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<ul><li><keyword id="345488" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="qia" source="Orion">QIA</keyword> gives financial backing to <keyword id="13149844" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bodhi-tree-investment-platform" source="Orion">Bodhi Tree Investment Platform</keyword>, a strategic partnership Of Lupa Systems And <keyword id="105547" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="uday-shankar" source="Orion">Uday Shankar</keyword>.</li><li><keyword id="131171" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="bodhi-tree" source="Orion">Bodhi Tree</keyword> to focus on media and consumer technology opportunities in Southeast Asia, with a particular focus on India; QIA to commit up to $US1.5 billion to the venture and its opportunities.</li></ul>Lupa Systems Founder and CEO James Murdoch and Uday Shankar, the former Chairman and CEO of Star India and the former President of Walt Disney Asia Pacific, announced today they are forming a new venture, "Bodhi Tree," an <keyword id="4964195" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="investment-platform" source="Orion">investment platform</keyword> that will be financially supported by the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA). This new venture is designed to invest in media and consumer technology opportunities in Southeast Asia, with a particular focus on India. Bodhi Tree will leverage technology to provide disruptive solutions that drive transformational outcomes in sectors with deep consumer engagement – including media, education and healthcare – to positively impact millions of consumers across the region. Bodhi Tree will be investing at scale to achieve these outcomes. The newly formed venture will be run by Murdoch and Shankar as co-chairs, combining decades of experience influencing the region's media landscape and emerging consumers. QIA will be committing up to $US1.5 billion in Bodhi Tree's vision being pursued by Murdoch and Shankar. "We are very pleased to announce Bodhi Tree," Messrs Murdoch and Shankar said. "Opportunities abound to scale exciting businesses in India and the broader Southeast Asia region. Our continued focus on investing and building relationships in these regions comes from our deep conviction in the long-term growth of these economies and the incredible power of these consumers, as these sectors are transformed by technology." QIA CEO Mansoor bin Ebrahim Al-Mahmoud said: "QIA is proud to play a key role in bringing Bodhi Tree to reality. QIA is investing i n the technology and media space and India is a key market for us. QIA looks forward to backing Bodhi Tree as they drive forward their growth plans in the future."

Uday Shankar and Lupa Systems enter into a strategic partnership to form an investment platform

<ul><li><keyword id="105547" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uday-Shankar">Uday Shankar</keyword> will step down from his position of President, <keyword id="9435264" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="the-walt-disney-company-apac">The Walt Disney Company APAC</keyword> and chairman, Star &amp; Disney India, effective as of December 31, 2020.</li><li>The announcement was made by <keyword id="247788" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rebecca-Campbell">Rebecca Campbell</keyword>, chairman of Disney’s Direct-to-Consumer &amp; International segment.</li><li>Over the next three months, Shankar will work closely with Ms. Campbell to identify his successor to ensure a smooth transition.</li></ul>Uday Shankar will step down as president, The Walt Disney Company APAC and chairman, Star &amp; Disney India, effective as of December 31, 2020, it was announced today by Rebecca Campbell, chairman of Disney’s Direct-to-Consumer &amp; International segment. Over the next three months, Shankar will work closely with Ms. Campbell to identify his successor to ensure a smooth transition. “I want to thank Uday for his leadership and dedication to our APAC business. With the successful launch of Disney+ throughout the region, he has helped put The Walt Disney Company in a commanding position in this dynamic and incredibly strategic part of the world. His vast experience and expertise have been invaluable in bringing together a strong, cohesive APAC leadership team to chart a path forward for our streaming businesses in the region and beyond,” said Ms. Campbell. “Uday has been a great friend, colleague and valued counselor to me personally, and I know I speak for all of DTCI when I say he will be greatly missed. At the same time, I understand and respect his desire to make this change. I am extremely grateful that he has agreed to stay on to help ensure a seamless transition.” Commenting on his decision to step down, Mr. Shankar said, “I have always believed in the power of creativity and cutting-edge technology to create a better world and consider myself incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to do so at Star, 21CF and now at The Walt Disney Company. As I look back on this journey, I take pride in having set ambitious goals in my professional career, and achieving all that we set out to do. For some time now, I have been contemplating the question of how I give back to the country, community and the industry that have given me so much. I think the best way to express my gratitude to all of them will be to support and mentor a new generation of entrepreneurs as they set out to create transformational solutions that will have a positive impact on countless lives. I intend to partner with global investors and pioneers to achieve this.” Since February 2019, Mr. Shankar has served as president, The Walt Disney Company APAC and chairman, Star &amp; Disney India. Previously, he was president of 21st Century Fox for Asia and the chairman &amp; CEO of Star India. He took over the leadership of Star India in 2007 and transformed not only the Star business into one of the largest and most successful media companies in Asia but has also played a significant role in revolutionizing the media landscape of the region with a great team, audacious strategy and meticulous execution. A believer in the power of local execution, Shankar led Star’s aggressive foray into regional and local language programming, transforming Star into a content powerhouse which now broadcasts more than 30,000 hours of content every year. He also consolidated Star’s <keyword id="10070894" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="sports-broadcasting-operations">sports broadcasting operations</keyword> through 21st Century Fox’s acquisition of its joint venture with <keyword id="56400" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="ESPN">ESPN</keyword>. Today, Star Sports is India’s largest sports broadcaster and is fundamentally redefining India’s sports ecosystem. In a notoriously single sport country, Star has launched multiple domestic sports leagues like those in Kabaddi and Football and has pioneered the agenda of creating a thriving multi-sports culture. Under Shankar’s leadership, Star has also made strides in disrupting the country’s digital landscape with the launch of Hotstar, which is now India’s largest over-the-top (OTT) platform for professionally produced content and has gone global in its footprint with offerings in the US, Canada and the UK. He previously served as CEO and editor of Star News, which was the first 24-hour news channel in India. He was also the editor and news director at TV Today Group, where he spearheaded the launch of Aaj Tak, a leading Hindi news channel, in 2000 and Headlines Today, a leading English news channel, in 2003. Over the past decade, Shankar has played a key role in shaping the media and entertainment sector in India, bringing reforms for the industry and its consumers. A former president of Indian Broadcasting Federation (IBF), he is currently senior vice president of FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) and in line to take over as its next president.

Uday Shankar to step down as President, Walt Disney Company (APAC), Star & Disney India

<ul><li>The first movie to be released directly on the platform will be Sushant Singh Rajput's Dil Bechara.</li><li>Between July and October, the platform will directly launch 7 big-ticket Bollywood releases on the platform.</li></ul> Disney+ Hotstar is announced the launch of Disney+ Hotstar Multiplex that will see the <keyword id="4722197" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="direct-release">direct release</keyword> of Bollywood movies on the OTT platform. Starting July 24,the platform will launch 7 big-ticket movies including Akshay Kumar and Kiara Advani's Laxmmi Bomb, Ajay Devgn, Sonakshi Sinha and Sanjay Dutt's Bhuj: The Pride of India, late Sushant Singh Rajput, Sanjana Sanghi and Saif Ali Khan's Dil Bechara, Sanjay Dutt, Alia Bhatt, Aditya Roy Kapur and Pooja Bhatt's Sadak 2, Abhishek Bachchan's The Big Bull, Vidyut Jammwal's Khuda Haafiz and Kunal Kemmu and Rasika Dugal's Lootcase amongst others. Disney+ Hotstar Multiplex will usher in a new re-imagined ‘first-day first-show’ for Bollywood fans, by treating them to the most anticipated movies of superstars like Akshay Kumar &amp; Ajay Devgn being delivered directly to their mobiles; truly experiencing ‘First Day First Show ki home delivery’. Existing subscribers of Disney+ Hotstar Premium and Disney+ Hotstar VIP can enjoy these blockbuster movies at no additional cost to their existing subscription. Non-subscribers can simply purchase an annual membership of Disney+ Hotstar VIP at Rs 399/- to catch all these movies, and also enjoy exclusive Hotstar Specials, the world’s biggest Super Hero movies &amp; kids favourite characters in Hindi, Tamil &amp; Telugu, unlimited LIVE sports and much more - making it the best entertainment service in the country! The first movie of Disney+ Hotstar Multiplex will be Dil Bechara, starring late Sushant Singh Rajput; and to commemorate his invaluable contribution to Hindi cinema, this movie will be available to all subscribers and non-subscribers of Disney+ Hotstar. <keyword id="105547" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uday-Shankar">Uday Shankar</keyword> - President, <keyword id="9435264" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="the-walt-disney-company-apac">The Walt Disney Company APAC</keyword> and Chairman, Star &amp; Disney India, said “At Disney+ Hotstar, we firmly believe in pushing boundaries to achieve the unexpected. A few years ago, we took an audacious step of bringing sports closer to people by streaming it LIVE on mobile devices – a move that forever changed the course of LIVE sports in India. Today as we launch Disney+ Hotstar Multiplex, we find ourselves yet again at the cusp of making a revolutionary change by bringing the biggest Bollywood movies directly to millions across the country. We are happy to partner with the best directors and most talented actors; and provide them with a platform to present their masterpieces.” Speaking about this initiative and its effect on the overall industry, he further added, “Theatres are a special experience. So, they will always exist and thrive. But the potential of the industry can’t be capped by the number of release windows and theatres available. Our initiative will dramatically increase the number of films that can be made, giving film-lovers more films to enjoy and the creative community more films to make. We firmly believe that this will generate a massive momentum for more and different kinds of films to be made in India. It’s a win-win for all.” Akshay Kumar who stars in Laxmmi Bomb said, “We are excited and glad to have our movie Laxmmi Bomb being made available to millions of fans across the country on Disney+ Hotstar VIP! The movie is extremely dear to me as it is something unique I have attempted for the first time! It is an entertaining mélange of horror and humour and it has a strong social message attached to it! I am certain that this movie will bring joy and hope for everyone in these trying times!” Ajay Devgn who will be seen in Bhuj: The Pride of India added, "Having done a hundred films, I definitely took it for granted that theatres were where our films were meant to play. However, two things happened suddenly and almost simultaneously. The Corona pandemic threw all our comfort worlds into a tizzy. And, at the same time the OTT medium that was a fairly new phenomenon gained a huge significance as far as consuming entertainment is concerned. In the future, Theatres and OTT will move in parallel. Both options offer their own strengths. Bhuj: The Pride of India on Disney+ Hotstar VIP – a platform that will showcase our film across the length and breadth of the country. I think people will once again start looking forward to new film releases.” Alia Bhatt who stars in the sequel of iconic movies Sadak (released in 1991) said, “Sadak 2 is a movie that is very close to my heart; it was my first time working with my father, which makes this a dream come true. It has a very new but relevant emotional pulse, with an amazing cast. Working with Aditya, Sanjay Dutt and Pooja has been magical. These are extraordinary and difficult times and all of us are trying to get through it, taking each day at a time. My father always says that a filmmaker’s destination is the audience’s heart. Disney+ Hotstar VIP gives us that opportunity to connect with our audience all across the country” Abhishek Bachchan who stars in The Big Bull said, “There is nothing greater than the joy of being able to entertain someone through movies and great storytelling. And that’s exactly what The Big Bull will do - it will keep audiences hooked till the very end. I’m glad that the movie will launch on a platform like Disney+ Hotstar VIP where people from across the country will be able to enjoy it upon release”

Disney+ Hotstar Multiplex to release 7 Bollywood movies directly on its platform between July and October

Higher education platform <keyword id="2008319" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="upgrad" source="Orion">upGrad</keyword> on Friday announced it has acquired online learning institution <keyword id="8535878" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="harappa-education" source="Orion">Harappa Education</keyword> for Rs 300 crore (about $38 million). upGrad closed the transaction with present <keyword id="265317" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="harappa" source="Orion">Harappa</keyword> shareholders - Bodhi Tree Systems (a newly-formed platform between James Murdoch and <keyword id="105547" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="uday-shankar" source="Orion">Uday Shankar</keyword>) and Co-Founders Pramath Raj Sinha and Shreyasi Singh. Harappa Education is likely to clock Rs 75 crore in revenue this year. "A combination of upskilling courses along with these critical skills that Harappa has to offer would set us apart. We see strong demand from our clients and with Harappa coming in, we believe we'll be able to grow exponentially within the segment as we cross-leverage the synergies," said Ronnie Screwvala and Mayank Kumar, Co-founders of upGrad. Co-founded by Sinha, also the Founding Dean of the <keyword id="6357275" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="indian-school-of-business" source="Orion">Indian School of Business</keyword> (ISB), Harappa Education offers self-paced courses to address the spiralling problem of poor employability, inadequate leadership, and an ill-equipped workforce. Harappa has an active clientele of 100 mid and large-sized organisations. "As a combined force, Harappa and upGrad will anchor our purpose and conviction to create a truly wholesome learning ecosystem for lifelong learners in <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> and abroad, with our time-tested pedagogy, flagship programs, and rich partnerships to guarantee unmatched outcomes for our learners and clients," said Sinha and Singh, Founders of Harappa. upGrad has a learner base of over 3 million across over 100 countries and more than 300 University partners, along with an enterprise business with a client base of 1000 companies worldwide. Earlier this month, upGrad Rekrut, a 100 per cent subsidiary of online higher education platform major upGrad, announced it has acquired recruitment and staffing firm Wolves India, for an undisclosed sum. SEE ALSO : <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/education/news/cbse-class-12-results-declared-passing-rate-above-92/articleshow/93045586.cms">CBSE class 12 results declared, passing rate above 92%</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/education/news/80-impact-students-going-to-study-abroad-will-feel-the-pinch-but-it-is-worse-for-students-already-there/articleshow/93044954.cms">₹80 impact: Students going to study abroad will feel the pinch, but it is worse for students already there</a>

upGrad acquires edtech platform Harappa Education for Rs 300 cr

<ul><li>The <keyword id="4317233" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Media-and-Entertainment">Indian Media and Entertainment</keyword> (M&amp;E) sector reached Rs 1.82 trillion (US$25.7 billion) in 2019. </li><li>Digital subscription revenues more than doubled from 2018 levels and digital advertising revenues grew to command 24% of total advertising spend.</li><li>Digital media overtook filmed entertainment in 2019 to become the third largest segment of the M&amp;E sector.</li><li>While the exact impact of Coronavirus is not yet known, if the current state of lockdown continues for over a month, the sector could be looking at flat growth. A 3-month lockdown could lead to a de-growth of 25%.</li></ul>The Indian Media and Entertainment (M&amp;E) sector reached Rs 1.82 trillion (US$25.7 billion) in 2019, a growth of 9% over 2018 states the <keyword id="6355001" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="ficci">FICCI</keyword> EY report ‘The era of consumer A.R.T. – Acquisition Retention and Transaction,’ launched today. With its current trajectory, the M&amp;E sector in India is expected to cross Rs 2.4 trillion (US$34 billion) by 2022, at a CAGR of 10%. However, FICCI and EY clarified that the findings of this report had not taken into consideration the rapidly evolving impact of Covid-19 on the industry. While television and print retained their positions as the two largest segments, digital media overtook filmed entertainment in 2019 to become the third largest segment of the M&amp;E sector. Digital subscription revenues more than doubled from 2018 levels and digital advertising revenues grew to command 24% of total advertising spend. The sector continues to grow at a rate faster than the GDP, driven primarily by growth in subscription-based business models and India’s attractiveness as a content production and post production destination. The rapid proliferation of mobile access is enabling on-demand, anytime-anywhere content consumption nationwide. With a population of 1.3 billion, a tele-density approaching 89% of households, 688 million internet subscribers and nearly 400 million smartphone users, India’s telecom industry is poised to become the primary platform for content distribution and consumption. India ranks as one of the fastest-growing app markets globally, where entertainment apps are driving significant consumer engagement. Online gaming retained its position as the fastest growing segment on the back of transaction-based games mainly fantasy sports, increased in-app purchases and a 31% growth in the number of online gamers to reach around 365 million. <keyword id="105547" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uday-Shankar">Uday Shankar</keyword>, Vice President, FICCI and Chair, FICCI Media and Entertainment Division, said, “Riding the wave of exponential progress made towards digital accessibility and adoption, the M&amp;E industry has been a forerunner of a dynamic and aspirational India. New products and business models are being imagined to capitalize on the rise in media consumption. Global players are recognizing the need to build India-centric offerings. The coming years are likely to usher in greater innovation in content formats, means of dissemination, and business models.” <keyword id="263905" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ashish-Pherwani">Ashish Pherwani</keyword>, Partner and Media &amp; Entertainment Leader, <keyword id="1919178" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="EY-India">EY India</keyword>, stated, “The M&amp;E sector witnessed a surge in content consumption as digital infrastructure, quantum of content produced and per-capita income increased in 2019. Driven by the ability to create direct-to-customer relationships, the sector firmly pivoted towards a B2C operating model, changing the way it measured itself. As entertainment and information options grew and choice increased the era of consumer Acquisition, Retention and Transaction (ART) redefined the media value chain leading to the emergence of many new trends and strategies across content, distribution, consumption and monetization.” “The Coronavirus outbreak will have a significant adverse impact on the sector, the situation is still evolving both in India and many parts of the world, the scale of the impact cannot be estimated immediately,” he added. He further stated that if the lockdown goes beyond a month, the M&amp;E sector can expect a flat growth. Moreover, if the lockdown is extended to 3 months, it could lead to a de-growth of 25% for the sector. Key findings: Television: The TV industry grew from Rs 740 billion to Rs 788 billion in 2019, a growth of 6.5%. TV advertising grew 5% to Rs 320 billion while subscription grew 7% to Rs 468 billion. Regional channels benefited from the New Tariff Order as their consumption increased by over 20% in certain cases. General entertainment and movie channels led with 74% of viewership. On the back of several key announcements by the central and state governments such as Article 370, the Citizenship Amendment Act, and a general election, the news genre witnessed a growth to almost 9% of total viewership, up from 7.3% in 2018. In sports cricket emerged as the big winner in 2019 as it accounted for over 80% of the sports viewership, up from 70% last year, due to the ICC World Cup. Key insights - Television will remain the largest earner of advertising revenues even in 2025, approaching Rs 570 billion. Viewership of regional language channels will continue to grow and reach 55% of total viewership in India as their content quality improves further. Content viewed on smart TV sets will begin to reflect that consumed on mobile phones, providing a window for user generated content companies and other non-broadcasters to serve content on the connected television screen. Print: Despite a 3% revenue de-growth at Rs 296 billion, print continued to retain the second largest share of the Indian M&amp;E sector. Circulation revenues increased by 2% to Rs 90 billion as newspaper companies tactically increased prices in certain markets. Advertising revenues fell 5% to Rs 206 billion in 2019 as AdEX volumes fell by 8%. Margins improved as newsprint cost measures were implemented and companies benefited from the reduction of newsprint prices. Key insights – 2019 witnessed a significant growth in digital news consumers over 2018 when 300 million Indians consumed news online. Most large print companies had a defined digital business, with two companies crossing Rs 1 billion in digital revenues. Digital subscription, though nascent, has increased as several publications have put digital products behind a paywall. Digital media: In 2019, digital media grew 31% to reach Rs 221 billion and is expected to grow at 23% CAGR to reach Rs 414 billion by 2022. Digital advertising grew 24% to Rs 192 billion driven by increased consumption of content on digital platforms and marketeers’ preference to measure performance. SME and long tail advertisers increased their spends on digital media as well.Pay digital subscribers crossed 10 million for the first time as sports and other premium content were put behind a paywall.Consequently, subscription revenue grew 106% to Rs 29 billion. Digital consumption grew across platforms where video viewers increased by 16%, audio streamers by 33% and news consumers by 22%. Key insights: By 2020, OTT subscription market will approximate 10% of the total TV subscription market (without, however, considering data charges).We estimate over 40 million connected TVs by 2025, which will provide a huge opportunity for content creators to reach family consumers.Better bandwidth will drive large screen consumption. By 2025, 750 million smart phone screens will also increase the demand for regional, UGC and short content, creating a short video ecosystem that can create significant employment.The battle for content discovery will intensity and move to the unified interface. Films: The Indian film segment grew 10% in 2019 to reach Rs 191 billion driven by the growth in domestic theatrical revenues and both rates and volume of digital/ OTT rights sold. Domestic film revenues crossed Rs 115 billion with Gross Box Office collections for Hindi films at RS 49.5 billion – the highest ever for Hindi theatricals. Overseas theatricals revenues fell 10% to Rs 27 billion despite more films being released abroad primarily as films with superstars didn’t perform as well in 2019. 108 Hollywood films were released in 2019 as compared to 98 in 2018. The gross box office collections of Hollywood films in India (inclusive of all their Indian language dubbed versions) grew 33% to reach Rs 16 billion. As single screens continued to reduce, the total screen count decreased by 74 to 9,527. Key Insights: Digital rights continued to grow in 2019 with an increase in revenues from Rs 13.5 billion in 2018 to RS 19 billion in 2019. Digital release windows shortened with some movies releasing on OTT platforms even before their release on television. In-cinema advertising grew marginally to RS 7.7 billion in 2019 as multiplexes and advertising aggregators started signing long-term deals with brands. Seventeen hindi films entered the coveted RS 100 crore club in 2019, which is the highest ever. Interestingly, six movies made it to the Rs 200 crore club in 2019, as opposed to three in 2018. The future will be driven by immersive content (technology and VFX rich) experiences to drive theatrical footfalls and some genres of films could migrate to home viewership only.We can expect to see creation of a segmented Hindi-mass product for the heartland at low ticket prices.

Indian media and entertainment industry grew by 9% to reach Rs 1.82 trillion in 2019: FICCI-EY report 2020

<ul><li><keyword id="3820" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="mukesh-ambani" source="Orion">Mukesh Ambani</keyword> has set his eyes on the <keyword id="6354312" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ipl" source="Orion">IPL</keyword> broadcast and streaming rights auction, which is set to happen in June this year. </li><li>In this regard, <keyword id="10924" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="ambani" source="Orion">Ambani</keyword> has raised ₹13,500 crore from James <keyword id="49627" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="murdoch" source="Orion">Murdoch</keyword> and <keyword id="105547" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="uday-shankar" source="Orion">Uday Shankar</keyword>’s investment platform, Bodhi Tree Systems. </li><li>We evaluate the options available for the trio of Ambani, Murdoch and <keyword id="4458" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="shankar" source="Orion">Shankar</keyword>, and the competition that they are up against. </li></ul>Mukesh Ambani, India’s second richest person, has now set his aim on winning the Indian Premier League (IPL) broadcast rights, boosting his war chest with a ₹13,500 crore investment from James Murdoch – the son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch – and former Walt Disney veteran Uday Shankar. The investment will be done by Bodhi Tree Systems, an investment platform run jointly by Murdoch and Shankar. As part of the deal, Bodhi Tree will acquire a stake of nearly 40% in Viacom18, the joint venture between Reliance’s TV18 and ViacomCBS, now called Paramount Global. “James [Murdoch] and Uday’s [Shankar] track record is unmatched. For over two decades, they have played an undeniable role in shaping the media ecosystem in India, Asia, and around the world. We are very excited to partner with Bodhi Tree and lead India’s transition to a streaming-first media market,” said Mukesh Ambani, chairman, Reliance Industries. In the run up to bidding for IPL broadcast rights, Viacom18 has set up a sports channel called Sports18, and appointed Star Sports’ Anil Jayaraj as the chief executive officer, sports. Currently, Sports18 is airing matches from the NBA (National Basketball Association), LaLiga and the FIFA World Cup. But to really gain traction in India, it will have to start offering cricket broadcasts, and there’s no better way to do it than win the IPL streaming rights going up for auction now. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="91119786" title="The big gets bigger – Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries crosses ₹19 lakh crore in market cap" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> Bidding for the IPL satellite television and digital streaming rights will begin on June 12. Star India, the current holders of IPL rights, won the bid for the ongoing term in 2018 for ₹16,300 crore for five years, under the leadership of Uday Shankar. With Shankar throwing his weight behind Viacom18, Ambani’s statement about making India a streaming-first media market, and Viacom18 buying the invitation-to-tender (ITT) document, it is likely that the company could bid for IPL digital streaming rights. Prior to Star India, Sony held the broadcast rights for the first ten 10 seasons of IPL, from 2008 to 2017, with the contract valued at $1.03 billion. It might seem like a steal compared to Star India’s bid for 2018-2022, and more so, compared to the base price for the 2023-2027 term. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Ambani’s Viacom18 is up against giants like Disney, Sony and others" comment="subhead" text="Ambani’s Viacom18 is up against giants like Disney, Sony and others">Ambani’s Viacom18 is up against giants like Disney, Sony and others</cmsannotation> According to a report by the <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/ipl/top-stories/ipl-media-rights-big-boys-on-board/articleshow/90654844.cms">Times of India</a>, Viacom18, apart from media giants Disney, Sony, Zee and even Amazon, has bought the IPL tender document already. Interestingly enough, iPhone maker Apple could also reportedly buy the document, although it’s unclear if it is merely to test the waters or if it is actually serious about bidding. It is worth highlighting that Mukesh Ambani already owns Mumbai Indians, the most successful IPL team, and also <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sports/news/here-are-the-ipls-most-valuable-teams-according-to-a-forbes-report/slidelist/91117759.cms">the most valuable</a>. BCCI has set a base price of the complete IPL broadcast and streaming rights package at ₹32,890 crore. The full package has been divided into four buckets, namely: <ol><li>Indian subcontinent television (all matches). </li><li>Indian subcontinent digital (all matches). </li><li>Indian subcontinent digital (18 matches). </li><li>Rest of the world. </li></ol>Interestingly enough, the winner of the A package will have the right to re-bid for the B package, giving it another chance to mop up the streaming rights. This could lead to fierce bidding for the A package, and drive up the prices. With bigwigs like Disney, Sony and Amazon in the fray, the trio of Ambani, Murdoch and Shankar have their task cut out. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/gautam-adani-is-now-as-wealthy-as-bill-gates/articleshow/91115934.cms">Gautam Adani is now as wealthy as Bill Gates – rally in Adani group companies makes him the fourth richest person in the world</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/adani-green-is-now-more-valuable-than-state-bank-of-india/articleshow/91093002.cms">Adani Green is now more valuable than State Bank of India – here's why</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/reliance-industries-market-cap-cross-19-lakh-crore-check-out-ril-share-price-target-and-more/articleshow/91119786.cms">The big gets bigger – Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries crosses ₹19 lakh crore in market cap</a>

With an eye on IPL, Mukesh Ambani boosts his war chest with a ₹13,500 crore investment from Murdoch

<ul><li><keyword id="2739840" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hotstar">Hotstar</keyword> is going to focus on bridging the gap between the platform and its viewers by focusing more on interactive content.</li><li><keyword id="105547" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uday-Shankar">Uday Shankar</keyword>, President The Walt Disney Company APAC and Chairman of Star and Disney India is confident that both interactive content and gamification will play a key role in Hotstar's next phase of growth.</li><li>The idea is to give its audience a place where they can share their voice and opinions.</li></ul> For a while now, OTT players have been experimenting with interactive content and gamification. Remember when <keyword id="128682" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Netflix">Netflix</keyword> got the world talking with its experimental movie, <keyword id="8431750" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="black-mirror-bandersnatch">Black Mirror: Bandersnatch</keyword>, where viewers could decide the course of the story? The success of the experiment might be debatable but it got consumers talking, and brands sitting up and taking notice. Uday Shankar, President The Walt Disney Company APAC and Chairman of Star and Disney India however believes that gamification and interactive content is the way forward, and shared that Hotstar will be focusing on it, to not just break the clutter but also create another touchpoint for reaching out to its audience. During the VIVO <keyword id="6354312" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="IPL">IPL</keyword> 2019, Hotstar saw some impressive engagement around its interactive game Watch ‘N Play that opened up a two-way conversation with its viewers. According to data that the platform shared, around 64 million viewers (2X of VIVO IPL 2018) participated in the game. During the course of the tournament, close to people used close to 6 billion emojis to express themselves while around 44 million comments were shared live during the matches. For Shankar, this presents a massive opportunity. Speaking at the launch of Hotstar’s India Watch Report 2019, he said that content consumption is a social initiative where consumers want to have a voice and express their opinions. He added that content where viewers can talk to the platform and gamification will help them bridge that gap and help them grow. “We have created a false notion that TV audiences just want to sit with their hands folded and watch content. It so happened that they did not get the opportunity. The same audience, when they go to a sports arena or a cinema hall claps, whistles and hoots. We want to give the same level of engagement to people who are watching content on a screen. We have realized that people want to have a voice. We will be very focused on offering an increasingly evolved package of connectivity with content where users can interact, communicate and share. That is going to be a very big part of our roadmap ahead,” he said.

Hotstar wants to take the idea of Watch ‘N Play beyond IPL and sports

Mumbai, Mar 31 () Advertising spends will be impacted "severely" in April and May, and the next few months will be "troubling" for media outlets dependent on it as a revenue stream, Uday Shankar, the chairman of Star and Disney India, said on Tuesday. Star India, which announced an upgrade of its over-the-top platform to 'Disney+Hotstar' to bring on board the American media giant parent's content, also feels the ongoing tough times will help drive "premiumisation" in the industry where users pay for the content. The country is under a three-week lockdown to combat the Covid-19 pandemic which has chilled virtually all economic activity, and led to massive aid packages being announced. Shankar said print and radio industry depend the most on advertising revenues for sustenance, while television and streaming companies also have significant reliance on this revenue stream. "Advertising... we see April, May will be very, very severely impacted. There will be challenges," Shankar told over phone. When asked about how his network is planning for the impact, he said it is still early days and premature to guess as we do not know when production activities will resume, growth will recover and consumption will start going up. "Suffice to say that the next few months look troubling for all advertising driven media," he added. Asked about the fate of the cricket league IPL, probably his biggest bet in India, Shankar said he would want the league to happen this season but added that at present, health and safety of Indians is the biggest concern. He said many global sporting events like the French Open and Olympics have been impacted in the current times. However, he opined that in tough times like these, premium services will have a higher liking among the audiences as they become more discerning of spends. "We believe that finally, high quality products will survive because people will like them, consume them and patronise them," he said. The company on Tuesday announced that 'Disney+Hotstar' will be available from April 3 in two packs. The regional pack will be priced at Rs 399 a year, while the premium one which entails delivery of entire suite of content from Disney will come at Rs 1,499 a year, he said. AA SHW ABMABM

Ad spends to be hit severely in April, May: Uday Shankar

<ul><li>The <keyword id="6354831" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="indian-premier-league">Indian Premier League</keyword> (IPL) is worth $5.7 billion according to Brand Finance’s 2019 report — an all-time high of the 20-20 cricketing tournament.</li><li>According to <keyword id="6905784" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="hotstar-ceo">Hotstar CEO</keyword>, Uday Shankar, if cricket is more popular today — it’s because the streaming platform made it more accessible.</li><li>He gives <keyword id="2739840" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hotstar">Hotstar</keyword> the credit for discovering cricket’s ‘next growth mountain’.</li></ul>The Indan Premier League (IPL) is back on its feet and worth $5.7 billion — an all-time high for the cricketing franchise. And, Hotstar CEO Uday Shankar wants credit for discovering this new growth trajectory. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 "Cricket will be the big powerhouse," Shankar said on December 10 at the release of Hotstar’s India Watch Report 2019. IPL is attracting more fans, investment and international recognition that ever before. Internationational brands "all want a slice of the pie," according to <a href="https://brandfinance.com/search/?q=indian+premier+league">Brand Finance</a>. But that wasn’t always the case. According to Shankar, there was a perception of cricket having plateaued in India up until a few years back. "We have taken it from that plateau that discovered the next growth mountain for cricket by going even deeper — and that is a route everyone will have to go through," he said. <div type="Video" msid="73084398" hostid="261" title="Indian media mogul Uday Shankar wants credit for reviving IPL through Hotstar" thumbUrl="https://denmark.timesinternet.in/cmslite/api/app/images.jpg?msid=73084398"></div>

 Turning the story around In 2012, the IPL’s popularity waned severely as news of match-fixing scandals and gambling made the headlines. "Controversies have adversely impacted the IPL's brand value," <a href="https://brandfinance.com/press-releases/impact-of-recent-controversies-on-ipl-brand-valuation/">Brand Finance</a> said at the time. Its value went for a nose-dive from $4.1 million to $2.9 million between 2010 to 2012. It was thought that only a model like the one used by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) — also known as World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) — would be able to save the 20-20 cricket tournament. On WWE, it doesn’t matter if the action is real or not, as long as it’s entertaining. And, until 2017 — the IPL’s future looked bleak. Last year, the brand hit the $5 billion mark. And, in 2019, the brand’s value has increased 1.6 times over the past 10 years. The Chennai Super Kings, in particular, have 90% more valuable than they were in 2009. "This year’s tournament ran up over 330 billion minutes of broadcasting time and logged 300 million viewers into the streaming service over a span of 44 days," said Savio D’Souza, Direct of Brand Finance. Making cricket interactive During the last season of the IPL, between <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/icc-cricket-world-cup-2019-star-network-and-hotstar-viewership/articleshow/69719956.cms">2 million to 8 million</a> people were streaming any given match, according to Hostar. During the final match between the Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, concurrent users hit <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/hotstar-gains-from-ipl-final-and-game-of-thrones-second-last-episode/articleshow/69303484.cms">18.6 million</a> — a new record for the streaming platform only be broken in a few months later during the nerve-wracking semi-final between India and New Zealand. Hotstar saw an all-time high of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india-vs-new-zealand-world-cup-semifinal-hotstar-viewership-data/articleshow/70161643.cms">25 million viewers</a>. "So, if children and people in small towns, in rural areas and women — they’re all watching cricket — it’s because cricket has become more accessible," explained Shankar. And, a lot of it has to do with matching the video watching experience more interactive. More than <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/advertising/media/news/hotstar-wants-to-take-the-idea-of-watch-n-play-beyond-ipl-and-sports/articleshow/72459419.cms">64 million viewers</a> participated in Hostar’s ‘Watch ’N Play’ feature during the IPL. During the live matches, streamers exchanges up to 6 billion emojis and 44 million comments. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/ipl-fans-question-alexa-about-favorite-teams/articleshow/68557298.cms">Indians following IPL are asking Alexa five questions on cricket every minute</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/chandrayaan-2-cricket-and-the-elections-top-10-events-that-took-twitter-by-storm-this-year/articleshow/72458710.cms">Chandrayaan 2, cricket and the elections — Top 10 events that took Twitter by storm this year</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/hotstar-gains-from-ipl-final-and-game-of-thrones-second-last-episode/articleshow/69303484.cms">IPL final and Game of Thrones semi-final saw Hotstar break all records</a>

Hotstar's Uday Shankar wants credit for reviving IPL through streaming

Indian media mogul Uday Shankar wants credit for reviving IPL through Hotstar

<ul><li><keyword id="2739840" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hotstar">Hotstar</keyword> released its <keyword id="8429818" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="India-watch-report-2019">India Watch Report 2019</keyword>, which said that the app has got over 400 million downloads with 555 installs per minute in 2019.</li><li>The report said that Hotstar’s 95% consumption came from mobile phones, with an average user consuming 9.8 GB data per month.</li><li>Thanks to the cricketing events this year – from the IPL to the ICC Cricket World Cup, Hotstar saw a massive growth in its concurrent users. </li></ul>Whether you are in the metro or the bus, in the waiting lounge of an airport or in the park, there’s one common sight people plugged to their mobile phones with their earphones, catching up on their favourite series or movie. If that’s not enough, you’ll definitely spot a group of friends discussing their progress on a TV show, while the other shouts out “No spoilers please”! With the increased smartphone penetration, OTT platforms like Hotstar, Netflix and Amazon Prime have found a larger audience. Hotstar released its India Watch Report 2019, which said that the app has got over 400 million downloads with 555 installs per minute in 2019. Its <keyword id="5301200" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Video-consumption">video consumption</keyword> has grown over three times from 2018. The report said that Hotstar’s 95% consumption came from mobile phones, with an average user consuming 9.8 GB data per month. “Until a few years ago, online entertainment was restricted to the urban affluent. However, we now see newer horizons of customer reach, with non-metro towns driving online consumption. Digital viewership among women has also grown by leaps and bounds,” said <keyword id="105547" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uday-Shankar">Uday Shankar</keyword>, President, The Walt Disney Company APAC Chairman, Star &amp; Disney India 
 
 
 
 
 
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 Entertainment consumption in the country has also increased. Hotstar’s data shows that the consumption from non-metro cities has gone up from 54% to 63% in 2019 with Lucknow, Pune, Patna being the top non-metros. Not just that, Hotstar’s consumption is running on data and of course, mobile phones, with West Bengal and Bihar topping the data consumption. Thanks to the cricketing events this year – from the IPL to the ICC Cricket World Cup, Hotstar saw a massive growth in its concurrent users. During the World Cup semi final match between India and New Zealand, the <keyword id="959269" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="ott-platform">OTT platform</keyword> was live streaming the match and saw its viewers increase by millions by the minute and as former skipper MS Dhoni got run out, it saw its concurrent viewership peak at 25.3 million users. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india-vs-new-zealand-world-cup-semifinal-hotstar-viewership-data/articleshow/70161643.cms">The India-New Zealand semi-final clash was so close that Hotstar's viewership rose by millions every minute</a>

Hotstar has had a great 2019 – with 555 installs per minute and 95% of consumption coming from mobile phones

Describing India as the "biggest market", America's media honchos have called for speedier digitisation of the Indian system, including early expansion of the 4G network, during a one-of-its kind meeting with the Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword>, wherein the focus was on the role that the media and entertainment industry can play in development and generation of employment opportunities in the country. 

	The CEOs - representing 40 per cent of the world's entertainment industry -- were enthusiastic about the digital transformation that is taking place in India through the 'Digital India' initiative.
 

	They said that the current strong trajectory of the Indian economy makes it at a unique moment to accelerate growth in this sector.
 The CEOs present included <keyword id="57162" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Rupert-Murdoch">Rupert Murdoch</keyword>, executive chairman News Corp and 21stCentury Fox; <keyword id="301237" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="James-Murdoch">James Murdoch</keyword>, CEO, 21st Century Fox; <keyword id="239066" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Robert-Thompson">Robert Thompson</keyword>, CEO, News Corp; <keyword id="105547" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Uday-Shankar">Uday Shankar</keyword>, CEO, Star India; <keyword id="360835" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="David-Zaslav">David Zaslav</keyword>, president and CEO, Discovery Communications and <keyword id="197196" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Michael-Lynton">Michael Lynton</keyword>, CEO, Sony Entertainment. Others present at the round table were <keyword id="6438887" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Michael-Roth">Michael Roth</keyword>, CEO, Interpublic Group of Companies; <keyword id="3073548" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Shane-Smith">Shane Smith</keyword>, CEO, Vice Media; <keyword id="172904" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Martin-Sorrell">Martin Sorrell</keyword>, CEO, WPP; <keyword id="148333" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Jeff-Bewkes">Jeff Bewkes</keyword>, CEO, Time Warner; <keyword id="802811" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Nancy-Dubuc">Nancy Dubuc</keyword>, CEO, A&amp;E Networks; <keyword id="1507878" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Anthony-Pratt">Anthony Pratt</keyword>, chairman, Visy Industries; William Duhamel, Route One Investment Company and <keyword id="1846961" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Jeff-Ubben">Jeff Ubben</keyword>, CEO, ValueAct Capital. 

	"All of them said India is the biggest market for them in terms of the phenomenal growth of the entertainment channels, in terms of the youth in India wanting more such content. They asked for speedier digitisation of the Indian systems," External Affairs Minister spokesperson Vikas Swarup told reporters.
 

	Shane Smith for instance said that he wanted as soon as possible rolling of the 4G systems. This is the bandwidth that they need for their program contents to be rolled out and to reach people as fast as possible.
 

	(Image credits: because.bz)

PM Modi in US: American media honchos call for speedier digitisation of the Indian system

New Delhi: The merger of media assets of Reliance Industries and the India business of global media house the Walt Disney is expected to be complete by the end of the third quarter of this fiscal, according to a regulatory filing by billionaire Mukesh Ambani-led group. The fair trade regulator CCI has already approved the merger of Viacom 18 and <keyword id="19976122" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Star-India" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Star India" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Star India">Star India</keyword> and NCLT (National Company Law Tribunal) has sanctioned the scheme regarding it. "The companies are in the process of obtaining other requisite approvals for the completion of the transaction and transaction closer is expected in 3Q FY 25," informed Reliance Industries on Monday in its quarter earning statement. The merger of Reliance group-controlled media assets - TV18 Broadcast and E18 - with Network18 Media &amp; Investments has already been sanctioned by the NCLT and was made effective on October 3, it said. Earlier on September 27, the government approved the transfer of licenses relating to Non News &amp; Current Affairs TV channels held by media entities of Reliance Industries to Star India. "The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, vide its order dated September 27, has granted its approval for transfer of Licenses relating to Non News &amp; Current Affairs TV channels held by <keyword id="19976121" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Viacom18" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Viacom18" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Viacom18">Viacom18</keyword> Media Private Limited in favour of Star India," it had said. Viacom18 is the holding company that owns the media and entertainment business of billionaire Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries and Bodhi Tree Systems. Both sides are in the final stages of the merger, making some adjustments in the business as per the Competition Commission of India (CCI) directions. On August 30, the NCLT had approved the scheme of merger of Viacom18 Media and Digital 18 Media, holding media and entertainment assets of Reliance Industries with Star India. The scheme had proposed the transfer and vesting of Media Operations Undertaking from Viacom 18 and Jio Cinema into Digital18, which is a subsidiary of Viacom 18. This would be followed by "demerger, transfer and vesting of V18 Undertaking from Digital 18 into Star India". The merger of the media assets of Reliance Industries and The Walt Disney Co.'s India business will create the country's largest media empire worth over Rs 70,000 crore. Earlier, the CCI had said it has cleared the "proposed combination involving Reliance Industries Ltd, Viacom18 Media Pvt Ltd, Digital18 Media Ltd, Star India Pvt Ltd and Star Television Productions Ltd, subject to the compliance of voluntary modifications". Viacom18 is part of the RIL group, and Star India is wholly owned by The <keyword id="19986269" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Walt-Disney-Company" source="keywords">Walt Disney Company</keyword>. Star Television Productions, a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands, is owned indirectly by Walt Disney. The CCI, however, did not disclose voluntary modifications in the original deal made by the two parties. As per the deal, Mukesh Ambani-led RIL and its affiliates will hold 63.16 per cent of the combined entity that will house two streaming services and 120 television channels. Walt Disney will hold the remaining 36.84 per cent stake in the combined entity, which will also be India's largest media house. Reliance Industries has also agreed to invest close to Rs 11,500 crore into the joint venture to give it the muscle to fight rivals like Japan's Sony and Netflix. Nita Ambani, wife of billionaire and RIL Chairman <keyword id="19916798" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mukesh-Ambani" source="keywords">Mukesh Ambani</keyword>, will head the joint venture, while Uday Shankar will be the vice-chairperson.

You Searched For "Uday Shankar" and got 13 results

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