ITV

Tag: Uttar Pradesh

  • Who Will Bihar Vote For?

    Who Will Bihar Vote For?

    MUMBAI:  CNN-IBN and IBN7’s programming on the upcoming Bihar Elections is focused on bringing the actual picture from the Ground Zero. In continuation of this, the channels will bring a special pre-poll survey to comprehend the overall scenario, likely seat wise outcome and key issues which will matter in these elections. The findings of the survey are set to telecast on 8th October, 2015 on both the channels.

     

    Given the high decibel campaigns and presence of star campaigners, Bihar elections will be a crucial event in the political firmament of the country. Both the BJP and the Grand Alliance are pulling out all stops in an attempt to win in the state. The results of this election could also set the tone for several key state elections that are to happen over the next 2 years including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

     

    Conducted by Axis MyIndia across 38 districts of Bihar, covering all 243 constituencies with a sample size of over 24,000 respondents, the survey intends to delve deep into what the electorate in Bihar in thinking. The survey comprises of a comprehensive set of questions to assess various factors, which could play an important role in influencing the choice of the voters.

     

    To know the findings of this study, tune into CNN-IBN’s ‘Battle for Bihar: The Pre-Poll Survey’ and IBN7’s ‘Mahasangram Ka Mahasurvey’ on 8th October 2015, from 7pm to 10pm.

  • RB India ropes in Vidya Balan as sanitation campaign ambassador

    RB India ropes in Vidya Balan as sanitation campaign ambassador

    NEW DELHI: Actor Vidya Balan has been named as the brand ambassador of the ‘Changing Behaviour: Creating Sanitation Change Leaders’ campaign launched by RB (erstwhile Reckitt Benckiser) India as part of its nationwide initiative Dettol Banega Swachh India along Pehel and State Governments of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

     

    The project, which aims to make 200 villages in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar free of open defecation was inaugurated by veteran actor and politician Shatrughan Sinha and former Cabinet Minsiter Jairam Ramesh in Patna and UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow along with Balan, who unveiled the mnemonic of the programme.

     

    Other dignitaries present at the event were Parmarth Niketan, Rishikesh president and founder Swami Chidanand Saraswati and World Toilet Organization founder Professor Jack Sim.

     

    Balan said, “For the past two years I have dedicated myself towards raising awareness around importance of hygiene and to stop open defecation. I am really proud to be a part of this campaign, which is taking a different route of engaging with stakeholders and creating change leaders at community level to bring about this behaviour change.”

     

    Through the initiative, the programme will reach out and work closely with 500 PRI members, 500 natural and faith based leaders, 500 ASHAs / AWWs and two lakh mothers directly to drive a positive behaviour towards sanitation practices. 

     

    Various activities like training of Panchayati Raj Institutions members using toolkit, exposure tours, Sanitation Chaupal, Capacity Building of frontline health workers through game shows and folk shows for sensitising mothers. The progress will be monitored at each step to track the progress and achievements of change leaders will be recognized across these 100 villages in Bihar covering Bhagalpur district and another 100 villages in Uttar Pradesh covering Varanasi, Kannauj and Etawah districts.

     

    RB South Asia regional director Nitish Kapoor said, “We are proud to partner with Pehel and the State Governments of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to launch this initiative, which primarily aims towards driving behaviour change across communities. While we have a dedicated initiative targeting school children, we believe it is equally important to educate and encourage communities to adopt healthier hygiene and sanitation practices to create a positive impact on the society they live in. By the end of this campaign, we aim to help these 200 villages in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to become Open Defecation Free.” 

     

    Pehel CEO Anand Madhab added, “To make India achieve its goal of improving sanitation and put an end to open defecation, it is imperative to change mindsets, attitude and behaviour of people towards the issue. Before installing toilets in homes, we need to install toilets in the minds of people. PRI members are local leaders as well as role models in the community and since the key driver for the issue is perception, attitude and behaviour changes we are zeroing in on the most, influential catalysing agent present on ground. Moreover, the project is targeting caregivers (ASHAs/AWWs) and mothers as they play a central role in shaping up the children, the future. The project is the initial step towards changing people’s behaviour towards health, hygiene and sanitation and shall turn into a mega campaign in the near future.”

     

    According to National Sample Survey Office and World Health Organisation, over 600 million Indians have no access to toilets. The proportion is worse in rural India – where 68 per cent of rural households don’t have their own toilets. In order to achieve Open Defecation Free status, the project ‘Changing Behaviour: Creating Sanitation Change Leaders’ will be implemented using a three pronged strategy of environment building; capacity development and changing behaviours.

  • Eastern Condiments to spend Rs 20-25 crore on marketing and selling expenses

    Eastern Condiments to spend Rs 20-25 crore on marketing and selling expenses

    BENGALURU: Indian spice powder manufacturer and exporter Eastern Condiments (ECPL) plans to spend between Rs 20 to 25 crore towards marketing and selling expenses during this fiscal.

     

    The company recently brought on board FCB Ulka as its creative agency. It also has a special arrangement with the agency for media buying.

     

     “Unlike most other condiments brands, we plan to target rural India, because we see a big opportunity there. As disposable incomes go up in tier II and tier III cities, and more and more family members seek employment, even rural India will have no time to buy the condiments and then spend time processing them for kitchen use. We already see it starting to happen with edible oils and wheat flour,” reveals EPCL managing director Navas Meeran.

     

    Initially, though the push will be BTL, the company is chalking out plans for TV spots on channels like Asianet and Manorama in its home state Kerala. Media plans will be drawn for television commercials in states like Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, the main TG for the company for now. Other states that the company plans to target are Haryana, Punjab as also pan-India.

     

    ECPL’s revenue last fiscal was Rs 560 crore, of which Rs 150 crore came through exports, Rs 125 crore from Kerala and the balance across various markets in India. Karnataka, which contributed Rs 70 crore to ECPL’s revenues is an important market for the company. To that extent, it launched three spice mix flavours that are a part of the staple food in the state – Vangi Bath, Bisibele Bath and Puliogare Bath.
     

    “We will have campaigns in the state for these new products,” said ECPL’s other managing director Firoz Mareen. “These products are more to the local tastes and media plans are under process for a campaign here. In spices and condiments we are already the number three player.”

     

    A few years ago, McCormick & Company, the US-based global leader in spices, herbs and flavourings picked up a 26 per cent stake in ECPL. “McCormick estimated the branded and the non-branded size of the spice and condiments market in India as Rs 45,000 crore,” reveals a source at ECPL. “The approximate size of the organized branded market is about $ 1 billion (about Rs 6000 crore),” adds the source.

  • Cisco’s technology in six million digital homes of Den Networks

    Cisco’s technology in six million digital homes of Den Networks

    MUMBAI: As India slowly inches towards 100 per cent digitisation, it is the various cable and multi system operators who are to be applauded for the increase of digitisation in the country. One of the well known technology companies, Cisco has announced that its services have reached to six million pay-TV homes on Den Networks.

     

    Cisco’s conditional access and middleware has been used by Den Networks since 2008 in its set top boxes. A range of Videoscape technologies from Cisco are used to cater to its subscribers. Den’s digital head-ends, networking routers, switches and set top boxes have been procured from Cisco.

     

    Earlier this year, Cisco expanded its Videoscape TV services delivery platform to include new cloud video capabilities. This would help media companies increase revenue, reduce operating expenses and enhance agility.

     

    Den currently has about 30 million viewers across the country and is looking at increasing that number through phase III and IV of digitisation. Commenting on the partnership Den Networks CEO SN Sharma said, “It gives me immense pleasure, in this highly competitive market, to reach out to more than 30 million viewers through our digital cable TV services. We expect this number to increase significantly with the completion of the remaining phases of digitisation. Cisco’s global expertise in managing the end-to-end delivery of digital pay-TV solutions gives us a strong competitive edge and empowers us to enable new services and advanced features, resulting in satisfied subscribers and encouraging growth.”

     

    Cisco Service Provider Video Software Solutions Vice President Sales Asia Pacific Sue Taylor said, “Cisco is excited by the success of its customers and would like to congratulate Den for reaching such a major milestone. We anticipate that the current digitisation drive will spur us on to achieve many greater milestones, both in roll-out volume and technology deployment, with the introduction of many new features using the latest designs and technologies. This will lead to overall customer enjoyment in terms of the TV viewing experience.”

     

    Den’s footprint now stretches over 200 cities in India covering markets such as Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Kerala, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar.

  • Two new Samachar Plus channels to launch this year

    Two new Samachar Plus channels to launch this year

    MUMBAI: With completion of phase one of two news channels in the states of Uttar Pradesh/Uttarakhand and Rajasthan, the Best News Company plans to enter phase two by launching two more news channels this year.

     

    The channels in question being Samachar Plus Haryana and Samachar Plus Madhya Pradesh/Chattisgarh – both under the Samachar Plus umbrella – scheduled for a September-October 2014 launch.

     

    The current duo has a 600-strong staff with broadcasting happening from Noida and news gathering from bureaus in Lucknow and Jaipur. Incidentally, the Noida office has 30,000 sq ft demarcated for the upcoming channels where the setup is in progress. Plans are afoot to recruit another 500 people for the upcoming channels.

     

    Recently, Aidem Ventures was entrusted the job of handling the ad sales for the existing two channels with corporate companies while local channels would be handled by the channel itself. Brands such as Rajnigandha and Jhandu are already with the channel while others such as Bajaj and Reliance are to be handled by Aidem going further. Currently, ad slots are in the range of around Rs 500 for a 10 second slot.

     

    “The vision of the company is to provide unbiased news, programs based on development of the state and to promote art and culture of the respective regions as well as to bring up social issues that are relevant to the common man,” says Best News Company MD Shashank Bansal.

    Investment to the tune of Rs 15-20 crore is being pumped into the up and coming channels while the existing ones are expected to break even in 2015. The third phase will see another channel for Bihar/Jharkhand.

     

    On the distribution end, being handled by a 22 member-strong internal team, the channels have managed to be present 100 per cent in cable while DTH is yet to happen. The two free to air (FTA) channels beaming off Insat 4 are being shot in standard definition (SD) with no plans to go high definition (HD) anytime soon. “Our SD shooting is as good as HD due to our high quality equipments,” says Best News Company CEO Umesh Kumar.

     

    Other contenders in the UP/Uttarakhand market are ETV UP, Zee Purvaiya and Zee Sangam while in Rajasthan, ETV Rajasthan, Zee Marudhara and Samay Rajasthan are in the fray. As to how the company will take on the challenge presented by biggies like Zee and TV 18, Bansal says, “We will provide our audiences with better content as compared to other channels.”

  • CNN-IBN & IBN7 set off on Election Yatra

    CNN-IBN & IBN7 set off on Election Yatra

    MUMBAI: As we draw closer to the 16th General Elections, CNN-IBN & IBN7 bring to their viewers a special election based show called ‘Election Yatra’, a unique programme that brings forth the true flavour of elections from Ground Zero.

     

    Fronted by IBN Network’s expert team of anchors and journalists, the show will be a combination of vox pops, walk throughs, chaupals and campaign trails. Throughout the next month and a half, ‘Election Yatra’ will examine the mood of the nation by covering key constituencies in 15 states that will play a major role in government formation. The states to be covered in this unique initiative include Andhra Pradesh,  Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, West Bengal, Bihar, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Assam, Odisha, Punjab, Uttarakhand, West Bengal & Karnataka.

     

    Speaking about this new show, Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-in-Chief, CNN-IBN, IBN7 & IBN-Lokmat, said, “With the World’s biggest democratic exercise around the corner, we as the leading news network of the country believe in delivering viewer centric content and Election Yatra is a leap in that direction. The show will capture the real picture of all key constituencies across the country and present it to our viewers to help them make the right choices.”

     

    Don’t miss the special show from Monday to Friday @ 8.30 PM on CNN-IBN & 7.30 PM on IBN7.

  • Zee Uttar Pradesh/Uttarakhand Rechristened As ‘Zee Sangam’

    Zee Uttar Pradesh/Uttarakhand Rechristened As ‘Zee Sangam’

    MUMBAI: Zee Uttar Pradesh-Uttarakhand has been an integral part of the news-media landscape of these two states for many years. The channel, as a part of India’s largest news network, Zee Media Corporation Limited, has always been at the forefront with its incisive and unbiased coverage and analysis of news. In recognition of their trust in the channel, viewers in these states have consistently rewarded the channel with the No. 1 rank.  

    Zee Uttar Pradesh-Uttarakhand has now been renamed Zee Sangam, as it is the face and voice of the people of the land of the Sangam. Sangam is a name that symbolizes and epitomizes the essence and is truly representative of a culturally rich region and its proud people.

    Zee Sangam provides its viewers a fusion of local, regional, and global news apart from insightful programming and perspectives on local culture, trends, industry, agriculture, history and heritage. The channel has always showcased the authentic and real face of Uttar Pradesh & Uttarakhand. Whether in highlighting the accomplishments of its people with events like Avadh Samman or by first-on-ground coverage and critical analysis of disasters in Uttarakhand and riots in Muzaffarnagar, the channel has been a forerunner.

    It is therefore no surprise that as the leading news channel of these states, Zee Uttar Pradesh /Uttarakhand has maintained its numero uno position with more than 45% share in the market (CS 15+Tam, Wk 10, UP).

    Mr. Vasindra Mishra – Editor Regional Channel, said, “A symbolically rich name like ‘Sangam’ will create a more intense connect with our viewers as our content is a perfect blend of traditional and modern India. ‘Sangam’ serves its viewers not only with news of Uttar Pradesh & Uttarakhand, but also real-time coverage of national & international news.  Apart from news, there would be a blend of cultural programming, intellectual debates and many more flavors for the viewers of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand to enjoy. We expect this to further strengthen the affinity that viewers have for our channel.”

  • Maxus and Tata Global Beverages release of 10 point Women’s Manifesto

    Maxus and Tata Global Beverages release of 10 point Women’s Manifesto

    MUMBAI: Ahead of the 2014 General Elections,Tata Global Beverages and the Tata group today released a 10-point ‘Voice of 49%’ women’s manifesto,aggregating issues raised by more than a million women from across India. The manifesto, an outcome of the ‘Power of 49’ campaign, aims at giving a voice to the women of India to be heard in the political discourse of our country. The key issues that have emerged in the manifesto are broadly around the themes of Violence, Safety, Health and Education. This entire campaign has been powered by Maxus, the country’s leading media investments firm, and most dominant media agency in India.

     

    The Power of 49 campaign was launched by Tata Global Beverages, through their social awakening platform Jaago Re, and the Tata group in August 2013 with the objective of creating a more awakened and informed female electorate who constitute 49% of the world’s largest democracy.The issues thathave emerged as a result of this campaign were studied and debated in depth by14 experts led by the editorial team of CNN-IBN and have put together this 10-point ‘Voice of 49%’ manifesto, to be presented and discussed with political parties, in an attempt for them to integrate it into their political agenda.

     

    Speaking on the campaign, Kartik Sharma, MD, Maxus South Asia said, “The Bahu Nahi Bahumat” campaign is the articulation of “Power of 49” campaign by Tata Tea and Tata Global Beverages. This is a revolution rather than a communications campaign. Along with the brand, we have managed to bring core issues that affect nearly half of the electoral votes in India to the forefront. With innovative content and a robust media outreach, we have made the Women’s Manifesto a topic of conversation that could show real measureable impact in the forthcoming elections.” He added, “It has been a great opportunity for the team at Maxus to work on such an important manifesto, taking the Tata Group’s social awaking vision forward.”

     

    Speaking at this milestone, Vikram Grover, Vice President, Marketing, India and South Asia, Tata Global Beverages said, “The objective of the campaign was to create a large number of educated women voters with a view that an informed female electorate would propel the political leaders to include their issues in the agenda in the forthcoming elections. Our study indicates that women are beginning to understand the role they play in forming a government and are more inclined towards voting now.   We are delighted by the overwhelming 1.4 million responses received through our Power of 49 initiative where women have expressed their specific issues.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Mukund Rajan, Member – Group Executive Council and Brand Custodian, Tata Sons said, “The Tata group is proud to associate with Power of 49, which aims to create awareness among the women voters of India about the power they have to bring about change. The ‘Voice of 49%’ manifesto represents an opportunity for Indian women to cast informed votes for candidates who address their issues and at the same time gets political parties to see women as a determining factor in elections. We believe that women’s empowerment is an important subject for our nation’s progress, and the Power of 49 initiative is a step in that direction, seeking to give women their rightful place in the future of our country.”

     

    Since the launch of the campaign, more than 1.4 million responses have come from all over the country through multiple communication platforms. The highest participation has come from the states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Bihar, respectively.

     

    Key highlights of the Voice of 49 manifesto

     

    • Politicians must lead by example by displaying zero tolerance for perpetrators of domestic abuse and dowry in political parties

     

    • Address the under representation of women in the parliament through increased representation in party ticket distribution as well as cabinet

     

    • Make gender sensitization for boys a compulsory part of the school curriculum from Std. V to XII in order to counter eve-teasing

     

    • Increase percentage of women police personnel from current 5% to at least 33%

     

    • Build a combined ‘front line army’ of government workers, NGOs, local health and sanitation workers with accredited social health activists

     

    • Build 1 crore women toilets within a year with privacy and 24/7 access to water

     

    • Provide mandatory cr?ches, women-friendly maternity policies that include long-term leave-  both rural and urban

     

    • Incentivise schooling for girls by providing financial saving schemes and free transportation

     

    • Install GPS on all buses, double the number of street lights and provide round the clock public transportation for women

     

    • Provide complete medical, legal and psychological support to victims of domestic violence by instituting special family counselling centers in government buildings and policy centres

     

    These issues were collated in a first-of–its-kind manifesto that represents the collective voice of the AamAurat. Our triumph lies in Tata Tea Jaago Re becoming a platform for national discourse for issues like the importance of voting and the ills of corruption. With the Power of 49, we have reached another milestone with respect to women and their role in the forthcoming elections and the future of our democracy,” he added.

     

    Power of 49 is being supported by the Tata group as it aligns closely with the group’s social agenda. The campaign saw Tata group companies and employees coming together in the spirit of volunteering to play their part in amplifying the impact of the campaign.

     

    The Power of 49 campaign comprises of three phases.

     

    • The first phase was focused on creating awareness amongst women to the Power of 49% and the power of their informed vote.

     

    • The second and the current phase is about encouraging women to voice out their issues that are critical to them, their family and locality through forging partnerships and communicating it through multiple platforms. With the impactful ‘KaalaTeeka’ television commercial, the ‘Push the Pin’ initiative and the endorsement of leading television soap protagonists through the BahuNahiBahumat platform, the initiative has encouraged women from across the country to raise their voice. Tata Global Beverages partnered with General Entertainment Channels (GECs), news channels, and an NGO to broaden its reach and create maximum impact resulting in the creation of the ‘Voice of 49%’ manifesto.

     

    • Through the creation of manifesto, the final phase of the campaign urges women to go and cast an informed vote for a candidate who is most likely to address their issues ahead of General Elections 2014.

     

    The ‘Voice of 49’ manifesto, voicing theissues and concerns of women from across India, if implemented by the political parties, could have a large positive impact on the country.The Power of 49 campaign will continue to leverage multiple communication platforms to create awareness amongst women to cast an informed vote for a candidate who will address their issues.

  • NDTV India piggybacks legacy to outdo competition

    NDTV India piggybacks legacy to outdo competition

    MUMBAI: Political parties and their prime ministerial picks aren’t the only protagonists of the unfolding election drama; news channels of all hues have joined the fray.

    However, when it comes to election coverage and analysis, certain channels seem to have an edge simply because they’ve been there, done that, long before the others.

    Undoubtedly, New Delhi Television or NDTV is one such, with veteran journalists – Prannoy Roy and Vinod Dua – having co-anchored the first-ever election programme on Doordarshan back in the eighties.

    Leveraging this legacy even as it enters the heat and grime of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls is NDTV’s Hindi news channel, NDTV India.

    The channel has re-jigged its entire schedule to exclusively focus on the battle for the prime ministerial position. From 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm, viewers will be treated to Badi Khabar with Nidhi Kulpati followed by a new show titled National Highway 2014 at 7:00 pm that will feature ground reports from key constituencies and will be anchored by Manoranjan Bharati.

    Newspoint with Abhigyan Prakash aired at 8:00 pm will become Newspoint: Target 272 till the election results are announced.

    Primetime at 9:00 pm will be the same with Ravish Kumar while Rann-neeti at 10:00 pm will have Sikta Deo tracking the changing political strategies of the key players. The last show, Mission 2014, will be aired 10:30 pm onward and will see Kadambini Sharma’s 360-degree coverage of the day’s top election stories.

    Bhuwan Bhatt

    “We will track personalities in the manner in which the US Presidential elections are covered. Our focus this time is to look at the strategies of individual parties and their key leaders. Our objective will be to track the path available to different political formations on their way to the magic 272 mark. This is also one of the most personality-driven elections in recent history,” explains NDTV India managing editor Aunindyo Chakravarty.

    More than the south, the channel will keep a watch out for the Hindi heartland while being in close contact with the Election Commission for real-time turnout figures across states. “While we will be covering the entire country, our focus will be on Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, which could hold the key to these elections,” says Chakravarty.

    With the channel’s market share having risen by a significant 25 per cent in the last LS elections, NDTV India is betting big on its poll coverage and hopes to do even better. So much so, the channel has integrated its website khabar.com with its overall strategy. A special Hindi election microsite is on the cards and so are several interactive initiatives on social media.

    NDTV India is also in talks to use the services of nearly 200 stringers across the country to complement its existing network of correspondents.

    While correspondents will be posted at headquarters, stringers will handle election coverage at the district level. Of the stringers, some will be exclusive to NDTV India while others will be a shared resource between NDTV India and NDTV 24X7. To up its technology quotient, the channel plans to backpack live broadcasting equipment rather than hiring expensive OB vans.

    Isn’t Chakravarty concerned about advertisers, given that NDTV does not subscribe to TAM ratings? “We don’t need to know ratings. We have a better brand and credibility and we also earn better revenues,” dismisses Chakravarty. Hero MotorCorp is already on board as presenting sponsor while Kent-RO and Prateek group are the powered-by sponsors.

    To promote its new shows, the channel will conduct a campaign across Hindi speaking markets closer to elections, the creative for which will be done in-house. “India has a lot of new voters – nearly 12 crore. It is important to reach out to these people and let them know about our shows,” says NDTV senior VP for sales Bhuwan Bhatt.

  • Subrato Roy arrested

    Subrato Roy arrested

    MUMBAI: Subrata Roy, head of Sahara group, was arrested in Lucknow today by the Uttar Pradesh police following the Supreme Court’s non-bailable warrant against him for failing to appear in the court on Wednesday.

     

    The Sahara group businesses include Sahara One Media & Entertainment and real estate development.

     

    In New Delhi, Roy’s lawyer Ram Jethmalani informed the Supreme Court that Roy has surrendered in Lucknow.

     

    Police had visited Roy’s residence on Thursday but did not find him at home. Before surrendering, Roy issued a statement saying he was not absconding and was ready to “unconditionally follow” any Supreme Court directions.

     

    The Supreme Court is hearing a case against Roy for non-compliance with its directive to refund money back to investors in the Sahara’s group financial services company.