The Weather Company and Times Bridge: Personalizing Weather Data and Climate Coverage in India
The Weather Company, an IBM Business (NYSE: IBM) announced a strategic alliance with Times Bridge, the international investments and partnerships arm of The Times Group.
With its varying climate regions, abundance of agriculture, and drastic seasonal weather shifts, creating a weather offering in India that is locally relevant and backed by scientifically validated raw data is of critical importance. The Weather Company is joining forces with the Times Group to tackle this challenge.
Indian consumers will receive the most up-to-date weather information and localized forecasts on the digital edition of The Times of India from The Weather Company, the most accurate* forecaster in the world. In turn, the Times Group will provide curated content on The Weather Channel app in India as well as weather.com/in in English and Hindi (weather.com/en-IN and weather.com/hi-IN) to connect Indian residents with pertinent information, locally relevant articles, photos and video content.
Commenting on the need of this alliance, India Sales & Alliances Leader for The Weather Company, Himanshu Goyal said, “Indians across the peninsula are affected by varying and often extreme weather conditions, therefore it’s vital for audiences to have access to timely and dependable weather information when and where they need it to help them make more informed decisions for daily planning or to stay safe in severe weather.”
The relationship will also enable local marketers to access advanced data-driven advertising solutions from IBM Watson Advertising across both companies’ properties. By leveraging real-time weather data and helping to predict consumer behaviour, advertisers can better determine the optimal time and place to reach a consumer.
Local audiences will have access to:
· Temperature and wind maps for the region, with satellite radar and alerts.
· Forecasts to help with lifestyle and health decisions such as air pollution, cricket
· forecasts, a sweat index and more.
· Daily planning recommendations based on weather conditions.
· Stories, images and videos about the top weather events of the day and weather news.
“At a macro level, the effect of climate change is perhaps one of the most pressing issues of our time. At a micro level, having an accurate forecast helps people plan their wardrobes, commutes, and crops. Building solid reporting institutions around this spectrum is critical,” says Thane Richard, Times Bridge’s Senior Director of Publishing and Creative.