iWorld
Hooq hooks CBS’ Jennifer Batty as CCO
MUMBAI: Earlier this year, OTT service Hooq cofounder and chief content & distribution officer Krishnan Rajagopalan relinquished his post, which lay vacant. Today, the burgeoning SVOD’s service’s CEO Peter Bithos announced that the position has been filled as a replacement has been found in former RTL CBS Asia executive vice-president programming Jennifer Batty.
A 20 year veteran with exposure to channel development and programming in North America, Asia and Europe, Batty will now be bringing all her experience to bear as Hooq’s chief content officer (CCO). She built her career heading up programming at Modern Times Group (Viasat Broadcasting) pay-TV channels across Scandinavia and Eastern Europe, and held various roles at Alliance Atlantis Communications, from content sales to content development in both Europe and Canada.
“Jennifer understands the region and she knows customers’ media appetite. Her knowledge of Asia combined with her passion for content are assets we welcome to Hooq,” said Bithos.
High on Batty’s to-do list is building on the OTT service’s previous week’s week’s agreement with Marvel for exclusive SVoD rights to three new series – Marvel’s Inhumans, Marvel’s Runaways and Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger.
This represents an extension of a deal signed with Disney early in the year. Additionally Hooq is aiming to extend its list of Asian originals with ‘Saranair Love You’ currently playing in Thai cinemas and available on Hooq three months after the last cinematic screening as well as Asian originals co-produced by Hooq from Indonesia including Critical Eleven, Sweet 20 and Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts, which was also recently screened at the Director’s Fortnight at Cannes and this week at the Toronto International Film Festival.
“The growing access to multiple screens and improved connectivity underscores the reality that linear viewing is on the decline. With Hooq, viewers can choose to watch their favourite shows wherever, whenever they want. More than ever, we must provide compelling programmes and an easy-to-navigate platform to retain viewers,” said Batty.
Batty was a key member in RTL Group’s expansion into India and then their joint venture with CBS Studios International, launching RTL CBS Entertainment and RTL CBS Extreme.
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.
