Media Entertainment & Art Community

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  

The Indian government has issued a new set of guidelines to avoid deceptive commercials, such as those that target youngsters or make false claims in order to entice consumers. The guidelines also state that while endorsing in advertisements, proper diligence must be performed. The Consumer Affairs Ministry’s new guidelines, which went into effect immediately, also prohibit surrogate advertisements and make disclaimers in commercials more transparent. “Advertisements have great interest for consumers,” Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh said when announcing the guidelines. The CCPA Act has procedures for dealing with misleading advertisements that harm consumers’ rights. The restrictions will apply to all types of advertisements, including print, television, and internet. Violations of the new guidelines will be dealt with in accordance with the terms of the Central Consumer Protection Act (CCPA). The Secretary stated that while these guidelines will not bring about immediate change, they will provide a framework for industry stakeholders to prevent misleading ads, even if they are done inadvertently, and will also empower consumers and consumer organisations to file complaints against misleading ads. These guidelines, according to the Secretary, would also apply to government advertisements. In addition, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) will develop self-regulatory advertising guidelines. According to her, the new standards define “misleading advertisement” and establish several criteria for what constitutes a valid and non-misleading commercial. It also clarifies the definitions of ‘bait’ and ‘free claims’ advertisements, while prohibiting ‘surrogate’ or indirect advertisements. A bait advertising is one in which items, products, or services are advertised for sale at a low price in order to entice customers. Furthermore, the recommendations establish standards to be followed when issuing bait advertisements and free claims advertisements, as well as a list of things to consider when publishing ads aimed at minors. Source: PTI

Amazon Prime Video and Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment (NGE), a production house, have announced a worldwide exclusive multi-film licencing deal, the streaming site announced on Monday. As part of the deal, Prime Video will be the “worldwide home” for the banner’s next slate of films shortly after they hit theatres. Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment’s film lineup includes Nitesh Tiwari’s “Bawaal,” starring Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor, “Sanki,” Tiger Shroff’s “Baaghi 4”, and Kartik Aaryan’s untitled project. Films by Ravi Udyawar (“Mom”), Sameer Vidwans (“Anandi Gopal”), Saket Chaudhry (“Hindi Medium”), and others will be included in the lineup. Sajid Nadiadwala, the Managing Director of Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment, a producer and director, said in an interview with Prime Video that the production house has found a partner who not only shares their vision of providing immersive cinematic experiences, but also provides global distribution to the best stories from the Indian entertainment ecosystem. “We’ve been entertaining audiences with our movies for the past 70 years, contributing to Indian culture, and today, with OTT becoming such a vital part of our lives, it’s a new age in entertainment.” Amazon Prime Video has aided in the dismantling of all entertainment barriers, be they geographical, linguistic, or otherwise… “We are certain that this collaboration of inclusive cinema will enable our upcoming releases to move beyond borders and provide extra value to Prime Video’s exceptional content selection. This collaboration represents NGE’s first-ever, worldwide exclusive, multi-film, multi-year deal with Prime Video. I hope this partnership will pave the way for additional collaborations between the two brands as the world of storytelling evolves across genres “In a statement, Nadiadwala added Manish Menghani, Director – Content Licensing, Amazon Prime Video India, expressed excitement about the team’s upcoming cooperation with Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment, which is known for making films that connect with audiences instantaneously. “By striking this agreement, we will offer some of the most exciting narratives and stories to our viewers’ screens around the world shortly after their theatrical debuts.” “Prime Video has played a major role in significantly increasing the audience base for Indian films, across languages, both within the country and worldwide, and this collaboration is another step towards realising that promise,” says Amazon. “I am confident that this slate of highly anticipated films will prove to be an incredible treat for our consumers,” Menghani said. Following their theatrical debut, all Prime members will be able to watch the movie on Amazon Prime Video. In addition, during the ‘Early Access Rental’ window, all Amazon customers (Prime and non-Prime) will be able to ‘rent’ the titles on Amazon Prime Video. The streamer announced a licensing deal with Yash Raj Films, Dharma Productions, Excel Media and Entertainment, and Ajay Devgn FFilms at the ‘Prime Video Presents India’ event in April, under which it will premiere titles from these four leading Indian production banners after their theatrical releases. Source: PTI

Meta has released upgraded 3D avatars for Facebook and Messenger in India. The new Avatars are more expressive, customizable, and diversified than the old ones. Meta is integrating new facial shapes and assistive devices for persons with disabilities to better reflect the billions of unique people on this world. Meta is bringing updated 3D avatars to Facebook and Messenger, as well as Instagram Stories and DMs for the first time. People in India can now use stickers, feed posts, Facebook profile images, and other methods to present themselves as their virtual selves across apps as of today. Avatars will also be available for the first time on Instagram. Manish Chopra, Director and Head Partnerships, India at Meta said, “Representations in the metaverse should reflect the diversity of the real world. Avatars are just the first step toward enabling everyone to express themselves in their unique ways. When you create your avatar you can choose the right facial features, body types, clothing styles, and more to create your virtual self. We offered more than one quintillion different combinations when we launched our updated avatars last year, and we’re continuing to add more options to give people even more ways to express themselves.” Cochlear implants and over-the-ear hearing aids (for one or both ears) are now available in a variety of colours across all platforms, including VR. It also contains wheelchairs, which will appear as Facebook stickers, Messenger messages, and Instagram DMs. Based on user feedback, Meta will continue to introduce more options over time. Meta is also working on improving the appearance of Avatars. To make avatars more realistic, minor tweaks to facial forms and skin shaders have been done. Meta introduced new eyes and noses, beards and haircuts, clothing, physique kinds, and more throughout 2021. Throughout the year of 2022, more items will be added to the Avatar editor.