ITV

Tag: Hindi GEC

  • BARC week 3: Zee Anmol drops to No. 4; Sony out, DD National in

    BARC week 3: Zee Anmol drops to No. 4; Sony out, DD National in

    MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd’s (ZEEL) free-to-air channel Zee Anmol, which received a major fillip with the release of the rural inclusive data from Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India last year, has been slowly climbing down the rungs in the opening weeks of 2016.

     

    After making an entry in the third spot in the maiden all India (urban + rural) data last year, Zee Anmol climbed up the charts, even managing to pip markets leader Star Plus to claim the No. 1 slot last year. With the rise of Colors in the closing weeks of 2015 to the top slot, Zee Anmol continued its hold on the second position.

     

    However, in week 2 of 2016, Star Plus climbed to the second spot, which pushed Zee Anmol to the third rung. And now in week 3, Zee TV has climbed up to the third position, pushing Zee Anmol to the fourth place in the Hindi GECs’ pecking order.

     

    On the other hand, Colors continued to lead the genre though it saw a decline in ratings, while Star Plus maintained its second spot in week 3 of BARC all India data.

     

    The third week of BARC saw DD National re-entering the Top 10 Hindi GECs list, while Sony Entertainment Television made an exit.

     

    Colors grabbed the leadership position with 701098 (‘000s) as against 762023 (‘000s) in the previous week. Following it was Star Plus with 681775 (‘000s) in the second slot.

     

    Zee TV climbed up to the third position with 647201 (‘000s), while Zee Anmol stood at number four with 638381 (‘000s).
     

    Star India’s FTA channel Star Ustav maintained its place in the fifth place with 437498 (‘000s), followed by Life OK in the sixth slot with 427374 (‘000s).
     
    Sony Pal with 394987 (‘000s) and Rishtey with 393743 (‘000s) stood at the seventh and eighth positions respectively.
     

    Sab TV bagged the ninth place in the genre with 361055 (‘000s), while DD National made its presence felt at the tenth position with 329478 (‘000s).

  • BARC week 3: Zee Anmol drops to No. 4; Sony out, DD National in

    BARC week 3: Zee Anmol drops to No. 4; Sony out, DD National in

    MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd’s (ZEEL) free-to-air channel Zee Anmol, which received a major fillip with the release of the rural inclusive data from Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India last year, has been slowly climbing down the rungs in the opening weeks of 2016.

     

    After making an entry in the third spot in the maiden all India (urban + rural) data last year, Zee Anmol climbed up the charts, even managing to pip markets leader Star Plus to claim the No. 1 slot last year. With the rise of Colors in the closing weeks of 2015 to the top slot, Zee Anmol continued its hold on the second position.

     

    However, in week 2 of 2016, Star Plus climbed to the second spot, which pushed Zee Anmol to the third rung. And now in week 3, Zee TV has climbed up to the third position, pushing Zee Anmol to the fourth place in the Hindi GECs’ pecking order.

     

    On the other hand, Colors continued to lead the genre though it saw a decline in ratings, while Star Plus maintained its second spot in week 3 of BARC all India data.

     

    The third week of BARC saw DD National re-entering the Top 10 Hindi GECs list, while Sony Entertainment Television made an exit.

     

    Colors grabbed the leadership position with 701098 (‘000s) as against 762023 (‘000s) in the previous week. Following it was Star Plus with 681775 (‘000s) in the second slot.

     

    Zee TV climbed up to the third position with 647201 (‘000s), while Zee Anmol stood at number four with 638381 (‘000s).
     

    Star India’s FTA channel Star Ustav maintained its place in the fifth place with 437498 (‘000s), followed by Life OK in the sixth slot with 427374 (‘000s).
     
    Sony Pal with 394987 (‘000s) and Rishtey with 393743 (‘000s) stood at the seventh and eighth positions respectively.
     

    Sab TV bagged the ninth place in the genre with 361055 (‘000s), while DD National made its presence felt at the tenth position with 329478 (‘000s).

  • Colors topples Star Plus to claim second slot: BARC week 50

    Colors topples Star Plus to claim second slot: BARC week 50

    MUMBAI: Free to air (FTA) channel Zee Anmol was perched firmly at the top of the Hindi general entertainment channels (GEC) genre after securing 752782 (Rat 000s) in week 50 as per Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India analysis.

     

    In a major Christmas cheer for Viacom18, its Hindi GEC Colors climbed up to the second slot, toppling Star Plus. While Colors was with 725713 (Rat 000s), Star Plus garnered 707219 (Rat 000s).

     

    Zee TV, placed fourth, witnessed a drop in ratings with 677089 (000Sums) as against 718536 (000 Sum) in week 49.

     

    On the other hand, Star Ustav bagged the fifth place with 506990 (000Sums) followed by Life OK with 438496 (000Sums) in the sixth slot. Sony Entertainment Television came in seventh with 365546 (000Sums).

     

    Sab TV with 328664 (000Sums) stood at number eight, while Rishtey and Sony Pal saw a downfall in ratings as compared to the previous week. Rishtey stood in the ninth spot with 272506 (000Sums) as against 305570 (000Sums) in week 49, whereas Sony Pal held on to the tenth spot with 238738 (000Sums) as against 302045 (000Sums) in the previous week.

  • BARC Week 44: Sony Pal enters top ten Hindi GEC; DD National exits list

    BARC Week 44: Sony Pal enters top ten Hindi GEC; DD National exits list

    MUMBAI: MUMBAI: Star Plus has continued to maintain its leadership position. Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd’s (Zeel) free to air (FTA) channel Zee Anmol and Hindi general entertainment channel (GECs) have bagged the second and third position respectively. Multi Screen Media (MSM) FTA channel Sony Pal entered the top ten channels of Hindi GECs list. However, DD National which was earlier in the top ten list failed to hold on its position in week 44 of Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India all India (U + R) data. 

     
    Star Plus led the Hindi GEC genre with 787584 (000Sums), while Zee Anmol bagged the second position with 729701 (000Sums).  Zee TV secured third spot with 694864 (000Sums).

     
    Colors dropped to fourth place with 694582 (000Sums) followed by  Life OK at number five position with 534129 (000Sums).

    Star India’s FTA channel Star Ustav stood at the sixth spot with 511090 (000Sums), whereas Sony Entertainment Television was in the seventh position with 342113 (000Sums).

     

    Sab TV grabbed eighth spot with 336141 (000Sums), while Rishtey which was on tenth slot in previous week stood at ninth spot with 263955 (000Sums) followed by Sony Pal in the tenth slot with 252727 (000Sums).

  • Zee TV pitches new show ‘Kaala Teeka’ in 7 pm slot

    Zee TV pitches new show ‘Kaala Teeka’ in 7 pm slot

    MUMBAI: Zee TV is pitching its new show – Kaala Teeka in the early prime time slot of 7 pm.

    The show, which goes on air from 2 November, will be vying for viewer’s attention at 7 pm on weekdays along with shows on other Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs) like Saath Nibhaana Saathiya on Star Plus, Thapki Pyar Ki on Colors, Crime Patrol (repeat) on Sony Entertainment Television, Bhabhi Ji Ghar Par Hai on &TV, Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah (repeat) on Sab TV and Savdhaan India – India Fights Back on Life OK.

    Kaala Teeka replaces Tum Hi Ho Bandhu, which was launched earlier this year in May.

    Speaking about the new show’s time band, Zee TV business head Pradeep Hejmadi said, “It is very important to make sure that we get strong and good concepts on-air across various time lines. We are not opening a new time slot. We had programs in the 6 pm band andTum Hi Ho Bandhu was already there at 7 pm. Therefore there was a lot of consumption during the 7 pm slot.”

    Strong competition for Kaala Teeka will come from Star Plus’ Saath Nibhaana Saathiya. A senior media planner on condition of anonymity said, “Star Plus is the number one channel among the top five channels in the Hindi GEC and its shows in the time band of 7- 8 pm are doing really well. The channel’s prime time show Saath Nibhaana Saathiya is among the top five programmes in the same genre.”

    Produced by DJ’s Creative Unit, Zee TV’s attempt is to break the shackles of age-old superstitions with the new show.

    DJ’s Creative Unit producers Tony and Deeya Singh said, “Kaala Teeka says a big no to bigotry and urges people to broaden their horizons and ignore outdated superstitious beliefs. In showcasing the journey of Kaali and Gauri, we’re trying to create awareness about certain age-old, redundant practices and superstitious beliefs that are unfortunately still prevalent in India.”

    “We have a stellar cast on board with Mita Vashisht, Daljeet Kaur and Bhupinder Singh playing pivotal roles and two adorable girls playing Kaali and Gauri. We hope to deliver an important message through the show in the most entertaining, engaging manner,” the producer duo added.

    With the show, the channel is not just targeting the rural market but focusing on the entire nation. Using a 360 degree marketing campaign, the channel is largely going on-air as the electronic medium works best.

    Speaking on the recently released rural ratings data by Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), Hejmadi said, “It is too early to jump to conclusions like the ones that we have arrived on already. When all the data comes out, only then will we be able to understand it. The audience keeps emerging and we have to understand the audiences. Since it is a new territory, we have to understand consumption behaviour and do more visits in rural areas to understand the figures.”

    He further went on to add, “Our aim is to find the LCM (least common multiple) of content and the content, which will work across all the markets because Zee is an international broadcaster. So, we don’t split the country in our shows. Our shows are not targeted at just the rural areas. There will be equal throw of concepts. Therefore our campaign is to focus nationally, not only in rural. We are not going to individual markets with this product. If the off track is lower in some markets, then we will plan tactical marketing. Currently, we are building awareness for the show.”

    Kaala Teeka, is the story of two young girls whose lives are entwined by an act of superstition. The show captures the journey of a girl child Kaali who is treated as a human Kaala Teeka for another child Gauri and is expected to shadow her everywhere for the well-being of the latter. The show captures a worst form of superstitions – personification. It showcases Kaali’s journey of hope as she overcomes these challenges and enables Gauri to find her true self. She also reaches out to her own aspirations and ambitions in life and becomes an inspiration to others.

  • BARC week 40: Sony enters top five; Star Plus leads Hindi GEC

    BARC week 40: Sony enters top five; Star Plus leads Hindi GEC

    MUMBAI: In the Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs), Sony Entertainment Television has made an entry into the top five channels taking over the fifth position in week 40 of Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India. On the other hand, Star Plus continued to lead the pack, whereas Colors retained its position in the second slot.

     

    Star Plus grabbed the first position with 403347 (000Sums) followed by Colors with 396900 (000Sums). On third spot was Zee TV with 253049 (000Sums), whereas Life OK was in the fourth slot with 230947 (000Sums). Usurping its sister channel Sab’s fifth position this week was Sony Entertainment Television with 176236 (000Sums).

     

    In top five programmes in Hindi GECs, Colors’ prime time show Swaragini with 6760 (000Sums) led the chart followed by Star Plus’ Saath Nibhaana Saathiya with 6713 (000Sums) in the second slot. The third slot was occupied with yet another Colors’ show Sasural Simar Kawith 6195 (000Sums). Zee TV’s Kumkum Bhagaya bagged the fourth slot with 6092 (000Sums) whereas, Star Plus’ Diya Aur Baati with 5797 (000Sums) was in the fifth place.

     

    In the kids genre, Nick (v) led the section and grab the top slot with 46142 (000Sums) followed by Pogo TV (v) in second slot with 36383 (000Sums) and Cartoon Network (v) in third spot with 29392 (000Sums).

     

    Ten Sports continued to lead the sports genre and held the first spot with 36280 (000Sums) followed by Star Sports 3 in second place with 29992 (000Sums) and Star Sports 1 with 26191 (000Sums) in the third berth.

     

    Amongst the English News channels, Times Now maintained its top slot with 272 (000Sums) followed by India Today Television in the second slot with 159 (000Sums). On the other hand, CNN IBN with 158 (000 Sums) held the third position.

     

    In the Bhojpuri segment, Big Magic Ganga continued to lead with 3862 (000Sums) followed by Dangal TV in the second slot with 1539 (000Sums) and Anjan TV on the third spot with 1346 (000Sums).

  • “It took five years to put ‘Mahabharat’ on air:” Siddharth Kumar Tewary

    “It took five years to put ‘Mahabharat’ on air:” Siddharth Kumar Tewary

    MUMBAI: Known for shows on Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs) like Mahabharat, Razia Sultan, Yam Hai Hum andManmarziya amongst others, Swastik Productions has completed eight years in the television industry and in its journey so far, the company has managed to create differentiated content as well as maintained its position as one of the top show churners.

     

    Since the launch of its first show – Amber Dhara in 2007, Swastik Productions founder and creative director Siddharth Kumar Tewary has left no stone unturned in making it a successful journey.

     

    Launched with the vision to create and tell stories in a way that no one had done before, Swastik Productions’ journey has been sprinkled with huge amount of learning. 

     

    In an exclusive chat with Indiantelevision.com, Tewary said, “I realized a month back that we are completing eight years. It’s been a very exciting journey. I always wanted to tell stories to the world and the only way I could do that was by opening my own production house. That’s how Swastik came into existence.”

     

    The production house took up the challenge to deliver unique content from day one in the form of Amber Dhara, which was a story about conjoined twins. 

     

    While coming up with a subject like Amber Dhara eight years back was progressive in thought, it was difficult to portray on screen. “The outcome is not in our hands but as long as you try, you will be rewarded sooner or later,” Tewary said.

     

    It was while he was working with Sony that Multi Screen Media CEO NP Singh advised Tewary to open his own production house if he wanted to do something on his own. “Singh has been a very important person in my life. He assured me that I would get an opportunity if I did well. At the time of Amber Dhara, we were very raw and didn’t have any experience. We used to shoot without a set and it was tough to shoot at different locations on a daily basis. Sleeping on the road or in a car was normal for me at that time. I was moving like a zombie but it was an amazing experience,” Tewary recalled.

     

    A major breakthrough for the production house came in the form of Mahabharat, which did really well on the small screen. Star Plus approached Swastik Productions to give the epic a different identity without changing its history. And Tewary was quick to rise up to the challenge. Talking about the show, he said, “When Star Plus asked me to make the show, I had no clue whether I would be able to do it or not. Uday Shankar (CEO Star India) is the most visionary person I have ever met. He asked me to make Mahabharat in a way that nobody else could make it in the country. He was instrumental in upping the scale of the show and that in itself was a big challenge for us. The idea was to put the show on air in eight or nine months but when we actually started working on it, we realised that it was not something that could happen overnight. We needed to go deeper into the subject in order to interpret it and give the show a new take.”

     

    Making the show from a different perspective was no cakewalk. “It wasn’t a remake, rather it was a reinterpretation of the epic. It took us five years to put the series on air. In hindsight, it was much more difficult and than even starting Swastik Productions. Doing a show on a large scale isn’t an easy task. It took us five years to complete the show. We wanted our work to be remembered and Mahabharat was an effort in that direction,” Tewary asserted.

     

    Mahabharat became the talking point because of the story, cast as well as costumes and was much appreciated by the audience. Tewary’s research and studying of every character closely worked. From costume to casting, everything was done under his observation. After trying out numerable people from the industry to give a different look to each character, he zeroed in on Oscar winning costume designer Bhanu Athaiya to design costume for the cast of Mahabharat.

     

    While Mahabharat rakes in the praises, the production house’s other show Manmarziyaan failed to generate sustainable ratings despite being appreciated for its content and production quality. “We made an experimental show and an effort in telling a story in a different style, which connected with the younger audiences but not with the older ones. While we didn’t get the desired number, we are happy and proud that we made an attempt to do something new.” 

     

    After the success of Mahabharat, Tewary was keen to come up with a comedy and it came in the form of Swastik Production’s next show – Yam Hai Hum, which airs on Sab. “We were keen to explore other genres and I really wanted to produce a comedy show. I met Anooj Kapoor (Sab business head) and discussed the concept with him. He loved the idea and that’s how Yum Hai Hum happened,” he informed.

     

    While television remains the mainstay of entertainment, its digital counterparts like OTT and VOD platforms are fast catching up. More and more entertainment content is consumed on the go today. Tewary is of the opinion that in the coming years, digital will be the way to go and there will be no other option left. “Indeed the market is growing and digital will appeal more to metro centric audiences, whereas television will cater to the masses. There is huge market out there for digital, which is needs to be explored,” he said.

     

    Swastik Productions currently has three shows on air namely Yam Hai Hum on Sab TV, Razia Sultan on &TV and Suryaputra Karn on Sony. “Primarily at the core, we are a content company and that is core purpose of Swastik Productions. We are happy with our work. There are some projects in the pipeline and we will make the announcement when the time is right,” he concluded.

  • TAM Week 37: Star Plus retains top slot; Colors gains max GRPs

    TAM Week 37: Star Plus retains top slot; Colors gains max GRPs

    MUMBAI: While Star Plus held on to its lead position in Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs) category in week 37 for HSM(including LC1) according to TAM Media Research data, in terms of GRPs, it was Colors that saw a maximum gain.

     

    Colors gained 21 GRPs in week 37, whereas Star Plus added 13 GRPs over last week.

     

    Maintaining its top position, Star Plus garnered 223 GRPs in week 37 as against 210 GRPs in week 36 followed by Colors in the second slot with 219 GRPs in comparison to 198 GRPs in last week.

     

    Zee TV saw a marginal downfall in ratings but secured its third position with 159 GRPs followed by Sab in the fourth slot with 118 GRPs. On the other hand, with 111 GRPs Life OK stayed at number fifth position.

     

    Sony Entertainment Television, in sixth slot totted 100 GRPs, whereas &TV grabbed seventh berth with 53 GRPs.

     

    Overall, the Hindi GEC genre saw a gain of 30 GRPs in week 37.

  • Big Magic’s Hindi adaptation of ‘The Middle’ titled ‘Tedi Medi Family’

    Big Magic’s Hindi adaptation of ‘The Middle’ titled ‘Tedi Medi Family’

    MUMBAI: The Hindi adaptation of Warner Bros’ The Middle, which will be aired on Big Magic has been titled Tedi Medi Family. The show is slated to go on air from 8 June in the 8.30 pm slot.

     

    Bodhi Tree Productions will produce the 24-part Hindi adaptation.

     

    As was previously reported by Indiantelevision.com, Reliance Broadcast Network had acquired the adaptation rights of U.S television comedy-series The Middle created by Eileen Heisler and DeAnn Heline.

     

    Tedi Medi Family will be produced as a single-camera comedy and will follows the daily commotion of raising a family, in the middle of life. Set in a typical family household in Pune, the series will star Saloni Daini, Ami Trivedi and Iqbal Azad along with Sushant Mohindra and Dharmik Joisar.

     

    Reliance Broadcast Network EVP and business head Ashwin Padmanabhan said, “The consistently amusing and relatable scripts for The Middle are a perfect fit with our channel’s vision. The characters of a mother, father and three children and their universal journey to just succeed with everyday life means that The Middle has fantastic potential to be recreated for an Indian audience.”

     

    Warner Bros. International Television Production senior vice president creative format development and sales Andrew Zein said, “The Middle is an extraordinary comedy. This hugely funny and beautifully captured world of every day family life is a concept relatable to family audiences across the globe. Tedi Medi Family has found the perfect home in Big Magic with its commitment to high quality family comedy.”

     

    The launch of the show is supported by a multimedia marketing campaign, which includes television, digital and social media marketing, outdoor, radio promotions as well as extensive promotion through activation and branding.

     

    Padmanabhan added, “In line with our positioning of being a comedy destination, we hope to expand our channel reach and preference. With original content targeted metros and non metros, both long and short formats yet retaining the quality of being episodic, we shall strive to offer nothing but comedy in various ways to our viewers. We try to bring in assortment of shows that shall be attractive to our core target audience, kids for earlier time bands and young males for late nights. Apart from new content, we have refurbished existing content, made changes in production, look, story, scripting and even producers behind shows.”

  • ETV aims to create a market with Gujaratis’ desire for comedy content

    ETV aims to create a market with Gujaratis’ desire for comedy content

    MUMBAI: Comedy is intrinsic to a Gujarati household. What they have till now been eating from the Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs) will now be served to them with a new revamped ETV Gujarati with six new shows, starting 3 November.

     

    With the tagline ‘Dilthi Gujarati’, the regional channel is now rising from the ashes. Tapping into the Gujarati euphoria that is surrounding the new Gujarati Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the family focused, female driven channel is gearing up to be Gujarati’s ‘real entertainment channel’ in a market which doesn’t have another entertainment channel.

    Viacom18 EVP and business head- ETV Gujarati and ETV Marathi Anuj Poddar says that the channel had been weakly positioned till now. “Our research showed us that the people there are not interested in high drama but about fun and comedy.” The channel has put in nearly six months of hard work to come up with the brand slate of programmes.

    The new shows include Pati thayo Pati Gayo (We Workshop Entertainment), 1760 Sasumaa (Meena Gheewala Telefilms), Aa Family Comedy Che (Sango Telefilms), Kanho Banyo Common Man (Entity Productions), Hirjini Marji (Click Digital Studios India and Vrajesh Hirjee) and Daily Bonus (a game show by Interscope Communications) from 7 pm to 10 pm. Popular names such as Ketaki Dave, Vrajesh Hirjee, Krishna Gokani and Sanjay Goradia will be seen on ETV Gujarati.

    Talking about this fresh line-up, ETV Gujarati programming head Sanjay Upadhyay says, “We have partnered with industry heavyweights to showcase a lineup that is contemporary, fresh and appeal to all who are ‘dilthi Gujarati’.”

    The fiction team in Mumbai and non- fiction team in Ahmedabad has conceptualised the new look. The two cookery shows have been retained, one in the afternoon and one early primetime due to their popularity. Although Poddar is sure that the high production quality of the shows will bring in audiences. He is aware that it isn’t easy to break their attachment to Hindi GECs anytime soon. “People will sample it at various times. It isn’t about us being one more player in the market but about creating the market itself,” he says.

    From an advertiser perspective, he says that the channel can be positioned relatively well because of its 8-10 per cent contribution to the Hindi speaking market (HSM). Currently the market size of Gujarati television is about Rs 40 crore to Rs 50 crore with 1 per cent viewership of the regional market which itself is about 16 per cent of entire TV market in the country. But Poddar puts the entire advertising market across platforms in Gujarat at over Rs 1000 crore, which he is eying.

    “In terms of opportunity size, the market is big; though a lot of it goes to Hindi GECs. Today advertising there happens mainly through print, radio and national TV but now they will have a platform to talk to the audience. Once we get the channel running, we will approach advertisers to reallocate to our channel,” he says confidently. Currently, the channel has Aimil Amyron as its strategic sponsor for several months.

    The channel has also hiked up ad rates by 100 per cent and is now selling primetime slot at Rs 3500. Advertisers currently prefer a Hindi GEC over a Gujarati channel, but he expects that to change in time. The national to regional advertiser skew is about 80:20.

    A huge marketing plan began since Navarati with sources pegging the expenditure at about Rs 3 crore, which for a Gujarati market is heavy. An in-house team along with agency The CO, has come up with the creative. The first leg of the campaign began in Navrati when the channel launched its anthem by getting the stars at various on ground events in Rajkot, Surat and Baroda. This was followed by the outdoor campaign executed by Milestone Brandcom consisting of hoardings and rickshaws followed by movie theaters along with the launch of Happy New Year and branding partnership with fast food joints across the state. The launch day will see full page newspaper ads in Gujarat Samachar, Sandesh and Divya Bhaskar and will be followed by radio activity on station My FM.

    A canter activity will commence from next week as well and is being executed by Marketmen Activations. Show promos are being shown on Gujarati channels TV9, VTV, GSTV, Sandesh News and its own ETV News Gujarati and CNBC Bajar along with UTV Movies and UTV Stars, the national channels. Digital advertising will include YouTube pre rolls and Facebook targeted spots for all Gujarati content. The entire campaign will go on for three weeks post launch.

    Media planning has been executed by both the in-house ad sales team as well as Vizeum. A special promo has been created just for the channel with big personalities endorsing the channel such as Yusuf Pathan, Irrfan Pathan, Murari Bapu etc. The channel promo packaging has been done by Supra Films by Rajul Mishra.

    A 30 member office is situated in Ahmedabad while the heads are in Mumbai. Poddar says that the production cost of the shows are close to what is spent in Marathi shows. However, the channel hasn’t launched any big ticket show for now to keep the costs low without compromising on quality. “We want to create a space that is different and unique from advertiser value proposition with targeted environment. So we aren’t taking a high burn strategy,” he says adding that he looks for a breakeven to happen by two years.

    While the shows will run from Monday to Saturday, Sunday will see Gujarati movies as well as Hindi movies from the Viacom18 library. “Though Hindi movies will spike up our ratings, but the aim is to strengthen the Gujarati primetime band,” states Poddar.

    Currently the channel is present on all DTH and digital platforms in the state while its analogue penetration is about 90-92 per cent. GTPL, Den, InCable, Dewshree,Tata  Sky, Airtel, Dish TV, Videocon d2h, Reliance Digital, Sun Direct are its list of distribution platforms. “The legacy that we have inherited from the old owner is its excellent distribution,” informs Poddar .