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Future TV appoints Ashim Mohanty content head
Mohanty moves to Future TV as content head from Times Now
Future TV’s (part of the Future Media Group) strategy to create relevant and contextual content has been given a thrust with the appointment of a new content head, Ashim Mohanty. Mohanty will be responsible for all content on Future TV and will report to Vishakha Singh, director, marketing communication and strategy. Future TV is the television network brand in the ‘ambience of consumption’ and focuses on creating engaging content to forge consumer engagement with the medium.
Earlier, Mohanty was head, on-air promos and packaging team, Times Now. His career spans 10 years in the industry with broadcasters such as Times Now and CNBC TV 18. At Times Now, he played a crucial role in the success of the channel. He worked with CNBC TV 18 for more than six years and handled graphics for various entertainment shows.
In an official communiqué, Singh says, “Crisp content on in-store television attracts eyeballs. The storytelling has to be done within 30 to 60 seconds. Having worked in promos and in news television where every second is contextual, Ashim brings in the fire power to increase Future TV’s engagement with its viewers. His appointment will fuel contextual content on air.”
Ashim Mohanty |
He adds, “The challenge with Future TV is huge as it is a relatively new medium with no set parameters or benchmarks in terms of content. The challenge will also lie in creating content that will help brands to communicate in a relevant manner.” He shares that on Future TV, the ratio of ads to content is about 50:50.
Mohanty says, “Content on in-store TV must be of short duration and should be able to tell a story in the least number of frames. Also, it being an audio-neutral medium, content having high audio-dependence does not work. Secondly, content must differ based on the format of the store as each format attracts a different set of audience. For instance, as Pantaloons attracts a fashion-conscious audience, lifestyle related content such as travel and world cuisine would work for it. Compared to that, at Big Bazaar, humour or gags may work better.”
The company claims that Future TV reaches out to more than 16 million people across the country.
Future Media also offers engagement through its media properties such as Future Visual Spaces and Future Activation (creating media trends with innovative campaigns), Future Print (My World – a monthly women’s magazine available at Pantaloon, Central, Big Bazaar/Food Bazaar and on newsstands), Future Radio, Future FUEL (the TV network at BPCL petrol pumps), and Future Theatre (which has acquired on-screen media rights for all Inox properties).
It offers these media vehicles across Future Group properties and also across properties of allied partners offering consumption spaces such as stores, malls and multiplexes. These include the Inox chain of multiplexes, My Dollar Store chain of retail outlets, Oberoi Mall and R-Mall in Mumbai and 22 Camac Street Mall in Kolkata.