To mark and celebrate Hindi Diwas, News18 India presents a special show called ‘Mujhe Chaand Chahiye’.

The show will feature famous poet Gopaldas Neeraj along with some renowned Hindi journalists, Hindi literate and poets like- Dr. Kumar Vishwas, Navneet Hullad Moradabadi, Waheed Naqvi, Shambhu Shikhar, Anamika Amber Jain, Ramkripal Singh and Sheshnarayan Singh in a “Hasya Kavi Sammelan”. The channel is all set to enthrall its viewers with this show as the poets will not only present the poems of Gopaldas Neeraj but will also recite satirical verses on the plight of Hindi language.

The show will be dedicated to Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awardee Gopaldas Neeraj, who has not only contributed to Hindi as a language but has also written several poems and songs, which have been used in famous Hindi movies.

In addition to this, from 14th September onwards, News18 India is launching an initiative to bring back the use of “Chandra Bindu” in relevant Hindi words – a practice that has been abandoned these days.

Tune into News18 India to watch ‘Mujhe Chaand Chahiye’ Saturday at 6 PM and Sunday at 8 PM

Visual Spectacle ‘Godzilla’ on 8th September at 8 PM in ‘Friday Hollywood Nights’

It’s said that anything that was gigantic, destructive and could blow fire was called Godzilla. Such was the impact of the first Godzilla film that released decades ago, that any scary big creature was named as the title character of one of the most famous and longest-running franchises of Hollywood. Bringing the thrill and excitement on television screens, &pictures, Naye India Ka Blockbuster Movie Channel, will present ‘Godzilla’ on Friday, 8th September at 8 PM in its popular weekend property Friday Hollywood Nights.

With exceptional graphics, the incarnation of Godzilla in this installment was the tallest till date. Boasting of great monster-action story and film-making, the film met with critic and commercial success. Directed by Gareth Edwards, the film is a reboot of the much-acclaimed Toho Godzilla franchise.

After a nuclear plant's collapse and loss of his mother, Ford Brody (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), a US Navy Officer, goes to Japan to help his father Joe (Bryan Cranston) escape the Janjira nuclear plant. While Joe was the former lead engineer at the Janjira nuclear plant, the truth behind its destruction remains unknown to him. When he takes Ford’s help to decode the hidden threat and save humanity, the only hope for the world may be Godzilla- King of the Monsters.
Will Godzilla be able to save the human race?

Watch the exciting ‘Godzilla’ on Friday, 8th September at 8 PM in the popular weekend property Friday Hollywood Nights only on &pictures

2017 edition of India-specific report to focus on ‘Being Valued’ 

Global research agency Kantar Millward Brown, a leader in brand, media and communications research along with WPP, world’s largest communications services group, today announced its plans to release the BrandZ™ Top 50 Most Valuable Indian Brands Report for 2017. Commissioned by WPP and conducted by Kantar Millward Brown, BrandZ™ specializes in brand equity research and brand valuation mechanism. For the first time, this year’s BrandZ Top 50 Most Valuable Indian Brands 2017 study incorporates new research from Y&R’s BAV Group into what it takes to build powerful nation brands.

Currently celebrating its 11th year, the report combines rigorously analysed financial data from Bloomberg and Kantar World Panel with the opinions of over 100,000 Indian consumers since 2007, gathered for over 3,247 brands in more than 88 categories. The rankings will be unveiled on September 13, 2017 in the presence of senior WPP personnel, and CEOs and top executives of leading Indian corporates.

While, the highlight is the announcement of Top 50 Most Valuable Indian Brands for 2017, the study will also focus on the success that many Indian companies have had in 2017 with managing their most important intangible asset: their brand. The study analyses brands across various key business sectors including banking, automobile, FMCG, telecom, entertainment, personal and household care, foods, beverages, and insurance.

Vishikh Talwar, Managing Director, Kantar Millward Brown, South Asia says 

“We proudly announce the launch of BrandZ™ Top 50 Most Valuable Indian Brands on the 13th September 2017 at the Taj Land’s End hotel in Mumbai. BrandZ, first introduced in 2006, has gained international support and an overwhelming response from clients and WPP OpCo’s alike which has helped it expand at a rapid pace. The theme for the fourth edition of BrandZ India is ‘Being Valued’. The genesis of this year’s theme lies in the two schools of thought that exists in the brand world today- (brand) valuation vs. (brand) value creation”.

WPP announces that it is investing US$5 million for a minority stake in Gimlet Media, Inc. (“Gimlet”), an award-winning global podcasting company based in the US.

Gimlet’s advertising and branded-content clients include Alphabet Inc., Ford Motor Company, PepsiCo, Match Group, eBay, Blue Apron, Goldman Sachs and Microsoft Corporation. Gimlet is based in Brooklyn, New York and was founded in 2014. It employs 85 people.

Gimlet’s podcasts are downloaded over 12 million times per month in over 190 countries worldwide. Gimlet’s programming includes critical and commercial hits spanning a variety of verticals like StartUp (business), Reply All (internet culture), Mogul (music), Homecoming (scripted fiction), Uncivil (history), Science Vs (science), Crimetown (true crime), The Nod (Black culture), among many others. Gimlet also produces branded podcasts on behalf of advertisers looking to connect with Gimlet’s sought-after millennial audience on a deeper plane. In the past, year Gimlet has produced hit branded podcasts including DTR ‘Define the Relationship’ (Tinder/Match Group), Open for Business (eBay), The Venture (Virgin Atlantic), The Secret to Victory (Gatorade), and future (Microsoft). Since its founding, Gimlet has raised US$27 million in funding.

The investment continues WPP's strategy of focusing on three key areas that differentiate the Group's offering to clients: technology, data and content. The Group has invested in digital content companies like Russell Simmons' All Def Digital, Fullscreen, Indigenous Media, Imagina (a content rights and media company based in Spain), MRC, Mic, Mitú, Refinery29, Uproxx Media Group and VICE.

● Hero Enterprise joins as a new investor along with existing investors – Softbank, Sequoia India, Lightspeed and Greenoaks Capital

● Company plans to expand presence in South-East Asia

OYO – India’s largest hospitality company – has raised $250 million (INR 1600 crore)* in a Series D financing round led by SoftBank through SoftBank Vision Fund with participation from existing investors Sequoia India, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Greenoaks Capital. Hero Enterprise has also joined the round as a new investor.

Speaking about the development, Ritesh Agarwal – Founder & CEO, OYO said, “In less than four years, OYO has become India’s largest hospitality company in terms of network presence and inventory. Travellers and city-dwellers alike have embraced our offering of hassle-free and affordable stay accommodation, available anytime anywhere, at the touch of a button. We are now focusing on further accelerating network coverage to consolidate our leadership in economy through OYO Rooms and mid-market category through Townhouse brands. We will also deploy fresh capital to take our made-in-India business model to international markets which are characterised by a similar supply-demand imbalance in real-estate and hospitality.”

Justin Wilson, SoftBank’s Board representative on OYO remarked, “OYO has solidified its position in India as the leading accommodation brand for consumer affordability and high quality standards. We're excited to continue to support OYO as they further expand their position in India and bring the OYO promise of affordability and elevated hospitality to other markets around the world."

Sunil Kant Munjal, Chairman, Hero Enterprise, added, “As a business family, we have always set new paradigms; so OYO’s unique business model excites us. The differentiated thinking and ingenuity that Ritesh and his team bring to this industry gives us confidence that OYO can scale, innovate and set new benchmarks in customer experience. We are delighted to join other marquee investors in OYO’s exciting journey towards becoming a global brand.”

Sharing more details on the growth strategy, Ritesh elaborated, “The deal reinforces investor confidence in our unique business model and our view of the hospitality and short-stays opportunity in India. Our teams have developed industry-leading expertise undertaking the world’s fastest hotel transformations. We are developing capabilities to add 10,000 rooms to our network each month. Over 95% of OYO’s demand comes through our own channels with no commissions to pay, and the business has a solid growth outlook. The fresh capital infusion will support our organic expansion to newer markets in India and abroad. It will also enable us to bring additional resources to accelerate enhancement of customer experience and strengthen our technology stack.”