Week at a glance: NTO 2.0 - all the issues; Facebook name change; New realities for brands

NTO 2.0: With broadcasters unveiling new RIOs, how TV viewing ecosystem will change?

The point is to see whether the subscription revenue at a higher amount is greater than the one which the channel enjoyed with higher volume of subscribers at a lower rate. The other niche genres tread a thin line anyway and are likely to face a tough scene. Lot will depend on the final pricing of channels from the networks.”

NTO 2.0: With TV bills set to go up, what are the options open for consumers?

With the top five broadcasters taking their driver channels off the bouquets and making them available on a la carte basis, the monthly TV bills are set to be much higher than what they are currently. It could go up to as much as Rs 5,000 annually. Will an average Indian middle-class household be ready to shell out that kind of money to watch television?

Nobody is benefitting from NTO 2.0, say industry insiders

Will OTT become a viable alternative for TV? “No. OTT is not going to meet the needs of TV,” insisted an industry insider. “People will not start to consume OTT content all of a sudden. I’d assume broadcasters should start a reasonable subscription for television on OTT. Channels will be much cheaper on an OTT platform. Consumers chase content. There are certain shows which are available on OTT but not available on TV, and vice versa. People will not be switching over to OTT overnight because TV has suddenly become expensive,” he maintained.

NTO 2.0: Are different lobbies & agendas hurting the broadcast industry more?

It should be remembered that TRAI has changed its tariff orders for broadcasters about 35 times during the last 16 years. In effect, several popular channels like AXN and HBO fell victim to the revised tariff structure as they went off air after the NTO came into effect in 2020.

Facebook set for a name change as it sharpens focus on metaverse: Media Reports

The Verge has reported that Facebook Founder & CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to unveil the changed name at the company’s annual Connect conference, which will be held on October 28, 2021. Some believe that the new name could be revealed even earlier than that.

Why Squid Game has become a global phenomenon?

Despite the dark undertones, people became engaged with the games that were played in the series. Right from making Reels using the red light, green light filter on Instagram to doing the Dalgona Coffee Challenge, to purchasing Squid Game clothing, to making memes – the buzz around ‘Squid Game’ continues even one month after its release. Not just viewers, but brands, too, have latched on to the series’ immense popularity.

Why veteran cricketers are still batting strong for brands

Why are these cricketers who have retired from active cricket still a strong proposition for brands? These cricketers have always embodied a lot of good qualities and characteristics that they have built over a long period of time and also they have grown beyond cricket as individual personalities and their residual value is still highly respected and valued by brands.

Troll army, cancel culture, being politically correct – new realities for brands

Fabindia was recently trolled over Twitter with the hashtag #BoycottFabIndia after the brand rolled out its Diwali collection named ‘Jashn-e-Riwaaz’. Neitizens took to Twitter saying that it hurts the sentiments of Hindus and the words put up for celebration are not meant to celebrate the pure festival of Diwali.

Trolls continue - Fabindia pulls down ad; Zomato puts up apology statement

Upstox’s customer base has surpassed the 6 million-mark: Shrini Viswanath

In an exclusive conversation with Adgully, Shrini Viswanath, Co-founder, Upstox, elaborates on how they have grown tremendously over the last decade, the recent rebranding strategy, campaign strategy and how the company plans to further scale up their operations.

“OTT widening horizons for stakeholders, but needs to avoid getting into churn mode”

Adgully turned the spotlight on this burgeoning industry with its prime property – SCREENXX 2021. Day 2 of the mega event witnessed this largest gathering of stalwarts from the fast-growing entertainment industry that has risen to become a part of the digital world with growing OTT platforms and releases, which was held on October 7, 2021.

Brands need to understand customer sentiments more now than ever: Parag Kulkarni

In conversation with Adgully, Parag Kulkarni, Managing Director, A. O. Smith India, speaks about the market sentiments seen this festive season, changing consumer preferences, as well as how the company is strengthening its omni-channel strategy and making the ‘phygital’ model more seamless.

Gaming to take off in a big way in India: Facebook’s Ajit Mohan

The most important future agenda is to develop the gaming ecosystem in India, he said, adding that the end goal is to build a platform that enables developers to reach new audiences, connect with players and monetize their games.

PR is now a shining jewel in an organisation’s marketing crown: Indu Sharma

In this interaction with Adgully, Indu Sharma, Senior GM - Communications, Schneider Electric, speaks about how the introduction of digital & social platforms has made the communication approach much holistic, tackling the COVID-19 disruption and much more

10% of Chumbak’s online festive sales have come from the East markets: Vasant Nangia

As part of Adgully’s Festive Mood series, we have been covering the market, brand and consumer sentiments during the festive season this year. In conversation with Adgully, Vasant Nangia, CEO, Chumbak, speaks about the company’s plans to capitalise on the festive fervour, the key trends seen this year and more.

How HDFC MF seamlessly connected a traditional habit to wealth creation

In conversation with Adgully, Shyamali Basu, Executive Vice President & Head - Product, Marketing and Training, HDFC Asset Management Co Ltd, elaborates on the campaign objective, the creative thought process, taking a concept rooted in a traditional practice and seamlessly connecting it to wealth creation.

5G along with Edge will transform live streaming in India: Mitesh Jain, Akamai India

In an exclusive interaction with Adgully, Mitesh Jain, Country Sales Manager, Akamai India, speaks about the key trends in the live streaming segment, how 5G will impact live streaming applications, role of Akamai in media content and a lot more.

“Future Generali has on boarded more than 9,000 agents since the pandemic began”

In an exclusive interaction with Ruchika Varma, Chief Marketing Officer, Future Generali India Insurance Company Limited speaks about the strategy behind the Health Super Saver Campaign, loss & unemployment challenges faced during the lockdown by the company, steps taken to educate the young masses and a lot more.

Tally of advertisers up 10% in IPL 14, but count of brands dips 2%: TAM Sports

Over 30 new categories appeared in 51 matches of IPL 14 compared to IPL 13. Among the new categories, Securities/ Sharebroking Organization topped the list followed by Fans.

Pay DTH subscriber base at 69.86 mn in Q1; Tata Sky leads with 33.37% market share

As per TRAI’s report, Tata Sky is the No. 1 DTH operator in the country for the quarter ending April-June’21, with its subscriber base seeing a hike to 33.37% from 33.3%. On the other hand, Dish TV saw a drop in its market share – from 24.09% to 23.45%.

FMCG Sales increased by 8-9% in Q1 of 2021 from Q1’20 : Snapbizz report

Snapbizz conducted a study on the FMCG sector and found that there have been fluctuations in the sales across various categories between 2019 to 2021, with 2021 showing a steep rise. This is an ongoing study that Snapbizz has been conducting from the first quarter of 2019, monitoring 2000 kirana stores as the sample size. There has been a marked shift in consumer buying behavior over the last three years, quarter on quarter.

How CARS24 has disrupted online retail in pre-owned cars - hear from Gajendra Jangid

In the third edition of Adgully’s THOUGHT LEADERSHIP series, Gajendra Jangid, Co-Founder & CMO, CARS 24, will be sharing his perspective and valuable insights on how online retail is making waves, as well as his success mantra.