ITV

Category: GECs

  • ‘Kumkum Bhagya’ hits the 1000-episode milestone

    ‘Kumkum Bhagya’ hits the 1000-episode milestone

    MUMBAI: Ekta Kapoor shows Kumkum Bhagya and Kundali Bhagya have been working their magic for Zee TV since launch–the former since 2014. According to Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), both shows have been ruling the roost across general entertainment channels (GECs) urban and rural (U+R) sectors. Since Kumkum Bhagya has completed the 1000-episode milestone, Zee TV has curated a catchy anthem ‘Meherbano’, thanking fans for their unwavering love and support. The celebration will be accompanied by a four-hour special marathon episode of the show starting from 6.30 pm on 15 January.

    Zee TV deputy business head Deepak Rajadhyaksha said, “Kumkum Bhagya has moved beyond the confines of a TV show to become an integral part of our viewers’ lives.” He added that they present stories and characters that not only entertain but are relatable and inspiring.

    At the time of its launch in 2014, the show Kumkum Bhagya saw a distinct spike in viewership when the protagonists tied the knot, clocking in 7,405 TVTs. Coming back to the present, both the shows were among the top five Hindi GEC programmes in HSM (urban + rural) and HSM (urban). The flagship show has also been the reason for the rise of Zee’s free-to-air channel Zee Anmol, which was the top channel in BARC’s top-10 Hindi GEC channels for both urban + rural and rural markets in week 1.

    Both shows are directed by Sameer Kulkarni and developed by Balaji Telefilms’ Kapoor who continues to bet her money on the letter ‘K’. Kumkum Bhagya‘s popularity led Zee TV to approach Balaji with the idea of a spinoff series titled Kundali Bhagya, which portrays the lives of two long lost sisters or Pragya – Preeta and Srishti. “The intricate narrative of Kumkum Bhagya was such that it lent itself to developing the sub-plots of myriad characters, each sub-plot emerging into a full-fledged story of its own,” Rajadhyaksha said.

    With Kumkum Bhagya having created a benchmark in BARC’s top-five list, the question of whether to promote Kundali Bhagya or let it keep tapping into the elder’s popularity cropped up.“Kundali Bhagya enjoyed the rub-off effect of an already established, immensely popular franchise and, hence, initial sampling did certainly get a boost but the show had to hold its own steam on the merit of its own content from that point on,” he revealed.

    Moreover, introducing two family dramas, with the intention of exploring a parallel universe, made them relatable and the undisputed leaders of weekday primetime. Majority of the show’s viewership comes from females 15 years and above, led by family viewership.

    Given the immense fan following the show has built, the shows are expected to hold ground this year as well.

    Also Read :

    Zee TV’s ‘Kumkum Bhagya’ gives tough fight at 9 pm slot

    Kumkum Bhagya boosts Zee TV viewership across genres

  • Colors to replace ‘Bigg Boss’ with ‘Belan Waali Bahu’

    Colors to replace ‘Bigg Boss’ with ‘Belan Waali Bahu’

    MUMBAI: As Bigg Boss comes to an end, Colors is replacing the slot with a new comic drama Belan Waali Bahu, which gives us a peek into human impulses and tendencies. Produced by Shoonya Square, the show is helmed by Dheeraj Sarna (co-producer, writer and lead actor) and Ved Raj and directed by Deven Bhojani.  

    The comic capers of the Awasthi family will come to life on 15 January 2018 and will air every Monday to Friday at 10.30 pm. The show traces the lives of a mismatched couple and how an ordinary item like a belan (rolling pin) changes life as they know it. 

    Colors programming head Manisha Sharma said, “One of the most important parts in every household is the belan so please don’t take it lightly or for granted. Often many men don’t use a belan but love to have rotis. Adding a little humour to this concept, Belan Waali Bahu narrates a story of Amarnath who takes his wife Roopa for granted. The belan is mightier than the sword as it can feed you or kill you but in our show, it kills and, believe me, the viewers will die laughing. We promise a first of its kind show that highlights the dynamics between a dead husband, wife and a belan.”

    Television diva Krystle D’souza sports a never-seen-before look as she essays the role of the bahu, Roopa Awasthi, while writer and producer turned actor Dheeraj Sarna plays the role of the protagonist—the ghost of her late husband, Amarnath Awasthi. 

    Sarna added, “Writing has always been my passion. When I started illustrating Amarnath’s character, it somewhat grew on me. Though we auditioned many actors, somehow, I realised nobody was able to envision the role as I had it in my mind. And as luck would have it, my team was also convinced that I should play the character myself.”

    It is an infinite episodic show, shot at Filmcity. Sarna further added that they used three to four camera setups along with close to 200 crew members working for them.

    Also Read:

    Colors regains no 1 spot in urban HSM: BARC week 41

    Colors’ version of Chandrakanta coming on 24 June, new weekend shows in pipeline, says Raj Nayak

  • ‘Prithvi Vallabh’ is 20% history, 80% mystery: Anirudh Pathak

    ‘Prithvi Vallabh’ is 20% history, 80% mystery: Anirudh Pathak

    MUMBAI: Sony Entertainment Television (SET) is unearthing more lores of the yore. Not too long after the launch of the much-anticipated Porus, SET is taking you back in time with another historical show Prithvi Vallabh premiering on 20 January at 9.30 pm, every Saturday and Sunday. This is the first production to premiere under the sub-brand SET Originals.

    Prithvi Vallabh narrates a tale of two arch-rival warriors; Prithvi and Mrinal. Prithvi, the heir of the Malwa dynasty, is an advocator of the ‘philosophy of humanism’, while Mrinal, the princess warrior of Manyakhet, is ‘born out of pure vengeance’. It is a unique story that starts with hatred on a battlefield and ends up becoming a grand love story.

    In 1943, the Indian movie Prithvi Vallabh was released, based on the book written by writer Kanhaiyalal Munshi. Writer and producer Anirudh Pathak clarified that the show is not entirely based on the book. “We do not claim that the show is based entirely on history. Prithvi Vallabh is 20 per cent history and 80 per cent mystery, in which, the 80 per cent includes dramatisation and alteration in the story. We have cleared the fact in our tagline ‘Itihaas bhi, Rahasya bhi’.”

    The show marks the debut of Pathak of Writers’ Galaxy as a producer. His first attempt at the weekend primetime slot took him six to eight months to write. The finite series has 80 episodes which will be aired across two seasons of 40 episodes each.

    Sony Entertainment Television EVP and business head Danish Khan said, “Sony’s strategy is variety. Our motto is to give variety in every half hour. All the 14 shows we have can be watched with family.”

    SET and Pathak have picked both Indian and international locations to shoot the series. The show has captured the scenic beauty of Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Goa and the team will be travelling to Gulmarg in February and Poland in March. Around 200 people are perspiring heavily on the sets to make this show a reality.

    Comparing the show’s production cost with the recently-launched historical show Porus, Khan said, “The economics and structure of Porus and Prithvi Vallabh are different. Porus is 260 episodic half hour show whereas Prithvi Vallabh is 80 episodic one hour show. Both are high budget as well as high archival value shows.”

    The set is designed by art director Chokas Bharadwaj who is currently designing the look for the shows Mahabharat and Chandrashekhar Azad. Mythological show sets cost a bomb at Rs 10 to 12 crore.

    Pathak has two more historicals up his sleeve for 2018 – Chandrashekhar Azad and Shankaracharya. Star Bharat will launch the former soon while the other is still in the developing stage.

    SET is cashing in on India’s history, literature and culture under SET Originals. Khan said, “Indian stories have a universal appeal and are extremely relevant to the world if told well. SET Originals is a step in that direction. With SET originals, we take a brave and visionary leap to define the content for the ever-evolving global audience.” The channel will continue its spree of mythological shows this year too.

    The show’s stellar star cast includes Ashish Sharma as Prithvi, Sonarika Bhadoria as Mrinal, Pawan Chopra as Singhdant, Shalini Kapoor as Rajmata, Alefia Kapadia as Savita, Jitin Gulati as Tailap, Piyali Munshi as Jakkala, Surendra Pal as Vinayaditya, amongst others.

  • Sab’s new comedy ‘Jijaji Chhat Per Hain’ to pull North Indian viewers

    Sab’s new comedy ‘Jijaji Chhat Per Hain’ to pull North Indian viewers

    MUMBAI: Sony SAB is all set to make you laugh once again but this time with its late prime time slot show – Jijaji Chhat Per Hain. Launched on 9 January, it will air Monday to Friday at 10 pm. The infinite linear comedy show is produced by Edit 2 Productions, led by producer Sanjay Kohli. 

    Set in Delhi’s Chandni Chowk, Jijaji Chhat Per Hain is an entertaining and adventurous story of Elaichi played by Hiba Nawab, a quintessential girl next door, the head of the household, Murari Bansal, played by Anup Upadhyay and their helpless tenant, Pancham, played by Nikhil Khurana. The story revolves around Elaichi’s mischiefs and eccentricities, Pancham’s attempts to escape from her tricks and Murari’s wish of getting his daughter to amend her notorious ways and settle down in life.

    In an exclusive chat with Indiantelevision.com, Sab TV SVP marketing Vaishali Sharma says, “The show promises many exciting twists and turns and will appeal across age groups as the characters and situations depicted are very strong, unique and captivating. Also, set in Delhi, it promises to pull many audiences from the north. So in addition to aggressively marketing it in Sab-strong markets, we have also used the opportunity to play special attention to a few north markets where we feel audiences will be interested in a show like this.”

    The channel is going all out to aggressively promote the show across multiple marketing mediums including TV, print and digital. On social media front too, there are several engagement contests asking fans and even some of the Sab artistes to share their ‘Chhat Ke Kisse’.

    On the show launch, Sab TV senior EVP & head Neeraj Vyas says, “Keeping up with our vision to provide entertaining comedies and to make India laugh, we begin 2018 with a hilarious new show, Jijaji Chhat Per Hain. This show highlights the various idiosyncrasies of our characters. The dynamic plots of the story and the playful camaraderie between the characters are sure to excite the viewers.” 

    Also Read:

    How Neeraj Vyas is bringing SAB back to the top of the charts

    Refreshed avatar of Sony Sab unveiled

    SAB TV aims to change female-male skew with HD launch

  • Discovery Jeet signs content deal with Netflix

    Discovery Jeet signs content deal with Netflix

    MUMBAI: The upcoming bull in the competitive general entertainment channel (GEC) space, Discovery Jeet, has already signed up with Netflix as its exclusive global OTT platform, even before the channel has launched. The deal will ensure that Jeet’s marquee content will be available to audiences in more than 190 countries worldwide. 

    Netflix viewers can binge-watch all Discovery Jeet shows after they have aired. Discovery Communications India SVP and GM Karan Bajaj revealed that the major idea behind the tie up was the similarity in philosophy regarding differentiated content. The other reason was Netflix’s global reach, which would be ideal for Jeet’s content to reach the vast diaspora. It also adds more screen on which the network’s content will be viewed. 

    Discovery’s partnership with Netflix comes almost a month after the broadcaster announced the launch of four niche digital channels (in partnership with video streaming platforms YouTube, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Play).

    Bajaj considers Discovery as a strong leader in the digital infotainment space and wants to develop very passionate niche communities.

    In an earlier interaction with Indiantelevision.com, Bajaj said that the channel’s focus is on ‘perception selling’. With premium and purposeful content, Jeet will scrape a good chunk of the creamy layer. He said, “The context of the show where you advertise is at times strikingly in contrast to what the brand stands for. So, to get scale, advertisers have no other option.” However, he says that Jeet will allow brands to flourish by not only providing them with scale but also premium content that matches the brand philosophy. Thus, the channel’s target is to net this top layer of India’s TV consumers.

    At present, Discovery operates 12 factual entertainment channels in India, including Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Discovery HD World, Discovery Science, Discovery Turbo, Discovery Kids and sports channel Dsport.

    Starting 12 February 2018, the channel will launch with five hours of programming band daily, out of which three hours will be ground-up original programming built on the thesis of the underdog emerging as the winner, available in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu languages.

    Discovery plans to focus on mass and premium audiences in India. As part of the plan, Jeet, and kids channel Discovery Kids will target the mass audience, while to tap the premium audience segment, which is shifting towards digital platforms for content consumption, the network is planning to launch multiple theme-based digital channels.  

    Discovery Communications India VP head of mass entertainment-South Asia Sameer Rao said, “Discovery Jeet’s differentiation comes from our lineup of dramatic, compelling stories of real, relatable characters presented in a cinematic, larger than life format. It is a representation of a strong emotion of ‘hai mumkin’ which is palpable in tier II and III towns across the country.”

    While Discovery has completed two decades of operations in India, its focus was on factual entertainment only. However, under the new leadership, the company has decided to significantly scale up the investment as it has set an ambitious target of making India one of the top three fastest growing markets with entry into new genres.

    Discovery Jeet’s marketing campaign will focus on key tentpole properties Swami Ramdev: Ek Sangharsh, 21 Sarfarosh: Saragarhi 1897 and Mere Papa Hero Hiralal capturing the insurmountable odds that the protagonists had to overcome in their lives to achieve success.

    Also Read:

    Video consumption by premium audience on digital exploding: Karan Bajaj

    Discovery Jeet gears up for Feb 12 launch

    Discovery launching Hindi GEC in Q4, re-brands ID as Discovery Jeet

  • Discovery Jeet gears up for Feb 12 launch

    Discovery Jeet gears up for Feb 12 launch

    MUMBAI: Discovery Networks is all set to dive into the Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) category. Putting rest to speculation, Discovery Jeet, the network’s maiden GEC, will launch on 12 February 2018.

    After dominating the infotainment genre on television for the longest time, Discovery Communications is shedding its cocoon to woo viewers with 1000 hours of original fictional content a year. This is in stark contrast to just seven hours of non-fiction that Discovery India gets.

    Discovery has done its homework well to come up with its own GEC channel. Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Discovery Communications India SVP and GM Karan Bajaj said, “The only way to aggregate scale on TV is daily viewership. Everything on Jeet is being mounted as a soap opera.” For the first year, there will be three to four hours of shows to tap this daily-viewing audience and two hours of weekend content for tier 2 and 3 cities.

    Bajaj identified the 250 million TV households in India as a pyramid. The top 15 million (which he expects to double to 30 million in five years) have fixed broadband and premium DTH. The next 120 million have cable TV and mobile phones. The last 120 million is split into 20 million with Free Dish and the rest without any TV access. The middle will grow at 10 per cent while the bottom of the pyramid will be exposed to personal TVs for the first time.

    Rather than mimic the tried-and-tested models of the competition, Bajaj has decided to focus on ‘perception selling’. With its premium and purposeful content, he said that Jeet will scrape a good chunk of the premium layer. With his strong background in consumer companies such as Kraft, P&G and BCG, he is also giving advertisers a proposition they cannot refuse. He says, “The context of the show where you advertise is at times strikingly in contrast to what the brand stands for. So, to get scale, advertisers have no other option.” He gives the instance of a progressive brand such as Ariel, which he handled during his stint at P&G, where the target audience could be reached only through a regressive soap opera.

    However, he says that Jeet will allow brands to flourish by not only providing them with scale but also premium content that matches the brand philosophy. Thus, the channel’s target is to net this creamy layer of India’s TV consumers.

    For Jeet, Distribution is an important pre-launch target. The channel will be available on subscription-based pay TV, which is a part of the network’s premium revenue strategy. “We are very singular in our offering so you must have Discovery in your bouquet. It is not a replaceable GEC.”

    Even before the launch, the channel had been inundated with requests for international syndication. “The interest in our content is high and these independent affiliate networks have sampled our other content,” Bajaj explained. Christopher McGrath is in charge of global content syndication.

    Discovery Communications currently has 12 channels and Discovery Jeet is replacing Investigation Discovery channel. Vijay Rajput is the distribution head.

    Since the channel has decided to bite the bullet, it will be pinning its hopes to snag a place in the coveted GEC market.

    The shows 

    Swami Ramdev: The Untold Story, an Ajay Devgn Films production, has been one of the most talked about shows in the lead up to the launch. The dramatised version of real events will unfold in a daily format of 23 minutes. Another show is Saragarhi, which is a finite series by Contiloe production house, will highlight the plight of 21 Sikh soldiers. Both these shows will have an 85-episode run. Shooting for the first wave of shows for three to four months has already been completed; the channel is onto the next wave.

    A supernatural TV series produced by Lotus Talkies Productions has found its way on Jeet as Anjaan, which will be a 45-minute weekend show. Another show is Hero Hiralal that revolves around an auto-rickshaw driver and his seven-year-old daughter who requires a heart transplant. This show is being edited in-house. Both these are infinite. The weekends will primarily feature non-fiction comedy shows.

    Also Read:

    Discovery launching Hindi GEC in Q4, re-brands ID as Discovery Jeet

    Discovery Communications launches ID, TLC HD and Animal Planet HD World

    Discovery Communications acquires majority share in FoodFood

    Video consumption by premium audience on digital exploding: Karan Bajaj

    Discovery to launch digital channels, ties up with telcos

  • Zee TV’s ‘Aap Ke Aa Jaane Se’ gets late night slot

    Zee TV’s ‘Aap Ke Aa Jaane Se’ gets late night slot

    MUMBAI: Zee TV is proving that it meant business when it spoke of its progressive new tagline ‘Aaj Likhenge Kal’ by introducing a new show wherein the girl is half the age of the man she is with. This time, it’s not the wife who’s younger.

    Premiering on 15 January 2018 is its latest offering Aap Ke Aa Jaane Se, slotted in for Monday to Friday at 10:30 pm, an unconventional romance that transcends the barriers of age, life stages and background.

    Produced by Bodhi Tree Productions’ Sukesh Motwani and Mautik Tolia, who are currently churning out Fear Files season two on Zee TV, the show’s edginess caused it to be given a late prime time slot. “It has a slightly adult appeal with a bold progressive concept. So, it makes sense to pick the 10.30 pm slot,” says Motwani.

    Each episode takes an investment of approximately Rs 7-8 lakh. Tolia says that reverse economics works in television. “Rather than us deciding the show budget and making a decision, we work on what the channel allocates. The budget varies as per different components such as time slot, star cast, etc.”

    The intellectual property (IP) right of the show is with Zee TV. Motwani says that owning IP rights is relevant only when you are creating something uniquely Indian or extremely universal, and which travel all over the world and adapted in other languages. A regular family drama doesn’t have the quality.

    Zee TV deputy business head Deepak Rajadhyaksha says that the show is meant to question the point that do people really need social sanction to fall in love. “The show asks us to pause and reassess our understanding of what makes a couple ‘suitable’ or ‘appropriate’. Many of us often go through life, forming opinions about who other people ought to form romantic relationships with. This is based largely on social conditioning dictats that are governed by traditional compatibility factors like age, gender, class, caste, financial background, lifestyles and culture. If they choose to get involved with someone who doesn’t fit any of these pre-conceived parameters, we are quick to judge them,” he says.

    It is an infinite series and 10 episodes are ready. The story is set in Kanpur while the shooting is in Mira Road, Mumbai. Some scenes will be shot in Bhopal for its scenic beauty.

    The show boasts of a stellar star-cast that comprises Suhasi Dhami and Karan Jotwani. Set against the backdrop of Kanpur, Aap Ke Aa Jaane Se chronicles the unique journey of Vedika and Sahil, two strikingly different individuals, hailing from diverse backgrounds, who fall in love irrespective of their substantial age difference. Vedika Mathur is a 42-year-old strong, independent single mother whose world revolves around tending to her own mother and her 15-year-old daughter. Sahil Agarwal, on the other hand, is a 24-year-old fun-loving, free-spirited young man whose thirst for living it up often compromises any semblance of a focus in life or any serious career aspirations.

    Bodhi Tree Productions has a big line up for the new year. While discussing their plans, Tolia says, “We are doing a lot of digital web series and have seven to eight digital properties in the pipeline for 2018 for various platforms. We are in advanced talks with Star, Sony, Discovery Jeet and others for daily soaps. For digital, we are in advanced talks with Vu Clip, Voot and Times. So, for this new year, we have 10 shows in the pipeline.”

    Motwani was doing fiction shows with Zee from 2009 to 2012 after which he quit and launched Bodhi Tree and the production house has initiated 22 shows in the last four years. It was of the producers of Fear Files season one on Zee, and also shows like Nisha and Uske Cousins for Star Plus, Bade Bhaiya Ki Dulhaniya for Sony, Tedhi Medhi Family for Big Magic, Big F two seasons for MTV and Channel V’s episodic shows. It has just completed the web show for Bindass Disney called Dil Buffering.

    Also Read :

    Zee TV’s new weekend detective drama costs 50% more to produce

    Zee TV new logo unveiled; refreshed digital platform Zee5 launch soon

    Kumkum Bhagya boosts Zee TV viewership across genres

  • Ace creative visionary Anirudh Pathak helms his first individual project ‘Prithvi Vallabh’

    Ace creative visionary Anirudh Pathak helms his first individual project ‘Prithvi Vallabh’

    MUMBAI: Anirudh Pathak has a lot of big shows in his kitty. The writer turned now producer excelled in successfully creating 4000 hours of content as show runners for his magnum opus and revolutionary show – Devon ke Dev..Mahadev and other unforgettable shows like Siya ke Ram, Mahakumbh and Hatim for the Indian audience has earned himself the title of ‘creative guru’ in the Industry. He focused on human touch points for the Indian viewers which made his shows a mega hit on the small screen.

    In the year 2015, Anirudh Pathak created his own venture named ‘Writers Galaxy Studio’ with a vision that ‘great stories are born out of disruption’. The writer turned producer will have his first show Prithvi Vallabh soon airing on Sony Entertainment Television under Sony Originals.

    “At Writers Galaxy we aim to give the audience premium content and impactful property. Prithvi Vallabh will be our first offering as a production house in the Indian Television market. The story is an untold one from the soils of the Indian dynasty. The history of this king and his love story will win the audiences heart. At Writers Galaxy we believe in delivering great Indian stories relived on the television screen for the global market.  We are confident that Prithvi Vallabh will create huge waves in the Indian Television history as we promise content like never  before”, says Anirudh Pathak.

    Prithvi Vallabh stars the versatile actor Ashish Sharma along with Sonarika Bhadoria who will make her comeback on TV after Devon ke Dev..Mahadev. The show will air in January 2018 on Sony Entertainment Television under Sony Originals. 

  • Video consumption by premium audience on digital exploding: Karan Bajaj

    Video consumption by premium audience on digital exploding: Karan Bajaj

    Mumbai: Karan Bajaj, head of India/South Asia at Discovery Communications India, comes across as a curious mind. In an exclusive conversation with Indiantelevision.com, he spoke on a range of topics-from Discovery’s latest digital ventures to the network’s foray into the general entertainment space with the much-awaited Jeet.

    In the course of our conversation, Bajaj revealed that TV viewership would grow at a 10 per cent rate in the coming five years. Despite a difficult year for television, he believes that the launch of a GEC like Jeet, which has a differentiated proposition, will give Discovery the benefits of growth.

    Here are the excerpts:

    How do you see the TV market in India shaping up?

    I follow my own thesis and don’t just imitate the market. There are about 250 million households, which can be ranked in a pyramid. The top 15 million households have fixed broadband at home and premium DTH connection, the next 120 million predominantly have cable television connection and mobile phones for their individual snacking consumption. Out of the last 120 million households, 20 million have Free Dish and the remaining 100 million do not have access to television.

    While projecting for the next five years, the top layer will grow aggressively from 15 million to 30 million and will move towards the digital space. So, here, television viewership will decline and digital viewership will grow exponentially. In the next 100 million households, television viewership will continue to grow at about 10 per cent rate because the bottom 120 million will enter the space and will aspire to get a cable connection. So, a big chunk at the bottom will be rising to the middle of the pyramid as the middle starts to migrate to the top. My thesis says that in the coming five years, television viewership will grow 10 per cent because of those 120 million households, bottom line people will get TVs at home and Free Dish will grow exponentially. And, this made us launch Jeet, a mass entertainment channel, specifically targetted at the tier 2 and tier 3 audience.

    What is your thesis to move to digital space?

    My current business is queued towards the top 30 million households, which is migrating to digital. This is the premium category where TV viewership might be going down by 15-20 per cent but their video viewership on digital might be exploding. Again, when we look at TV viewership pie in India, the current arc of English factual and lifestyle content is about 1 per cent of TV viewership in India but on digital, it is about 15 per cent. Things like auto, food, tech, lifestyle, outdoor, military, female comedians or activist comedy are consumed 10 times more significantly on digital.

    Now, if I project out for the next five years, I see two successful models that are emerging in digital. One is the aggregator whose role is that it becomes the single point of contact for a wide variety of content, from movies to entertainment to sports etc. There can be maximum three or four aggregators who can make money in the coming ten years but not all the 20-25 aggregators available for consumers. So I decided not to compete in that space. The other space that I find interesting and exciting is the passionate community space. For instance, on YouTube, a Gujarati comedy show emerges as a fast-growing channel in the last six months.

    We are starting our own food vertical with Scripps Network Interactive. I get very excited on seeing the niche digital and the passionate community in India for food is a $120 million market with no market leader. We are not launching an OTT channel, but a brand.

    What makes a digital community strong?

    A digital community is made passionate and strong when there is extremely frequent engagement such as by uploading one video per day because that builds loyalty. Refresh rate has to be high on digital and the quality of content should be delightful content. But if the creator is investing in creating high quality content every day, how he will make money? Brand integration is the way to look forward but it’s tedious. So, here Discovery comes with an advantage. Discovery has 6000 hours of original high quality global content library to edit, curate and create. So, my cost of production is nothing, all I need to put is the cost in editing. Here, I am able to create a very passionate community with my global library.

    On top of that, we are producing tent pole content which is amortised across both digital and linear in different formats. For smartphones, the format will be of 7-10 minutes. On Discovery channel, it would be between 30 to 60 minutes. Though we aren’t paying much for 80 per cent of the content volume, we are paying highly for the remaining 20 per cent. It is an attractive financial model and dramatically expands the reach of Discovery Network.

    What are the passionate communities you are planning to build on digital?

    I am looking to create rabid passionate community on digital including YouTube, Facebook, Jio TV, Airtel and Vodafone. First, we are launching Veer, which is a military passionate brand and Rise an activist female comedy show, both launching on 26 January 2018. Then we are coming up with auto and food with Scripps in March. These are massive scale shows with Veer having 1000 videos a year (average 3 per day) – one from our library and remaining from our tent-pole content. In three to five years, when we will have six to eight such verticals, four of them will become significant like the top military community, auto community, food community, activist comedy community. We are entering in a space where nobody has entered yet. We enjoy the advantage of having fresh global content library while other creators have to get into production first and then distribution later.

    What is Veer all about? How does the content for Veer deal digitally?

    Veer is a military passionate online brand by Discovery. In our global library, there are 1000 hours of global content in Hindi language dubbed, which we will be putting out as two-three videos a day. We have best hero content while shooting in top commando schools in India. We have top quality Breaking Point that went crazy on digital. Now, we are planning Breaking Point next year in land and under water (part 2) of 45 hours of content. Military content has a passionate community with 12-18 million unduplicated people in India who watched it on digital.

    Did demonetisation affect the business of Discovery Networks? What were the after-effects?

    The initial six months of demonetisation and GST we were prepping. We did not launch any show between January and June, but after July, we launched Queens of Comedy on TLC and Breaking Point on Discovery and we were not left with space for sponsors to come in. Breaking Point was a six-hour show and Queens of Comedy was four hours. In 2018, we are creating 45 hours of content for both the shows.

    How much scale and reach did you get from military content?

    We have military at scale. Every month we will be having new military series coming and multiple platforms to launch. Digital has tripled our reach. Historically, the reach of Discovery is 60 million (unduplicated) per week but now it has set a benchmark of 145 million based on our projections. TLC has an unduplicated reach of 35 million but now we are projecting that the channels we are launching across platforms will expand our reach to 105 million.

    Do you have an in-house studio to churn out the content or you will outsource it?

    Veer and Rise, are structured differently. For Veer, we have our in-house team for editing, cutting and clipping the global content for all the videos at scale. The hero content we are outsourcing from different production houses who are specialists in making military content. We have low to medium cost weekly formats, one is Military Lessons in Life done by a General father and son, and other is Military News.

    For Rise, we will outsource the high quality content like Queens of Comedy, Kings vs. Queens and for hygiene content, we have tied up with a bunch of local creators for exclusivity and we will own the IP rights of all.

    Tell us about your revenue model for digital ventures?

    The military content attracts a powerful set of male advertisers. Our revenue model is built on linear commercial time, TV and digital brand integration, YouTube digital revenue which is the icing on the cake, international syndication revenue and licensing of the content on other digital platforms. The content will appear differently on YouTube and other digital platforms. The arc of the whole story will be portrayed in five to nine minutes packs for various digital formats. We are doing offline and online marketing campaign for Veer and Rise.

    What is your thesis for constructing Jeet?

    We have learnt from our past attempts that the only way to scale in GEC is through daily viewership. Everything on Jeet is being mounted as a soap opera. We are constructing three to four hours of daily content and two hours of weekend content for the tier-2 and tier 3-town family audience. Overall, in the first year, we are coming up with 1000 hours of original content for a year. We have constructed it as four hours of weekdays content and two hours of weekend content. The core prime time bands will have Swami Ramdev: The Untold Story and Saragarhi. Then, we have shows like Anjaan and Hero Hiralal that are constructed like GECs but their quality is premium as compared to other GECs.

    I have realised that in this genre, you need to have IPs, which people refuse. In 120 million households where Jeet will be visible we need ratings or else we won’t have a compelling proposition. The idea is that we are reaching a sophisticated consumer with affinity content not measurable by ratings. When you have that kind of content, ratings sky rocket.

    What is so unique about your 1000 hours content?

    It is premium. Swami Ramdev: The Untold Story is a dramatised version of real events and is a finite series of 23 minutes every day. Saragarhi is a story of 21 Sikh soldiers, a finite series produced by Contiloe production house. These both series will restrict to 85 episodes. Anjaan and Hero Hiralal are infinite series. The former is a supernatural TV series produced by Lotus Talkies Productions, the production company of Sony TV’s Crime Patrol. It’s a 45 minutes weekday show. Whereas, Hero Hiralal is a conceptual series that revolves around an auto-rickshaw driver and his seven-year-old daughter who needs a heart transplant. The show is been edited by the in-house team of Discovery Communications. For weekends, we have non-fiction comedy shows.

    Will Jeet attract advertisers?

    Jeet will scrape a good chunk of the premium layer. I don’t want to replicate the competition’s model, rather I wanted to focus on perception selling. I am confident about the scalability of brands and advertisers. The context of the show where you advertise is at times strikingly in contrast to what the brand stands for. So to get scale advertisers have no other option. Typically, if you are a progressive brand, like Ariel that I handled, you end up advertising in a very regressive soap opera as that’s the only way to get scale. Jeet will allow brands to flourish by not only providing them with scale but also premium content that matches the brand philosophy and enough to attract a premium audience.

    How will Jeet be packaged to consumers? Will it be an FTA?

    Discovery Communication currently has 12 channels and Discovery Jeet is replacing Investigation Discovery channel. Jeet will be available on subscription-based pay TV. We have a very robust affiliate business. For syndicating, we are very singular in our offerings. Jeet is a singular proposition and not like any other GEC, which is replaceable. We have a strong launch plan in which distribution is very important for us. Vijay Rajput is the distribution head of all channels of Discovery Communications India.

    The interest in this sort of content is super high and soon we will be announcing our digital partnership. I am swamped by the international syndication request before launch. They are independent affiliate networks who have sampled the content through some other form.

    Who is supervising the functions of Jeet?

    Discovery Communications vice-president real world products south Asia Sameer Rao is leading Jeet. The middle-east team of Discovery has made a significant offer of syndicating the content globally. Christopher McGrath will be taking care of content syndication globally in Discovery Communication. We have a strong management and sales team in the leadership of Vikram Tanna and Rajput.

    Also Read:

    Discovery to launch digital channels, ties up with telcos

    Discovery launching Hindi GEC in Q4, re-brands ID as Discovery Jeet

    Discovery India hires Geetanjali Bhattacharji 

  • Rohan Sippy to debut on TV with Discovery Jeet’s Khan No.1

    Rohan Sippy to debut on TV with Discovery Jeet’s Khan No.1

    MUMBAI: Indian film director Rohan Sippy will don the hat of a producer for the first time on Indian television with crime show Khan No 1 to be showcased on the upcoming entertainment channel Discovery Jeet.

    Sippy has actor Rajesh Sharma in company as a co-debutant on TV who impressed with his acting skills in blockbuster Bollywood movies such as Toilet – Ek Prem Katha, MS Dhoni: The Untold Story and many more will be seen playing the title role of Inspector Khan.

    Sippy said, “In each of these unique episodes, Sharma is the host and investigator, Inspector Khan, who unravels these stories for the audience. His presence and persona combined humour and drama, creating a fun and intriguing mood for the show.”

    Inspired by true events, Khan No 1 sheds light on scams and cons committed by con-men/women. It is a window into the minds and lives of people who have chosen crime as a solution to their problems while Inspector Khan is the fictional central character–a crime hunter, an experienced cop specialising in solving scams/cases.

    Discovery Jeet, which will launch in February 2017, will bring together Discovery’s unmatched storytelling and real-life entertainment through larger-than-life stories aimed at inspiring millions.

    Also Read:

    Discovery launching Hindi GEC in Q4, re-brands ID as Discovery Jeet

    Discovery Jeet commissions ‘Still and Still Out of the Box’ for ‘Gabru’ Punjabi rapper