Join Sportsvite.com to organize and manage your family’s big game this year

November 24, 2009—This year, thousands of families around America will be competing in the most anticipated sporting event of the season and bear witness to the biggest of sports rivalries: the Family Turkey Bowl. But with busy families scattered around the country or world organizing this annual event is harder than ever. Sportsvite.com, an online community to help organize and manage recreational sports activities, makes this feat easier by providing online tools to organize a game, send out invitations, assign positions, and find local playing fields.

Joining Sportsvite and organizing a Turkey Bowl is free and easy. Just follow these simple steps:

1. Join Sportsvite.com by creating a free account or connecting through your Facebook account.
2. Click on Create A Game.
3. Enter the game details such as game description, time/date, and location.
4. At the prompt, invite players by email. Sportsvite will automatically pull your contacts your email accounts.
5. Email your team the game details. Sportsvite will track all RSVP’s.
6. Update game information as the Turkey Bowl nears. You can send messages to all the players or leave comments.

Once your game is created, your group can communicate with other players and discuss the event like position assignments or trash talking. Is your star QB, Uncle Harry, injured this year? Use Sportsvite to recruit other teammates in your neighborhood through the bulletin board section. Football is the third most popular sport on the site so finding a “free agent” should be easy. Likewise, if your family is sitting this year out, use the boards to find a pick-up football game to join.

With more than 140 sports and activities, Sportsvite isn’t just limited to football. The most popular team sports are softball, basketball, soccer, volleyball; popular activities include hiking, fitness training, bowling, billiards, and swimming. So if a football game isn’t for your family, try a different sport such as Ultimate Frisbee, create your own tradition like a softball tournament or Wiffle Ball game—or challenge other teams and host a Turkey World Series. Sportsvite recently added 15 new sports upon request from the Sportsvite Community that range from Cornhole to Capture The Flag so there’s something for everyone this holiday season.

For more tips on the holidays, check out the Sportsvite blog.

July 16, 2009

One rarely expects to be moved to tears at a karaoke competition in a Lakewood strip-mall movie theater. But Neil Sheth, a whippet-thin 20-year-old from Palos Verdes Estates, had the crowd on the verge as he auditioned for BollyStar 2009, an open tryout for a singing role in a mainstream Bollywood film.

His a cappella take on “Tadap Tadap,” from the 1999 Hindi film “Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam,” was a heartstrings-snapping read of a tune that’s something of a “My Heart Will Go On” for South Asian film fans.

“The movie is about two lovers, and because the man is half Italian, the woman’s parents don’t approve and he’s forced to leave her,” Sheth said. “He sings this song as he’s walking away from her.”

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Esurance, The Independent Film Channel and Saavn have teamed up to offer Bollywood lovers a chance to co-star in an animated music video with icon Erin Esurance. There’s an Erin Esurance? Who knew? Oh silly us. Of course there’s an Erin Esurance. She’s the spokescartoon for the brand.

Anyway visitors to a promotional site will have the chance to enter the Esurance Bollywood Casting Call Contest. Participants will submit videos of re-enactments of their favorite Bollywood movie scenes. The winning entrant will star in an Esurance Bollywood music video that will premiere in September during “Wake Up To Bollywood,” a presentation of Bollywood films airing each Sunday morning at 10 AM, on IFC.

So get your Bollywood Booty on, people.

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Aspiring singers, forget “American Idol.” State Farm Insurance and Saavn have partnered to find one talented U.S. singer to become the next Bollywood singing sensation and perform on the silver screens of India.

The winner of the contest — who will be selected online at Bollystar2009.com by Bollywood fans around the world — will be given the chance to sing in a Bollywood musical.

State Farm will promote the contest throughout the summer with Asian marketing firm interTrend, based out of San Francisco. Saavn is the world’s largest digital marketer and distributor of Bollywood entertainment.

“At State Farm we think nothing’s more important than being there for our customers and we seek out ways to connect with consumers in relevant ways,” said Mark Gibson, State Farm assistant vice president of advertising, in a statement.

Contestants can participate in auditions on July 11 and 12 in New Jersey and California, or upload a video to Bollystar2009.com. The videos that receive the most votes will move on to become finalists. The winner will receive a trip to a film shoot site and the role in the movie will be coordinated through one of Saavn’s partners.

To promote the contest, the companies are using social media channels (Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Twitter, Bollywood blogs). A daily winner will be posted and they will receive free music downloads from Saavn. In-theater advertising (on-screen ads and signage) is also planned.

“There is a big Bollywood opening this weekend (Kombat Isq, Denise Richards and Sylvester Stallone are making cameos) and State Farm is sponsoring free popcorn to promote the contest,” says Diana Nasello, a spokesperson for Saavn. “Ads will also run across key Bollywood Web sites and we are considering buying TV spots to promote the live events.”

Bollywood is the main film industry in India. Each year, Bollywood produces more than 1,000 films seen by billions of people.

The contest will help bring Bollywood music to new audiences, says Paramdeep Singh, co-founder and managing director of Saavn. “We have hundreds of music videos on the site that music fans can explore and probably many will love the beats as much any diehard Bollywood fan,” Singh says.

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New York, NY July 1, 2009—Do you have what it takes to sing in a Bollywood movie? Prove your chops are best in the first-ever Bollywood singing competition. Hosted by Saavn, the world’s largest marketer and distributor of Bollywood entertainment, and sponsored by State Farm; one winner from the US will be given the chance to fulfill the dream of singing on-screen in a Bollywood musical. The winner will be selected online at http://www.bollystar2009.com/ by music fans and Bollywood fans around the nation.

“At State Farm we think nothing’s more important than being there for our customers and we seek out ways to connect with consumers in relevant ways,” said Mark Gibson, State Farm assistant vice president – advertising. “With Bollywood at the heart of South Asian entertainment here in the U.S, we’re thrilled to sponsor this competition that gives people a chance to realize their dreams.”

Contestants can enter in two ways: by partaking in live auditions in New Jersey and California, or by uploading a video to http://www.bollystar2009.com/. All videos are judged by the community who vote for their favorites on the contest website. The videos that get the most votes will become the finalists and one winner will be selected. The winner will receive a trip to the film shoot site and the role in the movie will be coordinated through one of Saavn’s partners.

To join Saavn and State Farm at live auditions, please attend one of the following events:

• Saturday, July 11, Edison, NJ 3 PM-6 PM: Movie City
• Saturday, July 11, Fremont, CA, 3 PM-7 PM: Naz 8
• Sunday, July 12, Artesia, CA 3 PM-6 PM: Naz 8

“Music is such an important part of Bollywood films so by hosting this competition, we’re really opening up an amazing opportunity for an aspiring singer,” says Paramdeep Singh, co-founder and managing director of Saavn. “We also think this competition will help bring Bollywood music to new audiences. We have hundreds of music videos on the site that music fans can explore and probably many will love the beats as much any die-hard Bollywood fan.”

Bollywood is the main film industry in India, based in Mumbai and the largest in the world. Each year, Bollywood produces over 1,000 films, seen by billions. State Farm will be promoting the contest throughout the summer with leading Asian marketing firm interTrend, based out of Long Beach, CA.

“Along with State Farm, we have the opportunity to uncover hidden talent across the U.S. and introduce exceptional skill and artistry to the world. This competition is a unique way of discovering the American dream, which is truly a multicultural experience,” said Julia Huang, CEO of interTrend Communications, the State Farm Asian American advertising agency of record.

Singh added, “We can’t wait to see the submissions. Who knows? Maybe we will find the next Sonu Nigam or Sunidhi Chauhan.”

Hoping to ride the buzz of Oscar winner “Slumdog Millionaire” and growing U.S. awareness of Bollywood, some marketers are planning promotions specifically targeted at Indian Americans.

Insurer State Farm in June is sponsoring a karaoke contest in which consumers can upload videos to a Web site where viewers vote on two finalists. The prize: a trip to India to sing in a Bollywood film.

IFC, part of Cablevision’s Rainbow Media Holdings, is developing a special marketing plan to promote its new mini-series “Bollywood Hero,” starring comedian Chris Kattan, which will debut this summer.

“‘Slumdog Millionaire’ really made a lot of this content very accessible,” says Paramdeep Singh, managing director and co-founder of Saavn, a joint venture of digital media firm [212]Media and South Asian mobile entertainment company Hungama Mobile that specializes in creating campaigns tailored to Indians. Saavn is working with State Farm and IFC on their campaigns. (”Slumdog Millionaire” is distributed by Fox Searchlight, a unit of News Corp., which owns Wall Street Journal publisher Dow Jones & Co.)

Saavn, based in New York with offices in Mumbai, London, Los Angeles and Toronto, is the world’s largest digital distributor of Bollywood content, owning digital rights to hundreds of movies and thousands of music tracks, music videos and ringtones. The company distributes its content on its own Web site and a range of media properties including Time Warner Cable, Verizon Wireless, Apple’s iTunes and Hulu, the online video joint venture between General Electric’s NBC Universal and News Corp. Saavn is now looking to package its content as marketing sponsorships.

Marketing executives say the South Asian population in the U.S., which includes Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan and Nepali communities, is a desirable one. The group is relatively affluent and highly educated, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

But numbering more than two million, Indian Americans remain a small slice of the overall U.S. population. And though Slumdog brought Bollywood into the spotlight, it may have trouble staying there. India’s movie industry has been hit by the recession, with a lack of financing this year drastically scaling back movie producers’ ability to finish and market their films.

Marketers also need to be mindful of cultural history and customs when targeting ads to certain cultures or featuring specific ethnic groups in their ads, notes Valentin Polyakov, vice president of media services at GlobalWorks Group, an independent New York ad agency that specializes in multicultural marketing.

Burger King generated a dose of controversy this winter when it launched an ad campaign asking farmers in the Transylvania region of Romania and other remote areas to try its Whopper alongside McDonald’s Big Mac. The campaign, called “Whopper Virgins,” was criticized by bloggers and other pundits as lacking taste and being potentially exploitative.

Marketers can reach out to the Indian-American audience through targeted newspapers, India-based Web portals with U.S. editions and 24-hour Bollywood subscription TV networks, Mr. Polyakov says. The proliferation of digital content has made it easier to target ads to this audience, he notes.

State Farm started tailoring its marketing to the South Asian audience in 2005 through ads in targeted magazines. The insurer has continued to ratchet up its marketing to the community ever since, sponsoring cricket matches through TV, print and online, as well as grass-roots promotions.

Its Bollywood karaoke contest will be promoted with other online ads and by sponsoring events in a number of cities across the country, including New York and Los Angeles.

The contest is similar to a promotion Verizon launched last summer. To promote the South Asian content it was offering on its FiOS TV service, the company put together an online “Bollypop Dance Contest.” Winners received a trip to India and appeared in a dance sequence in a movie to be released in October.

New York, NY May 7 2009—Saavn, the world’s largest digital distributor and marketer of Bollywood entertainment and Hulu, an online video service that offers hit TV shows, movies and clips at Hulu.com and other online destination sites—all for free, anytime in the U.S., have teamed up to stream Bollywood films. The initial launch will include five contemporary hits from India, including Sarkar, Bollywood’s homage to the Godfather. All films include English subtitles and can be found at Hulu.com in the Feature Film category.

“Making some of the best Bollywood films available on Hulu is very exciting to us,” said Vin Bhat, co-founder and chief executive officer of New York-based Saavn. “One of Saavn’s goals is to make Bollywood more accessible for everyone and by having these films on Hulu, we believe that more people in the U.S. will open up to the genre that is revered by billions around the world.”

At launch, Hulu and Saavn will offer these Bollywood hits:

•    Sarkar (2005) The family politics of an Indian mafia family play out on a large scale in this critically acclaimed drama. Known as the Godfather of Bollywood, this film stars beloved actor Amitabh Bachchan; in a BBC poll, Bachchan was voted as the most important star of the millennium—beating Charlie Chaplin, Marilyn Monroe, and Sir Lawrence Olivier, among others.
•    Hera Pheri (2000) Three unemployed friends accidentally intercept a ransom demand and try to make a quick buck off the misunderstanding in this rip-roaring comedy hit. This classic Indian comedy was so successful, it spawned one of Bollywood’s first sequels. It stars Ashkay Kumar, Bollywood’s golden boy whose films earn more money in the industry than any other star.
•    Deewana (1992) This dramatic classic was the “king” of the Bollywood’s first release, Shah Rukh Khan. Khan is arguably one of the world’s most recognized figures; recently, he was the only actor named to the TIME 100, a list of global influencers. The film follows a promising singer who soon is thought to be murdered by his greedy uncle and cousins. Years later, he suddenly reappears and creates confusion for those he left behind.

Other films are romantic comedy Hulchul (2004) and Dhaai Akshar Prem Ke (2000), starring global icon and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai. More films will be released throughout the year.

About Saavn
Saavn brings the best of Bollywood and Indian entertainment to the world.  As the largest digital distributor in Bollywood, Saavn owns the digital rights to thousands of movies, music tracks, music videos, ringtones and graphics.  Saavn programs, packages and distributes its exclusive catalog and new Bollywood releases to more than 75 global media companies including Time Warner Cable, Cablevision, Verizon Wireless and Apple’s iTunes.  Saavn is a joint venture of [212]MEDIA and Hungama Mobile, and the company has offices in Mumbai, London, New York, Los Angeles, and Toronto. To find out more, visit: http://www.saavn.com.

NEW YORK, Apr 14, 2009 — Speakaboos ( www.Speakaboos.com), a publisher of exceptional digital content for children, today announces its spring releases of online titles performed by celebrities, as well as new children’s activities to celebrate the season. Featuring stories read by “Law & Order: SVU” star Christopher Meloni and “The Office” star John Krasinski amongst other famous voices, Speakaboos continues to provide a dynamic, interactive and educational online destination for children. All titles are available for immediate viewing on Speakaboos.com for free, and may be downloaded for offline viewing either by individual track or by album.

Currently in beta, Speakaboos debuted in October 2008 to both accolades from parents and media alike. Since then, Speakaboos has rapidly grown and now offers over 50 titles such as Arthur, Goldilocks, The Ugly Duckling, Old McDonald and Aesop’s Fables with audio provided by talented actors and musicians such as Kevin Bacon, Nick Cannon, Kelly Ripa, Marcia Gay Harden, Harry Shearer and Chazz Palminteri. At least fifteen percent of Speakaboos’ revenue is contributed directly to charities supporting children’s causes.

New story releases include:
– The Golden Goose read by Mark Thompson - March 24th ( http://www.speakaboos.com/story/the_golden_goose)
– Caperucita Roja (Spanish version of The Little Red Riding Hood) read by Lisa DeSimone - April 1st ( http://www.speakaboos.com/story/caperucita_roja)
– The Little Half-Chick read by Christopher Meloni - April 10th ( http://www.speakaboos.com/story/little_half_chick)
– Aladdin read by John Krasinski - April 20th
– Man, Boy, Donkey read by Jason Ritter - April 27th
– Three Little Pigs read by Judy Tenuta - May 4th
– The Gingerbread Man read by John Krasinski - May 11th
– Nickity Nick read by Veronica Webb - May 18th
– Rip Van Winkle read by John Paul DeJoria - June 1st
– Additional titles to be announced

New nursery rhyme releases include:
– “Little Bunny Foo Foo” - April 1st ( http://www.speakaboos.com/story/little_bunny_foo_foo)
– “I’m a Little Teapot” sung by Rachel Smith - April 15th

Latest activities include:
– The Little Half-Chick Word Search, Story Guide, and Word Jumble - April 8th
– Old McDonald Farm Diorama - April 8th
– Caperucita Roja Word Search - April 8th
– Rip Van Winkle Rhyme Time - April 10th
– A variety of new recipes like Country Porridge, Potato Boat, and Aladdin’s Mediterranean Fruit Kabob - April 10th
Speakaboos continues to add new storybook titles to its library weekly.

Saavn is the exclusive rights holder for more than 70% of new Bollywood movie and music releases and packages movies, music and television shows for digital platforms including cable VOD, Internet and mobile. Saavn’s partners include iTunes, Time Warner Cable, Cablevision, Amazon, NetFlix, YouTube, Verizon Wireless and Verizon V CAST.

Before joining Saavn, Malhotra was vp multiplatform program marketing at HBO, where he developed multiplatform strategies and VOD programming for shows like “Big Love,” “The Wire” and “Def Comedy Jam” and many of the sports franchises.

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Interactive applications can’t be too immersive these days. And in an effort to bring kids further into the worlds depicted in their favorite books, New York-based digital firm [212]media created a beta version of digital edu-tainment product Speakaboos that it’s prepping for a full launch later this year.

Principal Neal Shenoy describes Speakaboos as an immersive reading experience targeting kids up to age eight. Companion website Speakaboos.com houses a selection of downloadable packages (US$8.99 apiece) themed around individual titles that include a digital book - complete with animation, music and sound effects, where pages get flipped as a narrator reads the story aloud - games that might test memory, reading comprehension and vocabulary, themed e-cards to send to family and friends, print-outs and arts & crafts.

More than 90% of Speakaboos narrators are celebrities (yes, even Kevin Bacon has taken a turn), which is proving a popular

feature with parents. The site also includes free streaming songs and nursery rhymes performed by pop artists (US$0.99 to download). At press time, Nick Cannon’s hip-hop version of “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” was the site’s most-streamed file. The plan is to continue to recruit more celebs as the library grows.

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