ITV

Tag: Indian market

  • Twitter Certified Product Flowics launches in India to bring Real-time Social Content Visualization and Engagement

    Twitter Certified Product Flowics launches in India to bring Real-time Social Content Visualization and Engagement

    MUMBAI: Zauber, a US/Latin America based, venture-backed, social analytics’ products company, has entered Indian market with its social curation and engagement platform Flowics – a Twitter Certified Product. Twitter’s Certified Products Program seeks to bring some of the most innovative products and services from Twitter developers to companies that need them the most.

     

    Flowics filters and displays social media content in real-time on any digital screen and the Web, to increase engagement of brands, TV shows and publishers with their audience.

     

    Flowics can help brands to build community around their digital presence, and stimulate and grow social conversations about them. For TV networks and shows, Flowics can be used to drive increased social engagement with their audiences, by providing on-air integration and big screen visualizations of real-time social streams,  as well as second screen experiences that can be deployed directly on their digital properties. Publishers can also use Flowics to deploy live data visualizations on any relevant topic, using original content, curated from social media. Flowics’ innovative technology can filter and curate the buzz generated by TV shows, political, sports and entertainment events and any important news stories.

     

    “We are excited to launch Flowics in India and looking forward to developing our local operations in the TV and media ecosystem.” said Gabriel Ba?os, CEO and Founder of Zauber, the company behind Flowics. “We have proven track record in Latin America and now our emerging collaborations in India will allow publishers, TV networks and brands to better engage with their audience in real-time.”

     

    Flowics has been already used by major companies in the US, LatAm and Spain like Coca Cola, Al Jazeera, Peugeot, ESPN Brazil, Ora.TV, Caracol.TV and RTVE, among others. Lately, Flowics and Twitter have already worked together in special projects for TV Networks and publishers in Brazil, like R7, Yahoo! and ESPN.

     

    In the US, Ora. TV with Larry King used Flowics in its coverage of the 2012 Presidential Debates to track and display Twitter buzz for the both the Presidential and Vice Presidential showdowns. During the debates, the TV show used Flowics visualization tools to showcase comments, Tweets and spikes in volume associated with particular comments made by the candidates. Flowics not only visually demonstrates social content, but allows the audience to take part in an interactive social experience.

     

    Recently, with the support of Twitter, Star India used Flowics, for its coverage of ‘Saath Hai Hum Uttarakhand’ – a fund raising event organized by Star TV on the Independence Day of India. Flowics has powered the visualisation of the Tweets for #AllForUttarakhand in real time.

  • Dutch brand consultancy Brand Dialogue forays into Indian Market

    Dutch brand consultancy Brand Dialogue forays into Indian Market

    New Delhi : Brand Dialogue, a European brand communications company headquartered in Amsterdam has announced its entry into the Indian Market.

    The Dutch company under its umbrella has a group of specialist agencies namely Fabrique, Globrands, THEY and Yellow Dress Retail. Being a multi-disciplinary, working with leading Dutch design firms Brand Dialogue thereby offers collective strength in – visual branding, internet and digital, advertising, naming, retail, packaging, product design, brand strategy and project management.

    Announcing this, Willem Woudenberg, CEO Brand Dialogue said that, "For a small country like the Netherlands India is an important international market. As a brand communications and design consultancy, we see huge potential in India in this space. Considering the country's richness and diversity of culture, we can assist brands in simplifying complexity; thereby, moving with the theme 'Simple Solutions, Bright Design'. Entering India with the steadfast support of The Netherlands Consulate in Mumbai and the Netherlands Embassy in Delhi, we are encouraged towards strengthening the ties between India and The Netherlands in the space of design and brand communications."

    Commencing operations with Mumbai, Brand Dialogue next eyes New Delhi and the 'Silicon Valley of India', Bangalore. The company is also open to the idea of having a tie-up with creative agencies based in India looking for global partnerships to widen their stance.

    "At Brand Dialogue, our mission is to help our clients in strengthening their positioning, identity and communication, so as to present a more positive picture to their target audience and in due course improve their results. We do this in various ways, depending on what is required. It always involves a robust analysis and focused advice, which we like to carry through creatively, in concrete project plans" added Willem.

    Swearing by Brand Dialogue's credibility, some of its long term list of clients includes prominent brands like Metro India (retail/packaging), Delhi Airport (positioning, branding), Heineken International (corporate branding), Rabobank (branding) City of Amsterdam (city branding), Philips (naming/labeling, annual report), Rijksmuseum (recent website), Business World India (branding, advertising), among others.

  • LG CMO LK Gupta resigns

    MUMBAI: LG Electronics India chief marketing officer LK Gupta has decided to move on from the company after a stint of five years.

    Gupta is serving notice period at the company, which will end in the last week of December.

    At LG, Gupta’s job was to oversee overall brand and marketing strategy – conceptualisation and implementation at company level and by all business units. His responsibilities also included managing teams and initiatives such as brand campaigns, sports sponsorships, digital marketing, CRM, consumer and business research, media planning and buying, agency relations and ground level marketing activation at branches.

    Gupta said, “My journey at LG was very good. However, I am not in a position to comment on my next venture right now.”

    Gupta has over two decades of experience in the industry. Prior to joining LG in 2007, he has also worked with P&G, Gillette and Indian Market Research Bureau.

  • ‘We are refreshing BBC Entertainment in January’ : BBC Worldwide Channels director South Asia Deepak Shourie

    ‘We are refreshing BBC Entertainment in January’ : BBC Worldwide Channels director South Asia Deepak Shourie

    BBC Worldwide Channels is looking at cracking the Indian market a lot more seriously. The two channels, BBC Entertainment and CBeebies, were almost invisible for three years with a sole presence on Tata Sky, a DTH service provider.

    Now a lot more investments are being planned and the focus will be on beefing up the content and distribution of these two channels.

    BBC Entertainment is being refreshed in January and programming will be designed based on time bands for India.

    A local feed for CBeebies in Hindi is being examined, though a definite plan on this is some time away.

    For BBC Worldwide Channels, Asia is the fastest growing market. And within this region, India is emerging as an important market.

    While India has been flooded with American English entertainment content, BBC believes that the British flavour will be its big differentiator.

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com‘s Ashwin Pinto, BBC Worldwide Channels director South Asia Deepak Shourie elaborates on the India plans for the two channels.

    Excerpts:
    How has BBC Worldwide grown its channel business over the past couple of years across Asia?
    The BBC Worldwide Channels business is ?262.5 million, up from ?225.5 million in the earlier year. The revenue from Asia grew from ?19 million to ?37 million. Asia is, thus, growing faster compared to the rest of the world.

    BBC is investing in new channels and geographies. About 35 per cent of BBC Worldwide‘s revenue comes from the channel business.

    In India, people say we are too late to enter. Are we? Global media companies are looking at India now. English content is watched by the affluent class. But is there space for everybody? People will have to find their strong propositions. BBC Entertainment will appeal to audiences who watch factual, entertainment and lifestyle content. We are bringing all of these genres into one channel. Our aim is to be a one stop destination.

    How important is India as a market for the BBC compared to that of Hong Kong and Singapore?
    The size is attractive. It is a market that is hot now. The other markets are good, but small demographically. India will be a very important market for us going forward.

    What is the roadmap that BBC Worldwide has set for their channel business in India?
    BBC World News is already there distributed in 34 million homes and holds its own as a premier news channel.

    As far as BBC Worldwide‘s channels are concerned, we have had BBC Entertainment and CBeebies in the market since 2007, but only as a small presence on DTH. They have not been mainstream. These two channels have had no advertising.

    We are refreshing BBC Entertainment in January with the tagline ‘Seriously Entertaining.‘ Our TG is 15-34 SEC A,B. In the daytime, viewing is leisurely. So we have lifestyle shows like Grand Designs that has Kevin McCloud following homebuilders. In the evening, we have factual entertainment like wildlife. Lifestyle content also airs like Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. At night, from 10 pm onwards, we have shows like Spooks, Top Gear and Sherlock.

    But why wasn‘t a push made earlier?
    That is always going to be a million dollar question. Should we have pushed earlier or is now the right time? The English market is expanding rapidly. So there is nothing wrong in entering now. The BBC Worldwide team in the UK is looking at India seriously now.

    How much is being invested in India and when do you expect to turn profitable?
    I cannot talk about numbers. However, all that I can say is that we see an opportunity here. Any market takes time to mature. Viewership traction has to be built along with the advertising base.
    ‘Research has confirmed that the audience we look at does not want localisation. There is enough local content around. The English audience wants international content‘

    Is the look and feel of BBC Entertainment being changed?
    The whole look and feel will change. The aim is to make it more vibrant and colourful.

    And from January, we will design programming based on time bands for India. There will also be a lot of fresh content and new shows.

    From 6-11 am, you have will light content like Trish‘s Fresh Country Kitchen. Early evening from 7 pm -10 pm will have a mix of lifestyle and factual shows like BBC Earth. Post 10 pm, we move towards more edgy, fast paced content like Luther which is about a detective who is fascinated by the darker side of human nature. London Live, which looks at the music scene, will also air at this time.

    The English GEC space is known for having ‘snacking‘ viewers. How do you plan to build loyal viewers?
    People want quality entertainment. It is not so much about storyline building as it is in the Hindi GEC space. People will come back to the show because of quality – there are shows like Wonders Of The Solar System and Human Planet. The key is to reach the audience with relevant content and, thus, offer advertisers relevant eyeballs. If you do this, then loyalty will automatically build.

    Is having a British flavour going to be your USP?
    That is important. Most content on air is from America. The BBC produces a wide ranging amount of content which has not been seen like Wallander, with Kenneth Branagh playing a detective in Sweden. The channel will give you everything.

    You also have other players coming into this genre like Big CBS. Do you see viewership growth happening as a result or will there simply be fragmentation?
    Viewership will change and grow. The question is whether everybody will get the viewership they are targeting. Fragmentation is a challenge. To counter it we are giving consumers everything in one channel. Our aim is to make an impact in the English entertainment space. The more you fragment by focusing on one genre, the chances are that people will see it.

    Are you selling BBC Entertainment to advertisers?
    Yes! The response is encouraging. We want to fill our inventory with quality clients. You have premium brands coming into the country. The world‘s most expensive car, Bugatti Veyron, has just been launched. They need to reach out to the relevant audience who are upscale. We will provide this audience segment. BBC Entertainment is being pitched as the Best of the BBC.

    The English space is worth $200 million and I see it growing. The nature of the market is such that you will depend more on advertising. Digitisation needs to spread for subscription revenues to really pick up.

    What are the synergies between BBC Worldwide Channels and the other businesses of BBC Worldwide?
    The magazine business has properties that the channels can exploit. An example of this is Top Gear.

    English GECs have started following a stripped strategy where one show airs at a time block across the week as opposed to a different show airing each day. Is BBC Entertainment doing something similar?
    A stripping strategy is good if you have long running shows. If it is not there, then it will not work as a concept. It depends on the concept. You can have factual content at a certain hour across the week, which we do. A documentary, though, cannot have that. The runtime is limited.

    Will localisation play a role in your strategy?
    No! Researchh

    has confirmed that the audience we look at does not want localisation. There is enough local content around. They want international content. The English audience is getting more confident. They are world citizens. They want world programming. Local shows will add a lot of cost for us, but not much value.

    What is being done for CBeebies?
    We could look at launching a local feed for it in Hindi in due course. As of now, we have not come up with a strategy for it.

    Are you launching more channels in India like BBC Knowledge?
    Not at the moment. BBC Entertainment has everything. When the time comes to have a wider bouquet of channels, we will look at it.

    BBC is launching BBC HD in more territories this fiscal. Is HD still some time away for India?
    HD is the future. Right now there is a bandwidth issue. Also, there are not many consumers who have HD ready television sets. When these two issues are sorted out, you will see a push for HD content. There will come a time when SD becomes HD.

    How will you leverage the mobile with 3G coming in?
    We will focus on this when the time comes. We know that people will want not just news but other genres like factual content.There will come a time when SD becomes HD.

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

    ‘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.
  • ‘As there is no clear No. 2 sport in India, NBA has an opportunity to take that spot’ : Emilio Collins – NBA senior VP international development & partnerships

    ‘As there is no clear No. 2 sport in India, NBA has an opportunity to take that spot’ : Emilio Collins – NBA senior VP international development & partnerships

    Cracking the Chinese wall, the National Basketball Association (NBA) plans to break into the Indian market and become the No. 2 sporting power within five years.

     

    Last week the NBA inaugurated a dedicated basketball court at Nagpada in Mumbai, the first in a series of courts that it plans to develop in line with its long term commitment to grow the sport in India.

     

    For the first time, the NBA also opened up its live matches to the online viewers in India.

     

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com’s Ashwin Pinto, NBA senior VP international development and partnerships Emilio Collins talks about the other plans that the company has to grow the market for basketball in India.

     

    Excerpts:
    Could you talk about the strategy NBA has employed to grow its reach globally over the last couple of years?
    Our strategy starts with media. This means getting television reach and forming partnerships with other digital outlets to grow the reach of the NBA brand. Post this, we focus on building the sport out. This is done by creating more basketball opportunities. We aim at providing more access to the game like infrastructure development.

    Which are your top five markets outside the US and where does Asia fit in this?
    China is our biggest market. It represents 40 per cent of our international business. Over the last six years, there has been substantial growth in that market. Philippines, Korea and Japan are the other key Asian markets where the basketball population is very high.

     

    In Europe there is tremendous relevance in Turkey, Spain, Italy, the UK and Russia. A lot of our international players come from Europe and so the relevance is very high. Latin America is a big priority for us, especially Mexico and Brazil. We have recently started to look at the Middle East.

    Did the NBA see good revenue growth last year?
    The NBA is growing at a significant clip at 20 per cent a year. I cannot talk about numbers, though. Asia contributes a little over 50 per cent while Europe accounts for 35 per cent. Latin America makes up the rest.

    How much do television license fees contribute?
    Media license fees contribute 50 per cent. This is followed by sponsorship and consumer products.

    Why didn’t you push NBA into the Indian market earlier and how big a market opportunity do you see here now?
    The biggest challenge that we face at the NBA as far as our international business is concerned is how to size up opportunities simultaneously. We wanted to ensure first that we managed China correctly. A lot of resources went there.

     

    India is one of our focus markets now, along with the Middle East and Latin America. The emerging middle class provides a big opportunity for us here. Basketball can play a big role in the development of sports infrastructure. The appetite for sports and entertainment is growing which has been proven with the success of the IPL. The NBA also fuses sports and entertainment. The IPL has successfully tapped into this combination.

    How do Indians perceive the NBA as a brand?
    The brand value is very high. We are in the unique position where the best basketball players from around the world play in the NBA. So if you grow up and get exposed to basketball, you automatically aspire to be a part of the NBA. Our players are global icons and by the sheer nature of the presentation of our game, players become larger than life personalities and figures; they are fused into the world of pop culture and entertainment. This has enhanced the status of the NBA brand.

     

    How tough is India as a market for the NBA to grow, particularly since it is a one-sport nation?
    This, in fact, marks an opportunity for us as we want to be number two. In a market where there is no clear number two, there is an opportunity for growth side by side with the number one sport that is cricket.

     

    Our strategy revolves firstly around building the sport. We want to provide more access to the sport through infrastructure development. Then we want to get involved with the community and develop activities around it with our local partners. We can use basketball as a means to contribute to the community. Thirdly, we plan to expand the reach of NBA Lifestyle and offer opportunities to fans to experience the NBA. This can be done through basketball competitions, interaction with players and most importantly through broader media distribution.

     

    Where do you see the NBA in India five years down the line?
    The NBA has a long-term development plan for India. Our goal is to make basketball the No. 2 sport in India in the next five years.
    ‘Outside the US, China is our biggest market. It represents 40% of our international biz. Philippines, Korea and Japan are the other key Asian markets where the basketball population is very high. India is one of our focus markets now‘

    You have successfully grown the NBA in countries like China and Japan. Are there any learnings from that brand building process which you would want to apply to India?
    We have learnt the most from China. It all starts with spreading the NBA brand through television. This is then followed up with on-ground activities mixed with community initiatives. To make a court for the Nagpada neighbourhood and make this the epicenter of social and physical activities for them would make a difference to the community. This is critical to all the markets where we operate.

     

    Secondly, we want to introduce the sport to new audiences. This means going into schools and teaching basketball fundamentals through a Junior NBA initiative. We also want to create participation. We can use the Nagpada court to have tournaments there.

     

    We bring the NBA Lifestyle experience to the market. In the USA, we will be going into malls over the summer and bringing the experience to fans like slam dunk on a small court. One can play NBA videogames. You can meet NBA players and really feel the NBA experience.

     

    Finally, we want to bring the NBA competition to India. We will bring NBA teams to compete in an exhibition game. But before doing this, the infrastructure in India has to develop at a faster pace.

    How is the deal with Star Sports working out?
    They have partnered with us for many years – in fact, since 1993. In addition to showing our games live on Fridays and Saturdays, they are also increasingly showing repeats during primetime. This is very important in terms of broadening the awareness of the NBA. We go beyond this by offering highlights and condensed programming that allow fans to connect.

     

    Then there is behind the scenes programming. We focus on what our players are doing in the community and on what our teams are doing day in and day out. We look at contributions teams make in their key markets. It is about capturing what the NBA brand is about in different markets across the US.

     

    Is there interest from other Indian and Asian television broadcasters as well for the NBA content?
    There is significant interest from other Indian and Asian television broadcasters for NBA content. We are in discussions with various local Indian media outlets to distribute our content in different ways to appeal to Indian fans.

     

    Does the NBA do a lot of tie ins for film and TV shows?
    The NBA works with a variety of TV broadcasters and film studios to tie in the League’s content – from product placement to guest appearances by NBA players, etc. The NBA brand and its players are a significant part of pop-culture and films and TV shows leverage the League as a platform to reach its target audiences.

     

    Would this avenue be explored in India?
    Integrating NBA content within TV and film is an important component in creating local relevance for our brand in India. We are developing strong relationships with broadcasters and film studios in India to showcase the lifestyle and pop-culture appeal of our League, teams and players. We have already begun to integrate with Bollywood. This past November, the NBA hosted two Bollywood stars – Lara Dutta and Dino Morea – for an all-access VIP weekend in L.A. NBA Entertainment documented their experience and produced a 30 minute program which aired on ESPN in India on Christmas Day last year.

     

    Are you looking at specials which can serve as value adds?
    In a game played by LA Lakers, Dino Morea and Lara Dutta took part in many activities around the Staples Centre. We produced a half-hour special with ESPN Star Sports. We will do more activities like this down the road. It helps if that many Bollywood celebrities are fans of basketball. We can create shows on the experiences of Bollywood celebrities with the NBA.

     

    In addition, there are opportunities for reality-based content. There could be a talent search contest about finding the next great Indian basketball player. We are talking with ESPN Star Sports in this regard as well as with other platforms.

    What kind of content does NBA offer on the mobile?
    It is crucial in India as there are hundreds of millions of subscribers in India. We need our content using this platform. Photos, ringtones, wallpaper and then as 3G comes in, we would offer highlights. This will all be in addition to standard scores and statistics.
  • ‘With the launch of the kids channel, we are ready to scale up the verticals’ : Rajiv Sangari- Spacetoon India MD & CEO

    ‘With the launch of the kids channel, we are ready to scale up the verticals’ : Rajiv Sangari- Spacetoon India MD & CEO

    It has been a long wait outside the ring. After building up verticals in the licensing, publishing and merchandising space, Spacetoon has launched its kids channel to combat against multinationals like Turner, Walt Disney and Viacom in the tough Indian market.

     

    A licensing and merchandising deal with Emerging Media, owner of the IPL winning team Rajasthan Royals, has put the company on a totally different pedestal. Talks are also on with a few other sporting goliaths to expand the L&M portfolio.

     

    Spacetoon Kids TV, however, will evolve as the prime property and will guzzle over 50 per cent of the company’s Rs 1 billion investment plan.

     

    In India, the group has floated Kids Media India (KMI), a company that will take care of the TV and licensing business. Kids Animation India is the other arm that will look after the publishing activities.

     

    The shareholding has also been restructured with Japanese firm Animation International holding 51 per cent stake in KMI. Dubai-based Spacetoon Media Group holds the remaining with a small stake as sweat equity resting with Spacetoon India managing director and CEO Rajiv Sangari.

     

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com’s Anindita Sarkar, Sangari talks about the company’s growth plans across the verticals.

     

    Excerpts:

    What took you so long to launch in India?
    Since the germination of the idea way back in 2004-end, we have spent a long time testing the market. As the Indian economy and the TV industry went on a zoom and prices skyrocketed, we had to rethink our strategies as we were going to occupy a niche space. With distribution, marketing and all kinds of operational spends going beserk as Hindi general entertainment channels got launched, it would have made no business sense to launch a kids channel. Frankly, it would have been a business hara-kiri. Now the prices have corrected and things are much more in control. Despite an overall bleak scenario and a tough advertising market, launching at this moment definitely makes more business sense.

    The shareholding for the Indian venture has changed with Japanese firm Animation International (AI) holding 51% stake in Kids Media India. Was the delay partly caused by this?
    Both Spacetoon and AI have relations since the last 25 years and they have been partnering and co-operating with each other on many businesses together. Hence, changing of the hands in shareholding doesn’t have much to do with any kind of interest level subsiding or increasing. It is a strategic move by both partners of re-strategising and restructuring their operations amongst themselves. Most of the East and South East Asian operations, for example, will be monitored by AI, while most of the Western Asian, European and Eastern European operations will come directly under Spacetoon. I would term this as strategic restructuring.

    Spacetoon was in talks with investors to raise money. Is that plan still on?
    Spacetoon was in talks with a few players and we had already determined 3-4 of them at various stages of our discussions. But most of them wanted to basically take advantage of the position of our fund raising, rather than sharing our passion. Either they wanted majority stake or at some point they wanted us to exit. This did not go with our strategy for India.

     

    Though we realise that for taking our verticals to the next level we require some support, we are equipped as of now to handle it on our own. But if we get an extra push in terms of a partner who can value our strength, experience and hard work which has gone behind making the company and the brand what it is today, we will definitely look at the possibility. India’s economy and retail can only grow and we have 360 million kids. We require a partner who thinks and aligns with us for long term.

    Did you first focus on developing the licensing, publishing and merchandising platform before stepping into the kids broadcasting space?
    That is the business model Spacetoon has followed in other markets. We are doing the same thing here. For over a period of 3 years now, other than TV launch, we have successfully launched our licensing, publishing and merchandising divisions and are very soon launching our own IP programmes.

     

    We are glad that we did not divest then. We have done the tough job of laying out a platform for licensing and merchandising. After the launch of the kids channel, the time has come for us to scale up the verticals.
    How much is Spacetoon investing in India?
    We plan to invest Rs 1 billion over three years. Out of this, about 50 per cent upwards will be consumed by the TV operations.

    Why did KMI decide to launch a kids channel when the genre has actually shrunk a bit last year and the revenue size at Rs 150 crore is still too small to take in so many players?
    We need to realise that kids business is not driven completely by TV broadcasting. Unlike general entertainment channels, ad revenue is important but not the only source of income in the kids genre. It’s always the ancillary units like merchandising, publishing, etc. which will help it take to the next level. And TV business is a long term game.
    ‘Kids business is not driven completely by TV broadcasting. Ad revenue is important but not the only source of income in the kids genre. It’s always the ancillary units like merchandising and publishing which will help it take to the next level‘

    Earlier, Spacetoon Kids TV was looking at investing Rs 250 million for carriage in delivery platforms such as cable TV networks and DTH. However, that number has been scaled down. Why?
    Haven’t others too? It’s simple, the market today doesn’t allow us or anyone to do so. I hear from some sources that most of the top to small TV channels have slashed down their distribution disbursements. And, especially in kids genre, you just can’t support such a large distribution budget.

    The channel is still not well distributed. How are you planning to tackle this and by when do we see it more visible?
    Our focus is not only to tap the Tam cities but also other markets. As of today, our estimates are that we have penetrated over 10 million homes and we expect to do over 15 million by the middle of this year. By year-end, we should be touching 25 million homes. And, don’t forget, it’s only four weeks since we launched. We realise it will take minumum 3-4 months before we start getting visible across all markets.

    What are the distribution deals you with stitched with the MSOs and the DTH operators?
    We are in talks with the direct-to-home operators. As far as cable goes, we are available in some Hathway Cable & Datacom networks. We have also signed up other cable operators, particularly for their digital viewers. Distribution is a gradual build-up.

    Spacetoon Kids TV will have to jostle with seven existing channels to tap into 360 million kids in India. How do you find space in this tough market?
    Each one of us has a different style, programming methodologies, and formats. Our channel will be focusing a lot on moral and social values, packaged with lots of entertainment content.

    What is the different positioning you are taking?
    Spacetoon will divide the day into 10 planets. Unlike running half-hour episodes back to back, we will be giving the kids a mix of several things. There will be fillers which are moral based, messages, ads, packaging, promos, etc. This will ensure a different look during the whole day.

    Do we also get to see localised content as part of the programming mix?
    We definitely are looking towards creating localised programming very soon. This will be mostly live action-based programming. There are discussions going on with various producers to this effect.

    What are your other marketing plans and spends for the channel?
    We will be creating a touch base by tapping thousands of schools in India. We realise that if we have to tap the minds of the kids, there is no better place than their learning ground – school. We are creating a very good value-based school-contact programme, a key area where most of our energy is going to be focused in the first year.

     

    We will also be having events from April onwards in high public areas like malls.

    What is the revenue Spacetoon is projecting and how does it break up in terms of the channel and other verticals?
    I would not want to put across numbers now. Nobody can predict the forthcoming financials in today’s market. But our major revenue driver will be merchandising, which is in full throttle. Following that are our publishing and licensing activities. As for TV revenue, we are expecting it to start from the later part of the year. It will take us some time to penetrate the market and grab space in the minds of the kids.

    What are your expansion plans in terms of licensing and merchandising?
    We have tapped over 69 licensees in the last 14 months. These are translating into products that will get into the market during the course of this year. We already represent some top companies in the world for licensing and there are few more coming our way in the next few months to make our portfolio more robust and meaningful.

     

    We observed that our portfolio was tilted more towards the boy category. But now with Hello Kitty and Garfield coming our way, I think we have one of the best characters in the girls genre.

    What are your plans with Rajasthan Royals?
    We are in hot pursuit to come out with products before the first week of April when the IPL kicks off. We have already worked out our strategies to tap the right licensees who will be able to add value to this fantastic brand on the ground level through merchandising.

     

    We have a three-year deal with Emerging Media and are targeting Rs 200 million of retail business in the first year. Since the time is very short, we are channelising all our resources towards this.

     

    We are also in discussions with few more goliaths from other sports, especially big international clubs. We hope to stitch deals with some of them soon.