ITV

Tag: Twitter

  • AR Rahman’s gift to his fans on Independence day in collaboration with Qyuki.com

    AR Rahman’s gift to his fans on Independence day in collaboration with Qyuki.com

    MUMBAI: As an Independence Day gift to all his fans, Oscar winning music director A R Rahman has announced the launch of the official AR Rahman app. There are over 24 million AR Rahman fans across Facebook and Twitter who will now be able to follow AR Rahman through one interface. What’s more AR Rahman will be able to engage directly with his fans via the app with exclusive content and merchandise. Fans can either buy or complete challenges in the app to earn points to redeem against content and merchandize.

     

    The “A R Rahman”app has been created in collaboration with Qyuki.com, an online multi-channel network founded by A.R. Rahman, Shekhar Kapur and Samir Bangara. The app is already live on iOS and Android and has received outstanding reviews and ratings on both app stores (iTunes and Google Play) from users across the world with high traction on engagement levels. In the first day alone more than three thousand gigabytes (GB) of content were consumed via the app which was being downloaded at a rate of 300 downloads per second.

    Speaking on the launch of the app., Rahman said“This independence day I wanted to thank my fans for their support by offering them a new and convenient way to stay in touch with me and my music. I am looking forward to a more engaging experience with my friends and well-wishers. Salaams to the motherland!”

    Commenting on the launch Qyuki.com Co-founder & MD, Samir Bangara said “This app is a first in India and goes way beyond just music in terms of fan engagement. It’s an opportunity to know AR Rahman via his music, watch videos, read trivia, and win cool stuff. If you are one of the tens of millions of AR Rahman fans, this will be a hotline into his life”

    Some of the key features of the app include:

    • A consolidated social feed including Twitter and Facebook posts made directly by A R Rahman

    • Direct access to AR Rahman videos  as well as premium videos only available in the app

    • Exclusive Photos  

    • A Gamified experience through Challenges and rewards

    • Ability to buy cool AR Rahman merchandize

  • Twitter invites football fans to follow Premier League teams

    Twitter invites football fans to follow Premier League teams

    MUMBAI: The concluded FIFA World Cup saw 672 million tweets from around the globe being shared. Whilst memories of the World Cup begin to fade, the Premier League springs back into action today as Manchester United host Swansea City in the first match of the 2014-2015 season.

     

    With all 20 Premier League teams on Twitter, following each team will help fans to get closer to the action throughout the upcoming year. For India specific updates, fans can look out for updates from broadcaster Star Sport India’s Twitter handle.

     

    Arsenal is the most followed team in the premier league with 4.24 million followers followed closely by Chelsea football club with 4.18 million followers, Liverpool FC and Manchester United FC with 3 million followers each. The fifth in the list was Manchester City with 1.92 million followers.

     

    More than 60 per cent of premier league players are now on Twitter as well as two managers; Ronald Koeman of Southampton and Gary Monk of Swansea.

     

    Tottenham will begin the new season with 76 per cent of their first-team squad on Twitter – the highest of any Premier League team. However with the transfer window open until 1 September, it remains to be seen whether they will maintain that position into the autumn.

     

    Earlier this year, research from global Web Index highlighted that 57 per cent of Twitter football lovers in India said that football news breaks fastest on Twitter. Throughout the season, many of the best-known voices within the game tweet their observations and opinions, directly engaging with fans in real-time.

  • Twitter Amplify launches in India

    Twitter Amplify launches in India

    MUMBAI: It’s time for making money from Twitter. Starsports.com and Vodafone India have tied up with Twitter for its Twitter Amplify programme in India for the first time. Through the programme, the broadcaster and the brand will be tapping into growing social conversations around TV programmes especially live sports.

     

    Twitter Amplify allows broadcasters to publish their best content directly to Twitter and then monetise it with advertisers through sponsorship packages. Assisted by ‘promoted tweets’, it will amplify the reach of the video content distributed through companies’ Twitter accounts.

     

    Through the programme, starsports.com looks to enhance viewer experience across the web and mobile by offering high quality clips of sporting action directly to consumers engaged in conversations on Twitter around live matches. It says, “This is likely to lead to greater engagement around live sports in social media as well as create an opportunity for fans to consume the action without leaving the conversation.”

     

    Advertisers will be able to tap into social conversations on Twitter along with a multi screen audience engagement strategy to consume content wherever or whenever they want.

     

    “2014 is a great year for Twitter becoming the social soundtrack for television as 95 per cent of the public social conversation around TV is happening on Twitter today, especially for live sporting events. Broadcasters and brands know that Twitter is a natural TV companion that drives audience tune-in, engagement and affinity,” said Twitter India market director Rishi Jaitly.  “We look forward to working with cutting-edge broadcasters and advertisers, like Star Sports and Vodafone, who want to tap into a compelling second screen experience We are delighted that cricket fans can now enjoy TV highlights in real-time on Twitter,” he added.

     

    Star India head of digital business Ajit Mohan said, “We have built starsports.com as the most compelling destination for fans in India to follow sports on a mobile screen and the best platform for advertisers to reach an attractive audience on digital. This program is a new innovation for us to understand the possibilities of being present when the conversations are happening on Twitter.”

     

    Vodafone India chief commercial officer Vivek Mathur said, “As a brand we are always looking at innovative ways of driving brand engagement and conversations on social media. Cricket (and sports in general) is one of our identified passion points and one with which Vodafone has a huge association. We are very excited to be the pioneers in launching a new social innovation in India centered around Twitter and cricket.”

     

    Through this partnership, Twitter users will receive timely updates about their TV experience and remind them to tune in to the live cricket action and key sporting moments.

  • AXN looks at building familiarity of shows with viewers

    AXN looks at building familiarity of shows with viewers

    MUMBAI: Just days after announcing a multi-year television content deal with CBS Studios and AXN India, MSM English cluster head Saurabh Yagnik while speaking to indiantelevision.com says that building familiarity of exclusive shows with viewers has been a key challenge for AXN.

     

    “Viewers of the genre, many times are unaware when premiere shows are being telecast on television and therefore there is a principal need to build the familiarity of those programmes for our viewers,” Yagnik informs.

     

    To address the challenge, the channel has adopted a two point strategy. One, by investing in exclusive new shows starring well known Hollywood names; and two, by introducing a new permanent weekend slot called Not so Ordinary Weekends during which these new shows will be telecast.  “The slot is aimed primarily at younger audiences who want something different,” he adds.

     

    AXN’s new weekend lineup includes fresh shows like Extant, starring Academy Award winner Halle Berry; Penny Dreadful, starring Josh Hartnett, Timothy Dalton along with bond girl Eva Green and science fiction show Falling Skies produced by Steven Speilberg. “The famous names associated with these US series are already known to Indian audiences which will be of help. The biggest consumption problem arises when viewers are not familiar with the content,” opines Yagnik.

    While Extant will premiere on 8 August and will be aired every Friday at 10 pm, Penny Dreadful and Falling Skies will hit the television screens on 9 August with its telecast scheduled for every Saturday at 10 pm and 11 pm respectively. These shows have been produced by CBS Studios International. Apart from these, the channel will have access to existing series like Hawaii Five 0 and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as well as new programmes the Studio will create during the term of the deal.

     

    Sources say that such multi-year content deals are usually for a period of three to five years. For Yagnik, joining hands with CBS made sense since it could aid AXN with its deep library.

     

    To promote these shows and the slot, the channel ran a 16 day digital campaign on Twitter and Facebook, where during contests, fans were invited to post selfies that were not mundane but extraordinary. “To add to the familiarity, we seek to reach out to the youngsters online through quality interaction,” Yagnik says. At the end of the contest, winners were declared online.

     

    Promotions on-air include three creatives. While one informs viewers how the channel hopes to make their ordinary weekends extraordinary through the slot, the second and third one are promos of Extant and Penny Dreadful respectively. These three creatives are being telecast on all the channels of MSM network as well as on its digital platforms including YouTube. The channel will also air the ads on Radio One in Delhi and Mumbai. As part of the outdoor campaign, bus wraps are being used in Mumbai alone.

     

    Talking about the best performing markets for AXN, Yagnik informs that Kolkata and Delhi are some of the metros that have been performing well for the channel as well as other tier II and tier III towns. “Kerala and Uttar Pradesh are doing quite well too”, he adds.

     

    “Our market share in the category is 24 per cent to 25 per cent while our reach during a nine week average is 2.8 million every week,” he says.

     

    Media planners meanwhile feel that it is too early to comment on the fate of such fresh new line up. “The new weekend slot adds some punch to the channel. Also the shows could do well because of the names associated with it which Indians are familiar with,” opines a media planner requesting anonymity.

     

     

  • We remain focused on driving increased user growth: Dick Costolo

    We remain focused on driving increased user growth: Dick Costolo

    MUMBAI: Micro blogging site, Twitter has had an interesting second quarter. The company has announced its financial results for the second quarter ended 30 June 2014.

    In a company statement Twitter CEO Dick Costolo said, “Our strong financial and operating results for the second quarter show the continued momentum of our business.”

    “We remain focused on driving increased user growth and engagement, and by developing new product experiences, like the one we built around the World Cup, we believe we can extend Twitter’s appeal to an even broader audience,” he added.

    It can be noted that Twitter’s Q2 revenue was $312 million, up 124 per cent year-over-year. The company reported Q2 net loss of $145 million and non-GAAP net income of $15 million, Q2 GAAP EPS of ($0.24) and non-GAAP EPS of $0.02 and Q2 adjusted EBITDA of $54 million, representing an adjusted EBITDA margin of 17 per cent.

    According to a report by AP, San Francisco-based Twitter’s stock jumped 30 per cent to $50.01 in extended trading Tuesday.

    It can be noted that Twitter introduced new product experiences that were built around the World Cup, including real-time scoring, push notifications, event and match timelines, and a voting ballot feature. In addition, Twitter also launched new web profiles and the ability to send private messages within Vine.

    Twitter also launched a number of new advertiser tools including mobile app promotions, which allow mobile app developers to drive installs and engagements on Twitter, and website cards, which allow advertisers to easily surface website content within a Tweet and drive relevant traffic to any page of their site such as their home page, product page, or an important blog post.

    Twitter continued the international expansion of its advertising products, expanding state/region geo-targeting to help marketers meet local advertising objectives in additional countries including the UK, France, and Indonesia, among others, and launching its self service ad platform for small and medium sized businesses in Spain, Israel and South Africa.

    Twitter closed the acquisition of Gnip, a leading provider of social data, and entered into agreements to acquire several other companies including TapCommerce, a leader in mobile retargeting and re-engagement advertising, and SnappyTV, a platform for video editing and distribution.

    Second Quarter 2014 Financial Highlights

    Revenue: Revenue for the second quarter of 2014 totalled $312 million, an increase of 124 per cent compared to $139 million in the same period last year.

    • Advertising revenue totalled $277 million, an increase of 129 per cent year-over-year.

    • Mobile advertising revenue was 81 per cent of total advertising revenue.

    • Data licensing and other revenue totalled $35 million, an increase of 90per cent year-over-year.

    • International revenue totalled $102 million, an increase of 168 per cent year-over-year.

    • International revenue was 33 per cent of total revenue

    Net loss: GAAP net loss was $145 million for the second quarter of 2014 compared to a net loss of $42 million in the same period last year. Twitter’s GAAP net loss included $158 million of stock-based compensation expense.

    Adjusted EBITDA: Adjusted EBITDA was $54 million for the second quarter of 2014, an increase of 461 per cent compared to $10 million in the same period last year.

    Non-GAAP net income / loss: Non-GAAP net income was $15 million for the second quarter of 2014 compared to a Non-GAAP net loss of $16 million in the same period last year.

    EPS: Basic and diluted GAAP EPS was ($0.24) for the second quarter of 2014 compared to ($0.32) in the same period last year.

    Non-GAAP EPS: Non-GAAP EPS was $0.02 for the second quarter of 2014 compared to ($0.12) in the year ago period.

    Capital expenditures: Purchases of property and equipment for the second quarter of 2014 were $44 million. Additionally, $31 million of equipment was financed through capital leases during the second quarter of 2014.

    Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities: As of 30 June 2014, cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities were approximately $2.1 billion, compared to $2.2 billion as of 31 March 2014.

    Way ahead!

    Twitter’s outlook for the third quarter of 2014 is as follows:

    Twitter’s outlook for the third quarter of 2014 is as follows:

    • Revenue is projected to be in the range of $330 million to $340 million.

    • Adjusted EBITDA is projected to be in the range of $40 million to $45 million.

    • Stock-based compensation expense is projected to be in the range of $180 million to $190 million excluding the impact of equity awards that may be granted in connection with potential future acquisitions.

    Twitter’s revised outlook for the full year of 2014 is as follows:

    • Revenue is projected to be in the range of $1,310 million to $1,330 million.

    • Adjusted EBITDA is projected to be in the range of $210 million to $230 million.

    • Capital expenditures are projected to be in the range of $330 million to $390 million.

    • Stock-based compensation expense is projected to be in the range of $640 million to $690 million excluding the impact of equity awards that may be granted in connection with potential future acquisitions.

    Click here to read the financial report

  • It was Fast and Furious weekend: Star Movies Trends on Twitter for over 34 hours!

    It was Fast and Furious weekend: Star Movies Trends on Twitter for over 34 hours!

    MUMBAI: Star Movies India took Twitter by storm on 19th and 20th July, with the television premiere of cult action movie Fast & Furious 6. With exciting contests #FastSelfie and #FastBid, the twitterati went fast and furious and the hash tags trended in India for over 34 hours on Twitter.

    Wondering what the mad rush was all about? Simple! Love clicking selfies? Then click it while watching the television premiere of Fast & Furious 6 and the winners will be gratified with a ride in the ultimate super sports car SLS-AMG on India’s only Formula 1 track – the Buddh international Circuit. Movie fans, mean-machine fans or fans of speed, stormed over twitter with #FastSelfie from all over the country for over an astounding 24 hours. The conversation also trended no. 1 in India. The race for the ultimate #FastBid saw the hashtag trend for over 10 hours with the competent bidder vying to lay their hands on the special collectibles. Twitter reported a total of an extraordinary 49 million impressions for Fast & Furious 6 activity, while over 10,000 entries participated in the contest. A rare contest for a rare movie, truly Fast & Furious.

     

  • Two more Union Ministries join Twitter

    Two more Union Ministries join Twitter

    MUMBAI:  Following up on the push by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking all his ministers to join twitter, two more union ministries debuted on the platform today.  The Ministry of Textiles and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare will be tweeting from their handles; @MoHFW_INDIA  and @TexMinIndia

     

    Twitter has emerged as the platform of choice for the NDA government to communicate with the citizens of India with the PM leading the charge with his personal handle (@narendramodi), complimented by his office’s official handle (@PMOIndia), to share updates.

     

    The Prime Minister’s cabinet is flocking to twitter, with nearly 40 ministers and ministries already sharing daily updates with their followers about the goings on in their respective ministries.

    Earlier the Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) and the Home Minister’s Office (@HMOIndia) had joined twitter, with the Railway Ministry even live tweeting the rail budget on their debut.

  • Behind every great love is a great story!

    Behind every great love is a great story!

    MUMBAI: Love knows no boundaries – whether it is passion of youth or when showing that it is ageless. Featuring for the first time on Romedy NOW as ‘Romedy of the Month’ will be The Notebook which is a chronicle of romance and togetherness on 26 July 2014 at 9 pm.Starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel Adams, The Notebook is presented by Dove and powered by SMC.

     

    Catch an elderly man, Duke in a modern day home for seniors reading a romantic tale from his notebook to his lady co-housemate suffering from dementia. Go back to the old world charm of the 1940s with a young and passionate farm boy Noah (played Ryan Gosling) falling in love with 17-year-old heiress Allie Hamilton (played by Rachel Adams) at a carnival. There is an idyllic romance, an ancient mansion that Noah dreams of owning, and a social class difference that nips the love affair in the bud.

     

    Noah writes letters to Allie for a year but they are hidden by Allie’s mother and remain unanswered. As the two young lovers feel betrayed by the other, the World War II has Noah joining as a soldier while Allie becomes a nurse. A twist to the tale is when a charming, rich, and handsome soldier Lon Hammond Jr. enters Allie’s life as her fiancé.

     

    Seven years later at her wedding gown trial, memories of love come gushing back as Allie sees a photograph of a now wealthy Noah who has bought the abandoned mansion in hopes of getting Allie back. Allie visits him in Seabrook and the flame of love rekindles. But will Allie sacrifice her love for commitment to Lon and lose true love for the second time or reclaim a love that was always hers? Meanwhile, figure out how their story is connected to Duke and his lady companion to make an eternal love story.

     

    Whether one is lucky in love or just carries the love in one’s heart, fans are invited to share their own love story on Romedy NOW’s twitter page with #RememberWhen hashtag and the story. The sweetest one will be rewarded!

     

    And then with the special ‘What would you Do?’ activity on Facebook fans can tell the path they would have would have chosen if they were in Allie and Noah’s shoes.

  • BigB to share fun facts and interesting trivia – #BachchanBol on Twitter every Wednesday

    BigB to share fun facts and interesting trivia – #BachchanBol on Twitter every Wednesday

    MUMBAI: Amitabh Bachchan is the most followed person on Twitter in India. He is known for his expressive Tweets on the platform and has been constantly engaging with his colleagues, family and fans on Twitter. Today, Amitabh Bachchan shared a Tweet about how he will be kicking off  #BachchanBol tomorrow for his Twitter Extended Family (TwFmXT). The actor will be sharing fun facts and interesting trivia every Wednesday on Twitter. This is an innovative way to connect with a wider audience and engage with them in a way; no one can do it better than Mr. Bachchan!

    https://twitter.com/SrBachchan/status/491467304438206464

    Stay tuned by following @SrBachchan on Twitter and join him in conversation for #BachchanBol every Wednesday.

  • Nikhil Wagle quits IBN Lokmat

    Nikhil Wagle quits IBN Lokmat

    MUMBAI: Following his counterparts in the Network18 group, IBN Lokmat editor in chief Nikhil Wagle has also decided to part ways with the company.

     

    Announcing the decision through Twitter, Wagle said, “Just resigned from IBN LOKMAT.  Will continue journalism without fear or favour!”

     

    On his decision, former IBN18 editor in chief Rajdeep Sardesai tweeted, “@waglenikhil salute you for building India’s finest regional language channel.”

     

    Indiantelevision.com was first to report about Wagle considering to move on from the company which is now under the control of Reliance Industries.

     

    His next move is yet unknown.

     

    Wagle has worked with Doordarshan as well as newspaper Aapla Mahanagar and has been with IBN Lokmat since its launch in 2008.

     

    Network18 has seen a spur of resignations right from founder Raghav Bahl relinquishing hold over the company, but staying on as non executive director of Network 18, to group CEO B Saikumar, COO Ajay Chacko, CFO RDS Binni Bawa, IBN18 editor in chief Rajdeep Sardesai, CNN-IBN deputy editor Sagarika Ghose, Web18 CEO Durga Raghunath and several others who within a span of a few weeks, left the company.