ITV

Tag: Viacom18

  • Viacom18’s Jaideep Singh joins Volocity as MD

    Viacom18’s Jaideep Singh joins Volocity as MD

    MUMBAI: Jaideep Singh has been credited with building and operating Viacom18’s Integrated Network Solutions into a successful multiplatform experiential business in three short years. Singh has now joined international creative and brand development company Volocity as managing director. Singh assumes his new role with Volocity as the company embarks on a global expansion into APAC and the Middle East, to guide the company’s entry and growth in new markets.

    His expertise in South Asian territories will be particularly instrumental to the opening of Volocity’s first APAC office, which is scheduled to open in India at the end of this year.

    As part of Volocity’s global footprint in creative content, Volocity is also preparing to announce their India JV partner soon.

    “My future with Volocity promises an unprecedented opportunity to infuse the media and entertainment ecosystem with fresh new perspective and performance results,” said Singh.

    “Throughout my career I have gotten to know many companies, and no other can match Volocity’s capacity to deliver campaigns where the content is uniquely data driven, and that are as smart, targeted and meaningful as they are creative and engaging. It’s an exciting proposition to be able to offer clients the benefits of Volocity’s unique capabilities with total certainty that our work will surpass expectations”, Singh further added.

    Among the unique attributes that attracted Singh to Volocity are the company’s proprietary ideation processes, exclusive existing technologies and their ability to create new tech products, which fuel creative business, content solutions with data-driven storytelling and brand development which achieve measurable, engaging results.

    “We are delighted to partner with Jaideep as we expand, strengthen and globalize the Volocity enterprise,” added Volocity chief strategy officer and JosephMarks founder Ben Johnston. “Jaideep brings unique and invaluable experience and business acumen to our expansion effort, and is already well-established and widely respected.”

    The partners of Volocity reflect a diverse and agile grouping by bringing together the talents of international digital creative company, Josephmark, motion design studio Breeder, and strategic development partner XIT Ventures. Volocity’s approach to product and solution ideation sits at the nexus of traditional and online media, influencing and mobilizing populations through the dense engagement of the individual consumer.

  • Colors Infinity’s formula for success

    Colors Infinity’s formula for success

    MUMBAI: There’s infinite merriment at Viacom18 as executives at the network celebrate its English general entertainment channel Colors Infinity’s first birthday. And they have a century of reasons to rejoice: beginning with eight advertisers the channel today boasts 100-plus brands that are using it to connect with consumers through their TVCs. Its ad growth rate has been a scorching 30 per cent, and this has enabled it to improve the effective rate it offers to advertisers.

    Now the channel headed by Ferzad Palia is stepping into its second year with more might behind local productions with a determination to continue the good work and offer advertising partners even more co-branding opportunities.

    “Advertisers have been happy to pay us a premium. They don’t buy us on basis of the ratings but for various other reasons. They have realised it’s not only about viewership but also about the audiences in India. The core audiences’ consuming this do not want people meters in their homes. With 250 million people comfortable with the English language, the measurement remains as a challenge,” says Palia.

    This year, the team plans to increase its focus on local English content as well as bring in newer seasons of the channel’s popular shows. Amongst the properties that are going to continue to get a leg up include: Infinity-On-Demand and instant premieres. “Most people do about four to five instant premieres but we have done upward of 50 premieres,” says Palia.

    He adds: “Local production is our focus going ahead. It is not about number of hours of production. Currently we are cracking various concepts and will develop them well. Our show, The Stage is 25-30 hours of programming but it has a strong recall value. We are focusing not on quantity but quality. We came in quite late in the genre so disruption and differentiated content was the need of the hour. The brands can be integrated and incorporated heavily in local productions.”

    Reaching out to a 200 million audience, the channel has managed to capture 60 per cent viewership from the aspirational, neo-urban consumers in the country. On the whole its English channel cluster (VH1, Comedy Central and Colors Infinity) holds a rather dominating 53 per cent market share of its genre, claims the company. And it has tapped into even smaller towns and markets nationally.

    According to a recent report, Colors Infinity has a major stake in the Chennai region with 51 per cent reach whereas Star World’s figure is at 48 per cent. AXN, Comedy Central, Zee Café, FX have a reach of 36 per cent, 33 per cent, 29 and 19 per cent respectively. It also is in the top five channel list when it comes to metros like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata and non-metros. Clearly, the channel has been distributed well by its partner Indiacast.

    “We had insights that suggested the consumers wanted to watch content at their comfort level or else they illegally downloaded it. So we further leveraged binge watching on our channel by showcasing 3 back-to-back episodes of globally acclaimed shows such as Arrow, Fargo, The Big C, The Last Ship, Chasing Life,” explains Palia. The channel also initiated live binging of all-new seasons of Mad Dogs and Orange is The New Black, at the same time as its US telecast.

    “It was a victory for us,” he exclaims.

    It plans to further amplify the Colors Infinity’s international offering with launches of new shows such as Nashville, and Law and Order; as well as new seasons and instant premieres of Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, iZombie and Shades of Blue. The viewers’ favorite reality shows: So You Think You Can Dance and My Kitchen Rules are also slated to return with the latest season.

    So, how has the channel benefitted the network? Palia is of the opinion that “Our network has spread out well into the regional space and has expanded well in youth and kids. One of the areas where there was a need gap was the English entertainment space. We have seen tremendous expansion in this genre from the past three to four years. Now, we are in a position to derive 50 per cent share from our English cluster.”

    Palia points out with pride to the fact that in October 2015, the channel, under his leadership pioneered India’s first-ever home-grown English language music TV show – The Stage. Season 2 of The Stage will hit TV screens in September.

    Then it roped in Grey Goose to partner it for the show Born Stylish – a celeb chat show. It showcased Bollywood style icons such as Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha, and Anil Kapoor, as well as international fashion pioneers like Jean Paul Gaultier, Anna Zegna, Massimiliano Giornetti of Salvatore Ferragamo and many more, who interacted with host Pria Kataria Puri and spilled the beans on the evolution of their style quotient.

    A media planner points out that she would like to see Colors Infinity step up the game and introduce more daring and engaging domestically produced shows – which would appeal to English speaking audiences in the metros and second rung towns.

    “Doing one or two shows and shouting about making them work is laudable and appreciation worthy,” says she. “But Palia and team should realize they are operating in the English language which has myriad opportunities for anyone. Yes viewers are very demanding; they would like the same quality in the domestic series like they see in the international ones. And this is where the opportunities lie; experimentation with domestic scripted and unscripted formats in the English language. I’d like to see more full flowing action from the folks at Colors Infinity rather than these solitary strokes. I’d like the team to believe in the genre it says it leads.”

    Be that as it may, that advice can be kept aside for another day. Right now it’s time to bring out the bubbly for team Colors Infinity.

  • Colors Infinity’s formula for success

    Colors Infinity’s formula for success

    MUMBAI: There’s infinite merriment at Viacom18 as executives at the network celebrate its English general entertainment channel Colors Infinity’s first birthday. And they have a century of reasons to rejoice: beginning with eight advertisers the channel today boasts 100-plus brands that are using it to connect with consumers through their TVCs. Its ad growth rate has been a scorching 30 per cent, and this has enabled it to improve the effective rate it offers to advertisers.

    Now the channel headed by Ferzad Palia is stepping into its second year with more might behind local productions with a determination to continue the good work and offer advertising partners even more co-branding opportunities.

    “Advertisers have been happy to pay us a premium. They don’t buy us on basis of the ratings but for various other reasons. They have realised it’s not only about viewership but also about the audiences in India. The core audiences’ consuming this do not want people meters in their homes. With 250 million people comfortable with the English language, the measurement remains as a challenge,” says Palia.

    This year, the team plans to increase its focus on local English content as well as bring in newer seasons of the channel’s popular shows. Amongst the properties that are going to continue to get a leg up include: Infinity-On-Demand and instant premieres. “Most people do about four to five instant premieres but we have done upward of 50 premieres,” says Palia.

    He adds: “Local production is our focus going ahead. It is not about number of hours of production. Currently we are cracking various concepts and will develop them well. Our show, The Stage is 25-30 hours of programming but it has a strong recall value. We are focusing not on quantity but quality. We came in quite late in the genre so disruption and differentiated content was the need of the hour. The brands can be integrated and incorporated heavily in local productions.”

    Reaching out to a 200 million audience, the channel has managed to capture 60 per cent viewership from the aspirational, neo-urban consumers in the country. On the whole its English channel cluster (VH1, Comedy Central and Colors Infinity) holds a rather dominating 53 per cent market share of its genre, claims the company. And it has tapped into even smaller towns and markets nationally.

    According to a recent report, Colors Infinity has a major stake in the Chennai region with 51 per cent reach whereas Star World’s figure is at 48 per cent. AXN, Comedy Central, Zee Café, FX have a reach of 36 per cent, 33 per cent, 29 and 19 per cent respectively. It also is in the top five channel list when it comes to metros like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata and non-metros. Clearly, the channel has been distributed well by its partner Indiacast.

    “We had insights that suggested the consumers wanted to watch content at their comfort level or else they illegally downloaded it. So we further leveraged binge watching on our channel by showcasing 3 back-to-back episodes of globally acclaimed shows such as Arrow, Fargo, The Big C, The Last Ship, Chasing Life,” explains Palia. The channel also initiated live binging of all-new seasons of Mad Dogs and Orange is The New Black, at the same time as its US telecast.

    “It was a victory for us,” he exclaims.

    It plans to further amplify the Colors Infinity’s international offering with launches of new shows such as Nashville, and Law and Order; as well as new seasons and instant premieres of Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, iZombie and Shades of Blue. The viewers’ favorite reality shows: So You Think You Can Dance and My Kitchen Rules are also slated to return with the latest season.

    So, how has the channel benefitted the network? Palia is of the opinion that “Our network has spread out well into the regional space and has expanded well in youth and kids. One of the areas where there was a need gap was the English entertainment space. We have seen tremendous expansion in this genre from the past three to four years. Now, we are in a position to derive 50 per cent share from our English cluster.”

    Palia points out with pride to the fact that in October 2015, the channel, under his leadership pioneered India’s first-ever home-grown English language music TV show – The Stage. Season 2 of The Stage will hit TV screens in September.

    Then it roped in Grey Goose to partner it for the show Born Stylish – a celeb chat show. It showcased Bollywood style icons such as Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha, and Anil Kapoor, as well as international fashion pioneers like Jean Paul Gaultier, Anna Zegna, Massimiliano Giornetti of Salvatore Ferragamo and many more, who interacted with host Pria Kataria Puri and spilled the beans on the evolution of their style quotient.

    A media planner points out that she would like to see Colors Infinity step up the game and introduce more daring and engaging domestically produced shows – which would appeal to English speaking audiences in the metros and second rung towns.

    “Doing one or two shows and shouting about making them work is laudable and appreciation worthy,” says she. “But Palia and team should realize they are operating in the English language which has myriad opportunities for anyone. Yes viewers are very demanding; they would like the same quality in the domestic series like they see in the international ones. And this is where the opportunities lie; experimentation with domestic scripted and unscripted formats in the English language. I’d like to see more full flowing action from the folks at Colors Infinity rather than these solitary strokes. I’d like the team to believe in the genre it says it leads.”

    Be that as it may, that advice can be kept aside for another day. Right now it’s time to bring out the bubbly for team Colors Infinity.

  • Online pirates beware, Copyright Force on way

    Online pirates beware, Copyright Force on way

    MUMBAI: Red alert for online pirates of TV content and movies. Copyright Force is on its way.

    In a move to fight online piracy, major broadcasters, studios and the recently set-up Telangana  Intellectual Property Crime Unit (TIPCU) are joining hands with Motion Pictures Association of America (MPA)’s Indian chapter for strengthening and effective implementation of regulations.  
    Tentatively named Copyright Force, the industry alliance’s main aim is to set an agenda on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) policy and engage with the government.

    “When you talk about Digital India, the government will have to put out a strong message on curbing online piracy. There are just not enough teeth in existing laws to tackle online piracy. Hence, the industry is exploring an industry alliance to sensitise the government and judiciary of the issue,” Viacom18 general counsel Sujeet Jain explained to indiantelevision.com.

    Confirming the move Uday Singh, Managing Director-India, MPA, however, clarified the move was a positive one but needed more deliberations.

    The alliance is looking at getting broadcasting companies, studios and other industry organisations like MPA under one roof.

    “There are many organizations with larger objectives. The Copyright Force’s (or its formal version) sole purpose would be to push copyright issues,” Jain added.
    According to industry sources, initial exploratory meetings on the issue were attended by the likes of Viacom18, Star India, Walt Disney, Zee, Turner, Sony Pictures Networks, Sun TV Network, Eros International, Reliance and TIPCU.

    Earlier, speaking on the issue of Digital Content Economy and Robust Enforcement Model at an event organised by FICCI here today, Jain said, “You cannot fight online crime with offline measures. Online enforcement has to happen.”

    According to him, the Copyright Act and IT Act have to be updated so the issue of online piracy is addressed directly and helps the judiciary to properly interpret relevant laws to pass judgements on cases relating to online piracy.

    In recent time, the issue of piracy has gained currency in India with mostly film-makers taking John Doe orders in an effort to safeguard against online leaks of films before formal theatrical releases.

    However, the content industry feels such cases don’t properly address the growing menace of online piracy.

    But taking a leaf out of the UK’s PIPCU (Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit), run by City of London Police, the Telangana government has set up country’s first anti-piracy unit called Telangana Intellectual Property Crime Unit (TIPCU).

    The reason for TIPCU formation was effective lobbying by the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce with the state government on behalf of the local film industry that is reported to have suffered losses in excess of Rs 361 crore because of online piracy.

    Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce honorary chairman, governing council, anti video piracy cell, Rajkumar Akella said, “As we have been witnessing in recent days, the problem of online piracy is most urgent. The greatest threat now has become the pre-movie release leakages. Without real time interventions from the government and the industry, it will go out of control.”

    According to him, TIPCU, an initiative brought to life by the Telangana government, the Telugu film industry and MPA India, was a very significant step. “The unit will be making optimum use of technology besides policy enforcement and outreach,” Akella added.

    MPA regional director, online content protection, Oliver Walsh said, “The Indian film and TV industry supports 1.8 million jobs which are at risk because of rising online content theft. The future of legitimate content delivery platforms depends on effective enforcement measures supported by Indian State governments.”

    Pointing out that TIPCU was a great example of a dedicated law enforcement unit to tackle organized online film piracy, Walsh said such an approach will go a long way in significantly reducing online infringement of films and television content. 

    Jain also pointed out that there is a need to develop dedicated digital courts in the country where the issue of online piracy is addressed exclusively.

  • Online pirates beware, Copyright Force on way

    Online pirates beware, Copyright Force on way

    MUMBAI: Red alert for online pirates of TV content and movies. Copyright Force is on its way.

    In a move to fight online piracy, major broadcasters, studios and the recently set-up Telangana  Intellectual Property Crime Unit (TIPCU) are joining hands with Motion Pictures Association of America (MPA)’s Indian chapter for strengthening and effective implementation of regulations.  
    Tentatively named Copyright Force, the industry alliance’s main aim is to set an agenda on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) policy and engage with the government.

    “When you talk about Digital India, the government will have to put out a strong message on curbing online piracy. There are just not enough teeth in existing laws to tackle online piracy. Hence, the industry is exploring an industry alliance to sensitise the government and judiciary of the issue,” Viacom18 general counsel Sujeet Jain explained to indiantelevision.com.

    Confirming the move Uday Singh, Managing Director-India, MPA, however, clarified the move was a positive one but needed more deliberations.

    The alliance is looking at getting broadcasting companies, studios and other industry organisations like MPA under one roof.

    “There are many organizations with larger objectives. The Copyright Force’s (or its formal version) sole purpose would be to push copyright issues,” Jain added.
    According to industry sources, initial exploratory meetings on the issue were attended by the likes of Viacom18, Star India, Walt Disney, Zee, Turner, Sony Pictures Networks, Sun TV Network, Eros International, Reliance and TIPCU.

    Earlier, speaking on the issue of Digital Content Economy and Robust Enforcement Model at an event organised by FICCI here today, Jain said, “You cannot fight online crime with offline measures. Online enforcement has to happen.”

    According to him, the Copyright Act and IT Act have to be updated so the issue of online piracy is addressed directly and helps the judiciary to properly interpret relevant laws to pass judgements on cases relating to online piracy.

    In recent time, the issue of piracy has gained currency in India with mostly film-makers taking John Doe orders in an effort to safeguard against online leaks of films before formal theatrical releases.

    However, the content industry feels such cases don’t properly address the growing menace of online piracy.

    But taking a leaf out of the UK’s PIPCU (Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit), run by City of London Police, the Telangana government has set up country’s first anti-piracy unit called Telangana Intellectual Property Crime Unit (TIPCU).

    The reason for TIPCU formation was effective lobbying by the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce with the state government on behalf of the local film industry that is reported to have suffered losses in excess of Rs 361 crore because of online piracy.

    Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce honorary chairman, governing council, anti video piracy cell, Rajkumar Akella said, “As we have been witnessing in recent days, the problem of online piracy is most urgent. The greatest threat now has become the pre-movie release leakages. Without real time interventions from the government and the industry, it will go out of control.”

    According to him, TIPCU, an initiative brought to life by the Telangana government, the Telugu film industry and MPA India, was a very significant step. “The unit will be making optimum use of technology besides policy enforcement and outreach,” Akella added.

    MPA regional director, online content protection, Oliver Walsh said, “The Indian film and TV industry supports 1.8 million jobs which are at risk because of rising online content theft. The future of legitimate content delivery platforms depends on effective enforcement measures supported by Indian State governments.”

    Pointing out that TIPCU was a great example of a dedicated law enforcement unit to tackle organized online film piracy, Walsh said such an approach will go a long way in significantly reducing online infringement of films and television content. 

    Jain also pointed out that there is a need to develop dedicated digital courts in the country where the issue of online piracy is addressed exclusively.

  • TV18 Q1 2016-17: New investments lead to losses

    TV18 Q1 2016-17: New investments lead to losses

    MUMBAI: When you invest in new launches, relaunches, on talent and digital products without additional cash being pumped in, it obviously is going to hurt your bottom-line.

    That’s exactly what’s happened to TV18 Broadcast, which has reported a consolidated segment revenue (including proportionate share of joint ventures considered for segment reports) of Rs 606.7 crore in Q1 to June 2016 as compared to Rs 596.7 core in the year ago period. But it has turned out a loss of Rs 14.1 crore as against a profit of Rs 8.6 crore in the same period last year.

    Rebranding and relaunching of CNN-IBN as CNN-News18 cost the company Rs 3.5 crore. Three new news channels – News18 Kerala, News18 Tamil, News18 Assam/NE were flagged off in April 2016 and contributed Rs 13.9 crore to its operating losses. Rishtey CinePlex and over the top service Voot, which were launched in May 2016, and HD channels in Marathi, Kannada and Bangla that made a debut under Viacom18 in the quarter helped add to the aggregate operating losses to the tune of Rs 29.2 crore. Finally, factual entertainment channel FYI from the AETN18 stable launched 10 days ago reported a loss of Rs 5.4 crore which has been included in the April-June quarter.

    The company says that the segment loss before tax and before interest including performance of the joint ventures stands at Rs 19.1 crore. If one were to exclude the impact of these new initiatives , the segment profit for the business is at Rs 32.9 crore.

    TV18 has also moved to the Indian accounting standards (Ind-AS) from 1 April 2016 and it has restated its comparative results. Under this, its joint ventures Viacom18, Indiacast, and IBN Lokmat have been accounted under the equity method, the company says.

    Additionally, the company had included the financials of Prism TV Private Ltd as a subsidiary in the previous corresponding quarter but which have now been reported as a joint venture from August 2015 when it ceased to be an offshoot.

    Under Ind-AS (accounting for JVs under equity method), TV18’s consolidated revenue stands at Rs 210.7 crore in Q1 2016-2017 as against Rs 273.1 crore in the previous corresponding quarter.

    The company states that if one were to consider the operations of TV18 on a like for like basis, after factoring the change in status of Prism TV from a subsidiary to a joint venture, the growth in revenue is 18 per cent even as the operating loss is down to Rs 19 crore from Rs 22.2 crore in Q1 June 2015.

    TV18 chairman Adil Zainulbhai states in the earnings release that it is bullish about the media business – both linear and digital – and is investing heavily in it to position it for leadership. “…to be ahead of the curve…The results of these investments are starting to bear fruit and will help in healthy revenue growth and profits in the near future,” he says.

    The stock market seems to have taken the financial results and statements with a pinch of salt during trading hours. The TV18 stock shed some 13.5 per cent and closed at Rs 40.70 when trading ended.

  • TV18 Q1 2016-17: New investments lead to losses

    TV18 Q1 2016-17: New investments lead to losses

    MUMBAI: When you invest in new launches, relaunches, on talent and digital products without additional cash being pumped in, it obviously is going to hurt your bottom-line.

    That’s exactly what’s happened to TV18 Broadcast, which has reported a consolidated segment revenue (including proportionate share of joint ventures considered for segment reports) of Rs 606.7 crore in Q1 to June 2016 as compared to Rs 596.7 core in the year ago period. But it has turned out a loss of Rs 14.1 crore as against a profit of Rs 8.6 crore in the same period last year.

    Rebranding and relaunching of CNN-IBN as CNN-News18 cost the company Rs 3.5 crore. Three new news channels – News18 Kerala, News18 Tamil, News18 Assam/NE were flagged off in April 2016 and contributed Rs 13.9 crore to its operating losses. Rishtey CinePlex and over the top service Voot, which were launched in May 2016, and HD channels in Marathi, Kannada and Bangla that made a debut under Viacom18 in the quarter helped add to the aggregate operating losses to the tune of Rs 29.2 crore. Finally, factual entertainment channel FYI from the AETN18 stable launched 10 days ago reported a loss of Rs 5.4 crore which has been included in the April-June quarter.

    The company says that the segment loss before tax and before interest including performance of the joint ventures stands at Rs 19.1 crore. If one were to exclude the impact of these new initiatives , the segment profit for the business is at Rs 32.9 crore.

    TV18 has also moved to the Indian accounting standards (Ind-AS) from 1 April 2016 and it has restated its comparative results. Under this, its joint ventures Viacom18, Indiacast, and IBN Lokmat have been accounted under the equity method, the company says.

    Additionally, the company had included the financials of Prism TV Private Ltd as a subsidiary in the previous corresponding quarter but which have now been reported as a joint venture from August 2015 when it ceased to be an offshoot.

    Under Ind-AS (accounting for JVs under equity method), TV18’s consolidated revenue stands at Rs 210.7 crore in Q1 2016-2017 as against Rs 273.1 crore in the previous corresponding quarter.

    The company states that if one were to consider the operations of TV18 on a like for like basis, after factoring the change in status of Prism TV from a subsidiary to a joint venture, the growth in revenue is 18 per cent even as the operating loss is down to Rs 19 crore from Rs 22.2 crore in Q1 June 2015.

    TV18 chairman Adil Zainulbhai states in the earnings release that it is bullish about the media business – both linear and digital – and is investing heavily in it to position it for leadership. “…to be ahead of the curve…The results of these investments are starting to bear fruit and will help in healthy revenue growth and profits in the near future,” he says.

    The stock market seems to have taken the financial results and statements with a pinch of salt during trading hours. The TV18 stock shed some 13.5 per cent and closed at Rs 40.70 when trading ended.

  • S.N. Sharma quits Reliance

    S.N. Sharma quits Reliance

    MUMBAI: Cable distribution veteran SN Sharma has quit Reliance Jio, a subsidiary of Mukesh Ambani promoted Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL).

    Sources in RIL confirmed that Sharma has put in his papers last week.

    Sharma had joined RIL’s media-cum-telecom venture Reliance Jio in 2015  and was brought on board to lead the cable distribution business of the organisation.

    RIL, which through a subsidiary company has a licence to operate as an MSO, had also brought in former Hathway Datacom chief executive K. Jayaraman to head its distribution business and Sharma reported into him.

    As part of  Reliance Jio, Sharma and Jayaraman were entrusted to build a business plan for distribution of TV channels owned by Reliance that were managed under Network18 Media and Investments Ltd.

    With an experience of more than 20 years in electronic media and cable distribution, Sharma is credited with playing a crucial role in building thw Sameer Manchanda-promoted Den Networks and Rahejas-owned Hathway.

    RIL, which owns and controls the Network18 group that operates a clutch of TV channels, has widespread interest in media, telecom, petroleum and energy sectors.

    Through its subsidiary TV18 Broadcast Limited, the group operates news channels CNBC-TV18, CNBC Awaaz, CNBC Bajar, CNBC-TV18 Prime HD, CNN-News18, IBN7, ETV channels, IBN-Lokmat (a Marathi regional news channel in partnership with the Lokmat group), apart from the newly-launched  FYI TV18.

    TV18 also operates a joint venture with Viacom, called Viacom18, which houses a portfolio of popular entertainment channels like Colors, Colors HD, Colors Infinity, Rishtey, MTV India, MTV Indies, Comedy Central, Vh1, Nick, Sonic, Nick Jr, Teen Nick and Viacom18 Motion Pictures.

  • S.N. Sharma quits Reliance

    S.N. Sharma quits Reliance

    MUMBAI: Cable distribution veteran SN Sharma has quit Reliance Jio, a subsidiary of Mukesh Ambani promoted Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL).

    Sources in RIL confirmed that Sharma has put in his papers last week.

    Sharma had joined RIL’s media-cum-telecom venture Reliance Jio in 2015  and was brought on board to lead the cable distribution business of the organisation.

    RIL, which through a subsidiary company has a licence to operate as an MSO, had also brought in former Hathway Datacom chief executive K. Jayaraman to head its distribution business and Sharma reported into him.

    As part of  Reliance Jio, Sharma and Jayaraman were entrusted to build a business plan for distribution of TV channels owned by Reliance that were managed under Network18 Media and Investments Ltd.

    With an experience of more than 20 years in electronic media and cable distribution, Sharma is credited with playing a crucial role in building thw Sameer Manchanda-promoted Den Networks and Rahejas-owned Hathway.

    RIL, which owns and controls the Network18 group that operates a clutch of TV channels, has widespread interest in media, telecom, petroleum and energy sectors.

    Through its subsidiary TV18 Broadcast Limited, the group operates news channels CNBC-TV18, CNBC Awaaz, CNBC Bajar, CNBC-TV18 Prime HD, CNN-News18, IBN7, ETV channels, IBN-Lokmat (a Marathi regional news channel in partnership with the Lokmat group), apart from the newly-launched  FYI TV18.

    TV18 also operates a joint venture with Viacom, called Viacom18, which houses a portfolio of popular entertainment channels like Colors, Colors HD, Colors Infinity, Rishtey, MTV India, MTV Indies, Comedy Central, Vh1, Nick, Sonic, Nick Jr, Teen Nick and Viacom18 Motion Pictures.

  • Viacom18 and Turner India tie up for Voot’s kids content

    Viacom18 and Turner India tie up for Voot’s kids content

    MUMBAI: Viacom18 and Turner India have announced a strategic tie-up that will see Turner’s popular kids shows play on Viacom18’s over-the-top service Voot.

    With this deal, Voot will add to its already existing powerhouse list of close to 100 characters that cut through broadcast affiliation. Shows likeThe Powerpuff Girls, Ben10, Roll No. 21 and Chotta Bheem alongside Dora, Spongebob, Motu Patlu, Shiva and Pokemon are among the few.

    Commenting on the tie-up, Turner India South Asia senior vice president and managing director Siddharth Jain said, “We at Turner are dedicated in engaging consumers and collaborators in new ways to develop immersive worlds that enable our fans to experience our brands, franchises and content wherever, whenever and however they like. The collaboration with Viacom18 is a strategic move towards achieving this objective of being where our fans are and we know from our own New Generations 2016 research that 71% of today’s plurals are mobile phone users and 30% of them are on surfing the internet.”

    Viacom18 group CEO Sudhanshu Vats said, “Online kids content is one of the major white spaces that exists in the country today. Through a dedicated offering within VOOT, called VOOT Kids we had started our journey to create the largest online destination for kids’ content in India. This vision saw us aggregate content from both within our network brand Nick and outside, to launch with over ~7000videos of kids content. This strategic partnership with Turner India will further bolster our content repository for VOOT Kids. Additionally, this also brings two powerhouses of kids content on a singular platform to bring forth the best viewing experience for our loyal little viewers.”

    Viacom18 Digital Ventures COO Gaurav Gandhi further explained, “With close to one-fifth of all viewing on VOOT coming in for VOOT Kids already, we clearly have managed to catch the attention of one of the most discerning audiences and the true digital natives. With this multi-year strategic tie-up with Turner India, we are adding to the depth and variety of content for this audience.”