Singapore-headquartered online media company Connected to India has inducted experienced journalist and a 20-year veteran of the television industry Punam Sharrma as the co-founder and head of content. Reporting to the Founder and CEO, Punam will lead the team of journalists, video content creation and monetisation efforts for the platform.
“I am thrilled to welcome Punam Sharrma to Connected to India. In our debut year we have done a good job of creating content for Indians abroad and in particular NRI audiences in Singapore, US, UK and Dubai and connected well with local Indian diaspora. Punam’s addition to the team will drive our efforts of increasing volume of content, new video formats and hyper-local programming. We are already in the process of creating pilots and talking to brands who want to encash on the flexibility, reach and targeting that digital video content brings with it.” said Himanshu Verma, Founder and CEO, Connected to India.
Punam started her career in broadcasting with India Today Group’s flagship brand Aaj Tak, growing within India’s number one news channel at that time to become an editor and prime time anchor. She has also produced and Anchored news shows and programmes for ESPN Star Sports, TV Today and India Today.
An avid sports and cricket fan, Punam was recognised as the first Indian female news anchor for international sports broadcaster at ESPN.
“I am very excited and looking forward to working with Connected to India. It is commendable what Himanshu has achieved in the first year. Connected to India has done phenomenal work in establishing the brand, drawing great traffic and building great partnerships with some of the top brands in Singapore," Punam said.
"Given that we have all these essential pillars in place, our primary focus and endeavour now will be to produce more quality video content which is both engaging and interactive for the diaspora and the NRI community,” she added.
Over the last few months, Punam has been working with Connected to India on a range of varied and exciting projects like Singapore Cricket Club’s Twenty 20 tournament, Esplanade Theatre’s Indian festival of arts Kalaa Utsavam 2017 and the much awaited ASEAN India Pravasi Bharatiya Divas to be hosted in Singapore on January 6 and 7, 2018.
Connected to India differentiates itself by creating hyper-local, relevant, useful, engaging and entertaining content for Indians living abroad. Considering its Singapore origins, currently, 70 per cent of the editorial content is catered for Singapore and SEA countries while the remaining 30 per cent for Dubai, US and UK.
Hyper-relevant content like a recent article on Immigration and Checkpoint Authority’s (ICA) decision to welcome only online PR applications received almost 8,000 page views in a few days. Or an entertainment story around a Hindi theatre festival garnered over 4,000 page views.
“Our digital-ability in serving good content to the right audience in a Smart Nation like Singapore has been key to our growth and more importantly for learning the consumption habits and preferences of our target audiences. Considering the latest Nielsen Media Index Report, which says that news consumption is one of the fastest growing online activities among 15 years and older consumers with 66.8 per cent also visited local online news platforms weekly, makes complete sense that our hyperlocal content is being appreciated,” added Himanshu.
Connected to India is a Singapore-headquartered online media company serving Indians abroad. Founded in 2016, it celebrates the successes of the Indian community while covering their entrepreneurial, career, academic, cultural, financial, social and personal achievements. At the same time informing them of the local developments, which impact them and entertain them.
