Tag: HSM

Music, Hindi news genre on top in OTS week 2

MUMBAI: It seems the New Year celebrations are not going to fade away so easily. The TV viewers gave thumbs up to the music channels as they claimed the first position in the week two of the opportunity to see (OTS) as per Chrome Data Analytics & Media. Either too many good songs were released that kept the adrenalin-pumping of the music lovers, or they couldn’t get enough of the older songs. The genre rose by 1.3 per cent with MTV toppling over Sony Mix to top the charts with 89 per cent OTS.

In fact, the genres catering to the Hindi speaking market (HSM) were on a roll this week.

Call it the AAP effect or something else; the Hindi news channels too turned tables. From being in the bottom four, last week, the genre in the HSM took the second place in the top four with 1.1 per cent. Aaj Tak remained the undisputed king of the genre as week after week it has topped the ranks. This week, the channel garnered 93.9 per cent OTS.

Hindi movies too saw a marginal rise with 0.4 per cent in the HSM with Sony Max being the blockbuster with 96.5 per cent OTS. Hindi GECs also didn’t stay behind and rose 0.1 per cent with DD National showing who is the boss when it comes to entertaining with 97.6 per cent.

As for the bottom four, English entertainment channels failed to impress its viewers even after launching new shows. The genre saw the maximum drop with 3.5 per cent in OTS with AXN continuing to rule the roost with 79.4 per cent OTS.

English movies channels too didn’t do well. The genre saw a drop of 3.1 per cent with Pix again topping the charts with 86.1 per cent OTS in the eight metros.

English news as well as Business news in the eight metros were in the bottom four by registering a drop of 2.5 per cent and 2.4 per cent OTS respectively.

Arnab’sTimes Now, however, never fails to impress its viewers. This time too it topped the list in the genre with 91.2 per cent OTS. As for the business news, CNBC Awaaz garnered 85 per cent OTS to be ranked one in the genre.

January 13, 2014
News channels record increase in OTS in metros

MUMBAI: Connectivity of a television channel is something that every executive is concerned about in the industry – whether in the media or broadcast sector or cable TV. And pioneering this data and analytics information is Delhi-based Chrome Data & Analytics which keeps a tab on around 73 million TV homes nationally in analogue cable TV, digital cable TV and DTH.

We take a look at what the opportunity to see (OTS) was for various television genres and channels in week 48 of the year. It appears it was a week of the news channels, both business and general English news, as far as the eight metros are concerned.

The reach of English news channels grew by 1.5 per cent and business news channels witnessed a 1.1 per cent gain. However, the English entertainment channels in the eight metros witnessed a drop of 0.3 per cent while the English movie channels saw a 0.6 per cent rise.

Tarun Tejpal’s alleged misconduct with a journalist colleague in an elevator in a five star hotel in Goa, raised not only eyebrows of most urban Indians but also their interest as they tuned into news channels to catch up on the latest with the iconoclastic senior scribe.

Hindi GECs in the Hindi speaking markets (HSM) saw a drop of 0.9 per cent, while Hindi movies and Hindi news dropped by 0.1 per cent and 0.8 per cent respectively. Only the religious channels saw a 1.4 per cent increase in HSM.

The all India performance of sports and infotainment channels dipped in week 48. While sports recorded a one per cent drop, infotainment witnessed 2.6 per cent shaving respectively. Only the position of the kids’ channels in the all India market remained stable.

The top Hindi GEC channel in HSM was Star Plus with a 97.8 per cent OTS. Zee TV and Colors were not too far behind with 97.4 per cent and 97.3 per cent OTS respectively. Life OK lagged behind in the race with 94.9 per cent OTS.

Amongst the Hindi movie channels in HSM, Star Gold was the biggest gainer with 96.7 per cent OTS, while UTV Movies lagged at 88.8 per cent.

ABP News was the leader in the Hindi News genre with an OTS of 93.2 per cent. And with 88.9 per cent, CNN-IBN was leading in the English news genre in eight metros, while CNBC Awaaz topped in the business news genre.

Undoubtedly, it has been an interesting week for the channels. Let’s wait and watch how things unfold for the channels in the coming week.

December 3, 2013
Sunday to become a fun day with Raavi and Gurpreet

MUMBAI: Get ready to add some fun, spice and naughtiness to your life this Sunday. As a special treat for Raavi fans, Big Magic welcomes you into the innocent world of Raavi that is full of fun and excitement with Raavi Ka Ravivaar, a special 12-hour funfest.

Anchored by one of the most established and renowned stand-up comedians in the industry, Gurpreet aka Ghugghi, this special marathon will present the cutest moments of the series on 24 November, Sunday from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm.

In a short span, Raavi has managed to receive not just positive feedback but a lot of adulation from the viewers across HSMs. This marathon will highlight Amrita’s (Raavi’s mother) journey as a mother who takes a dramatic life decision to disguise her girl child as a boy. While Raavi’s true identity is under wraps, it initiates an extremely interesting cat and mouse game cleverly handled by little Raavi who plays dual roles dexterously.

Learning a few tricks from Raavi, Ghuggi will don four special avatars to present this marathon. Raavi will also be seen anchoring this marathon along with the comedian. The witty duo is set to enthrall the audience with 12-hour marathon story on Raavi and her world laced with humour and entertainment.

Gurpreet Ghugghi said: “This mischievous little Raavi is full of life. Taking a trip down memory lane with this cute kid was not just exciting but a whole lot of fun. Watch out for my special avatars this Sunday. I am sure the audiences will enjoy this marathon.”

“Anchoring a show is new to me but Ghuggi uncle (Gurpreet Ghuggi) made it easy. It’s exciting to revisit the episodes that I had so much fun working on. This Sunday I know what I will be watching on TV. Hope the viewers also enjoy watching this marathon!” quips Raavi. The series air every Monday-Friday at 7 pm only on Big Magic.

November 20, 2013
Notching up visibility: News Nation

MUMBAI: It’s already very crowded in the Hindi news genre, but this new entrant believes it can make a difference.

Enter News Nation: the Hindi news channel launched in February, promoted by Newsnation Network, having Abhay Oswal as chairman and veteran journalist Shailesh Kumar as editor in chief.

Targeted at an educated and sophisticated Hindi-speaking audience and offering insights into politics, crime, corruption, cricket and Bollywood, the channel is now preparing to announce its arrival on the Hindi news stage.

While work on News Nation began one-and-a-half years ago, the marketing campaign only started taking shape three to four months back. According to sources, approximately Rs 10-12 crore have been spent on the entire promotional campaign.

Of which, the TVC campaign branded ‘Khabrein Jo Banti Hai Aapki Power’ kicked-off on 18 September and will run till the end of this month on channels including Colors, Star Plus, Sony, Sab, Life OK, Sony Max, Star Gold, Movies OK, Times Now, CNN IBN, ET Now, CNBC TV 18, CNBC Awaaz, NGC, Discovery and Animal Planet. Both TVCs created by McCann Erickson sport a retro look and give the message that News Nation will keep audiences up-to-speed with ‘news they can use’.

With HSM markets in the age group 15+ male across SEC A B and C as the channel’s target audience, advertisements have been placed in key spots during the day such as the popular show Comedy Nights with Kapil on Colors, the Lootera premiere on Sony, and the soon to premiere Once Upon Ay Time in Mumbai Dobaara also on Sony.

Meanwhile, radio and outdoor campaigns are scheduled to begin mid-October, to run till the first week of November. Regular advertisements will run across prominent radio stations in Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Jaipur. Apart from these, contests will run either as contest on the TVC or as election-based.

Across the HSM market, 10-11 cities will witness outdoor advertising from News Nation. Approximately 810 hoardings and bus shelters and transportation vehicles have been blocked to feature the channel’s ads. Trade sites are a priority on the digital front. A search engine optimisation will soon be conducted, allowing visibility to increase four-fold. The digital department, operated by a five-member team, aims to get more robust.

The entire campaign is being handled by a marketing team comprising three of the 320 employees in the organisation which includes everyone in the head office in Noida and bureaus in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata as also the Hindi-speaking states. As of now, News Nation has no plans to enter the southern market.
Now that there’s a newbie in an already cluttered Hindi news space, only time will tell if it creates a unique identity or blends into the crowd.

September 24, 2013
RBNL expands reach in HSM with new carriage deals

MUMBAI: Reliance Broadcast Network Limited (RBNL) has expanded the reach of its multi-lingual international men‘s entertainment channel Big CBS Prime beyond the eight metros to 1 million+ towns across Hindi Speaking Markets (HSM).

RBNL has inked deals with leading distribution platforms to extend its reach to 30 million households across the markets of Gujarat, Punjab, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and top 8 metros.

BIG CBS Networks Business Head Anand Chakravarthy said, “With the launch of the Hindi language feed, BIG CBS PRIME now expands into 1mn+ HSMs in the country, expanding its audience base. The channel has seen very encouraging results over the last few weeks, since launch of the language feed in metros, and we expect to get an even better response in HSM‘s. We are sure that the channel will build a strong viewer base ensuring better ROI for marketers and advertisers.”

The channel which is already available on all leading DTH platforms and national MSO‘s in metros has now inked deals with all the regional MSO‘s as well, making Big CBS Prime available to a larger cross-section of male audiences, showcasing the best international content in a dual feed.

April 18, 2013
‘We have grown without showing gruesome reality shows’ : Zoom Entertainment Television CEO Avinash Kaul

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

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

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

Excerpts:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We will also be shortly announcing Bollywood Summit.

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

July 25, 2011

Kids channels gain viewership; Nick cracks HSM

Surely the biggies of the Hindi general entertainment space have been channelising their efforts to attract the kids segment. If Colors has been trying to capture the small pops through its top-rated shows Balika Vadhu and Uttaran, Zee TV is gearing up to use this arsenal in its new property Aap Ki Antara.

But has this effort anyhow eaten into the viewership pie of the discerning bunch of little champs, the kids‘ channels as a category? Not really!!! If 2008 saw the kids genre close at a 13.78 per cent share (period Jan-May 2008, All India C&S 4-14), the same period in 2009 (period Jan-May 2009, All India C&S 4-14) saw the genre grow by 1.08 per cent.

Kids Genre Share % in 2009
Month	ALL INDIA 09
Jan	13.9
Feb	13.6
Mar	14.5
Apr	15.6
May	16.6
Source: TAM, C&S 4-14, All India

Within the category, again, there are a few transitions. While Cartoon Network still continues to hold the fort, the channel has seen a slight dip of 0.4 per cent in its market share for the period between January to May in 2009 as compared to the same period last year.

Sibling channel Pogo too has surely managed to remain number two in the space. The channel has also seen a rise in its market share from 20 per cent in 2008 to 22.8 per cent in 2009.

All India Market
Channel	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May
Cartoon Network	29	26	27	24	23
Pogo	23	24	24	22	21
Nick	17	16	15	21	20
Hungama	14	15	17	14	18
Jetix	10	11	10	9	9
Disney	7	7	7	9	8
Spacetoon Kids TV	0	0	0	0	0
Source: TAM, C&S 4-14, All India

HSM Story

Nevertheless, when it comes to slicing the market further to concentrate on the HSM space, the view is visibly different and new. While CN has seen a slight dip here too for the same period over last (Jan – May 2008), it has been ousted for the first time ever by new market leader Nick for the last two consecutive months. Nick has also seen a 4.4 per cent upward swing in its market share, compared to 2008.

So what helped Nick emerge as the number one kids channel in the Hindi speaking market?

“There are a couple of factors that helped us attain this position. First, the Nicktoons – characters that have helped Nick establish space and engagement with the kids leading to an increase in the stickiness of the channel,” says Nick India SVP and GM Nina Elavia Jaipuria.

“Second, we have managed to take Nick beyond television, thus making it more tangible. And I think we did that very successfully with our experimental 360 degree marketing philosophy – we wanted to be in every place where children are,” she adds.

In 2009, CN, however, continues to remain above Nick at 23.4 per cent (Jan – May 2009). Pogo hasm meanwhile, climbed 4.6 per cent up over last year to garner 22 per cent market share.

HSM Market
Channel	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May
Nick	22	20	18	25	25
Hungama	17	19	21	17	22
Cartoon Network	27	25	25	21	20
Pogo	22	24	24	21	19
Disney	8	8	8	10	10
Jetix	4	4	4	5	5
Spacetoon Kids TV	0	0	0	0	0
Source: TAM, C&S 4-14, All India

While there is definitely a Cartoon Network vs Nick tale here, there seems to be a new contender creeping up the ladder to challenge the old bee.

Latest Tam data shows that Hungama TV, the kids channel for 4-14-year-olds which saw a 8.8 per cent fall in its market share over last, has relocated to the number two spot to push CN down the ladder for the month of May, 2009.

Recently, as part of its revamping strategy, the channel had introduced three new bands during summer and infused new shows into the bands. And its quite evident that the channel shored up its ratings post the change.

The channel had acquired two live action shows, Hatim from Star and Dharam Veer from NDTV Imagine to put them under the action band, Dum Powder. The Trouble Soda band features shows such as Doraemon and Ninjaboy Rantaro while Fun Gas showcases Shinchan and Asari Chan.

Disney channel, meanwhile, has also exhibited an upward growth in its market share.

Well, indications are on that while competition is really getting fierce, competitors are also putting their acts together to displace the winning feather from CN‘s hat.

So, does CN foresee any collision ahead?

Says Turner International India vice president and deputy general manager – entertainment networks, South Asia Monica Tata, “Cartoon Network and Pogo‘s relative shares in HSM have grown this January-May 2009 to 45 per cent from 41 per cent in the same period in 2008. These numbers are also a reflection of Turner‘s long term vision and strategy for India that has paid rich dividends making Cartoon Network and Pogo the most viewed and loved brands amongst kids in India. Not only kids, but parents too give the highest endorsement to these two networks as their choice for kids (per New Generations 2008).”

“Besides, we also enjoy the lion‘s share of the advertising pie. Increased competition has not outstayed us from our leadership position in the last 13 years and that‘s a merit/result of our focus on the long-term rather than short-term measures and gains and a proof that we know and service our consumers best amongst all,” Tata adds.

South Story

Treading the Southern path, CN indisputably continues to rule the region exhibiting its leadership crown. Placing itself at the second spot, however, is not CN‘s sibling channel Pogo, the second in command in the All India market, but Disney‘s Jetix that is fed on action adventure content and targeted at only boys between the age-group of 6-10.

“Of the two global channels (read Disney and Jetix), Jetix is a more defined channel. We have made it available in four languages – English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu,” said Walt Disney Television International (India) senior vice president and managing director Antoine Villeneuve earlier in an interview with Indiantelevision.com.

South Market
Channel	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May
Cartoon Network	36	32	35	34	32
Jetix	27	32	30	26	30
Pogo	26	26	25	27	26
Nikelodeon	3	4	4	5	5
Disney	4	3	4	4	3
Hungama	3	3	3	3	3
Spacetoon Kidss TV	0	0	0	0	0
Source: TAM, C&S 4-14, All India

Advertising and the kids‘ genre

Advertising growth came under pressure amid recession and clients and advertisers became cautious about their ad spend. As a result kids channels were stressed to move to quarterly deals with big advertisers, slash their ad rates and see some brands do a walk out. Yet, in spite of all, the category saw its ad volume grow by 36.87 per cent for the period from January to May 2009 over the same period last year.

Period	Jan-May 08	Jan-May 09
AD Volumes (Secs ‘000s)	7726	10575
Source: TAM

So does this increase indicate that existing advertisers had increased their spots across the kids channels while channels were unable to attracting new advertisers during the recessionary period?

“Not really. Television is the cheapest medium to reach out to the masses. For every other medium, there is an extra amount to be paid. Manufacturers understand this and they have also recognised our growth. And, thus, even during recession we have doubled our rates,” says Nick‘s Nina Elavia Jaipuria.

While Nick claims that despite challenging times the channel quadrupled its sales revenue as advertisers found value in what they offered, Cartoon Network was on course to achieve its yearly targets.

“We‘ve added more value for the advertisers with innovative and customised solutions. For example, ‘The Winning Secret‘ a contest specially created to build Boost‘s association as the energy partner for the Rajasthan Royals that received over 84000 entries! And, ‘Morning Shines‘, a customised pre-school programming block specially packaged for Johnsons Baby Top-to-Toe Wash,” says Tata.

Apart from traditional advertisers, broadcasters state that a lot of non-traditional advertisers across sectors like FMCG, investment banks and durable products are also eyeing this space. The rationale behind this, they feel, are an increase in the co-viewing pattern and also the mere pester power of kids who have the ability today to influence parent‘s decisions.

“In order to spend time with their kids, parents end up spending a lot of time on the kids channels. Also, animation as a category is today appealing to adults. Thus, a lot of co-viewing is taking place,” explains Jaipuria.

Cartoon Network, meanwhile, claims that over 30 per cent of the channel‘s advertisers reach out to its secondary audience (that is 15+) such as Procter & Gamble, Gillette, Johnson & Johnson, Colgate Palmolive, Hindustan Unilevers, Reckitt Benckiser, SC Johnson, Marico, Vodafone, Bharti Airtel, BSNL, LG Electronics, Voltas, Whirlpool, Hitachi, Tata Tea and L‘Oreal, amongst others.

Says Tata, “We have a robust portfolio of clients comprising both traditional and non-traditional kids‘ marketers with over 165 clients between Cartoon Network and Pogo. We are confident of further upping our non-traditional clientele, as 47 per cent of all viewership for the channels comes from CS 15+ audiences.”

Broadcasters feel that the main factors that have led to the growth of the genre are localisation of content, co-viewing pattern, pester power of kids and taking the medium beyond the television space through licensing and merchandising, on-ground activities, constant promotions, polls, votes and contests.

Local content adds a lot of local flavour to the content and therefore helps in increasing the channels‘ stickiness. CN believes that the 20 Indian animation shows/features playing on the channel have worked well for the channel. And its 2009 plan, therefore, is to expand on Indian animation content. For Pogo too the focal point will be to expand its original production.

Similarly, while Disney has managed to establish its brand connect with audiences through its franchises, the ratings have been coming in from locally acquired live action content.

“There has been an effect on ratings, but when it comes to a brand connect with the kids it is with our franchise properties. The best example of this is Hanna Montana. Our endeavour is to build a localised experience through Hanna Montana and our other properties,” says Villeneuve.

All said and done, industry believes that even though the category‘s viewership continues to grow, even today it remains hugely under indexed. “As a result, in spite of contributing 7 per cent to the total television viewership, it commands only two per cent of the entire television ad revenue pie. This is because of the baggage that the space has been carrying over the years where advertisers are used to paying to the GECs,” avers Jaipuria.

June 9, 2009

‘The kids market remains hugely under indexed’ : Nina Elavia Jaipuria – Nick India VP and GM

It has been a phenomenal journey for Nick in India. From being a channel that was residing at the bottom of the heap, the nine-year-old player has finally emerged as the leader on top in the Hindi speaking market, edging out long-standing market leader Cartoon Network.

And now, having captured the HSM space, the channel is readying to spread its wings across the southern-language market by 2009-end. The next in step is to challenge Cartoon Network which rules the all-India market.

Nick has also made its foray into local content for the Indian market with Little Krishna, acquiring the show’s TV rights for two years for the South Asian territory.

In an interview with Indiantelevision.com’s Anindita Sarkar, Nick India SVP and GM Nina Elavia Jaipuria reveals the strategies that have worked for the channel and how she plans to grow in a fiercely competitive marketplace.

Excerpts:

Nick has emerged as the number one kids channel in the Hindi speaking market. What contributed most towards this growth?
There are a couple of differentiators and unique activities that the channel has done very consistently over a period of time. The biggest differentiator for the channel has been Nicktoons – characters that have helped Nick establish space and engagement with the kids leading to an increase in the stickiness of the channel.

Secondly, we have managed to take Nick beyond television, thus making it more tangible. And I think we did that very successfully with our experimental 360 degree marketing philosophy – we wanted to be in every place where children are. So we were there promoting ourselves right from schools, cinema houses, malls, cable television to comic books, van activation and general entertainment channels.

We also increased our consumer products activities – be it in the form of storyboards, storybooks, activity books, toys with Mattel, clothes with Weekender, linen with Portico, etc. And now that schools are opening, we will be soon coming out with stationary and back-to-school items.

We also intensified our engagement and connection with children through constant promotions, polls, votes, contests and festivals including father’s day, mother’s day, Raksha Bandhan, Holi and so on. We celebrated every festival that was important to kids.

Why did you choose GECs as a promotional platform?
In a one-television household, it is but natural that kids are watching Hindi GECs along with their families. So, we know that today’s kids watch a Balika Vadhu or a Star Plus or Zee TV for that matter. So we decided on this medium as we would be able to capture the entire gambit of captive audience.

But don’t you think that GECs today have actually emerged as contenders to the kids channels?
If you see, even with the emergence of so many GECs, the kids’ category remained almost unaffected. This is because eventually kids come back to watch what is tailormade for them. And, no matter how hard a GEC tries, it cannot attract any child’s absolute attention. He/she at most will continue to remain only a passive viewer. GECs cater to the family as a whole and their content is not custom-made for kids unlike a kid’s category which targets only the kids.

With Little Krishna you finally forayed into local animation. What took you so long to take this decision?
Well, we had been looking for something that was built on a very strong narrative so that it carried not one single hint of boredom. This is because a kid’s attention span is very limited and you have to engage them within the first ten seconds. So, our hunt went real long. And then, finally we came up with Little Krishna, in both English and Hindi, which not only has a very compelling narrative, but is also supported by seven years of extensive authentic research (without any distortion) conducted by Iscon. The show has captured Krishna in various facets and every episode is a standalone. So, you don’t have to know what has happened before or after. Also, the script is extremely strong and tight and with the quality of animation that it has, the show is sure to make it to the overseas market.

What was the need for localisation?
Well, there was not really a need for localisation because as a broadcaster I want content that entertains children and also gets rid of two things – boredom and stress. Yes, I do agree that some amount of local character would surely add some local flavour. But in content, that is not at all a necessity to have. Its more about the localisation of the channel which comes with how you dub, the language you speak, and the promos that the channel lines up.

‘Even though the kids segment contributes 7 per cent to the total television viewership, our revenue share is less than 2 per cent‘

How has the co-viewing pattern helped the channel to grow?
Today as a channel, we have the gatekeeper’s (parents) trust. We do not carry any form of content that could be harmful to the kids. We are responsible broadcasters and because of this parents allow their kids to watch our channel. In order to spend time with their kids, they also end up spending a lot of time on the channel. Also, animation as a category is today appealing to adults. Thus, a lot of co-viewing is taking place.

Are advertisers taking advantage of this trend?
Definitely! In fact, in the last one year, we have more than quadrupled our sales revenue as advertisers have found value in what Nick has to offer. We have done a lot of value addition and brand integration with all the categories that have come on board through sampling and on-ground activations. As a result, from 17 brands that we began with, we have now extended to over 75-80.

Are brands confined to the kids’ category alone or is the base expanding?
Absolutely! Two years ago, our reach was 13 per cent and today it is 32 per cent. With a lot of co-viewing happening, advertisers today understand that kids’ channels are also an effective medium to reach out to their target buyers. Also, the mere pressure of pester power that kids have on their parents decisions have pulled a lot of FMCG, insurance and telecom brands on board.

With recession hitting hard, what kind of impact did it have on your advertising revenues?
Look, television is the cheapest medium to reach out to the masses. For every other medium, there is an extra amount to be paid. Manufacturers understand this and they have also recognised our growth. And, thus, even during recession we have doubled our rates. Nick has performed all through and I did not want to succumb to this economic slowdown. Yes, instead of annual deals a lot of quarter deals were being cracked, but this could always be reviewed. As a broadcaster Nick did well and we surely deserved the revenues we generated.

How has the backing from Viacom and Network18 helped in Nick’s growth in India?
The network has been an absolute might. If you go through our tent pole projects in the last quarter, you will see that a lot of awareness and sampling has been created through Colors, IBN7, CNBC Awaaz and MTV amongst family and children outside of the kids’ category. All of them are passive viewers and, therefore, the network has only helped us promote ourselves.

How well are you distributed across the country?
We have got approximately 70-75 per cent all band connectivity wherein we are available in almost 26 million households. We are very well distributed all over the country in various town sizes. While 30 per cent of our ratings come in from metros, 35-40 per cent of the contribution comes in from the 1 million-plus cities and the remaining balance is attracted from the 1-10 million.

So what are your plans going ahead?
Well, until now our focus was to get a foothold in the Hindi speaking market. And now that we have done it, our first plan is surely to continue our growth and sustain our leadership position in this space. Our next plan now is to look South, which is certain to happen by the end of this year. We will head for all the southern markets – Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. We will cater to them with the same content. We will initially begin with English and then move on to the regional languages with dubbed content as we get a foothold.

However, the major challenge there is going to be distribution because unlike the HSM market, we are not distributed there at all.

Is there any change in the ratio between advertising and subscription revenues?
Advertising still remains the predominant one, contributing over 60 per cent to our revenues. Distribution, meanwhile, is a constant revenue stream that you get year after year, but it’s the biggest payout as well. We have also taken baby steps in consumer products. When we started off with 2-3 products in the consumer product business, it was only a marketing tool. But now I think its time that it will start paying off. We are already available across 17 categories and will soon be launching in stationary, plush and home DVD with Excel. This year, therefore, we will see revenues flowing in from this stream as well.

Why do you think that even after witnessing a growth in viewership, the kids category has not grown in terms of revenue share?
The kids market remains hugely under indexed. Even though the kids segment contributes 7 per cent to the total television viewership, our revenue share is less than 2 per cent. This is because of the baggage that the space has been carrying over the years where advertisers are used to paying to the GECs.

But with a lot of co-viewing happening now along with integrated value addition to brands and the pester power of kids, I think we are ready to shed that baggage.

How has the interactive media contributed towards Nick’s growth?
Our website has about 10 per cent penetration with kids today – and this is growing. But I have to say that at the end of the day, everything feeds into one another. Therefore, it’s very essential for us to go multiplatform.

May 31, 2009

‘KBC’ opener boosts Star Plus’ channel share in 9-10 pm band

MUMBAI: The opening week numbers of KBC, Star Plus’ big ticket show for the season, seem to have done the trick at least on one front – jack up its channel share for the crucial 9-10 pm band significantly against rival Zee TV.

The much awaited ratings for KBC, revealed by Tam today, show Star Plus’ channel share increasing to 55.9 per cent from the previous week’s 37.7 per cent in Hindi speaking markets ( 9-10 pm; Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday).

As opposed to the aMap’s overnight ratings system that delivered an opening TVR of 5.3, Tam records the ratings for the premiere on 22 January as 12.3 for the Hindi markets.

Commenting on the opening numbers of KBC, Star Entertainment India CEO Sameer Nair said, “At the outset, we had set three objectives for ourselves for KBC with SRK: strategic to ensure that Star Plus continues to dominate viewers hearts and minds; tactical to gain clear leadership in the 9-10 pm weekday primetime band and commercial, to allow us to ensure that the cricket World Cup does not dent our revenues. We have conclusively met all our objectives.”

Expectedly, in the three metros (Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata) Star Plus has done even better, with a market share of 62.7 per cent, pushing down rival Zee TV from 38.2 per cent in the previous week to 15.3 per cent.

Given the pre-launch hype that the network put in place for the Shah Rukh Khan fronted reality game show, it’s no wonder that it opened well, but the big question lies in the ‘sustainability factor’ of the show in the coming weeks.

Of course SRK does not stand a chance against cricket, as the show was hit hard by the India Vs West Indies ODI match on 24 January, dragging the ratings down to 7.36 TVRs (HSM). Not surprisingly, the three metros also saw a steep decline as a result of cricket, clocking a TVR of 6.03. However, the average ratings for it’s first week seem to be stabilizing at about 10 so if KBC can sustain these numbers, the Star team should sail steady.

As for the big question on how SRK compares with Amitabh Bachchan, in the the opening ratings it is a no contest, since 19.75 was what the second season of KBC hosted by the Big B opened at.

An interesting point of note however, is that the first episode of KBC reached 23.3 million, which is 5 million more than the launch episode of KBC 2 did (factoring in the increased C&S population between then and now). Moreover, KBC reached 39 million individuals in the first week of its launch, which Star claims is the highest ever reach of a show in it’s first week in the history of satellite TV.

All in all, the network states that KBC has caused a 25 per cent growth in Hindi general entertainment viewing, with Star gaining viewers from movie channels, regional and hindi news channels.

But at the end of the day, this tale is really all about the ratings commitments that Star has given to its advertisers, so it ultimately will come back to whether the numbers will hold up. Can KBC deliver on a consistent basis over its full 13-week run will be what advertisers will be interested in, not how it opened.

February 2, 2007
Lintas Media Guide 2006 Movie channels gain in HSM; main Bangla channels lose share

Media matters and how. Lintas Media Services has churned out a comprehensive media guide, which is an analysis of media spends and buys in the year gone by. Released by Intellect, a part of the Lintas Media Group, it studies all genres; television, print, radio, internet, cinema, outdoor and gives a break up of the media environment and general media industry trends of last year.

In the second of the series, we take a look at the channels that dominated 2005 in the Hindi speaking markets as well as in the East, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.

While Star Plus continued to reign supreme in the Hindi speaking market, Hindi movie channels like Max and Zee Cinema have managed to strengthen the position of the genre in 2005.

In the Hindi speaking markets, Star Plus continued to enjoy its leadership position throughout 2005. Its channel share, however decreased by one per cent last year to 19 per cent as compared to 2004‘s 20 per cent in the C&S 4+ SEC ABC Hindi speaking markets between week 40 – 44. Sony and Zee‘s channel shares, on the other hand, too dipped by a per cent last year to settle at six per cent and four per cent respectively.

Meanwhile, movie channels like Max and Zee Cinema gained momentum and overall managed to their strengthen the position of the genre in 2005. While Zee Cinema, which didn‘t figure in the 2004 charts, managed to rear its head with a channel share of five per cent; Max retained its channel share of five per cent in 2005. Thus, strengthening the movie genre in the overall pie.

Cable channels in the Hindi speaking markets too shed their numbers from 13 per cent in 2004 to 11 per cent in 2005. The channel share of DD1 dipped in 2005 from that of four per cent in 2004.

Also, the basket of “other” channels increased from 46 per cent in 2004 to 50 per cent in 2005 in the Hindi speaking markets.

In East India, as cable penetration increased, DD7 as a viewing choice of people reduced. Regional channels too suffered as ETV Bangla and Aakaash Bangla each lost two per cent market share last year as compared to a market share of 17 per cent and six per cent in 2004. Zee Bangla too lost one per cent in 2005 with a channel share of four per cent.

Star Plus, on the other hand, gained one per cent and stood with 12 per cent channel share. Sony managed to hold on to its share of five per cent, whereas Zee TV and Zee Cinema both managed a four per cent channel share in 2005.

In Tamil Nadu, Kalanithi Maran‘s empire continues to reign supreme. While the flagship channel – Sun TV – continues to rule with a channel share of 49 per cent, its sibling KTV has emerged as a frequency builder with a channel share of 12 per cent in 2005. Two other Sun channels Sun Music and Sun News also made their presence felt with channel shares of six per cent and two per cent respectively.

On the other hand, while specific time bands of Vijay TV and Jaya TV are doing well, both channels had a share of five per cent each in 2005. Jaya TV‘s share went down by one per cent in 2005, while that of Vijay TV‘s remained status quo. The share of “Other” channels dropped in Tamil Nadu from 17 per cent in 2004 to 14 per cent in 2005.

In Kerala, Surya TV and Asianet have been loosing their share to other channels. While Surya TV‘s share fell from 27 per cent in 2004 to 22 per cent in 2005, that of Asianet fell from 25 per cent to 23 per cent. “Other” channels have gained share from 24 per cent in 2004 to 31 per cent in 2005.

On the other hand, in Karnataka, while Udaya leads in terms of channel share, Ushe TV has been emerging as a frequency builder. Udaya‘s shares increased from 17 per cent in 2004 to 21 per cent in 2005. ETV Kannada, on the other hand, managed to retain its share of 12 per cent through 2004 and 2005, while Sun TV‘s shares in Karnataka dropped from seven per cent to nine per cent.

Stay tuned for the next in the series…

July 3, 2006