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Tag: Times Network

  • Movies NOW announces the 6th season of its blockbuster property ‘100 Mania’

    Movies NOW announces the 6th season of its blockbuster property ‘100 Mania’

    MUMBAI: Movies NOW, India’s favorite English movie channel, rings in the festive season with its iconic mega property ‘100 Mania’. With the premise, ‘chill to win’, 6th season of the property gives viewers an opportunity to win tempting prizes by watching their favorite Hollywood Blockbusters every night at 9pm, starting 15th December 2018.

    Movie buffs will find themselves glued to their screens as ‘100 Mania’ will feature the biggest action blockbusters and franchises that Hollywood has to offer. With a curated line-up of movies like ‘Iron Man 3’, ‘Finding Dory’, ‘Warcraft’, ‘Doctor Strange’, ‘The Revenant’ and ‘Casino Royal’, viewers can watch and win prizes like smartphones, MacBooks, iPhones, laptops, television sets, play station 4, cars, bikes and lots more by answering simple questions.

    Vivek Srivastava, EVP & Head Entertainment Cluster, Times Network said, “100 Mania is an iconic property and we are proud to bring it back in a bigger, bolder avatar in its sixth season. Over the last five seasons of 100 Mania, we have seen an unprecedented level of consumer engagement and the property has been true to the channels promise to provide the best of Hollywood blockbusters to our viewers. To make the property more interactive and collaborative this season, we are leading a massive integrated multimedia campaign synchronizing TV and social media. We hope Season 6 of 100 Mania carries ahead the legacy of the property by continuing to delight the minds of our viewers.”

  • Times Network announces the 5th Edition of India Economic Conclave

    Times Network announces the 5th Edition of India Economic Conclave

    MUMBAI: Times Network, part of India’s largest media conglomerate, The Times Group, announces the 5th edition of its annual signature event, India Economic Conclave 2018. Driving this edition’s theme, ‘Shaping India’s $5 Trillion growth agenda’, the two-day conclave will engage, enable and encourage global voices with India perspective through discourses with global visionaries, key policymakers and iconic leaders. With a focus to enable the rapid transformation of India to a global powerhouse, India Economic Conclave 2018 aims to set the tone for constructive dialogues and discussions on the critical points concerning the economy. The landmark event will share the vision and actionable insights to further unleash the true potential of India Inc.

    As India progresses to be one of the largest five economies in 2019, India Economic Conclave 2018 celebrates the leadership of Indian economy and will illuminate the businesses opportunities to Rise with India. Present at the event will be some of India’s most influential leaders like Arun Jaitley, Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Piyush Goyal,  Minister of Railways & Coal, Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister – Maharashtra, Trivendra Singh Rawat, Chief Minister – Uttarakhand, Amitabh Kant, CEO – NITI Ayog, Sadhguru, Founder – Isha Foundation, Rajesh Gopinathan, CEO & MD – Tata Consultancy Services, Keki Mistry, Vice Chairman & CEO – HDFC Ltd., David Hanson, Founder & CEO – Hanson Robotics, Arianna Huffington, Founder – Thrive Global, Dr. Mark Mobius, Founder – Mobius Capital Partners LLP,  Ralph Simon, Founder & Chairman  –  Mobilium Global  and bollywood actor Ranveer Singh amongst others.

    The conclave will provide a platform to initiate dialogues on the future of new India and give shape to its $5 Trillion agenda, with a focus on the benefits to the common man from rising India. The signature event aimed at anticipating, formulating and executing strategies, will witness a series of power packed sessions, which will address issues pivotal to the greater economic growth of the nation.

  • Times Network & AMFI’s nationwide investor awareness initiative, Jan Nivesh crosses one million pledges

    Times Network & AMFI’s nationwide investor awareness initiative, Jan Nivesh crosses one million pledges

    MUMBAI: Jan Nivesh, India’s largest investor education initiative, jointly conducted by Times Network and the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) crosses a milestone of   1 million pledges within just five months after its commencement. Guiding the citizens to a future ready financial path through investing in mutual funds, Jan Nivesh has been successful in spreading the message, ‘Aaj Ki Kamayi, Bhavishya Mein Kam Aayi’ through various campaign across a multitude of platforms.

    The investor awareness campaign commenced with a focus to reach out to the citizens across social-strata, age groups and different walks of life to educate, inspire and encourage them to change their financial habits to create wealth smartly by investing in Mutual Funds. During a short span of time, covering 50 cities with more than 100 on ground activations, Jan Nivesh experts have helped clear the doubts that people had towards mutual funds as an asset class and educated the people on investments.

    Commenting on the milestone, M K Anand, MD and CEO, Times Network said, “We are extremely happy that the programme has resulted in over 1 million people pledging to invest through Mutual Funds, a clear indication of the success of this initiative. We are proud to be associated with AMFI and playing a significant role in assisting Indians to plan their savings in a smart manner and aid in India’s economic growth in the long run. We believe this endeavor will help the common man ‘Rise with India’.”

    The pan India investor education initiative has covered an entire spectrum of people including college students, first-time jobbers, singles planning to get married, newlyweds, parents, as well as entrepreneurs, enlightening them on identifying and achieving their financial aspirations through well planned investments. Jan Nivesh has opened new avenues for people all over the nation, helping them get financially equipped and independent.

    Jan Nivesh has encouraged over a million people across age groups and social strata to take a pledge and invest at least a day’s income in mutual funds every month. You can also take part in this nationwide movement by giving a missed call on 1800 – 8333 – 666 or visiting www.jannivesh.in. For more information on mutual funds, do log on to www.mutualfundssahihai.com

  • Broadcasters see regional adex space growing

    Broadcasters see regional adex space growing

    MUMBAI: Now that the Hindi fervour has died down, broadcasters and advertisers have latched on to the regional segment. It's no wonder that the adex in the space is expected to grow as well.

    According to the global ad growth forecast of GroupM, India’s adex is expected to grow at 14.2 per cent compared to the global growth average of 3.9 per cent in 2019 and is likely to change. Indian adex has grown by 13.2 per cent in 2018 as per estimates by the media agency network. Moreover, according to the KPMG report 2018, regional and Hindi GECs continued to be the leading genres in terms of advertisement expenditure in FY18. However, the adex on Hindi GECs declined by 9 per cent in FY18 as compared to an increase of 5.4 per cent in adex on regional channels, outlining the overall growth of the regional market in India.

    Throwing light on the Tamil and Marathi genre, they saw a marginal decline of 2 per cent and 9 per cent respectively while other major regional languages such as Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, Malayalam and Oriya, saw a growth in their contribution to the overall adex in FY18. This indicates that other regional languages are picking up quick.

    In Februrary 2018, Viacom18 entered the Tamil GEC market with the launch of Colors Tamil, with an availability across 11 million households in Tamil Nadu and 22 hours of weekly original content at launch.  

    Commenting on the same, Viacom18 head regional entertainment Ravish Kumar said that part of it could possibly be caused by the FTA channels which have come up in Hindi. The viewership has moved to them and that has led to margin dilution as opposed to margin accretion. “On the regional space, you must have seen a lot of consolidation on the top end so where the strong are getting stronger and the weak are getting weaker, more margins are analysed which normally means that the ability to command high rates are high.” He added that it is backed up with a lot of investment in formats like reality, movie premiers or events which typically tend to command higher rates.

    He further added that the growth in regional space is in double digits. Commenting on the decline in Tamil and Marathi, Kumar said that the ratings of regional channels have only increased steadily over the years and short term ups and downs are expected.

    The other factors that would aid adex growth are big ticket events such as several state elections, government advertising and cricketing events. FMCG continues to contribute 51 per cent to the total television spends followed by telecom 12 per cent and auto 8 per cent that helped reach a growth of Rs 820 crore in television adex in 2017. Hindi GECs, including FTA, contributed 28 per cent of overall television adex and Hindi is by far the largest contributor to television adex.

    As per the report, Times Network MD and CEO MK Anand said, “2018 will be a good year for adex overall. The economy has more or less come to terms with the earlier disruptions. We don’t expect any major new policy changes since it’s an election-eve year. And not to forget, the 2017 base is a depressed one. So growth will be decent.”

    Speaking about the Bengali cluster, Zee Bangla had recently refreshed its channel’s campaign by observing a wide surge in the viewership off late. Meanwhile, in an interview with Indiantelevision.com, ZEEL business head for Zee Bangla and Zee Bangla Cinema Samrat Ghosh said that in terms of ad space, it has observed a good amount of contribution to the national players as well as the local players and it sees a lot of opportunity in West Bengal in the GEC space in terms of viewership. “As I have already said that the Bengal TV viewership is growing at a CAGR of 5 per cent whereas the ad expenditure is growing at 13 per cent.”

    Adding more relevance to Ghosh’s point, ZEEL cluster head regional markets Amit Shah said that the total Bengali TV ad market is pegged at Rs 1000 crore with 90 per cent of the spends going towards Bengal GECs. “National advertisers are seeing a lot of merit in choosing Bengal for their incremental purpose where the national brand is concerned. Now, most companies divide the country into zones. According to that division, East zone in most cases is growing faster than the rest of the country which itself means that there is some good momentum in the market.”

    Whereas, in terms of Kerala market ZEEL CMO Prathyusha Agarwal said that South GECs is a larger universe with larger audience. “It actually contributes 33 per cent viewership of the network and 23 per cent of the adex share. Hence, there is scope to grow there. The total adex in the Kerala market is estimated to be Rs 650-700 crore.”

    As per the reports, with increasing focus on quality content in the regional markets, the production costs also saw an increase in FY’18. The production cost of a single original episode in the southern languages ranged between Rs 1.75-2 lakh and the acquisition price for a single ready dubbed Hindi series episode was between Rs 35,000-50,000 per episode. The proportion of local advertisers in regional channels ranges from 40-60 per cent, with the remaining being national advertisers, and this mix is skewed in favour of local advertisers for regional GECs outside the top three to four.

    Star India south business MD K Madhavan said, “The content costs saw an increase in FY18 on account of significant improvements in the quality and production value of regional content. For non-fiction properties like Big Boss Tamil, the content costs were significantly higher, an indicator of the quality that audiences are now expecting.”

    It remains to be seen what does the year 2019 have to say to the broadcasters about adex in the near future.

  • Movies NOW, Romedy NOW and MNX celebrates this festive season with a special programming line-up

    Movies NOW, Romedy NOW and MNX celebrates this festive season with a special programming line-up

    MUMBAI: Celebrating the spirit of this festive season, Times Network's English Entertainment channels, Movies NOW, Romedy NOW and MNX, has curated a programming line-up providing the best of entertainment to its viewers till November 8, 2018.

    Kick starting the Dussehra celebrations, under the theme, ‘Good over Evil’, all the three channels have designed a special content which will be aired at 9pm everyday till October 19, 2018. Movies NOW will air blockbuster movies like The Dark Knight, Gladiator, Iron Man 3, Spectre and more under its property ‘10 Faces of Evil’. Romedy NOW, with the property, ‘Love Conquests', will showcase how love triumphs over all in life through a line-up of heart-warming movies which includes Racing Hearts, Before Sunrise, No Reservations, You’ve Got A Mail. ‘X-Terminator’ by MNX is curated to exterminate the sins from our lives and will showcase movies with a similar theme will feature movies like Wrath of Titans, Species, Hobbit, End of Days, Child’s Play and more.

    Gearing up for the festival of lights, Diwali, Movies NOW, MNX and Romedy NOW will air some of the best Hollywood movies, under its curated properties like ‘Flash & Flare’ on Movies NOW, ‘Diwali Delights’ on Romedy NOW and ‘Xplosive Nights’ on MNX.  Providing an electrifying experience, starting 22nd October to 8th November at 9pm daily, following movies will be aired as part of the line-up,

     ‘Flash & Fare’, Movies now –  The Jungle Book, Captain America: Civil War, Spectre, Zootopia and Finding Dory
    ‘Diwali Delights’, Romedy NOW – The Boss, How To Make Love Like An Englishman, Sisters, Learning to Drive, Everything, Everything, Maleficent, If I Stay, Tangled and Father of the Bride
    ‘Xplosive Nights’, MNX – Gone in 60 Seconds, Pirates of the Caribbean – At World’s End, Prince of Persia – Sands of Time, Tron Legacy

  • ET NOW launches ‘Inspiration Inc’

    ET NOW launches ‘Inspiration Inc’

    MUMBAI: ET NOW, India’s leading English business news channel announces the launch of its new weekend show ‘Inspiration Inc’. The new show will see Mihir Bhatt, Chief Editor, IPs, Times Network in conversation with the Influential business and policy leaders who have played a pivotal role in the growth of India. With its first guest, Mr. Amitabh Kant, CEO, Niti Aayog, the show premieres Friday, October12, 2018 at 7.30 pm.

    Aligned to the brand ethos, ‘Rise with India’, ‘Inspiration Inc’ builds conversations with the business icons who have risen to become beacons of inspiration for the nation on the rise. Going beyond boardrooms, numbers and strategies, the show unravels unknown aspect of the corporate honchos and how they have shaped their business acumen to make their mark and inspire citizens with their remarkable stories.

    Some of the leaders who will talk through their journey on Inspiration Inc include, Mr. Kishore Biyani, Founder and CEO – Future Group, Harsh Mariwala, Chairman – Marico, Rashesh Shah, Chairman and CEO – Edelweiss, Mr. Nirmal Jain, Founder and Chairman – India Infoline Group, Ajay Srinivasan, Chief Executive – Aditya Birla Capital and Nilesh Shah, Managing Director, Kotak AMC Ltd.

    Premiering October 12, 2018 at 7.30pm, watch the Indian business leaders in a candid conversation with Mihir Bhatt, only on ET NOW.

  • Times Network hosts India for Kerala Conclave

    Times Network hosts India for Kerala Conclave

    MUMBAI: Mr. Arun Jaitley, Union Finance Minister said, “My compliments go to the civil society of Kerala which has shown exemplary attitude in helping each other this hours of crisis. Armed Forces have done a tremendous job in the rescue operations. Now the process of providing flood relief is substantial work in progress. All agencies from Central Government are there to fully assist the state of Kerala in trying of rehabilitate the people of Kerala better than what they had earlier. I have asked the insurance companies to settle the claims, the banks to give loans so that people can get a breathing space in rebuilding life. Further aid from the Central Government will be given once the full estimate of the damage is done. I am sure we will see the quality life for the Keralites reinstated.”

    Mr. Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister of Kerala said, “Our focus for Kerala is two-pronged. While carrying out relief activities, we are also focusing on the emergence of a new Kerala. Through India for Kerala Conclave, I take this opportunity to make an appeal to each and every one of you to partner with the people of Kerala to rehabilitate and rebuild the lives of those devastated by rain and flood. I hope through this association with Times Network, the message will be conveyed across the length and breadth of the nation” ~

    H. E. Shri P. Sathasivam, Hon’ble Governor of Kerala said, “The floods may have rendered us weak for a while, but, our resolve was to strive and not to yield. The Honorable Prime Minister had clarified to me that the Rs.600 crore released by the Centre in addition to the Rs.562.45 crore already made available in the State Disaster Response Fund of Kerala, was only the advance aid and that additional funds will be released from National Disaster Response Fund as per laid down procedure” 

    Mr. T. M. Thomas Isaac, Finance Minister, Kerala said, “The recent floods have created a frank open discussion in rethinking of the past developments and what could be done jointly in the present. We are thinking about a new edition of ‘Kerala Model’ of development. In our old edition, we have been successful in redistribution process so that everybody gets minimum quality life. If it was expected Rs. 60,000 to 70,000 crores for these developments, now an addition of Rs. 30,000 crore to this has become the need of the hour in expanding and re-building roads and infrastructure after the floods.

    Thiruvananthapuram, September 5, 2018: Times Network, part of India’s largest media conglomerate, The Times Group, hosted the ‘India for Kerala Conclave’ at Taj Vivanta, Thiruvananthapuram today. Focused on rebuilding and rehabilitating the State with a new vision, the conclave is an on-ground extension of the #IndiaforKerala campaign initiated by the Network. Inaugurated in the presence of H. E. Shri P. Sathasivam, Hon’ble Governor of Kerala, the Conclave was addressed by key decision and policy makers including Mr. Thomas Isaac, Finance Minister, Kerala, Mr. Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha amongst others. The Conclave also exhibited support for Kerala from various sectors including Government, Corporates and Mollywood.

    Kerala has faced the worst calamity in over a century and the devastation is unprecedented. Rebuilding Kerala has to be a national priority, given the scale of the disaster. The State’s importance as a major tourism destination and its crucial role as a remittances hub and international links makes the action highly visible at the Global level and therefore a great branding opportunity for India to showcase its resilience and indomitable national spirit. The Conclave witnessed interactive sessions with eminent panellists from the political and corporate world deliberating the best possible ways to help the state and its people. There were some thought provoking discussions in sessions that included topics like ‘Rebuilding Kerala – What Will It Take’, ‘Kerala Economy Recast – Aid or Self Reliance’, ‘Citizens for Kerala’, ‘Social Media Impact: Help & Hindrance’ and ‘Reimagining Kerala’. Dignitaries like Mr. Shibu Baby John – RSP Leader, Mr. MK Muneer – IUML Leader, Mr. V Muralidharan – MP – BJP, Mr. Prashant Nair – IAS,  Mr. Oomen V Oomen – former Chairman of Kerala Biodiversity Board, Mr. Harish Vasudevan – environmental lawyer, Mr. Rahul Easwar – author & activist, Padma Shri G Shankar – Architect, Mr. Jose Dominic – CEO, CGH Earth,               Mr. George Lamannil – Executive Director and General Counsel, Muthoot Group, Mr. Salim Yusuf – South Head Taj Hotels, Mr.  Jose Joseph – Executive Vice President at Federal Bank, and well-known personalities from the entertainment industry like Resul Pookutty, Rima Kallingal, Samyukta Menon, Major Ravi, Usha Uthup expressed their views to come together to partner with the people of Kerala to rehabilitate and rebuild the lives of those devastated by rain and flood.

    As the citizens of Kerala came together to help each other selflessly, the India for Kerala Conclave also acknowledged the local heroes contribution and efforts. The local heroes felicitated included Air Marshal Suresh-Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Southern Air Command, Maj Gen Sanjeev Narain-General Officer Commanding- Karnataka and Kerala Sub Area, Silvadasan Antony-Coastal Warrior, Vijay Sakhare-IPS-IG Ernakulum Range, Rajamanickam-IAS-Commissioner Food Safety along with actor Tovino Thomas.

    MK Anand, MD & CEO, TIMES NETWORK said, “At a time, when one of our States is distressed, it is our responsibility as Indians to assist our displaced fellow citizens in every way we can. India For Kerala Conclave is an act of urgency that requires support and solidarity & this conclave is aimed to find robust solutions to rebuild the lives of the people of Kerala. I’m sure through collective efforts, we will not just be able to provide succour to the affected, but also lay the foundations for a better Kerala and more importantly create a model of National cooperation and fraternity that will be the basis of a stronger India. We at Times Network pledge to keep the narrative in favour of this spirit of solidarity.”

    H. E. Shri P. Sathasivam, Hon’ble Governor of Kerala said, “The floods may have rendered us weak for a while, but, our resolve was to strive and not to yield. The floods have left with many lives lost and destruction to properties. Farming sector has been washed away and the many developmental initiatives were rendered to a halt. We estimate around Rs.10,000 crore to rebuild our damaged roads and bridges. The Honourable Prime Minister had clarified to me that the Rs.600 crore released by the Centre in addition to the Rs.562.45 crore already made available in the State Disaster Response Fund of Kerala, was only the advance aid and that additional funds will be released from National Disaster Response Fund as per laid down procedure. Today, the entire world stands with us and help is pouring in to Kerala, not just from our own people, but from other governments, corporates, workers, entrepreneurs, religious institutions, media houses, celebrities and even from the piggy-banks of our little children from around the country. We are extremely grateful to all and let me assure the world that we will prove worthy of your trust by rebuilding a Kerala that the world would admire. 

    Mr. T. M. Thomas Isaac, Finance Minister, Kerala, said, “The recent floods have created a frank open discussion in rethinking of the past developments and what could be done jointly in the present. We are thinking about a new edition of ‘Kerala Model’ of development. In our old edition, we have been successful in redistribution process so that everybody gets minimum quality life. If it was expected Rs 60,000 to 70,000 crores for these developments, now an addition of Rs 30,000 crore to this has become the need of the hour in expanding and re-building roads and infrastructure after the floods. The other concern is the damage the floods been done to the traditional industries of the state like Chendamangalam weaving and to Aranmula Mirror. Their living ways were destroyed and it is a concern of how to rebuild their lives as well”.

    Mr. Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, said, “People of the state of Kerala beyond caste, religion, and politics came together during the flood operation. The youngsters did commendable work in spreading the word on getting help both on social media and on-ground. On the UAE aid controversy, I would like to clarify that there are far richer countries than India, which have accepted such aids. Even there is a written policy by the Narendra Modi government in 2016, which states that we can accept the aid offered by a foreign country but may not appeal for it.  Kerala needs more financial support and more help in rebuilding the state. Kerala should consider the Bhuj Model of hosting a Rebuild Kerala Conference to bring in money and help in grands, loan or charity in helping the state. During the earthquakes in Bhuj 2001, Gujarat could raise Rs 1.7 billion partly in loan and grand for helping the state. But for that we need a credible assessment and hence I suggest, we seek help from the international agencies like UN in studying the destruction caused and based on it we can arrange conclaves in creating a new Kerala.”.

    Times Network urges individuals and companies to come forward to join the campaign #IndiaforKerala to help their fellow Indians to rehabilitate, resettle and re-build Kerala to its glory. Continuing with its efforts, citizens can donate funds in form of cheques, in favour of “Times Foundation” to Times Foundation, 10, Daryaganj, New Delhi – 110002 or NEFT/RTGS. The collected amount will be donated to the Kerala CM’s Distress Relief Fund. Further details on the donation process can be accessed at www.timesnownews.com/IndiaForKerala 

  • Times Network announces ‘India For Kerala’, a fund-raising campaign for flood-stricken Kerala

    Times Network announces ‘India For Kerala’, a fund-raising campaign for flood-stricken Kerala

    MUMBAI: Times Network, part of India’s largest media conglomerate, The Times Group, has initiated a fund-raiser campaign, ‘India For Kerala’, to create awareness and to raise funds for the relief efforts in Kerala. Through this initiative, Times Network strives to give the cause a unified voice and encourage the nation to join hands and contribute to support Kerala.

    ‘India For Kerala’ initiative seeks to help people who have been affected by the deluge that hit the southern Indian state of Kerala. The continuing floods in the State has devastated and unhinged the lives of many, resulting in casualties and loss of property and livelihoods in its wake. This initiative provides a platform to rebuild the lives of the people of Kerala.

    The citizens can donate funds in form of cheques, in favour of “Times Foundation” to Times Foundation, 10, Daryaganj, New Delhi – 110002 or NEFT/RTGS. The collected amount will be donated to the Kerala CM’s Distress Relief Fund. Further details on the donation process can be accessed at www.timesnownews.com/IndiaForKerala .

    This National level drive will run through www.timesnownews.com and all the English news and entertainment brands of the Network, to create maximum assistance for lakhs of people who have been displaced by the floods. The English news channels of the network – Times NOW, Mirror NOW and ET NOW will extensively cover the ravages of the floods. Times Network has initiated helpline services for the citizens if they are stranded somewhere or have a story to tell through a call to 022-6754-9522/9388 or can also share their video and audio recording to the Whatsapp number – 8291995633.

    Speaking on this initiative, MK Anand, MD & CEO, Times Network said, “Indians have always treasured Kerala as ‘God’s Own Country’, which today sadly stands ravaged by nature’s fury. ‘India for Kerala’ is an act of urgency that requires support and solidarity to rebuild Kerala. Through this initiative, we aim to offer a nationwide reach to a pained plea to all Indians to step forward and donate to this task of relief & rehabilitation. I’m sure this will appeal to the consciousness of the vast multitude of Indians to generously donate funds in the endeavour to provide succour to the affected.”

    Let’s trigger the deluge of generosity that each one of us is capable of and counter nature’s deluge that threatens to devastate God’s own country.

  • MNX challenges legacy players in the movies category

    MNX challenges legacy players in the movies category

    MUMBAI: The rise in India’s urban educated millennials has also led to the spurt of channels in the English entertainment and movies genre. Over the last few years, several new additions have made their way including MN+, &Prive and Sony Le Plex.

    In this space, Times Network has found the right set of audience for all four channels claims Times Network EVP and head English entertainment cluster Vivek Srivastava. He is aware that beating a legacy player is not an easy task. The channel says it has been head and shoulders above HBO in six metro markets.

    The group has close to 1500 titles and 25-30 shows for its movies channels. The content comes from four major production houses like Disney, MGM, NBC and Warner which are long term deals. The network holds the second output of NBC after Sony Pictures Network.

    English cluster of Sony Pictures Network, on the other hand, picks up the content from Disney, Warner Bros, NBC Universal, Lionsgate and PVR Pictures. &Prive and &Flix of Zeel also have a bigger library with exclusive titles sourced from many independent Hollywood players and studios such as Paramount and PVR.

    According to week 32 of BARC data in the six metros, Times Network has two of its flagship channels, Movies Now and MNX, in the top five list. Movies Now is going to be an eight year old brand in December 2018 and is a home for all the blockbusters. On the other hand, MNX, the youngest channel in its English movies portfolio has been consistent in ratings since its launch in July 2017. The company endeavours to broaden the audience base to be in the top five list.

    “The quarter is gone by and the revenue of MNX is extremely healthy. MNX actually completes the portfolio. We have a family brand as Romedy Now, a sophisticated brand in MN+, Movies Now is the flagship brand that houses the superhero franchise. All the blockbusters will find a space on the channel. MNX being the youngest brand in the mix, it caters to all audiences and all the various titles get a space on this channel,” Srivastava adds.

    In the last two-three years, the Indian audience has evolved and become smarter and knows what to expect. “In this context, the marketing has become a lot easier as the consumer knows the content very well,” he adds. In FY19 Q1, the network got brands like Amazon, Pepsi, Airtel, Trivago, Ford, Flipkart, PhonePe, Myntra to name a few, for all its English movies and entertainment channels.

    As far as the category is concerned in terms of revenue, Srivastava estimates the genre to grow by 15-20 per cent more than the previous year’s figure which was Rs 700 crore.

    On the content acquisition cost, Srivastava points, “There is a little bit of correction expected in the content acquisition cost as we move forward. The correction will come on account of two things – revenue growth across years in the genre and secondly the evolution of business models as some broadcasters are sharing their first output windows with SVOD players.”

    HD is the next array of growth as far as the category is concerned. According to Srivastava, there are only two genres which drive HD viewership, sports and movies. MN+ is an HD-only channel which is performing well, both from a viewership and revenue standpoint.

    He gives out the formula for a successful channel as: “To sustain in the category with more than two channels, you should be able to provide fresh content to your target audience. Until and unless you have a distinct identity to the channel it will never succeed.”

  • MIB gives permission to four new channels

    MIB gives permission to four new channels

    MUMBAI: For nearly a year, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has been stingy in handing out licences to channels. But in July, four new channels got permissions and none were cancelled.

    Sony Marathi, the non-news channel, got the permission on 16 July for downlinking. Times Network’s news channels, Times Now and ET Now, got permission for both uplink and downlink on 18 July under English/Hindi and all remaining Indian scheduled languages.

    Vision Corporations has got permission for launching a new channel Indian Fashion TV on 12 July, which will have content on fashion films, reality shows related to fashion and lifestyle and TV serials. Sources told Indiantelevision.com that the channel will launch in a month’s time.

    The 14 licenses which were cancelled earlier by MIB due to security denial by Ministry of Home Affairs are still now under stay order from the court.

    After cancelling permission to 239 channels, the number of private satellite TV channels having valid permission in India stands at 868 as on 31 July 2018. While 484 channels are non-news channels, the rest i.e., 384 are news channels.

    Of the 868 permitted private satellite channels, TV channels permitted for uplink from India and also to downlink into India remains the same at 766 among which 364 are news channels and 402 are non-news channels. 11 non-news channels and five news channels are permitted for uplink from India but not downlink into the country. 86 TV channels are uplinked from abroad which only have downlinking permission in India. This category includes 15 news and 71 non-news channels.