ITV

Tag: Russia

  • Internet advertising to overtake television in 2018: Zenithoptimedia

    Internet advertising to overtake television in 2018: Zenithoptimedia

    MUMBAI: Even as desktop internet advertising continues to grow, it is slated to lose market share for the first time this year, dropping from 19.8 per cent of global adspend in 2014 to 19.4 per cent according to ZenithOptimedia’s new Advertising Expenditure Forecasts.

    By 2017, ZenithOptimedia forecasts desktop internet to account for 19.1 per cent of global adspend. Meanwhile, mobile internet advertising’s share of the global ad market will rise from 5.7 per cent in 2014 to 15 per cent in 2017. Overall, internet advertising will account for 34 per cent of global adspend in 2017, slightly behind television’s 35.9 per cent.

    The market share gap between the two media will narrow from 13.3 percentage points in 2014 to 1.9 in 2017. At this rate of growth, internet advertising will overtake television in 2018.

    On the other hand, print adspend continues to decline across most of the world, as it has done since 2008. The report predicts that newspaper adspend will shrink by an average of 4.9 per cent a year through to 2017, while magazine advertising will shrink by 3.2 per cent a year. Their combined share of global adspend has fallen from 39.4 per cent in 2007 to 19.6 per cent this year, and we expect it to fall further to 16.7 per cent by 2017.

     

    Mobile advertising to overtake newspapers in 2016: 

     

    Mobile internet advertising will overtake newspaper advertising next year, accounting for 12.4 per cent of global adspend while newspapers account for 11.9 per cent, according to ZenithOptimedia.

    Mobile internet will be the third-largest advertising medium, behind television and desktop internet. Mobile advertising will grow 38 per cent in 2016 to $71billion, while newspaper advertising will shrink four per cent to $68 billion.

    Mobile advertising remains the driving force behind the growth of the entire advertising market, contributing 83 per cent of all new ad dollars between 2014 and 2017.

     

    Global adspend to grow 4.0 per cent in 2015

     

    ZenithOptimedia forecasts that global adspend will grow four per cent to reach $554 billion in 2015, and will accelerate to five per cent growth in 2016, boosted by the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio and the US Presidential elections. Adspend will then slow down slightly in the absence of these events, growing 4.4 per cent in 2017.

     

    Mature Markets to lead adspend growth for the first time in nine years

     

    ZenithOptimedia has reduced its forecasts for adspend growth in 2015 since its June forecast by 0.2 percentage points. There has been broad-based deceleration across the world as marketers have moderated their expectations of global economic growth. With Brazil and Russia in recession, and China slowing down, the world can no longer rely on emerging markets to set the pace of growth. The agency expects ‘Mature Markets’ (defined as North America, Western Europe and Japan) to contribute more to global adspend growth this year than ‘Rising Markets’ (everywhere else), for the first time since 2006. The agency says that this is a temporary aberration, however – Rising Markets will become the leading contributors to ad market growth again in 2016, and will increase their market share from 37.4 per cent in 2015 to 38.8 per cent in 2017.

     

    China slows but is still growing twice as fast as the world as a whole

     

    China’s ad market has not been substantially affected by the turmoil in its stock market, but the slowing economy and concerns about the potential for future growth have caused advertisers to moderate their spending slightly. The report forecasts adspend growth in China to fall from 10.5 per cent in 2014 to 7.8 per cent in 2015 – a rate of growth that’s still twice as fast as the global ad market’s, and which places China as the 13th – fastest growing ad market of the 81 that the agency covers.

     

    Low oil prices weigh on big producers

     

    While beneficial for the global economy – and the ad market – as a whole, low oil prices are depressing activity in the big oil producers. The report forecasts double-digit declines in adspend this year in Azerbaijan, Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates, and declines of seven – eight per cent in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. In Russia, the problem of low oil prices has been exacerbated by international sanctions, leading to an estimated 14.1 per cent drop in adspend this year.

    “Mobile technology is rapidly transforming the way consumers across the world live their lives, and is disrupting business models across all industries. We are now witnessing the fastest transition of ad budgets in history as marketers and agencies scramble to catch up with consumers’ embrace of the mobile way of life,” said ZenithOptimedia worldwide CEO Steve King.

  • Dentsu bags Olympic Games broadcast rights for 22 Asian countries

    Dentsu bags Olympic Games broadcast rights for 22 Asian countries

    MUMBAI: The International Olympic Committee has awarded Dentsu with the broadcast rights for the XXIII Olympic Winter Games (2018); the Games of the XXXII Olympiad (2020); the XXIV Olympic Winter Games (2022); and the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad (2024). 

     

    The agency will hold the broadcasting rights in 22 countries and territories across Asia namely Afghanistan, Brunei, Cambodia, Chinese Taipei (Taiwan), East Timor, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

     

    Dentsu has acquired exclusive Olympic Games broadcast rights on all media platforms, including television, radio and the Internet.

     

    These broadcast rights are in addition to those that Dentsu was awarded in 2013 for the XXII Olympic Winter Games (2014) in Sochi, Russia and the Games of the XXXI Olympiad (2016) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in the above-mentioned 22 countries and territories.

    The broadcast rights for all the Youth Olympic Games to be held until 2024 have also been awarded to the company.

     

    While the XXIII Olympic Winter Games (2018) will be in PyeongChang, the Games of the XXXII Olympiad (2020) will be held in Tokyo. The locations of the XXIV Olympic Winter Games (2022) and the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad (2024) are yet to be decided.

  • Russia and India agree for exchange of films, public broadcasters’ interaction between countries

    Russia and India agree for exchange of films, public broadcasters’ interaction between countries

    NEW DELHI: Russia has agreed to provide assistance in the development of direct ties and contacts between the Prasar Bharati and the All Russian State Television and Radio Company.

     
    India will also hold a Festival of India in Russia during 2015, according to an agreement between a visiting team from Russia.

     
    India and Russia have expressed their keenness for cultural exchanges/cooperation in the fields of exhibitions, libraries, visits of crafts persons, visit of writers’ delegation, contemporary and visual arts, archives, theatre art, contemporary visual art etc.

     
    Both countries will renew the Cultural Exchange Programme for 2015 to 2018, according to a decision taken by the 20th meeting of the India-Russia Working Group on Culture and Tourism of India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on trade, economic, scientific, technical and cultural cooperation held here today.  
     The two sides agreed to exchange film related events, and reciprocal participation in the International Film Festivals to be held in both countries in accordance with their respective regulations.

    The meeting was chaired by Culture Joint Secretary V Srinivas. Apart from Culture Ministry, the others from the Indian side comprised of representatives of Tourism, External Affairs, Information and Broadcasting Ministries. From the Russian side, Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation Deputy Minister Elena Milovzorova headed the five member delegation.

     
    The meeting is alternatively held in India and Russia every year under the provisions laid down in the Russian-India Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade and Economic, Scientific and Technical and Cultural Cooperation.

    Both sides expressed satisfaction on the successful implementation of the Protocol of the 19th meeting of the Programme of Cultural Exchange between the two Governments for the years 2013-15.

  • Sony Pictures acquisition Red Army to be screened at Mumbai Film Festival

    Sony Pictures acquisition Red Army to be screened at Mumbai Film Festival

    New Delhi, 13 Oct:

    The film ‘Red Army’, based on hockey, is being screened at the Mumbai Film Festival commencing tomorrow.
     
    The Festival, which continues till 21 October, is divided into nine sections: International Competition for the First Feature Films of Directors, World Cinema, Indian Frame, Dimensions Mumbai, Retrospectives, Above the Cut, New Faces in Indian Cinema and The Real Reel.
     
    Red Army is a feature documentary about the Soviet Union and the most successful dynasty in sports history, the Red Army hockey team. Told from the perspective of its captain, Slava Fetisov, the story portrays his transformation from national hero to political enemy.
     
    From the USSR to Russia, the film examines how sport mirrors social and cultural movements. It parallels the rise and fall of the Red Army team with the Soviet Union.
     
    Whether he was pitted against enemies in the political arena or on the ice, Fetisov’s story provides a rare glimpse behind the Iron Curtain of the 1970s and ’80s by mirroring the social and political forces at work in the world around him.
     
    While helping pave the way for his nation to cross over into the next century, this one man demonstrated how sports could not only be an avenue for creative expression in a world determined to suppress it, but also be something so inextricably intertwined with a nation’s cultural and political identity.
     
    The film, which has been acquired by Sony Pictures Classics, features Mark Deakins and Vyacheslav Fetisov who are among the erstwhile’s most-decorated athletes.

  • Russia will present over 30 new films and TV series at MIPCOM 2014

    Russia will present over 30 new films and TV series at MIPCOM 2014

    CANNES: The major international market of audiovisual content for all platforms – MIPCOM stars working on Oct, 13 in Cannes. MIPCOM opens wide opportunities for searching of international distribution channels and establishing communications with top players of the industry, that’s why for most Russian companies this market in one of the key events of year. Russian distributors will present domestic cinema under Russian Cinema brand for the second time in Cannes.

     

    Special attention of stand work will be paid to the promotion of the Russian cinema new (2014) line up and project at the production stage, having a high commercial potential and focused in wide international audience. According to the distributors` experience at the previous markets, Russian comedy, big–budget historical costume series, action films, and full–length animations for family viewing have the greatest demand among foreign buyers. That’s why participating companies of RA stand emphasized precisely such products in their catalogues.

     

    Bazelevs Distribution is going to announce its debut on the Israeli market as direct distributor. A new comedy Kiss Them All 2 will be the first Bazelevs release of that kind. The sequel to the most profitable film in the history of Russian cinema will hit the screens of the Israeli network Yes Planet simultaneously with its release in Russia. The film will be shown in Russian with Hebrew subtitles. According to the information from the company`s press-service, they plan to continue showing all our new films in Israel in that format. Ahead of the launch, the Russian-language Israeli broadcaster Channel Nine Israel will air the first Kiss Them All film. In addition, Kiss Them All will become available to subscribers of the HOT cable network in Israel. They are planning to finalize the transfer of TV premiere rights to and discuss in detail their further cooperation with Israeli partners. There are also other projects: Christmas comedy Yolki 1914: Tsar Christmas (December, 25, 2014), Fools’ Day (release – November, 2014), Paws, Bones & Rock’n’roll (January, 2015), Kiss Them All 2 (October, 2014), Kiss Them All (2013).

     

    Planeta Inform Film Distribution will present the new series productions. There are premium-series Catherine the Great (produced by Mars Media by the Channel One Russia order), Rasputin, Headhunters, The Three Musketeers in the company’s set. Catherine the Great is on production stage now, the work over Rasputin has been recently completed, but the telefilm isn’t on the air at present moment. On the territory of the Russian Federation Channel One holds the rights for both projects. Anastasia Bankovskaya, a head of International Sales & Acquisitions Director, shared that at MIPCOM the new promo of Catherine the Great and the 1st episode of Rasputin would be presented to the foreign buyers of TV content. The company made over 30 appointments with the representatives from Germany, France, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Poland, Romania, Czech Republic, Korea, Italy, Brazil, Turkey. The talks about sales of The Three Musketeers, a film and the series to Turkey, China, France will be carried on. Earlier the film was sold on the territory of Germany, Poland, Korea, Israel and the USA (digital rights). According to A.B, the first reports from the realization of the films set over digital platforms in the USA will be available in November. But it has already become known that The Three Musketeers took the leading positions with the number of views in the film catalogue, supplied by company`s partner VOD-platforms. Also Planeta Inform Film Distribution will carry on their work over Metro (2012), Chempiony (2014), The Brest Fortress (2010).

     

    Wizart Animation will keep selling their full-length projects Sheep and Wolves (2015) and The Snow Queen 2. An English version of the last one has recently been grown by a star cast. Animated characters will be dubbing by Sean Bean, Sharlto Copley, Bella Thorne and Isabelle Fuhrman. The release of The Snow Queen 2 is scheduled on January, 1, 2015. According to the results of the previous markets, the first film of the franchise The Snow Queen was successfully sold in more than 35 countries and triumphantly conquered all the continents.

     

    Sovtelexport, an overseas distributor of Russia’s television and film content, will showcase its new extensive catalogue of the programming in various genres: feature films, documentaries, series, adaptations of Russian classics, TV shows and concerts, at MIPCOM 2014. The catalogue contains the content of Russia Television and Radio and other leading Russia’s production companies – in particular, these are Russia Today, Nikita Mikhalkov’s Studio TriTe, Bazelevs Production, the Star Media studio and Format TV. The historical drama Ekaterina is the company’s flagship project in this season; it tells the incredible story of a great empress and ill-fated woman, the world-renowned Ekaterina II. According to the company’s management opinion, the popularity of the genre, a substantial budget, magnificent costumes, superb acting, multiple filming locations, authentic interiors and stunning scenery combine to make an impressive production with real appeal on the international market. Sovtelexport also highlights in its line-up as promising projects: drama mini-series Demons (2014) based on the eponymous Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel and biopic The Iron Ivan (2014).

     

    New People Film Company will bring to Cannes Battle for Sevastopol (2015), Russian-Ukrainian production. Mila Rozanova, a film producer, tells that to announce project Battle for Sevastopol is the main target of company`s participation at MIPCOM market. This project has two formats: film and mini-series. Mrs Rozanova pointed out: “Now we are mostly interested in TV-buyers, who will be ready to buy right for mini-series, for this target MIPCOM is just an ideal market.” Also the company will keep on promotion of the Ivan Tverdovsky`s film debut Corrections Class (2014).

     

    Russian World Vision (RWV), performing a wide range of local comedies and action films, announced in its set series Insomnia (2013), Fort Ross (2014), an action Spiral (2014), Kazakh-Russian action The Witch’s Brook (2014), a comedy Sex Competition 2  (2014) by Sarik Andreasyan, which new film American Heist, created in co-production with the USA, participated in the competitive program of just ended 39th International Toronto cinema festival (Canada).

     

    All Media will continue international sales of a comedy Kitchen in Paris (2014), based on the original Russian TV series Kitchen.

  • The new Alisa`s adventures: the Russian animated series will be presented at MIPJUNIOR

    The new Alisa`s adventures: the Russian animated series will be presented at MIPJUNIOR

    MUMBAI: The new Russian children’s animated series by Bazelevs, (Riki grou) and Studio Moskva Alisa Knows What To Do! based upon the Kir Bulychov`s series Alisa’s Journey will be presented at the world’s showcase for kids programming MIPJUNIOR, which will take place in Cannes, France, on October 11-12, 2014.
    The animated series will be presented as a part of Russian Animation stand, organized by the Cinema Fund with the support of the Ministry of culture of the Russian Federation.

    In March of this year, Alisa Knows What To Do! was marked by a special award of the XIX Open Russian animation festival in Suzdal as the animated series with the highest international potential. The nomination was established by Reed MIDEM, the organizer of world`s markets of audiovisual programming – MIPJUNIOR and MIPCOM in Cannes (France). As a prize, the project team was awarded by an offer for the world`s showcase for kids programming in Cannes in October 2014. Here, the creators of “Alisa” are going to present to foreign buyers not only the animated series, but the full-length animation feature as well.

    Timur Bekmambetov, producer: “We hope the story about adventures of a common Moscow schoolgirl Alisa will be close and understandable for children from all over the world. There is no secret Kir Bulychov`s books have been translated into many languages and published in millions of copies. This story is about that age when kids hardly differ from each other. Therefore, to my mind “Alisa” undoubtedly has a great potential to make an immediate appeal to viewers in other countries. It’s really important for us the project to become a significant phenomenon both in Russian and around the world. And for this reason story must be highly amusing, funny, touching and sincere, what we are seeking”.

     

    Anton Malyshev, head of the Russian Cinema Fund: “A high valuation of the Russian project by international professional community will give an opportunity to draw attention not only to the concrete project, but also to the modern Russian animation in general. The Russian animation has already gained certain achievements at international markets and one of the strategic priorities of the Cinema Fund is supporting Russian full-length animation feature projects, which give to the Russian studio an opportunity to reach a new qualitative level and to draw the youngest kids` audience to cinemas, thus to generate sustained interest for a qualitative Russian animation programming”.

     

    Alisa Knows What To Do! series tells a story about fantastical adventures of Alisa and her four friends – 12-year-old schoolchildren, placed in the near future, in the year 2093. The series is filmed in 3D graphics. The first season is completed. It consists of 24 episodes. Currently the second season is being created. Co-production of the series by Bazelevs, the RIKI Group and Animation Studio Moskva with the support of the Ministry of culture of the Russian Federation. The artistic head of the project is the famous Russian-American director of animation cinema Igor Kovalev. Producers: Timur Bekmambetov, Ilya Popov, Elena Malenkina. Production of the full-length animation feature has started this autumn and is provided with the support of Cinema Fund on the terms of partially refundable financing. The release is scheduled for spring 2016. Producers: Timur Bekmambetov, directors: Olga Baulina and Viktor Gluhushin.

     

     

  • Russia to ban ads on C&S pay-TV channels

    Russia to ban ads on C&S pay-TV channels

    MUMBAI: Even as broadcasters in India are fighting tooth and nail with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to rollback the ad cap regulation that restricts satellite TV channels from airing more than 12 minutes of advertisements per hour, a completely different situation has just cropped up in Russia.

     

    A new bill that has gone through three stages of hearings in one week is just waiting for approval from the President of Russia. The state Duma has passed a bill banning advertising on cable and satellite pay TV channels that will be effective from 1 January 2015. The bill has been created for a level playing field between Russia’s free to air (FTA) cable channels and those that monetise by both ads and subscription.

     

    Channels that are available on a paid basis as well as those that are encoded will be included in the ad ban. National, universally accessible and terrestrial channels will not come under the ban. Last week, a letter was sent by few Russian channels requesting the government to think through before passing a bill of such nature. The letter mentioned that of the 270 C&S channels in Russia, 150 will be threatened due to this bill, leading to an increase in the price of pay TV.

     

    According to reports by Association of Communication Agencies of Russia, advertising revenue from digital and satellite channels last year was just 2.6 per cent of total TV ad market as compared to the rest taken by FTA channels ($ 4.4  billion).

     

    Across the world, the standard rate of advertisement is 12 minutes per hour including the UK, Germany, Ireland, Norway and Argentina.

     

    Zee Russia is one Indian broadcaster that is present in Russia.

  • Sunburn Goa rolls out ‘Early Bird Tickets’ for 2014 edition

    Sunburn Goa rolls out ‘Early Bird Tickets’ for 2014 edition

    MUMBAI:  Asia’s No. 1 Dance Music Festival ‘Sunburn’ is all set to unveil its plans for the highly anticipated  ‘Sunburn  Goa  Festival’  scheduled  to  be  held  at  Vagator,  Goa  from  27-29 December 2014. The Early Bird Tickets for Sunburn Goa will go live exclusively on the Sunburn website  www.sunburn.in on Wednesday, July 2, 2014 from 12.00 pm onwards.

    The Early Bird Tickets last year were snapped up by Sunburn fans in a matter of 4 minutes setting a record of firsts in Indian history. Online sales tracked showed that 20% of the Early Bird Ticket sales came from international territories including UK, Australia, Russia, Singapore, South  Africa  and  Dubai.  Sunburn Goa  2013  was  listed  as  the  biggest and grandest extravaganza ever held on the shores of India with an aggregate attendance of over 160,000 visitors from 40 countries globally and 70 cities pan-India.

    Building up to the Sunburn Season 8 frenzy, Percept Live unveiled the ‘Sunburn Goa 2013 Aftermovie’ on June 19, 2014 which captured some of the most exciting moments of last year’s Festival, including the stage show extravaganza and peripheral activities held at Vagator Beach, rare footage of the fan frenzy, backstage activities, and both artist and visitor testimonials. The Aftermovie is available for viewing at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR2ICPK8W u4

    Visitors can expect to witness a festival unlike any other as Sunburn Goa 2014 gets prepared to present an experience that will see the biggest artists, massive stages and experiential zones, a spectacular production and a whole host of fun activities spanning the entire length and breadth of the massive Vagator venue. A phenomenal line-up of global artists has been exclusively lined up for the 2014 festival, and the names will be unveiled soon by Percept Live. Visitors can look forward to a diverse range of adventurous activities during their 3 day stay at Goa spanning exotic Sunburn Cruises, Flea Markets, Activity zones, Open Air Theatres, Libraries, Artist Villages, On-Site Camping and the famed Sunburn Afterparties spanning over 50,000 sq. mts. of Vagator, making this an extravaganza of mammoth proportions.

    With a booming economy and the biggest youth population in the world, India has become one of the most sought-after destinations to visit, with the Sunburn Festival becoming a prime factor for driving tourists from around the world to the state of Goa in the month of December. Renowned for its deep-rooted trance music heritage, Goa offers an idyllic location for those looking forward to experience an unforgettable mixture of bass, beats and bliss through the three-day cult Sunburn Festival. 2013 saw Sunburn’s biggest crowd to date, with fans coming together from all corners of the globe including Asia, USA and Europe, and 2014 looks set to be even bigger.

    Percept Live has plans to increase the global fan footprint further in 2014 with a range of innovative  and  unique  marketing  promotions  and  strategic  alliances  with  international partners and associates, thereby creating a heightened spike towards global tourism for Goa.
     

  • Ross Video Appoints Yevgen Khovanskyi as Sales Director

    Ross Video Appoints Yevgen Khovanskyi as Sales Director

    MUMBAI: Ross Video is very pleased to announce that Yevgen Khovanskyi has joined the company as Sales Director for the Russian Federation. Yevgen joins Ross Video from Riedel Communications where he worked firstly as International Sales Manager for Russia, the CIS and Baltic states before helping to establish the company’s Moscow office and taking the role of Sales Director for Russia.  
     

    “Ross Video is a company that I’ve always admired,” notes Yevgen. “The company has enjoyed 23 straight years of incremental growth and that’s an incredible achievement given that it spans two recessions. There’s no doubt in my mind that Ross has the right product range and the right philosophy to become the number one player in live production in EMEA.”

     
    “We are really excited to welcome Yevgen to the Ross EMEA team,” comments David Dowling, Director of Sales for EMEA. “He’s a highly experienced sales professional with an enviable track record in the region. This appointment is our fourth new addition to the team in the last six months and, given our ambition for Ross in EMEA, I would expect to be making several similarly exciting announcements over the six months to come.”

  • Micromax starts its Russia operations

    Micromax starts its Russia operations

    RUSSIA: Micromax, world’s 11th largest mobile phone player has announced the launch of its operations in Russia by extending its innovative product portfolio and services to the users in the country. Micromax has been the clear No 2 smartphone brand by a distance and a clear No 3 overall phone brand (smart+ feature phones) in India, is now gearing up for Russia. With a focus on democratizing technologies for the masses, the company aims to have an aggressive plan to make its mark in the Russian mobile handset marketre-emphasizing on its vision to offer innovative products and service offerings, which are customized to address the needs of consumers in Russia.

     

    Micromax, with its USP of pioneering meaningful innovations based on in-depth consumer understanding, would be operating througha partnership with VVP Group, one of the leading distribution houses in Russia. The partnership is a strategic move, which would provide good reach for Micromax in the regionwith a plan to make Micromax products available across the country, ensuring deeper shelf space and wider outlet spread.

     

    Micromax will be introducing its popular Canvas series of smartphones and Bolt series of smart-feature phones which have been a trendsetter, which have already sold more than 35 million devices across the operating markets for Micromax in the past one year. The company will be launching 14 products in the Russian market in the initial phase, as the brand is already looking at gearing up to be among the Top 4 brands in Russia by the end of 2014. The company is ready with its service infrastructure across Russia with an aim of having more than 60 operational service centers by end of the month. Micromax will also have its exclusive service centersin strategic cities in Russia as the brand strengthens its presence across the country.

     

    Commenting on the launch, Rahul Sharma, Co-Founder, Micromax said, “At Micromax, our emphasis has always been to democratize technology for masses around the world through an innovative product portfolio. As we look to take Micromax to key international markets, we are excited to announce our foray into the Russian mobile handset market which has immense potential not only for smartphones and features phones, but also for innovative tablets and data products. Our initial focus in the Russian market is to replicate the success witnessed in our other markets in the last couple of years. We have carved the vision for ourselves to be the 1st Indian hardware brand to be global and set our footprint with Russia as the first developed market to venture into.”

     

    He further added, “We see a growing trend of data consumption through mobile devices in Russia, and we would be initiating partnerships with the leading operators in the region to aim at efficient data consumption on our devices in the coming year”.

     

    Over the past decade, Micromax has been at the forefront of driving innovation through their innovative product offerings addressing the consumer needs. The company has many firsts to its credit when it comes to the mobile devices market including Canvas Laptab – world’s first dual boot tablet powered by Intel, launched on the 6th of January 2014 at CES in Vegas (Consumer Electronic Show), the first quad-core budget smartphone, phone with a 30-day battery backup, the first smartphone designed specifically for women, universal remote control mobile phones and a list of other innovative devices. The brand’s product portfolio embraces more than 60 models today, ranging from feature rich, dual – SIM phones, 3G Android smartphones, tablets, LED televisions and data cards.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Vasily Sibirtsev, Chairman VVP Group said, “We are very excited to work with Micromax, one of the world’s leading mobile phone brands. Russia is an ideal market for Micromax to bring its innovative product portfolio and services customized for consumers in this market. Our immediate goal will be to build a very strong and robust distribution network to capture a significant share in the Russian mobile handset market. We will be working aggressively to strengthen our presence in the retail space across 9000+ sales points in the country backed by an efficient service infrastructure.”

     

    Amit Mathur, Vice President, International Business – Micromax said “ We believe Micromax products to a promising future in Russia where the smart phone market is booming along with data services.  Micromax has studied this market and will continuously introduce products and applications with consumer insights from the Russia to bring forth world-class products to this market.  We are happy to have found VVP as our strategic business partner to enter the retail market and will strive to maximize our retail strength going forward.”

     

    The partnership with the VVP Group is a strategic move which would provide wide reach for Micromax in regions of Russia as the group has been associated with some of the leading global smartphone players to help them make a strong presence in Russia. VVP is known for its superior logistics setup, warehouses, retail management system and transportation management systems across the main hubs of Russia which will further help Micromax build its footprint in the country. VVP group will be working with partners in all existing channels including federal and regional chains, operators, consumer electronics shops and computer shops, online and other sales points in the country. 

     

    The company has also tied up with the leading VAS providers in Russia including Odnoklassniki, Russia’s popular social network service; IVI.ru, Russia’s first free video & music service; Viber, the leading global instant messaging application; Facebook; Twitter and M!Live giving users access to social connectivity and unlimited free online games.

     

    Micromax plans to support the launch with a 360 degree branding exercise aiming to enhance the brand visibility in the region supported by marketing campaign across print, online and TV.