ITV

Category: Specialised and Niche

  • Media consumption in India growing @9% in last 6 years: CII-BCG report

    Media consumption in India growing @9% in last 6 years: CII-BCG report

    MUMBAI: The Indian media industry, experiencing disruptions, is witnessing an increase in consumption that has been facilitated by proliferation of broadband too and over the last six years has been growing at the rate of nine percent.

    According to a CII_BCG report released today at CII Big Picture Summit event in New Delhi, at 4.6 hours of consumption per capita per day, India is still behind China (6.4 hours) and US (11.8 hours), suggesting further headroom for growth.

    “Unlike in developed countries, in India this growth has been additive and not cannibalising traditional media, yet. For the next several years, we expect India to remain a multi-modal market where all forms of media, including traditional media like TV and digital will continue to co-exist," the report states.

    In 2012, total media consumption per capita per day was 2.7 hours which was further distributed into print (0.2 hours), radio (0.2 hours), TV (1.9 hours) and digital (0.4 hours). On the other hand, 4.6 hours consumption per capita per day has increased to print (0.3 hours), radio (0.3 hours), TV (2.7 hours) and digital (1.3 hours).

    Over the past 2-3 years, the number of broadband users has become 2X (~480 million broadband users across mobile and fixed) and the data consumption has become 10X (~10 GB per user per month).

    Indian media formats are primarily advertising driven and consumer costs are minimal. Unlike the US where the cost of a cable connection can be as high as $80 per month, India with $3 cost of cable per month doesn’t have the need for skinny bundles.

    India is undergoing a video explosion. Indian consumers are consuming ~190 minutes of video per day per user across platforms, which has been growing at ~8 per cent over the last five years. 30+ digital platforms have been added to the wide range of TV channels. While an average consumer consumes 10-15 channels per day and 2-3 apps in any given month, the overall spectrum of platforms from a content creators/curator’s perspective is massive.

    Global players are realising the importance of creating curated content, in line with viewer preferences. Players like Netflix invest aggressively to match 3X the investment made by top players like Amazon Prime and Hulu. Top 5 global players as per their annual content budget are Fox ($16.7 biilion), Comcast ($15 billion), Disney ($12.7 billion), Time Warner ($12.4 billion) and Netflix ($12 billion).

  • Zoom consumers are micro-influencers on their own: Nikhil Gandhi

    Zoom consumers are micro-influencers on their own: Nikhil Gandhi

    MUMBAI: Zoom, the entertainment channel of Times Network recently revamped its identity from just Zoom to Zoom styled by Myntra. The revamped version went live on 19 April 2018 at 9 pm. Now Zoom has a sub brand called Zoom Studio, which will provide content to many OTT players. 

    Currently, the channel has 10 million unique visitors per month and on social media, the channel is followed by 20 million people, according to Times Network president Nikhil Gandhi.

    At Indiantelevision.com’s new video economy event BrandVid powered by Colors, Gandhi said, "The most important thing that has come out of this deal is how we trade around with content that works well for them as well as us.” From Myntra’s strategic point of view to build and influence the whole fashion space, we were lucky to have the timings so well matched that it jelled into their own strategy. The association went beyond just plain vanilla branding to largely on the back of content."

    The event was organised by Indiantelevision.com on 30 October 2018 in Mumbai, for brands, agencies, marketers, broadcasters, publishers and producers to understand how to work closely and create short form and long form content which will connect with the audience directly.

    The deal is a monetised partnership that Gandhi is optimistic will travel beyond at least three years. Outfits for the anchors on the channel are provided by Myntra. Zoom aimed to leverage Myntra’s style quotient for a new look and feel, shows, web-series, short formats and exclusive experiences.

    By the end of the year, its new Zoom Live division will be available. “We are working on a very strategic initiative on how we influence our community which is beyond engaging on digital as well as television. We are building on a phenomenon called ‘Escapism’ where we want the consumers to escape from their reality into our world and engage with them with great content.”

    The channel has original content produced by Zoom like Reunion, Ready to Mingle, Imperfect and many more. Myntra and Zoom get the traction on board in equal measure for the shows. Gandhi believes that each of their consumers are micro-influencers on their own.

    “On the other hand we have been able to also take advantage of the things they have, fashion as a category lends organically to the whole of Bollywood. If you go to the Myntra site, we now have a Zoom store on it and we provide a lot of content to them and they engage with their consumers on how they can influence their buying patterns as far as the content is concerned,” he pointed.

    At the time of the revamp, Gandhi mentioned that they are targeting the sweet spot of 15-24-year-olds.

  • Infotainment genre’s steady shift towards localisation

    Infotainment genre’s steady shift towards localisation

    MUMBAI: It’s home! That’s the cry that almost every broadcaster is uttering today when it comes to wooing viewers with content. Even as kids’, lifestyle and GECs are witnessing an uptake in local content, the infotainment genre isn’t going to be left behind.

    Earlier, there were only syndicated shows dubbed in Hindi that aired on TV and yet it worked well with the audiences in India. Later, broadcasters felt the need to evolve as per the taste buds of the Indian viewers and that’s when regional feeds came into the picture. Syndicated content was definitely cheaper than self-production.

    Discovery, History TV18, National Geographic, Nat Geo Wild, Epic TV and Sony BBC Earth are the players in the market competing against each other for eyeballs. Broadcasters found Tamil and Telugu as viable regional languages to start with. Discovery and National Geographic channels are the only exceptions having Bengali language in their kitty. Epic TV is the only one with Hindi language.  It is also the only channel that has all India-centric while the rest of the players have a mix of syndicated content and home-grown shows.

    According to the BARC data week 37, Epic TV bagged fourth position with 1962 impressions sum. Back in 2014, Epic TV called itself a GEC channel and three years later, the channel felt the need to switch to the infotainment genre. Its move proved to be a success as the channel’s market share scaled up from 3 to 15 per cent market share.

    Talking about Sony BBC Earth, it leapfrogged Discovery that was ruling the infotainment genre for almost for a decade, within a year of its launch.  The channel increased its market share from 22 per cent to 26 per cent in the six metro cities. In an earlier interview, Sony Pictures Network English cluster business head Tushar Shah told Indiantelevision.com that the category which is supposed to be informative along with entertainment in it is missing the first half. Brushing aside the claims of the challenges in the infotainment genre, Discovery claimed to enjoy a 23 per cent market share in the All India Urban (2+) area. It also claimed that when its Tamil channel is factored into the number games, the channel's share of the pie grew by four per cent.

    Similarly, History TV18 also has plans to woo audiences with more local content. History TV18 EVP Arun Thappar said in an interaction that that channel is not just looking at notching up the number of hours of local content but is creating content that is relatable to its audience. Also, in a media report, A+E Networks TV18 VP and marketing head Sangeetha Aiyer said, “I think that localisation is the next logical progression in the evolution of any global product. This is more so in a country like India, which is very inward-looking and has potential for great content. The infotainment genre occupies only about one per cent of total TV consumption. So, if a channel has to expand, it has to look beyond global content. All our local productions have universal themes but with a local lens.”

    Considering all the above factors, it clearly means that the infotainment genre isn’t saturated now as it used to be earlier. The genre is growing breaking the cliché from just syndicated content to Indian home-grown content.

    As per the BARC data from week 41, Sony BBC Earth continued to lead the genre with 4131 impressions (000s) sum, followed by Discovery Channel, History TV18 and National Geographic Channel retaining its second, third and fourth positions respectively as compared to the previous week (40) with 3995 impressions (000s) sum, 3723 impressions (000s) sum and 2699 impressions (000s) sum. Animal Planet emerged as the new player in the market by replacing Nat Geo Wild, on the fifth position with 2523 impressions (000s) sum.

    How the genre manages to grow the appetite of the people for local content remains to be seen. 

  • A+E Networks | TV18 launches FYI TV18 HD

    A+E Networks | TV18 launches FYI TV18 HD

    MUMBAI: AETN18, the joint venture between A+E Networks and Network18 has planned to launch the high definition (HD) version of the contemporary lifestyle entertainment channel—FYITV18 on 18 October 2018.

    The new channel will draw on the success of FYI TV18, which is a unique blend of adventurous, personalised and innovative lifestyle programming. FYI TV18 HD will offer a perfect blend of local Indian shows and International programming. The new channel will feature carefully curated content, touching different aspects of food, home, glamour, though relationships would be at its core.

    A+E Networks I TV18 MD and Network18 COO Avinash Kaul said, “Through FYI TV18, we’ve always provided our viewers with the very best in lifestyle entertainment. Now in high definition, FYI TV18 HD is guaranteed to enthral the young and dynamic audience across India.”

    From relationship to food, home, travel and glam FYI TV18 HD will cater to the needs of the young and dynamic Indian audience. FYI TV18 HD is the fourth channel to be launched from the A+E Networks and TV18 bouquet after the success of its FYI TV18 SD, History TV18 SD and History TV18 HD channels.

  • Living Foodz sees 25% growth in advertiser response

    Living Foodz sees 25% growth in advertiser response

    MUMBAI: After Aparna Bhosle’s elevation in the Zee Entertainment Enterprise Ltd (Zeel) from the premium English cluster head to now being the business head of Zee TV’s Hindi GEC channel, Shaurya Mehta along with handling the lifestyle genre, Living Foodz (LF), is also given the additional responsibility of donning the hat of the premium English cluster– Zee Cafe, &flix and &prive.

    Talking about the lifestyle channel that launched in 2015, LF COO Shaurya Mehta said that since the start, the channel’s only focus was to offer original content to the Indian audiences and being true to its factor, it has been the cornerstone to its success.

    Despite the disruptive elements that the lifestyle genre witnessed in the form of demonetisation and GST, it didn’t affect LF which took two years to break even. “We broke even a while back. It took less than two years to break even,” he said. According to him, the genre within these 2-3 years has grown 10-15 per cent y-o-y and the channel claims to have grown in excess to the growth of the overall space.

    Not only this, as far as advertisers’ response on the channel is concerned, it claims to have witnessed a healthy growth rate in excess of 25 per cent y-o-y. Also, whether or not the ad rates of the genre increased, Mehta said that the channel has already increased its ad rates. “The ad rates have already increased and over these past three years, we have consistently seen our ERs growing. LF is more on the premium side now from a viewer and advertisers perspective and we enjoy a much healthy ERs than our competition.”

    When it comes to adex that declined in FY18, according to the KPMG report 2018, the lifestyle genre observed 1.3 per cent adex in FY17 and 1.2 per cent in FY18. “We at LF have seen great growth within these 2-3 years. The genre stayed a little stagnant from the ad sales perspective and going forward this would improve and there will be relatively steadier phase over the coming years.”

    Considering the BARC data, LF has been ruling the charts. Mehta said that the channel continues to lead the market share in terms of viewership with a healthy margin in a genre which is already cluttered. “With the channels that have been around for almost a decade especially some leaders in the market like Discovery and others and to go up against them and draw us a span of viewership shares is quite a big thing.”

    The network has plans to launch 6-8 shows this month and many more in the coming month with a mix of both original and acquired shows. The channel garners most of the viewership during the daytime, between 1-7 pm depending on the shows that could vary. Several shows were launched on 3 October, slotted for the typical prime time of 9 pm.   

    LF provides just local content for the viewers buy other players offer a mix of syndicated and local content. Mehta said, “We have seen much of our competitors also adopting our strategy where instead of airing syndicated content, they are also airing a mix of original shows. So as the overall content strategy, competition will have a mix of both syndicated and original content and in case of LF, original shows remain our main pillar.”

    He added that as per the consumers’ choices, there is an appetite for syndicated content as well. There is a room for both local and syndicated content where there are people in the market who want to consume the content from all around the world.

    Mehta said that considering the infotainment and lifestyle genres together, lifestyle has seen growth from the perspective of the accretion value of the viewers that is known in India. According to him the outlook remains positive and the viewership base will continue to grow. “We have seen digital as a medium growing tremendously in this genre and competing with TV viewership. So from that perspective as well, LF has a strong strategy for our digital footprint also playing an important role for growth in the group and LF as a brand. We have been investing our digital platform as well since last year and we continue to do so. We bring the shows that are available on TV and we also do some originals to publish on our livingfoodz.com. We do realise that in order to build the story over the next 5 years, our digital footprint will also play an important role,” he said.

    A Tamil feed was also to be added this year for which he said, “The Tamil feed is still in progress. We want to ensure when we are completely ready to announce. We are looking at all the possibilities.”

  • Teleshopping market sees growth ahead

    Teleshopping market sees growth ahead

    MUMBAI: Since the inception of television home shopping industry in India in the 90s, it has come a long way as compared to the time when the segment was associated with ‘magical’ products, impractical promises or dubbed English slots.

    Players have modified content t better engage channels and introduce products at rates lower than market prices. HomeShop18, Shop CJ, Naaptol and TVC Skyshop account for almost 80 per cent of the market.

    In 2015, actor Akshay Kumar and entrepreneur Raj Kundra also launched a home shopping channel, Best Deal TV, but in 2016 the company had temporarily suspended operations after seeing a drastic drop in the business after demonetisation. The cash-on-delivery business was negligible because of which the company was finding it difficult to meet internal expenses. Two big players merged this year – HomeShop18 and Shop CJ – showing how competitive the environment is getting.

    While one may think the end of TV home shopping in India is certain, there is Prathem Bazar a TV shopping channel which also has a digital presence. Being bullish about the growth of the segment Prathem Bazar MD Ashutosh Bajpai feels that the market is growing and is expecting to break even within one or two years. An international launch is also on the cards.

    Reports predict that teleshopping market is forecast to grow at a CAGR of around 13 per cent by 2023 in India, on account of increasing disposable income along with better discounts and offers in comparison to e-commerce websites. Moreover, expanding television penetration in rural areas and rising number of dedicated channels for teleshopping are further expected to aid the growth.

    Besides selling on TV and home websites, some channels are already thinking m-commerce. The new entrant Prathem Bazar also plans to foray into Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam space.

    A media professional said in a report that teleshopping has potential to grow even when e-commerce in the country is expanding by leaps and bounds. “Theoretically, one can argue that the rise in broadband penetration will challenge television commerce. But we have observed in mature markets like the US that both home-shopping and e-commerce have found their own space, complementing each other,” he said. 

    Zee Group was the first to have launched a home shopping TV channel in India in April 2004. Called Asian Sky Shop, the channel folded up a few years ago after the business ran into losses. According to reports in 2016, the company had announced the acquisition of two companies owned by Living Media India Ltd (also known as India Today Group) — Today Merchandise Pvt Ltd (TMPL) and Today Retail Network Pvt Ltd (TRNL) and with the acquisition, Zee was to relaunch Asian Sky Shop. The reason why Zee has the advantage over standalone home shopping broadcasters is that it doesn’t have to contend with high carriage fee.

    According to industry estimates, the size of the home-shopping industry in India is around Rs 5,000-6,000 crore. Prathem Bazar has invested Rs 25-30 crore in building up his own TV channel and online segment. The channel has a tough space to break into with existing players having solidified their bases.  

  • Zee Learn numbers up

    Zee Learn numbers up

    BENGALURU: The Essel group’s educational arm, Zee Learn Ltd (Zee Learn), reported 47.9 per cent growth in total revenue and 89.1 per cent growth in EBITDA including other revenue for the year ended 31 March 2018 (FY-2018, year under review) as compared to FY-2017. Zee Learn reported total revenue of Rs 272.54 crore for FY-2018 as compared to Rs 184.28 crore in FY-2017. EBITDA for the year under review was Rs 105.79 crore (38.8 per cent margin) as compared to Rs 55.93 crore (30.4 per cent margin) in FY-2017.

    Profit after tax (PAT) for FY-2018 was 47.1 per cent higher at Rs 49.28 crore as compared to Rs 33.51 crore in FY-2017. Total comprehensive income in FY-2018 was Rs 49.40 crore, 47.1 per cent higher than the Rs 33.59 crore in the previous fiscal.

    Zee Learn has three segments education and related services (ERS); construction and leasing (for education) (C&L); and manpower and training (M&T), a segment that started in FY-2018. ERS segment contributed a lion’s share to the company’s numbers. Revenue for ERS segment in FY-2018 was Rs 186.34 crore as compared to Rs 160.45 crore in FY-2017. The segment had an operating profit of Rs 82.77 crore in FY-2018 as compared to Rs 47.39 crore in FY-2017.

    C&L segment had revenue of Rs 29.57 crore in FY-2018 as compared to Rs 20.04 crore in FY-2017. C&L operating profit for the year under review was Rs 6.18 crore as compared to Rs 1.95 crore in FY-2017. M&T segment had revenue of Rs 53.50 crore and an operating profit of Rs 2.02 crore for FY-2018.

    Total expense in FY-2018 at Rs 196.98 crore was 24 per cent higher than the Rs 158.87 crore in FY-2017. Operational cost at Rs 5.12 crore was 56.1 per cent higher than Rs 3.28 crore in the previous year. Employee benefit expense in the year under review was 168.1 per cent higher at Rs 78.79 crore as compared to Rs 29.39 crore in FY-2017. Other expense in FY-2018 at Rs 26.66 crore was 27.8 per cent lower than Rs 36.93 crore in FY-2017.

    Also Read :

    No deal yet with MT Educare: Zee Learn

    Zee Learn PAT more than doubles for FY-17

  • NAGRA and KT Skylife expand content protection partnership with NexGuard watermarking

    NAGRA and KT Skylife expand content protection partnership with NexGuard watermarking

    MUMBAI: NAGRA, a Kudelski Group (SIX:KUD.S) company and the world’s leading independent provider of content protection and multiscreen television solutions, today announced that its NexGuard watermarking solution for pay-TV was selected by Korean satellite broadcaster KT Skylife.

    This partnership allows KT Skylife – a NAGRA customer since 2010 – to meet forensic watermarking requirements mandated by MovieLabs’ Enhanced Content Protection for premium content, including 4K Ultra HD and HDR. The expansion also gives KT Skylife’s subscribers access to the best content available, while protecting their service from piracy.

    By expanding its partnership with NAGRA, KT Skylife can now leverage NexGuard watermarking technology to meet studio requirements for the protection of high-value content. The additional ability to expand KT Skylife content offering and increase the value of their services to their subscribers provides a competitive advantage for KT Skylife moving forward.

    “Our unique watermarking capabilities provide KT Skylife with the added security and traceability for pay-TV providers to meet content owners’ requirements for the protection of premium content, and deter would-be pirates,” said Stephane Le Dreau, Senior Vice President Sales & Services APAC at NAGRA. “With NAGRA content protection and watermarking, KT Skylife is now able to create the ultimate closed-loop approach to fighting piracy while ensuring access to the best content available for their subscribers.”

    NAGRA’s NexGuard forensic watermarking technology adds a unique, invisible identifier to video content delivered to set-top boxes, smart TVs and other video players. It embeds a unique watermark for any video shown, making it the only way to tracing illicit re-distribution back to a specific account. The watermark remains with the content, even in the case of transcoding, resizing, downscaling, camcording or any other alteration.

    NAGRA Anti-Piracy Services and NexGuard watermarking solution will be demonstrated on the NAGRA stand, SU3424, at NAB 2018 in Las Vegas (9-12 April 2018).

  • Homeshop18 appoints Manish Kalra as CEO

    Homeshop18 appoints Manish Kalra as CEO

    MUMBAI: Homeshop18, part of TV18 Home Shopping Network has appointed Manish Kalra as CEO. Kalra joins Homeshop18 at a critical yet promising stage in the company’s journey when it has merged its business with Shop CJ, thereby becoming the largest television home shopping brand in India.

    He brings with him extensive experience in e-commerce and will report to the board of TV18 Home Shopping Network.

    Speaking on his appointment, Kalra said, “I am excited to join Homeshop18 and look forward to working with and learning from the talented team there. Retail industry in India is going through a transformation phase. The team at Homeshop18 has a unique opportunity to deliver innovative products and solutions to our customers that will bring greater value to them, our suppliers, employees, investors and other stakeholders in the process. I am grateful to the HS18 board for giving me this opportunity.”

    Prior to joining Homeshop18, he was the chief marketing and business officer at Craftsvilla where he was the overall business P&L owner. He is a young achiever and comes with over 16 years of experience in leading businesses across e-commerce, IT, FMCG and BFSI Industry.

    Over the years, he has gathered deep understanding of customer behavior and can convert a business vision into a customer relevant story, combined with exceptional execution skills. Prior to Craftsvilla, Kalra has worked for companies such as Amazon India, MakeMyTrip and Dell.

    Also Read:

    HomeShop18-Shop CJ merger begins to take effect

    Network18 forms India’s largest TV home shopping platform, acquires Shop CJ

  • Celestial Tiger Entertainment launches KIX in vietnam

    Celestial Tiger Entertainment launches KIX in vietnam

    Celestial Tiger Entertainment (CTE), operator of the largest bouquet of pan-Asian channels dedicated to Asian entertainment, announced today the launch of its action entertainment channel, KIX on Vietnam’s leading IPTV service FPT Television, owned by FPT Telecom, the leading IT conglomerate in Vietnam.  This carriage deal further expands CTE’s reach in Southeast Asia, following its recent new deals in Laos, Cambodia and Indonesia.  The new carriage deal is handled by CTE’s Vietnam sales representative, Thaole Entertainment. 

    “We are so excited that the momentum of CTE’s expansion across Southeast Asia keeps building,” said Todd Miller, Chief Executive Officer, Celestial Tiger Entertainment. “KIX is a top performing channel in Southeast Asia and we delighted to share our unique blend of action entertainment with viewers in Vietnam.”  

    Localized with Vietnamese subtitles, KIX offers a slate of high-octane blend of combat sports, action series and action movies.  In February, action fans in Vietnam can watch first and exclusive combat sport events such as Road FC, Kunlun Fight MMA, action reality shows such as Escape and Steve Austin Broken Skull Challenge Season 5, as well as action movies such as Jackie Chan’s Movie Marathon.

    KIX (Ch. 54) will be included in FPT Television’s digital basic pack.