Category: Viewership

TV Brand Fest 2021: GEC space remains unchallenged in building mass reach, say marketers

Mumbai: On day three of the TV Brand Fest 2021, media and marketing heads of prominent organisations discussed the merits and challenges of fiction and nonfiction content as a vehicle for brand messaging. The five-day event being organised by Indiantelevision.com is co-powered by Star India.

The panel consisted of Dabur head of media Rajiv Dubey, Yamaha Motor India head – marketing Vijay Kaul, and Dr Reddy’s Laboratories marketing head – OTC, emerging markets Prachi Mohapatra. The session was moderated by Indiantelevision.com Group founder CEO and editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari.

The discussion began with trying to understand the relevance of GECs which remain unchallenged despite the existence of a plethora of niches. Last year they had almost 50 per cent genre share as far as weekly viewing minutes were concerned, and therefore, any brand looking for a mass reach cannot afford to miss out on them.

“GECs are cost effective, and they give high reach for businesses like us who want to communicate to the masses repeatedly. Niche channels, on the other hand, are not consistent performers,” said Dabur’s Dubey.

EMBED: Panel image

Sharing her experience of using GECs, Mohapatra added, “They are a great way to build trust for your brand. GECs work extremely well when you have to change the brand imagery and also with tactical campaigns where the objective is to reach out to the right kind of consumers in a time-bound manner.”

Even though the auto category uses quite a balanced mix of fiction and non-fiction content, GECs are a staple in the media plan for mass or unisex products such as scooters. Elaborating further, Kaul stated, “GECs are the right choice for mature brands with a country-wide footprint. That’s where we expect a lot of sales volumes. When the idea is to launch a new brand, the media plan depends on the sales target being huge as in case of unisex or mass commuter brands.”

Mohapatra shared a similar opinion on the kind of products (based on the life cycle stage) that are best-suited for fiction content. “GEC are trust builders with a huge reach, and hence apt for mature brands as well as brand extensions. Taking a new brand/product directly to GECs is not feasible due to the high costs involved,” she observed.

For Dabur though fiction/GECs is the medium of choice for all kinds of brands barring a few like a men’s hair removal crème. This is because of the female-centric nature of content.

This insight from Dubey steered the conversation towards the importance of the content (message) and brand ethos being in sync with each other. While ratings and minimisation of duplication are Dabur’s primary concerns, Yamaha’s Kaul asserted that “in the automobile segment it becomes necessary to evaluate the nature of content because one is looking at a long association with a brand/product whose ticket value is huge.”

Non-fiction content on niche channels has thus been integral to Yamaha’s media plans. Sharing the example of Yamaha YZF R15, the brand that was built on one niche sport brand – MotoGP – alone, Kaul added, “MotoGP complemented the (high) price (Rs. 1.8Lakh) and the DNA of the brand perfectly. We went for live programming as well as repeats with bundled deals on EuroSports, never using any GEC for it.”

He cited another example, that of Yamaha Fascino Miss Diva Universe where the “fashionable scooter was embedded in the fashion property one year before its launch.” “Longevity is key here; one can’t have big-ticket integrations for six months, it needs at least four-five years for the association to build.”

Concurring with Kaul, Mohapatra noted, “With such high-decibel programs consistency is extremely important, otherwise even as you work on creating the brand image, recall fades out very quickly.”

As regards non-fiction on GECs such as ‘KBC’, and ‘Bigg Boss’. the panel believes that it brings in a fresh set of viewers, and a large number of eyeballs at the same time. It also offers more scope and solutions in terms of brand integrations and product placements. “Used in combination with fiction, weekend non-fiction properties are a great source of incremental reach,” stated Dubey.

December 9, 2021
TV Brand Fest 2021: Brands share mantras for enhancing market share through TV.

Mumbai: Day two of the five-day TV Brand Fest summit being organised by IndianTelevision.com saw brands discuss their experience, with regards to increasing the market share while using Television as a communication tool.

Ernst & Young partner & leader – Consulting Markets Monesh Dange, who was moderating the discussion set the ball rolling by asking Lenskart media head Anupam Tripathi about the brand’s transition from a D2C brand to a house of brands model.

“As a consumer you don’t just buy a product, you buy a brand,” asserted Tripathi. “So, having the entire control on the product- from production to the end user- eradicates the middle men which saves cost and gives value-for-money to the consumer. It was a carefully thought-of year-long strategy.”

Matrimony.com GM – marketing communications Akhil Jain talked about how the brand replicated its urban success in rural areas. The brand has recently launched the website in Tamil version. “In the last five to six years, internet penetration has grown exponentially & led to a rise in vernacular users,” he noted. “Our overall learning is that if you can break the barrier of language then you will see tremendous success.”

Syska Group’s head of marketing Amit Sethiya encapsulated the marketing-led growth of the over 30 years old SSK Group. For the Syska brand’s communication, the company did not go into product-driven promotions, but rather ventured to educate the masses on why they need to buy LEDs. “For almost five to six years we supported the entire category. And today Syska has become synonymous with the LED category,” he said, while adding that the brand has now expanded into wires, cables, as well as mobile accessories.

“Marketing is both an assailant and a victim of its own creation,” said Upstox senior director, Marketing Kunal Bhardwaj, adding that a year and a half ago nobody even knew this category existed, much less the brand, but they came up with a mix of traditional and non-traditional marketing media, using them to their maximum potency. “Nothing beats Television when you want to create awareness and nothing beats digital when you want to create Call-to-actions or a reminder medium,” said Bhardwaj, adding that the Media mix, along with a “190 per cent effort on retention and user experience” were the three things the start-up focused on the most”. He also added that the English-first app is also looking to expand its language boundaries.

The pandemic hit every business sector and category. Talking about the specific marketing strategies during the prevalence of the pandemic, Amit Sethiya of Syska Group shared that the first thing that the brand did was to remain completely agile and optimise the distribution channel.

The government mandate that personal care appliances were considered semi-essentials helped the brand and they placed their products across all the medical and kirana shops which were the only ones operational during lockdowns. “That’s also when we saw the uptake of contactless lighting and smart home products as people were at home 24/7, so we quickly tapped into that,” added Sethiya.

Tripathi shared Lenkskart started the digital revolution in spectacles buying in India and with time many new features have been introduced based on consumer behaviour and needs. Having started with 3-D trial more than four years back, the brand has now moved on to AR (augmented reality) & HTO (home try on) on the app.

The panellists unanimously agreed on the importance of Television in carrying the brand message to masses. “The moment we stop TV, we see a downfall in traffic, app installations, social media interactions and even calls. So there’s no competition,” said Tripathi.

Marketeers realised that when push comes to shove with disruptions such as the one caused by the pandemic or else technological disruptions, the key is to be very agile and help brands reach their objectives, agreed the participants on the panel.

The five-day event is being organised by IndianTelevision.com, and co-powered by Star India.

December 8, 2021
TV Brand Fest 2021: Marketers relook at TV ad spends in times of disruption

Mumbai: The media industry and the economy saw an unprecedented level of disruption post-lockdown phase. As marketers went back to the drawing board to scrutinise their media spend, TV advertising moved from strength to strength commanding the highest share of advertising spends.

“Television will continue to command the majority share of ad-spends in the next five to seven years,” asserted ITC head of media Jaikishin Chhaproo, as he began the discussion at the ‘TV Brand Fest 2021’ – a five-day event being organised by Indiantelevision.com, and co-powered by Star India. Day one of the event saw marketers and prominent TV advertisers discuss ‘The power of television in times of disruption’ and ways of ‘Using TV + digital strategy’.

Maruti Suzuki India executive director – marketing and sales Shashank Srivastava noted that out of the Rs 700 crore spent on advertising, the brand spent 34 per cent on TV and 27 per cent on digital. “In terms of building brand imagery, especially in the auto category, there’s no substitute for TV,” he noted.

Most industries were impacted by the pandemic. However, the edtech sector was one of the few that saw an increase in demand during the lockdown. Byju’s head of marketing Atit Mehta observed that this was an important moment for the edtech industry to build top of the funnel awareness. “One of the categories that increased their advertising spends during lockdown was edtech,” he said.

The fast-moving-consumer-goods (FMCG) category remains the largest advertiser on TV. Despite the impact of the pandemic on the bottom line of most consumer goods companies, this category remained visible on TV. “FMCG cannot do without TV because you need the reach, frequency and eyeballs,” said ITC’s Chhaproo.

“A significant number of categories operate around the magic price point of Rs 10. Due to the impact of the pandemic on the supply chain, continuing to offer this price point to consumers became a challenge”, said Chhaproo. “We had to constantly communicate to consumers to drive them to our products.”

The category which usually invests on general entertainment channels, shifted media spends on other genres on TV. “We shifted our spends on TV to the news genre because consumption had gone up significantly,” remarked Dabur head of media Rajiv Dubey.

Covid was a timeout for the entire world and when the normal choices were unavailable to consumers they began experimenting with different modes of consumption. When fresh content returned to GECs last year, Dubey observed that there was a significant consolidation of viewership in the eight regional markets that Dabur looked at including South (Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh/Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Kerala), West Bengal, Maharashtra, Orissa and Bihar.

“The viewership has been on the upswing in these regional markets with consolidation of viewership in fewer programs and channels,” said Dubey. “We’ve seen that if you speak to a consumer in Maharashtra, in Marathi, using a Star of his choice, it works better.”

There are 40-50 million homes that watch only free-to-air channels on Prasar Bharati’s free DTH platform DD Free Dish, Dubey said. “The FTA channels work like magic if you want to advertise products with smaller price points. Unfortunately, the major FTA channels only cater to Hindi-speaking audiences and no other language audiences.”

In terms of consumer behaviour, there is a key overlap in terms of audiences on TV and digital. Audiences are watching both these media at different points in time. For Policybazaar.com’s vice president and head of brand marketing Samir Sethi it became important to map these audiences to optimise ad spends.

He said, “The attention is now divided between a TV and mobile phone. Earlier, people watched TV undivided but now they’re also multitasking on a mobile phone. We’ve seen that there are times when people are influenced enough by your communication on TV that they respond by checking out your website or downloading your app on mobile.”

A lot of digital and direct-to-consumer brands have understood and leveraged this behaviour. When it comes to achieving their growth targets, “all the major D2C brands have come on our platform (TV) to reach audiences at scale,” remarked Disney and Star India head of sales for infotainment, kids and regional cluster Dev Shenoy.

In the last 18 months, ad spends have inevitably shifted to digital media platforms. For example, with retail spaces closed, certain category spends have completely moved to e-commerce. Maruti Suzuki’s Srivastava said, “At the top end of the funnel there is no substitute for TV. Digital becomes more important at the lower end. In the consideration stage of the brand, there’s an overlap.”

December 7, 2021
Sony India premiers new show – ‘Dhadkan Zindaggi Kii’

Mumbai: Sony Entertainment Television (SET) is celebrating women from all walks of life with its latest finite series, ‘Dhadkan Zindaggi Kii’.

Starring Additi Gupta, Rohit Purohit and Vidyut Xavier in the lead roles, the show traces Dr Deepika’s journey, who continues to defy stereotypes in her personal and professional life to fulfil her dreams of becoming a successful surgeon. Produced by Invictus T Mediaworks and StudioNEXT, the show premiered on Monday and will air every Monday to Friday at 10 p.m.

Producers Nilanjana Purkayasstha and Herumb Khot said the show is very close to their hearts, more so because this is a story that needs to be told and experienced by all. “Dr Deepika’s character mirrors the woman of today who has broken stereotypes and fought through the challenges laid down by the society to achieve great milestones. We hope that ‘Dhadkan’ starts the right kind of conversations in social circles and that we create an impact with this one-of-a-kind show.”

On playing the lead role actor Additi Gupta said, “I have always believed in doing shows that have a powerful message and ‘Dhadkan Zindaggi Kii’ fits the bill perfectly. This show is a tribute to all the woman warriors, fighters and dreamers out there who didn’t’ give up on their dreams and fought like a boss lady to get what they deserve. The best part is that the Deepika’s fight feels like it’s my own story and so will a lot of women, I am sure.”

December 7, 2021
Star Bharat returns with new season of ‘Sasuraal Genda Phool’

Mumbai: In a post pandemic scenario, the significance of our Indian joint family system has become even more relevant as people seek ways to re-establish their bonds with their closed ones. Bringing alive this sentiment, Star Bharat is all set to return with the second edition of ‘Sasuraal Genda Phool 2’ – the show that celebrates these family dynamics.

Starting 7 December, the show will air every Monday to Friday at 8:00 p.m. Produced by Ravi Ojha Productions, ‘Sasuraal Genda Phool 2’s ensemble cast includes Jay Soni, Shagun Sharma, Supriya Pilgaonkar, Sudhir Pandey, Daljeet Kaur, Anita Kanwal in pivotal roles.

“We have always endeavoured to entertain our viewers with relevant and positive content that that they can enjoy with their family and ‘Sasuraal Genda Phool 2’ is another significant step in that direction,” said Star Bharat spokesperson said. “Through the show we will celebrate the family bonds of Kashyap Parivaar that viewers love them for, but also bring a fresh new twist to the story to make it contemporary and relevant to today’s youth.”

Lead actor Jay Soni, who plays Ishaan on the show said the show talks about the bond a family shares and the feeling of oneness. Veteran actress Supriya Pilgaonkar, who plays Ishaan’s Badi Maa said, “The channel has made sure they get the whole family back this season and not just the lead couple as it happens on most second seasons which I truly admire. In the chaos of our daily lives, the show brings a sense of positivity and closeness, and that’s all you are looking for.”

December 6, 2021
IN10 Media’s Epic readies for brand makeover starting 16 December

Mumbai: IN10 Media Network’s premier infotainment channel Epic is all set to undergo a brand makeover and offer a slate of new programming starting 16 December. The new brand positioning will carry the vision of ‘Soch Se Aage’ – highlighting the channel’s vision to forge a ‘future of infotainment’.

According to the media network, this will add another dimension to its offerings, and help evolve the channel in keeping with the times.

“EPIC is the first Indian platform to exclusively showcase India-centric content in Hindi, and always proudly wear the tag of being India Ka Apna Infotainment,” said IN10 Media Network MD Aditya Pittie. “The media universe is poised on the edge of transforming into a metaverse. ‘Glocal’ is no longer just a textbook phrase for the future, but the very essence of the modern audience. It is this ‘more’ that is at the heart of Epic’s new brand philosophy and will be the cornerstone of showcasing content that is ‘Soch Se Aage’ – beyond the known universe of knowledge, ideas, and stories; into the metaverse of an exciting future that continues to celebrate India.”

The channel will launch new programming while recreating the old magic of its iconic shows in a reimagined presentation.

Premiering Soon

Commemorating Vijay Diwas, the first roll-out in the line-up of fresh content is Lakshya 1971 –‘Vayusena Ke Veer Yoddha’, that recreates the events of independent India’s most comprehensive military victory through the eyes in the sky with never-seen-before visuals and the story of the contribution of the Air Force to the war efforts. The show is anchored by Harman Singha.

It will be followed by an ode to one of India’s oldest organisations – a four part docu- series on the Indian Postal service. India Post – ‘Dhaage Jo Desh Jode’ will recount the story of the largest postal network in the world by diving backstage and experiencing the ins and outs of its workings with the people who take things from one end of the country, making them appear at another end – almost magically. Narrated by Akul Tripathi, it tells the trials and triumphs of an institution and legacy that helped build a nation.

‘Jugaad Mania’ hosted by Chandan K Anand, will bring alive stories of ordinary people creating extraordinary innovations. Thinking not just out of the box but with a vision beyond their times, with a creativity that is intrinsic to Indian-ness; they are paving the way for a future by taking small steps towards viably solving larger problems with limited resources.

‘Homecoming- A Nation’s Fight for Its People’ will highlight the efforts of the people and the government, as they face and overcome unprecedented challenges, and implement ambitious solutions as they unite as one nation in bringing back all the stranded Indians during the Covid-19 lockdown.

The channel will also continue some of Epic’s popular shows, beginning with the third season of ‘Raja Rasoi Aur Anya Kahaaniyaan’, that airs weekly from 17 December, followed by the third season of ‘Lost Recipes and Regiment Diaries’ in the ensuing months.

Also in the works is a roadmap to bring to Indian screens international projects that resonate with the new brand philosophy, announced the channel on Monday.

Digital Originals

In sync with the broadcast originals, are a handful of digital first offerings that pack a punch of infotainment while driving forward the new philosophy.

‘Epic Khoj’ endeavors to trace the roots of Indian communities while ‘What’s in the Name’ delves into the stories and myths behind how various cities, rivers, historic places, and much more got their names. ‘Short Mid-Wicket Tales’ is a treasure trove of unlocking cricket-related stories and trivia.

The content will be available on the network’s super-app, Epic On, for audiences across the globe.

December 6, 2021
Sun TV most watched channel in week 47: Barc

Mumbai: Toppling Star Plus, Sun TV became the most watched channel in Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc) week 47 (20 to 26 November). The channel garnered weekly AMAs of 2783.24 (‘000s). It was at the second position last week with 2694.33 AMA.

Star Plus grabbed the next spot with 2743.38 AMA. At 2709.69, Star Maa stood at third position.

Star Utsav, Colors, Star Vijay Sony SAB, were at number four to seven. Marathi GEC Star Pravah was eighth position. Zee TV and Dhinchaak latched on to the last two slots.

Sun TV continued to lead the mega cities with weekly AMAs of 483.25 (‘000s). It was followed by Colors, Star Plus, Star Vijay and Sony SAB.

The South market was also dominated by Sun TV at 2776.53 (‘000s). Star Maa, Star Vijay, Zee Telugu, and Zee Kannada grabbed the remaining four positions.

Among the regional markets, Star Pravah was the most viewed channel in Mahrashtra/Goa with 1528.44 AMA, Star Jalsha in West Bengal (1205.38), Tarang in Odisha (471.46), and Zee Kannada in Karnatka (1372.18).

The Hindi heartland was ruled by Star Utsav. The channel garnered 249.13 weekly AMA in Rajasthan and 365.58 (‘000s) in UP Uttrakhand.

December 4, 2021
NBA, Viacom18 announce multi-year broadcast and streaming partnership in India

Mumbai: The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Viacom18 have announced a multi-year partnership to deliver live NBA games and programming to fans in India across television and over-the-top streaming.

Beginning with the NBA’s 75th anniversary season in 2021-22, Viacom18 as part of the partnership enabled and supported by Rise Worldwide will provide comprehensive coverage of the NBA’s regular season and marquee events in English and Hindi through its television channels Vh1 and MTV, and through its digital platforms Voot and Jio TV.

“While sports are the biggest whitespace that we are entering, to build a truly inclusive and differentiated proposition, we need to look at diverse sporting events from across the globe,” Viacom18 chief executive officer – sports Anil Jayaraj. “Basketball is a sport that is increasingly gaining attention and affinity in India. Through this partnership with the NBA, not only do we want to make basketball mainstream, but also build its lifestyle appeal among sports fans.”

Coverage will include weekly live games, NBA All-Star, the NBA Play-In Tournament, the NBA Playoffs, and the Finals. Viacom18 will show daily highlights and create original NBA-themed programming that will run on a number of channels across its network, said the media conglomerate in a media statement.

“Globally, basketball is more than a sport – it is a lifestyle,” said Viacom18 head of youth, music and English entertainment Anshul Ailawadi. “As we look to build basketball into a cultural phenomenon in India, we welcome this deep partnership with the NBA. Over the course of this association, we will be initiating a heavily localized marketing outreach and consumer connect programme aimed at building fandom for the sport.”

“We are thrilled to partner with Viacom18 to broadcast and stream live NBA games to a nationwide audience,” said NBA India head of global content and media distribution Sunny Malik. “Basketball’s popularity in India continues to grow, and by offering a range of NBA programming on Viacom18 in both English and Hindi, we look forward to reaching and inspiring millions of new and existing NBA fans across the country.”

December 3, 2021
India is BBC’s largest market for global audiences: GAM report

Mumbai: India continues to be the biggest market among the BBC’s international audiences, with a weekly audience of 72 million adults, said the British broadcaster in its latest annual Global Audience Measure (GAM) report.

This includes BBC News’ Indian languages, BBC.com and BBC Studios’ international channels, and is an increase of nine million from last year (63m in 2020). The GAM report records the total weekly number of adults accessing the BBC around the world.

For 2020/21, the BBC achieved record figures globally with an average audience of 489 million adults every week, an increase of over 20 million from the previous year. This brings the BBC’s global audience close to the 500 million people target for 2022, it said in its report.

According to the report, BBC’s international news services also reached record levels with 456 million adults using them each week (an increase of 18m). This includes audiences for World Service languages, World Service English, World News TV, BBC.com and BBC Media Action.

BBC director-general Tim Davie said, the organisation is well on target to hit half a billion people by its centenary next year. “The fact that our audience has more than doubled in the last decade shows how trusted and increasingly valued BBC services are right around the world,” he said.

According to the report, the languages division drove the largest share of total BBC growth, up 20m. The language services now reach 313 million adults weekly. BBC News Hindi attracted an additional four million people. Both BBC News Gujarati and BBC News Punjabi service recorded a growth of more than 75 per cent, said the British broadcaster.

BBC Indian Languages head Rupa Jha said, BBC has continued to reach a wider audience in India. “This growth comes from the impartial, accurate and courageous journalism that is helping audiences better analyse and understand current events in a growing era of polarisation and global disinformation,” she added.

BBC Studios’ international channels reached 65 million adults, an increase of 16 million.

December 3, 2021
Prasar Bharati developing next generation broadcast solution

Mumbai: Prasar Bharati has entered into an MoU with IIT Kanpur to develop next generation broadcast solution/roadmap for digital terrestrial broadcasting consistent with emerging standards such as 5G broadcast.

“The sanction for the Proof of Concept (PoC) of next generation broadcasting has also been conveyed to IIT Kanpur,” the minister of information and broadcasting Anurag Thakur told the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. “The selection of an appropriate next generation broadcast technology and Digital Terrestrial Transmission (DTT) roadmap of Doordarshan depends upon evaluation of this PoC.”

Speaking at the CII Big Summit last month Prasar Bharti CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati had also stressed upon the need for convergence across infrastructure and content creation.

He said that if the collaboration with IIT Kanpur is successful it will be possible to directly receive broadcast signals on smartphones in future. “In the event of a high-viewership event like the Indian Premier League (IPL), there is no reason why millions of users need to receive that content on a unicast mode through the internet. If this works, all of the content can be delivered directly on broadcast frequencies to people on their smartphones or smart TVs,” he said.

The public broadcaster is already working on bringing convergence across TV and radio so that a lot of exclusive radio content can be made visually rich and available for TV audiences. PM’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’ was the first such example. Prasar Bharati is following the same format where a camera is put up in the studio all-day long for another show ‘Rangoli’.

December 1, 2021