Media & Entertainment

Introduction

The Indian M&E sector is making significant space for itself on global canvas owing to which many international production houses and business conglomerates are venturing into the country. For instance, Disney’s big stake buy in UTV Software Communications majorly drove the foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2011-12 in the sector, which stood at Rs 32.64 billion (US$ 588.95 million) 72 per cent higher than Rs 18.87 billion (US$ 340.86 million) received in 2010-11.

Television

Healthy advertisement spends coupled with increased penetration in rural and semi-urban areas are propelling the growth of the television sector in India. Emergence of direct-to-home (DTH) technology in a big way has made the television industry mark a value of US$ 7.1 billion by the end of 2011, which was 14 per cent higher than that in 2010.

A report prepared by KPMG, along with an industry body, has stated that while the current level of penetration is estimated at around 60 per cent, there is still a room for expansion in the Indian TV landscape. The report estimates that pay-TV subscription revenue will increase from 65 per cent in 2011 to 69 per cent by 2016.

Radio

While TV is a captive medium, radio allows freedom of movement. Other than being a popular medium with the youth, radio has far-reaching impact on people in remote places.

Recently, Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University (YCMOU) has launched an interactive live web-radio from its campus studio in Nashik, Maharashtra. Through this technology, the university intends to connect students from anywhere in the world to experts of various subjects and enable them to listen to lectures, hold discussions and interviews.

Online and Mobile Entertainment

Internet has emerged as one of the strongest mediums to reach out to people, due to better broadband speeds, easy availability and reasonable pricing of internet-enabled devices and awareness among today’s youth. The online viewership of video content is on an upsurge – be it for news or for entertainment (social networking, shopping, et al). Due to this increased popularity, mobile phones have become the second most-viewed screen for Indian consumers. About two crore internet users in India are opting for the service over their mobile phones, according to a study by online audience and ad measurement platform Vizisense.

Social networking sites have also gained a lot of attention over past few years. They reach to about 82 per cent of the world’s online population and the numbers are increasing day by day. India’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are also looking to capitalise this medium as social media in the country is growing at 100 per cent and 129.3 million Indians are anticipated to join the forums. SMEs are looking forward to reach and develop a strong consumer base through social networking sites. An industry body has even joined hands with Facebook to organise road shows to spread awareness among SMEs about the benefits of using social media for business transformation.

Films

The Indian film fraternity will complete its century in 2013. The industry is anticipated to grow by 9 per cent per annum till 2015 to reach US$ 2.8 billion, according to Deloitte.

In an effort to make India a hub for international films, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) is contemplating to establish a Film Commission that will initially act as a single-window clearance agency to grant permits for shooting. If the initiative gets materialised, international production houses will save a lot of time and energy which are currently diverted in seeking multiple approvals.

Investments

The Indian advertising industry clocked revenues worth Rs 25,594 crore (US$ 4.62 billion) in 2011, which were 8 per cent higher than the figures achieved in 2010, according to a report by Pitch Madison India.

• The fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector has numerous brands and categories to offer to consumers. The sector players keep introducing new products and hence, seek sales-support with ads and promos. The industry segment contributes more than half to TV advertising and 9 per cent to the print media.
• In order to target multi-tasking and busy viewers, M&E industry major Zee Entertainment Enterprises has launched its over-the-top (OTT) distribution platform called Ditto TV. The new service, which facilitates live TV channels and on-demand video content to users on their mobile phones, tablets, laptops, desktops, entertainment boxes and connected TVs, was launched in Februry 2012 and also offers features such as adaptive streaming, an electronic program guide and a content recommendation application.
• Aegis Group has acquired Communicate 2 to merge it with its iProspect global network. Communicate 2 is a specialist performance marketing firm that counts search marketing, digital strategy consulting, social media and digital content production as its forte.
• Getit, pioneer of the concept of Yellow Pages in India, has appointed Aidem ventures to handle its corporate advertising sales for next 5 years. Getit has upgraded itself into a digital media firm that specialises in local search and classifieds. It is India’s leading ‘directional media’ service provider that facilitates quality prospects to businesses and brands across the categories. Aidem is an independent media consulting, marketing and advertising, sales company.

Government Initiatives

Apart from setting up a Film Commission, the Ministry of I&B is also working on an incentive package in co-operation with the Ministry of Tourism wherein they would promote film tourism.

Ms Ambika Soni, Minister for I&B, India and her counterpart, the Poland Minister for Culture and National Heritage, Mr B Zdrojewski, will sign an audio-visual co-production agreement. The two ministries would also hold discussions on how to preserve film heritage at the National Film Archives of Poland.

Road Ahead

Indian animation industry is at a very nascent stage and is expected to grow in the recent future. Indian players are majorly acting as ‘service providers’ wherein they are involved with labour-intensive production and post-production activities. However, they are increasingly adapting to international animation standards and are learning modern techniques to come at par. Industry experts, considering the potential in Indian participants, expect the country’s animation industry to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 23 per cent to reach US$ 961 million by 2013.

Exchange Rate Used: INR 1 = US$ 0.01805 as on September 13, 2012

References: Media Reports, Press Releases, Deloitte Report

India is the third least honest nation

India is Third least honest nation on the Internet 

[India Cybercrime report]

According to latest Norton Cybercrime report – India is the third least honest nation on the Internet, with over half of adults saying they have lied on the internet.

One of the most significant finding of this report that is that 3 out 4 netizens have fallen to trap to some form of cybercrime (76%) – majority of them due to virus & malware attacks. That is above 10% above global average as well!

What is most surprising is even with above average levels of cybercrime in India, adults here have the strongest belief that cyber criminals will be brought to justice – In fact, they are most optimistic about it compared to their peers globally.

Interesting findings of Norton Cybercrime Report

• 8% Indians do not expect to be cyber-crime victims ever as compared to 3% globally and 10% Indians feel that they are completely safe online.
• 57% Indians feel that cyber criminals will NOT be brought to justice as compared to 79% globally.
• Once an individual has fallen prey to cybercrime, 58% of them change the way they conduct themselves online while very few individuals call Police or Banks to ensure safety!
• It takes average of 44 days and Rs. 5262 to resolve a cybercrime in India, while globally the average is 28 days and over USD 334 (Rs. 13500 approx.) !
• 55% of Indian online users have lied about their personal details as compared to 45% globally. 36% Indians have used fake online IDs (33% globally)
• 19% of Indian regret as to what they have done previously online and 41% believe that once your online reputation is ruined, nothing can be done about it.

There are 3 simple rules to follow which should help majority of cyber criminals to stay away –

• Never give out your passwords
• Keep your financial details safe and
• don’t open email / links from people you don’t know

Indian E-commerce market

Indian E-commerce market at 47k cr by 2011 – Online Travel Bookings dominate!

The internet reach has grown beyond being an enabling communication medium. E-commerce has been a new buzz word over the last decade and is likely to grow exponentially year on year in an under-penetrated country like India.

In fact, e-commerce is expected to fast catch-up with the growth in overall trade market. This can be gauged from the fact that e-commerce penetration is still quite lower even amongst active internet users who look for information regarding products.

So, gradually, the conversion ratio of these users – which currently stands at around 40% – from being mere on-lookers to having brought any product over internet, could only rise from here.

Net Commerce Market Size from 2007 to 2011

Surprisingly, the IAMAI report on online commerce indicates that almost 80% market share of current online commerce industry is dominated by travel business and remaining 20% share is constituted of non-travel businesses such as eTailing (electronic retailing), digital download, paid content subscription, financial services, online classifieds, etc.

Take this! The above ratio of e-commerce market share has been skewed not just recently. It’s almost the same since last 5 years. The survey also indicates that there won’t be any drastic changes in the trend until the end of the year. However, online users in India have exhibited willingness to make purchases over the internet, which is evident from the increasing awareness and growth of net commerce industry.

The online travel industry has grown smartly from Rs.6250 crore in 2007 to Rs.25258 crore until Dec 2010 on the back of conveniences of paying online. Currently, domestic air travel segment constitutes 63% of online travel industry followed by 28% share from online Railway tickets.

E-tailing – which comprises buying consumer items including electronic products, Home appliances, personal products such as apparels and jewellery and other accessories – is currently worth Rs.2050 crore, and is expected to grow by 32% to Rs.2700 crore by next year.

Another segment that could witness humungous growth opportunity is online financial services including Net Banking, utility bills payment, insurance and other services. The financial service segment is estimated to be worth Rs.2000 crore currently, but is expected to log 34% growth by Dec 2011.

Lastly, India has witnessed breathtaking growth in the mobile segment thanks to low-cost smartphones. The digital download segment has grown at the fastest pace of over 50% year on year growth since Dec 2008. Majority of the mobile transactions through Ringtone / Wallpapers / Pictures downloads is said to be worth Rs.140 crore.

To the same extent as mobile downloads, even mobile recharge for pre-paid connections or paying post-paid bills forms a significant 34% market share of current digital downloads market size of Rs.680 crore.

BSNL: franchise model

BSNL signs franchisees for BWA spectrum

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), a telecommunications company providing comprehensive range of telecom services in India has opted for a franchise model to monetise its Rs 8,313.80 crore investment on securing pan-India Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) spectrum.

The company has opted for a franchise model on a revenue-sharing basis to use this spectrum. The company has short-listed three companies namely Teracom, Starnet and Take Solutions as its franchisees and will be responsible to distribute BWA spectrum in their respective territories. Teracom has been given Rajasthan, Karnataka and Bihar circles, Starnet has Chennai Telecom District and Himachal Pradesh and Take Solutions has won rights in Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh (West) and Orissa. As per the agreement, the franchisees have to deploy the WiMax network and BSNL would provide infrastructure like premises, towers and media connectivity.

Rural Internet Penetration

Rural India: Internet Penetration

"84% of rural India are unaware of Internet"

Although, Urban India has adopted Internet in large numbers (especially younger generation), Internet penetration in Rural India is close to zilch. Even though Government is making huge efforts to increase the penetration, it seems to be failing miserably.

According to the survey conducted jointly by IAMAI and IMRB, about 84 percent of people in rural India are not aware of Internet. The organizations believe that this lack of awareness is the primary reason that has prevented internet take-up in rural India.

The research further found that 38 percent of rural inhabitants feel no need for internet access. Further reasons for not using the internet include lack of an internet access point (31%), unfamiliar with computers (31%), no computer available (28%), need for guidance (28%), no electricity (22%), and not being able to afford internet (10%).

At present, common service centers and cyber cafés serve as the primary mode of accessing internet, with more than 70 percent of the rural population accessing the internet this way.

Instant Updates: .tel

Instant updates:

Let's assume you run a company. For people to contact you, there is the company Web site, but is the information in the site current? One fine day you realise that the details are outdated (Oh! That explains the drop in business). You frantically call your tech department and discover the only guy who is available now knows nothing about how to change contact information. He, in turn, contacts a more ‘knowledgeable' guy who is unfortunately caught in a traffic jam. By the time the details are updated, you would have lost more business.

The same goes for personal information too. If you are a professional, you may find it difficult to inform your clients every time your phone numbers or addresses change. Or if you switch jobs it is impossible to inform all your contacts, including friends and relatives.

The Telnic service changes all that. Once you register for your .tel name, you can update your contact information from any computer or even your mobile. The details are updated instantly. Anyone can go to [yourname].tel and get the latest information. Just as you can update it from any computer or mobile, the [yourname].tel will also be accessible from any device. Your [yourname].tel will also be listed in the .tel directory. 

And “unlike a traditional directory service listing, you can publish as much information as you wish and update it at any time by simply logging into a user-friendly interface and changing your contact data or keywords,” says Telnic. Visitors can search for your page by keywords text or your location, it says.

If your company has several departments, having [yourname].tel allows multiple levels of navigation so that the client or whoever is trying to find your company can get the details of the exact department, instead of hunting about.  Through telnic, you can “publish all your means of communication, including phone numbers, fax numbers, premium numbers, VoIP and IM handles, email addresses, links to your Web sites and Google Maps, keywords that describe your business, and private information only visible to VIP customers or friends and family”. You can even integrate the [yourname].tel to  your site's contact section.

Startup Marketing Tips

Ten quick tips for starting a blog for your small Business:

A blog which is short for web log is a web page though which you post short regular updates.  It could be a personal blog to write about things that interest you or a professional journal for your business .When it comes to small businesses, a blog not only helps you to build a community but also helps in marketing your brand / business idea/ venture / you as the entrepreneur.

Ten tips to start and maintain an engaging blog for your small business

• Keep it simple - Yes everyone loves something which explains any concept/idea/venture in simple and lucid form
• The content should be relevant and useful - Don't give a hi fi sounding heading and the content is something different, please keep it to the point, everyone likes to know something which is relevant and to the point, if its useful content then you are guaranteed repeat reader.
• Post often - Don't go off on a holiday after your one great post, its internet and people love fast and regular communication, otherwise you soon become outdated
• Make it interactive - Two way communication always works, engage your reader otherwise he will not be interested in your story
• Respond to comments and have a conversation through your blog - Please don't forget to respond to comments, reply however irrelevant the question might be, everyone deserves an answer
• Use keywords relevant to your line of business - Keywords make your blog rank higher and give it more visibility, hunt for right keywords and do include it in your posts
• Don’t sell too hard - Blogs are generally place for opinions and views, don't be into " me and my story" syndrome only
• Don’t use technical jargon- brings back to the first point, keep it simple and refrain from using business jargons which an average reader won't quickly understand, you want to engage not just impress.
• Stick to a schedule - Your readers after a certain point will expect a timely write up from you... fix a day of the week and stick to it
• Use your blog to run promotions and contests - Nicely conceptualized contests always endears a reader, go for it in your blog.

Web behavior: Insight Report

New trends in Web behavior
Now, social networking sites share turf with Net search engines..

In the not too distant future, the famed browser wars will be consigned to history books and whatever needs to be accessed can be done so with a single use app or via a chosen social networking site.

It observed that there are two ways the Web is being consumed. Early adopters of the Web typically surf it via search engines, URLs saved as favourites, and/or keying in the closest approximation to the domain name. Later adopters, who typically embraced the Web in the last few years, started off using Facebook or some other Social Networking Site (SNS), and since such sites have an overpowering stickiness, use such SNS to sate their information needs too. Coincidentally, around the same time we were discussing this topic, Facebook overtaking Google in terms of page views and time spent was announced.

These developments, together with the emergence of mobile devices such as smart phones, book readers, etc, — and the integration of SNS with them — have significant implications for paradigms of information consumption and interaction with the Web, and hence the emerging economic opportunities.

It's ‘App'ening

Likely to be first affected is the browser as a source of technological competitive edge on users' screens. With later entrants using an SNS as an entry point and the emergence of apps, more and more content on the Web can be directly accessed through apps, either on mobile devices or on desktops. And, since even social networking sites are in the process of being ‘appified', it is conceivable that in the not too distant future, the famed browser wars will be consigned to history books and whatever needs to be accessed can be done so with a single-use app or via a chosen SNS.

Does this mean that the browser as the means to access the Web will wither away? Clearly, the answer is not in the near future. However, a metric such as ‘share of Web access', which measures the different access points of the Web, is likely to become a reality sooner rather than later. This metric will be a key influencer of the multiplicity of digital assets that would need to be created to ensure that participants can derive the full benefit of the Internet.

Transformation in ‘search'

Search is the second area that is likely to undergo a profound transformation. Those who keep their SNS opened up or are mobile are more than likely to ‘ask around' their network via the SNS site, rather than use a search engine, as in the old days. Such ‘asking around' is not only analogous to a normal human practice but also comes bundled with intrinsically credible recommendations, since the answer is being provided by those the searcher ‘trusts'. That a network effect exists can be validated anecdotally by several incidents that have reported the spread of angst amongst teenagers and the youth. These are largely negative currently. However, it is unlikely that it will not be long before the positive impact of the network effect will be in the ascendant, as Groupon and its clones demonstrate.

Specificity in advertising

The network effect of search on SNS has the potential to challenge Google's leadership in the search advertising market. Quite simply, keyword targeting on SNS can be filtered by profiles and targeted to specific individuals. Quite the opposite of keyword targeting on search engines, where specificity is restricted to the keyword, rather than the individual. This greater specificity will lead to higher response rates to the advertising. In fact, it is surprising that SNS has not as yet exploited this potential, since it does not currently offer keyword-based advertising options. But this has not stopped savvy marketers. For example, in the US, at the start of the college season this year, a broker created pages on Facebook for the incoming student population. The broker then went on to advertise room-sharing arrangements based on profile for a small fee on these pages.

On cusp of change

So, what is likely to happen to browsers in general and search engines in particular? As earlier observed, the early generation of Web users is likely to continue using browsers for their Web needs. Even among the later generation, even if accessing the SNS, the browser will continue to be an important interface. Additionally, a large number of Web applications, e.g. online shopping, data aggregation, etc, would be more conveniently accessible via a computer screen. 

At the current moment a browser is the most appropriate technology for these purposes.

Similarly, the network effect of ‘asking around' is likely to be most applicable to search for immediate solutions, such as a product, a beauty tip, a cooking recipe or a formula. More involved information seeking will certainly be via search engines given their depth of data and ability to return a large volume of information to choose from.

This view is supported, notwithstanding recent data reporting that Web users spend more time on Facebook than on Google. Parsing the data shows this. In October, for instance, 26.2 per cent of India's Web users visited Facebook. However, what is significant is that 91 per cent of them also visited Google. On second thoughts, then, the two data are not at variance with each other.

Intuitively, a Facebook visit is likely to take a longer time since the visitor would be going through all the activities of the network. On the other hand, a visit to the search engine is restricted to the time taken to key in the search term and for the search results to be generated. In the light of this, perhaps a more appropriate metric for measuring Web site visits should be the number of times a site is visited by each unique visitor to the Internet and the agent (i.e. mail client, app, bookreader, etc) used.

All told, it would seem that 2011 is yet another cusp in the evolution of the Web that will perhaps lead to newer paradigms, newer challenges and newer opportunities.

Twitter: For Marketing

Ultimate Guide For Twitter Marketing:

Twitter is a social networking and microblogging service that has seen massive growth over the last two years and it can be a boon to any online marketing strategy.

The site allows users to post short messages to all other users that subscribe to their feed, or in Twitter-speak, their “followers”. Messages, or “tweets” have a maximum of 140 characters so updates are quick and to the point on Twitter.

With a little maintenance and promotion, a company can use a Twitter account to reach thousands of people every day for very low costs. The service is free and only requires one or two people to maintain any given account. Below are some suggestions on how to use Twitter as part of your overall online marketing strategy.

Strengthen your brand
Using Twitter to talk about your company in an interesting and entertaining way can strengthen your overall brand. By giving your company a personality, you can make your company seem more accessible and friendly. Giving real-time office updates, giving inside information and telling relevant (and tasteful) jokes can go a long way. Make sure to avoid making all your tweets into advertisements, as this will surely turn people off.

Inform people of new products and services of your company
Lots of news actually breaks on Twitter. On many stories the Twitter community was talking about it before the mainstream media. You can do a little news-breaking of your own company by announcing new products and services that your company is offering.

Link to your website, blog or press releases
Twitter allows you to add links to your tweets, so if you have a good number of followers, you can expect a certain number of people to go to your website when you tweet about it and provide a link. This can be a powerful way to drive traffic and increase your company’s exposure.

Weigh in on conversations others have about your company
Using Twitter Search, you can search for your company’s name or your employee’s names. It will return all the tweets in which people mention the terms you search for. This is a great way to seek feedback on your product without putting out a formal survey. You will know what people think about what your company does, and you may find out interesting information that you didn’t already know.

Engage with people talking about your field
You can also use Twitter Search to find out what people are saying about things related to your products or services. If you work for Geezeo.com, for example, you could see what everyone is saying about Mint.com or Wesabe.com, all sites that offer online financial management.

Promote events
If your company is throwing an event or attending a conference, you can tweet about it to generate interest in the event. You may be able to rally a few more people to attend, and you may be able to find other Twitterers at the event. This kind of pre-networking can add value to the relationships you then create in person.

Provide customer support
Many companies, often provide customer support over Twitter. If your company’s clients are particularly tech-savvy, it is likely that many of them are on Twitter. By encouraging them to ask questions over Twitter, you can provide quick customer support to people in yet another medium. This adds to your company’s brand as it makes you look more accessible and more helpful.

Inform communities when other communication streams fail
If you ever need to alert people of something about your company and your other methods of communication are shut down, you can use Twitter. Though Twitter has struggled with up-time issues in the past, it seems to be doing better lately, and is now very reliable tool for communicating with customers if your main site or email server is down.

Blogger

Integrate Live Chat Software with Your Blog spot

Undoubtedly a blog is the most important thing for a passionate writer because it’s like a personal diary on which he/she can maintain all accumulated experience and thoughts. Blogging has evolved in a huge thing today and facts say that a new blog is created in every half a second around the world. That proves how popular blogging is over the web and how often people use the same. Many people use blog to post personal stuff and some use it as a medium to make money online. Unfortunately many bloggers are unaware about how to promote and grab satisfy readers. Because just getting traffic will not work, getting right kind of traffic that converts into leads is what required. And conversion of leads takes satisfied site visitors. 

The best you can do to satisfy your site visitor is integrate Mioot Live Chat Software to your Blogspot. Mioot.com offers best live help system that can be easily installed to serve site visitors instantly. Integrating Mioot live chat system can be done in three easy steps without any technical skills. 

   • After registering get the integration code from mioot customer control panel 

   • Log in to Blogspot and add Live Support software to the gadget 

   • Click on save and enable live chat software module in blogger 

Mioot live chat support comes will lot of interesting features that will help to grow visitors and sale. Some of the cool features can really perk up your experience in blogging includes, monitoring multiple websites simultaneously, track visitors in real time based on location and surfing habit, proactive chat option, post chat survey, Push URL/Image, Canned messages, advanced trouble ticket system, office chat, multi operator conference, SPAM verification etc. You can make the best use of this live chat software to server your customers and readers! 

New Customers by Social media sites

Finding New Customers by Social media sites:

Many organizations have started to invest in social media marketing. However, no business likes to invest in a venture/strategy without measuring the return on investment (ROI). In case of social media, there is one very effective method to measure the ROI and that is customer acquisition. Social media sites provide wonderful opportunities to companies to find new customers. These sites are particularly useful for smaller businesses and entrepreneurs. It comes as no surprise to find that nearly half of small businesses around the world have acquired customers through social networks. Social media websites have come as a boon for small business houses that can acquire new customers and advertise their products/services at a much lesser cost.

The success of a business is very much determined by its ability to attract new customers to its fold. That explains the emphasis on social media sites by companies. These websites are where businesses get to meet as many different people as possible, know their interests, contacts and spread the information that they are open for business. Quite a large number of companies are known to provide budgetary allocation to advertising on social media sites. There are very few ways better than social media marketing to let the word out about your business to attract new customers. Internet is a global phenomenon and using it, business houses can reach millions if not billions of people. Organizations that are yet to venture into online social networks are seriously behind the times and missing out on lucrative opportunities.

Social media sites connect people from all over the world on a single platform. Irrespective of the locations, genders and nationalities, social media users are constantly connected with one another. Popular networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Wikipedia, YouTube etc have become the new advertising engines. Their growth is simply phenomenal and many companies have made perfect use of these sites and added millions of customers. Businesses can attract customers by creating profiles, describing their business, post pictures if applicable and making full use of all the other options made available by the social media sites.

Organizations can find and keep new customers by indulging in relationship marketing. It is important to develop relationships with target audiences. Options like making friends, starting a community and creating fan pages etc are perfect ways of expanding the reach of the business.