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  • Sony BBC Earth scripts success with programming and marketing innovations in 2020

    Sony BBC Earth scripts success with programming and marketing innovations in 2020

    New Delhi: Sony BBC Earth has successfully closed in a year of achievements riding on its might of insightful storytelling and family viewing experiences. Despite a year filled with challenges, Sony BBC Earth was quick to adapt to the changing trends and realign its programming and marketing strategies. From launching genre binding marketing initiatives to bringing topical content–the channel scaled up its audience engagement, across all touchpoints. As a consumer first brand, Sony BBC Earth focused on innovations to emerge as the fastest growing channel SD+HD in the infotainment category in terms of both, reach and viewership when comparing Q4’CY 2019 to Q4’CY 2020*.

    Adhering to the changing consumption trends in the post COVID world, the channel was quick to re-strategize. Sony BBC Earth was among the first few channels in March to acquire and air a documentary specific to the pandemic – coronavirus: How to Isolate Yourself, at a time when the Indian audience was grappling with information overflow on the virus and its prevention. Offering expert insights and real-life instances, the show succeeded in reaching out to 2.5 million viewers across India. The channel also premiered the biggest show on biodiversity ever produced –Seven Worlds, One Planet and another milestone series – Spy in the Wild 2.

    This was followed by the introduction of specially curated afternoon bands to cater to the increased viewership during lockdown and scale up non-prime time viewership. Sunny Side Up was launched as a special slot offering genres like food, fitness, world adventures, kid friendly content and more, making for a complete family viewing experience. ‘Couch Travels’ anthology was introduced as a respite for all those suffering from lockdown blues.

    When it comes to marketing initiatives, Sony BBC Earth fortified its digital presence beyond social media, to build richer engagement with audiences across all age groups.

    To begin with, recognizing the immediate transition to e-learning this year, Sony BBC Earth moved fast to revamp its flagship school engagement program – ‘Feel Alive Hours’, to create an online learning experience. With an aim of building consistent engagement with a community of over two-and-a-half lakh students across 600 schools in seven cities, the brand created multiple touchpoints such as monthly newsletters, LIVE sessions, exclusive video content and an e-destination, which has already garnered more than four lakh footfalls within three months. The content across touchpoints is carefully curated understanding the need for meaningful co-curriculars at a time when parents and students need newer ways to stay engaged.

    In another riveting initiative, Sony BBC Earth tapped the most popular social media behavior that increased multifold during the lockdown – photography, to scale up yet another brand IP – Earth in Focus. On World Photography Day, the brand launched a month-long contest for every photography enthusiast who has a keen eye to capture moments in time, with or without professional skills or equipment. Award-winning photographer and filmmaker, Amoghavarsha JS was roped in to judge the contest which garnered more than 2,500 splendid entries and which received over 1.3 lakh votes in the round of public voting. Even the website which hosted the contest had more than eight lakh visitors ensuring that the contest was a success and that it paves way for similar models to follow.

    With more time being spent on social media daily post lockdown, Sony BBC Earth leveraged the platform to not only promote shows but also to amplify conversations and stay relevant to audiences. From creating an experiential AR filter for ‘Spy in the wild 2’ and hosting LIVE chats around topics like sustainability and eco-conscious lifestyle with influencers like Randeep Hooda and filmmakers Amoghvarsha JS and Sandesh Kadur, to initiating conversations with world renowned experts like Steve Backshall and Gordon Buchanan, Sony BBC Earth ensured consistent engagement and an increased reach, on social media.

    Marking the year end with yet another milestone, Sony BBC Earth launched a 360-brand campaign that bolstered the channel’s distinguished narrative and attributes in the minds of the viewers and potential advertisers. Not only did it establish Sony BBC Earth as a brand that provides a conducive and safe environment for partners to grow hand in hand, but it also reinforced the positive impact the channel has on people’s lives, beyond just world-class entertainment. This robust, two-pronged campaign was rolled out with eye-grabbing outdoors, cable promotions and social media communication aimed at viewers, and trade-centric print ads coupled with a highly targeted campaign, aimed at advertisers.

    Even through a challenging year like 2020, Sony BBC Earth continued to place the consumer needs first and it is because of this approach that all its initiatives were a success. In a year that demanded positive reinforcements more than ever, Sony BBC Earth drove salience and stayed true to its promise of bringing pureplay factual entertainment and positive storytelling that truly makes people ‘Feel Alive’.

    Sonly Pictures Networks India business head, English Cluster Tushar Shah said, “Despite the unparalleled challenges that 2020 presented, Sony BBC Earth managed to sustain growth with a continued focus on positive and impactful storytelling. Our constant endeavor to make people feel alive with our distinct and relevant content on-air and off-air has resulted in Sony BBC Earth’s loyal fan base and has paved way for potential like-minded partners. We are looking forward to 2021 and hope to continue to grow with the love and the support from our viewers”.

  • TV9 Network forays into Bengal market

    TV9 Network forays into Bengal market

    NEW DELHI: With the aim to further reinforce its regional dominance and consolidate its position as the number one news network in the country, TV9 Network has embarked on a massive expansion plan for both its linear television as well as digital news businesses in West Bengal. The expansion plan will kick off with the launch of TV9 Bangla, a 24X7 news channel in the dynamic Bengal news market early next year. 

    Before the launch of TV9 Bangla, the network will unveil its digital offering, tv9bangla.com in December. As West Bengal prepares to go to the hustings, the grand entry of TV9 Bangla digital and TV platforms will be a game-changer for the robust Bangla news market. 

    TV9 Network CEO Barun Das said: “Gopal Krishna Gokhalre had famously said – ‘What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow’. But nearly a century later it would seem like that statement applies more to Bengal’s past than the present. An intellectually progressive state and exporter of the best talent to India and the world, we believe the state and its people still retain the wisdom and wares to make that its future as well. Bengalis are the typical argumentative Indians, they want to keep her ear to the ground and hence are naturally drawn to the news."

    “More importantly, Bengalis are proud of their language and largely consume news in their language. The discerning Bengali viewer will always have room for a neutral perspective and a balanced opinion. That’s the place in the Bengali heart and mind that TV9 Bangla aspires to occupy. We are here to strike the right balance with neutrality and a fair perspective forming the core of our operations. Our unbiased coverage and world-class presentation will give teeth to the Fourth Estate in West Bengal,” added Das. 

    On the timing of the launch, Das said: “The state is already into election mode. Indirect canvassing has already started and the heat is building up. Given Bengal’s propensity for the free flow of information, news viewership is bound to peak. We believe this is a perfect opportunity for TV9 Bangla to establish its credentials and win the maximum share of viewership and voice.”

    The network has onboarded veteran journalist Anjan Bandyopadhyay as the editor of TV9 Bangla news channel. A gold medallist from Calcutta University, Bandyopadhyay has 32 years of experience and has worked with almost all major media houses, including ABP, Zee, ETV and Sky Bangla. He was the Editor input of Zee 24 Ghanta and his last assignment was with ABP as its Editor-Digital.

    Hiring for both the platforms is in full swing.  Amritanshu Bhattacharya has also joined as the editor, TV9 Bengali Digital and will also serve as deputy managing editor, output, for the television channel. Bhattacharya comes with a rich experience of more than 25 years across print, audio visual and digital media, having worked with Jugantar, Aajkaal, ETV and Zee Media Corp. His last assignment was as an associate editor and head of digital of Zee 24 Ghanta.

  • Vivo IPL 2018 final breaks multiple viewership records

    Vivo IPL 2018 final breaks multiple viewership records

    MUMBAI:  The VIVO IPL final on 27 May 2018 garnered a record viewership on both digital and TV, as per figures released by the broadcaster Star. The final, which was aired live on 17 channels across eight different languages, powered the network’s growth by 34 per cent with 52.9 million average impressions.

    The final between Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad was produced with 11 live feeds across the TV network and Hotstar. The match had the highest reach (211 million across screens) in the history of the cash-rich league.

    Hotstar hit a world record for concurrent online viewing with 10.7 million viewers for the final. The contest that saw CSK’s Shane Watson score a century to hand the yellow brigade its third IPL trophy helped Hotstar create a new record of over 10 million concurrent users.

    The match witnessed a sudden hike from eight million to 9.1 million and then to 9.7 million before hitting the 10.7 million mark.

    The Grand Finale on television was watched by a historic 160 million fans across Star TV network (not including DD) versus last year’s figure of 121 million, recording a 32 per cent growth in reach. This is the highest television reach recorded for any match in the history of the tournament.

    The television viewership for the tournament as measured by average half hourly time-weighted impressions was 1.4 billion impressions (U+R 2+) with a growth of 15 per cent. The viewership growth in urban audiences was 26 per cent.

    The total television viewership for the tournament as measured by gross impressions was 9.985 billion impressions with a growth of 19 per cent across urban + rural and 30 per cent in urban audiences.

    Also Read:

    Star spending up to Rs 2 cr on production per IPL match

    Hotstar creates record of 10 mn plus concurrent viewers for IPL finale 

  • Discovery incurs $8 mn loss in Q1 2018 with Scripps acquisition

    Discovery incurs $8 mn loss in Q1 2018 with Scripps acquisition

    MUMBAI: Discovery’s earnings release for Q1 2018, for the quarter ended 31 March 2018, shows that the company suffered a slight loss of $8 million due to the costs linked with the acquisition of Scripps Networks Interactive (Scripps). Q1 revenue of $2307 million was 43 per cent higher year-on-year (yoy) from $1610 million.

    Net income in the previous quarter was $215 million and the $8 million loss was primarily due to lower operating results, higher restructuring charges and other transaction costs associated with the acquisition of Scripps and higher interest expense.

    Excluding the impact of foreign currency transactions and the Scripps, The Enthusiast Network and the Oprah Winfrey Network transactions, revenue increased by 14 per cent as international networks grew by 28 per cent and US networks grew by three per cent.

    US revenue was up by 42 per cent boosted by the three above-mentioned transactions, with a 55 per cent gain in advertising revenue to $627 million and a 26 per cent increase in distribution revenue to $514 million.

    International networks revenue for the first quarter of 2018 increased by 47 per cent to $1098 million. Distribution and advertising revenue was up by 20 per cent to $537 million and 37 per cent to $385 million, respectively.

    Distribution revenue growth was primarily due to increases in digital revenue and higher contractual rates in Europe following further investment in sports content, contributions from content deliveries under licensing agreements in Asia and increases in rates in Latin America, partially offset by decreases in subscribers in Latin America and decreases in contractual rates in Asia. Advertising revenues increased primarily due to increases in pricing and volume across key markets in Europe and increases in ratings from coverage of the Olympics, partially offset by lower pricing and delivery in Latin America and Asia. The significant growth in other revenues is primarily due to sublicensing of Olympics sports rights to broadcast networks throughout Europe.

    First quarter adjusted operating income before depreciation and amortisation (adjusted OIBDA) increased by 16 per cent to $697 million on a reported basis, excluding the impact of the above-mentioned transactions and foreign currency fluctuations, adjusted OIBDA decreased by nine per cent as the three per cent growth at US networks was more than offset by a 37 per cent decline at international networks primarily due to the timing of costs associated with the Olympics.

    Discovery president and CEO David Zaslav said, “The first quarter of 2018 was a historic and pivotal period for Discovery. We closed on our transaction to acquire Scripps Networks Interactive, becoming the global leader in real-life entertainment and home to an enhanced portfolio of quality and trusted enthusiast brands. As our industry continues to evolve, we are uniquely positioned to maximise the value of our traditional pay-TV business while driving new opportunities and growth from our digital and direct to consumer businesses around the world.”

    Speaking in an earnings call, Zaslav said that the company has a good cash flow for the future. He said, “Whether it’s investing in content, IP, platforms, products and services, extending our content onto all bundles and services, whether linear, digital, mobile, or direct-to-consumer, or just buying back our stock, we will have the cash to decide. Our focus on cost efficient, real life entertainment leveraged across all formats, regions and methods of delivery, gives us another distinct advantage over our peers. We’re not caught up in the increasingly competitive and high-cost scripted content game that has captured so much of our industry’s attention and resources over the past several years. We’re also not renters. We own the vast majority of our content across regions, platforms and formats, and have the flexibility to take it wherever we want.”

    He added that the company is truly international with the ability to take content around the world in multiple languages, and the Scripps IP was just the start.

    Also Read :

    Discovery promotes Scripps programming execs

    Discovery Jeet gets good spread at launch

    Discovery boss JB Perrette proud of Jeet bet

  • Turner appoints IndiaCast as exclusive distribution agent

    Turner appoints IndiaCast as exclusive distribution agent

    MUMBAI: Turner International India Pvt Ltd (Turner) has appointed IndiaCast Media Distribution Pvt Ltd as its exclusive distribution agent from 1 April 2018 for distribution of Turner channels—CNN International, Pogo, Cartoon Network, WB, HBO and HBO HD-to consumers in India, Nepal and Bhutan.

    A TV 18 and Viacom18 venture, IndiaCast is known to bring quality content to viewers spanning genres such as general entertainment, kids, news, music, infotainment and movies.

    Turner South Asia managing director Siddharth Jain said, “I am delighted to announce the appointment of IndiaCast as our exclusive distribution agent for India, Nepal and Bhutan. I am very confident they will enable us to further enhance our footprint and bring the choicest content to our fans in the Indian subcontinent. We look forward to a long term strategic relationship with IndiaCast.” 

    Added IndiaCast group CEO Anuj Gandhi, “At IndiaCast, it is our constant endeavour to curate the best possible exposure for our content creator partners. Turner has a fantastic bouquet of channels catering to a bespoke audience. As we ramp up the distribution network for its channels, I look forward to a long-term association that is founded on mutually beneficial economics.”

    After nearly two decades of collaboration, Zee Entertainment Enterprises (ZEE) and Turner mutually decided to work independently in order to drive up subscription revenue, release issued yesterday stated. ZEE and Turner joined hands back in 2002 to manage distribution and trade marketing for a bouquet of channels in India.

    Also read:

    Zee, Turner to work independently for subscription revenue

    We place a very high premium on fan experience: Turner’s Rohit Bhandari

  • Rural India gets e-commerce & TV ready via optic fibre network

    Rural India gets e-commerce & TV ready via optic fibre network

    NEW DELHI: The BharatNet project, which aims to deploy high-speed optical fibre cables across rural areas of the country, has now reached 83,000 gram panchayats, according to Department of Telecommunications Secretary Aruna Sundararajan.

    Speaking at ‘i-Bharat 2017’ on the theme ICT Elucidations for Unserved and Unsolved, organised by FICCI in association with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Sundararajan said that by December this year the first phase of BharatNet will be complete. This would provide 100,000 gram panchayats with broadband connectivity by laying underground optic fibre cable lines.

    The DoT is aggressively monitoring the prestigious BharatNet initiative that aims to provide Internet connectivity to 2,50,000 gram panchayats or village blocks by March 2019.

    The entire project, when complete, is expected to give a fillip to e-commerce services, including e-governance, education and television services to far flung areas of the country.

    The DoT Secretary said fibre-isation was a national imperative and the government, industry and chambers of commerce needed to work in coalition to achieve the objective of doubling the telecom footprint in the country by 2020.

    Quoting from internet guru Mary Meeker’s 2017 report released in May this year, she said there are over 355 million monthly active internet users in India, while nearly 109 million smartphones were shipped in 2016. Nearly 46 per cent of internet users in India consume content in local languages. In the first quarter of 2017, 27 million smartphones were shipped. Most Indians used the internet on their mobile phones (80 per cent usage was on mobile as compared to the global average of 50 per cent). The most used browser in India was UC Browser, followed by Chrome and Opera. WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Shareit, Truecaller and Facebook are the most used apps in India.

    She said these figures threw up challenges in the policy domain, particularly in terms of security; data privacy and protection, data regulation and data monetisation.

    Hewlett-Packard Enterprise MD Som Satsangi said that with the impending large-scale migration of people from the rural areas to the proposed smart cities, the challenge before the industry would be to meet their rising expectations and services on demand. The industry must be ready to provide low-cost, affordable solutions to the aspirational people at the bottom of the pyramid.

    Indian Express Group executive director Anant Goenka said India would soon overtake China as the consumer base for telecom and IT and therefore, if the objective was to shape digital India, there was a need to look beyond the current trends. The Aadhaar database must be leveraged while tackling privacy issues.

    FICCI ICT & Digital Economy Committee Chairman Virat Bhatia said following the government initiatives, the internet landscape of India is about to experience a tectonic-shift. The next millions of users that will come on the internet by 2020 will utilise ICT as a socio-economic tool of development. To fulfil the dream of ‘New India’, “we all have to work towards good governance and streamlining the marginalised section of the society and transforming India into an empowered and inclusive knowledge-based society,” he said.

    FICCI secretary general Sanjaya Baru emphasised the need to have pre-policy consultations between the government and industry rather than resort to post-policy alterations which leads to needless confusion. FICCI, he said, would initiate closed-door consultations for industry so that its representatives can have a free and frank discussion with policy makers in the government.

  • Strong economic logic underpins several events, says Gurumurthi, as ET Now adds new viewer category

    Strong economic logic underpins several events, says Gurumurthi, as ET Now adds new viewer category

    A while ago, the Times Network decided to embark on a mission to provide more to its business viewers of ET Now. Rather than overdose them with business news 24X7, it decided to show them how general news can also be viewed with a business lens.

    Tune into the channel after 5pm and you will get to see development related news – both economic and social, that will give a business viewer a better idea of the sector. It can also be seen as an attempt to get evening viewers, who are generally glued to the general news and debates that follow. ET Now also has general news, shows and debates to engage the upwardly mobile audience.

    Managing editor Sandeep Gurumurthy is not only behind-the-scenes but also co-hosts the 9 pm primetime debate ‘Rise with India’. In conversation with Indiantelevision.com’s Shekhar Pundir, Gurumurthy sheds light on the channel’s intent to change its positioning and what has come out of it.

    1) How has this change from pure business to a mix of offerings benefitted you?

    We are truly overwhelmed with the response so far. I don’t think any news channel has taken the leap of faith that we have. We sensed a clear need to bring intelligent and informed conversations back on news TV and no other channel saw the merit in putting development at the core of its editorial agenda.

    2) How successful have you been in discussing India’s holistic development and imagery?

    While these are early days, I think we have been very successful in establishing India Development Debate as a leading platform to discuss and debate issues relating to the country’s development. We have received great responses from stakeholders, both in the policy and corporate space. Top ministers and bureaucrats from the government such as Piyush Goyal, Jayant Sinha, Rajiv Kumar and Amitabh Kant, have participated in the show and contributed to finding solutions for the issues we raised.

    3) What impact do you see on viewers after about 10 weeks of the shift?

    To me, this is more than just repositioning. The entire organisation has morphed into a new entity with a new purpose. This is a tectonic shift and I appreciate the fact that it will take a while for people to understand the importance of this change. A year ago, this seemed unimaginable. Having said that, we have only made a beginning and set ourselves on a path, which is unchartered territory.

    5) ET Now’s new shows promised to uncover the economics behind major news around us. Please comment on the effect and impact of this strategy.

    I think with all these stories, what we are trying to demonstrate is that very often, there is a strong economic logic that underpins a lot of events that happen around us. Our endeavour is to bring that out. You can’t reduce news events to binary propositions. That’s how we want to make Rise with India, the most intelligent debate show.

    7) What would you say makes the show different from the other business shows?

    To start with, this isn’t a business show at all. This is a news debate show that focuses on development issues. Development is not just economic development but also social development. We have debated issues like hunger, sanitation, etc. which are core to India’s development agenda. Tell me another channel or show that is even talking about these issues on prime time?

    9) What change in viewership have you noticed?

    We have not repositioned the channel with an intent to drive viewership. We don’t decide topics based on what will get us eyeballs or drive viewership, we decide topics based on what will create impact and make a difference to India’s development agenda. With all humility, that is what we are doing at ET Now. Thanks to our strong brand, we are already one of India’s most watched English news channels. I am certain that in this new avatar, ET Now will draw a whole new category of viewers, who have so far stayed away from business news.

    10) Wouldn’t most leaders cater to similar topics?

    We as leaders definitely believe that these issues needed to be done differently. But we don’t want to restrict ourselves to just economic issues. Our agenda is development and we will cover every aspect of it. Most other business channels don’t discuss the kind of issues that we do. If they now start doing so, I will only be too happy.

    11) What would be ET Now’s strategy, going forward?

    We want to put development at the core of public discourse. We want to make India Development Debate, India’s most influential debate show that leads to change. We want to do whatever we can to aid India’s development agenda and help every Indian to rise with India.

     

     

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  • Wireless b’band data speed ideas date extended

    NEW DELHI: With stakeholders saying that various technical and network issues are involved, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has once again extended the last date for views on ensuring transparency and customer awareness regarding data speeds under wireless broadband plans.

    Stakeholders can now give their comments by 10 August and counter-comments by 24 August 2017.

    In a Consultation Paper on ‘Data Speed under Wireless Broadband Plans’ early last month, TRAI had also suggested various tools that may be deployed for measuring data speeds.

    At the outset, it had said the National Telecom Policy of 2012 (NTP-2012) has the vision of Broadband on Demand and envisages leveraging telecom infrastructure to enable all citizens and businesses, both in rural and urban areas, to participate in the Internet and web economy thereby ensuring equitable and inclusive development across the nation. It provides the enabling framework for enhancing India’s competitiveness in all spheres of the economy.

    The questions raised in the paper, which discusses the various initiatives that have been taken by the Authority in relation to broadband speeds in India and their current status and provides a summary of the international experience on similar issues, are:

    Q1: Is the information on wireless broadband speeds currently being made available to consumers is transparent enough for making informed choices?

    Q2: If it is difficult to commit a minimum download speed, then could average speed be specified by the service providers? What should be the parameters for calculating average speed?

    Q3: What changes can be brought about to the existing framework on wireless broadband tariff plans to encourage better transparency and comparison between plans offered by different service providers?

    Q4: Is there a need to include/delete any of the QoS parameters and/or revise any of the  benchmarks currently stipulated in the Regulations?

    Q5: Should disclosure of average network performance over a period of time or at peak times including through broadband facts/labels be made mandatory?

    Q6: Should standard application/ websites be identified for mandating comparable disclosures about network speeds?

    Q7: What are the products/technologies that can be used to measure actual end-user experience on mobile broadband networks? At what level should the measurements take place (e.g., on the 26 device, network node)?

    Q8: Are there any legal, security, privacy or data sensitivity issues with collecting device level data?

    a) If so, how can these issues be addressed? b) Do these issues create a challenge for the adoption of any measurement tools?

    Q9: What measures can be taken to increase awareness among consumers about wireless broadband speeds, availability of various technological tools to monitor them and any potential concerns that may arise in the process?

    Also read:

    Wireless b’band speed: TRAI invites transparency & customer awareness ideas

  • TV Today not selling 3 FM stations to ENIL; seeks MIB nod for migration

    TV Today not selling 3 FM stations to ENIL; seeks MIB nod for migration

    MUMBAI: TV Today Network shall not undertake the agreement, entered into with Entertainment Network (India) Limited, to sell three Metro FM Radio stations, as was earlier approved by the board in its meeting held on 13 November 2015, according to a BSE filing.

    TV Today had inked a deal to sell seven Oye FM radio stations to ENIL which operates Radio Mirchi. However, MIB did not approve sale of three stations and the matter went before the Delhi High Court.

    Such sale agreement was subject to the approval of the MIB or an order from the Delhi High Court allowing the sale of Metro Radio stations whichever is earlier.

    TV Today said it would now reorganise the radio business. The company would approach the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to seek permission to migrate its radio business from phase II to phase III.

    “The committee of senior officials in their meeting held on 19 December, 2016 has approved the initiation of procedural modalities w.r.t proposal of migrating its radio business from phase II to the FM radio phase III, that would enable the company from reorganisation of its radio business,” TV Today said in a BSE filing.

    “The migration fee will involve a total net capital expenditure of Rs 71.36 crore excluding other charges/interest and will be completed within three months,” it added.