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Tag: Shashi Kumar

  • Akshayakalpa Organic launches ‘Good Food Talks’ video podcast series

    Akshayakalpa Organic launches ‘Good Food Talks’ video podcast series

    Mumbai: Akshayakalpa Organic, an organic dairy and food brand, has launched its new video podcast series under the title ‘Good Food Talks’. Through this series, the brand intends to increase awareness among consumers about the source and quality of food and its future, as well as the fast-growing health and fitness awareness in modern society.

    ‘Good Food Talks’ is envisioned as a podcast series where thought leaders, industry experts, and health enthusiasts can express their opinions on the changing world of food and wellness. Each episode will bring viewers closer to home with regard to the importance of organic and healthy eating habits, the journey of food from farm to table, and the broader implications of our food choices on health.

    The first episode features Nithin Kamath, an established entrepreneur and the co-founder of Zerodha. The conversation touches upon many various aspects of food and health. These include knowing the origin of our food, the benefits of choosing organic and understanding good food and its impact on our health. It also features topics like the public shift in consciousness over the last 10 to 20 years to healthier living and fitness. Nithin Kamath further shares his personal journey and thoughts on the importance of making informed food choices and how these choices contribute to overall well-being.

    Zerodha founder and CEO Nithin Kamath remarked, “The entire Rainmatter Health team keep questioning the source of the food we all consume which led us to investing in startups across various food categories like milk, eggs, vegetables and cereals. With this initiative, Akshayakalpa will nudge more Indians to think about what they consume and how it affects their health.

    Akshayakalpa Organic co-founder and CEO Shashi Kumar stated, “We are excited to bring out a series on the Good Food Movement as part of our continuous initiatives to educate and engage the community on the importance of organic and healthy eating. We want to empower consumers to question the source of their food through such conversations, further raising awareness around what they consume.”

    The video also discusses the importance of soil health in producing high-quality, more nutritious food. The soil in which food is grown plays an important role in determining its nutrient content and overall health benefits. Healthy soil supports rich plant growth, enhances the flavor of produce, and reduces the need for additional chemical additives, ultimately leading to better food quality.

    Akshayakalpa Organic is a company committed to changing the way people eat through healthy organic dairy and food products. In pursuit of the vision ‘Healthy World, Happy World’, Akshayakalpa Organic closely associates with farmers to ensure the highest standards of organic farming and animal welfare.

    The first episode of “Good Food Talks” featuring Nithin Kamath is now live on the official YouTube channel and website of Akshayakalpa Organic.

  • Asianet News celebrates glorious 25 years of broadcast

    Asianet News celebrates glorious 25 years of broadcast

    NEW DELHI: In 1993, journalist Shashi Kumar and his businessman uncle Reji Menon launched Asianet, one of the very first private television channels not just in Kerala but in India as a whole. The arrival of Asianet to the market was warmly welcomed by Keralites, as the channel offered an all-new visual treat to the viewers who were dependent on state-owned Doordarshan offerings that had only a handful of programs airing in Malayalam. On 30 September 1995, Asianet moved a step ahead and aired its first news bulletin at 07.30. 

    Glorious 25 years of news broadcasting

    The journey of Asianet was not an easy walk, especially in its initial days. During those times, the number of viewers was very limited for a regional language like Malayalam, and the households that had television sets were also very few.

    "Right from the beginning, it was an adventurous journey. At that time, when compared to Hindi and Tamil, the market for a Malayalam satellite channel was very small. Hindi and Tamil channels had an international market as well, while our market was very narrow. However, Kerala and Malayalam always have that great tradition of being vibrant towards media outlets. Secondly, the media penetration in Malayalam was the highest, even during the time of print," said Asianet News editor-in-chief MG Radhakrishnan. 

    The media veteran also lauded founder Shashi Kumar for trusting the Kerala audience while starting a channel exclusively in Malayalam. 

    "The gulf diaspora had also played a crucial role in determining the success of Asianet News. By that time, Kerala's economy was coming out of its long tradition of stagnation. During those times, the per-capita income of Keralites started overtaking the national average; thanks to globalisation and gulf money. All these factors helped Asianet to find a perfect market. Slowly, advertisers also started trusting us, as they understood that there was a section of people who watch our channel. By that time, Kerala's consumption rate also grew. Kerala was a huge consumption market. Kerala was actually treated as one metro by big companies," detailed Radhakrishnan. 

    Challenges faced by Asianet

    In 2008, Asianet and Asianet News parted as separate companies. Now, Asianet News is based at Housing Board junction, TVM- The Studio and newscasting happens from there, which is taken by an optical fiber link to the uplink facility in Noida, UP. 

    In the meantime, several news channels including Manorama News, Mathrubhumi News, Kairali News, and 24 News hit the airwaves. Amid heavy competition from channels and online news portals, Asianet continues to dominate the news industry in Kerala. 

    "Asianet always has that early bird advantage. Post-2000, several news channels like Indiavision, Manorama News, and Mathrubhumi News entered the market. It should be also noted that Manorama and Mathrubhumi have a rich tradition of being top leaders in print. Indiavision was the first exclusive news channel. Now, 24 News has also entered the market,” stated Radhakrishnan.

    Despite all these challenges, Asianet News has maintained its leadership position, while the second and third are way behind, he remarked. Additionally, the channel’s growth has been augmented by a strong digital presence.

    “When it comes to social media, we have a very strong website, and we are one of the top names in the country when it comes to regional websites. As television is the number one news source, our 25 years of experience in the industry is helping us to maintain the top position," added Radhakrishnan. 

    The Asianet News editor-in-chief also talked about new technologies which are being widely used in news reporting and news presenting. Staying in step with the changing time, shooting, distribution, and archiving are going to be in HD format soon, he revealed.

    "All the major programs including the News Hour are being telecasted from a green studio. But why we became a bit late is because we have a legacy technology which dated back to the 1990s. As most of the other channels started their operations post 2000, they could actually start with greenfield technology. Right from the beginning, they have new technology. But now, we actually are on par when it comes to technology with all other channels," concluded Radhakrishnan. 

  • Star India paid $160 mn for added 12% interest in Asianet Communications

    Star India paid $160 mn for added 12% interest in Asianet Communications

    MUMBAI:  Star India’s equity interest in Asianet Communications in June 2013 increased by 12 per cent to 87 per cent from the earlier 75 percent. The price the India subsidiary of 21st Century Fox paid for the additional interest in the south Indian general entertainment television network was approximately $160 million.

     

    The price paid by Star India for the additional interest values Asianet Communications at $1.33 billion.

     

    According to 21st Century Fox, in June 2013, it acquired the 19 per cent stake in Vijay Television that it didn’t own and, as a result, it now owns 87 per cent interest in Asianet Communications.

     

    Star India holds its interest in Asianet Communications through Vijay Television. The 19 per cent equity stake in Vijay Television that it bought in June 2013 was held by Rajeev Chandrasekhar and K Madhavan.

     

    In January 2009, Star India and Asianet TV Holdings formed a venture Star Jupiter and the Asianet Communication’s general entertainment channels were brought under the joint venture. Star India’s Tamil channel, Star Vijay was also consolidated with the Asianet channels but the shareholding structure of Asianet Communications is not clearly known as it is a closely held company.

     

    In 2009, Star India paid approximately $235 million in cash and assumed net debt of approximately $20 million for a controlling interest in the four channels owned by Asianet. The price Star India paid for the 51 per cent stake in 2009 meant Asianet Communications was then valued at $500 million.

     

    Asianet Communications broadcasts Malayalam language channels Asianet and Asianet Plus, Kannada language channel Suvarna and Telugu channel Sitara.

     

    In July 2010, Star India increased its stake in Asianet communications to 75 per cent from 51 per cent, for which it paid approximately $90 million in cash.

     

    Asianet Communications was founded in 1991 by Reju Menon and Shashi Kumar. Rajeev Chandrasekhar acquired a 51 per cent stake in the company in 2006 for a reported price of Rs 150 crore (about $25 million at the current exchange rate) and also became its chairman.