Mobile Magic has announced the launch of its rich content for mobile phones through its rich content aggregation and retail platform ‘Media Magic’. The company intends to provide legal mobile content like games, applications, movies and music in an offline format.
AppLabs (previously called Applabs Technologies) has unveiled its new brand identity based around the theme of a ‘sunrise’. This theme is conveyed in the tagline ‘No doubt about it’, and in the sunrise, represented in the logo, signifying consistency, reliability and confidence.
Ogaan Publications has recently launched ‘Brides Now’, a magazine aimed at brides-to-be. Priced at Rs 100, the magazine would be a contemporary guide to a dream wedding. The quarterly magazine would have an initial print run of over 32,000 copies.
ESPN Star Sports has introduced Star Sports Mobile, a mobile content service that is an extension of Mobile ESPN that was launched across multiple markets in Asia Pacific in May 2006. The new service will feature exclusive Arsenal and Liverpool Football Club content along with many other innovative features. It is available through WAP and can be downloaded from www.espnstar.com.
DTH service provider Dish TV has appointed independent global marketing agency iris as its direct marketing partner, following a multi-agency pitch. iris will be responsible for planning, data segmentation, subscriber acquisition, retention strategies and partnership programmes for Dish TV.
Mobile is proving to be a promising device for social networking. With the trend catching up internationally, India is, however, lagging behind due to higher cost of Internet browsing applications, poor network and inadequate bandwidth on mobile phones.
Sameer Sikka has joined the India Today Group for its digital venture India Today Group Digital (ITGD) as National Sales Head. Sikka comes in from Monster.com where he was the head of North region. Sikka would report to COO Sanjoy Narayan at ITGD.
I Venkat, who had recently stepped down as Director in Eenadu Group, and was reported to be joining a new Telugu media venture, has put all rumours to rest. After having worked with Eenadu for over 38 years, Venkat has decided to take the cause of an NGO in Andhra Pradesh.
Soumitra Saha, Senior Vice President-Regional Advertising Sales and Marketing, Turner Entertainment Networks Asia (TENA) Inc. (TENA), has been elevated to Senior Vice President and General Manager. He will assume responsibility for the overall development of Turner’s entertainment brands in the Asia Pacific including Boomerang, Cartoon Network, Pogo and Turner Classic Movies (TCM).
Dr Pramath Raj Sinha, who recently quit The ABP Group, would continue to be in the media domain with the launch of 9.9 Media, as Founder and Managing Director. NDTV Profit is in an exclusive media alliance with 9.9 Insight, which is a venture of 9.9 Media. The Sao Paulo-based Jai Group is the other partner in 9.9 Media, and it represents 9.9 Media’s interests in Sao Paulo. Jai Group will also work with clients who are interested to work in the two markets.
JWT India has won the Gold Ingot for Reliance Life Insurance ‘Lifeline’ at the Midas Awards. The Midas Awards is produced by New York Festivals and is an international competition to recognise excellence in financial services communications on a global scale. Angel Broking and Bank of Baroda works qualified for the Finalist Certificate.
Sakaal Group of Publications, a leading media house in Maharashtra and Goa, plans to come up with two TV channels and another English newspaper in 2008. While one of the channels would be a regional general entertainment channel in Marathi, the other would be a national GEC in Hindi.
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) has announced the launch of its second Hindi GEC ‘Zee Next’ with five new shows. The channel would go on air from December 17. The brand promises to give a ‘next’ treatment to the traditional stories that Zee TV has hitherto dealt with.
The One Show Exhibition, which recognises creative excellence in advertising, has come to India for the first time in partnership with UTV’s new channel, Bindass, along with exchange4media Group and advertising, media and communication institute FMCC. The Exhibition will feature and celebrate this year’s best advertising work in print, television, radio, outdoor, innovative media and marketing, and integrated branding.
India Media Exchange (IMX) the consolidated media buying unit of Starcom MediaVest Group and Zenith Optimedia, has appointed Sujata Dwibedy as Director-Strategy & Buying, Mumbai, and Ritesh Dutt as Media Director, Delhi.
BBDO India’s announcement was as sudden as that of the appointment of Josy Paul as Chairman and NCD of the agency. While BBDO India allows Paul to be a shareholder in the company, BBDO’s broad plan is to be able to offer diverse services to clients in India, and focus more on its creative products.