ITV

Tag: Anita Horam

  • “The idea is to take Indian fashion to international audiences” : Anita Horam Fashion TV India programming and creative services head

    “The idea is to take Indian fashion to international audiences” : Anita Horam Fashion TV India programming and creative services head

    Anita Horam's career graph reads like the glossary of television channels operating in India. In the 12 years she has spent in the profession, she has hopped from Channel V to MTV as senior producer, besides having conceptualized and worked on Style, a show on fashion and lifestyle on BBC, another Style South Asia for CNN, apart from having done project based work for Sony, Star Plus, Zee English, Discovery, Channel Nine Gold… the list goes on.

    Her life in media started over a decade ago with the Times of India, Delhi, from where her interest in fashion and lifestyle programming blossomed into a passion for packaging and graphic design. Till Style came along on BBC, there wasn't much of lifestyle programming happening on Indian television and Horam was one of the pioneers on the scene. A self confessed lover of television, Horam is fascinated by reality TV and hopes to bring the genre into FTV India, though today the idea may just be a glint in the eye!

    Brought into FTV India in December 2002 to fill a post created for her, Horam already has several plans in place. Innovative marketing initiatives, a proposed advertising campaign and a changed look for the channel in the months ahead are just some of them. In a conversation with indiantelevision.com's Aparna Joshi, Horam outlines her plans for FTV India.

    Excerpts -.

    What is the vision for FTV India in the months to come?
    The FTV India focus is on building a strong relationship within the fashion fraternity, working closely with designers and design in general, not necessarily as a broadcaster. We are liaising closely with not only the top designers in India, but also the middle rung ones whom we are trying to integrate through our programming as well as our offline events, but also the aspiring designers whom we will promote through scholarships like the one we have with Wigan & Leigh…

    The idea is to take Indian fashion to international audiences.

    What is prime time for FTV in India? Who is the TG and how do you attract it without much conspicuous advertising?
    Prime time is generally 10 pm and onwards when you see the latest stuff. That is the time we put on the original half hour of Indian programming which is then repeated at various day parts to make the two hours of local programming. The channel is targeting signature viewership, not appointment viewing. What we are looking at is wallpaper viewing, which means viewers can come and leave the channel for short spurts without any disruption in viewing. Everybody may not be a FTV consumer, but brand awareness is definitely high. If you travel and have the spending power, you will understand what the channel is all about.

    As for the press campaign we envisage, that too will be very high end and very focused – we are a niche product and are not about to change our idiom or go mass based.

    GRP ratings for FTV India are highest in Kolkata followed by Delhi and Bangalore at almost the same level. With regard to reach, Kolkata again has the highest numbers followed by Bangalore. The core audience is essentially the 18- 34 years Sec A audience in major metros who can appreciate and afford fashion.

    What will the increased Indian programming on FTV be like?
    While the content will be from the region, the format will be kept international. We prefer short duration clips, heavy on music but less of talk.

    As part of the Indianisation, the idea is to take designer content from the ramp shows and to shoot on locations that are aesthetically appealing. European viewers are fashion savvy, but Indians, not always. The idea is that Indian designers who are featured get a chance to showcase their wares on an international platform, as the Indian feed is telecast in 130 countries where FTV is seen as well.
    "As regards advertising on the channel, what is important for us is synergy with the brand, whether they be top of the line consumer products or lifestyle brands"

    Has the atmosphere improved for FTV in India after Ravi Shankar Prasad took over as the information and broadcasting minister?
    Actually, the channel was a victim of perception since its entry into the country. Of course, the European ideal of fashion is very different from the Asian one, leave alone the Indian one. India ranks as a very big market for us, the others being Russia and China. When we realized that content was not palatable to Indian 'family audience' tastes, we changed some of the content on the channel, particularly the one that appears on times that are considered Indian viewing times. The question of being continuously under the magnifying glass doesn't really arise now, as we are quite in the clear.

    What about advertising on the channel?
    Although I cannot reveal figures, as regards advertising on the channel, what is important for us is synergy with the brand, whether they be top of the line consumer products or lifestyle brands. Our advertisers also understand that we add value to their brands – in a way, we build their brands by being FTV. The brands currently advertising on the channel are Provogue, Add Gel, Asmi, Evian, Carta Blanca, Fiat Palio, Shock, Lakme, Indian Airlines, Wills Sport, Mysore Sandal, Honda Siel, Le Pashmina, Trigger Jeans, Liberty, L'Oreal, Nokia, Raymonds, Reebok, Samsung, AC Black, Sheetal Design Studio, Benetton, Swarovsky, Kingfisher, Smirnoff and others.

    Isn't much of viewership on Fashion TV India voyeuristic rather than serious?
    That's not true. Although there may be some amount of voyeuristic viewing, we have not monitored it seriously. For us, what matters is the serious viewer who is clued into what is happening at what time on the channel. Our research shows that it is the SEC A viewer in the metros who is the recurring viewer.
  • FTV India – time for consolidation

    FTV India – time for consolidation

    Film fashion, heritage textiles and more designers is what FTV plans to unleash on the Indian viewer this year.

    It‘s bided its time well. Fashion TV has, since its launch in India in August 2001, faced the wrath of the government machinery and the moral brigade – angst that overshadowed the channel‘s real purpose of showcasing fashion and lifestyle. With the clouds clearing in the last few months (I&B minister Sushma Swaraj‘s shift to parliamentary affairs may have just been a lucky coincidence), FTV India is now ready to go Indian with a vengeance.

    The first step will be to double its existing two hours of India-based programming. Indian programming currently includes more than 100 hours of exclusive India-centric programmes including multi-camera coverage of shows by India‘s top designers; group showings by upcoming designers; Designer Speak in which leading designers talk to Fashion TV about their collections, their inspirations; Model Watch, a ready reckoner on some of India‘s top fashion faces, which are all aired as part of Fashion India at 10 pm.

    But newly appointed programming and creative services head Anita Horam (click here for interview) is clear that while the additional content will be from the region, the format will be kept international. “We prefer short duration clips, heavy on music but less of talk,” she says. FTV also plans to take Indian designer content from the ramp shows to exotic locations, that are aesthetically appealing. European viewers are fashion savvy, but Indians, not always. Heritage fashion and textiles will be a major aspect of FTV programming in the form of capsules in the coming days. Horam says the final aim of FTV India is to cover the entire fashion fraternity, not just the designers, but also other fashion professionals, like photographers, hair and make up stylists etc.

    Model Maushmi displaying the look designed by Anshu Arora, Deepika Govind and Pria Kataria Puri for the Indian Airlines ground staff

    An important aspect of revamped FTV content will be film fashion, which a perceptive Horam has identified as a key influencer of the country‘s fashion and lifestyle scene. All this will emerge gradually on the channel by July, along with a changed look with different graphics and packaging, which will be simple, but sophisticated, says Horam.

    The on air look is the not the only one that‘s changing. The channel (Paris headquartered, that‘s known internationally for the F brand in music, clothing, accessories) took a plunge into brand extensions with the launch of the first Asian F Bar and Lounge in Bangalore. The success of the bar (designed for fashion sampling, fashion shows, bringing in international DJs and models) has spurred FTV into thinking about launching similar lounges in metros like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai this year and even in lesser metros later, depending on the response.

    Next month, FTV India will plunge full fledged into promoting the brand among the country‘s elite. With the Cleared for take off contest in association with the national domestic carrier Indian Airlines, FTV India will not only promote three designers who are in the fray for revamping the look of IA ground staff, it will also enhance the image of the channel in the eyes of passengers who will vote for the best look among the 12 designs thrown up by the three designers. A scholarship scheme for aspiring designers in association with the UK based Wigan & Leigh institute and Femina Girl is also on, planned with the up and coming fashion designers in the country.

    On air too, the channel is sparing no effort to make the Indian presence felt abroad. While FTV business development head Manivel Malone who was in the country recently acknowledged that India ranks among the top three international markets for FTV, along with Russia and China, it took model Tapur Chatterjee to participate in a reality show Model Flat to Paris, and tied up with the Indo Italian Chamber of Commerce for taking model Sheetal Mallar to Milan for a show.

    The channel rates itself against GRPs and reach, says Horam, and cities like Kolkata and Hyderabad have emerged as major markets for the channel, which is why the channel recently had a nine designer show in Kolkata, which was well received. Distributed by the Modi Entertainment Network, FTV is seen in an estimated 15 million C&S households in India.

    In a never before strategy, the channel will also launch a press campaign, a high end and focused campaign that will not dilute its niche channel image.

    The fact that there are no immediate rivals for the channel has helped, though Horam maintains that “our positioning is that of being a fashion insider, and our job is to show as soon as possible whatever is happening on the fashion scene, locally and internationally ? we are not really thinking about competition.”

    Internationally, more than 500 hours of new programming is aired every year covering over 300 new shows and 600 new clips every season. Programming includes Short Captive Programmes such as Non-Stop Fashion, Style and Parties, 3 mins fashion clips etc, Non-stop fashion programmes such as Brand Clips, International Fashion Weeks, Young Designers, Models etc, and also coverage of Fashion TV events and other special events.
  • FTV India to change look of IA ground staff

    FTV India to change look of IA ground staff

    MUMBAI: Don’t look, it’s changing. Fashion TV India that plans to add an additional two hours of Indian programming content to the existing hours daily, will also go in for a changed look in a couple of months.
     

    The fresh channel ID, graphics et al are all being created in house at FTV India headquarters in Mumbai. The additional hours of programming, to be created inhouse showcasing Indian fashion and lifestyle, too are slated to go on air by July.

    For the first time, FTV India is also indulging in a major marketing initiative to promote its brand image among the upper crust of India’s discerning public. In an innovative tie up with the national domestic carrier Indian Airlines, FTV has offered to revamp the look of its ground staff. Three designers have been shortlisted for the task – Priya Kataria Puri of Mumbai, Deepika Govind of Bangalore and Anshu Arora Sen of Delhi. Each will create a set of four looks each. But the final selection of the designer will rest with Indian Airlines passengers who fly IA between 12 and 30 May.

    Based on a catalogue of the garments (saris and an interpretation of the traditional blouse) modeled by Moushmi (better known as the Nescafe girl), passengers will vote for the most preferred look, which will then be assigned to the designer chosen. FTV has also offered 12 couple tickets to international destinations as prizes for the lucky winners among the IA passengers, says FTV India programming and creative services head Anita Horam.

    Apart from established designers, the channel is also promoting itself among aspiring fashion designers. It has just announced a scholarship with Femina Girlz, wherein based on the sketches of the aspiring designers, shortlisted candidates will win scholarships to the Wigan & Leigh Institute in London. An amount of Rs 50 lakh ( Rs five million) has been set aside for the same.