MAM
Sebastian does a successful hard-sell for BBC World
MUMBAI: Brilliant. As innovative promotional campaigns go, this will certainly take some beating. Last night saw the last act of a three city-tour of the country organised by BBC World to promote the channel to the trade and media. Tim Sebastian, the award-winning presenter of interview programme HARDTalk, “In Conversation With” first time interviewer Reliance Industries’ Anil Ambani.
The road show had its grand finale at south Mumbai’s Oberoi hotel, after earlier sessions, first in Bangalore with Frontline editor N Ram and in Delhi with Asian Age editor MJ Akbar.
The choice of interviewer, vice-chairman and MD of India’s only Fortune 500 private sector company, was quite apt for India’s commercial capital though the purists probably cringed at the idea. It was BBC’s Sanjeev Srivastav who managed that part of it.
Coming to the event itself, the “conversation” was interesting and had just enough aggro, light banter and seriousness to keep the audience involved. The flow from light repartee to serious talk and back to light banter was well managed. Sebastian, a veteran of the interview routine with 1,500 behind him (he conducts 235 interviews a year) handled the questions both the tough and the light with aplomb.
For a first time effort, Ambani’s performance was also pretty commendable. With two days of preparation, and at the outset confessing that he’d never seen HARDTalk, much thought obviously went into the question flow. Whoever scripted the question list did a good job of it and though there could be some carping about how Ambani did a bit of overkill as far as the hardball question routine went, it was a good showing all in all.
The interview had its moments. Among them:
“Hair doesn’t grow in busy places.” Sebastian’s rejoinder when Ambani made a reference to his bald pate.
Ambani brought up Amitabh Bachchan having been paid $75,000 per episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati (if the Reliance scion was serious, this is the first “unofficial” confirmation as to the Big B’s pay packet for KBC). When asked about his take home Sebastian said, “If you’re looking to buy me, I can’t be bought. But for God sake’s try.”
“Politics is a performing art.” Sebastian’s observation that the politicians of today were well versed in how to handle media.
An interview he did with former external affairs minister Jaswant Singh. “Twenty-four minutes (the length of his interviews) that yielded absolutely nothing by way of insights.”
Some advice from Sebastian to wannabe interviewers: The biggest secret is listening. “It is also in the preparation, the more you put into the interview, the more you get out of it.” Describing his job as an interviewer, Sebastian says: “I measure reality against rhetoric the whole time. My job is to get new answers from old issues, find out why my subjects (those he interviews) haven’t done as much as they should.”
As one media buyer put it, the road shows were an excellent way to send across the message that for the BBC, India is way up there on its priority list.
MAM
Microdrama Specialist COL Group International Builds Out With Narativ, Rock Networks & BlingWood Deals
MUMBAI: Microdrama powerhouse COL Group International is building out its distribution network, with its CEO saying vertical video is about to enter its “next competitive chapter.”
The microdrama arm of publicly-listed Chinese company COL Group appointed Narativ Media as its official distributor in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and CIS regions and Africa, and a struck new content deal with a new Dubai-based microdrama platform.
The deals were unveiled this morning at MIP London, and also included Rock Networks as its exclusive Southeast Asia telco distribution partner for its app, FlareFlow. MIP London is now into its second day at the Savoy Hotel and adjoining IET London complex.
The deals come soon after COL appointed Harbour Rights to represent its titles in Europe and Latin America, as we reported yesterday in our extended feature on microdrama distribution.
COL’s Singapore-based microdrama unit says its “coordinated global distribution architecture and significantly expanded international content slate” would help to scale its catalogue to more than 1,700 microdrama titles worldwide. These hail from South Korea, Japan, Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the UK and roll out across Sereal+, FlareFlow and 17K.
A deal with Dubai-based BlingWood, which recently launched as an OTT platform, will expand COL’s access to Middle Eastern and Indian microdramas, and includes a broader pipeline of Indian series from storytelling platform Pratilipi, Korean titles from BeLive Studios and British reality-led formats from Tattle TV — the UK’s first dedicated microdrama app, including titles such as Dog Dates.
“Microdrama is entering its next competitive chapter, where quality, retention and monetization standards are increasingly shaped by data and operational discipline,” said Timothy Oh, General Manager of COL Group International.
“As pioneers in both China and the U.S., scaling some of the world’s leading platforms in this space, we understand what it truly takes to win sustainably. Our role is not simply to offer catalogue volume, but to help partners select, position and scale the right content for their platform and audience. By bringing together a broad, constantly refreshed slate from across regions, we enable smarter curation, clearer differentiation and long-term growth for serious industry players.”
Narativ deal
COL and UAE-based Narativ described their deal as a “strategic expansion of premium vertical content distribution across high-growth emerging markets,” and comes as the microdrama continues to boom financially. The growth of the medium will be among the key topics of conversation today at MIP London, where COL chief Oh will be speaking.
The pact extends beyond content representation and is being billed as part of a more “structured micro-drama distribution infrastructure.”
Narativ will spearhead market development, platform alliances, broadcaster relationships and digital monetization frameworks across the MENA and CIS regions and Africa, where they have identified “rapid mobile-first consumption growth and strong demand for short-form, high-engagement storytelling formats.”
“Micro-dramas are reshaping global viewing habits, particularly across mobile-first markets like MENA, Africa and CIS,” said Manjyot Sandhu, CEO and co-founder of Narativ. “Our appointment as official distributor for COL Group in these territories reflects Narativ’s strategy to build sustainable distribution architecture.
“A key pillar of the collaboration includes integration with FlareFlow, enabling strategic telco partnerships, bundled carrier offerings, and alternative monetization pathways designed to accelerate scale across mobile ecosystems and OTT platforms.”
Oh added: “We are building more than a content slate – we are building the global infrastructure for microdrama. With hundreds of new titles launching every quarter, scale and regional strength are critical. Narativ with its deep foothold in MENA, Africa CIS and other key markets makes them a natural strategic partner as we expand FlareFlow and bring microdrama to new platforms, telcos and audiences.
Narativ, which is joint venture Sandhu operates with Copyright Capital, manages around 7,000 hours of content and has a digital network spanning 150 million subscribers across 21 language.
COL Group has emerged as one of the biggest microdrama platforms, running platforms such as FlareFow. It is also a part-owner of ReelShort.
