Week at a glance: ZEE-Investors row; Strong Q3 for Publicis, Havas; OTT conversations

ZEE-investors impasse: Four scenarios that could emerge for ZEEL

In a latest development in the imbroglio between the Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) Board and two largest investors in the media conglomerate – Invesco Developing Markets Fund and OFI Global China Fund, LLC – Invesco has written an open letter to ZEE’s shareholders.

Invesco suggested ZEE’s merger with strategic group, undervalued ZEE: Punit Goenka

Two of the largest investors of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) – Invesco Developing Markets Fund and OFI Global China Fund LLC – had presented a deal to Punit Goenka in February 2021, involving the merger of ZEEL and certain entities owned by a large Indian group (Strategic Group).

We regret our being drawn into the dispute between ZEE & Invesco: Reliance

Following reports in the media regarding Invesco Developing Markets Fund and OFI Global China Fund LLC approaching ZEE MD & CEO Punit Goenka with the proposal of a possible merger of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd with certain entities owned by Reliance, Reliance has issued a statement wherein it said, “We regret our being drawn into the dispute between ZEE and Invesco. The reports in the media are not accurate.”

Will withstand any amount of pressure to preserve ZEE’s intrinsic value: Punit Goenka

Amid calls for his removal from the Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) Board, Punit Goenka has broken his silence. In an official statement, while acknowledging that Invesco has been an extremely strong support to the Company, for the most part, Goenka also said, “It pains me to see this relationship going sour today and the unfortunate circumstances that we are all facing,” and added, “the way the current situation is unfolding is what disappoints me”.

As Air India embarks on a new journey, how will the Tatas pilot it?

Debt-laden Air India has finally found a buyer in Tata Group, which won the bid for the struggling national carrier at Rs 18,000 crore, ending a decade-long struggle for divestment. The transaction is expected to close by the end of December 2021, said Tuhin Kant Pandey, Secretary, Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM).

How ready is the Indian OTT ecosystem & the audiences for sports streaming?

When STAR India acquired the TV and digital rights of the Indian Premier League (IPL) by paying a whopping Rs 16,347 crore in 2017, several eyebrows were raised. But soon the apprehensive analysts were proved wrong, as in the very next year, in 2018, more than 700 million avid cricket fans watched IPL on its network, with Hotstar, STAR’s India-focused streamer, accounting for 22% of the viewership.

What’s behind the fall in IPL 2021 viewership in the second leg?

The second leg of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021, the much-trumpeted cricketing extravaganza which began last month in the UAE, has witnessed an abrupt fall in ratings. This is in sharp contrast to the average ratings of the first leg and the previous years. This obviously has the advertisers worried.

Nickelodeon today has the biggest library of home-grown kids’ content: Anu Sikka

Leading the local IP content game with innovation in its DNA, Nickelodeon is all set to launch its 11th home grown animated IP – ‘Chikoo aur Bunty’. In conversation with Adgully, Anu Sikka, Head - Creative, Content & Research, Kids TV Network, Viacom18, speaks about the new IP launch by Nickelodeon, performance of the kids’ genre during and post lockdown period and much more.

Priti Murthy Joins GroupM India as President, GroupM Services India

GroupM India today announces the appointment of Priti Murthy as President, GroupM Services India. In her new role, Priti would also be part of the GroupM India Executive Committee.

Publicis Groupe delivers strong Q3 organic growth at 11.2%

Publicis Groupe has reported strong Q3 organic growth at +11.2%, with US at +10.9%, Europe at +10.0% and Asia at +12.5%, leading to full year guidance upgrade. Organic growth stood at between +8.5% and +9% as compared to +7% previously. Operating margin rate is now slightly above 17%. The group reported free cash flow close to €1.3 billion, at the high-end of the previous objective.

Havas Media Group India registers a strong Q3 with marquee biz wins

After garnering the highest growth rate amongst Indian media agency networks in 2020 (35%, Recma June 2020), Havas Media Group India is inching towards closing yet another successful year. In the third quarter of 2021, Havas Media Group India has added new businesses worth Rs 750+ crore.
H2 brings heavy ad spends and exciting content line-up for Marathi GECs

Lockdown or no lockdown, viewers have also been craving for the original content to be seen on big screens or in today’s case OTT platforms. The typical language of the category has been rational arguments presented to the customer.

OTT is much more grounded and a lot more local, say experts at SCREENXX 2021

Amid the pandemic OTT players have now understood about the concept of Going Local, with the growing focus on Tier 2 and Tier 3 and below markets. The tastes and behaviour of the audiences in these markets is different from urban and metro audiences. Regional content is seen as a major driver for the OTT sector.

Time for OTT to draw up a stronger technology gameplan

The digitisation of content consumption has made the content reach to the audience in their mobile devices which can be consumed at anytime, anywhere. But to satisfy the needs of the consumers, OTT platforms and Tech companies have to engineer the way content is being consumed. Whether it is data encryption, compression, stabilisation, better quality with lower bandwidth, it is the technology that is changing the game plan of how the content is showcased. Adgully’s SCREENXX 2021, the largest congregation of the online video industry in India, brought together some leading industry experts to discuss on ‘Why a stronger technology gameplan matters in OTT?’

Making Stories the centerpiece again – Behind the big boom

‘Making Stories the centerpiece again – Behind the big boom’, a panel discussion at the recently held SCREENXX 2021 Summit & Awards, put the focus on the newer narratives and storytelling emerging in the OTT spaces. How OTT players are concentrating more on creating content that has greater scope for personalisation.

“Brands are not competing with OTT for content, but want to reach consumers”

As the content library of OTT platforms grows, there is now need to break the monotony of predictable content and bring in product differentiation. The panel discussion on ‘Creating Differentiation – Avoiding the pitfalls of monotony’ at SCREENXX 2021 took a look at Content consumption from both a marketers’ perspective as well as a consumers’ perspective.

Festive East: Average Transaction Values up 14%, bill sizes up 8% over pre-Covid levels

The East market is on an upward boom with Pujo and with festive season around the corner, sentiments are very upbeat across segments. We have witnessed days where witnessing sales higher than the pre-COVID-19 levels. There is a sense of revenge shopping across the country and East is no different. For the East region, when we compare to pre-COVID-19 levels, we have already seen increase on daily sales of the level of 45% on certain days.

“Festive sales continue to be a key contributor to overall business performance”

There’s a steady rise in demand for appliances such as smart 4K Android TVs, connected range of ACs (HU series), Refrigerators, Washing Machines, Microwaves, and other lifestyle appliances. We are hopeful that this festive season will bring in the much-awaited festive cheer for the industry, leading towards an upward growth trajectory.

60% of our spending is on the online front & 40% on offline medium: Rajendra Joshi

With people having started realising the importance of owning a home during the pandemic and considering the fact of real estate being a safe and secure investment option, the industry started witnessing increased demand, especially in the residential segment. Real estate sector has always witnessed increased interest from homebuyers during the festive seasons as people consider the festive period to be auspicious to plan any long term investments/ lifetime decisions.

“Celeb endorsements are effective in building lasting relationships with customers”

Since 2012, Piramal Realty has aimed to enrich lives by setting gold standards for customer-centricity, architectural design, quality and safety. Piramal Group’s legacy of responsible stewardship for individual and community growth, as well as the group’s unwavering commitment to Knowledge, Action, Care, and Impact is reflected in their activities as its development arm.

Yardley intends to be the leader in women’s fragrance in the next 3 yrs: Manish Vyas

Wipro Consumer Care & Lighting, who had forayed into the deo category through Yardley many years back, has a wide range of product portfolio to offer. Yardley is one of the world’s oldest brands in the personal care category with fragrance, bath & shower and skin. All the deo sprays have been reworked and are now made of 90% naturally derived ingredients that ensure that the brand delivers its proposition by appealing to the young consumers.

CSR will enhance the pace of recovery at the grassroots: Manish Michael

For a long time now CSR has been an integral part of corporates to go beyond the usual business and give back to the society. The ultimate purpose of CSR is to maximise shared value among organisations, employees, customers, shareholders, and community members.

Social media driving brand discovery & purchase this festive season: Facebook

Facebook India’s Festive Marketing Guide for 2021 calls out social video, influencers, immersive experiences, and conversational marketing as the key trends that will drive the discovery of brands and festive shopping this year.

India’s Ecomm industry is set to grow by 84% to $111 bn by 2024: Affle

With the onset of the festive season, Affle’s MAAS, a unified mobile advertising platform has released an eCommerce report titled ‘The Dawn of the New-Age Shopper in the New Normal’ in association with Sensor Tower, a mobile app store marketing intelligence company headquartered in US.

Radio ad volumes for Durables see sharp increase of 3x in Jan-Aug’21: TAM AdEx

Advertising Volumes for the Durables sector on Radio saw a sharp increase of nearly 3x in Jan-Aug’21 over Jan-Aug’20, as per TAM AdEx overview of Durables sector advertising across Print, TV, Radio and Digital. Ad Insertions of the Durables sector on Digital medium saw a large increase of 2.3x in the same period.

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