ITV

Tag: Hindi

  • UTV woos ‘Bindass’ youth

    After carving out a separate space for Hungama TV in the kids genre, Zarina Mehta is at work again. Her challenge this time is to hook the youth onto a general entertainment channel.

    Finding a target group that wasn‘t specifically tapped by the other channels was her first task. She commissioned research firm PQR to help her discover what she calls “our zone.”

    Four months on, she has decided to tap the 15-24-year-olds. And within this segment, she has identified college-goers in the age group between 17-21 years as the core constituency of her channel.

    “There is a common characteristic that runs in the blood of this age group. They reflect the brand values of fun, frolic, fearlessness and freedom. They want to do things, are optimistic and find joy in being young,” says Mehta.

    Arriving at Bindass as the name of the channel was a natural extension. “We were clear that the channel would reflect the spirit of the movie Rang De Basanti. Synovate conducted a survey with 1,000 respondents and came up with the name Bindass,” she says.

    As UTV Youth venture COO, Mehta is geared up with a three phase plan and a piggy bank of Rs 1 billion (drawn from Rs 2 billion outlay over three years) devoted to the first year alone. In GENX, the joint venture company that will roll out the channel and other youth-related initiatives, Malaysia-based Astro will be a 50 per cent equity partner.

    “We will have broadcast operations but also have an extended web (communities and entertainment), mobile, gaming, events and retail play,” says Mehta.

    The age group that Mehta is targeting occupies 23 per cent of total TV viewing in India. As they constitute a large part of GEC viewing, her task will be to migrate them to a content format that is unique.

    “We have to discover our prime time. The 9-11 pm band clearly belongs to Star Plus, Zee TV and Sony.”

    Set for launch in June-July, the channel‘s content recipe is still a mystery. But there will be no music, no soap operas and no lifestyle. “There is plenty of opportunity to get this target segment. Since it is very competitive, I can‘t reveal what kind of content we are going to have in the channel,” says Mehta.

    Movies will be an essential ingredient but the channel drivers will still be shows. “We will need to have a library of 50-60 feature films aimed at this segment. The acquisition process is on,” Mehta says.

    Though the channel will also source international content, the focus will be to create “India‘s first local youth entertainment brand.” Mehta hasn‘t frozen on the full content of the channel yet, but animation may be included. “We need to be fearless and experiment. We have to take risks,” she says.

    As part of its approach, UTV seems to be adopting a multiple revenue model that old timer music channels MTV and Channel [V] have tried and tested in the market. MTV VP creative and content Ashish Patel calls this form as ‘multi-platformication’ which includes online, mobile, events, retail and merchandise.

    In order to trap this highly elusive segment of the populace, a diverse offering would be the key. What it also symbolizes is a brand building exercise that connects on multiple levels with the core TG.

    The first phase of rollout will include revenue from web play, mobile games and on-ground events. Having a spread out portfolio in areas of movies, TV content, gaming, animation and airtime sales, UTV will hope to leverage from its existing operations.

    “We have acquired a majority stake in Indiagames and will use this to extend our channel presence in terms of brand and revenues. We will also tie up with mobile operators. And to reinforce the brand, we plan to have three big events in a year,” says Mehta.

    In the second phase, Bindass will foray into the retail segment (probably with an outlet such as a coffee shop or cyber café, a highly frequented venue for youth) and simultaneously roll out merchandising activities. “Retail will be a separate investment outside Rs 1 billion. We will go with a partner for this venture and should have a presence by December. The effort is to have an integrated approach and create a holistic youth brand experience,” says Mehta.

    Though not a direct threat, music channels have been targeting a similar demographic segment. “UTV, however, seems to be having a sharper focus within that TG by eyeing programming at the 17-21-year-olds. But we are essentially music channels and having been in existence for so long, are not really worried,” says Channel [V] head honcho Amar Deb.

    Mehta is looking at a co-existential approach to the genre. “I think both MTV and Channel [V] are great brands. But they are music channels. We don’t have music, we can totally co-exist with these two channels. Even tie up with them perhaps.”

    Bindass, however, will be different from the MTV and Channel [V] brands. “At its core Bindass is Indian, no micro-miniskirts, no fleshy videos, we need to reach deeper into the core needs of the viewer and hopefully become their preferred choice,” avers Mehta.

    What do the general entertainment channels think of the core TG Bindass is targeting? “It is too narrow a segment and there will be hard pressure on scaling up revenues. The space is too niche and in any case all local GECs are tapping it in their 15-34 TG,” says SET India COO NP Singh.

    Surely, Mehta has a tough task cut out for her. Building a youth brand will require all the right ingredients and big money needs to be continuously pumped in. Deriving strong revenues from merchandising to support the youth brand has also failed against a dominant pirated market in India.

    But not many had predicted the success of Hungama TV which was pitched against multinational brands like Cartoon Network and Walt Disney. If Bindass succeeds, it will hit MTV and Channel [V] hard even as they are planning to be more than just music channels.

  • Tata Indicom launch low cost Motofone F3c having Qualcomm single chip

    Tata Indicom launch low cost Motofone F3c having Qualcomm single chip

    BANGALORE: Tata Indicom today announced the national launch of the ultra slim Motofone F3c on the CDMA platform in Bangalore today based on Qualcomm’s QSC 6010 chipset. On the anvil are launches of other chipsets – 6020 and 6030 with other handset manufacturers according to Tata Teleservices (TTL) CEO Darryl Green. The Motofone F3 will be exclusive for TTL for the next six months. Bollywood actor Neha Dupia did the honours for TTL.

    TTL plans to target the ordinary man who probably gets a cell phone for the first time with the low cost stylish handset as bait. The Motofone F3c is priced at Rs.1,699/- inclusive of all taxes and charges. TTL plan to combine Motofone F3c with the benefits of their GO XTRA PACK, will enable customers to avail double talk time for the first six months with bonus talk time valid for 1 year from the date of activation. The scheme also offers free incoming calls for the first six months without recharge. Darryl is confident of selling 2 to 3 million of these handsets over the next 12 months.

     
    This was also the first global launch of the single chip by any company globally according to Qualcomm senior vp Kanwalinder Singh who avers that “QUALCOMM is committed to bringing wireless connectivity to emerging markets, and our QSC family of solutions enables compelling, affordable devices for cost-sensitive countries such as India. We are pleased to be working with Motorola and Tata in bringing the Motofone F3c, and look forward to further collaboration with the industry toward the common goal of making connectivity accessible to more people worldwide.”

    “Though many companies have announced single chip solutions, they are so far only there on paper,” added Singh.

     
    The Motofone F3c has features such as voice prompts in six local languages—English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, the QUALCOMM Single Chip (QSC) enabled device from Motorola, MOTOFONE F3c has been specially designed to suit the needs of Indian consumers. It offers a rich vacuum metallized finish making it extremely sturdy, with polyphonic ringtones including three Indian tones, high audio, office quality speakerphone and ringtone downloads.

    TTL, which recently crossed one million subscribers in Karnataka and two million subscriptions in New Delhi, is looking to close the financial year with 18 million subscribers. They currently have 15 million subscribers.

  • Soaps – the violence within

    Soaps – the violence within

    Violence, subtle and physical, has permeated the soaps of the small screen, according to a recent study.

    In a monitoring study that spanned 30 episodes of various soaps on Star Plus, Sony and Zee in June 2002, the Delhi based Centre for Advocacy and Research found that there is a high presence of physical, verbal and psychological violence on screen. Most of this is directed at women. Marital discord, male female conflicts, male aggression and family honour are the reasons for the high quantity of violent acts on television, notes the study.

    During the seven day study, the CFAR viewers‘ panel also looked at regional language channels like Alpha Bengali, Alpha Gujarati, Asianet and Sun TV. In the monitored sample, the panel noted 10 scenes depicting domestic violence in which women were the victims and men the aggressors. The nature/act of violence was physical or verbal. However, the psychological impact of the violence was to a major extent borne by the female victims, the study avers.

    Whether marital discord, anger and frustration of the man in his professional life, a misunderstanding or the honour of the family, the women were always at the receiving end, notes the study. The relationship between the aggressor and the victim is seen as mostly marital or through marriage, but in a few instances, even a brother was an aggressor.

    The study also finds that women are often shown submitting to maltreatment and lacking the conviction to defend themselves. The ‘family court’, found the study, is a common occurrence. The woman is ‘accused’, judged and convicted by this ‘family court’ which consists of the woman’s in-laws. She has no recourse to any other agent, legal or otherwise.

    Although bigamy is illegal in India, it is often depicted – with the onus on the wives. It is dramatised in a sensational and voyeuristic manner, without any respect for or mention of the law.
    In many instances, male and female characters are forced into marriage against their wishes. This results in domestic violence or extra-marital affairs. As upholders of the family honour, women are always expected to place the family ahead of their personal aspirations, claims the study.

    Most of the viewers CFAR spoke to have said that a serial need not be violent in a bloody or in a destructive way without reason. Conflicts should be depicted in a ‘reasonable’ way and appropriate to the situation and not just to heighten the suspense and hook viewers. Violent situations are usually a way of creating excitement and expectations, viewers said.
    Citing examples, the study mentions Kasauti Zindagi Kay (Star Plus), in which Shivani, just married to Anupam, is slapped by him when she discovers a fraud he had committed. The new bride is shown howling when her brother visits her. The brother takes up the matter with her husband and her in-laws. But Shivani‘s in-laws don‘t intervene. Shivani folds her hands and pleads with her brother to leave.

    The CFAR study raises the point that while the wife is mistreated by her husband, she is made to apologise instead of being consoled or the husband being chastised for his behaviour. Such scenes show women as submissive to any maltreatment and lacking in the ability to stand up for their rights, the study says.
    In another episode of Kasauti Zindagi Kay, Kajol is threatened and emotionally blackmailed by her boyfriend as well as her family. The parents and her elder brother are against her alliance with the boy. When the elder brother catches her red-handed with her boy friend, he pulls her away angrily and takes her to home. She is brought to the ‘family court‘ where the brother screams at her and threatens her with dire consequences unless she behaves properly.

    Citing other similar cases, CFAR raises another issue – The ‘family court‘ is used in many serials like a “court martial”. The ‘accused‘ is judged and convicted by this ‘family court‘ which consists of her in-laws, without recourse to any other agent, legal or otherwise. Should such family courts be held and given the authority to judge an individual who has no one to fall back upon?

    In Sanjjhi (Zee TV), Amar Singh uses physical and verbal means to threaten both his wives and their families when the first one files a suit of bigamy against him while the second testifies against him. He taunts and threatens his first wife, Kanak, by reminding her of her inability to bear a child. CFAR in its study asks whether such violations of the law be depicted in such a dramatic, sensational and voyeuristic manner, without any respect or mention of the law, which clearly prohibits bigamy?
    In Hubahu (Sony TV), Aditi‘s husband roughly pushes her towards the door and asks her to leave the house because he feels that she is not allowing him physical intimacy. The study points out that though the serials did not project a lot of physical violence against women, there are many instances of extreme and repeated mental pressure, threats, screaming and shouting and anger directed towards women. Women were shown constantly under a lot of stress and anxiety, the panel felt.

    Tradition and societal pressures act as an aggressor in their own way, points out the study.

    Anamika in Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki is shown to undergo tremendous mental and societal pressure in trying to decide between her role as a wife (which is to protect her husband at any cost) or to side with the truth (and thereby reveal his crime). At no point does any family member counsel her. In Kkusum, Kasauti Zindagi Kay, Tu Kahe Agar, the three leading women are shown to be under constant stress and mental pressure owing to either their husband‘s affair with other women or due to some familial problem. In Bhabhi, Tilak and Pushpa pretend she is his wife. In one scene, he pushes her towards the wall and warns her never to tease him.

    In Kasauti Zindagi Kay, Kamolika is under constant physiological stress because she suspects that her husband, Anurag, is still in love with the girl he wanted to marry in the first place.

    In all these instances and in other serials, the wife is placed under tremendous mental duress and even abuse because marriage is often founded on a misunderstanding or for some reason that is unacceptable to the man. Often her husband is in love with another woman and marries her under pressure from his family. What is supposed to be one of the happiest milestones in a woman‘s life, becomes a source of unhappiness and uncertainty and of future conflicts between the couple from the very first day of their marriage and justifies the husband‘s ill-treatment of the wife, the study notes.

    In Choti Maa..ek anokha bandhan (Zee Tv), Kasauti Zindagi Kay (Star Plus), the boyfriends of the female characters physically, verbally and psychologically carry out violence against them. Koyna in Choti Maa becomes the victim to physical abuse by her boyfriend who takes her to a pimp.

    In another example, an apparently progressive character who takes up cudgels for his sister in law against his own brother is also shown taking recourse in brute force. In Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki (Star Plus), Om uses both verbal and psychological pressure along with his tough body language to force Anamika to reveal the truth about her husband raping a blind girl. She is reduced to hysteria in her pregnant state, and finally, breaks down. When she testifies in court, her husband Devan starts screaming at her. She cries and walks out of the courtroom all by herself. The CFAR study raises the pertinent issue of whether a family member be given the license to continuously pressurise or “torture” a woman on the justification that the ‘truth’ has to be established.

    Impacts –
    Several female viewers interviewed by CFAR observed that many of the so-called safe family serials, which hook the viewers with very identifiable situations and characters, have their share of problems. Not only is the depiction of men and women lopsided or one-dimensional, it is highly exaggerated, unrealistic and inconsistent, the study claims. Besides, some female characters are portrayed in an extremely unconvincing manner, especially when portraying a scheming, unscrupulous and dominating character. Men are portrayed in a highly negative manner too and such negative behaviour is often glorified.

    In many of these serials, extramarital affairs, bigamous relationships are shown as a matter of routine, and in some cases extremely casually. This gives children the impression that these are normal, acceptable or even desirable situations and expected adult behaviour, says the study. Mothers also found adverse impact on children’s lifestyles and their quality of life, and felt that children are getting increasingly prone to aggression. They constantly demand attention, exhibit severe mood swings and in some cases are prone to addictive habits. Finally, they behave in a highly precocious fashion, acting and behaving much older than they actually are, adopting adult postures and mannerisms. In most Indian homes, the mothers are at the receiving end of such behaviour.

    This presumes greater importance because research studies show that most of the children are hooked to adult programming. According to CFAR’s recent five-city study on Media Habits of Children, it was found that 50 per cent of the most favourite serials mentioned by the children in the age group of 6-12 years fell in the category of adult programming. Delhi topped the list of children viewing family drama with Shaktimaan (Doordarshan) the only exception.

    The study says that most soaps are exploiting reality to justify domestic violence – not normally condemned. Therefore, shown as ‘normal‘ within a family. The TV family is thus one in which violence is a day to day occurrence. No effort is made to correct this highly offensive and prejudicial behaviour. This justifies violence in real life and desensitises us to it and a future generation who will tend to believe that such personal liberties and violations are permissible in marriage and personal relationships, the study notes.

    Legal steps are seldom shown, the study notes. “Family courts” are held instead, in which might is the norm. Violations of individuals and their legal rights are openly shown. They allow a whole host of individual violations as if it is acceptable behaviour. People, including children, are shown eavesdropping, violating people’s privacy, inflicting physical and verbal violence, taking recourse to hate-filled speeches etc, as if it is their individual prerogative to abuse as long as the person you are abusing is within the family, the study observed.

    Finally, says the study, it gives men the power to resort to violent means to control their wives and teaches wives to submit to the violence in the larger interests of the family, which is at the core of these serials.

    The one week sample included –

    Serial   Number of episodes
       
    Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki 5
       
    Kasauti Zindagi Kay 4
       
    Bhabhi 3
       
    Kkusum 4
       
    Saanjhi 1
       
    Kitne Kool Hai Hum 1
       
    Choti Maa 4
       
    Tu Kahe Agar 1
       
    Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 4
       
    Kuntee 2
       
    Hubahu 1

  • Star Plus seeks its break; Zee improves: Hindi GEC Q3 Study

    The Hindi General Entertainment Channel (GEC) space is back in the spotlight. Strategies, counter strategies, experiments and innovations enchant the market, though audiences remain cautious while deciding their staple programming diet.

    The ongoing churn owes a lot to the manner in which Subhash Chandra‘s Zee TV made its comeback to the reckoning. Because, this turnaround has forced the channel‘s rivals (both leader Star Plus and trailing number three Sony Entertainment) to re-think their strategies and hence, we have a real humdinger of a ratings battle going on these days. This exciting range of happenings has inspired Indiantelevision.com to examine the GEC arena a bit more closely, as it completes its 2006 calendar year‘s third quarter.

    Relative channel share- All Day, CS4+ HSM

    A first look at the data gives an obvious picture. Star Plus leads the tally, followed by Zee TV, Sony, Star One, Sahara One and Sab TV (Average market share data, All Day, CS4+ HSM, 1 July to 30 September, Tam).

    Star Plus, which maintained an above 50 per cent average when we did an April 2006 (All Day Part) analysis, has recorded an average market share of 46.1 per cent for the three month period (Average market share data, All Day, CS4+ 1 July to 30 September, Tam).

    Though the channel made its best efforts to improve its position through various new launches during this period, the market share score missed the 50 per cent mark in this period. In September, it even dropped below the 45 per cent mark for the first time since the KBC phenomenon rewrote Indian television history. From 45.9 per cent of July, the channel improved its position considerably to 47.8 per cent in the month of August. However, in September, the share recorded a slight drop at 44.9 per cent.

    However, Star One has recorded an improvement during this period, as compared to its April 2006 share. The channel, which struggled during the first half of the year due to affairs such as cable blackout in certain parts of the country, has now recorded an average channel share of 6.4 per cent, while the April score stood at 5.38 per cent. The channel is now banking on properties such as Nach Baliye 2, Paraaya Dhan and Kadvee Khatti Meethi to better its position by the end of 2007.

    “We have launched about three to four shows during this period including Nach Baliye 2, Saathi Re & Paraaya Dhan (Star One) and Antariksh, Karam Apnaa Apnaa and Prithviraj Chauhan (Star Plus) and the effort is to take on any kind of competition in any time band. Star Plus is not going to sit pretty on its relatively strong position. Now, the effort will be to constantly improve the performance. There will be no let off from our side on this front”, says Star India EVP content Deepak Segal.

    During this three month period, the number two channel Zee TV has actually improved its position – from an average market share of 19 per cent in April 2006 to an average of 22.9 per cent for the July to September period, according to Tam. The score reads like this: July 23.4 per cent), August (22.1 per cent) and September (23.3 per cent).

    “The turnaround started with Saath Phere and Kassamh Se and the kind of innovations and experiments we employed in our storylines have really contributed to this good performance. This way, we managed to get the audience flow. We have steadied our soaps. The launch of Betiyann has completed our soap range for the year and now the focus is on various other genres. Hence, we will have now programmes such as the mythology Raavan and reality show Cinestars coming up. So, the strategy will revolve around non-soap genres for the next phase,” says Zee TV programming head Ashwini Yardi.

    Sony‘s position hasn‘t undergone any drastic changes as the channel recorded an average market share of 12.5 per cent for the three month period as compared to its April 2006 score of 12.36 per cent.

    Though flagship channel Sony may be still struggling, but sister channel Sab has been making a slow and steady improvement, on the other hand. The channel which scored an average channel share of 3.04 per cent for April in the All Day Part has improved the score significantly to 4.9 per cent for the June to September period.

    Sahara One, which received an April ‘windfall‘ in terms of cricket telecast rights and scored an average market share of 10 per cent during that period, has now gone down in the chart. The channel has scored an average market share of 5.3 per cent for the July to September period in All Day Part.

    Rating Score Card – Prime Time

    Kyunki Saas Bhi… continues to be Star Plus‘ channel driver programme. The long running soap of Hindi television recorded its best rating of 14.17 TVR on 31 July, 14.31 TVR on 29 August and 13 TVR on 4 September. The channel has a fixed line up of shows occupying all the top four positions including Kyunki… and the shows are Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki, Kasauti Zindagi Kay and Kahiin To Hoga. While in July, the fourth and fifth positions were occupied by Baa Bahoo Aur Baby and Kkavyanjali respectively, in August the positons went to special shows Nach Baliye 2 Muh Dekhai and Shaadi Ke Rang Bhabhi Ke. In September, Prithviraj Chauhan (best TVR 7.38) and Karam Apnaa Apnaa (best: 7.12 TVR) made it to the reckoning.

    Zee TV has three different soaps recording the channel‘s best ratings in the prime time in these three months. In July 2006, Saath Phere recorded the highest 7.32 TVR, while in August it was the Balaji Telefilms soap Kasamh Se (6.16 TVR). The top slot for the month of September escaped both the shows and went to the finals of Saregamapa Lil Champs (6.81 TVR).

    Zee TV‘s good show in the rating chart has a lot to do with the impressive opening week rating its new launches record these days. For example, Banoo Main Teri Dulhann recorded its best launch-month (august) rating of 3.5. TVR. And in September, Dulhann further consolidated its position with a best of the month rating of 4.37 TVR. Ghar Ki Lakshmi Betiyann‘s best of the month (September launch) rating stands at 4.99 TVR.

    For Sony, CID continues to be the channel driver with an average rating of 3.5 TVR for the three month period, according to Tam (HSM CS4+). In September, newly launched reality dance show Jhalakk Dikhla Ja has made its appearance in the top 10 chart for Sony. The show has filled the second slot in Sony‘s line up with its best rating of 2.95 TVR.

    Betiyann Vs Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki + Naach Baliye 2

    The month of September also witnessed an interesting battle between Zee TV and Star Plus in the coveted 10 pm slot. The story was about how Zee TV unpacked its biggest soap launch of the year — Ghar Ki Lakshmi Betiyann and positioned it against Star Plus‘ unchallenged 10 pm property Kahaani…

    Giving the development to a total new twist was Star One‘s strategy to launch Naach Baliye 2 on the same day that Zee scheduled Betiyann‘s launch – on 25 September. Though Naach Baliye was slotted in the 8 pm post and it looked the launch had nothing to do with Zee‘s 10 pm introduction of Betiyann, Star had different plans in mind. Star One telecast a 2.30 hours special episode of Naach Baliye 2 on 25 September in order to let the celeb dance show‘s launch clash with the launch episode of Betiyann. Then on the other side, Star Plus had a spiced up episode of Kahaani…to counter the Zee TV soap.

    Now, let‘s see how all these three programmes finally delivered as per Tam ratings:

    The Star ploy of countering Betiyann with Naach Baliye 2 special episode worked well for the channel. Betiyann‘s launch ratings stood at 2.58 TVR, while Nach Baliye 2 opening episode recorded a rating of 4.86 TVR (CS4+ HSM). However, it looks like the ploy had backfired in Kahaani…‘s case as the soap could gather only 6.14 TVR for the particular day. (Kahaani… normally records a rating of about 8 TVR on an average).

    However, Betiyann recovered from the initial blow quickly and came up with an improved performance during the rest of the week: 3.24 (26 Sept), 4.18 (27 Sept) and 4.99 TVR (28 Sept). And the Betiyann figures also reveal Zee‘s success in giving a jolt to Kahaani… in the initial week itself. The Star Plus soap had recorded an average rating of 8.75 TVR in week 38 (17 Sept to 23 Sept). And in the week that Betiyann got launched, Kahaani..‘s average rating has slipped to 7.25 TVR, as per Tam.

    Post Script:

    So what is waiting the GEC market in coming months? One genre that is expected to make its presence felt during this period is Reality. Two big ticket reality shows, Sony‘s Bigg Brother and Zee TV‘s Cinestars, will be unveiled in November. Star One has just kicked off its Naach Baliye 2 and the show has competition from Sony‘s celeb dance show Jhalak Dikhla Ja. So the space will have not less than four reality shows engaged in an eyeball war with each other in this quarter.

    Strategy-wise, as Yardi has revealed, Zee TV‘s focus will be now on non-soap programmes such as Raavan and Cinestars. Star Plus is looking at the kids genre in a big way and has even accommodated a kids-oriented superhuman show Antariksh in its weekday 8 pm prime time band. The channel has lined up another kids show Lucky for the same slot on Saturdays. As Segal puts it, “We are looking to develop kids also as a key viewer segment of ours. Star has always been popular for its quality kids shows.” Sahara One‘s October-November plans will mainly revolve around the upcoming soap Solhah Singaar‘.

    As the market leader Star Plus is seeking a good break to go back to its old good days of undisputed leadership and Zee TV uncorking fresh concepts to win back its lost glory, the Hindi GEC space is going through one of its best times. Then we have international players such as BBC and Viacom (reportedly in talks with Sahara One for a stake in the channel) and then our own NDTV gearing up their general entertainment channel plans for the Hindi market.

    So the big question remains: Will all these high profile suitors be able to come up with path breaking concepts and innovative positioning strategies to help the market really expand further?

  • MSN India launches Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam portals

    MSN India launches Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam portals

    MUMBAI: With the sixth anniversary celebrations of MSN India under way, MSN India has announced the launch of five new portals, MSN Hindi, MSN Tamil, MSN Telugu, MSN Kannada and MSN Malayalam apart from unveiling Windows Live Messenger in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.

    MSN India also unveiled the new MSN India Homepage and Windows Live Domains. Prominent amongst these announcements is the launch of its new language portal homepage on http://in.msn.com along with launching Windows Live Messenger in the Hindi and the other regional languages (Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam).

    This new introduction enables MSN users to now chat in their regional language with their friends and family on MSN Messenger. The MSN Hindi and regional language portals was launched by renowned singer Shubha Mudgal in an event organized recently in the capital.

    The new MSN Hindi other regional languages (MSN Tamil, MSN Telugu, MSN Kannada and MSN Malayalam) feature of Windows Live Messenger is also integrated with the MSN portal and has plenty of content which is of desi flavor such as Movies featuring film previews and interviews with the stars. The MSN Language portals (MSN Hindi, MSN Tamil, MSN Telugu, MSN Kannada and MSN Malayalam) also has the latest news with a special focus on local news, Infotech, Astrology, Sports, Recipes and Humour, informs an official release.

  • Diwali rush for concepts, slots and TRPs

    Indian television‘s Hindi general entertainment space is at its aggressive best.As the market is about to enter its ‘harvest‘ season — with the big stakes game of Diwali placed just a month away — there is a thunderstorm brewing on the programming battlefront.

    Late last month, when Zee TV pointed a finger at Star India, making a serious charge of copyright infringement, the incident had given away the plot of the big fight coming up. Zee Telefilms issued a notice to Star demanding it withdraw all activities around its upcoming soap, tentatively titled Betiyaan, claiming ownership of the concept. Zee said it was in fact gearing up to launch its big ticket soap Ghar Ki Lakshmi Betiyann, produced by Creative Eye.

    Star dismissed Zee‘s charges, asserting that the show‘s writer Rekha Modi had registered the titles and the concept with various copyright bodies well before Zee made its own registration.

    According to market sources, the issue finally got resolved through an out-of-court settlement. Zee retained its original title Ghar Ki Lakshmi Betiyann title, whereas Star chose the name Betiyaan apni yaa…Paraaya Dhan.

    Now, compare the storylines, as offered by both the channels:

    Betiyaan apni yaa…Paraaya Dhan is the story of six daughters and one son born into a Zamindar family of Neelkanth Chanda Rana. It is the story of a father who rebukes his daughters because for him they are a burden. They have come into his life only for want of a son. Krishna, the eldest daughter and the protagonist, is based on Lord Krishna‘s character and personifies his depth of wisdom and understanding. A simple, honest and principled girl, she is the balancing factor amongst her sisters. Paraaya Dhan may be considered the story of many a home in India where it is believed that a son will take the family name further and a daughter is Paraya Dhan, states a Star India release.

    According to the Zee official communiqué, Ghar Ki Lakshmi Betiyann is Zee TV‘s steadfast attempt to address the ever-persistent issue of gender discrimination in our country. The show highlights certain myths that exist in our society today. States Zee TV programming head Ashvini Yardi on the Ghar Ki Lakshmi Betiyann, “With Ghar Ki Lahsmi… we are trying to highlight the serious issue of gender inequity that is prevalent in our society.”

    And it is again strategies and counter strategies. On 19 September, Zee TV conducted a press conference to announce its plans to launch Ghar Ki Lakshmi Betiyann — set in a Gujarati household — on 25 September. On 18 September, Star made the smart move of talking to the media about its October launch Paraaya Dhan well in advance. Apart from the plot, what was revealed was the time slot of 9 pm, Monday to Thursday. The result: Star could let the market know about the development a day in advance.

    What makes both these Betiyaan shows keenly fought properties? With Ghar Ki Lakshmi Betiyann, Zee TV is attacking one of the two most crucial time slots of Star Plus – 10 pm, where the long running soap Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki is playing. Letting the Zee TV do what it had done in the 9 pm – 10 pm slot (with success stories Saath Phere & Kassamh Se) would be suicidal for Star Plus and the channel understands that fact very well.

    “Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki is an old show with a dedicated viewership and we are confident of the soap overcoming any new challenge in its way. But we will make efforts to protect the show. I am not hinting that we will be doing stunts to keep the viewer glued. We will be taking liberties that the story line would allow and accordingly, we will be creating twists and turns in the plot to fight competition,” Star India senior creative director Shailja Kejriwal says.

    “The main strength of Ghar Ki Lakshmi… is its content and we have full faith in it. The soap is very important for us. Creative Eye is producing the show; it has been placed in the 10 pm time slot; and more importantly, we believe that the concept is very unique but very relevant. No counter strategy would be able to stop this soap,” retorts Zee TV‘s Yardi. She adds that Zee wouldn‘t be resorting to any exercise such as simultaneous premiere on its network channels to expand the viewership.

    And one show that will be making its best efforts for not getting caught in this exchange of fire would be Sony‘s brand new celebrity dance show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. Reason: Jhalak.. again has been placed in the crucial slot of 10 pm, Wednesday and Thursday.

    It seems the leading channels are almost done with their key Diwali arrangements. With the introduction of Ghar Ki Lakshmi… in the 10 pm slot, Zee TV has revamped its 10 – 11 pm slot. L‘il Champs will now air Friday-Saturday at 10 pm. Shabaash India has been shiifted to the Monday -Tuesday 10.30 pm slot, while Johny Aala Re will now air on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 10.30 pm.

    Star One is meanwhile revamping its prime time band as well, with the entry of Nach Baliye 2 on 25 September (placed in the 8:30 pm slot) and the launch coincides with the Ghar Ki Lakshmi… launch in terms of dates. In October, two other soaps Saathi Re and Betiyaan apni yaa…Paraaya Dhan will mark the launch of new primetime programming band, with Saathi Re airing at 8:30 pm followed by Betiyaan apni yaa…Paraaya Dhan at 9 pm.

    After Jhalak.., Sony‘s Diwali plans would revolve around two upcoming properties: a prime time soap Kaajaal and a reality-based show titled Big Boss. Though the channel is yet to reveal its plans about these two shows, indications are that they will be placed in the 9 to 10 pm slot.

  • Filmy: Six months and beyond

    Big movies. More wrap-around programming. Heavy marketing. That is the course Filmy, the Hindi movie channel from the Sahara stable, will take as it gears up to double its audience base over the next six months.

    The initial period, as Filmy business head Ashutosh puts it, is “more than satisfactory.”

    “We have grown against established channels like Zee Cinema, Max and Star Gold. They have been in existence longer and have built a library over the period. We had to also combat against a tough distribution environment,” says Ashutosh.

    He adds: “Over the next six months, Filmy could break the 50 GRP-mark. Filmy has also broken the myth that Hindi movie channel space has no space for a fourth player.”

    Indiantelevision.com takes a look at the six-month evolution of the movie channel and the ideas that have worked for it.

    Content Strategy: Wrap-around Programming

    To break into the competitive market, Filmy adopted an innovative programming approach. The executives at Filmy fondly call it ‘Wraparound Programming’ and this phrase meant a lot of stress on non-movie programming.

    “We worked on an image, which is filmy, fun, original and progressing. This original plan of creating a different channel, with a different look and feel, was then driven by all the other innovations, such as our characters and the off-beat film news content,” says Filmy marketing and content head Shailesh Kapoor.

    The original plan: The channel will have a daily dose of three movies at 10 am, 3 pm and 8 pm. A big movie will be telecast on Sundays in the 3 pm slot.

    Then, it will also have a variety of wraparound programming; four anchors will provide a whole new experience of seeing cinema at home. While other movie channels are mere telecasters, Filmy wanted to be the mouthpiece of Bollywood.

    The flagship set of four characters are integral to the channel‘s programming formats.

    Lallan (a rustic who has migrated to Mumbai from a small town in Uttar Pradesh), Lal Gulab (a typical villain as seen in all movies), Rokkky (who has the air of a Bollywood superstar and is played by Hindi film actor Chunky Pandey) and Ruchi Reporter (who is like a sting journalist and is interested in exposing the private lives of stars).

    “We knew that, we were not anywhere near our competitors in terms of library. Hence, we wanted to score in the other areas,” says Ashutosh.

    When Filmy started, the main concern was not about the third party content (commercials or movies), which was anyway there for a start.

    “Our focus was to create our own content such as interstials and station IDs. We wanted to create a space for ourselves in the market. Otherwise, there was no point in being a fourth channel,” explains Ashutosh.

    Research goes to prove that Filmy’s strategy reaped good fortunes.

    According to channel executives, the anchor characters are doing very well in the markets they have been targeted as per the research findings.

    For example, Lallan is a huge hit in the Hindi belt, while Rokkky has caught the attention of urban India. Inspired by the findings, Filmy has decided to give new roles to both the characters now.

    “Lallan will now also drive the marketing and promotional initiatives of the channel. The channel has decided to reduce the duration of the 30-minute show anchored by Rokkky to increase the footage of the character through various other capsules,” says Ashutosh.

    Responding to the feedback received, Lal Gulab, the video parlor owner who doubles up as a don in the nights, will now be given one single avtar.

    “This character, has been very well-accepted by urban centres, while rural viewers have found difficulty in understanding the double-act. Hence we have decided to simplify the character with some modifications,” adds Ashutosh.

    Keeping in mind that the break in TVRs are high, filmy makes it a point to spend a significant amount on wraparound production.

    Without actually divulging the figures, Ashutosh claims that, the average production budget of a 30-minute wrap-around-programme on Filmy is much higher than the average budget of a normal 30-minute television programme. “You can call it cutting-edge programming,” he says.

    The push for Filmy also came from some of the innovative tools it employed to enhance movie viewing on television. Ashutosh names Recap as one such key innovation.

    “Recap was targeted at viewers who drop in mid-way. As the name suggests, it presented a capsule of the exhausted part. Then we had Aunty Break Fail, which acted as a link between commercial breaks and the movie shown,” says Ashutosh.

    The average television viewing period of an individual is about 27 minutes and hence, Recap was a key innovation. Filmy capitalised on these types of small issues, which competitors “ignored.”

    In the six-month period, Filmy also claims to have re-written few market theories. Ashutosh says the channel has gave a new dimension to the 7 am – 10 am time band, which was otherwise perceived as a non-scorer.

    “The market was skeptical about Filmy introducing a 7 am to 10 am movie band. But the band has delivered for us. We found that, it was not as bad as people thought. Then our strategy of branding slots also got acknowledged,” says Ashutosh.

    Movie Content

    Filmy has expanded its library to about 450 movies from a base tally of about 300 in the six month period.

    Apart from the Sahara One Motion Pictures productions, the channel is now also looking at other producers for acquisition, according to Ashutosh.

    “We have the advantage of being part of a leading Bollywood producer with Sahara One Motion Pictures being our constant source of good movies. To explore the space further, we are now targeting non-Sahara movies also,” he says.

    Filmy is basically looking at movies, which make good business sense. Instead of acquiring all the movies coming its way, it has adopted a strategy of buying utility movies.

    Filmy, which started its innings with Sahara titles such as No Entry, Page Three and Sarkar, has now Malaamaal Weekly, Gangster and the upcoming Katputhli tucked under its belt. As the festival season approaches, the channel is gearing up for more big ticket acquisitions, according to Kapoor.

    “Filmy is getting aggressive on the acquisition front. We are looking to buy two to three big ticket properties and then a lot of other latest movies,” he reveals.

    A key initiative forward for Filmy will be taking in the August-September period when it would be introducing Hollywood dubbed movie block.

    As already reported by Indiantelevision.com, Sahara is in talks with at least three international studios, including Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, for acquiring international titles.

    “We have conducted a research on what sorts of movies would work in Hindi language, and accordingly we have set our preferences,” says Kapoor.

    Marketing

    On the marketing front, Filmy is following the strategy of taking its lead anchors off air and positioning amidst the public.

    The channel recently associated with Rakesh Roshan for his latest release Krrish and had Lallan performing in the respective theatres. Similarly, Lallan will be doing a Shahrukh act in theatres where Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna would be releasing.

    Though Filmy has a full-fledged on-air promotion strategy, the channel is yet to hit the outdoors in a big way in terms of product promotions. However, in the next phase, this may change. And driving the initiatives will be the slew of new properties the channel is about to launch.

    “Filmy may go outdoors to promote our big movie properties. Then we will be launching at least three big ticket properties in the September 2006 – March 2007 period and this would also require good amount of promotion across all media,” says Kapoor.

    Distribution

    The channel, which was to be encrypted right from the start, faced initial hiccups as it had to swap the position for sister channel Sahara One.

    Having won live cricket content, Sahara One – the general entertainment channel – decided to encrypt the channel in a short span of time. The only way to speed up distribution was to keep Filmy on the unencrypted mode while seeding decoder boxes for Sahara One.

    Filmy then waited a longer time to regain the status of an encrypted channel. Reason: It wanted to ensure the fool-proof distribution of the boxes across the market.

    “We went encrypted on 6 August. The transition has been seamless as we had to ensure that we protect our existing reach. We are now available in 79 per cent of the TAM market,” says Ashutosh.

    Though he would not spell out the carriage fee to ensure a widespread reach of the newly-launched channel, market sources put it at Rs 100 million. The focus now is to ensure better space on the cable networks.

    A separate team has been put in place with former Sony hand Sameer Ganapathy as the head. Earlier, Sahara News and the entertainment channels were handled by the same team.

    Performance

    This month, Filmy shocked its elder sibling Sahara One by overtaking the general entertainment channel in terms of GRPs.

    An average GRP of 50 at the completion of six months has boosted the morale of the channel tremendously, says Ashutosh.

    “When we began, it was a ‘by chance’ channel, rather than a ‘by choice’ one. Keeping the tough competition in mind, it was important for us to nurture that ‘force of habit’ and the Tam data validates our success. People now watch the channel by choice,” he says.

    Filmy had opened its innings with a channel share of 4 per cent against Zee Cinema’s 34 per cent, Max’s 35 per cent and Star Gold’s 26 per cent for Week 7 (12 February), as per Tam (CS4+ HSM).

    The channel kept an average market share of 6 per cent in the next 22 weeks before shooting to the double figure of 12 per cent for week 30 (29 July). The feat was powered by the telecast of movie Hanuman, which helped the channel to garner some significant numbers in the slot.

    As per Tam data, for the period of 12 February to 29 July (HSM CS4+), Filmy holds an average market share of 7 per cent against Zee Cinema (35 per cent), Max (32 per cent) and Star Gold (25 per cent). The data reveals that, the Hindi movie genre has recorded a marginal expansion with the entry of Filmy, from 14.35 per cent to 16 per cent during this period.

    “As per our knowledge, cannibalisation from other channels has been minimal. Our entry has expanded the market to a small extent,” says Ashutosh.

    “Filmy has become a channel, which you can’t ignore. It has turned out to be a visually better looking and consumer-focussed player. We are giving a lot of stress on individual addressability. We are not taking the viewers for granted,” Kapoor sums up.

  • Sifymax to offer Fiffa World Cup updates in five languages

    Sifymax to offer Fiffa World Cup updates in five languages

    MUMBAI: Broadband portal Sifymax is providing World Cup updates in five different languages – Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam.

    This initiative is an attempt to enhance the reach and the accessibility to the Fifa World Cup available in “our national language and other south based languages”, according to an official release.

    Besides providing Fifa updates on sify home page www.sify.com, the language channels have also been linked to the city channels namely, www.sifymax.com, www.bangalorelive.in and www.samachar.com.

    Sify Limited VP Surya Mantha said: “Further to providing exclusive highlights and special video footages on FIFA World cup 2006, we are excited to go that extra mile to give more privilege to football lovers by providing them updates in 5 different languages. This includes our national language further enhancing the accessibility of the game nationwide.

  • Bollywood banks on corporate route to the big league

    Bollywood is becoming a game for the big boys. New upstarts like Sahara and UTV are pumping in money behind production and marketing to create mega commercial hits like No Entry and Rang De Basanti while Anil Ambani‘s Adlabs Films is planning to have a high-point presence in all the segments of film business.

    The movie business landscape, in fact, is changing fast. Indiantelevision.com takes a look at how the industry is shaping up to script a new tale.

    MORE BANKS LEND, BUT STILL CAUTIOUS…

    IDBI Bank is the leader in the pack, having late last year decided to double its exposure limit to Rs 2 billion. No wonder the big daddy of film financing believes it has found the right formula for lending to the industry. It has sanctioned Rs 1.8 billion while disbursals stand at Rs 850-900 million towards movie projects.

    Says IDBI deputy managing director Jitender Balakrishnan, “It has proved to be a successful product for us, giving us returns which match other industry sectors. This is why the IDBI board took the decision to increase the upper limit to Rs 2 billion.”

    Other banks like UTI have entered the fray, but the lending is still extended to select production houses and the norms are strictly observed. IDBI, for instance, funds only corporates who have a track record of three years and insists on a 1:1 debt equity ratio. “We don‘t deviate from these lending norms. Besides, the size of the loan can‘t be less than Rs 40 million and anything above Rs 200 million will have to be backed by a completion guarantee,” says Balakrishnan.

    Banks rely on an advisory committee drawn from the film industry itself to examine the merit of each project proposal. The approval of the project, however, is done by an internal team after weighing several considerations including revenue earning potential of the movie. “It is just over four years since banks have started film financing. The process is evolving and as the confidence grows, banks will keep changing the lending norms,” says Balakrishnan.

    Banks believe there is a need at this stage to stand vigil in a sector that has chronic ups and downs. They have gone slow on expanding their film finance portfolio. Though film producers are required to repay the debt before the release of a movie, holding IPR rights may not be a safety net for loan recoveries. Take Bank of India which has financed just Rs 250 million for five movies over a four year period. While two movies under its portfolio have been successful, one has just about managed to recover costs.

    “Another project is stuck over disputes and the movie is yet to be released. We have also financed a fresh project which is coming up for release. Organised finance is coming, but the pace is very slow. We have nominated just one branch in Andheri which does film financing. Because of its risky nature, we have an upper ceiling of Rs 50 million per movie,” says Bank of India general manager (credit) S Sampath.

    An early lender into the film business, Bank of Baroda is extremely cautious about providing debt to the film sector. “Our experience has not been good so far,” says a senior official of the bank.

    That has not stopped some banks from experimenting in the glamour industry. Export-Import Bank of India (Exim) has recently agreed to lend $7 million to Crest Animation Studios in what would be its first funding for an animation film project. Starting to lend to the film sector since April 2004, the bank has financed Rs 580 million for nine movies so far. This includes Rs 400 million to noted filmmaker Yash Chopra for movies like Veer Zaara, Hum Tum, Bunty Aur Babli and Dum. It has also lent Rs 100 million for Farhan Akhtar‘s Don and Rs 80 million for Mangal Pandey – The Rising.

    “We feel the entertainment sector will become big business. We decided to start with the film industry. But we pick and choose projects very carefully. Unlike the telecom and other sectors, it is far riskier than what we have been used to funding. We have been lending only to established names,” says Exim Bank general manager Mathew John.

    Organised finance is available at much lower interest rates, but is not accessible to fresh filmmakers. Private financiers charge as high as three per cent on a monthly basis. “Almost all banks are now open to financing films based on the historical track record and balance sheet of the producer, in addition to the security of the film negative. Interest rates range between 9-13 per cent. There are instances of institutions like Exim Bank offering foreign exchange loans against overseas rights at cheaper rates,” says UTV Software Communications COO Ronald D‘Mello.

    Exim Bank, which has been funding Hindi movie projects that have a potential to earn foreign currency revenues in the overseas market, offers floating interest rates.

    So what do banks need? “This industry will have to corporatise more. Besides, there has to be a complete cheque mode of payment so that the accounting is transparent. An established track record is also important,” says Sampath.

    The lesson in this? If you are making your maiden movie, the chase to the bank for arranging finance may turn futile. Banks are willing to lend to corporate-driven organisations, provided the norms are in place. Such companies can leverage on their equity and internal accruals to raise debt as a mix of funding for movies.

    “Of the 117 Hindi movies produced last year, the fund requirement would have been around Rs 7 billion. Only 10 per cent of this must have come from organised finance,” says a trade analyst.

    What, though, is not flowing in is equity into film financing from venture capitalists (VCs) or high net worth individuals. Despite attempts at setting up Film Funds, no progress has been made. Explains D‘Mello, “There are no tax or other regulatory incentives to attract subscribers to the Fund. Also, there is a high risk perception of Bollywood movies coupled with non existence of completion bonding which works well overseas.”

    As film production becomes more expensive, innovative forms of financing have to creep in to make it available to a broad section of filmmakers. One way is to ensure a transparent online accounting system on the exhibition side and make that cash flow accessible to banks and institutional funding agencies. “By securitising the cash flows from the theatres into the funding agencies, risks can be made more acceptable. Multiplexes have a role to play in this and banks can take a position on the movie‘s future earning potential,” says Mukta Arts CEO Ravi Gupta.

    A more radical suggestion is to allow the formation of limited liability companies. “Such companies can be formed for individual projects. Foriegn and high net worth investors can come in for a movie and after the completion of its commercial exploitation, the company can be allowed to close down. This is a practice in the western countries. But the government will have to allow this format in India,” says Gupta.

    INDUSTRY GETS MORE CORPORATISED, BUT DISTRIBUTION STILL THE IRRITANT

    The rules of the filmed entertainment business are changing. The production process is getting more corporatised, multiplexes are bringing in a breath of fresh air on the exhibition front, and investors are watching with keen interest which way the fortunes are going to swing.

    The production cycle is getting shorter for at least the organised players. Mukta Arts, for instance, took six months to produce Shaadi Se Pehle. The duration of completing a movie, though, varies from project-to-project and also depends on the production house. But, as Gupta says, the average time spent on the floor has generally shrunk.

    The industry, once used to waste and extravagance, is realising the value of streamlining operations. Focus on good stories, well-oiled machineries, planned executive and effective marketing campaigns are going to be crucial in driving down costs and getting mainstream hits. Says D‘Mello, “People are not working on broken schedules. This has brought down time and cost escalations.”

    Fragmenting and targeting niche audiences is possible today with the number of multiplexes which have sprung up across the country. Multiplexes are also securing a better revenue flow across the distribution value chain. Says E-City Ventures CEO Atul Goel, “The revenue leakage on the distribution front is still an issue. But there is an improvement because of the multiplexes which have brought about transparency.”

    Digital delivery of movies will also drive change. But it is still at a nascent stage and is taking place at the low-cost end. “The industry has around 250 digital exhibition theatres across the country. We will have to push it up to 2,000 to 3,000 theatres,” says Gupta. Mukta Arts has a joint venture with Adlabs for the digital delivery business.

    Multiplex operators are fast ramping up. Says Goel, “There are around 100 multiplexes in the country. But with the players lining up major expansion plans, this is expected to grow to 250 multiplexes within two years. We are scaling up from four properties and 17 screens to a total of 35 multiplexes and 150 screens by early 2008.”

    Adlabs plans to invest Rs 2 billion over three years towards multiplexes, adding 100 new screens by the end of FY 08 to take the total to 135 screens. Even on the production side, it aims to produce over 10 films in a year from FY 06 onwards. “We will have to run faster and higher. We have signed up Ram Gopal Varma, Ramesh Sippy, Prakash Jha and Vipul Shah,” says Adlabs Films chairman and managing director Manmohan Shetty.

    Such ramp ups across the top production houses like Yash Chopra, Mukta Arts and Sahara will be a challenge and will depend upon how much the market can absorb. Though multiplexes are growing, it remains to be seen how much additional supply they can take in.

    “The exhibition side is getting valued already. On the production side, as more companies scale up and start demonstrating earnings, the scepticism will disappear and investors will find it a more acceptable model,” Says Enam Financial Consultants vice president Salil Pitale.

    STRIVING FOR VERTICAL INTEGRATION MODELS

    A more varied business model is taking shape as corporate houses strive for size and vertical integration. Adlabs, Sahara, UTV and E-City originate from different backgrounds and are creating empires that will synergise with their other ventures.

    Ambani is building an entertainment powerhouse that will sprawl over his telecom venture. Having paid Rs 3.6 billion for a 51 per cent stake in Adlabs, he quickly raised $100 million through an offering of foreign currency convertible bonds (FCCBs).

    Flushed with funds, Adlabs will scale up movie and radio operations with a heavy presence in exhibition, production, film processing and distribution segments. His Reliance Infocomm will link up threatres and deliver content through its fibre optic backbone. His foray into home video segment will help provide content for Reliance Infocomm‘s triple play service which Ambani plans to launch by the end of this year. The direct-to-home (DTH) service will also gain content from Adlabs.

    “In this type of a model, it is viable to create an integrated platform, scale up and absorb all the risks from the vagaries of film business. Ambani is best poised to take the film industry forward, but has to get the content right,” says an analyst.

    Subroto Roy, on the other hand, grew up a broadcast business and then spread his fabric over Bollywood. His Sahara motion pictures division has churned out several hits and can play a big role in pushing the flagging general entertainment channel forward. He has also launched a Hindi movie channel and, along with news, is hoping to have enough firepower to migrate from free-to-air to pay TV business.

    An outsider in film production, Roy has turned out to be one of the leading producers with a pipeline of 40 movies.
    Sahara‘s model of tying up with production house K Sera Sera, which had a long term deal with Ram Gopal Varma, for 10 movies proved fruitful. The company also worked out multiple-movie deals with Boney Kapoor and Madhur Bhandarkar. “We are making 20 movies this year. We will be totally funding these movies. We are also into film distribution business,” says Sahara One Media and Entertainment Ltd CEO Shantonu Aditya.

    UTV, which started as primarily a TV content production house, has marched into movies and broadcast areas to boast of being an integrated media company. The company has produced seven movies over the last 30 months and more are on various stages of production now. “We do not consider film business more risky compared to other media businesses. Selecting the right project after due evaluation and research, having a slate of film projects of varying content profiles, managing cost and time schedules well and effective and timely exploitation of revenue potential are the key to successfully managing the film business,” says D‘Mello.

    UTV was commissioned by Star to produce movies for them. “Broadcasters of late are looking at acquiring a slate of movies from producers for television exploitation compared to film acquisition earlier. Apart from assuring future content, this also helps broadcasters to amortoise the cost over multiple films,” says D‘Mello.

    Television content companies like Balaji Telefilms have also made cautious steps into film production. Their aim: to drive topline growth. Movie companies like K Sera Sera are also going the reverse way by foraying into TV content business.

    Pure film companies are aiming to size up their business. Yash Raj Films has a strong overseas distribution arm and has set up a hi-tech studio to grab outsourcing work from Hollywood. Others like PNC have attracted equity financing, but are trying to grapple with ways to grow the business. Mukta Arts has opened an academy to train professionals and have a constant supply of talent to feed the industry.

    Exhibition companies are getting into the distribution business. “Exhibition margins range between 15-20 per cent. It makes business sense for us to be in distribution, which has margins of 30 per cent, as well. We have entered Gujarat territory as we have taken 22 theatres on hire there. But one has to progress selectively into territories,” says Goel.

    Distribution companies are also finding the climate conducive for movie production. Sony Pictures Releasing of India, which had obtained FIPB (foreign investment promotion board) approval for film production, had stayed out of it for years. But recently the company announced a joint venture with Sanjay Leela Bhansali for production of Hindi movie Saawariya (Beloved). “We are globally into film production. We think the time is also right as corporatisation has led to a more organised production process,” says Sony Pictures Releasing of India managing director Uday Singh.

    For any chance of organised funding to get better, efficiencies have to grow across the value chain. Aligning with directors for multiple films can draw and lock in talent while co-productions can raise the production values. On the positive side, the dependence on domestic theatrical collections has reduced while international territories are yielding better cash returns.

    The revenue mix for good movies is more widely spread today. While domestic box office accounts for 50-55 per cent (earlier 70 per cent) of total revenues, satellite TV rights make up 20 per cent and overseas territories 10-15 per cent. The home video segment is also growing, accounting for 10 per cent revenues. In the wide basket, it is only the music rights which have sunk over the years and seen very little rise.
    New media exploitation options like mobile and internet also offer promissing revenue potential for film content.

    The best thing to happen is the emergence of a diverse range of players who are aggressively getting into the film business for strategically different reasons. This is good for the health of the film industry and will fuel its future growth.

  • Disney Channel series to be offered in six languages on Disneychannel.com

    Disney Channel series to be offered in six languages on Disneychannel.com

    MUMBAI: Disney Channel’s hit series for kids and tweens, That’s So Raven and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, will be made available in six different languages, on the soon to be re-launched broadband site, DisneyChannel.com.

    The language tracks are English, Hindi, Spanish, German, French and Mandarin Chinese.

    The announcement was made today by Disney Channel Worldwide president Rich Ross and Disney ABC Television Group executive vice president digital media Albert Cheng.

    Ross said, “Disney Channel speaks to kids and kids speak many languages and now we speak to them in many of their languages. Whether it is seventh grade Spanish classes or kids who have just emigrated from India or China, we just want to continue the conversation.”

    “We are committed to offering programming to viewers no matter when, where or how they want it and this is further example of how we are accomplishing our goals,” said Cheng.

    Free of charge and on-demand, the companion DisneyChannel.com will offer select episodes of live-action and animated series, short-form content, music videos and Disney Channel Original Movie “bonus” materials. Video content will be refreshed on a weekly basis. Developed in conjunction with Disney Online, the full-length, streaming video content is advertiser-supported with adjacent customized spots and fixed display advertising.