Discovery Communications India, a leading real-life entertainment player, has elevated Shaun Nanjappa Chendira as Head of Advertising Sales, South Asia. Previously, Chendira was Revenue Head for Kids & Vernacular, Discovery India.

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Chendira is a media industry veteran having two decades of experience, majority of which has been in leadership roles. Prior to Discovery, he was General Manager, India at Da Vinci Media India Pvt Ltd. Chendira’s prior engagements include working with Warner Media as Senior Director, English Entertainment Vertical (HBO, HBO HD & Warner Brothers) and Director, Kids vertical (Cartoon Network & www.cartoonentworkindia.com) for the India region.

Megha Tata, Managing Director, Discovery, South Asia, said, “Shaun has displayed strong and mature thinking required for the future of both, our linear and our digital platforms. With his stellar record of accomplishment and proven experience of driving business revenue, he is well placed to lead the company to the next level of growth in his new position as the Head of Advertising Sales. I wish him all the very best.”

Media conglomerate Network18 has announced key appointments in its editorial leadership team. Karthik Subbaraman has been appointed as the Managing Editor for the network’s digital news operations, and Vivek Narayan joins to head the regional language network in South India as the Managing Editor, overseeing news channels in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

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The announcements are in line with the incremental growth of the network’s audience base and ever-evolving market dynamics.

Prior to his new role, Subbaraman has been with the network for nearly four years as the editor overseeing three southern channels, a responsibility he will pass on to Narayan. A consummate news hound with expertise across genres spanning general news, business, tech/start-ups and international relations and a delightful writer of prose, Subbaraman will from now on oversee the editorial operations of all Network18’s digital properties, with the editors of News18 (English, Hindi and languages), Firstpost, Moneycontrol, cnbcv18.com and the central digital videos team reporting to him.

Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited has launched its first lifestyle channel ‘Zee Zest’, where one can ‘Unlimit’ life through its varied and comprehensive line-up of shows.

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Starting October 1, the channel presents content that will be a perfect encapsulation of food, travel, lifestyle, home improvement, wellness, culture, and DIY to enable one to ‘Unlimit Life’ straight from the confines of your armchair.

Zee Zest will bring unique offerings to the audiences as they meet our desi stars such as chef Ajay Chopra, Rakesh Raghunathan, and celebrity chefs Pankaj Bhadouria and Kunal Kapur through some engaging original shows like 100% South Indian, India’s 50 Best Dishes, Ghar Sa Yummy-Swaad Familywala, Food Veda, and Meetha Toh Banta Hai.

On the occasion of Dance Day (September 19), Bhojpuri movie channel Zee Biskope presented fans with a unique dancing treat in the form of its recently curated engagement drive ‘Kamariya Kare Hip Hop’. The initiative, a category first, reached out to audiences located even in the most interior of regions.

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The channel launched a rap version of their brand song composed by 5 Tricks — a rap group from Bihar. Viewers were invited to perform on the rap song and share their videos with the brand through their WhatsApp number. Encouraging people to put their best foot forward, show their passion for dance and shake a leg, the immense appeal of Kamariya Kare Hip Hop saw it receive a terrific tally of more than 42,000 responses.

With Bigg Boss, IPL, and other calendar television properties returning to screens, brands are eager to reach out to consumers after months of low communication due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, these properties are equally expensive and the advertising window might be limited. During such a scenario, set-top-box advertising can provide brands with a good alternative and help increase their reach in local markets, says Prabeer Patankar, President and National Sales head of Update Geotarget.

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According to Patankar, there are nearly 27 million homes in India that get their satellite signal through DTH or a wired connection through a cable operator. 125 million connections are operating solely through wired connections in different zones. He says when brands choose local cable channels and set-top-boxes to advertise, they can be assured of reaching the last-mile audiences.

A week after some of India’s top brands expressed their concern over the rise in toxic content, more names have come forward to say that news channels may not remain the platforms of their choice for advertising because of brand safety issues.  

Talking to BestMediaInfo.com, Sumeet Singh, Chief Marketing Officer, Info Edge, (the company that operates top sites such as Naukri.com, Jeevansathi.com and 99Acres.com), said, “I agree that channels need to be conscious about the way facts and news are presented and more so as they have a huge influence on people.  Journalists are well respected and thus their words matter.”

Singh said if things don’t change, the company might have to rework its media plan. “To us brand safety is foremost and if things continue this way, we might have to reconsider our plans,” she said.

Echoing the same views, Smita Murarka, Vice-President, Marketing, Duroflex, said, “If this continues, the sanctity of the platform will be destroyed and sooner or later we will be forced to shift out.”

“Content creators are the ones that have the creative ability to showcase fiction or narratives that touch varied emotions. Unfortunately, news channels, which are supposed to be in the business of reporting facts, seem to have taken over this role. As good brands, we are extremely conscious of the content in our 30-second ads. It’s appalling to see how consciousness is missing in the quest for TRPs,” Murarka said.

Amid debates and discussions about toxicity of content in news channels in the present times, News Broadcasters Association (NBA) stands for balanced news. According to NBA President Rajat Sharma, who is the Chairman & Editor-in-Chief of India TV, balanced news is the only way ahead for broadcasters as well as all their stakeholders.

Credibility, according to Sharma, is of paramount importance for a news broadcaster and the most important rule to play by. Credibility of content has made viewership of certain news channels shoot through the roof during the lockdown. Two weeks into the lockdown, the news genre saw a growth of 298 per cent as compared to the time before the Covid-19 outbreak. Even through the unlock phases, news viewership kept cutting into GEC primetime consumption across languages.
“News is about credibility. It is our duty to present facts in a fair and fearless manner keeping a balance. Being dramatic about serious issues and becoming fiction writers in such matters is irresponsible and insensitive. Facts presented with sincerity and without taking sides will always have impact,” said Sharma.

As the NTO 2.0 case between TRAI and broadcasters is approaching towards a final verdict, the Bombay High Court asked key questions to TRAI yesterday that could decide the fate of the case.

According to sources, a division bench of the Bombay High Court comprising Justice AA Sayed and Justice Anuja Prabhudesai, during the hearing on September 30, 2020, asked whether TRAI had placed twin conditions for consultation.

The bench noted that more than 90% bouquets in the market are DPO (distribution platform operator) bouquets, which do not seem to be under the same restrictions as applicable to broadcasters’ bouquets. It asked TRAI's counsel to explain how DPO bouquets are bound by the same restrictions applicable to broadcasters.

Mumbai: RSH Global, a leading Indian skincare company today announced that it has appointed Madison Media as the Media Agency of Record (AOR) for their flagship brand ‘Joy’ & their men’s grooming brand ‘X-Men’. The account was awarded to them following a multi-agency pitch. Madison Media will be responsible for the entire media mandate including print, television, radio, outdoor and digital.

Joy Personal Care is one of the major brands in the skincare industry of our country. The brand offers quality skincare products at an affordable price point with key markets in the Hindi heartland. They’re also in the process of sprucing up new markets starting with West Bengal and Maharashtra.

The brand recently signed Kriti Sanon as the brand ambassador for its facewash category and unveiled their new campaign for their Lemon & Charcoal Facewash.

The next date of hearing on NTO 2.0 between the broadcasters and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) will be on October 8. 

At the last hearing that took place on September 30, sources say that during the hearing, TRAI was asked several questions by the division bench of Bombay High Court, comprising both Justice AA Sayed and Justice Anuja Prabhudesai. 

The bench questioned whether the twin conditions were placed by TRAI for the consultation. It pointed out that more than 90% bouquets in the market are DPO bouquets, which do not seem to be under the same restrictions as applicable for the formation of bouquets by broadcasters. The Bench then asked TRAI's counsel to explain how DPO bouquets are bound by the same restrictions as applicable to broadcasters.