Week at a glance: TRAI backs net neutrality, Porus launched, IAA new MD

Cricket dominates Indians’ hearts and minds – there are no two ways about it. However, in recent times, non-cricket sports like football, kabaddi, badminton, wrestling, boxing and even golf and F1 racing have started making inroads into fans’ hearts. With this, advertiser interest has grown as well and these sports today see big brands supporting them as sponsors. Adgully spoke to a cross section of sports broadcasters as well as media industry leaders to have an understanding of the growth of the non-cricket sports business in India. The industry experts also gave their views on the steps needed to attract new viewers, the role of Tier 2 & 3 markets and much more. 

Backing the concept of Net Neutrality in India, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) today released its recommendations, following a long, multi-stage consultation process. As per its final recommendations, freeing up access to the Internet, TRAI has said that licensing terms need to be amplified to remove discrimination in Internet access based on the content being accessed, the protocols being used or the user equipment being deployed. Content also includes apps, services and any other data that can be accessed or transmitted over the Internet. 

With the plethora of creative content generated on a daily basis – be it films, TV shows, ads, music, art work – there are bound to be certain overlapping or similarities cropping up. But where do unintentional similarities end and plagiarism begin? Should such instances of copying portions or the entire work be written off as ‘inspired’ work? A recent case of plagiarism has been brought to the media’s notice – a three-year old award-winning ad of Wagh Bakri Tea has been re-edited and used by a local tea brand from Gujarat called Jai Jawan Tea. 

In a significant move, Publicis Communications has announced the merger of its in-house technology-enabled experiential arm, Solutions, with its brand activation and experiential shopper agency, Arc Worldwide. This merger is effective immediately. This is in keeping with Arc Worldwide’s strategic expansion plans to scale up its geographical footprint in India. 

The International Advertising Association (IAA) has announced the appointment of Dagmara Szulce as Managing Director, based in New York City and reporting to the IAA's main governing body - the Board of Directors. Szulce comes to the IAA with a track record of 20+ years of building and transforming brands in the US and globally - both on client and agency sides alike. 

Gutenberg is out to strengthen its presence in the ASEAN market and has launched its office in Singapore. Singapore will host Gutenberg’s ninth office. The global integrated digital marketing communications firm has witnessed strong 30 per cent YoY growth over the last 13 years and is looking at further consolidation and expansion in 2018. Harjiv Singh, Founder and CEO, Gutenberg, speaks to Adgully about the firm’s journey so far. 

NoBroker.com, touted as the world’s largest ‘peer-to-peer’ real estate portal, recently rolled out its first-ever TVC. The 20-second ad is aimed at highlighting NoBroker.com’s differentiated brand proposition of leveraging cutting-edge technology to eliminate brokers and middlemen from the property supply chain. In a quick chat with Adgully, Saurabh Garg, Co-founder, NoBroker.com, shares the idea behind the first TVC, the marketing strategy, go-to-market plans and more. 

BARC ratings for Week 47 (November 18-24) [HSM (U+R) : NCCS All : 2+ Individuals] saw the see-saw battle continue for the top spot. This week, Zee Anmol trumped its bigger sibling Zee TV to reach the numero uno spot. However, it were Zee TV’s shows that ruled the roost among the most watched shows on Hindi GECs in Rural+Urban. On a whole, barring Star Utsav all channels in the top 10 list saw decline in their gross viewership this week. 

Sony Entertainment Television’s much hyped and anticipated historical show, ‘Porus’, hit the small screen last night (November 27, 2017) at 8.30 pm. As promised in the promos and several interviews, ‘Porus’ is a grand visual spectacle. 

HT Media plans to list its digital business under the roof of Hindustan Times Digital Venture Limited (HTDVL). With this step, HT Media will be segregated from its Hindustan Times Digital Streams Limited (HTDSL), responsible for multi-media content management service, and merge with its new entity. This step will allow the media company to get listed on the Stock Exchange. 

Offbeat this week, features Ritesh Singh, Co-founder & MD of ARM Worldwide, who has been in the digital and activation business for long, during which he has spearheaded business for noteworthy and multinational brands. In his current role, Singh works with a diverse list of clients, including Gionee, NIIT Ltd, Zee Learn, Pearl Academy, Groupon, among others, and has done critical & noteworthy projects for global brands like Panasonic, Citibank and MTS. 

Ad land’s Young Guns this week, features Ramya Nagesh, Planning Director, The Glitch. Between channeling forces when it comes to winning pitches, building analytics for brands, and industry-category-platform insights for all clients, Nagesh has and remains to be the go-to person across teams for all strategy needs.