MUMBAI: The last few years haven’t been very kind to Sony Entertainment Television (SET), at least in terms of weekly TAM ratings, but that hasn’t stopped the channel from making all the right noises in recent months.
On the back of NP Singh’s elevation from COO to CEO and Man Jit Singh’s appointment as president of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) comes ‘Sony Mahotsav’, an engagement extravaganza launched by the channel to get up, close and personal with its audiences in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana. Having started in November last year, the festival will continue till the end of this month, both gratifying and exposing audiences to the opportunity of understanding the 17-year-old brand.
Says SET senior VP and head marketing Gaurav Seth: “This extravaganza has been organised to take the experience of Sony to our audiences in UP, Punjab and Haryana. UP and Punjab are critical markets for us. Through the show, we have realised that even if the channels’ reach and viewership doesn’t reflect in the TV ratings, there is a huge section that wants and desires the shows aired on it.”
SET has already covered Varanasi, Kanpur, Lucknow, Allahabad, Agra, Meerut and Dehradun in UP and plans to cover Punjab and Haryana’s top nine markets including Bathinda, Abohar, Batala, Yamuna Nagar, Kaithal, Jind, Rohtak, Jalandar and Bhiwani.
“We are covering cities in UP which have a population of one million plus, while cities in Punjab and Haryana which are being covered have a population of a 0.1-1 million,” informs Seth.
With ‘Sony Mahotsav’ held on Sundays, he goes on to explain how it works. “We reach the destination one week in advance and start promoting the festival through radio stations, local cable channels and print. We also rope in a few local people, who inform the residents through word of mouth. Then, we take up a huge ground and set up stalls which showcase the colours of the channel,” he informs.
What can one expect from the fest? It gives audiences an opportunity to interact with their favourite characters from Sony’s shows and serials. Indeed, popular faces like Anoop Soni, Sangeeta Ghosh and Ruslaan Mumtaaz among others have been roped in to engage with the audience.
Elaborates Seth: “There are separate stalls. So, we have a Nandini stall inspired by the show ‘Nandini’ based on the political scenario. On offer are activities like voting for the best couple or best show on the channel.” In a similar vein, there is a Maharana Pratap museum where spectators can dress up like the Maharana; a Kaun Banega Crorepati stall where people can pose alongside show host Amitabh Bachchan; an Indian Idol stall where fans can take to karaoke singing; and a Boogie Woogie stall where fans can groove to foot-tapping music. “There is something for everyone. We have also set up a workshop for women to teach them self defence, which is inspired by our shows CID and Crime Patrol,” says Seth.
Also, spectators can view five to seven minute clips of shows aired on Sony during the day. “The idea is to ensure that people who have somehow missed the shows so far can be informed what the shows are about and can start watching it here on,” Seth informs.
While the sponsor for ‘Sony Mahotsav’ in UP and Punjab is Kent RO, the music talent partner for the state is Universal Music. “We have also partnered with major radio stations in the state. So for UP, we roped in Radio Mirchi and Big FM for promotions. Also, we partnered with local cable operators to distribute the free-of-cost entry passes for the event,” reveals Seth.
Sony has made a ‘sizeable’ investment in the festival and though it has conducted similar such events in the past, they’ve never been on such a large scale.
The channel claims to have got a capacity crowd in every city of UP it has covered so far. “Though the numbers do not suggest the popularity of the brand, the crowd did show the love for the brand,” exults Seth, adding, “Looking at the response, we may conduct such events in other states as well.”
So has a mammoth exercise like ‘Sony Mahotsav’ succeeded in boosting viewership? “We haven’t done any ROI till now. That will be done once the whole activity is complete. Once this is done, we will get an idea of the increase in viewership and reach numbers,” says Seth.
And ‘Sony Mahotsav’ isn’t all. Recently, the channel launched two new shows as well – Ekk Nayi Pehchaan and Main Na Bhoolungi. Whether all of this reflects on the ratings, only time will tell…
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