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<ul><li>The Indian government bringing nearly 1,300 engineers onboard for the Kashmir valley’s metro project. </li><li>They are hiring professionals trained in architecture, telecommunications, traffic management, signal electronics and civil engineers. </li><li>The move comes days after the government’s decision of scrapping Section 370 — which has bifurcated the ‘state’ in two Union Territories — <keyword id="17605" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jammu-and-kashmir">Jammu and Kashmir</keyword>, and Ladakh. </li></ul>The Indian government is bracing to ‘reorganise’ Jammu and Kashmir. The centre said that it will hire as many as 1,300 engineers for the valley’s first metro project, in a move that will boost infrastructure as well as employment. The project will hire across domains like architecture, telecommunications, traffic management, signal electronics and civil engineering, TOI<a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/srinagar-metro-to-absorb-1300-engineers-others/articleshow/70579874.cms"> reported</a>. This is good news for the heavily qualified yet unemployed youth in the state. According to the Directorate of Employment, around 150,000 postgraduates and doctorates in Jammu &amp; Kashmir are jobless. Cheaper metro fares The 25 km long metro will connect Indira Nagar to HMT Junction and Hamzuri Bagh to Osmanabad through Srinagar. The fares of this metro will also be cheaper at 1.5 times that of a bus — unlike other metros across the country. The metro project is expected to cost ₹5,108 crore — and nearly 21% of it will be funded by the centre. The Jammu and Kashmir government will also infuse equal amount into the project. Once operational, the government is expecting a return of investment of ₹146 crore from the project, in the first five years. “Revenue for the <keyword id="7960419" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Srinagar-Metro">Srinagar Metro</keyword> will mainly consist of farebox collection and non-fare box sources such as parking, taxes, advertisements, and property development,” TOI reported citing the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of Srinagar. In July, <keyword id="2773123" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Satya-Pal-Malik">Satya Pal Malik</keyword>, the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir government announced the ‘Light Rail Transit Systems’ for Jammu and Srinagar. <a href="https://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/kashmir/light-rail-transit-systems-for-srinagar-jammu-to-be-completed-in-four-to-five-years-govt/">Rail Indian Technical and Economic Services</a> (RITES) will take over the project. The tender is expected to be released by the end of August. The move comes days after the central government <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/amit-shah-says-article-35a-and-article-370-giving-kashmir-special-status-will-be-annulled-in-rajya-sabha/articleshow/70530969.cms">scrapped Section 370</a> — which has bifurcated the ‘state’ in two Union Territories — Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/over-150000-postgraduates-in-jk-come-asking-for-jobs-in-just-15-days/articleshow/70445702.cms">Over 150,000 postgraduates in J&amp;K come asking for jobs in just 15 days</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/muzamil-anwar-iim-ahmedabad-alumni-wants-to-coach-students-of-war-hit-kargil-students-crack-cat-exam/articleshow/70340045.cms">This IIM alumni wants to coach students of war-hit Kargil crack CAT exam</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/jammu-and-kashmir-and-ladakh-will-now-be-two-separate-union-territories/articleshow/70531866.cms">Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh will now be two separate Union Territories</a>

Indian government to ‘reorganise’ Jammu and Kashmir — plans to hire 1,300 engineers for its first Metro project

Aiming for a comprehensive development for non metro cities and its dwellers, National Association of Software and Services Companies, or <keyword id="6372077" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nasscom">Nasscom</keyword> has proposed an innovative concept, which if implemented will result in a greater good. 
 
In what would be a boom in the BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) business and help to multiply its total revenue from about Rs 1,38,000 crores to Rs 5,52,000 – Nasscom in its policy recommendation paper wants the government to expand the BPO industry to non metro cities of India. 
 
As per a news report by The Economic Times, Nasscom said expansion into non-metro locations has the potential to generate over one million skilled jobs, enumerating five points focused on employment generation as the central pillar of the BPO industry that employs over 10 lakh people. 
 Thanks to India’s low-end technology services, the BPO industry has evolved in full pace since early 90s. However, over the years, <keyword id="3750" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Philippines">Philippines</keyword> and <keyword id="13486" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vietnam">Vietnam</keyword> being more cost effective given the government aid they receive, have ensured many international BPOs to shift their base. 
 "We have identified 18-20 more locations in the country where we have created the infrastructure for employment. It is not only competitiveness but also the development of emerging cities, harmonising and galvanising the talent pool that is available... and creating digitisation capabilities," KS Viswanathan, vice-president at Nasscom told the financial daily. These locations include Agartala, Belagavi, Chhindwara, Hazira, Karnal, Shivamogga, <keyword id="41568" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Srinagar">Srinagar</keyword> and <keyword id="50365" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vellore">Vellore</keyword>. 
 
(Image : Reuters)

More than 1 million BPO jobs awaiting you!

Hospitality and travel-tech firm <keyword id="2808667" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="oyo" source="Orion">OYO</keyword> on Monday said it will onboard and add 300 hill station hotels to its portfolio by August 2023 to cash in on the summer vacation rush. In north India, the new hotels will be in places such as Manali, <keyword id="193753" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="mussoorie" source="Orion">Mussoorie</keyword>, <keyword id="76016" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="nainital" source="Orion">Nainital</keyword>, Srinagar, Shimla, Dalhousie, and Haridwar while in the South, it will be Ooty, Munnar, and Kodaikanal, the company said in a statement. Gangtok, Darjeeling, and <keyword id="57704" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="shillong" source="Orion">Shillong</keyword> in the East; and <keyword id="6378734" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="lonavala" source="Orion">Lonavala</keyword> and Mahabaleshwar in the West will also see new OYO hotels, it added. The company is witnessing a surge in demand for hill stations and the trend will continue throughout the next three months, an OYO spokesperson said. "With our expansion across key hill stations in India, we aim to provide a wide range of options for travellers, while also contributing to the growth of domestic tourism," the spokesperson added. In addition to expansion across hill destinations, OYO is also aiming to add 1,800 new hotels to its portfolio in 2023 as part of its ongoing bid for premiumisation. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/mumbai-flat-sizes-have-shrunk-20-in-past-five-years-but-other-metros-show-improvement/articleshow/100932947.cms">Mumbai flat sizes have shrunk 20% in past five years but other metros show improvement</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/international/kili-and-neema-paul-the-tanzanian-tiktok-siblings-winning-indian-hearts/slidelist/100932281.cms">Meet Kili and Neema Paul, the Tanzanian Tiktok siblings winning Indian hearts</a>

OYO to bring on board 300 hill station hotels by August

Water level in all the major and minor rivers and tributaries in <keyword id="17605" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="jammu-and-kashmir" source="Orion">Jammu and Kashmir</keyword> rose sharply on Wednesday due to incessant rainfall during the last 48 hours as authorities closed schools in six districts to avoid any mishap. Water level in the <keyword id="2113355" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="tawi-river" source="Orion">Tawi River</keyword> in Jammu division, Jhelum, Sindh stream, Lidder, Doodhganga, Rambiyari, Vishow, Sukhna, Ferozepora and Pohru streams in Kashmir rose sharply during the last 24 hours as the authorities set up helplines for the general public. Facing an unprecedented dry spell during the last three months, rain was welcomed by the people in the Valley till it started threatening areas with flood and inundation. Low-lying areas in Srinagar city are already facing water logging while sloppy mountainsides in the rest of the Valley are threatened by flash floods, mudslides, etc. Both Srinagar-Jammu and the Mughal Road that connect Kashmir with the Jammu division are closed due to landslides and shooting stones. The Meteorological (MeT) department has forecast a decrease in rainfall intensity as the day progresses. "Significant improvement from today's forenoon. From June 23rd onwards, there is no forecast of any major rainfall till next one week. "Warning: Due to continuous rain since the last few days, landslide, flash flood has occurred at many vulnerable places, mainly in hilly areas. People are once again advised to travel on Srinagar-Jammu, Mughal Road, etc., only after confirming the Road Status from Traffic Police. Avoid going/working near Sloppy Nallas as Flash Flood often occurs suddenly,", the MeT office advisory said. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/it-cities-have-the-least-number-of-vacant-office-spaces-whereas-metros-like-delhi-and-mumbai-have-the-most/articleshow/92363232.cms">IT cities have the least number of vacant office spaces whereas metros like Delhi and Mumbai have the most</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/education/news/bijnoor-man-finishes-his-second-intermediate-after-50-years-hopes-to-become-a-pharmacist/articleshow/92377594.cms">Bijnoor man finishes his second intermediate after 50 years; hopes to become a pharmacist</a>

J&K rivers and tributaries swell up as it rains continuously for the last 48 hours

<ul><li><keyword id="6357762" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="online-shopping" source="Orion">Online shopping</keyword> is India’s new pastime during the <keyword id="1138708" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="prime-time" source="Orion">prime time</keyword> slot of 8 pm on weekdays. </li><li>Indians are taking their fitness very seriously with sales of fitness equipment surging 3X in 2022 on online commerce platform <keyword id="3480589" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="meesho" source="Orion">Meesho</keyword>. </li><li>Customers from Andaman &amp; Nicobar Islands, Ladakh and the north-eastern states are addicted to shopping as ordering from these states outpaces others. </li></ul>There’s a new prime time slot, when Indians drop everything to do what they like doing most – shopping. It is not Saas Bahu drama that Indians are spending their time on these days after 8 pm. Shopping is the new competition that even <keyword id="1245953" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ott" source="Orion">OTT</keyword> needs to watch out for. Meesho, the homegrown digital commerce platform, in its year-end report says that Indians shop the most on Sundays and after 8 pm on weekdays. The pandemic may be on its way out, but the after-effects are lingering as habits have been formed in these three years. Indians are continuing to spend as much time or even more on shopping apps, if the scale of order volumes is anything to go by. And even though the pandemic may be on its last legs, Indians continue to remain health conscious, with 10,000 steps becoming the new normal. Meesho says in its year-end report that the fitness frenzy is real. From dumbbells to treadmills, sales of fitness equipment surged 3X in 2022 as orders poured in from Srinagar and Mathura to Guntur and Siliguri. For metro dwellers, it is yoga over everything else, with Bengaluru, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad and Mumbai buying the most yoga mats. Meesho, which sought to democratise internet commerce for everyone, has done much to bridge the gap between Bharat and India. While its primary proposition is value for money, customers from across the length and breadth of India flocked to the portal in 2022 to search not just for low prices but also a variety of products. Meesho’s order volumes equalled the country’s total electorate: From Mumbai to Mirzapur, a record 91 crore orders were placed in 2022 (up 135% YoY), equalling India’s registered voter base in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. At roughly 140 million, Meesho’s annual transacting users exceeded the combined population of the top three nations in FIFA World Cup 2022: France, Argentina and Croatia. The most prolific shoppers are not from the metros. Customers from Andaman &amp; Nicobar Islands are the most prolific with the highest number of orders per shopper. Ladakh comes close on the heels of the Andamans and the north-eastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim come after. Utkrishta Kumar, CXO, Business at Meesho, said, “2022 has been a breakout year for Meesho with the business growing exponentially. Our orders grew 135% YoY with growing demand not just from Tier 2+ regions but even value-seeking consumers from metros and Tier 1 who are increasingly shopping with us. This is a validation of our efforts to cater to customer needs for quality products at the lowest prices that were traditionally underserved by e-commerces.” <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="What did India buy online in 2022?" comment="subhead2" text="What did India buy online in 2022?">What did India buy online in 2022?</cmsannotation> For years, grooming products found no takers as Indians were stuck at home during lockdowns. But men are now taking their grooming very seriously along with their fitness goals. ‘Smartwatch’ was the second-most searched product in 2022, showing how Indians are moving the needle on physical activity. And grooming products are not far behind as men from Tier 2 towns took better care of themselves, with more than 60% of orders coming from Tier 4 markets. Surprisingly enough, the biggest orders did not come from metro cities but from a small town in <keyword id="6357713" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="uttar-pradesh" source="Orion">Uttar Pradesh</keyword>. The platform says that a customer from Uttar Pradesh placed an order every waking hour, totaling up to 6,384 orders in 2022. The most cricket-crazy state is Uttar Pradesh, according to Meesho. Consumers from the state bought the maximum cricket gear. The country’s largest state was followed by Maharashtra, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Thanks to Akshay Kumar’s Padman, feminine hygiene has seen an uptick in Bharat. Orders for sanitary napkins grew 9X in Tier 2+ cities, demonstrating how e-commerce is creating accessibility for millions of women in Bharat. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/news/one-in-every-five-online-orders-had-a-kurti-or-saree-in-their-cart-redseer/articleshow/95598263.cms">Sarees </a>continue to be a particular favourite fashion item for women. With 148 sarees sold per minute and demand coming in from all corners of the country, India’s love for the attire has only grown. Close on the heels of sarees, 93,000 t-shirts, 51,725 bluetooth earphones and 21,662 lipsticks were sold every day. Haryana stocked up on bed sheets, Jharkhand snapped up extension boards, Rajasthan took a special liking to bluetooth earphones while Assam bought body lotions like nobody’s business. And even though reading may be fast going out of fashion, 8 in 10 orders for books came from Tier 2+ markets, with shoppers showing a clear inclination for self-help bestsellers like Ikigai, Atomic Habits, The Psychology of Money and Rich Dad Poor Dad. Meesho has not just democratised online commerce by taking it to nooks and crannies of India, but has also enriched sellers in the process as it does not charge commissions. Sellers saved ₹3,700 crore in commissions in 2022, thanks to its zero-commission model. Meesho also onboarded 500,000 suppliers in 2022, with 61% of them new to e-commerce and selling online for the first time.

Prime time TV & OTT now have competition from online shopping – Indians shop the most after 8 pm, says Meesho

Srinagar, The cold wave has been consistent in J&amp;K and <keyword id="26604" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="ladakh">Ladakh</keyword> as they go through <keyword id="10497269" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="harsh-winter-period">harsh winter period</keyword> of Chillai Kalan and on Saturday the weather office also forecast light to moderate <keyword id="6354217" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Snowfall">snowfall</keyword> on Sunday and Monday, including in Drass and Zojila among other areas of the two union territories. "Weather is likely to remain mainly dry during the next 24-36 hours in both the UTs. "Light to moderate snowfall is likely at scattered to fairly widespread places in <keyword id="6354495" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="kashmir">Kashmir</keyword>, especially the higher reaches and Drass, Zojila area of Ladakh during 27th evening to 28th," Sonam Lotus, director of the MET department said. The ongoing 40-day long period of 'Chillai Kalan' will end on January 31. Srinagar recorded minus 3.7, Pahalgam minus 4.5 and Gulmarg minus 6.5 degrees Celsius. Leh town of Ladakh had minus 16.8, Kargil minus 17.4 and Drass minus 22.5 as the night's lowest temperatures. <keyword id="324000" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jammu-city">Jammu city</keyword> was at 5 degrees Celsius, Katra 5.7, Batote 2.0, Bannihal minus 1.8 and Bhaderwah minus 1.3. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/top-stocks-to-watch-mrs-bectors-ril-bharti-airtel-vodafone-idea-ilfs-interglobe-aviation-future-group-deepak-nitrite-jubilant-foodworks-and-others/articleshow/79933826.cms">Top stocks to watch – Mrs Bectors, RIL, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, IL&amp;FS, InterGlobe Aviation, Future Group, Deepak Nitrite, Jubilant FoodWorks, and others</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/there-are-one-of-only-17-indian-companies-out-of-500-that-aced-the-du-pont-test/articleshow/79911627.cms">There are one of only 17 Indian companies out of 500 that aced the Du Pont test</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/wipro-buyback-offer-details-and-700-million-metro-ag-deal-drives-share-price/articleshow/79911875.cms">Wipro offers 10% more to buy back shares and signs a $700 million deal with Metro AG – everything that’s driving the IT services stock higher today</a>

Snow likely in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh in next two days

<ul><li><keyword id="1245953" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ott" source="Orion">OTT</keyword> had a watershed year in 2020 and the growth continued in 2021. Most reports are predicting that OTTs growth is here to stay.</li><li>Homegrown <keyword id="959269" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ott-platform" source="Orion">OTT platform</keyword> <keyword id="4241922" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="altbalaji" source="Orion">ALTBalaji</keyword> has been witnessing healthy growth on the back of its differentiated, localized content with a mass appeal.</li><li>We speak to <keyword id="3381161" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Divya-Dixit" source="Orion">Divya Dixit</keyword>, SVP - Marketing &amp; Revenue, ALTBalaji to take a look at ALTBalaji’s journey so far and the factors that have helped it woo audiences in a space that is increasingly becoming cluttered.</li></ul>It won’t be an exaggeration to say 2020 was a watershed year for the Over-the-Top (OTT) industry. With people being stuck at home, yearning for fresh content with nowhere to go, OTT platforms came to the rescue. Most platforms witnessed an uptick in its uptake, with people spending more and more time on the platforms. According to a recent report by FICCI and the Producers Guild of India, around 148 million Indians subscribed to online curated content platforms. Another report by RBSA Advisors also predicted that India's video OTT market may hit $12.5 billion by 2030 from around $1.5 billion in 2021 owing to access to better networks, smartphones, and digital connectivity. The pandemic no doubt has given the industry a boost and most platforms are doing all they can to woo consumers. While competing with each other for producing and licensing better, more differentiated content, last year also made most of these platforms realize that consumers are wanting to watch local content and most platforms have been investing on producing local and regional content. Within the OTT space in India, homegrown platform ALTBalaji has been witnessing a healthy growth in the past few years. The 4-year-old platform said recently that it is currently catering to an MAU base of over 10 million, having sold 2.9 million subscriptions in H1 alone. The platform is also seeing an audience engagement metrics of 83 minutes per day. While witnessing good growth from non-metro cities in India, ALTBalaji also recently announced its partnership with Telenet to further its reach into Nepal. We recently caught up with Divya Dixit, SVP - Marketing &amp; Revenue, ALTBalaji to take a look at ALTBalaji’s journey so far and what has helped it woo audiences in a space that is increasingly becoming cluttered. Excerpts: Q) It's been over 4 years since the launch of ALTBalaji. Can you walk me through a few of the highlights? ALTernative content being the core ethos of the group, ALTBalaji completed four glorious years of entertaining the audience with their non-stereotypical and out of the box storytelling. Currently catering to an MAU base of over 10 million, we have sold 2.9 million subscriptions in H1 alone, in this highly competitive Over-The-Top business. The platform also sees an audience engagement metrics of 83 minutes per day, with different genres catering to varied audiences. At ALTBalaji, we constantly sought innovation in content, technology as well as marketing. With a library of around 90 original shows on the app and yet many more to be released, our content library has received accolades for its disruptive work and also seen the engagement time grow to over 83 minutes since the last quarter. As a result, there has been a steady upward growth for the past two years. Furthermore, being one of the most economically viable OTT platforms in the country, catering to almost all sections of society with a varied genre of shows, the various web series on the digital platform have received recognition from IMDB in terms of the ratings and numbers. Our recent action-thriller web series Cartel with an IMDB rating of 8.2; Broken But Beautiful 3 with 8.7; Mai Hero Boll Raha Hu with 8.7; Apharan with 8.3, The Test Case with 8.4 and Bose with 8.8 are some of the shows which have received rave reviews and numbers. With the growth of technology, penetrative pricing and tailor-made content for audiences, ALTBalaji has seeped into the country's hinterlands. We worked quickly and identified the needs of the hour, leading to shows that made impact and kept people entertained right in their homes. Q) Considering how people have been stuck at home since last year, they are still looking for entertainment and looking for it on OTT. How did you strengthen your content offering in the last 1.5 years to create an edge for yourself in the market? While the pandemic added to the platform's growth, ALTBalaji's journey over the past four years has been ever-growing. Engagement time has exponentially increased and subscriptions continue to grow at a steady pace. Many variables decide viewership, ranging from the technology available to the preferred content to the time people had in hand. So fortunately, from the platform's perspective, there has been no dip in the number of viewers. Cities like Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Kolkata with a 2.19%, 1.32%, and 0.99% growth YOY are among the few major cities that have added to a significant expansion in ALTBalaji's subscribers in the past year. We have been quick to understand that content is the deciding factor to draw in more viewers. So, it was essential to personalize content as per the viewer's preferences, which we constantly work on. The most crucial part our strategy is our out-of-the-box narratives. The content itself is tailor-made to attract larger audiences. We believe in creating shows that appeal across segments and narratives out of the box or unexplored. Recent shows like The Married Woman, Broken But Beautiful 3, and Cartel have been making headlines, and we are ecstatic with the response. Broken But Beautiful 3 set benchmarks with 180 million viewers and 220 million impressions with an innovative marketing strategy. Other notable shows like Crashh, Mai Hero Boll Raha Hu, His Storyy and Cartel have given ALTBalaji an edge over most platforms. Q) What sort of investments are you putting in on acquiring new content, producing them yourself? OTT content consumption has witnessed a steady growth throughout and will continue to do so on its own. However, the lockdown period has scaled up the OTT content consumption game, and I believe now is the time for OTT platform players to sit back and rethink their strategy. ALTBalaji has always sworn by original content. The platform churns out unique content and gives a launchpad to many aspiring talents across the board. Since our launch in 2017, we have ensured that our costs are restricted to Rs 150-Rs 160 crores per annum, out of which content cost has been around Rs 110 crore. Also, we aren't in the business of acquiring content. It is because we've mastered the art of making content at one-third the price that our peers are spending. In the year 2021 alone, the platform launched 20 original shows, and many more are in production Q) What kind of growth did you witness last year after the lockdown? Have you been able to retain the growth? The pandemic has scaled up the OTT content consumption game and ALTBalaji has seen a significant rise in engagement levels. ALTBalaji has seen a 15-20% growth in its viewership numbers; however, the lockdown increased subscribers from the Hindi heartlands. With the increase in appetite to consume our diverse library of originals and our shows catering to the mass audience, we have 59% of our viewership coming from the non-metros. While cities like Lucknow, Ludhiana, and Guwahati saw a huge increase of 189.84%, 106.50%, and 108.41%, respectively, Srinagar, Shimla, and Ranchi weren’t behind either, with an uprise of 103.81%, 103.05%, and 192.01%, as compared to ALTBalaji's viewership from these cities in 2020. 18% of our overall traction comes from the global audience, without any aggressive marketing. ALTBalaji established a precise positioning of 'OTT of the masses' with Hindi Colloquial Content for the Bharat audience and Hindi Speaking Diaspora. Q) With multiplexes opening up, do you think the growth for your platform will stagnate? What is your customer retention strategy? OTT has created new opportunities for content distribution across geographies. Viewers have adapted to the flexibility of time, convenience and choice of watching content. 2020 certainly acted as a catalyst in transforming the audiences' content consumption habits, converting fence-sitters and one-time visitors to subscribers, thereby increasing the overall subscription base and engaging more with the existing ones. Furthermore, the low cost of mobile network and affordable smartphones have revolutionized the OTT video streaming industry. In conclusion, surviving the market demands despite the opening of theatres is possible with affordable pricing, diverse content bouquet, buffer-free experience, and immersive innovations. Going out to mingle and unwind by watching movies is still a part of our culture and hence multiplexes will always remain important. Q) From a marketing perspective, what are you doing differently to be top of mind in the consumer's mind? Going ahead, what will your key areas of focus be? Our digital strategy covers all the bases when it comes to youth-friendly platforms. We have realized that influencer engagement is the way to go in this time &amp; age. Our romantic series Broken But Beautiful 3 have been picked up as a case study since the show achieved 180 million viewers with 220 million impressions through our marketing campaign. We also partnered with short format apps for youth oriented UGC, multiple digital payment gateways for our various youth-centric brands to ensure the audience has the smoothest experience possible. In 2020 alone, ALTBalaji has partnered with almost 25-30 brands for each of our show release that enabled incredible growth for both parties. We have a robust analytics platform with a live dashboard that provides us information on views and engagement along with the socio-economic and demographics of our viewers to generate behavioural consumption patterns to sharpen our retention strategy. What works optimally for us is to focus on consumer segmentation, mapping audience behaviour, focused customer retention, optimizing customer life cycle, and progressive strategies for onboarding new consumer segments; who are new to the internet or women in smaller markets, etc. Besides Instagram and Twitter, we also actively use WhatsApp to engage with our users. To further penetrate the Hindi heartlands, we will simplify our UI/UX by bringing in voice search, one button click registration, and easy payment modules in retail and digital. We foresee that we can target growth in the youth segment, over and above male and female target audience aged between 20-40 years. Vocal for local is sure to make it big in 2021. Gamification and Virtual reality, along with social commerce, will be the next big consumer engagement drivers on OTT. Q) Since digitization has sped up since the lockdown, how are bringing in new users? How are you reaching out to audiences deeper in the country who are also hungry for good content? Massification of content has been our goal right from the very beginning, and that shall see us lay further impetus towards expanding our content library. The various genres that we dabble into have massive scope for OTT players to explore the segment and expand their footprint by tapping into Tier II and Tier III markets. In parallel, we are continuously improving our UI/UX to ensure easier subscription, voice search, vertical video formats and a more effortless viewing experience for our audiences. The data analytics combined with targeted marketing also allows us to acquire customers lower than the industry standards. We also intend to extensively leverage data for predication analysis on the shows as the library expands, which feeds back into the content teams, enabling them to take sharper decisions on content creation Q) How are you making the platform more user-friendly, technologically more stable to be on the same level as a few of the global OTT players? The entry of new players in the OTT landscape or the rising influence of an existing player does not bother us. We welcome competition. It expands the consumer base and brings in new business opportunities and strategies. ALTBalaji also tied up with Amazon Pay and MobiKwik, two of the most trusted and convenient payment options for online transactions making the app more user-friendly, especially at payment and checkout. The tie-up with Amazon Pay enabled the subscribers to win up to Rs 50/- cashback while MobiKwik gave subscribers up to 10% cashback, credited to the users' wallets in under 24 hours. With these offers, subscribers will have no difficulty switching over to these safer and quicker, one-click transaction options for all future purchases. A buffer-free experience and immersive innovations are constantly worked upon. To further penetrate the Hindi heartlands, simplifying our UI/UX further, by bringing in voice search, one button click registration, as well as simpler payment modules in retail and digital is what we will be looking to innovate constantly

Over the years, we've mastered the art of making content at one-third the price that our peers are spending: Divya Dixit, ALTBalaji

Crossing the 10% mark for the first time, Wadia Group-promoted <keyword id="6356167" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="GoAir">GoAir</keyword> achieved 10.1% market share in June. This was fuelled by the growth in the number of passengers, which went up by 29.1% as compared to the corresponding period last year. 
 
"The results are a consequence of deploying additional capacity in metro to non-metro routes, where growth has been consistently strong. We have now more than 70% of our capacity deployed on such routes with Srinagar, Pune, Goa, Nagpur and Patna being the strongest non-metro catchment areas," GoAir CEO Giorgio De Roni said. 
 
The airline has recorded a positive growth in the market share for three successive months, the airline said.

GoAir Bags Record 10.1% Market
Share In June

<keyword id="54875" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Airports-Authority-of-India">Airports Authority of India</keyword> (<keyword id="47439" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Aai">AAI</keyword>) has revealed its biggest-ever investment outlay, under which it plans to invest Rs 15,000 crore over the next four years for the development and <keyword id="3348397" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="upgradation-of-airports">upgradation of airports</keyword> in India. The project would also include installing solar capacities at several airports across the country. 
 
The plan has been approved by the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/20-formula/articleshow/50282911.cms" target="_BLANK￿￿￿￿">civil aviation ministry</a>, and a four-member team has been created that would monitor the targets in the plan. "The ministry has ordered formation of a committee with representation from the finance ministry to monitor it," a senior <keyword id="58151" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="civil-aviation-ministry">civil aviation ministry</keyword> official told ET on the condition of anonymity. This panel includes AAI's chairman and member (finance), one joint secretary from aviation ministry and one from the finance ministry. 
 
The last that AAI had spent so much was when it upgraded 35 non-metro airports, which cost around Rs 12,500 crore. 
 
Also read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/hr-flights-No-fuel-charges-ortax-added/articleshow/49659225.cms" target="_BLANK￿￿￿￿">Soon, Rs 2500/hr flights. No fuel charges or tax added</a> 
 
Out of this Rs 15,000 crore, around Rs 13,000 crore would be invested on upgrading, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/new-airports-in-india/articleshow/49673619.cms" target="_BLANK￿￿￿￿">expanding</a> and extending 39 airports, while the remaining will be spent over revival and upgradation of airports in smaller cities and installation of solar power capacity at various airports. 
 
While airports in <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Chennai-airport-will-resume-from-tomorrow-DGCA-gives-nod/articleshow/50044967.cms" target="_BLANK￿￿￿￿">Chennai</a>, Guwahati, Patna, Srinagar, Jammu, Lucknow and others will get new terminals, airports in Jaipur, Amritsar, Raipur, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/You-may-feel-a-hint-of-Singapore-at-Ahmedabad-Jaipur-airports-soon/articleshow/50104322.cms" target="_BLANK￿￿￿￿">Ahmedabad</a> among others will see runway upgrades 
 
<a href="http://www.airportsinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Chennai-Airside.jpg">Image source</a>

AAI plans to invest Rs 15,000 crore in upgrading Indian airports over four years

A day after <keyword id="1583080" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="AirAsia-India">AirAsia India</keyword> got the nod of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, <keyword id="1878233" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Tata-SIA-Airlines">Tata SIA Airlines</keyword>, the 51:49 joint venture between <keyword id="46894" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Tata-Sons">Tata Sons</keyword> and <keyword id="6368386" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Singapore-Airlines">Singapore Airlines</keyword>, has come out with its tentative route network for the first four years. 
 <keyword id="6354787" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="DGCA">DGCA</keyword> has invited public feedback on the proposed carrier's application and has also made public the airline’s tentative route and operations. Tata SIA’s application says that the airline proposes to commence operations by September 1 this year. 
 
Tata SIA plans to function from Delhi, which will be its operational hub, and will operate across Mumbai, Goa, Patna, Chandigarh, Srinagar, Hyderabad and Bangalore in its first year. It is expected to begin with two flights a day to Mumbai, with one flight going onwards to Goa. The first phase will also have two flights a day to Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad. 
 
Besides the metros, the airline will operate one flight a day to Srinagar, Patna, Chandigarh and Jammu. The airline plans to expand aggressively and it will be adding cities like Chennai, Pune, Lucknow, Varanasi, Jaipur, Kolkata, Amritsar, Bagdogra, Indore and Cochin within the first four years. 
 
As per the proposed plan, the Delhi-Mumbai route will be the focal point of its operations and it is expected to have 49 weekly flights (or seven daily flights) by 2018. 
 
The application also says that the airline will use the existing variant of the Airbus A320, as well as the NEO or the new engine option of the Airbus A320, which is more fuel-efficient. 
Image Courtesy: Thinkstock

Tata SIA Airlines Releases Proposed Route
Network; To Focus On Delhi-Mumbai Segment

The price war started by the airlines has resulted in a sudden surge in air travel bookings, which have gone up by nearly 300% in the first week of September itself. Carriers such as <keyword id="6358200" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jet-Airways">Jet Airways</keyword>, <keyword id="6354706" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indigo">Indigo</keyword>, and <keyword id="6358032" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="SpiceJet">Spicejet</keyword> have slashed their fares substantially in order to woo the travellers for a period of 90 days and above in advance. And the strategy seems to be doing wonders to the airlines’ business. 
 

	Sharat Dhall, President, Yatra.com, an online travel portal, confirmed this while talking to BI India. He said “We have seen flight bookings going up by nearly three times of what it generally is during this period. We have witnessed an increase in the number of bookings on numerous sectors”. According to him leisure travellers are the ones, who are making the most of these flash sales. “We saw an exponential increase in the bookings for leisure destinations such as Kerala, Goa, Srinagar, Ladhak and Leh as well as for metros such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata among others,” Dhall stated. 
	 

	The ‘Air Fare’ War 
	 

	Spicejet, at the beginning of this month, offered tickets for Rs 499 (1 September3 September) for the travel period January-October 2015. Jet followed the suit and sold tickets for Rs 500 to people planning their travels for the next year. Indigo too came up with a similar offer and sold its tickets for Rs 999 for bookings done three months in advance. 
	 

	Who Won The Jackpot? 
	 

	The ‘air far’ certainly helped give every carrier the much-needed boost, but according to industry experts Spicejet emerged as the winner. The LCC had sold over 1 lakh tickets on the first day of its offer. 
	 

	Flash Sales: The Way Forward? 
	 

	Analysts warn that the move could be hazardous in the long run. They fear that the airlines through discounted tickets are bringing their current revenue by mortgaging their future. “It is tantamount to the airlines eating their young just to survive, which is disastrous”, said Devesh Agarwal. 
	 

	However, Amber Dubey, Head and Partner, KPMG India is positive about it. He said, “Flash sales of air tickets are a good way to stimulate buying, bring in non-flyers and sell unsold seats, which are anyways likely to remain unsold in non-peak hour flights. The cost structure of airlines is mostly of a fixed nature–fuel wages, airport charges, aircraft lease and maintenance among others. The incremental cash that flash sales generate helps defray part of the fixed cost. Flying an empty seat is the biggest pain-point for an airline”. 
	 

	Amber seems to have a valid point. Flash sales in India have proven to be a great marketing strategy for the airlines. On an average, the passenger load factor (PLF) for any carrier is 70% while the remaining 30% seats fly empty. Flash sale, which generally last for a few days, only helps an airline to sell off these empty seats and marginally recover the cost per seat.

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