ITV

Tag: social media

  • Facebook to start testing ads on Instagram Reels

    Facebook to start testing ads on Instagram Reels

    New Delhi: Social media giant Facebook Inc said on Thursday that it will begin testing advertisements on Instagram Reels in India as it aims to expand revenue from its short-form video feature. It will also launch this feature in a few other countries including Brazil, Germany, and Australia.

    The social media platform plans to cash in on the popularity of Instagram Reels in India — a fast-growing social media market. 

    “The introduction of ads is an indication of how strong the momentum is for Reels,” said Facebook vice president – global business group Carolyn Everson. “It is a big deal for marketers.”

    Facebook plans to test other features in India, such as letting content creators share Reels videos on their Facebook accounts, according to a report published by Reuters. As with other content on Reels, ads can be up to 30 seconds long and users can choose to skip the ads.

    The Mark Zuckerberg-owned tech behemoth also announced that it will let advertisers select categories of video content they want to place ads on, such as videos about children and parenting, animals and pets, or fitness and workouts. Advertisers typically use Facebook to target certain users by their interests.

    In addition to this, the social networking platform will begin testing sticker ads for Facebook Stories. Brands can create stickers that creators will place in their Stories, and influencers will earn a cut of any sales made through the sticker ads.

    According to government data, India has as many as 41 crore Facebook users and as many as 21 crore people who use Instagram.

  • Delhi HC dismisses WhatsApp, Facebook pleas against CCI order

    Delhi HC dismisses WhatsApp, Facebook pleas against CCI order

    New Delhi: The Delhi high court on Thursday dismissed the plea filed by Facebook and WhatsApp challenging the Competition Commission of India (CCI) order directing a probe into its controversial new privacy policy. The court said it found no merits in the petition and refused to quash the CCI probe.

    The CCI had launched an investigation into WhatsApp’s updated privacy policy on 24 March, amid the raging debate over users’ data and privacy on social media platforms. The antitrust body had taken a prima facie view that the messaging app’s new terms of use are in contravention of India’s Competition Act. 

    WhatsApp and its parent company Facebook had challenged the CCI's order through two separate petitions, and the court had decided to reserve its judgement during a hearing on 13 April.

    According to CCI,  WhatsApp's new privacy policy would lead to excessive data collection and "stalking" of consumers for targeted advertising to bring in more users and is therefore an alleged abuse of dominant position. On the other hand, the two social media platforms had contended that when the top court and the Delhi high court were looking into the privacy policy, then CCI ought not to have intervened in the issue. They also argued that the CCI's decision was an abuse of the commission's suo motu jurisdiction. WhatsApp also told the court that private conversations continued to be protected by end to end encryption and the messaging app cannot read the texts or see the media files that people send each other.

    The controversial policy was initially expected to come into effect on 8 February but was later deferred to 15 May amid severe backlash from users. The app plans to make it mandatory for users to agree to its new data-sharing norms, a key point of which is allegedly sharing data from WhatsApp business chats with Facebook. 

    On 19 January, the CCI took suo motu cognisance of the potential impact of the policy and terms for WhatsApp’s users and the market. In its statement, WhatsApp had stated that it “remains committed to protecting people’s personal communications with end-to-end encryption and providing transparency about how these new optional business features work.”

  • Twitter introduces new features for more interactive Cricket Season

    Twitter introduces new features for more interactive Cricket Season

    KOLKATA: Microblogging site Twitter has added a couple of new features to create a more interactive experience for the platform’s users this cricket season for. Among the new features, Spaces, the social media giant’s new Clubhouse like feature, has generated a great deal of buzz among Tweeple.

    With cricket being such a huge passion point on Twitter, teams have already started making the most of Spaces to connect with and engage fans on the service. Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) recently hosted a Twitter Space with Zaheer Khan (@ImZaheer) – #TwitterSpaceWithZak – becoming the first sports club in the country to do so. The Space had Zaheer interacting with fans and sharing plans for the upcoming season.

    Twitter has launched eight new jersey emojis for all the teams in English and six Indic languages. Fans can simply tweet with the team hashtags to unlock these emojis and participate in live conversations. Here are some of the hashtags that will unlock the team emojis: #IPL2021, #MumbaiIndians, #OneFamily, #WhistlePodu, #விசில்போடு, #WeAreChallengers, #HallaBol, #RoyalsFamily, #PunjabKings, #SaddaPunjab, #KKRHaiTaiyaar, #KorboLorboJeetbo, #YehHaiNayiDilli, #OrangeArmy, and more.

    Topics allow people to follow conversations on specific subjects. Using machine learning, Topics pull out related tweets on a subject, letting people follow numerous interest categories. When you follow a Topic, you will see tweets from a number of accounts – whether you follow them or not – on the shared interest. Last year, Twitter introduced several Topics for cricket – one for the series and several others for all of the teams – so people can stay up-to-date with all conversations around cricket.

    Additionally, there are Twitter Lists – a compilation of Twitter accounts, which lets people put together their favourite accounts to follow for tweets on a specific subject and populate a separate timeline for the List.

    Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals will be hosting live shows to bring fans closer together. The shows will involve commentary and watching the game virtually along with a select group of fans every match day. Whereas, ESPN Cricinfo (@CricinfoHindi) will be sharing Hindi videos this season from their new Hindi handle.

  • ShareChat’s parent company enters coveted unicorn club

    ShareChat’s parent company enters coveted unicorn club

    KOLKATA: Mohalla Tech, the parent company of Moj and ShareChat, has become the latest entrant to the coveted unicorn club. The start-up has raised $502 million in its latest round of funding led by Lightspeed Ventures and Tiger Global, along with participation from Snap Inc, Twitter and India Quotient. With the new rounds of investment, its valuation has passed over $2.1 billion.

    ShareChat CEO & co-founder Ankush Sachdeva said, “We are at an exciting inflection point in our journey, where we are going after a massive opportunity with the right team in place and the backing of long-term investors who have a deep conviction in our mission. With ShareChat & Moj, we are well-positioned to build the largest AI-powered content ecosystem in India.”

    With this infusion of capital, the company is looking at aggressively growing its user base, strengthen our creator community, AI-powered recommendation engine and platform health, added Sachdeva.

    Tiger Global partner Scott Shleifer said, “As internet penetration increases, ShareChat’s leading content creation platform is poised to expand dramatically by bridging into online purchases of goods and services. Additionally, Moj is well-positioned to seize the opportunity presented by the growth of short video in India. We are impressed with the team’s understanding of these rapidly evolving technologies and its ability to execute quickly, and we are excited to partner with them as they continue to build a great company.”

    Lightspeed Venture Partners partner Ravi Mhatre said, "We are excited to witness the market-leading growth of Sharechat's short video product Moj over the past year, with adoption in metro cities, towns and villages across the length and breadth of India. Lightspeed globally is honoured to double down on its partnership with Sharechat to build one of India's iconic consumer Internet companies."

    Lightspeed has backed the start-up in every Series A investment round since 2016.

    Founded in 2015, Mohalla Tech has now successfully raised over $766 million across six fundraising rounds, enabling ShareChat to substantially grow and differentiate itself by delivering a unique, tech-led social media experience. Furthermore, Moj, which launched in July 2020, has already made huge strides towards leadership in the short video space. Moj and ShareChat together, with a 280 million-strong user community, envision building a cohesive AI-powered content ecosystem to address India’s growing digital needs.

  • Personal data of 53.3 crore Facebook users leaked online

    Personal data of 53.3 crore Facebook users leaked online

    KOLKATA: Social media giant Facebook has become embroiled in yet another privacy breach controversy, as the personal data of around 53.3 crore users has been allegedly leaked. The breach includes data of 60 lakh users in India as well.

    According to reports, phone numbers, Facebook IDs and bios, full names, birth dates, locations, even email addresses in some cases have been exposed. “A database of that size containing the private information such as phone numbers of a lot of Facebook’s users would certainly lead to bad actors taking advantage of the data to perform social engineering attacks [or] hacking attempts,” said cybercrime intelligence firm Hudson Rock CTO Alon Gal, who spotted the leak on Saturday.

    Facebook claimed in an email statement that this is old data that was previously reported on in 2019 and the issue has already been fixed. However, the company has not taken any steps yet to notify users if their data has been compromised. Even if the data is outdated, it could provide valuable information to cybercriminals. Moreover, a lot of old data may remain relevant given that many of the phone numbers or email ids associated with the account could be the same as earlier.

    In January, a user in a hacking forum advertised an automated bot that sold phone numbers of millions of Facebook users. Now the entire dataset has been posted online for free on low level hacking forums making users more vulnerable to cybercrimes.

    Facebook has been grappling with data security issues for years. In 2018, the platform disabled a feature that allowed users to search for one another via phone number following revelations that the political firm Cambridge Analytica had accessed information on up to 87 million Facebook users without their knowledge or consent.

    In December 2019, a Ukrainian security researcher reported finding a database with the names, phone numbers and unique user IDs of more than 267 million Facebook users — nearly all US-based — on the open internet. It is unclear if the current data dump is related to this database.

  • Facebook rolls out the third TVC in its ‘More Together’ campaign

    Facebook rolls out the third TVC in its ‘More Together’ campaign

    KOLKATA: As part of the latest phase of its marketing campaign – ‘More Together’, Facebook has launched a brand new TVC today.

    The latest ad film features Tony and Kaju – Tony’s canine companion who has recently entered his life to keep him company. Tony is soon aghast as Kaju’s antics get out of hand. He shares his ordeal with his friends and family on Facebook where he gets lots of suggestions that he promptly tries, but makes no progress. Till the advice in one of the Facebook comment clicks, and Kaju turns over a new leaf.

     The latest phase of its ‘More Together’ campaign marks the first anniversary of Facebook’s consumer marketing journey in India and is focused on showcasing the underlying belief that people can do more together than alone.

     The 360 degree campaign has been conceptualised and executed by Taproot Dentsu and Dentsu Webchutney and will go live in multiple languages across TV, digital, print, radio and OOH.

     As part of the campaign, Facebook will leverage the power of its platform extensively to bring these inspirational stories to life including a digital campaign #FBPePoocho highlighting how people can get support and solutions by reaching out to their connections on Facebook. The OOH leg of the campaign,  features eight creators, who exemplify the spirit of the campaign including Facebook food wiz Sanjyot Keer (Your Food Lab) and Curly Tales to the dynamic Husband-wife TV actor duo – SIT, along with others including Varun Pruthi, Maithili Thakur, Madhura's Recipe, BhaDiPa and Following Love.

  • TheSmallBigIdea wins social media duties for ALTBalaji

    TheSmallBigIdea wins social media duties for ALTBalaji

    MUMBAI: Full services digital marketing agency, TheSmallBigIdea has won the social media duties for Balaji Telefilms' subscription based video-on-demand platform – ALTBalaji.

    As a part of the mandate, TheSmallBigIdea will focus on leveraging ALTBalaji’s existing presence on social media platforms to reach out to newer audiences. In addition to this, the agency will be responsible for strengthening the brand’s social position through neo-social platforms like Moj, Taka Tak, Chingari, Roposo and through online database platform, IMDb. The agency will also focus on conceptualising and publishing content, and engaging with influencers on social media platforms to create a buzz around the new shows.

    “The vision is to mimic ALTBalaji’s content gene code on social – to push boundaries. We are very excited to work with the passionate team at ALTBalaji. We share their love for content and data analytics, and we intend to forge a solid association on the back of the same,” said TheSmallBigIdea co-founder and CEO Harikrishnan Pillai.

    AlTBalaji SVP- marketing, direct revenue & analytics Divya Dixit said TSBI’s social media strategies, topical creatives, and amplification on social media are insightful and commendable. "We believe that TSBI's creative and content approach in social media marketing will help ALTBalaji to address its current and long-term goals of addressing the Metro and Bharat audiences,” she added.

    In alignment with ALTBalaji’s objective, TheSmallBigIdea through its collaboration with Mayur Jumani garnered 247K organic views for three of their recently launched shows titled Hello Jee, Dev DD and Bang Baang.

  • Will social audio apps like Clubhouse make it big in India?

    Will social audio apps like Clubhouse make it big in India?

    KOLKATA: Audio-chat app Clubhouse has raced ahead in the last few months, especially it has gained more momentum after its Elon Musk moment. The Tesla CEO’s debut on the platform has not only maxed its craze but has thrown limelight on a new rage in the social media ecosystem. While emerging social apps based on audio chat are knocking on the door, established platforms are also making strides in the segment.

    What is the ‘Clubhouse’ frenzy?

    The invitation-only social media app Clubhouse has found takers in silicon valley investors, venture capitalists, tech executives, artists, musicians, TV presenters. Even before reaching its first anniversary, the company had amassed close to 10 million users and reached a valuation of $1 billion. Given the buzz the San-Francisco based app has generated in the international markets, it’s no surprise that a number of prominent faces in India are also jumping on the bandwagon.

    Another app which offered live voice chats way before Clubhouse is Discord, a niche platform popular among gamers. The app, boasting over 100 million monthly active users, secured $100 million in funding last year and is positioning itself as mainstream with the new tagline – “Your place to talk.” After it saw massive growth in voice users, it started to emphasise heavily on the voice chat feature. According to media reports, tech giant Microsoft is in the running to acquire Discord, in a transaction pegged at $10 billion. It is one of the most popular apps among the booming gaming community of India.

    The bottom line is that Clubhouse and Discord are relatively lesser-known names in our 1.3 billion-strong nation. However, social media platforms that have already made headway in the mass Indian market like Twitter, Facebook are investing big time to take on these emerging apps.

    “Audio-based apps are liberating for the user as it allows users to multitask than any other media out there. You can drive, text, run or do your chores while dropping in to listen to Elon Musk,” Tonic Worldwide chief strategy officer Unmisha Bhatt says.

    Will Indians adopt this global trend?

    The Indian digital ecosystem has kept up with all new global trends so far. No doubt the charm of something new will onboard users initially, but Mirum India joint CEO Sanjay Mehta is sceptical about the sustainable growth of audio based social media apps.

    He notes that the overall audio segment, as well as voice technology, is a high growth area in terms of consumption of content and creation of audio content. When it comes to apps like Clubhouse, the structure being used there is almost similar for all. Under the open discussion format, if any user just walks into a chatroom, one cannot be sure that the content they will get access to will be valuable. It leads to appointment listening – that is, joining the chats at the time when a particular well-known person is speaking on a topic of interest.

    According to Mehta, the concept of appointment consumption does not work well in a busy life. Hence, he is of the view that these apps will have limited value if the structure does not change. To have long-term growth compared to established social media players, the template or format needs to change.

    Isobar India COO Gopa Kumar also says that audio as a platform has been well accepted in India overall, giving examples of Gaana, Saavn, and Spotify. Which is why apps like Clubhouse will also see good uptake in India. Moreover, these audio-based social apps give users a certain kind of privacy. People can actually move around at their disposal and still interact, he explains.

    The reason users are receptive to audio is because they can consume content on the go as well, observes Kumar. But in the end, it’s the nature of the platform and the kind of content it puts out that makes all the difference. And since social audio apps is still a very niche segment, Kumar says it is too soon to judge if it can turn into a mass medium.

    “The growth of Clubhouse has been fuelled by high profile early adopters. With celebrities and Silicon Valley leaders leading the early adoption, users discovered and flocked to the app. Since these are live conversation apps, the audience consumption has been skewed towards quality content by well-known creators. For it to succeed in India, it would need a similar pattern. Mainstream content creators, celebrities and film folks would bring in the masses, otherwise, it will remain a niche product in India,” Bhatt adds.

    Moreover, India being a multilingual country has its own challenges. IdeateLabs founder and managing director Amit Tripathi is of the view that adoption in India might struggle until voice and vernacular marries. Video on the back of visuals and subtitles make it easier to be consumed in unknown or little known languages but audio does not stand that chance. So, regional content needs to be on platforms like Clubhouse to make them successful.

    How are big tech giants gearing up their efforts?

    Twitter announced a new voice chat room called Spaces last November. The microblogging network rolled out the feature gradually for some of its users globally, including India. It plans to make it available for all users in April so they can “Tweet and Talk”.

    Internal teams at Facebook are reportedly developing a product similar to Clubhouse to catch up with the trend. Notably, Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg himself appeared on Clubhouse in February to talk about augmented/virtual reality. Messaging app Telegram that rose to fame in India after the WhatsApp privacy policy controversy has launched Voice Chats 2.0 that lets channels conduct live voice chat sessions with unlimited participants.

    With so many dollars being pumped into social voice features by these deep-pocket players, it will be interesting to see how this space evolves, Tripathi adds. He points out that adoption, penetration can be of a lesser challenge for the audio-based social apps compared to acceptance and usage which will be driven by content on the platforms.

    “Without proper content, customisation, a lot of education, I am not sure how far it will grow, how fast it will grow,” Tripathi sums up.

    Will brands jump on the bandwagon?

    Brands are already experimenting on Clubhouse to cash in on the craze. Isobar’s Kumar says that it is tough to project what kind of advertising opportunities will open up in the future, though he mentions that brands can open their own chat rooms and engage with consumers.

    “Brands will have to wear a creators hat to explore opportunities on these apps. For the right brand – one that’s willing to curate quality content and truly add value – there's an early mover opportunity. But these are early days and as adoption grows, we will see interest from brands,” Bhatt concludes.

  • ‘No proposal with MEITY to appoint a regulator for social media

    ‘No proposal with MEITY to appoint a regulator for social media

    KOLKATA: Amid the babel over increased regulation of social media in the country, the government has revealed there is no proposal with the ministry of electronics and information technology (MEITY) to appoint a regulator for social media.

    “In order to provide enhanced user safety as also accountability of social media platforms, government has released the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 under the Act (IT Act) that specifies the due diligence to be followed by all the intermediaries including the social media intermediaries. The social media platforms are enjoined to develop a robust grievance redressal system,” Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad informed the Parliament today.

    When asked if the Centre has conducted any study regarding the impact of its control over social media, Prasad stated that no such study has been undertaken. However, he reiterated his oft-mentioned remark that the government welcomes criticism, dissent and also the rights of people to ask questions on social media.

    “This needs to be acknowledged that the fundamental right of speech and expression under article 19(1) is also subject to reasonable restrictions under article 19(2) of the Constitution which can be imposed in the interest of security, safety and sovereignty of India, public order, friendly relations with foreign countries etc,” he noted.

    Prasad mentioned that it is equally important that social media should not be abused or misused to defame, promote terrorism, rampant violence and compromise the dignity of women. It is for these challenges that the intermediaries are expected to remove or disable content as and when brought to the knowledge of  intermediaries either through a court order or through a notice by appropriate government or its agency or when directed under section 69A of the IT Act 2000, following due process of law, he detailed.

    On 25 February, the Centre notified new, stricter guidelines for social media intermediaries which enables setting up of grievance redressal mechanisms and makes these platforms more pliable in assisting government agencies in investigation as well as taking down unlawful or fake content. Experts, while lauding the new "well-intended" rules, noted that these guidelines could undermine the principles of open and accessible Internet and violate the right to privacy and free speech of users, particularly in the absence of robust data protection law.

    It's worth recalling that the new rules came close on the heels of a tussle between the government and Twitter over removal of certain content related to the ongoing farmers’ protests.