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Tag: indiantelevision.com

  • ‘US, Europe and Canada are growing markets for Indian content’ : Adris Chakraborty – Globosat Entertainment director

    ‘US, Europe and Canada are growing markets for Indian content’ : Adris Chakraborty – Globosat Entertainment director

    With the Indian television market booming and the NRI community becoming more affluent, platforms in the UK and US are looking to service this community better. Hoping to take advantage of this is ethnic content aggregator Globosat Entertainment. Formed three years back, the company hatched a deal with Sahara to distribute its channels in the US, UK and Europe. It also markets the religious channel Aastha and works with various platforms.

     

    Indiantelevision.com’s Ashwin Pinto caught up with Globosat Entertainment director Adris Chakraborty to find out more about the company’s future plans.

     

    Excerpts:

    What are the changing trends for demand of Indian content overseas?
    Bollywood and cricket are the dominant forms of entertainment. Soaps fare less well as the connect is not there; dubbing or subtitling is needed, or else language becomes an issue. News works but to a much lesser extent, as a lot of the diaspora gets that from the internet. To get people to pay for a news service is difficult. People are to an extent also interested in Indian subjects like alternative healing systems, the investment climate, etc.

    How is Globosat positioning itself to take advantage of this?
    We want to leverage the appeal of Bollywood through video-on-demand service offerings. We are talking with production houses to make their content available on VoD through DTH (direct-to-home) and cable platforms. There are entertainment and movie channels.

     

    We are also talking with recently launched Indian broadcasters who want to have a presence abroad. We are also talking with FM radio stations to figure out opportunities to distribute their content on a national scale in the US, UK and Europe, under a subscription-based service model.

    Which are the Indian and South Asian channels that Globosat is currently distributing?
    We distribute the Sahara channels in the US, UK and Europe. We also market NDTV News and promote Aastha channel in the US.

     

    Besides, we are looking at value-added services like ring tones. We are in discussions with a technology service provider to offer subscription-based Bollywood ringback tone services for the South Asian diaspora. We want to work with them to also offer an SMS-based revenue service. The SMS based-revenue, which is big in India, is not being exploited for the South Asian audience. So an NRI watching an Indian Idol on Sony cannot participate through the SMS route. We want to create these kinds of alternative revenue opportunities for our broadcast partners.

    Is interest in Indian content also spreading among mainstream TV viewers in the US and other countries?
    Bollywood is doing that. It is appealing not just to Indians but also to Bangladeshis, Pakistanis and the Hispanic population. They have subtitles or dubbed content.

    What are the services that Globosat offers?
    We work in the ethnic content aggregation and distribution business with focus markets in the US, Canada and UK. Since we understand the South Asian market, we started off in this space.

     

    With a full-fledged marketing team, we help content owners promote and distribute their offerings under different platforms on a subscription basis. We work with multiple platforms and with multiple markets to get the best possible distribution and revenue for broadcast partners. Content distribution could be in the form of VoD for Bollywood movies. We work with DTH platforms and cable networks to help aggregate their VoD content. We have a 60,000-square-foot playout and broadcast facility in New York with five studios. We also have studios in San Francisco and in Toronto.
    ‘Demand overseas for Indian content is more dominant in the areas of Bollywood and cricket. Soaps fare less well as the connect is not there. News works but to a much lesser extent, as a lot of the South Asian diaspora gets that from the internet‘

    What are the platforms you have relationships with?
    Our partners include DirecTV, Dish, Rogers, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and BSkyB in the UK. As the platforms deal with many genres, it is important for us to help them give a marketing push to our offerings. The platforms, after all, do not have the time and energy to market our channels. We offer a value add as we understand the community.

    What is the scene for Indian regional channels in the US, UK?
    They have their own viewing pockets. They are mostly a-la-carte offerings on different platforms. However, there are three Bengali channels which are offered as a package and as a la carte as well.

    Do you use Soundview Broadcasting to create innovative content for South Asian audience in the US?
    We have a couple of shows. There is a show called Green Card about the process of getting one. Then we have Astro Guide and we also do a community news programme Your Voice where we cover the US. We do all this for Sahara. We provide NGOs an opportunity to come and discuss issues on a show called Centrestage.

     

    We produce some content for Aastha in the US. This includes religious festivities. We do some local programming and plug it on the feed to build up better connection with the subscribers. We also shoot film premieres, interviews and give it to our partners.

     

    Viewers want to know the reaction to a latest film, for instance. We do this from the point of view of building the subscriber base for our partners. Local production helps build an emotional connect.

    What is the strategy Globosat follows in terms of marketing its offerings?
    Our marketing mechanism is such that we participate in the major media, cultural and trade events in the US, UK, Canada and Europe which are relevant for South Asians. Sometimes we are allowed to put up a booth and run promos of our broadcast partners. We do a lot of cross promotions with print publications. In addition, we do direct mails, dealer network promotions, etc. We also sponsor events like Miss India USA.

     

    We work with platforms to create new offerings. In Europe, in conjunction with a few channels, we created a DTH platform in partnership with a technology playout called GlobeCast. We partnered with Sony in the UK and created a bouquet to be a compelling subscription-based service. This caters to the Indian and Pakistani diaspora. We also have a major Pakistani channel in that bouquet.

    Do you also do ad sales for channels?
    We have started a full-fledged media agency called Media Morphosis. We help clients with media and print placements. It could be PR or cross- promotion strategies. We are connected with large advertisers, and this helps our broadcast partners. We also use this to market the Globosat channels.

     

    We are in the process of launching Media Morphosis in India. The aim is to offer our services to Indian channels that are abroad and want help attracting advertisers. We will also help companies who want to reach the South Asian community in the US, UK and Europe. We are talking with Star to do their ad sales in the US.

     

    Mainstream travel agencies, insurance and money transfer companies in the US and UK find us useful if they want to reach out to the affluent South Asian community. These advertisers also want to partner with broadcasters. We help them leverage relationships in the most cost-effective manner.

     

    We also organise below-the-line activities, road shows, etc. From a media-buying point of view, we work with a lot of channels. The agency is two years old and we did a gross billing of $2 million with a 30 per cent margin.

    Will you be expanding your footprint to Africa, Australia and Europe?
    We would like to. However, at the moment the bandwith in Australia and Africa is limited. We want to maximise our distribution in the US and Europe which is a large exercise. Canada is a growing market for Indian content.

     

    South America, unfortunately, is fragmented on the distribution front. Piracy is rampant and the Indian population is also too small to justify going there and marketing our offerings.
    New media platforms like mobile, net, etc. are growing through platforms like JumpTV. How is this impacting the channel distribution business?
    It is a good thing for us and our broadcast partners. We have room to do more effective deals. Earlier, it was mostly DTH. If a broadcaster comes to us, we can now take him to all the platforms. One thing, though, is that mobile technology is very primitive in the US. So it will take time to develop as a broadcast medium there.

     

    In terms of revenue, what targets does Globosat have?
    With a turnover of $9 million, we are experiencing steady growth.

     

    What plans do you have for other ethnic content?
    We have tied up with an IPTV platform. They have created a bouquet of Chinese channels. They want us to help them promote and distribute that bouquet in Europe. Our affiliate Soundview also has an Afro-French channel, a Caribbean channel and a Punjabi channel which we distribute in the US and Canada.
  • Regulatory bill for TV channels soon, Govt tells SC

    Regulatory bill for TV channels soon, Govt tells SC

    NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting is under intense pressure from the judiciary on the issue of a content code and has informed the Supreme Court that it is soon going to introduce a Broadcast Regulation Bill and Content Code.

    The ministry has told the court that it has set up a committee comprising its own officials, as well as those from the ministries of women and child welfare, health and the trade body Advertising Standards Council of India to look into the issue.

    The apex court had asked the ministry to respond to a writ filed on by Pilot Baba that a news sting show on him had been doctored and put him in a bad light, and asked what the government was thinking on these lines.

    This is the third court order and suggestion on the sticky issue of content on news TV. The Delhi HC had already issued an interim order last month on media bodies and to the I&B officials to discuss the issue of stings and content, and report it to the HC within the next month.

    Earlier, the Delhi HC had suggested that the ministry look into forming a committee to vet every sting operation before it is aired. Alhough that was not an order, indications from Shastri Bhavan in the wake of the SC case are that there could be little option now but to do something on these lines.

    Government sources pointed out the Mumbai Police banning two channels for repeatedly showing the recent violence and distorting events in the process.

    The violence let loose by Raj Thackeray’s MNS workers on the North Indians and Big B in Mumbai had taken place on Sunday last. But way through Monday, it was being shown on all channels, giving the impression that the violence remained uncontrolled.

    Mumbai Police has said that this was a distortion because the violence had taken place for less than an hour and communal passions were being stoked by showing the same clippings throughout the day.

    The ministry had already told Indiantelevision.com that the repetition of scenes of violence and distortion of time and the extent of such violence will not be tolerated and the editors of channels must take a call on that, but the recent reportage has again shown that the media is not listening, insiders said.

    Insiders also said that the ministry had decided to give the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) some more time as the current thinking was to take the industry along for an inclusive Content Code. This seems to be the reason why the government has not taken any action when the NBA failed to send its own draft code as promised on 31 January.

    However, the situation as it is panning out from the court’s mood is leaving the ministry with very little option but to usher in the Content Code and a regulatory mechanism.

  • IBN 7 for look makeover to catch aspirational young viewers

    IBN 7 for look makeover to catch aspirational young viewers

    NEW DELHI: IBN 7, the Hindi news channel from the Network 18 group is going for a total overhaul of its look to match the profile and taste of the younger crowd who sometimes do not watch Hindi news on aesthetic grounds.

    The new-look channel will start from next week.

    Ashutosh, the IBN 7 Managing Editor told indiantelevision.com “The difference is hard to explain without actually showing what we mean, but let’s say the difference would be a man from the small town and a man from Mumbai or Manhattan.”

    Ashutosh says that the group has been feeling that Hindi news channels take on a rustic, rural face, which puts off many young people who have become aspirational.

    He says that with the flush of money due to recent economic boom in the country colouring the outlook of the viewers, there is need to give the face of the channel a completely international look.

    Alongside, technology would be key to the viewing experience as many virtual studios will be added for news programming.

    “We shall just have one master studio with proper sets, the rest will be all be virtual and we can create any kind of set that the particular news requires,” Ashutosh said.

    As an example he agreed that it would now be possible to report, say, on a plane hijack creating the virtual set of the plane and the cockpit and showing how the hijack had taken place, instead of just giving audio takes on these details.

    Ashutosh said that large chunks of prime time will have the support of these virtual studios, and that too would add to the international viewing experience.

    But the key issue is of the look, he stressed, explaining that the news content will be the same but with a changed face. He says that the entire colour scheme, among other visual effects willl be changed to give the international feel.

    “Let’s say a man has shifted from Raipur to Rochester, and so does his look. The cloth is the same the man is the same but the look is international.”

    It was a bit difficult to envisage, though, as the various bands that are seen on the screen of IBN 7 today will still be there.

    At present there are four bands, one at top and three below, and those would stay.

    Asked why BBC or CNN does not have these bands, and that primarily these are the cause for Indian Hindi news channels’ on-screen look being badly cluttered, he said that this is because those foreign channels do not have to face the intense competition one sees in India.

    “Those bands are constant feed of information useful to the viewers, so that even if the audio is out, one can feed on information, whether regarding the story on news, or other ticker news and so forth,” he explained.

    His defence is that the tremendous competition to grab eyeballs is what has led Indian channels to go for these techniques, and said: “These will stay, but still, you will realise that what you are seeing today on our channel is completely different from what is coming up.”

    Ashutosh admitted that the virtual studios have come at a huge price, but this reinventing of the channel was necessary.

  • ‘The discerning Hindi viewer has moved away to English news channels’ : Anurradha Prasad – B.A.G Films & Media Ltd managing director

    ‘The discerning Hindi viewer has moved away to English news channels’ : Anurradha Prasad – B.A.G Films & Media Ltd managing director

     When she started Bhagwan Allah God Films, a television content production company, many thought she was out of her mind. The company (known better by the acronym B.A.G Films) has moved far above what it had initially stepped out to achieve. Today, it is a full-blown media house and a public limited company, with stakes in content production, TV broadcasting, radio channels and mobile content development.

     

    In an interview with Sujit Chakraborty, B.A.G Films & Media Ltd managing director Anurradha Prasad talks about the steps the company is taking to emerge as an integrated media company.

     

    Excerpts:

    Now that you have got FDI (foreign direct investment) clearance, how much does it ease your investment plans?
    We had already raised substantial money earlier for our broadcasting venture. Now what we are getting is Rs 600 million from Fidelity. We are also going in for FCCBs (foreign currency convertible bonds) in two tranches.

    With the funding in place, what are your launch plans?
    We are launching E24 in the first week of March. It is not a GEC (general entertainment channel). It has snacky entertainment content – like glamour, lifestyle, Bollywood. We shall not have fiction and soaps. No saas bahus for us, though my content division is doing saas bahus for others (laughs). Moreover, there are already three new GECs and others coming in. My TG is different even within the entertainment genre.

     

    Our next launch will be Bliss24, a wellness channel, after 4-5 months. Life24, the fourth channel, will come up after a similar time lag, and we are firming up the content for that.

     

    Once we are over with the channel launches, we will look at the film production business more seriously as it is an area of expansion.

    What has been the progress of the Hindi news channel which was launched over a month back?
    As far as market position goes, News24 is behind NDTV India but we have a long way to go. We have to sort out distribution problems and go far beyond the channel’s 19 per cent reach. As connectivity grows, we will also grow.

     

    The encouraging thing, though, is that audience stickiness to the channel is high when big news like the Narendra Modi (Gujarat chief minister ) issue breaks. Our stickiness has been as high as the top three Hindi news channels. This strengthens our belief that credibility is valued. Even as one realises that we are operating in a cluttered market, we are also convinced that our stance towards news coverage pays. Otherwise, the credibility of Hindi TV news has eroded.

    Trends show that you might get lower ratings than the rival news channels that have a preponderance of sex, violence and the supernatural. Would you say people in the Hindi belt prefer nonsense to news?
    That is a misnomer. The discerning Hindi viewer has moved away to English news channels. There is definite demand for proper news in Hindi.

    The government has a problem with repetitive shots of violence and abuse – the mainstay of Hindi news. Are you doing the same?
    No we are not. But if it is news, it will be on my channel. Two years back, you could not have thought of one Indian Test win in a series getting an eight-column banner headline in newspapers. But this is happening. So the way people are viewing news is changing. It is a young, vibrant India, and if we do not reinvent at every stage, we shall be out. But it is not that people want only bhoot-pret and sex. If that is so, why should NDTV, CNN IBN or IBN 7 work? And they are working.

    There has been a demand that such channels be termed ‘tabloid channels’ and not news channels. But if people want to see these things, they will. Does any change in definition make any difference?
    Let them. It is for the government to decide what goes on air – whether people are becoming more superstitious or not. I am saying that I shall not go for that kind of news content. Besides, there is a span of time that certain things sell. The same old thing does not last long. Proper news has lasted and will last.

    You created the Hindi news crime show Sansani but are now doing away with sensationalism in your own news channel?
    People have missed the point about Sansani, as it was much more than a show where people with problems would come to us rather than go to a police station. It was a socially important show. We stopped doing Sansani last July because we were coming up with our own news channel.

    Are you planning something on those lines for News24?
    We are going to do something. Crime against women is a big issue for me. We are working on that, after launching the campus programme in which students from across the country report for us.

    Good method of increasing penetration?
    Yes, of course. It works very well.

    Which economic or social segments does your news channel target?
    A and B category viewers. But as I see it, the real problem is with the ratings system. The economic definitions of A and B are not correct. If the criterion is the ownership of a fridge and a TV, then in the last five years a whole lot of lower strata people have moved up in economic terms but not in cultural terms. The system by which weightage is given is flawed. Some channels are taking advantage of that because it is their business model. As a strategist, I would rather trace out the need gap, which I have, and put things that way.

     

    Ultimately as a content person, I must do what I believe is the need and that has to be based on scientific studies. My analysis shows that news was losing credibility. Secondly, a whole lot of channels were not reinventing themselves. There was a strong need for a young, vibrant and credible brand… that’s why News24.

    There is a concern that with tabloid news channels getting more TRPs, advertisers might swing their way. Does that worry you?
    Going forward, it can’t be like that. Any good advertiser will check out whether he is reaching only the masses, or hitting the target consumer or not. As an advertiser, I would be asking my media buying department, Boss, jismey dalaa hai uska return kya hai? (what is the return from the channel where you have placed my ad)? Right now, the returns are all hedged because they are all enmeshed in the whole issue of TRP and GRP.

    ‘E24 shall not have fiction and soaps. No saas bahus for us, though my content division is doing saas bahus for other channels‘
    In the FM radio business, you were talking of leading a consortium of smaller operators. Since that has not taken place, how has it affected your revenue flows?
    Our revenues are not affected as it was not based on consortium selling. Besides, we now have a network to sell across TV channels and radio.

    Does it make better business sense going to the smaller towns?
    Definitely, because that is where new buying power is coming from. We are now in places like Hissar, Karnal and Patiala, and these stations can be looped. We have still to launch in Simla, Jalgaon and Jabalpur out of the 10 FM stations we have won the bid for.

    Don’t you think metros offer bigger opportunities?
    Metros will be there, but they are saturated markets. The psyche is different in the smaller towns and the push is happening from there. We are not afraid of competing in the bigger cities. But we saw the saturation coming, so it was a conscious business decision to go the small-town way. This will give us better penetration and better revenues.

    How are you differentiating your content from the others?
    Firstly, in most of these cities, we have the first mover advantage. Then interactivity is a huge thing for those towns, and we have fully interactive studios. Besides, we are a content company from the beginning and our content is different. The songs may be the same, but in our case interactivity is huge. And we are geared towards the youth.

    But isn’t every radio operator doing that?
    Yes, I am sure they are, but in these small B and C class cities, the youth is massively aspirational.

    What are the regulatory issues that concern radio operators?
    The government has opened up radio licences but not done those other things that need to make radio a successful industry. They are not allowing news. They have irrationally capped the FDI in radio at 20 per cent. These are crucial issues. In advertising and films, you have 100 per cent FDI.

    When you first forayed into the Film City and started your venture, a lot of newspaper circuit people said it was crazy to shift to media production. So, what was the idea then?
    I did not change. I was just working for someone else. A newsperson in the television arena, I decided to do it for myself instead of doing it for others. I was just quitting the Observer Channel. True, since there was hardly anyone else there, people might have thought “she is crazy.” Television business was not like what it is today. But by the time I started in 1994, Zee TV had launched, and satellite TV had come in. So I could see that things were changing. I felt that if one has to learn about it, why not do so by being with oneself?

    What would you say were some of the landmarks in that phase?
    Every show had been a landmark in its own genre, whether it was Zaikay Ka Safar which was a food and travel show that went on for eight years, or Chitrahaar, in which we radically changed the format and many others. They all were landmarks.

    What, according to you, had been the most important step from the government to boost the industry over the years?
    Actually the best thing is that the government did not do anything for a long time, which ensured that we grow on our own. But the government ought to have done something on the distribution area in the initial stages. Of course, now they have started doing certain things.
    You mean Cas (conditional access system) as one of them?
    Cas is one, and then there are various DTH (direct-to-home) players coming in. But there seems to be no desire to push digitisation forward in a big way.
  • Reuters pulling out of Times Now JV

    Reuters pulling out of Times Now JV

    MUMBAI: A near three-year old relationship between Reuters Group Plc and Bennett, Coleman & Co Ltd in Times Global Broadcasting, the joint venture which owns and operates English news channel Times Now, has come to an end.

    Reliable industry sources inform Indiantelevision.com that Thursday marked the last day that Reuters, which holds a 26 per cent stake in Times Global Broadcasting, would be contributing monetarily to Times Now’s operating costs. Additionally, Reuters has already started the process of looking for a new broadcast partner in India, the sources say.

    When asked for a response on the developments, Times Global Broadcasting CEO Sunil Lulla stated, “We have no comment to offer.”

    Speculation is rife that differences over editorial direction were what ultimately led to the parting of ways between the Times Group’s broadcast arm and Reuters but this is something that could not be independently confirmed at the time of filing this report.
     

  • ‘Bricking’ or distorting face of child victims on TV is meaningless: Renuka

    NEW DELHI: Women and Child Development Minister Renuka Chowdhury today emphasised that the electronic media should not show the face of child or women victims of molestation, rape or violence of any kind.

    In a short chat with indiantelevision.com, the minister added that “bricking” or other tactics were pointless since people in the area always knew who the victims were and the identity was of no interest to those in other parts of the country.

    She suggested that the media should find other ways of giving the news, adding that perhaps a reporter could give the news without showing any face or environment.

    She also stressed that the electronic media should heed the guidelines about the method of questioning child victims pointed out in the report on “Study on Child Abuse: India 2007” prepared by her ministry. The report published in April last year had shown how children are generally questioned and made suggestions on how this should be done.

    Earlier, addressing a session of the 8th Editors Conference on Social Sector Issues organised by the Press Information Bureau, the minister called upon the media to write editorials and articles on issues like crimes against children and women, female foeticide and related issues like nutritious diets.

    Referring to a meeting she had held last week with principals and teachers in the aftermath of the incident in which a school student in Gurgaon killed a fellow student with his father’s gun, she said she intended to hold such workshops once every quarter in different parts of the country to find ways to curb the violent tendencies among children exposed to cinema, television and the Internet. 

    She would also be talking to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and the Central Board of Film Certification in this connection.

    She said that the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights would examine cases of the effect on children of television advertising, animation serials and other programmes, and films. She called upon the media to support her in this effort.

    The minister also urged the media to devote the entire month of March to issues related to women, since the International Women’s Day falls on 8 March.

  • ‘Shows that are optimistic, hopeful, aspirational resonate well with viewers’ : Todd Miller – SPTI Asia executive VP, MD

    ‘Shows that are optimistic, hopeful, aspirational resonate well with viewers’ : Todd Miller – SPTI Asia executive VP, MD

     Last year Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI) set up an office in India. The aim was to get more closely involved with the market and help it grow by offering content in the form of formats. SPTI is also looking at developing more local content from India which can travel overseas. Indiantelevision.com’s Ashwin Pinto caught up with SPTI Asia executive VP, MD Todd Miller to find out more.

     

    Excerpts:

    When you say that SPTI is the Asian Hollywood Studio what does it mean?
    We are by ownership an Asian company. We pride ourselves that our business combines the best of US and Asian content. As a distribution company we offer locally relevant content and global content.

     

    SPTI has distribution, a networks segment and a production business. We are the most active of the US studios in terms of producing and distributing Asian content across Asia. So it positions us in a unique way from the others who only focus on US content. Asia is the fastest growing region for us. Korea, China, East Asia and India are key for us.

    Could you talk about the partnerships SPTI has with local Asian players in terms of co-producing with them and distributing their content overseas?
    We make and distribute content. On the film front we have been active making films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Recently we started to make Indian films. Sawaariya was our first film. We also distribute content on behalf of key Asian partners. With CJ Media in Korea we distribute films and shows.

     

    We distribute it not just in Asia but also outside. This enables our partners to access a wider market for Asian content. So we add value for our business partners. We have also worked with CCTV in China to distribute their show The Stories of Han Dynasty.

    How has SPTI boosted its production facilities and distribution network over the last couple of years?
    We have a strong distribution practice as there is great content to sell. On the distribution side to get closer to clients we set two offices last year – one in India in October and the other in Korea. We want to have a local presence and develop relationships on the ground. We already have offices in Tokyo, Beijing, Hong Kong and Singapore.

     

    So from a footprint perspective we have Asia well covered from a distribution point of view. On the production front we did a lot of work in South East Asia for formats last year. This year we will focus on India.

    How important is India and what is the gameplan to grow the business here?
    This year we will sell formats to India. Power of 10 is one show. It is a primetime game show and airs on CBS in the US. We are also planning to a local version of Ripley’s Believe It Or Not. We also have a lot of scripted formats as well like telenovellas from Latin America. Our dubbed films area is also growing. We were one of the first studios to offer local dubbing of films to channels.

     

    A year from now I can give you examples of how the formats are being developed. Emerging platforms will open up more business avenues. We recently did a deal with Dish TV for pay per view films.

    Are you also looking to create IP as well?
    Through films we are already doing this. Sony is also doing this with its Hindi channel. With AXN we are looking to create original shows that can travel. One of these will be a magic show.

    Have you formed any deals with Indian companies besides the Sony companies in terms of long term partnerships?
    We are talking with parties. One of the things that we pride ourselves on is that we develop relationships with major players across the TV spectrum. These are broadcasters, new media clients.

     

    We sell content to many players beyond just the Sony channels. India is a top five market for us in Asia. As new delivery platforms emerge we support them. As we continue to beef up our distribution infrastructure I would hope that one would see Sony content consumed across all the digital platforms.

    Are you also looking at co-productions in India?
    Our focus is on growing the format business. Once this area is up and running then we will look at other areas.

     

    We recognise the potential in India. We have been doing business for well over a decade in this country. Our management looks to India to be a major driver. One of the advantages we have is that we have different assets (channels, film division, the electronics business) that are already present. We have interesting pieces that often work together.
    ‘We want to have a local presence and develop relationships on the ground‘

    What have the learnings been in terms of what works and what does not across the region?
    Great content from the US sells. But we also recognise the power of locally produced content and its connection with viewers of each country and even each state. In general though shows that are optimistic, hopeful, aspirational tend to resonate well with viewers across the board.

    A lot of your content comes from the US. What impact will the WGA strike have on this?
    It is having a big impact in terms of scripted shows. We are hopeful that the issue will be resolved soon.

    Viva Laughlin was cancelled by CBS after just two episodes. Do you feel that such an unusual format would have worked better on a cable network like USA Network where there is not so much pressure on ratings?
    It is quite possible that it might have done well there. Truly original shows sometimes do need time to find an audience.

     

    US networks are impatient and they have to be as they are ratings focussed. They do not have the luxury to wait for numbers to grow.

    Besides Damages what are the other high profile shows from Sony US that will debut in India?
    We are looking forward to Cashmere Mafia. It stars Lucy Liu. It is about a group of successful, powerful women friends living and working in New York. The show will come to AXN soon.

    SPTI also tailors content of shows for the mobile in Asia. From a production point of view what are the challenges?
    Our strategy is to make content for mobile and various digital platforms. Taking a multi platform approach allows us to spend more money on our content which results in better production values. At the same time we are not too dependent on any one platform from a revenue standpoint. So a show like Afterworld is a good example of how we are creating content for multiple platforms.

     

    Last year we acquired all television, Internet, digital sell-through, gaming and mobile rights to Afterworld, which is a futuristic 2.5D animated episodic property. This marked SPTI’s first-ever acquisition of a project for exploitation across all of these platforms.

     

    At the same time we also have a catalogue which we can and have repurposed for the mobile. This is what we call ‘minisodes’ which are edited versions of full length episodes of famous TV series Like Charlies Angels. It is a short but complete burst of entertainment. In some parts of Asia where 3G has a high penetration like Korea we are getting really good feedback on our mobile video content. We are also expanding our linear channels into the mobile space. We have created a mobile extension of AXN and Animax.
    When will these services come to India?
    Our mobile content is already available on all key carrier platforms in India through local partners such as Hungama Mobile. Hungama Mobile won the first Meffy (Mobile Entertainment Forum Award) awarded to an Asian company for their campaign on our Casino Royale mobile content.

    Digitisation offers the opportunity to launch more channels. Does SPTI have plans in this regard?
    Yes! We are extremely bullish on India and the region. AXN recently launched a new channel AXN Beyond in East Asia. It is a supernatural, sci fi channel that complements AXN.

     

    It also showcases out of the ordinary shows such as The Dresden Files, a mystery/fantasy series based on the books by Jim Butcher and has actor Nicolas Cage as one of the executive producers. The lead character, Harry Dresden, is a professional wizard and reluctant hero who often helps the police with cases involving ‘unusual’ circumstances.

     

    Another highlight is a sci-fi series called PainKiller Jane which is based on the cult comic book series of the same name. It stars Kristanna Loken as Jane Vasco, a.k.a. PainKiller Jane, she is recruited to contain the threat of Neuros – individuals with superhuman neurological powers. However, she soon discovers that she has a super power herself – that she cannot be killed, but she can still feel the pain.

  • Vir Sanghvi quits INX, to announce new news channel ‘very soon’

    NEW DELHI: Vir Sanghvi, CEO of INX News and editorial head of the group’s upcoming news channel News X, has finally left the INX group and is slated to announce the opening of another news channel very soon.

    A source very close to Sanghvi, who has also left the group, confirmed the developments to Indiantelevision.com, adding that equity driven issues and that of accountability was what ‘finally broke the camel’s back’.

    It is worth noting that it was Indiantelevision.com that had first put out a report categorically stating that rumblings within Indrani and Peter Mukerjea’s news broadcast arm INX News Pvt Ltd had come to a head and that Sanghvi was on his way out of the company.

    Neither of the Mukerjeas were available for comment at the time of filing this report.
    As for who might be replacing Sanghvi, while no confirmation is still available from the company, the buzz remains that the head of a leading Hindi news channel might be taking charge in due course.

  • ‘Star One is the number three GEC in the country in ratings’ : Prem Kamath – Star India VP marketing and Communication

    ‘Star One is the number three GEC in the country in ratings’ : Prem Kamath – Star India VP marketing and Communication

    A lot of flip-flop happening in the Hindi general entertainment channels. Yet Star Plus is the leader in the game, while Star One has consolidated its position on the back of new shows and re-positioning itself.

    In conversation with Indiantelevision’s Nasrin Sultana, Star India VP marketing and communication Prem Kamath talks about Star Plus and the kind of resurgence up on Star One.

    Excerpts:

    How has 2007 been for Star India?
    I think it has been a good year of consolidation. Lots of changes have happened within the organisation and in the market as well. But I think the initiatives that we have undertaken had shaped quite well for consolidation.

    How is Star Plus taking the competition further, when Zee TV is edging close to it in terms of ratings?
    Zee TV saw an increase in the ratings post Sa Re Ga Ma Pa launch, which had narrowed the gap between Star Plus and Zee. Though there are a number of other things that have happened in Star Plus which have pushed the channel back to its place. Particularly the last four to five weeks’ data clearly say that Star Plus is considerably ahead of Zee. Several initiatives that we launched further strengthened our position. A weekly fiction based show called Sangam was launched in August. With Sangam, we extended our prime time to 7 pm, followed by Santan at 7:30 pm. Santan is doing extremely well in its time band with 2+ rating. Bidaai, which launched in the 9 pm slot is fetching good numbers. All the newly launched shows cumulatively have consolidated our position in the genre.

    What was the reason for extending prime time?
    Traditionally prime time was always considered to have started from 7:30 pm. But a regular viewer of TV generally gets near the TV around 7, so we thought why not extend our prime time. It sort of prepares the viewers for bigger shows lined up from 8:30 pm.

    Is it true that one of Star Plus’ big ticket shows – Kasautii Zindagii Kay – is going off air?
    Yes it is. It has reached its end. It was a mutual decision taken by both Star and Balaji. For further details you have to wait for a formal announcement.

    Star Plus poached Gajendrra Siingh and his whole team for Star Voice of India, yet it could not fetch the kind of business that Star Plus was looking forward to. What were the reasons that producers of an old and successful show like Sa Ra Ga Ma could not deliver so well on the Star platform?
    Any show’s success is attributed to three or four parameters. There is no direct comparison between the two yet there are some. Sa Re… is an eight to nine years old show, and Star VOI just debuted this year. I think for the first year it has fetched good TRPs. It has garnered 4 to 4.5 TRPs. Besides, it has been extremely consistent with ads. Above all, it has been able to give competition to an old and established show.

    Soon after VOI reached its finale, you had Chhote Ustaad to compete with Zee’s Li’l Champs on the same slot? Where is the differentiated programming?
    It was part of an intended move to retain viewership of the VOI slot. It enjoyed a TRP of 2.8 in its initial weeks. As far as reality shows are concerned, I think these kinds of shows build and develop a relationship with the contestants. The viewers come back on the same show for the bondage that they share with the participants.

    How has the story of Star One been shaping up now?
    What you see now in Star One gives you a feel of serious resurgence. Star One is the number three GEC in the country in ratings. In the last four to five weeks, we have been garnering about 76 GRPs in all day parts, which is about 49 per cent up as compared to the period four weeks before that. This is on the back of the four properties that we have launched recently.

    We launched Dil Mil Gaye, which has touched a TRP of 2, Annu ki hoi gaya Wah Bhai Wah, Choona Hain Aasman, we are launching Pari Hoon Main in the next week, which kind of completes our week day prime time. In the week end we have launched Bol Baby Bol which again has a TRP of 2. We have tasted fair success with Chak De Punjabi. There are lots of vacant time bands in Star One which has not been programmed. There are couple of other shows which will make Star One as the big player in the space.

    With so many launches are you reinventing Star One?
    Yes we are, I mean kind of. Star One was one of the most successful launches seen in the space. We had a great success story. But yes, somewhere down the line, we shifted focus for a variety of reasons. In terms of programming, Star One ended up becoming very similar to Star Plus. What we are doing now is to re-define Star One’s programming for a differentiated market.

    Star One is now completely redesigned, with a universal appeal, yet differentiated. If you take Bol Baby Bol, hosted by Adnan Sami. It is a reality format show, which has mass appeal, yet it is differentiated as it is a lyrics based show. This is a first of its kind show in India. This goes out for Annu ki…, Pari Hoon Main, Dil mil Gaye and Choona Hain Aasman.

    Shows of this kind have a lot of drama in them, yet they are differentiated. Context and sensibility makes them differentiated.
    ‘Nach Baliye grew so huge that it needed a bigger platform than Star One could afford to provide‘

    Do you think that at one point of time Star One was almost a shadow of Star Plus?
    Hmm, yes when more than a year back, when some of the shows of Star Plus were brought on Star One. Somewhere there had been a duplication of identity.

    But now Star One has defined itself and is certainly differentiated from Star Plus in all respects. Star Plus is a complete family entertainer while Star One’s TG is fixed at the 25-34 age in the top 20 cities.

    When Star One launched, it had set its TG as totally urban youth. Do you think the TG could not contribute anything to Star One’s success?
    What happened was, by default, whatever shows were on air were urban skewed. But some of the programmes did have universal appeal. Like Nach Baliye, which had a phenomenal success, had universal appeal. Same goes for The Great Indian Laughter Challenge.

    A flagship show like Nach Baliye, which has its contribution in putting Star One in the success grid was shifted to an already successful channel and Star One was left only with The Great Indian Laughter Challenge?
    Nach Baliye is a big show. With every year, it grew in volume and economies. It grew so huge that it needed a bigger platform than Star One could afford to provide. The show was so large that it needed a platform like Star Plus to do justice to it. The shift has also got some new shows infused in Star one. It is not that Nach Baliye was uprooted from Star One and nothing was done to Star One. We had a series of launches after it. The good news is that even when Star One does not have Nach Baliye, yet it is on the verge of becoming number three in the GEC space.

    Even The Great Indian Laughter Challenge has been taken off from Star One?
    It is only in its seasonal break. It will come back in a couple of months. There was fatigue after the three seasons were back-to-back.

    Did Comedy Circus on Sony contribute to the fatigue?
    I think Comedy Circus was after LC. It did not have any effect.
    Star One is re-running its popular show Sarabhai vs Sarabhai in its prime time at 9:30 pm. Why not bring it back with new episodes?
    Lots of people are asking for it. Logistically we are working out the possibilities.

    How do you shape up your marketing for the various properties that Star India has?
    We always get the consumer engaged and get the consumer to experience the brand. Many properties on Star Plus have been marketed well on ground activities. Our effort is to shift the focus from mass media to on ground, engaging one-to-one communication with the consumers. Information has to be transferred to the consumer without any barrier in between. That is what an on-ground activity does. It breaks the barrier.

    Properties have been marketed well, whether it’s the on-ground event, road show or a mega event. We are constantly getting more and more into it. It is what we call engagement model. It is nothing but to engage the viewers with the brand, so that they experience more of the brand. We have rounded off 16-20 cities. Before any launch, we actually do a variety of activities and events in these cities.
    Do you see the launch of NDTV Imagine as a threat, if not to Star Plus and Zee, then at least to the lower rung channels where competition is getting tougher?
    The space will get fragmented. Connection with the audience is the best way to beat the competition. Star plus has been doing it extremely well and it will continue to do so.

     

    Some of the major content providers like Hats Off, Sagar Arts and SOL are also working on the up-coming channels. Do you agree that is going to create some conflict?
    I agree that producers bring a lot to the table. With so many channels floating in the market, I do not think duplication of content can be at all avoided. A show being successful has many factors to it. First is the content, second is the platform it is on, and third is the relationship with it.

     

    Coming to Star World, you launched some TG specific shows in the middle of 2007. How has been the response?
    We introduced some familiar shows which got tremendous response, especially for the SEC A, which is the TG of the channel. Shows like Heroes and Desperate Housewives are working tremendously well. But we have to understand that the Star World universe is relatively very small.

     

    How does the story look like with Star Gold?
    It is faring well. It is after Set Max and neck and neck with Zee Cinema. There have been lots of other properties that Star Gold pioneered like Star Gold Sabse Favourite Kaun and Star Gold Comedy Honours.

     

    Earlier Star Gold had dubbed movies, now there are movies channels completly dedicated to dubbed content. Which markets do dubbed content work?
    It works all across all the markets. Some of the films really work. Films which have good action and thrills work well in this genre.

    What was new to Star Plus in 2007? What’s on the cards?
    What you see now is certainly some freshness in its content, with some new launches in the year- Bidaai, Jai Maa Durga. We will get periodic innovation in the channel as and when required. Nothing is to be changed now.
  • ‘Why would BCCI want its biggest new property on a new channel?’ – Kunal Dasgupta

    ‘Why would BCCI want its biggest new property on a new channel?’ – Kunal Dasgupta

    For Sony Entertainment Television (Set) India CEO Kunal Dasgupta, the big wish for 2008 is to throw up that one hit narrative show that would get some momentum going for his network’s flagship channel Set. Other than the vexed issue of Set and its equally struggling Hindi GEC sibling Sab, the network is doing fine thank you, argues the long serving head honcho of the Indian broadcast operations of Sony Pictures  In conversation with Indiantelevision.com recently, Dasgupta looks back on the difficult year that was 2007 and offers some pointers to the strategic direction Set India (now renamed Multi Screen Media Private Limited) is looking to take in 2008 and beyond.Excerpts:

    Let’s start with the new name. Is this because your parent Sony Pictures Entertainment is distancing the Sony brand name from the Indian broadcast entity?
    Certainly not. The name is reflective of the company’s evolution from a pure television broadcaster to a multimedia one. We want to be on all screens that are video enabled. Going forward, we will be actively investing in mobile, movies, Internet, and out of home screens. Mobile in particular is going to be a focus area for us.

    When you say you want to be on all screens, could you elaborate on that?
    I am going to be recycling the over 30,000 hours of television content and 750+ movie titles that I have with me. We plan to repurpose a lot of it not just across the different screens, but across networks too. The realm of exclusivity is no longer the norm. To stay ahead of the game you have to be focused on how best to leverage the content that you have.

    Like the Rs 40 crore (RS 400 million) deal you did with Peter Mukerjea’s INX for 60 movie titles?
    Yes. That deal entitles INX to three airings of each film I have syndicated to them.

    Looking back to 2007, how would you rate the performance of the channels in the Sony network?
    Well, Max was fantastic; Pix became viable. On Sony and Sab we have suffered reverses on account of our fiction programming not working.

    And looking ahead into 2008?
    The business paradigm is changing and we are at the forefront of that. You could say we are the catalysts for change. Syndication, mobile; these are going to be areas that will explode. The one who reads the writing on the wall and adapts will survive.

    How has the year been in terms of revenues? The perception in the market is that Sony had a terrible year?
    If you add up ad sales, distribution and our international business, it would be Rs 1,200 crores (Rs 12 billion) overall, so you can’t say it was a terrible year.

    One reason for the perception that Sony had a lousy year, aside from its programming not working, was the ICC World Cup debacle in March. We understand you lost some RS 800 million odd due to India’s early exit. Comment?

    The ICC rights should not be looked at from the results from one tournament, but on how it delivered over four years. And it delivered on every count for us.

    Looking at the larger perspective, what have been the big challenges the broadcast sector faced and will face, going forward?
    The pathetically slow pace of digital rollout (Cas) has been the biggest challenge for existing players. Though I do believe digital distribution will come into play from 2008 onwards.Combating all these new players will be the big upcoming challenge. The (leadership) pecking order will have to be reestablished. Star is not complacent in its position of number 1. Even Zee as a challenger is not complacent. Everybody will face challenge. The whole media business will face challenge.

    The industry is seeing huge churn now. The channel explosion is going to further fragment audiences. We will soon have 9/10 channels in each of the genres – news, sports and movies.

    You say pathetically slow digital rollout on the cable front is the biggest challenge for the new players as well as the existing players. But if we look at 9X, the numbers they are drawing are not due to cannibalization, but due to new viewers?
    It’s not cannibalization of GEC but other genres like music.

    So you don’t believe that people have an inherent desire to consume entertainment content but may have been tuned off by the lack of variety presently on offer so they are trying out channels like 9X?
    It’s not just 9X. Even Bindass is getting new viewers. 9X is making a lot of noise but give me a name of one show that stands out. On NDTV Imagine also, nothing will stand out.

    What do we have in 2008? BCCI’s Indian Premier League will take off and what else?
    I don’t know on which channel it will take off. I hope it is on ours.

    But as you yourself said, there will be new sports channels launching and we should expect bids from new players?
    They can of course bid but why would BCCI want its biggest new property on a new channel? Its not just money, they (the cricket board) have to make it successful.

    We do have an example of Ten Sports, which launched with World Cup Soccer in 2002?

    There were only two channels – ESPN and Star Sports – then. Today there are seven channels (DD Sports, Ten Sports, Zee Sports, ESPN, Star Sports, Star Cricket, Neo Sports). Additionally, Max is half a sports channel.

    Each time you launch a new channel, the space will get further fragmented. There is too much out there. There is going be a blood bath.

    What about a platform proposition, like in the case of Sky in the UK? For a rights holder, could IPL potentially become as critical as EPL was to Sky?

    Firstly, in India no exclusivity is being allowed. Secondly, the new guys bidding for the rights are channels which are not yet launched. If platforms like Dish TV or Reliance were to buy the rights, then I would understand but the guys buying are unknown people. They are all startups. They are doing it for their business valuations. They are not bothered whether IPL succeeds or not. Whereas BCCI wants IPL to succeed. IPL will collapse with new players.

    Coming back to the year ahead, how do you see 2008 for your network and the industry?

    As far as the industry is concerned, we would want to see the Reliance launches happening. It’s a very big thing. Then IPL should succeed. New players should enter digital distribution in the cable front. More people are required, more funding is required.

    As for ourselves, we will take some other new initiatives and continue to build our business. We need one hit show. Saat Phere was the starting point for Zee. I need one hit show from Monday to Thursday. That is my perspective. I have no problem in any other area of my business except that. We need to build up, which is not happening.

    Each channel is doing its own thing and so are we. In the meantime, I am doing syndication and international distribution. I am doing everything right except getting that one hit show.