ITV

Category: Special Report

  • 2014: A year of de-aggregation

    2014: A year of de-aggregation

    2014 was a year when the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) issued, as many said, the ‘death warrant’ for the powerful aggregators. The year started with the regulator throwing the ‘big bomb’ on the channel aggregators by introducing the ‘de-aggregation paper’. The paper clearly stated that the broadcaster appointed content aggregators could not mix and bundle channels from different networks before signing deals with the distribution platforms.

    With the regulation, the once content aggregators were given a new name, that of ‘agents’ who would carry out the deals ‘on behalf of’ the broadcaster. TRAI gave the aggregators six months to dismantle operations, or realign as agents. As part of the regulation, it was the broadcasters who could now sign deals with the distribution platforms either directly or through agents, who could only work on behalf of the broadcaster and not bundle channels from different networks. The regulation came as a shock as it curbed the power of aggregators Media Pro, IndiaCast UTV Media Distribution and TheOneAlliance.

    Soon after, aggregators started disintegrating. MediaPro, the JV between Star Den and Zee Turner was the first to announce its separation. Thereafter, both of them began distributing on their own. Zee Network created a separate distribution entity called Taj Television which would also act as agents for Turner channels. MediaPro CEO Gurjeev Singh Kapoor headed off to handle Star India’s international business while COO Arun Kapoor became CEO of Taj. Soon after this, MediaPro terminated its alliance with NDTV, MGM and MCCS.

    The next in line to break up was IndiaCast UTV, the JV between Network 18 (TV18) and UTV. The last to do so was TheOneAlliance (a JV between MSM and Discovery) which has already announced its decision to break away but will formally happen only on 1 January 2015. Meanwhile IndiaCast will act as an agent for UTV as well as Epic TV channel, while MSM and Discovery will be setting up their own operations.

    While on one hand broadcasters were figuring out how they could deal with the new clause from TRAI, on the other hand distribution issues were being fought in the Telecom Disputes Settlement Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT). The fiercest of them was between Hathway Cable & Datacom and Star India/Taj Television that lasted for nearly seven months.

    The first accusation was from Star when it stated that Hathway had removed its sports channels and placed them as a separate pack. Zee Network was nearing the end of its deal with Hathway and wanted to re-negotiate it with the MSO. Hathway failed to reply on time, leading to disconnection of signals from the broadcaster. Thereby, the MSO took Zee to court.

    After long hearings between the three parties, the two cases got combined and it was settled that till the time the case does not come to an end, Hathway would pay Star and Zee at the rate of Rs 23 and Rs 21.5 cost per subscriber (CPS) basis for their entertainment channels and Rs 4 CPS for Star’s sports channels. The last verdict of the hearing came as the TDSAT directed Hathway to enter into RIO agreements with Taj Television and Star India for the DAS markets.

    When everyone thought that the case would come to an end, Hathway went to TDSAT once again claiming that there would be partiality in providing RIO rates to various platform operators. The case came to an end with Star India coming forth and stating that it would only be executing RIO deals for DAS markets with all distribution platforms from 10 November. Though Taj Television had also been ordered to get into a RIO deal with Hathway, the broadcaster later on signed a CPS (carriage) deal.

    The year’s ending saw much discussion on Star’s incentives that were being provided on the basis of channel penetration, reach and channel placement. While most MSOs vehemently protested against the new RIO at first, in the end they took up the channels on incentive basis and created new packs. Most MSOs decided to put the popular channels on the base pack and give the remaining as separate packs, in higher packs or as a-la-carte.

    The year also saw a rise in the carriage fees, which according to many has risen by 20-25 per cent for niche and news channels.

  • 2014: Cable TV’s year of missed opportunities?

    2014: Cable TV’s year of missed opportunities?

    2014 many would say has been a year of more downs than ups, especially for the cable TV industry. But, if one peels off the superficial layers and looks deep, it would be fair to say that it was indeed a year of opportunity for all the stakeholders in the cable TV ecosystem, despite all the trappings that it had of a Bollywood film with all the drama and twists and turns.

    The year began with industry regulator the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) cracking the whip on errant multisystem operators (MSOs) and last mile owners (LMOs) who had not implemented simple hygiene requirements such as subscriber information and billing in Digital Addressable System (DAS) phase I and II areas. 2014 probably was the most litigious one in recent memory for those in the cable TV ecosystem with the various constituents spending more time in courts or in the portals of the Telecom Disputes Settlement Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) than in upgrading their systems or moving ahead on business models. LMOs and MSOs snapped at broadcasters and aggregators, even as the latter took swipes at them with their heavy hands. No resolution seemed in sight and hence the anti-climactic postponing of phase III and phase IV DAS to 2016 by the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry almost came as a lifeline to the industry. Some carped about the postponement, some decided to take it upon themselves to voluntarily digitise, while other LMOs just got back to squabbling once again.

    Even as international strategic and financial investors got repelled by the chaos in Indian cable TV land, domestic lay investors and equity investors too gave the sector a thumbs down. One of the leading stocks, the Sameer Manchanda-run Den Networks, which was the investors’ darling in 2013, registered a 19 per cent erosion in its share price from Rs 161.65 in early January 2014 to Rs 131.30 on 24 December. Hathway Cable & Datacom rose 25 per cent from Rs 278.75 to Rs 347.50. Both underperformed the Bombay stock Exchange Sensex which rose 28.5 per cent from 21,000 on 2 January 2014 to 27,206 on 24 December 2014. However, an exception was the stellar performer  Essel group owned Siti Cable which appreciated 80 per cent from Rs 18.15 to Rs 32.75 on the same dates. 

    November 2014 saw Star India take a big punt and play pioneer by deciding to enter into only Reference Interconnect Offer (RIO) deals with MSOs in DAS areas.  The hope was that it would push cable operators to come up with better subscriber packages and hopefully improve realisations for themselves and Star too. With ARPUs sneaking up marginally, the big MSOs and cable TV cooperatives aggressively moved ahead with the more lucrative broadband offerings to subscribers.

    The year began with the MSOs meeting in different parts of the DAS areas to ensure gross billing could be started. While Delhi and Kolkata could, at least in a few parts start gross billing, Mumbai and other phase I and II cities, even as the year comes to an end, haven’t seen bills being rolled out. The reasons for this being no consensus: on the biller’s name (whether it should be of the LCO or MSO), revenue share between the two and the pending entertainment tax case in the Bombay High Court.

     The next big development in the year was when Hathway Cable and Datacom announced a cricket pack, wherein the MSO created a separate offering consisting of all the sports channels. When the announcement was made, little did people know that the issue would be dragged to the court and would keep the TDSAT occupied for almost the rest of the year. Hathway has been one player that has been in the news throughout, mostly for its progressive moves- from launching new local cable channels, to launching DOCSIS 3 broadband technology. It also wrestled with the major broadcasters such as Star and Zee through the year on terms and conditions.

     2014 was the year of opportunities, as it opened doors for the $100 million Hinduja’s Headend In The Sky (HITS) project and the Cable Virtual Network Operator (CVNO) model. As part of this LMOs can come together and join hands with the MSO to take its infrastructure, thus giving the former the power to own their consumers. The former Indusind Media CEO and promoter of Bhima Riddhi Digital Services Nagesh Chhabria too showed his intent of getting into the cable TV market with a national MSO. A much hyped $200 million announcement – in July about his agreement with Atlas Consolidated LLC (a joint venture between Greenwich Equity Partners and Jagran Infra-Projects led by Sanjiv Mohan Gupta) – to create a national MSO it has been followed by a strange silence since.

    It was a year of opportunity, as after a gap of long seven years, the TRAI decided to defreeze prices and allowed a price hike. The regulator in March, released a notification, offering a 27.5 per cent inflation-linked hike to stakeholders in the tariff ceiling. The hike was to be implemented in two phases: 15 per cent from April 2014 and the remaining 12.5 per cent from January 2015. The move gave some hope to stakeholders to increase their Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) which was at around Rs 180 – a 20-25 per cent increase. But the industry is clearly aiming at much higher ARPUs of Rs 300-350 in the short to medium term. 

    The most important month for the cable TV industry was August. Ask why? Well, this was the month, which shocked the whole value chain.  While the LCOs were relieved, the worried ones were the broadcasters and the MSOs. The newly appointed Information and Broadcasting Minister (now former)  Prakash Javadekar, looking at the condition of phase I and II cities, which had undergone seeding of set top boxes (STBs) decided to further push the digitisation dates for phase III to December 2015 and phase IV to December 2016, from the earlier deadline of December 2014. The reason given by the Minister was that he wanted to promote indigenous STB manufacturers, who had not benefitted much from the earlier two phases.

     The news brought in some cheer for the indigenous STB manufacturers who said that this would help the indigenous manufacturing industry give employment to about 50,000 people and would attract an investment of about Rs 500 crore. The move, according to many would also generate local support facility for repair of STBs and help in smooth implementation of digitisation in the country.

    While, everyone has their own take on the decision, one should take this as an opportunity to be able to complete phase III and IV cities, which includes the small towns and villages, in a much more organised manner. Currently in phase I and II, while boxes have been seeded, no proper rollout of package and billing has happened. The stakeholders have time to ensure that along with seeding of boxes in phase III and IV cities, they can ensure that Consumer Application Forms (CAFs) are filled, the information is added in the Subscriber Management System (SMS), packages are created, offering consumers the option to choose and proper bills are rolled out, bringing in complete addressability and transparency.

     According to many, with delayed digitisation, carriage fees are once again on the rise. According to a Media Partners Asia (MPA) report, carriage fee has gone up by 14 per cent, while broadcasters and MSOs peg this at around 20-25 per cent for niche and news channels. In fact, Colors CEO Raj Nayak at this year’s India panel in MIPCOM said that carriage fees which had come down by 20 per cent are again climbing and have gone back to pre-digitisation rates. Yes, all these can be counted as the drawback of delayed digitisation, but tackling the same is broadcaster Star India’s take on the deals with MSOs.

    The case which kept TDSAT busy this year was the Hathway vs Zee and Star case. It was during this, that Star India, in order to fight discrepancy in deals with MSOs, took a firm decision of entering into only RIO deals with MSOs. While this did hit the MSOs, since their cost of content went up, it did two things. One, it nipped carriage fees and two, opened the doors for the MSOs to increase their ARPUs. In fact broadcasters, who feel that the carriage fees are headed northwards, should consider entering into RIO deals, as was also said by MPA in one of its reports.

     With the extension of digitisation dates, a number of MSOs also decided to opt for voluntary digitisation, which was a welcome move, since it showed the intent of MSOs to see the country fully digitised.

    Keeping digitisation and broadband plans in mind, the year saw a few MSOs raising funds for themselves. Considering the money spent by the MSOs in acquiring content and taking digitisation forward did not match with the on-ground collections, MSOs were left with no choice but raise more funds to complete the task in hand. So while Hathway got board approval to raise Rs 300.80 crore through preferential allotment of shares, Essel Group’s subsidiary Siti Cable Network raised Rs 600 crore through the issuance of securities. Last mile owner Ortel Communications too made its move towards getting listed. The LMO, this year, filed its draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) for its proposed initial public offering (IPO) with the securities and exchange board of India (SEBI). The IPO may raise as much as Rs 360 crore.

    The year also saw the I&B cracking its whip on a few MSOs like Digicable and Kal Cable as their licences were cancelled following refusal of security clearance by the Home Ministry. But the duo got relief from their respective state High Courts and are still up and running. Even as Tamil Nadu former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa owned Arasu Cable struggles to get its DAS licence, Karnataka state government Minister for Information, Public Relations and Infrastructure R Roshan Baig too showed some interest in entering the cable TV business, this year.

     The cable TV industry, like every year was brought together through one forum organised by indiantelevision.com and MPA, IDOS 2014, held in Goa. The three day event threw light on some important statistics:

    ·         Of the 262 million households in the country only 162 million houses have a TV. Of this, 27 million is taken up by the free to air service providers such as Freedish via satellite and 7 million by terrestrial DD, while the rest comes under cable and satellite.

    ·         Rs 32,000 crore has been invested in digitisation since 2005 with a bulk of the investment coming from the DTH operators followed by the MSOs and LCOs since 2011. Out of this, over Rs 11000 crore in the last 24 to 30 months has been invested by MSOs and LCOs.

    ·         While the cost of all the pay channels on a wholesale basis is Rs 922 to digital platforms, the highest pack price is Rs 550 which is an anomaly and needs correction. Retail pricing is the answer to correct this. And it is competition amongst six DTH, two HITS, five national MSOs and several regional ones and the local cable ops will keep retail rates in check.

     We at indiantelevision.com hope that broadcasters, LMOs, MSOs will take a progressive view towards digitisation of their operations and also becoming transparent with their partners in 2015. The fact is there is a lot of work to be done: more than $3-4 billion are needed to digitise India’s cable TV infrastructure; a large part of these will most likely come from international players.   Many of these who were pacing the sidelines watching the developments clearly got a stomach upset and decided to park their funds elsewhere. Now it is up to the industry to restore investor confidence; that cable TV is a sector where one can see adequate returns. Failing which newer distribution technologies like OTT, video streaming and 4G might end up being good options which video lovers could end up considering.

  • 2014: The year of bold steps

    2014: The year of bold steps

    The year 2014 will go down in history as the year of bold steps.  Whether it was the postponement of digitisation, the introduction of many a forward-thinking and hard-hitting paper and regulation by government regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the industry’s punts at experimenting with big ticket shows, the completion of the acquisition of the Network18 group by Reliance Industries and the departures that followed thereafter, the push by YouTube into creating  a platform that could disrupt audiovisual content viewing, followed by the drive by broadcast networks to build their own independent digital platforms, the increasing importance of social media for television, the introduction of Reference Interconnect Offer (RIO) deals by Star India in a bid to force the industry to speed up digitisation,  big 4K announcements by Videocon and Tata Sky, the rise and rise of Life OK and SabTV, or the slow descent of Sony (once amongst the top two Hindi general entertainment channels -GECs ) to the number sixth spot, the continuing stranglehold of Star Plus over the Hindi GEC viewer,  the industry’s total disillusionment with existing TV rating provider TAM India, and the swing towards the new industry-backed BARC, the news and niche TV channels’ battle with the the government imposed advertising cap of 10+2 in the courts, the launch of three specialised Hindi general entertainment TV channels, a gradual increase in carriage fee payouts to the cable TV sector by smaller channel owners – all these and many were formed the highlights of the television business in 2014.

    To start with, the government took a firm decision to push ahead the analogue cable TV sunset date to 2016, seeing the state of progress by India’s 60,000 cable TV operators and seven-odd so called national multi system operators (MSOs). Of course, digitisation delay led to a lot of carping by many in the trade, but then it was back to business as usual very quickly. For some, no change was more comfortable than having to reinvent thinking, processes, and also business models – which was proving painful. Those who had pressed their foot on digitisation’s accelerator eased off a bit as they had been given some breathing space.

    The new government

    public://Narendra_D_Modi.jpg2014 was the year of the big change, with the Narendra Modi led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sweeping the ‘election of the century’ and coming to power.  In the new government, the mantle of Information and Broadcasting Ministry was given to Prakash Javadekar, who in his five months tenure made numerous public appearances, making major announcements. Before, the portfolio was passed on to Arun Jaitely in November, Javadekar had made some crucial changes, that of pushing the deadline for digitisation of phase III to December 2015 and of phase IV to December 2016. The move was  done in order to help the indigenous set top box (STB) manufacturers’ boost their businesses as well as allow the MSOs and cable TV operators’ enough time to do it right.

    The year saw the tech savvy Prime Minister announcing his dream of seeing a ‘Digital India’, which was followed by numerous campaigns. It was also the year, when the Media and Entertainment sector envisaged of becoming a $100 billion industry by 2020.

     

    Cable, DTH and Distribution

    public://222222.jpgIn the cable TV sector, while the tiff between the last mile owners (LMOs) and MSOs over ownership of consumers, billing and revenue share continued like in 2013, some unity could be seen amongst the MSOs with regards to voluntary digitisation after the I&B decided to push digitisation to a later date. The LMOs on the other hand united in several parts of the country to form cooperatives in a bid to get some financial muscle to be able to digitise apart from strengthening their customer base. The year saw not only Hinduja’s headend in the sky (HITS) project taking strides, a new model of distribution: Cable Virtual Network Operator (CVNO) too came up in a few cities like Mumbai and Kolkata.

    Another major development towards the end of the year was the decision of Star India to apply the RIO deal approach with the MSOs. The move while aimed at bringing in addressability and packaging in the DAS markets, saw a number of MSOs coming up with either different packages or putting the network’s channels on a-la-carte.

    With the Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) not showing much signs of improvement, a number of MSOs have started shoring up their broadband offering to customers.  The year also saw Den Networks launching its broadband service in Delhi, with plans of expansion in the coming year.  

    The direct to home (DTH) operators too were seen taking some bold steps with Dish TV launching a sub-brand Zing for the regional markets and Tata Sky and Videocon d2h announcing that they would be introducing 4K set top boxes in India. Not only this, DD Freedish too decided to seed MPEG4 STBs along with MPEG2 boxes in interior areas.

    The icing on the cake was TRAI’s regulation on unbundling, which saw distribution giants, MediaPro and TheOneAlliance parting ways. A lot of other broadcasters too were seen setting up distribution initiatives of their own. 

    Advertising

    public://bjp.JPGThe 16th Lok Sabha elections were not only fought on the ground, but political parties laid siege to the airwaves as well. This general election was the first among many, where media was so extensively (and blatantly) used by political parties.  Far from fighting shy of marketing themselves, the main players – Congress and BJP –spent nearly Rs 400 to Rs 500 crore each on publicity campaigns. An additional Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 crore was spent on related activities such as banners, hoardings, organisation of public meetings and transportation of key campaigners, among others. Not surprisingly, media agencies had estimated around 2 to 2.5 per cent of overall advertisement spends this year to come from elections.

    The year also saw the growth of the e-commerce sector as they intensified their battle. As investments rolled in, the market spends increased to woo customers. And with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his maiden budget announcing that manufacturing units will be allowed to sell their products through retail including e-commerce platforms without any additional approval, paving a path for the foreign direct investment (FDI) in the manufacturing sector, the upsurge is expected to continue.

                                                                                                                                                                      News Broadcasters

    public://Mukesh-Ambani-1.jpgThe first half of the year went in covering what seems the country’s biggest election. From exit polls to election result day, one thing was clear that it was a battle of individuals and not parties. And one man leading it all was none other than, BJP’s Narendra Modi.

    The news channels went all out to outdo each other as far as presentation was concerned vis-a-vis live graphics and coverage.  As per industry sources, the channels had earmarked Rs 1 crore to Rs 1.5 crore for the day, but spent a lot more. And with youth stepping out to vote, the channels went all out to social media to gather the pulse of the nation. Channels tied up with Microsoft and Google as well.

    The second big thing, which shook the industry, was when India’s largest company Reliance Industries announced its takeover of India’s largest media companies–Network 18.

    In May, RIL said it would invest about Rs 4,000 crore through Independent Media Trust, of which RIL is the sole beneficiary, to acquire 78 per cent stake in NW18 and about 9 per cent stake in TV18. Founder Raghav Bahl continues to be on the board as a non-executive director.

    The announcement saw senior level exits from the network. The CEO, CFO, COO quit in the days after it. The network’s news channels too saw famous faces like Rajdeep Sardesai moving on.

    The move did make many ask: Is this the death of media independence? But Reliance managers took quick initiative to assuage any such doubts, essentially keeping a hands-off approach from the news network.

    Programming

    public://star.jpgThe television industry saw two major appointments – Uday Shankar taking over as president of Indian Broadcasting Federation (IBF) and NP Singh being elevated as Multi Screen Media (MSM) CEO. Then his predecessor Man Jit Singh was given a US posting and global responsibility in Sony’s home entertainment division.

    As for the programming, the number one channel as per TAM TV ratings, Star Plus intensified its youth turn by launching shows like India’s Raw Star, Airlines and Everest. 

    Zee experimented with content through its new channel, Zindagi, with a slate of programming from across the border – Pakistan . A relief from daily melodramatic soaps got another boost as the country’s first genre-specific Hindi entertainment channel, Epic, finally got a nod from the MIB after more than a year-long wait. MSM too launched two new channels – Max2 and Sony Pal – to add a little more flavour to its pack.

    As industry awaits Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) to give out ratings, the body held roadshows across the country to share its updates with all constituents across the entire broadcast value chain, and, equally important, to receive feedback and suggestions.

    Sports

    public://kabbdi.jpgThe year saw India embracing a number of sports leagues apart from cricket, like football, tennis, kabaddi and basketball, that too in different formats. The Pro Kabaddi League, an initiative to revive India’s contact sports was a success and a surprise, not just on television but also at the stadiums, as Indian families cheered  the country’s lost sport. Bud sadly enough, advertisers decided to play a wait and watch game and missed the bus. It was initiated by Mashal Sports and broadcaster Star Sports.

    The Hero India Super League, an IPL styled football domestic tournament was a hit too, on television, social media and fans flocking to the stadiums. Conceptualised by Star Sports, IMG-Reliance and All India Football Federation (AIFF), it garnered a strong advertising support in its maiden year. While bigger brand like Hero, Puma and Amul came on board for the league as title and associate sponsors, individual franchises too drew support from brands.  With advertising and sponsorships stakes high in the Indian Premier league (IPL), these formats have allowed brands with smaller advertising budgets to have a play in the sports television business.

    While the industry did take some bold steps in the year, it hopes to reap the benefits in 2015.

  • World TV Day: Industry barons go down the memory lane

    World TV Day: Industry barons go down the memory lane

    It was on 15 September 1959 when India officially experimented her tryst with the box that has been loved, loathed and equally criticized over the years.  But today, in its current avatar, the television set has seen a paramount shift, right from colour television being introduced in 1982 as India geared up for the Asian games to today’s 4K technology.

    Production values of various shows as well as the viewership experience have changed phenomenally.  As the world today celebrates World Television Day which was declared by the U.N in December 1996, indiantelevision.com speaks to some of India’s most notable names from the TV industry recalling some of their fondest memories of viewing television programmes.

     

    Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar

    Television needs to look beyond its traditional ecosystem to embrace the opportunities offered by digital technology. The medium will die if it continues to grow in a linear fashion. TV began over electro-magnetic waves in 1959 and has grown through satellite to cover the entire country.

    While terrestrial TV has its own relevance, it will be quickly overtaken by new technologies including satellite and digital addressable systems.

     

     

    India Today Group consulting editor Rajdeep Sardesai

    For me my fondest memory was the coverage of the live elections in the years of 1995-1996. At that time, everyone would watch the national broadcaster Doordarshan as there were no private news channels. Covering the elections as a reporter along with journalist like Vinod Dua and Dr Pranoy Roy is a big part of those memories for me.

     

    NDTV executive vice chairperson KVL Narayan Rao

    Television today is more contemporary. Society has changed a little and what you have on air is reflective of that. The world has become a smaller place. There is more access now as compared to 25 years ago when the only window to international news was The Week That Was, produced by NDTV as one of the earliest private players. I remember serials like Buniyad, Humlog, Mahabharat and Ramayan. Some of the old ones were core of the heart serials and dealt with issues that were the reality of so many people of the country at that time such as post partition. The serials now have different production values.

     

    Sony Six business head Prasana Krishnan  

    Sports on television is growing rapidly and the Indian sports fan today has more access to viewing multiple properties than any other fan in the world and that too at an affordable cost. My fondest memory has to be this year’s FIFA World Cup Brazil as not only was it personally satisfying for me as a football fan but  a matter of pride to be carried on the channel. Every minute of the game on TV was engaging.

     

    Ten Sports CEO Rajesh Sethi

    Viewing television programmes is an enriching experience and is all about entertainment, entertainment and entertainment! Watching television especially sports is a great stress buster and allows me to relax. In fact watching sports on TV for me is all about celebration.

     

    Gasoline, founder and chief creative officer Anil Kakar

    From just two Doordarshan channels to over 800 channels today, television has come a long way. The good thing is, content continues to get more defined to suit niche audiences.  With the recent changes announced by the Star Network, viewers now have the choice of subscribing to specific channels on an a la carte basis. It will be interesting to see how this will go on to alter viewing patterns. In the long run, this might even lead to a shift of focus, largely from GECs to more diversified, niche content, as television gets more fragmented. Ultimately, as audiences, we will have even greater choice than we have today. Even with so many channels today, I would say the finest moments in television belong to the 90s. MTV and Channel V brought in a cultural change and attitudinal shift of sorts. Programmes such as Different Strokes, The Wonder Years, Mind Your Language and Star Trek were had to miss and are still hard to forget.

  • Carriage fee on a rise again?

    Carriage fee on a rise again?

    MUMBAI: Delayed digitisation of phase III and phase IV areas have marred the hopes of broadcasters, multi-system operators (MSOs) and the local cable operators (LCOs) alike. With implementation of digitisation in phase I and II, while broadcasters were enjoying the reduced carriage fees, MSOs were hoping for better on-ground collections with increasing transparency. But all this has taken a U-turn with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting announcing 2016 as the year when India will be fully digitised.

    The MSOs who have invested heavily for digitising phase I and II markets are still waiting for reaping the benefits of it. And now even the broadcasters who saw some reduction in carriage fees (industry sources peg it between 10 per cent to 30 per cent) during the first two phases have gone back to basics.

    If one has to go by the Media Partners Asia (MPA) report, the cable TV industry has seen a 14 per cent jump in carriage fees. The reason for the jump in carriage fee could be many. Here are a few reasons which we understand could be playing a role in the changed carriage fee pattern:

    1)    Delayed digitisation: The MSOs have already invested heavily in phase I and II and have also borrowed money for phase III and IV markets. Now with the government announcing the final dates for digitisation as 2015 for phase III and 2016 for phase IV, MSOs fear that the LCOs will not increase their collections from the ground.

    2)    Low ARPUs: Even in phase I and II areas, the ARPU hasn’t gone up as expected by the MSOs. And so they haven’t been able to recover the money they had invested.

    3)     New channel launches: Broadcasters launching new channels need greater reach and visibility and so pay more in order to get carried by the platform and also to ensure that it is available to all the subscribers of the platform. This in turn sets a benchmark for the other players also.

    4)    Lack of transparency: Even though one of the aims of digitisation was bringing in transparency and addressability, both haven’t happened as yet. The cable operators have not been able to get the consumer application forms filled and thus, are still unaware of the choice of consumer. Also, there is still under declaration of consumers. 

    “This is true especially for news channels, niche channels and the new channels that have been recently launched. While the existing channels have not seen any hike in carriage fees, broadcasters that launched new channels in the different genres, right from GECs to regional to music and movies have seen a jump in carriage fees, which ranges from 15-25 per cent,” says a distribution head on condition of anonymity.

    Another source close to the development agrees and says, “Yes! The carriage fee for broadcasters launching new channels have gone up. This can be anywhere between 20-25 per cent, depending on the distribution strategy of the broadcaster and the visibility it is looking for.”

    Many in the industry blame the new channel launches for the increase in the carriage fee. “While for the news channels the carriage fee had seen a drop by 10-15 per cent, the new channels that are being launched every now and then, sets a different benchmark. Since broadcasters want better reach for their new channels, they pay huge sums as carriage fee to MSOs and this affects the news channels as well,” says a news broadcaster.

    Even at the recently concluded MIPCOM 2014, Colors CEO Raj Nayak during a panel discussion had stressed that there needs to be complete implementation of digitisation. “While in the phase I of digitisation, the carriage fees had come down by 20 per cent, it has now gone back to square one and this is a dangerous trend,” he had then said.

    Viacom18 group CEO Sudhanshu Vats feels no different. In his recent interaction with Indiantelevision.com he had said, “Carriage, rather than continually coming down, has begun to rise again in recent months.”

    According to India TV chairman and editor-in-chief Rajat Sharma, when digitisation kickstarted, news broadcasters expected consumers to get better quality channels and carriage fees to disappear. “For the MSOs, it is the carriage fee from the news channels that helps them sustain, since they pay the GECs huge sums for getting their programming on their platform,” opines Sharma.

    Unlike the expectations by many, carriage fees haven’t yet been abolished.  “When phase I of digitisation was implemented, carriage fees did come down in terms of what was being paid in the four metros. The national level MSOs saw the benefits of digitisation and passed on some of that benefit to broadcasters. However, with phase II, it hasn’t happened. On the contrary they are going up and extortionist demands are being made again. Perhaps because in other parts of the country the MSOs are in partnership with local or regional players who do not want to let go of carriage fees even though that was meant to be a natural outcome of digitisation,” informs NDTV executive vice chairperson KVL Narayan Rao.

    Rao further adds, “It is impossible for news broadcasters to withstand payment of high carriage fees. Other components of digitisation like buoyant and fair subscription revenues, have not kicked in either. Something needs to be done about these aspects immediately. Carriage fees in particular have to be rationalised.” Rao also pegs the carriage fee increase between 10-30 per cent.

    As for Focus Network group CEO Neeraj Sanan, carriage fee revenues for MSOs are likely to reduce. “However the carriage paid by a broadcaster to an MSO, will increase post first year of DAS due to aggregation at MSO level and the ever increasing number of channels,” he adds.

    Even the MSOs agree that the carriage fee has seen an upward trend. “This is true mostly for the new channel launches. Broadcasters want better reach for their new channels and are ready to pay more carriage fee for those channels. The new channels are seeing a hike in carriage fee by about 20-25 per cent,” concludes the MSO.

  • Trick or Treat: Bring out the troll in you

    Trick or Treat: Bring out the troll in you

    With just couple of hours to go before people dress up to trick or treat for Halloween, one thing that comes to mind is the Pepsi versus Coca Cola war.

    So, what is new between the two cola giants taking on each other, which they have been doing for years now? Well, it is the response which the campaign by Pepsi generated.

    Last year, Pepsi released a campaign during Halloween wherein a Pepsi can wore a red cape with “Cola Coca” written on it and with a tagline saying, “Have a scary Halloween”. Of course, the campaign went viral, but what was more interesting was the response from one of the avid Coca Cola fan.

    The new tagline read, “Eveybody wants to be a superhero”, hinting that the red cape was that of the Superman.

    Ambush advertising is nothing new, but it takes a lot of wit and guts for the players to take a jab at each other and take it in their stride as well. And not to forget, to make it worth a while for the costumers as well.

    The objectives of ambush marketing are twofold: to get maximum returns on the marketing buck and to undermine the branding efforts of the rivals by stealing the attention, increasing the clutter and confusing the viewers.

    Who can forget the Pepsi’s ‘Nothing official about it’ campaign during the 1996 cricket World Cup that introduced the concept of ambush marketing in India.

    Indiantelevision.com takes a look at a few memorable advertising wars between brands in India.

    Kingfisher vs. Jet Airways

    In April 2007, Jet Airways had an image makeover and had released an outdoor campaign that stated, ‘We have changed.’ Soon, Kingfisher placed a hoarding above that which read, ‘We made them change’.

    Samsung vs. Nokia

    It was in 2012, in a packed theatre in New Delhi, as scores of excited movie buffs sat to watch an exclusive premier of SRK-starrer Ra.One for mobile phone maker Nokia’s premium users at PVR Select City Walk mall, what took everyone by surprise were the advertisements that had been running for the previous few minutes were of Samsung mobile.

    HUL vs. P&G

    Hindustan Unilever’s shampoo brand “Dove” and Procter & Gamble’s shampoo brand “Pantene” caught it out in 2010. P&G launched its intriguing ad campaign for Pantene with the tagline “A mystery shampoo. Eighty per cent women said it is better than anything else.” A few days later and before P&G could announce the launch the new Pantene, Hindustan Unilever ambushed the campaign by placing an adjacent hoarding with the tagline “There is no mystery. Dove is the No. 1 shampoo.”

    The Hindu vs. Times of India

    For its Chennai edition, Times of India in late 2011, launched a ‘Wake Up!’ campaign, provoking the readers (mainly targeted at Chennai readers) to shift from the newspaper that puts them to sleep with its boring and dreary news (indirectly pointing out at the Hindu). Soon afterwards, The Hindu hit back with the tag line ‘Stay Ahead of the Times’, telling the readers to move out of the Bollywood and Page 3 gossips and take up the news that is relevant to current affairs of the country and the world.

    Flipkart vs. Snapdeal

     The latest to enter the bandwagon is none other than the highly-competitive e-commerce sector. On 6 October, Flipkart announced its ‘The Big Billion Sale’ as a jacket ad in the Times of India, announcing, ‘Today Don’t Look Anywhere Else, India’s Greatest Ever Sale is here’. But the thunder was stolen on the page immediately following with a Snapdeal ad announcing, ‘For Others it is a Big Day. For us, today is no different’.

  • Star’s youth-turn

    Star’s youth-turn

    From Tulsi to Sandhya to Yo Yo Honey Singh, the country’s oldest general entertainment channel (GEC), Star Plus, is definitely keeping pace with the changing tastes of viewers.

    A gamble for News Corp executive chairman Rupert Murdoch, when launched in 1992, has been churning out content, which has created enough and more loyalists. Be it the 2000 revamp, which saw the launch of ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ and the ‘K’ series led by ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’ and many others or the current array of hits like ‘Diya Aur Baati Hum’ and ‘Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai’.

    So what is the secret ingredient for its success? “It’s the stories we tell,” says Star Plus general manager Gaurav Banerjee, who took charge in 2010 when the channel went through a second revamp.

    Star, over the years, has changed the way GECs told stories and made the characters a household name. Families sat together to watch the story of Tulsi and the Virani parivar. However, as the stories stretched, people’s interest diminished, giving birth to newer channels to proliferate and reasons to the strong team to move on.

    It is at this time that the channel again repositioned itself with ‘Rishta Wahi, Soch Nayi’ in 2010, which saw the birth of new characters and different and interesting stories.  In the last decade or so, viewers have evolved; as more women stepped out of their homes to work, the thinking changed as well. Keeping pace with this, the channel brought in the new “progressive bahus” of television.

    The most popular of them being Sandhya of ‘Diya Aur Baati Hum’, which went on air in 2011 and tells a story of a girl with aspirations married to an illiterate halwai and conservative in-laws. Banerjee believes that the channel has always come up with some of the biggest ideas. “It was ‘Kyunki…’ 15 years ago, today its ‘Diya aur Bati’.”

    Some of other shows launched with the new philosophy of the channel were ‘Pratigya’, ‘Sasural Genda Phool’, which died a natural death, while some like ‘Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai’ continue the successful run.

    “The times are changing, but even today the role of a family, especially the relationship between a saas and a bahu is an integral part of our society,” says Banerjee, who feels it would be wrong to call the channel, a saas-bahu channel. “In our stories, relationships are important but the characters are stronger.”

    In 2012, with ‘Satyamev Jayate’, the channel once again shook the industry by revamping the Sunday morning slot which no one dared to experiment with, after the success of ‘Mahabharat’ and ‘Ramayan’ on Doordarshan. The weekly show created and hosted by Aamir Khan highlighted social issues prevalent in India and discussed possible solutions.

    Star India CEO Uday Shankar has gone on record to say that he had called up James Murdoch and told him about the risk associated with SMJ because of the investment and he told him ‘we would live.’ The channel had invested Rs 4 crore per episode in season one, the amount unheard of then for a reality show. The series is now in its third season.

    As we move towards the end of 2014, the channel still continues to enjoy its number one position in the TAM TV ratings with a huge margin. In the week 42 of TAM TV ratings, it witnessed a huge hike and clocked 600,523 GVTs while Colors recorded 436,422GVTs.

    A year back, with shows like ‘Veera’, ‘Pyaar Ka Dard Hai Meetha Meetha Pyaara Pyaara’ and more recently, with ‘Yeh Hai Mohabbatein’ and ‘Ek Hassena Thi’, the channel has moved its programming strategy towards youngsters. The same was also donned by the actors and actresses during the 2014 Star Parivar Awards, who wore ‘modern’ outfits while thanking the channel going ‘younger’.   

    And now with the four new shows – ‘India’s Raw Star’, ‘Airlines’, ‘Nisha Aur Uske Cousins’ and ‘Everest’ – the channel is once again changing its programming strategy.

    Is Star Plus going younger?

     “Why shouldn’t we?” comes the prompt response from Banerjee who feels that with consumers’ tastes evolving, the channel which entertains the youngest democracy in the world, needs to change as well.

    The continuous effort to do something new and different has once again made the channel take a step forward to cater to the younger audiences. The now Balaji group CEO Sameer Nair, who is credited for the 2000 revamp of the channel, believes that if Star is moving towards catering the youth, then it is good. “One needs to move with time and Star has always been aiming to give the viewers what they want,” he adds.

    The channel, which has a strong in-house research team and associates with various agencies, is continuously conducting researches across the country to know what the viewers want. The recent studies tell that there is a certain section of youngsters who want to watch different stories, something that won’t put off the elders and can be enjoyed by the whole family.

    The research emphasised on today’s women who want more financial freedom and want a career; though marriage is important but that is not a priority anymore. It also highlighted that GECs weren’t reflecting that desire in their content.

    The channel informs that as per TAM data, 50 per cent of the total television viewership comes from women and only 10 per cent of this comes from the age group of 15 to 24. “We are already higher in this category as 16-17 per cent of our audience comes from within that age group, but we think there are still a number of women who don’t watch enough of Star Plus and we want to cater to them,” says Star India SVP Nikhil Madhok.

    The 10 second ad slot for the weekend properties ‘India’s Raw Star’ is touted at Rs 3 lakh while ‘Airlines’ is anything between Rs 80,000 and 1 lakh. The daily soap ‘Nisha Aur Uske Cousins’ is Rs 50,000 plus.

     “The viewers are giving us direction and as market leaders we have to lead that change,” says Banerjee.

    However, media planners say that though Star isn’t averse to experimenting and state the example of ‘Satyamev Jayate,’ they point out that GECs work on loyalty and Star Plus enjoys a huge following, but somewhere the shift is to tap in the youth segment so that the revenue doesn’t get impacted.

    Planners state that sometimes for a brand, ratings don’t matter but the TG does. Hence, they opt to be associated with channels or shows which are talking to that TG. They give the example of Tata Safari and ‘24’ on Colors.

    Banerjee dispels the argument and firmly says that the channel doesn’t need to change to woo advertisers. “We are not under any pressure, but we wish to change as the country is young.”

    But do planners believe that the change will impact Star’s brand equity? Maxus MD Kartik says, “I don’t think the move to go younger will impact the channel’s image or brand value because the core of the shows is still entertainment. They are not moving away from the brand’s identity.”

    On the other hand, brand consultant Harish Bijoor thinks that while the brand will alienate a set of its older viewers, the big segment to harvest is the young. “Indian demographics today do not necessarily go hand in hand with channel viewer profiles today. The audience is young. If one is to grow, one needs to harvest young viewership. Star Plus should go young in slots. A 50: 50 skew would work well for it.”

    The process of bringing out the best content isn’t simple. After numerous meetings with the best in the business as Banerjee says, pilots are shown to viewers to get their feedback as it is very important, so much so, that sometimes numerous set of viewers watch a particular pilot to tell the right story.

     “Fiction is our greatest strength and we make sure that we get all the elements right apart from the story. The settings, the actors all need to fit the story and it takes time before we put out a show for consumption,” says Banerjee. For instance, the channel worked on the finer details and concept for years on ‘SMJ’ and ‘Mahabharat’.

    Weekend programming head Ashish Golwalkar says that people have grown up watching their serials, but with time one needs to look at the current lot of youngsters. “Today a lot of youngsters think of Star Plus as a ‘mummy’ channel and if we didn’t change now, five years down the line nobody will be watching us,” opines Golwalkar.

    Banerjee along with his team, which consists mostly of 30 years-olds, put in a lot of effort to bring a variety on the channel’s platter. Research is an important part, but the team also depends on its understanding of the consumer as well as learning gained from its previous hits and misses.

    He doesn’t shy away from admitting the shortcomings of the channel. For instance, he agrees to the fact that with no innovation, the channel’s dance reality show, ‘Nach Baliye’, will not be able to grab the eyeballs in the future. Same goes for ‘MasterChef’ where the channel experimented with ‘Masterchef Junior’ and was able to make some headway. Banerjee proudly boasts about the channel’s biggest bet with mythological show, ‘Mahabharat’ which was aired in the 8:30 pm slot giving tough competition to Sab’s ‘Tarak Mehta ka Oolta Chashma’.

    For Madhok, while content on the channel has seen a change, the marketing too will soon have a changed approach. “Our main communication is our promo which gives us enough leeway to widen our approach and position. Also, since the TG (women between the age group of 22-25) which we are focusing on are very active online, hence, that will be our major catchment area,” says Madhok.

    It is very clear that Star Plus  doesn’t want to overlap with its youth channel, Channel V. “We want to cater to young women, not girls, therefore, the content will talk about marriage and relationships but the theme will resonate what is priority for these young women,” adds Madhok. In the past couple of years, the channel has already increased its digital spends from 5 per cent to 20 per cent.

    On social media, the channel lags behind Colors, which has more likes on Facebook and followers on Twitter. The channel has 6,233,082 likes on Facebook while Colors has 7,652,409 likes, Zee has 3,620,047 likes. On Twitter it has 335K followers while Colors has 395K and Zee has 153K followers.

    At the recently concluded MIPCOM 2014, 21st Century Fox co-chief operating officer James Murdoch said, “If we continue to innovate and lead in India, it will prove to be a game changer for us.” And moving ahead with this is Star India which is now gearing to lure the women in business suits.

  • Industry touches base with family, this Diwali

    Industry touches base with family, this Diwali

    It is that time of the year again! Diwali, also known as the festival of lights, lives up to its name, filling every nook and corner of our streets with bright decorations and fireworks. Whether you talk about shimmery clothes, tasty food or wonderful traditions, one cannot deny the excitement associated with this festival. We buy gifts for ourselves and loved ones, feast on good food, visit our relatives and decorate homes with glowing lamps and rangoli. A festival that signifies the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil, the story behind Diwali has a strong base in Indian mythology. Diwali commemorates the return of Lord Shri Ram with his wife Sita and Lakshman from his 14 year long exile after killing the Ravana. In joyous celebration of his victory, the people of Ayodhya lit up tiny lamps at their homes, signifying positive energy. These days, people host a range of Diwali bashes to celebrate the occasion. A typical day normally starts with a Lakshmi puja, followed by visiting family and friends. Diwali is also an occasion for us to meet our loved ones, exchange gifts, socialise and bond.  The festival can also signify a chance for us to bring light into the lives of others. With all these meanings attached to this event, it is no wonder that Diwali is one of the most widely celebrated festivals in India and abroad. Likewise on this day, we found out how the media industry is celebrating Diwali. Take a look!

    Divya Radhakrishnan, Managing director, Helios Media

    “We are keeping an open house at my office today post 4 pm where friends, colleagues and families can come in to celebrate the occasion with us for some good food and alcohol.”

     

    JD Majethia, Actor-Director-Producer, Hats Off Productions

    “This year, there are lots of good things happening work wise. Our show Badi Door Se Aaye Hain just completed 100 episodes. Our viewers have given us so much love that even we want to give back the same kind of affection. We have prepared Diwali special episodes for the show. On a personal front, Diwali is very nostalgic for me. As I am a Gujarati, it signifies a new year for us. I just came back from a vacation with my family. And I intend to visit my relatives and celebrate Diwali with a bit of fireworks!”

    Karthik Lakshminarayan, COO, Madison Media

     “This Diwali, children from an orphanage have been invited to our office. Food and donations were collected as we want to spread happiness in their lives. At home, I will spend time with family and visit friends. I will avoid bursting crackers as I believe in an eco-friendly Diwali.”

     

    KVL Narayan Rao, executive vice chairperson, NDTV 

    “I would be having a small celebration at home with family and friends.”

     

     

    Navin Khemka, managing partner, north and east region, Maxis

     “At office, we had a puja followed by lunch with colleagues. On a personal front, I plan to spend the time with family and friends at home. A puja will be conducted at home and it will be an eco-friendly Diwali at my place.”

     

    Nisha Singhania, co-founder, Infectious

    “We are just having a quiet Diwali celebration. I am taking my office colleagues out for lunch at a vegetarian restaurant in Mahim.”

     

     

    Shantanu Gangane, marketing head-Movies Now, Times Television Network  

    “At work place, Diwali snacks and gifts are being distributed. I also plan to visit my weekend home with my family and friends. I want to spend quality time with my kids and teach them about the mythological characters pertaining to Diwali instead of just bursting fire crackers. I prefer a noise-free Diwali.”

     

    Sudhir Sharma, producer, Sunshine Productions

    “I will be going ‘party hopping’ to different Diwali events hosted by colleagues in the industry. Diwali means happiness. It is like a motivation to work harder for the upcoming year. This year will be different as I will not be going back to my parents’ house. Instead, I will be attending a lot of parties in Mumbai hosted by my fellow co actors and friends from the industry.”

    Yash Patnaik, producer, Beyond Dreams Entertainment  
    “I am in the midst of getting my office renovated. This year will be a working Diwali for my entire team.”

     

     

     

    Here’s wishing all our readers a very happy and prosperous Diwali from the entire team of Indiantelevision.com !

  • A ‘Happy New Year’, this Diwali

    A ‘Happy New Year’, this Diwali

    The festival of lights, Diwali is here, signifying the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil, and hope over despair.

    And as people gather to celebrate, the television channels have a special treat for viewers this Diwali.  

    Talking about the big bunch, Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs), Colors will run Diwali tracks across all its shows. The most popular characters Gutthi and Palak from Comedy Nights with Kapil will enter the Bigg Boss house and engage the contestants via a task. The winners/good performers will receive the Diwali gifts that have been sent by their family members. After Gutthi and Palak leave, the contestants will participate in a special fashion show where they will showcase their best ethnic outfits.

    In Beintehaa, Zain and Aaliya light up diyas to celebrate their first Diwali together and light crackers. Suraiyya gifts jewellery to her bahus. In Balika Vadhu, Diwali puja will be conducted in Udaipur and Jaitsar homes.

    One of the channel’s longest running show, Uttaran will have its own twists and tales. There will be a highpoint wherein Rani while bursting crackers finds herself trapped inside a burning house. When the fire is doused, they realise that Rani is missing. Overall, during Diwali, Meethi finds herself worried about Rani while trying her best to safeguard her from being sent to the brothel again.

    In Udann, Chakor ensures that a tempo of sweets and crackers comes to the village so that while she is celebrating Diwali in Lucknow, her parents and other people from her village will celebrate Diwali for the first time.

    With the festive season around the corner, Zee TV presents audiences with ‘Saat Din Khushiyon Ke’ – a Diwali special that will air celebratory content across all its primetime shows, giving viewers a chance to celebrate the festival of lights with their favourite actors.

     
    While Shah Rukh Khan celebrates Diwali on a special episode of Dil Se Naachein Indiawaale, a double dhamaka awaits one on Neele Chhatri Waale as Bhagwan Das runs into trouble with a jewellery shop on buying gold for his wife.

    In the popular show Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya, Raj and Avni re-unite and marry each other after a lot of trials and tribulations in a secret ceremony, away from home in Umargaon. On Jamai Raja, watch DD leave no stone unturned in making Sid and Roshni’s life miserable. She gives them the task of cleaning the entire house in preparation for Diwali, as they haven’t been able to pay the rent.

    Not to forget the digital side to it. While some will spend quality time with their families this Diwali, for those unable to visit their families back home, Zee gives them an opportunity to wish them on national television!

    Viewers can send in their wishes and messages from 23 – 25 October, through Facebook and Twitter and Zeetv.com/Diwali and win a chance to have their messages displayed on television.

    Not to be left behind, the sister channel of Sony Entertainment Television (SET), Sab, will telecast ‘Sab Ki Diwali Party’ on 22 October at 9pm. It will see a fantabulous congregation of television artists that celebrate the festival of lights and harmony with great festivity. Bundled with power-packed performances by leading television actors from different verticals, it will witness the Sab family coming together with more actors to create a magnanimous event replete with dance performances and melodious music.

    The show is woven into a story where the Badi Dooooor Se Aaye Hai star-cast invites various celebrities from Sab family and others such as Mouni Roy, Kritika Sengar, child celeb – Akshat and more to usher the Diwali festival together to enhance the joy of this momentous and auspicious occasion.

    Moreover, Gokuldham society members (from Taarak Mehta ka Ooltah Chashmah), are all set to celebrate the festival of lights amongst themselves. The residents get a unique idea to invite the king of Bollywood romance Shah Rukh Khan who comes to promote his upcoming movie – Happy New Year which hits the screens on 24 October.

     

    In celebrating this festival with audiences Big Magic presents the Big Diwali Special, a one hour festive spike on 20 October from 8-9 pm. The programming offering will see artists from across the shows of Ajab Gajab Ghar Jamai, Mahisagar and Raavi come together on the comic caper Uff! Yeh Nadaniyaan ensuring audiences have their dose of laughter during the celebrations.

    Adding spark this the festive, popular names like Upasana Singh, Himani Shivpuri, Sumit Vats and Vandana Pathak will be seen rejoicing the Diwali Mohatsav with the Nadaan Family. This extravagant celebration will provide an assortment of fun, entertainment, humour and laughter for all the loyal patrons.

    Reliance Broadcast Network COO Lavneesh Gupta believes that Diwali being the most celebrated festival in India and especially across the HSMs becomes an obvious and natural opportunity for us to connect with audiences and marketers.

    “Our hour-long Diwali special, is crafted to ensure entertainment sensibilities of our audiences are met, will deliver the perfect blend of entertainment riding on the pegs of humuor and the festive spirit. Adequately marketed, the special is another offering that strengthens connect. ”

    If you thought GECs were the only ones in the fray, think again. Movie channels too have added their own flavour of entertainment.

    &Pictures looks to give viewers something to dance about with the world television premiere of Mad About Dance on 23 October at 8 pm. This is part of the ‘Mad About Pictures’ Film Festival property that the channel is running.

    Zeel deputy business head, Hindi movie channels Ruchir Tiwari states: “We are pleased to premiere the World Television Premier of Mad About Dance, a film that is a complete entertainment package for all and an inspirational film for the youth. With a single-minded thought of bringing families together this Diwali, the film will make it more festive for our viewers.”

    Movies OK will reward its viewers with ‘Karo Diwali Share’ contest wherein audience has an opportunity to win Snapdeal e-vouchers worth Rs 10,000 and buy exciting Diwali gifts daily. Similarly, Star Gold too offers a Diwali Maha bonus, giving viewers a chance to daily win exciting prizes like home theatre, microwave, dishwasher, split A/C, refrigerator, bike and more. The grand prize to be won on the 24 October will be a car.

    Music channels are not shying away to celebrate the festival of lights in a big way. Vh1 brings to you the biggest contemporary chartbusters with a hand-picked compilation of a golden playlist. The playlist will feature the best international videos to cherish the festive season on 23 and 24 October from 8 am onwards.

    9X Jhakaas, the Marathi music channel, is celebrating Diwali in a unique way, with the kids from The Vatsalya Foundation orphanage. To give kids a Dream Diwali experience, it has partnered with actor and comedian, Siddharth Jadhav and Camlin India. As part of this initiative, Jadhav will spend an entire day with the kids spreading smiles with food, games and also some by gifting them super cool merchandise from Camlin India.

     

    Moreover, it will capture these moments and air them on the Channel as a special treat for the viewers, encouraging them to do their bit for the society. These episodes will air on 23 and 24 October at 11 am.

    Speaking of this CSR Initiative 9X Jhakaas vice president Rohan Rane says, “This Diwali we have decided to share this festival with the less fortunate kids through our initiative Jhakaas Dream Diwali. Through this initiative the channel is partnering with NGO’s to bring cheer and joy to the kids and fulfil their basic requirements or educational needs. We are grateful to our partner Camlin India and Siddharth Jadhav who have made this effort successful.”

    9XE will have a Diwali special with Shah Rukh Khan in a special interview with beat boxer Vineeth Vincent.

    9X Media chief programming officer Amar Tidke says, “Right from the Channel identity, which has a cool Rangoli treatment, to a Phataka Playlist specially curated to spread the festive spirit, the channel is enhancing the music viewing experience. Our popular animated characters – Bade, Chote, Bheegi Billi and Betel Nuts are celebrating Diwali in their own style by pulling a fast one on each other. Another of our popular features – ‘Do Pal Ka Interval’ a Bollywood parody, is based on the biggest box-office Diwali release.”

    The channels catering to the younger audiences doing their bit; Cartoon Network and Pogo bring the team of Happy New Year to the small screen.

    Celebrations full of masti had already taken off on 18 October with the entire cast who had featured with Oggy and the Cockroaches in a special titled Oggy aur Indiawaale. It was based on the theme of the movie – life gives every loser a chance to be a winner.

    Happy New Year’s Indiawaale also teamed up with India’s biggest superhero Chhota Bheem in a special titled Bade Dilwaale Bheem aur Indiawaale that saw its premiere on 19 October at 12 pm on Pogo. It featured what draws similarities between Indiawaale and Dholakpurwaale and bring out how different people can come together to achieve a common goal for a good cause.

    Pogo is also adding sparkles to Diwali with a line-up of movies and specials such as The Adventures of Sinbad, Chhota Bheem ki Baazi, Bheem Tussi Great Ho! and many more from 20 to 26 October at 12 pm.

    Moreover, it is gifting kids a chance to be a superhero with Chhota Bheem in his next movie! All kids have to do is participate in the ‘Be A Superstar’ contest from 20 to 26 October at 12 pm and answer the contest questions. There are many more exciting gifts to be won every 15 minutes.

    Last but not the least, Nick has something special for kids on Diwali with the release of the movie ‘Motu Patlu Kungfu Kings’ at 12:15 pm on 23 October.

     

  • Regional channels line up special Diwali shows

    Regional channels line up special Diwali shows

    The festive mood has caught up with the regional channels of the country. The five day long Diwali festival is being imitated on the TV screens to keep the audience engaged and in the feel of festive fervour.

     

    Star Vijay, the Tamil general entertainment channel (GEC) and ETV Marathi, the Marathi GEC have created snippets of their TV celebrities wishing viewers a happy Diwali that will be aired throughout the Diwali week. Suvarna TV will also have clips wishing viewers.

     

    Primetime shows will have Diwali themes incorporated in them. ETV Marathi is keeping the show stories for the week on a light note with no negativity in it. A special show has been introduced at 6:30 pm with film starts Swapnil Joshi and Sai Tamhankar for six days themed around Diwali. Promoting their upcoming show Pyaar Wali Love Story, the duo will be speaking to industry couples about their love stories.

     

    The day will begin for Star Vijay viewers with their TV anchors celebrating the festival with fun filled activities with a special song. Naan Sigappu Manitha and Maan Karate will be premiering on the channel. At 6:30pm, the show Mom’s Diwali will see actors Priyamani and Vijaylakshmi take part along with their mother.

     

    Suvarna is banking on movie premieres to create impact. Every Sunday of October, the channel has been showcasing various impact properties to maximise Diwali viewership. Big Magic Ganga has launched a series of special shows on the sentiment of ‘devotion’. Its popular shows Big Memsaheb, Big Bahuriya and Police Files have special versions on 23 October.

     

    Advertisers will be keen to tap into this mood with TV being the best audience reaching platform. ETV Marathi has seen a host of new advertisers such as Everest Masala, Ferrero ocher, Berger Paints, Domino’s Pizza, GS Tea, Xrbia and Voylla at a 45 per cent hike than the normal ad rates. Other channels are also glad with the lineup of advertisers that they have got.

     

    The Marathi GEC has created a ‘Shubh Deepawali’ logo that will stay full time. Big Magic Ganga did a customised logo from September itself for Dassera and Diwali titled ‘Big Magic Ganga Maha Parv’. Star Vijay and Suvarna TV have also changed the look of the channel for Diwali week.