ITV

Tag: Christine

  • Swaraj reiterates anti-sleaze stance at DD awards

    Swaraj reiterates anti-sleaze stance at DD awards

    MUMBAI:2004 may well see the Indian launch of the US headquartered E! Networks, that operates E! Entertainment, the channel dedicated to the world of entertainment, and style., a channel devoted to the worlds of style, beauty, fashion and home design.

    While E! officials say an India launch is in the offing, they are unwilling to put a date to E!’s entry in the country. But indications are that India could well figure on the list of ‘important new markets where E! will launch its networks in 2004’.

    Says E! Networks Asia Pacific managing director Christine Fellowes, “Since we launched internationally in 2002 India has been a top priority for us. Our senior management have visited the market a great deal and we have been talking to distribution partners in India for some time. We have great ambition for E! in India for many reasons. In addition to having the most significant market potential in the Asian region, India has a dynamic local entertainment industry and a population that is passionate about movies and celebrities.”

    The proposed implementation of conditional access put a spanner in the works, but matters are looking up after the issue was put in cold storage. “Since we started looking at India, the likely introduction of CAS has made it difficult to generate reliable business forecasts. We take a careful approach to business and the uncertainty surrounding CAS in the past has slowed down our plans. We are actively back in conversations and would love to launch here as soon as it makes sense to do so.”

    Bollywood on the E! radar –

    Not surprisingly, in India there would be an opportunity for a strong connection to Bollywood and programming from here. Says Fellowes, “Hollywood and Hollywood stars….a result of the growth of multichannel TV and multiplex cinemas, the international rollout and success of Hollywood blockbusters, have driven the success of E! internationally, particularly as we capture the A,B,C audience who are most exposed to international

    Mel Gibson on E! – The E! strategy is to cover the A list stars and deliver big entertainment stories
    entertainment.Our programming strategy is to be relevant and topical, to cover the A-list stars and deliver the big entertainment stories. We have recently produced E! Live From The Red Carpet at the BAFTA’s in London and we will continue to produce or co-produce programming for the local market where this is viable.”

    E! has obviously studied the Indian market well. While initially, in most markets the network relies solely on subscription revenues, it is already seeing fantastic advertising potential from Asian markets like Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia, says Fellowes. “We would also look to achieve ad sales relatively early in India, as we would expect strong penetration of the major metros, and we can offer unique and exciting integrated campaigns to advertising partners, which we know is critical here.”

    E! for educated, energetic, early fashion birds

    The launch of E! in India should mean an ideal vehicle for advertisers of upmarket products, and a threat to niche channels targeting the young and the affluent. “Our viewers are generally 18 to 39 years old, have a higher disposable income, are educated and early adopters of new trends. This is a very attractive demographic for advertisers in all markets. E! is bold, revealing and gives viewers the inside scoop on their favourite stars and movies. Our audience skews slightly female but E! has broad appeal to anyone who is an entertainment fan,” says Fellowes.

    …bold, revealing and giving the inside scoop on stars and movies, that’s the E! strategy “Our distribution is growing quickly. In just two years we have launched or agreed on carriage deals in many international markets including England, Germany, The Netherlands, Latin American, Ireland, Malta, Switzerland, Cyprus, Nigeria, Belgium, UAE and in the Asia Pacific region; Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.”

    E!’s marketing strategies too, vary depending on the nuances of a specific market. “While we have a global brand that has universal appeal, we do believe in thinking locally when we approach a new country. Marketing strategies that we have employed successfully include entering a new market by developing strong time slots or branded blocks with signature E! programming on local TV networks. This gives us an opportunity to understand local programming preferences, helps establish and develop the brand and build audience base.”

    “E! Networks produce and own international rights to over 1000 hours of programming per year. We continue to place selected programming on terrestrial tv once we launch the full E! 24-hour network,” she adds.

    100 million and counting…

    Internationally, E!’s programming can be seen in more than 120 countries worldwide, reaching over 300 million homes, says the official website. The company operates the E! International Network, a 24-hour English language global entertainment channel available via satellite in Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East, available to over seven million viewers worldwide in over 20 countries. E!, launched in June 1991, is currently available to 100 million cable and direct broadcast satellite subscribers in the US. The Style Network, launched in 2000, currently counts 33 million subscribers with commitments to reach over 40 million in 2004.

    E! is 79.2 per cent owned by a joint venture between subsidiaries of Comcast Corporation and The Walt Disney Company, (Comcast, through another indirect wholly owned subsidiary, also owns a 10.4 per cent interest, while the remaining 10.4 per cent is owned by a subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation.E!, headquartered in Los Angeles and has regional offices in London, Miami, New York, Chicago, Caracus and a regional Asia Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong. Says Fellowes, “At the moment, we offer a service that is specialy programmed for Asia in LA, so we can be mindful of cultural sensitivities and censorship restrictions.”

    “The channel is in English so we have focused our marketing efforts in those countries where English is the language that the urban viewer who fits our demographic profile, will enjoy hearing on TV. As the economics of a market justify, we localize through language and local programming, as we’ve done in the UK. India is obviously a market where we would be able to do this more quickly than in some smaller markets.”

    With an ad clientele that boasts names like American Express, General Electric, Kraft, Microsoft, Unilever, Ford, Revlon, Sony, Visa, Coca-Cola, L’Oreal and BMW, E! expects to attract local, regional and international clients who area looking for a star-studded television environment that will attract young, upscale spenders in the Asia Pacific. “We will also focus on creative integrated solutions for our marketing partners. E! can combine our hot brand and star power to generate striking results across multiple consumer touch points; through events, sponsorship, publicity, promotions, mobile, online and onair media,” points out Fellowes.

  • Money well spent on ads guaranteed to give returns

    Money well spent on ads guaranteed to give returns

    MUMBAI: Amitabh Bachchan is by far the biggest brand in India today! Everyone agrees with that. The main agenda of this session was to throw light on the ways advertisers could use television to ensure better ROI for their brands. While O&M group president and national creative director Piyush Pandey dominated the session with more presentation and less facts and figures, what he said drove home the point that there were two ways advertisers could use television to ensure better ROI for their brands – badly and well! It all boils down to the fact that at the end of the day it was all about content.

    The session was conducted by CNBC India corporate editor Govindraj Ethiraj while the keynote address was given by Pandey. The panellists were BBC World director of airtime sales Jonathan Howlett, Bharti Enterprises corporate director marketing Hemant Sachdev, E! Networks MD Christine Fellowes and TVS Motor company VP marketing Harish Krisnamachar.

    Pandey stressed on the point that the content of the ad has to be distinctive and has to stand out and only then it would be able to get the ROIs. He added, “If you dont have some thing different then might as well put that money in a savings account and get returns on that!” He also showed his displeasure at the India Shining campaign and dismissed it as a funny campaign.

    Pandey showed some ads made by O&M like Amaron batteries, Hutch, Asian Paints, Alpen Liebe, Center shock chewing gum, Sprite and Cadburys Five Star. Pandey said after the Amaron battery ad was launched the market for it grew by 45 per cent in 2002. “Spend your money well and you will get the returns” was the mantra of this ad guru.

    Talking about Sprite and its innovative ads, Pandey said that it was the smallest spender when compared to the other cola and orange drinks but the ad made so much of an impact that in 2002 its market grew by as high as 62 per cent. “Sprite will be bigger than Coke or Pepsi by May 2004,” Pandey predicted.

    Also two new products – Alpen Liebe, Center shock chewing gum, which were launched recently, were market leaders in 10 months after their launch due to the advertising said Pandey. So the point was not just to drive sales overnight but to build brand images, which would give you sales over the years.

    Fellowes said that their viewers were young and affluent trendsetters and the brands that were advertised on their channel catered to this genre of people. Brands like Kraft, Coke, BMW, Revlon, Visa, GAP, Ford and Sony were the ones that advertised on the channel.

    Howlett on his behalf said that ROI were infinitely desirable but difficult to quantify. “It is a challenge for not only advertisers but all the marketers too,” said Howlett. He further said that one could make the greatest ad in the world but if it was distributed well and not aimed at the target audience then it wouldnt give ROI.

    Krisnamachar stressed on the point that brands build television. He cited an example of how 18,00,000 households switched off their television set when they got to know that Sachin Tendulkar was not going to play a particular match. On the whole, the advertising industry sifferred a loss of Rs 100 million (Rs 10 crore)on this particular day! Thats the impact of a brand that Sachin has become. Another such brand was the Big B himself!

    So it is not the huge amounts of money that is spent on ads that guarantee returns but the clever and innovative way in which it is used!

  • NBC readies unique reality show ‘Starting Over’

    NEW YORK: For all those lamenting the ever-increasing “crassness quotient” of many reality TV programmes, there is still hope. From 8 September US network NBC will be premiering a reality series with a difference called Starting Over, which promises to fuse reality TV with the daytime soap opera.
    The series has already been nicknamed a “soaprah” for its combination of soap opera-style stories and issues favoured by talk shows such as Oprah Winfrey’s, the Associated Press reports.


    Set in Chicago, Starting Over revolves around six women who gather in a house to help each other improve their lives, all the while being filmed for television.
    The show follows a diverse and ever-changing group of women as they attempt to make extraordinary changes in their lives. They are joined by two life coaches — Rhonda Britten and Rana Walker, who will help find solutions to problems that they face in their lives.


    The aim of the life coach will be to empower each woman with the motivational tools to move one step closer to their goal. As each woman succeeds or fails to achieve their goals, she will leave the house and a new woman will arrive to attempt to start her life over. The show will also feature follow-up segments updating the women’s lives after leaving the house.
    Starting Over, NBC claims, will not be a voyeuristic show. This is the first time that a reality show has an eloquent motive and is not just about money, romance, betrayal and the sex factor. In that it is unlike other reality shows like Big Brother, Temptation Island and Joe Millionaire.


    The six women Andy, Christine, Cassie, Maureen, Nyanza and Lori each have some obstacle to overcome in their personal life and efforts will be made in that direction.
    Andy is 32 years old and is very skeptical of other people, especially women, which holds her back from achieving a successful career. She will be coming to the Starting Over house with the hope of finding the answer to moving her career forward, her goal being to learn to trust herself.


    Christine is from Princeton and is forced to support both herself and her daughter after her marriage broke up. She has little time to devote to herself. Her aim is to begin the process of concentrating on herself and her goals.


    Cassie, a 20-year-old is a former foster child who wants to re-enroll in college. Barely able to make ends meet by working two jobs, she is unable to afford her tuition. A party animal, she needs to get her life back on track and concentrate on building a future for herself.


    Maureen is known for her quick wit, but most of her life has not been a laughing matter. She experienced the heart-breaking loss of her mother and two of her four children. After two failed marriages, she is ready to make a new start and begin working towards a career in comedy.


    Nyanza has been recently divorced from a professional football player. She loves shopping, gambling and living a life of luxury. She decided to put her accomplished career as an attorney on hold, when she got married. Realising her life is somewhat empty she hopes to learn to be less materialistic and to develop more substantive relationships.
    Lori’s husband died few months after their marriage. Heartbroken, she made herself ugly and cut herself off from the world. Now five years later, she’s ready to cultivate new friendships and maybe a relationship.


    NBC has also invited viewers of Starting Over who are above 18 years of age to interact with the life coaches behind the television programme. The channel says, this is another first in the history of reality shows. The questions and responses can be posted on the Starting Over website www.startingovertv.com.