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  • Indian television advertising is very much underpriced’ : Joy Chakraborthy – Zee Network executive VP Network Sales

    Indian television advertising is very much underpriced’ : Joy Chakraborthy – Zee Network executive VP Network Sales

    Joy Chakraborthy took charge of Zee Network as ad sales head in early 2005, at a time when Zee TV was going through a crucial phase. Chairman Subhash Chandra was strategising a turnaround for the flagship channel and a number of big ticket shows were being readied, with the expectations of re-writing Zee TV's fortunes in the Hindi GEC arena.

    As Network sales head, Chakraborthy's first challenge was to project Zee in a new light. "Zee had a perception problem in the market and a section of the trade had written it off. We wanted to create a new impression and build on that," Chakraborthy says."There couldn't have been a better time for me to head the network's sales team," he gushes.

    Speaking to indiantelevision.com's Bijoy A K, Chakraborthy elaborates on the strategies that worked for Zee, future plans and on the industry scenario.
    Excerpts:

    You have completed a year as the sales head of Zee network. Please elaborate on the key industry learnings you could gather during this period?
    A crucial lesson we have learnt is on the significance of soaps in the GEC prime time game. We have learnt that GEC is all about soaps, but different from Saas-Bahu sagas. People buy a channel for consistency and not for spikes only. In the industry, on an average, 70 per cent revenue is tied up on a long-term basis and only soaps can fulfill that promise. Innovative programming is fine, but they should be scheduled and timed very effectively. When you innovate, it should not be just a programming decision but a collective decision including sales, marketing and programming.

    Everybody had written Zee off. But we could pull off a turnaround — what seemed impossible until some time back – through team work, discipline, passion, accurate timing and by keeping the faith intact. As expected, the trade has responded to this change very positively, and now we enjoy the backing of the entire market. This is because of the strong relationships we had built during this period. What I am driving at is the fact that, relationships play a key role in this industry. This period also showed us who are our real friends and who are opportunists. Also, it has been a learning for me that both, people and organizations are important, and one cannot exist without the other.

    How is the industry evolving? Give us a low down in the recent developments and the trends?
    Indian television advertising is very much underpriced and we have decided to bring this issue into focus, under the banner of the Indian Broadcast Foundation (IBF). In a couple of months, we are planning to come out with certain guidelines on pricing, which would hold a lot of significance for the industry. Our main concern is the underpricing of television. It is a powerful medium and it should get its due, especially at a time when the costs of programming and marketing have skyrocketed. All network sales heads are now represented in IBF and we are united on this cause.

    The present scenario is very confusing. Television is booming, but clients are very tentative to take a call on TV as compared to the print as television research is more confusing and dynamic and changes everyday. I think an increase of 15 per cent to 20 per cent in rate is due immediately. It should also be noted that cricket of late has not affected GEC/Hindi movies viewership, which are the primary revenue drivers in C&S. The Hindi movie genre is still very much underpriced and same is the case with regional channels.

    I keep hearing that the English entertainment space is shrinking, but I don't agree with this as this is the genre with least wastage and where even an advertiser is a viewer.

    Does GEC still hold an edge over other genres when it comes to delivery and demand? Or has there been a change in the pattern?
    GEC will always hold the edge as maximum revenue comes to this genre. For any client, the reach build up and in some cases, frequency by smart scheduling comes from GEC. According to me, the genre pecking order would remain as: GEC, Hindi Movies, Regional, News, Sports – in that order.

    In the last two years, unique content channels have seen so much of a price cut that the FCT has increased drastically and revenue in the genre has hardly moved. I sometimes wonder how they are still surviving in business.

    Regional television space holds a lot of potential though it faces tough competition from print. The key segments driving growth in regional are: Retail, education and real estate, in addition to general categories like FMCG, telecom services, consumer durables etc.

    Zee has already started working on all these segments. We have started roping in retail clients and our next focus is on the real estate and education. Though there is a slow transition of main print category advertisers to television, the good news is that these clients have realised the power of television.

    Did the recent stock exchange fluctuations impact sales?
    The fluctuations haven't affected us at all. Actually, Zee recorded better sales during this period of May-June. June-July usually has a lean period tag attached to it, but this year, it was different. This is one change in the normal pattern. These days, there is nothing called lean or peak period. This is due to the boom in categories such as telecom, services, finance and the perennial FMCG.

    Today, advertisers are not limiting themselves to a particular genre due to media fragmentation. Most clients are there in almost all the channels/genres. Earlier, there used to be a particular set of advertisers for particular genres, such as premium products for English entertainment channels. These days, even FMCG brands are keen on English channels. It is a trend of aspirational marketing.
    'With the good performance, our viewer base has also expanded and this, in turn, helps us to better our performance on a consistent basis'

    The last one year saw Zee TV pulling off a turnaround in Hindi GEC, by reaching the second position. Could you briefly outline what happened during this eventful phase?
    During this period, the sales team was able to initiate a lot of changes successfully. To start with, we decided to remove the paid bonus system and agreed to reduction of ad sales inventory. This helped to change the general perception that, Zee has unlimited inventory. Then, we made it a point to keep away from attempting any innovation in terms of sales. This is because, the delivery of innovations take too much of time for the value we generate. Also, I have observed that in spite of doing innovations, the clients/agencies are always unhappy with the implementations, however good you might do. So why do innovations?

    We also focused on doing more client/agency meetings and met people at all levels. The Zee Network had a perception problem in the market, and the sales team has positively addressed this. I felt a lot of our positives were not known to the market. We had been very firm in our decisions and we always made it a point to abide by our well-defined sales policy. I have ensured all commitments/deliverables are in writing and not verbal, as this avoids conflict when people change at channel/agency side. When it comes to deals, the attempt has been to create win-win situations. We reduced our FCT to an effective level to create demand and initiated a very transparent sales policy.

    We also introduced the Matrix system, which played a key role in bettering the network performance. We appointed individual sales heads, responsible for strategy, revenues and targets of their channels. We have senior people as branch heads in the business deployed in key markets such as Delhi, Kolkata and the South whose roles are more tactical and they ensure revenue spread across all channels and have their branch targets. Both sales heads and branch heads work very closely with themselves and with me.

    For me, Zee has turned out to be a great place to work. It is a place with total freedom and great empowerment. I would say internal stability in Zee is very high. All decisions are discussed and not pushed down your throat. We have the best bunch of professionals, both at senior and junior level.

    Please comment on your face-off with Star. Star recently initiated its counter strategy to block your surge in the 9-10 pm time band. What impact has it made on your game plan?
    You feel happy when the leader reacts. Zee has pioneered the strategy of launching soaps with innovative media breaks. Seeing Star also doing the same for their show has been an ego booster for us. Coming to the second part of your question, it felt even better when the leader's tactics didn't affect our numbers and the market demand.

    With the good performance, our viewer base has also expanded and this, in turn, now helps us to better our performance on a consistent basis. Earlier, when we launched a show, rating in the range of 1 TVR to 2 TVR was considered as satisfactory or good. Now, our new launches pick up very fast and the shows even record an opening rating of 2+ TVR on an average basis. This has inspired us to fight Star in its own bastion – the 10 – 11 pm band – with non-soaps such as Johny Aala Re and Sabash India.

    So what is the next big idea? What will be Zee's next focus?
    We have now settled ourself comfortably in the 6 pm – 8 pm and the 9 – 10 time bands. You will be seeing some more launches in the months to come which will strengthen our FPC even further. The programming, marketing and sales wings are now working on the strategies to strengthen the 8-9 pm band.

    What is the strategy you follow to sell Day Parts?
    We have made lot of efforts to increase the demand for the Non Prime Time (NPT) band. Each sales package has got a mix of PT and NPT. We ideally would love to sell at 30:70 for PT/NPT. We have also been selling early NPT and late night slots for religious/tele shopping properties. As a result of focusing on NPT, our inventory FCT consumption has doubled in NPT.

    Which are the client segments that top your delivery list these days?
    Still FMCG is number one, though there has been a major upswing in Telecom/Services/Auto/ to name a few. The concern has been the consumer durable category with a few big players not clear about their plans. Additionally, SMS has emerged as a key revenue driver for us for our interactive shows.

    Speaking about the network performance, what is the scorecard?
    Zee TV is on top followed by Zee Cinema. Zee TV was underpriced when I took over, and now we are steadily moving in the right direction of rate. We activated rate corrections twice for the network during the six months and now, as the festival season is coming, you can expect another correction soon. For some channels, it will be across all day parts and for some it will be programme based.

    Revenue wise, maximum share comes from Zee TV followed by Zee Cinema, Zee Marathi, Zee Bangla, Zee English cluster, Zee Music and Zee Smile. The beginning of the year has been very good and I am sure we will touch a new high this fiscal.

    Now let us take it one at a time. To start with, please comment on the performance of Zee Cinema. What is the plan for this year?
    As a sales person, I can't ask for a better channel than Zee cinema which has been consistently delivering for years in the face of stiff competition. My colleagues in programming and marketing have given us a product which is a must have in all media plans, specially if it is targeting the "cow" belt (Hindi heartland). Since the last two years, the Amitabh movie band Shaniwaar ki Raat Amitabh Ke Saath has been our key driver. This year, we have introduced a youth block – Klub. We have our own share of blockbusters for the year also.

    Zee Smile has been keeping a low profile these days. Is the channel in an orphaned state, or is there a plan on the anvil?
    You will soon know our plan for Smile. But for sales, Smile has been a great help to get incremental revenues. The channel is very well distributed in non traditional markets and hence, you will find lots of brands advertising on Smile.
    Speaking about regional channels, you are in charge of sales of two key players Zee Bangla and Zee Marathi. How did these two channels fare in the last one year period?
    This year, we have practically re-launched Zee Bangla with a slew of new programmes and this will boost its sales potential. We are again going to do sales initiated programmes like Durga Pooja and Jatra.

    Zee Marathi has now become the clear number one. We are there in almost all plans. We have also set up a separate sales team to develop retail and non traditional advertisers like educational institutes, real estate, local jewelers, classified etc and the results are showing.

    Comment on the delivery of your event properties.
    During the last one year, there has been an extra thrust on good events, and the efforts have paid off very well, I would say. We have converted the Saregama finals as an on-ground event and the attempt has met with great success. This had inspired us to take the Saregama Ek Mein Aur Ek Tum finals to Dubai. Apart from winning a global appeal, going to international venues helps sales also. Zee Cine Awards, Mauritius and even the Zee F- Awards, have done very well for us.

    We have Zee Astitva Award, Zee Marathi Awards, Zee Gaurav Puraskaar, Zee Amader Gaurav, Zee Songeet Puroshkaar to name a few, lined up in the next few months across various channels.
    Have you retained Amap's service as an alternative rating agency to Tam?
    Yes. We need to have two meters because the industry needs competition in this realm also. It is always good for the trade. It brings out the best of everyone. According to me, each of them can coexist, triggering healthy competition. I am not making a judgment here, but for the betterment of industry, we need two parallel rating systems. The earlier we acknowledge this, the better it would be for all of us.
  • CNN scores with air travelers

    CNN scores with air travelers

    CNN International has another set of numbers to thump its chest about. The International Air Travelers survey (IATS Asia 7) – conducted by the European Data & Research Ltd (EDR) between March and April 2000 in the international departure/gate areas of ten major airports in Sydney, Melbourne, Manila, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Singapore and Taipei – has revealed that CNN reaches more than twice the number of international air travelers than its nearest rival the Beeb.

    The survey shows that CNNI reaches 37 per cent of international air travelers on a weekly basis as against BBC World’s 19 per cent and CNBC Asia’s 15.4 per cent. IATS Asia 7 also confirmed that CNN International reaches 50 per cent of all senior business executives surveyed, the CNN press release states.

    “This is a very positive result for CNN International. (It) endorse(s) our investment in regionalisation, which has meant a significant amount of extra spending to increase the localized content available to our viewers, ” says CNN International managing editor, Asia Pacific Bill Baggitt.

  • Radio Mirchi to launch visual radio in Delhi

    Radio Mirchi to launch visual radio in Delhi

    MUMBAI: Radio Mirchi will unveil a visual radio in Delhi by the end of this month, making it the third city in the world to adopt a technology that will open up a new revenue for the private FM radio operator.

    Radio Mirchi is partnering with Hutch and Airtel to offer this service. The broadcast will be available on Nokia mobile phones with Hewlett-Packard (HP) as the technology provider.

    “We have identified four key markets including Mumbai for launching visual radio. Though it is too early to exploit strong revenues from this medium, it will give us a presence in emerging platforms like mobile phones,” says Entertainment Network (India) Ltd managing director and CEO AP Parigi.

    Radio Mirchi will speed ahead of Virgin Radio which is planning to launch visual radio later this year. “We are doing test runs and will launch it this year,” says Virgin Radio UK director of digital media James Cridland.

    Helsinki in Finland and Singapore are the other two places where visual radio has kicked off commercially. The plan to launch in Delhi was announced today by Radio Mirchi deputy-CEO Prashant Pandey at the India Radio Forum 2006.

    Radio stations are turning to new revenue streams as they are facing competition from emerging technologies. Specific threats from MP3, which had an estimated 55 million devices in the market in 2005, and internet webcasting are eating into the earnings of traditional radio. So the way out is to adopt into new digital platforms like direct-to-home (DTH) and digital audio broadcasting (DAB).

    Virgin is moving its content to such platforms. “About 28 per cent of our audience is coming from new platforms. As for visual radio, it is important to have a presence in this segment. Nokia will have 100,000 handsets in UK for visual radio by the end of the year,” says Cridland.

  • Discovery most watched channel in Asia among movers & shakers: Pax survey

    Discovery most watched channel in Asia among movers & shakers: Pax survey

    MUMBAI: Discovery is the number one regional cable and satellite channel in Asia for the ninth consecutive year for past month, past week and yesterday viewership, according to the latest quarterly Pan-Asian Cross Media Study (Pax) conducted by Synovate.

    The survey is conducted across eleven key markets including India, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Singapore. It measures the media habits of Asia’s wealthiest urban individuals aged 25-64 covering a universe of 14 million viewers.

    In the survey, Discovery takes the lead position as the most watched regional TV channel amongst Business Decision Makers (BDMs), Professional, Manager, Executive, Business Men (PMEBs) and high net worth individuals. The channel also reaches 30 per cent of the top management viewers on a weekly basis.

    In addition, Discovery attracts the most viewers during primetime amongst all regional channels, has the highest frequent viewers and catches the most audience from 12 pm to 6 am.

    Discovery Asia senior VP marketing and communications Kevin Dickie said, “These results attest to the value cable subscribers place on Discovery Channel, recognising it as a network that continues to deliver high quality real-world entertainment for the ninth consecutive year.

    “We are committed to provide the most compelling factual and lifestyle content that appeals to our target audience, and remain a strong proposition for both our affiliate partners and advertisers.”From a network perspective, Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and Discovery Travel & Living have increased Discovery Networks Asia’s share of the market by 2.7 per cent , with each channel increasing reach by two per cent in tracked markets. Moreover, all three channels rank within the top 10 amongst high net worth individuals, females and frequent viewers.

  • Disney Princess collection shines bright at Asian Licensing Awards 2006

    MUMBAI: The Walt Disney Company’s Princess collection received the Best License (Entertainment) award 2006, at the Hong Kong Trade Development Third Asian Licensing Awards.


    Disney Princess is a comprehensive collection of girls’ entertainment and products including toys, apparels, personal care and electronic goods featuring Disney’s heroines – Ariel, Belle, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White. The Princess range creates a fantasy world filled with magic, romance and dreams to capture the hearts and minds of consumers.


    “The Walt Disney Company is extremely honored to receive this recognition. At Disney Consumer Products, it’s all about the product. Great products and great marketing are one and the same. Disney Princess is the fastest growing Disney Consumer Products brand in worldwide retail sales for the past two years. This award further strengthens the Disney brand and our franchise management approach,” said The Walt Disney Company (Asia Pacific) Limited vice president – Asia Pacific, emerging markets, retail sales and marketing Ken Chaplin.


    Since the franchise was created in 1999, the Disney Princess range has gone on to achieve over $3 billion in retail sales globally and the Princesses enjoy popularity across the region.


    “Our vision is to engage and connect to the consumers through creativity and product innovation. We look at each of our characters or sets of characters, or franchises and consider them businesses unto themselves. At their heart is creativity, creating connections and building awareness for Walt Disney as an entertainment brand for all ages,” said Chaplin.

  • Disney Princess collection shines bright at Asian Licensing Awards 2006

    Disney Princess collection shines bright at Asian Licensing Awards 2006

    MUMBAI: The Walt Disney Company’s Princess collection received the Best License (Entertainment) award 2006, at the Hong Kong Trade Development Third Asian Licensing Awards.

    Disney Princess is a comprehensive collection of girls’ entertainment and products including toys, apparels, personal care and electronic goods featuring Disney’s heroines – Ariel, Belle, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White. The Princess range creates a fantasy world filled with magic, romance and dreams to capture the hearts and minds of consumers.

    “The Walt Disney Company is extremely honored to receive this recognition. At Disney Consumer Products, it’s all about the product. Great products and great marketing are one and the same. Disney Princess is the fastest growing Disney Consumer Products brand in worldwide retail sales for the past two years. This award further strengthens the Disney brand and our franchise management approach,” said The Walt Disney Company (Asia Pacific) Limited vice president – Asia Pacific, emerging markets, retail sales and marketing Ken Chaplin.

    Since the franchise was created in 1999, the Disney Princess range has gone on to achieve over $3 billion in retail sales globally and the Princesses enjoy popularity across the region.

    “Our vision is to engage and connect to the consumers through creativity and product innovation. We look at each of our characters or sets of characters, or franchises and consider them businesses unto themselves. At their heart is creativity, creating connections and building awareness for Walt Disney as an entertainment brand for all ages,” said Chaplin.

  • Star World’s new reality show searches for a swimsuit model

    Star World’s new reality show searches for a swimsuit model

    MUMBAI: 12 girls, six weeks of exotic shoots. The aim is to feature on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s annual Swimsuit Issue.

    These are the key ingredients of a reality show Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Search . This will air on English general entertainment channel Star World every Tuesday at 10 pm from 11 July.

    With a combination of beauty, athleticism and personality, one of the 12 will win a million-dollar modelling contract, and a glamorous appearance in the best-selling issue of any magazine in the world. The show will have lots of sunshine, slick bodies and exotic shoots.

    This is also the first model competition where the viewer gets to vote for the final winner. The six-part series focusses on what it takes to become a successful swimsuit model aside from the eye candy. The 12 finalists will live in Los Angeles where they will be widely tested on their physical fitness, mental endurance and modelling skills. Whoever doesn’t have what it takes, gets kicked off the show – two by two every week.

    When only two are left, they are flown off to a luscious location to shoot a spread for Sports Illustrated. Nobody knows who will win… until viewers vote for their favourite photo spread in the series finale.

    Charged with the task of whittling down the field of hopeful models is a three-judge panel, including former Sports Illustrated model Roshumba Williams, Next Model Management president Joel Wilkenfeld and Sports Illustrated swimsuit editor Jule Campbell.

  • BBC appoints Sanjeev Srivastava as BBC Hindi service India editor

    BBC appoints Sanjeev Srivastava as BBC Hindi service India editor

    MUMBAI:The Hindi Service of the BBC World Service broadcasts — BBC Hindi has appointed Sanjeev Srivastava as India editor, heading the radio and online operations in India.

    Srivastava moves from his current post as the BBC’s India correspondent to take up his new role in August 2006.

    As India editor, Srivastava will be responsible for all BBC Hindi output generated from India across all platforms of delivery, including FM, short wave and online. Based in Delhi, he will be leading a team of experienced broadcast and online journalists on all BBC Hindi editorial initiatives in India.

    BBC Hindi India editor Sanjeev Srivastava

    According to an official release, Srivastava has been reporting from India for the BBC, in a variety of roles, for over 12 years. He started his broadcasting career in 1994 when he joined the BBC Hindi service in London. He launched the BBC’s first Mumbai bureau, reporting across BBC television and radio in English, Hindi and Urdu. Then, following a stint as India business and western India correspondent, he joined the BBC’s South Asia Bureau in Delhi in March 2003 as India correspondent. Prior to the BBC, he worked in print journalism including The Times of India and The Indian Express.

    Srivastava has been exclusively reporting on the life of modern day India over the last two decades. He has covered social, economic and political issues, such as the successive general elections, earthquakes in Gujarat and Kashmir and the bird-flu outbreak in Gujarat. He has also tracked India’s fast changing place in the global order, geo-political and economic, as well as the country’s foreign policy, particularly Delhi’s relations with its South Asian neighbours, China, US and Europe. In addition, he has reported extensively on India-Pakistan relations, the ongoing peace initiative and Kashmir.

    BBC Hindi service head Achala Sharma says: “India is an important market for the BBC – we are the leading international broadcaster. Our Hindi radio audience has grown by nearly five million in recent years and we know from our relationship with listeners that our new programming is popular. But we cannot afford to be complacent. India is changing fast and news is a competitive business. I am confident that in Sanjeev Srivastava we have someone with the skills, experience and vision to provide excellent editorial leadership. He is top grade BBC news journalist with an impressive track record and passion for reporting India.”

    Commenting on his new role, Srivastava adds: “The BBC stands for quality journalism people can trust. Over 15 million listeners trust BBC Hindi to serve their needs with a range of news programmes. I look forward to building on that trust and expanding our Hindi audience with new editorial initiatives, which will engage them, inform them and entertain. These are exciting times in Indian media, and I relish the opportunity to play a role at this important time.”

  • Asianet to launch new soap in the 8:30 pm slot

    Asianet to launch new soap in the 8:30 pm slot

    MUMBAI: Malayalam channel Asianet has brought in a new soap, Minnaaram, to strengthen its daily prime time band. Minnaaram will launch on 10 July in the 8:30 pm slot.

    Featuring popular Malayalam tube stars incluyding Suresh Krishna, Sharat and Praveena, Minnaaram is directed by Kannan T.

    Minnaaram revolves around the story of two sisters and the unexpected events that rock their lives. As per an official release, the soap has got all the essential ingredients to woo the family audience to the channel during the prime time.

  • South African broadcaster SABC signs TV rights deal with Fifa

    South African broadcaster SABC signs TV rights deal with Fifa

    MUMBAI: The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has been awarded the broadcasting rights for all Fifa competitions between 2007 and 2014, which include the two Fifa World Cup final competitions and the two Fifa Confederations Cups that are due to take place during this period.

    The next edition of the Fifa World Cup takes place in 2010 in Africa.

    The agreement consists of all main audiovisual rights for both free and pay TV as well as radio. In addition, SABC is committed to ensuring wide access for the entire South African media industry including potential sub-licensees.

    Fifa president Joseph S. Blatter says, “We are convinced that we have found in SABC a partner that can deliver the beautiful game to South African viewers in an excellent manner. Importantly, its coverage will go far beyond Fifa World Cup broadcasts since it comprises guaranteed coverage of all other Fifa tournaments for men and women and at senior and youth levels so as to promote all of the different facets of the game and strengthen women’s and youth development particularly in South Africa. SABC is joining our alliance to use football to build a better future. I am extremely happy with this momentous deal.”

    SABC says that it is committed to playing its part in ensuring that the radio and television broadcasts of the 2010 Fifa World Cup reach the largest possible audience. This contributes to its goal of national building and total empowerment of all African citizens.