ITV

Tag: SAB

  • Life OK topples Sab, touches high of 123 GRPs

    MUMBAI: Star India’s gamble of ceasing non-performing second rung Hindi general entertainment channel Star One and starting afresh with a channel sans Star branding is paying off.

    Life OK, the second Hindi GEC channel from the Star stable, has reached its all time high with 123 GRPs (gross rating points) in the week ended 19 May.

    As per Tam data for the Hindi speaking markets (C&S, 4+), the channel has added 33 GRPs in the week. It has also overtaken Multi Screen Media’s second Hindi GEC Sab to capture the fifth position on the GEC ladder.

    “We are happy that within six months of launch we have reached so far. What is important is that viewers are connecting to our core philosophy of ‘appreciating what we have’. All our shows are highlighting a cause or issue and viewers are appreciating it,” Life OK GM Ajit Thakur told Indiantelevision.com.

    He added that despite very big shows, it’s the “philosophy and disruptive strategy” which is working for the channel.

    For Life OK, its mythological show Devon Ke Dev Mahadev remained the top gainer. With the high point during the week, the average weekly ratings of the show surged from 1.1 TVR in the last week to 2.3 TVR in the week ended 19 May.

    Also, Saubhagyawati Bhava’s average ratings have gone up to 1.4 TVR from 1.1 TVR in the previous week.

    Thakur said that in the coming week, two shows – Saubhagyawati Bhava and Mai Laxmi Tere Aangan Ki – will have high points, which will further give a peak to the channel. The channel will also have a week-long special of Savdhan India.

    Thakur said that Star India has allowed the channel to take big risks and that he has the youngest team with passion and commitment to run the channel, which is helping in growing it.

    Launched on 18 December last year, Life OK had debuted with 87 GRPs in its kitty.

    Meanwhile, a look at the other channels’ scorecard:

    Star Plus maintained its lead, even if it lost 14 GRPs during the week. The channel ended the week with 262 GRPs. Satyamev Jayate rated 4.4 TVR in HSM markets (All 4+, HSM) and a national TVR of 3.7 (All 4+, All India).

    These are simulcast ratings of the original episode aired on Sunday morning 11 am across nine channels (Star Plus, Star Pravah, Star Jalsha, Star World, Star Utsav, Star Vijay, Asianet, ETV Telegu and Doordarshan).

    Four of its primetime shows found place among the top 10 shows on the Hindi GECs.

    Zee TV and Colors shared second spot with 213 GRPs each. While Colors added 12 GRPs to its last week’s tally, Zee TV lost 11 GRPs.

    Zee TV’s DID Li’L Masters and its auditions episode featured in the top 10 shows while Colors had only Balika Vadhu in the list.

    Sony Entertainment Television (Set) followed with 210 GRPs, losing seven GRPs during the week.

    Sab was the biggest loser in the week. It lost 15 GRPs and slipped below Life OK to end the week at 116 GRPs (last week 131 GRPs).

    Sahara One maintained its status quo with 39 GRPs (last week 40), while Imagine TV, which has ceased original programming, closed the week with 2 GRPs.

  • Zee TV slips back to No. 4

    Zee TV slips back to No. 4

    MUMBAI: Zee TV, which had reached to the second spot last week after a gap of one year, has slumped back to No. 4.

    As per TAM data (C&S, 4+, HSM) for week ended 31 March, Zee TV saw a dip of 14 GRPs (gross rating points) to close the week with 200 points. A majority of fiction shows of the channel have lost eyeballs.

    Leading GEC, Star Plus, has also seen a fall of 29 GRPs to clock 289 points during the week. The channel had crossed the 300 GRP-mark last week on the back of Star Parivaar Awards 2012 that had clocked 6.41 TVR. Star Plus launched its singing reality show, ‘Jo Jeeta Wohi Superstar’ on 31 March, which opened with a 0.8 TVR.

    Sony Entertainment Television (Set) has jumped to No. 2 this week. The channel added 8 GRPs to end the week with 217 GRPs (last week 209). The channel’s non-fiction shows, C.I.D (3.99 TVR) and Crime Petrol (4.80 TVR), continue to be in the list of top 10 shows on Hindi GECs.

    Occupying the third place is Colors. The channel saw a rise in ratings, ending the week with 205 GRPs (200 GRP). Its leading fiction show Balika Vadhu has seen an improvement and was the third most watched show on a Hindi GEC.

    Next in the list are Sab and Life OK which added 8 GRPs each and clocked 140 GRPs and 82 GRPs respectively.

    Imagine TV with 54 GRPs (last week 62) and Sahara One with 53 GRPs (last week 43) are fighting neck-and-neck at the bottom of the heap.

  • Sab assigns creative duties to Saints & Warriors

    Sab assigns creative duties to Saints & Warriors

    MUMBAI: Multi Screen Media’s Hindi comedy entertainment channel Sab has awarded its creative duties to Saints & Warriors after a multi-agency pitch.

    Sab claims that 15 creative agencies were invited for pitches out of which five were shortlisted for second round, before the account finally was bagged by Saints & Warriors.

    Pickle is the incumbent agency and has been associated with the channel for the past two and a half years. OMD continues to be media agency for the channel.

    Sab EVP and business head Anooj Kapoor said, “We evaluated the agencies on their understanding of our brand and ability to take the brand forward. Saints & Warriors with a robust 360 creative approach seemed an ideal fit for this exciting journey from here on.”

    Saints & Warriors chairman Pushpinder Singh added, “Sab holds exciting creative possibilities and as an organisation that progresses on quality of work, nothing excites us more than that.”

    Sab with its light hearted content and its brand philosophy of ‘Asli Mazaa Sab Ke Saath Aata Hai’ has recently overtaken flagship channel Sony Entertainment Television.

  • Sab launches new brand campaign amidst growing popularity

    Sab launches new brand campaign amidst growing popularity

    MUMBAI: In keeping with its brand promise of Asli Mazaa Sab Ke Saath Aata Hai, family comedy entertainment channel Sab has launched the third phase of its brand campaign that reiterates the promise of light hearted shows that can be enjoyed with the entire family.

    In the first stage of launching its brand campaign, Sab had started with the catch line Asli Mazaa Sab Ke Saath Aata Hai. And as it grew along till a year ago, the channel launched its second campaign that read Shaam ko ek waqt aisa aata hai jab saara parivaar ikhatte ho jate hai kyon ki asli maaza Sab ke saath aata hai.

    Going by the popularity that the channel has acquired growing from 28 GRPs (gross rating points) to the current 100 GRPs, Sab launched third phase of its brand campaign that reiterates the brand promise of light hearted shows that can be enjoyed with the entire family. The catch line now reads Ab toh Baache Baache ko bhi samajh mein aata hai ki asli mazaa SAB ke saath Aata Hai.

    The TVC features a boy who gets a candy in school. He does not feel tempted to have the candy. He resists all temptation, rushes back home, goes to the kitchen and then breaks the candy into several pieces and eventually shares it with his entire family. 

    The TVC showcases that now even a kid knows that real fun lies in being with the whole family. The title track of the TVC is sung by classical singer, Shubha Mudgal.

    Commenting on the launch of the new brand campaign, Sab executive VP and business head Anuj Kapoor says, “Our message to Indian families that asli maza SAB ke saath aata hai has really hit home. Today, several families across countries have realised and accepted that it is better to watch positive and light hearted family content on SAB TV instead of watching negative and regressive content on other GEC channels. Even a small child has realised the wisdom of this simple truth.”

  • ‘Market needs to rationalise their payouts to distribution bouquets’ : MSM Discovery President Rajesh Kaul

    ‘Market needs to rationalise their payouts to distribution bouquets’ : MSM Discovery President Rajesh Kaul

    MSM Discovery is targeting Rs 10 billion in FY’11, an almost 40 per cent jump over the year-ago period, as it adds Neo Cricket into its distribution muscle.

    The rise in revenues will also be aided by stronger performance from some of the existing channels such as Sony Entertainment Television (Set) and Sab.

    Being the only distribution company that has entertainment and sports channels in its bouquet, MSM Discovery expects cable networks to rework their payouts to broadcasters and not take their decisions based on legacies.

    Shepherding MSM Discovery‘s growth drive to combine the subscription revenues of an entertainment and a sports bouquet is Rajesh Kaul. As president of the joint venture company between Multi Screen Media (formerly Sony Entertainment Television India) and Discovery, his 11-year stint at ESPN Star Sports could come into use as he hopes to play the ‘soft-and-hard‘ tactics game to ramp up revenues.

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com‘s Sibabrata Das, Kaul talks about the need to drive up consumer ARPUs and have a regulatory policy that is fair to all stakeholders including broadcasters.

    Excerpts:

    Will the addition of Neo Cricket and Neo Sports compensate the loss of the Viacom18 channels including Colors?
    I can‘t comment on the exit of the Viacom18 channels as the matter is sub judice. But we are still the biggest distribution company in the country.

    When we had taken up the distribution of Colors, Sony Entertainment Television was around 75 GRPs and Sab 35 GRPs. Today, Sony is 197 GRPs while Sab has touched 134 GRPs.

    So a big change has happened to our existing channels. And we are the only distribution company that has entertainment and sports channels in our bouquet.

    Which is why MSM Discovery is targeting a turnover of Rs 10 billion this fiscal?
    I can‘t comment on the financials but we are looking at a 40 per cent growth. With the addition of the Neo channels, we should be getting the combined subscription revenues of an entertainment and a sports bouquet.

    Isn‘t that an ambitious target in today‘s environment when broadcasters are jostling for space in choked analogue cable networks?
    We expect a redistribution of monies to take place. We are the only bouquet in the industry which has 3 out of the top 10 channels – Sony, Max and Sab. The mother channel, Sony, may not be No. 1 at this stage but is doing well. With KBC coming in and Amitabh Bachchan hosting the game show, the channel‘s ratings can only get better. We have leaders in Discovery, Animal Planet and Aaj Tak.

    We also have the biggest sporting content in IPL (Indian Premier League) and BCCI cricket. We are, in fact, the best sports providing bouquet in the country. Let the cable networks and the DTH operators analyse the content and rationalise their payouts on the ground rather than be influenced by legacies.

    Are you hinting at subscription monies moving out of ESPN Star Sports (ESS) as sports content has got fragmented?
    I can‘t comment on whether ESS‘ content pool has weakened. What I can say is that probably people need to pay more to Neo and rework their payouts. For the next 15-20 days, we are going to carry out this campaign across the country to educate the trade.

    Sources who are familiar with the deal say Neo is guaranteed a payout of Rs 2.7 billion net over three years. Isn‘t this an expensive deal as it excludes the DTH side of the distribution business?
    Without getting into the commercial terms of the deal, let me state that we have paid the right value for the product. India cricket does not come cheap.
    ‘With the addition of the Neo channels, we should be getting the combined subscription revenues of an entertainment and a sports bouquet‘

    Market sources say Neo was making an annual subscription revenue of Rs 600 million from analogue cable. Isn‘t your payout on the higher side particularly when the BCCI cricket has to be shared with the pubcaster?
    Neo has got a guarantee of around 20 Test matches over three years that will not be simulcast on Doordarshan. That gives 100 days of Test cricket exclusive on Neo. Test matches still have a fan following and a very loyal base. We, in fact, will have 3-4 months of BCCI cricket, including ODIs and T20s, and almost 2 months of IPL in a calendar year. That puts us in a formidable position. While for all broadcasters major growth in the past has come from DTH, we also expect a healthy analogue growth this year because of Neo.
    A correction is needed in the payouts. And redistribution has to take place, both in entertainment and sports bouquets.

    Has Star Den become weaker after the exit of the Disney and Network18 group channels to Sun18 while in your case you tapped Neo?
    Yes, I think so. But it is for the trade to decide.

    The market feels that MSM Discovery has not exploited the IPL to drive its pay-TV revenues to the maximum. Is this true?
    I agree that we haven‘t collected as much money as we should have, particularly when the IPL has become bigger in value. We need to collect the IPL money (from distribution) now. And with Neo and other things (improvement in performance of some of our existing channels), we will give it a combined push to ramp up our revenues.

    Will you deploy the ‘hard‘ distribution tactics that you learnt during your 11-year stint at ESS?
    I am hoping that the hard approach will not be needed. We will give friendship a chance. If people are not being fair, we have to use different strategies. For the next one month, as we have the India-Australia and India-New Zealand series, we will educate the trade on the depth of our content.

    Are you looking at adding more channels to the bouquet?
    Both the partners (Multi Screen Media and Discovery) are looking at launching new channels over the next 18 months. They are considering different genres – regional, music, kids, infotainment. They have deep pockets and are committed to investing in this market. This gives security to the joint venture company. Besides, we are talking to distribute third party channels.

    The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has come out with a pricing cap for all digital addressable systems. The broadcasters have moved the court. What is your take on this?
    I can‘t run into specifics as the matter is residing in the court. But on a more generic level, we feel Trai has been fair to other stakeholders so far except the broadcasters.

    What do you think will drive the distribution business for the sector as a whole?
    There is one thing that has not happened on the distribution front. Consumer rates, which are the cheapest in the world, will have to go up. That is where the actual business is – and not carriage. The MSOs have not worked on subscription rates because of carriage revenue. All broadcasters should come together to help MSOs collect more subscription from the ground and the consumers. Consumer ARPUs (average revenue per user) have to increase. That is going to drive the industry.

    Why is that not happening?
    I think the internal trust between the MSOs and the broadcasters is not there. The MSOs and the broadcasters are also fighting amongst themselves.

    What gives you hope that this will change now?
    Frankly, I do not have too much of hope. But I think good sense is ultimately going to prevail over us because there is pressure on bottom lines for everybody. Maybe this will lead to this kind of revolution.

    But DTH has not been able to drive up ARPUs?
    My concern is that in this country ARPUs, whether analogue or cable, are low. DTH played the penetration game when they possibly could have taken a premium position. The need of the hour is for ARPUs to go up. I hope that consumer rates will rise in case of DTH.

    What do you think will drive cable digitisation?
    Cable digitisation is going to be a slow process in India. Cas (conditional access system) was not implemented properly and could not be a success. The regulator also should have come out with a policy that made all the stakeholders happy to push for digitisation. A cap at Rs 5 was, perhaps, not the right decision. Besides, digitisation would require huge capital and India is a vast country.

  • ‘We are targeting 20 per cent revenue growth this fiscal’ : Anooj Kapoor- Sab senior vice president & business head

    ‘We are targeting 20 per cent revenue growth this fiscal’ : Anooj Kapoor- Sab senior vice president & business head

    From launching new shows to experimenting with new genres and time slots, Sab has been running from pillar to post to get the ratings right.

     

    Post Sony acquisition, Sab has been dabbling with an ‘identity crisis’. From being a comedy channel to a youth-centric channel and now returing to its original positioning, Sony Entertainment Channel’s sibling channel has seen it all. It has experimented with various genres – youth-centric patriotic shows, stand-up comedies, reality-based acting shows and detective stories.

     

    In conversation with Indiantelevision.com’s Nasrin Sultana, Sab SVP and business head Anooj Kapoor shares the channel’s programming strategies.

     

    Excerpts:

    Sab has been accused of experimenting too often with its positioning. How long will this new positioning last?
    We have repositioned ourselves as a complete comedy channel. It is the only channel in the country which does linear family comedy shows. All comedy shows in India are episodic. After the repositioning, we are doing light-hearted soaps like other Hindi general entertainment channels (GEC), but in the positive manner.

     

     

    We have recreated the concept of soaps. The shows can be watched by the entire family. All the other soaps till date have upheld the joint-family system as a negative institution with so much added conflict in it. In our shows, we are upholding the virtues of a joint family.

     

     

    Unlike other soaps on Hindi GECs, new shows (Lo Ho Gayi Pooja Is Ghar Ki, Mein Kab Saans Banoogi? and Jugni Jali Jallandhar ) on Sab have a woman protagonist; but she does not indulge in kitchen politics.

     

     

    Our content is fresh and differentiated. We have decided not to go by the Amar-Akbar-Anthony route which every GEC is treading upon. Wherein Amar is reality show, Akbar is mythology and Anthony is fiction.

    What kind of new shows and segments of comedy will you be introducing?
    We will get into various kinds of comedy. Gradually, we will be introducing horror comedy, courtroom comedy, hospital comedy and the likes. We have many surprises to unveil.

    With so much of comic content being thrown in by different channels including news channels, do you think there is still enough space for a complete comedy channel?
    Viewers are ready to digest a complete comedy channel. As far as comedy on news channels is concerned, they feed on GECs. GECs are not showing comedy content in the truest sense but only have stand-up comedy shows. We have amalgamation of all, which is working well for the channel.

     

    Earlier all comedy shows were targeted at male audiences while GECs were meant for the females. There was no channel to fill up this gap. We are providing content for happy family viewing.

    How have viewers taken to Sab’s new positioning?
    The new positioning has really worked well for us. Our GRPs also have seen a boost after the change in positioning.

     

    Our driver show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah has been garnering 0.8 TRPs and is currently the most watched family comedy show on Indian television. After Wagli Ki Duniya, Taarak Mehta … is one of the most successful comedy shows adapted from a book (column in this case). It is compared to cult shows like Office Office.

    Are new advertisers hopping on?
    Definitely we are attracting more and new advertisers. New brands are coming on.
    ‘For a channel, youth positioning is not a feasible biz model in India‘

    Will Sab see revenue growth as a result or are you dealing with falling rates to fill up your inventory at a time when the whole industry is set for a slowdown?
    With the new positioning, we are targeting 20 per cent ad revenue growth this fiscal.

    How are you pushing forward your new shows? Which cities are your touch points?
    We have rolled out our new marketing campaign Asli Mazaa Sab ke Saath Aata Hai. Sab (meaning everybody in Hindi) is a key word in the entire campaign. Very logically, we derived this theme and our attempt is to convey the message that it is complete entertaining when you are together with your family.

     

     

    We are targeting all the Hindi speaking markets in India like Delhi, Mumbai, Gujarat, Maharashtra, UP, MP, Punjab and Rajasthan.

     

     

    We will be indulging in various forms of on-ground activations like wall painting etc. India has laughter clubs in many towns and cities, we are trying to get associated with all the laughter clubs. We are going to malls, beauty parlours, grocery shops and ladies coampartment in local trains for a Sab experience by distributing gifts.

    With so many show launches and changes in positioning of the channel, isn’t it natural that your marketing costs have to be pushed up?
    Yes, in marketing our new shows we are investing a considerable amount. But we are able to convert it into profits.

    What are the difficulties to sustain as a youth channel?
    India still has single-TV homes wherein the remote is still with the women of the house. So what pleases her is watched by the entire family. And as far as a youth viewer is concerned, he has many more modes of entertainment – irrespective of he coming from a small town or a metro. Youth positioning of a channel is not a feasible business model in India because of the consumer behaviour that this segment is exposed to.

     

     

    As per our internal research, people still associate Sab brand as a comedy rather than a youth channel. So we decided to go back to our original positioning.

    What all innovations you are introducing after the establishment of the new positioning?
    For the first time in India, we are introducing jokes in the mobile platform. These jokes will be edited clippings from our comedy shows which can be downloaded from the mobile operator. We are in talks with various telecom operators.

  • Big fight is in Hindi GEC middle rung

    Think television and what commonly springs to mind are Hindi general entertainment channels (GEC) like Star Plus, Zee TV, Sony, etc… That list keeps getting longer with ever new entrants in the space.

    This has forced existing channels to pull up their socks and gird for the fight that is only going to get more fractious. At present though, the sorting is like this: Channels number 1 and 2 are head and shoulders above the pack. Much lower down in the second tier are another two contenders slugging it out. Then come the also rans (at least for the present), each trying to make an impression.

    These are some observations that can be highlighted after analyzing the performances in the Hindi GEC arena over the last six months (July to December 2007) based on data provided by Tam (C&S 4+, HSM), both relative market share and GRPs.

    Star drops but still leads; Zee closes gap, slips back

    There is still no argument. Star Plus, as has been the case for the last seven+ years, holds firmly onto pole position, despite Zee TV‘s best efforts at tipping the ratings scales in its favour.

    Looking at the channel shares, Star Plus garnered 36 per cent in July and was consistent till September. But it picked up strongly to reach 39 per cent in October. Nach Baliye 3 had a big role to play in strengthening Star Plus‘ position.

    Star India VP marketing and communication Prem Kamath says, “Zee TV saw an increase in the ratings post Sa Re Ga Ma Pa launch, which had narrowed the gap between Star Plus and Zee. Though there are a number of other things that have happened in Star Plus which have pushed the channel back to its place.”

    Relative channel share
    Channel Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
    Star 36 36 36 39

    39

    		 38
    Zee 29 29 32 32 30 29
    Sony 14 15 14 11 11 11
    Star One 7 7 7 6 6 7
    Sahara 9 9 9 8 8 8
    Sab 5 4 3 3 4 3
    9X 0 0 0 0 2 4
    Source: Tam (c&s 4+, HSM)

    “Last four to five weeks‘ data clearly say that Star Plus is considerably ahead of Zee. Several initiatives that we launched further strengthened our position. A weekly fiction based show called Sangam was launched in August. With Sangam, we extended our prime time to 7 PM, followed by Santan at 7:30 PM Santan is doing extremely well in its time band with 2+ rating. Bidaai, which launched in the 9 PM slot is fetching good numbers. All the newly launched shows cumulatively have consolidated our position in the genre,” says Kamath.

    On the other hand Zee TV started with a market share of 29 per cent, peaked and at 32 per cent in September. After staying consistent in October , it again fell to 30 per cent and 29 per cent in November and December.

     

    Says Joy Chakraborthy, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) president and revenue, “This year Zee TV has done phenomenally well. Every inventory was utilised. We got more campaigns than any other channel. We have traded well and that speaks well of us.”

    The year brought good fortune for Zee TV as programmmes like Banoo Main Teri Dulhann and Sa Re GA Ma Pa could put down the Super Ks of Star Plus in terms of TVR, on several occasions. Its other shows like Saat Phere have also enjoyed steady eyeballs.

    Queried about Zee‘s drop in channel share, Chakraborthy says, “Dips in GRPs do occur when a show ends. But that is marginal. Our FPC is designed strategically and it offers variety of programs across categories. That has helped us in getting and retaining advertisers.”

    “We would love to overtake Star. Our sales have hyped and we are anyways ahead of them in weekday prime time GRP (Monday to Friday) 7-10 PM,” avers Chakraborthy.

    GRP January 2008, week days – all day
    Channel Week 1 Week 2
    Star 368.16 344.83
    Zee 273.7 271.84
    Sony 90.46 77.17
    Star One 72.71 75.51
    Sahara 64.49 66.45
    Sab 25.11 29.08
    9X 40.17 37.75
    Source: Tam (c&s 4+, HSM)

     

     

    GRP January 2008, weekdays – Prime Time
    Channel Week 1 Week 2
    Star 226.65 192.42
    Zee 169.04 170.84
    Sony 52.51 46.77
    Star One 37.05 41.93
    Sahara 27.13 27.74
    Sab 12.08 12.59
    9X 15.47 17.02
    Source: Tam (c&s 4+, HSM)

     

     

     

    Third position at stake

    While Star Plus and Zee TV are currently out of reach for the ‘best of the rest‘, it leaves a lot of room for other channels to slug it out for third position.

    The three channels in this turf would be Sony Entertainment Television (SET), Star One and Sahara One.

    The momentum is clearly with Star One and today it is laying claim to being the number three GEC. It almost stayed cosistent at seven per cent till September before falling down to six per cent in October and November and increased its pie by one per cent in December.

    However what has been spectacular is that the channel saw a phenomenal increase in the GRPs of the first two weeks of this year.

    Kamath says, “We launched Dil Mil Gaye, which has touched a TRP of 2, Annu Ki Ho Gayi Wah Bhai Wah, Choona Hain Aasman, we are launching Pari Hoon Main in the next week, which kind of completes our week day prime time. In the week end we have launched Bol Baby Bol which again has a TRP of 2. We have tasted fair success with Chak De Funjabi. There are lots of vacant time bands in Star One which has not been programmed. There are couple of other shows which will make Star One as the big player in the space.”

    Relative channel share
    Channel Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
    Star 36 36 36 39

    39

    		 38
    Zee 29 29 32 32 30 29
    Sony 14 15 14 11 11 11
    Star One 7 7 7 6 6 7
    Sahara 9 9 9 8 8 8
    Sab 5 4 3 3 4 3
    9X 0 0 0 0 2 4
    Source: Tam (c&s 4+, HSM)

    From a year-long look, the biggest downslide has been witnessed by SET of course. The times when it held the second position in the channel stakes are but a distant memory today.

    Not for lack of trying though. It has launched a variety of new shows like Amber Dhara, Jhalak Dikhla Jaa 2, Khwahish and Kuchh Is Tara but none have really clicked. Even Ekta‘s famous K factor failed to spark any TRP magic. The network went heavy with movie acquisitions, changed the network packaging, but to little avail.

    So much so that its GRPs in the first week of January 2008 came down from 90.46 to 77.17 in the second week of 2008, which is just 1.66 points ahead from Star One. If Sony doesn‘t arrest the slide, and soon, Star One could soon be the clear number three in the Hindi GEC space.

    That brings us to the third player in the tier two category – Sahara One.

    The channel has held steady even though it has seen its fair share of rise and fall in GRPs.

    When reality ruled Star Plus, Zee TV, SET and Star One, this channel was not behind either. Sahara One opened its cards with Biggest Loser Jeetega. It then unveiled its second big reality property, Jhoom India, which ended its run last week.

    Looking at the Week 1 and Week 2 data of 2008, we find that Sahara One‘s GRPs have remained consistent during weekdays.

    9X gives an impressive start; cannibalises Sab

    November also saw the launch of 9X. It started well with two per cent relative market share and jumped to four per cent in December.

    If observed carefully. The channel which got directly effected by 9X was Set‘s sibling Sab. Sab‘s market share is down from five per cent in July to three per cent in December.

    The GRPs for the first two weeks of January show that 9X has crossed the first hurdle and is now ahead of Sab.

    Sab has been experimenting to establish its prime time slot since long. Presently it has Left Right Left and Jersey No 10 as its stable shows.

    It is struggling to fill up its prime time with a variety of shows. In the process it also discontinued Sab Ka Bheja Fry, a comedy show which was launched targeting the male viewers.

    A lot of activity can be predicted with the landscape getting crowded with new entrants.

    “This will only increase the cost of production, carriage fees and placement. However the competition will help us grow. The GRPs will increase and advertising revenues will increase as more viewers will sample the shows,” says Chakraborthy.

    Whether up on the channel share scale or not, all channel programming teams agree on the need to present clutter breaking concepts to court viewers. That no channel is really walking the talk is another matter of course.

    According to some media planners, the viewership from GECs has shifted to news channels and movie channels which means that an advertiser will get a better viewer profile on news and movie channels.

    Still, there is experimentation going on. Let‘s us see which property clicks for which channel.

  • ‘Why would BCCI want its biggest new property on a new channel?’ – Kunal Dasgupta

    ‘Why would BCCI want its biggest new property on a new channel?’ – Kunal Dasgupta

    For Sony Entertainment Television (Set) India CEO Kunal Dasgupta, the big wish for 2008 is to throw up that one hit narrative show that would get some momentum going for his network’s flagship channel Set. Other than the vexed issue of Set and its equally struggling Hindi GEC sibling Sab, the network is doing fine thank you, argues the long serving head honcho of the Indian broadcast operations of Sony Pictures  In conversation with Indiantelevision.com recently, Dasgupta looks back on the difficult year that was 2007 and offers some pointers to the strategic direction Set India (now renamed Multi Screen Media Private Limited) is looking to take in 2008 and beyond.Excerpts:

    Let’s start with the new name. Is this because your parent Sony Pictures Entertainment is distancing the Sony brand name from the Indian broadcast entity?
    Certainly not. The name is reflective of the company’s evolution from a pure television broadcaster to a multimedia one. We want to be on all screens that are video enabled. Going forward, we will be actively investing in mobile, movies, Internet, and out of home screens. Mobile in particular is going to be a focus area for us.

    When you say you want to be on all screens, could you elaborate on that?
    I am going to be recycling the over 30,000 hours of television content and 750+ movie titles that I have with me. We plan to repurpose a lot of it not just across the different screens, but across networks too. The realm of exclusivity is no longer the norm. To stay ahead of the game you have to be focused on how best to leverage the content that you have.

    Like the Rs 40 crore (RS 400 million) deal you did with Peter Mukerjea’s INX for 60 movie titles?
    Yes. That deal entitles INX to three airings of each film I have syndicated to them.

    Looking back to 2007, how would you rate the performance of the channels in the Sony network?
    Well, Max was fantastic; Pix became viable. On Sony and Sab we have suffered reverses on account of our fiction programming not working.

    And looking ahead into 2008?
    The business paradigm is changing and we are at the forefront of that. You could say we are the catalysts for change. Syndication, mobile; these are going to be areas that will explode. The one who reads the writing on the wall and adapts will survive.

    How has the year been in terms of revenues? The perception in the market is that Sony had a terrible year?
    If you add up ad sales, distribution and our international business, it would be Rs 1,200 crores (Rs 12 billion) overall, so you can’t say it was a terrible year.

    One reason for the perception that Sony had a lousy year, aside from its programming not working, was the ICC World Cup debacle in March. We understand you lost some RS 800 million odd due to India’s early exit. Comment?

    The ICC rights should not be looked at from the results from one tournament, but on how it delivered over four years. And it delivered on every count for us.

    Looking at the larger perspective, what have been the big challenges the broadcast sector faced and will face, going forward?
    The pathetically slow pace of digital rollout (Cas) has been the biggest challenge for existing players. Though I do believe digital distribution will come into play from 2008 onwards.Combating all these new players will be the big upcoming challenge. The (leadership) pecking order will have to be reestablished. Star is not complacent in its position of number 1. Even Zee as a challenger is not complacent. Everybody will face challenge. The whole media business will face challenge.

    The industry is seeing huge churn now. The channel explosion is going to further fragment audiences. We will soon have 9/10 channels in each of the genres – news, sports and movies.

    You say pathetically slow digital rollout on the cable front is the biggest challenge for the new players as well as the existing players. But if we look at 9X, the numbers they are drawing are not due to cannibalization, but due to new viewers?
    It’s not cannibalization of GEC but other genres like music.

    So you don’t believe that people have an inherent desire to consume entertainment content but may have been tuned off by the lack of variety presently on offer so they are trying out channels like 9X?
    It’s not just 9X. Even Bindass is getting new viewers. 9X is making a lot of noise but give me a name of one show that stands out. On NDTV Imagine also, nothing will stand out.

    What do we have in 2008? BCCI’s Indian Premier League will take off and what else?
    I don’t know on which channel it will take off. I hope it is on ours.

    But as you yourself said, there will be new sports channels launching and we should expect bids from new players?
    They can of course bid but why would BCCI want its biggest new property on a new channel? Its not just money, they (the cricket board) have to make it successful.

    We do have an example of Ten Sports, which launched with World Cup Soccer in 2002?

    There were only two channels – ESPN and Star Sports – then. Today there are seven channels (DD Sports, Ten Sports, Zee Sports, ESPN, Star Sports, Star Cricket, Neo Sports). Additionally, Max is half a sports channel.

    Each time you launch a new channel, the space will get further fragmented. There is too much out there. There is going be a blood bath.

    What about a platform proposition, like in the case of Sky in the UK? For a rights holder, could IPL potentially become as critical as EPL was to Sky?

    Firstly, in India no exclusivity is being allowed. Secondly, the new guys bidding for the rights are channels which are not yet launched. If platforms like Dish TV or Reliance were to buy the rights, then I would understand but the guys buying are unknown people. They are all startups. They are doing it for their business valuations. They are not bothered whether IPL succeeds or not. Whereas BCCI wants IPL to succeed. IPL will collapse with new players.

    Coming back to the year ahead, how do you see 2008 for your network and the industry?

    As far as the industry is concerned, we would want to see the Reliance launches happening. It’s a very big thing. Then IPL should succeed. New players should enter digital distribution in the cable front. More people are required, more funding is required.

    As for ourselves, we will take some other new initiatives and continue to build our business. We need one hit show. Saat Phere was the starting point for Zee. I need one hit show from Monday to Thursday. That is my perspective. I have no problem in any other area of my business except that. We need to build up, which is not happening.

    Each channel is doing its own thing and so are we. In the meantime, I am doing syndication and international distribution. I am doing everything right except getting that one hit show.

  • GEC 2 to woo migrating viewers

    The declining importance of the conventional Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) on Indian television has thrown up considerable challenges for all broadcasters.Confronting the gradual fall of this reigning genre as drifting audiences move towards niche specific offerings, most channels are looking to aggregate viewers one way or another. In this attempt, most broadcasters are looking to pull back migrating audiences by dissecting the GEC space into sub-genres and giving rise to the second GEC.

    This phenomenon has given rise to a host of niche entertainment offerings through the support structure of a ‘flanking‘ channel. Here‘s a look at how industry experts perceive this growing trend within the dynamic television space of which GEC occupies 27-28 per cent of the total ad revenue pie.

    The Scrum

    The leading Hindi entertainment player in the country Star Plus was among the first to enter the fray with the launch of sister channel Star One in 2004. Sony was also looking to tread the same path with its acquisition of Sri Adhikari Brothers‘ Sab TV in 2005.

    Action will start again two years later as Zee TV will unveil its sibling Zee Next, while Sahara is also poised to introduce a sister entertainment channel Firangi.

    Sab TV business head Anooj Kapoor admits that a ‘fatigue‘ factor has set in to the GEC space as the main programming formula across frontline GECs is on the Saas-bahu theme.

    Thus, entertainment networks are looking at a second entertainment channel to provide different genres of drama.

    While some players are more willing to play around with new concepts, others prefer to play it safe with serials. Sab TV, for instance, is putting up a varied fare of youth focussed shows. Sahara‘s Firangi is also willing to give International dubbed a shot.

    Star One, on the other hand, is betting on soaps as the main driver. “Soaps will always be the staple of this country and Star One will continue to focus in that direction. While there would be add-ons and new shows, soaps will be the main driver,” says Star India president content and new media Ajay Vidyasagar.

    From a media agency‘s perspective, GECs are adding second channels as an attempt to prevent audience migration. Says Mindshare MD R. Gowthaman, “Audiences are getting segmented into distinct types and channels are catering to their specific needs. Meanwhile, GEC is losing its reach potential and broadcasters are using the route of a flanking channel to avoid losing their share to the competitor.”

    Experimentation platform & Low risk factor

    Rather than a mere add-on to the channel bouquet, the concept of a flanking channel serves a larger purpose of ‘experimentation at a lower risk,‘ which would not otherwise be possible on a flagship GEC. In order to service a segmented audience, the conventional GEC has been forced to slice up and dish out modifications of the same genre.

    Starcom MD India – West and South Manish Porwal said, “The trend over the last three to four years in the GEC space indicates that the genre has been de-growing by 10 per cent, besides GEC programmes are also losing their importance. Networks have sensed the challenge and are creating niche platforms of special sub-genres within GEC to allow for experimentation.”

    According to media planners, this is a cyclic trend seen across mature markets. It allows networks to provide viewers with more choices within a genre.

    The model also allows networks to take risks since the second channel is not a key revenue driver. Agrees Kapoor, “A second entertainment channel provides a platform for innovation and experimentation without the fear of greatly affecting business revenues of the network. It allows you to take risks, which can‘t otherwise be taken on the flagship channel.”

    Hit & miss approach

    In this scramble to appease audiences, channels are attempting to fathom where their viewers are navigating to.

    Star One was conceived as an upscale channel for metro audiences. Now it is attempting to broadbase the channel and is looking to tap the top 20 cities across the country.

    “We do not want to be known as an urban niche channel. Star One is eyeing the Hindi heartland as a differentiated mass entertainment brand,” says Star India VP Prem Kamath.

    Ahead of several entertainment channel launches, Star One is infusing a host of fresh shows to combat the growing number of players entering the game.

    Kamath, however, does not agree that the channel‘s attempt to expand its presence beyond the top metros is a response to mounting competition.

    “The launch of new shows is a natural process to rekindle the content flow. That is what we are doing on Star One,” Kamath says.

    Sony also has repositioned Sab with the march of time. When it acquired Sab, it wanted the ‘male skewed comedy‘ channel to strengthen the network‘s position in the Hindi heartland. It soon dropped the ‘Only smiles, no tears baggage‘ to give way to light humour.

    But sensing opportunity in the youth segment, Sab in 2007 went through a brand surgery and the channel was repositioned as an urban aspirational brand in the 15-35 age bracket.

    ZeeNext will be pursuing still younger audiences (15-25 year olds) and has the tagline ‘Dil Wahi, Dhadkan Nayi‘. While the genre will largely remain the same as Zee TV, the upcoming channel is looking to tap into a more progressive segment of its female dominated audience base with more contemporary themes.

    “We would like to offer our loyal audiences shows that give a younger treatment to the traditional stories. Zee Next will carry the attributes if being young, fresh and contemporary channel,” said Zee TV business head and Zee Group director Punit Goenka.

    Sahara, on the other hand, is looking to adopt a differentiated approach to entertainment with its offering. Firangi business head Rajeev Chakrabarti prefers to label it as a World television channel in Hindi rather than a GEC per se.

    Chakrabarti says that the content would be spread across a variety of genres, one of them being GEC. He, too, agrees with Kapoor‘s stance that fatigue has cast a shadow in the overall GEC space. Firangi‘s attempt, thus, is to go beyond that and expose viewers to contemporary relevant content, he adds.

    However, some media analysts say the drive is not just to get in a flanking channel. Says Lodestar Universal CEO Shashi Sinha, “This trend need not be thought of as a flanking channel concept. Broadcasters are realizing that audiences differ in their mindsets as some groups are more progressive than others.”

    Spot the drifters?

    Although it is difficult to pin point which segment of the audience is abandoning GEC in favour of other channels, it is evident that the ‘youth‘ seem dissatisfied.

    According to Sinha, the youth segment represents a fleeting audience base that are fickle and disillusioned. But the upside to this is that India is increasingly becoming a younger country, posing a massive opportunity for channels.

    The attempt to win over these viewers is steeply rising among all television players even though youth television habits are often categorized as ‘snacking consumption.‘

    During the repositioning this year, Sab came out with the “Buddha Tera Baap” campaign. Kapoor states, “Research suggests that 60 per cent of the population is below 35 years and for the network it made logical business sense to design programming for that age group. Besides, Sony Entertainment Television (SET) already offers full family viewing.”

    It works well as a network offering and as India progresses towards a two TV household it is advantageous to have differentiated entertainment channels for housewives and younger viewers, he adds.

    Challenges Ahead

    With each network looking to consolidate its position in the GEC space and garner the most eyeballs, the space is likely to give way to more clutter.

    However, Sinha believes that there is enough room for more players and foresees no major cannibalization. “In fact, new segments will be created and the GEC market will grow.”

  • Sony to offer interactive feed for World Cup in DTH, Cas homes

    Sony to offer interactive feed for World Cup in DTH, Cas homes

    MUMBAI: With the World Cup scheduled to kick off later this month, Sony is ready with a few plans up its sleeve. One of these involves adding a value added feed for direct-to-home (DTH) and Cas (conditional access system) subscribers.

    Addressing a media briefing this afternoon Sony Entertainment Television (SET) India CEO Kunal Dasgupta says that the channel is looking at having two angles – stumps and mid wicket. They are also looking at making this interactive feed available in Cas homes. “The coverage from different camera angles will help DTH. We are also in talks with multi-system operators (MSOs) to offer this to their set-top box subscribers,” Dasgupta adds.

    SET India has sold out its entire inventory for the World Cup and expects an all-time high audience for the big event with the matches favourably positioned for prime time viewing in India. The company had earlier indicated that it was targeting Rs 5 billion in ad revenues from the ICC Championship and World Cup.

    The matches will not be shown on flagship Hindi general entertainment channel Sony TV (they will be telecast on Max, Sab and Pix) as the cricket telecast will disrupt viewing of its tradional programming content. Instead, the movie list on the Sony channel will be enhanced during the World Cup.

    “We are in the process of rebuilding Sony TV which has slipped from its number two position. When we put up matches on the channel in the last World Cup, we suffered. We won’t make that mistake this time. We are getting Indian Idol back and in the coming three to four months we will be coming out with new shows that we are confident will see the channel move up,” says Dasgupta.

    Sab TV, which Sony acquired to have a two-channel strategy in the general entertainment space, will be relaunched after the World Cup.

    In terms of viewership, Dasgupta says that the number of C&S homes have more than doubled from 32 million when the previous World Cup took place in 2003 in South Africa. DTH platforms will also give a boost. “There is a strong lead in which was not the case in South Africa where matches started at 2:30 in the afternoon.”

    He adds that this time there will be a lot of out of home viewing as the match starts at 7 pm. Already 70 organisations have asked Sony for permission to air matches during parties. “Places like Goa will have a carnival atmosphere. The trend will be for people to watch matches till late in the night. The World Cup will really kick off from 23 March when India plays Sri Lanka.”

    Dasgupta, however, was critical of the high acquisition cost for cricket properties. “As a standalone, it is a loss leader in the portfolio. You take it to boost other areas of the network like distribution and weaker properties.”

    In terms of ad revenue Sony recently came out with a 12 match package for spots. This involves the India games, the semi finals and the final. The other spots package it offers to advertisers is for the final 27 matches.

    Doordarshan will get to telecast 19 (including the India contests, semi-finals and final) out of the 51 World Cup matches.