Dolby Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: DLB), a leader in immersive entertainment experiences, ‘Dolby Everywhere’, campaign in India, aims to educate consumers about the Dolby difference available in the living room, at work, in the cinemas or on the go. The campaign creates awareness about lifelike experiences in Dolby, by connecting with consumers though their “passion points” like TV, Movies, Sports& Music.
The consumer today wants to discover content and have a premium entertainment experience, as it enables them to strike deeper connection with TV shows, Movies, Sports and Music they love. An increased awareness on their content consumption, consumers seek immersive experiences like never before.
Dolby has revolutionized the science of sight & sound through its innovative research and engineering, empowering creative to elevate their stories, and offering fans unforgettable experiences in Dolby. Imagine the heavy downpour in a moody scene. The stunningly vivid sunset in the show’s season finale; the song that hits a chord deep down your chest. Now it’s easier than ever before to experience the TV, Movies, Sports and Music you love — in Dolby.
The campaign film tracks a day in the life of a consumer, and how Dolby brings alive experiences you love – on the go, at work, in your living room or at the cinemas.
Sameer Seth, Director, Marketing – India, Dolby Laboratories, in an exclusive chat with Medianews4u on Dolby’s journey, the campaign and much more……..
Can you reflect on Dolby’ journey in India?
Dolby creates breakthrough experiences for billions of people worldwide through a collaborative ecosystem spanning artists, businesses, and consumers. In the Indian context, we have a large presence both on the cinema side and on the consumer entertainment side in HD broadcast, sports production and also now with streaming services and content. Dolby’s technology is very widely adopted across devices, including televisions, Set-Top-Boxes, DMAs, A/V Receivers, Home Theatres, Sound bars, Mobile Phones, Tablets, PCs etc. Dolby as a brand consciously works on making the experience seamless across all screens. Right from the introduction of HD in India, we have been deeply engaged in and working with the broadcast ecosystem especially HD broadcast. Our work over the last several years has resulted in Dolby Audio being used in over 70+ HD channels in the market. Furthermore, in a mobile-first market like India, the mobile device is increasingly becoming an entertainment hub. Understanding this landscape, we are also very actively working with a number of OTT service providers and we have a number of services which are now streaming content with the technology. On the cinema side in India, we have more that 700+ screens in Dolby Atmos (committed or installed as on Dec 01, 2020) and more that 800+ titles that have released in 6 Indian languages in Dolby Atmos.
Can you tell us more on Dolby Atmos Music and your collaboration with A.R. Rahman and IPRS for Dolby Atmos Music?
We are on a mission to reinvent how music is experienced. Dolby Atmos Music is an immersive music experience that adds more space, clarity, and depth to your music. It allows people to connect with their favourite music in a whole new way, pulling listeners into a song and revealing what was lost with stereo recordings. Listeners can discover hidden details and subtleties with utmost clarity. Whether it’s a complex harmony of instruments placed around a listener, a legendary guitar solo that fills a room, a massive bass drop that washes over you, or the subtle breath a singer takes, Dolby Atmos gives music more space and the freedom to unleash every detail and emotion as the artist intended.
Earlier this year, we collaborated with The Indian Performing Right Society Limited (IPRS), to empower music creators in India, and announced the launch of an educational program for its members. The program will provide members the opportunity to attend Dolby Atmos Music Webinar Series covering technology & workflows, Dolby Atmos Tutorial Series, Dolby Institute Masterclass and a free trial to Dolby Atmos Production Suite among other activities. Last month, Nuka (Anushka Manchanda) announced her latest audio-visual release Kashmir in Dolby Atmos. She is among the first Indian independent artist, to create music in Dolby Atmos. The Kashmir mix in Dolby Atmos, will allow fans to discover hidden details and subtleties with unparalleled clarity. Another independent artist, Tienas announced his new single, ‘Oh My Lord’ in Dolby Atmos.
Initiatives to get music to the masses?
Our goal is to offer experiences that bring entertainment to life be it at the cinemas, at home in the living room or on the go on mobile. The audience of today are seeking memorable and spectacular experiences. So, the need of the hour is to offer an immersive experience which stays with them long after they have turned the screen off. We have a strong presence in the cinema business and on the consumer entertainment side, through our audio technology – Dolby Atmos and Dolby Audio and more recently with our video technology – Dolby Vision. Dolby’s technology is very widely adopted across technologies, across device categories, including televisions and set-top-boxes, DMAs, mobile phones, tablets, home theatres, sound bars and many other consumer electronics categories. Our recent campaign ‘Dolby Everywhere’, aims to educate consumers about the Dolby difference available in the living room, at work, in the cinemas or on the go. The campaign creates awareness about lifelike experiences in Dolby, by connecting with consumers though their “passion points” like TV, Movies, Sports & Music. Dolby as a brand consciously works on making the experience seamless across all screens.
There is a lot of talent in the Indian music circuit, our journey has just started, and we look forward to working with the entire ecosystem including the artists, music mix engineers, music labels and DSPs.
You have recently commissioned a Global Survey; elaborate?
A recent global consumer study conducted for Dolby by Wakefield Research reveals that Indian consumers are willing to spend more on enhanced video & audio quality and on devices for better experiences. The study titled, ‘Quality Time is Quality Picture and Sound’, illustrates a significant shift in consumer entertainment behaviour in India. The new homebound work & leisure economy has led to a sky-rocketing demand for new and quality content and for better devices. The India leg of the study was conducted across six cities, including New-Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Ahmedabad, and throws light on their preferences and the willingness to invest in premium quality content and in devices and to be able to have an enhanced audio and visual experience that is helping increase family bonding time.
The study shows that consumers are particularly interested in enhanced picture and sound quality for watching movies and TV shows – 49% Indians rank movies as their top form of entertainment, followed by TV Shows that merit enhanced quality. The study also shows 94% respondents in India are willing to pay more for a premium subscription for enhanced video & audio quality. COVID-19 means many are engaging with entertainment in a variety of ways. 51% Indians have subscribed to a new streaming service. Beyond premium subscriptions, many want the gear to take their entertainment experience to the next level and 96% Indians plan to upgrade their entertainment equipment in the next 6 months.
How do you see entertainment trends shaping up in 2021?
The year 2020 brought surprises and changes for people around the world with an unprecedented event that altered the course of life for every human being. The impact on the entertainment industry was noticeable too. People crave for entertainment and the industry navigated quickly to keep up with this homebound economy by bringing in content and technologies to address the growing dependency on online video-audio content consumption, evolution of virtual music concerts, podcasts, etc.
Speaking on the lines of our recent surveys with Wakefield and Cyber Media Research, we are sure that the journey will be even more exciting in the coming year. The ability to provide immersive audio is quickly moving from being an option in many fields to a necessity, and this is where Dolby Atmos will continue to power spectacular experiences. Video streaming platforms will continue to grow on the back of consumer demand for better audio and video quality. The ability to share your inspiration as & when it strikes, using tools like Dolby On, and online concerts will possibly see an upsurge. Many artists like Ankur Tewari, Palash Sen, Nikhita Gandhi, Dhruv Vishvanath and Taba Chake, etc leveraged Dolby On to go live for their fans during the pandemic.
In year 2021, I would not be surprised to see people consume only high-quality sound and visual experiences as they have made it clear, that it has a huge impact and makes their viewing more exciting.
