MUMBAI: Every year, at the stroke of the midnight preceding 15 August, India wakes up to pay a tribute to freedom. The nation celebrates Independence Day. The tricolour narrates a story of change and centuries of struggle. Together, the bands of saffron, white and green sing an ode to self sacrifice, truth and the nation's covenant with the earth.

But even on such an August day, there are those who are sentenced to celebrate freedom in the bondage of darkness - the visually impaired citizens. They don't get to see the colours fluttering against a clear blue sky. What they miss out on is the pride that the sight of the tricolour invites.

To complete their celebration and make a difference, MP Birla Cement, in association with the Lighthouse for the Blind, Kolkata, designed a unique national flag. One whose colours would not be hidden from those devoid of sight. Those who had never seen the tricolour with their eyes could feel it with their fingers. The three colours, along with the Ashoka Chakra, were translated in Braille, and cast on a flag made of cement concrete.

The significance of the colours and the symbol was embossed next to them. Once made, the flag went to the students of The Lighthouse for the Blind. This Independence Day, the children of the school got a chance to run their fingers across the colours that stand for freedom. The cement flag made their experience of India a shade richer in pride and honour.

MP Birla Cement executive president Sandip Ranjan Ghose says, “This was a humble effort on our part to celebrate ‘inclusion’ on our nation’s Independence Day by also bringing in differently abled children into its fold. The initiative resonates with our organisation's core values of - Heart and Strength."

Ogilvy Kolkata managing partner creative Sujoy Roy adds, “The glory of our waving flag is a heritage that belongs to every Indian. We simply wanted to share it with those who are deprived of its vividness. After all, freedom is everyone's birthright.”

MUMBAI: Social media giant Facebook took several industry pundits by surprise when it acquired the India sub-continent rights for La Liga's 380 league matches for the new season, which commenced on Friday. It is now being reported that the league's broadcast in India will not just be limited to the social media platform, but will also be sub-licenced to a TV channel as well.

According to Mumbai Mirror, Facebook officials from Singapore and US apart from their Indian representatives are in advanced talks with a Mumbai-based sports television station to seal the deal for the same.

Given that Facebook does not charge consumers for the La Liga content, it remains to be seen how the broadcaster will air these matches.

Facebook currently streams the live matches for free to its 348 million users in the region, including 270 million in India. The company did not disclose how much it had paid to acquire the rights, which cost Sony Pictures Network $32m (€28m) the last time it was for sale in 2014. The Financial Times, however, quoted a sources suggesting that Facebook had shelled out something between €10 million and €20 million for the rights.

Facebook, which streams the matches on Facebook Watch, had opened the channels of negotiation with the television company for quite some time.

La Liga president Javier Tebas said, “We are delighted to team up with Facebook and be able to bring the action closer to all followers of La Liga in the Indian subcontinent.”

Facebook head of global live sports programming Peter Hutton said, “For Facebook, the deal is an important experiment." It has been trying to win broadcast rights in India to major sporting events including the Indian Premier League. "We see this as a great opportunity to bring people together around world-class football and also help La Liga reach new audiences.”

The season kicked off on Friday night with matches between Girona versus Vallodolid and Real Betis versus Levante. Although these are early days in India for the live online broadcast of the games, there is an opinion that Indian fans still prefer the big screen for live action. It could be a reason why Facebook is looking to sub-licence the rights to a broadcaster.

MUMBAI:  Now, even DTH players are growing wary of the threat from Reliance Jio. Even as the registrations for Jio’s GigaFiber have commenced, one of the oldest DTH networks, Tata Sky, has ventured into the fixed line broadband sector in 12 cities.

Last month, Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Jio formally announced the rollout of Jio GigaFiber. The new disruption in the market created an ambience of cautiousness predicting that it could affect India’s multi-billion-dollar cable TV and DTH businesses. In a bid to secure market share, Tata Sky has now joined the race.  

Mumbai, Thane, Delhi, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon, Noida, Pune, Bhopal, Chennai, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, and Mira Bhayandar will be the first to get the service. The new plans are available on five packages including one, three, five, nine and twelve months. The data speed and limit will vary depending upon the type of the package. Starting from 5Mbps, the speeds will go up to 100Mbps. For monthly and three month plans, a one-time amount of Rs 1200 will be charged at the time of installation with which a wifi-router will be given free of cost. Rest of the packages will not require any installation charge. There are five add-on plans called ‘Quota on Demand’ which will only be valid through the validity period of the base pack. The pricing seems costlier than that of local cable players while there’s already a perception that Tata Sky is a premium service.

Jio lured customers with several additional amenities including Jio Giga TV set top box. The way it wrecked the telecom market with cheap data pricing, it was feared that it could disrupt the broadband sectors as well and can emerge as a replacement to DTH and cable players. In this regard, it could be tough for Tata Sky with its limited amenities to attract more users.

Comparatively, India has low penetration in fixed broadband sector. A report from Media Partners Asia said India’s FLBB penetration was expected to increase to 10.3 per cent from the present single digit share by the year 2022. Moreover, as content and applications keep getting heavier and denser in size, FLBB high speed broadband solutions could be ideal for offices and homes.  Hence, unexplored opportunities of FLBB can fuel the growth of new players also.

MUMBAI: The latest report by Media Partners Asia (MPA) predicts that by 2023, India will be Asia Pacific’s fourth-largest online video subscription opportunity after China, Australia and Japan.

The Asia Pacific Online Video & Broadband Distribution report goes on to say that Asia Pacific’s online video revenue, comprising net ad spend and subscription fees, is expected to grow at 18 per cent CAGR, up from $21 billion in 2018 to $48 billion by 2023.

The growth of online video subscription has been impressive in China, with fees rising from less than $850 million in 2015 to a projected $5 billion in 2018. The growth of online video subscription fees has also been strong and increasingly scalable in Australia and Japan, while meaningful opportunities are opening up in India, driven by the growth of payment infrastructure as well as investment in sports rights, local movies and series. Online video sub fees in Southeast Asia (including Hong Kong) are relatively low, at a projected $267 million in 2018. This could grow to $724 mil by 2023, driven by greater momentum in Hong Kong, Indonesia and the Philippines.

China will account for the lion’s share of industry value, with more than 60 per cent of Asia Pacific online video revenue and more than 75 per cent of direct-to-consumer SVOD subs by 2023. After China, the largest markets by revenue in 2023 will be Japan, Australia, India, Korea and Taiwan. 

MPA executive director Vivek Couto said,“Online video monetisation is starting to scale, supported by rising investment in premium entertainment and sports as well as the growth of broadband and digital payments. Strong digital ecosystems are emerging, especially in China while telcos are also becoming important aggregators of video services in markets such as Australia, India and Southeast Asia. Advertising is a major revenue stream for online video across the region, while subscription is also key, especially in Australia, China and Japan, and growing from a low base in India, Southeast Asia, Korea and Taiwan. Different payment models are emerging across China, India and Southeast Asia incorporating, including TVOD and shorter time commitments, freemium tiers, bundles and loyalty programs tied to a broader mix of digital services.”

Net online video ad spend in Asia Pacific will grow from $13 billion in 2018 to $30 billion by 2023. Ex-China, this opportunity equates to more than $11 billion by 2023, versus $5 billion in 2018. YouTube and to some extent Facebook will remain dominant, with 73 per cent of online video ad spend ex-China by 2023, versus 78 per cent in 2018. The biggest online video ad markets after China by 2023 will be Japan, Australia, India and Korea. Local players will gain share with India leading the way, although Southeast Asia will lag behind.

Online video content costs across Asia Pacific grew by 27 per cent in 2017 to reach $13 billion, with China contributing 85 per cent. Asia Pacific online video content costs will grow from $16.6 billion in 2018 to $31.5 billion by 2023, a 14 per cent CAGR, according to MPA. Ex-China, OTT video content costs will grow from $2.7 billion to $5.9 billion over 2018-23, a 16.5 per cent CAGR, with Australia, India and Japan driving momentum, followed by Korea.

Advances in broadband will provide a significant boost to online video consumption, reach and monetisation. Mobile broadband will continue to grow, including the first flowering of 5G in North Asia and Australia post-2020, alongside a slow but steady transition to next-generation fixed broadband. Mobile broadband penetration in Asia Pacific ex-China will reach 80 per cent per capita by 2023 versus 57 per cent in 2018, with some of the biggest growth coming from India, Indonesia and Thailand. With China included, average mobile broadband penetration in Asia Pacific will grow from 74 per cent to 94 per cent per capita over the 2018-23 period. Average fixed broadband penetration in Asia Pacific will grow steadily from 50 per cent to 54 per cent of households over 2018-23, with the focus increasingly on upgrading networks using fibre and next-generation cable technologies.

High level of online piracy leads the list of barriers to the growth. Apart from China, many local players are also struggling to scale in fragmented marketplaces. The top three SVOD players in a market typically have 50 per cent or more of online video subscription revenues, according to MPA analysis, leaving scope for future consolidation.

Couto added: “We are in the early innings of an industry evolution which will require high levels of investment and strong balance sheets. For standalone players, there is no clear path to significant free cash generation in any market over the medium term, while integrated digital giants and large-scale TV players are subsidising losses for their online video services, although operational breakeven is likely in the near-to-medium term for local platforms in Australia, China, India and Japan.”

BENGALURU: India witnessed 3.50 per cent growth in broadband internet customers in the month of June 2018 (Jun-18, month under review) according Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) data for the month ended 30 June 2018. Hence, 151.18 lakh (15.118 million, 1.5118 crore) broadband subscribers were added in Jun-18. Comparatively, in May 2018, broadband internet customers grew 2.91 per cent (122.1 lakh, 12.21 million, 1.221 crore) vis-a-vis the previous month (April 18).

The smallest segment among broadband internet services providers – the Fixed wireless- WiFi, Wi Max, Point to Point, Radio, Vsat segment, lost about 1,000 subscribers – the segment’s subscriber base fell from 4.09 lakh (0.409 million or 0.0409 crore) to 4.08 lakh (0.408 million or 0.0408 crore) during the month of Jun-18. The wired broadband internet subscriber base dropped by 40,000 to 179 lakh (17.90 million, 1.790 crore) in Jun-18 from 179.40 lakh (17.94 million, 1.794 crore) in the previous month.

A major portion-100.28 per cent (151.60 lakh or 15.160 million or 1.5160 crore) of the new users opted for wireless broadband internet through mobile devices and dongles in Jun-18. The mobile devices and dongles segment grew 3.66 per cent in the month. It may be noted that TRAI considers download speeds equal to or in excess of 512 kbps as broadband internet. Also, TRAI subscriber numbers data is published in millions with 2 decimal places, hence the accuracy of this report is limited to the nearest 10,000 (Ten Thousand).

As on 30 Jun 2018, the top five broadband internet service providers were Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd or Jio with 2152.6 lakh (215.26 million, 21.526 crore), Bharti Airtel or Airtel with 953.1 lakh (95.31 million, 9.531 crore), Vodafone with 628.6 lakh (62.86 million, 6.286 crore), Idea Cellular with 429.5 lakh (42.95 million, 4.295 crore) and BSNL with 203.4 lakh (20.34 million, 2.034 crore) subscribers respectively. The top five service providers constituted 97.67 per cent market share of the total broadband subscribers at the end of Jun-18, as compared to 97.54 per cent at the end of May-18.

Wireless Internet

As on 30 June, 2018, the top five Wireless Broadband Service providers were Jio with 2152.6 lakh (215.26 million, 21.526 crore), Bharti Airtel with 931.1 lakh (93.11 million, 9.311 crore), Vodafone with 628.5 (62.85 million, 6.285 crore), Idea Cellular with 429.4 lakh (42.94 million, 4.294 crore) and BSNL with 111.9 lakh (11.19 million, 1.119 crore) subscribers each.

Jio showed the largest growth in terms of absolute numbers across all segments. Jio’s subscribers have grown by 34.46 per cent in calendar year 2018 (CY 2018) since 31 December 2017 (or 1 January 2018, Dec-17). Its subscriber base has grown from 1,600.9 lakh (160.09 million, 16.009 crore) as on 1 January 2017 to 2,152.6 lakh (215.26 million or 21.526 crore) on 30 June 2018. Jio subscribers grew by 97.20 lakh (9.72 million, 0.972 crore) or 4.52 per cent in June 2018, hence led the subscriber growth in Jun-18 At present, Jio provides only wireless broadband internet services through mobile devices including phones and dongles. BSNL has being losing subscribers on a regular basis – it has lost 49.02 per cent or 107.60 lakh (10.76 million or 1.076 crore) subscribers in CY 2018. Please refer to the figure below

1.jpg

Wired Internet

The wired internet subscriber base has been bleeding – the segment lost 40,000 subscribers during the month of June 2018. Among the top 5 service providers, only Bharti Airtel (10,000) and Atra Convergence Technologies or ACT (20,000) have added subscribers. The other three players among the top 5 have lost subscribers.

Though growth of the wired internet subscribers until May-18 was led by Hathway Cable & Datacom Limited (Hathway), TRAI data shows that the company did not add any significant numbers in May-18 while it lost 40,000 subscribers in Jun-18. Its subscriber base for Apr-18 and May-18 was the same as per TRAI data. The company had added about 60,000 (grew by 8.22 per cent) subscribers in CY 2018 until May-18 and its subscriber base grew to 7.9 lakh (0.79 million, 0.079 crore) from 7.3 lakh (0.73 million, 0.073 crore) at the beginning of CY 2018. 

In CY 2018, ACT has exhibited the highest growth at 4.69 per cent. Both AIrtel and ACT subscriber base has grown by 60,000 in CY 2018. In Jun-18, ACT had the highest subscriber growth – its base grew by 20,000 or 1.52 per cent.

In Jun-18, the top five Wired Broadband Service providers were BSNL with 91.5 lakh (9.15 million, 0.915 crore), Bharti Airtel with 22.1 lakh (2.21 million, 0.221 crore), ACT with 13.4 lakh (1.34 million, 0.134 crore), MTNL 8.3 lakh (0.83 million, 0.083 crore and Hathway with 7.5 lakh (0.75 million, 0.075 crore) subscribers respectively. The government’s BSNL and MTNL have in general being losing subscribers. Please refer to the figure below. 

2.jpg

Other broadband internet service providers

MSOs and (LCOs) or cable video service providers also provide wired broadband internet services in the country. These cable service providers have a number of subsidiaries and alliances, hence broadband numbers are split as applicable. The consolidated subscription numbers of these entities could be larger than the numbers of some of the wired internet services providers mentioned above. However, in general, quarterly results of the major MSOs until the quarter ended 30 June 2018 (Q1 2019) indicate that their wired broadband subscription addition efforts have been far below par, some have even had a drop in subscriber numbers as well as reduction in ARPUs.

 

Bengaluru : Showcasing a blockbuster line-up of 12 renowned cricket experts, Star Sports announced the commentary panel for KPL 2018 which began on 15th August 2018.  For the first time ever, Australia’s bowling legend Mitchell Johnson donned the commentator hat. A winner of the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy, Mitchell was one of the most feared bowlers in the world, due to his lightening pace. Since its inception, KPL, one of the oldest running domestic cricket leagues in the country, has been a perfect platform for the emerging cricketers to showcase their talent.

The panel consists of celebrated Indian and International experts such as Dean Jones, Brett Lee, Scott Styris, Mitchell Johnson, Vijay Bharadwaj, Sunil J, Fazal, Charu Sharma, A Balachandra, Sujith Somasundar and anchors Suhail Chandhok and Mayanti Langer.

The experts will continue to use their experience and immense knowledge of the game to further enhance the viewing delight of the tournament and bring cricket ever closer to the hearts of fans from across the country.

Speaking on his commentary debut for KPL 2018, Mr. Mitchell Johnson said, “It is a pleasure to be a part of such a world class panel of expert commentators for KPL 2018. It will be fun to continue sharing the commentary box with legends of the game like Brett, Scott and Dean. Our aim is to bring a continuous comprehensive coverage of the best cricketing action to fans as the tournament progresses.”

Star Sports, the official broadcaster of KPL 2018, believes in providing the best of cricket content and facilitating unmatched TV viewing experience for the cricket fans across India. The regional programming will garner more fans, as they will get to witness the matches and cricket commentary in their preferred language.

Fans can watch all the KPL matches on the following channels:

    Star Sports 2/ Star Sports 2 HD – English and

    Kannada commentary is available on the audio button on select operators in Karnataka.

MUMBAI: Moneycontrol, India’s leading financial and business digital platform, has collaborated with Financial and Risk business of Thomson Reuters to offer StockReports on its platform. StockReports powered by Thomson Reuters, is updated every day to facilitate unbiased comprehensive analysis of stocks, unearth new insights and help investors make smart and informed decisions.StockReports on Moneycontrol is a subscription-based offering that will help investors access wealth of information for over 1500 stocks and schedule reports for specified companies on daily, weekly or monthly basis. This is the first time a digital platform is offering a comprehensive service to the customers, further cementing Moneycontrol’s position as a leader in innovation.Speaking on the development, Gautam Shelar, Business Head of Moneycontrol said, “Our efforts have been consistent towards delivering a comprehensive experience to our users, by bringing to them innovative, unique and productive tools that assist in making informed investment decisions. Expanding our repertoire of offerings, we have partnered with global leader Thomson Reuters to bring outstanding quality StockReports to our customers. StockReports enhances the process of investment selection for financial professionals by simplifying the process of evaluating stocks. It provides in-depth analysis of key trends in earnings, fundamentals, relative valuation, price momentum and risk which will help investors make insightful decisions.”Prashant Pillai, Head – Corporates, Thomson Reuters, South Asia said, “We are delighted to collaborate with Moneycontrol to offer Thomson Reuters StockReports to a large Indian investor base. StockReports leverages on our best-in-industry data capabilities to deliver customized corporate reports in a simplified and actionable format. Timely view of evolving insights and trends presented by these reports will give investors a definitive edge to make efficient and informed decisions.”

MUMBAI: Aata Juniors, one of Zee Telugu’s iconic dance reality shows is making a comeback to the channel starting this weekend! Zee Telugu pioneered telecasting non-fiction shows at prime-time which has now created a top-of-mind recall among its viewers across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Back with a bang, this season of Aata Juniors will be presented with an exciting format, featuring renowned celebrities, and brimming with the best up-and-coming junior dance talent. Aata Juniors is all set to celebrate Zee Telugu's commitment to providing the best platform for those who aspire to make their dreams come true in line with the channel’s brand philosophy - “Aarambham Okka Aduguthone”. This 25th August onwards, viewers will witness the talented hand-picked little stars battle it out to win the ultimate title of Zee Telugu’s Aata Junior only on Zee Telugu and Zee Telugu HD, between 9:00 PM to 10:00 PM, every Saturday and Sunday. 

The high-on-demand dance show chose 12 of its contestants out of a 1000s’ of children who participated in auditions that were conducted across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, along with videos shared for online auditions from Bengaluru and Chennai. 

Hosted by Anchor Ravi, one of the most successful TV hosts from Zee Telugu, the highlight of this season of Aata Juniors is the introduction of the new format that includes 6 choreographers, 6 super-dancers, and the 12 exclusively hand-picked contestants, where each contestant will be paired with a choreographer and super-dancer, to help each of them make the most of this exciting platform! The teams will be judged by the adored Lakshmi Manchu and Nataraj Master, the popular choreographer, dancer, and actor, who has been a part of over 4000 stage shows. His excessive skill and knowledge in dance will be leveraged as a judge, where he will consider the stage presence of a performer, the entertainment quotient and dance technicalities, while a 12-member grand jury panel will mentor the contestants. 

This season will provide the contestants the opportunity to present themselves in front of a walk-in celebrity judge every episode, with the gorgeous Tamannah Bhatia in the first two episodes of Aata Juniors. The teams will contest each other across different theme-based rounds each week, before the finalists fight for the ultimate Aata Junior trophy in the Grand Finale.

MUMBAI: Social media giant Facebook, which recently acquired the Indian sub-continent La Liga rights for three years, has struck a sub-licensing broadcast deal with Sony Pictures Network (SPN) India, a source close to the development has confirmed to Indiantelevision.com.

SPN has also renewed its Serie A deal for a three-year term. Sony Six and Sony ESPN will broadcast the matches, which will be streamed on its OTT platform SONY LIV.

The high-profile move of Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid to Juventus has undoubtedly increased the buzz surrounding the league this term. 

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner made his Serie A debut for Juventus in a 3-2 win at Chievo on 18 August 2018 after a €100 million move from the Champions League winners.

SPN had reportedly paid $32m (€28m) when the La Liga rights for India were up for sale in 2014.

Earlier this year, the Mark Zuckerberg-led company unseated the broadcaster as it bagged the rights for the 2018/19-2020/21 cycle for an undisclosed fee.

The landmark agreement La Liga’s first broadcast deal with a social media platform.

At the time, Facebook had stated it was open to working with broadcasters in the region to increase the reach of the league. In a sense, the deal with SPN is consistent with the company’s vision and position.

While Facebook steams the La Liga content for free, it remains to be seen whether SPN’s OTT will stream the matches with a delayed feed or not.

Amazon, the tech giant, was the first platform to strike a deal to stream Premier League matches in the UK, with 10 matches to be shown on Amazon Prime on two separate days for three seasons starting from 2019.

In April 2018, Amazon wrote a large cheque for the exclusive UK rights to the US Open tennis, giving subscribers who pay £79 a year for its Prime Video service access to three of the four grand slams. 

Last year, Facebook bid for the five-year global media rights of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which went to Star India for a hefty sum of Rs16,347.50 crore.

MUMBAI: 55% Indians feel they have access to quality healthcare, 31% rate it neither good nor poor, while 15% rate it as poor.  Interestingly, India is placed at the 11th spot in assessment of the quality of healthcare among the 28 countries covered in an Ipsos Global Advisor survey of more than 23,000 adults. Countries surveyed where consumers most tend to rate the quality of their healthcare positively are Great Britain (73%), Malaysia (72%), and Australia (71%). Countries rated lowest by consumers in quality of healthcare were Poland (14%), Russia (16%) and Serbia (18%).

So, what are the major concerns cited by Indians around healthcare systems? 

The top three problems cited were –Cost of access to treatment (44%), Poor quality treatment (35%) and Low standards of cleanliness (30%). Globally, the top three concerns that emerged were – Access to treatment/ long waiting times (41%), Staff crunch (36%) and Cost of accessing treatment (32%).

Top 3 public health concerns in India? 

Indians are worried most about Diabetes, followed by Cancer and the third biggest concern is Heart Disease.  Globally, the top three public health concerns are Cancer, Obesity and Mental Health.

“Making healthcare affordable to all, should be addressed by governments and healthcare providers around the globe as it is among the top three concerns,” says Monica Gangwani, Head of Ipsos Healthcare.

“Lifestyle changes can prevent some of these dreaded diseases.” adds Gangwani. 

How does the future of Healthcare look 10 years from now? 

There is high level of optimism seen among Indians – 66% say their own health will get better in 10 years (highest across all 28 markets), globally 35% feel so and in Japan only 11% feel their health will improve 10 years hence (lowest); 69% Indians feel that the quality of healthcare (docs, hospitals, medicine etc.) will improve for them and their family 10 years from now, 39% agree globally (across 28 markets), while Germany is the lowest with only 16% being optimistic; 60% Indians feel that the Cost of Healthcare will get better for them and their family 10 years from now – it will pinch the pocket less, 30% agree globally and Germany (at the bottom of the heap) has only 11% agreeing; 72% Indians (highest globally) feel that 10 years hence, the availability of healthcare providers (docs, hospitals etc.) where they live will get better; Germany is most pessimistic at 13% and global average is 37%; 73% Indians feel that the availability of treatments for various health conditions will improve 10 years hence, global average is 47% and Germany is at the bottom of the heap and has only 17% feeling optimistic. 

Opinions about interactions with individual healthcare professionals tend to be more favorable among Indians, also of the healthcare system.  Majority of Indian adults agree that, the last time they saw a healthcare professional, they were treated with dignity and respect (63%), they were taken seriously (61%), they were shown respect for their values, preferences or expressed needs (61%), they were accepted for who they were (65%), their safety was a priority (66%), and they knew what to expect from their doctor (67%).Interestingly, the study findings suggest that many patients have a close relationship with their providers. More number of Indians agree that the provider they last saw knows them as a person (62%), or that they know that doctor very well (60%),only about half of Indians polled said their doctor showed them emotional support (53%). Looking at 16 healthcare experience attributes, the countries surveyed showing the highest average ratings are India, the U.S., Malaysia, Australia and Canada. Those with the lowest ones are Japan, Russia, South Korea, Peru and Brazil.   

Use of Technology

27% Indians report having ever used telemedicine. Among the 27% who have used it, two third saysay they would use it again and one third say they wouldn’t. Reported experience is far more common in emerging countries of Asia and the Middle East and in the United States than it is in Europe.  

23% Indians say they currently use a connected health device or tool to manage their health, 24% say they have used one, but are not using any now, and 49% say they have never used one – the other 4% do not know. The five countries where usage is highest are the same as with telemedicine: China (28%), India (23%), Saudi Arabia (22%), Malaysia (18%) and the U.S. (15%).

  

Sources of Information?

Doctors and other healthcare professionals are the primary go-to source of information about healthcare, symptoms of diseases and treatments: it is the only one which is used by a majority of Indian adults (53%). The other sources most commonly used are online search engines (50%), family and friends (46%),online encyclopedias (32%), hospital/ health system/ health insurer website/ application (32%), newspaper/ magazines (31%), among others.

MUMBAI: Shemaroo Entertainment Limited’s Bollywood Licensing and Merchandising brand “Yedaz”, is participating in the upcoming India Licensing Expo 2018. Yedaz is the associate sponsor in the second edition of the India Licensing Expo, 2018 which is the country’s largest licensing platform and will be held on 23rd and 24th August 2018 in Mumbai.

The India Licensing Expo, a platform to showcase numerous licensing opportunities is a business to business brand licensing show. On behalf of Shemaroo Entertainment’s brand Yedaz, Smita Maroo, Sr.VP - Licensing & Merchandising will be addressing the delegates at two interesting sessions at the event. Smita Maroo will be showcasing various Bollywood themed merchandise offerings as well as licensing opportunities for Yedaz brand.  She will also be sharing thoughts at the session called ‘Brand + Licensing – The way forward’.

Commenting on the participation, Smita Maroo, Sr.VP – Licensing & Merchandising, Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd said, “ The licensing and merchandising industry in India is poised to grow at a fast pace. There is a sudden increase in the market for young adults who are interested in possessing official branded merchandise. Shemaroo Entertainment’s brand Yedaz – Bollywood Madness is the official Bollywood licensing and merchandising platform and has a wide range of interesting products under the banner. We are glad to be associated with the India Licensing Expo 2018, through which we can reach out to licensees and partners and expand the official Bollywood merchandise segment.”

MUMBAI: Star India today announced it will increase its donation to Rs 5 crores for the CM’s Distress Relief Fund for the relief and rehabilitation efforts in Kerala. Star India had previously announced a Rs 2 crore donation however seeing the scale of the disaster, Star India and its employees stepped up to increase the donation along with its parent company 21st Century Fox. 

Star India along with employee contributions of employees of Star India network and matching contributions of Star and parent company 21st Century Fox, have donated a cumulative sum of Rs 5 crores to the Kerala Chief Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund.

K Madhavan, MD – South, Star India, presented the cheque to Shri Pinarayi Vijayan, Hon’ble Chief Minster of Kerala, today. (Picture attached)

In addition, Star’s #AllForKerala campaign supported by over 60 stars and celebrities in 8 languages across 50 channels and Hotstar is inspiring millions to join the relief efforts. 

Uday Shankar, President 21st Century Fox - Asia, and Chairman and CEO – Star India, said, “Our hearts go out to those affected by this tremendous natural disaster. But we are also heartened by the stories of communities helping each other through this difficult time. We believe we must do everything in our power to help along with leveraging the power of our platform to inform and inspire citizens to join the relief and rehabilitation process. I sincerely hope many other companies will be able to provide assistance to families and communities in need of help.”

K Madhavan, MD – South, Star India,  said, "Kerala is in a terrible state, and we have a huge responsibility, as a media house, to support the situation. We are exploring all the possibilities of how to give them the right support. We think the next phase would involve moving beyond the initial mobilisation and awareness to the longer term focus on rehabilitation and repair, which we shall remain committed to help make happen."

MUMBAI: Paytm parent One97 Communications has partnered with Alibaba to launch its artificial intelligence (AI) cloud computing platform Paytm AI Cloud for developers, start-ups, and enterprises.

Paytm AI Cloud will offer a suite of business-centric applications including ready-to-use services that will allow businesses to automate their workflow, integrate payments, and provide messaging, customer engagement tools. The company said that its cloud will process and store all consumer data locally, in servers located only in India.

Reports claim that the company has earmarked Rs 250 crore for this vertical. It will be interesting to see how the homegrown company’s foray into the cloud computing business pans out in the coming months. Paytm may gain an upper hand if it leverages the cloud computing business of its key investor Alibaba. The Chinese tech giant opened its first India data centre in Mumbai this January.

The platform has also built various solutions that include ‘easy-to-access’ computing services, pattern recognition tech, pre-trained models, and predictive computation to businesses, the company said. 

Paytm also announced that it will soon offer enterprise-messaging solution in partnership with DingTalk to facilitate conversations across email, chat, call or audio-video conference.

MUMBAI: Cosmos-Maya, the market leader in original Indian Kids’ animation content recently celebrated its 22ndAnnual Day.

The event also marked the celebration of Cosmos-Mayacrossing the coveted 1000 employee mark. Back in 2012 when the company began its journey in IP creation with Motu Patlu there were only 40 odd employees. Today with 12 shows on air/in production, including 3 European & one Brazilian Co-Production, with over a 60% market share in the domestic Indian animation production business, Cosmos-Maya is scaling newer heights by the day and has indeed become one of the most dynamic studios in this industry. Even on the digital side, the studio has more than 20 channels on YouTube under the umbrella brand with a cumulative subscriber base of around 10 Million. 

Cosmos-Maya is a Singapore and India based Animation Company that produces high quality 3D as well as 2D animation content. KKR backed Emerald Media, a Pan-Asia platform established by the leading global investment firm,for investments in the media and entertainment sector, acquired a controlling stake in Cosmos-Maya in early 2018. 

More than 1000 Cosmos-Mayaites cheered on the performers in a show accompanied by overwhelming pride and emotions. The cheers were loudest when Motu and Patlu, from the company’s most celebrated IP, appeared on stage.

It was a proud moment for the company which primarily focuses on creating IPs in the kids’ animation space and is presently working on multiple Indian animation TV series with all the leading linear and non-linear broadcasters. As a leading producer of some of the most successful shows in the space, the studio presently has 12 shows on air and 6 under production. Cosmos-Maya holds a distinct record for consistent delivery of popular Indian animation content and has produced an unprecedented 30000 minutes of original animated content in the last 5 years, comprising over 1350 half hour episodes.

Speaking on the occasion, a visibly delighted Rajesh Kamat, MD Emerald Media said “With the creative muscle that Cosmos-Maya brings to the table and the financial muscle of Emerald Media together, the way forward from here is only northward.”

The mood was upbeat as Ketan Mehta, Co-Founder of Cosmos-Maya spoke on the occasion. Cosmos Maya, founded by Ketan Mehta commenced its journey 20 years ago, and today the studio manages to deliver 30 half hours of animated content on a month on month basis, which is nothing short of a record. “What we have managed to do is unheard of and going forward, there is a focus to maintain that momentum and scale newer heights for the business”, Mehta said excitedly.

Adding further to that Anish Mehta, the dynamic CEO of the company under whose able leadership this IP creation revolution happened said, “The success that we have achieved is result of the collective passion that the entire team has put in relentlessly and with the force of Emerald with us, the future will be bigger & better.”

MUMBAI: There was a time when shyly exchanged handwritten notes and a dropped handkerchief from a girl for her beau would be the onset of a potential relationship. Today, with the increasing use of the internet, you can swipe your way into a relationship because you’re just a click away from love.  COLORS,India’s premium Hindi entertainment channel brings viewers a vibrant and young, new age love story with its latest offering –Internet Wala Love. Jai (Shivin Narang) and Aadhya (Tunisha Sharma) are like chalk and cheese. Jai eats, breathes and lives for social media while Aadhya is wary of the Internet and limits her interactions on social media platforms. This quirky and playful narrative explores what happens when the duo unintentionally cross paths. The show boasts a stellar lineup that includes Minissha Lamba, Varun Badola, Jayati Bhatiaand others in pivotal roles. Produced by Sphere Origins, Internet Wala Love will premiere on 27thAugust at 7 pm only on COLORS. 

Elaborating on this development, Manisha Sharma, Programming Head COLORSsaid, “Adding to our diverse programming line-up, we are very excited to present  Internet Wala Love - a vibrant and young show that has new age relevance. The story follows the journey of Jai, a young boy who is obsessed with the internet and Aadhya who finds the internet very invasive. The narrative, with its twists and turns will weave an intriguing story around social media that has taken over our worlds.”

Commenting on the show, Producer Sunjoy Waddhwa from Sphere Originssaid, “With COLORS, we get the opportunity to explore subjects which are not only entertaining but also relevant. With Internet Wala Love, the idea is to present a youthful story that young audiences and their families can connect too. The narrative, the cast and the creative teams have all knit together to present viewers with a show that we believe will be a joy to watch.”

Internet Wala Love is set in New Delhi wherein the protagonist Jai works as an RJ at a popular radio station and belongs to the growing tribe of people whose lives need to be chronicled over the internet. According to him, anything and everything can happen on social media - be it online shopping, banking or love. Aadhya on the other, is a self- disciplined girl who doesn’t believe in the concept of online dating or the perks of social media.  She works with a wedding planning agency which is headed by Mahira (Minissha Lamba), a perfectionist who likes things her way. 

Commenting on his role, Shivin Narang exclaimed, “Jai is a happy go lucky guy, who lives in the present. He is free spirited, full of energy and wears his heart on his sleeve.  My character lives his life for social media which I personally find hard to do. Also, its first time I am playing an RJ which requires you to be very exuberant and I am undergoing training to do justice for the role.  I hope that all these efforts pay off and I can’t wait for the show to begin.” 

Tunisha Sharma further added saying, “The internet has its pros and cons, but I do believe that with moderation, all goes well. There are glimpses of myself that you will see in my character Aadhya; the show has a beautiful concept and is very relatable. I hope the audiences shower us with their love and support.”

MUMBAI: Bharti Airtel is forming a new independent fibre company and has appointed chief technology officer Abhay Savargaonkar as the new venture's chief executive officer, The Economic Times has reported.

Airtel had made an internal announcement to this effect last week, the report said, adding that Savargaonkar will continue to report to Bharti Airtel CEO Gopal Vittal.

Moreover, the company is also bringing in Randeep Singh Sekhon,  replacing Savargaonkar, to head the networks department as the new chief of technology for its India and South Asia operations. 

The telco is in the final stages of transferring its optical fibre cable network to  Telesonic Networks Ltd, by way of a slump sale. According to experts, Airtel has to sell a good amount of stake in order to form the new company.

MUMBAI: Nestlé India has announced that it will partner with Flipkart to launch MAGGI Special Masala Noodles, that epitomises the flavours of India and brings with it the goodness of 20 finely ground and whole spices, roasted to perfection. 

As a part of the partnership, from 21 August, consumers can pre-book MAGGI Special Masala Noodles on Flipkart. This product will also be available exclusively on Flipkart from 25-20 August, following which it will be available nationwide through Nestlé’s strong distribution reach.

Nestlé India general manager for foods business Maarten Geraets says, “We are excited about our partnership with Flipkart as it will give a chance to MAGGI lovers to try this innovation from the convenience of their home. The product uses spices and condiments present in Indian kitchens. We are confident that this product with its special taste from 20 finely ground and whole spices and specially created bouncier non sticky noodles would be appreciated by our consumers.”

Flipkart senior director Nishit Garg adds, “Nestlé and Flipkart's association to launch the upcoming MAGGI flavour exclusively on Flipkart cements the transition of FMCG’s physical goods into the digital space. Having traveled through several generations, MAGGI proudly enjoys an enduring relationship with its customers. And, we are very excited to partner through this journey of delighting our customers, now online.”

In line with its new thinking, Kuchh achha pak raha hai, MAGGI Special Masala noodles, uses ingredients right out of kitchen cupboards and is inspired by India’s rich and diverse culinary tradition.

MUMBAI: SBI Life in its effort to establish a deeper connect with its consumers has appointed Mullen Lintas as its creative agency and Mindshare as the media agency, following a closely contested multi agency pitch.

In 2017-18, India’s domestic life insurance industry registered 10.99 per cent y-o-y growth for new business premium, generating a revenue of Rs 1.94 trillion (US$ 30.1 billion). With 57 players, the overall insurance sector in India is one of the most competitive globally. The need for brands to establish a differentiator and a deep emotional connect with consumers is ever so more, given the limited scope for product differentiation. In this context the roles of creative and media agencies are crucial for brands to reach out to the right target audience with the right message.

SBI Life SVP and chief of brand and corporate communication Ravindra Sharma says, “In today’s landscape where new marketing tools and techniques are launched every other day, staying imprinted on the minds of consumers is a continuous challenge. As a brand, SBI Life is building a culture to connect with consumers' emotional motivations, which are deep-rooted in their need for protection. In this context the strategic thought process and approach presented by Mullen Lintas & Mindshare aligned with our brand ethos reinforcing our confidence to bring them on board.”

Mullen Lintas chairman Amer Jaleel adds that SBI Life is one of the largest Life Insurance players in the category and it feels like an organisation with real belief in brand creation and consumer connect.

He further says, “The brand has created some really memorable work in the past which we hope we can build on to take the brand higher. I am personally excited at coming back into the life insurance space again. I have a lot of fond memories of working at Lowe with Balki on the category and am really excited for this new journey,”

Mindshare CEO for South Asia, MENA and Africa Prasanth Kumar notes, “Being one of our esteemed client partners, this is a joyous moment for us that SBI Life is continuing our relationship. We appreciate the renewed opportunity by SBI Life as we now look forward to strengthening our delivery across brand strategy coupled with insightful data, engaging content and innovations to contribute to the brand's success.”

MUMBAI: Handset maker Vivo has awarded its media duties to GroupM’s media agency MediaCom. The account is estimated to be worth Rs 400 crore.

The account will be managed and supervised from the MediaCom Gurgaon office.

MediaCom won the mandate following a competitive multi-agency pitch.

Vivo is today among one of the largest mobile phone brands in India.

As the full form AoR for VIVO in India, MediaCom will be responsible for the media strategy, planning, buying and implementation for all mass media. This big win follows MediaCom’s stellar showing at the Cannes Lions 2018.

Vivo India CMO Jerome Chen says, “We understand that being creative is as important for a brand as its product innovation. MediaCom’s creative ideas and approach resonate with Vivo’s ethos as an innovation-driven brand. As we continue to grow stronger in India, we believe this partnership will enable us to step up our engagement with the consumers even more. We look forward to a long and mutually successful partnership with MediaCom.”

MediaCom South Asia CEO Navin Khemka adds, “The growth of the telecom industry in India is unprecedented and the smartphone adoption brings exciting opportunities. Vivo is one of the leading and innovative players in this space. We are delighted to partner with Vivo and looking forward to creating unmatched brand value and innovative solutions for our consumers.”

MUMBAI: The StoryLab, the specialist content agency from Dentsu Aegis Network, has roped in Kumar Deb Sinha as the new country head for its India operations.

Based out of Mumbai, Sinha will report to Kartik Iyer, president Media Brands and Amplifi – Dentsu Aegis Network India and the executive sponsor for TSL in India.

Prior to this, Sinha was the national director for content at Wavemaker India, a GroupM Company.

Armed with more than 15 years of content creation experience, Sinha chiefly specialises in the conceptualisation, designing and production of content across screens. He has produced more than 2000 hours of original content for television and digital including scripted and unscripted formats.

Commenting on Sinha’s appointment, Iyer says, “We are very happy to have Kumar Deb Sinha on board. The StoryLab aims to be a significant player in the burgeoning content ecosystem of India with a clear positioning. And we are confident that Kumar, with his experience and expertise, will help us take this ambition forward.”

Sinha mentions that currently there is a huge demand for premium content in India from all key stakeholders – audience, platform and advertiser. Video consumption on personal devices is growing exponentially changing audience preference towards premium entertainment with limited commercial messaging. Both traditional broadcasters as well as OTT players are investing in quality content to differentiate and satiate their audience need. “Advertisers are partnering with premium & successful content formats to connect with this ad-averse audience. Frankly there can be no better time to be a content creator in India for premium and differentiated content and The StoryLab is here to exploit that potential as an innovative investor, distributor and producer,” he adds.

It is pertinent to note here that TSL expanded its footprint into India in 2015 with a slew of product offerings around content partnership, curation, original content and content investment. With operations in 16 countries, TSL works with publishers & platforms to innovate their supply chain of storytelling and with brands to help them invest in the most engaging and effective content solutions.