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Tag: Sunil Kumaran

  • BIG FM appoints Ishita Dasgupta as national head – digital

    BIG FM appoints Ishita Dasgupta as national head – digital

    Mumbai: Leading radio networks in India BIG FM has strengthened its national sales team with the appointment of Ishita Dasgupta as the national head – digital, and business growth (West & South). In her new capacity, Ishita will be in charge of advancing BIG FM’s digital and business verticals across the radio network.

    An accomplished media professional, Ishita specialises in media and entertainment. In a career spanning more than 17 years, she has impactfully led cross-functional projects and teams in the fields of revenue management, business development, relationship management, and brand development. Her robust body of experience exhibits a strong focus on advertising sales, digital properties, project management, and profit & loss accountability. In her previous role as vice president – digital alliances & partnerships with QYOU Media India, she oversaw market expansion by spearheading its digital sales strategy and developing innovative IP solutions. Prior to that, she worked with print & TV media companies including ABP, TV9 and India News where she set up the entire revenue function, sales strategy, revenue generation & customized brand solutions.

    Sharing views on the appointment, BIG FM COO Sunil Kumaran said, “In all Ishita’s previous roles, her contribution has been integral to the success that the brand has achieved. Given her vast experience in bringing together functions to deliver on the organisational goals, Ishita joins us at an opportune time as BIG FM endeavours to re-write its digital story. I am very happy to welcome Ishita to the team and look forward to exciting times ahead for the brand.”

    Speaking about her new role, Ishita Dasgupta said, “I am delighted to join the team at BIG FM. With changing trends and shifts in consumption patterns, the relevance of radio continues to remain unmatched. It is a crucial time for BIG FM, as we focus on understanding and building capacity to grab headspace within the emerging niches of the digital world. I am confident that my experience and learnings over the past two decades will hold me in good stead as I lead the team into new arenas and scale revenues to meet our goals.”

  • Big FM elevates Sunil Kumaran as chief operating officer

    Big FM elevates Sunil Kumaran as chief operating officer

    Mumbai: The leading radio network Big FM has elevated the chief brand and digital officer Sunil Kumaran as the chief operating officer. Kumaran will spearhead revenue and technical functions besides continuing his current responsibility of brand and boosting digital growth of the network.  

    The announcement by Big FM is in line with the radio network’s evolving marketing dynamics and growth estimation in the space of multiple avenues, which will be optimised by Kumaran through innovation and development.

    Kumaran has been associated with the radio network for close to eleven years and comes with an experience of over two decades in the radio industry.

    Talking about his new role, Kumaran said, “We are going through a transformative time in our journey at BIG.  Tapping into our strengths, we have embarked on an aggressive growth plan to leverage the opportunities presented by the fast evolving digital landscape.”

    “I am happy to move into this role where I get to work with a top-of-the-line cross functional team, to drive this evolution and growth,” he added.

    Reliance Broadcast Network Ltd chief executive officer Abraham Thomas said, “Sunil is a proven leader and we aim to leverage every ounce of his superpowers as a revenue, product, content, and marketing visionary to write BIG FM’s success story.  His remarkable brand commitment, together with strategic vision, navigating through changing industry dynamics, constant client/listener focus, leading teams and setting them up for success and understanding of how we come together at BIG FM to execute against opportunities in a collaborative way will open up avenues for BIG FM to create newer milestones.”

    He further said, “here is wishing Sunil all the very best in his new assignment. I am confident in the commitment and the ability of our teams to rise to this challenge and script the biggest comeback story of the post Covid era.”

  • Hungama Artist Aloud launches app with Big FM India & Vimal

    Hungama Artist Aloud launches app with Big FM India & Vimal

    Mumbai: Hungama Artist Aloud, a platform that supports and promotes independent artists and content has partnered with Big FM India, alongside Vimal Bolo Zubaan Kesari as a special partner, to launch the Hungama Artist Aloud app. The app has been developed by D’Cafe.

    Spanning over 40 languages and 50+ genres such as pop, rock, hip hop, folk, indie, EDM, ghazal in music and multi-regional comedy talent, this hub for all independent artists across original content art forms will be available on Android and iOS and Hungama Artist Aloud Web.

    Right from its inception, Hungama Artist Aloud has endeavoured to present a platform for independent artists to showcase their talent and reach out to a wider base of listeners spread across the nation. With the genre’s popularity rising as independent artists carve their niche and fandom, the app, via the ‘Go Live’ feature will provide them with a democratic approach to perform live events anywhere, anytime and earn revenue, said the statement.

    “Right from the start, Hungama Artist Aloud has envisioned creating a tech-backed community for independent artists and their music to thrive. The idea behind the launch of the app is to promote independent talent globally, and to help them reach out to a diverse audience,” said Hungama Artist Aloud SVP Soumini Sridhara Paul. “Independent content has been on the rise and we are thrilled to present these talented artists with a platform that takes them to further heights. We are glad to take our vision forward alongside like-minded partners such as BIG FM India, Vimal – Bolo Zubaan Kesari, and the app developers, D’café. We thank them for their support as we look to create a wider fan base for independent content and the artists by leveraging their expansive reach and network.”

    With a view to fostering the relationship between artists and their fans, the ‘S2A’ (Subscribe to Artist) feature will allow users to buy a subscription to their favourite artist. In addition to receiving early access to content, these users will be the first to know, via notifications, when the artist whom they’ve subscribed to has uploaded new content. They will also receive one free live event pass that can be used anytime for any live event, within one month of the subscription.

    Apart from a platform to perform live and earn revenue, the Hungama Artist Aloud app will also aid independent artists with a host of marketing services.

    “Today, listeners are spread across platforms. Starting their day with radio, they subsequently move to other streaming platforms throughout the day. In such times, being ubiquitous is the need of the hour and we at Big FM, keep our listeners as the top priority,” remarked Big FM chief brand and digital officer Sunil Kumaran. “Our partnership with Hungama Artist Aloud is to expand our wings and venture into different avenues for our listeners and stakeholders. Through the new app, we will have a multi-format digital presence which empowers our listener base across 58 stations to engage with BIG FM in another fresh manner.”

    “It’s always fun to collaborate with a dedicated team. Hungama Artist Aloud made the experience all the more thrilling by being open to innovation. Being their technology partner has been an interesting journey for us. It has been a wonderful creative exchange that has fuelled our curiosity. We look forward to pursuing this partnership in the long run,” added D’café CEO Vineet Dhawan.

  • Dentsu Aegis launches The Story Lab in India; Sunil Kumaran to head

    Dentsu Aegis launches The Story Lab in India; Sunil Kumaran to head

    MUMBAI: Dentsu Aegis Network’s specialist content agency The Story Lab (TSL) has expanded its footprint by setting shop in India and has roped in Sunil Kumaran as country head.

    Based out of Mumbai, Kumaran will be guided by Carat India MD Kartik Iyer, who is the executive sponsor for TSL. Prior to this, Kumaran was with Reliance Broadcast Network Ltd as chief strategy officer (CSO).

    Dentsu Aegis Network-South Asia CEO and chairman Ashish Bhasin said, “Content is an exciting space for us to be in. Clients are increasingly looking at how they can ‘influence’ the consumers more effectively than just increasing their ‘reach’ through traditional forms of advertising. We have been building various expertise centres within Denstu Aegis Network and TSL is a significant step towards consolidating our position as a Network, which delivers superior value to clients and partners. Also, this is a big step forward in helping us achieve our mission of being the second largest agency group by end 2017 in India, overturning for the first time the existing ranking which has historically been in place for over 80 years in India.”

    Iyer added, “An entity like TSL is the need of the hour as brands look to accelerate the effectiveness of their ecosystems through innovative content solutions that can deliver scale, engagement and advocacy. We are very happy to have Sunil Kumaran on board who brings with him years of strategic media planning experience and deep understanding of this space.”

    Kumaran said, “I’m very excited about this new initiative, which is based on the philosophy of providing a superior value proposition to clients. Media convergence has disrupted the traditional advertising-led marketing communications model and ‘Content’ is one of the most valuable assets within media companies’ and brands’ ecosystems. I am looking forward to doing some exciting work across brands within the Dentsu Aegis Network Group.”

  • Reliance Broadcast Network ups executive leadership; Lavneesh Gupta quits

    Reliance Broadcast Network ups executive leadership; Lavneesh Gupta quits

    MUMBAI: Reliance Broadcast Network Ltd (RBNL) has made a series of promotions in its top-level management. The newly appointed executive leadership team will work seamlessly across RBNL’s radio (92.7 Big FM) and television (Big Magic and Big Magic Ganga) businesses.

     

    The leadership team with Reliance Broadcast Network CEO Tarun Katial at the helm, will comprise Asheesh Chatterjee as the executive vice president and chief financial officer, who will be looking at new opportunities and expansion plans in addition to the finance and regulatory portfolios.

     

    On the other hand, Ashwin Padmanabhan as executive vice president and business head will oversee the television channels, in addition to his existing role as business head for 92.7 Big FM.

     

    RBNL chief strategy officer Sunil Kumaran will across handle revenue and product as well as marketing for both the radio and television businesses. The network’s creative director Paritosh Painter will also work across both the mediums.

     

    Meanwhile, after a stint of almost two years with the organization, RBNL chief operating officer Lavneesh Gupta has decided to move on.

     

    Katial said, “In order to build a future ready organisation, we want to build a team of lateral leaders. Their focus will be on developing skills of the team in the areas of innovation, creativity, risk taking and adopting an entrepreneurial approach. I am certain that the team will deliver and continue to successfully drive the growth story for the Group.”

  • Big Magic brings more madness & comedy presents ‘Total Nadaniyaan’

    Big Magic brings more madness & comedy presents ‘Total Nadaniyaan’

    MUMBAI:Big Magic revamps its popular come dy caper Uff! Yeh Nadaniyaan. Renamed as Total Nadaniyaan, this will begin on 27 April at 9:30 pm bringing in fresh characters, more madness and over the top comedy. Retaining the popular faces as Upasana Singh, Gaurav Sharma the show promises new characters with an engaging new storyline. 

     

    Total Nadaniyaan is set in the backdrop of Punjab will revolve around a righteous mother Tarawanti, her younger son Pappu who is a wannabe actor & teleshopping entrepreneur married to Canada return wife Jassi who is dumb yet solves the most complex problems with her simple and unfiltered take on things. The show will also introduce Jassi’s twin brother who shares the same name. 

     

    Viewers will be entertained with a heavy dose of humour as war between Pappu and Jassi the brother in law; as Jassi becomes immensely popular. The Pug Ghungroo can only talk to Pappu and speak his mind out and has a point of view on every situation which makes it funny thus adding uniqueness and freshness to the show. 

     

    Talking about the changes and more comedy, Reliance Broadcast Networkcreative director Paritosh Painter said, “At Big Magic, we strive to offer content that is only fresh and full of over the top comedy. Total Nadaniyaan, will bring in a sense of absolute LOL comedy followed by quirky characters represented by the madness of each character. Seeing the popularity of Uff! Yeh Nadaniyaan, we are confident of its acceptance in its current planned form.”

     

    Says Reliance Broadcast Networkchief strategy officer Sunil Kumaran said, “We believe comedy is emerging as a very relevant genre and we as RBNL shall be tapping into it more extensively across our TV and Radio media platforms.  BIG MAGIC as a  channel promise is to refresh, rejuvenate audience and this new show relaunch is  a step in that direction – poised towards the objective of creating an ultimate comedy destination.” 

     

    Additionally, BIG MAGIC aiming at building highoctane recall and popularity is promoting the show heavily on numerous radio stations apart from leveraging the popularity of their own BIG FM network. The channel, to garner maximum visibility is generating excitement through engaging content across social media platforms. 

     

    Ensuring ribtickling humor and sidesplitting comedy, the new season will endeavor to cater content for family entertainment, giving them the perfect doze of laughter and leisure. 

  • RBNL launches in-house division for ‘trade solutions and account planning’

    RBNL launches in-house division for ‘trade solutions and account planning’

    MUMBAI: Reliance Broadcast Network Limited (RBNL) has launched an offering for its clients, with a dedicated division for ‘trade solutions and account planning’.

    With the intent to leverage the overall strength of RBNL, to provide strategic media solutions to clients, the move will see the strategy and solutions team coming together to deliver value to marketers, that goes beyond the customary FCT purchase. The functioning of the team comes into play with immediate effect and is poised to change the way media platforms provide services to clients. The team will be led by RBNL network strategy and service head Sunil Kumaran.

    The division will provide marketers associating with RBNL a much stronger proposal to increase the effectiveness of the media plans. This will be done through a deeper understanding of content, media consumption and local consumer insights which RBNL has acquired over the years of its existence and a strong radio entity.

    Speaking on the initiative, Kumaran said, “The idea is to ensure that partners investing in our brands are getting the best value. Over the years with our research, strategy and creative teams we have built a much deeper understanding of consumers and how they engage with media, how creative propositions can improve campaign effectiveness and how performance of our stations and channels can be effectively put to use to provide a strong marketing solution for client.  This division will focus on utilising this expertise to service clients partnering with us.”

     

  • 12 hour Laughathon with Nadaniyaan on Big Magic

    12 hour Laughathon with Nadaniyaan on Big Magic

    MUMBAI: Big Magic, the flagship GEC from Reliance Broadcast Network is taking newer approach to stay connected to their audience. On 27 October, get set for a laughter indulgence the channel is all geared up to showcase, The Nadaniyaan Laughaton,a special treat for fans of the popular situational comedy show – Nadaniyaan. It will be a 12-hour non-stop entertainment (8:00 am – 8:00 pm).

    Talking about the initiative, the channel’s business head Sunil Kumaran says, “Sundays are days when television viewers seek complete light family entertainment. To appeal the entire family, we conceptualised this special Sunday content.”

    The programming has been designed to increase reach and sampling, says Sunil Kumaran

    Anchored by none other than popular actor-comedian Krushna Abhishek, this special marathon will air the best Nadaniyaan episodes. Says Krushna, “I am very excited to be anchoring a laughathon on Big Magic. Nadaniyaan is a hilarious sitcom and I personally enjoy watching the show. This is the first time I am doing something like this and it has been a wonderful experience. I am certain that this Sunday is going to be a fun-filled one.”

    Nadaniyaan… Teen Nadaano Ki Kahaniyaan is a dialogue-based situational comedy that revolves around the lives of the Verma family featuring Naman Verma aka Nandu, his wife Chandini and his brother Pushkar Verma aka Pappu. A self-proclaimed writer, a push-over wife and a clumsy younger brother; this nadaan family constantly lands each other in amusing situations with plenty of misunderstandings, crazy pranks and comic characters.

    Kumaran adds, “Nadaniyaan has the right mix of comedy and makes for perfect Sunday television entertainment. Krishna’s was a perfect fit for the show given his experience in the comedy genre. The programming has been designed to increase reach and sampling. Additionally, we will have Krishna’s fans who will further augment viewership.”

    In the past, many GECs have tried this stint but haven’t been able to click with the audience well.

  • Close Big Magic launches multi-media marketing campaign across HSM

    Close Big Magic launches multi-media marketing campaign across HSM

    MUMBAI: Big Magic, the flagship GEC from Reliance Broadcast Network, which recently expanded its reach across Hindi speaking markets and announced a slew of new shows and now kicked off with a multi-media marketing campaign.

     

    The two-month comprehensive and integrated campaign sees a mix of traditional and non-traditional media across television, cinema screens, radio and digital. With a marketing mix that connects with consumers across touch points through the day, will be spread across external media platforms, while also optimising the company’s internal media muscle to ensure mileage. The campaign kick-started last week will run until the end of November.

     

    Commenting on the campaign, Big Magic business head Sunil Kumaran said, “We are rolling out the marketing campaign now that we have our distribution and content in place.  This will give a strong impetus to the good growth we are witnessing on the channel.  We have created an integrated multi-media campaign ensuring we connect with our audiences through multiple touch points.  We are using TV extensively along with Radio, Cinema and Digital to ensure that we reach out to a large base of audience in a short time.”

     

    With a communication built to convey the availability of the channel in more geographies and fresh and newer content, the campaign is aimed at garnering greater eyeballs for its differentiated content. The creative idea is to make Big Magic the destination for the best Hindi television entertainment with a mix of drama, comedy and more.

     

    An exhaustive plan including using television channels ranging music, movie and news, cinema screens across the cities, effective promos on radio, and an engaging digital plan, the campaign has been designed to attract newer audiences and encourage sampling. Ensuring the company’s internal media strengths are part of the plan, 92.7 BIG FM, Spark Punjabi, Big RTL Thrill and Big Magic Bihar & Jharkhand will also be effectively used as part of the plan.

     

    The media mix is designed to deliver maximum impact. Given the audience profile of BIG MAGIC, media selection has been made keeping in the mind the lifestyle and habits of the female television viewer.

  • Big RTL Thrill’s Fear Factor – Darr Se Takkar brings on board Mountain Dew and Vista D90 as partners

    Big RTL Thrill’s Fear Factor – Darr Se Takkar brings on board Mountain Dew and Vista D90 as partners

    MUMBAI: BIG RTL Thrill has brought on board key male targeted brands Mountain Dew and Vista D90 as the title sponsor and associate sponsor respectively, for its show Fear Factor – Darr se Takkar.

    With the channel reaching out to male audiences in the 15-44 years age group, the association enables Mountain Dew and Vista D90 to communicate with their TG. Mountain Dew’s campaign stays true to its positioning – ‘Darr Ke Aage Jeet Hai’, while the Vista D90 campaign communicates the ‘Designed to Thrill’ spirit.

    Reliance Broadcast Network regional TV business head Sunil Kumaran said, “Our association with Mountain Dew and Vista D90 underlines our belief in creating a channel, offering action based content, to male audiences. These far, mass male targeted brands have had to make do with GEC’s, to reach their audiences even though it is a well known fact that these channels are more women titled. Big RTL Thrill comes as an answer to an advertisers’ quest for a platform that reaches male audiences effectively.”

    Mountain Dew category director-flavors Ruchira Jaitly said, “Mountain Dew as a brand has always inspired people to face their fears to emerge victorious because the brand believes that beyond fear lies victory. Fear Factor – Darr Se Takkar is an ideal platform for us to associate with since the content of the show resonates well with the content of our communication.”

    “Our association with Fear Factor – Darr Se Takaar on BIG RTL Thrill resonates the new Vista D90 positioning – all about the adrenalin rush of those who constantly seek thrill. The association goes far beyond just ‘staple diet’ sponsorship and connects with the right audience in interesting ways,” said Lodestar UM vice president Deepak Raj Netram.

    BIG RTL Thrill is available across the platforms of Reliance Digital TV, Digicable, Sity cable, Incable, Hathway Digital, 7 Star Cable, JPR, Satellite, Star Broadband and others.

    The show will ride on Reliance Broadcast Network’s consumer awareness campaign called ‘Choose Your Set Top Box Wisely’ / ‘Samajhdari se Chune, Apna Set Top Box’. After an extremely successful roll-out of the campaign across the 4 metros in DAS phase I, the campaign now extends across 38 cities in DAS phase II.

    The 12-week campaign launched on 1 April has been designed to empower consumers with information on digitization. Simultaneously, it also offers distribution partners an excellent opportunity to strengthen brand equity. The campaign will see an extensive multi-media marketing push with the help of RBNL’s marketing muscle and expertise and will be promoted across the platforms of television, radio, cinemas, digital, outdoor, and on-ground.