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Tag: Viacom18

  • Viacom18: The ‘Bigg Boss’ of brand integrations

    Viacom18: The ‘Bigg Boss’ of brand integrations

    MUMBAI: Evolution is the key to survival. And the Media and Entertainment industry has mastered the art.

     

    With changing times, the broadcasters, advertisers along with media agencies are coming up with newer and better ways to put forth their message to their viewers beyond the 10 sec or 30 sec TVC. Innovative ways are being found and negotiated to go beyond the 12 minute ad cap authored by the government.

     

    One such network, which through its numerous entities, can be said is at the forefront of it is Viacom18. Take a look at its latest film Mary Kom or Colors’ Bigg Boss. They are a perfect example of how brands can be integrated.

     

    According to Viacom18 group CEO Sudhanshu Vats, as the network offers sponsorships, it will continue to strengthen the value additions like in the case of Snapdeal and Bigg Boss.

     

    Madison Media, recently did brand integrations with the reality show for TVS Scooty Zest and Britannia. Says the media planner from the agency, who didn’t want to be named, “No other network has so many reality shows under its belt. And they all provide a perfect platform to showcase what the sponsor needs to communicate to the audience.”

     

    The deal is made on the table when sponsor and title sponsors come on board. The value additions help the brands to get value for the big bucks they spend on them.

     

    For instance, in Bigg Boss, the key carriers of the brand integration which is also an integral part of the show’s format are the various ‘tasks’ that are given to the housemates to prove themselves. “We ideate in a manner that a brand /product gets woven beautifully in a given task and their positioning and offerings gets highlighted in a seamless manner. For example, the Snapdeal portal used by the housemates to buy essential household items,” says Colors CEO Raj Nayak.

     

    Brands that associate as sponsors, gets branding presence in the house most suitable for their category.  The Garnier Men’s Products posters are put up in the bathroom, which gets featured in the show every day; similarly, making a call to a loved one, using the Oppo Smart Phone.  Nayak adds, “Suitable to the format and content, brand consumption/ usage is also integrated within the day’s activities.”

     

    The network’s youth entertainment channel, MTV, started embedded advertising in the beginning of the year and since then have had many clients willing to take the new form of advertising. The first few ones being Nokia, Tuborg, ITC and Gionee. 

     

    The phenomenon isn’t new, but a lot of broadcasters are taking the route to keep the advertisers happy as well as get in the mullah. The network, which follows the restricted advertisement air time, hikes its rates at regular intervals to keep the in-flow going. And through its numerous properties keeps the marketers happy. 

     

    With the onset of reality shows, advertisers have got more opportunities. Also, one can have repeat messaging in non-fiction shows, which is not too easy to introduce in fiction shows.  However, if ample development time is given, then even in fiction shows brand stories can be fused, as Colors did with Tata Motors for its show 24.

     

    IPG Mediabrands India GM (content and experiences) Dhruv Jha elaborates on the Tata Motors and 24 deal. “These integrations are more like an extension of the media deals, but they need to done in a smart manner. A forced-upon integration can put off a viewer and not benefit both the channel and the brand as well.”

     

    To make the integration an integral “part” of the show, one needs to draw the fine line. The task isn’t easy.

     

    Ideation starts with the brand brief; next comes synergising the key messaging of the brand with the most suitable content piece so as to hit the viewers/ consumers in the most fitting manner.  It is also important to review the operational aspect during ideation – arranging for the products, branding scope in the scene, feasibility of integrating the brand ambassador etc.  Social media is often used to create pre and post telecast buzz around the integrations.

     

    “Innovation is something that has been ingrained in our channel’s DNA, and as the saying goes, if you’ve seen it before, it ain’t innovation. We challenge ourselves with every show – whether its Bigg Boss, Khatron ke Khiladi, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, India’s Got Talent or 24 to ensure that there’s a delight factor both for the viewers as well as the sponsors,” boasts Nayak.

     

    The brands which show the most interest to come on board are e-commerce and smartphone companies. And now with the markets stabilising, the channels are also seeing renewed interests from auto sector, food and FMCG sectors.

     

    The trend is now veering towards integration of brands “strategically” across all engagement points and not be uni-dimensional or have a shotgun approach. 

  • Reliance brings with it the zest to win, says Sudhanshu Vats

    Reliance brings with it the zest to win, says Sudhanshu Vats

    MUMBAI: On 29 May 2014, Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) had announced that it would spend Rs 4,000 crore to take complete control of Network18, the company which Raghav Bahl founded in 1993.

     

    The takeover labeled as the biggest takeovers in India’s media industry, followed the announcement with an open offer to the public.

     

    Since then, not much has been spoken about the management changes, cultural changes in the companies or the working.

     

    So, when indiantelevision.com met Viacom18 group CEO Sudhanshu Vats, we couldn’t help but ask.

     

    Answering the obvious question of has there been any management changes post the takeover of Network 18 by Reliance, Vats says, “No, there have been no changes at Viacom18. The same management team continues to drive Viacom18.”

     

    Vats goes on to add that Reliance is a very large and successful company. It believes in scale and has strong leading position in all the business segments in which it operates. “The good news from our point of view is that we now have two industry giants – Reliance and Viacom as partners. Reliance brings with it scale, resources and the zest to win. Those are good traits for us to gain new heights in the media sector,” he emphasises

     

    For the record, Network18 owns news TV channels (including CNBC-TV18, CNN-IBN, CNBC Awaaz etc), websites (firstpost.com, moneycontrol.com), magazines (including the license for Forbes India), entertainment channels (including Colors, MTV and Homeshop18) among other businesses. And Viacom18 founded in November 2007 is a 50:50 joint venture operation in India between Viacom and the Network 18’s subsidiary TV18, based in Mumbai.

  • CASBAA welcomes Frank Rittman to its board of directors

    CASBAA welcomes Frank Rittman to its board of directors

    MUMBAI: During its Council of Governors Meeting concluding the CASBAA Convention 2014, CASBAA announced the election of Frank Rittman of the Motion Picture Association to its Board of Directors.
     
    “CASBAA is looking forward to having Frank Rittman’s vast experience in dealing with IP and regulatory issues across the Asia Pacific region,” said Marcel Fenez, Chairman, CASBAA. “His perspective will inform the Association’s strategy toward these crucial areas in the years ahead.”
     
    Rittman will be joining a roster of multichannel TV industry executives charged with leading the direction of the Association including Chairman, Marcel Fenez (PwC) and Directors Sompan Charumilinda (TrueVisions), Christine Fellowes (Universal Networks International), Janice Lee (PCCW Media Group), Todd Miller (Celestial Tiger Entertainment), Alexandre Muller (TV5MONDE), Mark Patterson (GroupM), Bill Wade (Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Limited) and Christopher Slaughter (CASBAA).
     
    “We would also like to express our deepest appreciation to Andrew Jordan of Eutelsat who is retiring from the Board after many years of service,” said Fenez.  “On the Board, we have benefitted from Andrew’s leadership, industry insight, and dedication to CASBAA’s many projects, and look forward to his ongoing contribution on the Council of Governors.”
     
    CASBAA also welcomed six new Corporate Members to its roster since the beginning of the year with beIN Sports, The Indonesia Channel, MP & Silva, NETVIET, Thuraya and Viacom18 joining the Asia-Pacific’s premier association for multichannel TV.
     
    “Our new members continue to showcase the diversity of industries and regions that make up Asia Pacific broadcasting,” said Christopher Slaughter, CEO, CASBAA. “From Indonesia to India and covering sports rights to mobile satellite services, beIN Sports, The Indonesia Channel, MP & Silva, NETVIET, Thuraya and Viacom18 are important additions to the CASBAA community.”
     
    beIN SPORTS operates multi-platform sports channels and content services in Indonesia, Hong Kong, Philippines and Thailand and aims to bring fans of all great sports live game action, news and analysis of the top leagues and competitions around the planet, as well as exclusive and never available-before content.
     
    A privately-held company with partners from various sectors in the Indonesian business community, The Indonesia Channel was conceived to provide fresh signature content along with quality acquired Indonesian programs subtitled in English.
     
    MP & Silva is a leading international media company that owns, manages and distributes some of the most prestigious sports media rights globally, advises and represents major sports federations and rights holders and offers media production and sponsorship consultancy.
     
    VTC10-NETVIET, produced by NETVIET Multimedia, is the channel of choice for Vietnamese culture and entertainment in Vietnam and features diversified content concerning Vietnamese culture, traveling, cuisine, as well as movies and series in Vietnamese with English subtitles.
     
    Thuraya Telecommunications Company is an industry leading Mobile Satellite Services operator and a global telecommunication provider offering innovative communications solutions to a variety of sectors including energy, broadcast media, maritime, military and humanitarian NGO.
     
    Viacom 18 Media Pvt. Ltd. is a 50/50 joint venture operation in India between Viacom Inc. and the Network 18 Group and operates six general entertainment channels and a film business through Viacom18 Motion Pictures, that produces, acquires and distributes Hindi films.

     

  • Viacom18’s digital plan is about ‘mobile first’

    Viacom18’s digital plan is about ‘mobile first’

    MUMBAI: As the world, including the television industry, moves to digital, ways are being found to capture and engage audiences on multiple screens. Viacom18, the JV between Viacom International and TV18, the subsidiary of Network18, is also thinking digital to get a hold of audiences when they skim online.

     

    Its nine channels – Colors, Rishtey, Nick Jr, Nick, Sonic, MTV, Vh1, Comedy Central and MTV Indies – form the network’s broadcast side.

     

    Viacom18 group CEO Sudhanshu Vats sees digital as an accompaniment to television viewing. “In India digital is at a very nascent stage. In the US, over the years, TV viewership has remained the same or inched up a little. It is consumption in the digital space that has grown and the same trend will be seen in India,” he says. While India boasts of a 1.2 billion population seated in 250 million homes, the number of TV homes is just about 160 million. “This gap of 90 million means that there will always be room for classic TV content as well,” adds Vats.

     

    Much of this digital contribution currently comes from urban India but Vats says that data shows a reasonable amount of rural India also utilising the digital medium. As per him, traffic coming from PCs and laptops is an urban phenomenon while rural India is more hooked to the mobile.

     

    Its flagship channel, Colors, boasts of 414,000 followers on Twitter, thanks to its extensive thrust on the social media platform. It is way ahead of competition on both Twitter as well as Facebook. It also has commendable followers for its non-fiction properties such as Bigg Boss and Jhalak Dikhkhla Jaa.

     

    In terms of content exclusive to digital, Viacom18’s MTV has experimented a lot with webisodes of which a few have never appeared on television. Now the focus is on creating content that suits the smaller screens. “We need to revisit how best to customise content for the small screen from the way it is shot as well as the duration. What are these short stories? Do they invite to action or a combination of narrative and time span, etc. When you say mobile first, it is what you will do for this screen first that matters,” points out Vats.

     

    Vats agrees that the business model for monetisation of TV content is superior to digital, which is still in an evolution phase. So the need of the hour is to understand how to target multiple screens. “As transportation develops in India, ‘snacking’ will gain shape.  Digital will offer more snacking content and less long-form. The minute you have the option of watching stuff on a bigger screen you will, but on the other hand, you will snack. Also, the current online content stream is low on quality and high on price. We are exploring avenues in the mobile space to change that for the better,” he explains.

     

    However, Viacom18 is also focused on increasing traffic to its channel websites rather than to its Youtube page. Colors diverted traffic to its official website rather than its Youtube page for people who wanted to watch Comedy Nights With Kapil. “We had to focus on where people were viewing Comedy Nights With Kapil, and direct it to where we want them to view it. So we figured having a smaller section on YouTube and baiting them from there to the Colors website made more sense in this case,” explains  Vats.  

     

    He also says that digital is a lot about windowing. “What is running live on television, when is going to be linear in that sense on digital – simultaneous or windowed later – and what is the monetisation plan for each of them. If you want to watch it in the linear format, then it may be subscription based. If you want to watch it later, it might be a combination of subscription and advertising,” concludes Vats.

     

  • Comedy Central to celebrate Children’s Day

    Comedy Central to celebrate Children’s Day

    MUMBAI: Children’s day is a hop, skip and jump away. In today’s busy world with limited options for family entertainment Comedy Central is set to present nine  hours of favourite family shows during their special line up on 14th November.  The channel has  programmes lined up to ensure that not only the kids, but the entire family has a fun on the telly!

     

    The special programming has been prepared keeping in mind that during this busy day and age, parents barely get to spend time with their children. Television viewing is still a family activity and Comedy Central wants parents and their children to bond over the latter are shows.  The line-up consists of shows like Growing Up Fisher, About a Boy, everyone’s favourite sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea Spongebob Squarepants and angsty, ninjutsu trained vigilantes Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

     

    Viacom18 executive vice president and business head English Entertainment said Ferzad Palia said, “At Comedy Central we believe that Comedy is not only for a certain age or audience, it has a universal appeal and children’s day is another excuse for us to air the best family-comedy entertainment in India. The shows airing on children’s day are popular and adored not only by children, but also have a certain appeal with adults as well. We are positive that viewers will appreciate and enjoy the line up with their families.”

     

    So this Children’s Day audiences can  tune in to Comedy Central on14th November from 11am to 8pm

  • Music is a natural fit for brands

    Music is a natural fit for brands

    MUMBAI: One cannot deny the strong connection between brands and music in the ever evolving music industry. More and more labels, artists and musicians are becoming aware about brand association that could help them attain a more successful outcome. The second day of the 6th edition of MixRadio Music Connects in Mumbai had CNBC TV-18 editor storyboard Anant Rangaswami lead a panel discussion called “The brand story”. Through this panel, the audience got to learn about the importance of brands in the music ecosystem. The invited panelists included Viacom18 EVP media and business head MTV and MTV Indies Aditya Swami, Bacardi India general manager marketing Ali Imran and Vivanta by Taj GM Manojeet Bhujabal.

    The panel discussed the role of brand partnerships within the music industry. The session started with Branded co founder and CEO and Music Matters president Jasper Donat and indiantelevision.com group founder, CEO and editor in chief Anil Wanvari present an award to Imran, for Bacardi’s excellent brand association with music.

    The key point of the discussion began with understanding how brands develop their strategies when collaborating with music.

    Speaking about Taj’s music connect, Bhujabal elaborated: “Music is a primordial expression for us. Our hotels are well-known but we want to present an alternative life outside the realm of hotels.  It was tough to initially develop a notion for Vivanta.  We started on a basic level through house music. We went onto present Urban Tease, Barn Fest, Divas of Rock and Urban Folk. We also developed the Vivanta Sound Lab series and we look forward to discover emerging talents with fresh content.”

    Imran felt there is no straight substitute for music. He commented, “Music is like oxygen for us. It reaches humans in a way that probably no other passion does. For Bacardi, music is a natural fit considering what the brand stands for, its lineage of parties and celebrating the human spirit.”

    Providing his perspective as a channel head on why brands get associated with a music channel, Aditya Swami explained, “Digital has become a key part of the consumer ecosystem. It has allowed brands to talk to consumers in the language of music. We have attracted brands that want to create conversations and we have successfully done so over the years”.

    Swami added that the presentation of music is of paramount importance in the industry, today. He said, “With brands supporting us, we have managed to showcase original music in the best way possible. Today, a brand like Pepsi is a partner of MTV Indies, a dedicated destination for non-film, non-mainstream music. We have given Pepsi a great platform for people to talk about what the brand is doing for the youth. Music is the voice of youth. It’s not just TV ratings that matters now. Traditional metrics are changing and there is a need to build brand love. Platforms like music are fantastic for this”.

    Swami elaborated further that the music industry has an opportunity to develop within the area of music and brand partnerships. He said, “In the last 12 months, every interesting music idea that we have taken to the market has had at least a brand that is interested, as opposed to taking an idea of a reality show or TV soap where the market has become very saturated. Today, retail and lifestyle products are also part of the music ecosystem”.

    At this point, Rangaswami added that brands might have a set of guidelines that would help attain a more successful outcome. He asked the panel how do the brands decide what kind of music to select when working on a campaign?

    To that, Bhujabal replied: “We initially work with content partners who know the domain well. We enunciate what are the idioms and what to bring on the floor. We look at the audience and decide who we are targeting. After that, it is the job of the content creator to curate”. Bhujabal also emphasised on the importance of social media and social engagement to see how many people are engaged and liking their association with that selected genre of music.

    Ending the panel discussion with some food for thought, Swami commented:  “Today, I do not see enough brands or content players doing interesting cuts of our pop music industry. The content guys need to come up with interesting ideas and content relevant for brands around pop music industry. That is a huge space for us to tap into”.

     

  • Viacom18 rings in the festive season with ‘Rishtey’ in US & Canada markets

    Viacom18 rings in the festive season with ‘Rishtey’ in US & Canada markets

    MUMBAI: After its successful launch in the UK and India, Viacom18 and IndiaCast announce the launch of the Hindi general entertainment channel ‘Rishtey’ in the US and Canada. Adding the festive fervor for viewers in the region, Rishtey is now available to the US audiences on Dish and Dishworld on channel 699 and to Canada viewers on Rogers Cable on channel 924. As Viacom18’s second general entertainment channel, Rishtey is geared to offer an engaging mix of exciting shows, movies and entertainment from a wide spectrum of genres.

     

    With seven channels already available in North America, IndiaCast currently has a comprehensive portfolio of brands in the region that covers a wide range of entertainment offerings. Rishtey is the eighth channel in the region and will be available on a paid subscription format. With the launch of the Rishtey on Dish and Dishworld, the channel will now be available to around 160K households in the US.

     

    Commenting on Rishtey’s foray into the US & Canada, Gaurav Gandhi – Group COO IndiaCast said, “US and Canada are the most important international markets for South Asian entertainment and we are delighted to launch our second Hindi entertainment channel, Rishtey, in this region.  Our flagship brand Aapka COLORS has seen unprecedented success in the region over the last 4 years. With the launch of Rishtey, we address the audience’s need for variety entertainment and Rishtey will be the classic ‘family channel’ with something for everyone in the South Asian household. Over the last two years, the Rishtey, in its different avatars, has developed a strong foothold in the UK and in India and we are extremely confident that the brand will be a huge success here as well”

     

    Rishtey, for the North America region, is a customized Pay TV service that promises to engage viewers with a plethora of content ranging from scripted dramas from the subcontinent (both India & Pakistan), Indian Kids content, Youth programming, Lifestyle as well as Bollywood content.  The channel is a true variety entertainment service with “something for everyone” in the family.

  • Rentrak to launch box office tracking service in India

    Rentrak to launch box office tracking service in India

    MUMBAI: Rentrak recently announced the launch of its India box-office tracking service, aiming to bring independently verified box-office data in the country. The announcement was made at the ongoing Mumbai Film Festival.

    Talking to the Hollywood Reporter, Rentrak’s vice present for Europe, the Middle-East and Africa, Arturo Guillen said, “This can be a win-win situation for all parties involved — producers, distributors and exhibitors.”

    Even with almost 11,000 screens in the country, the box-office data is still largely based on figures reported by distributors and producers rather than being directly sourced from cinema locations. The company will collect and analyze data from cinemas directly, according to media reports.

    According to industry estimates, India clocks around 3.5 billion admissions per year with total revenues touching $1.5 billion. With the demand for Indian films getting huge overseas as well, Rentrak is already tracking Bollywood titles in 44 countries while the company’s India client base will include local arms of Hollywood studios that have become active in local productions such as Disney, Fox Star Studios and Viacom18, in addition to Indian banners, the report added.

     “As we have seen in other markets, cinemas benefit from our data as it helps them track footfalls, which is helpful for in-cinema advertising and programming decisions,” said Rentrak India MD Rajkumar Akella, in an interview to The Hollywood Reporter.

    “A leading Indian producer once told me that data is the basis to define reality,” added Guillen, referring to how data can also help in tracking consumer tastes.

    This is Rentrak’s second attempt at entering India after its now-defunct 2007 pact with Mumbai-based Bigtree Entertainment, which provides entertainment ticketing applications and solutions.

     

  • Rahul Mishra to join IndiaCast as associate director for marketing

    Rahul Mishra to join IndiaCast as associate director for marketing

    MUMBAI: IndiaCast that distributes TV18 and Viacom18’s channels in India and abroad has roped in Rahul Mishra as associate director for marketing.

     

    Confirming the news to indiantelevision.com, Mishra said that his role will encompass handling trade marketing for domestic channels and consumers as well as trade marketing for its international channels such as Colors, Rishtey and News18. He will join IndiaCast from November and is currently serving his notice period at BBC.

     

    Mishra joins IndiaCast from BBC World News where he had a successful stint of nearly eight years as Asia Pacific marketing manager. Prior to that, he was with WorldSpace India as manager for north and has worked for the sales and marketing teams of Hyatt and Le Meridien Hotels and Resorts.

  • Vh1 to bring X Factor UK to India

    Vh1 to bring X Factor UK to India

    MUMBAI: UK’s most enthralling musical talent hunt returns with an action-packed season on 6 October, with Vh1 moving to air the show within 48 hours of UK telecast from the 13 October onwards.

     

    The new season begins with renowned faces returning to the judging panel. Former ‘frenemies’, Simon Cowell and Cheryl Fernandez-Versisni make a comeback while Scary Spice Mel B has joined this season replacing former Pussycat Dolls member Nicole Scherzinger.

     

    The legendary music manager Louis Walsh resumes for yet another season of X Factor UK despite his claims of not returning for a new season last year! The series resumes with the return of participant-friendly host Dermot O’Leary. He will be seen presiding over all the drama, tears, joy and heartache, as well as lending the aspirants a much needed shoulder to cry on as they perform in front of the difficult panel.

     

    Announcing the acquisition of X Factor Viacom 18 English entertainment head and EVP Ferzad Palia said “We recently began to air Britain’s Got Talent and the show has quickly climbed to become the number one unscripted program in the English entertainment category today.

     

    Clearly this is something audiences are excited about and at this point we are thrilled to introduce them to the latest season of UK’s biggest music reality show. With this new season and our plans to air it right after UK telecast, we reaffirm our commitment to airing the best international music and lifestyle entertainment to ever updated Indian audiences.”

     

    Banded in one of the four existing categories; i.e. the Over 25s, the Groups, the Boys and the Girls, the hopefuls will get a chance to impress and receive three ‘yeses’ from the bantering judges and proceed closer towards the coveted prize.