MUMBAI: Tata Sky announced a new and improved offer on India’s next-generation Android set-top box Tata Sky Binge+, aimed at providing customers an upgraded and immersive content-viewing experience.
Introduced at a subsidised rate of Rs 3,999, the new offer will enable subscribers to watch both linear channels (broadcast via satellite) and OTT content (via internet) from popular apps on their TV screen using a single remote.
Tata Sky chief commercial & content officer Pallavi Puri said: “Entertainment consumption is evolving rapidly. As content becomes multi-platform, we are constantly pushing the envelope to expand our expertise so that we can take content to our viewers through whichever touchpoint they are most attuned to. Bringing the strengths of traditional DTH with next-generation features and the world of OTT content together, the fully integrated Tata Sky Binge+ device delivers an enriched viewing experience, with the highest image quality and a consistent end-user experience on their TV screens.”
Additionally, Tata Sky Binge+ enables viewers to play any show, movie, music, game on their laptop, tablet or mobile phone and watch it directly on their TV with its in-built Chromecast feature. Empowered by first in-class technology, Tata Sky Binge+ also includes Google Assistant that makes discovering content easy, using the voice search feature thereby allowing access to plethora of games and apps available on Google Play store. It is compatible with all types of TVs including 4K, HD LED, LCD, or plasma technology as it supports HDMI output and can also be connected to older TV sets over audio and video cable.
Priced at Rs 3999/-, Tata Sky Binge+ provides the benefit of six months OTT content that the user can watch on their STBs including 7 days missed shows and access to 3 months Amazon Prime subscription at no additional cost.
MUMBAI: Tata Sky, India’s leading content distribution and Pay TV platform, in partnership with Chimp&z Inc, celebrated International Family Day with the launch of a digital campaign under its larger Isko Laga Dala Toh #FamilyJingalala positioning. In times of social distancing when families have been spending more time together at home, Tata Sky took the initiative to knit these bonds stronger by celebrating togetherness through a meaningful message.
The film takes us through the beautiful moments inside a home depicting how family members who were busy in their individual lives have now come together once again spending quality time as one unit. The film focuses on relationships, showcasing instances of togetherness in the current scenario like kids getting adequate sleep instead of rushing to get ready for school in the mornings; instead of Saturday outings, couples taking to cooking and enjoying delicious meals together; helping one another with household chores; fighting for the TV remote; and above all else, despite all norms of social distancing, families coming together to enjoy apno ke saath apna entertainment.
Anurag Kumar, chief communications officer, Tata Sky, said: “We wanted to highlight the positives of these distressing times in a light hearted yet meaningful way through this campaign. Aimed at closing the gap between generations, the viewers will find the messaging of this campaign very relatable. It’s a slice of life depiction of the bitter-sweet relationship one has with their family members. Occasions like family meals and TV time have always brought people together and it is happening more so in todays times. We at Tata Sky therefore decided to bring alive these little nuances of life through this campaign on International Family Day.”
Angad Singh Manchanda, CEO & Co-founder of Chimp&z Inc, said: “Since the lockdown brought us all together, we must wonder why it took a crisis to teach us the importance of our families. We had our means of individual entertainment so somewhere we stopped coming to the living room and have those little squabbles about taking control of the TV remote; one of things that symbolises coming together as a family. With the opportunity of celebrating the International Day of Families, we brought this message out through this campaign. Here’s hoping that it strikes a chord with our viewers and helps them cherish this family time.”
The campaign was further executed on Tata Sky’s social media handles with engaging activities on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook including – Guess the Gibberish, guessing catchphrases of dialogues common at home and Families on WhatsApp – encouraging followers to share screenshots of fun and lively chats on family WhatsApp groups.
Ad Film Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKXsQu3zoT0&feature=youtu.be
Mumbai: Mythological shows have swept the country by storm in times when audiences are forced to be confined to homes. Leading Hindi GEC Dangal is ensuring they are providing the best mythological mix with shows like Anand Sagar’s Ramayan, Chandragupt Maurya, Mahima Shani Dev Ki and Dwarkadheesh: Bhagwan Shree Krishna.
As per data by BARC, Impressions for Dangal TV recorded a growth of 7 per cent in week as compared to the previous week. The channel’s reach also catapulted by additional 2 million in week 17 while time spent has increased by 5 per cent over the previous week. The launch of ‘Ramayan’ on April 26, 2020 led to 45 per cent growth for the slot for the week. The channel continues to lead as the No. 1 channel in the Hindi GEC – free platform category with 3 programmes – Baba Aiso Var Dhundo, Mahima Shani Dev Ki, and Ramayan featuring in the Top 5 programmes in Week 17.
A Dangal spokesperson said: “Dangal is committed to keeping its viewers entertained even in these tough times. Having understood the pulse of our viewers and that mythological content continues to have a strong appeal, we introduced some very popular and interesting shows like Chandragupt Maurya, and Mahima Shani Dev Ki. We also introduced the 2008 remake of Ramayan which has been received exceptionally. This has helped the slot grow by 45 per cent. We have also increased the slot to air an additional episode thus giving our viewers an entire hour dedicated to Ramayan daily. We will continue to keep up to our promise of entertaining our viewers across India. "
Mythological shows have become the guiding light for the country at a time when fresh content is unavailable.
Dangal TV, in the world of entertainment, is a brand synonymous with constantly delivering diverse stories. The channel is a pioneer in presenting shows, across genres including Mythological stories Fiction drama, Crime, Super Natural, Horror, etc. Dangal is available on all leading cable networks and DTH platforms – DD Free Dish (CHN NO 27), Tata Sky(CHN NO 177), Airtel (CHN NO 133), Dish TV (CHN NO 119) and Videocon D2H (CHN NO 106).
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MUMBAI: If you have exhausted your watchlist of films and web series and continue to seek unique content options and spellbinding stories, then we have you covered! From science fiction to drama, comedy to crime, ShortsTV brings you a specially curated selection of Indian short films featuring some of the finest talent from Bollywood. Tune in to watch the excellent performances from the likes of Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Jackky Bhagnani, Pravin Dabas, Sonali Kulkarni, among many others as they deliver the thrill of a strong story all under 40mins. ShortsTV is available across platforms such as Tata Sky, Airtel Digital TV, Dish TV and D2H.
MY SUN SETS TO RISE AGAIN
Starring Parvin Dabas, My Sun Sets to Rise Again is a beautiful dramatic story of forbidden love and one woman’s dreams that are bigger than the caste system that has suppressed her family for generations. Will her life take an unexpected turn, or will she make her own destiny?
KALL KARO…SAMBHAL KE
Directed by Sudhir Achary, the short film is a hilarious take on the incessant calls for insurance, credit card, instant loans…that we all have been troubled by. Here's some payback.
REWIND
Marriages are made in heaven. But what if your arranged marriage is with a girl with a past she would like to forget, but which you can never forget?
CARBON
Starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Jackky Bhagnani and Prachi Desai, Carbon is a dystopian science-fiction short film on global warming. Set in a futuristic world, the short film will underline the emotion of greed overpowering humans inhabiting the Earth.
THE ETERNAL
The film is about a boy who has a differently abled mind. He speaks to his Goddess Durga and imagines her talking to him with a lot of love and affection.
SULTAAN
Directed by Karan Vyas, Sultaan is the story of a drug dealer whose first offshore drug deal with Indian mafia goes horribly wrong. Watch as a selfish drug dealer survive on the streets of India with help of local slum kids and tries to escapes the country.
MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: The rules of communication had never been so versatile as we are witnessing now. When almost the whole world is under lockdown, business running from homes, probably for the first time in history, and purchase patterns seeing curves deviating from regular, the communication and marketing industry is functioning in a sort of dystopia no degree could have taught them of.
As per a recent Kantar Study, despite the disturbing reality people are living in these days, 92 per cent of consumers will prefer brands to continue advertising. The enjoyment percentile for top-quality advertising content has mostly risen for the period. This puts an additional responsibility on brands’ shoulders to not only stay relevant but also educate and entertain consumers in times of distress.
Muthoot Pappachan Group CMO Sanjeev Shukla tells Indiantelevision.com that it is very important for brands these days to build on the brand value that they have generated over years and make their users their brand advocates in a time when sales are lower than usual. He said his brand is focussing on staying in touch with the consumers and keep their trust intact.
Asian Paints recently released a shot-at-home video for its Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai campaign to spread positivity and cheers. Asian Paints MD and CEO Amit Syngle said, “While all of us are put to this unprecedented test, the campaign aims to take a moment and look at the brighter side of things, cherish the joy of being with our families and create unforgettable memories.”
The Kantar study also suggests that brands should refrain from advertising too much around the pandemic and try including light humour in their ads. It also suggested that brands can revisit old videos and footages to fit in this “new world of engagement”, something that Amul is doing by showing its old ads during the Ramayana and Mahabharata episodes on Doordarshan.
Ogilvy India chief creative officers Kainaz Karmakar and Harshad Rajadhyaksha believe that agencies will have to be wearing their thinking hats tighter than ever now considering the limitations agencies are working in.
“Currently, we see no dip in work at all. In fact, more and more brands want to help in sending out the right information about Coronavirus, so that is keeping us very busy and rightly so. Restrictions are a reality of life, at least for the next few months. But thanks to technology and the wonderful World Wide Web, we are still able to create work. Writing needs to be sharper than ever because there will be limits on visuals,” they said.
FCB Ulka ECD Anindya Banerjee shared similar sentiments as he noted, “The best part of the crisis is that it has no precedent. So, clients are looking for out-of-the-box solutions. And we as an agency are beside ourselves at such an opportunity. The creative team is up to their eyebrows with work. While many of them are prior commitments, they have to be recalibrated to the new normal; the complete dependence on the online media.”
While most of the work has moved online and mobility restricted, neither brands nor agencies are giving up on the idea of creating fresh TVCs. Case in point being ZEEL’s #HumAndarCoronaBahar campaign by Lowe Lintas, Tata Sky’s campaign by Ogilvy, and Sony Pictures unique short film starring biggies across Bollywood and regional industries including Amitabh Bachchan and Rajnikanth.
Limited resources and restricted movements have brought out the creative best of many brands and agencies.
Karmarkar and Rajadhyksha shared, “Our video team has rolled up its sleeves and is finding ingenious ways of making work happen. The office is producing some pretty sweet work. The Vodafone stay at home pug, The Fevikwik ‘don’t repair, Asian Paints and UNILEVER; all these and many more pieces have been written, produced and released in the last three weeks. No one can lockdown creativity.”
Banerjee also noted that their video team is working hard to innovate. “At the risk of sounding immodest, as an agency, we are used to not giving up, no matter what. Our films department is already planning on how does one do a great film and yet make it look like a million bucks.”
MUMBAI: Amid the countrywide lockdown, students are unable to attend classes and for their benefit, Tata Sky and Airtel Digital TV will air three educational Swayam Prabha channels. These channels were available earlier on DD Free Dish, Dish TV and Jio TV App.
"To enable learners to continue their education and learning even sitting at home in this difficult situation arisen due to unfortunate outbreak of COVID-19, Tata Sky and Airtel DTH operators were requested to air some Swayam Prabha channels on their DTH platform and they have agreed to do so," union human resource development minister Ramesh Pokhriyal said, according to a PTI report.
Swayam Prabha is a group of 32 DTH channels devoted to telecasting of high-quality educational programmes on 24X7 basis. The course contents are covering diverse disciplines such as arts, science, commerce, performing arts, social sciences and humanities subjects, engineering, technology, medicine and agriculture. The contents are provided by NPTEL, IITs, UGC, CEC, IGNOU, NCERT and NIOS.
NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: The ongoing 21-day lockdown in the wake of n-COVID19 in the country has posed unprecedented challenges for the ad world. With entire companies forced to work from home and shoots halted, it has become quite difficult to conceive new video campaigns, at a time when content consumption is at a record-high. However, even in this crisis, creative agencies have found a way to create ads that can lift people’s spirits.
One such agency is Ogilvy. Under the expert leadership of chief creative officer worldwide and executive chairman India Piyush Pandey, Ogilvy has managed to set a new creative standard.
In the past week, two brands, Asian Paints and Tata Sky, launched new video campaigns, using montages of recorded phone videos set beautifully on a lyrical voiceover, both creatively managed by Ogilvy. While the core concept and process remained almost similar for both the stories, each shared a different message and gave a different feel.
Ogilvy India CCO Sukesh Nayak tells Indiantelevision.com, “I generally feel a brand, in a way, has a role to play during the time of crisis. It has happened with both the brands – Tata Sky as well as Asian Paints. One needs to ask themselves what they can do, what they can offer.
At the end of the day, consumers are your guide. Ads are created for them. Today we all are at very challenging times in our lives. Everybody is struggling with their own fear, anxiety, and pressure. So, yes as an advertiser I have many ideas to execute.”
Elaborating more on Tata Sky’s “Ghar Baithe Kuch Seekhein campaign”, he shares, “My constant thinking is what I can do to make your job easier. Hence, we came across the idea of freeing up the services. Tata Sky is doing its bit to entertain and engage subscribers while they stay at home. We looked at the positive side of this nationwide lockdown. You can learn so many new things in this 21-day lockdown period and this is how the brand came up with this unique idea. So, Tata Sky has given free access to content that will include value-added services for the entire family.”
Tata Sky chief communication officer Anurag Kumar adds, “The starting point of the campaign was that we were not looking for a creative video, which is high on production value. In fact, we were looking for authentic communication and empathy towards the consumers.”
For Asian Paints, the revival of its “Har Ghar Chup Chap Se Kuch Kehta Hai” campaign was meant to give the audience a reason to smile, appreciate what they have in these tough times, and lead richer lives at homes, reveals Asian Paints MD & CEO Amit Syngle.
He says, “In current uncertain and trying times, we endeavoured to capture glimpses of moments people are spending at home and memories that are being created in the process. The campaign weaves in various stories, memories, and interactions that are relatable as people are doing the very same things at home now.”
For Syngle, the campaign was conceptually different from what the brand has used earlier. “The purpose of this campaign is centred on the well-being of our consumers. Amidst the challenging times we are facing today, Asian Paints, through this light-hearted take, inspires people to stay at home and stay safe during the lockdown period.”
For Kumar, an additional learning was the whole process that was taken into account to create the campaign. “From start to finish, the campaign was executed in 72-hours. The whole process of briefing and discussion, which earlier would have taken months, was done away with. All the discussions happened on calls and WhatsApp messages and not even a single person in the entire chain, including the director and actors, stepped out of the house.”
He also notes that the campaign cost dropped down to about one-third to one-fifth of what it usually takes to produce video ads.
Highlighting more about the collaborative process, Nayak notes, “The agency and the brand were truly finding the relationship and partnership during this time. There was no brief given but it was a collaborative effort. These kinds of things are happening every day. Brands need to get connected with the agency while the agency has given a clear brief to respective teams. One good thing that we did is we talked to each other a lot. We communicated on a regular basis. We made points to discuss things. We made a list of things that are troubling our consumers and what an agency and a brand can do for them. I keep myself in the consumer’s shoes. It helps in ideation.”
Nayak thinks that more brands and agencies should come onboard to work on campaigns like these. “We are working with lots of partners across the country. I am personally happy to see my team and clients working like this to create magic. I think other brands should also do this because joy should be copied.”
But given the speed and financial benefits, can such campaigns become a norm for the industry?
Kumar doesn’t think so. According to him, after the lockdown is lifted, such campaigns can be executed on special occasions but it will not become a norm.
MUMBAI: Leading content distribution and Pay TV platform Tata Sky has announced emergency credit facility for subscribers who have been unable to recharge their account due to various reasons, inability to find a dealer to do it for them being one of them.
This is aimed at ensuring that all subscribers have access to uninterrupted entertainment round the clock while staying at home during the nation-wide lockdown period.
The step has been taken largely to ease out the lives of the non-tech savvy viewers who constitute a considerable size of the subscriber base.
In addition to this, 10 of Tata Sky’s interactive content services have been made free to encourage the consumers to remain fruitfully engaged, learn and do something new in the safety of their homes during this period of public health scare.
The emergency credit facility will provide subscribers a balance loan for a specified time period. The credited amount will be debited from the user's account as soon as he re-activates his service without any interest.
Meanwhile, free access to content will include value-added services for the entire family, targeted towards a variety of age groups. Tata Sky Fun Learn, Smart Manager, Vedic Maths, Cooking, Classroom, Dance Studio, Beauty and Fitness count amongst the most popular services that will be available at a time when it is imperative for people to join the drive to stay at home. The credit facility can be easily accessed by giving a free missed call. The free interactive services can easily be accessed on the set top box or on the Tata Sky Mobile App.
To spread the word on these initiatives, Tata Sky has created a unique TVC to celebrate the spirit of Stay Home, Stay Jingalala. The creative idea – “Chalo Ghar baithe baithe kuch naya seekhein”- has been conceptualised by Ogilvy India for Tata Sky. The TVC was shot and directed remotely by real people on their phone cameras in seven different cities – Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi, Gurgaon, Lucknow, Chennai and Jodhpur. Not a single person stepped out of their homes for the production which was executed in a period of just two days.
Talking about the campaign, Ogilvy India Chief Creative Officer Sukesh Nayak said, “In times like these, it’s important that brands contribute to help its consumers in their own way. By deciding to free up services, Tata sky is doing their bit to entertain and engage its subscribers while they stay at home.”
MUMBAI: While everyone stays indoors for 21 days, health is bound to take a step back. But, to boost people's workout regime, leading DTH operator Tata Sky will provide free access to Tata Sky Fitness – one of the most popular and longest-running services on the platform, to all its subscribers. Minister of state for youth affairs & sports Kiren Rijiju has recognised this initiative that comes at a time when it is imperative for people to join the drive to stay at home during the current countrywide lockdown.
This initiative will benefit Tata Sky’s entire subscriber base, reaching more than 50 million people, allowing them to keep up their fitness regimen from the safety and comfort of their own homes.
Tata Sky Fitness, available in English, Hindi & Telugu allows subscribers to get fit with celebrity fitness experts including Yasmin Karachiwala, Kaizzad Capadia, Abbas Ali, Shivoham, Luke Coutinho, Deepika Mehta, etc. at their own leisure. The service offers a daily slot dedicated to women’s fitness, fitness for senior citizens, nutrition advice and celeb fitness secrets along with interactive sessions.
Tata Sky Fitness is available on #110. It is also available on Live TV and VOD on the Tata Sky Mobile App.
MUMBAI: The direct-to-home (DTH) platform Tata Sky has sought to amend the writ petition which was filed earlier before the Delhi High Court against the new tariff order introduced by The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). Alongside the ongoing case, Tata Sky seeks to amend the present petition by adding a challenge to the new amendments which was brought by the regulatory body at the beginning of 2020.
Tata Sky has mentioned that following amendments are “arbitrary, irrational, unreasonable, without jurisdiction and seek to be expropriatory”.
The petitioner has submitted that the reduction of Network Capacity Fee (NCF) is irrational and unreasonable as it does not ensure reasonable profit to the DTH platform. According to the petitioner, the TRAI has not carried out any tariff determining exercise before making the amendment regarding NCF.
TRAI has also reduced the chargeability of the NCF in respect of every additional television to only 40 per cent of the original NCF, in a "multi-tv household". It has also asked to reduce the carriage fee chargeable by a DPO against a new television channel from 20 paisa for Standard Definition (SO) per channel per month for a penetration upto 5 per cent, to a cap of maximum Rs 4 lakh for SD Channels. Such caps are also prescribed for HD Channels.
“Through the capping of the Price of a Pay-Channel which could be put into a bouquet, the Distribution Fees available to the DPO has also been unreasonably and irrationally reduced,” the petitioner submitted. It also added that the amendment would reduce the capability of a DPO to form bouquets of channels which are priced above Rs 12 by the broadcaster. Moreover, a compulsory free carriage of Doordarshan channels has also been mentioned as unreasonable.
“The Petitioner submits that the Impugned Amendments 2020 reduce the revenue generated by the Petitioner No.1 in such manner that even the basic right of the Petitioner to recover the basic cost of its network has been negated. The Petitioner submits that during the course of the present petition before this Hon'ble Court, the Respondent has failed to prove, establish or even display the advantages of the 2017 Regime,” it says.
Hence, Tata sky has sought to make additional grounds which may be allowed to be included in the main writ petition. According to the company, the impugned amendments 2020 do not take into account relevant matters and takes into account irrelevant issues like foreign consumers to subscribe television channels on the ala-carte basis by making bouquet of channels expensive. The DTH network is thus being made available to the consumer in such manner that it would not be able to even recover its operational or capital costs.
