ITV

Tag: Launch Pad

  • Fatafati registers number one spot

    Fatafati registers number one spot

    MUMBAI: Five months is not much time for a fledgling television channel to prove itself but that’s now how Music F – Fatafati operates.

     

    Launched on 25 January, the channel from Royal Raj Media and Launch Pad has already registered numero uno position in week 19 of TAM TV ratings. What’s more, it has garnered a weekly GVT of 978 as compared to its competitors: Sangeet Bangla (807 GVTs) and DHM Bangla (714 GVTs).

     

    While this is no mean feat, Launch Pad director Vikas Varma feels five months is a tad longer than what it would have usually taken him to reach the number one spot. “If you look at my record, it has taken a little longer than it should have. When I launched 9XM, we became number one in two weeks and beat MTV, which was the number one channel then. When I launched Hummra M (Bhojpuri music channel), it took me four weeks to become number one. In comparison, it has taken us a little longer here in Bengal. But that only goes to show how strong the market in Bengal is and how strong the competition is,” said Varma.

     

    So what is it about Music F – Fatafati that has endeared it to Bengali viewers? For starters, the 24*7 free-to-air channel targets the 15-24 years age group and airs the latest Bengali music. 20-30 per cent of the content is original with high-octane music in the mornings and evenings and softer, more romantic numbers in the afternoons. Punctuating the music shows are 3D animations and cartoon shorts around the channel’s comic heroes – Jagai, Madhai and Pappi Da.

     

    There isn’t too much research unlike most other channels. “There is not a high intensity research per se. We never did too much of research earlier also. It is just the basic TAM research that the team does every week in terms of connectivity and time spent,” informed Varma.

     

    Ask Varma and he says the entire personality of the channel is the key differentiator which has worked in its favour. “It is a cool, sophisticated and down-to-earth channel. By default, that is the place where everyone wants to go. If you look at it, the songs are the same which are running on all other channels; it is the personality which is different,” he said.

     

    While the channel didn’t have a single advertiser during the first month, it has now attracted several advertisers. “Right now, we have got 30 plus brands advertising on our channel. And a lot of new brands are also coming on. Advertisers are very bullish about the channel,” said Varma, adding that most advertisers are now supporting Fatafati as it is giving them numbers.

     

    The channel’s distribution on cable is 100 per cent, while it still has no presence on DTH. “Obviously, we want to expand our distribution, but it is too expensive and we are hoping that we will come on all the DTH platforms soon,” reasons Varma.

     

    A property to which Varma attributes a large portion of Fatafati’s success is Dance Party Jhinchak, a show that was launched on 14 April. Having collaborated with Hindustan Unilever’s immensely popular male grooming brand AXE, this property had been designed on a similar theme as the AXE Boat Party. It was aired between 10-10.30 pm every day for a period of three months.

     

    Extensive marketing activation was done in Kolkata including hoardings, radio spots and tying up with Radio Mirchi. “This is one of the reasons why ratings have gone up,” said Varma. According to insiders, while close to Rs 20 to Rs 25 crore is required to start a regional music channel, in the case of Fatafati, between Rs 15 to Rs 20 crore was invested. Varma informed that the channel was on course to break even sooner than later.

  • Now a Fatafati music treat for Bongs

    Now a Fatafati music treat for Bongs

    MUMBAI: For all those Bengalis out there, one more music channel has been added to the existing list. However, Music F Fatafati – launched on 25 January by Royal Raj Media and Launch Pad – claims to change the way Bangla music is consumed.

    For starters, the name is but the street language (Rasta) equivalent of ‘rocking’ and ‘awesome’. The 24X7 free-to-air channel targets the 15-24 year age group and airs the latest Bengali music.  In between the shows, viewers will be punctuated by 3D animations and cartoon shorts around funny characters – Jagai, Madhai and Pappi Da – lovingly called ‘the heroes of the channel’.

    About the launch, Royal Raj Media director Siddharth Misra says: “We are pleased to tie up with Launch Pad for the launch of Music F – Fatafati and offer the latest in Bangla music to our audiences. With a strategic tie up with Eskay Films, we hope to deliver a fantastic product.”

    While Fatafati currently has 20-30 per cent original content on air with high-energy numbers in the morning and evening, and softer, more romantic songs in the afternoon, plans are to initially focus on contemporary Bangla film music and later provide differentiated content through the tie up with Eskay. Eskay Films director Himanshu Dhanuka says he is excited to be a part of this collaboration to promote Bangla music culture and looks forward to more such associations in the future.

    Launch Pad director Vikas Varma, who played a key role in the 9XM launch, explains the concept behind Fatafati. “After the successful launch of various TV channels like 9XM etc., Music F – Fatafati has been very close to my heart. In the past five to six years, Bengali music and movies have achieved world-class standards. I believe this channel will change the way viewers consume music. This is my gift to all Bangla music lovers,” he says, before adding, “We have grown by 100 per cent from the first week to the second week.” Fatafati, which is facing tough competition from Dhoom, Tara Music and Sangeet Bangla, has achieved number two position in a short span of time.

    Probal gaanguly

    Launch Pad director Probal Gaanguly

    For Launch Pad director Probal Gaanguly: “The primary reason for planning this project was that while there are many channels, not all are of significance. What we are providing and what we have created as a viewer proposition is completely different from other music channels in Bengal in terms of quality, presentation and what we will be offering to sponsors and advertisers as a brand proposition. Other channels have been working but they mostly have a regional perspective. What we are bringing is a national perspective because of our own background. We have built brands over so many years…”

    Fatafati took six to eight months right from the planning to the final stage with the launch pad team comprising not more than 15 people and not much research going into the launch. Varma reasons: “I am from Kolkata and I somewhere knew what people need and my TG is all the people I have been dealing with and talking to and have grown up with.”

    According to Varma, Bangla rock music is huge but the problem lies in music bands not having the money to create videos. So, the channel is currently in conversation with these groups. “Right now, we are talking to various music bands, getting their music and working on their story board and helping them to make their music video, which we will be happy to showcase. This thing has never been exploited in Bengal before,” he says.

    Soon, Fatafati will launch a segment called ‘Viewers countdown’ having the top ten favourite songs of the audience. “We may sit in our ivory towers and feel a particular song is good but finally, it is about what the audience wants. We want to figure out that and put it on the channel,” says Varma.

    In a first, Fatafati will showcase a daily dance show, starting next month. “It is young teenagers dancing to their favourite tunes. Great remix music and kids dancing in different styles… Total glam-rock,” he adds.

    Speaking of the channel’s ‘heroes’, he says: “If what I had done in 9XM was an ambassador at that time, this is a Ferrari. It is really rocking. The music, special effects, graphics, animation is awesome. It is international standard. It is more like what Hollywood would come out with. Other local music channels do not reflect the change in environment in the Bengali film industry, but I’ve always viewed my channel as the Las Vegas of Bengali music.”

    Fatafati is available as FTA with Kolkata MSOs such as Den, Hathway and SitiCable among others. It is yet to mark its presence on DTH platforms and cities outside of West Bengal.

    Asked if the channel plans to turn pay anytime soon, Varma laughs it off saying, “Greed call will take later. I believe in free music and music should always be free.” While Gaanguly says: “We wanted to first launch the channel. Give viewers a completely clean experience of watching the content and the packaging. Slowly, we will get advertisers on-board. This will also help us keep a check on our distribution and availability.”

    The existing ad rate is Rs 2,000 per 10 sec but in the inaugural couple of months, the channel brought out some inaugural packages between Rs 500 and Rs 1000 per 10 sec.

    About the 12-min per hour ad cap, Gaanguly says: “I feel we would be in the advantage, because we don’t have the baggage of running more ads. Personally and as a company, we believe that the ad cap is going to be good for the industry as well as the viewers in the long run. The entire business plan is based only on 10-minute. We are starting off on a clean slate. Our every business approach is based on 10-minute only.”

    Marketing and promotion

    Industry sources say investment of nearly Rs 20 to Rs 25 crore is required to start a regional music channel but in the case of Fatafati, between Rs 15 to Rs 20 crore has been invested. 

    Apart from the metro stations in Kolkata where the channel promos played before the launch, not much marketing and promotion went into the launch of Fatafati. “I believe when you are launching a new channel, a music channel, it has a great fanatical following by itself. You really do not need to do a big marketing campaign,” says Varma before adding, “These things are no ball. We start with huge budgets and eventually, the channel has to make money soon. You can’t be running a loss making channel.”

    Vikas Varma with Music F Fatafati's animated characters

    However, Fatafati expects the electronic programme guide (EPG) to work in its favour apart from the buzz on social media. The channel has around 2000 fans on facebook.com with 900 people talking about it. It has its own YouTube channel which airs music plus jokes and gags by the animated characters.

    The initiative has been applauded by the media professionals as they believe that F Fatafati is likely to do well. “Music is much in demand in Kolkata as is evident from the popularity of the three music channels. A new channel like Fatafati would easily get its share of viewership if it has strong content,” remarks a Kolkata based media planner.

    “Even though young people love Bollywood and Hollywood tunes, they consume Bengali movie music as well as Bengali music and movies have achieved world class standards in the last five years,” signs off the media planner.

    About the collaborators

    Royal Raj Media has invested in association with Launch Pad in the conceptualisation, creation and management of Fatafati for the next three years. Launch Pad is a first-of-its-kind BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) model in the broadcasting space. Launch Pad is looking at launching many more regional music entertainment channels in the future. In a similar deal last year, the company successfully launched Bhojpuri music channel Hummra M.

  • ‘Blogumentary is our USP’ : Amar K Deb- Channel [V] India head honcho

    ‘Blogumentary is our USP’ : Amar K Deb- Channel [V] India head honcho

    Thirteen years on, Star India’s music channel is experimenting with ‘blogumentary’ content and has adopted the tagline Channel [V] made by you.

    The recipe for getting more eyeballs in a genre which is seen to be stagnating also includes the reality format.

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com’s Richa Dubey, Channel [V] India head honcho Amar Deb speaks about his plans to incorporate user generated content as a key value of the channel in its new avatar while hanging on to the central positioning of being a “music channel.”

    Excerpts:

    Is there pressure for music channels to reinvent as their revenues are stagnating?
    We have revenues going up by 25 per cent every year. Advertisements and trailers are a major source of our income.

    MTV has recently repositioned itself as a youth channel. Is Channel [V] also looking to target youth with alternative content outside music?
    Channel [V] is a music channel. We love and believe in promoting music. On Channel [V] music is flanked by other stuff like glamour, humour, and fun which are also youth centric.

    So you advocate the benefits of non-music properties?
    Get Gorgeous is one of the highest rated shows on the channel. It’s great because we found some really beautiful looking girls who are not models and they went on to become Miss India and Miss Universe.

    We also discover new faces and talent with shows like Launch Pad. Our promos are popular and have got terrific responses. We won 17 awards at Promax, New York. Our average is of getting around 40 awards every year. That is a good sign.

    How do you split up the music and non music shows?
    We are a music channel and our programmes are all music centric. We largely have music based shows except for a couple of shows like Get Gorgeous. We stick to music while some or other fun things keep happening like Simpoo, Channel [V] IQ etc.
    What about the interactive elements that MTV has introduced?
    Channel [V] has come up with that by introducing blogs in our content mix. This happened in January and we have got a good response.

    How did you go about selecting bloggers?
    We had around 2000 people applying for it. We reviewed 200 and finally choose ten of them. Those ten were given hand held cameras and they shot the concert in there own creative ways.

    Following this, we did Launch Pad and Get Gorgeous which was also shot by bloggers. With this trend, we have got more and more viewers and people participating in the contests run by us. Thus reinforcing our stand as – Channel [V] made by you.
    How else have you extended Blogumentary on Channel [V]?
    After the Channel [V] concert, entire eight sessions at Hard Rock Café for Launch Pad was shot by bloggers. Get Gorgeous was shot by Bloggers and that is the speed in which we will take the entire concept forward. Blogumentary is our USP and we see others following us.

    What happens to the production team if bloggers play such an important role?
    Our production team is always there to help our bloggers. It is just a kind of innovation that we are doing. They are the ones who direct the bloggers. The post production team works really hard to make the entire program look interesting. They make sure that bloggers create things that get viewers hooked on to our content.
    ‘On Channel [V] music is flanked by glamour, humour & fun which are also youth centric’

    Is this reflecting the new face of Channel [V] which has turned 13?
    For the first time on Indian television, we did a ‘blogumentary’ in Channel [V] concert. Fans and young people had cameras and were shooting the eventwhich saw performances from Atif Aslam, Akon and many more.This resulted in an eight week, spectacular television series of half hours.

    With reality shows gaining importance even among music channels, what is your take on the inclusion of this format into programming?
    We did reality with Popstars 1 and 2 and Super Singers. These were not talent hunts. They provided platforms for people to perform. However, we are not doing traditional reality shows where judges throw tantrums and walk out. On Channel [V] nothing is scripted. Everything is spontaneous and real.

    But isn’t controversy a necessary ingredient for a successful reality series?
    Unfortunately, today’s channels have lost the sense of reality and they are not able to do justice to it. If you do something just for the heck of it to create sensation, it does not prove to be reality.

    What are the upcoming properties in the pipeline?
    We will unveil My India Report, which is also based on the blogging format. There is a recruitment procedure going on right now which is also online. We want to know whether the new generation really lives with the values that our forefathers lived with. We want to know the views of today’s generation on various issues. It’s like a docudrama wherein five young people go out, speak to people, and capture it. They will together document what it is to be an Indian today.

    The show is still in the pre-production stage. Currently, we are looking for the kids who will travel across the country. The recruitment is happening online. We expect to launch it in three month’s time.

    Unlike Freedom Express which was promoted by our VJs, My India Report will be done by the freshers and bloggers.
    Channel [V] has been very active in the internet space. What are the plans on that front?
    We have a strong online presence. Lot of our stuff is lined up in YouTube. Lola videos are amongst the most watched videos on YouTube and she has a large fan following on Orkut.

    Channel [V]’s Bai promotion was highly appreciated. All our properties have a vast community on the web. We are very ‘new media friendly’ – and a lot of the new media generation is aware of what we do. In fact, the band that we found for Launch Pad was through Orkut.

    Channel [V] made by you is a huge user generated content phenomena.
    What has the channel lined up on the promo front?
    So far Simpoo, the animated character, has been by far the best promo that we did. People really liked and enjoyed watching it. So we have a new Simpoo KBC promo coming up.

    Our promos always reflect the trends of society. For example, we have a promotion for Get Gorgeous saying Moral Police sue us. It got us eyeballs.

    We will be unveiling many more promos including one based on an upcoming Go Green Campaign on Global Warming.

    Does Channel [V] bank a lot on movie marketing?
    Channel [V] is a popular chosen platform for movie marketing. Rang de Basanti, Bluff Master and Don were some of the exclusive movies that we promoted on Channel [V]. Ram Gopal Verma’s Aag is the next movie we are going to promote. We are still working on it.