ITV

Tag: indiantelevision.com

  • ‘Indian promoters have build a scale where they can attract foreign media companies’ : Ravi Sardana – ICICI Securities Limited Vice President

    ‘Indian promoters have build a scale where they can attract foreign media companies’ : Ravi Sardana – ICICI Securities Limited Vice President

     Foreign media companies like Walt Disney and Turner have entered into equity deals with Indian firms to grow their business in India.

     

    The last two years has seen a spate of equity deals, changing the media landscape in India. Indian promoters have raised money to build scale and also brought in corporate structures.

     

    In an interview with Sibabrata Das, ICICI Securities vice president Ravi Sardana talks about the immense potential that the media sector offers to investors and the consolidation that is waiting to happen.

     

    Excerpts:

    Multinational media companies like Walt Disney and Turner had come to India on their own. Why are they now entering into JVs with local partners?
    When the foreign players entered the market, there was no Indian media company of size to attract a buyout. Besides, the market has become too crowded today. It is better for them to build on whatever is available. Managing the government and distribution on cable networks is also difficult.

    Why are the Indian media companies becoming attractive to financial and private equity investors as well?
    Indian promoters have taken their companies to a scale where even Walt Disney and Time Warner have gone ahead to do equity deals with them. The business has become scalable with the opening of multiple platforms. There are also lots of markets in India which are still under penetrated. Media companies can expand their business by entering into new geographies.

    Which are the segments in the media sector that are proving lucrative?
    In the broadcasting space, every big player wants to build a full boutique. Even smaller TV production companies like Miditech and BAG Films are getting into broadcasting. All of this will require funding.

     

    Distribution is also becoming a big value driver and a new segment that investors have started looking into as the revenue leakages are getting plugged with digitalisation. The regional space is another interesting segment and will see higher growth compared to Hindi and English media. Regional TV has not build scale like print has, but there is a serious interest. Growth is faster in tier-II and tier-III towns.

    But aren’t DTH companies saddled with losses?
    In the short run, they may not be attractive for investors. But DTH service providers are mopping up subscribers. That will add value and open up the space for investors.

    Aren’t investors shying away from cable companies as digitalisation is slow?
    Cas (conditional access system) has been introduced in pockets of Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. Consolidation is also happening at the multi-system operator (MSO) level in analogue cable. The process is underway to convert this to digital. We are already getting feelers from investors who are exploring options to put money behind cable networks.
    ‘Since the size and scale of the movie business has shot up, there is a need for capital. While good financing sources for debt are being made available, there is a requirement of providing risk capital for this business‘

    Only one media company raised money through an initial public offering in 2007. Why are IPOs drying up in the media sector?
    The first wave of IPOs happened when companies like Mukta Arts and Creative Eye tapped the market. It was a pre-matured phase. Now Indian media companies have set up corporate systems from being just promoter-led. But there are not many large media companies that are privately held.

    The economy is slowing down and interest rates are hardening. Do you see media organisations being cash strapped to fund their growth?
    Companies have chalked out aggressive growth plans. They believe the wider pull of channels they have, the easier it will be to sort out distribution issues. But to expand their presence in all genres of broadcasting, they need capital. Fund raising for some companies has definitely slowed down. But they can tap alternate sources of funding like debt, private equity and convertible instruments.

    Is the broadcasting space heading for consolidation?
    In every genre, the top 3-5 channels will make money. There will be a huge competition to reach those levels. We will see some consolidation and there will be pressure to differentiate content.

    Are news channels getting bogged down by a steep rise in operational costs?
    More than operational expense, it is distribution costs that are inflating and going to hurt.

    Is the news channel space getting too cluttered with companies from all sectors wanting to rush into it?
    Historically, the journalist-led channels have done well. Already there is a clutter and there are a large number of strongly entrenched players. New entrants will have a challenging task; they will have to create a new niche space.

    Will there be room for so many regional news channels?
    If they are able to get market share, then in 2-3 years they will break even. The big players can also amortise their costs with the main channels.

    Do you see the other revenue streams growing for news broadcasters?
    The other revenue streams in India are still very small. News channels should focus on kicking in subscription revenues.
    How are the movie companies shaping up in India and what are the challenges they face?
    In the movie business, there are already the four tigers – UTV, Adlabs, Eros and Studio18. Multiplex operator PVR is also into movie production. For a pure film exhibition company, profitability could be range bound. So there is need to enter into other streams like film production and distribution.
    What are the new financing options available for companies?
    For the film business, Indian companies have tapped the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange. Since the size and scale of the business has shot up, there is a need for capital. While good financing sources for debt are being made available, there is a requirement of providing risk capital for this business.
  • NDTV to hold 51% in JV with Hindu Group for Chennai channel

    NDTV to hold 51% in JV with Hindu Group for Chennai channel

    MUMBAI: Prannoy Roy-promoted NDTV Ltd is floating a joint venture company with The Hindu Group to launch a Chennai city-centric channel.

    NDTV will hold 51 per cent in the JV while the Hindu Group will have the balance 49 per cent. The JV will launch MetroNation Chennai, marking Hindu’s foray into television news broadcasting.

    “We are setting up a joint venture company with The Hindu Group where we will hold 51 per cent. Hindu is a reputed brand at the regional and national level. It was a natural gravitation towards each other,” NDTV Group CEO KVL Narayan Rao tells Indiantelevision.com.

    The relationship will also extend to content-sharing with the most popular English newspaper in Tamil Nadu. “We aim to launch MetroNation Chennai in the next 3-4 months,” Rao says.

    Mumbai will see the next launch, but it is likely to be in the next fiscal, Rao adds. NDTV launched MetroNation in Delhi last year to tap the local market.

    NDTV will house the MetroNation channels under a subsidiary company.

    NDTV is also planning to launch a World cinema channel in the next couple of months. “We have already obtained the licence for it,” says Rao.

    The marriage between TV news broadcasters and print owners is gaining popularity. Star India has a joint venture partnership with ABP Group while IBN18 (formerly Global Broadcast News) holds a reletionship with Lokmat to run Marathi news channel IBN Lokmat.

  • NBA working out unified approach on DD Olympics footage issue

    NBA working out unified approach on DD Olympics footage issue

    NEW DELHI: News broadcasters have begun deliberations informally to work out a common strategy to counter the letter received by them from Doordarshan regarding unauthorised use of footage relating to the Beijing Olympics, for which the public broadcaster has sole rights.

    While private channels have to mandatorily share their signals relating to sports events involving India with Doordarshan under a Parliamentary act, there is no such provision for Doordarshan to share its content.

    Sources in the public broadcaster confirmed in answer to a question by indiantelevision.com that it had informally been approached by some sports channels including ESPN and Zee Sports before the games began, but not by news channels.

    The NBA has convened a meeting early next week, to frame a joint response to Prasar Bharti on the issue of payment for Olympic footage.

    The sports editor of a news channel, who didn’t want to be named, said he did not expect anything to come out of the meeting as there was lack of unity among broadcasters.

    Meanwhile, it is understood that some news channels have already agreed to pay the Rs 500 per second demanded by Doordarshan. However, Doordarshan has permitted free footage of up to one minute a day for purposes of news bulletins.

    It is understood that Prasar Bharti is particularly irked by the fact that some news channels broadcast the entire inaugural ceremony live by using their own commentators without any prior agreement.

    DD sources said that all news channels were being monitored and will be sent bills immediately after the games are over.

    Sources in the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) said there would be a united approach to the whole issue, but refused to give details.

    Though no official figures are available for the current Olympics, the public broadcaster’s rates for the 2004 Olympics had been – after an initial high figure – $ 5,000 for up to five hours of footage during the entire games; $ 4,000 for five hours to 25 hours; and $ 3,000 for more than 25 hours.

    The News Access Rules set by DD which was sent out to all networks in India at that time stipulated “The duration of Olympic material used in any one programme should not exceed a total of two minutes. The duration of any one particular Olympic event shall not exceed 30 seconds’.

    However, some satellite channels had later exceeded this time and had also agreed after much argument to pay wherever they exceeded the guidelines.

    According to DD deputy director general – sports Ashok Jailkhani, few channels approached DD, and anyone wanting to use the signals is required to come to an agreement to use the rights as DD has spent a huge amount to buy the rights.

    DD was therefore keeping a close watch on the situation as the signals were being used though no news channel had approached the broadcaster.

  • India best place in world for news channels: Purie

    India best place in world for news channels: Purie

    NEW DELHI: ‘India is a very dramatic country, and therefore it is the best country in the world to have television news channel – something is happening here every moment’.

    Accepting the Indiantelevision.com’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the Second News Television Awards function over the weekend, TV Today Group editor-in-chief and chairman Aroon Purie said the 24×7 news channels were probably the greatest invention of recent times since they changed the way people think and also affect public discourse. “A television channel is like a Formula One Car. It just goes on and on at a speed beyond your imagination”.

    “I love news – it is my passion”, said Purie, but added that it was unfair to blame TV news channels for everything. The TV news business was just over a decade old and ‘they still have to find their feet’, he said, adding that news channels had behaved tremendously against adverse circumstances.

    Referring to what he termed the ‘tyranny of TRPs’, he said news channels were judged by the minute. He hoped things would change in a couple of years when people start paying for the few news channels they wanted to see and did not get them all free. The TV news channel business would see greater expansion then,

    NDTV India’s Pankaj Pachauri, who won the Best News Anchor in Hindi award, said he was happy that news had been brought on the agenda as other TV awards were all for entertainment.

    Noting that the awards had been created for the TV news industry, Wanvari added that there was space for both entertainment and news awards. He pointed out that the awards had been decided by impartial juries that were not part of indiantelevision.com

    Rajdeep Sardesai who received the Best News Anchor Award in English for CNN IBN, said TV news was a tough competitive business which was presently facing a content crisis. He urged TV news channels to show greater unity amongst themselves.

    Speaking about the honours that the NDTV group of channels received, CEO KVL Narayan Rao said, “NDTV has a pool of the most talented and bright reporters, anchors, producers, editors and others in the Indian television industry today. We are honoured for being recognised for our quality of work and credible journalism”.

    HDTV-ready English news channel NewsX, from the INX Network was honoured with a special award for ‘Pioneering Initiatives in Digital Technology’ for its leadership role in technological innovation. 

    Said INX News chairman Indrani Mukerjea, “Our aim has been to bring a completely up-to-date news channel to the Indian television audience by combing world class technology with contemporary graphics and set designs. We have used an HDTV-ready format with a view to future proofing the technology. In addition, we adopted MPEG 4 for both, newsgathering and transmission, to ensure superior quality images. We are happy to know that the industry recognises our leadership role.”

  • ‘We are not a business model-oriented channel’ : Suneet Tandon – Lok Sabha TV CEO

    ‘We are not a business model-oriented channel’ : Suneet Tandon – Lok Sabha TV CEO

     ‘The no-confidence motion against the UPA government last month gave Lok Sabha TV’s ratings the much required boost as well as an opportunity to rake in money by sharing its feed with privately run satellite news channels.

     

    Indiantelevision.com’s Anushree Bhattacharyya caught up with Lok Sabha TV CEO Suneet Tandon to find out more on his plans for the channel. Interestingly, Tandon was elevated as CEO less than a week before the crucial vote. He was earlier the channel’s executive director-marketing.

     

    Excerpts:

    How has the channel fared in the two years of its existence? What are major changes that have taken place?
    The first year was devoted at consolidating the position of the channel. And in its second year, we established the channel’s presence. People now know who we are.

     

    There are channels that spend large amounts on advertising and marketing. We have not gone that route, yet we have carved out our very own position. All this has happened primarily due to the coverage of Lok Sabha sessions as well as other programmes like debates, discussion and documentaries.

    What is the composition of Lok Sabha TV? Apart from Somnath Chatterjee (whose brainchild the channel is), who are members of its governing body?
    The channel owes everything to the Speaker. But the channel is institutionalised under the overall power of the Lok Sabha. Under the Speaker, we are headed by the secretary general. In addition, there is also an advisory council to guide the functioning of the channel and is chaired by the Speaker. The vice chairman of the council is the deputy speaker of Lok Sabha. The council also consists of leaders from all the major parties in Parliament. So there is also that structure which has been set up to help offer the balance.

    How much investment has been made into Lok Sabha TV?
    Well, at this point of time, it is difficult to speak about the figures as I don’t have them with me right now.

    The channel has to depend on the audio-visual unit of the Lok Sabha secretariat for its expenses and infrastructure. Do you face any constraints in funding since you do not have a business model as such?
    We are not a business model-oriented channel. We are a public service channel for which funds are made available by the Parliament from Parliament’s own funds. Though there have been no constraints on our funds, it is our desire that we don’t want to become a burden on anyone. We need to do it in an economical and careful manner and are very conscious of that. We do not try to spend liberally just for the sake of spending.

    How many hours of feed were sold by Lok Sabha TV for the two days (during the Trust Vote)? How was the business on these two days for the channel?
    We did not sell any number of hours of feed as such. News channels picked up largely the important segments. We had earlier informed all the news channels about the rates. We had adopted Doordarshan’s practice of sharing feeds for important events in Parliament.

     

    We are using the same rates used by DD. Apart from charging Rs 1 mn beyond every five minutes of feed, there is also a provision for a one-time payment. For the one-time payment, a news channel has to pay Rs 3 mn in advance and can use the feed for any three important events, which makes it Rs 1 mn for every event.
    ‘We also try to spread cultural awareness not in terms of entertainment but by spreading awareness for our classical heritage and folk heritage. We also air awardwinning films on our channel‘

    Since it’s all about garnering TRPs, how does a channel like Lok Sabha TV manage to catch the attention of viewers?
    By being a credible, sensible and balanced channel. We are not trying to attract the attention of viewers and TRPs by showing any sensational news. We like to deal with our viewers intelligently and try to reflect their concerns because this channel is meant for the thinking citizens of this country. We are very conscious that Lok Sabha TV has to reflect and balance all shades of political opinion. And I must say that there is a lot of feedback that we have got saying that people like watching our channel because we don’t sensationalise anything.

    Do you keep an eye on the ratings of Lok Sabha TV? Are the ratings satisfying enough?
    Yes, we do. We have subscribed to Tam (television audience measurement) every week. Considering the niche nature of the channel, it is very satisfying. Lok Sabha TV is neither a news channel and nor is it a GEC, yet our ratings have been consistently more than CNN and BBC. Also in metros like Delhi and Mumbai, our ratings have been better than many of the established news channels. It’s actually a good reason to be happy for a young channel which does not offer any traditional sensation to its viewers.

    The channel’s viewership soared on 21 and 22 July. Do you feel that Lok Sabha would have been able to garner more ratings if you had not shared the feeds?
    Of course. Those two days were extremely important for Indian democracy. And had we not shared the feed, we would have got as much viewership as that of all the channels put together… all those who took our feed and our viewership.

    Apart from covering the Lok Sabha, what else does the channel concentrate on?
    People have begun to look at us as in terms of quality discussions, debates and documentaries on socio-economic, constitutional and government issues. Moreover, we also try to spread cultural awareness not in terms of entertainment but by spreading awareness for our classical heritage and folk heritage. We also air awardwinning films on our channel.

    At any point of time, have any member of the Advisory Council or the Speaker shown an apprehension on maintaining balance while covering any session?
    No within the Parliament the balance is maintained by the Speaker himself or whosoever is in the chair at that time. And our duty is simply to cover what has happened. And as far as rest of the programmes are concerned, we have not yet faced any significant criticism. But if there are any observations, we take corrective actions.

    In terms of programming, what are the changes that you would like to bring about?
    Every television channel has constantly tweak its programming and look for new ideas to develop interesting programmes. I think we need to give a little more emphasis on fresh programming. And I would also like to see if we could have some more involvement from other states and cities. We also have phone-in programmes where we have toll-free numbers and people can call from anywhere in the country.

    Though there is a website dedicated to Lok Sabha, there is no online property for the channel. Any plans to develop a dedicated web portal for Lok Sabha TV?
    Well, that is something that we can certainly consider taking up. During the time of the debate, many people who had logged on to watch a simultaneous webcast had found that our server had reached its maximum capacity as people from all over the world had logged on it. The servers for loksabha.nic.in got jammed. So, yes, may be there is a need to set up a separate website and increase the bandwith.
    What lies ahead for Lok Sabha TV?
    Technically, we are already at power with any other channel. Our visual quality is as good as any other channel. Yes, we would definitely like to have more interesting programmes and would also like to increase our scope of operation.
  • Govt not considering permitting news on private FM channels

    Govt not considering permitting news on private FM channels

    NEW DELHI: The Government is not considering any proposal to permit news broadcasts on private FM Radio channels.

    This was stated by Information and Broadcasting secretary Sushma Singh, when answering a question on the sidelines of the Second Indian News Television Summit organised by indiantelevision.com.

    Singh noted that the government had studied the reports of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India as well as the Ficci in this connection.

    Answering another question, she said the government was considering the report on television audience meters received recently from Trai.

    She said the government was under pressure from the judiciary to finalise and enforce a Content Code for television broadcasters, but regretted that the one finalised by a group of stakeholders from all sectors set up by her ministry had not been accepted by the news channels.

    She said all stakeholders would be consulted before any Content Code is finalised. Draft codes had been prepared by the News Broadcasters Association and the Indian Broadcasting Foundation, but these were now being considered with legal experts and stakeholders.

    She said the government was bound by certain orders of the courts and had to submit reports on this at regular intervals. 

  • Sahara Samay launches ‘Kuch Meetha Ho Jaaye’

    Sahara Samay launches ‘Kuch Meetha Ho Jaaye’

    NEW DELHI: Sahara Samay has launched a new weekly programme, Kuch Meetha Ho Jaaye, that is aimed at showing “news with a positive side”.

    Telecast every Saturday at 6 pm, the programme is also shown Samay’s Bihar channel at 10:30 am on Mondays and on the Uttar Pradesh channel at 10:30 am on Sunday.

    Programming head Sahara India Media Vartika Nanda told indiantelevision.com that this weekly show is being telecast across all the news channels on the Sahara network.

    The highlights of the 9 August show include stories about the Pune Mobile Planetorium which “moves from village to village”, a female football team, which has been selected for the state-level championship in Srinagar, a lady “sarpanch”, who has been elected twice and has changed the look of her village in Uttar Pradesh, the celebration of “sawan” with Banarasi Food Festival in Delhi, and the new fascination for trendy tattoos.

  • NT Awards to confer Lifetime Achievement Award to Aroon Purie

    NT Awards to confer Lifetime Achievement Award to Aroon Purie

    MUMBAI: Indiantelevision.com is all set to confer India Today Group editor-in-chief and chairman Aroon Purie with News Television’s (NT) Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to the TV news industry.

    Purie is among the select few who have been instrumental in redefining journalism in India. In 1975, he founded the India Today Group, which is now acknowledged as one of India’s most diversified media conglomerates.

    Purie’s understanding of the Indian media space is reflected in the number of media properties he has successfully started. The TV Today Group has launched a pack of four news channels with Aaj Tak as a leader in the Hindi space.

    The NT awards will be held on 9 August in New Delhi at the second Indian News Television Summit 2008, which will see well known faces of the TV News fraternity discussing “commercialisation” and “regionalisation” of news.

    The event will kick off with a welcome address by Indiantelevision Dot Com founder, CEO and editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari, followed by an industry report. Ministry of information and broadcasting secretary Sushma Singh will deliver an industry keynote during the occasion.

    Different news channels will present their perspectives in a panel discussion, titled The Commercial Imperative. The summit schedule also includes an interactive sesion with Al Jazeera English managing editor Tony Burman and a post lunch session on “Regionalisation seeking pockets of success.”

  • ‘A price war will expand the DTH market’ : Anil Khera- Bharat Business Channel Ltd CEO

    ‘A price war will expand the DTH market’ : Anil Khera- Bharat Business Channel Ltd CEO

     Venugopal Dhoot sees opportunity in the direct-to-home (DTH) business as he plans to push Videocon’s Plasma, LCD and premium TV sets.

     

    As part of Dhoot’s backward integration strategy, the consumer electronics giant will also manufacture the set-top boxes (STBs) in the Aurangabad factory.

     

    Bharat Business Channel Ltd (BBCL), a separate company for the DTH venture, will have a war chest of Rs 10 billion over two years as it readies to enter a turf that will see intense price competition.

     

    DTH in India, with players like Dish TV, Tata Sky, Reliance ADAG and Bharti, will be a low ARPU (average revenue per user), high volume game.

     

    Dhoot, not new to price wars, believes that the DTH market will expand and his distribution network will provide the pipeline for him to mop up one million subscribers in the first year.

     

    Heading the DTH venture is Anil Khera , who was earlier in charge of Videocon’s Sansui and Kelvinator brands.

    In an interview with Sibabrata Das, Khera talks about BBCL’s plans to quickly penetrate the DTH market across the country.

     

    Excerpts:

    Why does Videocon want to enter into the DTH business when the market has too many players and the race for subscriber acquisition is going to be led by a huge subsidy element?
    The total number of television households is pegged at 125 million and is growing at 12-15 per cent. The DTH subscriber base, which is currently a little over six million, is expected to touch 15 million by 2010 with the entry of new players like Reliance ADAG, Bharti and us. The DTH market will expand rapidly and there will be enough space for all the players. India will become the world’s largest pay-TV market by the stretch of numbers.

    Is Videocon entering the market because it sees DTH as an integrated business model with its consumer electronics business?
    We will be pushing our plasma, LCD and premium TV sets through our DTH service. Though we will firm up our offer plans closer to the time of launch, there will be some packaging done with subscription pricing, STBs and the TV sets. In many models, we will have in-built STBs. Unlike other DTH operators, we are a TV manufacturing company and will be making the STBs ourselves.

    Will Videocon Industries have any holding in BBCL and how much is being pumped into the DTH business?
    BBCL is a new company that has been floated for this purpose by the Videocon promoters. D2H+ is the brand name under which the service will be offered. We have already budgeted an investment of Rs 10 billion in this venture over the next two years.

    Is BBCL in talks to rope in an equity partner?
    No comments at this stage.

    How many subscribers are you targeting in the first year and at what ARPUs (average revenue per user)?
    We are looking at one million subscribers. We will be a premium service and expect our ARPUs to be Rs 200 in the first year.
    ‘We will be pushing our plasma, LCD and premium TV sets through our DTH service. Unlike other DTH operators, we are a TV manufacturing company and will be making the STBs ourselves‘

    At what subscriber and ARPU level will BBCL break even?
    We expect to break even faster than expected because of our backward integration model. We will be manufacturing STBs and have strong distribution skills. The market will also expand better than expected due to competition from so many players.

    Aren’t you entering at a time when the price war will be at its height as Reliance and others launch their service?
    There will be a price war. That is when the market will also expand.

    Will Videocon manufacture STBs only for BBCL?
    Videocon has a strong manufacturing background. It will be manufacturing the STBs at its Aurangabad factory with the Korean technology. The STBs will be supplied to BBCL. Already 50,000 boxes have been manufactured.

    When will you launch and how many channels will be on offer?
    We will launch by October-end. The end-to-end instrument testing will happen in a week’s time. We will then conclude the date for friendly users test. We will start with 200 channels. We will have a range of packages available to our customers – from basic to the family and premium range. We will offer choice to the customers and will cater to the entire demographic pop strata, including the regional flavours.

    What is the differentiating content BBCL will offer to mop up subscribers?
    We are working upon many customer friendly schemes which we will announce when the commercial launch is about to happen. We are working upon few unique channels. We will also have a HD ready platform which would be bundled with the offers.

    How many Ku-band transponders have been booked and on which satellite?
    We have taken six Ku-band transponders on SingTel’s ST-1 satellite. We are using MPEG-4 compression technology and will be able to pack in more channels per transponder. Our encryption technology is from Irdeto. The uplinking centre is at Greater Noida.

    What is the call centre facility being created?
    We will be having a multi-lingual 24-hour call centre based at NOIDA/Gurgaon initially. Later we will have one each in the region of South as well as West.
    The telcos feel that they have IPTV plans and DTH will complement that growth. What is the synergy Videocon sees in the DTH business?
    We have been associated with consumer durables for over two decades and have a deep understanding of the viewing experience that a consumer seeks. We will drive penetration across the country soon.
  • ‘It is a good time to launch specialised channels as they help break through the clutter’ : Rahul Johri – Discovery India senior VP

    ‘It is a good time to launch specialised channels as they help break through the clutter’ : Rahul Johri – Discovery India senior VP

     Discovery is in restructuring mode. Earlier this year, it announced a reshuffle at the top to handle India operations. And the India office, which was reporting directly in to the Discovery headquarters at Silver Spring, Washington DC, will now come under Singapore as part of the integration strategy.

     

    On the content front, Animal Planet introduced a Hindi feed in April to increase penetration. Discovery Travel and Living is eyeing to put its personality-driven shows at the 10 pm slot.

     

    The company is also adding new channels like Discovery HD to grow the market in India.

     

    Indiantelevision.com’s Ashwin Pinto caught up with Discovery India senior VP, GM Rahul Johri to find out more about the company’s aggressive plans in India.

     

    Excerpts:

    What is the main reason behind the restructuring that took place in Discovery recently?
    Discovery went into local markets in Europe a few years back, and this yielded very good results. Applying the same model, the Asia Pacific region has been broken up into six – the Saarc countries which include India, China, Japan, North Asia, Australia/New Zealand and South East Asia (Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore).

     

    In India, people have moved up a level. I have management responsibility for India while Rajiv Bakshi looks after marketing. Then there is a regional managing director who sits in Singapore.

     

    We now work and coordinate with Singapore. The response time is much quicker.

     

    Earlier when we reported to Washington, the time zones were different. Also, what is a priority for us may not be as important for them. Now operations are easier in terms of taking decisions and getting clearances.

    How does the new operational structure help Discovery India?
    Discovery Asia has a strong infrastructure. This will now be more accessible to us. We can approach opportunities on an Asia wide basis as opposed to simply focussing on one country. For instance if a local production is being done out of India or Singapore, it can then be expanded to include other Asian countries. Solutions can be provided to enable this. On the client side also, we can provide solutions more easily so that they get visibility across the region and not just in one country.

    What are the key focus areas for India?
    Collaborating with the other regions in Asia to drive growth will be important. Sharing of content and resources will be key. We will also strengthen the branding of our channels by making the content more definitive. We will keep refreshing content across all the channels so that audiences get what they want to watch.

    Are you looking at growth through launch of more channels?
    Yes! As the Indian television market matures, it is a good time for specialised channels to launch as they help break through the clutter.

     

    We have 14 channels and we will bring what we feel will click the best. Discovery HD is definitely a channel we are keen on bringing to India. Discovery Science is another channel that we feel would work well here. Of course, it is also important for cable to go digital. Otherwise getting carried gets difficult.

    Discovery has launched Planet Green, a new channel for environment, in the US. Do Are there plans to launch in India?
    The channel has just launched in the US. A band of the channel will launch in Southeast Asia. We will see how viewers respond to it. We will test the programming in India and then decide on whether or not to launch the channel here.
    ‘Starting Hindi feed worked for our two channels as there is a lot of commentary. This won’t work in Discovery Travel and Living‘

    In terms of revenue, how important is India within Asia?
    India is one of the top markets along with Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Subscription plays a key role everywhere. In India there has been strong growth in ad sales.

    How is Animal Planet faring after going Hindi?
    The most important thing was the Hindi feed being introduced in April. Now we are able to compete better with National Geographic. Going Hindi was, thus, a progressive step. We play to the core strength of the channel which is focussing on the animal kingdom. We also have hosted shows.

    Will you be doing a Hindi feed for Discovery Travel and Living?
    No! It worked for our other two channels as there is a lot of commentary. In Discovery Travel and Living, though, it will not be natural to see, for instance, two Chinese people speaking in Hindi.

    How has Discovery Travel and Living evolved as a brand since launching four years back?
    DTL is perceived as being a distinctive lifestyle channel for upmarket viewers. People are now familiar with our anchors like Nigella Lawson. They also identify with individual shows like our biker content. We keep refreshing our programming. We bring new shows regularly.

    What have been the programming highlights for the channel this year?
    We did a show with Manish Arora. We are doing two more India productions which will premiere later this year. Our big show now is Cheese Slices. Food is a popular genre for us. So we will kick off a show, Indian Food Made Easy, which will be hosted by Anjum Anand.

     

    We will be launching a multimedia campaign to push our 10 pm slot. This is because our viewers tune in a little later. Personality-based shows will air at this time, seven days a week. The message of the campaign is that at this time you will see hosts like Nigella Lawson, Ian Wright and Anthony Bourdain; the campaign theme will focus on the most recognisable faces on the channel. This will be the largest campaign ever done for the channel.

    Is the aim to bring in appointment viewing?
    This is one of the goals. The campaign will showcase our biggest properties. We are hoping that it will help expand the reach of the channel and drive in new viewership. It is important that our campaign not focus on just one show. By pushing a band, the recall will be high among viewers.

    In what way is the programming strategy being fine tuned for local audiences?
    When we started, we had very little India content. We now produce shows from India. Every global show that is being produced, has a segment on India. So if Anthony Bourdain does a new season, he will visit India as well. This is how the relevance of India is growing. Ian Wright used to just host Globetrekker which is about backpack travel. Most of our viewers do not do that. So we tweaked it and now Wright does VIP Weekends. He visits the best hotels globally.
    Has the thematic weekend concept worked?
    It has done well and the thematic weekends are continuing. But over time our aim is to build a theme across a day – rather than having one theme continuing everyday. Our aim is to strengthen the genres. For instance if you take shows like Anthony Bourdain and Cheese Slices, it is not just about food. It is also about travel, visiting new places. Different genres get intertwined.

    What do you look for in a local show?
    We always look out for good local concepts. Our aim is to have a definitive show in a certain genre. Once we have decided on this, then we go with the best talent. So we roped in Manish Arora to do a fashion show. He is suited for television as he is so colourful.

     

    Our shows have to have an individual and distinctive personality. They need to be of the same class and quality as the other shows that we air. There can’t be any compromise as the same shows travel abroad and showcase India to the world.
    What are the other time bands that DTL is developing outside the 10 pm slot?
    We are also looking at the midnight to 1 am time slot. People watch us at that hour. I think that some channels are missing out on viewership by not concentrating on this audience. They simply run repeats at this hour. Many people work till late and then watch television.
    Is it difficult to get clients to commit serious monies for Discovery Travel and Living with the economy in a downturn?
    Our market is on an upswing. Our TG has not been impacted by the downturn. We have over 600 brands with us including L’Oreal and the car companies. Volkswagen is starting a marketing campaign and they are using our channel as a vehicle. Packaged good companies also advertise with us. Companies that want to target the premium audience cut out wastage completely when they come to us.

    What are the tentpole properties coming up for Discovery?
    Ultimate Olympics is a show that we will air. It looks at the work that has gone behind putting the Olympic Games together. The show gets over a day before the Games start. Another show that will air is Download. This focusses on stories from the internet like the competition between EBay and Amazon.

     

    We will also celebrate Nasa’s 50th anniversary with a show When We Left Earth. Nasa has given us footage of the Apollo Missions. This is the first time that Nasa has done this.
    What is Discovery’s new media strategy?
    We already have our website. For the mobile, 3G has to happen; the phones have to support rich media content. Right now one is still with ring tones and music tones.