Category: GECs

KBC 8: A journey from individual to collective growth

In a world where everyone is busy achieving their personal goals, we as individuals have stopped thinking about the nation as a whole.

A flip through news channels and newspaper pages presents the stark reality of our society today. While we spend hours and hours talking about the ills plaguing Indian society, how many of us actually take a step further and act against them?

Multi Screen Media’s Sony Entertainment Television (SET) along with its creative agency Leo Burnett have through the two promos of Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC)’s eight season.

The first film titled Kohima makes one shameful about the fact that even though we all know aboutthe north east being a part of India, the denizens of that region are often derided and ridiculed and called names, and even treated as outsiders when they travel to other parts of the country. The promo has already been talked about in an earlier article on indiantelevision.com.

The second KBC8 TVC gives a different perspective on the Hindu-Muslim divide. The commercial is set in a tiny neighbourhood (chawl in India) in which a Hindu and Muslim family are neighbours. Ankit, a boy from the Hindu family is chosen to participate in KBC. His family is hugging him and wishing him good luck as he is about to depart to take part in the game show. The members of the Muslim family are watching the scene from the balcony of their home above and sniggering; and one of them even sneezes out aloud deliberately – which is considered a bad omen by some Hindus. The young folks from the Hindu family want to confront the Muslim youngsters but are stopped by their father. Cut to the set of KBC and Amitabh Bachchan has asked a question which has stumped Ankit. He chooses to use the phone a friend helpline. And the friend he chooses to call – is the Muslim household as he has been asked the meaning of As salamu alaykum. The elder of the Muslim family – who are also watching the episode in which Ankit is participating – picks up the call and gives him the correct answer – “Khuda Tumhe Salamat Rakhe” (God keep you safe). Both the Hindu and Muslim families then celebrate Ankit’s win by hugging each other.

The two promos show how KBC has evolved through its various messages over the years. From ‘Koi Bhi Sawaal Chhota Nahi Hota’ to ‘Seekhna Band…Toh Jeetna Band,’ the channel has come up with innovative messaging almost every year.

However, what differentiates this message from the previous ones is the fact that from just focusing on an individual the focus has shifted to the society as a whole. Amitabh Bachchan in his baritone voice has alway exhorted viewers to acknowledge the power of self and grow it through the power of knowledge. Now, the show promises to touch people’s hearts with the stories of community bonding.

The message of KBC season 8’s campaign ‘Yahan Sirf Paisa Nahi, Dil Bhi Jeete Jate Hain’ (We don’t win only money, we win hearts too), has beautifully integrated social messages within the script making one sit-up and take notice.

It is not the first time that a general entertainment channel (GEC) has touched upon social issues and tried to invoke the right and the wrong within people. But what separates these promos from the rest is the fact that they are hard hitting and talk directly to people. They are a mirror reflecting our society in simple yet assertive manner.

The yet-to-be released TVC talks about how KBC and Amitabh Bachchan has crept into our nation’s collective consciousness and involves entire communities, if one of their members is selected to participate in the game show. The film opens in a small village where people are busy stringing up loudspeakers across its streets. A man beaming with happiness is shown keeping a phone next to a microphone. The telephone rings shrilly and the voice of Big B reverberates through the whole village and the villagers leap up in deliight. The TVC then cuts back to the KBC set where the surprised AB asks the contestant ‘tumne toh family ko phone kiya tha?’ to which he replies, ‘They are all my family.’

The person on the phone then asks Mr Bachchan to recite one of his favourite dialogues to which he says, “aaj khush to bahut hoge tum.”

Will the promos on which the agency worked for almost two months help change society is not sure, but what’s certain is that they will make one look inside, especially when the incidents happening around make us hang our heads in shame.

Click here to watch the promo

July 23, 2014
Akshay Kumar forays into TV production with Zee’s ‘Jamai Raja’

MUMBAI: In the world of evil in-laws, it is the petite and innocent bahus who have been made to do household work as well as tortured enough. But, it’s time to put an end to it.

Zee with its new property aptly titled Jamai Raja will break the stereotype and ask – if the bahus have done it all along, why can’t the son-in-law?

Come 4 August, the channel will convey the message ‘enough of the women, let’s go on men now’. The new series will replace Do Dil Bandhe Ek Dori Se, which has been struggling to get numbers, and air on weekdays at 8:30 pm.

The son-in-law, without a doubt, has enjoyed great importance in Indian culture, but the upcoming show will show the male protagonist proactively take on what has been otherwise considered a woman’s prerogative, and embark on a journey of setting right the discord between his wife and mother-in-law, after marriage.

“I don’t think there has ever been a moment where Zee has been afraid of taking risks,” says the channel’s programming head Namit Sharma while elaborating that the channel never shied away from experimenting with content, be it any genre. From Rishtey, Gubbare, Jhansi Ki Rani to Qubool Hai and Cinestars Ki Khoj, the shows have tried to capture all aspects of human emotions.

The show is produced by Ashwini Yardi and actor Akshay Kumar who will make his debut as television producer under the banner Grazing Goats Pictures. The duo is co-producing it along with Sagar Pictures.

The new offering is set against the swish backdrop of south Mumbai’s upscale Cuffe Parade and will star Ravi Dubey (Siddharth), Nia Sharma (Roshni), Achint Kaur (DD) playing the sophisticated mother-in-law and Apara Mehta as the uber cool naani. Popular faces like Delnaz Irani and Shruti Ulfat will be seen play significant parts in the show.

“We are always trying to do something new with various producers, directors, writers and actors. There is no dearth of support when you want to take risks at Zee because our management really believes in that. Until we don’t innovate, we are not living up to our reputation,” believes Sharma.

He recalls the moment when he had joined Zee in February, this year, the show was his first project in the channel. “I have lived the journey with this show since its inception. Yardi came up with the brief; we approved and started working on it.”

According to Yardi, who makes her comeback on TV after two years, believes the small screen will always be her first priority and then the big screen. “It’s been a while since I was associated with TV, but Zee gave me an opportunity to narrate this beautiful drama and take it to various homes.”

She believes that there are different ways of seeing the same story and will touch every member of the family. “We are not targeting men with this show. We are targeting the entire family including housewives. We want the women to catch hold of their husbands and sons and make them watch,” laughs Yardi.

The set is located at Naigaon with 10-12 episodes already canned.

The new offering will have a cut-to-cut competition with the best performing shows like Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah on Sab and Mahabharat on Star Plus.

“Every slot is important for us. For me as a programmer, the main challenge is to deliver good quality of content rather than look at numbers,” highlights Sharma.

Though the makers and channel are confident about its new property, planners believe it is ‘just another show’. “Every show and every broadcaster claims it to be a different concept, but how well the story unfolds is important,” says a media planner.

July 23, 2014
Colors gets marketing head in Sapangeet Rajwant

MUMBAI: Zee TV’s VP marketing Sapangeet Rajwant has decided to move on from the channel. She will be replacing Rajesh Iyer, who had quit as Colors’ marketing head in March, this year.

According to a source, Rajwant’s last day at Zee was 11 July and she will take up the new role from 1 August.

She was promoted to marketing head of Zee TV in April this year.

With around 17 years of experience, she’s had a meaningful journey at Zeel which she joined in 2004 and has worked with various brands of the company since then. She had contributed to the networks’ second GEC – Zee Next, which shut shop after a year. She had also worked as the brand head of the Hindi movie channels of the network – Zee Cinema, Zee PAC and worked on the strategy of the channel and developing the strategic time table for the channel.

Prior to joining Zeel, she had worked with CS Direkt Events as branch head and Hero Corporate Services as a manager. Rajwant holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Management; Sales and Marketing Information Technology from Amity Business School.

July 21, 2014
‘Shastri Sisters’ premieres on 21 July 2014 monday to saturday at 7.00pm

MUMBAI: Sisters are your first friends. Sometimes, they even take on the role of mothers and sometimes that of petulant children. Bringing alive this beautiful bond is a brand new offering from COLORS – Shastri Sisters – a show that follows the lifefour sisters as they make their journey from Kanpur to Delhi. Starting life afresh with new dreams and aspirations, the four ‘friends-for-life’ sisters – Alka (Neha Pednekar), Anushka (Ishita Ganguly), Devyani (Sonal Vengurlekar) and Peeya (Pragati Chourasiya) support each other on the rollercoster of life. Produced by Shakuntalam Telefilms,Shastri Sisters will air every Monday to Saturday at 7.00 pm.

Alka, Anushka, Devyani and Peeya find their lives changing drastically as they follow their father, Narayan Shastri(Rajesh Jais), who transfers to New Delhi for his government job. Facing the new world head on, smiling through not-so-easy moments of life, collectively, the Shastri Sistersbecome each other’s biggest strengths. Together they learn to navigate the unfamiliar streets and ways of the big city, often finding themselves in chuckle worthy and sometimespoignant situations.

Speaking about the show, Prashant Bhatt, Weekday Programming Head – COLORS, said,“Through Shastri Sisters, we are looking at presenting a story people can relate to – a slice of life tale that brings alive the bitter sweet moments of life as witnessed by four young girls who are sisters and friends for life. Every viewer will find himself or herself in the story. And we are delighted to be partnering with Shakuntalam Telefilms once again to create a show that I’m sure will touch hearts and make each of you smile.”

Speaking about show, Neelima Bajpai, Creative Head and Co-Founder, Shakuntalam Telefilmssaid, “Shastri Sisters is a concept tracing the journey of four sisters who find themselves uprooted from their family home in Kanpur to move to New Delhi. We have shot extensively across New Delhi – Lajpat Nagar, Chandni Chowk, Pahad Ganjto bring alive the storyline while building authenticity for the show.”

Commenting on her role, Neha Pednekar aka Alka, said, “I don’t have a sister in real life; working on this show helped me understand sisterhood and the importance of the strong bond which keeps them together.” Ishita Ganguly, playing the role of Anushkasaid, “For Shastri Sisters, I have moved from Kolkata to Mumbai. This created a sense of relatability because the sisters find themselves in a similar situation when moving from Kanpur to Delhi changes their lives!” Devyani aka Sonal Vengurlekar said, “Even though I have dabbled in television before, working in Shastri Sisters is like a dream come true because it gives me an opportunity to explore various nuances of my personality.”PragatiChourasiya, playing the role of the youngest sister Peeyasaid, “After four hard and long years of working on television, I am excited about the fresh challenge that Shastri Sisters presents to me. My character, is not only the youngest but also the over-protected sister who is the apple of everyone’s eye!”

With a fresh cast and relatable characters, Shastri Sisters includes strong actors portrayingpivotal characters such as the simpleton father, Narayan Shastri (Rajesh Jais)who works for the governmentand the do-gooder Delhi-based landlord Mr. Sareen (Girish Sehdev), popularly known as ‘Lalaji’ in the moholla who loves his daily dose of whiskey. Minty Sareen (Neelu Kohli)is the snobbish and stubborn wife of the landlord, the gossip queen of the neighbourhood and the proud mother of two sons Rajat (Vijayendra Kumeria)and Neel (Sumit Bhardwaj).

To ensure that Shastri Sistersare topic of conversations across the country, COLORS has undertaken a 360-degree integrated marketing campaignacross cable, radio, OOH including in-train branding, print and television mediums. The channel has also designed a special digital campaign encapsulating an interactive quiz across social media platforms.

They may not have it all together, but together they have it all… Come,join Shastri Sisters as they discover a new city and a new life starting21st July, 2014, every Monday to Friday at 7.00PM!

July 21, 2014
Beyond the Box – CASBAA Convention 2014

MUMBAI: CASBAA’s highly anticipated annual multichannel TV industry convention will take place from October 27-30, 2014 at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong. A popular stop on the Asia Pacific broadcasting calendar, this year’s event will explore the theme “Beyond the Box.”

Reflecting the evolution of the television industry, this year’s CASBAA Convention theme looks at what the future holds for broadcasting – while never losing sight of the core business of linear TV.

“At its most basic level, “the box” refers to the traditional television set that sits in the living room – or, more likely today, is mounted on a wall,” said Christopher Slaughter, CEO, CASBAA. “Linear TV is still a major industry driver in the Asia Pacific, but we are seeing the proliferation of new technologies and new platforms that are providing consumers with innovative viewing options “beyond the box.”

“In order to take advantage of these new opportunities, it is imperative to explore different business models and strategies that will encompass these alternate revenue streams,” added Slaughter. “In short, it is time to start thinking outside of the box!”

Key topics to be covered at the major sessions during the convention will include developments in over-the-top (OTT) TV services, opportunities for members in the mobile broadcasting space, as well as ultra-high-definition “4K” television, and innovation in transmission and broadcast technology and its implications for the industry. Sports issues – including rights, exclusivity and licensing – and broadcast news will also be major subjects explored at this year’s event.

On hand to tackle these issues will be a world class roster of respected industry thought leaders including Jon Feltheimer, CEO, Lionsgate; Victor Koo, Chairman & CEO, Youku Tudou; Andrew Rashbass, Chief Executive of Reuters, Thomson Reuters; Tom Mockridge, CEO, Virgin Media; Peter Limbourg, Director General, Duetsche Welle; Barry Cupples, Global CEO, Investment, OMG; David Haslingden, CEO, NHNZ; Jim Samples, President, International, Scripps; Sam Blackman, CEO, Elemental Technologies; Dr. Justin Chuang, VP & Group Director, Communications Technologies Group, ASTRI; and, many others.

Outside the Main Ballroom of the Grand Hyatt, where plenary sessions take place, there will be plenty of opportunities for members and delegates to get together at the newly revamped exhibition space which will feature display booths and networking lounges.

Sponsors for the CASBAA Convention 2014 include ABS, APT Satellite, ARRIS, AsiaSat, Australia News Channel, Bloomberg, Conax, Deutsche Welle, Elemental Technologies, FRANCE 24, InvestHK, Irdeto, ITV, MEASAT, now TV, Playboy Plus Entertainment, PwC, SES, Time Warner, TrueVisions and TV5MONDE.

For further information about the CASBAA Convention 2014, please visit www.casbaaconvention.com.

July 21, 2014
KBC8: Strumming the heart strings of viewers

MUMBAI: It’s Big B time on Sony Entertainment Television. Almost 14 years after he mesmerized the nation with his baritone voice as the host of the first season of Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC), Amitabh Bachchan made his fictional debut in a drama series Yudh on the Hindi GEC earlier this month. Come mid-August, and viewers of Sony will get to see more of the thespian as the first episode of the eight season of the quiz game show hits TV screens.

KBC8 – as it is being called – promises a lot and the channel is banking heavily on it to boost its viewership and pull it out of its fifth placed spot amongst GECs. Like previous years, Sony Entertainment’s marketing mavens are putting their best foot forward to help it build a better connect with audiences.

“We sat and thought about what we have said and done in the past so that we can come up with a new concept this time,” says SET senior VP and marketing head Gaurav Seth. “The conclusion we came up was that whatever be the case, Big B and a few contestants over these past years have been able to win million of hearts. Hence, came the new communication, which is – Yahan Sirf Paise Nahi, Dil Bhi Jeete Jate Hain. ”

Conceptualised by Leo Burnett and executed by Opticus, the underpinning thread of KBC’s promotional campaign this year will center around social issues gripping the nation. Three films, each with a different story, character, set-up and theme, will be aired over the coming few days on TV and released in social media.

The first of these titled ‘Kohima’ touches upon the sensitive issue of racialism or discrimination that people from the northeast face.

Just over a minute long, the TVC opens with Amitabh Bachchan asking Poornima, a young contestant hailing from the northeast, “Which country is Kohima in? (A) China (B) Nepal (C) India or (D) Bhutan.”

The contestant opts for an audience poll (a lifeline in the game show) and 100 per cent of the respondents say India. Bachchan tells her, “it’s India, everyone knows this answer” to which the young contestant replies, “Everyone knows the answer, but how many people actually acknowledge it?”

The film ends with the message ‘Yeh khel kuch aisa hi hai, yahan sirf paise hi nahi dil bhi jeete jaate hain.’

It took three-four months of brainstorming, a lot of hard work by all the concerned entities (Sony Entertainment, Big Synergy, Leo Burnett) to weigh the pros and cons, before the theme was finalised.

Leo Burnett executive creative director Nitesh Tiwari says the first challenge for him was to be innovative and avoid repetition. Says he: “This is the fourth year I am being associated with the channel. In the last three years, we had done it all, so the biggest challenge for us was how to make it different this season.”

The creative agency’s CEO Saurabh Varma believes Tiwari and his team have come out with a winner as the KBC8 ads effectively use the power of communication to raise the collective conscience of the nation.

He asserts: “Over the years we have noticed that people wait for the KBC promos as much as they wait for the next season of KBC. And the participants who reach the hot seat take more than just money from the KBC stage. Our latest promos take this insight to a larger, national and social canvas. The ads effectively use the power of communication to raise the collective consciousness of the nation.”

Pantvaidya too is pleased with the way the three TVCs have been filmed (for the first time in Gujarat), adding that stereotypes have indeed been broken. What must be making him happy is the number of views that the Kohima film has garnered on Youtube since its release on 8 July: 584,251 views, at the time of penning the article.

Promos aside, Pantvaidya is pushing below the line activation in a big way in the coming weeks to build a face-to-face connect between KBC8 and Indians on the streets. Marketing spends according to sources have been upped by 30 per cent or so.

“We believe that we need to address these consumers by reaching out to them and that is the real thought behind all our campaigns,” adds Pantvaidya.

The direct-to-consumer push includes Amitabh Bachchan hosting four events across four cities; Surat being the first one. Another100 ground events are slated to be held in smaller towns which will give small-town-ers an opportunity to play along and get a chance to sit on the hot seat and try his/her luck to win the cash price of Rs 5 crore. This aside, viewers will also be encouraged to play the game real time through the KBC8 application on their hand held devices like mobile phones and tablets.

As far as each episode of KBC is concerned, its length has been cut to an hour as against an hour and a half last year. Then, a new lifeline has been added called the community lifeline, which allows contestants to call any one in the community for help if they find a question tricky.

Production for KBC8 is in the able hands of Siddhartha Basu’s Big Synergy Productions with filming slated to start in end July.

July 19, 2014
Who controls the remote?

A TV remote control is the most sort-after item in a household. From parents to kids, everyone wants to get their hands on the small black device controlling the idiot box in the living room.

The battle has been going on for decades now. The broadcasters, a very few of them in the beginning, understood it very early wherein they smartly segregated their programmes into time slots pertaining to a particular gender.

Afternoons were meant for housewives who after finishing their work had their daily dose of soaps to entertain them before the children came back from schools and tune into shows catering to their tastes. It was in the evening that men got hold of the television set to catch-up on the day’s news.

The pattern has been passed down the history even though the number of channels available to entertain a household has multiplied. Everybody is spoilt of choice, be it the women or men of the house or children.

Everyone has numerous channels to surf before they pick their favourite.

As per a new research published by Croma, the electronics megastore from Infiniti Retail, India’s women ‘own’ the household TV throughout the day; however by the time the clock chimes 9 pm it’s the men who take over.

The findings highlighted in Croma’s ‘Household Habits’ survey reveal that 9 pm as a form of ‘Remote Relay’ hour is when control of the ubiquitous and all-important remote finally passes from female to male jurisdiction. According to the findings nearly 40 per cent of men claim that their female partners dominate the remote control all afternoon (from midday to 9 pm); while over half of all respondents collectively claim that it’s their respective mothers who rule the remote during the same period. Over half of the female respondents actually admit to ‘fighting for control’ of the precious device.

Before the recently concluded FIFA World Cup even started, the jokes doing the rounds were of men telling their wives to keep away from the remote control at night. Every now and then, the battle intensifies especially during sporting events or some major political development. However, this doesn’t mean that women aren’t interested in sports or politics but in general it’s the soaps that catch their fancy.

However, with the increase in disposable income and technology wherein multi-device and cross-screen usage has become common in certain sections of our society, the survey demonstrates the importance, protocols and household politics relating to control of the household TV set. And, according to the findings, the females of the household exercise a near monopoly on the remote; at least during daylight hours.

The 9 pm slot symbolises a form of ‘changing of the guard’ when the females of the household cede control of the TV to their male counterparts. This form of ‘remote control diplomacy’ confirms the central role and meaning the TV set continues to exert in the Indian household.

While women clearly rule the noon and evening slot of the remote relay, men take over from 9 pm, with over a quarter of all respondents citing fathers overtaking mothers for control of the remote during this period. The time slot (primetime as per most channels) has seen a significant increase in male partner dominance in terms of control over the TV remote.

But, if men rule the 9pm slot, one is forced to think about the primetime slot which broadcasters, especially general entertainment channels (GECs), invest in?

As per various media analysts who study the medium and plan and buy for it every day, the study might be true, but the ‘change of guard’ doesn’t happen sharp at 9!

They insist that times are changing and men too are interested in watching what their partners watch every night. It is a transition period wherein almost for one to two hours, both men and women, sit and watch two channels overlapping the couple’s or of family’s interest.

It is family time where everyone watches together. And as kids and others move away from the TV sets as night progresses, men are left as the sole controller of the remote, free to watch whatever interests them.

July 19, 2014
Zeel Q1-2015 y-o-y advt revenue up 17 per cent

BENGALURU: The Subhash Chandra led content and broadcast player Zee Entertainment Enterprises (Zeel) reported a 17.4. per cent increase in advertising revenue in Q1-2015 to Rs 622.10 crore (57.3 per cent of total operating revenue or TOR) as compared to the year ago revenue of Rs 530.07 crore (54.5 per cent of TOR) and 6.8 per cent higher than the Rs 582.36 crore (50.3 per cent of TOR) reported for the immediate trailing quarter.

However, the company’s Q1-2015 PAT at Rs 210.57 crore (19.4 per cent of TOR) was 6.3 per cent lower than the Rs 224.64 crore (23.1 per cent of TOR) in Q1-2014 and 3.2 per cent lower than the Rs 217.58 crore (18.8 per cent of TOR) in Q4-2014. Despite lower operating cost in Q1-2015, the company has reported higher employee benefit expense, other expenses, depreciation, amortisation expense, higher tax payment and lower subscription and other income for the period as compared to Q4-2014.

Notes: (1) The results mentioned in this report are consolidated results of Zeel and its subsidiaries.

(2) 100,00,000=100 Lakhs = 1 crore = 10 million

Let us look at the other figures for Q1-2015 reported by Zeel

Lower subscription and other revenue in Q1-2015 has resulted in a drop of 6.3 per cent q-o-q TOR from operations to Rs 1085.70 crore from Rs 1158.81 crore in Q4-2014. TOR in Q1-2015 was however 10.4 per cent more than the Rs 973.35 crore reported in Q1-2014.

Zeel reported 4.5 per cent lower subscription revenue for Q1-2015 at Rs 422.77 crore (40.8 per cent of TOR) as compared to the Rs 463.54 crore (40 per cent of TOR) in Q4-2014 and 9.3 per cent more than the Rs 424.07 crore (43.6 per cent of TOR) in Q1-2014.

Other Income in Q1-2015 was less than a fifth (down by 81.6 per cent) at Rs 20.83 crore as compared to the Rs 112.91 crore in Q4-2014 and 9 per cent more than the Rs 19.11 crore in Q1-2014.

The company’s Total Expenditure (TE) for Q1-2015 at Rs 796.1 crore (73.3 per cent of TOR) was 8.1 per cent less than the Rs 866.15 crore (74.7 per cent of TOR) in Q4-2014 and 15.3 per cent more than the Rs 690.42 crore (70.9 per cent of TOR) in Q1-2014.

Zeel’s Q1-2015 employee benefit expense at Rs 111.71 crore (10.3 per cent of TOR) was 11.9 per cent more than the Rs 99.84 crore (8.6 per cent of TOR) in Q4-2014 and 16.8 per cent more than the Rs 95.63 crore (9.8 per cent of TOR) in Q1-2014.

Zeel reported Q1-2015 depreciation and amortisation expense of Rs 19.57 crore (1.8 per cent of TOR) which was 3.4 per cent more than the Rs 18.92 crore (1.6 per cent of TOR) in Q4-2014 and more than double (2.26 times) the Rs 8.66 crore (0.9 per cent of total income) in Q1-2014.

The company’s other expense in Q1-2015 at Rs 230.80 crores (21.3 per cent of TOR) was 13.7 per cent more than the Rs 202.97 crore (17.5 per cent of TOR) in Q4-2014 and 31.6 per cent more than the Rs 175.37 per cent (18 per cent of TOR) in Q1-2014.

Zeel’s tax expense in Q1-2015 at Rs 116.35 crore (10 per cent of TOR) was 36.5 per cent more than the Rs 85.26 crore (7.4 per cent of TOR) in Q4-2014 and 9.8 per cent lower than the Rs 128.94 crore (13.2 per cent of TOR) in Q1-2014.

Zeel chairman Subhash Chandra said, “Our performance during the quarter reflects the investments that Zeel is making to grow its business and market share. In a highly competitive space, Zeel continues to build its media assets and in the process create value for shareholders.”

Zeel managing director and CEO Punit Goenka said, “The network share is up as compared to the corresponding quarter last fiscal which has translated into a strong performance on the advertising front, outpacing the industry growth once again. On the subscription front, pursuant to the change in content aggregator regulation, we have discontinued the distribution of our channels through the joint venture MediaPro and the channels are now distributed by Taj Television Private Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Zeel.”

Added Goenka, “Digitisation will lead to fragmentation of audiences as consumers will have more options. At Zeel, we believe that this provides a huge opportunity to create new products for specific segments. Advertising spends on television are expected to grow in healthy double digits over the next many years. Rollout of BARC and change in advertising currency from CPRP to CPT is expected to give it a positive fillup. Creation and acquisition of excellent quality content remains core to our business and we continue to channelize investments to strengthen this core.”

July 18, 2014
Digitisation has enhanced industry’s transparency levels: Zeel annual report

MUMBAI: In June 2013, Zee Entertainment Enterprises (Zeel) unveiled its new corporate identity ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’.

It was inspired by ‘The World is my Family’ philosophy with an all-new positioning which creatively integrated and crafted with the brand logo. The annual report of the media and entertainment conglomerate for 2013-14 incorporates its ‘One Zee, One Anthem’ philosophy.

The vibrant and stakeholder-friendly annual report gives an insight into the media house highlighting how its reach and viewership share has grown from strength to strength.

Zee’s evolution as a global media brand is vindicated by its 730+ million viewers across 169 countries. This apart, it also added one more channel, Zindagi, to its list taking the toll to 33 for its domestic channels. Zindagi, launched on 23 June, showcases content from Pakistan and has the tagline ‘Jodey Dilon Ko’. It also launched another brand ‘&’.

With the strategy to offer specific content to relevant markets, the powerhouse also added two more international channels to its kitty – Zee Bioskop in Indonesia and Zee Nung in Thailand. It is pushing boundaries forward to realise its vision of being a leading global media powerhouse by the year 2020.

Apart from this, the company also launched Zee Music Company entering into the country’s Rs 960 crore music market.

The three key value drivers for brand Zee are pioneering, prudent and predictability. And these have helped it contribute 26 per cent of the corporate brand to the enterprise value as of 31 March 2014.

In the last five years, Zee’s revenues grew at 15.30 per cent CAGR. The consolidated revenue during FY 2014 grew by 20 per cent y-o-y to Rs 46,024 million.

In a message to shareholders, Zeel chairman Dr Subhash Chandra highlights that even though there is a question mark on India’s domestic growth and there persists a general climate of pessimism, the company’s experience and expertise has helped it grow and overcome roadblocks to unleash their creativity.

“Digitisation has been instrumental in enhancing the industry’s transparency levels. The phase I and II roll out restructured the industry’s standards. With consumers ready to pay for quality content, complete digitisation will entail multiple benefits, such as industry growth, transparency and increased ARPUs for industry players,” he said in the annual report.

54 per cent of revenue is generated through advertisements while 63 per cent of the total distribution expense comes from operational cost.

Zeel MD and CEO Punit Goenka spoke about the future of India’s M&E industry. “Currently valued at Rs 417 billion, it poised to reach Rs 885 billion by 2018 as per the latest KPMG report. Zee will continue to raise the bar in terms of content innovation, operational excellence and global footprint to sustain its industry leadership.”

With the total strength of more than 2200 people at the company, the annual report shares views of other management teams as well as outsiders like Shahrukh Khan, Sam Balsara, Rishi Jaitly among many others.

The 32nd annual general meeting of the company will be held on 18 July at 11 am in Nehru Auditorium in Mumbai.

Annual reports are not just numbers; they are a piece of handiwork through which a company can promote itself, its prospects to its various stakeholders. AICL Communications is in-charge of making Zeel’s report more interactive rather than just plain vanilla.

July 17, 2014
Life OK goes bold again with ‘Laut Aao Trisha’

MUMBAI: The channel is known for its offbeat shows, and yet manages to be on the top three of the TAM ratings every now and then, and doing that is not an easy task. From domestic violence to spirituality, the channel has experimented with various genres.

“After beating Colors for four consecutive weeks, the pressure from our bosses has increased tremendously,” laughs Life OK general manager Ajit Thakur.

Keeping with its philosophy of creating content through differentiation, Life OK is back with a new series Laut Aao Trisha (LAT). Delving into strong social issues, the new show is not so different from the channel’s current offerings. Come 21 July, every Monday to Friday at 10 pm, viewers will get to witness one of the boldest content ever on Indian television screens. Life OK brings to the fore topics which in general have not found a standing in the general entertainment space.

LAT will see the return of Bollywood’s sweetheart Bhagyashree Patwardhan in the lead role along with television stars Rajeshwari Badola, Jai Kalra and Eijaz Khan.

Adapted from the highly acclaimed Spanish telenovela Dónde está Elisa? (Where is Elisa?) (The Missing), the series revolves around the quest of a mother in search of her missing daughter. What if the person who has committed the crime is within the family? The channel which has talked about crimes outside has now taken on crime within the house, with this show.

The channel has kept the storyline almost the same compared to the adapted ones.

Life OK has always aimed to work with new people, new producers and writers and with LAT it has also done the same. Produced by 24 Frames’ Nandita Mehra and Bhairavi Raichura, along with BP Singh of Fireworks Productions, it is an intriguing story full of tricky plots that deals with the issue of in-family crimes. The writers of the show are Raghuvir Shikhawat and Amit.

According to Raichura (Balika Vadhu fame), it is an interesting storyline with an interesting star cast. “The concept won’t only attract women audiences, but every individual who believes in social issues. Plus, the star cast which will add spice to the storyline making it more real with real emotions.”

The show is a finite one as the channel does not believe in dragging storylines. “It is a 10-12 month storyline. I don’t think it is a new genre, we have done this in the past with Saubhagyavati Bhava, a social thriller, and this show is an extension of it. Every second week, you will see a new suspect,” revealed Thakur.

Thakur informs that in terms of boldness, the channel had to tone down a bit keeping Indian audiences in mind. “The original show is very bold, we have toned down the boldness and which is why we have decided to air it at 10 pm and not earlier. By Indian standards, it will be by far the boldest show ever on television.”

With TV being a family viewing medium, Life OK programming head Yuvraj Bhattacharya was initially a little apprehensive about calling LAT a family show. “If you have your book, magazine or an iPad, you can actually have a private and a personal consumption of content which is not possible in the case of TV. I was nervous about it. Now that I have seen about eight to nine episodes which are ready to go on-air, I am confident that this is still a family show.”

With the initial episodes being shot in Goa, the set is located at Filmcity, Mumbai.

Though the channel terms the show bold – it is not a regular candy-floss love story – LAT will allow a family to sit together and watch it. Bhattacharya believes that there is always a thin line. The producers have been working for more than a year on this project. “It is a show that where you can easily go wrong. Now we feel that it is the step forward for Indian television,” said Bhattacharya.

Thakur revealed that, unlike other fiction shows, this is a high-budget show. “It is more expensive than any other fiction show because of the cast which was more expensive than the regular cast of the show. Overall, by regular standards, it is a more expensive show.”

Life OK is investing heavily on digital apart from television. Promos are running on a big scale across all the Star network channels as well as on other channels apart from the kids genre channels.

This story is a thriller and as family drama has taken front stage in this show, people are sure to watch it, said a confident Thakur. “For the women viewers, it will still have that social thriller drama and that urge to see what happens to a mother who loses her teenage daughter. For male viewers, while they follow the story, they will also see how the police investigation is happening in context of the family.”

LAT is going to compete with Pyaar Ka Dard Hai Meetha Meetha Pyaara Pyaara on Star Plus. About the competition at 10 pm slot, Thakur comments: “How does that matter to us? We have nothing to lose. We do not look at competition at all. We are way different from kitchen soaps and whoever is bored, can come and watch something new on Life OK.”

According to a media planner, LAT is not likely to attract much of the audiences because of its bold content. “For housewives, who are used to watching soaps, it is difficult for them to follow a storyline of this kind.” Many households today depend on one TV set, and such kind of content can only create the sense of awkwardness, he feels.

July 17, 2014