Week at a glance: Podcasting in India; Hyundai’s 20 years; Abraham Thomas

Podcasting in India Pt 1: Massive potential, but under-leveraged
Digital experts are united in their views regarding the massive potential of podcasting in India. Yet, this potential has not been fully explored by brands and marketers. In a two-part series Adgully does a deep-dive into the podcasting landscape in India. Part 1 of the series looks at the factors holding back the growth of podcasting in India as well as growing the listening culture in India. 

Podcasting in India Pt 2: Opening a whole new gateway for brands
Continuing with Adgully’s deep-dive into the podcasting space in India, in the second and concluding part of this Special Feature report, we examine the ways to successfully tap the monetisation opportunities for podcasting as well as the future growth prospects.  

We expect to grow our reach from 62% to 70% soon: Abraham Thomas
Radio City has been winning plaudits for its content and network initiatives, shoring up a tally of 64 awards at the various national and international awards this year. In conversation with Adgully, Abraham Thomas, CEO, Radio City, sheds more light on developing prime properties like Gig City, Radio City’s growth and expansion plans, the current state of the radio industry in India and much more. 

India contributes 15% to Hyundai’s overall global automobile sales: Puneet Anand
Hyundai Motor India Ltd is celebrating its 20 years in India with the ‘Brilliant Moments’ campaign. Conceptualised by Innocean Worldwide, Brilliant Moments seeks to invoke a sense of nostalgia to connect with and thank over 5.5 million Hyundai customers. Puneet Anand, Senior General Manager, Hyundai Motors India, elaborates on how the Brilliant Moments campaign was conceptualised, he also traces back Hyundai’s 20-year journey in India, the key milestones, India’s contribution to Hyundai’s business growth, plans for 2018 and beyond, and much more. 

The W Suite | Empathic and authentic leadership is important: Yash Samat
Adgully’s ‘The W-Suite’ series features interactions with influential women leaders in India. Yashaswini Samat, Chairman and Managing Director, Grey Group India, is the first woman to head the group in India. She had joined Grey in 1994 as an Account Director and has continued and grown with the group. In the course of her career, Samat has worked in multiple markets, driving integrated strategies and communication plans for big brands as well as a range of P&G brands. She has led and mentored large teams across different geographies (Europe, Asia and North America), diverse disciplines and cultures. 

Offbeat: Sushil Matey - A Kishore Kumar aficionado harbouring journalism dreams
Sushil Matey, Director – Marketing, Livpure, is known for his leadership skills, sharp business acumen and turning around companies. In his current role, Matey heads marketing & strategy at Livpure, a leading water purifier brand, apart from heading Urjakart, a B2B e-commerce company. Armed with 31 years of experience, Matey is a professional who has managed business across Consumer Durables, Auto, Lifestyle Products, Inverters/ batteries, and e-commerce. 

TIL firms up OTT plans with acquisition of local video platform MX Player
Times Internet (TIL) has confirmed the acquisition of MX Player, the world’s largest local video platform, cementing its plans to enter the video OTT space. TIL has invested over Rs 1,000 crore to acquire a majority stake to build a digital-first video streaming platform atop MX Player’s 350 million install base in India, with thousands of hours of premium and exclusive content from leading content producers and publishers around the world, built for millennial audiences. 

Over 117 mn viewers watch first 26 matches of FIFA WC on TV & digital
Over 117 million viewers watched the first 26 matches played in the first nine days of the FIFA World Cup 2018 Russia, according to official broadcaster Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI). 99.3 million viewers watched the World Cup on TV, while over 18 million viewers live streamed it on SonyLIV. Local language feeds (Hindi + Malayalam + Bengali + Tamil + Telugu) have contributed to 46 per cent of the overall viewership. 

BARC Wk 25: In FIFA WC month, not much turbulence seen in Hindi GECs, yet
BARC ratings for Week 25 (June 16-22) [HSM (U+R): NCCS All : 2+ Individuals] continued in the same vein of last week, without any major turbulence among the top 10 Hindi GECs. ‘Naagin 3’ continued as the most watched show on Hindi GECs in Rural+Urban, followed by the ‘Kundali Bhagya’ and ‘Kumkum Bhagya’ combine on Zee TV.