ITV

Tag: Reliance ADAG

  • Raghav Bahl resigns as director from Network18 & TV18

    Raghav Bahl resigns as director from Network18 & TV18

    MUMBAI: Network 18 Media & Investments and TV18 Broadcast founder Raghav Bahl has resigned as a director from both the companies with effect from 8 February, 2016 due to his “pre-occupation.”

    Bahl exited the TV news business after the sale of Network18 Media & Investments and all its subsidiary companies in 2014 to Independent Media Trust, which is part of Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries.

    It may be recalled that Bahl was recently in the news for his intentions to re-enter the news broadcast space with Bloomberg.

    Bahl’s new venture The Quintillion Media, which also runs the online portal The Quint, is said to be looking at a strategic partnership with Bloomberg in the wake of the latter exiting its licensing partnership with Reliance ADAG’s Business Broadcast News.

    According to media reports, Bahl and Bloomberg have invested in a joint venture, which will later look at broadcast news with Quintillion Media holding at least a 51 per cent stake.

    As per reports, the new online portal under the JV is expected to launch in the coming weeks, while the business news channel is expected to launch by the end of the current calendar year. The Quint, however will continue to exist as it is.

  • Raghav Bahl resigns as director from Network18 & TV18

    Raghav Bahl resigns as director from Network18 & TV18

    MUMBAI: Network 18 Media & Investments and TV18 Broadcast founder Raghav Bahl has resigned as a director from both the companies with effect from 8 February, 2016 due to his “pre-occupation.”

    Bahl exited the TV news business after the sale of Network18 Media & Investments and all its subsidiary companies in 2014 to Independent Media Trust, which is part of Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries.

    It may be recalled that Bahl was recently in the news for his intentions to re-enter the news broadcast space with Bloomberg.

    Bahl’s new venture The Quintillion Media, which also runs the online portal The Quint, is said to be looking at a strategic partnership with Bloomberg in the wake of the latter exiting its licensing partnership with Reliance ADAG’s Business Broadcast News.

    According to media reports, Bahl and Bloomberg have invested in a joint venture, which will later look at broadcast news with Quintillion Media holding at least a 51 per cent stake.

    As per reports, the new online portal under the JV is expected to launch in the coming weeks, while the business news channel is expected to launch by the end of the current calendar year. The Quint, however will continue to exist as it is.

  • Span Communications floats digital arm, Spiider’s MD Sanghvi joins as CEO

    MUMBAI: Span Communications has floated a specialised digital arm and has got Spiider Digital‘s former managing director Kushal Sanghvi to be a co-founder and also head it.

    Sanghvi will have a small stake in Span Digital and be its chief executive officer.

    Based out of Mumbai, Sanghvi will have the responsibility of setting up the full-service agency offering services in digital, mobile and social media.

    “The journey with Spiider was extremely fulfilling. Now forming Span Digital is exciting as we are setting up this digital arm from the scratch,” Sanghvi said, Sanghvi comes in with over 17 years of experience in advertising, media and communications. He had set up the digital offering of Concept Group, Concept Digital in April 2011. Under his leadership, the digital agency was revamped as Spiider Digital in February 2012.

    Prior to joining Concept Digital, Sanghvi has also worked with companies like StratosHear Technologies, Media Contacts, Reliance ADAG and Havas Digital.

  • ‘A price war will expand the DTH market’ : Anil Khera- Bharat Business Channel Ltd CEO

    ‘A price war will expand the DTH market’ : Anil Khera- Bharat Business Channel Ltd CEO

     Venugopal Dhoot sees opportunity in the direct-to-home (DTH) business as he plans to push Videocon’s Plasma, LCD and premium TV sets.

     

    As part of Dhoot’s backward integration strategy, the consumer electronics giant will also manufacture the set-top boxes (STBs) in the Aurangabad factory.

     

    Bharat Business Channel Ltd (BBCL), a separate company for the DTH venture, will have a war chest of Rs 10 billion over two years as it readies to enter a turf that will see intense price competition.

     

    DTH in India, with players like Dish TV, Tata Sky, Reliance ADAG and Bharti, will be a low ARPU (average revenue per user), high volume game.

     

    Dhoot, not new to price wars, believes that the DTH market will expand and his distribution network will provide the pipeline for him to mop up one million subscribers in the first year.

     

    Heading the DTH venture is Anil Khera , who was earlier in charge of Videocon’s Sansui and Kelvinator brands.

    In an interview with Sibabrata Das, Khera talks about BBCL’s plans to quickly penetrate the DTH market across the country.

     

    Excerpts:

    Why does Videocon want to enter into the DTH business when the market has too many players and the race for subscriber acquisition is going to be led by a huge subsidy element?
    The total number of television households is pegged at 125 million and is growing at 12-15 per cent. The DTH subscriber base, which is currently a little over six million, is expected to touch 15 million by 2010 with the entry of new players like Reliance ADAG, Bharti and us. The DTH market will expand rapidly and there will be enough space for all the players. India will become the world’s largest pay-TV market by the stretch of numbers.

    Is Videocon entering the market because it sees DTH as an integrated business model with its consumer electronics business?
    We will be pushing our plasma, LCD and premium TV sets through our DTH service. Though we will firm up our offer plans closer to the time of launch, there will be some packaging done with subscription pricing, STBs and the TV sets. In many models, we will have in-built STBs. Unlike other DTH operators, we are a TV manufacturing company and will be making the STBs ourselves.

    Will Videocon Industries have any holding in BBCL and how much is being pumped into the DTH business?
    BBCL is a new company that has been floated for this purpose by the Videocon promoters. D2H+ is the brand name under which the service will be offered. We have already budgeted an investment of Rs 10 billion in this venture over the next two years.

    Is BBCL in talks to rope in an equity partner?
    No comments at this stage.

    How many subscribers are you targeting in the first year and at what ARPUs (average revenue per user)?
    We are looking at one million subscribers. We will be a premium service and expect our ARPUs to be Rs 200 in the first year.
    ‘We will be pushing our plasma, LCD and premium TV sets through our DTH service. Unlike other DTH operators, we are a TV manufacturing company and will be making the STBs ourselves‘

    At what subscriber and ARPU level will BBCL break even?
    We expect to break even faster than expected because of our backward integration model. We will be manufacturing STBs and have strong distribution skills. The market will also expand better than expected due to competition from so many players.

    Aren’t you entering at a time when the price war will be at its height as Reliance and others launch their service?
    There will be a price war. That is when the market will also expand.

    Will Videocon manufacture STBs only for BBCL?
    Videocon has a strong manufacturing background. It will be manufacturing the STBs at its Aurangabad factory with the Korean technology. The STBs will be supplied to BBCL. Already 50,000 boxes have been manufactured.

    When will you launch and how many channels will be on offer?
    We will launch by October-end. The end-to-end instrument testing will happen in a week’s time. We will then conclude the date for friendly users test. We will start with 200 channels. We will have a range of packages available to our customers – from basic to the family and premium range. We will offer choice to the customers and will cater to the entire demographic pop strata, including the regional flavours.

    What is the differentiating content BBCL will offer to mop up subscribers?
    We are working upon many customer friendly schemes which we will announce when the commercial launch is about to happen. We are working upon few unique channels. We will also have a HD ready platform which would be bundled with the offers.

    How many Ku-band transponders have been booked and on which satellite?
    We have taken six Ku-band transponders on SingTel’s ST-1 satellite. We are using MPEG-4 compression technology and will be able to pack in more channels per transponder. Our encryption technology is from Irdeto. The uplinking centre is at Greater Noida.

    What is the call centre facility being created?
    We will be having a multi-lingual 24-hour call centre based at NOIDA/Gurgaon initially. Later we will have one each in the region of South as well as West.
    The telcos feel that they have IPTV plans and DTH will complement that growth. What is the synergy Videocon sees in the DTH business?
    We have been associated with consumer durables for over two decades and have a deep understanding of the viewing experience that a consumer seeks. We will drive penetration across the country soon.
  • ‘We used the brand ambassador route to break through the cluttered FM market’ : Tarun Katial – Big FM COO

    ‘We used the brand ambassador route to break through the cluttered FM market’ : Tarun Katial – Big FM COO

    Reliance ADAG has aggressive plans laid out for its radio venture Big FM. With 29 stations already in place, Big FM has 16 more waiting in the wings. And it has an investment outlay of Rs 4 billion.

    Banking on Abhishek Bachchan as the face of Big FM and supported by the brand philosophy of ‘Suno Sunao Life Banao,’ Reliance’s radio venture is looking to firm up its position in existing markets by rolling out four unique properties this year-end.

    In an interview with Indiantelevison.com’s Nasrin Sultana, Big FM chief operating officer Tarun Katial speaks about the penetration of the FM stations into the urban and smaller markets, the potential that the sector has, and the advertising opportunities it throws open for local advertisers.

    Excerpts:

    Being a new entrant in established markets, has it been a tough journey for Big FM?
    We have been extremely successful in selling the brand across the country. Our success comes from launching in cluttered markets like Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai. We were the first station in Bangalore to come out with local language content.

    How has it been in the smaller markets which opened up for private operators in the second phase?
    Big FM is working extremely well in small towns. We have, in fact, revolutionised media and media consumption habits in the tier II and tier III cities. Eventually people are realising that radio is a local medium which needs to have localised content and marketing to make it successful.

    We have even entered troubled places like Srinagar and Guwahati where no one thought of venturing.

    Are the big advertisers willing to put money in the small town stations?
    For Big FM, local advertising contributes 30-40 per cent of our entire revenue kitty. Apart from this, there are corporates who advertise across all the 29 stations including big FMCG and telecom players.

    Is Delhi turning out to be a sticky wicket for the new players?
    Delhi is one of our best stations. It has been getting us good revenue. Nokia, Samsung and the big FMCGs, apart from the local retailers, are our major advertisers in Delhi. As far as listnership goes in Delhi, our internal research says that we have a good amount of base in the capital city.

    What has been the focus area for Big FM?
    It is really bad to say that we are focused on some markets and not on others. In the tier II, tier III cities it has been our effort to gather a base for listenership. In the next roll out phase, our focus will be about building a uniqueness and getting the dynamics of the company to all the stations.

    Why was there a requirement to change content in your Delhi station?
    The consumer behaviour and attitude of Delhi changes very frequently and it is very different from the other cities. Our internal research showed that Delhi is happening and on the move. That is where we zeroed in the ‘100 chartbuster’ format whereby every week the songs that the station plays is renewed. 100 songs are selected on the basis of a survey that covers mobile phones, internet downloads, music sales and song requests. This way, we satisfy the need of Delhi listeners to get something new every week. We are the first station in the country to have introduced such content in music.

    How is Big FM faring in regional markets like Jhansi, Bareilly, Jalandhar, Asansol and Guwahati among others?
    We have created a local brand out of the local product. FM has created an atmosphere where local entrepreneurs have understood these cost effective measures. There are lots of un-organised and semi-organised workers in the Indian economy for whom we have provided a platform.

    In the regional space, we have been beneficial to the common people by generating job avenues. People now need not go to cities in search of jobs in media.

    Physical hardware sales are also up. Nokia, Reliance and Samsung have got sales high. Even FM radio is being launched on the mobile platform.

    Is having Abhishek Bachchan, Upendra and Asin as brand ambassadors helped you in grabbing listenership in the Hindi and southern regions?
    Today we are in a cluttered FM market in India. The easiest way to break through the clutter is through the brand ambassador route.
    ‘FM should be allowed to have news and sports in the content mix‘

    How has the brand philosophy ‘Suno Sunao Life Banao‘ worked for Big FM?
    The whole premise was to provide a new space. If you listen to our station, it’s about raising ones voice. Our content and marketing campaigns affect the lives of the people. Later this year we will introduce four new properties that will make (banao) someone’s life. As far as music goes, we are currently playing contemporary hot music of Tempo 3. Tempo 3 are specific songs that are up beat because as a rule the station does not play extremely slow music.

    What do you regard as prime time for Big FM?
    Our prime time is dependent on who our target audience is at a particular time band. If it’s the youth, then the prime time band is evening. If it’s the office goers, then it’s definitely in the morning. If it’s women, the target then is the afternoon time band.

    Which are the different platforms you are experimenting with to build brand awareness?
    Across mediums, internet is the best medium as it has an extended reach. But the best thing that works for us is on-ground activities. Big FM has been doing a good amount of on-ground activities across the country, which has received a good response in terms of participation.
    What do you think about TV campaigns used by FM stations to advertise?
    TVC is definitely a good way of promoting a brand. We are also looking to launch a TVC soon.

    What is your argument for or against the Content Code?
    Instead of getting ways to regulate us, the government should grant us some freedom. As FM affects so much of the consumption of people’s life, we should be allowed to have news and sports in our content mix.

    The ministry is talking about regulating FM broadcasters, when we are already functioning with restrictions to our content.

    When they are comparing Indian FM stations with the international radio industry, they have conveniently forgotten that we are the only set of broadcasters who have been working on the restricted content set up by the government.

    What is the investment outlay for Big FM?
    We are pumping in Rs 4 billion.

    What is the de-merger status of Big FM?
    I can’t comment on that.

    How is Big FM planning to synergise Reliance ADAG’s Big Music and Entertainment for music and home video?
    Big FM gets the exclusive music and content rights from Big Music and Entertainment, giving us the first right of refusal. We have the option to build music properties across the medium. We have the option to promote the division by pushing the content through internet downloads and mobile ring tones. Big FM does 360 degree advertising for Big Music and Entertainment.

    How are your advertising spots being priced?
    Recently we have introduced the uniform rate card system ‘Aqua’ for all our advertisers across the country. This is easily available in our website. Unlike other stations, we are transparent in our advertising rates. The advertisers know what is the rate for the same space on the other stations. The advertisers are aware of how we are priced in different markets.

    Besides, all our stations have installed the wide orbit software.

    With the increasing content clutter on radio especially with Bollywood music, how is Big FM placed?
    I agree that Bollywood is all over FM stations, but it also depends on what kind of songs you are playing at what time of the day. How you treat the music is what differentiates the content. We play old songs across era in different time bands.

    You have recently got Raju Srivastav (stand up comedian of The Great Indian Laughter Challenge) as an RJ. In an attempt to break away from the clutter, every FM station is now adopting the fun element. How is this differentiated?
    Fun is an important aspect of entertainment. We are here to entertain, so what’s wrong in doing it? Some are doing it by some other means and people; we are doing it with Raju. He is the best and the biggest clutter breaker in the industry. Nobody wants to start the day on a sad note. We will get you to start the day with laughter and good thoughts. Our effort is rewarded if we can put smile in our listener’s faces.

    Do you think the future will be in niche or mass stations?
    The FM business is in a nascent stage for me to predict the future. It depends on what is the target, though I would recommend that segmentation is required.

    How are you looking to close 2007?
    We have recently announced the four properties that Big FM has planned for the various festival seasons for the later part of the year. Starting from September, Big FM will start rolling out these properties.

    We will soon launch a show completely based on and coinciding with the ICC World Cup Twenty20. The show will provide scrore updates, interactive contests and interview of cricket celebrities.

    During the time of Diwali and Dusshera, Big FM will launch a shopping contest Sabse Sasti Diwali. With the various tie-ups that we are still working on, the contest will offer shopping discounts from 9.27 per cent to 92.7 per cent.

    Then we have a contest titled Chipak Ke Dekho by which we will give away a car to whoever remains near the car for the longest duration of time.

    Finally, we have the biggest contest of its kind, Ek Saal Free Maal to bear the entire expenses of the winner for the whole year of 2008.