Week at a glance: Life in lockdown; Complete Covid-19 coverage; DIGIXX Jury process

COVID-19 times for print media – The rarely good, the bad & the ugly

The print media industry is taking hits from multiple ends. While many still believe that newspapers can potentially spread the Coronavirus, several distributors and hawkers have refused to arrive at distribution points as a precaution against the virus. This, along with the nationwide lockdown, has forced several print publishers to suspend circulation.

COVID-19 impact: Print media battling on many fronts

The COVID-19 outbreak has the entire country in its grip and has brought every business to a standstill. Be it airlines, hotels & restaurants, media, retail, auto – no one has been spared from its impact. At a time when everyone is glued to their TV and mobile screens for the latest news, the print media industry, however, is staring at bleak times (at least currently) due to Coronavirus scare.

Newspaper operations halt amidst Coronavirus panic

According to media reports, newspaper operations and distribution are being shut around India due to fears that print media might be a carrier of the COVID-19 crisis. Entities such as the Brihanmumbai Vruttapatra Vikreta Sangh (BVVS), the newspaper vendors union of Mumbai have called off newspaper distribution until 25th March.

COVID-19: Online brands up the ante on tactical print communications

Amid Coronavirus outbreak in India, online brands are in a tizzy as consumers look at alternatives to shopping in public spaces. Since most organisations have initiated work from home and Government has advised the people to stay home and be safe, e-tailers, digital payments, edu-tech brands and more have decided to leverage the print medium in a spree of tactical communications. Here's a look at some of the print ads that caught our attention.

APAC sports media revenues to take a $2 bn hit due to COVID-19

The Coronavirus pandemic has taken a heavy toll on the sports industry. The latest to suffer is the Tokyo Olympics, which has been postponed for a year. In its report, titled ‘Asia Pacific Sports Media 2020’, Media Partners Asia (MPA) had pegged the sports media revenues to grow at 7 per cent CAGR in 11 Asia-Pacific markets over 2019-24 to reach $7.2 billion.

OTT audio streaming apps see 42% hike in time spent in #Stayathome times

The COVID-19 crisis has changed an average Indian’s life. With schools and colleges being shut coupled with corporates and governments encouraging employees to work from home, Indians in the metropolitan cities are looking at ways to keep themselves entertained and/ or to find “companions”.

Digital industry moves to free up cellular bandwidth; only SD content on mobiles

The Prime Minister’s call for social distancing and now a total lockdown has led to people staying at their homes. This has caused an unprecedented surge in mobile internet consumption. As a result, the Government and the telecom operators are concerned about its potential impact on the cellular network infrastructure.

India’s M&E industry grew 9% in 2019 to reach Rs 1.82 tr: FICCI - EY report 2020

The Indian Media and Entertainment (M&E) sector reached INR1.82 trillion (US$25.7 billion) in 2019, a growth of ~9% over 2018, states the FICCI EY report ‘The era of consumer A.R.T. – Acquisition Retention and Transaction,’ launched today. With its current trajectory, the M&E sector in India is expected to cross INR2.4 trillion (US$34 billion) by 2022, at a CAGR of 10%. (The estimates have not taken into account the rapidly evolving business situation arising from the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020.)

Covid-19 impact: Total TV consumption up by 8% at All India - BARC-Nielsen

BARC India and Nielsen have jointly put together a report to understand the changes in consumption behaviour of TV and Smartphones, respectively, given the extraordinary situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and its fallout.

Lockdown Diaries: Living, working, laughing in times of COVID-19

“Itna sannata kyon hai bhai?” (Why so much silence?) My first thought as the 21-day lockdown began yesterday (March 25, 2020). Not a single man-made sound – no people talking, no clanging of utensils in kitchens, no sound of vehicles, no really annoying sounds of ongoing construction work. Aahhh bliss! It’s amazing to realise how much we contribute to pollution in the world – air and noise. Google Maps show usually key congested roads in metros all cleared up due to the country-wide 21-day lockdown currently in effect.

Sanjiv Bajaj sets a positive tone in employee commitment & resilience

Tough times call for greater resilience, patience and just soldiering on. There are numerous reports across media on the severe impact of Covid-19 on the economy and various sectors. Talks of recession and job losses are looming large. Amid such a gloomy scenario, Adgully is seeking to highlight the bright spots in India Inc and how the country’s corporates are keeping their employee morale high and moving ahead despite all odds.

GoI shows the way in successful communication during COVID-19 pandemic

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has lauded the efforts made by the Indian Government in dealing with the Coronavirus crisis. Even as the number of Covid-19 cases in the country are poised to touch 500, all states and Union Territories have been put under lockdown. Media reports, quoted WHO Executive Director Michael J Ryan as saying that India has a tremendous capacity to handle the Covid-19 crisis, given the fact that the country has earlier been successful in eradicating two pandemics – small-pox and polio.

DIGIXX Awards 2020 set to enter the online jury phase

The ongoing Coronavirus crisis has impacted all industry events scheduled for the first half of the year, which have either been cancelled or postponed. Among these industry events is the Digi Media Summit 2020 has been pushed back to later this year.

Reeling under Covid-19 impact, AROI seeks bailout package from Govt

Association of Radio Operators for India (AROI), the industry body of private FM channels, is seeking a bailout package from the Government in view of the severe impact of the Coronavirus outbreak on the industry.

COVID-19 Impact: NBF calls immediate measures to overcome business crisis

The News Broadcasters Federation, the largest trade organization that represents the combined interests pertaining to the news broadcasting industry, on Monday, sought the immediate intervention of the Government of India, to overcome the larger economic, social, financial and business impact arising out of the combat measures and lockdown initiatives across the country that threatens the survival of the news television channels.

TwitterChat: Being responsible in times of Covid-19, ad honchos show the way

Amid misinformation and scores of fake news floating around on social media in times of the Coronavirus, it has become imperative that media, agencies and corporates join in the fight against spreading panic in uncertain times.

E-pharma companies rise up to the challenge posed by Covid-19

As India goes into lock-down in a bid to check the spread of Coronavirus across the country, certain services have been kept out of the purview of the lock-down, which includes e-commerce. Given the unprecedented demand for medicines, disinfectants, masks, gloves, hand sanitizers and all essential ‘germ killers’, which have almost disappeared from the pharmacy stores, people are turning to e-commerce platforms to order these commodities, as well groceries and other household items.

More homes watched fewer channels post NTO: BARC

TV viewership has grown by 38% over the last four years. At any given minute, 222 million viewers tune in to watch primetime television and the average household spends 5 hours 11 minutes on the TV every day. According to BARC India's report on 'What India Watched 2019', 2019 was a disruptive year for the broadcast sector, with the implementation of the New Tariff Order (NTO). The same year was peppered with mega events such as Elections, IPL 2019 and the ICC Cricket World Cup. BARC measured 634 channels, which generated 48.4 trillion television viewing minutes and 1.59 billion seconds of advertising.

Amid lockdown, Pornhub sees 11.6% hike in daily use

With the relentless spread of the Coronavirus pandemic globally (over 500,000 positive cases and more than 22,000 deaths recorded until now), governments around the world have issued lockdowns to curb the spread. This has resulted in well over 3 billion people remaining within the confines of their homes. Many employed are working from home, but there is also a huge population with limited means to keep themselves occupied. Not surprisingly, watching porn by many in isolation on their personal screens has emerged as a popular distraction.