CleverTap, the comprehensive global mobile marketing solution provider, has announced that it is now used by 4 of the top 5 media apps across app stores in India, to drive data-driven user engagement strategies at scale, including the popular media brand SonyLIV.This latest development positions CleverTap as one of the foremost players in the space, helping media apps fuel growth and top-line revenues.
Greater penetration and adoption of smart devices, cheaper access to data, and increasing mobile content consumption has skyrocketed growth in the subscription-based Video-on-Demand (VoD) over-the-top (OTT) market over the last few years. Slated to be worth $61.5 billion by 2019, the global VoD media app industry faces major challenges when it comes to monetizing and retaining acquired users. With over 100 million subscribers active on multiple platforms, the Indian VoD market is already worth $280 million. The average number of app launches per user per month has also increased to currently lie in the range of 13 to 20.
The most popular OTT app to have taken the market by storm is Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN)’s SonyLIV.
SonyLIV a freemium platform, offers content in multiple genres and are pioneers in the original web series, TV shows and the VOD content category with a large repertoire of short films on any OTT platform. They are also the pioneers in food, sports, and the fitness genres among all OTT players. In the sports category, SonyLIV has an extensive sports portfolio and premium users can catch their favorite sport live while free users will get a 5-minute deferred feed. SonyLIV also has linear channels from the Sony Network available to premium users for watching their favorite channels.
Uday Sodhi, EVP and Head of Digital Business of SonyLIV, stated, “The VoD mobile media market has exploded in India over the last year alone. There is an exponential demand for quality content that is increasingly being consumed on the go. Whether it’s live sporting events, movies, sitcoms, reality shows, or music videos, there’s a sub-market for every genre of video content today. Promoting each of these at the right time, to the right user, and on the most relevant channel is one of the biggest challenges we face. This is precisely what CleverTap’s data-driven mobile marketing platform helps us address at scale.”
He further added, “As demand rises and data costs continue to fall, users will become more discerning about what they’d like to watch. This requires us to engage our users across multiple channels as we strive to deliver the best possible customer experience. We believe in 360-degree entertainment that should be available to the consumer at their fingertips using the device of their choice.”
CleverTap’s comprehensive mobile marketing suite helps SonyLIV gain user-level insights based on past and real time in-app behavior. They can reach users via multiple channels and automated segments, including push notifications, in-app messages, email, and SMS; created and sent from the same platform. These hyper-personalized, timely user engagement campaigns help update users on the latest content added, inform users of live events, encourage paid subscriptions, and win back dormant users. In fact, these dynamic campaigns have gradually helped increase the average time spent per user during each session. CleverTap’s live-user segmentation engine is also being leveraged to effectively target users that spend less than a few minutes a month consuming content, nudging them to spend almost double the time in-app through compelling reach-out campaigns.
Sunil Thomas, CEO of CleverTap, said, “VoD as a platform requires service providers to leverage every single mobile moment across the entire user lifecycle. Also, diverse engagement campaigns, targeted at user segments based on past and real-time behavior, can serve a common purpose.” He elaborated, “For instance, updating a sports-loving segment of your users on the score of a live tennis match and informing another segment about the latest episode of their favorite sitcom are unique ways to bring them back to your app. We at CleverTap are thrilled to partner with - leading players in the media space and aim to facilitate their high-growth strategies as they continue to make further inroads into an exciting market.”
Bigtree Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., which owns and operates BookMyShow, announced it has executed definitive documents to raise USD $100 million in Series D funding led by TPG Growth, the middle market and growth equity investment platform of alternative asset firm TPG. The round also saw participation from existing investors. This fresh infusion of funds will fuel BookMyShow’s growth plans as it transforms into the ultimate ‘Entertainment Destination’ for its customers.
Ashish Hemrajani, Founder and CEO, BookMyShow said, “BookMyShow is excited to welcome TPG Growth as our newest partner. They bring with them extensive experience across the global media and entertainment sector, which will be instrumental as we look to accelerate our growth plans in this space. The strategic value that all our investors continue to provide us will also be of immense importance as we begin a new chapter of our standout story.”
“TPG Growth is committed to partnering with dynamic companies and entrepreneurs that are at the forefront of global media and entertainment,” said Bill McGlashan, TPG Growth Founder and Managing Partner and Co-Founder and CEO of The Rise Fund. “BookMyShow has a tremendous chance to transform how Indian consumers discover and experience entertainment, and we’re looking forward to working with Ashish and the team to capitalize on this opportunity.”
“Traditionally dominated by movies, India’s entertainment industry is rapidly changing and expanding, driven by factors such as rising income levels, growing consumer appetite, and higher internet usage,” said Akshay Tanna of TPG Growth. “In partnering with BookMyShow, we saw the opportunity to invest behind an innovative company that is set to benefit from these trends and become the leading organization across entertainment genres.”
For many years, TPG Growth has been actively engaged in the global media and entertainment landscape. Across funds, TPG’s portfolio in the sector includes Cirque du Soleil, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), Moretickets, Spotify, STX Entertainment, and Vice Media.
Avendus Capital was the exclusive financial advisor to BookMyShow and Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co. were the legal advisors representing the company during this round.
A IIT-trained Indo-Australian scientist Veena Sahajwalla, whose pioneering invention of the world’s first micro factory to tackle e-waste, has generated global attention, says the technology can be deployed at Seelampur and Mayapuri in Delhi to help “kabadiwallas” (waste collectors) make profit by creating value-added products in a safe and sustainable way.
Sahajwalla, a materials scientist and Director of the Centre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT) at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney, says the micro factories will not “displace” the kabadiwallas from their profession but help add to income generation and improve their lives in a big way.
The professor, a recipient of the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman for outstanding achievement in science among numerous other awards, says the micro factories can be effectively deployed in Seelampur and other places where people work with waste, including e-waste, to create value-added products like decorative glass panels, acoustic panels with waste cloth and high-grade wood-plastic panels. The high-grade metals – like gold, silver, copper, palladium - in the e-waste can be separated by the micro factories for re-sale in conditions that are totally safe.
Sahajwalla, who is in the capital and is to meet Indian government officials to discuss her invention, says that plastic comprises 40 percent of the e-waste and is usually burnt, adding to air pollution. “There is no reason to burn plastic… Micro factories can create filament with plastic,” she said at an interaction with select press persons here.
She also said that the micro factories would fit in very well with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mission of Make in India and Swachh Bharat.
A modular micro factory, which would require 50 sq metres area and can be located wherever waste is stockpiled, would help empower the people working with waste.
The Mumbai-born Sahajwalla, who did her B.Tech in metallurgical engineering from IIT Kanpur in 1986, said it was UNSW’s “holistic approach to education” that helped her seamlessly venture into different aspects of research to be able to invent the micro factory, which was launched at the varsity earlier this year.
According to Sahajwalla, material science students from India, including one doctoral and one post doctoral, are doing cutting-edge research at UNSW. She also said she would be happy to welcome and train any student with interest in sustainability to enroll at UNSW. Students could include entrepreneurs and graduates from different disciplines of engineering -- civil, material science, textiles, polymers, material sciences.
According to UNSW, the micro factories, which are patented, could help Australia become a global leader in dealing with the problematic and rapidly expanding waste streams. Sahajwalla has also developed micro factories to transform wood-based waste material into high-grade wood-plastic panels for reuse in offices and buildings.
India is among the top five countries generating e-waste, with around two million tonnes per annum produced, while the quantity recycled is about 438,085 TPA, an ASSOCHAM-NEC study says.
The other countries topping the chart of e-waste generation are China, USA, Japan and Germany.
According to The Global E-waste Monitor, a report published by the United Nations University, the International Telecommunication Union and the International Solid Waste Association, humanity generated 44.7 million metric tons of e-waste in 2016, which is equivalent to 6.1 kilograms per person.
According to the report’s findings, just 20 percent of e-waste was properly recycled in 2016. The vast majority (80 percent) was undocumented, likely to be dumped, traded or recycled under inferior conditions.
An important point to ponder over: One tonne of mobile phones – 6,000 handsets – contains 130 kg of copper, 3.5 kg of silver, 340 gm of gold and 140 gm of palladium.
India ranks third on the US Green Building Council's (USGBC) annual ranking of the top 10 countries for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified buildings.
According to the survey by USGBC, the top 10 list highlights countries outside of the US that are using LEED and India, with more than 752 LEED-certified projects totalling over 20.28 million gross square meters of space, ranks third.
"Around the world leaders are committing to climate change initiatives that have the power to improve quality of life for citizens and ensure a sustainable future," USGBC and Green Business Certification (GBCI) President and CEO Mahesh Ramanujam said in a statement issued here.
The list ranks countries and regions in terms of cumulative LEED-certified gross square metres as of December 31, 2017 and represents 6,657 certified projects totalling more than 158 million gross sq mt.
The top 10 list is led by China with a total of 1,211 LEED certified and registered projects for more than 47.16 million gross sq mt of space followed by Canada with 2,970 such projects with a total space of 40.77 million gross sq mt.
The other countries include Brazil, Germany, Korea, Taiwan, Turkey, Mexico and the UAE.
In comparison, the US, which is not included in the list, has 30,669 LEED certified projects totalling 385.65 million gross sq mt.
Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), an acknowledged national resource Institute for Entrepreneurship Education, Research, Training & Institution Building and Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DICCI) has come together to encourage entrepreneurship among Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes youth at state and national level.
To take forward this initiative, EDII will organize Entrepreneurship Development Programmes (EDPs) in various districts identified by DICCI. Training conducted by EDII will help in identifying promising business ideas that will be incubated at EDII’s Technology Business Incubator Centre for Advancing and Launching Enterprises (CrAdLE) to launch and sustain their own ventures.
Emphasizing on the need for encouraging disadvantaged sections of the society, Dr. Satya Ranjan Acharya, Faculty, EDII said, “The new generation from these sections of the society have strong belief that entrepreneurship can help in positioning them as an integral part of the society and open new avenues for personal as well as community growth. DICCI is promoting entrepreneurship among SC, ST youths as a solution to their socio-economic problems and EDII would help them in achieving this objective.”
Milind Kamble, Founder Chairman, DICCI said, “The DICCI and its members face a large knowledge gap about the complexities, opportunities and risks in harnessing the financial sector. Forging partnership with Institute like EDII, which has over three decades of experience in promoting entrepreneurship amongst various sections of the society, will help us in fostering entrepreneurship among community members.”
The Pune-based Dalit trade body has 24 state chapters and 7 international chapters. The activities of its members are quite diversified ranging from manufacturing (sectors such as chemicals, agri-products, frozen foods, plastics, textiles, pest control, metals and metallurgy, marine engineering, solar energy, sugar refining), construction and services (health care, hospitality industries, education and international trade). CrAdLE similarly focuses on start-ups in the field of manufacturing, healthcare, renewable energy and food & agri-business for incubation.
Jet Airways, India's premier international airline has announced a seven-day attractive global sale on Premiere and Economy fares, for its guests planning to travel across the airline’s vast international network.
With discounts of up to 30 percent on existing base fares, guests booking from India can enjoy substantial savings when planning their forthcoming travel to destinations of their choice not only from the airline’s 20-city direct network but even on fares of its interline and codeshare partners. Key destinations include Jet Airways’ European gateways - Amsterdam Schiphol, Paris Charles de Gaulle, and London Heathrow, as well as cities such as Manchester*, Zurich, Frankfurt, Prague, Geneva, Rome and Toronto in Europe and North America respectively. The offer is also valid for travel to the airline’s network in the Gulf - including its gateway at Abu Dhabi, aside from Dubai, Sharjah, Bahrain, Doha, Dammam, Jeddah, Riyadh, Kuwait and Muscat; The offer is applicable on the airline’s services to Colombo, Dhaka, Kathmandu in the SAARC region and to the tourist hotspots of Bangkok, Singapore and Hong Kong in the ASEAN region.
With the offer being valid for both onward as well as return travel, guests from Gulf can also enjoy savings on their bookings to India, SAARC and the ASEAN regions. Similarly, guests from ASEAN can enjoy travelling to destinations in India, SAARC, Gulf and Europe taking advantage of the substantial savings. Bookings made for travel from the SAARC region to destinations in India, ASEAN, Gulf, as well as Europe are also eligible as part of this offer. The offer will allow guests to not only enjoy the airline’s famed in-flight service and hallmark hospitality that are its true value proposition but will also enable guests to enjoy Jet Airways’ distinguished Premiere service at attractive price points.
Tickets booked under the seven day sale, commencing on July 17, 2018, will be valid for travel with immediate effect.
Marnix Fruitema, EVP Worldwide Sales, Jet Airways, said, “Through the Global Sale offer, our guests will be able to make considerable savings on travel bookings, while planning to visit their favourite international destinations. We invite guests to take advantage of this offer, exploring the places of their choice, as also a chance to experience Jet Airways’ famed in-flight product and services. We are confident that this Global Sale offer will be popular with our guests.”
Jet Airways has established itself as a preferred carrier between India and the world for its exceptional in-flight service, flexible and convenient schedules and enhanced connectivity. With partner carriers Air France / KLM, Jet Airways’ guests can travel to 109 destinations in Europe, through both codeshare and interline flights.
*Commences service effective November 5, 2018
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a leading IT services, consulting and business solutions firm, announced today that the Bengaluru edition of TCS IT Wiz 2018 – India’s largest technology quiz for schools will be held on Tuesday, August 7, at Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Vyalikaval.
School students studying in class 8-12 (including Pre University of Junior college students) are eligible to participate in the event. Each institution can send a maximum of 10 teams (2 members per team) to participate. There is no entry fee.
TCS IT Wiz 2018 will be held in 12 locations in India - Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Indore, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Nagpur and Pune.
Entries have to be sent through the respective institutions on or before Thursday, August 2, 2018 to Quiz Coordinator, TCS IT Wiz, Tata Consultancy Services, SJM Tower #18 Sheshadri Road, Gandhinagar, Bengaluru - 560 009, India. For further details contact: 080 67246000 can register online: www.tcsitwiz.com.
Quiz format: The top six teams from the written preliminary round will qualify for the regionals finals. Only the top scoring team from each school will be called on stage in the event of multiple teams from the same school qualify for the final. The winning team from the Regional finals will compete in the National Finals.
Prizes: The Regional champion this year will walk away with Rs. 60,000 worth gift voucher while the runners-up will be rewarded Rs. 40,000 voucher along with a specially designed trophy and medals. The 6 finalists will also receive an array of prizes from TCS ranging from Gym bag, Multifunctional music torch with blue tooth speakers and Wireless outdoor speakers along with tcs50 pen drive.
Twitter contest: The regional finals in each city will have a Twitter contest for all the participants. The top two highest tweets and the best “tweet of the day” will receive a Multifunctional torch along with Smart Music Flower Pot with Bluetooth Speaker and LED Night Light.
To facilitate students of other locations a live webcast of the Regional finals has been organized. The web streaming of the Regional finals can be viewed on: www.tcsitwiz.com.
The Quiz will mainly focus on:
* Applications of Information Technology across various industries and sectors including technology environment, the business, people, new trends and legends.
* Areas where IT has made an impact – web, education, entertainment, books, music, movies, banking, advertising, sports, gaming, social media and world of mobiles.
* IT Personalities - Global, national and local, brands of IT and communication companies, software products and brands, the history of IT as well as its humorous side of Information Technology
* Emerging areas such as cloud computing, AI, automation, biometrics, robotics, world of Internet, unique web sites, IT buzzwords and acronyms.
* An exclusive round on TCS @50 capturing 5 decades of excellence
