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Tag: Saugato Banerjee

  • A+E Networks makes top-level APAC appointments

    A+E Networks makes top-level APAC appointments

    MUMBAI: A+E Networks has announced a slew of management changes for the Asia Pacific region. Alan Hodges is exiting as managing director of Asia Pacific, with Saugato Banerjee selected to run North Asia and Leena Singarajah joining the company to oversee Southeast Asia and Australia.

    Banerjee, as managing director for North Asia, and Singarajah, managing director for Southeast Asia and Australia, both report to A+E Networks executive managing director for international Edward Sabin.

    Banerjee has been with A+E Networks since 2011 as head of strategy and business development for Asia. He will continue to manage growth in Korea and Japan and will chart A+E’s continued expansion in China.

    “Saugato has brought to bear his excellent relationships and deft strategic vision to our Japanese and Korean businesses, driving A+E’s unparalleled innovation and strong execution in the region,” Sabin said. “I am excited to see him apply these unique skills to the further growth of our Chinese business. We anticipate great success under his sage guidance and leadership.”

    Banerjee–who joined A+E in 2011–has played a key role in the rapid expansion of the South East Asian business, overseeing the digital, operations and research functions for the area. He also carried out responsibilities as a caretaker GM of AETN18 in India during a crucial period of change.

    Prior to A+E Networks, Banerjee held various senior roles in media and advertising in his previous jobs at ESPN Star Sports, CNBC Asia Pacific, Contract Advertising and FCB India.

    “Expanding my role in North Asia is a welcome challenge as we forge ahead to optimise the media landscape,” said Banerjee. “This is truly an exciting stage in A+E Networks’ evolution and I am pleased to be working with such a talented group of executives, in market and internationally.”

    Former Scripps Networks Interactive (SNI) executive, Singarajah has joined A+E Networks as managing director for Southeast Asia and Australia. Based in Singapore, Singarajah will be responsible for managing and growing A+E’s channels and media assets across Southeast Asia and Australia. She will also be tasked with expanding A+E’s digital strategy to fuel further growth in the regions.

    Most recently, Singarajah served as MD for Asia at SNI, where she was responsible for developing and executing the growth strategy for the company’s lifestyle brands. Prior to this, she was head of sales and business development for Asia-Pacific at IMG Media where she oversaw content and channel distribution.

    “Leena is an aggressive, experienced and whip-smart executive whose vast knowledge of the industry and acute business skills will help extend the reach of the A+E Networks on every entertainment platform throughout Southeast Asia and Australia,” said Sabin.

    “I am thrilled to be joining the team at A+E Networks and to lead the continued expansion of the company’s globally recognised brands in these exciting markets,” said Singarajah.

    Hodges has been with A+E Networks in Asia since 2002. “Over the past 12 years, our team has built A+E Networks into one of the top media companies in the region. It has been a privilege working on such a dynamic business with such a talented team. I leave with full confidence that our new leadership will be well positioned for another decade of growth.”

    “Alan Hodges has been a pioneer in A+E’s Asia Pacific business, with big shoes to fill,” Sabin said. “In a little over a decade, he has nurtured and grown A+E’s brands in the region and has in the process created tremendous value for us commercially. He has also attracted, mentored and led countless top rank executives in the A+E fold, including Prem, who will also leave behind a legacy of great successes in the region.”

    A+E Networks deputy managing director Prem Kamath is also leaving. He will remain with the company through the end of October before moving on to pursue opportunities in the digital space.

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    A+E Networks appoints two execs, bolsters international biz

  • IDOS 2014: Niche content to play a critical role in digitised era

    IDOS 2014: Niche content to play a critical role in digitised era

    KOLKATA: With more consumers looking at content tailor-made for them and with TV consumption growing on multiple screens, niche content is likely to work as a pivotal differentiator in a digital universe. The viewership for special content has grown substantially, and with digitisation at a growing trajectory in the country, broadcasters with niche channels bet on the growth.

     

    Speaking at a session titled ‘Specialised content and channels in the digital ecosystem’, at IDOS 2014, FoodFood CEO SK Raj Barua said, “TV penetration has reached the masses and the lifestyle category is improving. I think there is a lot of opportunity in terms of capacity in the next phases of digitisation. We see a great opportunity for us. With new media on the rise, demand for food content has gone up by more than 200 per cent.”

     

    On the other hand Insync founder and managing director Ratish Tagde, a classical music channel, said: “There is a huge demand for classical music and the audience is looking for Sufi music. When we talk about niche channel, it is all about content. The digital era is likely to monetise content. There are many new platforms and niche content has a good future.”

     

    Apart from FoodFood and Insync, A+E Networks is also slowly growing its footprint in the country. A+E Networks APAC VP sales and operations Saugato Banerjee said that the ability to create local content is main for niche channels. He added that A+E Networks, that operates with Network 18 in India, can’t depend on advertising and sales for everything it does. “Growing audience share is our target and there is a lot of optimism here,” he said.

     

    While Videocon d2h deputy CEO Rohit Jain said that one needs to look at niche channels from an economic point of view. “If any new channel is launched in the market, we have to have the whole push model so that the customer gets a chance to see the content first. Every channel has its own audience base,” he said.

     

    While AsiaSat, that leads in the satellite broadcasting and telecommunications sector in Asia Pacific region, believes the same what Indian broadcasters feel about niche channels. AsiaSat senior regional manager Paulus Chau said that the broadcasters are looking at launching more channels. “We are also looking at the opportunity because regulation is India is not simple,” he said.

     

    Scripps Networks, a US-based media company, specialising in lifestyle content like food, home and travel categories, is evaluating its strategy in Asia and India. Scripps managing director APAC Derek Chang said that India is a huge market for the company as compared to other markets. He hinted that Scripps might look at the Indian market for launching its niche content related to lifestyle. “It could translate into partnerships. It depends on how we see the potential market. It has its own characteristics and challenges,” he said.

     
    All the panelists agreed that niche content providers have to invest in the content and said the broadcasters have to understand that niche in India has various definitions considering the national and regional clients.

     

    While talking about the challenges faced by the channels, Barua said that carriage fees have gone up. “In the process, the business model has to be slightly different. We do research for content creation for particular people,” he said.

     

    Tagde however felt that the niche channels involve too much of research and investment. “We are struggling with the issues of technology like reaching out to people overseas. The content is owned by us and we have to invest in marketing too. There is a hope that we will get support from distributors,” Tagde said.

     

    Niche channels are not cheap to create: tremendous funds are needed to do research, and programming teams to implement concepts for informative channels.

     

    While the digital world is changing phenomenally, a bouquet of channels, with some mainstream entertainment channels and other niche channels, will soon adapt to the change.
    Viewership will be segmented leading to an increase in the number of niche channels.

     

    Going niche is the future of television as it helps to target specific viewers and in terms of revenue generation from advertisers, it is much more focused.