iWorld
Reliance Jio, China’s Omnicom fuel massive global mobile data traffic
NEW DELHI: Global mobile data traffic growth reached a six-year high in the third quarter of 2017, increasing by 115 per cent worldwide year-on-year with China and India—riding on Reliance Jio primarily—accounting for half of all traffic growth globally, according to new report released yesterday.
According to Strategy Analytics’ latest `Wireless Operator Performance Benchmarking’ database and accompanying report, Reliance Jio, China Unicom and Vodafone drove accelerated mobile data traffic growth in Q3 2017.
India and China accounted for half of all traffic growth globally with Jio’s continued disruption in India and strong growth in unlimited data plans in China driving both of those markets. In Europe, Vodafone has enjoyed healthy early traction for its zero-rated Passes, the report said.
Strategy Analytics provides competitive edge with advisory services, consulting and actionable market intelligence for emerging technology, mobile and wireless, digital consumer and automotive electronics companies. With offices in North America, Europe and Asia, Strategy Analytics delivers insights for enterprise success.
Other key findings of the report include:
— Reliance Jio was carrying more data traffic than any mobile operator globally within six months of launch, but its disruptive impact on the market has meant profitable traffic growth has been hard to find.
— Unlimited plans have accelerated traffic growth in China, up 166 per cent year-on-year in Q3 2017 and have generated a healthy recovery in both service revenue and EBITDA.
— Vodafone had eight million customers using Passes by the end of September 2017, with a positive impact on ARPU and usage. It has delivered 2.6 times growth in traffic in Europe over the last two years with near-flat opex.
Phil Kendall, report author and director, Service Provider Group, in a statement said, “It is encouraging to see more success stories from operators using unlimited or zero-rated pricing to unlock growth in both revenue and profitability. The success of China’s Unicom’s unlimited plans and collaborations with local internet giants highlights the importance of partnering with content providers to add value to data plans.”
iWorld
Anirudh Ravichander and Universal Music India join forces to take South India’s sound to the world
The composer behind 13 billion streams launches Albuquerque Records with UMI as its exclusive global partner
MUMBAI: Universal Music India has struck an exclusive partnership with Albuquerque Records, the freshly minted independent label of singer-composer Anirudh Ravichander, in a deal that bets big on South India’s booming pop and hip-hop scene going global.
The arrangement, announced on 17 March, will see Universal Music India handle future pop and hip-hop releases by Anirudh himself, as well as artists signed to the new label. A first release is already in the pipeline for April, featuring Anirudh.
The numbers behind the man are hard to ignore. Debuting in 2012 with the viral sensation “Why This Kolaveri Di”, Anirudh has since clocked over 13 billion audio streams across more than 770 tracks, cementing his position as the No.1 South Indian artist on Spotify by total streams. His fingerprints are all over some of the Tamil film industry’s biggest musical moments, from Hukum and Vaathi Coming to Arabic Kuthu and the A23 Theme.
But Albuquerque Records is a different beast. Built for the non-film space, it is designed to nurture independent talent and champion the next wave of Indian pop voices. “Universal Music India’s leadership in pop and hip-hop made them the natural partner,” said Anirudh. “I’m excited to take independent voices to audiences around the world.”
Universal Music India’s chairman and CEO Devraj Sanyal was equally effusive. “Anirudh represents the future of Indian music, bold, original, and with enormous potential,” he said. “Identifying transformative talent is our superpower, and this partnership reflects that belief.”
Sanujeet Bhujabal, managing director of Universal Music India, framed the deal as more than a distribution play. “Albuquerque Records represents Anirudh’s bold artistic vision in the world of pop and hip-hop,” he said. “True to his legacy of innovation, this partnership is set to establish yet another landmark creative space, this time for the emerging world of iPop and beyond.”
For Universal Music India, the deal deepens a long-running push into South India’s four key language markets: Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu. The label already has regional imprints, film partnerships with Maddock Films and Excel Entertainment, and a growing non-film roster. Landing Anirudh, arguably the south’s most bankable music brand, is a statement of intent. South Indian music has the streams. Now it is coming for the world.
