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Tag: AXN

  • AXN ties up with Sudhir Mishra’s ‘Inkaar’

    MUMBAI: Action oriented broadcaster AXN has tied up with Sudhir Mishra‘s movie ‘Inkaar‘, starring Arjun Rampal and Chitrangada Singh.

    An on-air and social media tie-up, the campaign is already on. The contest asks the fans to choose their favourite movie character-Rahul Verma (Arjun Rampal) and Maya Luthra (Chitrangada Singh). AXN in association with Inkaar, gives a chance to the lucky few to watch the premiere of the movie with none other than the star cast themselves.

    The contest on social media comes from the fact of Alpha men and Omega women which is the basis of the movie. AXN has also shot a very sassy promo for the contest which is an integrated promo for AXN‘s ongoing 15 year celebration.

    Fans can visit AXN India‘s Facebook page and vote for their favorite movie character and can get the opportunity to sit next to stars watching ‘Inkaar‘.

  • Pallavi Chakravarti joins Taproot as associate creative director

    MUMBAI: Taproot India has appointed Pallavi Chakravarti to the post of associate creative director. This is the first senior hiring in the creative department since Taproot India started. She will be based in Mumbai and will report to the co-founders and chief creative officers Agnello Dias and Santosh Padhi. Her previous stint was with Grey Worldwide.

    Chakravarti has eight years of experience in the field and has worked with Saatchi & Saatchi, JWT and Grey before joining Taproot India. She has worked on brands like Rin, Bajaj Allianz, Nutrine, Vimal, Diageo, Ariel, Head & Shoulders, Reliance Communications, Leela Group, IndianOil, Bharat Petroleum, cleartrip.com, AXN and SOTC.

    “Apart from both of us, there is a powerful team of 30 odd people who have played a huge role in what Taproot India is today, because we have been hand picking people personally as apart from great work we try and make sure the person is a great human being as well.” said Santosh Padhi “While hiring it was very important for us to make sure the person fits into the existing culture seamlessly,” said Dias.

  • ‘IPL is our biggest property and we can’t afford to undersell’ : MSM president network sales, licensing & telephony Rohit Gupta

    ‘IPL is our biggest property and we can’t afford to undersell’ : MSM president network sales, licensing & telephony Rohit Gupta

    Multi Screen Media (formerly Sony EntertainmentTelevision India) is beginning to enjoy a remarkable turnaround story. The Indian Premier League (IPL) has surfaced as cricket‘s most lucrative property, Sony Entertainment Television has climbed to the No. 2 position in the Hindi GEC (general entertainment channel) space andSab has grown beyond its flanking channel status.

     

    The other channels have also moved up the hierarchy. English movie channel Pix has raced past HBO and AXN has protected its turf quite strongly. Mix, the pure music channel, has had a good start. Being the only channel in that space that has network strength, it has taken up the challenge to grow the market and ramp up revenues.

     

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com‘s Sibabrata Das, MSM president network sales, licensing & telephony Rohit Gupta talks about how the company is going to end this fiscal with a 40 per cent ad revenue growth and a 25 per cent growth in FY‘13.

    Excerpts:

    MSM raked in Rs 9 billion in ad revenue from the IPL last year. But is growth slowing down for the property due to a fall in ratings in the previous edition of the T20 tournament?
    I won‘t comment on how much ad revenue the IPL earned last year. But, yes, there is a little bit of anxiety on how IPL will do this year as advertisers have to set aside a large outlay for advertising on it. The ratings were down last time but we are sure that with marketing buzz starting, the IPL will come back on track. There was high intensity cricket with the World Cup preceding the IPL and India going on to win the championship. This year it is a clean slate and we have already stitched a few big sponsorship deals.

    Are we looking at a below double-digit growth as is evident from the deals that you have locked in so far?
    We have got marginal increase in rates but I can‘t comment on whether we will post double-digit growth or not. Also, don‘t forget that the base is already high.

    So has IPL as a property matured?
    We grew 30 per cent last year and so the IPL has matured to a certain extent. But if ratings start climbing, we will again see high growth.

    Hasn‘t it been a tough sell so far as by this time normally you manage to close almost 80 per cent of your ad inventory?
    Yes, it has taken us a longer time as we usually keep aside 20-75 per cent of the ad inventory time for spot sells. We have sold around 65 per cent of our inventory. But we will not be dropping rates as it will set a benchmark for next year. We have worked hard to scale up the value and won‘t undersell.

     

    The IPL TV rights are with us for another five years and it is our biggest property; we can‘t afford to discount its current value. T20 continues to grow in popularity; the formats that are not doing so well are the Tests and the ODIs.
    “There is an entry barrier for new players as the cost of running a Hindi GEC is as high as Rs 5-6 billion. Which new player has that appetite after a few of them have severely burnt their fingers? This has helped us scale up revenues even as our own channels have grown“

    So the new BCCI tender for international cricket played in India will not be as valuable as it was when Nimbus held the TV rights a few years back? Will that be the calculation when Sony bids this time?
    Perhaps, Nimbus was not able to exploit the revenues as well as it could have. We have a strong ad sales team. We are a network and our distribution (as a JV with Discovery) has muscle.

    When Sony launches a sports channel, it will have to acquire other cricket rights than just the IPL and New Zealand board. Can ad rates be driven further up to support aggressive bids at higher acquisition costs for cricketing properties than their current value?
    We are not going to make irrational bids but evaluate properties from a profit perspective. We feel that some of the boards are overvalued and there will be some price rationalisation. Cricket seems to have plateaued off to a certain extent. A few years back, broadcasters could get massive rate increases . That led to steep rise in acquisition costs. We are not in that market situation today. Don‘t forget that some people have lost a lot of money on cricket.

    Are we seeing some categories of advertisers retrenching from the sport due to the current tough economic environment?
    Handset manufacturers are finding it difficult today. The auto sector has taken some hit. But though telecom service providers are under profit margin pressures, the intense competition in the sector will spur them to advertise.

    When will MSM‘s ad revenues touch the Rs 20 billion mark?
    I can‘t talk on financials. But as a network, we will post a 40 per cent ad revenue growth this fiscal. Between Sony Entertainment Television, Sab and Max we are the No. 1 network in the Hindi heartland. And in the Hindi GEC space, we have two among the top five channels. The best part is that each of them is commanding a different kind of target audience and not cannibalizing each other. We are looking at a 25 per cent ad revenue growth in FY‘13.

    How far has SET contributed to this growth?
    Our flagship channel has grown this fiscal and is today the second-ranked in the space. The rise of SET has increased our negotiating power. Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) is an impact property and is a strong revenue driver for us.

     

    Fiction is what we had missed out for the last 3-4 years. But it has started doing well. We have an upscale, urban skew; our male viewership is also very strong. Advertisers chase this segment and our fitment is the best.

    Will SET launch an afternoon band to create a new revenue stream or still have a primetime overhang?
    We have no such plans; it doesn‘t make a big difference to your ratings and, hence, advertisers have little interest for it. Hindi GECs have preferred to expand their primetime and it now fills up the early evening from 6 pm right up to 12 in the night; there is a lot of viewership in that time band. The market exists in the evening-to-night slot and not in the afternoon.
    Does Sab still play the role of a flanking channel or it has grown beyond?
    It is not anymore just a flanking channel; it is a proper GEC, has a strong viewership and, as a family comedy channel, is uniquely positioned. Sab has helped our network revenues to grow.
    Has the Hindi GEC ad revenue market expanded this fiscal and will we see more channel launches in this space?
    It (Hindi GEC space) has now become a game for the big boys. There is an entry barrier for new players as the cost of running a Hindi GEC is as high as Rs 5-6 billion. Which new player has that appetite after a few of them have severely burnt their fingers? This has helped us even as our own channels have grown. Even in a digital environment, it will be tough for a new player. Segmentation is not possible because GECs have to be mass and can‘t be niche due to the huge costs involved to run it.

    Is Max under pressure due to steep acquisition costs for Hindi movies?
    The Hindi movie genre, pegged at Rs 9 billion, is under pressure from revenue as well as high acquisition costs. Viewership for the genre in terms of GRPs (GRPs) is not growing. Though Max will post ad revenue growth of 15 per cent this fiscal, costs have gone up. We did intelligent buying.

     

    There is bound to be a price correction in movie buying. Though Star went overboard last year, that strategy won‘t work every year. Some broadcasters are looking at launching action movie channels keeping digitalisation in mind. We have no such plans, at least not this year. We will wait to see how digitalisation evolves. Like GECs, the consumption of Hindi movies is more mass.
    Why did MSM decide to launch a music channel when the market is too crowded?
    Though the ad size is around Rs 2 billion at this stage, it is a good genre to be in. Mix‘s positioning of capturing the various moods during the day has got accepted and we believe that we will be the leader. As a pure music channel, we are here to grow the market. MTV and Channel [V] have taken a different route and focus on reality shows as their growth drivers. While other players in this pure music space have a standalone presence, we are the only one to have the network strength and will be able to ramp up revenues.
    Isn‘t the English entertainment space getting spoilt with new launches?
    The genre is growing and is still undersold. It is an important space to be in and is sold not on ratings but on perception. AXN stands out in this genre. As digitisation grows, we will see more launches.
    MSM doesn‘t have a footprint in regional-language broadcasting that is growing the fastest. Was letting TV18 Group acquire ETV a missed opportunity?
    The acquisition has to come at the right price. We are not desperate to launch channels. We do not believe in width that does not give us profits.
  • AXN Asia ropes in Chevrolet as sponsor for ‘Cash Cab’

    AXN Asia ropes in Chevrolet as sponsor for ‘Cash Cab’

    MUMBAI: Car manufacturer Chevrolet Asia is sponsoring action oriented broadcaster AXN Asia’s latest original production – ‘Cash Cab Asia’.

    Hosted by Oli Pettigrew, ‘Cash Cab Asia’ positions itself as being the only game show on wheels, whereby unsuspecting passengers board a Chevrolet Epica taxi and are quizzed on their general knowledge as they go to their destination.

    The questions increase in difficulty as they go along and if they get stumped, they can salvage their chances by making use of a “Mobile Shout-out” (by calling someone for help) and “Street Shout-Out” (just rolling down the window and asking someone on the streets for help). Every correct answer wins the passenger instant cash and they win more as the journey continue providing, of course, they continue to give the correct answers… and the ride is complimentary!

    On top of the Chevrolet Epica being featured in every episode of Cash Cab Asia, the Chevrolet brand gets additional mileage with brand-related questions asked by the host and through video questions integrated within the show.

    Chevrolet’s strong association with the show will be seen in more than 96 million AXN households across 21 countries.

    Sony Pictures Television Networks, Asia VP ad sales and marketing Jack Lim said, “We are delighted to be working with Chevrolet Asia again on the next big AXN original production. With Cash Cab Asia we have managed to create the perfect vehicle for a partner like Chevrolet to do branded entertainment and we are grateful to have a partner who understands that the entertainment component, which will be very high in this show, is as critical as ensuring that their brand integration in the show is natural and seamless. With this show, I am sure everyone is going to be looking out for that very special Chevrolet!.”

    Alpine Group GM David Pang said, “As a trusted automobile brand with a century’s history of premium quality, there is no other platform that fits our brand as well as AXN, a leading entertainment destination in South East Asia. Likewise, we are pleased to work with AXN again for Cash Cab Asia and we believe that our collaboration will drive both brands to new heights of excellence.”

  • ‘We focus on films that have high repeat value’ : Movies Now channel head Ajay Trigunayat

    ‘We focus on films that have high repeat value’ : Movies Now channel head Ajay Trigunayat

    he English movie channel genre is sized at Rs 3.25 billion and is expected to grow at 20-25 per cent due to the entry of new players.

    The competition among the channels has grown the number of advertisers to 340 in 2010, up 21.4 per cent from the year-ago period, which had attracted 280 advertisers.

    Companies advertising more on this genre are the new telecom companies, automobiles, electronics and white goods. FMCG, though, continues to be the largest ad spender.

    Barely three months old, Movies Now from the Times TV Network stable is looking at doubling its advertising rates as it claims leadership among a specific upscale young audience group in the metros.

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com‘s Ashwin Pinto, Movies Now channel head Ajay Trigunayat talks about the growth of the genre and how important it is to build a library that stresses on repeat value potential.

    Excerpts:

    We are seeing new channels coming into the English space, be it movies, entertainment or lifestyle. What factors are fuelling this boom?

    India is riding on a robust cable and satellite growth. The television household universe has grown from 128 million homes to 145 homes over two years. Within this cable and satellite has grown from 84 million to 110 million.

    There is also healthy digital growth happening. The number of digital homes will touch 30 million by the end of the financial year. Cricket will fuel this growth.

    Channels are looking forward to being able to charge the right price to the consumers, so that they can make the right amount of subscription income.

    What will new entrants do to the English space?

    I believe they will grow the genre. Earlier, you had HBO and Star Movies dominate the English movie genre; nobody challenged their viewership. Our aim is to challenge the status quo of these two players.

    Simultaneously, Star World and AXN dominated the English general entertainment space. Reliance launched a channel, but so far it has not caught the fancy of the viewers. It is important to build the right distribution and the right content.

    What do viewers expect from the English movie genre?

    Their expectations have changed dramatically over the past decade. Earlier, it was important that at 9 pm Terminator 2 would show and you would watch it. Now with a plethora of channels coming in, viewers no longer make appointment viewing. They surf across channels.

    People do not watch a whole movie anymore. They might watch a segment of a movie that they like again and again. There is a dramatic shift to random viewing. This determines how you place content and schedule it. Content selection makes a lot of difference.

    Why did The Times Group launch an HD channel now?

    We decided to look at a key differentiator for Movies Now as our content has played on other channels. We decided to provide the best audio and visual experience.

    As you go along, most channels will be in high definition. The Times Group has a commitment to deliver the best readership or viewership to the upscale audience.

    What challenges do you face?

    Doing an HD channel poses its own challenges. We are a completely tapeless library. We use the best of servers and post production facilities. We use half the space for HD that you would need in standard definition. There are cost benefits that we are trying to exploit.

    But moving from SD to HD is a learning curve for the organisation. If Star Movies and HBO want to do it, they can just transfer their experience in other markets to India. We had to start from scratch. So it took a little longer for us to launch compared to a broadcaster, who is already running HD feeds globally.

    ‘Competition gets Rs 3500-5000 per 10-second spot. We want to reach Rs 3000 per spot by increasing the effective rates by 100 per cent over the next three months‘
     

    What investment has been made and what targets have been set for the year?

    I cannot talk about figures. However as a Group, we believe in being No. 1. Movies Now is ahead of the competition, if you look at C&S 15-34 SEC A,B metros, we have a 34 per cent share in this segment.

    We are not into running new movies. We focus on films that people want to watch over and over again. People watch films like True Lies over and over again. They are not interested in films like The Hurt Locker, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, though that may be the popular perception. If you can manage and create a library which has high repeat potential, then you will be successful.

    We have also gone for top of the line high definition. This is not pseudo high definition 720p. This is 1080i. We deliver 5.1 surround sound. When we launched, our GRPs jumped to 77 which was an 80 per cent category growth. The category has settled at 68 GRPs. Only in Hyderabad are we behind due to issues of distribution, which we will crack in due course.

    In the last 12 weeks, eight out of the top 10 movies are ours. On the weekends, we are ahead apart from two weeks. Our distribution is at par with competition. We caught up with Star Movies in the last three weeks.

    What time frame has been set to be profitable?

    Most projects set a time frame of three to five years. For us, though, given the start that we have got, we expect to break-even faster.

    But when you have more players content costs go up. Isn’t this a challenge?

    It is. High content costs put pressure on the bottom line. Over the past six years, costs have gone up by around 3.5 times for this genre.

    Earlier, it was a buyer’s market. That started changing when Zee’s deal with MGM ended; they had to buy titles from other distribution companies.

    Revenue can be difficult to push for as there are options for clients. But we have a 34 per cent channel share in our target segment. We want to increase our effective rates by 100 per cent. The key challenge for the next quarter is maximum monetisation, based on our channel’s performance.

    But since you do not have premieres, aren’t content costs much lower than competition?

    Not really! We play the best of the best content. When you pick up a Titanic or a True Lies, you pay for it. But if you just want those titles, you have to pay a significant premium as you are not picking up other stuff from the studio. We deal with studios including Sony, MGM and Warner.

    Long term deals ranging from five to 10 years have been signed. At the same time, the independents have nothing significant. Earlier people were not selling content only for India. They would sell it only at an Asia Pacific level. The first thing we did in 2007 was to convince studios to carve out India as a separate territory. We have proven to them that India has potential.

    The studios are happy with Movies Now. Each month we introduce 30-40 new titles. It is not that we rehash the FPC.

    Could you talk about the library that Movies Now has?

    We have close to 500 films in our library now. We are concentrating on movies like Titanic and Apocalypto that people want to watch over and over. Our strategy is different. Speed was the highest rated movie in the last six months.

    Also in a year, there are only a handful of blockbusters that come in. The viewer wants a good movie, regardless of when it was made.

    So you are not doing what Pix did, which is start with library content and move on to more premieres?

    Pix started with what I call classic, niche movies. We play popular blockbuster movies that appeal to an average English movie viewing person. Pix took nearly two years to realise that they needed to play films like Charlies Angels to get viewership into place.

    We are a very premium, High Definition brand. The perception among viewers is that our audio video clarity and choice of movies is better compared to competition. These two things came across in some dipstick research done.

    But since most homes do not have an HDTV set, aren’t you at a disadvantage?

    If you play an HD file on a laptop, it looks much better compared to a standard definition file. The quality of playout at transmission is five times better even on an average LCD or plasma that is not HD. The picture and audio is better. Six cable operators offer HD like GTPL in Gujarat. The uptake of HD will grow. Even on a regular non HD TV set, HD playout and transmission delivers better picture quality than standard layout and transmission.

    In terms of distribution, did you focus on digital homes?

    We have chosen to get our act right on cable first. This meant a significant investment in carriage fees. Only later did we look at DTH. After all, 88 per cent of viewership still comes from analogue cable. Four per cent comes from digital cable and eight per cent comes from DTH.
    We are available on all DTH platforms, except for Tata Sky. We are at an 18 per cent reach of the TG, which is the same as Star Movies. 19 million viewers watch us in a week.

    How is the programming structured?

    Content is just one piece. We follow a holistic strategy across. People who have seen True Lies many times may want to see it again, compared to The Hurt locker, which many people may not want to see even once. True Lies got a TVR of 0.47. The Hurt Locker on its first airing got a TVR of 0.04. Due to our audio and video quality, people would rather watch a film here than any another channel.
     

    What about programming blocks?

    In terms of programming blocks, we have kept things simple. People like to watch movies on the weekend. There is a distinct dispersion towards weekend viewership versus weekday viewership. Moviethon airs from 11 am-11pm where we play the best of movies back to back. We call it ‘From Sunlight To Midnight’.

    On Saturdays, we have a comedy block in the afternoon, where two movies air back to back.

    There is Love boat at 9 pm on Monday and Grand Nights on Saturdays at 9 pm. We are also actively considering creating an afternoon slot for women.

    Each month we do festivals. We did a complete Rocky festival from January- March. This month, we are doing a festival around Shaolin and Kung Fu movies, which have been digitally mastered in HD and 1080i.

    How do you see HDTV technology spreading?

    There are already five million HD or HD ready TV sets in the country, that are not captured by research. They have come in from outside. If you walk into a shop today, all you see is a display of HD TV sets.

    When people buy a new TV, they go in for HD as the price point has come down dramatically. You can own an HDTV set for Rs. 12,000 – sometimes even for Rs 9000! The adoption of HD is there.

    If you look at the advertising of a Samsung or a Sony over the last three years, you will not find an ad for standard definition. In a TV shop, you see LEDs.

    If appointment viewing has gone, how do you build brand loyalty?

    There is brand loyalty to a channel, but no loyalty towards a time slot. People are not saying that they will watch a film at 9 pm. We are top of the mind recall.

    What are you doing for the summer?

    From 1-28 April, we will have a sci-fi festival on Friday and Saturday at 11 pm. From 18-26 April, there is another festival called Hollywood heroes at the moment. The best films of the likes of Anjelina Jolie, Sandra Bullock and Will Smith will be showcased from Monday to Thursday at 11 pm.

    There are many players creating a unique look and feel. How did you approach this challenging task?

    We were very clear on the brand identity. Our brand needed to be premium. So the packaging had to be at par with Star movies and HBO. We selected London-based DixonBaxi, which has worked for USA Network and MTV; they have done packaging for the Universal Channels worldwide. We also chose the best voiceovers in the world for our ads. Each element that informs the viewer of who we are, was done carefully. We don’t concentrate on a USP. We focus on providing a holistic 360 degree experience to the viewer.

    What kind of promotional activities does Movies Now do?

    We are fortunate because of our parental linkage; we get a lot of coverage in The Times of India. This is the best vehicle to promote any English channel.

    We also do outdoor. We advertised on Ten Cricket. We did an alliance with Gold’s Gym for Rocky. We have just done another alliance with the BJN Group. Two months back, people did not want to do marketing alliances with us. Now, increasingly they are willing. We tied with many retail outlets such as Croma: you only see Movies Now playing there. This is complimentary to the sale of HDTV sets.

    We have done an alliance with Big Cinemas for the DVD release of Harry Potter. There is a contest and two winners get to go to the sets of the film in the UK and Hollywood. Later in the year, we could do tie ups for theatrical releases. The film has to appeal to a mass audience, for us to benefit. There is a film called Sucker Punch being released, but we are not sure if it will appeal to the masses.

    Digital forms an important part of marketing for the English movie genre. What activities do you do?

    We are fairly active on Facebook and have a site. But if you look at Internet penetration, it is still low. So traditional mediums outscore digital. I am not discounting the importance of digital, but it has a long way to go. On websites, we do activities to provide the right experience for the viewer and the trade.
    Isn’t digital more cost effective for you?

    We have found it more expensive. It has not given us the kind of reach and conversions to viewership, the way traditional media has. Digital media is still hype; it has not built up to the extent that it should have. It is traditional media that is giving you 90 per cent of results.

    On the ad front, are you encouraged?

    Clients want an upscale urban audience. Our TG is C&S 15-34 SEC A,B metros as it is the aggregate TG of all our clients. We have 40 advertisers. Our source of revenue is advertising, as we pay hefty carriage fees.

    English movie channels have touched Rs 3.25 billion. The English entertainment channels including the GECs contribute Rs 1 billion. So there is Rs 4.25 billion at stake.

    We expect a 20-25 per cent growth for English movies this year. If competition had not come in, we would have seen 10-12 per cent growth this year.

    Lack of competition led to stagnation in terms of ad revenue for the English movie genre. Now with us coming in, Star Movies, HBO, Pix are all doing more things. There is healthy competition, which will lead to healthy ad revenues.

    How do your rates compare?

    They are not comparable. Competition gets Rs 3500-5000 per 10 second spot. We want to reach Rs 3000 per spot by increasing the effective rates by 100 per cent over the next three months.

    280 advertisers were on English Movie channels in 2009. In 2010, the number grew to 340.

    New telecom companies, automobiles, electronics and white goods advertise more. FMCG continues to be the largest ad spender on this genre, followed by telecom and mobile. Then come consumer electronics.

    Is the cricket season impacting viewership of English movies?

    Yes! Depending on the performance of the India matches, it drops. In one week, there was a dip of 27 per cent. In another week, when the match was not on a Sunday, the dip was 15 per cent. It also depends on how well India is doing.
     

    Does counter programming work?

    We are not doing this. What we have done is build our content before and after cricket in a certain manner, and during the game in a certain manner. A match gets over by 10:30 pm. So our best films air at 11 pm.

    We place non-male viewership films during a cricket match. So people who want alternative content to cricket, can watch us. There are limitations within which we operate. Let us see what happens.

    Are you also looking at film-based shows?

    No! We are just playing movies back to back. In our analysis, whenever there is a film-based show on an English movie channel, the viewership drops – sometimes by as much as 70 per cent! We do not want any drop in viewership for the sake of differentiation. But we are considering doing a show in such a manner, that it would add viewership.

    How much inventory has been sold?

    We are running at 70 per cent inventory utilisation. The push has to come from an increased rate. For the past Saturday, we were sold out, but it was a peculiar case. The Indian cricket team normally plays on Sunday and so people want to use us more on Fridays and Saturdays. We dropped 120 spots.

    Inventory utilisation is at around 95 per cent across English movie channels. But the rates are not right. So you might have to grow the amount of inventory available.

  • SPE Networks – Asia expands representation in Taiwan

    SPE Networks – Asia expands representation in Taiwan

    MUMBAI: SPE Networks – Asia has inked a deal with Hong-Gi International Co and will provide certain channel services to its Taiwanese local Chinese language movie channel, LS Time Movie.

    According to the deal, SPE Networks – Asia‘s Taiwan-based team will be responsible for LS Time Movie‘s advertising sales, certain technical services, on- and off-air promotions, and communications. 
     
    Said SPE Networks – Asia senior vice president and general manager Ricky Ow, “We are thrilled about the addition of a Chinese movie channel to our advertising portfolio. The inclusion of LS Time Movie will help us build and make available more creative and comprehensive solutions to advertisers and we are excited about the potential of this partnership and the channel‘s blockbuster programming line up for 2011.” 
     
    The 24-hour Chinese-language movie channel, LS Time Movie, adds to SPE Networks – Asia‘s current advertising sales portfolio in Taiwan which includes AXN and Animax. 
     
    Averred Hong-GI International Co General Manager Chen Chuan Ming, “LS Time Movie is a quality channel offering some of the best and latest movies from across Asia, drawn from a great variety of genres. The channel has a wide appeal and there is great potential for it to grow further. Entering into this partnership, we believe that the SPE Networks – Asia team has the capability and expertise to take the LS Time Movie business to the next level.”

  • ‘AXN prides itself on always being a challenger brand’ : Sony Pictures Entertainment senior VP, GM Ricky Ow

    ‘AXN prides itself on always being a challenger brand’ : Sony Pictures Entertainment senior VP, GM Ricky Ow

    These are challenging times for pan Asian broadcasters. The economic downturn has meant that ad revenue targets will not be easy to meet. And for the action-oriented broadcaster AXN, this is more so with its parent Japanese electronics major Sony scaling back as it posted its first loss in many years. Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE), however, is looking at opportunities to snap up assets in the Asian region that would come at an attractive price.

     

    AXN, which launched in 1998 as an Asian channel, has grown in stature and moved to the matured markets, attracting male audiences. Localisation has also worked as a strategy.

     

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com‘s Ashwin Pinto, Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) Networks Asia senior VP, GM Ricky Ow elaborates on the channel‘s brand positioning, growth, challenges and expansion plans.

     

    Excerpts:
     

     
    Parent company Sony is scaling back due to a downturn in the global economy. How is this affecting SPE Networks Asia in terms of investing more in content and channels?
    SPE Networks – Asia will continue to invest in content and channels because opportunities are presenting themselves in Asia. Especially during such tough economic times, people realise the need for television as an affordable form of entertainment. With the wave of TV digitisation starting to sweep through the region, there will be opportunities for us to grab some real assets in the new digital world.
     

     
    What are the challenges that pan Asian broadcasters like AXN face in these tough times?
    Firstly, there remains substantial revenue leakage through piracy. Secondly, competition continues to increase with more channels and choices entering the market. As audiences become increasingly fragmented with growing competition for their attention, business plans have to remain relevant.

     

    In addition, new media offers opportunities for the brand to go beyond television – for content to be consumed anytime, anywhere, in many forms. At this time, however, all players in the industry are still in the race to find the perfect business model that will work for new media platforms.
     

     
    Another challenge is that the English GEC genre is perceived to be used as a ‘snack‘ by viewers. How do you go beyond that and try to build stickiness?
    It is a misconception that AXN offers ‘snack TV‘. Many of our shows are of an hour‘s length per episode and others are even two hours long. AXN programmes offer a destination to escape to. One of the reasons why we have remained as the dominant player in this genre is that we offer something different and viewers actually watch and follow, not just surf through our content.
     

     
    When Sony launched AXN in India way back in 1998, it was to be an action and adventure channel for male audiences. To what extent have the objectives been achieved?
    When Sony launched AXN in India back in 1998, it was the first action and adventure channel. We had set out to be the first to create such a genre, and to be the best. I think we have succeeded as we continue to offer the best today, even in the face of rising competition from channels trying to replicate AXN‘s successful model.

     

    We also wanted to offer high quality English entertainment to audiences in India as well as the rest of Asia that is growing in sophistication and affluence. We felt that a channel with unique content of distinguished quality will not only excite the top end of the market, but also markets that are as a whole more mature, with viewers that are sophisticated and well-travelled. I believe that these goals have also been achieved today.

     
     
    How has AXN evolved as a brand over the years?
    AXN began as a high-end proposition. It was one that targetted affluent adults as well as children from affluent households. Since then, action and adventure as a genre has in many ways extended itself to mass markets because it is a universal language. With the viewership numbers that the action and adventure genre is delivering today, AXN is definitely not a niche channel, but a unique content destination with far wider appeal than we originally thought.

     
     ‘Investments of the earlier days into on-ground events, then into original programming, and more recently into the Action Awards, have all worked out well for AXN‘
     

     
    What were the challenges AXN faced in establishing the brand?
    AXN was blessed to have started out when competition was not that great in the market. A brand is made up of a brand promise and product fulfilment to the consumer. For AXN, our brand promises and product fulfilment have always been very closely aligned since its early days. In a lot of cases AXN over-delivered on brand promises, and that has had a long term positive impact as the channel has won over audiences‘ loyalty and affection.

     

    The best evidence of that was seen during the ban on AXN in India some years back. Viewers missed AXN and wanted the channel back on TV. This was strong testimony that AXN has indeed done well as a brand.

     

    Investments of the earlier days into on-ground events, then into original programming, and more recently into the Action Awards, have all worked out well for what AXN stands for.
     

     
    AXN started as an Asian channel and then moved elsewhere. How far has it succeeded in this?
    AXN was born in Asia and was then marketed around the world. This shows that quality channels need not always be created in the West or elsewhere and then parachuted into Asia. Sony had the belief and confidence we could launch a channel first in Asia, and then bring it around the world.

     

    We have created original content like AXN Asia‘s The Amazing Race Asia. The reality race has been one of the most difficult to produce, and yet we have done well at it. In doing so, we have achieved our goal of creating original Asian productions which are good enough to be watched around the world.

     

    AXN Asia‘s sister channel Animax, Asia‘s anime and youth entertainment channel, has also made breakthroughs. In 2009, Animax offered content in shortened broadcast windows, via simulcast deals with Japanese studios and broadcasters. Shows like InuYasha – The Final Act and Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood have been broadcast within the same week as the Japanese broadcast, and Tears to Tiara in a same-time-as-Japan simulcast. This has been a big step to ensure fans and viewers catch the shows on the channel and nowhere else.

     

    AXN and Animax were among the first channels in the region to provide mobile offerings. Animax Mobile 3G streaming service was launched about two years ago, while AXN also had mobile-based content for its top shows. A highlight of AXN‘s mobile venture include exclusive video footage which was unavailable on TV, for The Amazing Race Asia in ‘The Host‘s Diary‘ where show host Allan Wu shared his thoughts and added to the entire show viewing experience for AXN viewers.

     
     
    And on the marketing front?
    On the marketing front, AXN prides itself on always being a challenger brand. We continue to view AXN as a challenger and are prepared to pursue innovative and creative marketing strategies to grab attention, but without offending the cultures, sensitivities and sensibilities of each market.

     

    The ads that we have created over the years have always been outstanding, and can capture viewers‘ attention and excitement of the channel, but never offensive. We have been consistently doing so and AXN is one of the few TV networks in Asia that have pursued such aggressive marketing strategies.

     
     
    In 2002-2003 AXN made a deliberate shift away from movies and focussed more on top line shows like Alias, 24. What factors prompted the move and how did this help in terms of ratings?
    In 2002, AXN shifted in focus away from movies, but the channel continued to offer regular movie slots. The shift in focus was to ensure AXN had a richer variety in the programming mix that still offers action and adventure to our viewers.

     

    Back then, drama series such as 24 and Alias were not as well watched as movies, but seeing that the quality of production in such series were as good as some movies, we were confident viewers would take to the new drama series on AXN.

     

    Indeed, movies widen the overall reach of channels. However, our reduction in movies has not affected AXN‘s reach in this case; movies continued to be part of the programming mix. The increase in drama series offerings enhanced AXN‘s connection with viewers at the top end of the market. This is difficult to measure by ratings, but there are considerable viewers that AXN reaches out to. They are opinion leaders and trend-setters, and they demand such content.

     

    AXN‘s ability to successfully market such drama series has also contributed to greater viewer ‘stickiness‘ to the channel. While a movie is a one-off show, drama series average 13-15 episodes per season, and that has worked to keep audiences coming back to AXN.

     
     
    How big a role have local shows played?
    We started off with local events and progressed to producing local shows, both of which added to the overall AXN experience. In recent years, AXN has focussed on regional or international shows that India is a part of. While such regional shows are not dedicated to India alone, these offer a totally different experience to Indian audiences. We will continue to produce more of such regional shows that will include India and the rest of Asia.

     

    Local events, local shows and regional shows with local elements have all brought different types of experiences and enjoyment to Indian audiences. With India becoming an increasingly important market for everyone including SPE Networks – Asia, we expect to offer more of the three different initiatives – local events, local shows and regional shows – in time to come to provide even more connectors with AXN.
     

     
    Is the localisation strategy the same across Asia?
    Localisation strategies are very similar across Asia, but with some markets having more localised shows and others able to participate in the regional shows that AXN creates. In that regard, we have been able to rope all markets in, and offer the same AXN touch and feel across the region.

     

    The economic downturn has helped SPE Networks – Asia as a whole to refine our plans. It has helped us re-set our priorities, re-evaluate our templates of success, and rethink if we can do things better. The economic downturn has definitely impacted us and everyone else, but we believe we can derive a positive outcome from it by re-examining what we assumed had worked in the past, and come up with new strategies to move forward. 

     

     
    How has AXN fine-tuned its localisation strategy this year?
    We have invested in local productions such as the AXN Action Awards, and will be looking at opportunities that can bring a very different touch in original productions that are relevant to India.

    In addition, we have introduced English subtitling in India to enable viewers who may not be used to some of the accents to still enjoy the shows on AXN.
     

     
    What is the programming focus this year?
    AXN has embarked on three major changes in 2009. Firstly, we have made aggressive efforts to introduce magic-reality programming in a big way, in India. We have brought two of the biggest magicians in the world – Criss Angel and David Blaine – to AXN viewers. These two are now household names not just in the U.S., but in Asia too. Coming up, AXN will be introducing another world-class magician in our brand new original production, called Cyril: Simply Magic.

     

    All three have been some of the most sought-after street magicians. With Cyril, his exposure in India has been limited so far, but with the upcoming production, viewers can see for themselves his brand of magic.

     

    In addition to the three magicians, we also premiered Breaking the Magician‘s Code. Unveiling the secrets behind the illusions and tricks, the show is able to really bring in both the high-end viewers as well as a wider audience base. I have high hopes that the series will do very well in India.

     

    A second new initiative that AXN has embarked on is the expansion of AXN‘s reality block to three-hours. The key difference here is that a large number of channels are now offering reality programming that have been successful on AXN, but audiences still recognize that we brought them the original, and continue to do so, and hence viewers are still watching AXN. Anchoring this block are good shows such as So You Think You Can Dance? and the latest reality game show WipeOut, which is produced by the same team that brought on Fear Factor.

     

    Thirdly, we have also increased our movie slots over the weekends to offer a wider appeal to audiences and broaden the viewership base. 

     
    To what extent have programming costs risen over the past couple of years with attempts to bring in the latest shows and seasons?
    AXN has always been bringing first-run and latest seasons of shows to offer the newest and best programming from the US, Europe and around the world on our channel. This is not new as it is one of the key reasons why viewers continue to tune-in to AXN.

     

    Indeed, the cost of programming has gone up over the years. But since this has been what we have been doing all along, the increased cost continues to be within our expectations. 

     
    Is new media going to play an important role for AXN in the coming two years like what it does in countries like Korea?
    There is no doubt that new media will play an important role in the future. The Internet has already proven its importance with governments having won elections using the medium cleverly. The growth of mobile usage, with ubiquitous ownership of mobile phones and lines among the masses, make the mobile platform very attractive to marketers. However, we, like everyone else, are still figuring out the business model for new media platforms at this point in time.

     

    New media adoption however, differs from market to market. Infrastructure, strategies, timelines, and market forces determine the rate of new media adoption in individual markets. Korea and Japan are leading at this point in time as early adopters of new media, while smaller markets like Singapore and Hong Kong are also ahead as these are smaller markets that offer ease of policy implementation and infrastructure establishment.

     

    We believe that there will be a lot more experimentation with new media in the next few years as the world races to find solutions to tap into new media platforms. As for India, it continues to be a volume game due to the size of the market. We are optimistic that with the right pricing, consumers will be persuaded to use new media, and because of the size of the market, the returns can still be very attractive for firms. We believe that once the necessary infrastructure is in place, there could be an explosion in new media take-up in India. 

     
    In the US, CBS opened an upscale restaurant where fans can experience the brand. Would this concept work in India and Asia?
    We certainly believe such a concept can work in India and Asia. In fact, we have been previously approached to set up AXN Cafés and Animax Cafés in the region.

     

    We believe that with the right partners who have the necessary expertise, coupled with the right level of commitment they put behind our brands, such a business opportunity will prove an interesting proposition. We have had some discussions so far, but we believe we have yet to find the right partners at this point in time. 

  • English GECs: The challenge of converting snackers into loyalists

    Getting in new audiences without losing the core identity. This is one of the main challenges facing the English general entertainment genre as the Indian television landscape gets more competitive. The genre is also at an interesting phase where the different players are working on new formats and varied scheduling strategies.

    Tam data (c&s, 15+, six metros) shows that AXN has maintained its lead. From January to June, the six-month average share of AXN is 52 per cent. Last year, in the five-month period (as it was off air in January), it had a share of 47 per cent.

    On the other hand, Zee Café has lost share. For the period last year excluding that one month (when AXN was banned), its share was 32 per cent which made it clearly ahead of Star World. This year its share has come down to 18 per cent. Star World, meanwhile, has managed to improve its share from 21 per cent to 28 per cent (January to June).

    In terms of the top shows, The Simpsons on Star World heads the list. AXN has 14 shows including its local show Magic Asia India, Video Zonkers and David Blaine. Zee Café is represented with shows like The Next Best Thing.

    AXN Asia executive director Yan Jong-Wong notes that to continue its strong focus on the action/adventure genre this year, the action-oriented broadcaster showcased new seasons of World’s Most Amazing Videos, Whacked Out Sports and Video Zonkers. “We have also introduced one of America’s latest hit reality-competition hit shows So You Think You Can Dance. For the new drama series, we have the Emmy-nominated Damages in our line-up,” says Jong-Wong.

    Local shows

    The original production area continues to grow in importance. One of these was Magic Asia: India which she says captured the hearts of the Indian viewers with two American magicians, Chris Korn and JB Benn. Jong-Wong says, “They brought the real excitement of street magic to the streets of India. They performed magic amongst its people and in the process, discovered the magic of India themselves.”

    Another local initiative that the channel is doing is called eBuzz. This show — hosted by Indian celebrity Archana — gives viewers the lowdown on Bollywood and Hollywood.

    “Our original productions are meant for all of Asia and India is very much a part of this. Our biggest original property for this year — The Amazing Race 3 — will be back on Thursday nights at 10 pm from 11 September with 20 new faces, 10 new teams, two of which are from India: a pair of cousins and a father and son team. This will be the toughest race ever. Our viewers can expect more buzz, more excitement and enjoy the thrill ride in this all new season” she explains.

    Jaong-Wong notes that the two slots of Elite Weekday (Mondays to Thursdays at 11 pm) and Elite Weekend (Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 3 pm), are especially branded for viewers who look for classy, high quality entertainment. “Shows like 24, CSI, Damages, House etc are perfect for the upwardly mobile, influential, well-heeled, affluent executives clued in to the best in TV entertainment,” she adds.

    Meanwhile, Star World VP-programming Jyotsna Viriyala says that a new structure with well-defined slots catering to specific target groups has been created. The aim is to expand the viewer base. “We created a strong afternoon line-up, we are strengthening our weekends and we’re working towards further optimising our timeslots,” she notes.

    The aim of the channel has been to strengthen the mix of sitcoms, dramas, talk shows and reality-driven content. Within this, bands like ‘happy hour’ are created which look to clearly communicate the nature of the slot. If shares are anything to go by then the channel has succeeded in its aim.

    Key Learnings

    When asked about what the learnings have been from operating in India for many years she notes that the broadcaster is fortunate to be one of the GEC channels that has a very distinct brand identity. The aim going forward will be to capitalise on this and strengthen it further.

     

    Top rated shows of English GECs in 2008, (Jan-June)
    Rank Channel Programme TVR
    1 Star World The Simpsons 0.19
    2 AXN David Blaine 0.17
    3 AXN Video Zonkers 0.17
    4 AXN Ultimate Guinness World Records 0.16
    5 AXN Magic Aisa India 0.14
    6 AXN Chuck 0.14
    7 Zee Cafe Comedy Inc 0.14
    8 AXN Magic Asia India 0.13
    9 AXN Sony Style 0.13
    10 AXN The Contender 0.12
    11 AXN Ultimate Guinness World Records 0.12
    12 Zee Cafe Bikini Destinations 0.12
    13 Zee Cafe The Next Best Thing 0.12
    14 Star World Seinfeld 0.11
    15 Star World Koffee With Karan 0.11
    16 AXN Ultimate Guinness World Records 0.11
    17 AXN Anaconda (film) 0.11
    18 AXN Top Chef 0.11
    19 AXN Whacked Out Sports 0.11
    20 AXN Video Zonkers 0.11
    Sorce:- Tam

    Dwelling on the kind of content that works, Viriyala notes that most successes in the US and UK like Desperate Housewives and Grey’s Anatomy end up doing well here, but not all. “We will continue to be cautious keeping in mind the many factors that influence the preferences and lifestyle of the Indian viewer.”

    As far as AXN is concerned, Jong-Wong points out to three key learnings. “We need to focus on the brand to keep us top-of-mind with viewers. We also need to be bold, daring and innovative. It is key for us to experiment with new genres and formats that have an Indian relevance. Therefore, we have done shows like AXN Extreme, Top Chef (with Padma Lakshmi) and Top Design. Most important though for us is not to have a herd mentality but to ensure that our position is clear, our content is unique and our offering is attractive.”.

    Viriyala strikes a note of optimism in saying that the English-speaking base is growing well. The sampling of English content is on the rise. According to her, the challenge is to get newer audiences without compromising on the core identity. Viewership for this genre is growing beyond the metros. Gradual growth has been noticed in places like Andhra Pradesh — 1 million+, Tamil Nadu — 1 million+ Kerala and Maharashtra she explains.

    Roadblocks

    Offering a media buyer‘s take Mindshare’s Amin Lakhani says that in terms of audience deliveries, this genre has a lot of room for improvement. “I would first look at the English film and infotainment genres before coming here as they fare better in terms of the rate versus efficiency equation.

    The demand side by clients for the English general entertainment genre has not increased. There has not been a big increase in terms of the number of clients who use this genre. So, the rates have not gone up by more than seven to eight per cent over the past year. This genre is used by clients who target upper scale viewers who view television as a light snack.”

    Lakhani adds that for AXN one generally looks at males. If the product also targets women then you add Star World and Zee Cafe into the mix as shows like Desperate Housewives air.

    “Star World has got aggressive this year. They have brought in new slots, which should help. Last year, Zee Café created a lot of buzz by bringing in shows immediately after their premiere in the US. The question though is does the yield justify the big rise in acquisition costs? The challenge in this genre is that you have to constantly innovate and invest. Audience’s expectations keep rising as they get exposed to the latest content from the West.”

    That according to Lakhani is the first challenge.

    The second challenge he says lies in distribution. New Hindi GEC channels are launching and are willing to pay huge carriage fees which smaller channels cannot afford. Ensuring visibility is hence going to be an issue for this genre. Of course you have digital platforms like Tata Sky which would want to have these kinds of channels in their bouquet.”

    Looking Ahead

    Jong-Wong notes that the growing affluence in India is helping the English general entertainment genre become the choice of entertainment for the Indian viewers. The challenge is that as the viewers get more sophisticated, they begin to demand a lot more. AXN and the other channels will have to keep pace with this. The expectation is that more thematic, unique content channels will launch in the coming years.

    AXN’s sibling AXN Beyond is expected to launch later this year. “The pie for English general entertainment will increase and the quality of these viewers will be become more valuable to our advertisers” says Jong-Wong.

    Conclusion

    At the end of the day, the English language viewer has more entertainment options other than TV viewing. So, nailing down this viewer and building loyalty gets that much tougher. A lot of snacking and a lower degree but still a fair bit of appointment viewing is noticed.

    Obviously, the challenge will be to convert the snackers into loyalists and get new audiences to snack. As has been pointed out earlier, the genre is at an interesting phase where all players are working on new formats and scheduling strategies. One will have to wait and see how this effort pays off.

  • English GECs: Localisation and variety the road ahead

    For the English general entertainment genre, 2007 was the year when they looked at increasing variety in their offerings and breaking out of a mould.

    The aim was also to increase relevance in some cases through local shows. Besides, the channels brought in the latest shows at the same time as their US premieres.

    Tam data for C&S 15+ shows that among the three channels – AXN, Star World and Zee Café – AXN‘s channel share has been well over 50 per cent. In August, it touched a peak of 66 per cent. Zee Café has managed to close the gap on Star World to an extent. In March, Star World‘s channel share was 34 per cent versus 24 per cent for Zee Café. In April, the gap came down, and for the month May Zee café overtook Star World. Its share was 21 per cent versus 15 per cent for Star World.

    Since then while Star World has been ahead, the gap was close. This was until September. After that, the gap widened again. In December, while Star World has a share of 29 per cent Zee Café has a share of 13 per cent.

    In terms of the top 20 shows, AXN has got 16 in that list. The top entry interestingly enough is a film Spiderman 2. Other shows that made it include Guinness World Records, Ripley‘s Believe it or Not and David Blaine.

    Still, it is not as though all was smooth for the leader. In January, AXN was banned for a month by the I&B Ministry for what it termed as “objectionable content.” The ministry had taken issue with the channel repeatedly telecasting such programmes such as World‘s Sexiest Commercials. The ministry found these programmes to be against good taste or decency that could adversely affect public morality.

    AXN India business head Sunder Aaron puts on a brave face, saying that no corrective measures were really required as all programming conforms to Indian norms and guidelines for content. “As with any new season, we had new television series and programmes which we refreshed the channel‘s schedule with,” says Aaron.

    In terms of the highlights of 2007, Aaron notes that there was a strong mix of local and international fare. “We had the gorgeous Sameera Reddy host the second AXN Action Awards. This is an on-air award show that felicitates the action heroes from Bollywood.

    “We also satiated the viewers‘ needs with the premiere of the internationally acclaimed series –Damages and new seasons for the loyal fans of CSI: Miami, Alias and CSI: NY.”

    AXN also strengthened its focus on the reality genre. The highlight here was the second season of The Amazing Race Asia. To break out of the mould, the channel aimed to showcase diverse content within the reality genre. So the likes of Top Chef, Top Design and So You Think You Can Dance were featured.

    To hook viewers to its fare, two timeslots were created. “The Reality Stash” slot showcases reality content from 9 – 10 pm. This is followed by “Elite Weekdays,” showcasing international drama series at 11 pm.

    Aaron adds that the non-primetime band has grown in importance for the channel. “Our scheduling of programmes across non-primetime is also well-thought-out, keeping in mind the viewing pattern of our target audience.”

    He offers the example of “Elite Weekends” which is the non-primetime slot on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 3 pm. The aim is to allow the dedicated fan base to sit back and enjoy catching up on their favourite international series which they have missed out over the week. “We have, therefore, ensured they get to watch all the series back to back and have clearly positioned the band as – ‘Catch all the week‘s action on AXN Elite Weekends‘.”

    As always localisation plays a key role for the channel. Besides the earlier mentioned The Amazing Race Asia initiative, the channel also finished the shoot Magic Asia. This showcased two street magicians Chris Korn and JB Benn. Aaron notes that the show actually touches a chord with the real spirit of Mumbai and is slated to go on air in March this year. One show done at a pan-Asian level was the boxing show The Contender Asia. The show produced by the czar of reality television Mark Burnett emulates the original concept with Muay Thai fighters.

    Over the years, localisation has been playing a huge role in positive brand-building as it showcases the channel‘s endeavour to identify and fulfill the viewers‘ needs. The main value is in sustaining a loyal fan base besides helping manage and create an ideal mix of original and acquired content that facilitates long-term brand-building.

    Aaron attributes AXN being ahead constantly to firstly having a clear brand positioning. “I think that we follow the very basic principle of being absolutely clear of our target audiences‘ needs and showcasing the kind of content that they wish to see. We have also been dynamic enough to not get stuck in a mould and constantly showcase fresh and innovative programming. This prompted our move to broadbase our reality offerings. We have also been the only international channel to create so many original productions.”

    For Zee Café, the strategy has been different in that it decided not to focus much on local shows. In the past, it had done shows like Bombay Talking but the channel‘s business head Neil Chakravarti feels that Indian audiences are not ready for Indian fiction. The focus rested on showcasing the latest from the US. Since September, it started to bring in shows from the US at the same time as their premiere there.

    The aim was also to pick and choose shows that Indians would find the most relevant. Therefore, four of the shows including The Big Bang Theory and Aliens in America have South Asian characters. The new programming strategy had been decided after six months of intensive research among Indian viewers who said they learnt a lot about new shows from the internet or sites like YouTube. They did not want to wait several months or years later to watch them.

    Star World‘s focus, meanwhile, rested partly on the tried and tested shows like Desperate Housewives, Heroes and Ugly Betty. Complementing this were special events like Miss World and the Grammy Awards.

    Star World tried to break out of the mould as well. To identify the need of the market it revamped its schedules. For instance, it created an afternoon slot for youth/women with shows like Bold and the Beautiful, General Hospital, etc. The block is called essential afternoons. Star VP content and communication Prem Kamath says, “We‘ve seen a change in the genre preference for English entertainment wherein comedy is the flavour of the season.”

    “We have strengthened our late prime slot with male skewed programming starting 11 pm. We believe that the day prime/early prime bands are equally important, there is a definite audience in these bands and our endeavour is to bring in quality programming to build these slots. For example we have a line-up of the best of comedy shows during weekday evenings,” adds Kamath.

    When asked as to whether Star World took any preventive measure to ensure that it did not suffer a similar fate like AXN, he maintains that Star World has a social responsibility and has stringent internal censorship guidelines prior to broadcast.

    In terms of local initiatives, Star World has the property Koffee With Karan. The channel is exploring other local concepts.
    Kamath says that on the advertising front, clients belonging to different categories like telecom, computers, mobile phones, electronics, financial, automobile, net portals are with it.

    “English entertainment is evolving in India and more new audiences are tuning in to the genre. Clients find English entertainment a very important differentiator in the content arena and a strong association for their brands with evolved audiences. We have new launches every month and give a variety of programming mix to our viewers and advertisers that give a light viewing environment,” avers Kamath.

    At the same time, he concedes that it is really challenging to retain clients amidst a bouquet of channels in the English genre per se at the time of evaluating a media plan.

    Star World offers customised packages to advertisers in partnership with their media agencies based on their brand brief. Packages consist of the shows that are associated with advertisers for sponsorships and a mix of other programmes that have synergies with the brand environment and commercial creatives. All sponsored programmes consist of sponsors commercials to derive strong brand connect with the association. RODP and ROS also form a certain component in the overall package.

    From general to more specific entertainment:

    As digitisation grows, more players are looking to enter this space. Last year, this genre got a new entrant in BBC Entertainment. As of now though the channel is only available on Tata Sky. The channel brings shows from the UK such as Spooks. The British sensibility is the starting point for this channel in terms of its USP. The programming strategy is such that there are horizontal and vertical strips.

    In the evening, it is more family oriented. There are shows like the comedy My Family, My Life In Film so that viewership is widespread across the family. Later on, it gets more specific with shows like Waking the Dead which the channel says is a more realistic version of CSI. Murder mysteries are solved using the latest forensics technology and old-fashioned police methods.

    At the same time, English entertainment will move from general to more specific. For instance, later this year, AXN is expected to launch another channel called AXN Beyond. The focus is on science fiction and the supernatural.

    US media conglomerate NBC Universal, through its tie-up with NDTV, will launch two channels Sci Fi and Universal. The former specialises in science fiction, fantasy, horror and paranormal programming; the latter has movies and TV series in the thriller, drama, horror, crime and investigation genres.

    More specific entertainment could come from E! which might launch in India this year. This channel focuses on Hollywood extensively through news and specials around the industry. The challenge for it is to find a distribution partner.

    Viacom has a JV with TV18. If digitisation moves at the expected speed, one could see the likes of the male channel Spike TV entering the country. Comedy Central might also figure in the scheme of things. So expect a lot of activity in this space.

  • ‘Around 20-25 per cent of our revenues in the Asian region come from India’ : Ricky Ow – SPE Networks Asia GM

    ‘Around 20-25 per cent of our revenues in the Asian region come from India’ : Ricky Ow – SPE Networks Asia GM

    This has been a busy year for Sony’s international channels AXN and Animax. The task has been to pace up to the market competitiveness while staying sensitive to content that the government views as being “indecent.”

     

    Realising a vacuum in the youth market segment, Animax has repositioned itself by adding live action into its programming mix.

     

    AXN, on the other hand, had to be taken off the airwaves by the government at the start of the year for its potrayal of indecent content. Since then, it has focussed on differentiating itself through original content and raising the bar on acquired shows.

     

    Indiantelevision.com’s Ashwin Pinto caught up with SPE Networks Asia GM Ricky for a lowdown on the content, revenue and digital plans for the two channels in India.

     

    Excerpts:

    India is transitioning to digitisation. What opportunities does this present for Sony Pictures Television?
    In the long run, the cost of technology will go down. It will help the overall penetration of pay television. For content providers this means that more viewers will have access to their offerings which will allow them to invest more.

     

    Digitisation gives us opportunities to launch more channels across the region. We recently launched three channels including one for women in Singapore on Singtel’s IPTV platform. English entertainment makes sense due to the great economies of scale.

    In terms of revenues, how important is India vis-?-vis the rest of Asia?
    India is a key market driver for us in the region. Around 20-25 per cent of our revenues come from here. India offers room for a lot of growth as it is not yet a mature market.

    Are you seeing growth on the advertising front?
    I would say that this year is better compared to last year. For our key partners, we will look at more branded content which will come through our original productions. On the mobile front, we are talking with a couple of firms for getting on board. We are looking to conceptualise content so that clients can be active participants and not just passive ones.

    The government has been acting against adult content. Was AXN’s late night content modified in any manner in India after the government took action earlier this year?
    We had a block called Hot N Wild which we had taken out long before the ban. We, however, still had shows on that which reflected the edginess of that time block. We air shows that offer the brand promise of action and adventure, but we are not pushing ourselves as being a sexy channel.
    Do you feel that the India should have a watershed hour like what the UK has?
    We follow the law of the land. We only ask for clearer guidelines and for more leeway. A watershed hour means that the regulator believes in the maturity of the people. The regulator believes that people can decide for themselves what is appropriate. Whether or not this happens in India is for the people to decide.

    The English entertainment space in India is getting more competitive. How is AXN improving its programming mix to maintain share?
    Our current template has been working fine for us. From abroad you have driver shows like the CSI franchise. Then we do two to three local productions. We will be doing The Amazing Race 2.

     

    This is a point of differentiation for us. We don’t just produce content for a single market. We produce it so that it can travel across the region. As Indians become more sophisticated in taste, our formula will grow in appeal over the years.

    Have you noticed any changes in viewership patterns in India and Asia over the past year?
    Earlier we used to rely more on movies to drive the channel. Then when movie channels launched, this kind of content started to play a lesser role for us. It was a blessing in disguise for us as it let us concentrate on high quality TV shows.

     

    We are seeing a trend in India where TV serials are getting more viewership than in the past where it was mostly English movies. There will an upward curve for them in the coming two to three years. While most of our viewership is male, the number of women tuning in has also gone up.

    How did the idea of doing a pan Asian version of The Amazing Race come about?
    We have been airing the US version for a number of years. Fans kept writing in, asking how they could participate. Obviously to participate in the American version you need a Green card. So we decided to do an Asian version of the show. We were the first broadcaster to do the show after CBS.

     

    The show is inspirational and we wanted to do a show that would reflect what our viewers aspire to be. This show celebrates the human spirit which is why it connects so well with our viewers. It is not just about a race per se. Luck plays a part as well. The budget for the show will keep growing as we do more editions of it.

     

    What is most interesting is that the most number of entries have come from India. Entry is not just about sending in an SMS or filling up a form. It is about shooting a video of yourself and the partner.
    ‘There is a vacuum that exists in the youth market which Animax is looking to fill. Our aim is to make it grow in popularity by having more diversity in our line up‘

    What were the key challenges and learnings from the first season?
    Getting visas for the contestants is the biggest problem. This is exacerbated by the fact that they do not know which countries they will be visiting. The Indian team needs a visa for every place they visit and this is an uphill task. For the US version, you don’t need a visa for most of the places you visit.

     

    The other learning was that some viewers preferred the Asian version over the US one. The Asian version is competitive but not ruthless. It offers good drama and touching moments. In my view the Asian contestants are more sincere. One team will not try to destroy the other. If one team is down and struggling, then you could find them being given a helping hand by other participants.

    How did you cope with logistics?
    Everyday you have to move from one city to the next. The core production team comprises 70-80 people. They travel with the contestants. When they reach the next destination, there will be another 70-80 people waiting. Sometimes you plan for the race to end at say 3 pm in the afternoon, but some teams take so long they arrive at 3 am. This means that we have to organise lighting. Some of the production members have worked on the US version as well. So they have the experience.

     

    We also work with the local players in each place we visit. The partnership really helps. We also build relationships with the airline. This way we can move equipment a lot quicker.

    What are the key attributes that AXN is looking for in participants?
    Personality is important. They must be outgoing. I remember an Indonesian couple last time around. There was talk about when they would get eliminated but they lasted till almost the last round. For each edition we look for a different relationship between the contestants. For our second edition there will be surprises.

    When does the second season kick off?
    We are looking to do it towards the end of the year. Last time around, it was more Asia focussed. The time contestants will travel outside the region as well. In fact, more than half the show will be outside Asia.

    What are the other pan Asian reality concepts that AXN has in mind this year?
    Our aim is to look at a winning formula and produce a show for a multiple number of markets. Local channels find it difficult to do this due to the comfort level and costs involved. We are doing a local version of the boxing-based reality show The Contender.

     

    The Contender is being done out of Singapore. India, though, does not have a representative in this show. This show is not as big in India as it is in some of the other Asian countries. But we are hopeful that it will grow. In Asia boxing is seen as a form of exercise like Yoga.

     

    Another show we are looking at is called Ultimate Xtreme that we are casting for. This where friends recommend that a person take part in a show without his/her knowledge. It could be that the person has been working hard without a rest and so the boss feels that this might be a good way for the employee to take a break. It will be positioned as the ultimate experience for that person.

    In terms of foreign shows, what is coming up?
    We have a major show called Damages coming up. It was done by SPTI for the US and stars Glenn Close. It is a legal thriller set in the world of New York City high-stakes litigation. The series which provides a view into the true nature of power and success, follows the turbulent lives of Patty Hewes, the US’ most revered and reviled high-stakes litigator, and her bright, ambitious, protégé Ellen Parsons as they become embroiled in a class action lawsuit targeting the allegedly corrupt Arthur Frobisher, one of the country’s wealthiest CEOs. As Patty battles with Frobisher and his attorney Ray Fiske, Ellen Parsons will be front and center witnessing just what it takes to win at all costs, as it quickly becomes clear that lives, as well as fortunes, may be at stake.

     

    Last year Sony did a magic show abroad. We are looking to bring it to Asia and India. Acquisition costs have gone up and so we have to be more clever in terms of what we buy.

    Animax recently introduced live action. Is it fair to say that Animax was forced to go this route as Indian viewers feel that animation is for kids?
    That seems to be the perception in the market. That is not true actually. This move was done for Asia as well. Last year we changed our positioning from an anime channel to a youth oriented one.

     

    We needed to add components to make it more rounded. So we have gaming, movies. In some markets there are music shows. At the same time, we are not compromising on the anime content. 70-80 per cent of the content is anime. The response to the repositioning has so far been good.

    A lot of Indian broadcasters are launching youth targetted channels. How confident are you that Animax will be able to stand out from the crowd?
    Some youth targetted genres are struggling like the music ones. We are seeing that MTV has scaled down their operations in Asia. A channel must have content that viewers really want to watch. If you are a music channel it might not be a good idea to have reality shows as that can be had anywhere else.

     

    There is a vacuum that exists in the youth market which Animax is looking to fill. Our aim is to make it grow in popularity by having more diversity in our line up. The net savvy youth are more exposed to anime content than any other TG.

    How has Animax used interactivity and on-ground events to get closer to viewers in India and Asia?
    The Animax Awards have been successful for us. This is a scriptwriting competition. Each country has a winner. The competition then reaches the next stage and competes also with Japan. An Asian panel chooses the wining entry.

     

    I am impressed with the Indian entries as one always feels that Indians are relatively less exposed to animation compared with other Asian countries. We also connect on-air and on the ground through gaming. We were one of the first channels to use gaming as a platform in India. I think that gaming will become big especially in the metros.

    As far as new media is concerned, both Animax and AXN launched mobile offerings recently. How has the response been and how many telecom partners do you have?
    It is a question of finding the right partners to work with who understand and share our vision. It is not just a question of money. Right now the money in this sector is small but with our strategy the future is bright.

     

    AXN offers customised short form versions of shows like The Amazing Race. This you will not find on the channel. Animax will have long form programming. This means that you can catch up on episodes that you have missed on the mobile. It is still a learning phase for us.

     

    What we have learnt so far is that users will use our mobile content more if it is reasonably priced. This means that the content cost and airtime cost package have to be affordable. There is no point in having low priced content if the airtime cost to download the content is high. We have to be smarter in terms of how these two costs are packaged.