front to grow this revenue stream.

     

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com’s Javed Farooqui,India Cements joint president marketing Rakesh Singh shares the franchises journey so far and the growth path ahead.

     

    Excerpts:

    Isn‘t Chennai Super Kings targeting a revenue of Rs 1.7 billion this year? What is the break-up?
    We did Rs 1.40 billion last year and are looking at a 15-20 per cent increase this time. It’s difficult to give a break-up for the simple reason that a major chunk of revenue comes from the central pool. There are components in our revenue pool – one is central pool which to my mind was Rs 60 crore (Rs 600 million) plus last year; then there are our sponsors and gate collections.

    Have you reached operational break even?
    In the first IPL edition, we broke even. We lost money in the second season (due to shift to South Africa). While we made marginal profits in the third IPL, we widened that in the fourth edition.

    How has IPL season 5 been for CSK?
    The IPL season has been good for us. Our total number of sponsors have gone up. Aircel is our main sponsor. Gulf Oil is our principal sponsor and then we have Life Ok and Washington Apples as new sponsors. We also have Amrapali Group, Hercules, and Usha International as sponsors.

     

    While our revenue continues to grow at a steady pace, what we are also trying to do is step up the merchandising efforts. We plan to grow merchandising by positioning it as a lifestyle brand so that fans not only buy CSK T-shirts during the IPL season but also wear them during the non-IPL season.

    How did the deal with a Hindi GEC like Life Ok happen with a team franchise from the South?
    There is a study done by one agency which says that 46 per cent of the fans support Chennai Super Kings andMumbai Indians. Now if that is the case, anybody who wants to take full advantage of the IPL needs to come to one of us. For somebody who wants make a Hindi GEC popular, it is a nice way of riding on the popularity of Chennai Super Kings. Another thing is that while we are the most popular team in Tamil Nadu, in most other cities we turn out to be the second most popular after the home franchise. I think that is because of the kind of team that we have with four Indian players – MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin.
    ‘We had made Rs 1.4 billion last year with revenue from central pool contributing over Rs 600 million. We have got new sponsors in Life Ok and Washington Apples‘

    The IPL has seen a lot of sponsor switches. How did CSK manage to retain its sponsors?
    We believe in consistency and that is the reason we don’t believe in changing our players. We don’t change our management and we don’t believe in changing sponsors. That has clicked because that does not confuse the fans. We treat our sponsors well and we give them a value for their money for at the end of the day sponsors look at RoI.

    There are reports that title sponsor DLF is not sure of continuing its IPL sponsorship?
    I don’t know about that but what I would like to say is that when the BCCI terminated the Nimbus contract, everybody was saying that the BCCI won’t get Rs 31.25 crore (Rs 312.5 million) per match. But ultimately the rights were sold for a much higher price. I think it has become a favourite time pass for everybody to talk ill of the only sporting brand that India has today.

    So are the team loyalties settling down?
    I think so. If you see the matches where Mumbai or Chennai are involved, the viewership will be high due to team loyalties. That is also the case globally where matches involving Man-U or Chelsea will have higher viewership as compared to other smaller teams. In the first three IPLs, most of the matches were 8 pm matches and the number of teams were less. But now we have more teams and the number of matches have gone up.

    What do you think is CSK’s USP?
    Our USP is that we always focus on cricket, unlike other teams who are focussed on glamour and parties. Not to say that these things don’t work but IPL at the end of the day is a cricket tournament. We have a disciplined team; so whether its on-field or off-field, our team carries a certain character. We have a very strong fan following in Tamil Nadu and Chennai in particular. As per one survey report, 96 per cent of Chennaites support Chennai Super Kings, which is the highest for any franchise in their home city. Mumbai Indians come second with 86 per cent fan support.

    How did you engage with fans?
    Besides youngsters between 15-24 age groups who form our vital fan base, we believe that we have also get a lot of support from families. If you look at our merchandise, there is a lot of emphasis on women and children – it’s not just the typical male cricket fan. A lot of families come to watch our matches in the stadium. To reach out to our fan base, we have also tied-up with Radio Indigo besides The Hindu and Dina Thanthi. Our media tie-ups is a cash plus barter deal. But the barter part is helping us a lot on activation. That is something that was missing last year. What it has done is bring down our marketing cost.

     

    We also launched a new video ‘Wave your hands” which has got one lakh views within no time that it was uploaded on YouTube. We launched this campaign sometime in the first week of April, and by the third week we already have one lakh views on YouTube. Earlier we had done “Whistle podu” which was also a big hit. Every fan wants to do something to support his or her team, so that way we are channelising their energy into doing something to support the team.

    How is licensing and merchandising doing?
    We have been giving merchandising a big push since last year, but it takes time. For example, we got almost Rs 4 crores (Rs 40 million) through merchandise sales last year but what comes to us is only 10-15 per cent after excluding the costs. What we are seeing is that it is a good platform to engage with fans. But in terms to revenue contribution, it is only about five to seven per cent. But internationally this percentage is 60 per cent and that is what our goal is: how to grow this stream. This year we have opened an exclusive in the Chennai airport where you get all kinds of stuff. We have also partnered UniverCell for distribution of merchandise in North America and Europe.

     

    In terms of licensing, for the first time we have partnered with Café Coffee Day to make it a hub for Chennai Super Kings fans. Similarly Park Sheraton has converted their lounge into a CSK Bar. So we want to see how these deals work and whether we can make it a yearlong thing. We are working on a fixed fee basis wherein licensees can use our name and do certain things. This year we aim to double our licensing and merchandising revenue.

    How has been the response been to ticketing? There were lots of empty seats during your home matches?
    There are three stands in the stadium which, due to certain clearances issues, the state government has not allowed us to use. On the rest of the stadium, we are overselling. Till we get the clearance, we won’t be able to sell tickets for those stands.
  • CSK lets fans name its mascot

    CSK lets fans name its mascot

    MUMBAI: In its endeavour to engage its ever-growing fan base, Indian premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) has launched a fan engagement contest for the upcoming season. For the first time, we see a club allowing young fans to come up with a ‘cool and exciting‘ name for their mascot.

    CSK‘s mascot is a young lion, symbolising the city’s fighting spirit and winning attitude. Even though it has been a long standing fixture in the CSK brand for over four years now, it has remained nameless for all these years. From cheering the team on the sidelines, to colouring the field yellow celebrating victory, the mascot is now going to be a more visible member of the team with the responsibility of entertaining young and old fans who watch the match in the stadium.

    Through this contest fans are encouraged to participate in giving a name to the mascot that is not only cool but is reflective of the attitude of the city and the team it stands for. In order to help the fans, there are some likes and dislikes that have been mentioned, that will help them in naming the lion.

    CSK joint president marketing Rakesh Singh said, “A mascot is a platform to engage with our young fans. It allows a certain freedom to bring humour and sarcasm into a serious sports brand. Moreover, It can have a opinion on anything and everything and put a smile on faces. We are excited to get our young fans involved in the naming of their favorite mascot and hope that we will receive great response from them. The lucky winner, will not only have a chance to name the lion, but also receive a host of goodies from the team. 10 runners up will win post cards jointly autographed by the captain M.S.Dhoni and the mascot.”

    The contest is for fans aged between 4 – 15 years and will be conducted through SMS and online entries. The last date of entry for the contest would be 28 February.

  • Rakesh Singh to join mediaReach OMD in March

    Rakesh Singh to join mediaReach OMD in March

    MUMBAI: ZenithOptimedia AVP Rakesh Singh is joining mediaReach OMD, media specialist unit of OMD, as head of media planning in March.

    He is currently serving his notice period at ZenithOptimedia.

    Singh confirmed his movement to OMD‘s media specialist unit.

    In his new role, he will be looking after the Accra office of the agency. He will report to the MD and cross report to Vodafone, UK. His key responsibilities would be heading key accounts like Vodafone, GSK, MTN, apart from growing the business in the region. Singh began his career with Eenadu Television in sales in the year 1999, post which he started media planning profile with Mediacom, then part of Greyworldwide.

    He comes in with 14 years of work experience and has worked with media agencies in India like Mediacom, Madison and Mindshare Fulcrum and Mindshare before joining ZenithOptimedia in 2010.

    Some of the key accounts handled by him in the past were Unilever (Sunsilk, Vaseline, Huggies, Ponds), Kingfisher Airlines, Castrol Lubricants, McDowells, Airtel, Rolex, Wrigleys, Arvind Mills and Ceat Tyres.