ITV

Tag: revamp

  • JioStar launches glitzy new website in bold digital makeover

    JioStar launches glitzy new website in bold digital makeover

    MUMBAI:JioStar has quietly dropped its flashiest transformation yet — a brand-new corporate website that oozes OTT swagger. With the sleekness of Netflix and the razzmatazz of Hulu, the platform is as loud as it is polished — a brash, confident statement of intent from India’s most ambitious media house.

    The homepage hits hard: a full-throttle montage of its marquee films, series and sports properties, proudly calling itself “India’s favourite storytellers.” The site’s visual energy mirrors the brand’s content-first ethos — big, bold, and unmistakably JioStar.

    The revamped logo — with ‘Jio’ in a magenta coloured circle nudging into ‘Star’ — marks a subtle but sharp shift in branding. There’s sections on entertainment and sports, but what’s catching industry eyes is a new section titled consumer products. Empty for now, it hints at an incoming wave of IP-led merchandise, possibly transforming the site into a content-to-commerce powerhouse. Time — and licensing deals — will tell.

    For journalists and media pros, the portal is a goldmine. Rich press resources, high-res spokespeople photos, detailed executive bios, promos make it one of the most media-friendly corporate sites in India. Missing in action, however, is an investor relations section — a standard fixture on international media giants’ portals.

    In a practical masterstroke, JioStar has also made life easier for cable TV operators. A clean dropdown menu now lists all reference interconnect offers by channel clusters — making compliance and clarity a breeze.

    From content brag to backend utility, the new website signals that JioStar isn’t just flexing its brand muscle — it’s gunning for global best-in-class.

  • Redington unveils new global brand identity

    Redington unveils new global brand identity

    MUMBAI: Redington, the $6 billion distribution and supply chain giant for international brands in the IT and mobility sectors, has unveiled its new global brand identity with a new logo and tagline – Seamless Partnerships. 

    The new brand identity reflects the core values of Redington as a contemporary and innovative company, which has developed its messaging strategy to reflect its evolution as a brand and its global role as one of the largest providers in the supply chain solution industry. The new logo and tagline epitomises the new direction that the company would like to take in the years to come.

    Unveiling the impressive new logo and tagline, Redington managing director Raj Shankar says, “I am proud to launch today our rejuvenated brand and visual identity that fully reflects what we stand for as an organisation. This is not a mere change of brand identity but a coming of age for Redington, a transformation that the company is engineering to take it to the next level. The new identity carries forward our core values on which our company is built – adaptability, collaboration, know-how, objectivity, simplicity, transparency and trust. We look to expand our horizons from being a ‘brand behind brands’ to a platform that enables seamless partnerships. Redington is committed to do everything to achieve its ultimate goal of being the preferred company for connecting buyers and sellers. Re-emphasising the word ‘preferred’ as in a competitive world, Redington wants to build and grow lasting partnerships.”

    The new logo of Redington symbolises synergy – while the existing colour green has been retained, different shades have been introduced as well, keeping in mind the ever-expanding portfolio and services of the company. It represents the synergy and oneness that Redington possesses as an organisation – be it with vendors, customers, team, the environment, technology and the ecosystem within its circle of influence. The latticed geometric design depicts technological innovation as well as simplicity in complexity. The symmetrical form shows harmony between Redington and the other organisations that it collaborates. The energy is depicted in the reverse white lines, also representing the common thread of Redington’s philosophy and spirit running through the organisation towards a common good.

    As a heritage brand, Redington is stepping into its 25th year and the new branding builds on its well-established reputation in the industry.

    Established in Chennai in the year 1993, Redington is a well-known global brand having its operations across India, South Asia, Middle East, Turkey and Africa. With a strong network of 37,500 partners, Redington distributes more than 200 brands across 24 markets and has leadership position in most markets and brands.

    Redington, which has a strong distribution base, prides on the trust that it enjoys among not only its customers but also the vendors whose brands it distributes. Some of Redington’s brand and vendor relationships have been existent for decades.

  • M&M to revamp e-commerce platform

    M&M to revamp e-commerce platform

    MUMBAI: Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), India’s largest utility vehicle maker, has decided to revamp it’s digital platform by engaging with experts BCG, Microsoft and Dassualt to engage with prospective buyers right through their purchasing cycle according to a Brand Equity report.

    Being the first to sell vehicles through e-commerce platform, the company today gets 6 per cent of its sales lead from online platform, by revamping the digital platform, M&M’s intent is to bring the showroom home of the buyers through a mix of physical and virtual experience to keep its prospective buyers hooked to its brand at a time when the buyers are spoilt with choice, the report said.

    The company expects about 15 per cent of its retail sales to be generated through online platform in FY-19 from the current 7-8 per cent.

    The company has started the concept of “taking showroom at home” on a pilot basis at one of its dealership in Mumbai and the company claims it is doing well and very soon it will roll it out to the other parts of the country

    The company has worked with Microsoft Consulting to envisage the pre-sales strategy. M&M created SyouV Platform along with Microsoft, Dassault Systemes & Hard n Soft Technologies. For the post purchase platform Mahindra With You Hamesha, the company had engaged with Extentia Technologies and BCG helped the company “Bring The Showroom Home” initiative for which application has been developed by Artificial Reality.

    The new digital strategy takes into account the experience a prospective buyer may have pre-purchase during purchase and post purchase and the idea is to offer transparency, convenience and personalisation option.

  • Star India’s Channel V to go music only by July

    Star India’s Channel V to go music only by July

    MUMBAI: Star India’s youth destination Channel V will be revamped as a youth music brand. The shows which are currently on air will continue till end of June.

    “Channel V will be revamped as a youth focused music brand effective July 1,” said a Star India spokesperson.

    Currently, the channel hosts an array of shows like Sadda Haq, D4- Get Up and Dance, Mastaangi, Ishq Unplugged, etc. 

    Await further details

  • Star India’s Channel V to go music only by July

    Star India’s Channel V to go music only by July

    MUMBAI: Star India’s youth destination Channel V will be revamped as a youth music brand. The shows which are currently on air will continue till end of June.

    “Channel V will be revamped as a youth focused music brand effective July 1,” said a Star India spokesperson.

    Currently, the channel hosts an array of shows like Sadda Haq, D4- Get Up and Dance, Mastaangi, Ishq Unplugged, etc. 

    Await further details

  • “India Today TV has become a very strong alternative to the noise that dominated news television:” Ashish Bagga

    “India Today TV has become a very strong alternative to the noise that dominated news television:” Ashish Bagga

    May 2015 marked the re-branding of the English news channel Headlines Today as India Today Television. The group cited research conducted by the group, which showed higher brand recall value for India Today than Headlines Today as the reason for the name change. The change immediately showed results as it saw India Today Television toppling market leader Times Now to claim position as the leading English news channel in terms of viewership according to BARC ratings in the first week of its re-launch. 

    The journey from there on has been a good one for the channel as it has maintained the number two rank on the ratings chart. The challenge now is to take it to the top and sustain the pole position.   

    In an interview to Indiantelevision.com’s Seema Singh, India Today group CEO Ashish Bagga talks about the journey so far and the plans ahead.

    Excerpts:

    It has been seven weeks since the channel revamped to India Today TV. How has the response been?

    Of late, the English news television genre was dominated and characterised by loud debates with little being added to viewers’ usable knowledge. The last seven weeks have witnessed a starkly different product with a clear vision to take forward the 40 year legacy of the India Today brand.

    The launch has been amongst the most successful media launches in recent times with the channel showing considerable growth from the launch week itself as per BARC ratings. A lot of the success of the new channel can be credited to the brand strength of India Today along with the new content strategy, dynamic visual format and robust marketing that added to the increased popularity of the channel. The success of the launch has been very promising especially as the channel is built on the same ‘Gold Standard’ of journalism of the India Today brand. This clearly underlines that the brand extension was the right decision and the product has become a very strong alternative to the noise that dominated news television.

    What was the channel’s positioning in the ratings chart before the revamp? What is the percentage hike in viewership that you have witnessed after revamping?

    On a comparative level with Headlines Today, the average weekly market share for a four week period since the launch of India Today Television has increased from 11 per cent to 23 per cent. (four weeks average of last available data from TAM Week 10 to Week 13, CS 25+ M AB Top 6 Metros and post launch four week ratings as per BARC Week 21 to Week 24, CS 22+ M NCCS AB Top 6 Metros: Table below).

    The launch of India Today Television showed the highest growth, of almost 110 per cent in market share over Headlines Today, while most other channels showed negative movement during the same period.

    This positive growth clearly establishes the acceptance of the India Today brand among news viewers.

    How has the revamp helped the channel in attaining the number two rank? What were the changes that were made in the channel, that worked in favour?

    India Today Television was launched on a philosophy of keeping the India Today ethos of journalism at the core, while being relevant to the evolved news audience. This philosophy called for a paradigm change in TV news delivery formats to make the channel the definitive knowledge source. The most radical change was in the form of a pioneering visual format, which integrates digital interactivity and makes it possible for multiple news updates simultaneously on the screen. The digitally inspired screen with innovative elements like the roller deck has redefined the news viewing experience on television.

    The immense pull of the India Today brand along with a renewed content strategy designed to be a knowledge source had the viewership of the channel grow from the launch week itself.

    Has there been a shift in the positioning and target audience of the channel post the revamp due to which it has started gaining eyeballs?

    The content strategy is built on the principle to be the ‘fact factory’ as against an ‘outrage factory.’ Therefore the new positioning builds on the ethos of the India Today mega brand and goes after the viewer that seeks knowledge as against entertainment. The channel is engineered to cater to the viewer’s intelligence and to specifically appeal to a progressive audience that is seamlessly consuming news across platforms.

    The focussed promotions around the launch of the channel saw a lot of additional viewers who were drawn to the channel due to its distinct offering. 

    What is your strategy now to ensure that you move to the top position or maintain the current position?

    India Today Television is slated to become the No. 1 English News channel backed with a journalism that builds on the values that have defined news in the country for around four decades. The convergence has created synergy of content that will see the launch of a series of new shows. In addition, a lot of thought leadership event properties are lined up that are sure to provide the channel with unrivalled content. We will continue with focussed marketing for the brand to keep it ahead in preference.

    Though the growth in ratings has been very encouraging, our focus will be to make India Today TV a knowledge source by staying true to the same principles of journalism that had kept the magazine brand an undisputed leader. 

    How much of a role has distribution played in the numbers that the channel has achieved?

    It was a tactical booster made to facilitate and give the new brand enough sampling. This intervention seems to have done its job.

    What has been the response from advertisers?

    The consistent ratings of the channel from the launch week itself has created a steady increase in advertising. We are targeting shorter commercial breaks and increased premium. The value that the channel provides to advertisers has led to an increase in advertising and premium has definitely grown manifold for marquee shows led by Rajdeep Sardesai, Karan Thapar and Rahul Kanwal.

    What is the channel’s perception on BARC ratings and measurement mechanism?

    The channel’s focus towards excellence in journalism is clearly being reflected in the ratings. We are happy that the measurement system by BARC provides a robust and scientific measurement tool for viewership trends. We had in fact used the BARC system very effectively to build on the launch media plan.

  • Times Network goes full throttle with launches & revamps

    Times Network goes full throttle with launches & revamps

    MUMBAI: There has been a lot of action going on at the broadcast arm of Vineet Jain helmed Bennett, Coleman and Company Limited (BCCL).

     

    Ever since its revamp in April this year, the Times Television Network (TTN) has gone full throttle with major revamps of its existing channels as well as new channel launches. 

     

    TTN revamped its Bollywood and lifestyle channel Zoom, which was followed by the launch of a new movie channel MN+. What’s more, a new niche channel called Property Now is also slated to launch soon.

     

    With digital being the future, the network is notably also stressing on strengthening its digital presence.

     

    Revamp of Times Television Network

     

    With an aim to become more inclusive, the network decided to drop the ‘television’ from its name and rechristened as Times Network with a new tagline—‘Now or Nothing.’

     

    At the time of the revamp, Times Network CEO and managing director M K Anand had said, “We have strong branches but the trunk needs to be strengthened and the revamp is to ensure that. Moreover, we don’t want to restrict ourselves as a television network only. Hence we decided to break a few boundaries and expand.”

     

    Realising the growing importance of digital, Times Network is now targeting the medium. Be it with launching the Times Now app or with the increasing focus on digital with the recent revamp of Zoom.  

     

    “There is a serious attempt from our side to establish ourselves on the digital platform,” Anand had said on the sidelines of the network’s plans to launch an app for Times Now. The app which is now live, has close to 10,000 downloads on Android.  

     

    Zoom’s programming ‘Turn On’

     

    On 26 June this year, Times Network revamped its 10 year old Bollywood and lifestyle brand Zoom with a new tagline ‘Turn On.’

     

    The channel now plans to change itself drastically. “The customers are evolving and so we too had to,” said Zoom as VP and product head Sunder Venkatraman.

     

    According to Venkatraman, the research by the team shows that consumers today want fast, short and quick content, especially for a channel like Zoom. “We already have a digital platform to support us and so with the revamp, we have decided to stress on TV, digital and short programming, which is smarter,” he added.  

     

    As part of the revamp, five new properties have been added to the channel. These include Kangana Ranaut’s My Life and Style, On the Road with Farhan Akhtar, Man Up with Randeep Hooda, Funtanatan with Sugandha and Ishqwala Love with Miss Malini. “All these are five to 10 minute short shows,” informed Venkatraman. 

     

    The channel currently has only one long form (half an hour) show called Planet Bollywood. This will go up to two, with the launch of a food and lifestyle show Thank God It’s Fryday, this August. “These shows will be used for appointment viewing,” he said.   

     

    In order to market the revamped channel, Zoom has readied a four week long marketing plan, which kickstarted on 26 June. “The whole of BCCL is behind us and we have a strong asset supporting us,” Venkatraman informed. The channel has taken 200 hoardings in about 15 cities to promote the new look. That apart, a lot of promotion will be done across digital platforms. 

     

    Additionally Zoom has set up an entire branded content team, which is looking at a large number of brand association shows. The first of this will go on air in August with Philips Air Fryer Thank God It’s Fryday.

     

    Post the revamp, the channel is investing heavily on content packaging. “A lot of brands in the lifestyle space are already showing a keen interest in joining hands with us to create properties for the channel. All conversations are ongoing,” he informed adding that a lot of shows will be launched by the end of this year.   

     

    MN+ for the English movie enthusiasts

     

    The English movie channel from the Times Network stable went live on 1 July. The new channel MN+ is for niche English movie fans.

     

    “MN+ is an all new English channel experience that will showcase must-watch movies in HD – movies that are universally celebrated and debated. It will offer an experience that will make every moment valuable for the viewer, and thereby give them the Gold Class Experience of Hollywood,” said Times Network senior vice president and head English entertainment cluster Vivek Srivastava.

     

    The MN+ library, which comprises over 1500 movies across genres, will sell ad slots at a premium rate, with just six minutes of advertisement.

    The network, which is currently emphasising on digital, has decided to spend 25 per cent of its marketing budget on digital media.

     

    Launch of Property Now

     

    The network is also gearing up to launch a real estate channel in Property Now. According to sources the channel will launch in September, this year.

    With all the high octane activity up its sleeves, the Times Network will be the one to watch out for in the coming months.

  • Zoom undergoes packaging, programming revamp

    Zoom undergoes packaging, programming revamp

    MUMBAI:Bollywood entertainment channel from Times Network stable, Zoom is all set to unveil a brand new look with Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut as its brand ambassador.

     

    The channel known for its Bollywood shows will be unveiling a whole new packaging and a slate of new Bollywood focused content under its new logo and tagline, ‘Turn On’. 

     

    Post the revamp the channel will go beyond just dishing out Bollywood news and improve consumers’ social quotient, by connecting them to the latest trends, which are curated straight out of Bollywood. 

     

    Times Network MD & CEO MK Anand said, “We are delighted to reveal Zoom’s fresh programming and unique and exciting style of presentation today. The Times Network is a unique bouquet of channels which cater to the top two per cent of Indian television viewers – the discerning, top-end, premium audience. Zoom’s Innovative new media inspired format and its revamped and truly world-class on-air packaging will reflect this. We have always been close to Bollywood and will continue to do so with content that reflects the latest and trendiest that Bollywood has to offer with our own twist.” 

     

    Anand added, “Zoom has been the pioneering Bollywood channel and we are delighted to work with Kangana as the face of our new avatar. She has made a mark in Bollywood as the first real female superstar purely on her own grit and confidence. The choice of the brand ambassador reflects our new brand philosophy. We promise to inspire and lead our consumers to ‘Turn On’ the next best version of themselves – to live more and better.”

     

    The revamped Zoom has all the aspects of Bollywood showcased in a way that will suit the new palette of consumers: short, crisp and unpredictable.

     

    Zoom vice president & product head Sunder Venkatraman said, “Content strategy on Zoom centres around ‘trends’ and ‘youth’, which are the hottest genres on social media today. 

     

    The new offerings on Zoom will be shorter format – more like the T-20 of entertainment. They will vary in duration from a minute-and-a-half to seven or eight minutes to longer formats of 20 minutes; there is no fixed duration. But what is certain is that the content will really be Bollywood through fashion, gossip, style, humor, news, music, relationships and more.”

     

    He described the revamped channel on-air look as “a fresh look and feel young packaging. Small innovations with great impact. For instance a progress bar has been used for the first time ever on television.”

     

    The new look of the channel has been designed by Mayur Tekchandaney of Briefcase with the internal team at Zoom. 

     

    In an industry where marketing content is the norm, the channel has decided to leverage its superior content to drive a marketing blitzkrieg. 

     

    The first step is the exclusive music video shot by global expert Harvey Brown. The song composed by Sachin-Jigar has been sung by Anuskha Manchanda. The video, titled Hotel Zoom will be unveiled on the launch day across platforms and will also drive engagement on social media.

  • Headlines Today becomes India Today; group to pump 10% of budget in marketing

    Headlines Today becomes India Today; group to pump 10% of budget in marketing

    NEW DELHI: Emphasising that the launch of the ‘India Today’ news channel was being treated as a fresh channel launch and not a re-branding of Headlines Today, spokespersons from the channel said that it sports a completely new look as compared to any other news channel in the country.

     

    Speaking about the key reason for changing the brand name of the channel, India Today group CEO Ashish Bagga told Indiantelevision.com that research had shown that the brand recall value of India Today was much higher than that of Headlines Today and therefore it was being promoted as a new news channel.

     

    The channel will also be promoted through television commercials, newspaper and web advertisements and outdoor publicity. In addition, the channel will also be eyeing media partnerships with events like the Indian International Film Academy (IIFA) Awards or premieres of important films.

     

    Bagga informed that approximately five to ten per cent of the channel’s total budget would be spent on marketing it. 

     

    He considered this the biggest initiative by the India Today Group in the last forty years.

     

    Bagga also said that the channel was not visible on all DTH platforms including Doordarshan’s FreeDish.

     

    With 40 niche magazines in its kitty, the group had already connected with viewers and readers all over the country.

     

    When asked if a research had been conducted before the channel’s launch, he said research was conducted on two levels. On a qualitative level, the aim had been to gauge what people were seeing and what they wanted in news channels. Secondly, an Eye-7 test had been conducted whereby special kind of glasses were worn to gauge eye movements and also check if the viewer had any problem in seeing a channel, which carries more than one box of written matter apart from the visuals. 

     

    Talking about the channel’s branding and content, India Today Group synergy and creative officer Kalli Purie said that the new channel had a lot more depth.

     

    Purie said that the India Today magazine had set a standard that other print publications were attempting to emulate, and the aim was to bring the same standard to television news reporting. 

     

    The new look of the channel not only has a headline at the top and bottom of the screen, but also on the left of the news presenter, which is in the form of a box making it legible even from a distance. She denied that this would be make the screen look cluttered and said it had been tested amongst viewers who had liked the format.

     

    Speaking on whether there would be any changes in content, Purie said that the Group had around forty print magazines and the experience would be used for formatting shows on niche programmes on automobiles, luxury items, celebs, and so on. 

     

    Unlike most channels, the content presentation on the India Today news channel would not follow a linear pattern but would be multi-layered. 

     

    When queried on the involvement of senior journalists like Rajdeep Sardesai and Karan Thapar, Purie said that they were already established and credible names in the news world, who didn’t believe in beating around the bush but in getting the real news out. 

     

    “Their contribution will be immense in formatting various programmes,” she added.   

     

    She also confirmed that the show On The Couch with Koel would continue on the channel.

     

    While Bagga refrained to comment on the ad cap matter as it was in court, he opined that the group did not agree with the government on cross-media investments. 

     

    “No single group dominates in media fragmentation,” he said. 

     

    At the same time, he said that the group had no intention to enter FM Phase III for more radio channels.

     

    Referring to Music Today, he said that the aim had been to bring out recordings of non-film music. “While all music is now available on digital platforms, we have no intention of entering that sphere,” he added.