iWorld
Arnab to start ‘original VR journalism’ on Republic World
MUMBAI: For the first-ever time in India, Republic TV is all set to launch VR television next week. This was announced at Zee Melt, one of the biggest festival for disruptive marketing and communications under way at Mumbai.
Republic TV editor Arnab Goswami said that VR will have a separate and original feed on Republic World digital platform.
“We have got cameras, we have studios and we are shooting in VR. It will be available on all native devices and will take us to a new level — it is going to be principally journalism,” Goswami said.
“It will come to you free of cost but you will have to use your VR gear,” he added. Republic World has tied up with American and Canadian companies on the technology front, he said.
Virtual Reality (VR) is the computer-generated simulation of a three-dimensional image or environment that can be interacted with in a seemingly real or physical way by a person using special electronic equipment, such as a helmet with a screen inside or gloves fitted with sensors.
Is VR really how we will all watch TV in years to come? At an earlier media industry’s annual meet in Cannes, VR was discussed as the next mass medium that will take TV to a new level.
Films such as The Lawnmower Man and The Matrix, as well as books such as Ready Player One presented visions of technology whereby strapping on a VR headset enabled people to explore virtual, computer-generated worlds, the Guardian had reported.
In 2017, these cultural highs are fresh in mind for the television industry, as it tries to understand whether real-life headsets can be used to deliver new forms of documentary, drama, and storytelling.
Several attempts to make VR a real-world success had failed. The release of a new-generation VR headsets, however, from Sony, HTC, Google, Samsung, and Facebook-owned Oculus VR has brought the technology back to prominence.
At MIPTV industry conference in Cannes, VR was a major theme for producers, broadcasters and tech companies alike. HTC’s Rikard Steiber had said that VR, the new computing platform, was going to be the next mass medium.
VR is however far less popular than apps. YouTube has over a billion monthly viewers and Instagram has over 600 million. VR experts however agree that only around 20 million headsets have been sold, including fewer than two million of the “tethered” devices, which require a connection to a powerful computer.
Republic TV COO Jay Chauhan said: “Virtual Reality is the first of our initiatives to bring new content experiences to the audience. It’s a cool way of storytelling because it transports people right to where the action is – no barriers stand in the way. Besides it also opens up new monetisation opportunities for us.”
He further added, “The VR content will be available on RepublicWorld.com, as a new stream and the company’s newly-constituted VR Cell built in collaboration with experts from across the globe will begin rolling out amazing VR content in the weeks ahead.”
eNews
Paisabazaar launches Credit Premier League 2.0
Nationwide campaign rewards highest credit scores with Rs 1 lakh top prize.
MUMBAI: When credit scores become a national league, even your CIBIL report starts feeling like it’s playing in the IPL and Paisabazaar has just kicked off the second season. Paisabazaar, India’s leading marketplace for financial products and the country’s largest free credit score platform, has announced the return of the Credit Premier League (CPL) 2.0, a fun, nationwide initiative to recognise and reward individuals with the highest credit scores.
Building on the success of the first edition, CPL 2.0 introduces higher rewards and broader participation. The individual(s) with the highest credit score in the country will win Rs 1 lakh, while state champions will each receive Rs 10,000. Additionally, all participants from the winning state, the one with the highest average credit score will also be rewarded.
All winnings will be credited directly to winners’ PB Wallet, allowing them to pay credit card bills, recharge mobiles, or settle utility bills seamlessly on the Paisabazaar platform.
Paisabazaar CEO Santosh Agarwal said the campaign aims to make credit awareness more engaging and mainstream. “With CPL, we are bringing together engagement, gamification and rewards to make conversations around credit scores more mainstream,” he noted. “Our focus remains on building a financially aware and credit-healthy Bharat.”
The first edition of CPL saw over 5.5 million participants, with the highest individual score touching 861. Delhi recorded the highest average credit score of 746.
Consumers can participate simply by checking their free credit score on the Paisabazaar platform or app. The CPL leaderboard and rankings will be available exclusively on the Paisabazaar App.
In a country where financial dreams are serious business, Paisabazaar has found a smart way to turn credit scores into an exciting game – because when your financial health gets rewarded, everyone wants to play.
