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  • Kyoorius launches website, speaker lineup for MELT:2015

    Kyoorius launches website, speaker lineup for MELT:2015

    MUMBAI: Kyoorius has launched readytomelt.com, a dedicated website for its upcoming festival, MELT: 2015. The site boasts a full lineup of speakers from all over the world, spanning a variety of events throughout the two days.

     

    MELT 2015 is a two-day festival of creativity for the advertising, marketing, media, digital and emerging technologies, developed by Kyoorius in partnership with Zee, GroupM and D&AD. Each day offers a variety of formats, including conferences, installations, seminars and workshops, which will take place simultaneously at Nehru Centre and DOME @ NSCI, SVP Stadium in Mumbai.

     

    The first day of MELT:2015 on 21 May will feature HT Osmosis, a creative conference curated for advertising and creative professionals. Speakers include The Future Laboratory founder Chris Sanderson, 72andSunny lead creative Dylan Berg, The Social Brand founder Huib van Bockel and Creative Social founder Daniele Fiandaca.

     

    Zee Mindspace, a day-long conference on 22 May, has been developed specifically for marketing and media professionals. Speakers include Havas Media head of strategy and innovation Tom Goodwin, Mashable chief strategy officer Adam Ostrow, WPP CEO Sir Martin Sorrell and Twitter SE Asia/India/MENA managing director Parminder Singh.

     

    A series of workshops and seminars will be conducted across the two days on topics such as mobile marketing, digital strategy, brand experiences, branded content, prototyping ideas, sonic branding, youth marketing, and photography, by the likes of D&AD, The Partners, FITCH, Getty Images, Mindshare, Metalworks, Kinetic, Happy Finish, and more.

     

    ‘Future Tense’ is another series of seminars focusing on emerging trends and innovations in technology, media and digital. Topics to be explored will include wearable technology, digital storytelling, augmented reality, big data and social media.

     

    Kyoorius founder CEO Rajesh Kejriwal said, “MELT has been conceptualized to help advertising, media, digital and marketing professionals learn – through lectures, discussions, case studies and workshops – how to marry their inherent skills and talent with emerging technologies.” 

     

    “Most importantly, MELT recognises that each of us is different. We have different tastes, needs, wants and skills. As a consequence, all of us may not be interested in the same speaker or the same demo or the same workshop. MELT will see multiple sessions in progress at the same time. Hopefully, one will always find something that both informs and stimulates,” he added.

  • TAM TV Ratings: Sab moves to fourth position as Life OK topples

    TAM TV Ratings: Sab moves to fourth position as Life OK topples

    MUMBAI: Amidst speculations of a ratings dark period, the weekly TAM TV ratings have been rolled out. While Star Plus continues to rule the ratings ladder in week 15 of TAM TV ratings, the channel has seen a significant drop in its ratings along with the others.

     

    Star Plus in week 15 of TAM TV ratings scored 601567 GVTs down from the 633437 GVTs it recorded in week 14.

     

    Colors continues its strong hold at number two, even though it fell by 6719 GVTs in week 15 recording 409767 GVTs. The channel had received 416486 GVTs in the previous week.

     

    Positioned third, Zee TV registered 388914 GVTS, down from 405532 GVTs in week 14.

     

    Multi Screen Media’s comedy channel Sab has seen an improvement, as it jumped to the fourth position in the rankings chart. The channel bagged 295542 GVTs, down from 325559 GVTs that it scored in week 14.

                            

    Life OK, on the fifth position, recorded 287837 GVTs in week 15, down from 301685 GVTs in week 14.

     

    Sony Entertainment Television (SET), even with the new show launches has not been able to regain its position. The channel fell by 13918 GVTs managing 221219 GVTs in week 15 as compared to the 235137 GVTs in week 14.   

     

    Last, but not the least, the new entrant in the Hindi general entertainment space &TV saw a marginal dip in its ratings. The channel bagged 88321 GVTs in week 15 compared to the 92563 GVTs in the previous week.

  • Uncertainty over ratings dark period grows as b’casters stay away from renewing TAM subscription

    Uncertainty over ratings dark period grows as b’casters stay away from renewing TAM subscription

    MUMBAI: With anxiety comes confusion, and that’s exactly the undercurrent right now in the Indian broadcast industry. When Indiantelevision.com asked broadcasters and media planners about the status of TV ratings in the coming weeks, all we got was uncertainty.

     

    To set things in perspective, the TAM TV ratings subscription of most of the broadcasters including Star, Zee, Colors, Sony and NDTV amongst others expired on 31 March, 2015. What’s more, none of these broadcasters have renewed their agreement with the ratings body. 

     

    Not only this, earlier in March, the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI), Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) and the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) had issued a directive asking broadcasters to opt for Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) and to review and close off on any of the existing arrangements (read: TAM).

     

    To add to this, while BARC is ready to roll out its data, no formal announcement on the date has been made so far. In such a scenario, the most pertinent question remains – ‘Will the industry see a ratings blackout for a week or two?’

     

    “We haven’t renewed our subscription with TAM, but there is still no clarity on when BARC will start rolling out its data. While a few say it’s April, a few also say it could be extended to May. There is confusion,” said an official from a channel, on condition of anonymity.  

     

    Meanwhile, several media agencies have been informing their clients through email about the current situation. One such email says, “The industry bodies have agreed to cease using TAM ratings from 4 April. Rating blackout period will kick in from 5 April, until such time that BARC is available. Data for blackout period will not be available in the future too.”

     

    The email further reads, “The old data, i.e. till 4 April, will be available during the period of the blackout and beyond. During rating blackout, we plan to use past TAM data as the basis for TV plan creation. All industry bodies- ISA, AAAI and IBF are aligned on this method for ratings in data dark period. The same methodology will be used by all constituents for media planning, buying.”

     

    “Yes, we are informing all our clients, depending upon how it will affect them. There is curiosity and uncertainty and to address that I am sure every agency must be writing to their clients to brief them about what is happening, whether ratings will be there or not and how it will be tackled,” said Dentsu Aegis Network chairman & CEO South Asia Ashish Bhasin. 

     

    TAM, on the other hand, will continue generating ratings data and give it out to broadcasters whose subscription hasn’t expired. “The data will be available, but if broadcasters haven’t renewed their subscription, of course it will not be available to them. Those whose subscription is in place will get the data as usual. So there is no ratings dark period from TAM’s side,” said a source. 

     

    A veteran media expert informed, “TAM can continue coming out with its data, but it will no longer be a viewership currency. It will just work as information.”

     

    A news broadcaster, on condition of anonymity, said, “Our subscription with TAM got over on 31 March. We haven’t heard from BARC on the exact date for rollout of data. We have received a letter from AAAI and IBF asking us to re-evaluate ourselves and take the decision on whether we would like to opt for BARC or TAM, once the former comes out with its ratings.”

     

    The broadcaster added, “Given the fact that our subscription with TAM got over on 31 March and the date for BARC data rollout isn’t yet announced, logically, there could be a 15 day ratings gap.” 

     

    A media planner informed that as per the advisory issued by AAAI, ISA and IBF none of the members should renew their subscription with TAM, until BARC comes out with its data. “I feel there could be more four weeks, until BARC comes out with its data,” the media planner said.

     

    A clearer picture will emerge after BARC’s meeting on 6 April, which will be attended by advertisers, agencies and broadcasters. In the meeting, the debutant monitoring body will be sharing data with those present.

     

  • Is BARC all set for broadcasters and media agencies in Kolkata?

    Is BARC all set for broadcasters and media agencies in Kolkata?

    KOLKATA: While Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) seems all set to formally launch its much-awaited television audience measurement system in phase wise manner starting April, broadcasters and media agencies have begun to pull out from TAM India. If industry sources are to be believed, broadcasters like Star, Zee, Discovery, Star Sports, India TV and NDTV have already sent their termination notices to TAM.

     

    Regional media broadcasters specifically in West Bengal, however, have their own viewpoints. In Kolkata, broadcasters and media agencies expect to get a fair report with the introduction of BARC’s new TV ratings measurement system.

     

    At a time when agencies and broadcasters in Mumbai have already sent letters to TAM informing them that they are either not extending their subscription after 31 March, 2015 (in case their current subscription is expiring on that date) or terminating their subscription with the stipulated one-month notice period (in case their subscription runs till 31 December, 2015), Kolkata-based agencies and broadcasters have not yet got any detailed report on the pricing and policies of BARC.

     

    “BARC authorities came to Kolkata for one road show and with the lack of interest shown from people here and the absence of proper feedback, it hasn’t taken much initiative in Kolkata,” a city-based advertising agency executive said on condition of anonymity.

     

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises controlled 24×7 Bengali news channel 24 Ghanta will pull out from TAM along with the network’s others channels, said an executive from 24 Ghanta, adding that almost all channels in India are likely to do that. “With the arrival of BARC, it would make an even equation for all the stakeholders,” the channel executive added.

     

    When queried about the expectations from BARC, the executive said, “No tampering is possible as BARC will provide a wider audience reach. We also expect scientific and more detailed findings from untapped rural areas.”

     

    On the other hand, Aakash Aath director Eshita Surana said, “We have yet not decided, whether we will continue with TAM or no. We have not yet got the pricing policy from BARC.”

     

    However, Surana went on to add that the company has high hopes from BARC.

     

    On the initiatives being taken to establish strong communication, BARC CEO Partho Dasgupta said, “We have been constantly communicating through our newsletters, press interactions. website, twitter, roadshows and meetings. Pricing model details are on the website and all CEOs who watermarked the channels have been written to individually.”

     

    BARC, in the past three weeks, has been seeing an increasing rush from smaller broadcasters, both national and regional, who are now getting watermarked.  

     

    Speaking about expectation from BARC, a Kolkata-based GEC executive said that BARC’s report will at least not bring Kolkata TV’s teleshopping show in the top 20 programme list.

     

    Moreover, the number of peoplemeters that TAM had installed was 10,000 whereas BARC will be starting with 20,000 and then plans to gradually scale up the number by 10,000. “This will ensure more representation and data from these peoplemeters that will enable a more accurate understanding of stickiness, preference and even demography of every segment of viewers. BARC will even provide zip-code wise data on ratings, which will help advertisers in choosing the right TV channels to reach out to their TG,” brand and communications expert Mahul Brahma added.

     

    A media buying executive said that all stakeholders, including the media agencies, have invested in the new BARC system, and it is natural that all should move to this audience measurement system. “BARC is a joint industry body, and we are part of the industry. We believe that BARC will have a more accurate and better measurement. Our preference would be to go with the measurement which is more robust, transparent and accurate,” he said.

  • Zindagi weaves Pakistani love story around partition

    Zindagi weaves Pakistani love story around partition

    NEW DELHI: Zindagi, the entertainment channel from the Zee stable, plans to make original programmes in India during the coming year and may also make some programmes, which have a combination of Indian and Pakistani artistes.

     

    Zindagi channel business head Priyanka Datta stressed that every serial has its own priority market and that the marketing budgets for this channel were comparable to any other general entertainment channel (GEC).

     

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Datta said that Zindagi was being touted as the only Hindi premium channel as it got the same kind of ratings that English TV channels get and no Hindi channel in the general entertainment channel commanded those ratings.

     

    Datta claimed that social media and digital platforms are being used actively to market the channel, which has a large following through mails and Twitter.

     

    Speaking on the sidelines of the new series Waqt Ne Kiya Kya Haseen Sitam launch, which commenced on 23 March, she said that the series based on a Pakistani novel had been telecast on Pakistan Television in 2010 but Zee TV had acquired its rights for Zindagi. The new offering will be telecast every Monday to Friday, 8 pm onwards. 
     

     

    Since it is the only series on Zindagi based on the partition of the country, she said certain changes had been made to neutralize the depiction of partition-related scenes to ensure that it did not hurt the sensibilities of people on either side of the border. Datta also stressed that the series was primarily a love story and there was no unnecessary emphasis on partition and its aftermath. The research that had gone into the series also showed realism. 

     

    Denying the fact that the channel was popular only in north India because of its content, Datta said that it was popular not only all over India but was also seen in neighbouring countries including Pakistan.

     

    “Showcasing stories that bind hearts is our aim with every show that we launch on Zindagi. Very few television shows have the enduring impact of Waqt Ne Kiya Kya Haseen Sitam. The show has beautifully dealt with the intricate emotions of love and separation and the poignancy showcased in the drama resonates even today. It is a never-seen-before portrayal of the essence of true love and we are sure that our audiences will enjoy it,” she said.

     

    Set in the 1940s, it is a heart-wrenching love story that depicts the myriad emotions that people went through then and how love triumphed amongst them all.

     

    Karachi based director Haissam Hussaim said love was a universal language and this series had also attempted to show this. Borders do not dilute this sentiment, he added. 

     

    Hussaim said that he had met the author of the novel ‘Bano’ and also done some research on his own. The author had told him that the story was partly based on experiences of some persons close to her, and partly fictionalized.   

     

    He said people needed to educate themselves so as not to be so intolerant.

     

    Lahore based actor Ahsan Khan said all the cast members were asked to read the novel before the series was made.

     

    Khan said, “I play the character of Bano’s brother Saleem, who believes that the nation should not be divided. I think the reason this show was a huge hit was because each and every character in the show has been very well defined and equal care was taken while casting and that is what did justice to this beautiful story. It’s a story that depicts myriad emotions that people went through then and how love triumphed amongst them all.”

     

    Waqt Ne Kiya Kya Haseen Sitam marks the return of Fawad Khan, who is paired opposite Sanam Baloch essaying the role of Bano. It also features an ensemble of legendary and popular actors including Samina Peerzada, Ahsan Khan, Saba Qamar and Mehreen Raheal amongst a host of others.

  • Zee adds &TV HD, Ten Cricket channels to mobile app

    Zee adds &TV HD, Ten Cricket channels to mobile app

    MUMBAI: Zee, which launched its Family App across 10 Asian Pacific countries last month, has expanded its product offerings by adding two new channels on the app namely – &TV HD and Ten Cricket.

     

    Ten Cricket will be available Singapore, Thailand, Japan, Indonesia, Israel, Fiji and Philippines, whereas &TV HD will be available in these countries as well as Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong. 

     

    The current conversion from download to usage is above 80 per cent for Zee Family.tv.

     

    “Currently the app is on free trail till 31 March and will be launched as a pay product from 2 April ensuring high quality and hassle-free viewing experience of the Zee Family channels with Catch up options,” said Zee business head Asia Pacific Sushruta Samanta.

  • Ten Sports acquires exclusive rights to MotoGP for five seasons

    Ten Sports acquires exclusive rights to MotoGP for five seasons

    MUMBAI: Ten Sports Network has secured exclusive rights for MotoGP the premier world championship for motorcycle road racing. As was first reported by Indiantelevision.com, this is for the first time that MotoGP will be broadcast exclusively by a broadcaster in the Indian sub-continent.

     

    This new deal between Taj TV and MotoGP rights holders Dorna Sports will run for a period of five seasons starting 2015. As a part of this deal, Ten Sports will broadcast all MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 races and qualifying practices live on its network of six channels. Ten Sports will also be offering multi-screen feeds on its digital platforms and will develop a dedicated section on www.tensports.com.

     

    Ten Sports CEO Rajesh Sethi said, “We are very excited to embark on this new journey with Dorna. We are committed to building this property in India over the next five years and viewers will witness unprecedented programming initiatives on our network. We have also been rights holders for this premium property since 2006 and we are delighted to continue and take this partnership to the next level.”

     

    Dorna Sports managing director Manel Arroyo added, “We are thrilled about our exclusive partnership with Taj TV and looking forward to developing a close relationship with them. India is a key market in the coming years and the World Championship will benefit greatly from the extensive promotion that Taj has committed to provide.”

     

    The 2015 MotoGP season begins in Qatar on 27 March with the first of 18 races in the 2015 calendar. The 2015 rider line up is stronger and more competitive than ever with defending champion Marc Marquez looking to retain his title over rivals Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa amongst others.

     

    Ten Sports will run contests to send fans to witness live action from the best races. Promotional events are being planned in the territory as well. From a programming standpoint, there will be new shows around races with Ten Sports also looking to add a local flavour by creating Indian-focused programming for a few events.

  • Zee launches HD League bouquet targeting affluentials

    Zee launches HD League bouquet targeting affluentials

    MUMBAI: The High Definition (HD) feed is clearly a value added proposition. With five popular HD channels under its umbrella namely – Zee TV HD, &Pics HD, Zee cinema HD, Zee Studio HD and Ten Sports HD – Zee has launched the network’s new brand identity- Zee HD League bouquet.

     

    The bouquet will have Hollywood and Bollywood blockbusters as well as sports action. It will also include HD content that will exclusively premiere on the bouquet and not on the SD feed.

     

    To begin with Zee TV HD will showcase the World television premiere of the critically acclaimed and award-winning movie The Lunchbox on 8 February. The move, according to a source, is to make the trade as well as the consumer segment aware of the HD offerings by the stable.

     

    Speaking on the launch, ZEEL chief business officer Sunil Buch said, “With close to 40 per cent increase in the sales of flat-panel TVs coupled with an aggressive push by DTH and digital cable players, HD channels continue to gain consumer traction. The bouquet is aimed at giving an enriched viewing experience to the affluential viewers.”

     

    Buch further said that the network will follow a two pronged approach for the same. Firstly, by adding width in terms of new HD channels and secondly by looking at HD exclusive offerings from each of the channels. The pricing will differ from platform to platform.

     

    When queried as to how he views the pattern for HD consumption in India, Sun Direct managing director Mahesh Kumar said, “Incrementally HD feed is becoming more and more attractive because an increasing number of subscribers consume HD. Not a game changer as yet, but we foresee in the next one or two years the HD consumption going up.”

     

    On the other hand, Dish TV chief operating officer Salil Kapoor finds the strategy beneficial for the feed as its overall consumption is picking up. “We have the highest number of HD channels – i.e 39 now and are happy with the focus turning to HD,” he added.

     

    A 360 degree marketing campaign across affluential touch-points such as airports and multiplexes along with special emphasis on digital is being rolled out to promote ZEEL’s new bouquet. ZEEL chief sales officer Ashish Sehgal informed that this was an opportunity for advertisers to sharply target the elusive affluent audience segment.

     

    “HD subscribers have a high skew towards the premium 25+, SEC AB in six metros and are growing at a whopping 50 per cent per annum. By adopting a network approach, we will further strengthen our monetisation strategy by offering advertisers a suite of advertising options across multiple genres,” he concludes. 

  • Zee will continue to follow 12 mins ad cap: Punit Goenka

    Zee will continue to follow 12 mins ad cap: Punit Goenka

    MUMBAI: Reacting to the statement that the Information and Broadcasting minister Arun Jaitley was not in favour of the 12 minute ad cap for television channels, Zeel MD and CEO Punit Goenka has said that though he was happy with the views of the minister, his company Zee will continue to follow the ad cap.
     
     
    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Goenka said, “It is a good move for news and music channels but Zee will continue to follow the ad cap.”
     
     
    “The ministry comes up with such statements and many fall for the trap,” he added.
     
     
    On the current inventory system for news and niche channels, Goenka believes that if ad cap is not followed, the channels will continue to work on minimalistic rates.
     
     
    It may be recalled that Jaitley had said that while the government was not inclined to interfere in the content or the business of media entities, he was not in favour of a cap on advertising for TV or print media. He said that essentially, ad cap conflicts with fundamental rights.
     
     
    The ad cap law brought in by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has been legally challenged and the matter is pending in court. As was reported earlier by Indiantelevision.com, the Delhi High Court today adjourned the petition by the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) and others challenging the advertising cap of 12 minutes per hour sought to be imposed by the government to 24 March.
  • Q3-2015: Zeel PAT up 44.5%; income up 14.8%; ad revenue up 8.5%

    Q3-2015: Zeel PAT up 44.5%; income up 14.8%; ad revenue up 8.5%

    BENGALURU: The Subhash Chandra-led content and broadcast player Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (Zeel) reported a 44.5 per cent hike in y-o-y PAT to Rs 308.61 crore (22.6 per cent of Total Income from Operations or TIO) in Q3-2015 from Rs 213.59 crore (18 per cent of TIO) in Q3-2014 and a 36 per cent increment from the Rs 227 crore (20.3 per cent of TIO) reported in the previous quarter. The company’s year to date (YTD) PAT at Rs 746.73 crore was 10.7 per cent higher than the Rs 674.5 crore during 9M-2014.

     

    Zeel reported 14.8 per cent higher TIO in Q3-2015 at Rs 1363.72 crore as compared to Rs 1188.36 crore in the corresponding quarter of last year and 22 per cent more than the Rs 1117.82 crore in Q2-2015. TIO for 9M-2015 at Rs 3536.60 was 8.4 per cent more than the Rs 3262.89 crore in 9M-2014.

     

    The company’s advertisement revenue in Q3-2015 at Rs 742.6 crore (54.5 per cent of TIO) was 8.5 per cent more than the Rs 683.41 crore (57.6 per cent of TIO) in Q3-2014 and 18.6 per cent more than the Rs 625.94 crore (56 per cent of TIO) in the immediate trailing quarter. During 9M-2015, ad revenue increased 10.7 per cent to Rs 1990.64 crore (56.3 per cent of TIO) from Rs 1797.69 crore (55.1 per cent of TIO) in 9M-2015.

     

    Let’s look at the other results reported by Zeel:

     

    Zeel reported a 2.3 per cent drop in subscription revenue to Rs 446.13 crore (32.7 per cent of TIO) from Rs 456.49 crore (38.4 per cent of TIO) in Q3-2014, but reported 5.1 per cent higher subscription revenue than the Rs 424.45 crore (38 per cent of TIO) in the immediate trailing quarter. Zeel says that due to a change in arrangements with various operators across international territories, the reporting of subscription revenue for the current year has undergone a change and is not comparable to the with the figures of previous years.

     

    The company’s other income in Q3-2015 more than tripled (up 3.68 times) to Rs 174.99 crore from Rs 47.56 crore in the corresponding quarter of last year and more than doubled (up 2.6 times) the Rs 67.43 crore in Q2-2015. Other Income in 9M-2015 at Rs 263.25 crore more than doubled (up 2.1 times) as compared to the Rs 126.52 crore in 9M-2015.

     

    Zeel’s Total Expenditure (TE) in Q3-2015 at Rs 1027.36 crore (75.3 per cent of TIO) grew 12.8 per cent from Rs 911.10 crore (76.7 per cent of TIO) in Q3-2014 and was 26.7 per cent more than the Rs 810.75 crore (72.5 per cent of TIO) in Q2-2015. 9M-2015 TE at Rs 2603.57 crore (73.6 per cent of TIO) was 8.4 per cent more than the Rs 2401.39 crore (73.6 per cent of TIO) in 9M-2014.

     

    Operation cost in Q3-2015 at Rs 645.57 crore (47.3 per cent of TIO) was 5.9 per cent more than the Rs 609.50 crore in Q3-2014 and 32.3 per cent more than the Rs 470.30 crore (42.1 per cent of TIO) in Q2-2015. Operation cost in 9M-2015 at Rs 1519.25 crore (43 per cent of TIO) was 0.3 per cent lower than the Rs 1524.37 crore (46.7 per cent of TIO) in 9M-2014.

     

    Zeel’s Employee Benefit Expense (EBE) in Q3-2015 at Rs 109.27 crore (8 per cent of TIO) was 14 per cent more than the Rs 95.86 crore (8.1 per cent of TIO) in Q3-2014 and was 1.2 per cent more than the Rs 107.96 crore (9.7 per cent of TIO) in Q2-2015. EBE during 9M-2015 at Rs 328.94 crore (9.3 per cent of TIO) was 13.2 per cent more than the Rs 290.68 crore (8.9 per cent of TIO) in 9M-2014.

     

    Zeel chairman Subhash Chandra said, “Our quarterly performance reflects the investments that Zee is making to grow its business and market share. We will continue to pursue growth opportunities, which would enhance long term shareholder value.”

     

    Zeel managing director and chief executive officer Punit Goenka added, “We had a good quarterly performance reflecting the industry wide trend. On the domestic subscription front, we grew in low double digit figures during the quarter. On a sustained basis, we are growing in high single digits on domestic subscription revenues. Implementation of digitization in the remaining parts of the country will push the growth momentum further.”