JALAN KALROCK CONSORTIUM ANNOUNCES “REVIVAL OF JET AIRWAYS”

Bengaluru, 7th December 2020 : Consortium led by Mr. Murari Lal Jalan and Kalrock Capital, has announced the revival of India's premier airline – Jet Airways as a full-service carrier. The Jet 2.0 program is aimed at reviving the past glory of Jet Airways, with a fresh set of processes and systems to ensure greater efficiency and productivity across all routes. As per the resolution plan, Jet Airways intends to operate all of its historic domestic slots in India and restart international operations. If everything goes as per plan and the Consortium receives the NCLT and regulatory approvals on time, Jet Airways would be back in the skies by the Summer of 2021.



The Consortium's vision is to regain the lost ground, set new benchmarks for the airline industry with the tag of being the best corporate full-service airline operating on domestic and international routes. The Jet 2.0 hubs will remain Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru like before. The revival plan proposes to support Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities by creating sub-hubs in such cities. This would boost the economy in these cities, help Jet Airways stand back on its feet fast, and support the overall vision of the Indian Government to promote aviation business through Tier 2/ Tier 3 Cities in India.



In addition, the Consortium's vision for Jet 2.0 includes plan to increase cargo services to include dedicated freighter service, a market currently underserved by any Indian carrier. Given India’s position as a leading centre for global vaccine manufacture, cargo services have never been more required.



The Consortium had evaluated the option of starting a new airline but some of the inherent strengths of Jet Airways like the optimal flight slots, brand value and reputation for best-in-class inflight service and safety, giving Jet 2.0 an edge over others, were too tempting to resist. The Consortium decided that it would be advantageous to re-energise and start Jet Airways on a clean slate with an established brand.



Commenting on the revival of the airline, Mr. Manoj Narender Madnani, Board Member of Jalan Kalrock Consortium said, “Jet Airways has been a brand with a glorious history of over 25 years, and it is the vision of the Consortium to put Jet Airways back in the skies at the earliest opportunity. We aim to re-energise the brand by infusing energy, warmth, and vibrancy into it while making it bigger and better. Over the years, the brand has created loyal customers and we wish to bring in freshness by adding value – an Indian brand with a global outlook, warm yet professional which symbolises the New India, Young India. With the revival of Jet Airways, it will restore the confidence among the Jet customers to fly again and experience its world class facilities.”



Jet Airways is a well-known household aviation brand in India and the oldest private airline with an operating history spanning more than 25 years. The aviation sector was deeply hit by COVID-19, but that helped the sector as it underwent substantial correction and created that opportune time for the Consortium members to enter the sector. The Consortium's biggest strength is human capital, and it is putting together the best of aviation professionals with Global experience for running and managing the operations of Jet 2.0.

Global Streaming Service Starz Launches Premium Direct to Consumer OTT App ‘Lionsgate Play’ in India

 



Bengaluru, 2nd December 2020 : Starz, one of the leading premium global streaming platforms, has launched its independent direct to consumer OTT app ‘Lionsgate Play’ in India, the company announced today at a virtual press conference in the presence of Mr. Jeffrey A. Hirsch, President and Chief Executive Officer, Starz and Mr. Rohit Jain, Managing Director, Lionsgate South Asia. Building on its reputation for disruption, Lionsgate Play is committed to innovation in its content, technology, pricing, and accessibility by making premium Hollywood content available in multiple Indian languages.

The service has launched with a new price point in India, making the app available as part of two subscription models, INR 699 for a year and INR 99 per month, attractive price points that give Indian consumers the opportunity to enjoy the best of global entertainment affordably and at their convenience. In India the app will be available to download across a broad array of platforms and devices including Google Play store, Apple app store and Amazon firestick.

Starz first launched internationally with its Starzplay international premium streaming platform in 2018. This month it will expand its global footprint into 55 countries throughout Europe, Latin America, Canada, Japan and India, scaling to become one of the most widely distributed and fastest growing premium OTT services worldwide while entertaining millions of users with bold and curated content.

The platform anticipates continued strong growth in the Indian OTT ecosystem and is capitalizing on this opportunity by bringing a host of new, provocative, and edgy movies and web series to India with the launch of direct to consumer video streaming service Lionsgate Play.

The Lionsgate Play app features a broad portfolio of content ranging from the best of original feature film and television dramas, romances, comedies, thrillers and action favourites and premieres, bringing world cinema and television series directly to Indian audiences.

New content available at launch includes:

- The Anna Kendrick starrer Love Life, a fresh take on a romantic comedy anthology series about the journey from first love to lasting love.

- No Man’s Land a Syrian civil war series that resonates with relatable themes like first love, fear of loss and family sacrifice set against the backdrop of war; and

- The Goes Wrong Show, a laugh out loud comedy series with each episode having a different theme, including a period romance, spy thriller, a Deep South melodrama, and a Christmas fable.



The streaming giant will also premiere movies such as the Jennifer Lopez starrer Hustlers, Gerald Butler’s action thriller Angel Has Fallen, the fantasy thriller Hellboy, and the action comedy The Gentlemen, starring Matthew McConaughey, Colin Farrell and Hugh Grant, just to name a few, with something for every audience.

Commenting on the launch Mr. Jeffrey A. Hirsch, President and Chief Executive Officer, Starz said, “India has always been a key market for us. The large and diverse population, increased data usage in urban and rural markets, and adoption of OTT across all demographics created an exciting opportunity for us to launch Lionsgate Play. We’re confident that our unique, exclusive and exceptionally curated content will generate a great response from Indian audiences.”

Mr. Rohit Jain, Managing Director, Lionsgate South Asia, added, “We are thrilled to launch the much-awaited Lionsgate Play app in India. We want to provide the finest, never seen before content that will captivate our audiences with bespoke entertainment drawing on the most exciting current releases and our premium library.”

“We will also be launching Indian originals in the coming months, featuring untold edgy urban stories from some of the best creative minds in the Indian film industry” continued Mr. Jain. “And we will continue our Lionsgate Play journey by adding to our deep roster of premium content through partnerships with exciting millennial stars like Kriti Sanon, Tiger Shroff and Sanjana Sanghi increasing the breadth and scope of entertainment for our subscribers.”

 

Airtel Bengaluru runs the “first virtual marathon in the city”

 

 

Bengaluru 29^th November 2020 : Airtel Delhi Half Marathon (ADHM), since its inception, has held India’s flag high; representing its sporting spirit and generosity. On Sunday, 29^th November 2020, the world’s most prestigious half marathon, showcased the resurgence of the sporting India to the world from the streets of Bengaluru.From across the globe, runners joined via the exclusive Airtel Delhi Half Marathon Mobile App. 

  

This ADHM is special for Team Airtel Karnataka as the team ran together for a cause. The employees raised funds towards the education of girl child through India Cares and Bharti Foundation.   

  

The organizing team followed all the highest levels of safety-standards, to ensure a safe race for all the runners. About 100 team members participated in the 21k run which started from the Airtel office on Bannerghatta road with a roundabout near Bannerghatta park which culminated at the office.    

  

ADHM is one such platform that helps us connect with individuals who wish to bring about a change by combining their passion for running and their will to make a difference. The Foundation has been working in the space of education for underprivileged children through the Satya Bharti Schools, aiming to bring up confident, caring and contributing citizens of the future.       

  

C. Surendran, CEO – Bharti Airtel, Karnataka says, Participating in a run in namma Bengaluru with the warmth and hospitality of the citizens, the run was memorable. I was excited to run with my Team from Airtel. It’s a never done before sporting event.  To witness Bangaloreans on the race track amidst all the challenges in these hard times was thrilling. 

 

 

BR Shetty’s Controversy Ridden Jog Fall Project Scrapped by Karnataka Cabinet

Bengaluru, September 5, 2020: 

In a big announcement, the Karnataka state cabinet scrapped an agreement with BR Shetty Ventures to develop Jog Falls, on the plea that
there was no progress in the project. Owned by Dubai-based businessman BR Shetty,
the agreement had been signed in 2016 at a cost of Rs 450 crore. This comes soon
after debt-stricken BR Shetty, founder of Dubai based NMC healthcare has been
alleged to have misrepresented his shareholdings in the company and is definitely a
reflection of Shetty fast losing his credibility in the eyes of Indian government.
The agreement had been in the eye of the storm ever since the Cabinet gave its nod to
the project. With no financial commitment on the part of the state government, the state
Cabinet decided to allow Shetty’s firm to invest on its own and facilitate tourist flow to
the falls. While Shetty’s firm agreed to all the terms and conditions set by the state
government such as getting the necessary clearances and not setting up a resort
around it, what really whipped a controversy was the fact that despite promising such a
huge investment, the businessman really did not ask for anything else in return.

Punjab National Bank “salutes Teachers on the Teacher’s Day”

 

 

Bengaluru, 5^th September 2020 : Teachers’ Day is about celebrating the vital role of teachers in crafting young minds, guiding, nurturing, and shaping a progressive future. The objective is also to express gratitude, respect, and appreciation through recognition of the efforts of these architects of the nation. Punjab National Bank, India’s second largest bank today awardedteachers nationwide for their exemplary and distinguished services in the field of education.  

 

PNB officials across the country invited teachers, principals and retired teachers from the government schools, universities, and various educational institutions. In an initiative to honor their role and contribution, PNB’s senior officials across 13000 branches felicitated teachers with shawls and teaching materials like whiteboards and stationery items. The gesture aimed to acknowledge them for improving the quality of education and instilling integrity, imparting knowledge, and discipline in young minds.  

 

Teachers are also one of the warrior groups of Covid-19. As a responsible bank, PNB continuous to encourage and support, to those who are instrumental and dedicated to social and societal reforms.  

 

Below are the details of the activity:  

1. Felicitation of Vice chancellor, Ranchi University on auspicious occasion of Teacher's Day by Circle Head, Ranchi North, Sri Rati Kant Tripathi & Chief Manager, Sri Sanjay Kumar. (photo 1) 
2. Felicitation of a retired Headmaster of Nimpur ME School Jagatpur Cuttack by CH Cuttack Sri Bhanja & LK Mishra Head of GBB & CAC ZO Bhubaneswar at Bo-CDABIDANASI Cuttack (photo 2) 
3. PNB senior officials of Srinagar zone felicitating teachers (photo 3) 
4. PNB senior officials of Odisha, Baleshwar felicitating teachers (photo 4) 
5. PNB senior officials of Bhopal felicitating teachers (photo 5) 
6. PNB senior officials of Delhi felicitating teachers (Photo 6) 
7. PNB officials felicitating college director and senior teachers of SGSITS College Indore (Photo 7) 
8. PNB senior officials of Guwahati felicitating teachers (Photo 8) 

 

Website: https://www.pnbindia.in/ 

 

WINZO CLOSES SERIES B; BRINGS GLOBAL GAMING INVESTORS TO INDIA FOR THE FIRST TIME

Bengaluru, 3rd September 2020 : With the goal of disrupting Bharat’s vernacular entertainment, WinZO has announced its $18MM Series B investment round led by global interactive entertainment fund, Makers Fund based in Singapore, and New York based Courtside Ventures. Both funds are making their first ever investment in India through WinZO. WinZO plans to strengthen its content pipeline, captivate mobile-first consumers and their gaming needs, and become the go-to gaming app in India. The company’s revenue has grown 1500% and acquired 20MM users in the last 12 months, on the back of a strong word of mouth,product market fit with players who spend more than 45 minutes everyday on WinZO’s platform. WinZO has achieved this on the back of their dense network of vernacular micro influencers and 30+ partner Game Developers through which it strives to become the go-to Gaming platform for Bharat. Makers Fund is a global interactive entertainment focused venture capital fund based out of Singapore with over 30 investments across North America, Europe, and Asia; this is Makers' first investment in India. Regarding the investment, Michael Cheung, Partner at Makers Fund shared, “WinZO is at the heart of India’s gaming evolution, a geography we’ve been tracking for some time. Paavan and Saumya’s success through a hyper-focus on their player ecosystem is evident, and a clear asset as they accelerate their growth.” Kalaari Capital, which first invested in WinZO in 2018 and led the company's Series A in 2019, also participated in the round. WinZO is Kalaari’s second largest bet in gaming after Dream11. “Mobile gaming is a large opportunity in India, and in a short span of time, WinZO has built a high quality vernacular gaming platform for the masses. We are really proud of their progress & their superior metrics (retention, time spent, etc.) that are a true reflection of customer experience. We are very excited to partner with Makers and Courtside in the next leg of WinZO's journey and bring superior entertainment to the next 200M gamers,” said Rahul Garg, Principal at Kalaari Capital. Paavan Nanda, one of WinZO’s co-founders said, “With Series B funding, we are thrilled and humbled to welcome like-minded business partners into our WinZO family. Along with their network, support and fresh financing, we are confident we can propel WinZO even further as a business and become an even more lovable product for our customers. It’s time to put all the learnings and experiences of the past toward building something huge!" Revant Bhate, FinAdvantage, Indigo Edge -exclusive advisor to WinZO, and Co-founder Paavan Nanda and Saumya Singh Rathore also joined the round 

About WinZO: WinZO is the largest vernacular gaming platform in India, launched in early 2018. The company partners with third party game studios to host their games on their Android app, creating a Netflix-like experience for users, who can enjoy multiplayer formats with their friends or strangers in a localized fashion. The platform is available in 12 languages with over 25+ million registered users. Clocking over 1 billion micro-transactions per month, WinZO offers 70+ games across various multiplayer formats. This vernacular social gaming platform focuses on building a community of gamers and game influencers in Tier 2 – Tier 5 cities of India. WinZO is designed to deliver strong positive unit economics in the Indian gaming ecosystem, which experiences one of the highest engagements globally, through a unique micro-transaction led model. WinZO was founded by Paavan Nanda, a second time entrepreneur, and Saumya Singh Rathore. It boasts a team of 40 members, making it one of the leanest startups to raise Series B financing of this order. 

About Makers Fund: Makers Fund is a venture capital fund dedicated to furthering the growth and innovation in the global interactive entertainment industry. It supports founders by combining deep industry experience globally with multi-stage investment across seed to series B. About Courtside Ventures: Courtside Ventures is a New York based venture capital fund backing founders that are transforming the intersection of sports, technology, and media. Built on the backs of highly specialized sports and media entrepreneurs and investors, Courtside Ventures look to utilize their industry networks and deep domain knowledge to bring value to their companies

Sportz Village aims to make screen time more productive for children with its “Active Club program”

 

 

Bengaluru, 1^st September 2020 – We all are well aware of the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic has not only had a major impact on the global economy but also has tremendously disrupted our lifestyle. Children are no different; they have been confined within their homes. A survey has revealed that there has been a 100 percent increase in the amount of time children spend in front of screens because of the lockdown.  

 

It has being observed that children who spend a large amount of time in front of the screens may be at a risk of developing myopia or becoming overweight, due to the lack of sufficient physical activity. Parents, at present, are worried about the fact that majority of the screen time consumed by children is unproductive and they have been seeking various avenues to ensure that their child’s screen time is utilized more productively.  

 

Keeping in mind the above concerns, Sportz Village, India’s largest youth sports platform has developed a special program called Active Club, for children between the ages of 4 to 19 years. Through this engaging fitness and skill-based program, Sportz Village aims to keep children physically active in the comfort of their own homes and nuture their sports journey. The Active Club program has garnered the trust of more than 1,200 parents in a short span of time.  

 

With schools being closed for an extended period, a shift has been observed from offline to online space as far as academics is concerned. However, the same transition has been slower with regards to sports and physical education for children. COVID or No COVID children still need to play for their health, immunity as well as happiness and make their home, their new playground.  

 

Benefits of Active Club Program:  Better Physical Health  Better Mental Health  Opportunity to Interact with Peers

The Active club program intends to bridge this gap and include sports and fitness as a part of a child’s daily routine. The Active Club program not only ensures that children get to play and have fun but also lay a foundation towards their sports journey. The instructor-led program revolves around getting children and parents to subscribe to different online training modules wherein certified trainers would train the children on various age-appropriate, sports-specific and fitness activities.  

 

Moreover, since the child would be performing the physical activities at a particular distance from the screen, the probability of straining one's eyes is reduced.  

 

John Gloster, who has been associated with international cricket for the last 22 years, most notably as physiotherapist to the Indian Cricket Team from 2004 – 2008, and Saumil Majmudar, Co-Founder, CEO and Managing Director, Sportz Village, have been instrumental in the development of the Active Club program.  

 

Speaking on the fitness aspect and his association with the Active Club program, John Gloster, Chief Quality and Performance Officer, Board Advisor, Sportz Village India said, “I am glad to be a part of the Active Club program. It is an innovative way of engaging with children.  

 

 

 

As a professional trainer, I feel that children at a young age should inculcate the habit of engaging in different sports and physical activities. Sports not only ensures a disciplined lifestyle but also helps to inculcate several social-emotional skills in children such as teamwork, leadership and confidence.” 

 

Speaking about the Active Club program, Saumil Majmudar, Co-founder, CEO and Managing Director, Sportz Village said, “We aim to revolutionize the way fitness and sports can be implemented in a child’s routine. With children spending most of their time in front of the screens, it is important to make sure that they utilize their screen time productively. Children’s h 

ealth and fitness have always been a prime focus for us, and we have ensured that the best set of fitness experts and trainers are involved so that a child can engage with as well as enjoy the sessions. Our objective is to motivate the children to stay fit and active COVID or No COVID.”  

For more Details:- https://www.sportzvillage.com/   or  https://www.activeclub.in/