Vodafone Essar, one of India’s leading cellular service providers in association with ACK Media, today announced the launch of Amar Chitra Katha, a collection of illustrated classics that retell the stories about Indian Heroes, on Vodafone. Anant Pai (popularly known as Uncle Pai), Editor Emeritus - Amar Chitra Katha, Samir Patil, Founder and CEO- ACK Media and Harit Nagpal, Marketing and & New Business, Director, Vodafone Essar were present at the launch of Amar Chitra Katha on Vodafone.
This association with Amar Chitra Katha will allow Vodafone customers to enjoy a host of services. The services will be available to Vodafone customers through a voice portal and through Vodafone Live!
Through the Voice Portal, Vodafone subscribers can listen to folk stories from The Karadi Tales, audio dramas from Charkha and musical tales from Under the Banyan Tree. Vodafone customers can also choose to listen to the poetry delivered by the likes of Naseeruddin Shah, take quizzes and chuckle over jokes from Tinkle.
Vodafone LIVE! provides customers with an opportunity to read entire Amar Chitra Katha comics, listen to popular stories, and download ringtones and wallpapers of their favourite characters on their cellphones. In addition, Vodafone customers can play mobile games like Shikari Shambhu Jungle Trouble and Bheema-The Asura Temple from a selection based on various Amar Chitra Katha characters such as Arjun and Bheema as well as those based on popular Tinkle characters like Suppandi and Shikari Shambhu.
Vodafone customers need to dial 567607 from their mobile phone to enter the world of Amar Chitra Katha at a subscription charge of Rs 30/month. While Vodafone Live provides access to a lot of free content, Vodafone customers can also download various services at charges varying from Rs 5 for Videos to Rs 15 for Ringtones and Rs 50 for Games.
Harit Nagpal, Marketing and New Business, Director at Vodafone Essar said, “We have all been exposed to and influenced by Amar Chitra Katha characters at some point in our lives. Vodafone is delighted to recreate the experience on the mobile screen and take it beyond to the interactive level for our customers. ”
Speaking at the launch, Samir Patil, Founder and CEO of ACK Media said, "We are very excited to launch Amar Chitra Katha for mobile phones. With a fast growing 350 million plus subscriber’s base, cell phones today have as big a reach as broadcast TV. For content owners like us it is critical therefore to not merely repurpose print products, but to create entirely new offerings that are tailored to the interactive potential of this medium. With this launch of wide range of ACK games, wall papers, audio stories, and comics, we have taken an important first step”,
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About ACK Media
ACK Media is an entertainment and education company for young audiences. Some of India's most-loved brands including Amar Chitra Katha, Tinkle, Karadi Tales and well-known proprietary characters like Suppandi, Shikari Shambu are part of ACK Media. We develop products for multiple platforms including print, mobile, online services, games, Television and Film. ACK Media is head quartered in Mumbai, has a design studio in Bangalore and a subsidiary in Chennai. For more information on ACK Media, please log on to: www.ack-media.com
About Vodafone Essar
Vodafone Essar in India is a subsidiary of Vodafone Group Plc and commenced operations in 1994 when its predecessor Hutchison Telecom acquired the cellular license for Mumbai. Vodafone Essar now has operations in 22 circles with over 63.34 million customers*. Over the years, Vodafone Essar, under the Hutch brand, has been named the ‘Most Respected Telecom Company’, the ‘Best Mobile Service in the country’ and the ‘Most Creative and Most Effective Advertiser of the Year’. Vodafone is the world’s leading international mobile communications company. It currently has equity interests in 27 countries across 5 continents and 40 partner networks with over 289 million proportionate customers worldwide. Vodafone has partnered with the Essar Group as its principal joint venture partner for the Indian market. Essar Global Limited (EGL) is a diversified business group spanning the manufacturing and services sectors of Steel, Energy, Power, Communications, Shipping & Logistics, and Projects. The group has operations and investments in India, Canada, USA, Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean and South East Asia and employs 30,000 people worldwide.
*Figures from Cellular Operators Association of India, January 31, 2009