Media Entertainment & Art Community

Over 100 campus graduates from the finest IT institutes throughout India attended ZEE’s first-ever new employee induction on Tuesday, which was held in a metaverse setting. The onboarding took place at the organization’s recently opened Technology and Innovation Center in Bengaluru, which is tasked with developing the metaverse platform by utilising augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and pertinent data models for its digital platforms. Amit Goenka, President – Digital Businesses and Platforms, and Nitin Mittal, President – Technology & Data at ZEE, were in charge of the endeavour. “We are imbibing a sharp strategic focus on enhancing our tech capabilities through a confluence of technology, data and talent. As we break new grounds and redefine entertainment by providing robust experiences across platforms, we are delighted to converge ZEE’s collaborative and entrepreneurial culture in the physical and digital realms through an immersive environment such as the metaverse,” said Goenka. “We aim to provide intuitive experiences across all aspects of an individual’s consumption, creation and transactional journey, and the first-ever metaverse induction program at ZEE, will not only help enhance our employee experience by boosting innovation and productivity, but also our consumer experience by several notches” he added. The center’s cutting-edge technology solutions and state-of-the-art infrastructure were used to perform the metaverse Induction, providing the new hires with an immersive mixed reality experience. The company stated that while it continues to serve the worldwide audience and reimagine the future of entertainment by embracing a technology and innovation led approach, it seeks to expand and improve its digital footprint. According to Animesh Kumar, President – HR and Transformation, ZEE, “As digital transformation continues to accelerate globally, the Technology and Innovation Centre at ZEE will play the lead role in driving the next era of innovation in content consumption.” “ZEEverse, is another major stride in a string of initiatives launched by the company in recent times towards our internal digital transformation that will enable the organisation to become futureready and win in the emerging digitalised economy.”

Brewing Thoughts Pvt Ltd will remake Captain Vyom, an Indian television series that aired on DD National in 1998 and was created by Ketan Mehta and starred Milind Soman, into a web series. After two difficult years of the pandemic, filmmakers and content producers are trying to appeal to consumers by using feel-good, humorous stories and nostalgia. There are plans to revive comedic classics like Govinda’s 1998 comedy Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Angoor, a modernised version of Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors. Sense of nostalgia has always been a terrific emotion to harness, according to experts in the media and entertainment, and feel-good classics will appeal to both older and newer audiences. The superhero television series Shaktimaan, which ran on DD National in the late 1990s, will be recreated by Sony Pictures, and content firm Applause Entertainment will consider animated tales based on Amar Chitra Katha. The increase in vintage movie and song listeners and viewers during the pandemic relates to the love of the quaint and antiquated. Happy stories can always be revived, according to media industry experts, who point out that new streaming platforms in India have started to cater to older audiences, including the 60+ population, in a big way, making these feel-good classics easy to market. Nostalgia related to sad stories may not work, but happy stories can always be revived. There have always been resources and properties that can be used for a long time while simultaneously appealing to fresh audiences and energies. Each new generation considers how it might reinterpret these formats for the time being. You might reflect fondly on a simpler time in the past and find solace in the familiar because it brings back memories.

The Adani group intends to compete head-to-head with Sunil Bharti Mittal’s Airtel and Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio in the race to acquire telecom spectrum beginning on July 26. The Adani group recently received National Long Distance (NLD) and International Long-Distance (NLD) licences. “As India prepares to roll out the next generation of 5G services through this auction, we are one of the many applications participating in the open bidding process,” the group said in a statement To take part in the sale of 5G airwaves, the Adani entity would be required to get a unified access service (UAS) permit from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in accordance with Indian telecom regulations. Given the large amount of spectrum up for sale and the existence of just two significant bidders in Jio and Bharti Airtel, Adani’s anticipated involvement could increase competitiveness in the upcoming 5G airwaves sale. The sector regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) recommended reserve prices for 5G auctions, which the Cabinet approved last month. A floor price reduction of roughly 39% was suggested by the regulator for the sale of 5G spectrum for mobile services.

The Walt Disney Company has done some incredible things for their cast members and employees. There are some pretty awesome benefits, including free park entry, early access to attractions and shows, special events, and competitions only available at Disney parks. But more crucially, The Walt Disney Company offers its employees security and possibilities for career progress, and they are rewarded for this. Disney announces that it has been recognised as LinkedIn's Top Media and Entertainment Company. They explained the methodology, which is based on the seven pillars of "ability to advance, skills growth, company stability, external opportunity, company affinity, gender diversity, and educational background," which are all known to promote career advancement. The organisation received praise in particular for the advantages they offer to Cast Members and Employees. Disney also revealed that Cast Members and employees receive weekly pay cadence, on- site childcare (at specific locations), and 100 percent upfront tuition help at network schools, in addition to the amusement park-related benefits. Receiving this kind of recognition is really significant for the business.

Star Sports, India’s premier sports broadcaster, has teamed with esports company Nodwin Gaming to broadcast esports matches live on television. The Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) Masters Series tournament, which will be aired in Hindi, Tamil, and English from June 24 to July 17, will be the first of its kind in the nation, and will give esports a huge boost. The tournament will be broadcast on Star Sports 2 in New Delhi, which was developed especially for large-scale esports tournaments. The players will compete for a prize pool of Rs 1.5 crore. “We have been working tirelessly through the pandemic to build the foundation for such a big collaboration,”  stated Akshat Rathee, MD and CoFounder of Nodwin Gaming. “This is a very big step for us in the right direction as we now take esports to the masses. So far, esports has always been associated with live streaming on digital platforms. Through this collaboration with a mainstream sports channel, we hope to break that mould.” Rathee went on to say that satellite television has advantages such as unrivalled reach across the country, uninterrupted and timely broadcast that is not dependent on internet connectivity or speed, and affordability for the masses living in remote places. “We look forward to spreading the reach of esports, making a connection with the youth across India and bringing esports into the arena of other traditional sports,” he added. The inclusion of esports in major multi-sporting events such as the Olympics, Asian Games, and Commonwealth Games demonstrates the sport’s growing importance around the world. Sanjog Gupta, Head – Sports, Disney Star said, “Esports in India is a fastgrowing segment which has seen accelerated adoption over the last two years. It has immense headroom for growth in India when compared with its status in evolved markets around the world. It is also gaining prominence in the ecosystem as a competitive sport. Esports competitions have already developed a niche following on digital platforms.” Star Sports is continuously exploring for innovative ways to engage fans, galvanise communities, and recruit new audiences as the foremost site for sports lovers. “Our partnership with Nodwin Gaming seeks to shape the future of eSports in India by introducing high quality competition and prominent players to millions of TV viewers around the country. It will hopefully fuel fandom for eSports amongst gamers and elevate aspiration amongst athletes,” he added. The best 24 BGMI squads from India will compete in the tournament. For the first time, the teams, which have tens of millions of fans and have dominated the digital market, will put their gaming prowess, star performances, and rivalries on linear distribution.  

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly selected a winner for the Indian Premier League (IPL) media rights for the 2023-27 cycle after hours of intense bidding over two days. According to sources, the television rights for each match were sold for a hefty Rs 57.5 crore (per match) and the internet rights for Rs 48 crore (per match). However, neither the governing council nor the Indian cricket board have issued an official statement, and the winner’s name has not been revealed. It was also discovered that while the winner of the TV rights has been determined, the winner of the digital rights remains uncertain. The TV winner has the opportunity to contest the highest digital bid, according to the auction regulations. As a result, if the bidders are different, a rebid may be required. The auction for TV and internet rights of the Indian subcontinent saw a brisk bidding on Sunday, according to news agency PTI, with the valuation per match of the cash-rich league designated at more than a whopping Rs 100 crore. With the auction already in its second day, the total value of the media rights might easily surpass Rs 50,000 crore, making it one of the most valuable in terms of worldwide rights for any sport. Viacom18, Disney-Star, Sony, and Zee, four of the seven parties in the contest, were embroiled in a near seven-hour slugfest that ended in a tie, with Package A (India TV Rights) and Package B (India Digital Rights) fetching upwards of 42,000 crores (5.37 billion USD) and counting. Source: With Agency Inputs