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  • 2015: The year of nip & tuck for Hindi GECs

    2015: The year of nip & tuck for Hindi GECs

    MUMBAI: Ratings, ratings from the BARC, who’s the leader of them all?

    ‘Twas the question on many a lips as the new Indian television ratings body –  Broadcast Audience Research Council India launched earlier this year and within just a few months of operations created waves in the industry by throwing up All India data comprising urban and rural numbers. The dynamics of the Indian television market changed and old programming and marketing strategies were scrapped for newer ones. Many a channel executives went back to the drawing board to figure out what India wanted to watch on television.

    The year 2015 was also when Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs) slugged it out to attain the top slot by moving away from the typical saas-bahu sagas and explored other genres from horror to mythology to reality in order to provide viewers with wholesome entertainment. The fight had never been tougher for as the year drew to a close, it was nip and tuck as to which channel would lead the ratings race week on week. The undisputed leader of the genre – Star Plus could no longer be complacent as Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd’s (Zeel) underdog Zee Anmol gave the market leader a run for its money.

    Moreover, channels no longer have the luxury to run non-delivering shows. If a show isn’t working, it’s pulled off air. It’s as simple as that. Gone are the days when a show would endlessly run for years and years. Now, the fight is no longer limited to the top three – Star Plus, Colors and Zee TV. In light of the rural ratings data, free to air (FTA) channels like Zee Anmol, Star Utsav and Rishtey have managed to find their place under the sun and emerge in the list of the Top 10 Hindi GECs. Since week 41, FTA channels started dominating the Top 10 channels’ list. In just eight weeks’ time, Zee Anmol climbed up to the number one spot from the third position, pushing erstwhile market leader Star Plus to the third spot.

    On the programming front, if there was a genre apart from drama and reality shows that ruled the airwaves this year on Hindi GECs, it was mythology and historical shows. While some shows proved to be game changers for the channels, some failed to garner ratings.

    The year also witnessed some successful partnerships reunite. Star Plus and Amitabh Bachchan came together once again after a span of 15 years for Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi. However, the hype that was created for the show subsided as quickly as the show’s content failed to impress the audience. On the other hand, actor Iqbal Khan, who started his television career with Ekta Kapoor’s show Kaisa Yeh Pyaar Hai on Sony Entertainment Television, made a comeback after 10 years with Pyar Ko Ho Jaane Do.

    Even as Priyanka Chopra rocked the international television circuit with her fiction debut in ABC’s high-octane drama series Quantico, closer home there was no dearth of star power on the small screen this year as movie stars from Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Shahid Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan, Sonakshi Sinha, Farhan Akhtar, Bipasha Basu, Arbaaz Khan to Malaika Arora Khan descended on television with a single minded vision to entertain the audience.

    Additionally, adaptations of international format shows, which have become an important part of Hindi GECs, also saw an increase this year. While adaptations of reality and non-fiction shows have been seen on Indian television for some years now, what was special this year was that for the first time, an international fiction format was adapted. India got its very own Everybody Loves Raymond in the form of Sumit Sambhal Lega. Other non-fiction adaptations that made their presence felt this year were India Poochega – Sabse Shaana Kaun?, Bigg Boss Season 9, I Can Do That, Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi and Power Couple to name a few.

    The year 2015 also saw Zeel launching a new Hindi GEC under the ‘&’ brand name. Ten months into launch, &TV is striving to carve a niche for itself in the already busy GEC space.

    Let’s now take a look at some of the key happenings across the genre in 2015:

    Star Plus

    The beginning of 2015 was good for Star Plus as it performed well in terms of ratings according to TAM Media Research data. The happy saga continued for a few weeks even after the introduction of BARC data. However, from week 34 onwards, Star Plus witnessed many ups and downs and was in close competition with Colors. Come week 41, which was when BARC released its rural data, the channel faced double trouble with introduction of FTA channels in the tally. As per the latest week data, Star Plus stood in the third spot with Zee Anmol in the top slot followed by Colors.

    That said, 2015 will remain memorable for Star Plus as it roped in Bachchan as the host of Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi.

    The channel’s long running show including Saath Nibhaana Saathiya, Yeh Hai Mohabbatein, Diya Aur Baati and Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlta hai are among the top five programmes of Hindi GECs.

    After the successful execution of Mahabharat, Star Plus launched another mythological show Siya Ke Ram on 16 November, which is produced by Triangle Film Company. A reality show called Dance Plus also made its presence felt on the small screen.

    The year gone by also saw a number of shows launching and going off air in a period of three – six months. Shows like Manmarziyan, Gulmohar Grand, Badtameez Dil, Kuch Toh Hai Tere Mere Darmiyaan and Tere Mere Shehar Mein were pulled off because of poor ratings.

    Colors

    2015 has been a good year for Colors even as the tug of war with Star Plus to claim the leadership position kept both players on their toes. Many a times Colors successfully grabbed the lead position inching ahead of the market leader. So, what worked for the channel in 2015?

    Every year Salman Khan says he won’t host the next season of Bigg Boss and every year the channel manages to lure him back on the small screen’s biggest reality show. Colors launched the ninth season Bigg Boss Double Trouble with Khan. However, not wanting to disturb the timings of its prime time fiction shows, which was raking in the ratings, Bigg Boss 9 was placed in the late prime time slot of 10.30 pm on weekdays and 9 pm on weekends.

    Colors also experimented with its weekend time slot and launched the supernatural fiction show Naagin, which proved to be a game changer for the channel and was perched on the top rung of the ladder in week 50.

    Some of the other notable shows, which have been performing well for the channel are the historical Chakarvartin Ashoka Samrat produced by Contiloe Entertainment as well as two fiction shows produced by Rashmi Sharma Telefilms namely Sasural Simar Ka and Swaragini.

    On the non-fiction front, apart from Bigg Boss 9 Colors also launched the second season of its chat show The Anupam Kher Show: Kucch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai and the eighth season of Jhalak Dikhlaa Jaa Reloaded. Experimenting with a celebrity cooking show, Colors roped in Farah Khan and launched Farah Ki Dawat.

    While the year saw Colors acquiring some flagship properties like the IIFA Awards and the Box Cricket League, the earlier editions of which were aired on different broadcasters, the channel also launched its first live event property called Suro Ke Rang Colors Ke Sang to celebrate the world of Indian music industry.

    Zee TV

    The year saw Zee TV struggling to hold on to its position in the third and fourth slots. Even as the channel saw some instability on the ratings chart, the year was sprinkled with a few new launches. The channel, known for its original content formats like Dance India Dance, Sa Re Ga Ma and India’s Best Dramebaaz, experimented this time round with an international format called I Can Do That.

    In the fiction genre, the year saw launches like Kaala Teeka, Ek Tha Raja Ek Thi Raani, Sarojini, Laajwanti and Yeh Vaada Raha. On the other hand, the channel’s fiction show Kumkum Bhagya managed to garner high ratings and was amongst the top 5 shows across Hindi GECs.

    On the non-fiction front, Zee TV launched the second season of India’s Best Dramebaaz as well as the fifth season of Dance India Dance.

    Further strengthening its weekend, the year saw the channel experimenting with the slot with the launch of Neeli Chatri Waale produced by Ashwini Dhir at 8 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Apart from this, the channel also took its Sunday programming a notch higher with the new adventurous show Janbaaz Sinbad in the 7 pm time slot.

    Zee TV also extended its weekday primetime shows to six days a week from Monday to Saturday. From 28 November onwards, the shows on the channel’s 7 – 9 pm time slot were also telecast on Saturdays.

    Sony Entertainment Television

    In the year 2015, Sony completed two decades of its broadcast operations in India. The year was marked by a new team, new shows and even a new name… 2015 can well be called as the year of everything new for Sony Entertainment Television.

    The channel’s mother company Multi Screen Media India was rechristened as Sony Pictures Networks India.

    That said, even though the channel launched many new shows in the year in a bid to strengthen its programming, unfortunately not one managed to create the much required magic for the channel. The channel has a long way to go if it wants to make its presence felt in the Top 5 Hindi GECs. As of week 50, Sony stood at number seven in the pecking order according to BARC data.

    On the programming front, the channel launched a couple of fiction shows like Parrvarish season 2 and Pyaar Ko Ho Jane Do. On the other hand, hopping on to the mythology bandwagon, Sony too launched two shows in the genre namely Suryaputra Karn and Sankat Mochan Mahabali Hanuman. Going by the popularity of the genre on Indian television, Sony might as well latch on these two shows and offer content that the Indian viewer is readily lapping up.

    On the non-fiction front, the channel launched the second season of Junior Indian Idol, which also saw the television debut of actress Sonakshi Sinha as judge along with Vishal Dadlani and Salim Merchant.

    Even though the current fare on the channel may not be whetting viewers’ appetite, Sony has been known as a pioneer in bringing cutting edge programming to Indian television screens. After introducing shows like Indian Idol, Jhalak Dikhlaa Jaa and Khatron Ke Khiladi, the channel brought another international format -Power Couple to India. Produced by Colosceum Entertainment the show was adaptation of Israeli format launched on 12 December.

    Another major highlight for the channel has been its longest running show CID, which entered in its 19th year in 2015 as well as the hugely successful Crime Patrol,which is all set to follow suit.

    Sab TV

    Sony Entertainment Television’s sister channel Sab TV is one of India’s most loved comedy channel. Though many shows this year failed to garner sustainable ratings, the channel did not hold back when it came to experimenting with content.

    Sab’s comedy show Peterson Hill produced by Garima Productions, was pulled off air due to low ratings despite having a cast like Rohit Roy, Sucheta Khanna and Ashwin Mushran. What’s more, as a part of its programming strategy, the channel also pulled down four of its shows on 19 July this year. The first one to bite the dust was the weekend show Hansi Hi Hansi Mil Toh Lein, which was launched on 29 March. The second show titled Rumm Pumm Po hit screens on 6 June and was wrapped up within 43 days. The game show titled Sab Ka Sapna Money Money, which started from 26 April went off-air in four months too. Rukawat Ke Liye Khed Hai, which launched on 26 April, was the fourth show that ended on the same date.

    However, Sab TV also tried some new formats to keep the spirit alive. Taking the route of advertiser funded programming (AFP), the channel launched Chalti Ka Naam Gadi, which was produced by Deepti Bhatnagar production and funded by Maruti Suzuki.

    The channel’s longest running show Tarak Mehta Ka Oolta Chashma continued to impress the audience with its comic trails. Additionally, in the last year, Sab TV also made its maiden foray into a big ticket reality show called Comedy Superstar with celebrity judges.

    In terms of new offerings, Sab presented Yum Hai Hum, Sahib Biwi Aur Boss and Police Factory  to the audience in 2015.

    Life OK

    2015 saw multiple new show launches across channels and not to be left behind, Star India’s Hindi GEC Life OK too contributed its share to the ecosystem by brining in new shows, which worked slowly but steadily for the channel.

    Dream Girl, Zindagi Baki Hai Mere Ghost, Roshini, Ek Tha Chandar were among the few shows that were launched this year.

    &TV

    Zeel’s new Hindi GEC &TV began beaming from 2 March, 2015. Coming into an already cluttered space with established players in place, the newest baby in the Hindi GEC made its presence felt from the word go!

    It’s been only ten months since launch but &TV has already managed to carve a niche for itself. From the big bang launch of the Shah Rukh Khan hosted show India Poochega: Sabse Shaana Kaun? as its flagship property to its popular fiction drama Begusarai, the sailing has so far been smooth for the channel. In a span of ten months, &TV launched as many as 17 shows across genres.

    In the non-fiction category, the channel brought Deal or No Deal back on Indian television with Ronit Roy as host as well as launched the singing reality show The Voice India.

    This year, the popular television awards show – the 14th Indian Telly Awards 2015, which is hosted by Indiantelevision.com hopped on board &TV.

    In the fiction space, the year saw some fabulous shows like Ganga, Begusarai, Bhabhi Ji Ghar Par Hai, Yeh Kahan Agaye Hum, which managed to create the required magic for the channel.

    &TV also launched its first socio-mytho show Santoshi Maa produced by Rashmi Sharma Telefilms.

    What’s more, Bollywood diva Bipasha Basu also made her television debut this year on &TV’s horror show Darr Sabko Lagta Hai.

    As the industry readies to usher in 2016 as well as the completion of the third phase of Indian cable television digitisation, the mass entertainer Hindi GECs are well poised to go on a growth trajectory. Moreover, as the months go by, the All India ratings data by BARC India will also steadily provide a clearer picture of trends and analysis of what a diverse country like India is actually watching thus making it easier for the channels to put in place bespoke programming strategies.

  • 2015: From employees to employers, a year of transition in media

    2015: From employees to employers, a year of transition in media

    MUMBAI: 2015 saw India retain its title of being the world’s third leader in start-ups. What is interesting to note is that entrepreneurship not only thrived in the technology sector but also showed a sharp increase in the field of media and entertainment.

    Follow the year’s calendar closely and you can see it checkered with launches of new bespoke media ventures and innovative digital solutions companies.

    This was the year when we saw creative heads, vice presidents and marketing heads of leading agencies and media houses leaving their plush corporate jobs and taking on the challenge to establish their own companies.

    Creative stalwarts like Abhijit Avasthi and Gaurav Seth, who were often considered torch bearers in their former organisations, made headlines as they decided to move on to launch independent agencies.

    The world of start-ups is dynamic and unpredictable unlike the stable portfolios that these executives enjoyed until they decided to cut the cord as the lure to explore new avenues and expand their horizons eventually won.

    As the year comes to an end, Indiantelevision.com lists 10 such media professionals who embarked on their entrepreneurial journeys in 2015.

         Abhijit Avasthi: The media had a field day when Ogilvy & Mather chief creative officer Abhjit Avasthi put in his papers out of the blue last year. The mystery was    unravelled six months later, when Avasthi announced his new creative solutions start-up Sideways, of which he is a co-founder. Aimed to be a multi-dimensional    creative solutions provider, Avasthi even gave an open invitation to professionals from different industries to join his new venture.

     

       Ajay Chacko and B Saikumar: Industry veterans and Network18 associates, who severed ties with company almost at the same time, came together    after a long time to team up with media and broadcasting veteran Ronnie Screwvala to form a new digital media company called Arré. The venture aims  at establishing a digital brand, which will offer multi-genre¬, multi-lingual content across video, audio, text and other traditional and new age art forms.

     

       Barkha Dutt: Media professional or not, there is hardly anyone unfamiliar with this veteran journalist, who anchors NDTV’s prime time shows. Therefore, her  announcement to quit the news network as an editor to start her own digital multi-media company has saddened several fans of Dutt – the reporter. As she firmed up  plans for her new venture, she moved to the role of consulting editor for the news channel, while remaining closely associated as the anchor for The Buck Stops Here  on weeknights and We The People on weekends.

     

        Cyrus Oshidar: Former MTV man, who is known for his involvement with iconic shows such as MTV Bakra, Roadies, et al, made a comeback this year with what he  does best – telling stories about young urban India. Through videos, photos and tongue-in cheek style of articles, branded content start-up 101 India is designed to  be the window to open-minded listless and creative millennials and what they find interesting.

     

         Gaurav Seth: Those who have known Gaurav Seth as the senior vice president of Sony Entertainment Television did a double take when he ended his  relationship of over six years with the broadcast network to co-found Purple Canvas. Fresh in the picture, this new content creating start-up already  has its first television series underway.

     

        Nitin Suri and Chraneeta Mann: When two highly creative individuals get together, the combination always leads to creation and  that’s exactly what happened when former Dentsu national creative director Suri and Rediffusion Y&R national creative director Mann  joined hands to form The Mob. Funded by the wholly owned subsidiary of Mogae Media, the venture aimed to marry television  commercials and content with mobile phones.

     

           Prakash Nathan: This former UTV Disney India operations head and UTV Motion Pictures vice president too recently rolled out India’s first ever digital media  market titled CineMArkets Digital Solutions along with partners Girish Kumar and Inkswipe Consulting LLP. Backed by his experience of two decades, Nathan is already  leading this CineMArket into new avenues.

     

         Prashant Bhatt: Colors fiction head Prashant Bhatt, best known for shows likeMadhubala and Udaan, surprised one and all in the first half of the year  by venturing into production. Bhatt launched the new production house – Studio B&M – along with his business partner and cinematographer Sanjay  Memane. The one year old production house is already slated to produce Mastaangi for Channel V.

     

         Pratap Bose: As the DDB Mudra Group chief operating officer, Bose helmed several path breaking projects and even donned the hat of the Ad Club president.  Therefore his decision to take on the role of an entrepreneur and start his own creative agency – The Social Street came as a surprise to the industry at large. His  former colleagues and associates Mandeep Malhotra, Arjun Reddy and Pradeep Uppalapati were quick at his heel, and joined his new venture as partners.

     

        S Yesudas: The most recent executive to join the start-up bandwagon is former managing director of Vizeum India and media expert S Yesudas.      Along with partners Ajit Nair of MX Advertising and Amit Tripathi from IdeateLabs, Yesudas plans to disrupt the current industry with their ‘unagancy,’  which is christened triggerbridge. From the way the agency is spelled to its operational objectives, triggerbridge comes across as having an innovative  and modern outlook towards the current advertising space.

     

    There’s no doubt that these ever so crucial moves from leading media houses and agencies have created an indelible void in their respective companies. Whether or not the sudden mushrooming of such start-ups pose any competition to the existing industry leaders, only time will tell. But one thing’s for sure, some of these executives have managed to inspire several of their loyal teammates and colleagues to follow in their footsteps, leaving many empty shoes to fill in their former workplaces.

    Even as the curtains draw on 2015, the coming year holds a lot of promise and will see many of them making an impression in the media and entertainment ecosystem.

  • Changing role of media agencies

    Changing role of media agencies

    2015 rang true with the anticipated digital growth and enthusiasm. 

    Mobile led and ‘download the app’ became an almost expected byline. Popular companies saw fit to do away with the very website that built their brand. And, the viewers that most marketers wanted to tap were multi-screen. Further, media measurement across the multi-screens and the rural customer became legitimate. Year-on-Year the only constant with media has been change, some more disruptive; but nonetheless – it’s change.

    With the changing role of today’s ‘Media Agency’ they can aptly be re-branded -‘Media Brand Smith.’

    Closely aligned to client, brand and their customer, the Brand Smith must blend brand ethos and objective in a compelling story using relevant prevailing media and technology. Drawing from ensuing trends, the Brand Smith must craft unique SMART business solutions – that resonate to the brand’s core, echoing it to its customer perception. A ‘meaningful’ solution will be all the better! The Brand Smith further needs to be unwaveringly consistent in this task. They need to be the brand, the agency, the expert and the customer all rolled into one for a full perspective.

    Media Agencies need to unlearn, learn, re-learn, adapt, collaborate and communicate in a way they have never done before within their own internal teams as well as external stakeholders to sprout ideas and talent, both latent and new. Integration is a tough word and matter does not integrate easily. Integration of people, tech, knowledge and skill on the foundation of an idea, takes time; so does the idea itself.

    The job is to be informed and inform, what to do and when, as well as what not to do. It is not about the razzle-dazzle of data, beacons, 3D printing, Augmented Reality, etc., or the immediate big ticket spend but a deeper articulation of the insights, the technology-devices details, its uses, the brand fit and campaign fit – for the long term.

    We live in exciting times with a flood of opportunities and technologies coming out like from a Pandora’s Box. Channelising this and helping clients navigate through a shifting-sands media-devices landscape to unleash its potential will not only win new customers, build engaging-entertaining content but more so create some memorable brand and client experiences!

    2016 is a year we wholeheartedly look forward to. Undoubtedly it will be interesting with some amazing work and of course a very challenging one.

    (These are purely personal views of Havas Media Group, India & South Asia CEO Anita Nayyar and Indiantelevision.com does not necessarily subscribe to these views.)

  • FICCI elects Harshavardhan Neotia as president

    FICCI elects Harshavardhan Neotia as president

    NEW DELHI: Ambuja Neotia Group chairman Harshavardhan Neotia took over as the president of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) at the conclusion of the Chamber’s 88th Annual General Meeting.

     

    Neotia was conferred with the ‘Padma Shri’ by the President of India in 1999 for his outstanding initiative in social housing.

     

    Additionally, Zydus Cadila – Cadila Healthcare chairman and managing director Pankaj R. Patel has been elected as senior vice president, whereas Edelweiss Group chairman and CEO Rashesh Shah has been elected as vice president.

  • Digital pushing growth even as linear content consumption declines

    Digital pushing growth even as linear content consumption declines

    SINGAPORE: Interesting revelations came forth on Day 3 of Asia TV Forum (ATF) 2015 where formats were the pivotal topic of discussion. 

     

    At the onset was a presentation by Eurodata head of global research and content strategy Sahar Baghery, who spoke about a few trends that are currently worth making note of. 

     

    According to a study by Eurodata, consumption of linear television is on the decline across progressive nations like France, Germany, Canada and US among others; whereas there is only a marginal growth in the consumption patterns even in countries in Asia and Africa. “What this study suggests is that even though linear consumption is witnessing a downward trend, digital consumption is on the rise,” Baghery stated.

     

    What was even more interesting is the fact that countries like France, Netherlands, Sweden and UK are working on evaluating the viewership of content across screens to give a better understanding to content creators as well as brands advertising on the various platforms about the presence and viability of their investments. Sahar also touched upon the fact that a lot of kids content is now being exclusively produced by OTT players like Amazon and Netflix as they believe that is the future of content consumption by millennials.

     

    The study further educated about the various genres of shows that are currently doing well across the European and American circuits. “Stories dealing with corruption, a spy drama and crime thrillers are doing the best in terms of viewership across popular regions as of now.” She added that anthology series were also doing well as a format and could be further explored by other markets as well.

     

    The next couple of sessions for the day dealt with how leaders in Asia, primarily South Korea, are creating content that travels the world. The Korean wave has been sweeping the world and it was no different at ATF either. In a session, which spoke about the trending shows in South Korea, various case studies were discussed as to what led to their success domestically and how that translated into deals with European, Middle Eastern and US markets. CJ E&M manager Spencer Craig Thomas said, “We are very confident of our linear distribution presence, and thus are now looking to grow our content exponentially on the digital side. Our belief is that by creating follow-up or catch up content for our already existing properties on digital, we are only going to increase our consumption traction further.”

     

    On the other hand, Indonesia’s MNC Group VP content Hendy Liem stated that international content is only capable of gaining eyeballs but can’t be monetised well. “It’s important to understand pricing and return on investments in the first place before venturing into international syndication deals or spending heavily on creating content without knowing its monetising capabilities.”

     

    On the kids’ front, a panel discussion was held on the possibilities and success stories of some of the formats, which have been led by kids as the main protagonists. According to research data by Eurodata, 40 per cent of content, which has kids as their protagonists are fictional; 39 per cent is in the entertainment genre and the remaining 21 per cent are factual shows.

     

    The conclusion of the panel was that though the protagonists of shows like The Voice Kids, Super Kids and Master Class are children or young adults, they look at targeting families and not only kids for gaining that many more eyeballs and touch the empathy chords with their viewers.

     

    That brings us to the end of the TV market at ATF 2015; ScreenSingapore will take centre stage tomorrow. Stay tuned for more updates!

  • Bomanbridge renews ‘Chef In Your Ear’ rights with Korea’s CJ E&M

    Bomanbridge renews ‘Chef In Your Ear’ rights with Korea’s CJ E&M

    MUMBAI: Singapore-based production & distribution agency, Bomanbridge Media has renewed the rights to UK & Canada format Chef in Your Ear for 2016 to Korean powerhouse CJ E&M.

     

    CJ E&M is currently airing the first season, locally-titled Avatar Chef in Korea.

     

    The format was created by Justin Scroggie and developed by Ricardo Larrivée, Michel Rodrigue, Lee Herberman and Henry Less. In Canada, the original English version is produced by HLP + Partners and the French version is produced by 350 Productions, setting record audiences on The Food Network.

     

    Chef In Your Ear is a new cooking competition format in which two professional chefs aim to deliver a restaurant quality dish – by remote control. All the cooking is done by two novice cooks, many of whom claim to be kitchen disasters, each wearing an ear-piece. They take instruction from a celebrity chef whom they have been paired with, and who is locked away in a booth, unable to smell or taste the food.

     

    “Bomanbridge is thrilled to represent the exciting and entertaining format, Chef In Your Ear, for Asia and are so pleased to renew our format sale to our trusted partners, CJ E&M, for a second season. We are known in Asia for licensing great formats which give channels high performance ratings. CJ E&M will enjoy great viewership with this show,” said Bomanbridge Media South Korea director of distribution and business development Gyeong Min Moon.  

     

    CJ E&M international sales & acquisition head Jang-Ho-Seo added, “CJ E&M is delighted to renew Chef In Your Ear for a second season. The show is proving very popular to our audiences in the early stages of season one. CJ E&M has been building its reputation for producing and creating the best Formats in the world and CIYE is a great addition to our portfolio.” 

     

    “The Format People are pleased that Bomanbridge Media, one of Asia’s top distributors, has taken Chef In Your Ear into Asia, first to Mongolia and now expanding in Korea with CJ E &M. The format has proven highly successful on Food Network Canada, Justin & I are confident that the Asian versions will be just as successful,” said The Format People CEO Michel Rodrigue.

  • Cartoon Network acquires ‘Oggy And The Cockroaches’ season 5

    Cartoon Network acquires ‘Oggy And The Cockroaches’ season 5

    MUMBAI: Cartoon Network in Asia Pacific has cemented its ongoing relationship with Xilam by taking up the new series of the popular animated show, Oggy And The Cockroaches.

     

    Slated for a 2017 premiere, Oggy And The Cockroaches Season 5 (78×7’) will be available in Ultra HD. This acquisition follows the co-production agreement between Cartoon Network and Xilam for 2012’s Season 4, which is currently airing exclusively on the network.

     

    “Over the past few years, Cartoon Network has become known as the ‘Home of new Oggy’ and with Season 5 now secured, I’m happy to announce that this is set to continue for a long time to come,” said Turner Kids Networks Asia Pacific chief content officer Mark Eyers. “Oggy has a winning formula that has made it hugely popular with kids in this region. Alongside our other original series, this blue cat bolsters an enviable line-up of animated comedy.”

     

    Xilam CEO and founder Marc Du Pontavice added, “Oggy’s worldwide success continues to hit new highs and we are thrilled to announce that Cartoon Network is committed to being the show’s broadcaster of this brand new season in Asia Pacific.”

     

    Over four action-packed seasons and almost 20 years and 300 episodes, Oggy has relentlessly battled his nemeses. In season 5, this cat and those pesky bugs are going to present a different facet of their enduring rivalry by featuring Oggy through the ages. The battle against the roaches continues but this time they’re in period dress. It’s an unlikely collision between history and slapstick.

  • Go Digital, Go Local is flavour of Asia TV Forum 2015

    Go Digital, Go Local is flavour of Asia TV Forum 2015

    SINGAPORE: It seems the pre-market conference is looking to set the tone for the rest of the market as well. Everyone, who is either involved in the content creation or content aggregation end, is thinking digital and going local.

     

    Post the keynotes earlier in the day, the sessions that followed include: ‘The Future of TV and Visual Entertainment,’ ‘Native Players, Digital Strategies,’ ‘View from Over The Top’ and ‘Digital Content: Cashing in or Cashing out?’

     

    In the first one, UK-based Ovum’s practice leader Ed Barton took to stage and gave some valuable insights in terms of how the world’s leading broadcasters and pay-TV operators are rethinking their business models to adapt to the ever changing and evolving viewing habits of the consumers. And even more importantly how advertisers are now thinking outside the box to catch their next potential customer.

     

    “Pay-TV growth in developing regions will be driven by finer market segmentation. While digital will continue to grow and rely heavily on what millennials choose to consume, with creators having to strategise better and cater to those needs,” said Barton.

     

    According to Ovum’s study, India’s average revenue per user (ARPU) from Pay-TV subscribers would be around $7.24 by 2020, whereas that for APAC will be at $8.63. But, what was more interesting is the fact that according to the same study, China would be having a lower ARPU than the Indian sub-continent, which is somewhat hard to digest. “The growth for video on demand services and HD services will be directly proportional to the ARPUs drive they receive,” Barton added.

     

    Next up the panel discussing ‘Native Players, Digital Strategies’ saw Endemol Asia MD Fotini Parakakis, MNC Sky Vision – Indonesia, VP director Yudha Wibawa and BBC Worldwide – SEA, SVP & GM Monty Ghai giving their views on what they believe is the future of digital content from the broadcaster’s perspective.

     

    “Broadcasters and brands are more open than ever before to explore differentiated content offerings and break out of the old school, tried and tested formulas. It’s heartening to see independent content creators, who got their very own multi-channel networks (MCNs) now taking it a step ahead by working with broadcasters to create more engaging content,” said Parakakis.

     

    Sharing similar views BBC’s Ghai shared, “We are exploring short format shows as well, but our main focus will continue to remain long form premium content since that’s in our DNA. That being said, what I believe will work for SEA and rest of Asia is if digital content can be used to drive audiences to consume more content on linear as well, rather than leading to cannibalise its presence.”

     

    Indonesia is somewhat similar to how India is progressing in terms of its digitisation process, and people there too face similar hurdles like low broadband connectivity and penetration, along with infrastructure woes. But even in such a scenario MNC Sky Vision’s Wibawa sees a ray of hope. “Although only a few cities are in the position to look at heavy consumption of content on the mobile (given the low broadband penetration) it is still worth a shot and a fairly large population (read over 30 per cent) that is on the look out for such content,” Wibawa said.

     

    Similar discussions were held during the other two sessions as well, which clearly shows that digital is here to stay and if creators embrace the idea of ‘Going Local, but for the world’ then there’s nothing that can stand in the way of how Asia transforms from being influenced by western content, to influence western content instead.

  • Asia’s millennial generation will pave the digital roadmap

    Asia’s millennial generation will pave the digital roadmap

    SINGAPORE: After DJ Lee set the tone for the day’s proceedings, it was Maker Studio’s René Rechtman’s turn to elaborate on the ‘Development and Expansion in Asia’s Digital Marketplace’ at the 16th Asia TV Forum & Market. 

     

    Sharing some interesting market shifts and trends in the digital ecosystem in Asia, Rechtman also touched upon the background growth story of Maker Studios in the region, sharing new initiatives about the product, programming and distribution categories within the Asian contingent.

     

    Entertainment is changing. Millennials are living a mobile, social, on-demand life. Specialising in short-form video reaching this diverse, tech-savvy group, Maker Studios attracts more than 10 billion views on YouTube every month with over 650 million subscribers.

     

    “Digital is growing exponentially, be it for content creation or consumption, there is no end to it. We have looked at a few research studies and it’s amazing to see a 247 per cent  year on year growth at the consumption end of the spectrum. And it’s the millennial generation that is setting the pace for it,” Rechtman shared.

     

    With 55,000 independent creator partners from more than 100 countries, Maker Studios is home to top digital stars, channels, and content.

     

    Rechtman further added that 50 per cent of the population that’s consuming content digitally is from the age group of 13-34 years; and the same group was four times more active socially. “Most of the content consumption is in the way of watching videos and engaging on social media,” he said.

     

    “YouTubers are major influencers in today’s age for millennials to even select their brands. Audience is now the creator and the creator is also the audience; that’s how the cycle of digital content creation functions,” he added.

     

    According to a study, 84 per cent of millennials don’t trust traditional advertising; whereas they prefer brands promoted by YouTubers almost 1.8 times.

     

    Rechtman also stated that the duration of short form videos have reduced over the last two years, and it’s an important aspect to keep in mind for newer and seasoned content creators who wish to gain more eyeballs. The time duration, which was at around 5.1 minutes back in September, 2013 is now down to 3.8 minutes in September this year.

     

    Speaking from Maker’s perspective, Rechtman said that data analytics plays an important role for their strategy and the company always looks for partners who dare to act local, while thinking global.

  • Korea has found its ‘Kimchi’ for its content needs

    Korea has found its ‘Kimchi’ for its content needs

    MUMBAI: The Asia TV Forum kicked off proceedings this time around with a keynote by CJ E&M president, media content business DJ Lee speaking about the future of television in Asia and what lies ahead.

     

    CJ E&M has successfully been operating over 17 television channels and also provides nearly 3,000 hours of content – on an annual basis – across diversified platforms. But, what has been interesting in terms of the growth curve for the network, is the fact that there is a lot more of local content being created, which is doing tremendously with the local audience.

     

    “These are some exciting times for content creators globally. With content being consumed anywhere and being platform agnostic, it’s encouraging to see creators pushing the envelope and doing different things or just doing things differently and being able to reach a wider audience for their content,” Lee expressed.

     

    With an ambitious global expansion strategy along with initiatives such as digital-first original production under Lee’s guidance, CJ E&M rechristened its Multi-Channel Network (MCN) this year to DIA TV (Digital Influence & Artist TV) to focus on creating strategic business partnerships and opportunities with digital content creation platforms such as United States’ YouTube, China’s YouKu and France’s DailyMotion. By partnering content creators via the many digital platforms available, Lee also mentioned that the company is hoping to provide independent digital producers the opportunities to market their product by providing them with more support in areas such as funding, programming, digital rights management and cross-promotion.

     

    “Recently we have signed a licensing deal with NBC for our successful showBetter Late Than Never. So I see lot more such innovative formats traveling across the globe. Asia needs to capitalise on its own rich cultural content, while embracing the diversity in the very same culture as well,” Lee said. “South Korea has branded its content, and made it as popular as its delicacy ‘Kimchi’ and it’s time other Asian countries follow suit as well.”

     

    Lee has been a forerunner, pioneer and innovator of the Korean broadcasting industry, bringing Total Variety Network (tvN), the country’s leading content channel, to greater heights and surpassing Free-to-Air (FTA) giants in terms of ratings and advertising revenue. Being the first to bring international formats into Korea to be localised, while also creating the first international Research & Development department.

     

    With local broadcasting networks in Southeast Asia seeking to augment their original content, Lee’s address also provided insights based on his extensive experiences in cable, formats and the digital sphere.

     

    Lee added, “Evolution and Adaptation are two key traits to have in an industry such as ours. Be it the successful localisation of international formats or integrating existing formats into brand new concepts, it is all about providing engaging and contemporary content for your audiences.”

     

    He emphasised on the fact that Asia needs to find its identity and like CJ E&M find its own ‘Kimchi’ recipe to create a brighter future for the entire content ecosystem of tomorrow. “There will be hurdles like investments and restrictions that will come in your way, but it’s all about having the confidence in your content that will decide the future of your content market and whether it will find space in the hearts of your viewers and money in your pockets from brands who see value in your content,” he said.

     

    CJ E&M’s success is also attributed for creating short format content for the digital space as well as heavy digital marketing spends to in turn increase the content consumption on linear platforms as well. “With experience, we experimented using a lot more social marketing and digital content creation to gain eyeballs and then translate those into gaining more viewership on the linear front as well. I believe that digital is the next big thing and all content creators need to tap it as soon as possible. And what’s more important is to create a differentiated positioning for both the content,” Lee opined.

     

    This keynote certainly gave some great insights behind the success of one of the largest media groups in Asia. And would help a lot of other content producers to think more locally, while keeping the global audience in mind as well. Guess it’s time for India to think of taking its ‘Rajma Chawal’ to the world!