ITV

Tag: Manisha Bhattacharjee

  • ‘Our competitor is the number one player in the pink daily space’ : B Sai Kumar – TV18 Media Network CEO

    ‘Our competitor is the number one player in the pink daily space’ : B Sai Kumar – TV18 Media Network CEO

    Television Eighteen has been on the acquisition mode for a while now to create more revenue opportunities for its shareholders. After creating a new division for marketing and ad sales TV18 Media Network, its CEO B Sai Kumar has chalked out a strategy, which is to emphasise on all the TV18 products in terms of delivering value to shareholders.
    Sai Kumar is trying to position the TV18 brands in such a manner that they will continue to achieve consistent and profitable growth. TV18 Media Network has also conceptualized ‘CNBC Universe’ for such concerted activities for various products.
    In a free wheeling conversation with Indiantelevision.com’s Manisha Bhattacharjee, Sai Kumar speaks of the TV18 brands, and how they will make a measurable contribution to earnings.

    Excerpts:

    Why has TV18 created an umbrella brand called CNBC Universe?
    It has been named so to denote all brands that the group controls. Through products and brands like moneycontrol.com, which is the second best portal globally, commodities.com, compareindia.com, CNBCTV18, Awaaz and the mobile service of 2626, we are telling people that TV18 is an integrated business platform for advertisers and viewers.

    It helps us demonstrate the power of the CNBC Universe platform and shows a tangible integration of different media offerings. It is also about reaching out to multiple communities — from retail investors to foreign institutional investors and even company managements. CNBC Universe is about how much more you can dominate in the business space.

    With the kind of growth our network has seen, the challenge is now to do justice to individual products, individual streams. If you look at the television part of the business, I am extremely kicked about the prospectus of CNBC Awaaz as we have touched operating break even. Of all the elements of CNBC Universe, CNBC Awaaz is the joker in the pack. On the revenue side I see at least 100 per cent growth for the quarter.

    Why do you say the business space is all about influence and not as much as viewership delivery?
    For me, if today CNBC Universe is a Rs 150-160 crore brand, you can only go out and make it Rs 250-300 crore brand. This despite the money that’s getting into print medium. That increasingly is going to be very, very big. So, one of the big reasons for pushing CNBC Universe is to leverage a strong position across television and internet.

    Are you indicating that despite being in the television space, your main competitor is the print medium, pink dailies to be precise?
    Anybody could be your competitor. But if you were to prioritise our efforts at CNBC Universe, it has got to be seriously looking at the pink dailies and the number one player in that segment. Also, from where such dailies get revenues. Indeed, our biggest competitor is the leader in the pink space.

    Has TV18 started working with TAM to address the out of home viewers?
    We have to live by the rules of the game. It is not much of a concern as every advertiser knows that there is a premium to CNBC TV18 as there is some amount of factoring is happening in the minds of the buyers and the clients.

    Have you identified the strong holds of the pink papers in order to wean away advertisers and clients?
    We are going to advertisers and saying that CNBC Universe or CNBC TV18 is country’s largest business medium and not just a business brand. So we are actually telling them that it is not about print vs television. It is about which is the largest medium today. Beyond a point we cannot change people. For instance, it is very tough for advertising relating to obituaries coming to CNBC TV18.
    ‘CNBC Universe is the country’s largest business medium and not just a business brand‘

    What’s happening on the global front?
    Of course we are addressing that also. Today we tell our clients that as part of CNBC Universe, we offer you CNBC global, which is present across 89 markets. If you are an advertisers and your TG is broadly people who spend money or are investors or CEOs, or analyst, then come to the CNBC Universe.

    What’s the reason behind TV18 initiating a restructuring in its marketing and ad sales set up?
    The media market is a cowboy’s game where structures didn’t exist. We have put a structure of people clearly with a mind to consolidate television revenues business. We have grown almost perpendicular in terms of revenues and for now we need strong leaders to manage these revenues. So, on the television side of the business we have Raj Kamath to oversee inventory sales for the entire TV18 Network. Sanjay Dua will be responsible for advertising sales for the IBN Network – which includes CNN-IBN, IBN-7 and Ibnlive.com. Anil Uniyal has been named as the sales head of the CNBC Universe.

    I will continue to oversee CNBC Focus which is our non-inventory solution cell that reports into Anil, but he will still report into me as I am still involved in that part of the business. And I continue to be involved in the internet side of the business.

    Web18, which comprises moneycontrol.com, easymf.com, commoditiescontrol.com, compareindia.com and tech2india.com, will be handled by an independent team working on this. We already have a 12-member team in place with Raghavan Srinivasa handling internet sales.

    What is the kind of growth the internet business has seen over the last quarter?
    We have seen growth that is almost close to 120 per cent quarter on quarter. That’s not saying much as it can grow further. The medium per se is growing. It does not mean that we are not doing a great job. For us now it is not only about joint sales with television but independently growing the Internet side of the business too.

    How are you pushing your online properties — content or packaging?
    Just as we have done on television with a lot of tailor made solutions, we intend to proceed with the same on the net. We have opened up with live stream, canned stream, running television ads, (like MSN TV), but we do not give it free. It is an independent sales team handling it. As far as powereyourtrade.com goes, we already have 65,000 subscribers, that’s another line of revenue on internet paying us an average of Rs 150 per month.

    So are you indicating that it is content that drives ad sales and marketing activities?
    If you look at TV18, our biggest asset has been content. It is content lead. Ad sales are all about how you leverage content and not influence your content. For example, if I have a CEO interview, I just don’t put a banner. If you brand that CEO interview and go to a B2B player, like a Sun Microsystems, and get it to host an online interview with other CEOs, then that’s adding value and going beyond banner sales. The new mantra in the group is to add value for customers.

    Our biggest challenge is to do justice to individual brands in the TV18 stable. We had to work out a structure by which these brands get adequate attention and well lead by clearly thought-out strategies. So, each of these professionals have the mandate to take business decisions independently.

    What kind of network solutions are you providing for your clients?
    Everybody wants network solutions, the moment you manage more than one channel everybody wants discounts. We have individual teams who go and talk to the clients about the attributes of the brands. We ensure that the channel for example; IBN 7 is taken on its own merit and independently on its plan. Not because he is getting five per cent discount on CNN-IBN. We don’t go and say that CNN-IBN is established, which cost you Rs 100, but you will get it for Rs 90 if you take IBN7 also. That does not happen with us.

    Are you saying that the network does not indulge in combo deal?
    We do any kind of sweetening of the deal if we have a giant share of the news pie. For example: if the client has Rs 100 to spend on the news genre and if I am getting Rs 75, we are ready to sweeten it, otherwise not. We do not sweeten the deal because the client has taken all the four channels. There are some grids in place where, if you take all four channels, you may get some per cent off, but that’s like any rate card. But anything over and above depends upon how much you are dominating the plan, vis-?-vis other news networks.

    Which product in the CNBC Universe needs pushing?
    The best thing about TV18 is that it is not even close to peaking. The biggest fear any person would have who is responsible for revenues is to think of the way forward. But at TV18, almost all our products are on the growth curve. For example, IB7 can only go up from where it is. It is a new product and it can only go up from where it is and I can see growth in revenues. Ibnlive.com and the ones we have acquired or are just getting acquired are attracting traction in the market place.

    The market place has started embracing the internet only recently, so it can only grow. CNN-IBN had an excellent launch, but no way close to the peak. That’s why my question is: what is NDTV going to do next as they have already touched between Rs 90 crores to Rs 105 crores with NDTV 24×7. For CNN-IBN, it is only going to be 100 per cent growth over the next one year.
    Well, that’s because CNN-IBN’s base is small?
    No. The base isn’t that small. We have already achieved operating break even with CNN-IBN business. At any point in time, while we are creating new strategies, they push down our products leaving room enough for growth. TV18 is creating potential for generating more revenues streams.

    For example, I would be extremely concerned if I was running Star Plus. What do you do next when you have already achieved Rs 1,500 crores. Last year, I did Rs 150 crores and there are expectations the entire network may touch Rs 250-Rs 260 crores.

    TV18 has been very aggressive on the acquisition front, especially in the online space? Are you looking at converting any of your online properties that will be largely leady by subscription?
    At this stage it is too early to speak much about it. But we are contemplating creating a portion of moneycontrol.com for subscription opportunities, but it is too early to speak about the plans. Jobstreet.com may look at starting advertising sales once it gets established and the placement revenues kick in. But, subscription for the rest of the online properties, it is too early to say anything.

    You are now the TV18 Media Network CEO, besides overseeing the sales aspects of TV18 properties, are you looking at venturing into commission business?
    TV18’s philosophy is to own IPRs. We will sell what we will own, unlike our competitors who get into the ad sales model. For example: If we make Moneycontrol a 20 crore or 40 crore story, we need to own it. There’s no point in making it a 20 crore (story) for somebody else to own. We are into building long term brands, which add value to the shareholders. If I do sales for ‘A’ product, the brand is built and the shareholder of that product gets to reap the benefits.

    TV18 has moved from a production house to a broadcast house, why? Because we wanted to own our content. In the production space you are selling your content and getting dwindling margins. But in the broadcast space, you own every piece of news that’s going up and this is monetizable and encashable in various forms.

    We are into brand building, product building and business building. We are not into selling. TV18 is an integrated company.

    What does CNBC Universe mean to the advertisers?
    Purely from the editorial side, it is leveraging through the multiple media platforms. From clients’ point of view, he is exposed to non-inventory solutions to our events division; we do around 140 to 150 events a year. We can get the elusive and the affluent audiences on to CNBC TV18, moneycontrol.com.I tell my editors, ‘Dominate the minds of the viewers’. The same thing I tell my advertisers, ‘Come here. It is one stop shop where you can catch every investor, business user, decision maker in the country’.
    Whether they are sitting in the car, or they are money controlling in their office, or they are at home watching CNBC. That is what an advertiser wants to do, he wants to catch the same guy in multiple locations and enter their mind space. If you can’t catch him anywhere, you can catch him at the CEO cocktails at The Oberoi through CNBC events.
  • ‘Sony’s agenda is to focus on prime & then take on the rest’ : Sandiip Sikcand – Sony chief creative director take on the rest’

    ‘Sony’s agenda is to focus on prime & then take on the rest’ : Sandiip Sikcand – Sony chief creative director take on the rest’

    Sony Entertainment Television India’s chief creative director Sandiip Sikcand is the newly appointed man in the newly created position, tasked with the job of scripting a turnaround in the ratings fortunes of the network’s flagship channel Set. And it is a task cut out for the experienced hand from Balaji Telefilms, who has been the creative head for projects such as K Street Pali Hill, Kkusum, Kaisa Ye Pyar Hai and Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii.

    After a four-year stint with Balaji working under the overarching leadership of Ekta Kapoor, Sikcand is tuning himself to a corporate structure, wherein he will be steering the creative aspects of Sony and also concentrating more on fiction. Geared to making a mark and getting the channel going, Sikcand talks about his plans and the road ahead in a conversation with Indiantelevision.com’sManisha Bhattacharjee.
    Experts:

    You are handling Sony, but the network also has Sab, so how do you differentiate and segregate the shows between the two channels?
    The operations between the two channels are different and very clear. Though part of the same network, the guidelines inscribed for Sab TV is poles apart from Sony. The latter is into hardcore soaps, melodrama, while the former is more youthful, catering to a more niche audience. It will be on Sab where the network can experiment with different kinds of concepts or shows. Sony will continue to offer a hardcore soap diet. It is broadly chalked out and chances of overlap are minimal.

    With Sony now in third position, what is the course of action that the channel is planning?
    Well, we have lined up new shows and are strengthening the 8 pm to 11 pm band. The shows will be rolled out over the next six months. We have tied up with Tony and Diya Singh for Jeetiya Hai Jis Ki Liye, which will star Renuka Shahane. We have Also tied up with the Anuj Saxena’s Maverick productions for a drama titled Akhand Sau Bhagyawati. There is Khamoshi, Durgesh Nandini, Viruddhwith Smriti Irani. A Variety show with Anupam Kher, which is a talk show.

    You are looking at launching only soaps, does that signify that reality will take a back seat?
    No, Sony has always maintained that reality will be an important component. Reality shows are likely to be relegated to Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, while the rest of the week will see soapy dramas taking centre stage.

    We are presently running Jhalak Dikkhla Jaa. And will be launching Bigg Boss on November 3. In May, we have scheduled the launch of the third season of Indian Idol. We are also devising our own little reality show, which will be aired twice a week, which we are targeting to launch in February or March.
    ‘I do not see Sony coming back to number 2 or number 1 position overnight‘

    So what is this reality show that is homegrown?
    I can’t speak much at the moment as we are yet to finalise on certain aspects of the show.

    Not being on a strong wicket as of now, and launching so many shows, isn’t it too much too soon?
    No. These will be spread across and launched in a phased manner. The emphasis is on the strengths Sony has already shown. It has been structured accordingly so we are confident we can succeed. The idea is not to shock the audience.

    Likewise, I do not see Sony coming back to number two or number one position overnight. It is process, which we have already started working towards. I am not saying either that all the shows are going to be stupendous successes. Some of the shows might not even work, we might have to pull them off and replace them with some other products. We are all geared for that. But it is a definitive step towards changing the number position of the channel.

    It is a tough battle for Sony, as it has to fight the leader Star Plus and Zee, which has bounced back after a long while?
    I think we have to fight it out with everybody. I have to even fight Sab, Zee Café, Star One, Zee Cinema, Star Plus and Sahara One. Every channel is competition. Sony is not going to be pulled back by its competitors. Sony is first going to stand up on its own feet and in that process if there is competition so be it.

    So what is the strategy you are looking at employing to help the channel stand up?
    There is no strategy. I think in the television and entertainment business, the essential ingredient is just entertainment. As an audience, if I find a show entertaining, whether it may be appearing on ABC or XYZ channel, I will watch it. The endeavour and the aim of Sony is to give wholesome entertainment; that’s the strategy.

    Besides looking at strengthening you prime band. Are you looking at the other bands?
    We will be focusing on the afternoon band and launching a slew of shows there too. As of now, we run movies for Saturday and Sunday, we may look at having movies only on Sunday. But that will be once we get our other line-ups fixed. The agenda really is to focus on prime and then take on the rest.

    What’s this obsession networks in general seem to have with reality shows?
    It is a trend. You can’t discount it. It has always happened in India. For example, in Bollywood, if you have one film of Nagin (snake) succeeding, there will be 10 other films based on the same. As I said earlier, Sony has always maintained that we will be doing reality shows, which we are and will continue doing.

    But, the point being that the ratio with be 80:20 (in favour of soaps). We will have specific reality show making sure that we do not bring in the fatigue factor and also that we do not overkill it.

    The channel will be shortly launching Bigg Boss. There are many who are skeptical about the chances of success in India of a show that is so in your face voyeuristic as Bigg Boss is? What makes you confident the Indian public will like such a concept?
    Well, we all have a peeping-tom somewhere, which we do not accept. But, the reality show Bigg Boss has all the elements that any other soap holds. We are confident that the success Big Brother has enjoyed (elsewhere) will be visible here too.

    I do not believe in bifurcating my programmes into reality or fiction. Eventually, it is all about entertainment. It is important to understand that if soaps give you a certain amount of interest, so does the reality show.

    The fact remains that reality shows are clicking and drawing in viewers and that soaps have always brought in audiences.

    So are you saying it is not reality vs soaps?
    All I am trying to say is that the kind of entertainment a Bigg Boss will provide is not to say that watch Bigg Boss and not Kaajjal. The shows provide you different elements of entertainment. The viewer has to be entertained. I do not think that the audience will say “I will not watch reality show because I never watch a reality show.” For the audience, what matters is entertainment.

    CAS is likely to change the dynamics of the television market? Your thoughts?
    Well, being on the creative seat, what can only be a deterrent for me is if I tell them that you have to pay more to be entertained?

    How do you view the whole general entertainment market?
    The whole television market has a lot to offer and the entertainment business is growing. The audiences will have an amazing offering to chose from in the future. Although we are growing rapidly, but by the time we grow to reach the standards that are followed outside, it will involve a lot of hard work. I believe across the line producers have to realize what television is all about and give a lot of importance to creativity. I think it is happening. Thus there is lots to look forward to.
    You were present at Mipcom. What were the formats that you enjoyed?
    Well, there was this Endemol game show where one can win a fixed amount of money for his entire life span. Another show that I enjoyed was a reality show where a girl has to spot an eligible guy out of three where you have a gay, one already taken and a single guy. It is a show that can never be made in India. But the concept was interesting.

    So have how many formats are you buying?
    We are still in the process of weighing the pros and cons. We have not yet locked any deal.

    Has the tie-up with Smriti Irani affected your channel’s relationship with Balaji?
    Yes, it has already affected it. But, I must say that I am proud to be a product of Balaji. I left the production house for some personal reasons. Reasons I would not like to go into.

    Now that I am with Sony, anything that I have to do, I will do for the betterment of the channel. Smirit had an amazing concept. So I see no reason why I should not do that show.

    In fact, Sony had been approaching Balaji for the last two months even before I joined. Ekta had her own reasons for not doing a show for Sony as she said that she is tied up somewhere else. But she is to do a show for Sab, for which she has time, which is great. That she has no time to do a show for Sony, is absolutely fine and acceptable. As and when she has a concept for Sony, all she has to do is dial my number.

    Today, Sony is third, Zee had been lurking in this position for long. Zee’s soaps have given them a fresh lease of life?
    The journey of Zee is very motivational. After seven years, it is really something to talk about. If Zee can do it, Sony can well do it. Competition keeps you going. I was the creative head on Kasamh Se and my interactions with Ashwini (Zee programming head Ashwini Yardi) have been great. It is very inspirational.
    In the current situation, with your experience is it a tough battle to manage a channel’s programming?
    It is a whole new corporate world. I feel at home. In this world of entertainment it is a combination of competitiveness and fun. I belief I too need my fair chance to prove myself.

    What is the road map for Sony for 2007?
    Well, all efforts will be towards bouncing back.
  • ‘Indian television by & large lacks the art of crafting shows’ : Vikas Bhal – Sony SAB senior vice president and business head

    ‘Indian television by & large lacks the art of crafting shows’ : Vikas Bhal – Sony SAB senior vice president and business head

    From the world of advertising to the world of television. That’s exactly what Sony Sab senior vice president and business head Vikas Bahl has done. Now at Sab he has the enviable task of not only revamping the channel after a takeover by Sony Entertainment TV India in November 2005, but also look at revenue generation on the back of conservative budget.

    Though the channel has a fresh lineup of shows only for one and half hour only, Sab is optimistic of touching 90+ GRPs by the end of FY2006-2007 as the programming lineup slowly expands.

    In conversation with Indiantelevision.com’s Manisha Bhattacharjee, Bahl holds forth on Sab’s revamp process and other issues like getting the right mix of programming to exploit the channel’s brand identity.
    Excerpts:

    Why don’t you give us an overview of Sab after the takeover by Set India?
    Well, the revamp of the channel is still on. From the time I joined, in terms of numbers, the channel has grown 300 per cent in terms of revenue and new advertisers on board. But admittedly the base of the growth was small.

    On the revamp front, we are quite clear we wanted to gain from Sab’s positioning as a comedy channel. But we did not want to stick to that as its only strength. The channel has its set of loyal audience who come to Sab typically for alternative viewing. And, that alternative viewing was by and large comedy, people who had grown sick of watching saas-bahu type of programming. But it was a fleeting audience, which came, saw his or her favourite programme and then moved on.

    So, we realized that on the face of fatigue in viewership across general entertainment channels (GECs) — most GECs, in our opinion, were falling in the same trap of having family drama — our audience was pretty much the one that was questioning the kind of programming. Such a feedback also indicated that that a large base of audience was tired of saas-bahu syndrome and had no place to go and we were in a position to take a chance by getting into alternative programming.

    What, according to you, would be viewer profile?
    In short, people who are young at heart and have a younger mindset. Now this profile cuts across SECs and age groups.
    So, Sab’s viewers are not Gen X. They could be from a small town in Madhya Pradesh, South Mumbai to Jammu up north to Jamnagar in the West. The common link between all such viewers is their mindset, which is progressive and not regressive.

    But Sab’s first alternative viewing after the Sony takeover, Twinkle Beauty Parlour, was taken off the air suddenly as it failed to click. Comment.
    That serial admittedly was a key project at that point of time. It was the first show after the revamp that was set in and we did an out of box marketing for it too. I think the channel got a lot of traction at the point in time. We followed it up with Left Right Left, which completely defined what we wanted to offer to the people and what they wanted to watch on Sab.

    Twinkle Beauty Parlour was started with the aim of being ‘destructive programming’. After Left Right Left was launched, we realized Twinkle Beauty Parlour was not conceived to be a `young’ show and consciously we had to take it off. We are glad that the second time round we started connecting with the audience through Left… All these talks of understanding one’s audiences’ looks very good when stated, but the important thing is to convert them into reality.

    And, normally reality can take time a lot of time. It looks like we are getting it right (on the programming front), but we still have a long way to go.

    What’s the ‘reality’ for Sab with new programming after Left Right Left?
    The revamp is just about kicking off. Initial response from viewers and advertisers has been excellent. Sab’s present channel share is six per cent, which grew from 1.5 per cent at the time when Sony took it over.

    Sab, which was doing an all-day GRP of 23 to 24 last October, is presently doing 70 GRPs. Our channel is driven by 15 to 34 age bracket and those in 50 to 65 years age group.

    Is Sab also looking at movies as a viewership driver?
    Sab is not a movie channel, though presently the channel is airing films. The reason: fill space on the channel, while we figure out fresh programming. We also pick up a certain genre of ‘light’ movies that seem to have done well with audiences of all age groups — films like Gol Maal and Chupke Chupke (comedies all).

    Sab’s brand identity is dictated by its programming. So if the brand is about young new India and we are sticking with that. Presently, 25 per cent of our programming is still very ‘light’, but in the process we do not want to lose our loyal viewers because they have been driving our channel for a long time.
    ‘Twinkle… kicked off with the aim of being a destructive programming‘

    What’s the new programming line up looking like after all the feedback on viewers?
    We have Mohalla Mohabbat Walla launching on 13 November and Fame X on 24 November as the base line. A big difference that has been incorporated in the second season of Fame X that aired last year on Sony is that the contestants will not undergo any makeover.

    After these two shows, we are looking at a show from Anurag
    Basu, which likely hit the tube in about two months. However, I must point out that we have launched a few shows like Behanji, Ishq Ki Ghanti, FIR and Party and have retained Yes Boss from the earlier lineup. What we also did is try cleaning up Sab by setting in motion a phasing process for old programming.

    You have roped in Anurag Basu (director of films such as Murder and Gangster) who is now more into film making? Is there not enough talent in the already existing TV market?
    The same way we are trying to get those viewers on board who had given up on television, we are tying to get those professionals on board who have given up on television and had stopped crafting shows for television. We also have Timangshu Dhulia directing Mohalla…

    What is important is that the directors of our new TV shows are not the guys who’ll like to make the saas-bahu type of serials. It’s unfortunate that almost all the GECs are going in that direction (of saas-bahu mush). But must admit that at the moment such serials are doing well businesswise — a trend that we intend to buck.

    Most popular entertainment channels depend heavily on Balaji Telefilms for shows. Will Sab also do that?
    Yes, I agree with you. We are also in talks with Balaji, but hopefully the production house would be willing to do something different. Till now viewers had little choice (but to watch saas-bahu type of serials), but someone must not get swayed by the trend and create different programming. We are trying that at Sab. Writers who had stopped crafting for television are coming to us with ideas willing to do different things. They are not big names, though.

    Sab lost out its biggest and most successful show, Office Office, to Star. What do you have to say on such a loss when the channel is trying to establish itself?
    I personally feel that gems are created once and people should not try to recreate them. Office Office was a gem and in that sense it’s a loss. Still, whether it can be recreated for a second season or not is debatable.

    Today, we run repeats of Office Office and it delivers the same numbers as the new one on competition’s channel. Without spending additional money, the old Office Office does as well as the new one. Creativity cannot be transferred.
    ‘Repeats of ‘Office Office’ delivers the same numbers as the new one on competition’s channel‘

    Is there any new strategy for selling airtime for day parts?
    As the revamp process is still on, we are concentrating on building on prime time. Our prime, unlike the rest of the channels, begins at 8:30 pm and ends at 10 pm. So, we actually have only one and a half hours of fresh programming. From 13 November onwards with Mohalla Mohabbat Walla, we will have two hours of fresh programming. With Fame X launch the prime time band will be extended to two and a half hours. On Fridays, we depend on reruns.

    The GECs closest to Sab like Star One and Sahara One have at least five hours of fresh programming on prime time, while our prime time is shorter. With just one and a half hour of programming, we are faring well and hopefully will pick up further with new shows coming on air soon.

    From the advertising point of view, Sab’s entire advertiser base has changed with an entirely new set of advertisers who have come on board in the last eight months. Earlier the advertisers who were not keen on being on Sab because of the previous brand identity and other factors are now looking at the channel. Presently, the advertiser base includes big brands like Pepsi, Nokia, Visa, Levers and Perfetti.

    Sab’s audiences are fragmented throughout the day. Being a channel undergoing a revamp, sampling of all shows happens across the day. So each time a show gets repeated, it brings in a unique audience. For instance, women who are not willing to give up their daily dose of soaps on other channels at 9 pm and skip Left Right Left on Sab catch up with the repeat at 2 pm next day. For advertisers and the channel this is a new set of audience base.

    But repeats are done by other channels too and they too claim fresh viewership.
    For established players, when they air shows at 10 pm they get all their audiences at that time and generally don’t do reruns as they want to consolidate the viewership. We are not in a position to consolidate that way at the moment, so we spread our audiences through the day.

    As the revamp is on, is Sab working with a lavish programming budget?
    We have been very conservative with our spending right now. It is pretty much growing in sync with our numbers. In short, we have not gone and splurged money. That’s why even after eight months (of Sony takeover), we have just three new programming. I do not know what Sab’s earlier owners used to spend, but from last year there has been an increase of 40 per cent in programming budget.
    The budget assigned to me hasn’t been exhausted completely and it will be ramped up as we continue testing the programming waters.

    Is Sab being sold to advertisers along with other Sony channels as a package deal?
    No the channel is sold separately. For example, Sab is not being sold along with Sony as both have different and distinct identities, which will be retained.

    Has there been a revision in ad rates of Sab after the Sony takeover?
    The rates have doubled and the channel’s inventories are full. At times, we have had to reduce show time to accommodate ads. The response seems to be good from the market, but admittedly the base for rate hike was small.

    Target: As business, new advertisers on board was the target. The response from there is pretty much visible. The monthly figures that we need to achieve are pretty much there to get to our annual figures. In terms of viewership, with the kind of lineup we hold the viewership we expected we are very there.

    Has the strategy of putting on Sab a Hindi language feed of cricket matches for which Sony has telecast rights helped?
    The channel recorded an average ratings of two on all-day part for all India matches in the (just concluded) Champions Trophy, which was as good as the ratings obtained by (terrestrial broadcaster) Doordarshan. The cricket feed has been incorporated largely to get Sab’s distribution act in place and is being used as a marketing device. This will help the channel bring in newer audience to sample our new shows.

    What are the plans leading up to the cricket World Cup in 2007?
    As per the strategy, cricket matches will be available on Set Max and Sab instead of on Max and Sony. We expect the audience coming on to Sab for cricket will remained tuned in for other shows.

    What is the target that Sab has set for itself in terms of channel share and revenue?
    As far as channel is concerned, the target is to take the GRPs up to 80-90. We are already clocking GRPs of 70 and with new shows coming on air we are likely to achieve our goal. With every new programme, Sab has received incremental audiences.

    What is the road map for Sab?
    The channel will maintain its positioning as a channel airing fiction. Though there will be booster shows like Fame X or probably something similar next year. We are not going to dabble in reality shows or events because we do not have the budget and, second, we have a strong fiction team whose core competence will be exploited to our advantage. The dailies will run from Monday to Friday.

    When is the revamp process going to be completed?
    The whole revamp process will take one more year. So by FY 2007-2008 Sab will have a healthy prime time and will deliver numbers too. By that time the channel would also hopefully have enough number of new shows that will reduce our dependence on repeats.
    At the moment, Sab is a channel airing new programming only between 8:30 pm to 10 pm.

    Branded entertainment seems to be new age mantra for the GECs to offer something different. Will Sab also look at this aspect of entertainment?
    We are extremely careful about crafting television shows for Sab. I don’t think branded entertainment works for advertisers unless integrated properly with the storyline. If Indians can learn from the James Bond movie experience about branding and integrating such initiatives with the storyline, then the result can be fabulous. If they can’t, then there is a fear of killing the advertising product as well as the show.

    Personally I feel we do an appalling job of it (integrating advertising with entertainment) most of the time. Unless we manage to do a quality job, it ruins both the show and the product(s). To top it all viewers hate it too.

    Indian television by and large lacks the art of crafting shows right now. Forget crafting of advertising integration, the industry even lacks the art of crafting shows. I think if the art of crafting is brought back to television, viewers will love you for it.

    However at Sab, we are hoping to do some advertising integration-related work as we did some work by employing unused footage of Indian Idol to create Indian Idol Tak Taka Tak. I think we did justice and a lot of crafting went into the creation of the property then.
  • ‘Ratings not an apt way to judge Awaaz performance’ : Sanjay Pugalia – Awaaz editor

    ‘Ratings not an apt way to judge Awaaz performance’ : Sanjay Pugalia – Awaaz editor

    If news channels are largely described as niche, then Awaaz is a niche within the niche. Positioned as a consumer Hindi news channel, it breaks the general connotation of a business channel as being designed for people dealing in big business.

    Awaaz is primarily, as Editor Sanjay Pugalia points out, for anybody who wants to spend Rs 100 fruitfully or save even that Rs 100. Looking at the way the India economy is changing, Pugalia expresses that there is a gap that has been successfully filled by Awaaz — the 15+ SEC AB in the Hindi speaking markets.

    Pugalia believes that the existence of Awaaz has given a new definition to this news category.

    In a freewheeling conversation with Indiantelevision.com’s Manisha Bhattacharjee, Awaaz editor Sanjay Pugalia provides a low-down on how the consumer channel has shaped up over the last 18 months.

    Excerpts:

    Awaaz underwent a change in its on-air-look? Isn’t it too early for the channel to undergo a makeover?
    When the channel was launched, we followed the time and tested format of CNBC-TV18. Now that we have completed 18 months in the space, it was time to give a distinct identity to the brand Awaaz, as we are addressing a much broader audience base and our offering is very different from CNBC-TV18. Awaaz is an independent product appealing to our kind of target audience. Earlier, we wore blue and white, now the channel dons red and white.

    What is the unique selling point (USP) of Awaaz?
    The consumer channel is primarily targeted at small investors. It is first and foremost for those viewers or consumers who are earning some money, saving some and need proper advice to invest. The channel has been principally designed in the manner wherein experts provide inputs in a manner that will help consumers take their own decisions on all the possible ways he / she can save or make money.

    The channel is a powerful vehicle for small investors, buyers, sellers, etc and it provides opportunities aimed at effectively reaching our target audience.

    Is this an indication that TV18 failed to target this segment through CNBC-TV18?
    It is wrong to say so. CNBC-TV18 created the business news space within the English space for the big corporates. The channel’s coverage extends from corporate news, financial markets coverage, expert perspectives on investing and management to industry verticals and beyond. The channel has been catering to business more relevant to different constituencies across the nation.

    Awaaz on the other hand is for the small investors in the Hindi speaking market. It indeed covers the entire business space from the consumers’ perspective. Who is the consumer? It could a taxpayer, an employer, a small investor, shopkeepers etc. These consumers are interested in the current share or stock market, trade, small business, managing and saving as well as investing. All these needs are serviced through our shows.

    When you say that the word ‘consumer’ covers a vast gamut of audience, trade, equity, non-equity, financial sector etc? Where do women fit in the gamut?
    It is largely noticed that female viewers are much less in comparison to male viewership on any given news channel. But it is otherwise on Awaaz. We have a very strong female viewership, approximately 45 per cent. Our key driver show is Smart Shopping, which airs at 4:30. When the same show airs at 10:30 pm, it brings in male viewership.

    The unisex shows are Awaaz Plus, Tax Guru (tax is generally perceived as a male subject), Weekend Masti, Hum Honge Kamyaab, Jiyo Zindagi, Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi, Glamour Bazaar and Trend Mill to name a few.

    Let me reiterate a point, ratings is just not the apt way to judge the performance of the channel. It is merely an auxiliary data that gives us an insight to the performance of the channel.

    If you say ratings are not the rightful way to judge the performance of the channel, then how do you pitch it to the advertisers?
    It is difficult for me to comment on the marketing side of the channel. But all I would like to add is that the advertisers solely do not rely on Tam data, they also have other means like their own research and other external research which they commission as well as their gut feelings for the channel to make a decision to spend on the channel. Mind you, Awaaz, like CNBC-TV18, has a good number of out-of-home viewership, which is not recorded by Tam.

    In this fragmented news market how do you deal with your competitors?
    Honestly, we have no competitors in this space.

    Well, you are forgetting Zee Business. Isn’t this channel in the same space and targeting your kind of audience?
    Well, as I said we have no competitors in this space. In any case, we are 300 per cent to 400 per cent bigger then Zee Business.
    ‘Network synergies should not be confused with similarities‘

    Coming from the same TV18 network, is Awaaz cannibalizing big brother CNBC-TV18?
    We cannot cannibalise each other being under one network. We can only strengthen each other and synergies and leverage each others strengths. But it is necessary to comprehend that as a network synergies should not be confused with similarities.

    22 May experienced a massive market crash. Besides retail investors, even small time investors panicked? As you strongly term your channel as a consumer based one, how did you address your TG?
    ‘Caution’ has always been the word from the day we launch the channel, while addressing the news and information needs to the small investors, the mutual fund buyers, shoppers, small time insurance agents etc. This does not mean either that while cautioning them, the investor should stay away from equities. They have to be convinced about their investment ideas after weighing the pros and cons.

    Let’s take the Tam data during the market crash in isolation. According to the data, on 22 May, Awaaz recorded a 2.3 per cent channel share, beating the general Hindi news channels during the 9 am to 4 pm time band, followed by Aaj Tak (1.50 per cent), Zee News (1.43 per cent), NDTV India (1.16 per cent), Star News (1.15 per cent) and followed by the rest.

    TV18 network is involved in a lot of on-ground initiatives. What kind of on ground initiative is Awaaz into?
    All our ground-initiative is marketing backed and strengthen our brand by involving our viewers. When we carry out any on-ground shows it has to be relevant to the issue and place.

    How different is your weekend band from that of weekdays?
    We have branded our weekends as Smart Weekend, which has been created recently. It’s primarily a day long exercise covering various topical aspects of the week providing a holistic and exhaustive coverage from across the nation. The weekend gone by was entirely devoted to the best colleges of Top 10 cities in India. Besides, for those students who did not secure good marks, we provide inputs from across the nation with alternative college and courses for them.
    Now that TV18 is hiving of its internet business into a separate company, is the network aiming at launching a portal to complement Awaaz, just as in the case of CNBC-TV18 and moneycontrol.com?
    I can’t comment as it is a business decision.

    What is making business news channels such a success in India?
    The news needs of TV viewers has dramatically changed in India, because of growing economy, urbanisation, spread of wealth and increased purchasing power to millions of Indians. They want to know about the things; products and services, they can use in order to make decisions every day about shopping needs, investments, spending and saving… and they want it in a relevant, useful manner.

    Awaaz, in this space does it effectively. Viewers’ habits are changing so fast that sometimes media is not able to keep pace with it. But Awaaz is a product of the future and it will only grow as the economy makes new stride and goes global.

    How will all of the emerging ‘viewer-in-command’ technologies — like IPTV — impact traditional broadcasting?
    New technologies will only grow opportunities and expand the market for us. They will add value to our services. Mind you, those who would be using technology like IPTV, will be in the homes with more than one TV set and more importantly millions of Indians are yet to buy a TV set. Traditional broadcasting will continue to remain 2/3rds of the pyramid and the remaining 1/3rd will consume the new offerings.
  • ‘Key to successful radio programming is to know what territory you can own & defend against predators’ : Steve Martin – BBC World Service on-air editor

    ‘Key to successful radio programming is to know what territory you can own & defend against predators’ : Steve Martin – BBC World Service on-air editor

    BBC World Service on-air editor Steve Martin has been responsible for the present on-air image that BBC’s English Radio Network holds, be it the sound identity of the network or its on-air promotions. Radio, to Martin, is something that establishes a certain personal connection through what it offers.

    According to Martin, content should be strong enough to trigger emotional reactions among consumers. He emphasizes that the players should better know their audience, the better knowledge they have, more acceptable forms of presentation will be created.

    Martin has his own theory on the sales & promotion aspect, which goes beyond the commercial break. He says the content should be creating and raising awareness of the product or the service.

    On his way to London, BBC World Service on-air editor Martin spent two days in Mumbai, attending a seminar organized by FM channel Radio City.

    Indiantelevision.com’s Manisha Bhattacharjee caught up with Martin during his brief stay in the city, to get a perspective on the evolving business.

    Excerpts:

    Could you provide a brief of overview of the current radio status in UK?
    Today, it is an extremely mature and diverse radio market. BBC now operates 10 national networks some of which are only available on the digital platform, the rest of them on FM and AM in the traditional way. And we also operate a network of 38 local radio stations which is centered in all different cities and towns in England. We run two radio stations in Wales, two in Scotland, and two in Northern Ireland. So in any one place in Great Britain you are guaranteed to get at least five to six BBC radio stations. Plus you will get a similar number of commercial services in some places and in some places there are more. It’s a very developed market now.

    Now that is really diverse. Was there any kind of regulatory push, which also enhanced the market?
    In Britain, it is permissible for a radio group to own several radio stations in one market. This isn’t the case in India.

    When this happens you don’t find much similarities between two radio stations, because if you are going to own two radio stations in the same market, the last thing you want to be doing is exactly the same thing and cannibalizing the same audience. So you ensure that the two radio stations are broadly complementary. That makes good business sense and you ensure that on each radio station in a particular territory, which is not only hugely successful but it is also defensible against any other outside broadcaster. The key to successful radio programming is to know what territory you can own and defend against predators.

    That works for the public service as well. In BBC we are publicly funded and do not have a commercial imperative. We are all there to maximize revenues. However, because we are publicly funded, we have a duty to serve absolutely everybody of the UK population. So we have an obligation to ensure that our services are broadly complementary.

    For example: We run a national new music service, which specializes in breaking new music. It is a patronage in the arts in terms of supporting new talents in new music and it plays hits also of the popular culture.

    Please comment on BBC service radio networks’ programming strategy. How different is it from that of commercial radio stations?
    BBC service radio networks are distinctive from the commercial radio stations. It would be wrong to say that we solely do things that the market can’t support. Because we have an obligation to provide something to everybody, the services have to be popular. But these are absolutely distinctive.

    We would take creative risks with our programming such as of BBC Radio 2 – we will do a speech based consumer phone-in and discussion stations are doing that. On Radio 1 we will break great new music and we will take risks with that. We invest in social action programming, investigating issues that young people are facing in Britain today. And on BBC Radio 3 we support orchestras. So our patronage of the hour is not just something having on the plaque on the wall, it is actually real money going into supporting musicians creating music and support the cultural life of Britain today. So that some of the stuff that we do in music, commercial service radio stations don’t indulge in.

    In speech radio, we are the single biggest broadcast news gathering operation anywhere in the world. And in UK specifically, we run an intelligent speech radio station which is not just news and current affairs but includes drama, documentary and cultural programmes.

    Please comment on the competition between BBC and the commercial radio stations. How does it affect the market?
    Commercial radio is first and foremost a business and these radio stations will try to know the most profitable territories in programming terms. I think it is fair to say that because of the pressure of BBC, which is innovating in programming, the commercial radio stations have raised their game and are not going in for cutting the investment in programming and creating the cheapest programming possible.

    Because of the competition from BBC, we have got a healthy creative section within the commercial radio stations in the UK. Commercial radio stations invest heavily in research and keep us on our toes.

    Also, the regulatory framework ensures through the system of licensing that the stations are held to a particular format and have to comply with the terms of format licensing issues by the regulator. This ensures that there is a spread of different formats in any one market. But the commercial stations would want that in any case because they wouldn’t want two stations duplicating the same output.

    In the present scenario, how different is the US radio market from that of the UK radio market?
    They have a public radio network but that is quite different from what BBC is doing and it appeals to a particular niche audience. In recent years, the arrival of satellite radio through XM Satellite and Sirius Satellite Radio, which has made a huge number of formats available from coast to coast, which is great if you are driving. It allows one to listen to the same station through the journey.
    ‘Last year, 25 % of UK radio revenues came from S&P activity‘

    The evolution of the radio industry, in particular it’s rapidly growing digital uptake, does that signify a threat posed by digital radio to terrestrial radio?
    More radio is good for the industry; it is good for the consumers, because, it gives more choice. You are more likely to hear what you want when you want it. That’s a positive force. BBC has been a pioneer in digital radio in UK, we have strongly welcomed it. It has enabled us to provide new services and are able to reach sections of the community which were otherwise being undeserved.

    It does mean that more communication radio stations will compete against us but that said that adds to the totality of choice available to UK radio listeners and that’s got to be healthy.

    I think where the challenge comes for the commercial stations is to manage the investment. You’ve got to invest in the new technology of rolling out the transmitter networks providing new radio services before getting enough listeners to turn a profit from those. So there is the issue of funding. That’s where the challenges lie from the business point of view.

    BBC has been leading the roll-out of digital radio infrastructure. So we have been an enabler for the commercial. Because every time you buy a digital radio set, not only do you have new BBC radio station but you have access to the new commercial stations as well.

    Radio is probably looking at greater fragmentation of its audience (like any other media). Is this an encouraging sign for the marketers or advertisers?
    If I was an advertiser and I knew there was a radio stations that supports on a functional and emotional level, with a clear voice to my target listeners. I know I will be able to buy just that station and eliminate waste on my ad spend. It is going to be good for advertisers as there is more choice on where to put spends.

    It may mean that in order to reach the audience you need more than one radio station but you can be selective in the stations you buy and eliminate waste.

    If you have only one station in the market, or all the stations sound the same, then you are guaranteeing to be wasting some of your advertisers’ spend. Because you will be talking to people who are not within your target audience or your advertising campaign. So, the more the fragmentation the easier it is to target the specific audience segment you are interested in.

    More relevant, from an advertisers’ point of view, is maximizing reach – the number of different people who listen in a week. But consumers generally hate advertisements as it is an interruption?
    Well, listeners don’t hate radio advertising. They primarily hate bad radio advertising. Secondly, the scene is changing, first there were advertising spots, and then came sponsorship. But now there’s S&P (sales and promotion) and its growing fast. Last year, 25 per cent of UK radio revenues came from S&P activity. It takes the client beyond the commercial break by creating and raising awareness of the product or the service.

    It can exploit the closeness and personal nature of radio for brands. It can also give brand endorsement from popular and trusted RJs and can create great radio entertainment for listeners. It can bring in new listeners for the radio station.

    Today, the Indian radio market is perceived as an industry which is booming. What’s your perception?
    At the moment of course, we have a situation where a lot of radio stations are broadcasting music, of course with a very similar play list. It is yet to be seen, if anybody has the guts or intelligent research in order to tone down or target their music specifically. That’s an inevitability. Whoever does that will be hugely successful in the market.

    Knowing that the radio FM market is at its nascent stage; doesn’t that give even more opportunities for the players to take risks as they are still craving a place for themselves?
    You have to be extremely brave indeed to say good-bye to a certain section of one audience. The industry is booming at the moment people are running successful businesses with this model. I believe the only question is as the radio market matures, how long the situation can continue before the audience will expect a degree of choice? But I think at the same time it would be wrong to suggest that there isn’t some choice there already.

    Though music is largely played, the individual stations have invested in individual personalities who will become listeners’ friends over time and they will be characterizing differently, between station A and station B. So it just doesn’t have to be just about music. It could be emotional qualities, personalities, attitude of the presenters or RJ’s on the air. There are a number of ways you can introduce to a radio station format something that is particular to your radio stations that is owned by you and over time you become famous for and that is about segmentation and building brands.

    Are players reluctant to experiment primarily due to lack of news and current affairs?
    In any market you have to accept the regulatory framework which is in place. And in India, that’s the regulation.

    In markets where it is allowed to broadcast different types of news on radio channels, it is a popular form of radio programming. And you will also find the people will have different news needs as the day continues.

    At breakfast time for example, people tend to want information, the kind of information they need to get into the day and through the day. Then, later in the day, people may want to think a little more about the issues and not just get information but come to their own conclusion about what it means for them. So, we talk about this journey through the day from information in the morning to an understanding in the evening and people have a need for or devote a lot of time to knowing in the morning and thinking in the evening.

    In the markets where we are producing speech programming through the day we produce a range of news programmes. We run a programme called World Today which is a fast moving double headed presentation programme by two presenters. Very high story counts and have live reports from correspondents from across the globe. It is fairly light in tone. Later in the day, News Hour is a longer broadcast with one or two big stories from the day so far with a range of perspectives from the other BBC correspondents and other figures who are involved in the news story.

    We produce news programmes in such a way that they are available to listeners at a time when they better satisfy their news needs.

    What is the strategy to have a successful station format and positioning of the radio channel?
    A key thing about radio is that it is an emotional medium. Radio is company, a complement for life, and so the key thing to be successful in radio, firstly you research in an audience. Know exactly whom you are talking too. What makes them tick. What their interests are. What kind of tone of voice you need to adapt and from there devising a radio format and delivering consistently. So that your audience knows exactly where to find the things that you are offering and you are rendering the whole thing up in a consistent tone of voice which becomes part of your brand identity.

    People around the world say what they love most about their favourite radio stations are personalities, the music, and the local information that helps get them through the day.