Tag: Ferzad Palia

VH1 ‘represents’ the youth with new college initiative

MUMBAI: Vh1 is all set to launch a robust campus connect program in over 19 cities with about 100 colleges titled as Vh1 Represent. The program which is an online and on-ground youth connect program will comprise of three major functions i.e. branding in colleges, tie up with youth events and college festivals and an influencer network which will act as the channel’s representation at these colleges.

Announcing the latest initiative by the channel, Viacom18 EVP & Head – English Entertainment Ferzad Palia asserted, Vh1’s core proposition has always been to get with it calling out the young & old to align with all things cool. The youth and their fast developing tastes have been synonymous to that proposition; they are go getters who want to be a part of everything that is trending.

With this college program we aim to identify such students and get them to be Vh1’s Voice on Campus. It’s a great extension of the channels on air philosophy & to engage with a vast majority of our target audience.

Vh1 Represent is a massive youth campus initiative that celebrates the spirit of youth across college campuses in India. The initiative encourages youngsters to showcase their talent and creativity, while giving them an interactive platform to create, connect and collaborate with each other. The platform will live 365 days through TV, web, mobile and social where content and experiences are curated with the college students.

Garnering a strong brand recall with multitude of activities like youth connect programs, partnerships with hangouts, college festivals & allied youth touch points, apart from television, Vh1 aims at an integrated approach towards entertainment. Aligning with this vision, Vh1 has launched this new project to give a platform to the voices of the young and engage with them more consistently. Vh1 Represent has a crew of 200 who help the brand co-create their core proposition’s translation on a day to day basis- Get With It!

Each element that has gone into building Vh1 represent involves an extensive thought process backing it up. The winners at this program will be gratified with channel merchandise ranging from t-shirts and headphones to concert and gig passes.

November 20, 2015
Colors Infinity looks to push the envelope with ‘The Stage’

MUMBAI: Viacom18’s English entertainment channel Colors Infinity is poised to take Indian content to newer heights with the launch of The Stage, which is the first ever home grown English language singing show.

Slated to launch on 10 October, 2015, The Stage will be aired on weekends at 9 pm.

Colors Infinity is looking to push the envelop with the launch of this show. What’s more the channel has put its marketing might in extensively promoting the show across digital and on-ground platforms. From broadcast to print, a buzz has been created about the new reality show in the country.

Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Viacom18 EVP and head of English entertainment Ferzad Palia said, “We know there is a huge amount of talent in the English space across the country. This is just not a Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore show. We are pushing the envelope heavily by going into the reality space in the English entertainment genre, which has never been done before. The talent will be grown and taken forward.”

When asked whether original English entertainment content like The Stage would work in India, a senior media planner opined, “Somebody had to push the envelope. I don’t see any reason why original English entertainment content should not work in India. It might not get success immediately, but eventually, in the long run, I see it tasting enormous success.”

With a jury comprising Vishal Dadlani, Monica Dogra, Ehsaan Noorani and Devraj Sanyal, The Stage will be hosted by Shibani Dandekar.

The show will provide a platform to 20 raw talent from around the country in a quest to find India’s best English language singer. The winner of the title will bag a record deal with Universal Music, which would be released globally, a 10 city tour, a mentorship program and a Renault Duster. Viacom18’s marketing muscle will also be used to back the winner’s career across all platforms.

The Stage is produced by SOL. Speaking about the show’s unique format, SOL producer Fazila Allana says, “The show clearly depicts how talented Indian artists are. We looked for some great singers who will bring something new for the people and whose voices will stand above the rest. The contestants have their own individuality.”

“The Stage has given me a chance to reveal the hidden gems of our nation. It marks a landmark in the music and entertainment industry,” asserts Universal Music Group South Asia MD and CEO Devraj Sanyal.

Throwing light on the expectation from the show, Palia says, “We are happy with the show getting a good response. Whenever someone pushes the envelope and does something different, you see the entire society talking about it and that was our objective. There is great talent sitting out there and they don’t have a platform to showcase it.”

Not running after ratings, Palia says that the channel’s objective was to come up with something unique for the Indian audience. “We don’t sell according to the ratings and we didn’t think about the expenses while doing the show,” he informs.

October 9, 2015
Colors Infinity experiments with locally developed English reality show ‘The Stage’

MUMBAI: Ever since its launch a little more than a month back, Viacom 18’s new English Entertainment channel Colors Infinity has been invading untouched territories. Continuing to tread on the same path, the channel is now set to launch a locally curated English musical reality show called The Stage.

The one of a kind reality show will premiere on 10 October and will be aired on weekends from 9 – 10 pm. The channel has roped in celebrated names from the music world like Vishal Dadlani, Monica Dogra, Ehsaan Noorani and Devraj Sanyal as judges. The show will be hosted by Shibani Dandekar.

The Stage unlike other reality shows will not limit its exposure to the on-air episodes. “We will have on ground activities, live concerts, the winner will get a contract with Universal and a musical single will also be released. Hence its not just about 20 on-air episodes. We will go beyond and will leave no stones unturned,” said Viacom 18 EVP and head of English entertainment Ferzad Palia.

The talent in the show will be nurtured by a group of experienced musicians. “We have contestants from across the country, and they are highly talented. The Stage will provide them with the platform to become popular and then nurture them to grow as professionals. The Stage will be a show where the winning contestant will be remembered for a long, long time. It is the most real reality show with very little edit,” Palia added.

“It is not true that English content is consumed only by people in metros. Close to 62 – 65 per cent of English music viewership comes from non-metro areas. So English as a language is spreading across the country and that’s one of the primary reason why we decided to experiment with The Stage. We will target VH1’s audience with the show,” informs Palia.

The Stage is presented by Renault and powered by the dating app Trulymadly. SOL is the production company on board.

Renault India marketing head Virat Khullar said, “As a company, we at Renault stand for innovation and passion and The Stage is a fresh new concept in Indian television, which is bound to change the scope of entertainment in this country. This belief in the show is the foundation of our partnership with Colors Infinity. We are glad that we can be a part of this huge transformation of English entertainment in India.”

Filmmaker and Colors Infinity co-curator Karan Johar said, “When I first heard about The Stage, I was amazed at the introduction of such a novel concept for Indian television. I can see a paradigm shift in the reality TV shows in India.”

Actor and channel co-curator Alia Bhatt added, “English music is such an important part of our playlists but we don’t get to see it anywhere on our music platforms. So The Stage is an idea whose time has come.”

Since the IP remains exclusively with Colors Infinity, it is highly possible that the channel will later syndicate the format to a different platform or other territories. “Syndication can be a possibility in the long run but at this stage our focus is to establish The Stage and innovate with other locally created English content,” summed up Palia.

September 14, 2015
Comedy Central revamps; positions as ‘Your Happy Place’

MUMBAI: Taking a cue from the age of cut-throat competition, which demands constant innovation, Comedy Central India has revamped itself with a new look and tagline. What’s more, the channel has also lined up a slew of new shows.

Moving away from the tagline of ‘Laugh it off,’ the channel has now adopted ‘Your Happy Place’ as its new ethos.

Three and a half year since its launch, Viacom 18’s Comedy Central is now poised for a new beginning with ‘Your Happy Place,’ which will reflect on the channel from 10 September, 2015.

Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Viacom 18 executive vice president – English entertainment Ferzad Palia said, “We had launched with ‘Laugh it off’ three and half years back and now after serving the country with comedy and laughter, we think it’s time for us to call it ‘Your Happy Place.’ The fact is established now that Comedy Central is a place that will make you happy and hence the new tagline.”

Comedy Central aims to bring a fresh take on its brand elements and content with this change. The new look showcases this positioning by using a rich and vibrant color palette, slick animation and an overall design package that is very easy on the eyes. Using the circle to signify locations and happy zones, these elements also help to highlight each show. The use of innovative stickers helps qualify these shows as well. The entire creative aspect was taken care of by the in-house team.

Understanding the pulse of its viewers, Comedy Central India has repositioned itself aiming to increase the engagement with viewers through a new line-up of diverse shows in September including the likes of Younger, Betty White’s Off Their Rockers, Your Family or Mine and The Mindy Project Season 3.

“This is just the beginning. We will have more new shows coming in and it will be a new Comedy Central with ‘Your Happy Place,’” informed Palia.

While content acquisition costs have been increasing at a brisk pace, the question is whether the English entertainment genre in India has a strong enough revenue model. To this, Palia said, “The English entertainment space has spread enormously over the last few years. So the demand has increased and subsequently the cost has gone up. When it comes to Viacom 18, we have our business model and we are doing good. Comedy Central has performed beyond expectations both from consumer point of view as well as business point of view.”

Apart from high cost of content, piracy is another menace that the English entertainment genre has been grappling with. However, now with the US simulcast and instant premieres, that aspect is partly taken care of. That aside, will the emerging OTT platforms and Netflix’s impending arrival, pose a threat to the channels having English shows? Palia replied, “I don’t think there will be an either – or situation in India. Both platforms will compliment each other. By paying Rs 250 per month, one gets a huge number of channels. It will be difficult for an OTT model to come in and cause disruption. I think the emergence of OTT will be good for consumers but it will co-exist with television.”

Palia is of the opinion that English entertainment viewers are not only limited to Phase I and II areas of digitisation, but phase III and IV areas will also play vital role in ensuring growth of the English entertainment genre. “If we see the social media insights, a huge number of impressions are registered from the phase III and IV areas. Those areas are important and English content consumers are very much there. So I think time ahead will be hugely positive.”

September 9, 2015
Dish TV takes HD channels offering to 45 with Comedy Central HD

MUMBAI: Keeping in mind the promise of providing maximum high-definition channels; Dish TV has added another HD channel – Comedy Central HD to its portfolio.

With this, Dish TV has taken its HD channel & services count to 45, which is the highest in the country so far. It may be recalled that Videocon d2h recently upped its HD offering to 39 channels with the addition of Colors Infinity HD and Nat Geo Wild HD.

Dish TV chief operating officer Salil Kapoor said, “Latest trends suggest that the growth of the High Definition category over the past year together with rising sales of flat panel TVs (LED/LCD) has added a new dimension to superior HD viewing experience. With the usage of DTH connections with HD boxes, the experience quotient for the subscribers is all set to go up. We are proud to announce the addition of Comedy Central HD channel on our platform. Dish TV has a complete offering and mix of High-Definition entertainment, music, news and regional language channels and has maximum content with 45 HD channels and services, making it the highest in the country.”

Viacom18 EVP and head of English entertainment Ferzad Palia added, “We are thrilled to be a part of Dish TV’s HD offering. Comedy Central HD is the country’s premier English comedy destination and it is great that our viewers will now get to enjoy their daily dose of fun and laughter in high definition.”

August 14, 2015
Colors Infinity poised to redefine English Entertainment; test runs on Tata Sky

MUMBAI: With an aim to redefine the English Entertainment genre in India, Viacom 18’s Colors Infinity has already begun its test run exclusively on Tata Sky so as to give viewers a chance to sample the content.

What’s more, eyeing a larger share of viewership, Colors Infinity has taken the route of premiere marketing to create substantial awareness amongst viewers.

It may be recalled that the announcement stage of the channel was led by its co-curators Karan Johar and Alia Bhatt, who have played an integral role in curating the line-up and the scheduling innovation.

On 27 July, the paid channel began running its test signals on Tata Sky. With its official launch slated for 31 July, the four days test runs of the Standard Definition (SD) and High Definition (HD) versions of the channel ensured that viewers could sample one episode of each of the eight shows that would be a part of the initial launch.

The idea was to add to the conversations and intrigue around the channel. Speaking exclusively to Indiantelevision.com Viacom 18 English Entertainment head and EVP Ferzad Palia says, “The response for the same has been completely overwhelming with people writing in about Colors Infinity being their favorite channel.”

Palia further adds, “The ethos of the campaign is built around the promise of redefining English entertainment in India and taking it toward a new horizon. All our communication as well as the much appreciated TVC stems out of this idea.”

After the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), India rollout and following the phase one and two of digitization, the English Entertainment channels genre is expected to enhance its market share and go beyond the conventional eight metros. Keeping this in mind, Viacom 18 is planning to run a marketing campaign in 25 cities across the length and breadth of the country.

Buoyed by the response the network garnered from the marketing initiatives, Palia says, “We have received a fantastic and encouraging response on the launch and the surround sound from all over. Digital that gives instantaneous feedback has been buzzing. Our social and digital media assets have been highly active with the Colors Infinity hashtag regularly trending across platforms like Twitter.”

According to Palia, the channel has garnered positive response from tier II cities as well. “This clearly goes on to show the willingness and interest that people have in consuming English entertainment content. It reinforces our endeavour of ensuring that Colors Infinity is an inclusive brand that reaches audiences across India,” he opines.

Since a vast majority of the English content consumers are widely present across digital platforms, the medium plays a vital role in creating word of mouth and generating awareness. “Digital is a very integral part of our media mix and has been an imperative part of our communications plan in all its phases of announcement, pre-launch as well as launch. It is hence that we launched our campaign on digital itself. We have already reached out to about five million people only through the Facebook page since it has become active. The TVC with Karan and Alia has been at the center of conversations garnering around one million views,” informs Palia

The channel created city specific campaigns, giving different weightage to different mediums. So while in certain cities outdoor emerged as the lead medium, in others print took the lead with digital and radio cutting across all markets. “For instance, Mumbai will see extensive outdoor while in Delhi the focus will be on print. We have many innovations that will come alive across multiple audience touch points like malls, cinema halls and through BTL consumer initiatives,” informs Palia.

The special marketing innovations include:

* A toll free number has been activated where viewers in trouble Better Call Saul on 1800 4195 500 for tongue-in-cheek legal solutions to life’s problems from Saul Goodman, the protagonist of the multiple Emmy nominated show.

* Godrej Nature’s Basket will be seen promoting My Kitchen Rules with interesting recipes, integrated store and home delivery branding and product hampers in 22 outlets.

* To further build “Infinity” the channel has planned a Colors Infinity Food Festival with unlimited offers at 22 premium establishments across India like Hard Rock Café, Shiro’s, California Pizza Kitchen, The Big Kahuna and more.

All the marketing alliances and partnerships have been facilitated by the internal team of Colors. While the on-air campaign was done by the internal team, the off-air campaign communication was curated by Colors’ creative agency Scarecrow.

“The entire team has delivered a mesmeric campaign that has brand resonance and recall,” concludes Palia.

July 28, 2015
Piracy notwithstanding, English Entertainment genre charts growth story

MUMBAI: That there are as many as 20 English entertainment channels in India today is alone testament to the fact that there is a chunk of audience out there who are happily lapping up English shows and movies on television. In a country where Hindi and regional general entertainment channels (GECs) account for almost 49 per cent of the total viewership pie, the English GECs and movie channels genre survive on a measly 0.9 per cent.

Notwithstanding, overhear snatches of conversation of today’s youngsters and you’re most likely to hear show names such as Orange is the New Black, Homeland, House of Cards and Game of Thrones. However, a couple of pertinent questions to ask here are: Where are they consuming this content from and whether there is much scope for a genre like this to grow in a country as diverse as India?

Even as piracy is rampant specially for English entertainment content, Indian broadcasters are going around with a fine-tooth comb in order to offer viewers the best content in order to feed their insatiable demand.

The English Entertainment Growth Story

According to the FICCI-KPMG 2015 report, English entertainment genre, which includes both English GECs and English movie channels, accounted for 0.9 per cent viewership in 2014 as compared to the 1.1 per cent in 2013.

With the recent addition of Viacom18’s Colors Infinity and Colors Infinity HD, the number of English entertainment channels in India today has touched 20, as per TAM Media Research data. Of these, there are seven HD channels with the first half of 2015 alone seeing as many as five HD launches.

Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Times Network CEO and managing director MK Anand says, “With DAS phase I and II complete, as we go to phase III and IV, the potential to launch more and more niche channels and to reach out to specific people has become better and cheaper. With analog one could reach 100 channels through a network, whereas with digital we can technically and theoretically reach 500 channels.”

While the niche English entertainment genre has seen content acquisition cost rising almost three-fold in the last couple of years, the fact remains that the advertising rates are nothing to write home about. Even as media planners suggest that there has been close to 43 per cent jump in the commercial time sold on English entertainment channels, the ad rate for the genre ranges from Rs 500 to Rs 2,500, which is considerably below the rates that Hindi GECs command. In a scenario like this, the question that looms large is whether it is even profitable to enter the space?

Viacom18 EVP head – English Entertainment Ferzad Palia says that close to 250 million Indians now are English literates, which was anywhere between 25-30 million, 10 years ago. Not just this, English entertainment genre currently reaches to 200 million consumers, with close to 60 per cent of English entertainment consumption coming from non-metros. While currently, the genre has only 4.6 per cent AdEx share of the whole television pie, Palia feels that the genre is lucrative from an advertiser’s perspective, as English entertainment consumers have 35 per cent higher disposable income.

While the above figures and the liking for high quality content by youngsters justifies the many new launches in the English entertainment space, what is interesting to note is that networks today are investing not just on an English entertainment channel, but are also looking at catering to their HD audiences, by simultaneously launching the HD feed of the channel or only coming up with an HD channel.

The HD Push

GroupM head – trading & partnerships Jai Lala believes that there is scope for more HD channels in the market as the viewing pattern is changing. “With better TVs, and better availability of content, people want to watch the content in HD. The way we had SD, over a period of time, people would want to move to HD and that is where the opportunity exists,” he says.

Digitisation and the growing emphasis of direct to home (DTH) players on HD is another reason for broadcasters concentrating on strengthening their HD bouquet. “The HD part is extremely small right now and at a very nascent stage. With an increase in the seeding of HD set top boxes, things will change. While currently HD penetration is mainly in SEC A cities, over a period of time, it will become mass,” opines Lala.

Increasing penetration of premium, ad free channels like HBO Hits, HBO Defined and Star World Premier has given a major fillip to subscription revenues significantly for the English entertainment genre. Premium HD channels last year recorded 10X topline growth with DTH accounting over 95 per cent of the premium channel subscriber base.

The advertising revenue from HD channels, according to media experts is approximately Rs 250 crore. Lala estimates the English general entertainment HD market to be in the tune of Rs 100 crore.

Agreeing that the genre currently is not profitable, Madison Media Omega chief operating officer Dinesh Rathore says, “There is so much content available internationally and it is quite popular. Thanks to digitisation and digital penetration that people are watching this content through different avenues. This gives an impression that there is a demand for such content, but this is specialized content meant for a niche audience.”

Giving examples of channels like Big Thrill and CBS, Rathore says that these did not work because they were not viable monetarily. “Today, every network wants to be available in every genre and with better quality. It is like building a portfolio in order to cater to your clients in every niche,” he opines.

The Road Ahead

While the English entertainment channels genre currently is a small player in the vast broadcast game, it has a chance to pick up with growing digital homes. Once a strong pipe is created, broadcaster will have to concentrate on bringing good quality content to viewers, preferably at the same time as its US release. They will also have to create enough room for sampling of content by viewers.

The key area of concern for English entertainment genre in India still remains that of piracy. According to Palia, the habit of ‘torent’ing amongst viewers has been inculcated by broadcasters themselves. “We have forced consumers to go and download. Research shows that people do not download just because they want to watch content immediately after the US launch. The real reason is that they aren’t getting enough content that they should be. There is a plethora of content that is not even brought to the country,” Palia had earlier said.

Media analysts are of the opinion that the English entertainment genre in the country should pick up in the next two-three years. Moreover, the huge time gap between the US and India release of a show is what eventually leads to downloading. If broadcasters can deal with this issue and develop appointment viewing amongst customers, the genre, which has immense potential given India’s high youth and English speaking population, stands to bloom.

July 25, 2015
Colors Infinity to launch amidst 25 city marketing blitzkrieg

MUMBAI: Moving towards a new horizon in the English entertainment space in the country, the soon to be launched Colors Infinity from Viacom18 stable is all set to break new ground by ushering in the growing trend of ‘Essential Viewing’ – An immersive experience of watching three continuous episodes of globally applauded narratives back to back. The channel is expected to launch by July end.

The experience will be further augmented by the ‘First Indian Premiere’ of a new show every day of the week that includes critically acclaimed and multi-award winning series like Fargo, Orange Is The New Black, Better Call Saul, The Flash, amongst others. The channel has been co-curated by Karan Johar and Alia Bhatt, bringing in a great blend of finesse and insight to the channel through curating world class content.

Viacom 18 Group CEO Sudhanshu Vats said, “In 2008 Viacom18 scripted the first few pages of its journey to establish its first milestone in Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) Colors, thereafter disrupting the genre landscape. In 2015, we once again embark on a journey to recreate history, this time in the English entertainment space with Colors Infinity. Our first home grown English entertainment channel for India, through its many firsts, is all set to subvert convention in the genre through providing a consummate viewing experience.”

In unprecedented acquisition for the Indian market, the network has entered into major multi-year deals with Warner Bros. International Television Distribution, NBC Universal, Sony Pictures Television, Twentieth Century Fox, Lionsgate, MGM, BBC and Endemol Shine amongst others.

Viacom18 EVP and head English entertainment Ferzad Palia said, “Colors Infinity is ready to be the absolute for the best in English language entertainment with its handpicked international content and extensive multi genre offering. Adding to the immersive experience, the innovation of facilitating essential viewing is set to be a definitive game changer through inviting newer audience and growing the viewership pie.”

Palia added, “Till September, we will telecast seasons already aired in the US and update Indian viewers, and then eventually when the new series starts in the US we will have simultaneous screenings. This is something which will stop people from illegal streaming. Fresh content was unavailable to them as channels were telecasting repeats even in the primetime so they were forced to take the pirated route. No one indulges piracy for fun, it’s just that they lack options.”

Launched after a thorough research spanning over 24 months, the network has roped in four brands as launch partners viz. L’Oreal, Renault, Grey Goose and Intigriti. All these four brands will have presence on the channel post launch too.

The launch will be backed by high decibel marketing campaign in over 25 cities across the country. Karan Johar and Alia Bhatt will play the anchor role and every promotional strategy will be orchestrated around them. The promo featuring the Kjo and Alia Bhatt will reverberate both on digital and television. “Most of the creative, promos, packaging, graphics have been created by our in-house creative team and I am delighted that we have such an innovative team who has won many global accolades,” informed Palia.

Programming

1) My Kitchen Rules: Every day, at 8 pm.

2) The Flash Season 1: Three back to back episodes, every Monday at 9 pm.

3)The Musketeers: Three back to back episodes, every Tuesday at 9 pm.

4) Forever season 1: Three back to back episodes, every Wednesday at 9pm.

5) The Big C: Three back to back episodes, every Thursday 9pm.

6)The Orange Is The New Black: Three back to back episodes, every Friday at 9pm.

7)Better Call Saul: Three back to back episodes, every Saturday at 9 pm.

8) Fargo: Three back to back episodes, every Sunday at 9 pm.

The channel will have seven day programming instead of five. Not just this, the 8pm to 12 pm slot will be the primetime slot where original content will be premiered. “Colors Infinity will strictly avoid showing repeats in primetime and will offer viewers exquisite content,” concluded Palia.

July 7, 2015
Viacom18 bullish on English entertainment; launches Colors Infinity

MUMBAI: The English general entertainment channel (GEC) bouquet is set to get bigger with the launch of Viacom18’s Colors Infinity. The channel is in keeping with the network’s philosophy of growing and deepening its presence in the genres it is present in.

The to be launched channel will have both standard definition (SD) and high definition (HD) feeds. With the addition of the new channel, Viacom18’s English entertainment channel bouquet will now have four offerings namely VH1, Comedy Central, Colors Infinity and Colors Infinity HD.

Even before its launch Colors Infinity has acquired 2000 hours of original content from across studios, including the likes of NBC Universal, Sony Pictures Television, Twentieth Century Fox, Lionsgate, MGM, BBC, Endemol Shine and a host of other independent and small studios. “These are all multiyear deals,” said Viacom18 EVP head – English Entertainment Ferzad Palia.

Additionally, the new English GEC, which has spent close to a year and a half in curating content, will have shows from across genres like drama, comedy, super heroes, talent, lifestyle, action, mini-series and live events.

The channel, which aims to target approximately 30 million consumers countrywide, at the time of launch, is using a phase wise marketing strategy. The first of this is informing consumers about the channel by using the well entrenched ‘Colors’ brand name.

“Colors by far is perceived as a successful media brand. It is also known for its disruptive and progressive programming and that is what Colors Infinity is about. The idea behind using the name Colors Infinity is to build a broader base of people,” informed Palia.

For Viacom18 group CEO Sudhanshu Vats, using the brand Colors is part of the network’s GEC approach. “If you look at our Hindi or regional channels, it is under the ‘Colors’ brand. So from a strategic perspective it fits well. Also Colors is a very urban and inspirational brand. It will have a lot of resonance and appeal with the right set of people that we want to reach out to,” said Vats.

The channel has roped in director-producer Karan Johar and actor Alia Bhatt as co-curators. The duo has worked closely with the channel on picking shows and giving insights on the programming. “Together the two of them have over 10 million Twitter followers and through them we plan to build relevance with a greater audience. They will be integrally involved with the marketing campaign as well,” said Palia.

Colors Infinity will not charge premium subscription for the channel and will work on the advertisement and subscription model. “The Indian market has so far not grown enough for channels to make money with just subscription. In the future, may be after cable starts billing and there is addressability, it may start generating revenue,” opined Vats.

Targeting viewers in the age group of 15 – 50 years, Colors Infinity is looking at a distinctive scheduling strategy. “It will be disruptive and something which has never been done in India before. We are mapping it the way a consumer would want to watch it,” informed Palia, adding that the content will comprise Indian television premieres.

While the network already has highly targeted channels in VH1, which is a pure music and lifestyle channel and Comedy Central, a comedy channel, both Vats and Palia feel that the viewership will not get cannibalized. “We are not here to eat from a small pie, we are here to grow the pie. In fact with time, we will have more switchers from competition channels than our own cluster,” asserted Palia.

According to Vats, all the channels will co-exist. “Colors Infinity is a GEC, while the others are sharply targeted channels. This is how it is worldwide,” added Vats.

The growing English entertainment genre

According to Palia, this is the ‘Golden age of television.’ “The production of TV series in the US and UK was up 400 per cent in the past five years. This can be attributed to the growth of cable, over the top services and the aggressive nature of networks in the US and UK,” he opined.

Talking from an Indian market perspective, Palia said that English entertainment in India was now becoming main stream. “Close to 250 million Indians now are English literates, whereas 10 years ago, it was close to 25-30 million. It is the second language to most now,” he pointed out.

English entertainment genre currently reaches to 200 million consumers. “We have added 20 per cent viewers in the genre post DAS and our advertising revenue over the past five years has grown by 60 per cent. Not just this, close to 60 per cent of English entertainment consumption is coming from non-metros,” informed Palia.

Palia is of the opinion that from an advertiser’s perspective, the genre is lucrative as English entertainment consumers have 35 per cent higher disposable income.

Addressing the issue of ‘torent’ing, Palia said that the habit has been inculcated by broadcasters themselves. “We have forced consumers to go and download. Research shows that people do not download just because they want to watch content immediately after the US launch. The real reason is that they aren’t getting enough content that they should be. There is plethora of content that is not even brought to the country,” he said.

While the shows are first aired in the US in September and go on till May, Palia points out that in India viewers have to wait for the first episode till May. “There is a huge time gap and through our new offering, we will be taking care of this aspect,” he informed.

According to Palia, the English entertainment genre has never really invited a much larger base of people who understand the language and are watching the content in their personal space and not on TV. “We want to be that channel, which takes the category to a larger audience. We are not going mass, but since English is now main stream, we are reaching out to a wider base,” concluded Palia.

July 1, 2015
Comedy Central to air ‘Suits’ season 5, partners Truffit and Hill

MUMBAI: Comedy Central is all set to air the fifth season of Suits from 27 June onwards.

Suits is known for its amazing star cast and intense drama. Catch Donna and Harvey separate their ways apart from each other in this season along with power-couple Mike and Rachel who are facing some new challenge with their new engagement. Explore and unlock the mystery behind their lives on the new season of the show, Suits.

Viacom18 executive vice president and business head, English entertainment Ferzad Palia said, “We are delighted to announce that Comedy Central brings Season 5 of the show Suits for our viewers. The channel has ranked the list of English Entertainment channels in India and we are pleased to take forward the proposition to entertain our beloved audience without whom the channel wouldn’t have reached such heights.”

Suits will also be partnering with Truffit and Hill where customers can get the Harvey and Mike look at the barbershop through their grooming services. The shop also provides an opportunity to look as stylish as Harvey. On the digital platform, Truffit and Hills will showcase the Top 5 looks of Harvey and Mike along with their book, which would be placed in the waiting area and Royal Suite.

June 18, 2015