ITV

Tag: Savdhaan India

  • “The biggest idea can come from somebody you are not looking at”: Ajit Thakur

    “The biggest idea can come from somebody you are not looking at”: Ajit Thakur

    MUMBAI: It is the only channel, which has never shied away from experimenting; from mythology to drama, from thriller to comedy, it has done it all. The soon-to-be three-year-old channel from the Star Network’s stable, Life OK, has always been riding high on success.

    For ‘The Content Hub’, indiantelevision.com spoke to the channel’s EVP and GM Ajit Thakur to understand his views on how Indian content has shifted its paradigm and challenges that he faces while spotting new talents.

    According to Thakur, more than the concepts the channel is always looking out for fresher talent. “We are looking at people from Bollywood and advertising to come to us with different concepts. Also, we want to explore more genres. Currently, with Pukaar we are not only exploring action genre but also have got on board film director Vipul A Shah. In the future, we would love to do a lot more of comedy, thrillers, spy stories and a mythology.”

    He believes that with both television and Bollywood growing at a tremendous speed, the demand for the same writers has increased over the years, making the task different. “We can all either wait for those people to come on board or can develop our own talent. Therefore, we have hired a lot of new writers.”

    For shows like Mahadev and Savdhaan India, the channel has in-house writers. According to him talent spotting and retaining that talent is a big challenge as well. “One might be available today but he/she will get busy after six months. Plus, one cannot depend on established talent. So, we have to develop our own talent,” says Thakur.

    He goes on to say that though Indian content has the ability to travel abroad; it will take some time because currently, the industry is not investing enough on production to scale it up. “Production quality will take another five to seven years to enter international market. But the interesting concepts will take lesser amount of time,” he says while adding that our shows are currently travelling to the Middle East and South Asia because of Indian diaspora, but for a show to have the scale for it to be sub-titled and aired in America, it will take time.

    Is Indian content shifting its paradigm? According to Thakur, it is but slower than one would like it to. “Our viewers are evolving fast but at the end of it our cultural context is important too. As a country we are very different, so it’s not that our viewers are not evolving but they are evolving within the paradigm of Indian society where families are important and cultural values are important.”

    He adds, “I think we have to take pride in the kind of stories we tell, but we need to produce them at the scale, which the international markets can look up to.”

    Thakur has two best practices when it comes to sparking off changes in the thought and creation process of content. One, it is very important to have the right insights on which one wants to work on. “One should know who your target is whether you are a TV channel, filmmaker or a digital platform. I think very often we are making a mistake of not looking at who we want to target at, carefully. Who is your core TG? Is it urban India or rural India? Is it men or women? Is it young families or joint families? It is an important factor which many a times we overlook.”

    Second, once you are clear about the TG then instead of trying to do many things, one must focus on one thing they are good at. “If you are developing one genre, develop a number of dramas, be the best at it rather than trying to do everything. And once you know that this is the target group and this is the kind of audience you want to target, then go ahead and find multiple story tellers. Never think that the current best lot is the one that will take it to the next level. Probably the biggest idea will come from somebody you are not looking at,” concludes Thakur.

     

  • Life OK revamp: From being alternate to primary

    Life OK revamp: From being alternate to primary

    MUMBAI: It’s a channel that had promised to be different and has stayed true to its word till date. Exactly two and half years ago, on the launch day, it had organised an eight-hour-long Mahadev Rockathon at a Mumbai hotel, which could be viewed online, as numerous rock bands, including Parikrama, Agnee, Euphoria and Shaa’ir and Func, strummed songs.

     

    Done by none other earlier, Life OK, the sister channel of Star Plus, broke the conventional shackles to free the views of the usual saas-bahu dailies. Growing steadily in terms of viewership ever since its launch in December 2011, the channel has carved a distinct identity for itself on the back of its immensely popular shows like Mahadev, Saubhagyavati Bhava, Savdhaan India and now Laut Aao Trisha, all focusing on different social issues.

     

    Once known as a re-packaged replacement for Star One, which had failed to generate eyeballs, Life OK started off with 2 per cent market share, now enjoying a good 14 per cent market share.

     

    Taking a step further towards differentiation, the channel is set to give a new avatar to it by re-vamping. Come November, viewers will be introduced to a new look and feel of the channel.

     

    “Now we are confident of success,” says Life OK EVP and general manager Ajit Thakur. He states three reasons behind the channel’s continuous success.

     

    Number one, viewers have noticed the channel. “We are among that one success story which is very well entrenched. You go and talk to any community, viewers, trade, or advertisers.”

     

    Thakur feels that everybody needs numbers, and are important in terms of market share and the channel has done it at lower investment than others.

     

    Second point he highlights that it’s a matter of pride for the entire Star network  to have done it differently, as promised.

     

    Thakur recalls that when the channel started out, it had promised two differences. One, the channel will target the family – men and kids will also have as much to watch as the women in the family. Second, it would be built around a promise of no or a very few saas-bahu soaps. “Can we create a channel that the whole family can watch? Today there is one channel for women, one for men and one for youth. But in the house there is mostly one TV, so could we have created a destination for family where everybody has something to watch?”

     

    He says that confidently, no other channel has the kind of variety of programming which Life OK delivers. “One can switch any particular channel and expect the same genre from it year after year. For instance, one channel only focuses on comedy while other only on soaps. So, today we have a channel showing just one genre which is skewed towards one demographic in the house. We have changed the pattern.”

     

    Thakur states that the channel has had a very different viewing pattern focusing on genres like mythology, thriller, love story, social issues and crime.

     

    “It is of course risky,” reveals Thakur and adds, “Because what we are expecting is women to come in first, then the whole family to join in for mythology and men to keep glued on post 10 pm.”

     

    “We will not grow by being similar; we will grow by being different. One of the problems of not doing soaps is the longevity of the shows as our channel’s shelf life is smaller and we agree to it.”

     

    Similarly, the channel has different content during weekends. When other channels are filled with reality shows and extended soaps, Life OK has a different story to tell. “Who has a show on GEC targeting kids? Followed by a big ticket reality show and then crime,” asks Thakur.

     

    Thirdly, Thakur highlights that along with the viewers, it has managed to hold on to its advertisers and cable operators.  “We have a fare share of FMCG brands because they have all the big GECs, but we have a fair share of male centric clients because they don’t have that option.”

     

    The next big change…

     

    Thakur does not wish to be an alternative platform anymore. This Diwali, the channel aims to be a primary destination. “What is important is what we have built as an alternative proof, now in the next three months we want to tell them this is your primary destination, everything else is alternative. This Diwali, there is no bigger entertainment destination than Life OK.”

     

    The channel is adding seven properties to its kitty. Come 7 October, in the lines of Saubhagyavati Bhava, viewers will be introduced to a women’s journey towards independence by Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Telefilms, titled  Ajeeb Dastan Hai Yeh at 9:30 pm.

     

    Planning to tap into the comedy genre for a very long time, it is set to review the definition of fun and laughter with Comedy Classes at 10 pm from 7 October. Breaking away from the usual practice of airing comedy on weekends, the channel is launching a daily sitcom with the popular TV comedy stars.

     

    Next up, for the first-time ever the channel will telecast the world television premier of the movie, 2 States. “I deeply believe that the film has a strong social topic. Divide on basis of caste, religion is just artificial and love prevails over it,” says Thakur.

     

    On the occasion of Diwali, viewers will be treated with a grand event with big Bollywood stars. This will be followed by Vipul Amrutlal Shah’s action-thriller show staring the youth icon Ranvijay Singh, which will hit the television screens in the first week of November replacing the on-going reality show Dare 2 Dance. One more big name to the channel’s stable is Sooraj Barjatya’s new love story.

     

    Taking mythology to the next level, it plans to launch a big mythology in the month of December.

     

    “From October to mid December, seven big properties all put together in the span of 10 weeks, which normally takes a year to do. We are establishing the channel’s identity of differentiated content,” says Thakur.

     

    To tell the world about its revamp, the channel is putting full marketing muscle behind it. Every week, one will see promotions on 50 TV channels along with live sports, outdoors, malls and buses. Moreover, the channel for the first-time ever has done cinema hall branding and promos, which will go on till December. Even digital, radio and print will not be spared.

     

    Not only TV advertising, but the channel is focusing strongly on cable advertising as well. “We have always dependent on the reach of television, but this time we are going beyond. We are doing cinema integrations and cable activations which is new.”

     

    “We want to be the foremost GEC”

     

    Ad rates have been rising steadily as has the number of advertisers, from 30, in the beginning, to 200 in the last quarter. Of the initial lot, Shakti Bhog, the lead sponsor for Mahadev, and Idea have stayed with the channel right through.

     

    For a show like Mahadev, last year a 10-sec slot was Rs 50,000 to Rs 70,000. Currently, it ranges anywhere between Rs 90,000 – Rs 1,10,000, sources from the industry estimate.

     

    Is the move in order to attract the advertising spends in this festive season? “The advertising for this season is already done and we are full. It is not about advertising revenue but telling the market our intent and ambition. We want to grow aggressively on the back of a strong platform that we have built over last two and half years. We haven’t talked too much, we have done it quietly, but now  we will let everyone know.”

     

    The channel has advertisers from all categories right from bikes to mobiles. “In terms of male targeting we have all the FMCGs. Compared to a GEC, we have a very different mix,” says Thakur and states the example of Kapoor’s show. “Usually a fiction show doesn’t get sponsors on-board before the telecast. But in this case, very different sponsors like Venus and Basmati Rice have come on-board,” he adds.

     

    Though advertisers are taking note of the channel, media planners unanimously believe that the channel’s growth is phenomenonal. However, they are apprehensive about it being counted in the top three as of now. “It will take some more time for the channel to become a ‘primary destination for the viewers,” says a media analyst.

  • “At Life OK, we want to break the rules”- Ajit Thakur

    “At Life OK, we want to break the rules”- Ajit Thakur

    MUMBAI: Around three years ago when Star India decided to reinvent one of its older channels Star One as Life OK, little did it know that it would be one of the most successful turnaround stories scripted in recent television history. Yes CEO Uday Shankar had set ambitious targets because Sony Entertainment Television’s flanking channel SAB was beginning to get traction. He wanted another GEC which could absorb ad revenues which could not be accomodated on the clear market leader Star Plus.

     

    And yes Life OK has more than lived up those expectations. Not only did it climb up to the number three position in week 22 of TAM’s TV ratings in 2014, it also made naysayers sit up and take notice and even give their nod of appreciation.

     

    The channel’s general manager Ajit Thakur shares with Indiantelevision.com how Life Ok made it to the top three while revealing what’s in store for viewers in the coming months.

     

    “I don’t feel any different than any other day. I strongly feel we are a work in progress. This has happened today, tomorrow, we might go back to being number four. Who knows some day; we might even be number two. The important thing is that it keeps us growing,” Thakur begins.

     

    Life OK believes in walking the road not taken, he says. “We always think differently. Conventional television wisdom dictates that no one should plan high points during IPL or big cricket. Everyone has their high points and launches planned for the second week of June. But we just went ahead with Tumhari Pakhi, Savdhaan India, Naadan Parinde and the Life OK Now Awards… we put all of these high points in the same week as the IPL finale. We fundamentally believe that people continue to watch entertainment whatever happens outside of it. Second, we know everyone else will not plan for it so we did,” he elaborates.

     

    Thakur says he is keeping a gimlet eye on growth, ranking third or fourth or whatever is not the gameplan.  “We won’t do anything to retain the number three position; we will do everything to keep growing. We believe that we cannot  underestimate any competition and our biggest competition is Star Plus, they are way ahead. In general, we have a long way to go,” he says.

     

    Three things have been planned for the next six months, he informs. Firstly, Life OK will undergo a brand refresh in the next two to three months in terms of looks, visuals and packaging.

     

    “It will be more reflecting of our thought content. We haven’t done any refresh since our launch because we wanted to create a channel base before we went ahead and did the next level on the brand. For people who watch the channel, it will just be an extension of what the channel is,” he elaborates.

     

    Part of the refresh plan is launching six new shows. “We are working with agencies in India and outside. We should till December have 50 per cent new shows on the channel,” says Thakur, adding it could be dailies or even once or twice a week shows. “Whatever the story demands, we will look at all those formats. But yes, sometimes, we do have to shut the story if not done well.”

     

    Secondly, Life OK will look for more new stories. As Thakur puts it, “We have set a benchmark for new genres. We want to find now more new stories and that as time goes by, we will become the next level of Life OK.”

     

    Thirdly, the channel will look for new producers and agencies as collaborators. “We have always taken pride in working with new people, both inside Life OK and the people we work with outside, our producers and agencies. We are throwing the house open for new people to come and work with us. We want to become, in the next one year, THE  talent-power house. Get more exciting, young and old people who have done TV and who have never done it to come and work for Life OK from inside or from outside,” explains Thakur.

     

    He takes great pride in the success that Life Ok is acheiving.  “In the past 10 years, with the exception of Colors, there hasn’t been a turnaround story like Life OK. And this was possible because we wanted to break the rules,” he says quite confidently.  We wanted to do it with a bunch of completely new people and we wanted to do it with the patience and perseverance that is required to build in the long run.”

     

    Thakur is very happy that many a professional who started his or her career at Star One is still working for Life OK. “Lot of top teams at Life OK comprise people who have never done TV before. And we have combined them with people who have done it before,” he adds.

     

    Life OK has also gone on to create many new producers. On Savdhaan alone, the channel has worked with five to seven first-time producers. Bawre is the TV debut of Neelesh Mishra – lyricist and former journalist – who has never ever written a TV show before.

     

    Thakur reveals that the channel plans to tap into a big dancing property. “We will do a big non-fiction property in dancing, but that won’t be a regular one. I have no aversion in doing saas-bahu, singing or dancing shows. It is just that there is so much of it, that unless we find a really new idea, why do it at all?” he argues.

     

    While both of Life OK’s prime properties Savdhaan India and Mahadev will be replaced during the refresh, the channel does not plan to launch more than one new show per month. “In the next six months however, we will have six new shows,” stresses Thakur.

     

    Comparisons with Star One are inevitable. Compared to Star One’s 3 per cent share, Life OK has achieved a 15 per cent share which is an eyepopping 500 per cent growth. “We consider Life OK to be genuinely a new launch. From 0 to 15 per cent share is what we have come to. The market has got increasingly fragmented,” he says.

     

    While Thakur refused to disclose any financial details, industry sources reveal that the channel’s turnover could be anywhere in the Rs 350 crore-375 crore range. And its advertising rates are also climbing though they are at about 50 per cent of that Star Plus sales managers are able to command.

     

    Life OK’s rise has seen advertisers making a beeline to buy inventory on it. “Our advertiser base has been growing. In fact, we have seen a surge of advertisers beyond the usual in the last one year. Some have come for our weekends, some for our weekdays, some come for events and some only want to buy mythological shows. We have all kind of advertisers coming in and each has their own requirement. The reason we have been able to attract all of them is our target audience comprises women, men and kids, metros and small towns in India,” Thakur highlights.

     

    He expresses the view that it is heartening to see the channel continue to grow at a time when the growth of most GECs is on the decline. That too without a single saas-bahu show. “We don’t want to become number one by doing the same thing. It has been harder for us, but the people who have started coming to the channel have realized that this is the channel for everyone in the family,” he signs off.