Category: GECs

MCCS picks up rich haul of 9 metals – 5 Golds, 3 Silver & 1 Bronze

Mumbai, June 28, 2006: The glittering PROMAX&BDA Awards function held at New York provided a rich haul of metals for MCCS (Media Content & Communications Services), which broadcasts STAR News, India’s first homegrown news channel, and STAR Ananda, India’s first 24-hour national Bengali news channel.

4 BDA GOLDS – MCCS won BDA Golds in the Best Image promo category for the STAR Ananda launch promo; in the Best Special Events promo category for the STAR News election special Kya Banega Muhyamantri promo; and in the On-air illustration category for Factoid-Right to Information. Besides, these 3 Golds, MCCS won a further BDA Gold in the Open category for STAR News special series Ek Shahar Ho Sapno Ka.

3 BDA SILVERS – Meanwhile, STAR News election special Kaun Banega Mukhyamantri won Silver for Special Events promo, and the STAR Ananda Teaser won silver in the ID category. The avidly watched STAR News sports programme series, Match Ke Mujrim, also notched Silver for Topical Promo.
Category Programme Channel Promax / BDA Award

1 Art Direction & Design: Image Promo Ananda Launch Promo STAR Ananda BDA Gold
2 Art Direction & Design: Special Events Promo Kya Banega Mukhyamantri STAR News BDA Gold
3 On-Air Illustration Factoid – Right to Information STAR News BDA Gold
4 Open Ek Shahar Ho Sapno Ka STAR News BDA Gold
5 News Campaign using one or more media Match Ke Mujrim STAR News Promax Gold
6 Art Direction & Design: Special Events Promo Kaun Banega Mukhyamantri STAR News BDA Silver
7 ID STAR Ananda Teaser STAR Ananda BDA Silver
8 Art Direction & Design: Topical Promo Match Ke Mujrim STAR News BDA Silver
9 Open Kaun Banega Mukhyamantri STAR News BDA Bronze

1 BDA BRONZE – Kaun Banega Mukhyamantri won Bronze in the Open Category. BDA is the world’s leading association of designers involved in all aspects of electronic design for the broadcast, broadband, and multimedia world. The BDA World Gold Awards are in recognition of design excellence in electronic design.

1 PROMAX GOLD – Match Ke Mujrim was again the recipient of an award, this time a Promax Gold for the Best News Programme campaign using one or more media. PROMAX is the world’s premier association of promotion and marketing professionals in electronic media – those responsible for building audiences and revenues for their organizations. The Promax World Gold awards are in universal recognition of such marketing contributions.

In the Indian participation, MCCS have outshone all other news networks, whether entertainment or news, with a haul of 5 Golds! This recognition is only further endorsement to the People’s Channel’s pursuit of excellence.

Promax/BDA is the worldwide association of entertainment marketers, promoters and designers, representing more than 500 television stations and all major broadcast and cable networks from the U. S. as well as more than 3,000 individual members in 70 countries.

ABOUT MCCS

Media Content & Communications Services India Pvt. Ltd. (MCCS) broadcasts STAR News, India’s first homegrown news channel, and STAR Ananda, India’s first 24-hour national Bengali news channel. MCCS is a 74:26 joint venture between ABP TV – a 100% subsidiary of ABP Pvt. Ltd., and STAR News Broadcasting Ltd., wholly-owned subsidiary of the STAR Group; two of the biggest brands in Indian media. Living up to its motto of “Aapko Rakhe Aagey”, STAR News is a people’s channel that focuses on relevant news in a cutting-edge format. Since its conception, the Channel has grown to command a viewership of over 20 million Indian homes and is the first and only Global Indian News Channel. In June 2005, MCCS launched another first, STAR Ananda, which immediately set a benchmark with its diverse, yet incisive news coverage. Introducing a paradigm shift in the broadcast of regional language news, STAR Ananda continues to consolidate, reaching out to over two and a half million discerning viewers.

For further information, please contact:
Navin Tauro / Swati Sundareswaran / Daylon D’Cruz
Vaishnavi Corporate Communications
Tel: 022 6656 8787 / Fax: 022 6656 8788

May 30, 2010

‘Success of a TV channel is to find homogeneity in a heterogeneous market condition’ : Sony Entertainment Television VP marketing Danish Khan

2009 was an eventful year for Sony Entertainment Television (SET). Languishing behind the top three Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs) and even newcomer NDTV Imagine, the channel relaunched with a bunch of differentiated shows. Some worked, some didn‘t, and the programming overhaul failed to lift the ratings to any position of strength.

Sony then discovered the value of its old horses in C.I.D and Aahat. The channel zoomed to a GRP (gross ratings point) of 180 and the road ahead looked promising with the launch of YRF shows. But the leading film producing house evoked a tepid response among audiences for its TV shows, leaving Sony in hunt for new properties that would aid it to move up the ratings ladder.

Marketing several new properties and the relaunched channel has been a challenging task under these circumstances.

In an interview with Indiantelevision.com‘s Anuradha Ramamirtham, Sony Entertainment Television VP marketing Danish Khan talks about the strategies that Sony adopted during this period as it searched for width and depth of reach across markets.

Excerpts:

How tough was it to market Sony Entertainment Television in a year when a bruising battle was fought at the top among the three leading Hindi general entertainment channels?

The GECs were in a growth mode last year and the leadership battle became intense. Marketing, thus, became much more strategic and key to a channel‘s fortune. Sony was clearly on the growth path and we were able to build the brand with high impact campaigns for our bigger properties like Indian Idol 4, Dus Ka Dum, Bhaskar Bharti, Aahat -the all new series and Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao. We also rejuvenated the brand CID. All these shows were successfully marketed in challenging times and conditions.

What exactly were you looking at marketing when the channel went for an overall overhaul?

SET has existed as a brand for long and our aim was to refresh the look and feel of the channel. The relaunch wasn‘t just of getting a bunch of new shows to appear on the channel; it was also about refreshing the channel‘s identity. While we retained the logo, we went for a new packaging and brand identity. On the programming front, we retained some of our old properties like CID, Boogie Woogie and Comedy Circus and introduced some new fiction shows including Bhaskar Bharti and Ladies Special. This helped us in improving the channel‘s ratings by over 150 per cent over a nine-month period.

Did your marketing spend expand during this makeover period of the channel?

The channel‘s marketing budget stayed almost flat. We were fortunate in that for the first half of the year, the media cost was stagnant due to recession. We also changed our media buying mix a bit by increasing our exposure to low-cost mediums like digital and experiential marketing. We could have a similar impact at lesser cost. The marketing was much more rigorous and we did all to stretch the value of every rupee that we spent.

With the Tam panel expanding and new markets opening up, will you have to tweak the marketing plan for the channel?

With the TAM panel expanding, it‘s going to be a challenge not only for us but for all marketers in the channel space. Thankfully, we have a strong distribution network. In 2003, when Tam was moving to smaller cities and towns, Sony was the fastest to reach to new markets and develop a strong brand affinity. With the new markets opening up, it will be a good opportunity for us.

How different is it to market in smaller towns as compared to tier I cities?

The tier I cities and metros are mature markets and are organised in nature. In these markets, there are multiple media options available to reach to the consumer like availability of FM stations and organised outdoor media. Consumers in these markets are early adopters to new trends and there are huge amounts of touch points available to reach out to them. Hence, these markets are easier to monitor.

These markets are, however, cluttered. The challenge here is not restricted to reaching to the consumers but also creating a high impact as they are bombarded today with hundreds of messages. In addition to availability of multiple media options, the markets have also become expensive. So, the challenge is both being impactful and cost effective.

The smaller markets are not organised. There is lesser number of touch points and everyone wants to reach there. Experiential marketing works wonder in small towns if it is sprinkled with mass media applications. Consumers here are fresh to meeting celebrities and such activities are hugely accepted and help in creating the right buzz.

‘For the first half of the year, the media cost was stagnant due to recession. We also changed our media buying mix a bit by increasing our exposure to low-cost mediums like digital and experiential marketing‘

What was the most cost effective medium for marketing during recessionary times?

Recession or no recession, television is the most cost effective medium for marketers. Thankfully, we have a very robust network with five performing channels; these form the base for all our marketing plans. Outside television, we use different mediums. In 2009, Internet and mobile (digital medium) were used more judiciously to reach to the youth who are tech savvy. Also, experiential marketing (BTL activities) was pushed hard last year and they yielded good results.

With advertisers spreading their focus into smaller markets, how will GECs and particularly Sony benefit from this?

Like television, most categories and brands today have a pan India presence. TV is increasingly becoming relevant across categories as its spreads out both geographically and demographically. Like any other marketer, Sony is also keen on small towns. Besides, the channel enjoys a robust distribution platform across India.

How do you address such a heterogeneous market?

The success of a television channel is to find homogeneity in a heterogeneous market condition. In India, the markets which we cater to are extremely heterogeneous in nature. A Punjab market, for example, will think and behave differently than a Maharashtra market which, in turn, will be different from Uttar Pradesh. But there are certain universal themes that work across markets. The content and communication has to be based on this. Media behaviour and mediums can differ. As far as the message is concerned, it should always be built around something that works universally. That applies to successful shows as well; they have messages that are universal.

YRF is a strong movie brand. What marketing steps did you take to extend it into a television brand?

It was challenging to work on the YRF shows. These are early days yet and the five weekend shows have started attracting a definite set of loyal audiences. We are doing a lot of on-air promotions and experiential marketing to build the popularity for these shows.

February 10, 2010

‘Fragmentation has actually helped the Hindi GEC ad market to grow’ : ZEEL Chief Revenue Officer Joy Chakraborthy

Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) has a pool of channels that would drive its topline. The transfer of the six regional entertainment channels from Zee News Ltd (ZNL) would reduce Zeel‘s dependence on Zee TV as Zee Marathi, Zee Bangla and Zee Telugu write good revenues. The gain could be to the tune of Rs 4.4 billion on an annualised basis.

Zeel went through a second wave of consolidation when it decided to bring under it ETC‘s broadcasting business. while ETC Music will complement Zing, ETC Punjabi stays as a strong force in the Punjabi market.

Zeel‘s south story is set to bloom. With market leader Sun TV deciding to up ad rates across its network channels after a gap of two years, Zee Telugu is in a strong position to shore up its revenues on the back of soaps, movies and a dance-based reality property in Aata. Zee Kannada is also on the growth track.

Competition from the two Star regional channels could hurt Zee Bangla and Zee Marathi in the long run. Star Jalsha has become a clear No. 1, but Zee Bangla is currently holding on to its revenues due to unduplicated viewership and a smart utilsation of inventory and ad pricing. The Bengali general entertainment channel (GEC) ad market could, however, expand.

Despite Star Pravah‘s rise, Zee Marathi continues to be in leadership position and is aided by Zee Talkies.

Bruised by a weak property in Indian Cricket League (ICL) that ran out of action last year, Zee has plans to launch a few sports channels.

Maximising the company‘s value share is Zeel chief revenue officer Joy Chakraborthy. His academic armoury includes graduation from National Defence Academy, masters in marketing management from NMIMS and, more recently, the Advanced Management Program from Harvard Business School.

In an interview with Indiantelevision.com‘s Sibabrata Das, Chakraborthy talks about the company‘s focus on revenues, profitability and monetisable GRPs.

Excerpts:

How much topline growth would come to Zeel due to the transfer of six regional entertainment channels from Zee News Ltd?
Zeel would be a big beneficiary as the six regional entertainment channels are riding good revenues. They will also help us offer complementary media propositions to our advertisers. We expect Zeel to add about Rs 4.4 billion on a full year basis due to this transfer.

So Zeel‘s dependence on Zee TV will reduce?

One can‘t undermine the contribution of our flagship brand in our bouquet of channels. With the regional GECs, we will, of course, have more driver channels in the bouquet such as Zee Marathi, Zee Bangla and Zee Telugu. Nonetheless, Zee TV’s contribution to the overall ad pie of Zeel will be in the region of 35-37 per cent.

Doesn’t that spread out Zeel’s risks at the right time when we are seeing the emergence of a new star in Colors and further fragmentation in the Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) space?
With the industry maturing, fragmentation is obvious. In fact, fragmentation has actually helped the Hindi GEC ad market to grow. The introduction of Colors has transformed the GEC space from a bi-polar into a tri-polar segment with each of the three players creating their own relevance. As such, we expect the Hindi GECs would take away Rs 24 billion in ad revenues during FY’10 (i.e. up from Rs 19 bn in PY). And going forward, this space is bound to grow if all players get their pricing strategy right.

But hasn’t the 3-horse race for the top slot in the GEC space damaged the pricing power and impacted Zee TV?
Zee TV is the No. 1 revenue channel. It gets maximum campaigns and advertisers spend due to two key reasons: consistency in ratings and effective leverage of a huge network. Also, we sell more on plain vanilla FCT (free commercial time) with few but quality innovations.

While our rival networks have taken to very expensive programming, we have delivered with soaps and reality content without flashing Bollywood stars. We have developed Dance India Dance and Saregamapa into our strong reality properties. We have also stayed away from buying GRPs through movies. Our focus is profitability – and not just simply becoming a No 1 GRP channel.

Also, advertisers don’t buy GRPs; they want relevant ratings. A lot of channels are running break-free content. What is the use? An afternoon GRP is not the same in value as a primetime GRP. And Zee TV has been leading consistently in primetime. So, the point is to develop “monetisable GRPs”.

What about the economic downturn?
There is no doubt that broadcasters have experienced a tightening of their revenues. But the slowdown has resulted in a host of positives (especially for television – as a medium).

Clients and agencies have intensely evaluated their ad-spends and experimented with mediums. They have invested in value-for-money genres where risks were low like GECs and movies. High value flashy investments were curtailed. They have looked at TV a lot more optimistically than print. While ad spends on TV will end at Rs 91 bn for the year, (up from Rs 83 bn in PY), print will grow only marginally from Rs 98.20 bn to Rs 99.30 bn.

In fact, the last four months have been particularly good for us. Being the largest network has helped us in attracting advertisers. Though we saw a slump in ad spends from real estate, banking & finance sectors, it has been compensated by FMCG, telecom and auto, which have been high spenders on GECs.

‘A lot of channels are running break-free content. What is the use? An afternoon GRP is not the same in value as a primetime GRP. The point is to develop monetisable GRPs‘

Has cricket eaten into the GEC space?
We had expected that our biggest threat would come from cricket. But it has under-delivered. Cricket has taken a severe beating, resulting in some channels offering guaranteed CPRP deals. As such, advertiser confidence on GECs has been high.

On the whole, with Tam expanding its panel this year and the economy improving, GECs will stand to gain.

Have the movie channels also been hit by recession?
Advertisers in this downturn have realised the true potential of television in terms of reach. With consumption expected from every nook and corner, the Hindi Cinema genre, which is high on reach, played a very crucial role in the marketer‘s overall communication scheme. This has led to the Hindi Cinema genre witnessing significant growth in revenues despite a marginal fall in GRPs. This growth has come from rate increase as inventory has always been 100 per cent utilised.. Though GECs have been the first to air big ticket movies, movie channels, being well penetrated, go beyond Tam markets, and are value-for-money proposition for advertisers. Zee Cinema’s consistent performance is due to its strong presence not only in the metros but also in the smaller towns and rural markets.

Sun TV network has increased its ad rates after two years. Will this augment Zeel‘s revenues from its south-language regional channels?
Despite being a leader, Sun TV’s pricing has always been highly cost-effective. For any market to expand, the leader has to take a leap in pricing. Hence this initiative by Sun TV will only help the entire Southern market grow further. We are doing particularly well in the Telugu space and are highly optimistic on Zee Kannada as well. South will be the big story for us in the years to come. The transfer of the southern channels to Zeel will help our regional sales team as they can offer a complete regional package.

Will the rise of the two Star regional channels hurt Zee Bangla and Zee Marathi?
In the Bengali GEC space, Zee Bangla has lost its leadership position to Star Jalsha, but, over the last couple of months, we have undertaken new initiatives and the channel is looking up again. More importantly, our focus has been to ensure profitability and towards that end we are, even today, writing much more revenues than Star Jalsha. This is primarily because of our two-pronged strategy: optimal inventory utilisation and appropriate pricing. One of the noteworthy propositions of Zee Bangla is its high unduplicated viewership. All of this has helped us ensure against loss of any campaign. Having grown, we now hope that Star Jalsha increases its rates to sustain the market expansion.

In Marathi, we are almost three times that of our nearest competitor. Zee Marathi is a clear leader and is well complemented by Zee Talkies, both in terms of revenues and viewership.

Zee‘s sports business falls under your ambit. Are there plans to launch more channels?
The various sports-led initiatives of Zee that straddle not only on-air (Ten Sports & Zee Sports) but also on-ground properties like Mumbai FC, AIFF (All India Football Federation) and cricket (Zimbabwe & Sri Lanka) are a part of my Sales responsibility. Print properties like All Sport Magazine also come under me.

In our sports business, our focus has always been to look beyond cricket. So, our sales approach will also be one that is inclusive of all sports genres wherein we shall bundle various properties. And, yes, given the potential that we foresee in the near future, we are in the process of evaluating new channels.

With the producers going on strike and Bollywood having less releases and hits this year, what has been the impact on music channels ETC and Zing?
For the film-based trade genre, ETC is a must-have. Moreover, in this genre the buying parameter is not GRP-led; instead, the trade evaluates the channel‘s brand equity. Being the undisputed leader in this space, ETC has performed exceedingly well.

Post relaunch, Zing has aggressively followed an approach of co-creating value propositions that are customised to its business constituents’ communication objective. This approach has helped showcase a much greater value proposition to our advertisers, insulating us from the vagaries of hits and flops. The channel has posted higher revenues.

January 13, 2010

‘We will be the No. 1 distribution company this fiscal’ : Zee Turner chief executive officer Dinesh Jain

Zee Turner Ltd, the joint venture distribution company between Zee and Turner, is eyeing a revenue of Rs 10 billion this fiscal on the back of a faster growth from DTH while pay-TV income from cable TV stays strong.

In the earlier fiscal, Zee Turner had clocked Rs 7.5 billion after adding Ten Sports into the bouquet.

Regionalisation will be a big growth driver for Zee Turner. With Zee Telugu and Zee Kannada turning around, the contribution from the southern region is also set to improve.

Adding channels in the bouquet, which has a strong mix of general entertainment, movies and kids content, would form a part of Zee Turner‘s growth strategy. The plan is to have 50 channels within two years.

In an interview with Indiantelevision.com‘s Sibabrata Das, Zee Turner Ltd. chief executive officer Dinesh Jain talks about the company‘s bouquet strength across 16 genres, the efforts to fill in the gaps and the next wave of pay-TV revenue growth in a digital environment.

Excerpts:

Zee Turner has set an ambitious revenue target of Rs 10 billion this fiscal. Has this growth momentum since the last fiscal been led by the addition of Ten Sports?

Yes, Ten Sports has contributed but our organic growth has also been significant. I can‘t, though, comment on what our target is. But we expect to get a little under 20 per cent growth from cable TV while revenue from DTH will be at a faster pace. We, after all, have the widest bouquet with 35 channels.

But isn’t the weight of the bouquet a weakness in today’s environment where cable TV networks have no bandwidth and charge hefty carriage fees?

Providing such a wide choice is, in fact, our biggest strength. We have presence across 16 genres and have the maximum number of movie and regional language channels. In the Hindi general entertainment channel space, Zee TV is very powerful. And we have the strongest kids content in Cartoon Network and Pogo. We are a top-of-the-mind bouquet.

Our plan, in fact, is to have 50 channels within the next two years. We may not release all the channels to all parts of the country. But they can be driver channels for the relevant market. We will increase the width and depth of our portfolio.

But Zee Turner is still not the largest broadcasting distribution company in terms of revenue?

Yes, our revenues are not in line with the strength of the bouquet. But we are the fastest growing company today. We will be the No. 1 distribution company this fiscal.

Will the new wave of pay-TV revenue growth come from the regional markets?

Regionalisation is a big thing for us. We have the largest bouquet of regional channels. We have, for instance, big drivers in Zee Marathi and Zee Bangla. News is also becoming regional and in local language. Zee has launched several regional news channels.

We have set up task forces to cater to these regional portfolios. We are connecting the interiors for the regional packages and doing local trade marketing. We see big growth coming from our regional channels.

Even in the South, which was a weak link, Zee Turner would be on a stronger wicket with the turnaround of Zee Telugu and Zee Kannada?

The contribution from the South has increased as our Telugu (Zee Telugu) and Kannada (Zee Kannada) language channels started delivering. But we also had a strong base there due to our English content, led by HBO, Zee Studios and Zee Cafe. We have added WB, the English movie and entertainment channel, this year.

We expect the pay-TV revenues from regional channels to look up, including the South. Zee Marathi, Zee Telugu and Zee Kannada will give us faster growth. We will also be taking our Zee News Uttar Pradesh and Zee Tamil (which will transition increasingly to a news channel) channels pay in the next 6-12 months. This will mean that all the 35 channels in our bouquet will be pay.

Do you still miss the English news genre in the bouquet after CNBC TV18 moved out?

We do not have channels in genres such as infotainment, travel, English general news and English business news. There are some regional languages where we are also absent. For completing our portfolio, we would be looking at filling such gaps.

‘Regionalisation is a big thing for us. We have the largest bouquet of regional channels. We have big drivers in Zee Marathi and Zee Bangla. Zee has also launched several regional news channels‘

The government has recently come out with a Headend-In-The-Sky (HITS) policy. How do you see this impacting Zee Turner?

HITS offers another great opportunity for digitisation and addressability. We expect the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) to come out with a pricing policy for HITS. As long as the delivery platforms and addressability are similar, the pricing policy should be same.

Do you strongly feel that Trai needs to lift the freeze on pricing?

The freeze in pricing has led to anomalies. Different channels in the same genre are priced differently because they were launched in different dates. The price freeze will not, thus, impact the channels equally.

A case in point is Zee Sports. If Zee Sports is to acquire a cricketing property paying as much as Star Cricket does, it will be at a disadvantage because of the price freeze. Launched later, Star Cricket is priced higher.

Trai, in fact, is looking at revisiting the price freeze issue. Today there is enough competition in the market for channels not to start profiteering from high prices.

Is Zee Sports turning out to be a liability as it is devoid of cricket after failing to bag the BCCI rights?

No, but then there is definitely an opportunity loss. However, it is overcome by the strength of the bouquet.

How is Zee Turner gearing up for the digital environment?

We are building capabilities for the digital environment – be it IPTV, DTH, cable TV or 3G devices. India will have all models successful because it is such a huge market. We have created vertical heads separately for digital, analogue cable and commercial business 18 months back to bring more focus into these business segments.

Do broadcasters see faster growth coming from DTH?

Cable TV currently accounts for 70 per cent of the broadcasters’ pay-TV revenues. We see the industry settling at an equal ratio between analogue cable and digital platforms within two years.

Broadcasting distribution companies have entered into joint ventures like Zee Turner, MSM Discovery and Star Den. Is there scope for further consolidation?

There are still many splinter groups such as Sahara and UTV. At some stage, they may decide to align. We are looking at such opportunities and alliances.

Cable networks have been consolidating over the last few years. How do you see this impact broadcasting companies?

The market is getting matured and organised. Though we are seeing the emergence of bigger MSOs (multi system operators), this will mean that the business is getting more rationalised. Bigger cable companies will look at improving bandwidth. There will be huge upsides – much like the coming together of organised retail helping FMCG companies.

, Zee Studios and Zee Cafe. We have added WB, the English movie and entertainment channel, this year.

Do you still miss the English news genre in the bouquet after CNBC TV18 moved out?
We do not have channels in genres such as infotainment, travel, English general news and English business news. There are some regional languages where we are also absent. For completing our portfolio, we would be looking at filling such gaps.

November 16, 2009

Sony Entertainment Television back on track

Yes, the Hindi GEC space is witnessing the rule of the top three. But old-monk Sony Entertainment Television is racing quite hard to get into that inner ring that includes Colors, Zee TV and Star Plus.
Sony has done the catch-up exercise with some of its old-running programmes gaining ground while a few of its overhauled prime-time shows have started delivering.

According to the latest Tam data, Sony has earned 183 gross rating points (GRPs) for the week ended 7 November, up 23 points from the earlier week.

Says Set business head Ajit Thakur, “We know that Sony is a stronger brand than what the numbers are showing and in the months to come we will push hard for faster growth.”
Sony had relaunched on 26 May with a new slate of five dailies for the 8-11 pm time zone, donning the tagline, ‘Badal Rahe Hain Hum‘. The channel also lined up two weekend shows, one of which was the return of the big-ticket reality show Dus Ka Dum in season 2 with Salman Khan as the anchor. The revamp strategy also involved the axing of all its weekday prime time content except its age-old shows Boogie Woogie and CID.

With the new line up, Sony‘s ratings shot to 97 points in week 22 from 78 in the previous week.

Says a source in the company, “As we were back to our basics, we had to evaluate what was working for the channel and what was not. According to the research we have done, our old properties like CID, Boogie Woogie, Aahat and Dus Ka Dum had worked for us. Hence, step one was to bring these properties back.”

Backing this statement is Tam data, which reveals that C.I.D., Boogie Woogie and Dus Ka Dum were the top contributors to the channel grades. The last five-week average TVR for C.I.D stands at 3.4, while Dus Ka Dum is at 2.1 and Boogie Woogie at 1.5.

Though Sony did witness an upward swing instantly post relaunch, it wasn‘t a continuous upward drive. For the following weeks, the channel‘s GRPs dipped to 90 and 82 points for week 24 and 25 respectively.

And then the tide turned and Sony crossed the 100-GRP mark to pocket 108 grades in week 27.

As reality became the staple flavour for GECs this season, Sony decided to create the big property, Mujhe Iss Jungle Se Bachao, as part of its relaunch strategy. However, the property failed to perform.

“Among the fiction shows, Rani Padmini and Palampur Express flopped and therefore they were axed immediately. The other two shows, Bhaskar Bharti and Ladies Special, was performing average for the channel and hence, some investments have been done around that,” says a senior executive in Sony on request of anonymity.

Still believing in the power of reality, the channel went forward to launch its newest property, the Dance Premier League (DPL).

“We realised that we had to strengthen some of our stuff quarter-by-quarter. Hence, we gave Boogie Woogie a break and got DPL. The property has done fantastic for us, not only in the form of garnering advertising revenues but in ratings growth. Beginning with a TVR of around 1, it has grown to an average 1.5,” the executive says.

Meanwhile, to tighten its week-day fiction line up, the channel got on board Balaji Telefilms‘ Beyttaab Dil Kee Tamana Hain and Pyaar Ka Bandhan to firm up the 10-11 pm band. While the former has delivered an average TVR of 0.64 for the week, Pyaar Ka Bandhan has fetched 0.56 average TVR.

“We are looking at a new fiction line up altogether. This week we launched Sukh By Chance in the 9 pm band and we will be launching two more shows in the next four weeks,” the executive elaborates.

For the weekend, Boogie Woogie will come back next year while Sony will currently focus on DPL to increase the scale of the 8 pm slot.

The next few weeks will tell how intense is Sony‘s recovery as it steps up the gas to put up more popular shows.

November 14, 2009

”We have created a basket of Marathi channels to dominate our position in this market’ : Nikhil Sane – Zee Marathi and Zee Talkies business head

Subhash Chandra realised as early as 1999 that the next wave of Zee network’s growth would be in the regional broadcasting space. Up came a clutch of channels including Zee Marathi, Zee Bangla, Zee Punjabi and Zee Gujarati.

Chandra has cemented his leadership position in the Marathi market with the launch of a news channel, Zee 24 Taas, and a movie channel, Zee Talkies.

Following the vertical integration model, Zee has also got into the Marathi film production business.

Starting as the first private Marathi channel on 15 August 1999, the initial years were slow. With the launch of ETV Marathi in 2001, Zee Marathi, in fact, even lost its leadership position. But it was in 2005 that things paced up as Zee Marathi scaled up its distribution and programming. Reality content through shows like Saregamapa, Eka Peksha Ek and Hasya Samrat gave the channel a big boost in ratings.

In an interview with Indiantelevision.com’s Gaurav Laghate, Zee Marathi and Zee Talkies business head Nikhil Sane talks about the 10-year journey of Zee Marathi.

Excerpts:

Zee launched its Marathi general entertainment channel on 15 August 1999. How has the 10-year journey been?
Everyone was skeptical at that time about Zee’s decision to launch a Marathi channel. In Maharashtra, Hindi channels – Zee TV, Sony Entertainment TV and Star Plus – were dominating television viewership. The only available Marathi content then was on Doordarshan – that also for four hours. So launching the channel way back in 1999 was a big, big step.

But wasn’t it a big advantage to be the first private Marathi channel?
In 1999, the Marathi TV industry was non-existent. So you can say that we created the Marathi TV viewing audience. What we got was a lot of talent. Maharashtra has produced ace directors, writers and actors, who supported us in this endeavour passionately. And we offered them a robust platform. So, Zee Marathi played a pivotal role in shaping the Marathi entertainment industry.

What was the programming mix for the channel then?
As I said earlier, there was no scarcity of talent, but it was scattered. With our launch, people from Marathi theatre and cinema joined us. That time we were experimenting a lot. We were the first channel to launch a daily show, Abhaalmaya, at 8.30 pm. The competition was against Amaanat on Zee TV, Heena on Sony TV and Saas on Star Plus.

We got a humongous response for the show. Soon after, we launched the afternoon slot with Maansi, which again got a good response from viewers.

Step by step, we increased our prime time, which at present is from 6 pm till 11 pm. We launched weekend programming, reality shows, events and even entered into film production business.

Meanwhile, we launched the news channel (Zee 24 Taas) and the Marathi movie channel (Zee Talkies) to create a basket of channels and dominate our position in this market.

When did you extend your prime time?
We had a prime time from 7.30 to 10 pm till 2006. We extended this to a four-hour band starting 7 pm. We also had hourly news bulletin, which were very popular. Later, as we launched our own news channel, we shifted news from Zee Marathi.

Earlier we used to air weekend movies on Zee Marathi. But as we launched Zee Talkies, the movies were shifted and we started daily soaps from Monday-Saturday.

‘It was in 2005 really when Zee Marathi scaled up its production, distribution and programming’

You said initial years were experimental. So when did you manage to strike the right formula for growth?
We launched some very good shows in our first five years. But it was in 2005 really when Zee Marathi scaled up its production, distribution and programming. It was like a channel revamp.

We created reality shows like Saregamapa (singing talent hunt), Eka Peksha Ek (dance reality show) and Hasya Samrat (comic reality show). Recently, we launched Hapta Band, a quiz-based show.

Also, we organised grand scale events like finale of reality shows, Zee Gaurav Puraskaar (awards for films and theatres) and Zee Marathi awards (viewer’s choice awards for Zee Marathi shows).

What were the milestones in programming?
We experimented with different genres. Our comedy show Hasa Chakatful saw performances from the best performers of the industry. Shriyut Gangadhar Tipre was also one hugely popular comic fiction.

Among fictions, Abhaalmaya, Avantika, Asambhav, Vaadalwaat and recently launched Kulvadhu got us good viewership. Our reality shows and events also are some of the most popular properties on Marathi television.

Apart from these, we had shows devoted to literature (Pimpalpaan), poets and musicians (Nakshatranche Dene) and horror (Gahire Paani).

ETV, which launched in July 2001, emerged as a strong competitor and even surged ahead of Zee Marathi at one stage. What were the reasons?
After a fabulous three-year ride, we had a tough patch for two years. ETV Marathi launched with a very strong distribution and this impacted us. We were popular in towns, though. But after 2005, we focused on every aspect of the business.

Now there is new competition from Star Pravah. While other channels like Mi Marathi and Saam Marathi have launched, they haven’t really been able to shake things up. So do you see a three-player fight in the Marathi GEC landscape?
If you see our current ratings in Maharashtra, we are only below Zee TV while outnumbering Star Plus, Colors and other national GECs. That is what our competition is. Today, Hindi viewership amounts to 26 per cent while Marathi is 20 per cent in the state. We have a lot of space to grow here. Also, competition gives advantage to viewers ultimately as they get variety. And it grows the market.

You talked about entering into the film production business and have so far released six movies. How are you scaling this up?
After establishing Zee Marathi, the natural progression was to launch a movie channel. So we launched Zee Talkies. The next logical step was to enter into the film production business ourselves.

We have, in a big way, led the revival of the Marathi cinema industry. So far, our movies have done good business.

We have released Saade Maade Teen, followed By De Dhakka, Galgale Nighale, Dudgus, Ek Dav Dhobi Pachaad and Gallit Gondal Dillit Mujra.

The next movie we are ready with is Hai Kai Nai Kai. We have signed five directors for three films each.

So how do you see the Marathi broadcasting space evolving?
The time ahead is surely challenging. We have to be open to change and need to continuously evolve to stay ahead of competition. And by competition I do not mean Marathi or even Hindi GEC channels. The main competition is with new media. With so much available on different platforms, attracting viewers to TV will be a challenge.

From now on, the biggest question to ask ourselves would be ‘what next’. Hindi GECs will survive as their base HSM (Hindi speaking market) is very big. Innovation is the only way to keep ahead in this Marathi TV broadcasting space.

August 13, 2009

‘Zee Studio has concrete plans to beef up its original programming’ : Sujay Kutty – Zee Studio senior VP, business head

The fight among the English movie channels is getting fiercer as new players have entered the battleground. Zee Studio has decided to go aggressive this year by upping its premiere runs on the channel. The plan is also to launch an original show every month.

The focus this year will be to grow particularly in the smaller towns. Zee Studio is also launching a wap application to take advantage of new media opportunities.

In an interview with Indiantelevision.com’s Ashwin Pinto, Zee Studio senior VP, business head Sujay Kutty talks about the challenges of the English movie broadcasting business and the channel’s growth plans.

Excerpts:

With more players joining the fray, has the English movie genre seen growth in terms of viewership and advertisers?
As of now, there are seven players in this market. With the advent of new players, the quality and variety of movies on the small screen has definitely improved.

We will also see unique niches being created where you will have some channels showing big premieres and others sticking to popular titles which get ratings despite being aired many times like Terminator 2, Spiderman, Pirates Of The Caribbean.

So will you be increasing your premiere runs on the channel?
The number of premieres has grown considerably. We have 18 premieres lined up for the year with the likes of Vicky Cristina Barcelona, The Wrestler and How to Lose Friends – all close to their theatrical release.

Is that the key to growing your share?
Premieres bring an element of freshness to the channel and are definitely more saleable as the films have not been exploited earlier by other channels. Also, most of the satellite premieres we pick are scheduled very close to their theatrical release which helps in ensuring a quick recall in the viewers’ minds and helps create buzz around them.

But isn’t sourcing big title content difficult as market leaders Star Movies and HBO have the big studios behind them?
We buy content from all the major studios and have a great relationship with Disney, Warner and Sony. Also, we have done business with studios like Fox and NBCU in the past. Moreover, a lot of independent distributors have access to first runs. There are also cinematic gems from various festivals that we pick up.

Is a trend emerging to spruce up the English movie channels with original content?
There is a gap in terms of local content being done in this genre. Zee Studio has concrete plans to beef up its original programming. We will unveil our second product in October-November. A host-based quiz show around movies is on the cards. While talks are on with a number of production houses, it’s a little too early to discuss the show.

The plan is to have one show every six months. If you do it more, then the novelty can get lost. We will get into many formats except reality shows. Original content helps connect with the consumers and opens up marketing opportunities.

‘With newer players entering the markets and major studios coming up with their own channels, content availability will be a source of concern‘

How successful have you been in your earlier endeavour?
As far as local programming goes, we already have Get Shorty, our short film contest for the audience. We ask aspiring filmmakers to submit their entries between 2-10 minutes in length. It is a four half-hour episode show. The filmmakers talk about their short film and why they made it. The jury includes personalities from the industry like Anurag Kashyap. Last time around 17,0000 viewers voted for what they felt was the best entry out of the 18 films that were aired.

We are planning the third season for this show and it goes on air later this year. Currently, we are planning more shows with the basic aim of involving our audience.

Your sister channel Zee Cafe tried localisation but the response was mixed. What lessons have been learnt from this?
On the contrary, local productions always create talking points and an instant connect with the audience. We have got a positive response to Zee Café’s Café Mic Testing. The trick is to make the ‘homegrown’ content as interesting and unique as the shows we acquire abroad. With Café Mic Testing, we tried a unique blend of a talent hunt and a game show.

But doesn’t your budget go up with local content?
It does! However there are different ways to do local content. You can create a huge programme like a GEC. For us there is no need to be extravagant and have a big budget. Our aim is to get to a specific audience.

The purpose is two fold. Firstly you create affinity for the channel among viewers by showcasing homegrown talent. Secondly you build local talent as a base that can be used for the future. The ad revenue that we earn more or less take care of programming costs.

While the share of Zee Studio has gone up marginally, it is still in the fourth spot among the English movie channels. What is the gameplan to bridge the gap?
Zee Studio has been in the third spot for more than three weeks now. Our strategy focuses on initiatives that help us create direct consumer connect. This can be done through out-of-home marketing activities, SMS, mailers and, of course, our film club.

We intend to partner with film societies to showcase cinemas across metropolitan cities as an extension of our movie club initiative.

In the coming times, we are also launching an application on Wap-enabled phones that will let viewers download our weekly schedules.

Tam data shows that the time spent on English movie channels has gone up slightly. Zee Studio has also grown slightly but not much. What would you say are the reasons for this?
With more channels entering the genre, a viewer has many more options to choose from. Moreover, viewers have a wider choice for entertainment that is not restricted to television alone. So the time spent is not likely to show a significant increase across any channel in the genre.

Going forward, do you see viewership growth coming in from the small towns and cities or would metros be the main focus?
There is potential in the small towns and cities as well. Our subtitling speaks to this segment of audience. It is about targetting people who understand English, but have difficulty following the dialect. Subtitling helps them associate what is being said to the story. We have, thus, built our second rung base in places like Jaipur and Gujarat.

What role has subtitling played in growing the channel’s reach?
We pioneered the initiative of subtitling for English films in India, starting it as early as August 2007. We realised that English is spoken very differently in different parts of the world, especially when you take into account colloquialisms, local slang and even sentence construction.

Subtitles invariably aid the user in tiding over these differences and absorbing the film in its entirety. Post introduction of subtitling, our films have most definitely reached out to a larger audience base.

What is the focus area of Zee Studio this year?
This year our focus is on on-ground initiatives, Shut Up and Watch film Club (Saw) and Studio Nites, the movie song karaoke championship.

Saw is aimed at taking quality cinema to the genuine movie enthusiasts across the country in the unique setting of a bookstore. Meanwhile, Studio Nites are evenings of ‘Karaoke,’ conducted at popular restaurants and clubs celebrating “music from the movies”. Here, patrons win prizes from the channel for singing along to movie soundtracks.

What are the programming initiatives you have taken in the recent past?
Over the last six months, Zee Studio has made constant efforts to bring its audience some great programming content. January saw three weekends with the telecast of High School Musical 1 and 2 and a back-to-back telecast of the two films with just one commercial break. To generate excitement around High School Musical, Zee Studio announced Music For Charity. This was an online auction of a guitar autographed by Farhan Akhtar, Luke Kenny, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Vishal-Shekhar on its official website, www.zeedio.tv. High School Musical had an instant connect with the younger audience.

Moreover, we created some properties keeping the audience’s needs in mind. One of these was ‘Two Timing’ where we would telecast two movies of a popular superstar back-to-back. The other is the ‘In Express Highway’ wherein a movie and its sequel are telecast back-to-back with just one break on Saturday afternoons.

From 1 April, Zee Studio moved its primetime to 9 pm following research findings that a majority of the audience tune in at 9. April also saw the introduction of Sunday Noonatics. This is a slot for light/entertaining flicks keeping the relaxed Sunday mood in mind.

What can we expect going forward?
We plan on introducing new festivals every month to give the channel a fresh and ever-changing look. This month Zee Studio will air Desi Tadka, a festival of films with an Indian connect.

September will have a lot of family movies. Going forward, viewers can look out for a Woody Allen Fest, Cinematic Jewels (critically acclaimed films) and more.

In a genre that is title-driven, how big a challenge is it to build brand loyalty?
At the end of the day, content is king. Marketing initiatives go a long way in driving brand awareness – be it on-ground initiatives, radio activations, print ads, hoardings, mobile marketing. They all ensure that a channel enjoys top-of-the-mind-recall when viewers are surfing the box for English movies.

Some English film channels do programming blocks for different TGs. Others do not. What are the pros and cons of this?
Programming blocks work well if one has a large library of films targeted towards each target group, absence of which results in repetition. It does help in clear communication, though, and also appointment viewing.

To what extent have acquisition costs gone up in recent times with new entrants?
It all depends on what you buy, keeping in mind the RoI as well as the channel image. So the acquisition cost keeps varying every year.

What are the challenges that English movie channels face in India?
With newer players entering the markets and major studios coming up with their own channels, content availability will be a source of concern. However, one has to wait and watch.

August 1, 2009

‘We believe our prime time has more potential’ : Ashvini Yardi – Colors senior VP and head of content and creative

Colors is celebrating its first year sitting at the top of the ratings cliff. A late entrant, with 10 Hindi general entertainment channels launched before it, the Viacom18 channel climbed to the No. 1 position in 38 weeks time, enjoying the fastest ride to success with backing coming from “disruptive and differentiated” programming, strong distribution and heavy promotions.

From 81 GRPs (gross rating points) and the No 3 position in first week, Colors crossed the 100 GRP mark in its second week; 200 GRPs in the ninth; and 300 GRPs in the 32nd week.

Critics have accused the channel of pumping in huge monies behind high-cost shows. That seems to be paying off, at least for now.

Post a big bang launch with Khatron ke Khiladi, Colors programming team under the stewardship of Ashvini Yardi, former Zee TV creative head, weaved a series of daily and weekly shows that gradually built a loyal viewership base for the channel. Within nine months of launch, shows such as Balika Vadhu, Jai Shri Krishna, Uttaran and Na Aana Is Des Laado, along with non-fictions, are kicking in around 250 GRPs.

In an interview with Indiantelevision.com’s Gaurav Laghate, Colors senior VP and head of content and creative Ashvini Yardi talks about the strategy behind the programming and the channel’s plans ahead.

Excerpts:

Colors launched exactly a year back. What have been the important landmarks for you?
Well, occupying the third spot in the launch week itself, crossing the 100 GRP mark and then to finally becoming the number one channel within a span of eight months has surely been some of the milestones for us. But for me, apart from all these, it was more about meaningful programming.

We created thought provoking subject-based shows like Balika Vadhu, Uttaran and Na Ana Is Des Laado. And we believe that Colors has raised the bar for quality programming, both in fiction and non-fiction shows.

But don’t you think it adds on to the audience fatigue?
Not really. On the contrary, it is good for viewers as every channel tries to come up with something different and better in quality. Overall, it gives the viewers an expanded choice.

What has been Colors’ strategy behind selecting particular shows?
We knew that we were the 11th player foraying into the GEC clutter. And therefore, to break into this clutter we wanted to offer something different to viewers. However, that different element was always within the same boundary. You see, every show is different, and yet full of emotions. Look, concept or idea remains the same; what matters is the treatment.

We also encouraged new talents.

But on the creative side, how do you decide on the progress of the storyline?
Generally, while a producer thinks only about the show, the channel has a holistic approach towards it. But at Colors, we strongly believe that for any show, vision has to be one person’s. And in Colors’ case, it is bound to be ours. We look after every show with the perspective of the whole channel.

‘Celebrities have fitted in very well for Colors. They, as brands, blended with the channel’s property and also helped as promotional vehicles‘

In that case, creative differences won’t emerge?
Well, our creative team sits with producers to discuss and chalk out everything in detail. But we do make our vision for the show very clear.

And what about deadline pressures? Producers always accuse channels for changing storyline at moment’s notice and that they don’t get enough time.
For a daily soap, pressure is always there. And that is true for all channels. Even if we have a bank of episodes, there can be last moment changes. Sometimes, on realising that a particular character is getting better response, we decide to increase its length. Or for that matter, if some property is not delivering up to its potential, we may suggest for a change in the storyline or sub plots. The daily soaps are designed in such a way that you can take it to any level. That is the beauty of soaps.

Precisely, that’s why some shows run for years and viewers don’t enjoy “happy endings”. What about finite shows?
We have Balaji Telefilms’ Koi Aane Ko Hai, which is a finite show and is seasonal. So it will go off air after completing its first season and will come back again. Also, keeping a bank is possible in finite shows. But a channel has to give a staple diet of fiction, non-fiction and movie content to viewers.

Is the accusation true that Colors is putting in large monies for big ticket shows and spoiling the market?
That is not true. Our programming budget is not more than any other top channel. It is a perception play that we have high-cost shows because of the scale and quality we stress upon. On actual basis, the cost is on par with other shows.

But you roped in stars like Akshay Kumar and Shilpa Shetty for your properties. Don’t they hike your budgets? And how important is the star value for you?
For Colors, these celebrities have fitted in very well. They, as brands, blended with the channel’s property. Akshay is known for his khiladi image, so he was the best option for Khataron Ke Khiladi.

Shilpa, on the other hand, had won Big Brother in its original format at that time. So, who better than her to host Big Boss. Moreover, these shows with celebrities also helped as promotional vehicles for the channel.

Channels are adopting films into soaps. Your Jeevansathi had striking similarities with the movie Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.
Well, people find connect. Jeevansaathi was a love story, and Indian films have tried so many plots based on love stories that there are bound to be similarities. In the beginning, because of the cast and plot of Jeevansaathi, viewers thought it is like the movie. But it changed entirely. Moreover, an idea can come from a film. But daily soaps have much more than a three-hour plot. So there is a lot more to play with.

But some of the shows are not delivering. Don’t you think you should replace them like you did with four other shows?
We believe in giving every show a fair chance. If we see any potential, we go ahead with that show. Right now we are concentrating on the shows which are giving average ratings and have the potential.

The four shows that we have replaced were not getting enough response, so we ended the story logically.

Now that you have a stable GRP base of 250 from programming and movies, what next?
Our aim is to continue delivering on viewer’s expectations and to consolidate the primetime. We believe our primetime has more potential than this.

And what about launching the afternoon band?
As I said, there is a lot of scope in primetime; therefore, first we are taking care of this band. After that, we will get into the afternoon band. Moreover, our repeats during afternoons are getting us ratings; so we can wait for some more time before launching shows for this band.
We have also launched the Sunday morning band and are getting good response from it.

Any big idea behind launching the Sunday morning band?
It is in sync with our disruptive and differentiated programming. Sunday morning was a major slot in the 90’s. It is still a time when families sit together and watch television, including kids. So we decided to design programmes for this untapped slot.

Our shows Vikram aur Betaal and Shri Swaminarayan are targeted at family viewing with a focus on kids.

Also, now we have launched our weekend primetime with India’s Got Talent, Chhote Miyan season 2 and Mahaveer Hanuman. So we are on course with our plans.

Has the economic slowdown played a dampener on your budget and growth plans?
Well, we are ahead of our targets and, thus, have not curtailed any of our plans.

How important is it to be in the top three in the highly competitive Hindi GEC space?
It is a cycle. It is very important to be in the top league in this game. If you are there, you can attract big chunk of revenues to invest in good shows, which ultimately gives you good ratings.

July 21, 2009

‘We will fight competition with innovative content’ : Anupam Vasudev- Star India EVP marketing and communications

It’s rearguard action time at Star Plus. Edged out after a nine-year life at the top, Star Plus is making moves to shed off the “saas-bahu” image that stuck on to the channel.

What followed is a flurry of differentiated content. While Kiran Bedi played judge on social issues in Aap Ki Kachehri, matrimonial show Star Vivah gave a platform to many prospective brides and grooms.

Star Plus also experimented with shows like Paanchvi Paas that made no major impact on its ratings.

The big show now is Sach Ka Saamna, an adaptation of the bold and sensational The Moment Of Truth.

In an interview with Indiantelevision.com’s Anindita Sarkar, Star India EVP marketing and communications Anupam Vasudev talks about Star Plus’ road ahead as the channel takes up the challenge to regain its leadership position and widen the gap with its rivals.

Excerpts:

The first half of the year has really been interesting with the GEC space witnessing the rise of three strong players at the top. Does this mean the absolute end to the Star monopoly?
The game is not yet over. We had nine years of undisputed leadership and it’s been a great run for us. Look, in all categories and businesses, competition does catch up at some point of time – and they have caught up with us. In the last couple of months there have been ups and downs in the top three category, but we were never out of the game. In fact there were weeks when we did come back to the number one spot. So these things will keep happening in terms of the top three players for a while until one of them breaks away to rein the top slot singularly. We are ensuring that Star Plus is the one that breaks away from the lot to establish its leadership one more time.

So how do you plan to break away from the top three league?
As you can see, there is a whole new programming that is being brought in to Star Plus. We have just launched Sach Ka Saamna in the non-fiction category. We will be launching a new fiction show, Sajan Ghar Jaana Hai, very soon. We are also firming up our fiction category further with a couple of new shows, lined up for the next two to three months.

We will also continue to strengthen our existing offerings and products that have the potential to grow like iconic shows Yeh Rishta… and Bidaai and recent launches such as Mitwa and Laadli.

So we are bringing across a lot of innovative content to fight competition and ensure that we retain our leadership with consistency – and with enough gap from everyone else.

Though you have a loyal base of 200 plus GRPs coming in from fiction and non-fiction show, content like events and films are also impacting a further 30 GRPs. Does this mean that you are also banking a lot of such content to push up your GRP grades?
For a GEC channel, events and films have always been an inherent part of the programming mix, especially movies that contribute about 15 per cent to our total revenue and also help to drive in family viewership. However, the real changes that have happened in the movie sphere in the recent past is that the time gap between a movie coming to the theatre and being aired has shortened. So the effect is more. Also, movies have started getting syndicated instead of being exclusively owned. These are the two significant changes that have come into the movie business on television. But from a programming or a brand perspective, offering movies to viewers has consistently been part of our network strategy wherein our channels run movies. This includes our regional channels. So movies have always been a core element of our programming strategy.

From the time you first began ruling the number one slot to now, what kind of shift in audience taste have you witnessed?
Today, the larger group of the Indian audience has got younger. Audiences have moved away from demanding regressive content to content that evokes an open belief system. Meanwhile, the market has also expanded significantly from being metro-focused to being small town focused. Market has moved up both in terms of measurement and penetration. So there are more people and players coming into the category than there were in the past. There has been an enormous growth in the regional sphere as well. All this taken together has led to a significant upgradation in the quality of content, viewership and competition, bringing in a fundamental change in the minds of the consumers.

Was that the primary reason to do away with Balaji’s saas-bahu sagas?
It’s nothing to do away with. We thought that we needed fresher and younger shows coming in because a show that has run for nine years obviously needs to be refreshed. I don’t think in any part of the world a show can continue for so long. The K-series had a good run and did brilliantly for the channel, but then changes were prevalent and we responded to them.

Star Plus, anyway, still continues to source a few shows like Tujh Sang… and Kis Des Mein Hai Mera Dil from Balaji and they are still a part of the producers list who work with us.

It seems whenever audience starts responding to a certain kind of show format, the other players follow suit. So is there any differentiated content actually existing?
Of course there is! Everything has to be differentiated if you want to drive in viewers.

‘In Star Plus’ revenue mix, the afternoon band contributes 15-20 per cent. We plan to build up on our existing bouquet of shows‘

Are social issue-based formats driving the current GEC programming?
Issue-based topics have always been played upon on television as it reflects society and further helps establish connect with the audience with relevant societal discussion points. So, it really does not mean copying content. We are not here to talk about social issues in a fashionable way, but yes everything has to have a concept that connects with the society emotionally and entertains them as well. For example, Bidaaii which is a tale of the dark skinned versus the fair skinned sisters or for that matter Laadli which reflects love for a girl child. It reflects society but is surely weaved into a concept that is contemporary to the society today.

So what kind of changes have you brought in to your programming strategy?
Our shows have always been about hope, optimism and family values with a further support from a high level of romanticism. So there has not as such been any drift in our strategy. Thus, Star Plus will continue to target the women-oriented mass India audience between the age group of 18-35. Family will, of course, remain our secondary audience that will be driven in by reality shows and movies.

What are you doing to beef up your afternoon band?
We are already running three shows in our afternoon band -Tujh Sang Preet Lagayi Sajna, Hamari Devrani and Star Vivah. All of them are performing quite well for the channel, driving in a lot of women audience in the afternoon band. This contributes 15-20 per cent to our total revenue. So, right now we plan to build up on our existing bouquet of shows.

Can you elaborate on your marketing strategy?
Apart from the usual print, radio and television, we are getting aggressive on the digital space. Activating ideas cleverly is another very important segment that we are working upon to create hype and excitement for our various properties. On-ground activation has also become an important part of our marketing mix to create an interactive interaction with consumers that will help in attracting newer eyeballs.

July 16, 2009

‘India is a very important part of our growth strategy’ : Marcus Luer- Total Sports Asia CEO

Total Sports Asia (TSA) has big plans in India. Though it has concentrated on soccer, golf and badminton, the specialist in personalised sport and entertainment solutions is now looking at the opportunity of getting involved with the Indian Premier League (IPL). It views the team franchises as a hot property, offering a wide spectrum of revenue streams.

Launched in India five years back, TSA has made progress in different areas like representing World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and organising the opening and closing ceremonies of the World Military Games. The plan is to also get involved in the high-profile, high-stakes game of cricket.

In an interview with Indiantelevision.com‘s Ashwin Pinto, Total Sports Asia CEO Marcus Luer discusses about the dynamics of the sports marketing business and the company’s growth plans.

Excerpts:

How would you describe the progress that Total Sports Asia has made since launching in India five years back?
TSA has grown from a small team in Mumbai to two fully operating offices in Mumbai and Delhi. We work across all our core business lines in India now – media rights, sponsorship, events and consulting. Over the years we have been involved in a host of different activities from the management of the World Military Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies to licensing deals for WWE. This is partially due to the nature of the Indian sports landscape and our wide range of skill sets. We are continue to explore various niche areas and are comfortable across many different sports.

What will be your key areas of focus in India?
India will remain a core market for TSA and we have identified certain sports and entertainment content which will be our focus. Without giving away too much, football, badminton and golf will be an important element for us. We have also identified a variety of local events which we believe have long term potential and we are keen to develop further.

In terms of revenue and business generated, how important is India vis-a-vis the rest of Asia?
I see India as a very important part of our growth strategy in the short and long term. The market has tremendous potential and we will continue to grow our presence.

How does the deal with Nectar Capital benefit Total Sports Asia?
The simplest way to look at this is that Nectar Capital provides us with additional fire power in terms of funding and financial business acumen. Having a strong PE partner makes us a better company.

Cricket is the dominant sport in India . How come you have not been more active in this space?
We have been involved but haven’t been that high profile. There are lots of discussions behind the scene and it is best left at this.

‘There are many great value-for-money projects which deliver a strong demographic audience and RoI for the sponsors. Our involvement in the Kerala Boat Race comes to mind. This is one of the biggest tourist festivals in the country and with us getting involved, the event will be elevated to a completely new level‘

Are you looking at associating with an IPL franchise to help them monetise and plan better?
Yes, I do believe that IPL franchises have great commercial potential and only very few truly maximise their commercial rights. There has been a lot of noise and too many people claiming that they represent this team or that team. We are quite happy to wait for the dust to settle and then have a smart partnership with the right franchise. The IPL is here for the long-run and so is TSA. The teams will work out pretty soon who is for real and who just talks.

India will be hosting three big events over the next couple of years – Commonwealth Games, cricket World Cup and hockey World Cup. There is also the possibility of F1 race taking place. What opportunities does TSA see for itself here?
These events represent great opportunities for us. We are in different discussions on all 3-4 of them. Some opportunities relate directly to our own core services whereas in others we have teamed up with global partners who will bring in the required skill and services. We are also involved in the World Championship of Badminton in Hyderabad this year, another global event in the country.

India has commonly been called a one-sport country. Will so many big ticket events taking place here change things in any manner?
Yes! I do believe that India is becoming more open to other sports, especially when there is the local hero factor. Saina Nehwal’s recent success in Badminton and the subsequent coverage in the local media shows that people love to see a winner.This was similar when Sania Mirza appeared a few years ago. With more major international events in the country and also better training facilities in other sports, India has the human capital and potential to excel in many areas.

You have plans in badminton with the World Championship this August in Hyderabad. Do you feel that this could be the catalyst for viewership of this sport to grow?
Yes! As I mentioned, badminton is a core sport for us and we are excited over the prospects of this event in India. With Saina Nehwal stepping out of the shadow of the Chinese players, the timing could not have been any better. If she continues this way, we could see an Indian World Champion being crowned on home turf. I think this would put the sport on a fast track to truly make an impact. Badminton has a strong grassroots following but that has not translated into commercial success yet.

How did the deal with Nirmal Lifestyle come about for the US Open?
It was a collaboration between us and the client. We were given a brief and a vision of what Nirmal was looking for and then went out to find the right partners and build a concept around it. It is truly a unique deal for all parties involved and we are confident to add more deals in this space.

What are the other kinds of innovative tie ups that Total Sports Asia is looking at?
There are a host of other unique licensing deals being discussed with global recognised sports brands but it is too early to reveal.

Is there more of an understanding among clients in India about how sports can be used for brand building beyond just cricket?
Yes! I do believe Indian brands appreciate that we don’t just talk about cricket when we sit in front of them but truly show them the opportunities with other sports or entertainment concepts. There are so many other great value-for-money projects which deliver a strong demographic audience and RoI for the sponsors. Our involvement in the Kerala Boat Race comes to mind. This is one of the biggest tourist festivals in the country and with us getting involved, the event will be elevated to a completely new level.

You did a deal with Real Madrid for mobile content in Japan. Will this kind of a service come to India shortly with soccer growing in popularity?
We represent the Real Madrid mobile rights and many other top sporting mobile rights for India as well. Mobile content growth is directly related to the local network capabilities. Having a large customer base in India is a great starting point but the lower spectrum of bandwidth still stops ‘rich’ content from truly being consumed in India. This is just a matter of time when new technologies will make this experience available in the market.

You also recently did a deal with mlogic. Is leveraging the new media space becoming more of a focus area for TSA?
We are in the process of launching our own online channel (www.totalsports.tv). This will stream live action from various events including the World Championship of Badminton in India and the US Open tennis over the internet. The service is in partnership with Octopus Media in the UK.

Are you planning to work with sports bodies in India to grow sport at the grassroots level?
In general we have a more top down approach. We start with media rights, build an awareness and presence for the sport on TV, and then develop a great ‘live’ experience for the fans. We let the fans touch and feel the sport and the stars and then give the fans what they want in terms of other interaction and experiences to allow them to truly immerse themselves with their favourite sport, team or athlete. This is currently the smarter route to develop the right level of awareness and commercial interest in a sport. That does not mean grassroots is not important and needs to be nourished. I truly believe that’s where the government needs to step up and provide the necessary infrastructure and financial support. Agencies will then be able to support that effort.

Does TSA have plans in the player representation area in India and Asia?
I’m sure this will be a natural process coming out of our involvement with certain sports and sectors.

Apart from India, China is another key market for you. How did the Olympics impact the dynamics of the sports marketing business in that country?
There are clear signs that the event has changed the perception of sport in China forever. The local athletes have become the true heroes of the games and many more stars will come out of the young generation who watched the Games from the sideline. At the same time, the typical Olympic hang over in the commercial sector was also felt, coupled with the global recession. So several new initiatives were shelved or put on hold. Overall, sports in China will continue to grow in double digit figures and the country will continue to produce world class athletes in many disciplines. The investment in the Games will pay off over the next 10-20 years and will make China a huge force in sports globally.

How do you see the current economic downturn impacting the sports marketing business in India and Asia?
The first five months of the year were difficult with a lot of negotiations slowing down or being put on hold. In the last two months we see a lot of renewed interest and discussions being revived. I believe that the corporate sector has managed to see the light at the end of the tunnel and worked out how they need to deal with the climate. Lots of projects for the later part of the year and next year are in full swing.

July 7, 2009