Nothing worth doing is easy, and building a genuine, non-tabloid news channel in India is certainly worth doing. But it‘s clearly very difficult.
It‘s widely put out that the problem is the viewer. It‘s posited that he (and it‘s almost always considered to be a “he”) is of only average intelligence, attracted by gaudy sets, sensational presenters, cluttered screens, and animation that is more animated than a Korean video game.
Yet, at NewsX, we have seen our viewership and appreciation for our non-tabloid content swell significantly. Shows like Art Talk, the only one of its type that no one would have thought of as a TRP driver, are sometimes the most watched shows of the week! Our reporting from Kashmir, Naxal areas, and bomb blast sites often get more viewers than other channels‘ Bollywood shows. In fact, on weekends, when other channels load up on entertainment, lifestyle and sports, our news bulletins and shows score so well we‘re almost always one of the most-watched news channels.
The fact is that viewers (men and women) are desperate for real, non-sensational, non-tabloid news channels, and a very sizable segment of them are rapidly evolving in their taste, knowledge and interests. One can see this in Bollywood, where these new viewers drive the success of films, such as Peepli Live.
But it is the broadcast industry itself, with its many distortions, that puts barriers in the way of reaching these viewers and consolidating them.
This is especially problematic for new entrants.
The biggest problem is distribution. The cost of distributing a new channel is prohibitive, and the monopolistic nature of distribution means new channels have limited leverage. There is also no incentive for distributors to want to encourage and develop new channels, as their limited carriage bandwidth is already overloaded.
In fact, too many distributors do the opposite – work with established channels to hinder new ones. Sad. And bad for democracy. A more enlightened approach, that could benefit everyone, would be to introduce digitisation, and end the artificial scarcity in distribution by creating limitless bandwidth. This would grow the entire industry, from the number of broadcasters, to the revenue of distributors, and the quantum of advertising. Yet, the government and industry leaders are failing at this.
The faults of the Tam system are also well established, but again, the inaction on fixes is worrying. There is always a vested interest in the status quo, but isn‘t there now more advertiser, agency, public and broadcaster interest in revamping and refining Tam? As it is, the final ratings for English news channels is determined every week by just 5 to 7 individuals! They‘re among the most powerful people in the country, except they don‘t know it.
Tam is like a microscope – when inefficient, it can vaguely show only huge items, or bundles of viewers. This was acceptable when there were only a handful of channels with huge viewership. But the TV industry is now much more fragmented. So there is a need for Tam to become efficient and more clearly show smaller bundles of viewers. Company marketing heads and CEOs I have spoken to all know this. They all have this gnawing feeling that they‘re not necessarily spending their advertising budgets well and not getting the best bang for their buck.
That‘s one reason India is one of the only countries in the world where print is still heavily favoured by advertisers. There‘s just a greater comfort factor with print, and its substantially better metrics and measurements. So, if anyone wants to grow TV advertising, they should know reforming Tam is the key.
While newbie NDTV Imagine has grabbed the number three position withRamayan as its content driver, Zee TV has topped the prime-time slot with shows like Banoo Main Teri Dulhann and Mayka.
Star Plus has its top performing shows which have been traditionally doing well for it. The slot begins with Kumkum at 1 pm followed by Bhabhi andKaram Apna Apna at 1:30 pm and 2:00 pm, respectively. All the three shows have delivered well for the channel. The third show is Grihasthi, which was launched last month, replacing Sarrthi at 2:30.
The first to fill this space was Meri Doli Tere Anganaon at 2 pm. This was then followed by the launch ofRakhi at 1:30 pm in August.
On Star Plus’ front, the “K” shows from Balaji Telefilms have been the ruling ragas on the channel. Interestingly, of the present lot of the K shows, one is on the afternoon band ( Karam Apna Apna) while Kumkumfrom Bag Films has played a long innings and still going strong. All these shows are running for long and have consistently delivered well for the channel.
The consistency and loyalty of viewers reflect well in the TRPs these shows deliver. How will Zee break the cult?
“The investments that go into producing the shows are huge but the RoIs have to be equally huge. At this time, we want to establish our prime time. However, afternoon is something that needs to be addressed on our channel and we will focus on it very soon,” says Sahara One programming head Kalyan Sundaram.
9X, which is a new entrant in the genre, launched its afternoon slot in January 2008 with Rasm-E-Rasoi at 12:00 noon. 12:30 pm has a repeat of a prime-time show Daheej. Then comes Neelanjana at 1 pm and Veeranwaliat 1:30 pm – both of which are fresh shows.
“A strong daily afternoon band will only add variety to the offerings of a GEC, which have to be rich and varied because it’s a general entertainment channel. We have two original daily dramas and a cookery show. We wanted to offer our key audiences the best of programming not just in prime time but in the afternoons too,” says INX Media founder-CEO Indrani Mukerjea.
When slicing the kid‘s category and looking more specifically at the HSM segment, which is a core market for most players, the same is applicable. Cartoon Network reigns supreme but sibling Pogo appears to be battling it out with potential challenger for the pole position Hungama TV.
What will be under close scrutiny is whether this will create an upheaval that may trickle into the fourth quarter of the year. But with the combination of Disney Channel, Toon Disney, which is the clear leader in the South and Hungama TV (for whom its only a matter of time before it comes under Disney‘s wing), does pose a deadly combination. Also, given the benefits that Toon Disney‘s experiment with local feeds in the South have brought to the network, it won‘t be a surprise to see Disney Channel also tread the same localization path in due course.
All said and done, the kids category is experiencing dynamic nationwide growth and capitalising on this are advertisers that see it as a worthwhile proposition to hop on board.
Commenting on the pen brand categories that did not previously favour kids as a target as they would primarily use pencils, Hungama TV Senior VP marketing and communication Siddharth Roy said, “Presently we have close to 120 brands on board, out of which pens include Linc Pens, Add Pens, Cello Pens, and Reynolds. Predominantly pens did not advertise in the kid‘s space.”
Disney‘s Shah believes that their volume of commitment to the Indian market is seen in the their efforts to create an overall Disney brand experience through a 360 degree solution to consumers via multiple touch points that includes the contribution of every one of their businesses.
Category leader Cartoon Network forsees clear skies ahead for the kids category as a whole, “There is huge potential in the kids‘ segment and the Industry is definitely growing at a rapid pace. The viewership category has expanded. Plus, now it is not just about television/on-air programming or passive viewership – today kids‘ channels have the ability and option to offer viewers and clients multiple touch points and 360 degree solutions.”