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Tag: Viacom18

  • Voot head sales strategy & agency business Samir Karpe moves on

    Voot head sales strategy & agency business Samir Karpe moves on

    Mumbai: Voot head of sales strategy and agency business Samir Karpe has moved on after serving for over five years at the Viacom18-backed streaming service platform. 

    With over 12 years of work experience, Karpe is a digital marketing professional and tech enthusiast. At Voot, Karpe was tasked with managing the sales strategy.

    “After over 5 years, it is time for me to move on from Voot! I am #grateful to the entire team at Voot! I have had a fulfilling and rewarding journey,” said Kapre in a LinkedIn post.

    He had joined Voot in July 2016 as a senior manager and was elevated to head of sales strategy and agency business in June this year. Prior to Voot, Karpe had spent almost six years at Radio Mirchi where he managed key client accounts. 

    His next move is still unknown. 

  • Sonic turns 10, celebrates with special campaign ‘Tenniversary’

    Sonic turns 10, celebrates with special campaign ‘Tenniversary’

    Mumbai: Sonic, part of India’s kids entertainment franchise Nickelodeon, is celebrating the completion of its decade-long journey with a special birthday campaign ‘Tenniversary’. The channel was launched on 19 December, 2011.

    The campaign is conceptualised with a focus on partnerships, expansive influencer promotions, and digital engagement through an array of exciting activities to keep children entertained. 

    Sonic has risen through the ranks from the seventh position since its launch a decade ago to the third in 2020-21, and currently at the top in its anniversary week. With viewers spending 119 minutes on an average per week, it currently commands a 13 per cent market share. It plays a significant role in strengthening leadership for the Nickelodeon franchise with a reach of 28.2 million as of November 2021.

    The channel’s first launch was ‘Kung Fu Panda- The Legend of Awesomeness’. Its latest home-grown IP ‘Pinaki & Happy – The Bhoot Bandhus’ contributes 30 per cent of the channel’s ratings, consistently appearing in the category’s top 10 slots since launch. 

    “When we started our journey with Sonic a decade ago, we took a plunge in the highly competitive kids category. From then to now, Sonic has grown leaps and bounds. The success story of Sonic is a result of our kids-first approach in driving innovation with pioneering homegrown content that has made Nickelodeon the leading franchise,” said Viacom18 – head of Hindi mass entertainment & kids TV network Nina Jaipuria. “We are happy to have built a brand that is a destination which kids return to for their daily dose of entertainment. We look forward to the next phase with enthusiasm.”

  • MTV Beats increases share in music genre to 21% as it turns 5

    MTV Beats increases share in music genre to 21% as it turns 5

    Mumbai: Hindi music channel MTV Beats maintained the top position in the genre consistently with an average weekly time spent of 28 minutes per viewer. The channel garnered a total of 370 million viewers along with a total of more than 120 billion viewing minutes, further improving its genre share to 21 per cent as compared to 17 per cent the previous year.

    This year MTV Beats completes five years since its launch. The channel has launched a month-long interactive campaign to celebrate its anniversary. It has launched a series of contests hosted by singer and pop icon Dhvani Bhanushali. The channel is giving away 62 prizes along with five bumper prizes to the winners of the contests.  

    The channel has found innovative ways of revamping some of their existing shows by going remote with zoom call shoots and phone-based footage, some shot by artists themselves. The popular show “Dil Beats Lockdown Love” witnessed a cumulative reach of 38.7 million viewers with a total of more than three lakh viewing minutes, shared the channel.

    “MTV Beats’ journey has been exciting and exhilarating,” said Viacom18 head of youth, music and English entertainment Anshul Ailawadi. “Since its launch in 2016, the channel has demonstrated growth in the Hindi music genre by diving deep into consumer insights and upscaling its content to cater to its viewers. In the last one year, with realities changing daily, we have managed to keep our audiences thoroughly engaged with unique and original programming initiatives.”

  • Vh1 collaborates with JioSaavn for new show ‘Pop Hits Certified’

    Vh1 collaborates with JioSaavn for new show ‘Pop Hits Certified’

    Mumbai: Viacom18’s international music and English entertainment channel Vh1 has in association with audio-streaming service JioSaavn announced the launch of “Pop Hits Certified,” a bi-monthly show starting 15 December. 

    With an aim to foster a community of pop-lovers and keep them updated on the latest pop trends, Vh1 and JioSaavn will release a list of 10 tracks from JioSaavn’s Hero Playlist every fortnight. To engage the audiences digitally Vh1 will air the special show ‘Pop Hits Certified’ with music videos from the playlist. The program will also be hosted by JioSaavn on its app.

    The two music platforms have joined forces to put together a fortnightly playlist of songs from celebrated pop artists from across the world to deliver global pop tunes on digital and television. Spread over three months the collaborated playlists will explore different sub-genres and themes. 

    “Vh1 has unequivocally been India’s biggest platform for international music and pop culture. Through musical extravaganzas featuring renowned artists from around the world, we have not only managed to retain our loyal viewers but also deepened their engagement with their favourite music,” said Viacom18 head – youth music and English entertainment Anshul Ailawadi. “With our partnership with JioSaavn, we aim to showcase pop music to our viewers through ‘Pop Hits Certified’ and build a larger community of pop-lovers.”

  • Viacom18 appoints Siddharth Sharma as EVP – sports

    Viacom18 appoints Siddharth Sharma as EVP – sports

    Mumbai: Viacom18 has appointed Siddharth Sharma as executive vice president (EVP) – sports.

    Previously, Sharma was with The Walt Disney Company-owned Star Sports network as senior vice president. He joined Star Sports as AVP in 2013 and was elevated to the position of vice president – head of Kabaddi (content and production) in 2015. “As I end my 8.5 years journey at Star Sports, I reflect with humility and thank my mentors, co-conspirators and team members who have massively contributed in making my work look good,” Sharma wrote in a LinkedIn post.

    Prior to Star Network, Sharma worked with ABP News as sports editor for almost 11 years. His past stints also include Zee News.

    Viacom18 is looking to expand its presence in the sports broadcasting segment. The media and entertainment network recently announced a multi-year partnership with The National Basketball Association (NBA) to deliver live NBA games and programming to fans in India across television and over-the-top streaming.

    NBA, Viacom18 announce multi-year broadcast and streaming partnership in India

    Viacom18 is building its team ahead of the launch of its first sports channel.

  • NBA, Viacom18 announce multi-year broadcast and streaming partnership in India

    NBA, Viacom18 announce multi-year broadcast and streaming partnership in India

    Mumbai: The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Viacom18 have announced a multi-year partnership to deliver live NBA games and programming to fans in India across television and over-the-top streaming.

    Beginning with the NBA’s 75th anniversary season in 2021-22, Viacom18 as part of the partnership enabled and supported by Rise Worldwide will provide comprehensive coverage of the NBA’s regular season and marquee events in English and Hindi through its television channels Vh1 and MTV, and through its digital platforms Voot and Jio TV.  

    “While sports are the biggest whitespace that we are entering, to build a truly inclusive and differentiated proposition, we need to look at diverse sporting events from across the globe,” Viacom18 chief executive officer – sports Anil Jayaraj. “Basketball is a sport that is increasingly gaining attention and affinity in India.  Through this partnership with the NBA, not only do we want to make basketball mainstream, but also build its lifestyle appeal among sports fans.”

    Coverage will include weekly live games, NBA All-Star, the NBA Play-In Tournament, the NBA Playoffs, and the Finals. Viacom18 will show daily highlights and create original NBA-themed programming that will run on a number of channels across its network, said the media conglomerate in a media statement.

    “Globally, basketball is more than a sport – it is a lifestyle,” said Viacom18 head of youth, music and English entertainment Anshul Ailawadi. “As we look to build basketball into a cultural phenomenon in India, we welcome this deep partnership with the NBA.  Over the course of this association, we will be initiating a heavily localized marketing outreach and consumer connect programme aimed at building fandom for the sport.”

    “We are thrilled to partner with Viacom18 to broadcast and stream live NBA games to a nationwide audience,” said NBA India head of global content and media distribution Sunny Malik. “Basketball’s popularity in India continues to grow, and by offering a range of NBA programming on Viacom18 in both English and Hindi, we look forward to reaching and inspiring millions of new and existing NBA fans across the country.”

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  • Viacom18 appoints Mandar Naik as director – revenue strategy and planning

    Viacom18 appoints Mandar Naik as director – revenue strategy and planning

    Mumbai: Viacom18 has appointed Mandar Naik as director – revenue strategy and planning. He joined the company in November.

    Naik was previously associated with Sony Pictures Networks India since March 2016 and quit as senior manager – strategic planning and research. He has also had stints at Star India, Ipsos and Nielsen India. A strategy planning manager with a demonstrated history of working in the broadcast media industry, his expertise lies in the areas of analytics, sales planning, revenue strategy, market intelligence, media research, market research and marketing.

    He completed his MBA in marketing from N. L. Dalmia Institute of Management.

  • Mallika Petkar joins Viacom18 as senior vice president – sports

    Mallika Petkar joins Viacom18 as senior vice president – sports

    Mumbai: Viacom18 has appointed Mallika Petkar as senior vice president – sports. Petkar was previously working with Disney+ Hotstar as head of SMB growth strategy and inside sales since March 2019.

    She has spent a decade in various roles at both Star TV network and Disney+ Hotstar. At Star TV network she held the role of customer strategy and integrated sales network and Star Sports product and revenue strategy. At Disney+ Hotstar she has held the role of vice president product and revenue strategy. She had joined Star India in August 2011.

    “After a decade at Star India/Hotstar, I have moved on to the next adventure. It’s been an incredible ride, through which I’ve been fortunate to have some of the smartest mentors and colleagues ever assembled under one roof. And many dear friends. From the early days of building Star Sports to the last few years on the rocket ship that is Disney+Hotstar, there’s never been a dull moment,” she wrote in a LinkedIn post.

    She also had a three-year stint at Ernst and Young as senior consultant – business advisory services.

  • Viacom18 launches marketing blitz to build fandom for Abu Dhabi T10

    Viacom18 launches marketing blitz to build fandom for Abu Dhabi T10

    Mumbai: Viacom18 will begin airing the Abu Dhabi T10 league on 19 November starting at 7 p.m. The network has started a marketing blitz to build a fandom for the league amongst cricketing fans in India. The Abu Dhabi T10 league is co-presented by Dream11 and has onboarded Fairplay as a digital sponsor on Voot.

    “The Abu Dhabi T10 tournament has emerged as one of the most entertaining spectacle events in the sporting calendar since its launch,” Viacom18 head of marketing and digital – Hindi mass entertainment Sapangeet Rajwant. “Our aim will be to enhance the overall experience of viewers and reach out to the mass, cricket-crazy audience in India to increase the fan base and popularise the event in the country.”

    Abu Dhabi T10 league will premiere from 7 p.m on 19 November, live on Colors Cineplex, Rishtey Cineplex, and Voot. The six teams that will be a part of this series represent 20 nations and include cricketing legends like Yusuf Pathan, Eoin Morgan, David Wiese, Faf Du Plessis, Chris Gayle, Babar Azam, Wahab Riaz, Imran Tahir and many more.

    Viacom18 has initiated a 360-degree mix of marketing initiatives starting from 15 November to build up the excitement for the tournament. The network is driving communications on TV for the league across 50 channels in the movies, music, regional GECs, and news genre along with a promotional plan for cable across Maharashtra and Gujarat markets as well as collaboration with several DTH providers. Along with OOH hoardings across Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Chennai markets, there is also a robust print ad plan underway.

    Moreover, the network is driving instream inventory and interstitial ads across social media, gaming apps, and short video platforms and placing GDN banners on cricket-focussed websites. While on radio, RJ mentions, spots, and score updates have been planned with leading stations across Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Nashik, Ahmedabad, Baroda, Surat, Rajkot markets.

    Leveraging the digital outreach, carousel ads and push notifications will be driven across Jio platforms. On social media, push across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube are targeted towards reaching out to cricket and sports fans, as well as engagement, which will be driven through hashtag challenges. Digital impact amplification will also be done through channels/platforms with Google products and a host of cricket websites.

  • Colors Cineplex announces robust content lineup until February 2022

    Colors Cineplex announces robust content lineup until February 2022

    Mumbai: Hindi movie channel Colors Cineplex has announced a slew of fresh and exciting content offerings until February. This includes the upcoming Abu Dhabi T10 series, several film premieres and Road Safety World Series in February 2022.

    The upcoming Abu Dhabi T10 league will start airing from 19 November onwards on Colors Cineplex, Rishtey Cineplex, Voot and Jio. On 19 December, the channel will telecast the world TV premiere of the biographical war film “Shershaah” starting at 7:30 p.m. Road Safety World Series will return in February 2022. The channel has announced a New Year programming lineup that includes Tamil blockbusters “Vijay Raghvan” starring Vijay Anthony, Rudhram starring Raghava Lawrence, and Malayalam blockbuster “Minnal Murali.”

    “The powerful combination of cricket and movies has helped Colors Cineplex grow and achieve new feats,” said Viacom18 business head – Hindi movies cluster Rohan Lavsi. “With the new and exciting lineup, our endeavor is to keep bringing an unmatched entertainment experience with a fresh yet varied content mix of movies and sports to our viewers.”

    The Abu Dhabi T10 features six teams consisting of legends like Faf Du Plessis, Chris Gayle and Yusuf Pathan, among others from 20 different nations, will play 35 matches in this series. Road Safety World Series is a tournament played by former cricket icons like Sachin Tendulkar, Virendra Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh is organized to create awareness about the safety rules on the road. The inaugural edition took place this March which was won by the host – India Legends.

    “Our Indian audiences swear by two things- cricket and movies and Colors Cineplex has been successfully delivering exceptional content on both fronts. With another exciting cricket league Abu Dhabi T10, the premiere of Shershaah and Road Safety World Series ahead of us, it will create new opportunities for our viewers and sponsors alike thus contributing to the growth of the channel,” said Viacom18 head – Hindi mass entertainment and kids TV network Nina Elavia Jaipuria.