ITV

Tag: GRP

  • Reporter Channel sets new benchmark: First to cross 218 GRP in male 22+

    Reporter Channel sets new benchmark: First to cross 218 GRP in male 22+

    In a landmark moment for Malayalam television news, Reporter Channel has become the first news network in Kerala to cross 218 GRP in the Male 22+ ABC segment — a key demographic that represents Kerala’s most influential, urban, and brand-conscious audience.

    This milestone is more than a numerical achievement. It reflects Reporter Channel’s consistent focus on editorial precision, strategic scheduling, and audience alignment. In a market where content choices are abundant, the ability to lead in a premium segment like Male 22+ demonstrates sustained viewer preference and platform trust.

    In a noteworthy shift, Reporter Channel has not only outperformed its news competitors but has also surpassed several established general entertainment channels in overall GRP performance.This indicates a broader viewer shift toward content that is not just entertaining but relevant, immediate, and rooted in real-world context. In a GRP-driven market, Reporter’s position above legacy entertainment brands underscores its growing influence in shaping mass viewing behavior across Kerala.

    The Male 22+ category includes working professionals, entrepreneurs, and decision-makers — a group closely watched by advertisers for its high media value and purchasing influence. Reporter’s performance in this space signals both content relevance and strong delivery across time bands.

    At the helm of this achievement is the channel’s leadership. Mr. Anto Augustine, Managing Editor / Managing Director of Reporter Channel, has led the organisation through a phase of operational clarity and editorial strengthening.

    “When content stays sharp and honest, audiences follow — and they stay,” says Mr. Anto Augustine.

    Under his direction, the channel has combined a strong newsroom with a clear programming identity, balancing speed with depth, and regional storytelling with journalistic accountability.

    The 218 GRP mark in Male 22+ is not just a record; it sets a new benchmark in Kerala’s broadcast news environment. For advertisers, it confirms that Reporter is the most effective platform to reach high-value audiences. For the industry, it underlines the potential of regional brands to shape performance standards traditionally associated with national channels.

    This performance milestone reinforces Reporter Channel’s position as a consistent leader in Kerala’s news space. With 218 GRP in the Male 22+ segment, the channel has set a new benchmark for regional news viewership. As audience preferences evolve, Reporter remains focused on delivering reliable, relevant, and data-driven content, backed by strategic leadership and editorial clarity.

     

     

  • BARC week 21: The Q is heading to the big league of channels

    Mumbai: QYOU Media Inc has announced that The Q India, the company’s Hindi language youth-oriented channel has reported a new record gross rating point (GRP) level in week 21 of 2021, as measured by the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC). 

    GRP is a measurement that combines viewer impressions with the time spent viewing (TSV) a particular channel. In week 21, The Q recorded 94.65 million viewer impressions with an average TSV of 104.56 minutes, which on a combined basis has driven The Q to its highest GRP level in company history. 

    The GRP of The Q in the week 21 report of BARC is 53, and clearly indicates that the channel is making steady progress and heading into the big league dominated by mass-market channels that are operated by Sony, Zee TV, and Viacom (Colors). The Q also recorded an eight-week average GRP of 46.23. 

    It should be noted that GRP is one of the most vital metrics used to project potential future revenue growth. As The Q is gearing up with a line up of new programmes, the channel is expected to join the big league in the coming months. 

    “This has been an incredible ratings run and every week we are thrilled with the solid fan base that we are clearly establishing.  Perhaps the most amazing part of this is that we have yet to launch many of our new programs and series and in addition, there has been little to no marketing of the channel to date. This is happening organically and via the virtuous loop, we all believed in where our creators and their social presence are building our brand directly with our viewers. We are not resting on these results and expect to continue to build distribution, programming, and marketing efforts to push The Q to (still) higher and higher levels,” said QYOU chief executive officer and media co-founder Curt Marvis. 

    In a recent statement, the company said that The Q is available in over 100 million TV households and reaching over 612 million OTT and mobile users in India. 

  • Television viewership peters down slightly in Week 14

    Television viewership peters down slightly in Week 14

    BENGALURU: The first three weeks of Indian COVID-19 lockdown have expanded television viewership in India to an extent that was probably never imagined earlier. As many average Indian citizens, bound by the lockdown within the confines of their homes, sought to comfort their minds with news of what was happening within the country and the world and with the pseudo realism that Movies provide, their television viewership habits changed week-on-week. Here’s how.

    Viewership

    In the third week of the Indian COVID-19 lockdown (week 14 of 2020, Saturday, 4 April 2020 to 11 April 2020), television viewership at 1.223 trillion minutes was 37.9 per cent higher when compared to the average of Weeks 2 to 4 of 2020, or the pre-COVID-19 period according to joint Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) Nielsen reports. But then, this was 3.4 per cent lower than the 1.266 trillion minutes of the previous week, despite the same average daily reach of 627 million television viewers. Hence, the average time spent was obviously lower at 4 hours 38 minutes in Week 14 of 2020 as compared to the 4 hours and 48 minutes that television viewers spent in Week13.

    As is obvious from the chart below, TV viewership has grown like never before during the lockdown week, but week 14 data shows that week-on-week, viewership in Week 14 of 2020 is slightly lower than the previous week, which has so far seen numbers peak at high levels. Please refer to the chart below:

    Effect on genres

    News, which until the COVID-19 period had seven per cent share of viewership, saw it triple to 21per cent in Week 12, or the first week of the Covid-19 Lockdown in India. Though news is still the leader in terms of growth in viewership, the growth of the genre in relation to the Pre-Covid-19 period has been lower in Weeks 13 and 14 as compared to Week 12 of 2020. Business news also seemed to be following the trends of its larger sibling, news. The other seven genres have seen growth in Weeks 13 and 14 vis-à-vis the Pre-Covid-19 Period averages.

    Since no fresh content was being produced, GECs’ saw the smallest growth during the first three weeks of the Covid-19 lockdown. It must be noted that GECs’ are the largest genre in terms of viewership, so the 9per cent and 7per cent growth in Weeks 13 and 14 respectively versus the Pre-Covid-19 are good numbers.

    In the Pre-Covid-19 Period, Hindi GECs’ had a 32per cent share of viewership of the Hindi speaking market of HSM. Hindi GEC’s in the urban Hindi speaking market or HSM (U) which reduced to 29per cent in Week 14. Despite this Hindi GECs’ in HSM (U) attained an all-time high of 4 billion impressions. HSM (U) viewership grew by 26per cent in Week 14 in relation to the average of the Pre-Covid-19 Period. This growth could be attributed mainly to GECs’ resorting to airing old classics. The major growth drivers of the genre were pubcasterDoordarshan’s GECs’ DD National and DD Bharti which saw the return of programmes such as Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan and B R Chopra’s Mahabharat, as well as soaps like Dekh Bhai Dekh, Byomkesh Bakshi, Shaktimaan, ShrimanShrimati, Buniyaad and Circus. The other GECs’ generally saw flat growth according to BARC.

    Please refer to the figure below:

    GECs’ in South India continued to lead viewership in Week 14 of 2020, but with a lower share as compared to the pre-COVID-19 period. The movies and news genres saw higher viewership in Week 14 as compared to the Pre-Covid-19 Period. Please refer to the chart below:

    Who was watching television when?

    Growth in viewership continued to be led by the younger generation –the 2-14-years age groups followed by the 15-21 and the 31-40-years age groups as well as in the week preceding (Week 11) the lockdown and during the three weeks of the lockdown (Weeks 12, 13 and 14 of 2020). However, growth was lower amongst all age groups in Week 14 of 2020 as compared to Week 13 with respect to the Pre-Covid-19 Period.

    Please refer to the figure below:

    Since people spent time at home, growth in time spent in minutes for watching television was higher among males. The change was slightly lower in Week 14 of 2020 as compared to Week 13 for males and females with viewership of both the weeks in relation to the Average of the Pre-Covid-19 Period. Please refer to the chart below:

    A BARC Nielsen Report dated 16 April 2020 said that BARC’s NCCS A saw the highest growth during the three weeks of the lockdown as well as Week 11 of 2020 as compared to the average of the Pre-Covid-19 Period.  NCCS A has seen the highest growth in Weeks 12, 13 and 14, with growth peaking in Week 13 of 2020 and then petering slightly in Week 14 of 2020. Please refer to the chart below.

    Non-primetime continued to be a growth driver of Television viewership in Week 14. While Full Day All India Television viewership grew 38per cent in Week 14 as compared to the Pre-Covid-19 Period, Rural India viewership growth was driven by non-Primetime viewership. Primetime viewership grew 10per cent in Urban India, while it remained stable in Rural India.

    News is event driven. Week 15 of 2020 has seen the Covid-19 lockdown in India being extended to 3 May 2020. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech on 14 April 2020 announcing the extension of the lockdown which was aired on 199 channels garnered the highest ratings at 3,937.3 million viewing minutes as compared to his previous 3 addresses to the nation on the Covid-19 crisis.

  • ‘No advertiser or competitor can ignore the disruption we have created in the marketplace’ : Channel [V] EVP and GM Prem Kamath

    ‘No advertiser or competitor can ignore the disruption we have created in the marketplace’ : Channel [V] EVP and GM Prem Kamath

    For Channel [V], the radical moment has arrived. The reinvention process it started in 2009 as music channelsfailed to create differentiated content and had to settle for low revenues. Making the shift, the Star group channel has decided to discontinue all the music slots in its programming lineup effective 1 July.

     

    The new avatar will do away with Bollywood music as it searches for youth audiences that are monetisable. The positioning that it will take is a complete youth entertainment channel with 100 per cent content customised for this target segment. 

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com‘s Gaurav Laghate, Channel [V] EVP GM Prem Kamath talks about the channel‘s growth plans.

     

    Excerpts:

    Doing away with music is definitely a bold step. But what about the trailers that channel [V] airs?
    Trailers will continue as they are a source of revenue. We sell them as any other spot for promotions. But we won’t be airing any Bollywood music as part of our programming lineup.

    So from where did this idea come from? Do you see a lacuna in youth-targeted programming?
    The “Youth channel” word has become a misnomer in the Indian context with music channels calling themselves as youth channels. Unless you are creating youth content, you cannot be a youth channel.

    Music is as youth as a movie channel or a news channel or a sports channel is for that matter because if you see demographically with over 60 per cent of youth population, all the channels have youth as their main TG.

    So how is Channel [V] differentiated?
    We are very clear that we don’t want to be a commodity channel playing just music. If you see, all the music channels are in the same GRP (gross rating point) bracket and the content is identical.

    On the other hand, we offer 100 per cent customised youth content. And all our shows have worked really well and today ratings wise, we are two-and-a-half times of these channels.

    As you said, all channels have majority of their audience as youth. Why will an advertiser select Channel [V]?
    We are delivering to a youth audience, which is exclusive and substantial in number. This has made Channel [V] a vehicle through which the advertisers can target the said audience.
    ‘There is a risk in adding original content and not having anything to fall back on (like music) in case the shows don’t work‘

    So when did you finalise on shedding the Bollywood music completely?
    When we relaunched in June 2009, the plan was ready then. We were focussed on increasing the original content.

    In 2009, we had 75 per cent music content while 25 per cent was original content. And we gradually and consciously reversed that order. Since the last six months, we have been airing only three hours of music in a day.

    But don’t you think creating original content will increase the operational cost?
    Substantially, but we were clear that youth centric shows per hour cost a lot more than the usual music that runs on these kind of channels. We, therefore, built slot by slot.

    Today, we have 10 hours of original content per week. We have three successful fiction shows and will add on to have weekday primetime from 6-8.30 pm. And on Saturdays and Sundays, we will be airing a one-hour show at the 7 pm slot.

    Isn‘t one of your shows picked up by Star Plus?
    Yes, Gumraah, our weekly show, which we are changing to a daily. It is being aired on Star Plus at 8 pm as a repeat on Saturdays and Sundays. This also shows the strength of our content.

    Once you stop music, how will you fill up the slots?
    We will air all our shows three times a day. It suits our viewers also as India is predominantly a single TV householdand parents are in charge of the remote. So our TG can catch up on the show during the repeats. Also, colleges here operate in morning and afternoon shifts, so having three repeats will help in that case.

    If you see all the music channels, the main TRPs come from the morning band where you also were playing music. Don’t you think that removing music will affect badly on the ratings?
    Our channel is viewed by over 25 million people and we average over 50 GRPs week on week, which is a proof that our viewers are watching shows and not music.

    Moreover, as you pointed out, most of the GRPs on the music channels come from morning bands, which is ad free. So even if it helps in getting the ratings, it may not necessarily be monetisable.

    But these are safe GRPs?
    I agree that there is a risk in adding original content and not having anything to fall back on (like music) in case the shows don’t work. However, we are extremely confident about our content.

    Our break TVR is four times that of other channels. This goes to show the strength of our content – that is sticky and engaging. In case of music, people tend to change the channel the moment ad begins. Even our show to break conversion is as high as 80 per cent.

    But still when you say Channel [V] or MTV, the first image that comes to mind is that of a music channel. The legacy factor is there. Won‘t that get affected?
    Numbers are absolute truth and perception is not. And we have numbers to substantiate.

    How do you see current competition coming from music and youth channels?
    The disruption that we have created is so wide that it can’t be ignored by the advertisers or competitors. The current problem with music channels is that no advertiser is going to pay a premium, unless you have a differentiated offering.

    Having said that, top players will be profitable, albeit small. There will be a time when some of these players will have to relook on their business models.

    Earlier you had said that monetising the music content is difficult. How?
    Exactly. Today the same music is available on not just the music channels but also on multiple platforms like internet, mobiles and tablets. And consumption of music videos is very high on high-end mobiles and tablets.

    Anything that can get monetised on a television channel is loyalty. And that can‘t happen with the same content. That is why we decided to offer customised youth content.

    Everyone is bullish on digital today. What future role Channel [V] will have on the digital front?
    Everyone is trying to figure out the answer to this question. How and up to what extent digital entertainment will affect TV is yet to be seen. Having said that, if you understand your audience well and create content for them, it will work.

    Moreover, digital as a medium changes very fast, which adds further complexities. There are some myths,though, that are busting – like on internet only short form content works. Today, YouTube plays full length feature films and long format is also working well.

    Talking about our website, for now it will be an extension of the channel adding ancillary programming for TV.

    Unlike some of your competitors, you are not much into licensing and merchandising. Why?
    L&M for us is not making bags or T-shirts. It is not a marketing stunt and our belief is that L&M should be strongly differentiated and have big potential. So we have two properties – [V] Spots and IndiaFest.

    We have seen phenomenal success with [V] Spots. Both Saket (New Delhi) and Gurgaon outlets have broken even within a month of launch. We will soon be launching in Pune and by the end of our next fiscal (June 2013), we will have 10 [V] Spots across India. We are looking at Chandigarh and Bengaluru as potential markets.

    IndiaFest is one of its kind youth festival, which we organise in Goa every year. It is also growing year-on-year.
  • ‘Peak fragmentation affecting rev growth’ : Zeel executive director revenue and niche channels Joy Chakraborthy

    ‘Peak fragmentation affecting rev growth’ : Zeel executive director revenue and niche channels Joy Chakraborthy

    There are early indications that the advertising economy is slowing down. With many parts of the world awash in economic gloom, there are forecasts that guide India‘s television advertising revenue market to a below double-digit growth this fiscal.

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (Zeel) executive director revenue and niche channels Joy Chakraborthy believes the sports segment will see a degrowth while the Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs), caught in a four-horse race, will lose their pricing power.

    Though advertisers are exercising caution in spending, rate hikes are taking place in certain genres like movie and regional channels. Even in case of Hindi GECs, certain programmes can get rate hikes.

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com‘s Sibabrata Das, Chakraborthy talks about peak fragmentation affecting revenues and what the industry needs to do to beat growth blues.

    Excerpts:

    Zeel posted a measly 0.5 per cent rise in first-quarter ad revenue over the year-ago period. So are we heading for an ad slowdown due to stresses in the global economy or is it is due to a fall in ratings of the flagship Hindi general entertainment channel Zee TV?

    Advertisers are exercising caution in spending. They are entering into quarterly and shorter term deals; not too many annual deals are happening. We will be hit both by a possible slowdown and a fall in viewership of Zee TV. But at the same time, we have the highest GRP-to-revenue conversion.

    Major spenders like FMCGs have said that they will be slashing their ad budgets as their profit margins are getting squeezed. How deep will the television advertising economy be hit?

    There is a concern, but at the same time many of the FMCG companies are launching variants. If HUL states that it is slashing its ad budget, frankly speaking it is no more a scare. But what could be disturbing is that we are seeing a drop in high-yielding inventories filled by telecom, banking and finance and real estate companies. We are hoping that like telecom which came in a big way a few years back, we will see a new category emerge. India being an emotional country, a single strong wave can lead to a turnaround.

    But don‘t FMCGs account for 55 per cent of the total TV ad pie?
    It is not that FMCGs are going to retreat. They are redeploying their ad monies. While their spends on cricket and Doordarshan are getting reduced, they are increasing their allocations to GECs, regional markets and other genres. And if HUL and Marico cut their spends, ITC and others will up them. There is too much competition in the category.

    Will broadcasters be able to implement effective ad rate hikes?
    Broadcasters have almost filled up their ad inventories. Perhaps, what has increased is ‘float deals‘ (whenever inventory ia available, channels give them to clients at a marginal discount rsate) given to FMCGs. Rate hikes, however, are taking place in certain genres like movie and regional channels. Zee, for instance, will see ad revenue growth in Marathi, Bangla, Kannada and Andhra Pradesh markets. Even in case of Hindi GECs, certain programmes can get rate hikes. Celebrities, for instance, attract a premium.
    ‘Advertisers are exercising caution in spending. But if HUL states that it is slashing its ad budget, frankly speaking it is no more a scare. What could be disturbing is that we are seeing a drop in high-yielding inventories filled by telecom, banking and finance and real estate companies‘

    In case of Hindi GECs, we are moving from a three-horse race last year to a fight among the four at the top with the resurgence of Sony Entertainment Television. How is this going to affect the genre?

    As we move to a four-horse race, Hindi GECs will lose their pricing power. The genre will see growth but there will be revenue fragmentation. Media agencies will be in a better bargaining position.

    How hard will Zeel be hit considering that its flagship channel Zee TV will most likely continue to be placed No. 4 during the festive season?

    It does worry us. But in case of a slowdown, advertisers like to hedge their bets. The comfort zone for them could be that Zee TV wouldn‘t fall further; it can only go up. And the difference between the top-rung GECs is mainly one show. After Jhansi Ki Rani fared well during its run at the 8 pm slot, its replacement Shobha Somnath Ki has not been doing well. We are relaunching that show.

    Let‘s also not forget that advertisers and agencies are not opportunists; they do not dump the ship but value long term relationships and the network strength.

    Will Zee TV, which contributes about 40 per cent of the network‘s ad earnings, see a degrowth?

    We are seeing strong growth in many of our channels. In fact, eight of our channels have posted peak monthly revenues in August. But, yes, there will be some impact if Zee TV loses GRPs.

    Considering that there is a slowdown and the GECs are caught in a fight among four at the top, what is the growth forecast for the television sector?

    Television will grow at 10-12 per cent this year, faster than print which will crawl at 2-3 per cent. But there is still a lot of ground to cover. We believe the television ad revenue size is Rs 107.50 billion compared to print‘s Rs 119 billion.

    Another abnormal thing this year is that the Dussehra and Diwali festive season falls in the same month (October). Television has limited inventory. If this would have stretched over two months, the sector would have gained.

    A proper picture of the growth pace will, however, emerge after we get the trends in November and December.

    Sports was a big revenue driver in FY‘11. Will it sustain that momentum this fiscal?

    Sports will see degrowth. Sports broadcasters earned a combined ad revenue of Rs 15 billion in FY‘11, buoyed by the World Cup and the Indian Premier League (IPL). But this fiscal their ad revenue will be under attack because of India‘s debacle against England. The India-West Indies series was affected as some of India‘s stars were not playing. Seeing the performance of the Indian team, the Champions League Twenty20 is obviously facing the music.

    Sports broadcasters only focus on property-based selling. They should also strategise on RODP (run of day part) and ROS (run on schedule) selling. We are doing that in a big way.

    How difficult is it to push hard for revenue growth in such a cluttered television market even for niche genres?

    The biggest problem in the television industry is that fragmentation is peaking. There are 18 music and 15 English entertainment channels. Where is the money going to come from? Revenue gets affected because of fragmentation.

    Zee is in a fortunate position as it has the largest bouquet of channels. The niche channels have also built a brand equity over the years. We are seeing 10-15 per cent growth in this segment. But for new channels that are to come up, there is no bandwidth on both analogue cable networks and DTH platforms.

    You are not happy with the way distribution is evolving?

    The underreporting of subscriber numbers is hurting the industry. Broadcasters are feeling the pinch with content costs climbing, as ad sales is still funding the television business. Whatever a broadcaster earns as pay revenue goes out as carriage fees. The cable TV sector needs transparency.

    Is slowdown good in that sense as it will act as an entry barrier for more launches?

    Slowdown is good in a way as it will ensure that networks with sustaining power will gain. The No. 1 and No. 2 players will take away most of the monies. Costs will also get corrected as companies try to protect their bottom lines.

    But at the same time there is one player every year who spoils the market. In the movie channel space, for instance, Viacom18 drove the acquisition price insane last year. This year Star is doing it.

    Do you see an opportunity for leading broadcasters like Zee to get smaller networks outsource their ad sales?

    Personally, I feel there will be media-selling consortiums, led by big networks. We are evaluating partnerships in markets where we do not compete.

    The time has also arrived for us to dig deep into the regional markets. We have formed a retail team and they are tapping such clients.

    How beneficial has it been from a growth perspective as you have been handling the ad sales of television as well as print with DNA under your belt?

    Print is very scheme-led, there are too many hidden deals, and no timely research is available. The circulation gains can‘t be monetised immediately. But in print you can do a lot more innovations. Print and television buyers are totally different in mindset but the basic business principle remains the same.

    DNA has benefited from Zee‘s deep relationship with media agencies. Zee, on the other hand, has been able to gain access to a wider breadth of clients. We would have benefited more from the synergies if we had not lost GRPs (gross rating points) and our channel positions were healthier.

  • ‘We have grown without showing gruesome reality shows’ : Zoom Entertainment Television CEO Avinash Kaul

    ‘We have grown without showing gruesome reality shows’ : Zoom Entertainment Television CEO Avinash Kaul

    Zoom, the youth channel with a lazar sharp focus on Bollywood, has found its space in a competitive genre that is waiting to see the launch of UTV Stars in mid-August.

    The channel has consciously stayed away from gruesome reality shows, protecting it from the volatile curve that its rivals like MTV and UTV Bindass are subject to.

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com‘s Gaurav Laghate, Zoom Entertainment Television CEO Avinash Kaul talks about how this positioning has made the channel a safe proposition for advertisers and ensured its growth across the content pillars that it has built after reinventing twice.

    Excerpts:

    It‘s over a one and a half year now that you have taken charge at Zoom. What changes have you brought?
    There has been a lot of positive momentum that we have built at Zoom. For example, we have more than doubled our GRPs (gross rating points). We are now almost the genre leader.

    There were quite a bit of pieces that we have ironed out across the business. This includes content, distribution, marketing, and ad sales pillar… all the components of the business, as the dynamics of the business change every day. And it needs re-orientation of how to work things out.

    So that‘s what we were focussing on. And we have been successful in all the ventures that we have been in, so far. This is reflecting in the results (ratings) today. And the remarkable thing is that these results are without any reality shows, unlike other channels.

    Zoom is about wholesome inclusive family viewing entertainment, and we do not cater to any gruesome reality show. There are no beepers, no pixilation, and no grungy outlook towards life. We believe in the positive outlook.

    Define your market?
    We specifically target the 1 million + towns in the HSM, 15-24 SEC AB. If you look at the content mix of anybody else in this genre, more than 50 per cent of content comes from the reality shows. And they keep going up and down. A Roadies, for instance, will take them (MTV) to a high and once it is over, they will come back to right at the base.

    So basically, for 13 weeks in a year, you will see a high on some channels or the other. You have to look at consistency, which we offer, because we don‘t have such dramatic crests and dramatic troughs. So for an advertiser it‘s a safe proposition, technically.

    But for such shows, do advertisers pay a premium?
    Advertisers look at the cost-benefit ratio – the cost of making the content versus the returns that you are likely to get from the content. And not all of this is enviable to all of the advertisers. Because with a lot of content, many advertisers might want to associate, many might not to. So it‘s about the environment you create. We have not created any negative dissonances on the content front on the channel and we do not expect anything to change dramatically in the future to go into that zone.

    We have very carefully navigated ourselves out, staying away from that temptation. Demographically, we are aimed at youth but our focus has been Bollywood and we will keep that focus. Which is why today we see that you would see us as India‘s No.1 Bollywood channel, right because that‘s a statement we can obviously make.

    There is not too much competition also ?
    Well the way we look at the competition, we have various content pillars- we have Bollywood news, we have music, we have movies, we have countdowns and we have features. These are the kind of programming we do at Zoom today. So when I look at my review show, it performs better than any other on other channels including Hindi news. So as long as I am the best in every pillar that I am present in, I am in safe hands. Today my Bollywood news performs better than any other mainstream Hindi news channel‘s news flash.

    As far as standalone 15-24 HSM, 1 millionn+ is concerned in Bollywood news dissemination, Zoom is ahead. Of course, I do far more of it because I am a dedicated channel as opposed to say one bulletin on Aaj Tak or any other news channel.

    When I am playing music, I am the No. 1 in the music band. As long as you are successful in all the pillars, your proposition is entirely secured.
    ‘We have various content pillars- Bollywood news, music, movies, countdowns and features. As long as I am the best in every pillar that I am present in, I am in safe hands‘

    So how do you see Zoom poised today?
    Today, Zoom is India‘s No. 1 Bollywood channel, and technically, I would rather go to the extent of saying that we are the world‘s No. 1 Bollywood destination. Because as a network (Times Television Network), we are available in 18 countries, out of which Zoom is in over 15 countries. Now that is again the Bollywood connect spreading out.

    So we reach out and fulfil their daily dose of Bollywood. If I give you some statistics, we are today the No. 2 channel on YouTube in India and 18th in entertainment in the world. Today, as we talk, we have over 420 million views on YouTube and every week, we get 5 million hits on an average. Now that‘s massive consumption.

    Our Facebook page has around 700,000 followers. And as per tracking sites are concerned, we are No. 2 or No. 3 page in India on Facebook among the media channels‘ pages. As far as interactivity is concerned, we get around 20 million impressions every week on Facebook. This is because the interactivity element that we have built is far more superior. Every post of ours gets over 5000 responses in terms of likes and comments.

    We also syndicate our content internationally to various channels, and locally to regional channels here. As a result, the cumulative exposure to the content created by Zoom gets magnified at every level.

    So what all are your revenue streams?
    Digital is a very important component for us. As we have specialised content, our realisation from digital is very healthy. Branded content is another significant part and we also have got syndication as a model.

    So these are the three big chunks. Then we are a pay channel, so we get international and domestic subscription revenues. That balances our portfolio pretty decently; it‘s a well diversified, well matured business.

    Coming to your programming mix, how do you justify having movies on your channels?
    Our choice of movies is something very contemporary, very youth. We will stretch the envelop to go for those kinds of movies that may not be top grossers but give you ratings.

    We are looking at contemporary Bollywood movies which are aimed at youth so that there is a better opportunity to weave it…Fashion for example, would find a way on our channel.

    So how is your content mix at present?
    If you consider the 18 hours cycle of Zoom, you will get 40-45 per cent of music, which is all contemporary; 15-18 per cent is movies, 20 per cent is from news fillers and the balance is from features and countdown shows.

    So far there was no competition for Zoom in a true sense. Now UTV is launching UTV Stars, which will be in similar space. How do you see competition brewing?
    So we hear, but honestly, very little to comment till we see the actual product on air. Anything else can be a ‘me too‘.

    We have had competition; E24 launched, but hasn‘t really been able to cut much ice. There are so many channel launches every day.

    But don‘t you think that UTV Stars will have an advantage as it is also into production of movies?
    Well I would argue that not having a studio is beneficial for us because we are agnostic. We have no vested interest in Bollywood.

    Today, our business is well diversified. It is not just a TV channel; it‘s a Bollywood ecosystem that we have created over the years. So honestly, we do not see any immediate threat.

    A party which is neutral, which has consistency of business, consistency of investing in the business and which is serious about the business, will only succeed.

    As a group, whatever we stand by, we commit; we invest, we build, we grow…and that too profitably. So that‘s the key operating word for us. We are not in business for the sake of business, we are in business for profitability.

    How many new clients do you have advertising on your channel?
    Technically, the highest client count on the genre is with us. It is around 230-240 clients active in a year. In terms of volumes, we are right among the top, if not the top.

    We have a better value proposition for the advertisers in the sense that we, for example, have not been able to crack the HUL business for a while now. Until and unless the client sees the value proposition, we are not going out of the way to seek their business.

    As far as the business is concerned, I have no reason to believe that we are any less than the top in the particular segment. Yes, certain tent pole properties might give an edge, only to say a channel like MTV, but not to anybody else.

    So as far as the pure vanilla advertising business coming from advertisers is concerned, I would probably put up as a strong competitor. Purely talking about the advertiser lead business.

    So what all new shows are coming?
    We are looking at a healthy mix of new shows. There will be shows related to Bollywood and fashion. We are looking at properties which could probably like a Style-cop. We are also looking at a show which will bring in the advent of Bollywood stars on television, Telly Talk. The view primarily is to look at the cross-border pollination that has happened and focus on that angle on what‘s happening in the Bollywood space.

    We have just launched Big Story and, yes, there will be some shows which will be built for appointment viewing, but not with beeps and pixels. We will be unveiling them shortly.

    We will also be shortly announcing Bollywood Summit.

    Your comments on the genre you are in?
    The genre is very dynamic; audience is fickle, every year 10 per cent of audience moves out and a new set of audience comes in. It is just 9 years old and the attention span is small. So we go all out to tap that audience.

  • ‘We want to be the No. 1 channel in two years’ : Sony Entertainment Television business head Ajit Thakur

    ‘We want to be the No. 1 channel in two years’ : Sony Entertainment Television business head Ajit Thakur

    Struggling to jump into the top Hindi GEC league, it was a year back when Sony Entertainment Television decided to undergo a complete overhaul. New programmes were introduced and a new association was inked with the biggest film production house, Yash Raj Films, to produce soaps that were different both in narration and production value. While not all could fetch the requisite numbers for Sony, they did help the channel cover quite a distance – from a 80 GRP mark to a peak of 180 GRPs.

     

    Now as Sony enters into its next phase of growth, it is betting big on the decade-old KBC, helmed by Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan. Sony believes that the property, infused with fresh innovations,will do more than just getting the numbers: it will help the channel change its fortunes.

     

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com‘s Anindita Sarkar, Sony Entertainment Television business head Ajit Thakur speaks about the channel‘s programming plans at large.

     

    Excerpts:
     

    How challenging has been the last one year for you at Sony?

    Sony is a great brand but in the last couple of years it had not lived up to its potential. Now as I look back one year from the time I joined, we have achieved a lot and the credit goes to the brand. It has always been so strong that every time we do something that is targeted at our audience right, we always get results.

     
    So what has been the focus for Sony?

    The focus in the last one year has been on three things. The first one of these has been research. Audience taste in this country is shifting every 1-2 years and, therefore, we were very clear that everything that we do has to be supported by rigorous consumer testing and extensive research to enhance our consumer focus. And research is not just to track but also to forecast the future trends.

     

    The second focus for the channel has been to strengthen as pioneers in new programming. We got in a wide variety of shows ranging from the Yash Raj banner which were very diverse in terms of content and production value to something like Crime Patrol. We also made Aahat into a daily and Indian Idol, which had been traditionally a weekend property, was shifted to weekdays to give audiences a new experience. Also, no other channel has a daily thriller like CID.

     

    The third very important and conscious thing that we are concentrating on is to produce content that entertains the entire family – and is not just exclusive to women or men or kids. Also, the content should do more than just entertainment.

     
    But even after so many launches in the past one year, the channel is still perceived to be synonymous with CID while also deriving ratings from Indian Idol. Why so?

    Yes, CID is our flagship property and has been doing very well for us. So, if we have a strong property, why not build on it? We have extended the property to CID gallantry awards and we are thinking of CID comics towards the end of the year.

     

    Meanwhile, the growth has not come just from one property. We are slowly and steadily expanding on our properties. Now we have Indian Idol, then we will have KBC and we will be building one property at a time.

     

    Our other shows – Aahat, Crime Patrol and Boogie Woogie – are also fairing well for the channel. Baat Hamari Pakki Hai is picking up. And if you see, none of our shows is similar to the other. 

     

     
    But you still weak on fiction as compared to the rest of the competitors…

    Look, it has been a very conscious part of our strategy to give audience differentiated content. So, if you see, our programmes are very different from what is happening on all the other four channels. The fact is that from last June to this June we have seen an almost 100 per cent growth. Also, our primetime GRPs have grown from 40-75 GRPs. Meanwhile, in DTH households, we are the number two channel already. And DTH is a controlled environment where everything is in place and it is no more a Bombay-Delhi phenomenon. This shows that our content has future potential.
     

    Does that mean you do not want a successful soap on the channel?

    We do want to do a successful daily soap and build more on fiction but it has to be unifying and should be carrying a message. Also, we will not look at dragging a soap just for the sake of TRPs. We will look at finite properties that will help build the brand Sony and stand for it. We are expected to bring variety and target younger people. India has a lot more people below the age of 35 and Sony has a very high skew towards this audience segment. 

     
    ‘Now that it is time to enter the second phase of our growth, we want to kickstart it with KBC ‘

     
    Then why is it that even after bringing in young and differentiated content with the YRF shows and some other new ones too, it did not do much well for the channel?

    When we launched YRF, Seven and Mahi Way did fairly well. But all of them were not up to the expectations that the market wanted. However, when we went for it we actually knew that the content is ahead of its time in comparison to current television in terms of narrative as well as treatment. So we were the early adopters and the ratings did not come in the first season. But we have learnt that they will work if we be at it for some time and bring back new seasons.

     

    Also, another learning for us is that we shouldn‘t launch multiple properties together. Which is why this time we will bring back the shows one by one so that the audiences grow on them.
     

    When do you plan to bring back the new YRF shows?

    We will be launching two new shows from the YRF stable by the end of this year and the new seasons of two more properties will be launched next year. Apart from these, we will also be launching two other fiction properties by the year-end. 

     

    Why did you decide to bring back KBC despite it being an old property?

    The difference between reality shows and game shows are that reality shows are often very edgy and not suitable for the whole family. And since we are targeting the entire family, we knew it was time to bring back a game show on the channel.

     

    When we did our testing for KBC, everyone said that they would watch the show because it has knowledge, entertainment and Mr Bachchan. So they encapsulated the show for us very well and that has a huge implication for us. We are sure that apart from numbers, the show is going to generate huge eyeballs for the channel.

     

    Also, now that it is time to enter the second phase of our growth, we wanted to kickstart it with KBC. 

     
    What is your scheduling strategy? Which time bands do you concentrate on?

    Because a lot of our focus is on research, our scheduling strategy is pretty much about what is happening in the household. So we start our early primetime with soaps that are for the regular family and then as we go through the day, we move into non-fiction that is Indian Idol. Towards the end of the day, there is Crime Patrol, Aahat and CID as there is more of older audiences and men coming into the channel.

     

    Also, we are trying to keep as much of content on the channel to keep the family together. Earlier, it was just the weekends that would look at keeping everybody together – but now it‘s weekdays too.

     

    And the third thing is that while a lot of the channels are doing afternoons, we have opened up the late primetime at 11 pm as an original time band.

     
    What are your movie plans?

    We are actually looking at doing less and less of movies. About a year back, we were doing 4-5 movies a week. But now we are doing only two movies a week. And within this, we are looking at interesting titles. We have about eight programmes on the channel and we will repeat that during off primetime. We are also looking more at events.  
     

     

    What are the challenges and opportunities for Sony in this cluttered market?

    We want to maintain a steady growth curve upwards. We want to take optimal decisions in terms of investments and programming and don‘t want to take away the positioning of the channel. Our daily worry is what is the next new innovative programming that we need to bring in and what is the next new insight we need to catch from the consumers.

     

    The challenge for us will be to continue retaining our present viewers while getting in new audiences. We will also have to continue to build on our youth base – more from the smaller towns.
     

    So is there a GRP or position you have in mind?
    We want to be the number one channel in two years.
     
  • ‘We are targeting 20 per cent revenue growth this fiscal’ : Anooj Kapoor- Sab senior vice president & business head

    ‘We are targeting 20 per cent revenue growth this fiscal’ : Anooj Kapoor- Sab senior vice president & business head

    From launching new shows to experimenting with new genres and time slots, Sab has been running from pillar to post to get the ratings right.

     

    Post Sony acquisition, Sab has been dabbling with an ‘identity crisis’. From being a comedy channel to a youth-centric channel and now returing to its original positioning, Sony Entertainment Channel’s sibling channel has seen it all. It has experimented with various genres – youth-centric patriotic shows, stand-up comedies, reality-based acting shows and detective stories.

     

    In conversation with Indiantelevision.com’s Nasrin Sultana, Sab SVP and business head Anooj Kapoor shares the channel’s programming strategies.

     

    Excerpts:

    Sab has been accused of experimenting too often with its positioning. How long will this new positioning last?
    We have repositioned ourselves as a complete comedy channel. It is the only channel in the country which does linear family comedy shows. All comedy shows in India are episodic. After the repositioning, we are doing light-hearted soaps like other Hindi general entertainment channels (GEC), but in the positive manner.

     

     

    We have recreated the concept of soaps. The shows can be watched by the entire family. All the other soaps till date have upheld the joint-family system as a negative institution with so much added conflict in it. In our shows, we are upholding the virtues of a joint family.

     

     

    Unlike other soaps on Hindi GECs, new shows (Lo Ho Gayi Pooja Is Ghar Ki, Mein Kab Saans Banoogi? and Jugni Jali Jallandhar ) on Sab have a woman protagonist; but she does not indulge in kitchen politics.

     

     

    Our content is fresh and differentiated. We have decided not to go by the Amar-Akbar-Anthony route which every GEC is treading upon. Wherein Amar is reality show, Akbar is mythology and Anthony is fiction.

    What kind of new shows and segments of comedy will you be introducing?
    We will get into various kinds of comedy. Gradually, we will be introducing horror comedy, courtroom comedy, hospital comedy and the likes. We have many surprises to unveil.

    With so much of comic content being thrown in by different channels including news channels, do you think there is still enough space for a complete comedy channel?
    Viewers are ready to digest a complete comedy channel. As far as comedy on news channels is concerned, they feed on GECs. GECs are not showing comedy content in the truest sense but only have stand-up comedy shows. We have amalgamation of all, which is working well for the channel.

     

    Earlier all comedy shows were targeted at male audiences while GECs were meant for the females. There was no channel to fill up this gap. We are providing content for happy family viewing.

    How have viewers taken to Sab’s new positioning?
    The new positioning has really worked well for us. Our GRPs also have seen a boost after the change in positioning.

     

    Our driver show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah has been garnering 0.8 TRPs and is currently the most watched family comedy show on Indian television. After Wagli Ki Duniya, Taarak Mehta … is one of the most successful comedy shows adapted from a book (column in this case). It is compared to cult shows like Office Office.

    Are new advertisers hopping on?
    Definitely we are attracting more and new advertisers. New brands are coming on.
    ‘For a channel, youth positioning is not a feasible biz model in India‘

    Will Sab see revenue growth as a result or are you dealing with falling rates to fill up your inventory at a time when the whole industry is set for a slowdown?
    With the new positioning, we are targeting 20 per cent ad revenue growth this fiscal.

    How are you pushing forward your new shows? Which cities are your touch points?
    We have rolled out our new marketing campaign Asli Mazaa Sab ke Saath Aata Hai. Sab (meaning everybody in Hindi) is a key word in the entire campaign. Very logically, we derived this theme and our attempt is to convey the message that it is complete entertaining when you are together with your family.

     

     

    We are targeting all the Hindi speaking markets in India like Delhi, Mumbai, Gujarat, Maharashtra, UP, MP, Punjab and Rajasthan.

     

     

    We will be indulging in various forms of on-ground activations like wall painting etc. India has laughter clubs in many towns and cities, we are trying to get associated with all the laughter clubs. We are going to malls, beauty parlours, grocery shops and ladies coampartment in local trains for a Sab experience by distributing gifts.

    With so many show launches and changes in positioning of the channel, isn’t it natural that your marketing costs have to be pushed up?
    Yes, in marketing our new shows we are investing a considerable amount. But we are able to convert it into profits.

    What are the difficulties to sustain as a youth channel?
    India still has single-TV homes wherein the remote is still with the women of the house. So what pleases her is watched by the entire family. And as far as a youth viewer is concerned, he has many more modes of entertainment – irrespective of he coming from a small town or a metro. Youth positioning of a channel is not a feasible business model in India because of the consumer behaviour that this segment is exposed to.

     

     

    As per our internal research, people still associate Sab brand as a comedy rather than a youth channel. So we decided to go back to our original positioning.

    What all innovations you are introducing after the establishment of the new positioning?
    For the first time in India, we are introducing jokes in the mobile platform. These jokes will be edited clippings from our comedy shows which can be downloaded from the mobile operator. We are in talks with various telecom operators.
  • ‘We’re not going in with a pistol, we’re going with a cannon’ : Rajesh Kamat – Colors CEO

    ‘We’re not going in with a pistol, we’re going with a cannon’ : Rajesh Kamat – Colors CEO

     Rajesh Kamat, CEO of Viacom18’s Hindi GEC Colors, has a clear mandate – to ensure his upcoming channel a position amongst the top 3 players in the category within a year of launch.

     

    In a genre where Colors is the 10th entrant, Kamat has his task cut out and will have to bring to bear all the experience he garnered in earlier stints as MD of Endemol India and senior VP commercial & business planning at Star India.

     

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Kamat gives his take on the whys and wherefores of the most expensive channel launch activity ever undertaken by a Hindi GEC.

     

    Excerpts:

    What would you term as the core TG for Colors?
    While we propagate programming that appeals across, if I have to specify a core TG, 15 to 34 is a number I would peg ourselves on.

     

    In a GEC, the 15 to 34 is what gets you your first one third. The 25 + is where the loyal audience starts. What we’re doing is, we’re getting the early adaptors and the initiators in the first phase. Once we get that, we’ve made our entry into the single TV households. That’s when you start consolidating. And the consolidation phase is actually your 25+ female. Though males would come in, that consolidation phase would focus on the female.

    That aspect of your programming focus is not reflected in either Fear Factor or in Mohe Rang De, the two shows that have been showcased thus far?
    Not right now. What happens is, with these differentiated and disruptive programmes is that you lock in your first eyeballs. With big movies as well.

    So you will have a big band for movies?
    Absolutely.

    But where will they come from? Isn’t the market more or less locked in as far as movie titles are concerned?
    These will be new ones. Now the market is moving towards syndicated movies – first airing, second airing, third airing… So there are quite a few lots floating around.

    Your entry into viewer mind space will therefore be with these tent pole shows and movies?
    I would not say entry into mind space. But the invitation card to viewers, if I can put it this way, would possibly have highlights on these. Because these are the ones that will actually draw the attention of the early adaptors and initiators.

     

    But while doing this, we will have the conventional shows that we believe will compete in the long running rating game.
    ‘Audience flow at an earlier point used to be from a Kasautti… to a Kahaani… and then on to a Kyunki. Because they (the majority) liked the same kind of shows. Those days are gone‘

    Will you be putting out your big movie titles in this six month window?
    Absolutely. Be it big ticket reality shows, be it events, be it movies; that’s where you’ll get the sampling. As for differentiated content, it would be a Mohe Rang De, typically.

     

    We see it that 300 GRPs is the target. But it is all this activity in the initial six months that will give us the 100 GRPs (base to build on).

    How will you crack the balance 200?
    Once you cross 100, it is all about adding 3, 5, 10 GRPs week on week That is what will take time. This is not a T20 game.

    Isn’t that something that all the channels in the chasing pack (to Star Plus and Zee TV) have failed to crack? How to cross the 100 GRP barrier?
    Imagine is three-four months old. I take it as a compliment (to them) when somebody tells them that they can’t go beyond a 90 or a 100. To get to a 90 was not simple. A Star One with all the clout of the Star network behind it opened with a 19 GRP, 9X was 20. Imagine opened at 55, and went to 89 in a short time. But from now on, the growth will be slow.

    Which raises the question for you? These past three months has seen Imagine make a fast take-off and 9X slowly and surely build its story. That means among the new entrants two have already succeeded and are fighting it out for the third position. And way above them we have the strong number 1 and 2. Is that how you’re looking at it in terms of the distance you have to cover?
    Not quite. It is not necessarily going to be a 2 + 2. It could well be a 1 + 3. If that becomes the game, the difference between a 300 and a 150 might grow larger. And Star might gain back whatever its premium was, if at all. That remains to be seen.

     

    But if we have such a scenario, the balance three, 150 and 300, or 150 and 100 or 150 and 120 there’s a game. Two players at 120 each and one player at 80, is better than one player at 150.

     

    Again, this whole game is about sustenance. It’s financial investors versus strategic investors. What is the mindset? Are you looking at ‘first year I have to extract this much money’?

    You’ve identified six months as the time frame to embed yourself in viewer mind space. That all three new entrants might succeed is not a scenario that most experts have even considered, let alone thought possible?
    If you take the US as an example, three networks used to account for 90 per cent eyeballs. Today the same three networks get 35 per cent eyeballs.

     

    Even in India, where people used to talk about 70 per cent of the audiences flowing from one show to another, is a thing of the past. Now, there is nothing like saying I go from this show to this show on the same channel. It doesn’t go vertical. You actually migrate between channels based on the shows you like. That’s how the viewership pattern is going.

     

    And it’s not also as if the same person in the same household is watching. You’re aggregating different types of eyeballs. There is no linearity in terms of audience flow.

     

    Audience flow at an earlier point used to be from a Kasautti… to a Kahaani… and then on to a Kyunki. Because they (the majority) liked the same kind of shows. Those days are gone.

    So if we were to draw a one liner on why players like yourself believe you are not too late getting into this game, it would be because linearity in terms of watching schedules are a thing of the past?
    Absolutely. People will watch shows and come in and go out. That’s what it is and that’s what we’re moving into as a market.
  • ‘We don’t need to change anything drastically. All we have to do is perfect our existing properties’ : Shailesh Kapoor – Filmy business head

    ‘We don’t need to change anything drastically. All we have to do is perfect our existing properties’ : Shailesh Kapoor – Filmy business head

    Filmy, the one and a half year old Hindi movie channel from the Sahara Group, has experimented with a varied mix of movies and shows to make a mark against established channels like Zee Cinema, Max and Star Gold. From spoofs to chat shows, Filmy is now set to foray into the reality genre with Bathroom Singer. To extend the Filmy brand even further, the channel has taken the acquisition route to bring the ‘Rajnikanth’ fever onto the channel.

     

    Shailesh Kapoor who was recently promoted to the position of business head, speaks to Indiantelevision.com’s Richa Dubey in an exclusive chat revealing the channel’s growth chart and its plans for the future.

     

    Excerpts:

    After the initial impact, is Filmy’s growth slowing down?
    The channel has done pretty well since we launched in February 2006. Our foundation has been built in a short span of time and the perception of our brand has become strong with our constant growth. We have been noticed by viewers as well advertisers and have been taken seriously. I think most of the channels which were launched in last three to four years have not been able to do that.
    But haven’t your GRPs dropped sharply?
    Though we had a slump in the period between April-June, our GRPs for the last three weeks have seen a rise. Tam expanded its coverage areas in January and older, popular channels have gained.

    Is there pressure to modify your strategy?
    We don’t need to change anything drastically. All we have to do is perfect our existing properties. We have already started taking a few giant steps like acquiring bigger films and latest hits. In fact, the acquisition of a few more big films are in pipeline. We also have old films which means there is more variety in our library.

     

    Additionally, we have also acquired hits from the Southern region including a few Raknikanth starrer films. We have planned a special Rajnikanth Festival in August.

    You also have shown Ganga. Are we going to see more Bhojpuri films?
    Our key focus is not Bhojpuri films. But being a movie channel we did find it right to explore the Bhojpuri segment because of its popularity. But we are not restricted to it.

     

    Secondly, Kaun Banega Champu was taken off the channel for a seasonal break and there was nothing big at the time as we were planning our present and future shows. In this context, this gave us good visibility as Ganga was a good success.

     

    If a film as big as Ganga comes, then we will acquire it. In fact post September we are planning to introduce a fortnightly slot for Bhojpuri films. But we are essentially a Bollywood channel and even in acquiring Bhojpuri films we have to be careful.

    Will this help in improving your channel share?
    Last week we had a relative share of 11. But most of our bigger properties are unfolding now. We have a slew of new films which will be telecast. We will have one premiere every month. And this, in turn, will help our distribution.

    Has Filmy sorted out its distribution problems?
    Our distribution has increased in the small towns and now it has gone up 70 to 75 per cent across SEC B and C. We are being viewed in a lot more towns where we were not previously available. So our relative share should rise further in the next few months. And we are going to promote our properties in a bigger way.

    How are you planning to push your upcoming properties?
    Previously all our activities were channel specific. As we were new, we promoted the channel as a whole. But now we are established enough to promote individual properties. Each of our properties have a specific audience base and keeping that in mind, we promote our properties. We use research, whether it be for movies or shows.

     

    Our marketing efforts also depend on the property we are promoting. Guru was promoted at face value. All we did was highlight the fact that it is one of the biggest films of the year and the Aishwarya-Abhishek duo are in the movie.

    Isn’t it more difficult when you are promoting a show like say Bathroom Singer which you are launching on 26 August?
    We have planned promotional activities across the various stages and have, in fact, kicked off the campaign as auditions are currently going on. The launch campaign of the show will start in August. Anything that is ordinary will obviously not be noticed. So our promotions will be completely fresh. However, they will all be property centric. Compared to other movie channels we have the advantage of airing shows. These are a lot easier to promote than films.
    ‘In the first year, the key parameter was how the property worked for the Filmy brand. But from Bathroom Singer onwards, ratings will be the parameter‘

    With channels already cluttered by music talent hunt shows, why bring in the concept of Bathroom Singer?
    The tone and treatment of Bathroom Singer has a different angle. As the name suggests, it is completely Filmy and not glamorous. Though it is coupled with a lot of emotions and drama, it is not stressful like other music talent hunt shows. One thing that worked for us is that it has no age barriers and it has opened up the flood gates to participation.

     

    In the first round of auditions, we received five times the crowd we expected. There was even an 80-year-old man who was selected for the second round. We got to see amazing talent from people who could sing in reverse, in multiple languages and in various voices. All this is possible because we are not looking for a trained voice. It is like a packaged deal. The originality of the content will come from its treatment. We have our fingers crossed and wish to get good results.

    How do you slot programmes on the channel?
    We showcase three movies a day and rest of our programming consists of shows like Meri Bhains ko anda kyun Mara, Rokky’s 99, Aaj ke Filmy Khabar. Bathroom Singer has been positioned as a weekly on Sunday primetime. We have also introduced a Sunday 10 am to 2 pm slot for kids where we are airing animated TV series like The Jungle Book. Based on the responses, we will show more properties that are unexposed in the Indian market. Our focus, though, is on Sunday primetime which is important for us.

    Can you identify the properties that have stood out for the channel and which were the underperformers?
    In the first year, the key parameter was based on how the property worked for the Filmy brand. But from Bathroom Singer onwards, ratings will be the parameter.

     

    As for shows that have done well for us, Kaun Banega Champu got us ratings. Lallan has been a successful character. Though Rokky was not popular initially, we gave it the right platform and this was supported by good creative content.

     

    There were some things that didn’t work for us. Our short film festival didn’t do well because it was very niche. Lal Gulab and Ruchi Reporter also did not go down well, so we discontinued it.

    What about Filmy Stock Exchange?
    Filmy stock exchange is an online property and was very successful. TV viewers are not familiar with it, so we are still evaluating whether to get it on TV or not. We might get somebody from the internet business to partner with us for this.

    Have advertisers been difficult to get with low GRPs?
    Advertisers come for three reasons. First they come for TRPs, secondly for good properties and thirdly for the brand image that the channel carries. Tam data reveals that our audience profile is different and advertisers targeting them will come to us. We have been doing well in metros. Although Filmy has a mass appeal as a Hindi movie channel, it has the attitude of being a youth channel. The youth are our loyal viewers.
    How would you evaluate the last year in terms of return on investments?
    Our revenues have been increasing month after month. We have kept our costs under control. We, in fact, have reached a break even status and and hope to do even better in the second year.