MAM
WPP’s Matrix forays into in-flight entertainment with Kingfisher Airlines
MUMBAI: The youngest agency of the WPP fold, Matrix has entered into the in-flight content arena supplying packaged content for the soon-to-soar Kingfisher Airlines.
Kingfisher Airlines launches commercial operations on 9 May and will be the first domestic airline to provide in-flight entertainment in a personalized manner. Currently, Deccan Airways is the only other domestic airline that provides entertainment and a TV set is shared between six seats. The Kingfisher aircraft will be equipped with an advanced in-flight entertainment system that offers a personal video screen at every seat with five TV channels and 10 audio channels.
Matrix has been instrumental in the trading and syndication of the in-flight entertainment programming from the conceputualisation to the execution stage.
The agency, in tandem, with the client, have decided to provide entertainment across five genres – Bollywood, Sports, Kids, Lifestyle and Fashion. The content for Bollywood will be sourced through SET, Hungama TV will provide for kids entertainment, Ten Sports on the sport front, Zoom on lifestyle and the fashion is still being worked upon. Speaking on the same, Matrix head LS Krishnan states, “The programming will be canned and packaged by us to ensure freshness, relevance as well as no fatigue. Considering it is a 90-minute flight, the effort will be to keep the content as light as possible.”
On the audio front, the ten channels will delve into all genres of music starting from hip hop, classical, retro, pop, jazz and many more.
Commenting on being a content provider to Kingfisher Airlines, UTV CEO Ronnie Screwalla says, “This is the first time that a domestic airline is providing in-flight entertainment. We have been providing our content to many airlines for the last 10 years and when we were approached by Dr Mallya, we decided to join hands with him as it would be a step further for us. Also, the fact that now air travel is moving away from the business fraternity and more and more families are also flying frequently, makes sense for us to tap them. The deal is based on the concept of advertising and revenue sharing.”
Matrix, apart from doing the packaging of the capsules, would also be looking at monetizing the free commercial time (FCT) by allowing for brands to advertise and create alliances with Kingfisher. The FCT has been frozen at 240 – 300 seconds per half hour.
Krishnan points out that the scope for up market brands to gain mileage with this proposition is very high. “Brands that cater to niche audiences will find this a very low cost and effective medium. Also, the association will not merely be restricted to spots on the audio and video channels but will also entail innovations for passengers to actually experience the brand via contests and interactive means.”
Sectors that Matrix will be approaching for this liaison will be insurance, automobile, lifestyle apparels, personal finance. This will give brands another means to touch the customer in a clutter-free environment going beyond break bumpers and tags on television.
Matrix is functioning on a fixed fee based structure for the services being rendered to Kingfisher. This is the first of such alliances in India. Krishnan believes that this is just the beginning of the take off of branded entertainment and in days to come, this phenomena will really pick up momentum, with advertisers looking at this avenue a lot more seriously.
MAM
DGTOOHL partners Magnite to scale programmatic DOOH in India
Tie-up aims to boost transparency and real-time access in outdoor ads
NEW DELHI: DGTOOHL, a product of Mobiyoung, has entered into a strategic partnership with Magnite to expand programmatic digital out-of-home advertising capabilities in India, as the sector looks to modernise and align more closely with digital media standards.
The collaboration is aimed at addressing long-standing inefficiencies in the outdoor advertising ecosystem, where manual processes and limited transparency have often made campaign execution difficult to track and measure. By introducing programmatic integration, the partnership seeks to bring real-time visibility, improved accountability and data-led decision-making to the medium.
Outdoor advertising in India has traditionally lagged behind digital channels in terms of measurement and optimisation. The move towards programmatic DOOH is expected to change that, enabling advertisers to monitor, audit and refine campaigns with greater precision.
Under the partnership, Magnite will provide the infrastructure to connect DOOH inventory with global demand-side platforms, allowing advertisers to plan and activate outdoor campaigns programmatically, much like they do across mobile, web and connected TV.
“Programmatic DOOH is bringing a much-needed shift in how outdoor advertising is planned and executed,” said DGTOOHL co-founder and CTO Mayank Sharma. “By introducing transparency and real-time capabilities, we are enabling advertisers to move beyond traditional limitations and adopt a more measurable, data-led approach.”
DGTOOHL will focus on aggregating and streamlining access to DOOH media inventory, while Magnite will handle real-time transactions and demand integration, creating a more seamless buying experience for brands and agencies.
The timing reflects a broader industry shift. As programmatic buying becomes standard across digital formats, DOOH is increasingly being seen as the next frontier, allowing brands to extend digital strategies into physical environments. This integration enables more cohesive, cross-channel campaigns, where outdoor advertising complements online and CTV efforts to boost reach and recall.
“As advertisers look for unified and measurable media solutions, programmatic DOOH offers a strong opportunity to extend digital strategies into the physical world,” said Magnite senior account manager Jerit Kunjumon.
Industries such as FMCG, real estate, automotive and retail, traditionally heavy users of outdoor media, are expected to be among the early adopters of programmatic DOOH in India.
The partnership also promises operational benefits, including near real-time campaign activation, reduced reliance on intermediaries and improved monitoring of campaign performance.
As digital and physical media ecosystems continue to converge, the collaboration between DGTOOHL and Magnite signals a step towards making outdoor advertising more accountable, scalable and aligned with the expectations of modern marketers.
