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Tag: Sameer Nair

  • ‘Once digitalisation happens, let a thousand channels come’

    ‘Once digitalisation happens, let a thousand channels come’

    Concluding our three-part series of interviews looking at the year that was and on into 2008, we turn the spotlight on NDTV Imagine CEO Sameer Nair.

    In a candid chat with Indiantelevision.com, the former Star Entertainment India CEO offers his take on the entertainment industry, why he feels the TV industry needs a kick up, the importance of not just ambling along, and the potential that 2008 offers.

    Excerpts:

    What were the key points of reference which defined 2007? One would be for you personally and also if you could offer a sense of where the industry is in general?

    Well, I left Star TV, in which I was working for about 13 years. But I think 2007 opened on a good note because we did KBC with Shah Rukh Khan and so I thought that was a good swansong of sorts for me. We also got Gajendra Singh from Zee to Star. He was with Zee for I think 16 years and so this was something equally dramatic.

    So those were the last good things to do at Star. On a personal level it was of course moving on and setting up a whole new company, whole new business and preparing for the launch of a new channel.

    2007 basically marked preparation for 2008?

    Yes! As you can see, it’s been all the pre-production and production. And now we get ready for release. So it’s been a lot of that kind of hard work. It’s been about team building… It’s been about company building. It was about resource building and also financial resource building and putting it all together.

    I think by the time indiantelevision.com puts up this interview we will have over 132 people, which is I think a good collection of people across all disciplines.

    What were the positives that came out of this year?

    One positive of course is there seems to be a lot of interest in all things media, in all things entertainment. So there have obviously been so many more players entering the market, so much more money being put into the market.

    So that’s obviously a good thing, industry per se. I think a lot of people have announced or started new ventures, which shows that there is obviously place for growth and a place for new players to get into.

    There is some level of consolidation, there is some increased activity of international participation in local business. The movie business has gone through the roof.

    But was it a good year for the business?

    2007 was an interesting year because it, in my mind, remains a sort of a question mark. It will get resolved in years to come as to whether it was a good year or not. But everything is too close, so I mean this was the year where millions of dollars were pumped into the system. You know prices went through the roof, newer and newer players getting into it, each man with bigger and bigger claims and promises. Nobody talks the normal figures anymore.

    Everything is in a super inflated scenario. It’s like the wire where the string is really stretched. So whether it will be good or bad, it is hard to say now. Currently, everyone is into this valuation zone and everyone seems to be so rich.

    The rollout of digital cable, which was supposed to proceed in a particular manner, did not go the way it ideally should have. Your views on this?

    That is hardly a surprise. There was always this issue about how it would roll out and if it would be mandatory or voluntary. How does it all work? It didn’t really come as a surprise that it didn’t happen in A or B or C manner.

    So effectively nothing of any real note happened?

    No! There was no landmark legislation that occurred, there was no landmark regulation that occurred, there was no landmark activity.

    I don’t really think that there has been any major change. The world has not undergone a digital revolution, nor a mobile one.

    On television, some shows are doing better than others. The gap between Star and Zee narrowed, Zee came within the whisker of Star, than it again fell back. Now it is again coming back pretty much as per calculations. But there was nothing outstanding. It was straightforward.

    But for the industry in terms of sports, a lot happened.

    Sports was an interesting thing that happened. That was pretty good if you look at the high priced acquisition of the ICC rights (by ESPN Star for $ 1.1 billion).

  • Star India appoints Vijay Singh as president, strategy & corporate development

    Star India appoints Vijay Singh as president, strategy & corporate development

    MUMBAI: Following the exit of its corporate CEO Peter Mukerjea as of 1 February, and the pending departure of its operational CEO Sameer Nair next month, Star has made the first executive announcement regarding the leadership team that will lead it in the next phase of the network’s evolution.

    Star India announced today the appointment of Vijay Singh, former CEO of Sony Music and currently Tata group company Tetley Tea’s managing director – developing markets, as president, strategy and corporate development. Singh will report to Star Group CEO Paul Aiello, who is currently holding additional charge as Star India chief executive.

    In what the broadcast major terms a newly created role, Singh will be responsible for developing business directions for Star India while taking an active role in the company’s venture businesses in India. He will oversee corporate functions including strategic planning, business development, human resources, legal, government affairs, MIS, administration and corporate communications. A point of note here is that there has been a position of president corporate affairs lying vacant since Nitin Atroley resigned a year ago.

    Singh will join Star in April, soon after the departure of Nair, whose last working day as head of India’s lead broadcaster is 26 March.

    With the public announcement of Singh’s appointment, Star now officially has two presidents. Paritosh Joshi is president, advertising sales and distribution.

    Commenting on Singh’s appointment, Aiello said, “Vijay is a veteran executive with a huge breadth of experience and we feel very fortunate to have attracted him to join Star India. His business acumen and unique insights into India and other developing markets will be invaluable as Star India readies itself for its next phase of growth and expansion.”

  • Vijay Singh to be next Star India COO; Peter Chernin flying in

    Vijay Singh to be next Star India COO; Peter Chernin flying in

    MUMBAI: After Star CEO Paul Aiello, it is News Corp president and COO Peter Chernin, Rupert Murdoch’s right hand man, who will be coming to these shores to shore up the morale of the Indian team. Chernin is flying in late on Thursday and will be in Mumbai over the following three days meeting the troops as it were.

    And in a related development, Indiantelevision.com learns that Vijay Singh, former CEO of Sony Music and currently Tata group company Tetley Tea’s managing director, developing markets, has been appointed as Star India COO.

    The main agenda of Chernin’s visit would appear to be to reinforce India’s importance, as well as to make clear how the new executive structure in Hong Kong and India (of which Singh is a key element) will mesh with News Corp’s overall growth plans.

    Singh, who will complete serving out his notice at Tetley by the month-end, is not taking up his new assignment immediately however. Indications are that he will join Star in the latter half of March. Singh will reportedly be taking up his new position just ahead of the departure of Star Entertainment India CEO Sameer Nair, whose last working day as head of India’s lead broadcaster is 26 March.

    Star officials were unavailable for comment on the issue of Singh’s appointment.

    As regards the announcement of a CEO, it will be made within the next one to two months is all that Indiantelevision.com had been able to garner from industry sources at the time of filing this report.

    With Singh’s arrival as COO, and with Aiello holding additional charge as Star India CEO, the jewel in News Corp’s Asian crown will have gone back to the structure it had before March of 2006 when Nair was COO and Peter Mukerjea was CEO. Mukerjea exited Star as of 1 February.

  • ‘KBC’ opener boosts Star Plus’ channel share in 9-10 pm band

    ‘KBC’ opener boosts Star Plus’ channel share in 9-10 pm band

    MUMBAI: The opening week numbers of KBC, Star Plus’ big ticket show for the season, seem to have done the trick at least on one front – jack up its channel share for the crucial 9-10 pm band significantly against rival Zee TV.

    The much awaited ratings for KBC, revealed by Tam today, show Star Plus’ channel share increasing to 55.9 per cent from the previous week’s 37.7 per cent in Hindi speaking markets ( 9-10 pm; Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday).

    As opposed to the aMap’s overnight ratings system that delivered an opening TVR of 5.3, Tam records the ratings for the premiere on 22 January as 12.3 for the Hindi markets.

    Commenting on the opening numbers of KBC, Star Entertainment India CEO Sameer Nair said, “At the outset, we had set three objectives for ourselves for KBC with SRK: strategic to ensure that Star Plus continues to dominate viewers hearts and minds; tactical to gain clear leadership in the 9-10 pm weekday primetime band and commercial, to allow us to ensure that the cricket World Cup does not dent our revenues. We have conclusively met all our objectives.”

    Expectedly, in the three metros (Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata) Star Plus has done even better, with a market share of 62.7 per cent, pushing down rival Zee TV from 38.2 per cent in the previous week to 15.3 per cent.

    Given the pre-launch hype that the network put in place for the Shah Rukh Khan fronted reality game show, it’s no wonder that it opened well, but the big question lies in the ‘sustainability factor’ of the show in the coming weeks.

    Of course SRK does not stand a chance against cricket, as the show was hit hard by the India Vs West Indies ODI match on 24 January, dragging the ratings down to 7.36 TVRs (HSM). Not surprisingly, the three metros also saw a steep decline as a result of cricket, clocking a TVR of 6.03. However, the average ratings for it’s first week seem to be stabilizing at about 10 so if KBC can sustain these numbers, the Star team should sail steady.

    As for the big question on how SRK compares with Amitabh Bachchan, in the the opening ratings it is a no contest, since 19.75 was what the second season of KBC hosted by the Big B opened at.

    An interesting point of note however, is that the first episode of KBC reached 23.3 million, which is 5 million more than the launch episode of KBC 2 did (factoring in the increased C&S population between then and now). Moreover, KBC reached 39 million individuals in the first week of its launch, which Star claims is the highest ever reach of a show in it’s first week in the history of satellite TV.

    All in all, the network states that KBC has caused a 25 per cent growth in Hindi general entertainment viewing, with Star gaining viewers from movie channels, regional and hindi news channels.

    But at the end of the day, this tale is really all about the ratings commitments that Star has given to its advertisers, so it ultimately will come back to whether the numbers will hold up. Can KBC deliver on a consistent basis over its full 13-week run will be what advertisers will be interested in, not how it opened.

  • ‘Koffee with Karan’ to simulcast on Star One, World

    ‘Koffee with Karan’ to simulcast on Star One, World

    MUMBAI: Attempting to aggregate eyeballs, Star is bringing back the second season of filmmaker Karan Johar’s candid talk show Koffee with Karan on two of its upscale channels.

    The show will kick off on 11 February at 9 pm every Sunday and be simulcast on Star World and Star One.

    “Given its huge popularity, the show will for the first time be aired across our two channels Star One and Star World. Koffee with Karan has just the right mix of fun and excitement coupled with Johar’s own unique style. The show became a topic for coffee table discussions for everyone across the nation and we are delighted to have it back,” said Star Entertainment India CEO Sameer Nair.

    Star One is clearly planning to evolve a time band strategy, hoping to navigate eyeballs from Colgate Maxfresh Antakshari at 8 pm to Koffee… that will follow on the Sunday line up. The musical talent hunt show Antakshari will be aired on Friday, Saturday and Sunday on the channel.

    Along with the change in sets and look of the show, another addition is the title sponsorship deal that has been bagged by DTH service provider Tata Sky. Star Group owns 20 per cent in the DTH venture.

    Star has roped in PepsiCo, Colgate, HLL, Candila Healthcare and HDFC as associate sponsors, said Star India executive vice president and head, interactive media Ajay Vidyasagar.

    A SOL production, Johar will kick of the first episode with his three personal favourites Kajol, Rani and Shahrukh. Most of the second season episodes will consist of “celeb combos,” from a mix of entertainment, sport and corporate backgrounds.

    “We will have some rather interesting matches such as Mallika Sherawat and Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Vijay Mallya and Shobha De,” Johar said while addressing the press on Friday.

    The only episode having a single celebrity will be with Hollywood actor Richard Gere. “I have tried to make the show more irreverent, more tongue in cheek, more fun… and I am sure everyone will have fun watching it. The guests on my show will include a lot of my friends from the first season but in unusual combinations and will also feature big names from the corporate and sports world. I am sure that the show will recreate the same magic, as it did in the first season,” said Johar.

  • Paul Aiello named Star CEO after Guthrie exit

    Paul Aiello named Star CEO after Guthrie exit

    MUMBAI: Star has appointed Paul Aiello, currently its president, as chief executive, replacing present CEO Michelle Guthrie, who has resigned. Guthrie’s departure will be effective 1 March.

    It was only last April that Aiello was appointed president in a newly created role and put in charge of developing strategic and business directions for the pan Asian broadcaster while overseeing corporate functions including business development, strategy and implementation, Star ventures, government affairs and corporate communications.

    The position of Steve Askew, chief operating officer (Star) & president (Star Entertainment) in the new dispensation is also unclear. Askew is presently on four months’ sick leave, according to industry sources.

    Commenting on the announcement, News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch said, “Paul has done an exceptional job at Star since joining the company, leading its corporate team and overseeing its overall growth strategy. Paul’s business acumen, strong leadership and financial skills as well as in-depth knowledge of the diverse and complex media and telecommunications industries in Asia make him the ideal candidate to steer the long-term growth and success of the company.”

    Meanwhile, Star officials refused comment on reports that Star Entertainment India CEO Sameer Nair had resigned and would be joining Prannoy Roy’s NDTV. Attempts to contact Nair proved fruitless at the time of filing this report.

    When contacted, NDTV officials were quite categorical that reports of Nair’s joining the news major to head up their broadcast entertainment venture were without basis.

    Aiello’s appointment followed soon after the creation of a new, convoluted executive structure within Star wherein Steve Askew was named president of Star Entertainment in addition to COO of Star.

    The biggest news then was of course the shake up in the Indian operations wherein two units were created – Star Group and Star Entertainment – with Peter Mukerjea made CEO of Star Group India and Nair promoted from COO to CEO of Star Entertainment.

    As CEO of Star Entertainment, Nair was given the responsibility of overseeing all day-to-day operations including programming, marketing, advertising sales and distribution while pursuing growth opportunities in new media including wireless and internet.

    Nair was reporting to Askew while Mukerjea continued to report to Guthrie.

    Aiello, 42, joined Star from Morgan Stanley where he worked for more than nine years. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Aiello was vice president, mergers and acquisitions, Investment Banking Department of CS First Boston Limited, Hong Kong.

  • Star Gold’s Sabse Favourite Kaun garners good viewership

    Star Gold’s Sabse Favourite Kaun garners good viewership

    MUMBAI: Hindi movie channel Star Gold has received a good response for the telecast of Savlon Sabsey Favourite Kaun International 2006.

    India’s first international Bollywood opinion poll was aired on December 30, 2006 on Star Gold at 8 p.m. During the 3-hour telecast of star performances and presentation of awards, the channel garnered a 38 per cent share of eyeballs, taking a leadership position in the Saturday prime time viewing slot the channel has asserted, quoting TAM data. The show, now in its fourth round, claims to have reached out to over 7 Million viewers across Hindi speaking markets.

    Speaking on the response to the show, Star Entertainment India CEO Sameer Nair said, “This is an overwhelming response to the Savlon Sabsey Favourite Kaun International. The impact of this event has grown over the years, which is evident by the response that we have received. It is also a proof of the fact that our audiences are responding to the only award show that is based on their votes and the popularity of their Sabsey Favourite Bollywood stars.”

    The show was hosted by actress Ayesha Takia along with the comic trio of Ranvir Shorey, Vinay Pathak and Suresh Menon. The show also saw performances by actors like Shreyas Talpade, Koena Mitra, Bipasha Basu , Shiney Ahuja and Akshay Kumar.

  • Star One to introduce new formats in ‘Antakshari-The great challenge’

    Star One to introduce new formats in ‘Antakshari-The great challenge’

    MUMBAI: After creating programming in genres from reality to dance and comedy to drama, Star One beginning February 2007 will launch Antakshari – The Great Challenge.

    This is being produced by Gajendrra Siingh of Zee TV’s Sa Re Ga Ma Pa fame. Antakshari – The Great Challenge will see new inclusions to the format. Apart from just the competition there would be hint of reality with Star One airing the auditions too. Annu Kapur who has an old connection with Antakshri will host this musical show.

    Star Entertainment India CEO Sameer Nair said, “Siingh as we all know is the mastermind behind popularising music based talent competitions and we are very excited to host his home production’s debut venture – Antakshari-The Great Challenge on Star One. The show, with an innovative and exciting format, captures the passion that Indian audiences have for music. It also is in synch with the channel’s promise to consistently deliver indigenous content and complete entertainment for the audiences.”

    Commenting on the association Gajendrra Siingh said, “I have always looked at opportunities to connect with viewers and this show synergizes with Star One’s commitment of delivering entertaining and unique content. We have added new elements to the show which I am sure will be appreciated by the viewers.”

    Host Annu Kapur added, “This unit is family to me, I take this opportunity to congratulate Gajendrra and I wish him all the best. I am extremely delighted that he asked me to host the show. I can’t wait to get back on the floors and hear him say action.”

  • Shah Rukh, Rani triumph at Savlon Sabsey Favourite Kaun International 2006

    Shah Rukh, Rani triumph at Savlon Sabsey Favourite Kaun International 2006

    MUMBAI: Shah Rukh Khan’s brand equity in Bollywood just gets bigger! The star was voted as the favourite hero by fans at the Savlon Sabsey Favourite Kaun 2006 awards.

    Rani Mukherji picked up the award in the heroine category. Lage Raho Munnabhai was voted as the favourite film.

    At the event Akshay Kumar performed a parody based on his forthcoming movie Bhaagam Bhaag and a spoof on his director Priyadarshan. Bipasha Basu performed on the chartbusters Bidi and Namak from her movie Omkara. Koena Mitra and Shreyas Talpade entertained the audience with the latest songs from their movie Apna Sapna Money Money. Shiney Ahuja performed on a medley of songs from his movies.

    Speaking at the awards ceremony Star Entertainment India CEO Sameer Nair said, “Savlon Sabsey Favorite Kaun International 2006 – the only opinion poll for the fans of Bollywood, is a true reflection of a star’s popularity as the winners are chosen by the fans themselves. The impact of Indian Cinema on the audiences is evident by the overwhelming response that we have received year after year. This year we were not only able to capture the frenzy and fervor that our Bollywood actors command on a national level but also on an international scale.”

    The Savlon Sabsey Favorite Kaun International 2006 Grand Finale was hosted by Ayesha Takia along with comic trio of Ranvir Shorey, Vinay Pathak and Suresh Menon.

    Viewers can watch the telecast of Savlon Sabsey Favorite Kaun International 2006 Grand Finale on 30 December at 8 pm on Star Gold.

    Fans voted for their stars across seven categories. The winners are as follows:

    – Sabsey Favorite Hero – Shah Rukh Khan

    – Sabsey Favourite Heroine – Rani Mukherji

    – Sabsey Favourite Comic Hero – Paresh Rawal

    – Sabsey Favourite Nayi Heroine – Soha Ali Khan

    – Sabsey Favourite Naya Hero – Kunal Khemu

    – Sabsey Tez Sitara – Priyanka Chopra

    – Sabsey Favourite Film – Lage Raho Munnabhai

  • Shah Rukh in KBC: Wit and wisdom

    Shah Rukh in KBC: Wit and wisdom

    NEW DELHI: “Main is desh ka laal hun is liye is baar KBC ka background laal hai, (I am a son of this soil (laal), that is why the background of KBC is in red),” said Shah Rukh Khan in his signature wit. That is likely to be the most significant change in the third avatar of India’s most successful game show, Sameer Nair, Star Plus CEO told a packed press conference here.

    Witty, jovial, charming and very GenNext. All attributes that had been at the core of the choice for a successor to Big B as the host of the show that had become a national addiction when it first hit the small screen in 2000. And which Shah Rukh exuded in overdoses. However, indicating the change in tenor that is likely to take place with his taking over, Khan said: “I shall be a dost (friend), rather than a host. I am friendly and I like to be friends, so that is what I shall try to do.”

    And while Shah Rukh kept the media enthralled, Star Entertainment India CEO Sameer Nair, answering a tricky financial question on the cricket World Cup 2007 stealing the major advertisers away from KBC, said: “I have spoken to the major advertisers and our old clients and the response has been tremendous. It is the World Cup that has a problem, not Star.”

    It was an obvious thing to say on the face of today’s reports in some papers that KBC III would face a revenue problem because most top agencies and advertisers have put in all the big bucks into World Cup coverage, but Nair was not entirely convincing.

    Puns and ripostes apart, Shah Rukh painstakingly dispelled the inevitable and repeated comparisons drawn between him and Amitabh Bacchan. “His boots are too big for me to fit in,” he said.Siddharth Basu of Synergy Communications, producer of KBC had said, “Television today has a much younger audience and a hugely larger veiwership and this called for a rebirth of the show. So when Amitabh Bacchan decided not to be the host, the natural choice was Shah Rukh Khan, who is the best person for the generation ahead.”

    Interestingly, Basu revealed that Shah Rukh’s name had been discussed long ago, as a “what if KBC needs a change of host”.

    Responding to the incessant comparisons with Big B, Shah Rukh said first, that he was not ‘replacing’ anyone. “The word replacement would come had Amitji still wanted to do the show and yet, I would be called in. That is not the case here, because he had himself decided not to host the show.”

    Secondly, he said, “It is a humbling thought that I am participating in a piece of history in the world of entertainment. So, I pray and hope that I am able to just keep up the great standards that Amitji had taken the show to.”

    Interestingly, responding to a question of the ‘shift’ from the ‘big screen’ to the small one, Shah Rukh said that it is a mistake to talk of television as the small screen only because of its size. “It is actually much bigger than cinema, with its over all reach and the size of the industry in terms if money is also much larger. The small screen is so big that we are now scared of it,” he added for good measure.

    Shah Rukh added that he was not, in fact, ‘shifting’ to TV. “In television, I have just one commitment and that is with KBC, and otherwise I shall be doing the three or four films that I do every year.”

    Asked about his personal incentive behind deciding to host KBC, Shah Rukh said that money and other things apart, “It is the great chance to be with the people that has been the greatest lure for me.”

    “I am paid for by the people of this country, but due the nature of my job, I seldom get to meet them one to one. KBC will give me that chance for the next 52 episodes.” Shah Rukh, referring to his old and keen interest in quizzes and knowledge-based programmes said that for the next one month or so, he would devote as much time as possible to studies, so that he handles the show better.

    The other question that was bound to be repeated was what would be new to the third avatar of KBC.

    Nair said that much has changed in technology, including telephony, SMS and other aspects, so there will be many technological innovations, “but in the end it will be the content, the creativity that will matter”.