Times Internet and Uber enter into a strategic partnership
New Delhi, India, March 24, 2015: Times Internet, the digital arm of the Times of India Group, and Uber have entered into a strategic partnership to support Uber’s expansion in India. The deal is centered around a commercial marketing arrangement accompanied by a small investment.
This is the largest partnership to date for Times Global Partners, an initiative of Times Internet to support emerging global digital companies’ entrance into India. In addition to Uber, Times Global Partners has partnered with Huffington Post, Business Insider, Gawker Media, Ziff Davis, and more.
Satyan Gajwani, CEO of Times Internet, said, “Having spent time with Travis and the Uber team, we are delighted to partner with the fastest growing company in the world, to help bring affordable, convenient, and safe transportation to every consumer in India, while developing a real spirit of micro-entrepreneurialism for thousands of drivers. Times Global Partners is a platform we established to help the best companies in the world succeed in India, and we’re confident that together, we can improve lives and create jobs for millions of Indians.”
India is the second largest and fastest growing market for Uber globally and Uber is investing significant resources into this market’s continued growth. Uber has a deep long-term commitment to the Indian market and a vision to create an innovative and entrepreneurial society by bringing transformational technology to more Indians from all walks of life. The partnership with Times Internet is inline with Uber’s strategy of creating local partnerships in key markets. Similar global partnerships include Baidu in China, AmericaMovil in LatAm and American Express in the US. These partners bring a deep understanding of local markets and consumer behavior and help increase the marketing and distribution of Uber’s services.
“India is one of our fastest growing markets in the history of Uber and one where we are investing heavily in continued growth,” said Travis Kalanick, CEO of Uber Technologies. “As we continue building innovative and local solutions for the Uber community in India, we are excited to partner with Times Internet, whose leadership shares our vision of a world that brings people and their cities closer together with reliable transportation, everywhere and for everyone. Marketing and Distribution are a key part to our strategy for success in India and there is no better partner and platform for this than Times Internet with it’s print, radio, OOH, and digital marketing platforms that reach over 200 million Indians.”
Uber currently operates in eleven cities across India – Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Chennai, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi, Pune.
Times Internet is the digital arm of The Times of India Group, India’s largest media conglomerate across print, TV, radio, out of home, magazines, digital, and more, that collectively reach over 200 million Indians.
