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Tag: Satyan Gajwani

  • Times Internet hires Gulshan Verma as chief revenue officer

    Times Internet hires Gulshan Verma as chief revenue officer

    MUMBAI: Times Internet has appointed Gulshan Verma as chief revenue officer (CRO).

     

    As CRO, Verma will be responsible for the strategic definition, direction, and management of the company’s cumulative revenue opportunities.

     

    Verma has worked in media and more specifically digital media companies across Europe, North America and Asia for the past decade.

     

    Before joining Times Internet, he worked with Outbrain, where he was responsible for managing the company’s business for India and South East Asia. Prior to that, he was CRO of Komli Media. He has also worked for companies such as Yahoo!, McKinsey & Co and IMG.

     

    Verma also holds two patents in search monetisation.

     

    Times Internet CEO Satyan Gajwani said, “I’m excited to welcome Gulshan Verma as chief revenue officer, Times Internet. I’m optimistic that with his direction, we’ll see our revenues grow faster than ever before.”

     

    “I am looking forward to contributing and adding value to the team. Times Internet can be among top three ‘must buy’ digital players in India due to its combination of unique assets and scale,” added Verma.

  • CarDekho buys Zingwheels; Times Internet invests in Girnar

    CarDekho buys Zingwheels; Times Internet invests in Girnar

    MUMBAI: In a bid to consolidate its position in the auto portals space, Girnar Software, which owns CarDekho.com & Gaadi.com, has acquired Zigwheels.com. 

     

    Additionally, Times Internet has come on board as an investor in Girnar Software along with Sequoia Capital, Hillhouse, Tybourne, Ratan Tata and HDFC Bank.

     

    Zigwheels.com will operate independently within the Girnar Software umbrella.

     

    “Having been a part of India’s leading and most respected media group, Zigwheels.com comes with a very strong content pedigree. This strategic acquisition reinforces our commitment to further enrich our content to enable us to engage even more deeply with our consumers. This also takes our market leadership to the next level in the digital auto vertical across visitors, dealer base and revenues,” said Girnar Software CEO Amit Jain.

     

    “We are delighted to welcome Times as a new investor in our company and look forward to their support as we continue our journey and further consolidate our leadership in the online auto space,” added  Jain.

     

    “We see tremendous growth and value creation opportunities in the online auto industry in India and overseas.  Girnar Soft, as the leader in this space, is best positioned to take advantage of this opportunity. We are excited to be partnering with an exceptional management team which has built great value and we are confident will continue to blaze trails in the years to come,” added Times Internet CEO Satyan Gajwani.

     

    This is Girnar Software’s second acquisition. Last September, the company acquired the Nasper Group-owned Gaadi.com, to fortify its position in the digital used car segment. 

     

    The core business model of Girnar Software is earnings from lead generation for new and used cars, media sales on their portals, monetising the lifecycle of a car owner via CarBuddy app.

     

    The company is also expanding across SE Asia, Africa, Middle East and South America.

     

    The Rainmaker Group (TRMG) is the financial advisor to Girnar Software for the transaction.

  • The Huffington Post Partners with The Times of India Group to Launch “Huffington Post India”

    The Huffington Post Partners with The Times of India Group to Launch “Huffington Post India”

    MUMBAI: The Huffington Post Media Group and The Times of India Group, India’s largest media conglomerate, today announced their partnership to launch an Indian edition of The Huffington Post, a leading global source of breaking news, opinion, entertainment, and community.
     

    The English-language website will combine The Huffington Post’s award-winning news and blogging platform with the local expertise and reach of The Times of India Group. Targeting India’s rapidly expanding Internet user base, which is expected to reach 370 million by 2015, HuffPost India will cover everything from politics, media and entertainment to technology, religion and lifestyle, and open up The Huffington Post’s blogging platform to anyone in the country with a story to tell.

     

    The announcement was jointly made by Arianna Huffington, President and Editor-in-Chief of the Huffington Post Media Group, and Satyan Gajwani, CEO of Times Internet (TIL), the digital arm of The Times of India.
     

    “I’m delighted to launch HuffPost India, which will be our 12th edition since we began our international expansion three years ago,” said Huffington. “In addition to being a hub for global news and a country that embodies much of the ancient wisdom the world desperately needs now, India has deep personal significance to me. When I was 17, I studied comparative religion at Visva-Bharati University, outside of Calcutta, and traveled across India, falling in love with the country — a love affair that has continued to this day. So I’m extremely grateful for the chance to bring HuffPost to India to tell the stories that matter most — and just as important, to help people throughout India tell their stories themselves, in words, in pictures and in video.”
     

    “The Huffington Post is the first real digital-first news success story globally, and their impact is seen across the world,” said Gajwani. “They’ve coupled a best-in-class technology platform with a fresh way of approaching the world’s issues today. We’ve demonstrated our ability to meaningfully grow international media brands, such as Business Insider, Gizmodo, and more. We are excited to combine HuffPost’s world-class product with our local reach with consumers and advertisers to tailor-make a great new destination for Indian consumers.”
     

    “As the world’s largest democracy, and with a middle class of more than 250 million people, India is a critical destination for any global media company,” said Huffington Post Media Group CEO Jimmy Maymann. “And with Indian household consumption predicted to continue to grow nearly 20% per year, this partnership gives us an ideal entry into what is expected to become the world’s fifth-largest consumer market within the next ten years.”

     

    The Huffington Post and The Times of India Group will establish an editorial team based in New Delhi. The site is slated to launch later this year

  • Times Internet acquires majority stake in CouponDunia

    Times Internet acquires majority stake in CouponDunia

    MUMBAI: Times Internet, the leading digital product company which is a part of The Times of India Group has acquired a majority stake in Mumbai-based CouponDunia Media, which owns and operates CouponDunia.

     

    CouponDunia will retain its distinct brand identity and will continue to operate under the leadership of CEO Sameer Parwani, who will work closely with Times Internet and other Times of India Group companies. Times Internet’s existing deals site TimesDeal will merge with CouponDunia.

     

    With this partnership, CouponDunia is poised to emerge as the leading destination for online and offline deals across India. The combined service’s websites, mobile applications, e-mail newsletters and alerts and social media presence will enable consumers to search for, discover, and source the best offers from leading retailers and brands.

     

    Times Internet CEO Satyan Gajwani said, “This investment continues The Times Group’s strategy of strengthening its position in digital media. Sameer has built a great business from scratch. We are as passionate as he is about offering the best value choices to consumers. We are excited at the prospect of leveraging Times’ resources, including TimesDeal’s existing local deals presence, to build an even more compelling value proposition for consumers with CouponDunia.”

     

    “In a short span of under four years, CouponDunia has emerged as the leading Indian destination for digital coupons. We receive over two million visits a month and are driving Rs 500 crore of purchases annually from over 1500 online retailers and brands. We’re thrilled to join Times. With their support, CouponDunia will be better placed to offer even greater value to the consumer,” concluded CouponDunia India founder and CEO, Sameer Parwani.

  • Timesofindia.com partners with Twitter for elections

    Timesofindia.com partners with Twitter for elections

    MUMBAI: Election 2014 is being hailed as one of the most important, not just in terms of election but also in terms of coverage. Saying so, the web portal of India’s biggest English newspaper The Times of India, timesofindia.com has tied up with social media platform Twitter for a unique integration named ‘Tweet to remember’.

     

    Through this initiative, users will be reminded to vote on the voting day in the city. When a user tweets “@timesofindia [city name]” like “@Timesofindia Delhi”, they will be guided through a process that easily enables them to add the date for their vote to their calendar on their phone or desktop.

     

    A social news hub has also been created in partnership with Twitter and Frrole that will leverage trend analysis and sentiment analysis via algorithmically filtered tweets to show current trends around candidates and parties. Community feedback is used as a source of news.

     

    Speaking on these partnerships Times Internet CEO Satyan Gajwani said, “The social conversation is a new component in today’s news cycle. As a news outlet, Timesofindia.com is always looking for ways to bring new information and new value to its users. With social hub, we’re bringing a new perspective that hasn’t been readily visible before, and with ‘Tweet To Remember’, we hope to better enable the thriving democracy that powers India.”

     

    Twitter India market director Rishi Jaitly commenting on the initiative said, “Twitter is the world’s leading mobile, real-time information network where users follow, share and experience content that is live, public and conversational. During this election season, the Twitter platform has become a vital source of daily information, conversation and communication for citizens and political leaders alike. We applaud Times Internet for innovating on our platform with “Tweet to Remember” and ensuring its audience can use Twitter to add its polling date and additional details to their calendars.”

  • Outbrain signs strategic partnership with Times Internet

    Outbrain signs strategic partnership with Times Internet

    NEW DELHI: Outbrain, a content discovery platform, has signed a multi-year strategic partnership agreement with Times Internet. The move will help Times Internet to advance its native content strategy that the group has pioneered for many years.

     

     Outbrain’s Engage, which is a platform that helps publishers deliver personalised content recommendations to its audiences, will be used across desktop, tablet and mobile devices on all of the Times Internet’s web properties including Times of India, Economic Times and India Times.

     

    “At Times Internet, we have always strived to give our readers what they wanted. We are delighted to announce TIL’s association with Outbrain, to fortify the values which we stand for. Outbrain’s proven technology places the right content in front of the right people at the right time enriching the users’ content experience,” said Times Internet CEO Satyan Gajwani.

     

    “Outbrain’s mission is to help people discover the most interesting, relevant and trusted content wherever they are and so this deal is a major milestone. Our deep partnership with Times Internet showcases the full capability of our innovative technology which firmly demonstrates to the Indian publisher and media market that Content Marketing is here to stay. We are looking forward to working with Satyan and his team to grow this new space very quickly in India,” said Outbrain regional director Anthony Hearne.

     

     Outbrain Engage serves Times Internet viewers with the most interesting and personalised content recommendations possible.

  • Star India partners with Times Internet to distribute IPL on digital in India

    Star India partners with Times Internet to distribute IPL on digital in India

    MUMBAI: Star India has licensed the digital distribution rights for IPL 2014 from Times Internet, the digital arm of the Times of India Group. Star India will offer streaming and video on demand on starsports.com, the Star Sports app, and on mobile operator services powered by Star Sports. Times Internet will distribute IPL streaming and video on demand on its cricket destination on web and mobile, powered by a starsports.com video player. Both companies will market the joint proposition, and Star India will be solely responsible for monetisation, including advertising sales.

     

    Last year, IPL online witnessed a 56 per cent growth in unique visitors, with over 200 million video views. This year, India’s largest media houses will co-distribute IPL, offering unparalleled reach and viewership.

     
    The move deepens Star’s commitment to dramatically shape the sports experience on digital. Launched in June 2013, starsports.com has become the go-to destination for following the best of international sports. It has redefined the sports experience through a revolutionary video timeline that is a first of its kind in the world of sports, and allows the viewer to keep track of live sports as well as catch up on games with ease. The company has also built an advanced technology infrastructure that enables HD quality streaming across multiple devices.

     
    “At a time when more and more fans are following sports across multiple screens, our aim is to deliver an experience for them that is even better than what is on television. This partnership signals our continuing efforts to transform sports and the digital experience, ”said Mr. Sanjay Gupta, Chief Operating Officer of Star India. “We want to make IPL the world’s largest sporting event on a digital platform this year.”

     
    Satyan Gajwani, Chief Executive Officer of Times Internet, said, “We have been offering our users IPL for three years, and it continues to be a major driver in consumption and brand, recognized as one of the largest online video events worldwide with rapid growth. Our partnership with Star will enable an even larger reach for the property across digital devices.”

     
    starsports.com is India’s first multi-sports digital service with availability across the web and mobile. Powered by live and video rights, it covers the best of world sports including major cricket tournaments, BPL, La Liga and Serie A in football, F1, hockey and tennis.

     
    Times Internet is the largest Indian online media entity, with over 40 million monthly visitors across its numerous digital destinations. Its portfolio includes news, lifestyle content, entertainment, ecommerce, mobile VAS, music & movie streaming, and local services.

     

  • Nokia Music Connects 5 Announces its Greatest and Most Diverse Speaker Line Up Ever

    Nokia Music Connects 5 Announces its Greatest and Most Diverse Speaker Line Up Ever

    MUMBAI: The fifth edition of India’s leading music and digital platform Music Connects is back in Mumbai, at ITC Central, Parel, on 26 – 27 November 2013 with a speaker line up that is bursting at the seams with global and local music and digital entertainment leaders.

     

    The following are leading this year’s speakers table, many of whom are making a first time appearance:

     

    • Rajesh Kamat, CEO India, CA Media
    • Satyan Gajwani, CEO, Times Internet
    • Brian Message, Co Manager, Radiohead
    • Jyrki Rosenberg, Global Head of Media & Entertainment, Nokia
    • Bhaskar Sharma, General Manager, Red Bull India
    • Deepak Jolly, Vice-President – Public Affairs & Communications, Coca-Cola India
    • P Balaji, Managing Director, Nokia India
    • Graham Perkins, Director for Market Development – Asia, Fender
    • Kavita Seth, Artist
    • Shilpa Rao, Artist
    • Nikhil Chinapa, Founder, Submerge
    • Seymour Stein, Co founder and Chairman, Sire Records
    • Simon Wheeler, Director of Digital, The Beggars Group
    • Vince Bannon, Vice President – Entertainment Partnerships and Development, Getty Images

     

    Produced by Hong Kong based Music Matters producer Branded and Indiantelevision.com group’s Radioandmusic.com, Nokia Music Connects is supported by the Indian and international music industry trade bodies IMI, SIMCA, PPL, IPRS, BMI among others.

     

    Global Head of Media & Entertainment at Nokia, Jyrki Rosenberg, is no stranger to the Nokia Music Connects event or to India’s shores. Remarking about his Keynote interview Mr. Rosenberg said: “I am proud of the leading role that Nokia has played in the evolution of the digital music industry in India in recent years and I am looking forward to sharing our views on how the pace of change is about to explode. Indian consumers show a passion for music that, allied with increased access to legal digital content, means that there are amazing opportunities for artists, rights holders and distributors on the horizon. Nokia Music Connects is the perfect platform for people to gather and share their thoughts to help shape the future of entertainment in India.”

     

    On his first business trip to India, Co Manager of global rockers Radiohead, Brian Message said: “In recent years the good news coming out of the Indian music market has grown considerably, capturing the attention of many of us in the UK who have traditionally looked west. It was therefore an opportunity not to be passed up when an invite came to attend Nokia Music Connects and I’m very much looking forward to jumping on the band wagon.”

     

    Seymour Stein, the A&R supremo who discovered many household names including Madonna, Talking Heads and Depeche Mode has a deep-seated passion for Asian music. This will be his third visit to Nokia Music Connects on which he remarked: “I attend many music conferences around the world, and Nokia Music Connects is one I feel is exceptional and can’t miss. It’s enlightening, well organized, always up-beat and attracts the most important people in Indian Music, as well as the right people from around the world.”

     

    Seymour is attending the conference exclusively to mentor young Indian artists and impart invaluable knowledge from a career spanning over five decades.

     

    Music Matters President, Jasper Donat has been working with the Indian entertainment industry since 1995 and is excited to be returning for the fifth installment of Nokia Music Connects: “Of all the events that we are fortunate to produce around Asia Pacific this is easily one of my favorites. The passion shown by Indian music industry practitioners always makes for healthy and entertaining debate on stage that we miss in some other Asian territories. Matched with great entertainment and my favorite food on the planet I can’t wait to be back in Mumbai with my friends.”

     

    Says Radioandmusic.com Founder Anil Wanvari: “Entertainment is being consumed across the traditional platforms even today but the share of digital entertainment consumption is increasing quite rapidly in India with bandwidth costs falling. In the fifth year of Nokia Music Connects, we will be looking at trends in overall entertainment, with a focus on music. This apart there are focuses on live entertainment, the investor’s perspective with – Bollywood Artist crossing the divide and also mentoring sessions by some international big names. Our endeavor is to nurture relationships, leadership thought processes through NMC.”

     

    The organisers are also excited to announce the first ever Indian Music Matters Academy in association with Fender taking place during Nokia Music Connects. Designed to educate musicians in the business of music and giving back to the creator community, invited musicians will be given a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet and receive mentoring and guidance from some of the biggest names in the music industry including Brian Message and Seymour Stein.

     

    Speaking on behalf of Fender, Graham Perkins the Director for Market Development Asia; “Having supported the Music Matters Academy in Singapore, we see the tremendous value that the Academy provides for artists. Being able to get up close and personal with major industry figures, provides a great chance for new and emerging talent to learn from these mentors through their own experiences.”

     

    On the launch of the Academy in India, Mr. Donat remarked: “You can’t Google “how to be a rockstar” so this is some of the most useful content produced at any of our events and a great example of the industry giving back to the people who fuel its creativity. Musicians trying to survive in a digitally flat world are given the tools they need to survive by people who have already made it and willingly give their advice at no charge.”

  • Times Internet sees 52 per cent growth in viewership for IPL

    Times Internet sees 52 per cent growth in viewership for IPL

    MUMBAI: As the online video usage grows across the country fans of the money spinning Indian Premier League (IPL) are going online as well.

    This year Times Internet which is the IPL‘s digital partner decided to use Youtube and BoxTV as platforms. It focused on making the IPL a more social experience and the results are telling.

    As per the viewership numbers recorded at 38 matches, which is 50 per cent of the tournament – IPL online across both www.boxtv.com and www.youtube.com/indiatimes combined recorded a 52 per cent growth viewership over 2012 (75.2 million versus 49.3 million last year). Furthermore – the combined viewership of users watching highlights and clips saw a 480 per cent growth in watch hours over 2012.

    This shows that the IPL is being used as a catch-up service to a large extent by people who may not have the time to watch live content. In India, Bangalore and Hyderabad lead the viewership with 14 per cent each, with Delhi coming in second at 10 per cent. The matches that registered the maximum online views were on 23 April between Royal Challenger Bangalore and Pune Warriors India and Mumbai Indians versus Royal Challengers Bangalore on 25 April. The viewers watch the live matches and highlights on YouTube and BoxTv.

    Times Internet CEO Satyan Gajwani said, “Over the last two years, we‘ve offered IPL fans across the world a superior experience online and steadily grown a loyal viewer base. For IPL 2013, we‘ve worked hard to make the online experience more social and interactive than ever before, and our traffic numbers so far are proof enough that IPL fans are loving it.”

    He adds that this year‘s IPL is a far more social experience with Google + Hangouts integrations, and users being able to co-watch IPL with their friends. “We added a Match Tracker to should live data and information contextual to the video match experience.”

    Google India head of media sales Praveen Sharma said, “Better streaming experience, increased mobile and tablet device access and growing awareness about the availability of IPL online is fueling the growth in viewership. In the past, we usually saw rise in the first two weeks of the tournament and then it picked up again during the final week. But this year, the growth has been consistent through the tournament. At this rate we are hopeful of registering strong growth in total viewership by the end of the tournament over last year.”

    ZenithOptimedia partner Navin Khemka said that a lot of younger viewers are watching the IPL online. “The base is small but the growth has been tremendous. The key is the access cost to watch the IPL online. High speed broadband is not cheap. But the moment costs come down which could happen in the coming year IPL viewing online will reach a critical mass. Then advertisers will move towards it in a big way.” Google which handled ad sales this time got six sponsors for the IPL this time including Maruti and Samsung.

  • BoxTV partners Sony Pictures & Disney UTV for content

    BoxTV partners Sony Pictures & Disney UTV for content

    MUMBAI: Times Internet Ltd‘s BoxTV has entered into content agreement deals with Sony Pictures Television and Disney UTV in order to provide premium titles on its video streaming service.

    Other content providers that the online video/content streaming platform has associations with include UTV Motion Pictures, Shemaroo Entertainment, Rajshri Entertainment and Everymedia Technologies for Bollywood and regional content in addition to international studios like Celestial Entertainment – for Hollywood content.

    Times Internet CEO Satyan Gajwani said, “With these partnerships, we provide our users access to a vast content library of popular choices to watch.”

    BoxTV is a provider of premium video service that offers a large bouquet of entertainment, including blockbuster movies, TV shows, short films, documentaries and more, which users can watch on a regular web browser or through the device of their choice.

    Sony Pictures Television Asia Pacific executive vice president distribution Angel Orengo said, “The Indian digital media industry has grown rapidly in the last few years and we support BoxTV‘s efforts to launch this service and another exciting medium for content consumption in this evolving digital landscape.”

    Disney UTV Studios executive director – syndication, international distribution and Disney UTV Media distribution Amrita Pandey added, “We are excited to offer some of our best content from ABC Studios, Disney Pixar, Disney UTV and Disney UTV Studios to the consumer at one destination. We believe that BoxTV will be a great platform for us to showcase our wide breadth of entertaining and world class content.”

    BoxTV has developed an India-centric media experience, which includes bandwidth meters, dynamic streaming and video chapters, along with metadata and search. The portal allows users to access BoxTV via a wide range of apps on the platform of their choice. It will be available across iPhone, iPad, Android phones and tablets; Kindle Fire, EvoTV, Woxi Pod and Roku. Apps for Windows 8, J2ME and Blackberry platforms are currently in the pipeline.