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Tag: Viceland

  • Vice Media starts Indian journey promising edgy content

    Vice Media starts Indian journey promising edgy content

    MUMBAI: Global youth media brand Vice Media, which officially launched its operations in India on Thursday in partnership with the Times of India group, will bring content in Hindi and English and has introduced all its digital brands under the VICE.com banner.

    Along with its digital brands, Vice will also premier a late-night prime time television block across the Times of India portfolio, bringing the best of Viceland’s award-winning content to a mass market like India. Viceland is a multinational brand of television channel owned by Vice Media, which also provides programming and was started in 2016.

    According to a statement put out by the company, Vice India’s local content programming will span conversations across topics such as food, music, politics, sports, sex, identity, nightlife, arts, and comedy. The company plans to showcase a wide range youth-oriented content in the coming months, including local mental health crisis, sexual assault on university campuses, navigating life in India as an LGBTQI+ individual, the taboo sex industry, and political action in the region.

    However, it must be added here that last month some media reports indicated that at least a couple of people associated with content generation quit Vice India alleging interference of corporate bosses in editorial matters, especially in those edgy news stories that involved a particular political party in India.

    Beyond Vice’s main partnership with the Times of India group, additional partnerships, including with Facebook, will bring Vice’s content to millions of new viewers in the region through original local production and reporting, and licensing.

    “We are humbled by the response we have received on our content as we launch and are excited to partner people, brands and organisations who are on a mission to connect with India’s youth and impact their future positively,” Vice India CEO Chanpreet Arora said in a statement.

    New offices in Mumbai and Delhi will host full-scale Vice operations, including a local offering of Virtue Worldwide, Vice’s in-house creative agency, and a full-service content production studio, Vice Studio, producing local news, culture, documentary, film and scripted content for television, SVOD, OTT and digital platforms.

    “A large number of people on Facebook in India are young. We are happy to see Vice Media launch in India and excited about the opportunity that people will get to see content that will be relevant, high quality and something, which will encourage meaningful conversations,” Facebook entertainment partnership head, Asia Pacific, Saurabh Doshi said.

    Virtue Worldwide has entered into major brand partnerships that will provide creative services throughout India. Launch partnerships in the region include Mountain Dew (PepsiCo) and Anheuser-Busch InBev. On the heels of its global association, Vice India, in partnership with Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s largest brewer, will be working together to create, curate and distribute culture-centric content to augment the reach of the latter’s portfolio brands such as Budweiser in the country.

    “We are excited to extend our global relationship with Vice in India to collaborate on creating immersive experiences. We are confident that this partnership will allow both entities to cater and connect to the passion points of India’s youth,” Anheuser-Busch InBev India marketing director Kartikeya Sharma said. 

    Hosi Simon, CEO of Vice APAC, who was in the country to launch the brand, said, “Our aim is to reach the aspirational mass audience, which is about to make their voices heard loudly in India. We are looking beyond urban India, into the regional emerging and highly curious youth population, which, we believe, will own the future of the country very soon.”

    Rishi Jaitly, CEO of Times Bridge, the arm of The Times Group that has invested  in Vice India, expressed the hope that the operation would become the country’s leading youth media company, “engaging and delighting millennial and Gen Z audiences” across the sub-continent.

    More details on multiple platform partnerships would be announced in the coming months, Vice India said. But it is not clear whether Vice India has applied for Indian government permissions for the Viceland TV channel and whether it would be introduced here at all.

    Also Read :

    Vice Media to launch Vice India on April 2

    Chanpreet Arora appointed CEO of Vice Media India

    VICE to launch digital service with ToI Group 1Q 2017

  • Vice Media to launch Vice India on April 2

    Vice Media to launch Vice India on April 2

    MUMBAI: New York-based millennial-targeted media brand Vice Media is all set to mark its presence in the Indian entertainment industry with Vice India on 2 April 2018.

    Hosi Simon, the CEO of Vice Media Asia Pacific, announced the launch date in Mumbai on the third day of FICCI Frames 2018.

    Vice Media has been around for 24 years. In June 2016, Vice Media and The Times Group collaborated for an ‘expansive partnership.’ The joint venture by Vice Media is done to bring its youth-focused content to many more territories, mixing local and international news, culture and lifestyle programming to young viewers across online, television and mobile. The content on Vice India will be an equal half split between local content and content from abroad.

    The launch of Vice Media’s TV service ‘Viceland’ with the name ‘Vice Now’ in India as a pay channel is also a part of the joint venture.

    Vice India will open up their offices in Mumbai and Delhi. Recently, Chanpreet Arora was appointed as the chief executive officer (CEO) of Vice India. Earlier, Vice India had appointed Pragya Tiwari as the editor-in-chief and Samira Kanwar as the head of video. Since then, Tiwari has left Vice India citing personal reasons and Kanwar has been designated as content head of the firm.

    For India, according to Simon, the goal is to be a deeply local, relevant company.

    Simon said that Vice would adopt a studio approach and the focus will be on the story, no matter from where and whomsoever it comes

    The company will have a production hub that will create different kinds of content including long form, short form and documentaries.

    Also Read:

    Localised content the way forward for Netflix in India

    2017: The year OTTs went regional in India

    Regional OTT content more than just catch-up TV    

    Indians among top commute streamers for Netflix

  • Vice, WPP sign multi-million dollar ad deal

    Vice, WPP sign multi-million dollar ad deal

    MUMBAI: Vice and WPP’s media investment unit GroupM have signed a multimillion-dollar advertising deal that will take advantage of the millennial-focused media company’s international expansion.

    Vice co-founder and CEO Shane Smith and WPP CEO Martin Sorrell said that they agreed that millennials were the future. They were under-serviced, and the companies had to create more content.

    The particulars of the deal involve Vice working with GroupM to use Vice’s insights, content and data to build an advertising platform across all of Vice’s global multi-screen and over-the-top properties. The deal was announced at the Dmexco conference in Cologne, Germany.

    The deal is worth hundreds of millions of dollars in ad spending, according to Smith. A Vice spokesperson later added it is a multi-year, multi territory deal.

    GroupM handles over USD 102 billion in advertising billings, according to research company Recma. GroupM said it handles one out of three ads globally.

    Sorrell said that there were some difficulties working with Google and Facebook, and that there’ was a need to find another force.

    In June, Vice announced plans to expand its presence to 51 territories, including having a TV, mobile and digital presence in India and the Middle East and TV content throughout Africa.

    It also will add a 24-hour TV channel in Australia and New Zealand, where it already has a robust digital and mobile presence. Vice’s U.S. cable channel Viceland launched in February 2016, and it’s nightly HBO news show is slated to begin on 10 October.

    WPP at present has an 8.5 per cent stake in Vice. At one point, it owned up to one-tenth of the company but has since sold some shares. Source: cnbc.com

  • Vice, WPP sign multi-million dollar ad deal

    Vice, WPP sign multi-million dollar ad deal

    MUMBAI: Vice and WPP’s media investment unit GroupM have signed a multimillion-dollar advertising deal that will take advantage of the millennial-focused media company’s international expansion.

    Vice co-founder and CEO Shane Smith and WPP CEO Martin Sorrell said that they agreed that millennials were the future. They were under-serviced, and the companies had to create more content.

    The particulars of the deal involve Vice working with GroupM to use Vice’s insights, content and data to build an advertising platform across all of Vice’s global multi-screen and over-the-top properties. The deal was announced at the Dmexco conference in Cologne, Germany.

    The deal is worth hundreds of millions of dollars in ad spending, according to Smith. A Vice spokesperson later added it is a multi-year, multi territory deal.

    GroupM handles over USD 102 billion in advertising billings, according to research company Recma. GroupM said it handles one out of three ads globally.

    Sorrell said that there were some difficulties working with Google and Facebook, and that there’ was a need to find another force.

    In June, Vice announced plans to expand its presence to 51 territories, including having a TV, mobile and digital presence in India and the Middle East and TV content throughout Africa.

    It also will add a 24-hour TV channel in Australia and New Zealand, where it already has a robust digital and mobile presence. Vice’s U.S. cable channel Viceland launched in February 2016, and it’s nightly HBO news show is slated to begin on 10 October.

    WPP at present has an 8.5 per cent stake in Vice. At one point, it owned up to one-tenth of the company but has since sold some shares. Source: cnbc.com

  • Discovery Networks appoints Jay Trindad as senior VP & GM for northeast business

    Discovery Networks appoints Jay Trindad as senior VP & GM for northeast business

    MUMBAI: Discovery Networks Asia Pacific has hired Jay Trindad as senior vice president and general manager for its northeast business. He will be based in Tokyo and will report to Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific managing director and president Arthur Bastings.

    “As we inject digital into our DNA, I am thrilled to have someone of Jay’s calibre join our team,” said Bastings. “His expertise in pure-play digital and consumer-centric innovation is invaluable as we evolve and take Discovery to the next stage of growth, particularly in northeast Asia, where we are looking to meaningfully invest and take full advantage of the region’s sophisticated and widespread wireless infrastructure.”

    The hire highlights the company’s wide bet on digital as a driver of business in coming years.

    At Discovery, he will focus on delivering compelling brand experiences to the millennial audience by redefining Discovery’s suite of products, the company said in a statement.

    International president J.B. Perrette in part landed his post thanks to his expertise in digital, having been on the launch team of US VOD platform Hulu. Korean country manager Hee-Man Lee and his team will be folded into the new group, which will also include Japan. Whereas, Discovery’s Japanese chief Louis Boswell, will now lead the cable giant’s southeast Asia operations.

    Hoekstra subsequently joined Vice Media to roll out its linear channel, Viceland, across Europe.

    Trindad has a varied CV, having worked at search giant Google for ten years, recently leading a push to promote the Google Chrome browser in Asia; translation platform Gengo; and mobile payment gateway Square Inc.

    He was most recently VP, digital at McDonald’s Japan, where he led strategy and increased customer engagement through digital initiatives.

  • Discovery Networks appoints Jay Trindad as senior VP & GM for northeast business

    Discovery Networks appoints Jay Trindad as senior VP & GM for northeast business

    MUMBAI: Discovery Networks Asia Pacific has hired Jay Trindad as senior vice president and general manager for its northeast business. He will be based in Tokyo and will report to Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific managing director and president Arthur Bastings.

    “As we inject digital into our DNA, I am thrilled to have someone of Jay’s calibre join our team,” said Bastings. “His expertise in pure-play digital and consumer-centric innovation is invaluable as we evolve and take Discovery to the next stage of growth, particularly in northeast Asia, where we are looking to meaningfully invest and take full advantage of the region’s sophisticated and widespread wireless infrastructure.”

    The hire highlights the company’s wide bet on digital as a driver of business in coming years.

    At Discovery, he will focus on delivering compelling brand experiences to the millennial audience by redefining Discovery’s suite of products, the company said in a statement.

    International president J.B. Perrette in part landed his post thanks to his expertise in digital, having been on the launch team of US VOD platform Hulu. Korean country manager Hee-Man Lee and his team will be folded into the new group, which will also include Japan. Whereas, Discovery’s Japanese chief Louis Boswell, will now lead the cable giant’s southeast Asia operations.

    Hoekstra subsequently joined Vice Media to roll out its linear channel, Viceland, across Europe.

    Trindad has a varied CV, having worked at search giant Google for ten years, recently leading a push to promote the Google Chrome browser in Asia; translation platform Gengo; and mobile payment gateway Square Inc.

    He was most recently VP, digital at McDonald’s Japan, where he led strategy and increased customer engagement through digital initiatives.

  • Q2-16: Disney income up 10 percent aided by ESPN performance, studio entertainment

    Q2-16: Disney income up 10 percent aided by ESPN performance, studio entertainment

    BENGALURU: The Walt Disney Company Inc (Disney) reported 9.8 percent year-over-year (y-o-y) increase in operating income for the quarter ended 2 April 2016 (Q2-16, current quarter) as compared to the corresponding year ago quarter. Operating income in the current quarter was $3,822 million as compared to $3,482 million in Q2-15 (quarter ended 28 March 2015).

    The company saw an increase of $340 million in operating income in its current quarter vis-à-vis the corresponding prior year quarter. Its Media Networks segment reported operating income of $198 million, while its Studio Entertainment segment reported operating income of $115 million.
    Disney’s Media Networks segment’s sub-segment Cable Networks of which ESPN is a part saw 12.3 percent y-o-y increase in operating income. The increase at ESPN was partially offset by lower equity income from A&E Television Networks says Disney.

    Disney reported 4.1 percent y-o-y growth in revenue in Q2-16 at $12,969 million as compared to $12,461 million in the corresponding prior year quarter. Growth in revenue of $508 million was contributed to by $168 million and $377 million growth by Disney’s ‘Parks & Resorts’ and ‘Studio Entertainment’ segments respectively.

    Company speak

    “We’re very pleased with our overall results in Q2, which marks our 11th consecutive quarter of double-digit growth in adjusted EPS,” said Disney chairman and CEO Robert A. Iger. “Our Studio’s unprecedented winning streak at the box office underscores the incredible appeal of our branded content, which we continue to leverage across the entire company to drive significant value. Looking forward, we are thrilled with the Studio’s slate and tremendously excited about the June 16th grand opening of the spectacular Shanghai Disney Resort.”

    Segment numbers excerpts

    Media Networks

    Media Networks revenue in Q2-16 was relatively flat y-o-y (declined 0.3 percent) at $5,793 million as compared to $5,810 million in Q2-15. The  segment’s operating income increased 9.4 percent y-o-y to $2,299 million in the current quarter from $2,101 million during the corresponding prior year quarter.

    Disney Media Networks segment has two sub-segments – Cable Networking and Broadcasting.

    Cable Networks revenue for the quarter decreased 1.9 percent y-o-y to $3,955 billion from $4,030 million in Q2-15. Operating income in Q2-16 increased 12.3 percent y-o-y to $2,021 million from $1,799 million due to an increase at ESPN, partially offset by lower equity income from A&E. 

    The increase at ESPN was due to the benefit of lower programming costs and higher affiliate revenues, partially offset by a decrease in advertising revenue.

    Lower equity income from A&E was due to a decrease in advertising revenue, higher programming costs and a negative impact from the conversion of the H2 channel to Viceland as Viceland is in a start-up phase says Disney.

    Broadcasting revenue for the quarter increased 3.3 percent to $1,838 million from $1,780 million. Operating income of the sub-segment decreased 7.9 percent y-o-y to $278 million from $302 million due to lower operating income from program sales and higher programming and marketing costs, partially offset by advertising and affiliate revenue growth. Lower operating income from program sales was due to a significant SVOD sale in the prior-year quarter and a higher cost mix of programs sold in the current quarter. 

    The increase in programming costs was due to a higher average cost of new scripted programming and increased program cost write-offs. The increase in network advertising revenue was due to higher rates, partially offset by lower ratings. Affiliate revenue growth was primarily due to contractual rate increases.

    Parks and Resorts

    Parks and Resorts revenue for the current quarter increased 4.5 percent y-oy- to $3,928 million from $3.760 million. Segment operating income in Q2-16 increased 10.2 percent y-o-y to $624 million from $566 million. Operating income growth for the quarter was due to an increase at Disney’s domestic operations, partially offset by a decrease at its international operations.

    Studio Entertainment

    Studio Entertainment revenue for the current quarter increased 22.4 percent to $2,062 million from $1,685 million in Q2-15. Segment operating income increased 26.9 percent to $542 million from $427 million. 

    Disney says that higher operating income was due to an increase in theatrical distribution results and growth in TV/SVOD distribution, partially offset by the impact of foreign currency translation due to the strengthening of the US dollar against major currencies, decreased home entertainment results and higher film cost impairments.

    The increase in theatrical distribution results was due to the strong performance of Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Zootopia in the current quarter compared to the continuing performance in the prior year quarter of Big Hero 6 and Into the Woods, both of which were released domestically in the first quarter of the prior year. Higher TV/SVOD distribution results were driven by international growth. The decrease in home entertainment results was primarily due to lower unit sales reflecting the performance of Big Hero 6, Frozen and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy in the prior-year quarter compared to The Good Dinosaur, Inside Out and Marvel’s Ant-Man in the current quarter. The decrease from lower unit sales was partially offset by the benefit from Star Wars Classic titles that are distributed by a third party.

    Consumer Products & Interactive Media

    Consumer Products & Interactive Media revenue for the current quarter decreased 1.7 percent to $1,186 million from $1,286 million. Segment operating income decreased 8 percent to $357 million from $388 million. 

    Lower operating income was primarily due to the impact of foreign currency translation due to the strengthening of the U.S. dollar against major currencies, lower operating margins and comparable store sales at Disney’s retail business and lower results for Infinity. 

    These decreases were partially offset by higher licensing revenues. Increased licensing revenues were driven by higher revenue from Star Wars  merchandise, partially offset by an adverse impact from the timing of minimum guarantee shortfall recognition and a decrease in revenue from merchandise based on Frozen.

     

  • Q2-16: Disney income up 10 percent aided by ESPN performance, studio entertainment

    Q2-16: Disney income up 10 percent aided by ESPN performance, studio entertainment

    BENGALURU: The Walt Disney Company Inc (Disney) reported 9.8 percent year-over-year (y-o-y) increase in operating income for the quarter ended 2 April 2016 (Q2-16, current quarter) as compared to the corresponding year ago quarter. Operating income in the current quarter was $3,822 million as compared to $3,482 million in Q2-15 (quarter ended 28 March 2015).

    The company saw an increase of $340 million in operating income in its current quarter vis-à-vis the corresponding prior year quarter. Its Media Networks segment reported operating income of $198 million, while its Studio Entertainment segment reported operating income of $115 million.
    Disney’s Media Networks segment’s sub-segment Cable Networks of which ESPN is a part saw 12.3 percent y-o-y increase in operating income. The increase at ESPN was partially offset by lower equity income from A&E Television Networks says Disney.

    Disney reported 4.1 percent y-o-y growth in revenue in Q2-16 at $12,969 million as compared to $12,461 million in the corresponding prior year quarter. Growth in revenue of $508 million was contributed to by $168 million and $377 million growth by Disney’s ‘Parks & Resorts’ and ‘Studio Entertainment’ segments respectively.

    Company speak

    “We’re very pleased with our overall results in Q2, which marks our 11th consecutive quarter of double-digit growth in adjusted EPS,” said Disney chairman and CEO Robert A. Iger. “Our Studio’s unprecedented winning streak at the box office underscores the incredible appeal of our branded content, which we continue to leverage across the entire company to drive significant value. Looking forward, we are thrilled with the Studio’s slate and tremendously excited about the June 16th grand opening of the spectacular Shanghai Disney Resort.”

    Segment numbers excerpts

    Media Networks

    Media Networks revenue in Q2-16 was relatively flat y-o-y (declined 0.3 percent) at $5,793 million as compared to $5,810 million in Q2-15. The  segment’s operating income increased 9.4 percent y-o-y to $2,299 million in the current quarter from $2,101 million during the corresponding prior year quarter.

    Disney Media Networks segment has two sub-segments – Cable Networking and Broadcasting.

    Cable Networks revenue for the quarter decreased 1.9 percent y-o-y to $3,955 billion from $4,030 million in Q2-15. Operating income in Q2-16 increased 12.3 percent y-o-y to $2,021 million from $1,799 million due to an increase at ESPN, partially offset by lower equity income from A&E. 

    The increase at ESPN was due to the benefit of lower programming costs and higher affiliate revenues, partially offset by a decrease in advertising revenue.

    Lower equity income from A&E was due to a decrease in advertising revenue, higher programming costs and a negative impact from the conversion of the H2 channel to Viceland as Viceland is in a start-up phase says Disney.

    Broadcasting revenue for the quarter increased 3.3 percent to $1,838 million from $1,780 million. Operating income of the sub-segment decreased 7.9 percent y-o-y to $278 million from $302 million due to lower operating income from program sales and higher programming and marketing costs, partially offset by advertising and affiliate revenue growth. Lower operating income from program sales was due to a significant SVOD sale in the prior-year quarter and a higher cost mix of programs sold in the current quarter. 

    The increase in programming costs was due to a higher average cost of new scripted programming and increased program cost write-offs. The increase in network advertising revenue was due to higher rates, partially offset by lower ratings. Affiliate revenue growth was primarily due to contractual rate increases.

    Parks and Resorts

    Parks and Resorts revenue for the current quarter increased 4.5 percent y-oy- to $3,928 million from $3.760 million. Segment operating income in Q2-16 increased 10.2 percent y-o-y to $624 million from $566 million. Operating income growth for the quarter was due to an increase at Disney’s domestic operations, partially offset by a decrease at its international operations.

    Studio Entertainment

    Studio Entertainment revenue for the current quarter increased 22.4 percent to $2,062 million from $1,685 million in Q2-15. Segment operating income increased 26.9 percent to $542 million from $427 million. 

    Disney says that higher operating income was due to an increase in theatrical distribution results and growth in TV/SVOD distribution, partially offset by the impact of foreign currency translation due to the strengthening of the US dollar against major currencies, decreased home entertainment results and higher film cost impairments.

    The increase in theatrical distribution results was due to the strong performance of Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Zootopia in the current quarter compared to the continuing performance in the prior year quarter of Big Hero 6 and Into the Woods, both of which were released domestically in the first quarter of the prior year. Higher TV/SVOD distribution results were driven by international growth. The decrease in home entertainment results was primarily due to lower unit sales reflecting the performance of Big Hero 6, Frozen and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy in the prior-year quarter compared to The Good Dinosaur, Inside Out and Marvel’s Ant-Man in the current quarter. The decrease from lower unit sales was partially offset by the benefit from Star Wars Classic titles that are distributed by a third party.

    Consumer Products & Interactive Media

    Consumer Products & Interactive Media revenue for the current quarter decreased 1.7 percent to $1,186 million from $1,286 million. Segment operating income decreased 8 percent to $357 million from $388 million. 

    Lower operating income was primarily due to the impact of foreign currency translation due to the strengthening of the U.S. dollar against major currencies, lower operating margins and comparable store sales at Disney’s retail business and lower results for Infinity. 

    These decreases were partially offset by higher licensing revenues. Increased licensing revenues were driven by higher revenue from Star Wars  merchandise, partially offset by an adverse impact from the timing of minimum guarantee shortfall recognition and a decrease in revenue from merchandise based on Frozen.

     

  • APOS 2016: Shane Smith, Viceland and ageing down networks

    APOS 2016: Shane Smith, Viceland and ageing down networks

    BALI: “Don’t hire traditional TV people.”  With those closing remarks during his keynote conversation at APOS 2016 with MPA executive director and  co-founder Vivek Couto , Vice Media co-founder and CEO Shane Smith set the tone for what his company stands for.

    Smith stated that the media today  is changing. “The Baby boomers have run media for the past 40 years. Gen Y – which is companies like us – will run it for the next many years,” he stated with absolute confidence.

    Like at a Mipcom a couple of years ago, Smith – dressed in shorts with a tattoo on his leg – reiterated that Vice hires interns and gives them money  to produce content for his network which includes news, food, music and lifestyle channels. “Yes, you give them $10 million. Sometimes you win, sometimes you get a law suit as the intern runs away to Mexico,” he said with a wry smile.

    Smith was clear that he will extend his brand to all screens and he will extend his networks to other territories with local partnerships. Earlier this year, his company launched Viceland in both Canada (with Rogers Cable) and US (in partnership with A+E Networks and Disney).  Something which got sniggers from traditional TV execs that Vice was going the traditional way. But Smith has his point of view on this.

    “Our extension to TV is helping ageing down the networks,” he stated. “We are bringing back the younger demographic to TV. We will produce anywhere there is a younger audience.”

    His belief is that the younger audiences had no programming for them, which is what has helped Vice.com succeed.  “Whether it is in China, India, Indonesia, we will move in there to serve our key demo,” he said.

    “OTT and mobile are very important for us,” he added. “But so is delivery across television but with content which is of a quality that appeals to our audience.”

    Viceland is a multinational television channel brand owned and programmed by Vice Media. Viceland’s programming consists primarily of lifestyle-oriented documentaries and reality series aimed towards millennials, directed in Vice’s trademark style of ‘character-driven documentaries’ 

  • APOS 2016: Shane Smith, Viceland and ageing down networks

    APOS 2016: Shane Smith, Viceland and ageing down networks

    BALI: “Don’t hire traditional TV people.”  With those closing remarks during his keynote conversation at APOS 2016 with MPA executive director and  co-founder Vivek Couto , Vice Media co-founder and CEO Shane Smith set the tone for what his company stands for.

    Smith stated that the media today  is changing. “The Baby boomers have run media for the past 40 years. Gen Y – which is companies like us – will run it for the next many years,” he stated with absolute confidence.

    Like at a Mipcom a couple of years ago, Smith – dressed in shorts with a tattoo on his leg – reiterated that Vice hires interns and gives them money  to produce content for his network which includes news, food, music and lifestyle channels. “Yes, you give them $10 million. Sometimes you win, sometimes you get a law suit as the intern runs away to Mexico,” he said with a wry smile.

    Smith was clear that he will extend his brand to all screens and he will extend his networks to other territories with local partnerships. Earlier this year, his company launched Viceland in both Canada (with Rogers Cable) and US (in partnership with A+E Networks and Disney).  Something which got sniggers from traditional TV execs that Vice was going the traditional way. But Smith has his point of view on this.

    “Our extension to TV is helping ageing down the networks,” he stated. “We are bringing back the younger demographic to TV. We will produce anywhere there is a younger audience.”

    His belief is that the younger audiences had no programming for them, which is what has helped Vice.com succeed.  “Whether it is in China, India, Indonesia, we will move in there to serve our key demo,” he said.

    “OTT and mobile are very important for us,” he added. “But so is delivery across television but with content which is of a quality that appeals to our audience.”

    Viceland is a multinational television channel brand owned and programmed by Vice Media. Viceland’s programming consists primarily of lifestyle-oriented documentaries and reality series aimed towards millennials, directed in Vice’s trademark style of ‘character-driven documentaries’