ITV

Tag: indiantelevision.com

  • “I don’t see a revenue stream from digital for 2-3 years”: Kartikeya Sharma

    “I don’t see a revenue stream from digital for 2-3 years”: Kartikeya Sharma

    MUMBAI: At the Seventh Indian News Television Summit, ITV Network managing director Kartikeya Sharma took the stage to speak about the success of his network and the future plans. Hailing from a political family, Sharma was adamant that he did not want to get into politics.

     

    It was while he was studying in London that he got attracted to the media industry. “When I was studying, the only way of being in touch with home was television with the first channel that came on Sky. That drew me into the space,” he said while speaking to indiantelevison.com founder, CEO and editor in chief Anil Wanvari. He added that what affected him was the rise of primetime during 2004-05 and the way India was reacting to the world while it was fresh off the boat.

     

    On being asked about the difference in running his hospitality business vis a vis media business, he said that the two cannot be compared. “News is definitely a tough business and there isn’t any particular revenue model that works well. You have to improvise. Circumstances are also important. So at what point a channel is being launched and the policies at that time is crucial,” he said.

     

    Speaking about the growth of his Hindi News channel, India News, Sharma said that the initial projected benchmark was 6-7 per cent market space but it actually went to 11 per cent within a span of six to eight months. “We don’t fight for filling ad slots on the channel anymore,” he said.

     

    The growth of the ITV Network has been a combination of both internal accruals and external debt. It will be going after a few more acquisitions and product launches in the regional space in the coming months. “By 2016 we want to be the largest and most profitable news network in the country,” he added.

     

    Responding to Wanvari’s question about whether syndication of news was an alternative means of revenue for sustaining the business, Sharma said that surely that will bring in a new source of revenue. “There is enough content floating around with 400 channels but the true value of syndication is debatable and I don’t think you can look at it vis-?-vis subscription or ad sales,” he said.

     

    While digital is touted as the ‘next big thing’, according to Sharma it is still too early to predict its fate. “In foreign countries, people aren’t able to monetise the digital platform as expected. There has been very little work done in research and development. I am not very optimistic about a revenue stream coming out of digital for the next two-three years,” he said adding that there is a need to look at digital as a synergy between evolution of content and technology.

     

    According to him, evolution of digital does not mean the old world will end. “I am a big fan of digital myself but we are being bullish when we talk of this medium. It is a matter of fact that it is the future but the timing is important. We have made huge errors of calculating that in the past and we are doing the same again,” he said.

     

    Talking about his tenure as Association of Regional TV Broadcasters (ARTB) president, Sharma said that the main aim was to help regional broadcasters since he realised that they needed a voice. “I managed to get 40 per cent of revenue for broadcasters from the government,” he stated.

     

    For the industry to progress, Sharma said that unity was necessary but collective decision doesn’t last long. “DD Freedish has pushed up its rates from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 5 crore in five years because of GECs wanting to get onto it. We all decided that we won’t go on the platform but then some of us ended up breaking that decision,” he shared with the audience.

     

    While the news space was cluttered, he believes that there is space and chance to be a number one in news.

  • TV industry gears for 13th Indian Telly Awards

    TV industry gears for 13th Indian Telly Awards

    MUMBAI: The night of glitz and glamour is all set to roll out tonight. Amidst high octane performance, the ground event for the 13th Indian Telly Awards will be held today at the Reliance MediaWorks in Filmcity, Goregaon.   

     

    The awards will see the introduction of new categories, special awards and extremely entertaining and power packed performances.

     

    This time around, the jury process has been redefined and is encouraging more and more involvement from industry insiders to be part of the group that decides the worthy winners. Which means that not only noted veterans and established television professionals, but also channels and production houses will be involved in the intrinsic and exhaustive judging system.

     

    TV’s best will be revered as some of the favourite stars put up some stunning performances.

     

    To know about the performers, watch the exclusive telecast on Colors soon.

     

  • Indiantelevision.com introduces ‘Best Sound’ category in the 13th Indian Telly Awards

    Indiantelevision.com introduces ‘Best Sound’ category in the 13th Indian Telly Awards

    MUMBAI: Indian Television Dot Com and Dolby Laboratories have announced ‘Best Sound’ category in the upcoming 13th Indian Telly Awards. With the onset of digitisation of television services, high quality sound has increasingly become an important aspect of television content. Recognising this important industry change, Indiantelevision.com’s much acclaimed Indian Telly Awards has announced the inclusion of the ‘Show with the Best Sound’ category in its 13th edition. The sound category is being instituted in collaboration with Dolby Laboratories, a pioneer in audio technology.

     

    “Indian consumers have become more discerning today,” said Indian Telly Awards founder and creator Anil Wanvari, who is also the member of International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (International Emmy Awards).

     

    “While watching a show at home, these consumers want a similar sound experience to what they get in a cinema hall. And this has become more important with over three million HD TV subscribers in India. With an aim to meet this need of discerning viewers, broadcasters have started investing to make shows sound much better. This trend is bound to increase with the spread and increase in the number of HD channels, digitisation, DTH and digital cable TV. We at the Indian Telly Awards are extremely delighted to introduce the sound category and are grateful to Dolby for collaborating with us on the initiative,” he added.

     

    A jury consisting of top names in the sound industry will take into consideration the entire gamut of the sound production process—location recording, sound design, mixing, rerecording, editing—to give the award to the one TV show with the best sound design and mixing. The jury will include Academy Award winning sound mixer Resul Pookutty; National Film Award winning sound designer Bishwadeep Chatterjee; Dolby Content Services Engineer Bhaskar Pal and Anil Wanvari.

     

    “It gives me immense pleasure to know that sound is being recognised as an award category in the Indian Telly Awards,” said Bishwadeep Chatterjee. “This would not only give a huge morale boost to the sound technicians but sensitise the producers, directors, actors and the public by and large to a relatively much lesser known yet very important aspect of television. Thanks to the initiative by Dolby, we can look forward to great sound quality, which will hopefully enable the producers to keep a substantial budget and time for the sound department.”

     

    Resul Pookutty commented, “Being a sound designer, I am very glad that the Indian Telly Awards and Dolby together are giving sound the due recognition which it very well deserves. I truly believe that this initiative will help raise awareness about the importance of good sound in television, which in turn will make audiences more interested in newer TV shows. I hope to see more such initiatives and importance being given to sound in Indian television shows going forward.”

     

    Dolby Laboratories India country manager Pankaj Kedia said, “We are very excited about this announcement, as this award will give the due recognition to sound in the broadcast industry. Dolby has participated and contributed in the transformation of sound in the Indian cinema and television industry. It gives us great pleasure that the role sound plays in storytelling and engaging the audiences is being given the due importance and recognition.”

     

    The Indian Telly award for the category of ‘Show with the Best Sound’ will be announced at the gala event on 9 September 2014, at Mumbai’s Film City.

  • A tale of a storyteller…

    A tale of a storyteller…

    MUMBAI:  At 34, Hetal Adesara has seen it all… Rather, that’s what she would have us believe through her maiden book, ‘Matrimonial Mocktales.’

     

    From a traditional Gujarati family in Jamshdepur, Hetal, left the small town in East India to get away from being hurled into another traditional Gujarati family through the instituition of arranged marriage. She saw many a “suitable boy” and was seen by many of them as and when her parents referred them to her even as she moved to Mumbai. 

     

    ‘Matrimonial Mocktales’ is Hetal’s take on a few of these meetings. She does mention though that the instances are dramatized for a better reading experience.

     

    After escaping from Tatanagar, Hetal cut her teeth in journalism in indiantelevision.com by starting and editing The Team Players section which profiled young executives in advertising, marketing, broadcast. She then moved on to report on  media, marketing and advertising developments.  Her commitment to work and sharp and clear analyses left an impression on whosoever she interviewed or wrote about in the television, advertising and marketing industries between 2003-2005.  

     

    She has explored every opportunity that has come her way over the past decade. Following her stint with indiantelevision.com, she helped co-found businessofcinema.com. From writing about films, she went onto to work as an assistant producer with Vidhu Vinod Chopra on 3 Idiots. She then tried her hand at direction, assisting  director Rohan Sippy on Nautanki Saala apart from working as script supervisor on the same film. More recently, she worked on the IIFA Awards at Tampa Bay as executive producer for television and digital content.

     

    But all along Hetal nursed in her heart a deep desire to pen her own novel. Which this diploma holder in journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications finally fulfilled last year when she wrote ‘Matrimonial Mocktales’. It took her two years to get the book published. But she finally found a publisher in OM Books International.

     

    ‘Matrimonial Mocktales’ revolves around young Rhea, who always wanted a Mills & Boon romance but in the real world, that is probably too much to ask. She is raised in a conservative Sikh family in Jalandhar where it is unthinkable for a girl to remain unmarried at 25, let alone 33. But there she is, single and independent and STILL in search of her Mr Right. At just 15, her parents get her engaged to a 23-year-old boy but that story does not pan out as per plan. Having entered the arena of love on a wrong footing, it takes the better part of her young life to find the right man before a whole lot of wrong ones come and go, even as she tries to make sense of her chaotic world.

     

    Hetal believes many a young girl who has escaped – or is struggling to escape –  from the clutches of arranged marriage will identify with Rhea the character. “Rhea is educated but because of family pressure she goes through what they ask her to do. It could be any other girl from any other small town who has dreams to achieve and be happy with the man she loves, and not the man that’s chosen for her,” she says. “That should resonnate with today’s women.”

     

    Quite a few eyebrows were raised, even among Hetal’s  friends, at her move to quit working and take time off to write her novel. But, resolute young woman that she is, she did not let any of their reservations hold her back.

     

    “As a kid, I loved scribbling poems and dreamt of becoming a writer. God has been kind to me and I am sure there is a lot more in store for me,” says she.

     

    Indeed, Hetal  is already working on the sequel to ‘Matrimonial Mocktales’. “I want to continue to write stories because I think it is an enriching experience,” she adds.

     

    What would she advise young, budding writers out there? “There is a huge market out there which is unexplored in the publishing industry in India. Get the right inspiration and get to penning it down right,” she says.

     

    We at indiantelevision.com wish our former employee and colleague good luck and recommend readers to and pick up a copy of her book for a good weekend read! It will be money well spent!

  • Aakash Aath to launch 24-hour Bengali news channel

    Aakash Aath to launch 24-hour Bengali news channel

    KOLKATA: Bengali infotainment channel Aakash Aath plans to launch a 24-hour Bengali news and current affairs channel in the next one year.

    “We already have the set up and infrastructure for running a 24 hour news channel. Now we will be using it. We plan to start the 24 hour news channel and we are waiting for the nod from the MIB (ministry of information and broadcasting),” Aakash Aath COO Ashok Surana told indiantelevision.com.

    Aakash Aath, which carries three news bulletins at present, will no more telecast news after it launches the news channel and it will strictly become a general entertainment channel (GEC) going forward, Surana said.

    Aakash Aath airs news bulletins at 4.30 pm, 6 pm and at 9.30 pm.

    “We will also make further investments for the new channel,” he said.

    Aakash Bangla was re-launched as Aakash Aath from October last year.

    Surana said Aakash Aath will be launching an array of new shows and serials in the coming days, but did not reveal details.

  • First Indian Digital TV Honours on 28 Jan

    First Indian Digital TV Honours on 28 Jan

    MUMBAI: 2013 was a watershed year for the cable TV and DTH industry, what with the the entire TV industry – cable TV operators, MSOs, DTH players –  working on going into overdrive, pushing the government’s digital addressable system (DAS – digitisation) mandate. There were big developments and even bigger initiatives, and it is with a view to recognising and rewarding such endeavours as well as the individuals and organisations behind them that Indiantelevision.com has instituted a first-of-its-kind initiative called ‘The Indian Digital TV Honours’, to be held on Tuesday 28 January at The Lalit, New Delhi.

     

    The list of best practices and worthy winners has been compiled by an advisory board comprising senior executives, industry veterans and the indiantelevision.com editorial team led by founder, CEO and editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari.

     

    According to Media Partners Asia executive director and co-founder and member of the advisory board Vivek Couto, The Indian Digital TV Honours is a laudable effort as it will go a long way in encouraging individuals to accelerate the development of the industry.  “That’s because it seeks to recognize the achievement, innovation and vision of the stakeholders,” he says.”

     

    Media observer and consultant and member of the advisory board Sanjeev Hiremath adds: “It is an encouraging initiative by Indiantelevision.com. It is a way to both support and encourage the implementation of DAS. I am glad that a platform like this has been set up by the Indiantelevision team.”

     

    BCCL president corporate development (and member of the advisory board) Sunil Lulla believes there was a need to acknowledge the manner in which television distribution is changing. “I am glad that there is another first from Indiantelevision.com. Acknowledgement is needed. Though the switch from analog to digital will take time, encouragement is needed.”

     

    Chrome Data Analytics and Media founder and MD Pankaj Krishna joins his peers in lauding the effort. “I am sure pretty soon, others will follow it too. One must remember that digitisation is very critical to us now and with the change in wind, the transition from analog to digital is going to become crucial. In short, it is like the change from Kodak film roll which we used 10 years ago to a digicam, which has become a part of our lives now.”

     

    So how did the advisory board select the winners? Says Wanvari: “We had detailed discussions with various stakeholders in the industry, to come up with a filtered list of top achievements to which the advisory members also contributed.”

     

    Adds Lulla: “A list was given to us comprising names of people and companies that have made a difference to digitisation from various points of view like preparedness, initiatives taken, consumers, success etc. So, I looked at these from various perspectives like who made it simple for consumers, who followed the regulations, which company or person drove the change and so on…”

     

    What were the criteria for selection? Couto anwers: “The criteria were simple. Any stakeholder or regulator who has ushered in development through investment, leadership or a combination of both to accelerate quality content and infrastructure for consumers will feature in the list.”

     

    The entire selection process took almost a month for the advisory board. Hiremath, who identified categories to honour key initiatives, says: “This is going to be an exciting and interesting event.”

     

    According to Hiremath and Couto, while the first edition will honour well-known names from the industry, the awards will only get bigger and better with time.

     

    “We will see OTT players, software developers, app developers and many others entering the ecosystem in the future,” Couto rounds off.
     

    The Event is: 

    Powered by Partner:  Den

    Associate Partners: Hathway, Surewaves, Videocon D2H

    Support Partner: SES, The One Alliance

    Media Partner: India News

    Thanks to HBO Defined and HBO Hits for the support

    Online Media Partners: Radioandmusic.com, Tellychakkar.com

    Event Executed By: ITV2.0 Productions

    An Initiative By: Indiantelevision.com

  • Cable TV subscribers unhappy with raised subscription fees

    Cable TV subscribers unhappy with raised subscription fees

    KOLKATA: Indiantelevision.com has done a series of reports on the concerns of local cable operators (LCOs) and multi system operators (MSOs) around the process of digitisation.

    However, what we haven’t touched upon yet is the response of city-based cable TV consumers to DAS, especially the 30 to 50 per cent increase in subscription charges over the past two months.
    Cable subscribers in Barasat, Hooghly, Khardah, some parts of Salt Lake and northern Kolkata – regions that fall under DAS 1 – are learnt to be fuming over LCOs’ decision to randomly increase subscription rates.

    So much so, some of them are refusing to pay subscription fees while others are willing to pay just the fees, sans the service tax and amusement tax components and without getting proper bills from the LCOs.

    Cable Operators Digitalisation Committee of the Association of Cable Operators convener Swapan Chowdhury says: “Customers were expecting to get the bills and now, on not getting the bills, are upset. Some are not willing to pay even the monthly rental.”

    Analyst Namit Dave feels customers who were used to paying on an average Rs 60 – Rs 90 during the analogue regime are uncomfortable shelling out higher viewing charges.

    According to cable ops in Shyam Bazaar and north Kolkata, customers who used to pay Rs 120 per month are raising a hue and cry when asked to pay Rs 150 as monthly rental.

    “We really do not know how to explain things and convince people,” said a cable operator.

    Barasat resident Tumpai Das argued that the sudden increase of subscription fee from Rs 150 to Rs 280 was unjustified.

    “The local cable operators have not added anything new in terms of quality in connection or channels. They have started collecting this amount for the past two months. If they are not controlled, soon they may hike again,” he rues.

    “We are not being issued a valid bill. When we ask for a bill, they just write it in a white paper and issue it. If the cable operators are not controlled, they would fleece us to any extent. We would have no other option but to opt for DTH connection if they hike the charges further,” says a retired teacher from Hooghly.

    Meanwhile, Cable Operators Sangram Committee general secretary Apurba Bhattacharya feels that going forward the situation is unlikely to change unless billing begins.

  • Brands have to take a back seat and tell human interest stories

    Brands have to take a back seat and tell human interest stories

    MUMBAI: At a time when the world is moving towards the digital medium, can advertising be far behind?

     

    Indeed, the last couple of years have seen several brands and agencies falling back on this space to reach out to their consumers.

     

    D&AD’s CEO Tim Lindsay and president & Dare CD Laura Jordan Bambach who are in the country to address the forthcoming seminar (organised by Kyoorius) on Building Brands via Digital Media, shared some valuable insights on the subject with indiantelevision.com.

     

    On the fast blurring line between traditional and digital advertising in India, Tim quips: “Probably there are other markets which are further ahead when it comes to digital; and this is simply to do with the penetration of tablets, laptops and smart phones. Mobile is highly developed in this country and will only amplify. Therefore, digital advertising and marketing will develop in a separate way in India.”

     

    Still to recover from jet lag, Laura adds: “It is quite an exciting time and I can see the behaviour change and there is a more digital approach in various campaigns; which is more worldwide, but it is there here as well. The change in advertising message is becoming more purposeful.”

     

    Speaking about the trend of viral videos, Laura says they would work better if people had an interesting story to tell rather than the brand putting forth its message. “The brand has to take a back seat and tell a human interest story. Not all viral campaigns are good, there are many bad ones as well because they don’t tell you the story you want to hear,” she says, pointing out that videos which are entertaining, funny and have a human angle are likely to click with the viewers.

     

    Also the co-founder of SheSays, an international volunteer organisation encouraging women to take up digital creative careers, Laura feels things are changing now as more and more women are not only entering the field but also reaching high positions. “There are a quite a few women in the higher ranks and the things are looking up in India as well,” she says.

     

    Asked to point out the two important advertising trends of 2013, Tim talks about ads and campaigns having moved more towards story-telling apart from the increased engagement of people through branded content and added efforts by companies to take their CSR activities more seriously. He cites the example of Unilever’s latest Project Sunlight (Unilevers Project Sunlight promises a brighter future) . “In India, HUL’s Lifebuoy campaigns have been very successful. Be it the village one or the stamped rotis,” he says.

     

    In the coming year, Tim feels there will be more acquisitions including digital acquisitions of smaller agencies which will only serve to increase their credibility and sustainability.

    Both Tim and Laura feel that hereon, the digital space is only set for a further boom, with agencies milking the medium to reach out to as many people as possible.

  • Prasar Bharati’s Sircar says no new NE channel planned

    Prasar Bharati’s Sircar says no new NE channel planned

    MUMBAI: It was on 12 November that the media was abuzz with the news that Indian terrestrial pubcaster Doordarshan (DD) is all set to give birth to another baby to add to its 21 channel brood. Reports stated that the channel called Prabha would target the North Eastern states of Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh to show showcase their art and culture. It seemed as though it was a done thing.

     

    However, when indiantelevision.com contacted Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar, he highlighted that currently there was only a conversation going on whether such a step should be taken; nothing had really fructified.

     

    “This idea was discussed in Arunachal Pradesh during my recent visits but it is for the government – not Prasar Bharati – to decide whether to go ahead with it or not,” says Sircar.

     

    As of now, the government owned network has two all India channels (DD National and DD News), 11 regional language satellite channels, four state networks, one international channel, DD Sports as well as DD Rajya Sabha and DD Lok Sabha. One of these is a satellite TV channel for North East called DD North East that telecasts programmes in Assamese, English and other regional dialects with a programming mix of serials, informative and social shows, infotainment, news, current affairs, art and culture.

     

    With a channel already addressing the needs of TV viewers in this region, does creating a second one make sense? “If additional funds are available from the government then maybe Prasar Bharati could take a shot,” quips Sircar. He was recently on a tour to Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Nagaland to understand the issues facing DD in the region and to increase its reach. It was during this tour that some discussions and proposals were made, which were then reported by a wire service. 

  • Zee to launch one more GEC?

    Zee to launch one more GEC?

    MUMBAI: Indiantelevision.com has learnt that there is more in the offering from the Zee Network. Zee, which is known for its pioneering initiatives in the broadcasting space, soon plans to add one more general entertainment channel (GEC) to its kitty.

     

    According to highly placed sources in the industry, the network is preparing to launch the channel under the ‘&’ franchise. “The network is planning to launch yet another GEC which will have all original shows. In the coming six to eight months, viewers will have a clear picture,” reveals the source.

     

    The network launched their first interactive movie channel titled, ‘&pictures’ on 18 August. And within a few weeks, on 1 September, the network launched another channel – a GEC christened ‘Zee Anmol’ that airs re-runs of the best of Zee TV shows like Dance India Dance, Pavitra Rishta, Kasam Se among others.

     

    At the recently held Mipcom event at Cannes, the network announced that it has acquired 20 programs from Geo TV, a Pakistan based television channel.

     

    And if the source is to be believed, all the shows may be aired on this soon to be launched new GEC. “Right now, they are masking it all by saying it is for Zee Anmol but eventually it will be aired on the ‘&’ franchise sister GEC,” remarks the source.

     

    When we contacted the channel officials, they refused to comment. But with the recent developments, it seems something interesting is brewing up at the network.
    Keep watching this space for more!