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Tag: Sony Pictures Network

  • AI can never match human ingenuity in advertisement: I&B ministry’s Vikram Sahay at MarCon 2023

    AI can never match human ingenuity in advertisement: I&B ministry’s Vikram Sahay at MarCon 2023

    Mumbai: “Remember that advertisement is all about making a product or a service unique. Even the best of the software like ChatGPT will never offer that uniqueness. So, do not feel discouraged by them as they often compromise the quality of the advertisements,” said Ministry of Information and Broadcasting joint secretary & Government of India Vikram Sahay, while delivering his keynote address at the 19th edition of the Marketing Conclave (MarCon), organised by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) on 22 November 2023 in Mumbai.

    This year MarCon explored, through 30 sessions, across four tracks, the theme of “Tomorrow’s Canvas: Tech and the Art of Marketing”. The conference was co-powered by Whistle Feed.

    Addressing the conference’s theme topic, Sahay delved into the dynamic intersection of technology and marketing, shedding light on innovative strategies to navigate the evolving landscape of digital advertising.

    In his keynote Sahay also dwelt on advertising regulatory practices and underlined the importance of ethical marketing. “Today, we have certain regulatory practices and guidelines that protect us from misleading ads, especially in education and healthcare. We must stay away from such unethical practices,” he said.

    MarCon 2023 brought together on one platform more than 65 industry captains and subject stalwarts to explore the theme subject 360 degrees. Over 350+ agencies, 500+ leading brands and 1500 delegates took part in the conference.

    Speaking on unified measurement for digital platforms, Jio Ads CEO Gulshan Verma explained, “Fundamentally, measurement is the backbone of business, translating into vital components such as your business metrics, engagement metrics, and sales figures. What further adds to this process is the perception of your brand. Introducing unified measurement transforms the landscape, where context makes all the difference. Online and physical touch points make it challenging to analyse or even apply unified measurement. Unification will happen if we are able to link business numbers and other tangibles to arrive at some sort of numeric unification or one scale of measurement for digital platforms.”

    Talking on changing tech allowing new age marketers to connect with ‘BHARAT’, Federal Bank CMO MVS Murthy said, “AI does not have an emotional quotient hence it cannot be sensitive towards human emotions. Only humans can understand the subtle sensitivities of any matter. While targeting Bharat, it’s important we understand and acknowledge these nuances and think regional and vernacular first, it’s a human emotion, we think in our mother tongue and then speak in English or any other language.”

    Among other prominent speakers at the conclave were Group M South Asia president Tushar Vyas; Games 24 x 7 VP Gaurav Verma; Meta ads business director & head Arun Srinivas; Sony Pictures Network Ltd senior VP and Ad revenue head Ranjana Mangla, Physics Wallah marketing head Sanket Narkar and Tata Digital CMO Shoumyan Biswas.

    Results of the second edition of the prestigious Digital Native Brands Awards (DNBA) were announced at a gala ceremony at MarCon. This year there were over 150 entries for DNBA, which were distributed in 19 categories. The Awards celebrate and honour businesses and brands that have harnessed the power of digital technology, epitomize the spirit of digital entrepreneurship, and leverage technology as a core driver of their success. The Best DNB Woman Entrepreneur of The Year Award went to Ghazal Alagh, Honasa Consumer Pvt Ltd (Mamaearth) and the Best Digital Native Brand Entrepreneur Award was bagged by Manish Chowdhary, WOW Skin Science.

  • 15 creative agencies bag top honour across 19 categories

    15 creative agencies bag top honour across 19 categories

    Mumbai: The India Chapter of International Advertising Association (IAA) presented the eighth edition of its prestigious IndAA Awards on 1 September at a ceremony hosted at the Taj Lands End, Mumbai.

    ABP Network and Sony Pictures Network were the co-partner while Network18 and Jio Cinema were the associate partners for the event.

    The awards to honour real advertising that creatively cut through to the market before it could impress the all-client jury saw work by 15 creative agencies take the top honours across 18 product and service categories and one special category.

    The awards saw 102 campaigns being shortlisted of which, by design, only one in each category was awarded. In case of close contests the jury awarded joint winners after much deliberation.  

    Among creative agencies, Leo Burnett, MullenLowe Lintas Group and Ogilvy won three IndIAA Awards each, representing the very best work in that category. BBDO, DDB Mudra and TBWA won two awards each.

    Other creative agencies and creators to win an IndIAA Award were Grey Group, Kehat Kabira Pictures, McCann Worldgroup, Publicis Worldwide, Rediffusion, SG Media, Talented, The Script Room, The Womb and Tilt Brand Solutions.

    Two HUL brands were among winners, in the Food & Beverage and Personal Care categories. HDFC Life won in Insurance while HDFC Mutual Fund won in Banking & Finance.

    Jury chairman and Nestle India chairman & MD Suresh Narayanan said “In my fifth year as the jury chair, I feel intimately acquainted with this room and honoured to be among some of the greatest creative minds in the country- – advertising gurus, communication experts, and marketing wizards.

    Narayana presented a short poem titled ‘Jury Chair ka Sambodhan,’ “a reflection of his five years in this esteemed role.” He then went on to recite a few lines of the same in Hindi which received a hearty applause from the audience.

    IAA president Avinash Pandey sheds light on how the IndIAA Awards exemplify creative excellence and have set the gold standard for creative awards in India. He stated, “It’s been an intriguing year for arguably the most active industry association of its kind. We’ve demonstrated that our industry can be a catalyst for change, particularly in breaking gender bias. We celebrate the winners reflecting the growing synergy between associations and showcasing the remarkable impact of the communication industry. The positive feedback from young leaders has been heartening, and our industry’s enthusiasm for AdAsia remains strong. We’re organising a delegation led by Sam Balsara for AdAsia 23 in Seoul, the largest event of its kind in Asia.”

    IAA IndIAA Awards chairman, Abhishek Karnani said, “IAA Awards are unique because you can’t “enter” them.” A group of seasoned journalists shortlisted 102 campaigns across 19 categories from over a thousand ads. This accomplishes two important goals- first, it ensures that only genuine work is presented to the jury, keeping scam ads at bay, second, it truly democratises the creative process by not charging an entry fee, making fundraising for this grand event a challenging task.”

    He further said, what sets the IAA awards apart is that they are judged by senior marketers who own and invest in the brands. We showcase the transformative power of communication for our beloved country and society, embodying IAA’s unwavering belief in the ability of communication to drive change.

    IAA honoured Ayushmann Khurrana as the “Most Disruptive Brand in Entertainment Industry”. On questioning his criteria while choosing a Brand, he replied, “I believe before taking on a brand it resonates with the credibility of my films. Credibility is everything. I think only going with commercials will be very myopic. My father once told me, ‘Goddess Saraswati comes before Goddess Lakshmi. I always go like that. If you earn respect, nothing like that.”

    Speaking about being an outsider in Bollywood, he said that the first choice had to be truly different and clatter-breaking. “I’ll never get a second chance being an outsider. So it’s all about the choices you make eventually. Everybody is hard-working and talented. It’s the kind of opportunities you get and firmly success is nothing but when preparation meets opportunity,” he avers.

    The Asian Federation of Advertising Associations (AFAA) felicitated the all-India winners of its maiden Changemakers For Good Awards at the IndIAA Awards 2023. These meaningful awards are to salute those individuals and companies in the communication space who have used their talent to make the world a better place.

    The winners for the four categories were:

    ●   Advertising (for transformational messages) – Lowe Lintas for their International Women’s Day 2022 entry.

    ●   Government (for transformational messaging by a Government arm). –RK Swamy Associated for State Bank of India.

    ●   Industry Leader (someone who led societal change in the last few years).- CVL Srinivas, Country Head, WPP Group.

    ●   Innovation (where technology or approach made the difference) – Lowe Lintas for International Women’s Day 2022.

    IndIAA Winners 2023

  • Sony Pictures Networks acquires exclusive broadcast rights of Ballon d’Or 2022

    Sony Pictures Networks acquires exclusive broadcast rights of Ballon d’Or 2022

    Mumbai: Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) has acquired exclusive rights to broadcast the prestigious football award—the 2022 Ballon d’Or—in the Indian subcontinent, including India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives, and Sri Lanka—and non-exclusive rights in Pakistan. The broadcaster will telecast the Ballon d’Or ceremony live on Sony Ten 2 channels on 17 October 2022, at 10:20 p.m. IST. The awards will also be live-streamed on SPN’s on-demand OTT platform, SonyLIV.

    The Ballon d’Or is an annual football award hosted by France Football that honours top football players across various European clubs. Considered amongst the top football awards, the Ballon d’Or has played a significant role in recognising the greatest football players across the world. The award, which dates back to 1956, has seen some great players rise to fame, from Stanley Matthews to Lionel Messi. In 2018, the marquee award started honouring top female players, and Ada Hegerberg became the first female footballer to receive the Ballon d’Or.

    The 66th edition of the marquee awards will go down in history as it will be the first time the results will be announced based on season and not year. With seven-time winner Lionel Messi out of the race, the 2022 Ballon d’Or will see a new winner as top football players gear up for the night. While the nominees were announced this year on 12 August, fans are rooting for Real Madrid star Karim Benzema to steal the show and win the coveted award. Other players cutting it close in the race include Bayern Munich’s Sadio Mane and FC Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski. In the women’s category, Barcelona and Spain midfielder, Alexia Putellas, lead the nominee list as fan favourites, followed by Chelsea’s Sam Kerr and Arsenal’s Beth Mead.

    Sony Pictures Networks India chief revenue officer, distribution and head of sports business Rajesh Kaul said, “The Ballon d’Or is considered the top football honour across the globe, and it is our privilege to be associated with such a prestigious award. The award is a pinnacle of recognition for football players worldwide, and we endeavour to provide such content to fans in India. The Ballon d’Or has recognised the greatest footballers in the past and continues to do so as football fans across the nation wait eagerly to see their favourite player crowned as the winner and enter the greatest of the greats club.”

  • Sony Pictures Networks India acquires exclusive broadcast rights of Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games

    Sony Pictures Networks India acquires exclusive broadcast rights of Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games

    Mumbai: Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) has acquired the exclusive TV and digital rights for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. The 22nd iteration of the multi-sporting event will take place between 28 July and 8 August, 2022. The deal provides SPN with exclusive rights to broadcast the games in India and the subcontinent, including countries such as Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan, Bhutan, and Maldives, and will also be available to livestream on its premium OTT platform, SonyLIV.

    The quadrennial event will witness participation from 72 nations and will feature 19 sports along with eight para-sports across 11 days of the event. Competitions will be facilitated across athletics, badminton, swimming, basketball, boxing, wrestling, hockey, judo, and others. The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will witness sports like basketball, 3×3, wheelchair basketball, 3×3, beach volleyball, and para table tennis. Additionally, to promote women’s cricket, the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Birmingham Organising Committee announced the inclusion of women’s cricket in the T20 format. The ICC has fully sanctioned the Birmingham 2022 competition.

    Over the past two decades, India has seen a steady growth in the medal tally at the Commonwealth Games, with the Indian contingent marking the 2010 Commonwealth Games as their most successful campaign with 101 medals. India’s next feat arrived when the nation secured the third position on the points table at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, where they showcased their best-ever performance as a non-host nation with a 66-medal haul.

    Sony Pictures Networks India chief revenue officer, distribution & head – sports business Rajesh Kaul said, “The acquisition of Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games’ media rights is a proud moment for us, as our nation will get to watch the country’s biggest sporting heroes reach new milestones of success on our network.  After the record-breaking Olympic Games, our journey will now move ahead with the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, and we are certain that our Indian contingent will win big. The 2022 edition of the games is of great significance to Indian viewers as women’s cricket makes its debut at the quadrennial event in the T20 format and will see India’s finest women cricketers representing team India. “

    Commonwealth Games Federation Partnerships CEO David Leather added, “We are delighted that Sony Pictures Networks India will exclusively broadcast the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games across the country. India’s top athletes will be competing in Birmingham 2022, including the likes of Neeraj Chopra and Harmanpreet Kaur, so it is fantastic that Sony will be taking world-class sport into the homes of millions of people across the country.”

    “This partnership is particularly important because India is the largest and most populous country in the Commonwealth and a real leader across the Commonwealth Sport Movement. This deal represents a huge vote of confidence in Birmingham 2022 and the future direction of the Commonwealth Sport Movement, so we are pleased to be working together on this exciting venture,” he said.

    The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will be available on Sony SIX, Sony TEN1, Sony TEN2, Sony TEN3, and Sony TEN4 channels starting from 28 July, 2022 at 11:30 p.m.

  • StudioNEXT collaborates with Venture Catalysts for ‘Shark Tank India’

    StudioNEXT collaborates with Venture Catalysts for ‘Shark Tank India’

    Mumbai: The popular American business reality show Shark Tank is making headway into India. StudioNEXT, an independent business unit of Sony Pictures Network (SPN), has announced its collaboration with Venture Catalysts as the startup ecosystem advisor for the very first edition of Shark Tank India.  

    The StudioNEXT-produced show is all set to provide an opportunity and a platform to entrepreneurs with interesting business ideas, business prototypes, or active businesses that will be evaluated by experienced investors & business experts, the production company said in a statement. Registrations for the very first edition of Shark Tank India have commenced in June and are currently underway on SonyLIV.

    SPN head – StudioNEXT, Indranil Chakraborty, said, “The format of Shark Tank is revolutionary, and we are excited to be producing the very first edition of Shark Tank India. The show will certainly give a boost to the dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem in the country and we are looking forward to showcasing some interesting ‘pitches’. Will the ‘Sharks’ bite the bait? That remains to be seen. Given the nature of the show, we are glad to have collaborated with Venture Catalysts as the Startup Ecosystem Advisor for Shark Tank India.”

    Venture Catalysts co-founder, Anuj Golecha, said, “In the last 12 years, Shark Tank has helped create multi-million-dollar companies across geographies. Venture Catalysts is excited to partner with Sony Entertainment Television for Shark Tank India as it aligns our Ideology of spreading entrepreneurship bug across the smaller towns and cities in India. Together we hope to see some really interesting ideas coming from far-flung Indian towns too or the entrepreneurs from the ‘Bharat’. For entrepreneurs, Shark Tank is not just about monetary gains but the exposure, mentoring, and support that they receive. It also provides founders with a direct go-to-market strategy and that is very valuable. We are extremely delighted to have partnered for the show as Startup Ecosystem Advisor to provide our deep expertise in entrepreneurship and building business to make the show a great success.”

    Since its first launch in 2001, as Tigers of Money in Japan, created by Nippon TV, the format was later adapted as Dragon’s Den in 2005 in the UK and the show premiered in the US as Shark Tank in the year 2009. The format is distributed internationally by Sony Pictures Television.

  • SPSN launches ‘Hum Honge Kamyab’ ahead of 2020 Tokyo Olympics

    SPSN launches ‘Hum Honge Kamyab’ ahead of 2020 Tokyo Olympics

    Mumbai: As the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 gathers momentum with only 20 days to the start, Sony Pictures Sports Network (SPSN), along with many luminaries from diverse fields, undertakes a ‘Best Wishes Initiative’ to rally the support of the nation for the Indian contingent. 

    As a part of its ‘Hum Honge Kamyab’ campaign, SPSN has put together a series of videos on-air and on their social media platforms led by many eminent personalities sending their best wishes to the Indian contingent for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. The campaign has been conceptualised and created in-house by the SPSN team.

    The broadcaster has collaborated with the ministry of youth affairs and sports as well as many other eminent personalities. Joining the brigade are minister of state (I/C) youth affairs and sports Kiren Rijiju, chief of Defence Staff and chairman chief of Staff Committee General Bipin Rawat, and Sony Pictures Networks India MD & CEO N.P. Singh, along with Rana Daggubati, Anupam Kher, Yuvraj Singh, Boman Irani, Farhan Akhtar, Sonakshi Sinha, Johnny Lever, Ali Fazal, Adille Sumariwala, Arshad Warsi, Pullela Gopichand, Vijender Singh, Anjali Bhagwat, Parth Jindal, Harsha Bhogle, Sudha Murthy, Shankar Mahadevan, Anurag Basu, and many more to catalyse the Olympics momentum in the nation for the landmark event.

    SPSN will launch ‘India’s Quest for Gold with Kiren Rijiju’, a special interview with the MoS (I/C) Youth Affairs and Sports, starting 3 July at 6.30 pm (IST) on SONY SIX and SONY TEN 3 channels. Hosted by anchor, Ridhima Pathak, the minister will talk about the impact of the pandemic, athletes preparing through online training in the past year, TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme) with Junior TOPS and the Indian sporting, the viability of hosting the Olympic Games in the future, the 2026 Youth Olympics, his favorite Olympic moment, the role of Sony Pictures Networks in supporting the Olympic movement and much more.

     
    SPSN has also produced a seven-episode series titled “The Torchbearers” which showcases the known and unknown stories of our Olympians. The series will feature athletes like Neeraj Chopra, Bhavani Devi, Manu Bhaker, Abhishek Verma, Tejinder Toor, and many more. The series will be available to watch every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday starting 9 July from 12.30 pm (IST) on SONY SIX, SONY TEN 1 and SONY TEN 3 channels.

    SPSN will also launch a mega contest ‘Sony Ten Medal of Glory’ starting 3 July. The contest will be launched Kiren Rijiju and it will feature 20 questions across 20 days, leading to the start of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. It aims to generate conversations among the Olympics fan community as well as to gratify the select few winners.

    Speaking about the campaign, Kiren Rijiju said, “I am very happy that as official broadcasters of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, Sony Pictures Networks India, has created specialized programming to support and motivate Indian athletes. ‘The Hum Honge Kamyab’ campaign is a wonderful initiative to galvanize icons from all walks of life to rally behind the Indian contingent. The Government of India has also launched the #Cheer4India campaign envisioned by PM Narendra Modi, through which we are conducting various activities across the country to create awareness about our athletes and to garner support for them. With the combined effort of all stakeholders, I am sure that as a nation we will be able to create an atmosphere of enthusiasm that will truly energise our athletes to give their best at Tokyo.”

    N.P. Singh said, “The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 is one of the biggest sporting events across the globe and while every Indian knows about the stature of the tournament, few are aware about the athletes who represent our country. We are delighted that our campaign, ‘Hum Honge Kamyab’ has received such an overwhelming response. Our attempt is to convey our best wishes to the Indian contingent and are looking forward to a splendid performance at Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.”

    Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will be telecast LIVE on SONY TEN 1, SONY TEN 2, SONY TEN 3, SONY TEN 4, and SONY SIX channels, between 23 July and 8 August.

  • Partnership with Kapil Sharma will attract more advertisers: Sony Yay business head

    Partnership with Kapil Sharma will attract more advertisers: Sony Yay business head

    MUMBAI: With schools closed and few opportunities to have fun outside, kids have been cooped up indoors. Parents, busy with their own work from home gigs or just tired from constant child-rearing, plonked their charges in front of TV sets to keep them occupied and out of their hair. This led to a surge in viewership in the kids' category – and Sony Pictures Network India (SPNI) has capitalized on it by roping in comedian Kapil Sharma and teaming him up with two popular toon characters to present the Honey Bunny Show with Kapil Sharma.

    Airing on Sony Yay!, the series of nine mini-episodes of hilarious sketches featuring Honey Bunny and Kapil Sharma aims to pull the entire family in by targeting parents and kids between the age of six to eight. SPNI kids’ genre business head Leena Lele Dutta said the collaboration with Sharma is specifically timed for the festive period of Dussehra–Diwali.

    The show will be broadcast across the network and all digital platforms on a regular basis. The channel has already roped in three sponsors – Toppr, Crax rings and Sunfeast Yippee noodles – and  are on the verge of closing more. Sony Yay! doesn’t have brand integration within the show as the content piece stays for life. It facilitates sponsorship through solutions, like a one-minute chaser or capsules.

     

     

    Dutta went on to reveal that the channel is planning to use BTL and ATL to promote the Honey Bunny Show with Kapil Sharma. “Furthermore, we will also reach out to the deeper pockets across the length and breadth of the country through van activations across 50 cities. We have also planned a host of online engagements and mobile game releases. Along with all this, we are also exploring interesting initiatives via AR and VR on Instagram, and influencer programs.”

    Advertising is gradually gaining traction and coming back on track, especially in the last two months, claimed Dutta. The first quarter witnessed a lull, but with signs of recovery evident now, a lot of new categories have sprung up for advertisement. “We are back on our inventory levels and the outlook for next few months looks positive. We are providing added benefit to the brands and businesses to come on board and be a part of our big-ticket shows by combining our on-air shows with our digital inventories, and presenting a chance for advertisers to enhance their 360 degree presence,” she added.

    The channel is also looking at localization of content and gaining market share. Hence, all the Hindi-language shows are dubbed into Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Bangla and Marathi. Sony YAY! will soon introduce two additional regional language feeds. Their end goal is to serve relatable and engaging and entertaining content for their young audiences, said Dutta.

    The network will pile on the fun on top of festivities by adding more than 60 hours of fresh content. In addition to newly acquired Indian content, Sony Yay! has also introduced 24 hours of new episodes and telemovies of Honey Bunny and the first franchise film – Paap-O-Meter Under Attack. Along with The Honey Bunny with Kapil Sharma show it has added two new shows: Pyaar Mohabbat, Happy Lucky, which is a chase comedy, and Krishna Balram, the channel’s first foray into the mythological genre. The channel will also present endearing tales of Lord Krishna, depicting his life and times through movies – Krishna the Birth, Krishna Makhan Chor, Krishna in Vrindavan and Krishna Kansa Vadh.

     

     

    Dutta also touched upon the competition TV shows face from YouTube, which has emerged as an alternative to traditional children’s programming. Although it would be more appropriate to say that both the platforms are merging, since there are plenty of children’s TV shows on YouTube now, she avers.

    She pointed out that across India, 90 per cent  of households have a single TV and it’s generally considered for family viewing. Dutta doesn’t view YouTube as serious competition. According to her, the consumption on YouTube is added to the existing TV viewership.

    “Our endeavour is to be present on every platform and format that our young audiences choose to consume content on. So, YouTube or any digital platform actually helps us to extend our offerings to our audiences across their consumption universe,” she concluded.

  • Sony Pictures Networks pledges Rs 100 million to film, TV daily wage earners

    Sony Pictures Networks pledges Rs 100 million to film, TV daily wage earners

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) will contribute Rs 100 million to support daily wage workers in the media and entertainment industry, in response to the nationwide lockdown to contain the widespread impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    With the entire media ecosystem including all television, cinema shows and films production coming to a halt since 20 March, the M&E industry is grappling with mass unemployment. It has especially impacted the sustenance of the daily wage earners from production crew involving a gamut of people like artists, camera men, spot boys, light boys and their dependent families.

    The network is reaching out to the daily wage earners identified by their respective trade associations with free coupons which they and their families can exchange for their daily necessities like food and essential items at select retail stores. SPN is also working with its various commissioned production houses to disburse a month’s salary to each daily wage earner.

    Additionally, the network has also contributed to the ‘Swades COVID Fund’, set up by the Swades Foundation. Founded by Zarina & Ronnie Screwvala, the foundation is providing authorities of Mumbai, Raigad and Nashik districts of Maharashtra state, medical equipment and consumables, procured under their direction for their fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, in Mumbai, the foundation is supporting infrastructure, healthcare staff, volunteers and consumables in identified government & private hospitals.

    SPN managing director and CEO NP Singh said, “In light of the global pandemic, we are witnessing large communities across the world coming together to tide over the crisis. These unprecedented times have had a cascading impact on the media and entertainment industry, which employs a huge number of daily wage workers. As a conscientious conglomerate, it is our responsibility to direct efforts towards ensuring aid reaches our primary beneficiaries who have contributed to the success of the network.

    'Besides this initiative, we are also providing coupons to the migrant workers from this daily wage workforce, which they can trade off at certain retail outlets for groceries and essential supplies. We will leverage every opportunity to help our country at large to get through trying times like these.”

    Additionally, in an unanimous support with the industry, the network has made its channel Sony PAL available free of charge on all DTH and cable networks to its viewers for a period of two months. This will provide people who are restricted to their homes wholesome entertainment and invigorating content and will help provide relief during the period of lockdown.

    Several channels in the network including Sony Entertainment Television, Sony SAB, Sony Pictures Sports Network, Sony Marathi and Sony YAY! have created PSAs. Additionally, advertising inventory across SPN is being extensively used to promote public service messaging.

    For more consumer-facing television news, read: tellychakkar

     

     

     

  • KYC imperative to curb smuggling of DTH STBs outside India: IBF

    KYC imperative to curb smuggling of DTH STBs outside India: IBF

    MUMBAI: Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) has shared its view on the consultation paper by TRAI on ‘KYC of DTH Set Top Boxes’. The association is of view that there is an absolute and an imminent need for introduction and proper enforcement of meaningful KYC or e-KYC stipulations of DTH STBs.

    The association believes that the step is necessary to curb smuggling of DTH STBs outside India and to bring in some level of threshold checks to counter the menace of piracy.

    “It is submitted that DTH STBs get rampantly smuggled to territories outside of India where they get used for illegal and unauthorised reception and/or retransmission of signals of channels. Due to such piracy, broadcasters face huge / irreparable revenue losses. Hence, there is a need for mandating KYC or e-KYC for DTH STBs to avoid smuggling of STBs overseas,” said IBF in its comments to TRAI.

    The association further informed, “DTH platforms in India are permitted to have subscribers only within the territory of India however, numerous unauthorised STBs of Indian DTH operators are reported to be active and functioning beyond the Indian territory due to the satellite footprints overspill. (For example – signals of DTH operators intended for Indian audience are also available in Middle-East, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Maldives, Nepal, Myanmar etc.).”

    “In case DTH STBs are found to be in use at a location other than the one specified at the time of installation, then KYC or e-KYC will enable the applicable DTH platform operator to directly approach the customer to investigate why and how such DTH STB was shifted / moved to the unauthorised premises / location. This will also quicken the process of nabbing the perpetrator in case of misuse of DTH STBs,” IBF suggested.

    The association also suggested that that initially the KYC or e-KYC should be completed at the time of installation. Post initial verification, random verification can be done on a periodic basis to ensure that STB is not moved from its installation address. Periodicity of such inspection can be at such reasonable intervals as may be decided basis discussion and consultation with relevant stakeholders however, with a gap of at least three months between each visit.

    The association has also supported incorporation of LBS in the existing DTH STBs. It also believes that the same should be mandated for all new STBs of all DPOs to track location and facilitate verification.

    “Keeping in view the growing penetration of DTH STBs and other DPOs, the security of the broadcasters’ content is of paramount importance and this will also help the DPOs to minimise their own revenue loss,” said IBF.

    ABP News, Sony Pictures Network and Times Network also shared their comments on the consultation paper. Agreeing to IBF’s view, all three broadcasters also feel that there is a need for KYC and e-KYC of set top boxes to prevent illegal use of STBs in India.

    Times Network suggested, “The KYC process should be designed in such a way that it is driven by technology and causes minimum disturbance to the users while at the same time achieves its desired purpose. If it is too cumbersome, it may deviate a part of subscriber to other modes like cable etc., where the KYC norms are not applied, thereby affecting the DTH business prospects in India.”

  • Sony Pictures Sports Network ropes in 17 advertisers for The Ashes & India tour of West Indies

    Sony Pictures Sports Network ropes in 17 advertisers for The Ashes & India tour of West Indies

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Sports Network (SPSN) has bagged more than 17 advertisers for The Ashes and India tour of West Indies. The network has roped in regular Indian cricket advertisers as well as international advertisers.

    SPSN has bagged Xiaomi, Idea/Vodafone, Bajaj Auto, Pernod Ricard, Naukri.com, Ultratech, Amazon.in, Byju’s, Pharmeasy, My Team XI.com, Shikhar pan masala, Apple, Netflix, Mankind pharma, Bharat Matrimony, My circle 11.com and Kent amongst others on board for the series.  

    Sony Pictures Networks chief revenue officer, distribution and head – sports business Rajesh Kaul in an interaction with Indiantelevision.com said, “The Ashes and India tour of West Indies are both marquee cricket series and we definitely have sponsor interest for both the properties. There are regular Indian cricket advertisers as well as international advertisers who are interested in using these series as a platform to communicate and advertise.”

    Kaul also believes that the timing of both the series are a great opportunity for brands to make use of the platform for upcoming festive season promotions and campaign. “It is no secret that cricket is a religion in the country and the respect and admiration towards the sport ensures that there always will be advertiser’s interest during any marquee cricket event like The Ashes and India tour of West Indies. Both these cricket series have been enjoyed by fans for years together and we expect this year to be no different,” said Kaul. 

    Sony Pictures Sports Network has launched a #MoreCricket campaign for both the events. “The campaign #MoreCricket drives inspiration from every Indians’ insatiable appetite for cricket. The on-air promo for the campaign captures the sentiments of every Indian this monsoon, as the top cricket teams and players in the world in two exciting series will feature on Sony Pictures Sports Network. The 40-second film derives a similarity between an Indian cricket fan and a peacock, as both are going to have a thrilling monsoon this year. The campaign has a television, radio, print, digital and social media rollout,” informed Kaul. 

    Speaking on strategies to reach the larger audience, Kaul said, “As a global multi-sport arena, we are leaving no stone unturned to provide the best content to audiences across India. Through key initiatives like regional language feeds, second screen engagements, associations and tie-ups we have increased outreach to the masses for various marquee properties in 2019 and will be doing the same in the future as well.”

    This year so far, the network has recognised the appetite for WWE in South India, launched Tamil and Telugu feeds for WrestleMania and tied up with India’s leading multiplex operator, PVR Cinemas for WWE WrestleMania 35 and UEFA Champions League Finals across various cities in India. “For the rest of this year and in the future, our audiences can expect many more activations from us to ensure high rates of engagement,” opined Kaul.

    Speaking on the consumption of non-cricket sports, Kaul said, “Cricket has been the most consumed sport in India for a long time and probably will remain so for some more years, however, the scale has been tipping in favour of a multi-sports viewing culture. Other sports like wrestling, football, tennis, volleyball and more are gaining popularity every year. We take a lot of pride in the fact that it’s been our pioneering objective to promote a multi-sport viewing culture in India and with our vast bouquet of properties, we have undertaken various initiatives to drive up the consumption of non-cricket sports.”

    Kaul also informed that apart from cricket, WWE attracts a lot of viewers from tier 2 & tier 3 markets. Tier 2 and tier 3 markets are avid sports consumers and the network is looking at opportunities to engage further with them as and when possible.

    Throwing some light on how has the current year been for Sony Pictures Sports Network Kaul said, “The current year started on a high note in terms of revenue with two fantastic semi-finals in UEFA Champions League culminating to a big final in Madrid. We also had a great end to the NBA season and the multitude of football tournaments and leagues we air from across the globe contributed to the increase in the revenue. We also aired the biggest WWE PPV event – WrestleMania 35 which also contributed to the growth of our revenue.”