Tata Tea, the largest tea company by volume in the world’s largest tea market, India, has announced a strategic foray into the out-of-home beverage segment, unveiling its first outlet of ‘Chai Unchai’ at the IIM Bangalore campus.
IMImobile, a global provider of value-added services to mobile telecom operators and content owners, has commenced pre-launch trials of its ‘Ad-Ring’ mobile advertisement platform, the industry’s first fully integrated mobile advertising platform.
OOH Media has tied up with IIT Bombay’s Techfest 2008 as the exclusive out-of-home partner. Techfest, which begins from January 25, is the annual international science and technology festival of IIT Bombay, which provides a platform for a confluence of students, academia and the industry.
Microsoft India has launched a legal online community portal, Legaladda.com, which will offer an online community for interaction between legal professionals and update people on topics like intellectual property rights. The company also announced the awardees of the ‘Microsoft Intellectual Property Scholar Programme’
ICICI Prudential Life has recently released its first viral campaign with a video on Betano1.com. The video spoofs old Bollywood movies with an ailing mother and her devoted son using the financial product to his advantage.
Discovery Channel is out to celebrate Republic Day with ‘India Revealed’. The show is part of a seven-episode series called ‘Discovery Atlas’, which is premiering on January 26, 2008 at 9 pm. The series would focus on seven different countries.
SAB is bringing back its popular character KK in a new show ‘Bhaago KK Aaya’. KK was earlier seen in ‘Sab Ka Bheja Fry’. ‘Bhaago KK Aaya’, which will replace ‘FIR’ repeats, will go on air from January 29 on Tuesdays from 8 pm to 8.30 pm.
Listeners can look forward to some music, masala and humour on Radio City weekends. The FM channel has announced its new weekend offering that includes the rustic Haryanvi Jat Udham Singh, who had endeared himself to an entire generation of MTV viewers.
Deccan Chronicle has signed on Maxus to handle its media duties. The account was not preceded by any pitch process. Executives familiar with the development informed that this was the first time that Deccan Chronicle had signed on a media agency. Though details about the account size were not available, it is expected to be upwards of Rs 20 crore.
Biplob Bannerjee has joined Global Services (India) for Nokia Siemens Networks as Head of Human Resources. In his new role, he will be responsible for the entire HR activities of the company’s India centre.
Two major investment firms – Lehman Brothers and Goldman Sachs – have picked up a 20 per cent stake in Times Innovative Media Pvt Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Entertainment Network (India) Ltd. The stake is worth Rs 250 crore. Sources close to the development have confirmed the news.
India TV’s enterprise valuation has zoomed to Rs 500 crore with Bangalore-based Shyam Equities taking 20 per cent equity at an investment of Rs 100 crore. In March last year, Fuse+ Media, an entity of ComVentures, a leading Silicon Valley-based private equity group, had invested an equivalent of Rs 50.9 crore for a 19.17 per cent stake in India TV.
The World Effie Festival 2008, which recognises effective ideas and strategies, will be held in Singapore on February 28-29. It is for the first time that the World Effie Awards will be held in Asia and outside New York since the Festival began in 1968.
Following a four-month long pitch process, Beehive Communications, along with Malaysian partners SEN Media, has retained the media planning and buying mandate for the Tourism Malaysia account for South Asia. The contract is for three years up to 2010, and is estimated to be around Rs 70-80 crore.
Chennai-based Raj Television Network Ltd launched Tamil music channel, Raj Musix, on January 23. Next on the media house’s agenda is to roll out music channels in other south Indian languages – Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada – in the next six months.