ITV

Tag: Ravi Menon

  • ‘Star One is repositioned to become suitable for youth audiences’ : Ravi Menon – Star One EVP and GM

    ‘Star One is repositioned to become suitable for youth audiences’ : Ravi Menon – Star One EVP and GM

    Star One was launched as an upmarket Hindi general entertainment channel, second to Star Plus. Pioneer of big ticket shows like Nach Baliye and The Great Indian Laughter Challenge (TGILC), the channel is now on the path of repositioning.

     

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com’s Richa Dubey, Star One executive vice president and general manager Ravi Menon talks about Star One’s road ahead as the channel takes up a new positioning to address the youth while tapping family audiences.

     

    Excerpts:

    Star One has deviated a lot from its earlier positioning of an upmarket channel. What made you to shift from your earlier positioning?
    You can’t target the urban market with less money. And when you put in huge amounts, there has to be good returns. So we wanted to expand the market – for viewers as well as revenues.

     

    Upmarket audiences are also not very sticky in nature. We found this in some of our popular shows like Sarabhai vs Sarabhai.

    Is Star One on its way of getting revamped?
    I would not call it a revamp. But from the time it was launched, Star One’s positioning and programming has changed.

     

    Our programming has now become suitable for youth. Our fictions are focussed towards youth, though families can still watch. In reality shows like Zara Nach Ke Dikha, we have roped in young participants and included family elements in it.

     

    Our channel is primarily for youngsters. But we also respect family viewing.

    What would you identify as your target group (TG)?
    Star One targets the 10-30-year-olds. The core TG, though, is 18 to 22 years. But we are definitely not addressing the kind of TG that channels like Bindass or Channel [V] have. Our content is for the homogeneous market. We produce shows for youngsters wherein the entire family can sit and watch. We get family audiences, but on the back of these youngsters. People from all age groups can connect with all our shows like Annu Ki Ho Gayi Wah bhai Wah, Dil Mil Gayi, Pari Hoon Main and Choona Hai Aasmaan.

    How have the advertisers responded to your current repositioning?
    We have become a platform for the brands that want to address the youth. We foresee more brands that will come in. Advertisers are ready to pay money for new kind of shows.

    Don’t you think that the youth positioning is risky as we have seen in the case of Zee Next which has a mere 1-2 per cent of market share in the GEC space?
    When you are addressing such a TG, there has to be a habit formation. We have been very successful in keeping consistency in viewership.

     

    As I said earlier, we get the entire family to watch our channel on the back of youngsters. This strategy will lift Star One above the rest of the other new comers.
    ‘We have been a trend setter in the stand up comedy front. Other channels have started cloning us soon after the success of The Great Indian Laughter Challenge‘

    Though Star One became the number three GEC for a week in January, since then there has been a constant dip and presently it ranks number 6. How do you explain this?
    The important thing is that we are continuously reaching out to our TG. We are a GEC focussing on youth. But the new entrants in the market are targeting to compete with Star and Zee. So though we have become number 6 from number 3, in our target audience we are still the leader.

    Overall, the GEC market share has got segmented because of new entrants. Do you see that affecting Star One?
    The GEC market is segmented but brands are still willing to pay money. Presently if Kyunki Saas Bhi Bahu Thi gives a rating of 4 TVR, that is good enough in a fragmented market for media buyers and advertisers to put money behind them.

    What kind of money is being pumped in for programming?
    The programming budget depends on the requirements of the channel. We rework on it every quarter.

     

    But GECs today roughly spend around Rs 7-8 billion. That is because the reality shows are very costly, – jury, studio, star costs have surged.

    With such high money being pumped in, does it become to protect profitability of channels?
    A good thing about reality shows are that they come with 10 to 12 sponsors and become popular – and they are for a short period. Although fictions do not come with so many sponsors, they are for long term and become popular gradually. So every show has a break even. Although the market is cluttered, that does not affect the bottomline because there are many brands ready to advertise.

    Your weekday prime time fresh programming is of two hours. In the other day parts you show repeats of your present as well as older shows like India Calling and The Special Squad. Are you going to expand original content on the channel?
    We sell advertisers our original programmes. Putting fresh shows on every time slot is expensive; we, thus, run repeats of the older shows. We have bulk deals with advertisers.

    For Star One, reality shows like Bol baby Bol and Funjaabi did not become as popular as Laughter Challenge?
    Bol Baby Bol did fairly well, delivering a rating of 1+ TVR in some weeks. We experimented with Funjaabi and Kisko Milega Cash. While announcing the launch, we had said that the show will run for a month and if it does well, then we would continue it further.

     

    Doling out prize money daily was a mistake that we did. Probably if we were to bring another series of the show, we would give money only once a week.

     

    But we have been a trend setter in the stand up comedy front. We hunt the talents and raise the stars. Other channels have started cloning us soon after the success of The Great Indian Laughter Challenge.

    How will you create an equally big property like Nach Baliye?
    Now our aim is to create equally clutter breaking shows like Zara Nach ke Dikha.
    What big shows are coming up?
    We have Zara Nach Ke Dikha which is a celebrity dance competition between boys and girls. It will go on air somewhere in mid July. The slot and day has not been decided yet. There are a few more shows which will be unveiled soon.
    Can we expect this show to be slotted for weekend prime time while other shows will fill up the weekday primetime band?
    Currently the slotting of shows has become very crucial, especially for the prime time. After IPL, many channels have launched shows at the prime time; they were all waiting for IPL to get over. Colors will launch in July and we will monitor everything closely before we fix the timing of our shows.
  • Star Vijay banks on format shows

    Star Vijay banks on format shows

    MUMBAI: In a market heavily dominated by Sun TV, Star India’s Tamil channel Vijay, is toying with new genres of programming to make a mark.

    having flirted with Star shows like Nach Baliye and Koffee with Karan as early as 2005, this year Vijay has lined up shows like Airtel Super Singer-Junior, What do you want to watch at 8:30 pm? and a new edition of Lollu Saba.

    Says Vijay general manager Ravi Menon, “Sun TV is a clear leader in the fiction category with its mega serials format. We decided to fill in the gap so far as non fiction programming is concerned – quiz shows, game shows, talent contests and laughter challenge shows – these have clearly been the ticket for our success.”

    An example of this is Jodi No.1 which is modelled along the lines of Star’s Nach Baliye. It was one of the top drivers for the channel with the culminating episodes of the season earning a TVR of 7.39 (Market:Tamil Nadu TG:4+) for the month of December 2006, according to Tam data.

    Says Menon, “The non-fiction genre has really worked for us and we will continue to explore new format shows.”

    The channel will replace Jodi No.1 with its new show Airtel Super Singer-Junior.

    “The show starts on 24 February.The final auditions are currently in the process.The earlier version was quite popular and going by the response of the ‘little champs’ series by another rival channel (Zee TV), we decided to attract younger contestants on the show,” says Menon.

    There are also plans afoot to replicate a show along the lines of Big Brother. “The programming team is discussing the nitty gritties,” he says.

    While the channel has firmed up its non fiction programming, Menon also reveals plans for a new show which will replace the current soap ‘Kandein Seethe’.

    “The new show is loosely named What would you want to watch at 8:30 pm? We have certain criteria like – it should be a fictional show, the target audience will be female in the age group of 17-34+ and it will be aired on weekdays Monday through Thursday at 8:30 pm.”

    So far so good. But here’s the interesting part. The channel has appointed six production houses – Yantra Media, Travelling Talkies, Magic Karma amongst others to produce four episodes of the show as they perceive it.

    “Within the four episodes, the basic plot and grip of the story should be revealed and the various characters must be introduced. We have given the production houses equal time, money and opportunity to produce four episodes, which have to be submitted by March-end.

    Thereafter, each week a studio audience along with the viewer will sit in judgement over these episodes. Director/actress Suhasini Ratnam will act as host and moderator. The studio audience will discuss the episodes and the phones will be thrown open for voting to the public. In short, the television viewer gets to choose what he/she wants to watch.”

    Once the winning show is selected, the channel will provide the production house with a Rs 14 million contract to produce 124 episodes to be aired on the 8:30 pm slot.

    The channel has also tightened its weekend programming with the second edition of Lollu Sabha, a satire which re-enacts popular Tamil films and gives a comic twist to them. Lollu Sabha was re-launched early this year.

    But any discussion on Star or Star Vijay would be incomplete without the mention of KBC3. The show is being dubbed in Tamil and unlike KBC2 which was telecast at the same time , the new series now airs a day later from Tuesday to Friday at 7 pm.

    Says Menon, “In the interiors Shah Rukh is still recognized as the actor from the movie Hey Ram although his popularity is catching up amongst the masses. KBC3 is likely to be a slow gainer.”

    With a host of new shows lined up in the fiction and non fiction genre, Star Vijay has set its sights on capturing the second position in the Tamil entertainment channel stakes.

     

     

  • Vijay TV plots new gameplan for prime time

    Vijay TV plots new gameplan for prime time

    MUMBAI: Star India’s Tamil channel Vijay TV has a new prime time strategy on the anvil. The channel is presently revamping its 9 to 10 pm band and will be initiating a change in the 10 to 11 pm band as well, post July.

    Vijay TV is also in process of re-planting its morning kids band to the evening slot with an expanded time period. “We are launching a reverse quiz show, Grand Master, in the 9:30 pm weekday slot. Our existing game show Vasool Rani moves to the 9 pm slot, making the 9 to 10 pm band a total gameshow slot. The 5:30 pm to 7 pm band will be converted to a kids band in July. All the soaps placed in the 7 to 9 pm band will come to a logical ending, paving way to a new set. Later this year, we will attempt a revamp in the 10 to 11 pm time band also,” says Vijay TV GM Ravi Menon.

    Grand Master is inspired by the successful Kairali TV gameshow Ashwamedham, conceptualised by the popular Malayalam television host G S Pradeep. (Ashwamedham had been the channel driver for Kairali TV in its early years.) Pradeep himself will be anchoring Grand Master in Vijay. The show, launching on 12 June, will be promoted through movie theatres in a novel publicity drive, according to Menon.

    “We will be running the Grand Master promos in about 80 theatres in Tamil Nadu. This is a different kind of marketing strategy we have initiated to grab the eyeballs of the attentive audience,” he says.

    Meanwhile, the six-month old show Vasool Rani, which pursues the female TG as the name suggests, is being re-packaged. The studio-based show will now move to the outdoors. “In an attempt to provide variety and kill any kind of fatigue factor, we have conceptualised a Mobile Vasool Rani. Vasool Rani vans will travel across the state, making it much easier for the mass to participate in the show,” says Menon.

    After launching a chat show You and Me on Sundays, Vijay TV is now looking at beefing up the weekend programming with a youth-oriented show. Titled EQ (Entertainment Quotient), the show will be a state-wide competition to find out the college with the best ‘entertainment quotient’. Vijay TV has instituted an ever-rolling trophy for the winner of this talent hunt, making it an annual affair.

    “We are confident about the programme delivering decent returns since it has a sponsorship friendly format. It has already created a curiosity among advertisers,” says Menon.

    Speaking on the 10 to 11 pm revamp, Menon said the timeframe for this initiative would depend on how the 9 to 10 pm revamp delivers. “Presently we have the crime show Kuttram and Kathu Karuppu running in this band. This is a time band, which gets the attention of the entire family. Hence, we are looking at slightly more expanded viewership and the plan is to bring in shows which will appeal to the whole family,” says Menon.

    The show, which presently garners the best ad rates for Vijay TV is The Great Indian Laughter series. The Great Indian Laughter Challenge was followed by the Champions and now the channel is gearing up to launch the second version of The Great Indian Laughter Challenge.

    “We haven’t revised our ad rates as such, but the channel has arrived at a benchmark ad rate with the success of TGILC. The channel has now three to four shows delivering very well compared to the earlier case of having one or two good shows. Advertisers on board are surely going to benefit because they have more popular shows to invest in now,” points out Menon.