Week at a glance: Sony BBC Earth 1st Anniv; Facebook; Avinash Kaul; Vivo...

Premium factual entertainment channel Sony BBC Earth has completed its first year in India. Within a year of its launch, Sony BBC Earth has emerged as the No. 1 channel in the Metros as per the latest BARC data, making it the fastest growing channel in the infotainment category. Adgully, in a roundtable interaction, with Tushar Shah, EVP and Business Head, English Cluster, Sony Pictures Networks India and Dr Michael Mosley, traces Sony BBC Earth’s one-year journey in India, the content strategy, road ahead and more. 

Facebook has been in the eye of the storm regarding data breach. The Indian connection has emerged as Cambridge Analytica lists among its clients some Indian political parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress. There were reports that the firm could have been used to influence the 2014 Lok Sabha elections as well as also influence the upcoming General Elections in 2019. In our special feature, digital experts analyse the after-effects of the Facebook data breach. 

TV18 has elevated Avinash Kaul as Chief Operating Officer. In his new role, Kaul will oversee the operations of all national and regional news channels. He will continue to remain Managing Director of A+E Networks | TV18. 

Vivo has fortified its product portfolio ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 with the launch of Vivo V9, its latest flagship smartphone. Speaking to Adgully, Nipun Marya, Head of Marketing Strategy, Vivo India, said, “From a marketing perspective, we have to constantly keep on changing and reinventing ourselves. We have some amazing plans lined up for IPL this year.” He also shared the smartphone brand’s marketing strategy for India, the latest campaign with Aamir Khan and more. 

DTH and OTT service provider Tata Sky has fortified its offering with the introduction of international entertainment content on its platform. Christened Tata Sky World Screen, the offering will feature prime content from across geographies and multiple languages. In conversation with Adgully, Arun Unni, Chief Content Officer, Tata Sky, sheds more light on the new offering, the growth strategy, introducing more verticals and more. 

Zenith predicts that global ad expenditure will grow 4.6 per cent in 2018, reaching US$579 billion by the end of the year, in its Advertising Expenditure Forecasts - March 2018. Zenith forecasts that advertisers will spend 40.2 per cent of their budgets on online advertising in 2018, up from 37.6 per cent in 2017. This growth in spend is part of the wider process of digital transformation, as advertisers invest in technology, data and innovation to revolutionise their relationships with consumers. 

Gunn Report, the global index of excellence in advertising, has released the results of the 2018 Gunn Media 100, a global ranking of the world’s most awarded and applauded campaigns and companies based on their performance in media competitions around the world. MediaCom London claims first place in the Gunn Media 100 agency rankings with four campaigns ranked in the top 100. Unilever tops the Advertiser’s ranking by a significant margin. Nike takes first position as the top brand with four campaigns featured in the top 100. 

As per its latest monthly Global Ad Trends report, WARC estimates that $63.4 billion was spent on programmatic advertising worldwide last year, but as little as $17.8 billion (28 per cent) may have actually made it to the ‘working media’ level. However, with a continued and rapid rise in digital advertising, concerns have surfaced within the industry. Over half of the senior marketers surveyed by the CMO Council cited social media risks and reputation management as a major issue. 

The News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA) has pulled up various news channels – India TV, Aaj Tak, Zee News, India Today, ABP News and Zee Rajasthan News – for not adhering to the Code of Ethics and Guidelines in separate news reports aired on the respective channels. The complaints received were related to the news channels airing biased and one-sided report, or not exercising requisite caution while reporting on sensitive topics, or airing news report without any verification, or hurting religious sentiments. 

The W-Suite: Nina Lekhi, MD & Chief Design Curator of Baggit, is an entrepreneur by profession and a role model for many aspiring young women entrepreneurs. Lekhi had started her journey of success from scratch, when she founded her company Baggit in 1990. Today, Baggit has grown to become one of the largest selling bag brands in India and has its presence in 71 cities across India with 44 exclusive outlets and presence in over 300 multi-brand retail stores. 

‘Swachh Shree’ Dr Subramanya Kusnur, an Indian next generation social entrepreneur and the architect of Swachhagraha, a movement to create a culture of cleanliness in India, has joined iTV Network as Senior Director. 

Annup Sonii, the host of Sony TV’s hit crime genre show, ‘Crime Patrol’, has quit the show after eight years of successful association as its proactive host. The news has been confirmed by the sources from the channel network. The news has also been confirmed by Sonii himself to the media. 

BARC ratings for Week 12 of 2018 (March 17-23) [HSM (U+R) : NCCS All : 2+ Individuals] saw yet another week of strong show put up by the FTA channels. Zee Anmol retained its top spot this week, even as Sony Pal, Colors and Star Plus climbed up in the ratings chart. 

Ad land’s Young Guns: Pooja Gururaj is the lead of Social Media Strategy at VML India. She is a solution provider at the core: Be it channels, creative or a brand challenge. Apart from growing and leading the social media team, Gururaj also plays the role of a digital strategist that devises solutions and roadmaps for brands across the ecosystem.

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