Tag: Times Internet

Alia Bhatt’s YouTube channel to boost her brand value

MUMBAI: In the past few years, YouTubers across the world have managed to grab a celebrity status for themselves. Names like Bhuvan Bam, Prajakta Koli, Ashish Chanchlani have become immensely popular and have got the chance to perform with several Bollywood celebrities. Creators like Shibani Bedi and Harsh Beniwal also made their Bollywood debuts this year.

While these micro-and mini-influencers are on their way to embrace the silver screen, a star from there has shifted to the digital pedestal in a big way. Alia Bhatt, who within a career spanning over just 7 years has become a critically acclaimed star and has been getting abundant love from the fans as well, has launched her own YouTube channel on which, in her own words, she is planning to showcase her ‘unadulterated’ self.

Bhatt is already a huge star and has a massive following on Instagram and Twitter. Then why did she decide to go the YouTube way?

As per communications consultant on digital/social media marketing and PR Karthik Srinivasan the move is understandable as YouTube helps in long-form content far better than Facebook or IGTV given the SEO benefits.

Indiatimes and Lifestyle Brands at Times Internet COO Angad Bhatia says that Bhatt already has strong cultural relevance and with YouTube she can become an influential content creator in her own way.

It is not the first time that a celebrity is trying to dabble in the social media space away from conventional platforms like Instagram and Facebook. Jacqueline Fernandez has a strong Snapchat presence, and she also debuted on TikTok recently along with Shahid Kapoor, and Tiger Shroff. Sonam Kapoor has her own app where she connects with her fans sharing beauty tips and offering a sneak peek into her lifestyle. In fact, a few celebs like Ajay Devgn, Shilpa Shetty Kundra, and Priyanka Chopra have their own YouTube channels as well, but they often upload just professional stuff.

Alia, who is one of the most loved stars in the country right now, could have easily leveraged these other media as well, especially her own app. Brand-nomics’ Viren Razdan notes that apps have their own limitations and challenges and that has led to international celebs like Kim Kardashian and Taylor Swift shutting down their individual apps.

Srinivasan says, “An app demands that people install it in the first place. And unless they happen to be really big fans, they may not install the app since it has limited appeal on an everyday basis. Plus, app content cannot be discovered by casual fans and fans of specific topics they address from time to time, while a YouTube page, with well-curated titles and tags would be.”

Landor managing director Lulu Raghavan adds that an app needs very strong market machinery to promote and it is quite doubtful that people would want to add more app to their phones. Meanwhile, users are already there on YouTube and watching many forms of content and it makes it easier for discovery.

Brand guru and founder Harish Bijoor Consultants Harish Bijoor quips, “YouTube is the place to be. A magnet star with a magnet brand-name can do just so much in promoting her own app. YouTube, on the other hand, provides it all and more within a nano-second. For Alia Bhatt, it must be like saying, ‘why dig a well when you can outsource the sea?’”

Rightfully so, within just three days of the launch and just one introductory video online, Bhatt’s channel has more than 310K subscribers. Meanwhile, Sonam Kapoor’s app on Google Play Store reflects only 100K+ downloads in three years.

Experts also believe that being on YouTube will add several points to Alia Bhatt’s already sky-high brand value.

Raghavan feels that the platform might give her an edge amongst her peers and it is possible that she emerges as the next global star from India after Priyanka Chopra.

“Of course, her primary brand value will be based on her roles and how well her movies perform. But if shares genuinely interesting and useful content besides, she could considerably enhance her brand value,” says Srinivasan.

“An active medium definitely helps build your influencing power and has the potential to strengthen conversations. If curated well, it could build her value immensely,” adds Razdan.

Bhatia adds, “This new generation of celebrities is very social media friendly. They know how to convert excessive social scrutiny to their benefit. More visibility is important for a top of the mind recall and higher brand value. Different media and social platforms ensure just that.”

Also, brands can come forward to leverage in this new side of Bhatt’s social media presence. The actress is already associated with prominent brand names like Caprese, Frooti, Garnier, and Nokia and her venture into this new domain might open up other big opportunities.

Srinivasan mentions that this will especially help brands that cannot afford expensive TV media. Her YouTube channel could be their first big media push if the target audience is appropriate.

However, Raghavan points out that this is the one area in which Bhatt will have to tread carefully. “If she has authenticity then she should only promote those brands that she truly believes in. It shouldn’t become another value for sales pitches as that can easily backfire. But if she can track it (the products) beautifully in the narrative of her life, the word of mouth of a celebrity is extremely fast.”

June 30, 2019
MX Player’s Gautam Talwar on content plans and digital measurement currency

MUMBAI: The latest OTT entrant Times Internet-owned MX Player recently entered the space with five original series on the back of an ad-supported business model. To keep consumers engaged, it aims to launch five to six shows each quarter. While the platform is already working closely with advertisers, it will also venture into branded content soon.

In an interaction with Indiantelevision.com, MX Player chief content officer Gautam Talwar spoke about the content strategy, initial audience response and content consumption trend on the platform. Talwar also expressed his views on industry issues such as the need for unified measurement, the possibility of consolidation in the OTT space.

Edited excerpts:

You started the journey with 5 series. How many shows do you plan to have in your library towards the end of the year?

I think the aim is to have at least 5-6 shows every quarter. That means we will be able to launch 1-2 shows every month. We reach out to a very wide cross section audience of India and the only way to cater to such diversity is being able to meet the diversity of content preference as well. So, we intend to have about 25-30 originals during the course of the year. 20-25, I would say to safely put it.

How often do you plan to refresh your library?

We will be launching a huge slate of originals and in terms of licencing and curating content we have already over 100,000 hours of content. That is constantly being refreshed in any case. On Sunday, we had the Radio Mirchi Music awards. So, whatever are the big things that we get, we refresh on a regular basis. But the refreshment will largely be driven with the kind of originals that we are trying to launch as well.

In this one month, which shows have got high traction?

That’s a very tough question to answer because with the diverse market and audiences, the shows have got different expectations. For all different shows we have different expectations, different benchmarks. Some would garner watch time, some would bring new audiences, some would deliver spike in participation. We have launched around 3 Hindi shows Hey Prabhu, Aafat and Im Mature. They have driven traffic in users and they have really exceeded our expectation and benchmark both. All three of the shows have done exceedingly well for us. The interesting part is that we got a huge spike in the female participation of the platform. That has gone up significantly since launch I think specifically because of Aafat.

For regional shows, we have also got good traction. The interesting part is that Famously Filmfare in seven languages, Lots of Love is in Tamil and Telugu. So, what we have done is we activated a regional basis also.

Can you share the significant content consumption trends on your platform?

I won’t be able to give any specific number but from the trend point of view, three key points are interesting. I think one is the fact that we have got a huge amount of participation from non-metro audiences. Apart from the top 8 metros which have also brought significant contribution, the non-metros have shown us a very significant spike in viewership. That’s one key content consumption trend for us.

The other interesting point is that a very large part of our audiences are actually newcomers in the age group of 18-35 as well. That’s the other interesting part.

Most people who are coming in are actually completing shows. Even on Twitter or other social media, the largest question asked are when is season 2 of Hey Prabhu, Im Mature launching. These are the content consumption trends we are looking at.

You have offline download capability also. Do audience stream more or prefer downloading?

Downloads have been activated for originals only when we launched. It’s a new feature. It all comes down to saying that because of the interesting content we put up, both the numbers are looking good. The actual number of who want to stream and want to download has increased. We don’t have downloads for all. Some of the licenced content cannot be downloaded. Only a fraction of the library, specifically the originals, are available for download.

How many advertisers do you currently have on board?

MX Player has been with the advertising community for very long time. We maintained those relationships and they are coming on to the streaming platform as well. So it’s been a healthy growth I would say, in terms of getting the advertisers on board.

We will be launching our first ever branded content. By the end of this month, we will be doing a show called Love Ok Please and that has been sponsored by a brand called Too Yumm.

Can you throw more light on your content strategy?

We formed a content strategy sometime ago. A lot of our shows are going to be catering to the heartland of audiences. We are going to be targeting the metro audiences. Because of the depth of distribution of MX Player, it is extremely critical that we kind of get shows for all kind of audiences, even all kinds of genres as well. We just started and we have to go a long way to ensure that. But the interesting part is that, from our perspective, I think one thing that we would like doing within this year is probably getting interactivity built into the content as well.

What’s your take on the need for unified currency for digital measurement?

We have been hearing about EKAM for a very long time. I think it's about time we get an independent medium to give authenticity that is required for advertisers to make sure that data being pulled out of all private OTT platforms has got a common currency. Once we get a common currency, we think advertisers will be at least clear about the value OTT players bring to the table, therefore, whatever the advertising rate that are being asked for has some amount of justification. I am sure over a period of time, as an industry we will come together for that level of third party measurement for all OTT players.

Do you foresee consolidation in the OTT space?

I think there will be some sense of consolidation. It is an extremely difficult business, it’s not only about content but also product, streaming, technology and engineering. You need a lot of things to get an OTT platform going. I think all players are not necessarily good at all things. I think it’s very important to get all parts of the puzzle right and also it requires deep pockets to make sure that do you have the strength and the will to make sure you last in the content business.

March 20, 2019
Times Internet’s 2nd OTT bet with revamped MX Player

MUMBAI: Another ambitious player with deep pockets is set to enter the burgeoning OTT space in India. Times Internet is going to launch a revamped version of MX Player on 20 February. Sources close to the development revealed the information to Indiantelevision.com. Reportedly, Times Internet invested more than Rs 1000 crore to acquire majority stake in the Seoul-based local video player.

With this launch, Times Internet will bet in the OTT segment for the second time. Earlier, in September 2016, the company had pulled down the shutters on its video OTT app Box TV. Soon after it bagged the MX Player deal.

Like many other OTT platforms, MX Player also wants to tap the millennial audience, the age group of 18-35. Despite the mushrooming digital platforms and abundant content, young India is hungry for more which makes the play easier for new entrants.

“We are understanding their specific need states and making sure that the programming is aligned to satisfying those need states via our original programming and curated licensing strategy,” MX Player content head Gautam Talwar said in an interaction with Indiantelevision.com earlier. He also added that the OTT platform will enter the market with at least five to six premium shows.

February 8, 2019
DOCOMO Digital elevates Rakshit Kapoor as global director-payment partnerships

MUMBAI: DOCOMO Digital has elevated Rakshit Kapoor as global director- payment partnerships earlier this year. He has been with DOCOMO Digital since early 2016 leading the India business.

DOCOMO Digital’s portfolio of leading-edge payments services connects digital platforms, payment providers, telecom carriers and merchants to enable secure and seamless mobile commerce at scale, while complying with all local and international regulations.

In his new role, Kapoor will be looking at developing and executing partnership strategies with financial institutions, payment methods, wallets and other technology partners across the globe. Offering a regulatory compliant robust payment solution with global reach and local payment methods to merchants globally will also be his core focus.

Prior to DOCOMO digital, he has worked with Idea Cellular as DGM marketing and at Times Internet as general manager.

He has also worked with Harmonix Productions for nine years as a director.

January 25, 2019
The year M&A changed the face of the media and entertainment industry

MUMBAI: The emergence of numerous streaming platforms and convergence between technology, media, and telecom companies shook the core of the media and entertainment business globally. Giant tech and telco players, on the back of their direct customer reach, started taking content creation and distribution a lot more seriously. Rapid change in content consumption pressurised traditional players to invest more in technology and focus more on the B2C model. The ongoing flux brought the industry on the brink of instability, leading to consolidation in the form of mergers and acquisitions.

In the last couple of years, the nature of competition in the global ecosystem has witnessed a gradual swing. Organisations like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Google have brought a structural shift forcing traditional players to rethink their approach to content and distribution. Legacy brands upped the ante to attract and retain more consumers even through cross-border deals. PwC India partner Raman Kalra points that everybody in this world of media disruption is trying to be relevant in reach and scale, the two critical factors that are driving deals. To corroborate his thesis, he highlights the AT&T-Time Warner deal where the former, with a huge reach, wanted to scale up its content play with the collaboration.

Closer to home, billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s RIL rode the TMT convergence wave better than most. India’s richest man started the year with a bang, intensifying TV18’s stake to 51 per cent by acquiring 1 per cent of Viacom18’s equity from Viacom Inc. for a cash consideration of $20 million. The RIL-owned Jio Infocomm also acquired a controlling stake in two large MSOs – DEN and Hathway – building ammunition for its FTTH’s foray. That’s not all, RIL also pocketed a small but significant five per cent stake in Eros International.

E&Y media and entertainment advisory services partner Ashish Pherwani expects more deals to materialise in 2019.

“Especially technology-driven deals because so many changes are happening in that space, and consolidation, led by inbound investments. There are three types of deal. One type of deal is happening in order to build efficiency and scale in the business, led by cost pressures. Another type of deal is around relevance and market share – to get a bigger slice of the market to monetise a larger base of consumers. The third type of deal which is happening is basically technology driven – for access to technology that could drive competitive advantage in the digital future. Hence, the three reasons market share, efficiency, technology are driving the deals,” he adds.

There were other interesting deals struck through the year that are likely to reshape the media and entertainment business going forward.

Birth of the world’s second largest DTH company

The Indian market wasn’t exempted from the global merger frenzy. The coming together of two large DTH operators – Dish TV India and Videocon d2h – was finally concluded this year, creating the largest DTH service provider in the country with a subscriber base of about 29 million. Apart from leveraging their individual strengths, it was expected that the combined entity would benefit from economies of scale. One of the biggest attractions for Dish TV as the acquirer was Videocon’s significantly higher average revenue per user (ARPU). Significantly, the combined entity’s ARPU was Rs 207 in the second quarter as opposed to Dish TV’s standalone ARPU of Rs 144 pre-merger. The deal also helped Dish TV position itself better when it came to negotiating with broadcasters.

Decks cleared for FTTH warfare

From formally launching FTTH service Jio GigaFiber to acquiring majority stakes in two large MSOs to speed up the rollout, the Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio was definitely the centre of attention in 2018. Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) made an investment of Rs 2,290 crore for 66 per cent stake in Den and Rs 2,940 crore for 51.3 per cent stake in Hathway. It will save RIL the cost of reaching out to customers as well as making the last mile connectivity easier in its ambitious bid of seizing control over India’s wired broadband business. With the launch of its telecom service, RIL gave rise to what many call ‘digital democratisation’. As the Jio juggernaut marked its entry into India’s multi-billion-dollar cable TV and DTH businesses, traditional players eyed the development with a healthy mix of scepticism and optimism.

Rivals joined hands

The Indian telecom sector this year saw the marriage of two giant companies, creating the country’s largest telecom company. In the month of August, Vodafone India and Idea Cellular completed the merger after getting approval from National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT). The consolidation of India’s telecom sector was a direct result of Jio’s relentless pricing war. Post the Idea-Vodafone deal, India’s telco business now comprises of just three players. Analysts expect the combined entity to yield better coverage than before as it would have access to a more robust ecosystem of cellular towers. COAI also believes that as competitive pressures drive consolidation, customers and the industry stand to benefit from the greater stability and better networks which will emerge. Surprisingly, a few years ago, the Indian telco sector had 13 operators.

Bansals became billionaires

Walmart gained a strong foothold in India’s this year as it completed its much-talked-about $16 billion acquisition of the country’s largest e-commerce company Flipkart. Poster boys of India’s start-up community Sachin and Binny Bansal became billionaires in a big win for Indian talent and home-grown businesses. Despite protests from traders across the country, as the deal could potentially harm their business, the Competition Commission of India (CCI)’s green signal came earlier this year. The biggest e-commerce deal globally bolstered Walmart’s repertoire in its war with Amazon internationally. With India being one of the most attractive retail markets in the world, a strong play here is bound to further boost the American behemoth in a rapidly changing environment.

Times Group joined the streaming sweepstakes

With almost major broadcasters and media companies trying to grab a slice of the hottest piece of the M&E business – OTT, the Times Group too jumped on the bandwagon. To get a stronger foothold in the space, Times Internet invested over Rs 1,000 crore to acquire a majority stake in video playback app MX Player. According to media reports, the company will introduce a streaming service within the app. The large cross-border deal which surprised the industry will definitely help Times Internet in the OTT race thanks to the huge base and popularity of MX Player in south Asian countries. With over 30 OTT players vying for consumers’ attention in India, the game has just begun with enough opportunities for new platforms. Earlier in the year, MX Player content head Gautam Talwar had told Indiantelevision.com that like many other OTT platforms, MX Player too wants to tap into the millennial audience. It wants to cater to users with 50,000 to 100,000 hours of premium curated licensed content along with a high focus on originals, he further added.

The telco takeover

Giant wireless carrier and telco AT&T’s acquisition of content powerhouse Time Warner is just one example of how the lines between distribution companies and content creators are blurring. With the $85 billion deal, the telco gained ready access to the content pool of CNN, HBO, and Warner Bros.

“Under the terms of the merger, Time Warner Inc shareholders received 1.437 shares of AT&T common stock, in addition to $53.75 in cash, per share of Time Warner Inc.1 As a result, AT&T issued 1,185M shares of common stock and paid $42.5B in cash,” said AT&T providing the financial details of the deal.

Though the deal was first announced in 2016, it had to negotiate past several subsequent legal hurdles. The Donald Trump-led US Department of Justice (DOJ) even filed a lawsuit against AT&T and Time Warner to block the proposed merger. Following a six week trial, a US district court approved the deal without any conditions on 12 June and also urged the government to not seek any stay. The main argument of the US administration was that the merger would hand over too much power to AT&T, making the market less competitive.

A once-in-a-lifetime deal

Another blockbuster deal that came through this year was the $71 billion acquisition of 21st Century Fox assets by Disney. After a long and sustained bidding war with Comcast, the Mouse House got its hands on much of the Murdoch empire. “Combining the 21CF businesses with Disney and establishing new ‘Fox’ will unlock significant value for our shareholders,” 21st Century Fox executive chairman Rupert Murdoch said. The shareholders of both the companies approved the deal immediately, with foreign approvals and regulatory reviews now the final procedural hurdle.

Disney is now in pole position to take on streaming giants like Amazon and Netflix with its OTT Disney+. The company has also already indicated its desire to stop licensing content to Netflix by ending the deal in favour of its own B2C service. Moreover, Disney now has majority control of Hulu, Endemol Shine Group and Star India, making it the most powerful content owner in the world. The reaction to the growth of OTT services has clearly shown that joining forces with rivals and competitors is not unacceptable anymore to survive in the market.

Second time lucky

After a failed attempt to buy 21st Century Fox, US cable giant Comcast won the bid for European entertainment biggie Sky. The former sealed the deal for a controlling stake in the British broadcaster with a winning bid of $40 billion. Analysts said that Comcast and Sky would become the biggest private sector provider of pay TV in the world with 52 million customers. Given the vast reach and growing customer base of Sky in Europe, Comcast took the step to expand its international business with it losing ground in the domestic market. This deal was a direct effect of cord-cutting as Netflix’s growth in the US has posed a major threat to the likes of Comcast. According to an analysis from Ampere, post the media mega-mergers of Comcast/Sky and Disney/Fox, two in every 10 dollars spent on content worldwide will now be spent by these two entities.

The merger madness from 2018 is likely to continue in 2019, as corroborated by experts we spoke to. Not only would it be interesting to track which companies opt for consolidation, but 2019 will also give us a sense of how the deals from 2018 take shape and play out.

December 24, 2018
Times Internet announces elevation of Puneet Gupt as its COO

MUMBAI: India’s leading digital products company, Times Internet announced the elevation of Puneet Gupt as the COO of Times Internet,with immediate effect.

Puneet has been associated with the Times Group for over ten years and and since 2011, he has been head of Times Internet’s vast and diverse News business. Under his leadership, the company has been able to reinforce the #1 position of TOI, reach the #1 position in languages and launched products like eTimes, GadgetsNow and NewsPoint to address emerging opportunities. Puneet has played a critical role in Times Internet’s News business registering a stunning 6.5X growth and enabled the company to become the world’s #1 premium digital publisher.

Announcing Puneet’s elevation Gautam Sinha, CEO of Times Internet said, “Puneet has been an invaluable asset to Times Internet. He is audacious, customer-obsessed and has rich experience in starting, growing and scaling up digital businesses. Puneet will be working closely with me to drive our ambitious growth agenda. He will lead our efforts in making Times Internet the go-to digital destination for every Indian’s information, entertainment and transaction needs.”

Puneet added, “Times Internet is a company that dares you to think big, and empowers you to make your dreams a reality. I look forward to amplify our growth by identifying and building category defining digital products that become the benchmark in quality and value proposition for our customers.”

It’s turning out to be quite an eventful year for Times Internet. The company partnered with Tencent to invest in Gaana, acquired and re-launched a video OTT platform MX Play, as well as launched popular gaming platforms like BaaziNow & CricPlay. The company’s dining out platform, Dineout acquired restaurant management software firm Torqus last month.

With 40+ digital products, Times Internet reaches 400+ million people every month. Most of its digital products are market leaders across news, sports, music, video and more in India.

December 10, 2018
MX Player’s content play for OTT platform launch

MUMBAI: In the last two years, India’s media and entertainment industry has witnessed the emergence of several over-the-top (OTT) players. With an ambition to gain a foothold in the burgeoning OTT space, Times Internet recently acquired a majority stake in Seoul-based MX Player. While the company is yet to reveal the exact launch timelines, the last quarter of this year is likely to mark the entry of another big-ticket aspirant. With a team of 150 employees, the platform is prepping up for its grand launch with at least five to six premium shows.

Like many other OTT platforms, MX Player also intends to tap into the millennial audience, the age group of 18-35. Despite the mushrooming of digital platforms, young India is hungry for more content, making the play easier for new entrants.

MX Player content head Gautam Talwar thinks the need for content has not been satiated by the current television offerings.

“We are understanding their specific need states and making sure that the programming is aligned to satisfying those need states via our original programming and curated licensing strategy,” he said in an interaction with Indiantelevision.com.

Talwar claims that the local video platform has approximately 65 million daily active users and 175 million monthly active users who are spread across the country. They want to cater to those consumers specifically with 50000 hours to 100000 hours of premium curated licensed content along with the originals.

However, the content head says they want to mainly focus on originals. He is optimistic about showcasing 20-25 original shows for the year 2018 – 2019, slating five to six shows for the launch. The content will not be limited to fiction only.

For offering premium content, the streamer is working with noted faces from both the film and television industry.

“We have directors like Shashanka Ghosh( Veere Di Wedding), Shashant Shah (Chalo Dilli/ Dasvidaniya) Samar Sheikh (Girl in the city/ Bobby Jasoos), Siddharth.P.Malhotra (We are family/ Hichki), Gautham Menon (Ondraga Films) in the fiction space along with working with writers like Habib Faisal (Do Dooni Chaar/ Ishaqzaade) and Abbas Tyrewala (Maqbool and Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na) to develop some key shows for us. We are also making sure that we leverage our internal group strength by having WWM (Filmfare/Femina) produce a show that has all the top regional celebrities on one of our key show. Similarly, we are working with the best of the non – fiction teams in the industry with new formats and thinking that we believe will appeal to this new generation of consumers,” he said.

To enrich its library, they are looking at leveraging both their house production team and talent from within the industry. Apart from riding on the back of the Times Studio, they are also working with producers and production houses from outside the industry.

Victor Tango, music director Shameer Tandon, Sunshine Productions are already working with the team and talks are on with a whole bunch of external producers who have put out good content across mediums. The platform will leave no stone unturned for providing customers with a seamless experience, with Talwar highlighting that MX player will be “investing more than industry averages on the product, tech as well as content”.

To stand out in the crowded Indian OTT landscape, content differentiation and deep pockets for effective marketing of the product is essential. While customer acquisition will not be a challenge for MX Player, but to build a loyal fan base the content will have to be extremely compelling.

“Our differentiation is at multiple levels. At a product level, we have acquired probably the best product in the market since it has been the top 10 apps on the play store for a very long period of time along with having a massive consumer base already. Along with that we believe our focus of Original premium content and curated licensed content would differentiate us and finally our business model which is AVOD would help with consumers who won’t have any barriers to sampling and consuming our content at will,” Talwar commented.

Interestingly, the platform will focus on South Indian market with Tamil, Telugu content from the get go. They have a bunch of premium curated web series, which have been licensed as well as originals specific for the target audience. Moreover, the streamer has some big originals, due for a year end release, in its pipeline for the Indian market.

It is certain that the Times group will use all its might to promote the brand well, with OOH playing a key role in the media mix. With the launch of MX Player, not only will consumers have more content options, the industry too will be benefitted. On the other hand existing players, especially, international streaming giants Netflix and Amazon will see some potential competition.

August 16, 2018
Times Internet strengthens leadership team

MUMBAI: Times Internet recently announced two changes. Nidhi Agarwal was named as the head of corporate initiative and planning while Dipti Tandon was elevated as business head for a live video gameshow platform, BaaziNow.

Before joining Times Internet, Tandon was a founding member of JeevanSaathi, one of India’s leading digital matrimonial platforms today. She was the product head at MagicBricks and TechGig driving both these brands to become leaders in their respective categories. Dipti has been with Times Internet for over thirteen years, having taken up multiple roles across various businesses of the company.

Times Internet CEO Gautam Sinha said, “Dipti has been leading the BaaziNow initiative right from the time of its conceptualisation. She has been the driving force in making BrainBaazi and BingoBaazi the most popular and technologically advanced live video gameshow platforms in India.”

“Nidhi brings with her a sharp strategic mind and a keen entrepreneurial spirit. She will be a tremendous asset for all our businesses in identifying new avenues of growth and creating innovative, technology-enabled solutions. To begin with, she will start her entrepreneurial journey within TIL with TimesPoints,” Sinha added.

Sinha concluded by saying, “Both Dipti and Nidhi are proven leaders and entrepreneurs who have started and scaled up digital businesses successfully. They will be pivotal in driving Times Internet’s vision of shaping and defining how internet-based services get consumed and delivered in India.”

Prior to joining Times Internet, Nidhi was the founder and CEO of Kaaryah, a disruptive women’s apparel brand on the cusp of technology, data, and design. She has also worked in the corporate strategy teams at Honeywell International and Bain and Co, with experience across diverse industries including aerospace and defence, telecom, FMCG, and education.

July 26, 2018
Former Times Internet CRO Gulshan Verma joins Hotstar

MUMBAI: After almost three years in the company, former Times Internet chief revenue officer Gulshan Verma has joined Hotstar. The professional with more than twenty years of experience has taken up the responsibility of client and agency SVP and head (SVP & head, client and agency).

The London School of Economics alumnus has worked with leading firms including McKinsey & Company, Associated Press, Yahoo. In the previous position, Verma was responsible for setting up strategies, direction and management of Times Internet’s revenue opportunities.

He was the first person to be appointed as CRO Of Times Internet Ltd. The veteran in media industry also served as the CRO of digital marketing platform Komli Media.

Hotstar in April appointed Sid Taparia to head the company’s international business. The digital venture of Star is taking several new initiatives to scale its business.

July 19, 2018
Tarun Sinha appointed ad biz head for OLX

MUMBAI: OLX, online classifieds marketplace for auto, real estate, goods and services, has appointed Tarun Sinha as the business head for advertising.

In his new role, Sinha will head the advertising strategy and operations of the company and will report to OLX India general manager Momtaz Moussa.

Commenting on his appointment, Moussa adds, “We are happy to welcome Tarun to the OLX family, in midst of the exciting phase of our growth in India. His market expertise and new perspective will strengthen the great team we already have in place for advertising. We are serious about cementing ourselves as one of the country’s top advertising destinations, and Tarun’s appointment will help us build key relationships that deliver value to our clients.”

He brings with him nearly 15 years of experience in sales and business development, having previously worked at Times Internet. During his seven-year tenure as the head of direct sales at Times Internet, a digital venture of BCCL Group, he was responsible for accelerating sales and relations for the company’s biggest clients across advertising and classifieds. Prior to Times Internet, he has worked with leading financial firms such as HSBC and Royal Bank of Scotland.

Talking about his new role, Sinha says, “I am excited to take up this new role, working with a passionate team and a great brand. As a market leader in classifieds, OLX is in a great position to address a very pivotal space in the consumer purchase cycle. Catering to the world’s largest ready to buy audience, OLX offers immense value to advertisers and its partners. I am looking forward to scaling the advertising business to new heights.”

Tarun holds a post graduate diploma in marketing from Symbiosis Institute. He also studied an executive program in digital marketing and e-commerce for businesses, from Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

March 8, 2018