Tag: Sameer Pitalwalla

  • Sameer Pitalwalla to move on from Culture Machine

    Sameer Pitalwalla to move on from Culture Machine

    MUMBAI: Culture Machine Media CEO and co-founder Sameer Pitalwalla will be moving on from his current role by the end of December 2019. He will continue with Rainshine Entertainment, the holding company of Culture Machine.

    He will continue as an advisor and will oversee some of its existing long-format shows. The business post-Pitalwalla’s transition will be led by Rainshine Entertainment chief operating officer Anuraag Srivastava.

    Founded in 2013 by Sameer Pitalwalla, Culture Machine is a Digital Media company which currently runs some of India’s largest digital media brands and also licenses its core technologies to advertisers, media companies and agency partner’s world-over.

  • NBA India, Culture Machine partner for digital content

    NBA India, Culture Machine partner for digital content

    MUMBAI: The National Basketball Association (NBA) in India and digital media company Culture Machine have announced a content partnership to produce and deliver game highlights and original programming to fans in India through several NBA and Culture Machine platforms on 14 March 2018.  

    As part of the partnership, Culture Machine will produce daily short form videos covering the court NBA stories on and off, including daily highlights, player profiles, on-court rivalries, the history of the NBA, memorable fan moments, bloopers, and player celebrations. Additionally, Culture Machine will produce an original long form video series exploring basketball culture in India.

    NBA India senior director content and media distribution Mairu Gupta said, “We are excited to partner with Culture Machine to deliver compelling NBA content that will resonate with Indian youth. As the popularity of the NBA continues to grow in India, we look forward to engaging both existing and new NBA fans on all platforms and wherever they are.”

    “At Culture Machine, we have put together a deep bench of creative and engineering talent to create engaging stories powered by our cutting-edge technology,” said Culture Machine CEO and co-founder Sameer Pitalwalla. “The goal of this partnership is to deliver premium NBA content to the young audiences consuming digital content across India and build on the NBA’s growing popularity.”

    Fans can access the content for free through the NBA app and content creator pages like Being Indian, Put Chutney, Viva, and Blush.

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  • Nick and Colors Kannada among top FB, YouTube monthly views: Culture Machine analysis

    Nick and Colors Kannada among top FB, YouTube monthly views: Culture Machine analysis

    MUMBAI: Culture Machine, a subsidiary of The Aleph Group, Singapore, has established a leaderboard for publishers across multiple categories in India.

    Founded by Sameer Pitalwalla and Venkat Prasad in 2013, Culture Machine’s patent-pending tech IP ‘Intelligence Machine’ tracked the month on month performance of Indian channels on YouTube and Facebook to provide a comprehensive view of which publisher has a maximum engagement in terms of views, likes, comments, shares and subscribers.

    The partnerships with Google and Facebook, and with the use of proprietary algorithms, Intelligence Machine has the ability to track three billion videos, categorise the publishers and rank the publishers extensively.

    The current report provides insights on the entertainment and news category. Future analyses by the end of 2017 will include sports, fashion, beauty, automobile and food industry.

    According to Culture Machine’s report, the top five positions in Youtube ranking have been grabbed by Nick Jr. with 93.96 million monthly views, Nickelodeon with 62.94 million monthly views, Asianet with 31.33 million monthly views, Asianet Movies with 15.27 million monthly views and Colors Kannada with 8.47 million monthly views.

    In the Facebook ranking list, the top five positions were taken by Nickelodeon with 98.52 million monthly views, Colors Kannada with 25.53 million monthly views, Colors Infinity with 22.60 million monthly views, History TV18 with 19.66 million monthly views and The Epic Channel with 17.03 million monthly views.

  • YouTube 1.5x of FB, short-form popular, 65% in non-metros & 80% may pay premium: Kantar

    MUMBAI: In an attempt to understand the dynamics of mobile video consumption space in India, Culture Machine and Kantar IMRB presented an environment scan of consumption of video and OTT platforms.

    Highlights:

    – YouTube remains the king of online video consumption, with 1.5x the reach of second-ranked Facebook
    – Short-form video (<10 min.) remains the most popular format among mobile users, but it’s also gaining traction among PC users
    – Non-Metro consumers accounted for 65% of video views on smartphone
    – 1 in 3 mobile smartphone video viewers is accessing an OTT video Platform
    – 80% of OTT consumers would consider paying a premium to access exclusive content

    The advent of 4G services and subsequent reduction in mobile data costs have acted as significant catalysts for mobile video consumption. The video streaming landscape in India is being radically transformed, but information regarding viewership remains hard to come by. This report sheds light on the budding landscape of mobile video to enhance perspectives and drive decision-making for marketers interested in the mobile video phenomenon.

    Key Findings:

    – Short-form video remains the most popular format among smartphone users, with 85% of viewers preferring a video length of 10 minutes or less
    – YouTube leads the charge with maximum reach among online mobile video viewers
    – The average smartphone user devotes more than 3 hours a week, watching video content on their smartphones
    – 1 in 3 mobile smartphone video viewers is accessing an OTT video platform
    – 80% of OTT consumers would consider paying a premium to access exclusive content

    Facebook vs YouTube

    – YouTube remains the king of online video consumption, with 1.5x the reach of second-ranked Facebook. But this dominance has come under threat as Facebook is proving to be not just a platform that drives views but also delivers engagement for content
    – The frequency of accessing Facebook in a month is almost 2.5x times greater than YouTube
    – Entertainment/Comedy is the most popular genre on both platforms
    – Vernacular/Regional Content is the most engaging content across categories on YouTube
    Over-the-top (OTT) video services
    – Mobility factor and ability to consume content on-the-go emerges as the clear driver for growth
    – Women and those aged between 15-24 are most likely to be avid users
    – Weeknights are the most popular time slots for OTT consumption

    Culture Machine CEO Sameer Pitalwalla said, “Digital’s rapid growth continues and video is the fastest growing piece of that pie. This report was the result of Culture Machine’s proprietary technology platform Intelligence Machine which we used to understand the video landscape in India. Thereafter, the collaboration with Kantar IMRB was natural, given their global standing in creating reports and coming up with deep-dive analyses on data points.”

    Kantar IMRB MD Hemant Mehta said, “Mobile video has definitely come of age and is the new leveler. Over 40% of users are from the lower socio-economic groups (SEC C/D/E) and as many as 65% are from non-metros. Also, mobile video is not a youth phenomenon anymore – with over 25-year-olds contributing equally. For me, two things stand out: the strong engagement levels that women have with mobile videos and the fact that it’s not just about entertainment. We found that Education while being the third most watched genre, generated over a billion views; especially for the content-focused on toddlers and preschoolers.”

    The report combines Big Data and a deep understanding of smartphone consumer behaviour including –

    – Intelligence Machine – Culture Machine’s AI powered video intelligence platform that scans 3 billion videos daily.
    – Mobi Track: Kantar IMRB’s 8000-strong proprietary smartphone panel that tracks behavioural data.
    – Interviews with 1500 video OTT consumers across India.

  • Culture Machine reorganises sales team

    MUMBAI: Digital media network Culture Machine has reorganised its sales team. Siddharth Narula, who served as the president – revenue, has been promoted to chief revenue officer. He will overlook the expansion of the firm’s technology sales footprint in international markets, starting with South East Asia and North America. He will continue to report to Culture Machine CEO and co-founder Sameer Pitalwalla.

    Aditya Aima has joined as the business head – ASEAN for Culture Machine, operating out of Malaysia. Aima will overlook the expansion of Culture Machine’s Intelligence Machine and Video Machine offerings to its brand and advertisers. Minal Sharma has joined as the national sales head, overlooking all sales for Culture Machine’s Studios and media brands. She joins the team with over 16 years of experience across leading media and entertainment brands.

    Both, Aima and Sharma will report to Narula.

    Pitalwalla said, “Our Indian media brands lead the charts in each of their verticals, and the core technology platforms that have helped scale them are already in use by Fortune 500 clients globally, with large demand the world over. We are excited about growing this opportunity, while continuing to focus on our domestic Media business.”

    Narula added, “2016 has been one of the most active years for Culture Machine in terms of revenue escalation and content creation. We created trendsetting videos which have led to hundreds of global and local brands to collaborate with us, resulting in award winning campaigns. In the embryonic days of digital entertainment and technology, the addition of Minal and Aditya will help catalyse the process.”

    Since its inception, Culture Machine’s vision of using technology and storytelling to build great media brands that people love has led the way in the digital content revolution that the country is currently witnessing. Culture Machine’s digital brands Being Indian, Blush, Put Chutney, Viva and Awesome Sauce have carved a distinctive identity and an undisputed space among the top three in their respective genres.

  • Culture Machine, Scout Media tie up; to create videos for American sports

    Culture Machine, Scout Media tie up; to create videos for American sports

    MUMBAI: Culture Machine, South Asia’s leading technology enabled media firm, is strengthening its foothold in the U.S. market through a partnership with Scout Media to lend its Video Machine services. The patent-pending product launched by Culture Machine will create visual experiences and content on sports centric topics for the multi-channel, male oriented video network in the US.

    Video Machine creates videos at scale from audio and text sources to give high impact visuals to accompany content. In the past 6-8 months, the product output of Video Machine has scaled 5x, creating thousands of videos and millions of views each month. The palette of these videos has also grown 3x to now create 100+ different visual experiences for a given audio or text input.

    Scout Media is a leading digital multi-channel network providing authentic and targeted content from a team of 200+ press credentialed journalists and video producers across the US. With 12,000+ stories and thousands of videos produced every month, Scout Media delivers on men’s passion points: NFL, fantasy sports, college football and basketball, high school recruiting, hunting, fishing and much more. Partnering with Culture Machine will be synergetic as it will bring in a new disruptive wave of visual communication considering the expertise and reach of the two companies. Video Machine has already created several videos for Scout, showcasing unique stories around football.

    Culture Machine CEO and co-founder Sameer Pitalwalla commented: “Culture Machine’s mission is to use technology to build great media brands that people love. With every new project, we aim to reach out to a larger audience and provide quality content to everyone. We hope this partnership will help us achieve that goal even in the U.S. market. It also reinforces our confidence in our product – Video machine, which has grown multi-fold since the day we had come out with the prototype.”

    Scout Media president Craig Amazeen added “Scout’s commitment to grass roots video coverage and dynamic storytelling requires best-in-class production teams. Culture Machine is the ideal partner to handle both the quantity and the quality of production that we require in order to deliver the best content to our communities.”

    Culture Machine’s ‘Video Machine’ technology has already created an impact in the Asian market and is looking to establish a strong hold in the U.S through select associations.

    A representative of Culture Machine’s PR company called up to state that the quote of Sameer Pitalwalla needs to be attributed to (co-founder and COO/CTO) Venkat Prasad.

  • Culture Machine, Scout Media tie up; to create videos for American sports

    Culture Machine, Scout Media tie up; to create videos for American sports

    MUMBAI: Culture Machine, South Asia’s leading technology enabled media firm, is strengthening its foothold in the U.S. market through a partnership with Scout Media to lend its Video Machine services. The patent-pending product launched by Culture Machine will create visual experiences and content on sports centric topics for the multi-channel, male oriented video network in the US.

    Video Machine creates videos at scale from audio and text sources to give high impact visuals to accompany content. In the past 6-8 months, the product output of Video Machine has scaled 5x, creating thousands of videos and millions of views each month. The palette of these videos has also grown 3x to now create 100+ different visual experiences for a given audio or text input.

    Scout Media is a leading digital multi-channel network providing authentic and targeted content from a team of 200+ press credentialed journalists and video producers across the US. With 12,000+ stories and thousands of videos produced every month, Scout Media delivers on men’s passion points: NFL, fantasy sports, college football and basketball, high school recruiting, hunting, fishing and much more. Partnering with Culture Machine will be synergetic as it will bring in a new disruptive wave of visual communication considering the expertise and reach of the two companies. Video Machine has already created several videos for Scout, showcasing unique stories around football.

    Culture Machine CEO and co-founder Sameer Pitalwalla commented: “Culture Machine’s mission is to use technology to build great media brands that people love. With every new project, we aim to reach out to a larger audience and provide quality content to everyone. We hope this partnership will help us achieve that goal even in the U.S. market. It also reinforces our confidence in our product – Video machine, which has grown multi-fold since the day we had come out with the prototype.”

    Scout Media president Craig Amazeen added “Scout’s commitment to grass roots video coverage and dynamic storytelling requires best-in-class production teams. Culture Machine is the ideal partner to handle both the quantity and the quality of production that we require in order to deliver the best content to our communities.”

    Culture Machine’s ‘Video Machine’ technology has already created an impact in the Asian market and is looking to establish a strong hold in the U.S through select associations.

    A representative of Culture Machine’s PR company called up to state that the quote of Sameer Pitalwalla needs to be attributed to (co-founder and COO/CTO) Venkat Prasad.

  • Culture Machine launches digital channel Om Bhajan Bhakti

    Culture Machine launches digital channel Om Bhajan Bhakti

    MUMBAI:  Culture Machine has launched its new digital brand on devotion and spirituality, titled “Om Bhajan Bhakti”. The channel explores the spiritual and devotional space by providing unique experiences and learning to viewers.

    It will combine stories from the world of devotion, pairing them with innovations such as Facebook Live and 360 degree videos of rituals, marking a first on all counts on Facebook. 

    The platforms’s content caters to the robust spiritual community across the globe, who can experience live streaming of some of the most visited religious places in India and participate in the actual darshan through 360 degree videos and a lot more. 

    “Culture Machine’s aim is to create great digital media brands that people love. As India goes digital in smaller towns and villages, our endeavour is to create brands that will reflect passions for an emergent digital audience. Facebook offers a rich toolkit for video and has become the platform of choice for us to innovate on, through both our technology and content partnership with them, we are stoked to see ‘Om Bhajan Bhakti’getting off to a great launch,” said Culture Machine CEO and co-founder Sameer Pitalwalla.

    All devotees who are longing to visit the sacred Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati Mandir, but are unable to do so, can now virtually offer their prayers and darshans through Facebook Live on Culture Machine’s Facebook page Om Bhajan Bhakti.

    The channel also has exclusive live video access to holy shrines across India like Kashi Vishvanath Temple in Varanasi, Somnath temple in Saurashtra on the western coast of Gujarat, Mahavir Mandir dedicated to Lord Hanuman located in Patna and Iskon in Vrindavan.

    The content on the channel is beneficial to both learned and laity, as it brings home the main theme in a simple and easy to understand format.

    “Devotional content is one of the more popular categories of content in India.Innovative endeavours like ‘Om Bhajan Bhakti’, will provide people an opportunity to engage with and share things that deeply matter to them with family and friends.”said Facebook India media partnerships TV and original content Vishu Ray. 

  • Culture Machine launches digital channel Om Bhajan Bhakti

    Culture Machine launches digital channel Om Bhajan Bhakti

    MUMBAI:  Culture Machine has launched its new digital brand on devotion and spirituality, titled “Om Bhajan Bhakti”. The channel explores the spiritual and devotional space by providing unique experiences and learning to viewers.

    It will combine stories from the world of devotion, pairing them with innovations such as Facebook Live and 360 degree videos of rituals, marking a first on all counts on Facebook. 

    The platforms’s content caters to the robust spiritual community across the globe, who can experience live streaming of some of the most visited religious places in India and participate in the actual darshan through 360 degree videos and a lot more. 

    “Culture Machine’s aim is to create great digital media brands that people love. As India goes digital in smaller towns and villages, our endeavour is to create brands that will reflect passions for an emergent digital audience. Facebook offers a rich toolkit for video and has become the platform of choice for us to innovate on, through both our technology and content partnership with them, we are stoked to see ‘Om Bhajan Bhakti’getting off to a great launch,” said Culture Machine CEO and co-founder Sameer Pitalwalla.

    All devotees who are longing to visit the sacred Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati Mandir, but are unable to do so, can now virtually offer their prayers and darshans through Facebook Live on Culture Machine’s Facebook page Om Bhajan Bhakti.

    The channel also has exclusive live video access to holy shrines across India like Kashi Vishvanath Temple in Varanasi, Somnath temple in Saurashtra on the western coast of Gujarat, Mahavir Mandir dedicated to Lord Hanuman located in Patna and Iskon in Vrindavan.

    The content on the channel is beneficial to both learned and laity, as it brings home the main theme in a simple and easy to understand format.

    “Devotional content is one of the more popular categories of content in India.Innovative endeavours like ‘Om Bhajan Bhakti’, will provide people an opportunity to engage with and share things that deeply matter to them with family and friends.”said Facebook India media partnerships TV and original content Vishu Ray.