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Tag: Viraj Jit Singh

  • MX Media’s Viraj Jit Singh joins Jio Entertainment Services as a chief revenue officer

    MX Media’s Viraj Jit Singh joins Jio Entertainment Services as a chief revenue officer

    Mumbai: Viraj Jit Singh has joined Jio Entertainment Services as chief revenue officer, he confirmed on his LinkedIn profile.

    Singh was previously associated with MX Media as senior vice president and head of revenue for MX Player and MX Takatak.

    He brings with him more than 25 years of experience across sectors such as TV broadcast, radio, sports and live events and expertise in marketing and sales.

    He has worked at KidZania as chief sales and marketing officer, Viacom18, Reliance Broadcast Network, ESPN Star Sports and Wilson Sporting Goods India.

    He is an alumnus of the University of Buckingham and completed his post-graduation in management from Indian School of Business (ISB). 

  • How viewer data analytics are shaping operators’ revenue and content strategies

    How viewer data analytics are shaping operators’ revenue and content strategies

    Mumbai: Indiantelevision.com, in partnership with Synamedia, organised a virtual webinar on ‘how analytics shaping operators’ revenues and content strategy?’ on 23 March. The panel discussion was joined by Altbalaji’s Divya Dixit, MX Player’s Viraj Jit Singh, Zee5’s Abhirup Datta, and Synamedia’s Amruta Shankar. Shankar, who is Synamedia’s director of data and analytics, has penned observations of the panelists and highlighted the crux of the discussion.

    During a recent IndianTelevision webinar, I was joined by leading Indian OTT streaming platforms, Altbalaji, MX Player and Zee5 to discuss their wealth of video data, and how it can be leveraged to address their pain points and achieve genuine business-boosting results.

    Bringing together all the digital clues that viewers leave behind when they watch video content across an ever-increasing number of screens is critical to ensuring data caters to the different needs of the organisation. It helps the content rights manager to understand what viewers want to watch, or the marketing director to realise when and how they want to watch content. The product manager can use data to ensure that the content is searchable and keeps viewers engaged.

    “Our entire business and growth are based on data,” said MX Player’s senior vice president and head of revenue Viraj Jit Singh.

    For streaming providers and operators, the content remains king, but data is the jewel in their crown. A source of priceless insights from across the video ecosystem, data can help to drive viewer engagement, reduce churn, slash operational costs and grow revenue.

    On-demand content is driving a lot of today’s consumption, and so to keep pace with changing viewing habits, “you have to be platform-agnostic,’’ remarked Altbalaji senior vice president of marketing, partnerships and revenue Divya Dixit. Whilst content ‘snacking’ on small screen devices is growing in prevalence, particularly through social platforms like TikTok, the lure of long-form content on the big screen in the living room continues to endure.

    ALSO READ | ‘Lock Upp’ is ALTBalaji’s ‘KBC moment’ as it forays into AVOD: Divya Dixit

    With data underpinning all the big decisions, including monetisation and advertising, all the panelists agreed that getting the tech stack right to cope with all the available data is vital. Equally important is ensuring the data is of sufficient quality to avoid a shifting base, where the numbers simply don’t add up from one month to another.

    Using data for business decisions certainly added up for Altbalaji and MX player’s latest joint venture, a new show called “Lock Upp,” which achieved over 100 million views in less than 20 days.

    Because MX Player is an AVOD platform, Singh emphasises the importance of understanding viewers “to get the right brands to advertise to the relevant audience, which obviously leads to higher efficiencies for advertisers but also better viewing for our subscribers.”

    Zee5 head of AVOD marketing Abhirup Datta agreed and said, “Leveraging data to showcase the right content to the consumer is very important….also using data about the viewing devices and what kind of content they end up watching.”

    Tackling pain points

    Datta shared how data can also help alleviate pain points including how to address ‘guest users’ on Zee5; juggling and balancing the risk of bringing new releases onto the platform at the expense of older consistently performing content; and ensuring an ad is served to the right cohort.

    For Dixit, her greatest headache is understanding why a consumer drops out at the subscription page or in the middle of sampling the first episode. She added, “the helping hand of somebody who can map out where the churn is coming from, and what needs to be done to rectify this, could obviously add a lot of value.”

    Listening to customers and optimising their experience

    For Singh, this is an ongoing process “we work very hard to listen to our consumers and try to over-deliver on their expectations.”

    Datta agreed that “a user’s experience is at the core of everything we do. It is our North star.”

    In business, the customer is always right, but more importantly, the customer’s data never lies. Scrutinising and validating that data objectively, and validating it using a trusted, independent third party has the power to deliver a treasure trove of valuable business insights.

    The last word goes to MX Player’s Singh, “listening to your consumer, understanding that data, and seeing how you can mix it all together and figure out a solution for them is the best metric you can work on today,” he said.

  • Tarannum Alam Joins MX Player as Head – Agency Business

    Tarannum Alam Joins MX Player as Head – Agency Business

    Mumbai, 27 November, 2018: MX Player, the largest local video player in the world has appointed Tarannum Alam as Head – Agency Business. In her new role, she will be responsible for driving relationships across advertising/media agencies pan India with a focus on revenue growth for the app. She will be based out of Delhi and will report to Viraj Jit Singh – Sr. VP & Head Revenue, MX Player.

    With a vast experience of over 18 years, Tarannum has worked with leading advertising agencies and managed media  across categories like FMCG, Telecom, Consumer Electronics, Travel, Mobile Handsets, E-commerce and Automobile.

    In her last assignment, Tarannum was with Havas Media as Executive Vice President and handled clients like Hyundai, Emirates, Voltas, Kohler among others. She started her career with McCann Erickson in the year 2000 and worked on the Nestle and L’Oreal businesses. She was also associated with Madison, Vivaki Exchange, Group M and Reliance BIG FM in the past.

  • MX Player appoints Viraj Jit Singh as Revenue Head

    MX Player appoints Viraj Jit Singh as Revenue Head

    MUMBAI: MX Player, the world’s largest local video platform, today announced the appointment of Viraj Jit Singh as its SVP & Head – Revenue .Viraj brings with himself over 19 years of experience in sectors like broadcasting, entertainment and amusement parks.

    Prior to joining MX Player, Viraj was responsible for revenue generation, communication and marketing strategy for top brands like Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd., KidZania India, ESPN Star Sports and Reliance Broadcast Network.

    On his move to MX Player, Viraj Jit Singh said, “I am excited and looking forward to my new role in the MX Player family. The OTT space has witnessed tremendous growth in the past few years and I look forward to applying my diverse skill-set to strengthen MX Player’s position in the market.”

    Viraj further added, “The company has aggressive and exciting plans to reach out to a large consumer base and I am eager to working with the dynamic team and contribute to its rapid growth.”

    Commenting on Viraj’s appointment, Karan Bedi, CEO, MX Player said, “I am delighted to welcome Viraj to MX Player. He brings with him a rich tapestry of experience that will be a great asset for our venture. Viraj’s extensive leadership and expertise across markets make him a terrific addition to the growth and strategy of MX Player.”

    In India, over 350 million consumers have MX Player installed, and over 175 million consumers use it every month to watch video, a reach comparable to leading TV channels, and exceeding all other OTT platforms in India.

  • KidZania ties up with adidas where kids can design

    MUMBAI: KidZania has tied up with adidas for an exciting and fun-learning “#adidiasbyme” activity this summer at KidZania in Delhi NCR & Mumbai.

    KidZania is a global indoor theme park that inspires, educates & empowers children, helping them understand & manage their world better, and with adidas is a leading sportswear innovator.

    Every kid is unique, has their own style, and a story to tell. Kids can now be the Chief Shoe Designer – where kids get to create one of the best model of adidas shoe by designing their own patterns, choosing colours and even customizing the shoe with their name; and build their own shoe-story at KidZania.

    KidZania invites all young Creators, engineers, makers, dreaming designers and innovators to reinvent footwear design. The #adidasbyme initiative will run across the summer vacation period at KidZania in Delhi NCR & Mumbai.

    Visit KidZania Delhi NCR & KidZania Mumbai, unleash your creativity by painting and customizing your own shoe at the #adidasbyme event and submit your entries. The winner gets his/her shoe creation turn into reality by adidas and also wins gift vouchers from adidas & KidZania. The winning shoe will also be displayed at KidZania and at select adidas stores.

    What’s more – Kids across India can also be a part of this campaign. They can simply visit KidZania India website to participate and submit their entries.

    KidZania India CMO Viraj Jit Singh said, “KidZania empowers children with life skills through real-life role-plays experiences that introduces them to different industries and the world of work. The experience at KidZania ignites curiosity and imagination. This essence of the KidZania experience comes alive with our unique partnership with adidas India for the #adidasbyme initiative where children get a chance explore their creativity and design their own shoe. adidas connects the experience to the real world by manufacturing the shoe designed by and for one lucky winner.

    adidas India senior marketing director Sean van Wyk said, “Young athletes are the best source of creativity and this activity will give kids a chance to design & reinvent their favourite shoe. adidas understands the power of open-source and we strive to unleash creativity through the #adidasbyme contest. We want the kids to see themselves as the Creators and bring the winning designs to life.”

    #adidasbyme KidZania event dates:

    · KidZania Mumbai: Started, till June 13th 2017

    · KidZania Delhi NCR: Started, till June 30th 2017

  • KidZania & Camlin ‘Unwrapping Happiness’ for kids

    MUMBAI: KidZania Delhi NCR, a Global Indoor Theme park, joined hands with leading stationery and art material marketer — Kokuyo Camlin to create a unique initiative – `Unwrapping Happiness’ at KidZania, Delhi NCR. In a month long activity conducted by KidZania, children visiting the theme park were encouraged to wrap over 2000 goodies bags with Camlin products, which were then distributed to underprivileged children from the NGO Saraswati Bal Niketan at a glittering event.

    KidZania India CMO Viraj Jit Singh said, “KidZania Delhi NCR has already partnered with over 35 NGOs and hosted kids since our launch in May 2016. We thank Kokuyo Camlin for supporting us in this initiative and look forward for such associations that will help empower kids to manage their world better”

    Speaking about the `Unwrapping Happiness’initiative Kokuyo Camlin CMO Saumitra Prasad said, “We have taken our association a step further with KidZania through this initiative of giving away Camlin goodies to these underprivileged kids. It has been a humbling experience to see the sheer joy and happiness on their innocent faces. We look forward to more such initiatives.”

    The idea behind this initiative was to empower children to create an impact on the society in the areas of education, environment and wellness. The children from Saraswati Bal Niketan had a gala time at KidZania Delhi NCR. They participated in the games and activities that were hosted for them. There were overjoyed when they received their goodie bags from representatives of Kokuyo Camlin and KidZania. The initiative — `Unwrapping Happiness’ was coined with this very purpose in mind. The ceremony was attended by the representatives of Kokuyo Camlin and KidZania Delhi.

  • Zespri International sets up Kiwifruit Quality Control & Inspection hub at Kidzania

    Zespri International sets up Kiwifruit Quality Control & Inspection hub at Kidzania

    MUMBAI: Zespri International, the world’s largest kiwifruit manufacturer, has partnered with KidZania Mumbai, a Global Indoor Theme park empowers children, helping them understand & manage their world better. With this partnership, kids can now actively engage at the Quality Control & Inspection Hub establishment in the KidZania Mumbai facility.

     

    This association between Zespri and KidZania will allow children to play the role of Kiwifruit Nutrition Experts and check the Nutrition Content in the 30-nutrient-filled Kiwifruit. Kids would be trained to undertake various tests such as Nutrition Analysis, Weight Test, and Sorting. Thereafter, they would package the same for delivery. Every child will also receive delicious Kiwifruit as part of a giveaway at the end of the activity. There are two varieties of kiwifruit – The tangy Zespri Green Kiwifruit and the sweet Zespri SunGold Kiwifruit.

     

    Daniel Mathieson, Global President of Sales and Marketing, Zespri, said, “We are very pleased to associate with KidZania. A large section of our consumers are children and they are also major influencers in any household for decision making.  This establishment is a great way to connect with the kids directly and it will also teach them what the process is like until the kiwifruit reaches the end consumers. Kids of course love the fruit but it is also important to educate them about the importance and quality of a Zespri kiwifruit.”

     

    Speaking on the new launch, Viraj Jit Singh – Chief Marketing Officer, KidZania India, said, “Zespri Kiwifruit had partnered us last year for a short activity and we are excited to have them back on a long term agreement participating in a customized activity. KidZania Mumbai believes that it’s important for kids to understand the nutritional value of products they consume and the Kiwifruit is amongst the most beneficial fruits of them all.  The Quality Control & Inspection Hub establishment will empower children to better understand the process of nutrition analysis, quality testing, packaging and shipping.”

  • Kidzania launches monsoon ad campaign to woo visitors

    Kidzania launches monsoon ad campaign to woo visitors

    MUMBAI: Summer vacations are over and kids are back to school. However, it’s not just the kids who are racking their brain solving sums in school. The entire kids recreation sector has been making permutation and combinations to launch various marketing campaigns to keep the footfalls intact. Launching one such campaign is the Mexico originated indoor edutainment conglomerate Kidzania’s India venture, which has announced attractive discounts for the monsoons.

    The venture is targeting first timers who could not explore the experience because of pricing with the Wow Monsoon campaign. Visitors can avail 40 per cent discount by booking over the counter post 4 pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Whereas visitors 15 days prior to their visit will get 15 per cent discount throughout the day on weekdays.

    “We want to drive the online booking and that’s why we announced the 15 per cent offer. Soon we are going to be launching an app and hence we want to make online ticketing a habit,” asserts Kidzania CMO Viraj Jit Singh.

    Being an indoor amusement park Kidzania is making efforts to extract maximum benefit of the weather conditions. “Kidzania is a well covered amusement park and hence it secures parents’ assurance as we take total care of kids’ safety. Hence during the monsoon season we become the exclusive destination for visitors so we launch many such discount offers. It is something we practiced last year too and we tasted good success,” adds Singh.

     Kidzania’s doles out 80 per cent of marketing spend on print and radio, while the booming digital media gets 15-20 per cent of the pie. “Digital media is booming and we are certainly strategising to make more use of the medium. Marketing strategy differs from time to time and so does the spend. We target across the socio economic class of India and all the marketing campaigns are targeted to them,” opines Singh.

    Kidzania has more than 1,47,000 likes on its Facebook page. All the creatives and strategising is done by Kidzania’s in-house marketing team.

    Reports predict an increase of four per cent over the next five years in the average Indian’s spend on recreation, which brings a lot of optimism to the sector. New players are coming in and existing conglomerates are expanding their base by invading into new territory. The enhanced competition is a compliment, feels Singh. “The sector has a lot of potential and in the next few years it will take a good shape. We are expanding to NCR by the start of next financial year (2016) and then we have plans of launching in the south too. The economic condition of the country is growing substantially, disposable income is increasing and that’s why I feel the sector has a lot of potential,” he adds.

    The months of December and January attract maximum visitors, but footfall remains constant throughout the year. “When schools are on, we get a lot of school excursions so the footfall more or less remains the same. We already had more than 300 schools visiting us, there are different packages, which we offer and all of that depends on the number of students coming in. Besides excursions, Kidzania is emerging as the destination for birthday celebration,” concludes Singh.

  • KidZania rings in summer with ‘Scrapbook’ campaign

    KidZania rings in summer with ‘Scrapbook’ campaign

    MUMBAI: Getting started is simple: pick an occupation, learn about the job, don a uniform, and start earning, spend kidzos… and have fun! There is one such destination, which provides all of this. With this core thought, to ignite the hearts and minds of kids everywhere by empowering them to make the world a better place, KidZania was born in India in 2013.

     

    KidZania offers a variety of activities to suit multiple interests of children. The facility has various establishments with specific role-playing activities that kids can take up as jobs. Supervisors would help children identify their aptitude and make their first resume, based on their interests.

     

    To double up the fun quotient as the summer sets in, the company is set to roll out its new campaign called ‘My Summer Scrapbook’ will go live from 18 April at R-City Mall in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar suburb.

     

    KidZania chief marketing officer Viraj jit Singh feels that summer is the best time to engage with kids and parents. “With summer holidays, parents and families look at means of entertainment for kids and this is where we actually speak over the next two months,” said Singh.

     

    Scrapbook is something we all have grown up with. “The idea of a scrapbook allows us to tell the child that it’s a great place for them to be able to create memories and that they would have many activities throughout summer to fill up the whole scrapbook,” he added.

     

    To connect better with the target audience between 4-14 for activities and parents between the ages of 24-48, this year KidZania is aiming at different mediums in the Mumbai and Pune markets. Unlike last year, where the summer campaign focused more on OOH, this year it spreads across platforms. Starting from print and digital, it will be followed by television, radio and below-the-line activities (BTL). With close to 6,00,000 visitors till date, KidZania aims to take the number even higher this year with its aggressive campaign.

     

    An insightful journey

     

    Right from conceptualizing to execution of the campaign, the marketing team took about three months. Throwing light on the company’s journey with the consumer, Singh believes that it was most important to get an insight for the campaign. “We have on an average 800-1000 families walking in every day and we definitely get some insights and feedback from them,” he said.

     

    For KidZania, the insights start from perception of the brand and where the brand stands. “The insight is about what and why people would like to step out in the summer and what they would want to do,” he added.

     

    The company is also looking to convey the message that Kidzania stands not just for fun but also for learning.

     

    The campaign, which has been conceived in-house, connects well with both, children as well as adults. “For the first time, we have got to use multiple mediums. Though it is a small destination in Bombay, I think that we have reached a stage where we are confident that we will be able to communicate to a lot of people about what we show,” Singh asserted.

     

    Engagement with the brands

     

    Since its inception in India, KidZania has attracted 33 brands on-board till date, of these are Yes Bank, Coca Cola, Cadbury’s, Hyundai Bajaj and Amity University etc to Mumbai’s exceptional Dabbawalla’s and Bollywood Academy to name a few.

     

    According to KidZania, brand partners must be aligned to the philosophy of reaching out to kids as ‘responsible brands’. “The brands through their engagement with kids create an environment that empowers them for self-development. This creates an inequitable impact that has a positive long-lasting impression on future consumers and their parents. For instance, a brand like Yes Bank instills the nuances of financial literacy and the importance of saving money through the banking activity, which is integral to KidZania. Amity creates a replica of their university where it teaches kids the value of education – higher education can get them better jobs and a higher pay,” Singh said.

     

    Singh informs that all the brands that KidZania partners with are all responsible brands in the eyes of the adults. “They too want to start conversation between kids and parents. Brands in Mumbai are extremely happy and excited to partner with us and each one of them has a very different objective for being here.”

     

    Built on a budget of Rs 100 crore, the company looks to recover 30-35 per cent of the cost from partners and 60-70 per cent from ticket sales.

     

    Of the total budget earmarked for the marketing campaign this summer, the company will be spending 40 per cent on TV, 35 per cent on print, 15 per cent on radio and 10 per cent on digital.

     

    Future roadmap

     

    KidZania, successfully established in Mumbai, is now all set to explore other metros in the country. Expanding its footprint in India, the brand has targeted Delhi NCR as its next destination.

     

    The center in Delhi is under development and is projected to go live in March 2016. Moreover, compared to the Mumbai center, which is 75,000 sq ft, the Delhi center will be much bigger in size with 97,000 sq ft independent structure.

     

  • Star Sports and KidZania collaborate to empower kids

    Star Sports and KidZania collaborate to empower kids

    MUMBAI: Star Sports and KidZania have collaborated and co-created a unique platform for kids that will help nurture children’s self-confidence through exposure to a real-life TV show experience. 

     

    The Star India Studio activity at KidZania Mumbai simulates a working television production facility allowing kids to role-play and understand various nuances of television broadcast, providing them with a remarkable opportunity to truly understand how life is on the ‘other side of the TV screen’ and showcase their abilities.  The activity is in tandem with KidZania’s unique proposition of edutainment – learning through role-play and real-life experiences.

     

    As a part of this initiative, kids visiting KidZania were encouraged to audition and five children were selected to be part of an expert panel siscussion on the Star Power special segment hosted by Manish Batavia. The show was recorded at the Star India TV Studio establishment at KidZania Mumbai and is scheduled to air on 25 May 2014 in English on Star Sports 1 & Star Sports HD1 and in Hindi on Star Sports 3.

     

    The innovative content package from Star will see kids offer their fresh perspective on the most followed sport in India – cricket as well as provide a light and entertaining segment for viewers of the show ‘Star Power’.

     

     “We, at Star, are always on a look-out for innovative content opportunities to provide our viewers with sports broadcast experience like never before. To achieve this objective, we are delighted to have partnered with KidZania to create a special segment for kids on STAR Power,” said Star India sports business head Nitin Kukreja.

     

     He further added “It will be refreshing to hear kids give their innocent perspective on the game of cricket for a change and hopefully this segment will inspire budding anchors to come forward and express themselves.”

     

     Commenting on this partnership, KidZania India chief marketing officer Viraj Jit Singh, said “KidZania is all about, empowering, inspiring and educating children through real-life ROLE-PLAY experiences and we look at partnering brands that help bring realism and authenticity to our activities.  This exceptional opportunity with Star has helped further build our promise of “real experiences”. It’s allowed kids to build self-confidence and encouraged creativity as they transferred their experiential learning from the activities at the Star TV Studio at KidZania to a real life TV Show.”