ITV

Tag: SET

  • Sony reaps benefits of innovation concerted effort

    Sony reaps IPL rewards for innovation, concerted effort
     

    The Indian Premier League‘s success has exceeded everybody‘s expectations, including that of broadcast rights holder MSM India‘s Max channel.

    While no one will argue against the fact that the kind of success IPL‘s inaugural edition has enjoyed could never have been anticipated, even by the most die-hard optimist, due credit must be given to the broadcaster on two fronts – innovation and a concerted marketing effort.

    Logistical challenges: Max business head Sneha Rajani notes the IPL was an innovative format to begin with. So everything done was innovative by default. “At the same time, though we needed to do a lot of things in two months, we sat together with the team owners to put it all together.

    “It was a day and night task. It was logistically more difficult that the World Cup. Mind you for the 2007 World Cup we had two years to plan things. The IPL had more crowds, more flight movements and more equipment – all of which had to be dealt with. I feel that it is a miracle that everything went off so smoothly.”

    Innovation: After five years of success with its wrap around show Extraaa Innings, Max decided to completely revamp it. “We wanted to refresh it and turn it on its head. We did not want to continue with the same format. It became a one hour show. We went from a remote central studio to a studio that was based on the ground closer to the action.”

    It also introduced young faces as anchors. 600 people were auditioned. Rajani explains that the aim was to have faces that the youth could relate with. “Mandira Bedi is an icon, a superstar. It is difficult for the youth to relate to her. So while the auditions made life more difficult for us we were determined to do it. We went with fresh young male faces.

    “We needed multiple anchors to be the main presenters in the studio and the roving reporters on the ground. We found the six anchors and the format was tweaked to make it crisper. We even conceived a song for Extraaa Innings Karo Ya Maro.”

    She asserts that after the channel introduced Mandira Bedi five years back, many channels started to copy the formula. “The best form of flattery is imitation. As we are leaders, we then decided to turn it on its head for the IPL. Nobody anticipated that we would go with youthful guys.”

    Astute marketing: Sony president network sales, licensing and telephony Rohit Gupta says that one of the main reasons for the IPL‘s success was the marketing effort that was done by all the parties involved. “The activities began well before the event kicked off. Different people marketed different properties. This generated huge interest among the media. As a result people sampled it. They stayed on thereafter as great cricket was on offer.”

    Rajani adds that at the start the broadcaster sat down with the franchisees to set up a blueprint in terms of who would be doing which activities and at what period of time. At the start the IPL did its campaign. This was followed by campaigns by the different team owners. Finally Max did its own marketing in the four-week lead up to the event.

    “A chart was drawn out as to who would be doing what and at what stage. The timelines were met. The IPL‘s campaign Cricket ka Karamyud was distinct. The owners had concepts reflecting their personalities. Preiti‘s for instance, had a North Indian Punjabi feel.”

    Max‘s IPL campaign slogan was Manoranjan kA Baap. Rajani explains that last year, when Max had made a presentation to the BCCI, they wanted to position the event as the greatest spectacle there is as far as cricket is concerned. The channel‘s team stuck to that positioning throughout. “We knew that the campaign had to stand out. We gave the campaign a 70‘s movie feel with a lot of melodrama. This was key as we were competing with the soaps and serials bang on. Our message was that the IPL was something that would break the shackles of the soaps and movies, which have been ruling the roost.

    “The feedback to our campaign stunned us. People understood what we were trying to say. Our message was that IPL is a quick fix reality show. It takes the same time as a film to complete.”

    Less is more: What is interesting is that Max did just one major interactive initiative for the IPL. This was in association with Godrej and through SMS one could win a fully furnished flat worth Rs 10 million. The aim was not to have a cluttered environment. Also the three-hour duration of a match does not give one too much time to do things.

    The Ad Scene: There was scepticism prior to the event that the cricket would not be serious. The fear was that huge money would dilute the game. All that though was hogwash and high quality cricket won in the end. “The T20 format is powerful. Ratings were above 7 among males 15+. This is what cricket advertisers target,” explains Gupta.

    On the revenue front, Gupta notes that Sony expects to at least be on the break-even point once final calculations are done. Earlier, the expectation was that there would be a shortfall of around $ 4 million in the first year. However, since the response was huge, the channel was able to scale up rates for the 200 seconds that it had in the bank for each match. “For the semi finals and final we sold at Rs 8-10 lakhs per 10 seconds. We have set a benchmark pricing for the second season,” asserts Gupta.

    The pricing for season two will be aggressive. In fact Sony is looking to do deals by mid-July. This would give the sponsors eight to nine months to plan activities. “Our existing clients are keen to return. We want to give brands enough time to get their act together so that they get full value from it,” says Gupta.

    Plans going forward: In terms of the rub off effect, Gupta notes that the IPL has given the broadcaster a good platform to launch Dus kA Dum. “We were able to promote our big shows well. Something similar happened in 2003 post the World Cup.”

    And what is life like for Max, now that it has returned to being a movie channel? Rajani explains that on 2 July, the day after the IPL finished, the channel started a film initiative Great Pictures Lagaataar (GPL). This is a festival of blockbusters that air from Monday to Friday at 8 pm. Max will also premier films this month like No Smoking and Gandhi My Father.

    In terms of the IPL the plan is to do activities with the franchises to keep the brand alive. In a few weeks time Max will sit down with the franchises and discuss initiatives that could be done. This could include specials on the teams, focus on key players etc. There would also be a retrospective on the first season. “People will not sit and wait for the next event that happens next year,” notes Rajani.

  • SET Discovery targets Rs 4.5 billion in FY07 on back of World Cup

    SET Discovery targets Rs 4.5 billion in FY07 on back of World Cup

    MUMBAI: Riding high on the ICC cricket World Cup wave, SET Discovery expects to garner a revenue of Rs 4.5 billion in 2006-07. This would mean a growth of 40 per cent in a tight subscription market with cable operators resisting any big increase in payouts to broadcasters.

    “SET Discovery is targeting a total income of Rs 4.5 billion in 2006-07. This will include for the first time income from direct-to-home (DTH) which should be contributing eight per cent of the overall kitty,” says a source in the industry who is close to the company.

    SET Discovery signed a contract with DTH service provider Dish TV in June 2006 and subsequently with Tata Sky.
    When contacted, SET Discovery president Anuj Gandhi declined to talk on the financials of the company. “We had set an aggressive target this year and we are going to hit it,” he said.

    Despite a slide in Sony TV’s ratings, analysts say SET Discovery’s growth in the fiscal would be greatly helped by a rich lineup of cricketing properties that include ICC Champions Trophy and the ICC World Cup.

    SET Discovery’s revenue stayed flat in 2004-05 but rose 15 per cent to Rs 3.2 billion last fiscal as it added Ten Sports in its distribution bouquet. Sony signed a distribution deal with the sports channel which has key cricket properties that include the Pakistan, Sri Lanka and West Indies boards.

  • ‘Boogie Woogie’ to make a comeback on Sony

    ‘Boogie Woogie’ to make a comeback on Sony

    MUMBAI: In an attempt to sort out its declining fortunes, Sony has decided to ride the comeback wave. The channel brought in CID, Aahaat and even a revamped Karamchand (earlier on Doordarshan) to draw in the viewers.

    Continuing with this formula, SET has decided to revisit past glories with Boogie Woogie. The popularity of Javed Jaffrey, Naved and Ravi on this talent based dance contest has ensured a decade long run on SET.

    ‘The country-wide search for dancing talents will be flagged off with auditions beginning in Mumbai between 16 and 20 February.

    Boogie Woogie is all set to make a comeback on weekends and although no date has been revealed yet it will be aired as a one hour show on Saturdays at 8:00 pm.

    The new format comprises of theme based competitions like horror, villains, super hero kids, TV celebs, cabarets and Shaadi -Vivaah special.

    The reality based dance hunt will feature two championships with 7 episodes each. The proposed themes are ‘mummies and kids championships’.

  • Hearings continue in Trai rulings validity case

    Hearings continue in Trai rulings validity case

    NEW DELHI: The hearing on the constitutional aspects of the ongoing case on whether Trai can at all fix tariffs for pay channels continued today.

    Set Discovery counsel Afpi Chinay argued that there is no law in the country that allows the operations of broadcasters to be regulated. Chinay said that neither the Telecom Regulatory Authority of Indian act nor the Cable TV act has any provision for regulating the content providers, and the orders fixing tariff were thus automatically against the laws.

    This is a case of violation of freedom or speech and expression under Article 19 1 A of the Constitution, Chinay said. He challenged the proviso to section 21 K of the Trai act which originally said that the government could at a later date include any other service under the head of ‘telecom services’ but that would not include the broadcasters. He said that the amendment of the Act in 2000 gave the Trai the powers to regulate, but this did not apply to them as they were neither licensees nor service providers under the meaning of the Act.

    Chinay also challenged the Rules as amended on July 31, 2006, which gave the government the power to regulate and fix tariff.

    Chinay held that the Cable TV Act does not have this provision, and it says that though the government could control prices of the ‘basic tier’ only, that is, the free-to-air channels, it could not do the same for the pay channels.

    Chinay held that the rules cannot take over the Act under which they exist, hence the fixing of tariff under such rules were not acceptable.

    The hearing is to continue tomorrow. The original case had been filed by Star in 2005 and later, Sony joined issue, filing a separate appeal in 2006. The HC is hearing the range of cases under this new petition (No. 16913 of 2006), which is now being treated as the main petition.

    The contention of the broadcasters is that Trai or Cable TV act does not have regulatory powers whatever, so far as the pay channels are concerned, hence any order issued on this by Trai stands automatically struck down. Earlier, Soli Sorabjee had appeared for Sony and had placed his preliminary argument.

  • Panasonic, Comcast join forces to test interactive digital cable-ready television

    Panasonic, Comcast join forces to test interactive digital cable-ready television

    MUMBAI: Consumer elctronics firm Panasonic and US cable major Comcast have announced that they will begin joint testing on an interactive digital cable-ready high-definition plasma television based on the Open Cable Application Platform (Ocap) specifications that cable operators in the US have begun to deploy.

    The joint test, which will begin later this month, builds on the relationship Panasonic and Comcast announced at the ongoing 2006 International Consumer Electronics Show (Ces) in Las Vegas. The companies agreed to jointly develop digital cable set-top boxes and to explore and develop extensions to the Ocap specifications that will enhance and simplify consumers’ home entertainment experiences.

    Integrating OCAP middleware into a digital cable-ready television will let consumers access digital cable features, such as video on demand and electronic programme guides, without a digital set-top box. It also will create new opportunities for the delivery of next generation, two-way interactive digital cable features like voting, e-commerce and gaming with the television.

    Panasonic US CTO Dr. Paul Liao says, “This is a major step in the realisation of Ocap and we are very pleased to be partnering with Comcast, the leading cable operator in the US, to test this exciting product. Panasonic is a market leader in flat panel displays, and this is a logical step for us in terms of giving consumers access to an even wider range of high-definition
    options.”

    Comcast senior VP, technology and policy Mark Coblitz says, “We are pleased to expand our relationship with a leader like Panasonic to develop the next generation of digital cable-ready televisions. The development of Ocap-powered TVs is another example of how Comcast is working with the consumer electronics industry to enhance the consumer viewing experience by making it even easier to enjoy new interactive applications combined with the convenience of integrated digital cable services.”

    Panasonic and Comcast expect testing of the new Ocap-powered TVs to run through 2007, and are targeting initial commercial availability of the first model for early 2008.

    “The integration of Ocap technology into High-Definition Plasma televisions is the future of television. It opens the market for new and exciting interactive applications, including on-screen shopping, game play, voting, and many others that are only now being invented by software developers everywhere” adds Dr. Liao.

  • ABC to air ‘Ugly Betty’ full season

    ABC to air ‘Ugly Betty’ full season

    MUMBAI: The American version The Ugly Betty or the original Colombian show Yo Soy Betty La Fea or the Indianised version Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin has charmed audiences of all territories. 

    The US network ABC has given a full-season order to Ugly Betty, which has emerged as the most-watched new series of the 2006-07 season.

    Produced by Salma Hayek and stars America Ferrera as Betty Suarez, the show has already established itself a solid second to CBS’ Survivor at 8 pm. 

    Among the age bracket of 18-49 years, the show Ugly Betty has drawn an average rating/share of 4.7/13, while holding the top position on average with adults 18-34 year (4.0/12). The show has improved the time period for ABC by 96 per cent in total viewers (15.3 million against 7.8 million) and by 92 per cent in adults 18-49 (4.8/14 against 2.5/7) over the same nights last year, according to media reports.

    ABC Entertainment president Stephen McPherson noted, “In just two weeks Ugly Betty has given us an impressive foothold leading into the Grey’s Anatomy hour on Thursday night. The show has proven to be competitive in a very strong time period, and we’re thrilled with Ugly Betty’s performance.”

    In India, the version Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin aired on Sony and had won 3.6 average TVR for the first week of its launch in 2003. The show and the lead character Jassi had become the unofficial mascot for Sony. 

    SET CEO Kunal Dasgupta told to indiantelevision.com in 2004, that Jassi had fetched Sony four million new viewers in the general entertainment category, while the slot sampling too has grown by 300 per cent in the first one year. “The TVRs, naturally, have also shot up by over 300 per cent,” he says.

  • TDSAT declines stay as SET, ESPN and ESS move against CAS pricing

    TDSAT declines stay as SET, ESPN and ESS move against CAS pricing

    MUMBAI: Acting on expected lines, broadcasters have finally taken legal recourse against the Rs 5 tariff that the sector regulator had set as the price for accessing pay channels in a CAS regime.

    Three separate petitions filed against the order of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) by Set Discovery Ltd, ESPN Star Sports (ESS) and ESPN Software India came up for hearing this morning before the apeals tribunal.
    However, the Telecom Disputes Settlement & Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT), which heard the case today, issued no directive to stay Trai’s order.

    A point of note is that of the three petitions that came up for hearing today, two of them were moved commonly by ESS and ESPN Software.

    TDSAT has set the matter for further argument and a possible order on 13 November. The pay broadcasters have challenged the two Trai notifications dated 24 August (on carriage fee) and 31 August (channel pricing).

    The channels have also challenged the revenue sharing model designed for industry stakeholders by Trai. The sector regulator had specified in the notification that the revenue generated from pay channels leaves the broadcaster with 45 per cent, while the multi system operators (MSOs) stays on with 30 per cent and the cable operators get 25 per cent.

    Interestingly, the two major MSOs; Hathway and Hinduja-owned IndusInd Media and Communications have intervened in the appeal in support of Trai’s decision on the CAS pricing.

    For the record, the 24 August notification had mentioned that the carriage fee is to be retained fully by MSOs and can operate throughout a CAS area without any restriction on area of operation.

    Subsequently, SitiCable Networks Ltd (now renamed WWIL) has also filed a petition at the tribunal appealing that the MSO must have a share in the basic tier services fee, which according to Trai notification must be retained fully by local cable operators.

    Earlier this year, a division bench of the Delhi High Court had passed an order directing the implementation of CAS with effect from 31 December in the south zones of the three metros; Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata.

  • SET senior VP and programming head Anupama Mandloi quits

    SET senior VP and programming head Anupama Mandloi quits

    MUMBAI: Sony Entertainment India (SET) India senior VP and programming head Anupama Mandloi has resigned.

    After a nine-and-a-half-year stint at the flagship channel SET, Mandloi officially says goodbye to the organisation tomorrow.

    For the near term, recently appointed chief creative director Sandiip Sikcand (former Balaji creative head ) will be overseeing Mandloi’s responsibilities. However, according to sources, the organisation has not taken any final call on whether to have a replacement for her position.

    In her time at Sony, Mandloi has held various positions — from on-air programming director, on-air programming head, creative director, to senior VP and programming head. She was also instrumental in setting up Sony’s flanking channel SAB TV, which was bought out last year.

    Prior to Sony, Mandloi worked with Plus Channel. She has also worked on projects with filmmaker Vikram Bhatt.

  • SET to simulcast key Champions Trophy & World Cup matches on Max, Sab

    SET to simulcast key Champions Trophy & World Cup matches on Max, Sab

    MUMBAI: Sony Entertainment Television (SET) India is gearing up full on for the Champions Trophy in October and the World Cup in West Indies early next year. The target this time round is to be armed cap-a-pie, thus leaving no stone unturned to garner maximum eyeballs and revenues.

    With an aim to eat into the viewership of Doordarshan, SET will simulcast key India matches, the semi-finals and the finals of both tournaments on Max and Sab.

    While the feed on Max will be in English with its own set of commentators for Extraaa Innings, the feed on Sab will be in Hindi. “Today DD gets 30 per cent of its viewership from cable and satellite homes, where people prefer to watch the matches because of the Hindi commentary. Now with Sab having a Hindi feed, we will be able to eat into the C&S share of DD during the matches. It is a huge chunk of the market, which we want to own,” SET India executive vice president (ad sales & revenue management) Rohit Gupta tells Indiantelevision.com.

    “DD was getting its viewership for cricket matches not just from UP and MP but even from Delhi. Our aim is to own the entire Hindi C&S space with the upcoming tournaments in our kitty and that is the proposition we are giving to advertisers. In a way we are also looking at eating into the revenue shares of DD,” he asserts.

    Apart from this, a lot of brands that were buying air time space on Max, were also doing so on DD during the earlier matches. But now with a combination of Max and Sab, they don’t need to do that barring some brands like Lifebuoy, which have a specific rural focus, Gupta argues. The Champions Trophy, it is worth noting, will be held during the festive season (7 October to 5 November), which is when most brands will be active to the hilt. Even the World Cup in March-April will see a slew of brands upping their advertising before the peak summer months, he adds.

    Brands such as Maruti and Hero Honda, to name a few, who were buying 300 – 500 seconds of advertising time on DD, need not buy more than 100 seconds now because of the package that they will be getting in Max and Sab, is the point that Gupta and his team will be trying to drive home to advertisers in the coming months.

    “While the television universe extended to 35 million homes the last time the Champions Trophy was played, this time it has increased to 70 million homes. We expect to see Sab hitting a different level with this because of the sheer viewership,” says Gupta.

    What’s more, in order to encash on the scaled viewership post the Champions Trophy, Sab will be launching a slew of new shows. “The idea is to use cricket as a platform to take Sab to a different level,” he states.

  • Star One plans a turnaround; to bring back ‘Nach Baliye’, ‘Remix’

    Star One plans a turnaround; to bring back ‘Nach Baliye’, ‘Remix’

    MUMBAI: Last year around this time, Star India’s young launch Star One was enjoying a successful run in the market.

    Properties such as The Great Indian Laughter Challenge and Nach Baliye saw the channel making SET, the then number 2 in the Hindi GEC space, sit up and take note. However, the channel was derailed from its successful run due to a stern fightback from the competition. Certain distribution issues have also been bugging the channel in the Mumbai market.

    Now, what has boosted the channel’s morale is the good ratings The Great Indian Laughter Challenge Dwitiya delivered. According to Tam, the two-hour finale episode, which aired on Friday, 23 June, delivered a rating of 7.94 on CS4+ and became the fourth highest ranked show amongst the Hindi General Entertainment channels.

    Driving the turnaround plans for Star One would be two of its 2005 successes: Nach Baliye and Remix. While presenting a session on the journey of Star One at this year’s edition of Promax BDA 2006, Star India EVP Marketing & Communications Ajay Vidyasagar offered a glimpse of the plan of action.

    “If you have strong products to woo viewers, distribution is never a challenge. The success of The Great Indian Laughter Challenge Dwitiya has proved this. Now, we are targeting December 2006 to win back the lost position. We will be launching the second seasons of Nach Baliye and Remix in the coming months. The plans will be unveiled in a couple of weeks. You can expect a lot of surprises in both the formats this time,” says Vidyasagar.

    Vidyasagar also claimed that, the channel’s homegrown properties including Laughter Challenge and Nach Baliye created a lot of interest in the international market. “We have been getting lot of enquires from the global market. The players over there are very keen to buy these formats from us,” he says.