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Tag: Joe Millionaire

  • International format TV Tim Crescenti launches ‘Small World IFT’

    International format TV Tim Crescenti launches ‘Small World IFT’

    MUMBAI: International format television veteran Tim Crescenti has launched ‘Small World IFT’ which will be an international entertainment format consulting company.

    Crecenti’s most recent format tie-up was with Fox World and Sony Pictures International Television.

    The company will aim at developing, acquiring, producing and distributing television formats in the global arena with a personal, hands-on approach. Based in Los Angeles, Small World will help independent producers and broadcasters to develop their ideas and local original productions into viable international formats to be licensed worldwide.

    As Crescenti’s background includes international sales and production, Small World will also supervise productions so as to maintain the integrity of the licenses.

    As part of the launch, Crescenti announced that he had already secured two deals for his new company. He will be consulting for the European powerhouse Viasat Broadcasting, to find and create new formats, as well as to work with the Viasat stations on their local productions. He will be working closely with Todd Lituchy, president of entertainment for Viasat Broadcasting. Viasat Broadcasting is the largest free-to-air and pay-TV broadcaster in Scandinavia and the Baltic States, delivering entertainment programming in 19 countries across Europe.

    The second deal Crescenti has landed will involve consulting for leading Asian commercial station NTV Japan, advising them on format sales as they seek to grow their international licensing business. Crescenti will be working with Yukiko Kimishima, head of licensing business for NTV.

    “The studio system in which I have been a part of has provided me with the terrific opportunity of developing fantastic relationships with both the broadcasting and producing communities worldwide,” commented Crescenti. “In today’s competitive and chaotic format climate, I see a real need out there for stations and producers around the world to deal directly without the studio layers and have some fun. And as we know, for US producers, sometimes it is best for them to launch a new format or program in another country, work the bugs out, and then bring it home to the US broadcasters with some muscle. With my close relationships with broadcasters and producers around the world, I can connect these people and perhaps make the world a better place through the power of television formats.”

    Crescenti has worked in over 40 countries supervising more than 100 productions. He has spent the last two years at Fox World as vice president international production where he covered the worldwide roll-out of Fox’s expanding roster of international formats including Joe Millionaire, Simple Life, My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiancée, and Face Off. He was also credited with acquiring, developing, and producing 28 episodes of Secret Attractions for Fox Life in Italy.

    Prior to Fox World, Crescendo was with Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI) for six years as vice president of international formats working for his mentor, Paul Gilbert, based first in Los Angeles and then in London where he found and acquired Dragon’s Den from NTV Japan which was recently renewed for BBC2. He oversaw the company’s growing international sales operations while establishing 28 light entertainment productions within an 18-month period. In addition to Dragon’s Den, Crescenti introduced the worldwide format Russian Roulette.

  • Disney’s Bird stresses importance of non linear content

    Disney’s Bird stresses importance of non linear content

    MUMBAI: One of the media conglomerates looking at India in a major way is Disney. Walt Disney International president Andy Bird spoke on the importance of compelling content as well as the increasing importance of non linear content.
     

    ” Linear content is increasingly becoming a thing of the past. Finding Nemo is not just available on DVD but also on wireless, Internet. Content creators need to identify multiple consumer touch points. We see a huge opportunity in the Indian animation arena, which is valued at $1 billion. This segment will grow in India at 30 per cent. Besides film and television animation the industry also needs to focus on other areas of the field like games, advertising, music videos, mobile content. India represents a huge opportunity as you’ll have 340 million children below the age of 15.

    “60 per cent of your population is below the age of 34. The entertainment sector is experiencing multifaceted growth. The challenge is that while the number of television channels has exploded into three figures just 43 per cent of Indian households are currently being tapped.”

    He went on to add that Disney’s job was to tell the best story. Right now, while no direct plans for launching the channel has been put in place, the Disney team at Frames is examining the market and the opportunities. Bird noted that Disney had been providing programmes to the pubcaster Doordarshan for a decade now. Its joint venture ESPN Star Sports now reaches 23 million homes. It has over 50 licensees in the country for its toys and other merchandise.

    “The advantage of an emerging market like India is that state of the art technology is implemented straightaway. You do not have to replace old legacy infrastructure systems. One attitudinal change is that the current generation wants all the cool stuff. There is an inbuilt redundancy that they are used to and the good news is that as technology moves forward the prices will keep falling. The challenge is to continuously create compelling and innovative content.”

    Taking a different direction was Nielsen Media research International CEO Robert L McCann. While viewing research as a tool for driving growth for broadcasters and advertisers, he said that one of the major challenges facing the company is the increasingly fragmented market especially in the US. 

    “We need to target finer slices of information. 40 per cent of all shows get a rating of 0.2 due to this problem. The good news is that research technology is getting cheaper going forward,” he said.

    Presenting a contrast between the Indian and US landscapes, McCann noted that VCR penetration in India is a mere three per cent. In the US it is as high as 91 per cent. While all US homes have colour televisions, in India only half the urban populace has them. Remote control penetration has similar number in the US, while in India it is just 32 per cent. This will naturally have an effect on the impact of the advertiser. Cable and satellite penetration is 63 per cent for the urban areas while television penetration is higher at 76 per cent.

    He said that the Internet had not affected the amount of television people were watching in the US which is around 29 hours a week. However people do not watch more than 15 channels. This number has stayed constant over the past 15 years regardless of channel increase. 

    Saturation can thus be expected. With increased fragmentation the share of broadcast networks NBC, ABC and CBS have fallen to below 40 per cent. He also emphasised the increasingly important role of personal video recorders. Right now it is available in 3.2 million homes in the US. This figure is expected to go up to over 20 million in 2006.

    “This presents a problem for the advertisers and broadcasters. PVRs allow viewers to zap commercials. Today though broadcasters are realising the value of product placement in their shows. Lower subscription rates coupled with easy installation will increase the popularity of PVRs. Another feature of the PVR is that it allows for pausing and then replaying live content. What we found is that 75 per cent of content that is replayed is done so that same day. This way the message of the advertiser is still relevant.”

    He also touched upon the issue of reality television. ” The jury is out on whether it can save the broadcast networks. The fact of the matter however is that not all reality content works. The Next Joe Millionaire failed to replicate the success of the original. While reality shows are cheap to make the problem for the syndicate networks is that there is no sign that there are many residual benefits.”

  • Star World’s new series follows in Joe’s tracks

    Star World’s new series follows in Joe’s tracks

    MUMBAI: Unfazed by the less than lukewarm response elicited by the airing of Fox series Joe Millionaire late 2003, Star World is embarking on another journery into the voyeuristic delights of watching women choose a man or his money.

    For Love Or Money, a six episode unscripted drama series premieres on the channel on 22 January at 9 pm. It has 15 beautiful women competing for one man, all of whom come hoping to find love but are surprised to learn in the first episode that there is also a million dollar prize at stake – but the winner and the bachelor will not know that she ultimately must choose between the man of her dreams or one million dollars.

    Jordan Murphy (Boston Public) will host the series, guiding the contestants through numerous twists and turns as they try to win the heart of a handsome and charming Dallas defence attorney. Though the bachelor is unaware of the million dollar incentive, the women know from the beginning that the lucky girl he chooses will win the money. However, it is at the end that the women get to know that it is finally the man or the money that the winner will have to choose.

    According to an official release, an unexpected turn of events in the fourth episode will take the series to a new level as the stakes become higher for all the participants. In the final episode, the bachelor will make his choice – and the winning contestant will make hers – decisions that could affect both of their lives forever, claims the release.

    Star World is also showcasing former front man of rock group The Police with Sting: Inside the Songs of Sacred Love airing on 21 January at 9 pm. Released to tie in with Sting’s 2003 album Sacred Love, this television special features a collection of Sting’s hits from both his solo career and his time with The Police. Filmed in Malibu and Los Angeles, California, the majority of the material in this programme is new, including interviews with himself and his band, rehearsal and documentary footage, and a special duet with Mary J. Blige.

  • ‘The Next Joe Millionaire’ is a cowboy

    LOS ANGELES: The first Joe Millionaire wooed his way into the hearts of gold-digging women with horses, jewelry and expensive meals in the US. The Next Joe Millionaire is hoping to ride away with another ratings bonanza by convincing 14 beauties that he is a wealthy oil baron worth $80 million.
    David Smith, a 24-year-old Texas rodeo cowboy who makes $11,000 a year roping steers and riding bucks, admits he had his work cut out for him in persuading sophisticated women that he was the man of their dreams.
    “It’s funny cause I’m not an actor, I’m not a model, I’m just a cowboy and I love to rodeo, and I was at a rodeo when they asked me to come to this show, which I had no idea was Joe Millionaire,” Smith said.
    Producers of The Next Joe Millionaire had to find European women to be in the show, because it was nearly impossible to find Americans who hadn’t heard about the twist of the first hugely popular Joe Millionaire – so the follow-up will feature competitors with names such as Petra, Giada, Jerusha, Olinda and Alessia from countries such as the Czech Republic, Sweden, Norway and Germany.
    Like the first Joe, Evan Marriott, Smith said deceiving the women wasn’t always easy. “It got tough, there were times I didn’t even want to be there, like literally I couldn’t take it anymore, lying to them, ’cause I felt bad,” he said. “But the lie was that I inherited $80 million from my uncle, and my family is real close and we’re all in the oil business, so it made the lie easier to remember.”
    Another complicating factor was that these ladies are nothing like the ones Smith’s used to dating. “Cowgirls are great too, there’s nothing wrong with cowgirls. These women are more into fashion and style. My concern is I’m a cowboy and I don’t know what Gucci is.”
    However, the job had its perks. “These girls were all outgoing, good-looking, very smart girls, they made my time enjoyable,” Smith said.
    The Next Joe Millionaire: An International Affair will premier on 20 October on the Fox channel in the US.

  • ‘Joe Millionaire’ to debut on Star World in October

    MUMBAI: Joe Millionnaire, the hit reality show that raked in millions in greenbacks for the Fox Network earlier this year, is scheduled to hit Star World from 16 October.
    ‘Joe Millionaire’ Evan Marriott with finalists Sarah (left) and Zora
    Slated to air in the Thursday 10 pm slot, the one currently occupied by The Practice, Joe Millionaire is one of the new clutch of shows that the channel is rolling out in a phased manner this quarter. Millionaire revolves around 20 women who compete for the affections of a bachelor who they think is worth $ 50 million, not knowing that he is in fact a construction worker making $19,000 a year. The show evoked unprecedented mania in the US when it was aired, striking a chord with viewers, averaging ratings that rivalled that of Super Bowl games. It instantly proved a hit with its blend of dating game and practical jokes, attracting 18.6 million viewers for its premiere. 
    According to data from Nielsen Media Research, the two-hour finale of Fox’s Joe Millionaire reality series, which began its run on 6 January this year, was nothing less than a blockbuster for the network, with an average of 34.6 million people tuning in. No other show on the other major networks drew more than about 18 million viewers in any one half-hour during the night, according to Nielsen data. The final hour of the show, at 9 pm, drew a 40 per cent share of TV viewers aged 18-49, the key demographic for advertisers. 
    Among women ages 18 to 34 who were watching TV at 9 pm, 50 per cent turned on Joe Millionaire. Fox, say reports, had sold 30 second commercial spots for the finale for upwards of $550,000 each, one of the highest ever for a regular series, Reports say it was the highest rated series telecast on any network since CBS’ premiere of Survivor II in January 2001 – in the post-Super Bowl slot, which also said it was Fox’s highest-rated entertainment programme ever. 
    And who was the lucky girl that got the groom at the end of it all? Zora Andrich beat blond Sarah Kozer in the finale of the show that had 19 women vying for Evan Marriot’s affections through the competition. Zora and Evan went away from $ 1 million richer for their pains, loose change as far as what Fox raked in by the end of the series.
    The question is whether it will draw viewers in India? Not all reality shows with their origins abroad have been a success in India. Temptation Island, which also aired on Star World, wound up hastily after the first season, while, on the other hand, AXN claims to have tasted success with the Hot N Wild formula. Whether viewers take to Joe , especially since the end result is known, will be known soon enough.

  • News Corp reports record results, set for further earnings growth

    MUMBAI: “A record end to a record year. The most profitable fourth quarter ever and the most profitable year in our company’s 80 years of existence.”

    That was how Rupert Murdoch described the record earnings at News Corp Ltd’s filmed entertainment, television, cable TV and Harper Collins publishing businesses that have powered the media moghul’s company to a 2002/03 fiscal fourth-quarter profit of $370 million, compared with a loss of $1.74 billion last year. Revenues rose 21 per cent, to $4.6 billion from $3.8 billion, last year.


    The loss last year was in large part due to the $1.9 billion write-down of its 43 per cent investment in Gemstar-TV Guide International Inc.
    ‘A record end to a record year’: Rupert Murdoch (Picture courtesy news.com.au)
    Full year net profit stood at $1.05 billion, driven mainly by strong growth in advertising revenues at its television and cable networks.
    Aided by programmes like American Idol and Joe Millionaire, the Fox network reversed its lacklustre performance from the previous year and the Fox News Channel’s profit nearly doubled with higher ad revenue overcoming increased costs of coverage of the US-led invasion of Iraq.
    DVD and video sales of movies including Ice Age and Shallow Hal added to cinema releases of X2: X-Men United, Daredevil, 28 Days Later, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and One Hour Photo to all added to the News Corp kitty.
    Asked by reporters if News Corp’s latest earnings results were as good as it gets for the company, Murdoch was quoted as saying: “Of course not. We’re not going to rest until we are many times this.”
    That statement was backed up by company CFO David DeVoe who said that News Corp and its Fox Entertainment business were gearing up for another strong result in 2003/04.
    “We expect that 2004 operating income growth at News Corporation will be in the range of high single digits to low double digit, which includes absorbing losses from Sky Italia of approximately $300 million,” De Voe was quoted as saying.
    Speaking about News Corp’s $6.6 billion acquisition of satellite television company DirecTV, Murdoch told financial analysts during a conference call that he remained hopeful the transaction would receive necessary regulatory approvals by the end of the year.

  • Fox pushes reality TV button further with sports based event

    Fox pushes reality TV button further with sports based event

    ARIZONA: The reality TV genre has proved a boon for Fox. Over 18 million viewers watched the first episode of Joe Millionaire.. Now the network is looking to make the genre more physical and action oriented in what has been pegged as television’s biggest payday

    The Best Western $10 Million Challenge is being pushed as the ultimate sports fantasy. Best Western is a worldwide hotel chain. The event will give ten average Joes the opportunity to each win $1 million, by successfully completing a challenge in one of four sports: baseball, football, basketball, or golf.

    The event will take place at the Wells Fargo Arena on the campus of Arizona State University. It will air on 26 July on the Fox Network (4:30 pm, ET; 4:00 pm, PT). The show will be co-hosted by Fox television personalities James Brown and Jillian Barberie and produced by Intersport.

    The prize structure is another innovation that the programme will boast of. Prizes will be awarded in varying degrees — for example, a contestant in the basketball challenge could choose a lay-up ($5,000), free-throw ($25,000), an NBA three-point shot ($100,000), or a 35-foot shot ($1,000,000!).

  • “AXN Asia’s ad revenue has grown by over 50 per cent regionwide” : Todd Miller AXN Asia managing director

    “AXN Asia’s ad revenue has grown by over 50 per cent regionwide” : Todd Miller AXN Asia managing director

    With the cricket World Cup out of the way, action channel AXN is moving into high gear. The channel launched 47 new shows last year and a similar number is promised this year. The action for this year is all set to kick off with the critically acclaimed drama series 24, airing from 8 April. The man spearheading these initiatives is AXN Asia managing director Todd Miller who took charge three years ago. Todd, as he likes to be called, sat down with Indiantelevision.com’s correspondent Ashwin Pinto and elaborated about the channels plans, the state of reality TV, CAS.

    Excerpts –

    CNN’s Chris Cramer recently blasted reality TV shows calling them a distraction from the important things in life. I would appreciate your views on the subject as well as on the future of reality shows in Asia and India?
    First of all, the worldwide popularity of reality TV is growing. Reality TV right now happens to be the hottest trend in television. That will change. TV goes through cycles and scripted entertainment will at some point re-emerge. My prediction is, fairly soon. By soon, I mean within a year or so. However, as a genre, reality TV will always be around and will always find a base for popularity. It will always form a key part of AXN’s programme lineup. From day one, AXN has had Reality on its schedule and has done well with Who Dares Wins.

    There is always going to be space for reality. I think that Chris Cramer would say the same thing. Now in terms of distraction, we do not see this programming in this manner. We see this as escapism and particularly the kinds of reality programmes that perform very well on AXN. Through shows like Fear Factor, Ripley’s Believe It or Not, ordinary people do extraordinary things. As such, these kinds of shows provide vicarious thrills, vicarious excitement, which energises and entertains our audience. We will continue providing shows that fulfil these desires.

    Will AXN get into the Bachelor, Bachelorette, Joe Millionaire, Popstars type of programming, which are being aired on mass entertainment channels in India and abroad? Look, we are an action adventure channel and we are very conscious that everything we do has to fit within the prism. The shows you mentioned are relationship shows, which happen to be doing very well in the United States. However they do not quite fit into the programme model that is AXN. We are very focussed on action adventure and we do not want to dilute that position. A show like Joe Millionaire has no action at all. It is all about relationships and emotions.

    What about local programmes being made exclusively for the Asian audience? ‘Who Dares Wins India Special’ is basically an extension of the Australian brand.
    Who Dares Wins was a show that was exclusively customised for the Indian audience. We borrowed the popular format, which we then modified for Asia, and India in particular. It was watched by 9.26 million people in the country and 43 per cent of SEC A. We will continue to invest in original productions to make the channel more relevant for our viewership here in India. I can’t say much at this point except that we will be back. We will be bigger, bolder and we hope to take your breath away around August-September.

    What are the new programmes being launched this year on AXN and do they signify any change in programme strategy from last year?
    There will be no change in strategy. We are action adventure specialists, always have been and will be. Our programme mix remains movies, series, reality programmes and some animated shows. That does not change. What does change is the scheduling pattern. We have to make our programmes a better fit to Indian viewers’ lifestyles. We are upgrading the Prime Zone to 10 pm and we are now concentrating on movies for the weekends. On Prime Zone, you will see different series each night, which have both pedigree and buzz.

    We are happy with the response received to the X Zone every weeknight at 9 pm and so this timing will not change. This includes the reality themed The Right Stuff, Fear Factor, Guinness World Records. In addition, Rated X is on a new time slot of 9:30 pm on Fridays. This gives you the lowdown of Hollywood cinema such as what are the latest films, who is dating whom?

    We will also be introducing the CSI spin-off show, which is CSI Miami. Later in the year, viewers can expect to see The Shield with Michael Chiklis as well as NBC’s Boomtown.

    “We want AXN to be a core channel among the staple of channels that the upscale 20-something attitudinal Indian viewer watches“

    Are you looking at a greater degree of experimentation?
    We are looking at a lot of variety in the shows under the action adventure umbrella. We hope to provide choice and we will be introducing a lot of shows. The 11 new shows we will be introducing from April to June are more in the spirit of variety and freshness and not experimentation. After four-and-a-half years of broadcasting in India, we have a pretty good grip on what drives the Indian viewer.

    From which television companies and production houses does AXN acquire content and what are the criteria for acquisition?
    Actually, that is a very good question. Few people ask it. AXN has the luxury of shopping around the world for content. In fact, just last week we had executives in Cannes for MIPTV talking to all the world’s leading content distributors so we could find the best action adventure shows.

    Much of our programming originates from the United States. Having said that, we are blind to the origin so long as the show has quality, is action oriented and is aspirational. We want the viewer to say “wow, I wish I could do that” or “I cannot believe she did that” or “Isn’t being Jack Bauer the coolest job?” A show like The Amazing Race, where couples travel around the world, is aspirational as people watch it and then say, “Gosh, I wish I could be on that show”. If you look beyond the action label, the underlying quality to all our shows is aspirational.

    These are the key criteria for us. We have acquired programmes from all the major Hollywood studios as well as practically all the leading independent ones. The supply is broad based. By having so many different sources of content, it enables us to create a very competitive and compelling channel.

    How much is original and how much do you source from outside?
    Almost everything is acquired. We are just entering into the original content production business. This is quite important for us in terms of branding and profiling. As a percentage of our content, it is very small. But it will grow.

    What would be the cost of acquiring a critically acclaimed property like ’24’ and what share are you hoping the channel will get from it?
    In our licensing agreements with major studios, price is one of the terms that is confidential. I will say that it is never cheap. But 24 is a quality show and you pay for what you get. That is the way we look at it. In terms of channel share, AXN is consistently performing among the top three international channels. We have every intent to stay in the top three.

    “We screen everything and censor for Indian sensibilities. With Survivors, we miscalculated“

    How much of content aired on the channel gets screened in advance to avoid hurting viewer sentiment?
    We screen everything and censor for Indian sensibilities. With Survivor, we miscalculated. For scripted shows like 24, CSI, they do not represent a real risk. There is nothing objectionable about them. They are realistic but fictionalised. We stick to the broadcast standards in India and the other countries in which we broadcast.

    It was mentioned last year that though AXN’s programmes are increasing in popularity, the perception and clarity about the channel’s image was still a ‘bit fudgy’. Kindly elaborate.
    I am surprised that you said that. Every indication is to the contrary. We are unequivocally an action adventure channel. There are three phases in a brand’s growth. The first phase is the eye, the second phase is the mind and the third phase is the heart. The eye will witness. People are aware of us. They know AXN. The second stage is the understanding of the brand that is action adventure of four programme types in our case. The heart phase refers to more loyalty. We want AXN to be a core channel among the staple of channels that the upscale 20-something attitudinal Indian viewer watches.

    There were reports a couple of months ago about participants suing production companies in the US over reality shows like ‘Big Brother’ citing emotional and mental damage. Any comments?
    I cannot comment on that as I am just not close to the facts. However I can assure you that when we return later in the year to look for India’s wildest and hottest couple, it will done in the spirit of fun, adventure and with the Indian sensibility in mind.

    Besides India, which countries is the channel concentrating on for growing the brand in terms of share and revenue?
    Every country in the Asian region. There is room for growth everywhere. India is a priority market though. It is one of our top five markets in Asia. Long-term, we see it as key.

    Our other markets are Taiwan, Philippines, Singapore and to some extent, Malaysia which is a recent market. Long term, we also have to look at China. The expectation over time is that the Chinese government will become more flexible in their policy towards international broadcasters.

    Are there any other large ground initiatives and events in the pipeline in the near future?
    Well, the sequel to the Who Dares Wins India Special is one ground initiative. The hot and wild effort will be another. They will be quite noteworthy.

    In terms of distribution in India and Asia, have any targets been set?
    We are very well distributed. We are one of the most widely distributed international channels. In India right now, our reach is some 24 million homes. In Asia, the brand is in over 70 million homes.

    Do you see strong partnerships and associations for AXN’s programming team, which will collaborate with brands like Axe to jointly create new content?
    Yes. I think that many Indian advertisers like AXN – one because of our premium viewership which we offer. They also appreciate our ability to provide associations that are both unique and world class. We also do innovations both on air and on the ground. We will continue to work with advertisers as creatively as we can to help grow their brands and our business. We have managed to grow ad revenue by over 50 per cent regionwide.

    How do you see the Indian cable and satellite fraternity gearing up to meet the CAS challenge?
    CAS will benefit a channel like AXN because it introduces transparency and it allows us as a programmer to get more of our fair share of the subscription pie. The concern we have is on implementation because of the lack of clarity and possibly the lack of preparedness by the industry. So we hope that it is implemented well but the thrust should be positive for us.

    In a CAS scenario what will AXN concentrate on as far as revenue is concerned? Subscription or advertising?
    Both will drive revenues. They are equally important streams. It is not in our genetic makeup to take the route of a premium channel, which has done away with ads.

  • Indian networks still wary of reality TV shows and ‘soaps’!

    Indian networks still wary of reality TV shows and ‘soaps’!

    CNN‘s chief Chris Cramer‘s speech at Ficci Frames 2003 has really put “reality TV in India under perspective! Taking about reality TV, Cramer said that this new broadcasting phenomenon, which has touched all lives in recent years and has gained popularity in the US and in Europe, is drowning the rest of the people in broadcasting.

    Cramer called it a “distraction” which took audiences minds off important things in life. However, he congratulated Indians who have somehow managed to remain beyond most of the “Big Brothers”, “Bachelors” and “Survivors” and more power to Indians for that! Are Indian networks still wary of reality TV shows and “soaps” which have scaled peaks of pop?

    In India, the reality television scene has been making waves due to individual efforts of players such as AXN. AXN derived tremendous mileage from bringing Mike Whitney down last year to host a series of Who Dares Wins India Specials.

    AXN‘s Rohit Bhandari (extreme right) with the winners of the India leg of Who Dares Win

    Whitney sure created quite a stir during his India visit and attracted hordes of youngsters and young-at-hearts”! Spotting a market in this niche area Zee also launched the its Reality TV channel on 1 February.

    But what about the latest breed of “reality merging with fiction” kind of programmes which can be shown on general entertainment channels? What is the reaction of Indian programming executives to the success of programmes such as Joe Millionaire, Bachelor, Bachelorette in the west? Will such a tightly structured reality show (in formula and execution) which typically sets its participants into a narrative mostly plotted out before the tape ever rolls, ever succeed in India?

    AXN India‘s vice president, sales and marketing Rohit Bhandari says: “There has been no real history to prove that shows like Bachelor, Bachelorette, Joe Millionaire would not work in India. The popularity of these shows will depend a lot on the kind of marketing that goes behind it and the way the show is built up. Though one would get this feeling as to why should an Indian bother about what is happening with someone in America. But as long as the viewers are made aware about the show and the show is entertaining and provides viewers with what they are looking for, there is no real reason why these shows should not do well.”

    However, in India very few are thinking about such shows after the debacle of the Madhuri Dixit show in 2002. A Sony Entertainment Television (SET) India spokesperson says: “The important thing is that programmes work in a context and an environment. Dating is not part of the Indian cultural milieu and is not a concept that television-viewing families would relate to.”

    Abroad, the recent successes have resulted in optimism and new plans have been formulated. Sky‘s Reality channel ‘Sky One Real‘ will be launched early this summer, states a Digital Spy report. The network holds the rights to many home-grown series such as the ...Uncovered strand and imported series such as Temptation Island and Boot Camp, all of which could make appearances in the new channel‘s schedule.

    The UK‘s first dedicated reality channel, ‘Reality TV‘, made its debut in October last year. The station immediately reported ratings as high as 70,000, a respectable figure for a minority digital channel. It has already made a presence in India on the Zee-Turner platform. Of course there are still distribution issues that need to be sorted out first, before any talk of ratings can even begin for the India venture.

    Survivor Amazon contestant Joanna Ward

    Since CBS‘s Survivor rushed to the top of the Nielsen ratings three years ago, network executives have known that reality shows can be enormously popular, stated a New York Times report in the beginning of the year.

    American Idol on the Fox network, led the way, drawing 25 million viewers two nights running and becoming the most-watched non-sports shows in the network‘s history.

    he success of shows like American Idol, The Bachelorette on ABC and Joe Millionaire on Fox was so impressive that numerous executives told the Times they were now ready to embrace plans for a radical restructuring of the network business, which previously had been talked about only as dimly possible, long-term adjustments.

    A New York Times op-ed article by Catherine Orenstein says that the most recent crop of reality television shows taps the fantasies we first learned from fairy tales: castles and fortunes, true love and romantic destiny, and above all that most perfect storybook union, the ‘‘fairy tale wedding.‘‘

    Not only will reality shows continue to flood network‘s schedules next fall, but television executives were also predicting such developments as an end to the traditional television season. Instead of the time-honored formula of introducing shows en masse in September and ending them in May, broadcast networks want to stagger the shows‘ debuts and banish repeats from the schedule almost entirely, the Times had reported.

    In the US, however, a new poll indicates that the viewer is starting to tire of Big Brother and Survivor. Though TV ratings paint a different story, the InsiderAdvantage survey of 1,000 adults conducted between 28 February and 4 March indicates that America‘s affection for the reality TV genre may be coming to an end. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus three per cent.

    When asked: “Are you becoming tired of so-called reality television programmes?” 67 per cent of respondents said “yes,” 22 per cent said “no,” and 11 per cent did not know or did not answer. Thirty-two per cent of respondents in the 18-to-29 year age group said they were not tiring of reality TV, the highest positive percentage. However, even among this youngest segment, 63 per cent said they were becoming tired of the genre. And all other demographic segments indicated a strong future trend away from such programming, according to the survey.

    However, this does not mean that the ratings will be poor for the reality television shows which will air in the US in the near future. It will probably be several months before the public really starts to rebel against the reality concept. And even then, if the alternatives are other reality programmes or the ultimate reality – war coverage – viewers may well continue to keep these programmes hot.

    The desirable “Joe Millionaire” – Evan Marriott

    InsiderAdvantage chairman and syndicated columnist Matt Towery has been quoted as saying that cable programmers would do well to keep in mind the term ‘becoming‘. Just like the Who Wants to be a Millionaire craze had to end, this second phase of reality television may be heading for the home stretch by the end of the year. In India, of course, Star Plus will most likely not renew the Indian version of the show Kaun Banega Crorepati. However, the success of Channel [V] Popstars and the girl band Viva it spawned has already inspired the network to plan the launch of similar shows in 2003.

    “However, reality shows and studio based game shows could be revised in concept to meet the cultural requirements. The reality show concepts will work if they belong to the Indian ethos and are executed keeping in mind the sentiments and beliefs of the people. Anything that offends the sensibilities will not go down well with the viewers,” says a SET India spokesperson.

    So will the future see reality shows with a touch of soap-element in terms of tight scripts, twists and turns? Reality merging with fiction to ensure viewer interest?

    “That sounds like a definition for docu-dramas which have worked extremely well for our channel. We have had Bhanwar and Missing – two shows that have combined reality with fiction and successfully recreated scenarios that have appealed to the viewers,” says the SET spokesperson.

    AXN‘s Rohit Bhandari adds: “Reality with a touch of the soap element, is already happening, though the content is packaged heavily around being a reality show. For example the Amazing Race on AXN is one such example as it is not just a reality show with people racing around the globe but it also has some elements of a
    drama building up in the form of inter personal relationships between team mates and teams.”

    “There are twists and turns that keep developing as the show progresses and there are instances where a team that is leading in one episode, might just lose their way and could probably get knocked out in the next episode and vice versa. Instances like this bring out a lot of drama and emotion within the show and make for interesting viewing,” says Bhandari.

    Western media analysts claim that the perverse charm of Joe Millionaire is that it‘s so upfront with viewers about its dishonesty — which makes it among the most honest of the reality-TV genre. Will Indian TV programming executives have the nerve to showcase such “real” dishonesty?