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This time, there will be 15 sessions instead of the 23 that marked
last year's event, as feedback from the attendees indicated that
the proceedings were too exhaustive to absorb, according to Ficci
entertainment committee chairman Yash Chopra. Addressing a media
briefing here this afternoon, Chopra said that at any point of time,
there will be a maximum of three sessions. Sometimes, there could
be just two. Last year, there were as many as five sessions running
simultaneously.
Since convergence is a major theme, on 17 March, Reliance Industries
chairman and MD, Mukesh Ambani will deliver a presentation on the
entertainment opportunities and challenges in the digital age.
Ficci entertainment committee co-chairman and SET India CEO Kunal
Dasgupta pointed out that convergence was increasingly becoming
a reality. These days broadcasters, mobile phone operators and cable
companies are all turning towards making and distributing content,
he said. One session will deal with improving the return on investment
(ROI) for TV channels. The catchphrase for this session is '' If
programmes were brands, would Kotler need to be rewritten?'
Turner Intl Asia Pacific president, MD Steve Marcopoto will deliver
the keynote address. Other speakers include BBC World's director
Jonathan Howlett, SET's executive VP Sunil Lulla and NDTV Media
CEO Raj Nayak. Today the need for tracking viewers' mindsets to
arrive at the proper balance between content and marketing is growing.
The speakers will talk about the marketing mechanisms used to push
new content to entice viewers away from rivals.
Given the continuing CAS imbroglio, an important session on 17
march will deal with the question Addressability Where Do We
Go From Here? CNN's Andrew Stevens will host the discussion
which will feature Reliance Entertainment chairman Amit Khanna ,
SET Discovery president Shantonu Aditya among others.
Another side to television is how the ad agencies use the medium
to ensure greater ROI for their clients. CNBC India corporate editor
Govindraj Ethiraj will host the session which will see speakers
like O&M chairman Piyush Pandey and Group M South Asia CEO Andre
Nair. The session will look at how local brands have taken advantage
of television as well as what innovative media strategies global
companies have done to make sure that their brands are more desirable.
Animation as an industry is taking off in India. The question is
what opportunities exist for Indian companies to move up in the
value chain and avoid working as mere sweatshops. This is one of
the key issues Frames will seek to address with three animation
sessions. The first one looks at co-production and production values
from India as well as the kind of output expected from us. The issue
is whether we can develop strong local and international properties
for our market and abroad while maintaining the international level.
The speakers include Jadoo Works CEO Ashish Kulkarni, Turner Intl
original programming VP Susan Simensky and Red Kite Productions
MD Ken Anderson. Another session will look at the quality of work
that broadcasters like Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network expect from
production houses. The third session titled Walk The Talk
will scrutinise the relationship between animation and IT. Could
the next Pixar come from an Indian IT major?
Frames' involvement with animation will go beyond just seminars.
It has instituted the Best Animated Ficci Frames Awards (BAFF).
The aim is to set new benchmarks for our animation industry.
Gaming is an area that is expected to see a major boom in the coming
years. Indian software companies are beginning to bag contracts
to create games for foreign media conglomerates. Electronic Arts
president Jon Niermann will deliver the keynote address. His company
sees tremendous potential for growth of the gaming industry in India
for MNCs.
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