MUMBAI: In week 4 of BARC India ratings, Colors has led the list in the Urban space and in Pay platform for more than three weeks. Zee TV slipped down to fifth position in the urban market. No changes were observed in the pecking order of top five channels on pay platform.

In Urban space Colors, Star Plus, SONY SAB, Sony Entertainment Television, Zee TV, Dangal, STAR Bharat, &TV, STAR Utsav and Big Magic were the top ten channels in week 4.

Urban

BENGALURU: Network18/Viacom18’s flagship Hindi GEC Colors had climbed up to rank 3 in Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) weekly list of Top 10 Channels Across Genres on All Platforms in week 3 of 2020 (previous week or period). Colors is a pay TV channel. Enterr10 Television’s free-to-air (FTA) Hindi GEC Dangal had regained top spot after a short hiatus of one week from the Sun Tv Network’s flagship Tamil GEC Sun TV in the previous week.The same ranking status continued on in week 4 of 2020 (Saturday, 25 January 2020 to Friday, 31January 2020, week or period under review). Hence Colors was the most watched pay TV Hindi GEC in week 4 of 2020 for the second week in a row.

As a matter of fact, the first seven ranks during the period under review in BARC’s top 10 channels across genres on all platforms weekly list were the same in rank and file as in the previous week. Sony Pictures Network India (SPN) pay TV flagship Hindi GEC Sony Entertainment Television (SET) pushed up one place to eighth rank in week 4 of 2020 from week 3, while Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (Zeel) flagship Kannada GEC Zee Kannada dropped a place to ninth rank. Viacom18’s kids channel Nick exited BARC’s weekly across genres on all platforms list in week 4 of 2020 and was replaced by Zeel’s Hindi Movies channel Zee cinema.

Six Hindi GECs’ and one channel each from the Hindi Movies, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu genres made up BARC’s Top 10 Channels Across Genres on All Platforms in week 4 of 2020. There were three channels from Zeel, two channels each from SPN and Star India and one channel each from Enterr 10 Television, Sun Tv Network and Viacom18/Network18 in the list in week 4 of 2020. Nine of the channels were on the pay platform and one channel was FTA.
The combined ratings of the Top 10 Channels Across Genres on All Platforms in week 4 of 2020 were lower than those of the previous week.

Please refer to the figure below:

Top 10 Pay Channels Across Genres in week 4 of 2020

Sun TV continued its run as the most watched pay channel in week 4 of 2020. It topped BARC’s weekly list of Top 10 Pay Channels Across Genres in week 4 of 2020. The first six ranks in week 4 of 2020 were the same as in week 3. SET climbed to eighth rank, while Zee Kannada dropped to ninth rank in week 4 of 2020 as compared to the previous period. Viacom18’s Nick was replaced at tenth rank by Zee Cinema during the period under review.

Five Hindi GECs’, two Telugu GECs’ and one channel each from the Hindi Movies, Kannada and Tamil genres comprised BARC’s weekly list of Top 10 Pay Channels Across Genres in week 4 of 2020. There were three channels from Zeel, two channels each from SPN, Star India and Network18/Viacom18 and one channel from the Sun Tv Network in BARC’s weeklylist of Top 10 Pay Channels Across Genres in week 4 of 2020. The combined ratings of the Top 10 Pay Channels Across Genres in week 4 of 2020 were lower than those of the previous week.

Top 10 Free Channels Across Genres in week 4 of 2020

The first 4 channels in BARC’s weekly list of Top 10 Free Channels Across Genres in week 4 of 2020 were the same as in the previous week. Enterr10 TV’s Bhojpuri channel Bhojpuri Cinema jumped up three places to fifth rank during the week under review from its previous week’s eighth position. Zeel’s Music channel Zing entered the list at ninth rank, while pubcasterDoordarshan’s Sports channel DD Sports exited BARC weekly list of Top 10 Free Channels Across Genres in week 4 of 2020. 

Four Bhojpuri channels, two channels each from the Hindi GEC and Hindi Movies genres and one channel each from the Marathi and Music genres made up BARC’s weekly list of Top 10 Free Channels Across Genres in week 4 of 2020. From the network’s perspective, there were four channels each from Enterr10 Television and Zeel and two channels from B4U network in the list in week 4 of 2020. Top 10 Free Channels Across Genres in week 4 of 2020.

Of note was Zeel’snew Bhojpuri channel Zee Biskope – the channel retained its place and rank in its second week since coming under BARC’s ambit.

Please refer to the chart below:

MUMBAI: It is a very exciting time to be in the kids’ audiovisual space. With the sheer increase in consumption, proliferation of platforms and new technology coming in every day, the market is at a very exciting junction. Harnessing the tailwinds in the macro-economic scenario, Cosmos-Maya is targeting holistic growth for the new financial year. With the studio going great guns with its Production, International and Digital Businesses, there is enough and more scope to grow the New Businesses division which includes the maturing Licensing & Merchandising, Ed-Tech Content Creation, New Digital Media verticals, all working in concert.

Priti Karandikar has been appointed Senior Vice President, New Businesses at Cosmos-Maya. Priti will be based in Mumbai and will report in to Anish Mehta, CEO Cosmos-Maya. The appointment is in line with the company’s expansion plans and its dictum of ‘Animation beyond Entertainment’, which includes increasing reach, further exploitation and variegation of offerings for both owned and acquired brands.

Said Anish Mehta on the development, “My hearty welcome to Priti. Her appointment heralds a new growth phase. The revenue generation ecosystem at Cosmos-Maya has been very active. With her coming in, we envisage a more holistic approach to brand monetization, with all divisions working in tandem to drive revenues.”

Karandikar has over 15 years of Sales & Marketing experience and has held senior positions in the Consumer Products Divisions at The Walt Disney Company and Viacom18. At Disney, where she worked for close to a decade, she was part of the brand building efforts in India right from the start-up phase in 2004. Priti has been a part of the core L&M team at Viacom 18 as a Sales Director, managing 5 key categories for the entire kids portfolio across India and servicing brands like Colgate, Kellogg's, Perfetti and ITC for Viacom 18's promotional licensing portfolio.

Cosmos-Maya’s journey from being a standalone animation production studio to creator of both fully-owned domestic, and globally co-produced IPs, has been momentous and has seen the studio develop a robust sales and syndication pipeline. The next phase of organic growth will see a thrust on the New Businesses division.  

Karandikar said, “I thank the Cosmos-Maya family for making this transition so seamless. Cosmos-Maya has some of the most established kids’ IPs in its portfolio, those which lend themselves beautifully to licensing and brand extensions. My immediate focus areas are L&M, EdTech content creation and New Digital Media with the aim to further strengthen the value chain right from content creation to content monetization for the next cycle of growth.”

Cosmos-Maya revenue and corporate strategy senior vice president Devdatta Potnis said, “Priti is an astute salesperson with the right blend of enthusiasm, passion and diligence. She is a welcome addition to the sales force, which has now become stronger and more diversified.”

MUMBAI: Leading safety shoe brand Warrior from the house of liberty has successfully garnered ten million views on Facebook and Instagram for its campaign titled #KeepTheJoshHigh. The campaign showcases a series of videos and creative aiming to create awareness and educating the audience on identifying a real Warrior Jungle boot.

Warrior as a brand has been supplying boots to our forces from the past 20 years. The whole idea of the campaign was to strengthen their market position and to increase brand awareness among the target audience. The entire campaign consists of five videos and supporting creative which are educative, multilingual and provide information on how to differentiate between a fake and a real Jungle Boot. The main video centered on army garnered more than five million views and when combined with other videos the views in total touched over ten million.

As the campaign went viral, Liberty Group CEO Adesh Gupta said, “We are proudly serving our forces from the past 20 years. The idea of the campaign was to highlight their sacrifices to the nation and also to educate the target audience on identifying original Jungle Boots offered by Warrior. I am happy to see the success of the campaign and look forward for more.”

The campaign was conceptualized and created by Olive e-business, a Delhi based digital agency. The director Dipin Kapur said “Client provided a very specific brief about targeting a certain audience group. We ideated a series of videos to build connect and reached the target audience set via geo-targeting and bi-lingual approach to reap the maximum benefit of the campaign. The videos are very energetic and leave a powerful impact on its audience. We are happy to see the success of the campaign across social media channels and hope to roll out more of such impactful content in the near future.

https://www.facebook.com/warriorsafetyshoes/videos/687817901677993/

https://www.facebook.com/warriorsafetyshoes/videos/667207977092488/

MUMBAI: ShemarooMe’s unique offering Bollywood Premiereis a platform that showcases World Digital Premiere of critically acclaimed Bollywood movies every Friday.The platform showcases Bollywood movies that have a strong story line and great entertainment value that the audiences have missed out on watching during their theatrical release. ShemarooMeBollywood Premierehas been the destination that has bridged the gap and ensured entertaining content reaches to the intended audiences, thus making it one of the most sought-after innovations on the digital platform. 

The property has showcased 22 movies so far (since its inception on 13th September 2019) and has seen good engagement and viewership amongst the audiences. Amongst the gamut of OTT platforms that are battling towards breaking the clutter,ShemarooMe’s Bollywood Premiere is a one of its kind offering that has a dedicated set of audience for the critically acclaimed World Digital Premieres of movies releasing every Friday. A premiere of movies that deserve their due credits and have a cult fan following.

The love for Bollywood movies knows no boundaries and has received acceptance across geographies and diasporas, ShemarooMe is all set to entertain audiences beyond geographies with its presence in 150 countries across the US, UK, South East and Middle East Asia region. 

Bollywood Premiere has received appreciation from many popular and talentedBollywood actors who have supported the platform with their best wishes to promote their upcoming movies,the likes of Manav Kaul, Nandita Das, Kunal Roy Kapoor, Sanjay Mishra, Shweta Tripathi, Barun Sobti, Shoaib Ibrahim etc. Bollywood Premiere has been a success so far and the platform has seen many unconventional movies to entertain audiences across platforms and geographies.

https://www.facebook.com/KashmeraOfficial/videos/506418316890457/

https://www.facebook.com/ShemarooMe/videos/4002454423113656/

MUMBAI: Electronic waste or e-waste is the disposal of broken or obsolete electronic components and materials. E-waste material may be valuable and recyclable and created from anything electronic: computers, TVs, monitors, cell phones, PDAs, VCRs, CD players, fax machines, printers, and many other electronic devices.  Most electronics are improperly thrown away; these contain various harmful materials such as beryllium, cadmium, mercury, and lead. When this e-waste is warmed up, toxic chemicals are released into the air damaging the atmosphere. The damage to the atmosphere is one of the biggest environmental impacts of e-waste. Therefore, there exists a need to recycle e-waste efficiently to keep our safe environment.

Keeping in mind the current situation of the environment, Adcom India known for its tech lifestyle accessories in India in collaboration with ‘Karo Sambhav’- India's leading producer responsibility organization has initiated their campaign ‘Hum E-waste Le Jayenge’. The campaign has been launched with the goal to spread awareness about e-waste while making individuals more informed about the social implications of e-waste and the importance to efficiently manage e-waste in an organized manner.

The campaign was incepted on 29 January 2020 at Adcom India’s head office in New Delhi firstly aiming to train and teach Adcom Team in identifying and separating different types of E-waste such that they could act as assets to promote the same further. After the separation of e-Waste, the same is sent to respective organized channels for proper recycling. In this manner, the e-waste will no longer remain a threat to the environment.

To increase awareness and participation, Adcom began a social media campaign with the same name to promote the same on various social media platforms.

Speaking about the campaign, Adcom India brand manager Sahib Bhatia said, “India is the fourth-largest producer of e-waste in the world yet we only recycle less than 3% of our total e-waste. With our collaboration with Karo Sambhav, we are looking forward to reduce the same by teaching and training people around us on how to properly dispose of e-waste and help in order to create a waste-free world. Also, we have set up a dedicated helpline number 8800-977-978 so that people can call us and raise a request to us for the collection of e-waste. We will further ensure that e-waste is collected directly from their home, and ultimately recycled efficiently in an organized manner.”

MUMBAI: BBC World News’ 16th annual Golf Connect brought around 100 top corporate golfers in India under one roof. The event took place on 1 February at the ITC Classic Golf and Country Club in Gurgaon, attended by legendary cricketer Kapil Dev and professional Indian Golfer Tvesa Malik.

The event attracted over 100 of India’s top corporate golfers highlighting the sought after nature of the occasion and showcasing the BBC’s commitment to engaging corporate leaders across India.

The special guest of the event was Indian cricketer Kapil Dev. Dev is regarded as one of the sport's best all-rounders and as one of the greatest captains in the history of cricket, helping India win its first ever Cricket World Cup in 1983. He is also a professional golfer and represented India in the 2018 Asia Pacific Seniors in Japan.

Since its launch in 2004, the BBC World News Golf Connect event has offered India’s corporate leaders the opportunity to demonstrate their skills on the fairway whilst building valuable relationships with colleagues from across their industries, with the event attracting C-suite leaders from top brands across the country.

Hosted by BBC World News, the day showcased the BBC’s substantial global offering across both the World News channel and online at BBC.com, demonstrating the BBC’s commitment to the Indian market, which now holds the biggest BBC news global audience, having grown from 30 to 50 million people in a year.

BBC World News and BBC.com, the BBC’s commercially funded international 24-hour English news platforms, are owned and operated by BBC Global News. BBC World News television is available in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide, and over 465 million households and 3 million hotel rooms. The channel is also available on over 180 cruise ships, 53 airlines, including 13 distributing the channel live inflight.

BBC.com offers up-to-the-minute international news, in-depth analysis and features, including BBC Worklife, BBC Culture, BBC Future, BBC and BBC Reel, for PCs, tablets and mobile devices to more than 110 million unique browsers each month.

MUMBAI: On every big news week, viewers place their unwavering trust in India Today TV and the numbers are a testimony to this.  On Week4 of this year, The channel has surpassed Times Now and Republic TV, becoming the clear no.1(15+, Megacities, 06:00 -24:00 hrs). This is significant because the week was full of news events like the  Delhi elections, Shaheen Bagh protests  and the bi annual ‘Mood if the Nation Survey'. 

Data analytics and ground zero reporting have garnered the trust of the viewers and made india Today the credible choice on every major news week.

In current big news week, India Today TV besides being the leader in full week data ,  was also  a leader on 26th January in the elite English core audience of NCCS A across mega cities.

MUMBAI: Election days belong to news channels. Right from guessing the outcome to getting audience views to covering the result day, news channels cash in on every opportunity. With 2020’s first election – the Delhi battleground – approaching, channels have lined up insightful content with innovative approaches.

The ABP News Network has assigned one reporter in every constituency of Delhi, to highlight the realities of the ground. The Hindi news channel believes having 70 on-ground reporters for the elections will ensure accurate and real-time updates. On the other hand, both Times Now and Mirror Now will cover the polls with over 20 reporters assigned respectively.  

With respect to programming and content line-up, ABP News has scheduled a different bouquet of programmes for weekdays and weekends, under the umbrella of Kaun Banega Mukhyamantri. There are eight shows: Seedha Sawal, Siyasat ka Sensex, Vijay Factors, Delhi Darshan, School Chalen Hum, and Big Interviews with Big Faces.

At the end of the polling day, Times Now in association with IPSOS, a global leader in market research will broadcast the exit poll. Similarly, the English news broadcaster will also bring the result day live with a new-age look for election result analysis, featuring some of the country's top election experts.

Mirror Now will have non-stop coverage on counting day, 11 February, from 6 am onwards. The channel will also air election updates and press conferences (if any) will be interspersed with other news bulletin.

ABP News Network has onboard Sugarlite, Rakesh Masale, Tata Altroz and Signature Pan Masala as official sponsors for the Delhi election shows all day long. “We not only want to grab eyeballs but also create a profound impact on our viewers by incentivising voting, improving civic engagement and bringing a positive impact on the democratic process,” said a channel representative. 

The Delhi Legislative Assembly election, scheduled on 8 February, is hotly contested between two key political parties –the Bharatiya Janata Party which holds the centre and the Aam Aadmi Party, which is the incumbent in the national capital.

MUMBAI:  As the excitement around B-town’s It-pair- Sara & Kartik’s latest movie Love Aaj Kal, a Window Seat Films & Maddock Films production, continues to rise, fans can now enjoy their favorite stars in a cool new avatar with HikeMoji. HikeMoji, which is a way for users to enjoy their funnest most expressive self, will bring to life exclusive avatars of Sara and Kartik. In addition to that, Hike users will also get access to quirky and relatable Love Aaj Kal HikeMoji Stickers and animated stickers, letting them express their inner Zoe and Veer. 

The collaboration captures the essence of the new-age romance that Love Aaj Kal represents, letting you express the same emotions & recreate these experiences with HikeMoji. Through this association, Hike users will receive HikeMoji options inspired by Kartik & Sara’s characters - Veer & Zoe from Love Aaj Kal. Users can further add these HikeMoji looks to their display pictures. Additionally, Hikers will also receive exclusive animated stickers playing on the dialogues and characters from the movie, designed to reflect the joy and energy of Love Aaj Kal, releasing worldwide, 14th February 2020. 

As one of the only players leveraging AI & ML for local languages at a mass scale, Hike had recently introduced HikeMoji to its users. Tailored to offer a local flavor, HikeMoji allows users to choose from 1000+ components integrating hyperlocal clothing, hairstyles, accessories as well as access to 100+ exclusive HikeMoji Stickers.

Hike’s vision is to build a new social future with joyful products that are built around the consumers & not the other way around. Creating radically unique products at the intersection of Art, AI, Product, Design & Engineering, Hike is all set to take the user experience to the next level in 2020. Hike recently teased its upcoming social product, HikeLand aiming to transform shared online experiences. 

Hike users can enjoy the all-new Love Aaj Kal HikeMoji Stickers and animated stickers from 7th February 2020 onwards. Download today on Google Play & App Store.

MUMBAI: Through its upcoming drama series, Barrister Babu, Colors’ presents an inspiring journey of Bondita, who with the help of her companion Anirudh finds her purpose, breaks the glass ceiling and becomes a ‘Barrister Babu’. Produced by Shashi Sumeet Productions, the show is set to premiere on 11 February 2020 and air every Monday to Friday at 8.30 pm, only on Colors.

Viacom18 hindi mass entertainment and kids TV network head Nina Elavia Jaipuria says, “Stories have the power to inspire lives, win hearts and above all, change mindsets. Over the years, COLORS has consistently presented content tuned towards highlighting social evils through shows like Balika Vadhu, Udann, Shakti...Astitva Ke Ehsaas Kii, and many more. Right from Meher’s determination, Vidya’s dedication to Pinky’s unbreakable spirit and now Bondita’s inquisitiveness, we have introduced viewers to strong and endearing female characters. With Barrister Babu, we will highlight how Bondita and Anirudh rather than succumb to traditions and cultural practices join forces to rise above all odds and bring about a radical change in the society.”

Set against the backdrop of Kolkata, an eight-year-old Bondita is being married off to a 60-year-old man. But as fate would have it, her life takes a sudden tragic turn.While she becomes prey to social injustice, fate leads her to her husband Anirudh, a London-return Barrister who wishes to liberalize women and unstrap them from cultural stereotypes. As he pledges to fight against the age-old norms and help Bonita find her identity, he unfolds a pathway for her to become a Barrister Babu. While Bondita asks some thought-provoking questions, Anirudh through her journey tries to fight them. Will Bondita and Anirudh be able to fight against this broken culture and mark the beginning of a revolution?

Viacom18 hindi mass entertainment chief content officer Manisha Sharma says, “Fighting societal norms and injustice takes a lot more than just courage. To bring about a positive change, one needs to set an example for others to follow, and this is what we aim to bring alive through Barrister Babu. It traces the journey of a young and curious Bondita who becomes a victim of the injustice, but fate leads her to her mentor Anirudh. It’s their journey together of starting a new revolution and giving the nation a female ‘Barrister Babu’.

Shashi Sumeet Productions producer Shashi Mittal says, “With this unique show, we are trying to blend important social issues that women face with an intriguing storyline. To weave the challenges faced by women in pre-independence into the narrative was definitely challenging, but we are happy with the story that has emerged from this. With strong characters and a refreshing plot, Barrister Babu is a show that is both relatable and interesting. Viewers will not only connect with these characters but will also get to get a close glimpse of a very different era.”

Talking about the show, Aura Bhatnagar who plays the role of little Bondita, says, “This has been a dream role for me to play, and I am thankful to COLORS for giving me this opportunity. I love how Bondita is a curious child and I can relate with the questions she has. I could not have chosen a better show to make my debut with on television and I will ensure that I do justice to the character."

Pravisht Mishra who will be seen playing the role of Anirudh says,“This is a unique concept that we are witnessing on Indian television. My character is that of a Barrister who is ahead of his times. He is a progressive person who is bent on ridding India of orthodox customs. He immerses himself in Bondita’s education and becomes an ideal mentor to her. He channelizes Bondita’s natural curiosity and uses it to coach her.”

Focusing on journey of Bondita, COLORS has designed a 360-degree campaign backed by strong print, digital, radio, on-ground and television plans to create major impact. 

MUMBAI: SITI Networks Limited (BSE: 532795, NSE: SITINET), an Essel Group Company, one of India’s largest Multi-System Operators (MSO), has released its Consolidated Audited Financial Results for Q3 FY20, ending December 31, 2019, showcasing continuous growth through strict control on expenses and operational efficiencies across all metrics.

SITI’s 9MFY20 Operating EBITDA surged 1.24 times over similar duration of last fiscal, to Rs. 2,676 Mn. This jump has been due to strict control over expenses and operating efficiencies. SITI’s Operating EBITDA Margin for 9MFY20 also expanded significantly by 1.1 times y-o-y to 22%.

Subscription revenue for 9MFY20 grew 19.5% y-o-y to Rs. 8,687 Mn, aided by the strong growth Subscription ARPU, which leapt 1.8 times to Rs.128 per month. Total Revenue (excluding activation) also surged 12.7% y-o-y to Rs. 12,189 Mn for the same period.

SITI Broadband and Zee 5, India’s fastest growing OTT platform joined hands to promote premium content to SITI’s high speed broadband customers. SITI Broadband also expanded its presence through a mix of smart customer management and innovative offerings. A new SITI Broadband web and mobile interface has been introduced to enhance customer experience.

SITI’s continuous efforts on improving operational efficiencies through improvement of its systems, processes and personnel has been yielding results. This has resulted in a better and intimate ground connect with its 24,000+ strong distribution network and increased focus on being fully compliant to the Tariff regime.

While commenting on the results, Mr. Anil Malhotra, CEO of SITI Networks Limited mentioned:

“SITI’s continued focus on operational efficiencies and strict control over expenses has driven growth in Operating EBITDA by 1.24 times y-o-y to Rs.2,676 Mn and expanding Operating EBITDA margins by 1.1 times y-o-y to 22% in 9MFY20. Our Total Revenue (excluding Activation) also surged 12.7% y-o-y to Rs.12,189 Mn in the same period. Our Subscription Revenue also jumped 19.5% to Rs.8,687 Mn. We are focused on working closely with our distribution partners for increased sweating of ground assets further through introduction of allied value-added services for our customers SITI Broadband with Zee 5, India’s fastest growing OTT app, gives both partners an opportunity to scale up our business ambitions, creating value for all our stakeholders with a focused and strategic approach."
 

MUMBAI: India’s home-grown chocolate brand, Fabelle from ITC Foods has rolled out its first-ever TVC campaign for the mass consumer chocolates business segment. After re-defining the Indian luxury chocolates segment, Fabelle has extended the same appeal to its FMCG chocolate range which includes superior and differentiated offerings – the Fabelle Choco Deck and Fabelle Soft Centres.  The brand’s first TVC enlivens Fabelle’s core philosophy - When you believe, magic happens!

In a quest to deliver unparalleled and distinguished chocolate experiences in the country, Fabelle forayed into the FMCG premium chocolates segment with two formats, Fabelle Choco Deck and Fabelle Soft Centres in 2018. The launch of Fabelle’s first TVC further reaffirms its intent to continue offering one-of-a-kind chocolate experiences to the Indian chocolate consumers and set benchmarks in chocolate innovation, through its distinguished product offerings.

The storytelling for Fabelle Soft Centres, a chocolate that has been crafted to bring alive the magical experience of desserts, comes across in a beguiling manner through the TVC- made by Dentsu India. It aptly highlights the product’s attribute of having a centre filling that is infused with chocolate mousse, making it a perfect indulgent delight, that’s nothing less than imaginative. 

The TVC has been created in the same vein. We see a young girl faced with a moment of self-doubt. It is at this point that Fabelle acts like a catalyst to unlock her imaginative powers and create a magical transformation in her. A track begins that hooks from the word go as we meet a magical character born of her imagination. What follows is a dreamy sequence where the characters share some beautiful, magical moments which also transports the viewer into a world of magic!

This prods the viewers to tap into their imagination through the message: ‘When you believe in magic, it happens!’

On the launch ITC Limited chocolates confectionary coffee and new categories food division chief operating officer Anuj Rustagi elaborates, “Since its inception, Fabelle has consistently been able to deliver innovative and unique chocolate experiences through its offerings in luxury and premium FMCG range. In fact, introducing distinctive offerings to cater to consumers’ ever evolving taste is Fabelle’s raison d'être. With the launch of Fabelle’s first TVC, the brand has taken a giant leap in the world of mass marketing and communication.  The film captures how Fabelle delivers magical experiences to consumers through its multi-textural products, offering superior experiences to today’s chocolate consumers. In that sense, the TVC aims to ignite imagination about the superior Fabelle offering among the viewers.”

Dentsu India chief creative officer Malvika Mehra said, “What’s a chocolate got to do with self-belief you ask. Lots, we say. We sometimes go through moments of self-doubt and often need an external nudge towards believing. Fabelle is that little tap on the shoulder here. It unlocks a new perspective and a wonderful transformation thereafter. It is, indeed, the taste of magic.”

Dentsu India  CEO Simi Sabhaney said, “ITC Fabelle is a brand rather close to our hearts since we have been associated with it from its early days of conception. The task we had set for ourselves was to create work that was as magical as the product experience it delivers. Hope everyone enjoys watching this film as much as the team did while creating it!”

Currently, the TVC is on air across multiple media touchpoints including TV, OTT and other digital platforms in Karnataka and will subsequently be rolled out across other target markets. The TVC has already clocked over 2.2 million views on YouTube.

New Delhi: One of the top builders in India and the most trusted brand in the real estate industry, Omaxe Group has turned itself into a brand that’s known for trust, reliability and versatility. With over 3 decades of providing top-notch services in the real estate industry, Omaxe Group has carved out a niche of its own by helping both individuals as well as corporate clients to helps them find their realty space.

DigiStreet recently assisted Omaxe in creating a fresh and strong web asset for strengthening the organization’s digital presence. With on-time delivery, spotless execution, the right concept and innovative use of the latest technology, the agency DigiStreet Media addressed various issues with effective and long-lasting solutions.

DigiStreet Media’s COO and Digital Head, Kavish Arora personally tended to Omaxe’s questions and queries and ensured undivided attention for the completion of the project right on time. “Omaxe Group has a legacy and a prestigious name in the industry. To be able to stand up to that means a lot to us", comments Kavish on the completion of the project.

“An ever-energetic team with the true essence of timelines & technology as well as in-depth knowledge – this is what I can say for team DigiStreet,” said Mr Deepak Rawat, Product Head – Marketing, Omaxe Group. He further adds, “The swiftness and efficiency with which DigiStreet has completed the project well on time is truly commendable. Omaxe’s relation with DigiStreet has further strengthened with this project!”

“As an agency, we always make sure to give each brand undivided attention and we did the same thing for Omaxe,” commented Darpan Sharma, CEO – DigiStreet Media. “I am really excited with the association and really happy with the team who has smartly delivered the unusually detailed project with right means of tech and right on time and thankful to the Omaxe team for their support and trust throughout to help us achieve this feat together.”

DigiStreet media is independent Marcom company that’s leading the Creative communication and digital marketing space in India and outside with their offbeat ways mixed with an innovative thought process that delivers the client’s very objective every time. The list includes Surya, Berger Paints, Jakson power, Apeejay Education, Okaya, Microtek, HP, Godfather Beer, Holostik, Compaq to mention few

Mumbai: INOX Leisure Ltd (INOX) reported financials for the third quarter ending 31st December 2019. The results were taken on record by the Board of Directors today at a meeting held in Mumbai.

Continuing its robust business performance in the previous Quarters, INOX closed the 3rd Quarter of FY2020 on an impressive note, with total Revenues at Rs. 518 Cr, reporting an impressive 19% growth, on a Y-on-Y basis. At Rs. 108 Cr, EBITDA delivered a 25% growth and PAT stood at an impressive Rs. 51 Cr with a stupendous 40% growth. Footfalls too showed a robust 11% growth, with 17 Mn tickets sold in the Quarter.

INOX also rolled out its loyalty program, INOX REWARDS. India’s first tier-based cinema loyalty program has already garnered more than 4 Mn members, within two months of its launch. The simple and intuitive program offers loads of benefits to the enrolled customers, besides reward points which may be redeemed for movie tickets and F&B purchases. The launch of INOX REWARDS also commemorated the historic milestone of 600 screens across the country.

The performance of the Quarter once again emphasized the significance of content, with numerous movies doing well at the Box Office. While action film War and comedy movie Housefull 4 were the top draws, content driven movies like Bala and Good Newwz also played their part in inviting guests to INOX multiplexes across the country. Besides content, INOX’s consistent screen addition and efforts to take the cinema experience to new levels also added to the third Quarter’s performance.

*Excludes impact of Ind AS 116

The company has added 46new screens in FY20 so far, underlining the Company’s expansion focus. Continuing its focus on technology, formats and experiences, INOX developed Central India’s largest multiplex at C21 Mall, Indore with 9 screens and 1486 seats, including the ultra-luxurious INSIGNIA, MX4D and Club.  

Siddharth Jain, Director – INOX Group added, “We have been writing a consistent growth story at INOX, with our uncompromised and relentless business focus, enabled by some outstanding innovations in the space of Luxury, Service and Technology. We are proud to remain consistent on all parameters, while remaining focused towards guest experience, the core of our business. Our loyalty program, which would allow us to serve our guests better, has been very well received and appreciated by them. We will continue to remain committed to curating memorable cinema experiences and taking them closer to the millions of our guests across the country with our consistent roll out plans. The Quarter once again established the importance of content, which continues to drive guests to our cinemas, and allowing us to treat them with our high standards of hospitality.”

Summary of the Operational Results*

*Excludes impact of Ind AS 116

New Delhi : VMate, the trending short video platform, is all set to give another golden opportunity to its users to virtually experience a date with Bollywood Diva Sunny Leone. After the blockbuster campaign #SunnyKaNewYearCall, Sunny Leone is back for VMate users to take their enthusiasm to the next level. Under the newly launched #HappyValentinesDay campaign, VMate user can fulfill their dream by spending a day with Sunny Leone on VMate app, creating memories in form of short video’s with Sunny on this Valentine’s Day. Besides, users can participate in an exclusive contest to win either of a car, cash prizes, a smartphone, a smart TV and other exciting gift options.

VMate's#HappyValentinesDay campaign is launched with exclusive video stickers to make Valentine's Day special. It will enable 50 million VMate users to avail a unique sticker featuring the beautiful Sunny Leone. Users can make videos on how a day spent with Sunny Leone will feel like and what thrill will it bring along. The sticker will give users a glimpse of how Sunny Leone would romantically wake them up and handover morning tea. Later, she is seen conversing with the user and asking about how he or she would like to spend the rest of the day.

Furthermore, VMate is inviting users to participate in a mission-based contest around love and win something on completing each mission. To complete the missions, VMate has rolled out attractive video stickers capturing the dream scenery of every lover. Users can make videos along with their partners, gliding in the beautiful night sky full of stars under a hot balloon, or fulfil the demand of their lovers and bring the moon on earth with VMate's special powers! More video stickers on exciting themes is available for users to bring out the best of their creativity. Once a user has successfully completed all the missions, s/he will qualify to spin the wheel of fortune to win contest prizes.

Ms Nisha Pokhriyal said "VMate is a people's platform and we aim to be an essential part of our users' life. Valentine's Day is a special day for lovers and many plan to express their commitment to their partners. VMate's #HappyValentinesDay campaign is launched to make their moments of love more special and unforgettable. This is coupled with winning some exciting prizes as well. An exclusive video sticker featuring Sunny Leone is also rolled out keeping mind the overwhelming response we got from our previous association with Sunny.

VMate has become a rage among the youth of India across the country for introducing exciting social media campaigns which also allow them to win bumper prizes such as a car, a scooty, latest smartphones, and more. Recently, VMate had concluded its #VMateFilmistan campaign with more than 7.8 lakh people winning prizes worth Rs. 2.65 crores. In the past also, VMate gained popularity for introducing unique campaigns such as its association with Nach Baliye Season 9, Diwali Campaign and more. Many VMate creators, who are common people, are earning money via VMate videos and transforming their lives by achieving their dreams.

MUMBAI - Comedy’s never been taken this seriously before. OML Entertainment Pvt Ltd, the creators of India’s decade-old and much-loved Happiest Music Festival- Bacardi NH7 Weekender, have announced the first edition of a massive comedy festival called The Circuit. From March 7-15, the festival will travel to Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore.  

The lineup for all three cities is out, with all shows for Delhi and Bangalore being live, and part of the Mumbai calendar of shows being out. With a mixture of smaller club shows and auditorium shows,  the festival is designed to offer innovative and unique experiences to audiences who enjoy comedy with stand-up comedy in various forms - specially curated lineups, women’s showcases, LGBTQ shows, regional comedy with shows being released for Marathi and Malayalam shows as well as formats such as debates, quizzing, various comedy games and much more. The lineup features over 100 comedians from across the country - for a variety of shows both big and small, with interesting lineups sure to appeal to a wide range of people, including comedians like Aakash Gupta, Rohan Joshi, Radhika Vaz, Tanmay Bhat, Anu Menon, Saikiran, Urjita Wani, Zakir Khan and more.

After kicking off in Delhi and Bangalore on March 7-8, the festival will run in Mumbai from March 11-15. After a packed calendar of shows from March 11-14, the festival will conclude with a grand finale - The Festival Circuit - in Jio Garden on March 15. This event will see a series of different performances by a strong lineup of over 20 comedians, and will be an all day outdoor event with comedy fans getting a taste of various types and formats of comedy. With just one ticket, the audience can see 5 different shows at the grand finale of the festival.

“As OML, we've had the opportunity to work with some of the most talented comedians from around the country and abroad. The Circuit is our celebration of the versatility of the genre and the messages it can hold. It will not only bring together a diverse range of shows from comics to sketch troupes, debates and game formats - but also venues, partners and artists that make the landscape as vibrant as it is. We're proud to be working with curators who have pulled together a great lineup ranging from regional comedy to unique ideas such as roast battles and comedy tag team, making sure there's something for every comedy fan” said Gunjan Arya, CEO, OML Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

OML worked with specific comedy curators to program the festival who brought together new formats of comedy to give a varied experience across venues, comedian styles and cities to put together a festival that distinguishes The Circuit from other comedy events in the country. Rohan Desai said, “We are very excited to be curating this festival that will feature a wide variety of concept shows which will be a unique one-time experience. The jokes and performances you see in these shows will never be repeated again.” Shreemayee Das added, “A few of the concept shows will actually be happening in tournament style - like a cricket world cup. So it will be very interesting to follow the progress of different teams and see which comedians will win the finals.” Reuben Kaduskar said, “This was a very exciting opportunity, because I got the chance to collaborate with artists from all over the country, and from an audience perspective, it's perfect because they get to see some of the best talent all at one place. Other than the game shows, what's unique about this festival is that a lot of the comedians are doing their brand new one hour solo shows for the first time ever.”

Four different show types are on the cards to give different sorts of comedy experience to the . The Club Circuit will have intimate venues with curated programming. The Theatre Circuit will have bigger showcases with a diverse lineup of different comedians performing to bigger audiences. Circuit X shows will have exclusive showcases. The Festival Circuit will see an all day outdoor event at Jio Garden on March 15.

There’s more to be announced with more shows coming soon in Mumbai.

Get ready to do The Circuit of comedy in your city.

Details for shows in all cities can be seen at www.thecircuit.in.

City Specific Pages

Mumbai - https://insider.in/the-circuit-comedy-festival-mumbai/article

Delhi - https://insider.in/the-circuit-comedy-festival-delhi/article

Bangalore - https://insider.in/the-circuit-comedy-festival-bangalore/article

BENGALURU: Indian leading multi-system operator (MSO) Siti Networks Limited (Siti) reported 7.8 percent increase in revenue from operations at Rs 1,210.29 crore for the nine month period ended 30 December 2019 (9M 2020, YTD 2020) as compared to the Rs 1,122.71 crore for the corresponding nine month period of the previous year (9M 2019, previous nine month period).  The company’s total expense for 9M 2020 increased 4.9 percent to Rs 1,330.30 crore (108.8 percent of Total Income) from Rs 1,267.81 crore (111,6 percent of Total Income) in the previous nine month period. Siti’s total expense across all major heads decreased 7.7 percent in 9M 2020, as compared to 9M 2019, but for pay channel, carriage share and related costs which increased by Rs 120.94 crore or 23.7 percent.

Sit reported a lower loss of Rs 117.87 crore in 9M 2020 as compared to a loss of Rs 140.36 crore in 9M 2020.

Siti claims in its earnings release that 9M 2020 operating EBITDA surged 1.24 times over similar duration of last fiscal, to Rs. 267.6 crore. The company attributes this jump to strict control over expenses and operating efficiencies. Siti says that its operating EBITDA Margin for 9M 2020 also expanded by 1.1 times y-o-y to 22 percent.

Siti says its subscription revenue for 9M 2020 grew 19.5 percent y-o-y to Rs. 868.7 crore, aided by the strong growth. Subscription ARPU  leapt 1.8 times to Rs.128 per month. Total Revenue (excluding activation) also surged 12.7 percent y-o-y to Rs. 1218.9 crore for the same period.

Siti CEO Mr Anil Malhotra said: “We are focused on working closely with

our distribution partners for increased sweating of ground assets further through introduction of allied value-added services for our customers Siti Broadband with Zee 5, India’s fastest growing OTT app, gives both partners an opportunity to scale up our business ambitions, creating value for all our stakeholders with a focused and strategic approach."

Let us look at the other numbers reported by the company

Total Income for 9M 2020 increased 7.6 percent y-o-y to Rs 1,222,26 crore from Rs 1,135.11 crore in 9M 2019. Pay channel, carriage sharing and related costs in 9M 2020 increased 23.7 percent y-o-y to Rs 631.14 crore from Rs 510.20 crore. Employee benefits expense in 9M 2020 declined 7.6 percent y-o-y to Rs 57.83 crore from Rs 62.61 crore.  Finance costs in 9M 2020 reduced 3.1 percent y-o-y to Rs 122.16 crore from Rs 126.05 crore. Other expense in 9M 2020 reduced 10 percent y-o-y to Rs 261.17 crore from Rs 290.35 crore.

Numbers for Q3 2020 as compared to Q3 2019

For the quarter ended 31 December 2019 (Q3 2020, quarter under review), revenue from operations increased 4.3 percent y-o-y to Rs 402.60 crore from Rs 385.92 crore in Q3 2019. Total Income increased 4.6 percent in the quarter under review to Rs 407.94 crore from Rs 390.11 crore. Loss for Q3 2020 at Rs 33.56 crore was lower than loss of Rs 35.41 crore in Q3 2019.

Total expense in Q3 2020 increased 4.9 percent to Rs 442.17 crore from Rs 421.70 crore, Excluding pay channel, carriage sharing and related costs, expenses in Q3 2020 declined 10.6 percent to Rs 227.75 crore from Rs 254.72 crore in Q3 2019. Employee benefits expense in Q3 2020 declined 9.5 percent to Rs 18.75 crore from Rs 20.71 crore in Q3 2019. Finance costs in Q3 2020 reduced 7.5 percent to Rs 38.06 crore from Rs 41.13 crore. Other expense in Q3 2020 decreased 13.4 percent to Rs 84.28 crore from Rs 97.33 crore.

MUMBAI: Hindi GEC witnessed four new shows in the first month of 2020. Colors, Star Plus and & TV launched a new show in January. In the beginning of the month &TV launched two mythology shows Kahat Hanuman Jai Shri Ram on 7 January and Santoshi Maa Sunaye Vrat Kathayein on 28 January. At the end of the month, Star Plus and Colors launched a fiction show Dadi Amma… Dadi Amma Maan Jaao! and Naati Pinky Ki Lambi Love Story on 27 January respectively.

Kahat Hanuman Jai Shri Ram is directed by Dharmesh Shah and produced by Alind Shrivastava. The cast of the show includes actors like Ekagra Dwivedi, Nirbhay Wadhwa, Jiten Lalwani and Sneha Wagh.

The lead character in Santoshi Maa Sunaye Vrat Kathayein is played by Gracy Singh and the show is produced by Rashmi Telefilms.

Produced by Bodhitree Productions Company, Colors’ Naati Pinky Ki Lambi Love Story revolves around the lead character Pinky who is short heighted, the character is played by Riya Shukla.

Star Plus’ Dadi Amma Dadi Amma Maan Jao is produced by Rajshri Productions and the show is based on a story of two sisters who are raised by their grandparents.

Sony Entertainment Television (SET) and Colors has also announced the launch of its upcoming shows in February. SET will air Ek Duje Ke Vaaste 2 on 10 February at 9.30 pm, currently the channel is running Tara from Satara at 9.30 pm slot.

Colors will bring fiction and non-fiction shows in February. On 11 February the channel will premiere Barrister Babu which will replace Ram Siya Ke Luv Kush in weekday’s primetime slot at 8.30 pm and Khatron Ke Khiladi will premiere on 22 February which will replace Bigg Boss in the weekend slot at 9 pm.

Star Bharat also launched a show Kartik Purnima on 3 February in the primetime slot at 8:30 pm. In 2019, Hindi GEC witnessed the launch of more than 50 shows on their channels throughout the year. 

MUMBAI: The Minister Of Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar has made it clear in a parliamentary response that the ministry does not intend to add any sort of 10 per cent licence fee on broadcasters and cable operators in India.

His response came for a question that asked if the minister had an intention to do so on the lines of what it follows for the DTH industry. Currently, DTH operators need to pay 10 per cent of their gross revenue as annual licence fee.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in a recommendation, last year, mentioned that this 10 per cent should be brought down to 8 per cent of adjusted gross revenue rather than gross revenue.

The minister also mentioned there is no central register that maintains industry-wise information regarding licence fees.