Taking mobile innovation to new heights: The Quint covers the Bihar elections through smartphones!

The mobile-focussed news venture, The Quint  is taking its commitment to a tech-enabled, digitally-driven content experience to newer heights. Four journalists of the popular content platform are out to cover the Bihar Elections armed with only their Motorola smartphones and the reporters’ ultimate weapon of choice, a selfie stick! The objective behind the project is to give users a more intimate news consumption experience which isn’t always possible with the paraphernalia of a Television Unit. Using the new Moto X Play, The Quint journalists have been able to capture moments they may otherwise not have been able to.

This is the first time ever that such a project has been attempted anywhere in the world. The challenges are particularly daunting in a country like India with patchy mobile networks and authorities who weren’t receptive of the initiative at first.

The Quint’s CEO Ritu Kapur said, “The idea was born of instinct. Our team of multimedia commandos has been experimenting with smartphones for the past eight months. We were impressed with the picture quality of the Moto X Play. Our tech team helped ensure that both video and audio quality were perfect.”

“So we now have princely crews of ONE, scouring the Bihar landscape with light backpacks and collapsible selfie sticks. Unlike OB trucks and big cameras, the smartphone is a familiar, non–intimidating tool that allows people to open up and chat not just about votes and politicians, but also their life situations. We are also reaching out to citizen journalists, students -- actually anyone with a smartphone -- to turn their mobile into a media outlet and become a reporter for The Quint,” she added.

Motorola gave the reporters at The Quint the tough, smart and reliable Moto X Play to put through the grind in the hard hinterland. Motorola also co-branded and sponsored the initiative. It helped short circuit processes and cleared creatives at speed, so as to be able to catch tight deadlines.

Speaking about the initiative, Ms. Rachna Lather, Marketing Head, Motorola India, said, “We are truly excited to partner for this one-of-a-kind initiative and are confident that the results will be awesome. While Moto X-Play’s features offer an unparalleled experience, its 21 MP camera and colour balancing flash will ensure that broadcast quality images and videos are shot in real time. The 3630 mAH battery with 30-hours of power will offer a non-stop communication channel. We are positive that the Moto X Play will prove to be the perfect partner for The Quint team during the Bihar elections.”

As a mobile-first, digital media platform to consume, share and discover content on the go, the Bihar Elections project further fosters the identity of The Quint as a compelling combination of stellar content, tech and distribution formats.