ITV

Tag: Smile TV

  • Bullish Zee Smile(s) unveils shows, campaigns

    MUMBAI: Presently, Zee Smile is sporting a grin. What has buoyed the fun and entertainment channel is some good news on the ratings front. The channel claims that its GRPs went as high as 44 in the first half of May.

    Almost after a year of its launch, Zee Smile feels time is ripe to create some buzz with new shows and marketing initiatives now that connectivity issues have been sorted out.

    According to Zee Smile business head Nitin Vaidya, “Connectivity issues are Zee Smile’s past, while new shows are the channel’s present. We are trying to make the future brighter.”

    Whats more, Vaidya stresses on the channel’s positioning as a mass general entertainment channel. “We are getting more aggressive. This is not just a comedy channel anymore as Zee Smile is competing with mass general entertainment channels, he adds.

    Apart from comedy soaps, Zee Smile will air game shows as well in a bid to entertain people in a positive way, minus tear-jerkers and other tensions that abound in serials on other channels.

    That the time has come for Zee Smile to have some serious fun is apparent from what Zee Telefilms CEO Pradeep Guha told Indiantelevision.com last month. “Because of some connectivity issues, the channel wasn’t properly marketed. Since it has now scored something like 44 GRPs, we decided to end our silence and launch marketing initiatives,” he had said.

    The marketing initiatives launched have taken care of the channel’s positioning as a feel-good channel for the fun-loving crowd.

    The channel formed marketing tie-ups with Barista, which is essentially a youth hangout, and retail outlet major Big Bazaar to boost visibility. Colleges too are being targeted for on-ground events. The channel has also started advertising in theatres now.

    Zee Smile kicked off its promotional campaign in early May. The first phase of the campaign projected Smile TV as various products such as pain reliever, beauty cream and energy drinks.

     The attempt was to position the channel as an alternative that can get rid of worries. The channel is being cross promoted on the network as well. Smile has also produced two brand films which are currently running across the network.

    The second phase of the campaign relies mainly on the new launches. Within two months, the complete FPC of Zee Smile will undergo a change. The primetime line up will have fresh shows.

    After acquiring popular Doordarshan shows, including Nukkad, Wagle ki Duniya and Wilayatee Babu, on board in April, the channel launched three new programmes in May. The channel will be launching three shows in each month of June and July.

    Some of the shows Zee Smile recently launched include Fifty-Fifty, Home Sweet Home and Bechara Big B. An important property coming from the channel in June is the Ravi Rai-directed soap Haste Haste Kat Jaye Raaste.
     

  • Smile TV experiments with successful DD shows

    MUMBAI: Smile TV, the fun and entertainment comedy channel from Zee stable, is experimenting with shows which have already proven their mettle.

    The channel has lined up successful DD shows Nukkad, Wagle ki Duniya, Wilayatee Babu and PA Saab.
     

    All the shows will air at 7:30 pm. While Nukkad is scheduled for Monday, Wagle ki Duniya will air on Tuesdays, Wilayatee Babu on Wednesdays and PA Saab on Thursdays.
     
     

    Speaking on the launch of these shows Smile TV business head Nitin Vaidya said, “We did a dip stick amongst a cross section of viewers and also some focused group discussions and the result was surprising. Most of our viewers missed these two serial and the decision to show them on Smile TV has already brought smiles on their faces”.

  • Smile TV’s Ronita Mitra joins UTV

    MUMBAI: In its endeavour to tap creative talent exclusively for UTV, the production house is in the process of hiring creative minds. Building upon this, UTV has roped in Smile TV’s programming head Ronita Mitra who has been appointed as UTV’s creative director.

    At the outset, Mitra will primarily be handling creative outputs for the production major’s kids’ programming for Hungama.

    Commenting on the move, Mitra says, ” I am very interested in kids programming which is very different from the cliched soaps genre. This niche has a huge potential and I wanted to be hands on with the content being produced rather than be on the channel side.”

    UTV COO Vikas Varma says, ” With UTV moving from seven and a half hours of programming to about 23 hours, the need of the hour was definitely to have people who could deal with the amount and kind of content to be generated. Also, Ronita was very comfortable with the kids genre. A lot of her is very child like in her attitude and therefore understands children’s psyche very well.”

    Mitra, prior to Smile TV was with Bag Films.

    Interestingly, the production house has also recruited Rajesh Beri, a well known script writer in the television fraternity who is known for Saajan Sajani on Zee, Cats on Sony, Kehta hain Dil on Star Plus

  • DD’s DTH targets 1 mn subscribers by end-2005

    DD’s DTH targets 1 mn subscribers by end-2005

    NEW DLHI: A delay in the formal launch — or dedication to the nation, as Prasar Bharati would like to put it — of pubcaster Doodrashan’s DTH service notwithstanding, it is going ahead with great gusto and marketing the service to subscribers.

    “Some 200,000 (set-top) boxes have already been sold and we are targeting a million subscribers by the end of 2005,” Prasar Bharati CEO KS Sarma told indiantelevision.com today.

    DD Direct Plus, as the KU-band service is known as, is, probably, a unique experiment undertaken by a media company. For the first two years or so, beyond a one-time investment of approximately Rs 2,500, a subscriber would have to pay nothing.

    According to Sarma, the feedback from dealers of set-top boxes in recent times has been encouraging. Demand for the boxes for this free DTH service has increased with the addition of some private satellite channels.

    Private sector TV channels that are being carried by DD Direct Plus include Zee Music, Smile TV and ETC Punjabi (from the Zee stable), Sun TV, Kairali TV, CNN, BBC, Star Utsav, Aaj Tak and Headlines Today, amongst the 30-odd channels being part of the service at the moment, according to Sarma.

    “We are optimistic that we would be able to meet our target of one million subscribers by end 2005,” Sarma said, adding that the demand is building up because it’s a free service, unlike an existing service, Dish TV, which is 20 per cent owned by Zee Telefilms.

    For example, in South India, the price of boxes were jacked up by dealers to about Rs. 3,500 as demand upped with the surfacing of South Indian language channels like Sun TV.

    If Prasar Bharati’s assertions are to be taken on its face value, then DD Direct Plus has notched up more subscribers in about 75 days than what Dish TV has managed to do since its launch in October 2003. Dish TV’s claimed present subscriber base is approximately 160,000.

    Though DD’s DTH service is primarily aimed at those places where cable or terrestrial TV’s penetration is low, it is banking heavily on the inclusion of private sector channels, especially the popular entertainment ones (like Star Plus, Sony, Sahara One and Zee TV) on the platform, which has not happened as of yet.

    But DD is optimistic that a proposed initiative of the sector regulator would help it net most private sector channels on its DTH platform. At the moment, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is in the process of fine-tuning the interconnect regulations, which envisage a controversial clause on making available all TV channels to all types of platforms on a non-discriminatory basis.

    Industry sources point out that this particular clause is designed to help DD more than anybody else as it would necessarily mean all pay channels also being made available to a free non-encrypted DTH service — a scenario that hasn’t gone down too well with pay broadcasters who have been lobbying hard against the clause likely to be finalized before the commencement of next session of Parliament that begins from first week of December.

    However, industry sources also point out, DD has become the first defaulter of the must-provide clause being debated as part of the interconnect regulations by Trai. The moment DD bagged the telecast rights of some of the cricket matches played in India last month, it sent a missive to Dish TV asking it to discontinue showing DD channels telecasting cricket. Dish TV complied with DD’s request, but not before expressing to Trai its concern over this development.

    There are over 900 dealers in 212 cities and towns attempting to push STBs for DD Direct Plus. A basic box for the costs approximately Rs 2,500 (slightly over $ 54) and can access all free to air channels without the help of any smart card.

  • Nitin Vaidya made Smile TV business head

    Nitin Vaidya made Smile TV business head

    MUMBAI: Alpha Marathi senior vice president Nitin Vaidya has been given the additional responsibility of Zee’s newly launched channel Smile TV. He has been made the business head of Smile TV.
     
     
    Subsequently, Alpha Marathi head of all India sales Sujay Kutty will take on the additional responsibility of Smile TV all India sales head. Alpha Marathi assistant vice president programming Ajay Bhalwankar has been given the additional responsibility for programming of Smile TV.
     
     
    Both Kutty and Bhalwankar will continue reporting to Vaidya. Vaidya has 17 years of experience in print and electronic media business. Vaidya, who began his media career as a newspaper journalist joined the Zee network as Zee News bureau head in 1998. Then he moved to Alpha Marathi as channel manager.

  • Zee’s glee Smile TV to launch new shows on 12 September

    Zee’s glee Smile TV to launch new shows on 12 September

    MUMBAI: Zee Network has unveiled Smile TV, a 24-hours fun and entertainment channel. The channel that was earlier available on DTH platform Dish TV has been made available for all the cable and satellite households now.

    Smile TV, which is also on a re-packaging mode with the expansion, is set to launch five new shows starting 12 September.

    Announcing the launch of the channel in Mumbai, Zee TV business Head Abhijit Saxena said, “Zee Network has been on the forefront offering new and variety entertainment to its viewers. Smile TV has been distinctly positioned as 24-hours fun and entertainment channel and is all geared with its new programming and looks to enthrall
    viewers. Smile TV has the potential to provide novel entertainment to all age group audiences.”

    Adding further Saxena said, “The programming mix of Smile TV has been developed with a prime objective to bring wholesome fun and entertainment, which will bring endless smiles to all our viewers. The fresh programmes the channel has lined up also include other sub?genres of comedy like stand up and spoofs.”

    The five shows being lined up include Sunday shows Kyon Ki Yeh Hai Hasya Kavi Muqabla scheduled (11:30 am), Yoyo (5 pm), Ulta Pulta Ek Minute (12:30 pm), Friday show Kahani Mein Twist Hai placed at the 8:30 pm time slot and the Saturday show Hasne Bhi Do Yaron slotted for 8 pm.

    Produced by Applause Entertainment, Kyon Ki Yeh Hai Hasya Kavi Muqabla is hosted by Naseer Khan and Sweta. The show aims at focusing on established poets as well as providing a platform for budding Hindi poets. Yoyo, produced by Jaay Productions is a comical-horror-satire about a young boy whose ancestral footprints run back to Aryabhatta the father of mathematics.

    Ulta Pulta Ek Minute, which recreates the magic of the popular game show Ek Minute in a different style and manner, is produced by Picasso Pictures India. Vishal Malhotra hosts the show.

    Kahani Mein Twist Hai produced by Srirang Godbole is a spoof on all popular daily soaps on Zee TV. Hasne Bhi Do Yaron, again by Godbole, is a one-hour Hindi comedy theatre show.

  • Smile TV gears for cable debut in September

    Smile TV gears for cable debut in September

    JAIPUR: Zee Telefilms, India’s largest vertically integrated media and entertainment conglomerate, has decided to launch a comedy channel, Smile TV, as part of its cable service from September.

    Till recently, Smile TV was available only on the ASC Enterprise and Zee Tele-promoted Dish TV, the country’s first Ku-band direct-to-home television service. The comedy channel has been positioned as a 24-hour fun and entertainment channel with a slew of new programming previously not seen on the Dish TV service.
    According to Ashish Kaul, vice-president, corporate brand development, Essel Group (the umbrella entity for all businesses of Subhash Chandra), “The Zee Network has been at the forefront of offering new and varied entertainment to its viewers. Smile TV has the potential to provide novel entertainment to audiences of all age groups as the programming mix of the channel has been developed with a prime objective to bring wholesome fun and entertainment.”

    Smile TV is being made available on a free to air mode, which means that the cable operators cannot charge an additional subscription fee from consumers.

    Since the channel is digital, it would need a decoder box at the cable operators’ end to be accessed. According to company executives, the boxes are being seeded in the market at the moment.

    At a pre-launch press conference here, Zee Telefilms executives said that Smile TV has lined up five new shows of multi-genre entertainment, which include YO YO, Hasya Kavi Sammelan, Ek Minute, Kahaani Mein Twist, and Hasne Bhi Do Yaaro

    Though Smile TV aims to garner viewership through fun programming to cater to all age groups, there may be a segment that can cater to adults during late night.

  • ‘CAS may have been put off now, but addressability is something that is definitely coming’ : Abhijit Saxena – Zee TV business head

    ‘CAS may have been put off now, but addressability is something that is definitely coming’ : Abhijit Saxena – Zee TV business head

    Abhijit Saxena began his career with the State Trading Corporation of India, away from the media and away from the private sector. His first foray into the media came with a stint at the Times of India. He then moved to Zee in 1996. During his eight-and-half-year-long stay at Zee, Saxena has managed portfolios that ranged from marketing research to advertising sales to subscription sales to programming and to managing channels.

    For Saxena, it has been a steady climb up the corporate ladder at Zee. Saxena had been handling international business (Asia Pacific) and syndication of programming, when he was asked to head the business operations of Zee English, Zee MGM, Trendz, Smile TV and MX Channel in 2003. Now the biggest of them all has landed in his lap – the position of Zee TV business head.

     

    This interview by Indiantelevision.com’s Bijoy AK was conducted just before he took charge of Zee TV.

    Excerpts:

    There has been a surge in niche channels in India. What according to you is the potential of the niche channel market? Do the RoIs justify the investments, especially since addressability as in CAS is still a pipedream?
    As we see the Indian market is maturing – both in terms of content as well as viewer choices. The more you offer in terms of variety of content, the more he keeps demanding. Obviously, there is a limit to which a general entertainment channel can really provide in terms of the content. There are a lot of niche channels coming in to cater to the requirements of every niche audience. Ultimately, you will see the market getting divided into people who love watching specific programmes on specific channels.

    As far as the RoI is concerned, yes and at the moment you would find it questionable. But as and when the market matures, it has to change. Though CAS may have been put off for now, addressability is something that is definitely coming. Obviously, with addressability comes people’s choice that actually drives the niche channels. Yes, it may be very difficult for niche channels to survive for now but in the long run, as I see it, most of these niche channels will pick up. Because, apart from advertising and subscription revenues, there would be many other revenue sources emerging for niche channels. Ultimately all these will drive the RoI of niche channels.

    Which of Zee channels is available abroad and how are they positioned?
    The availability of Zee channels abroad depends on the markets. US has Zee TV, Zee Cinema, UK has Zee TV, Zee Cinema, Zee Music, Alpha Punjabi, Africa has Zee TV and the Middle East markets have Zee TV, Zee Cinema, Zee News, Zee Music, Alpha Gujarati. Different markets have different sets of channels depending on the tariffs and the demand for the channel.

    Which is the best oversees market in terms of revenues and what is the revenue model for each market?
    I would say that US and UK are the big markets. The revenue model as of now is primarily subscriptions. We have started getting very significant advertising revenues as well. And as we see it, the ad revenue alone should be able to not only sustain those ventures, but should give us a reasonable bottom line. Then the subscription revenues would purely add to the bottom line.
    Zee Network launched a dedicated beam of Zee TV for Singapore on 1 June. You have been negotiating with the local cable service provider in Singapore to carry more Zee family channels, including Zee Cinema. What is the latest on this?
    Singapore is a very very controlled market. Introducing any new channel becomes very difficult, because, there, StarHub has the monopoly and very limited capacity, and also given the fact that in spite of Indian audiences being quite significant, StarHub are under certain restrictions in terms of providing number of Indian channels. Hence, at the moment it is only Zee TV and we will keep pushing Zee Cinema and as and when it is possible we will put the channel on. Negotiations are still going on.

    How is Zee doing in the UK, US, Middle East and the Far East?
    Let me just say this that as far as international markets in general are concerned, Zee was the first mover in all these markets. It is not only because of the first mover advantage but because of us being fairly proactive that Zee is still the number one and it maintains its position with a good margin as well.

    Speaking of free channels, FTA channel Sahara is popular in Hong Kong and Singapore purely because it is free. What is your take on this?
    Sahara may be an FTA channel, but as I said earlier, Singapore is a highly controlled market and in those markets it is not possible for people to simply put dishes and start accessing channels. There you can provide channels only through StarHub. In fact, there would be very few households who would have put up their own dishes and must be watching these channels. Hence I would really be surprised if Sahara was very popular in Singapore or Hong Kong – both in terms of market reality and in terms of technical feasibility.
    ‘I am quite confident of Smile TV doing phenomenally well’

    How much does your international business contribute to the overall revenue of the network?
    Approximately 25 to 30 per cent.

    How is Smile TV doing?
    As far as Smile is concerned, the intention is to introduce original programming. We will be simultaneously introducing the channel on cable as well, so the moment Smile goes on cable, people can see a lot of original programming. We really see that quite a few people have actually used the Dish TV boxes to access the channel on the cable network and we have got a fantastic response on that, despite the fact that we haven’t done any marketing.

    Here, it is garnering GRPs which, from a general entertainment channel’s point of view, may not be very significant, but it has started featuring on the rating charts. That is the case with library programmes – without any marketing, without any distribution. This way you can yourself imagine what the situation would be once we start our marketing plan, once we go into distribution seriously and of course, when we introduce original programmes as well. So I am quite confident of Smile doing phenomenally well.

    What is the reach of the channel in terms of subscriptions?
    We haven’t started distributing on cable as yet. It is purely on DTH. So, at the moment it could be slightly premature to talk about the reach of Smile TV.

    Indians tend to perceive comedy in different ways depending on the region. How well is Smile equipped to meet this challenge?
    We understand that different regions have different viewpoints on fun and entertainment. We are taking care of that. Though it is a Hindi language channel, what we are working on is lots of concepts that take regional elements and regional flavour into those programming. Also, we intend to target different age groups with different kinds of programming.

    Can the blame for the poor level of comedy thus far also be placed on the doorstep of the channels’ programming departments who have displayed a lethargic attitude towards this genre?
    I really won’t say that there has been a very poor attempt at comedy or whatever but till the time you really give opportunity to individuals to really come up with ideas, produce stuff, how can you make a judgment on whether there is enough capability or not? Now when I launch this and give the opportunity to many producers, which I am doing currently, only then can someone really come up with new ideas and concepts. If I keep telling them that I want a sitcom after a sitcom, obviously it is only sitcom after sitcom which will actually come. And obviously, how many such sitcoms will really work?

    As we have been encouraging both established as well as new producers to come up with new concepts, we have found that there has been no dearth of ideas, talent or capable people to execute those ideas. I am quite confident that this as a genre can really come up.

    The saas-bahu element was responsible for one of the most successful comedies on Indian television Tu Tu Main Main. Do we need to look beyond that and innovate more?
    As I said earlier, we will be experimenting with and exploring many new concepts for the comedy genre. I am quite sure there would be certain concepts which would do phenomenally well, and there might be certain concepts which are obviously not as great as what we had expected them to be.

    Do you think that a localised version of any of the Western comedies like HBO’s Sex And the City could be done for India or are we far too conservative for tongue ‘n’ cheek humour?
    One could look at adaptations as well. Today we have adapted quite a few game shows from the international markets. Only one or two game show adaptations have worked. So, definitely I won’t be saying that all adaptations would work. But yes, one can keep one’s ears and eyes open to see how well they work in the Indian markets. The Indian market is completely different from the international one.

    In terms of revenue, how was last year for Zee MGM and Zee English and have any targets been set for this year for the two channels?
    In terms of revenue, I am not saying that I am fantastically excited about what they earned but what Zee English and Zee MGM really achieved last year was that they really came out as strong contenders in the movie and English general entertainment channels.

    The good work we did last year with these channels has posed fantastic revenue opportunities in this year. So it might possibly be wrong to really benchmark it to last year. This year, we have pumped in lot of money to acquire many more films and much more programming as you must have also seen in the last few months.

    A lot of programming has been changed and old programmes which have been repeated have been removed while introducing at the same time new programmes. The target this year is far higher as compared to last year.

    Is the look, logo, channel ID of Zee English and Zee MGM going to change in any manner?
    It is a continuous development process. I really would not say that it is not going to change. It depends on the market feedback. We will take a call on that some time in the next couple of months.

    Could you dwell on how Zee MGM is being revamped?
    We are continuously introducing new movies and that is what we intend to do. There are quite a few big title movies which are saleable even in the market.

    So we have a three-pronged strategy: 1) We will obviously keep showcasing new blockbusters on the channel. 2) We will showcase big movies of the past as well, movies which have very high repeat value. 3) We will be doing lot of festivals around specific topics.

    As far as the image is concerned, like I mentioned earlier, we will decide on it in the next couple of months.
    Have any marketing campaigns been planned for these two channels? Why are you so low key on this front?
    They are done property-specific. So as and when there are big properties, we define the marketing and promotion plan accordingly.
    How are the ratings and share of Zee English and Zee MGM compared to the competition?
    At the moment, both the channels obviously reach out to a huge mass of people. But what we are very confident is that the share of viewership which we have and the loyalty which we have with a certain set of viewers will be maintained very strongly. There are people who are die-hard loyalists of specific properties of Zee English. There are die-hard loyalists of movies on Zee MGM. Apart from the big commercial movies, the best of the movies actually come on Zee MGM. So you will find a very loyal viewership. We will be expanding the viewer base in any case.

    Zee MGM has decided to switch from old films to new films. Earlier the channel appealed to people who liked older films like Westerns. What makes you go for this new line up? Does it mean that Zee MGM hasn’t been doing well because it aired old films?
    It is the strength which we built over time as far as these channels are concerned and we are not giving up that strength. We maintain that strength in any case. But apart from that, the viewer base which is not coming onto the channel, that segment is what we will target with other programming and movies. It is all about retention and growth.

    It was reported that Zee English has plans to change its programming schedule to include a fair bit of visual and variety shows. Could you please elaborate on this? Which are the new shows planned for Zee English?
    Since we are targeting a larger audience base while retaining the loyal viewership that we have, so programmes like Friends, Will and Grace comedies that people really like to watch will be retained in a certain time band, may be for the 7-9 time band.

    Then we intend targeting the larger audience who like watching international programming, but maybe is unable to understand the dialogues if it is a very dialogue-driven programming. Hence we intend to introduce a lot of visual-based programmes. There will be game shows, reality shows, action, adventure and many more. We will be disclosing the names once contracts are signed.

    Could you give me an overview of the MX channel? What kind of movies? Who is watching? Are you repeating what is shown on MGM? What are the future plans for pushing the channel?
    The MX channel is actually a channel for all international action films. There is this set of audiences who are interested in action. Hence we have launched the MX channel and that is its basic profile. There would be some films which are repeated from MGM, but the channel’s profile is completely action. MX is on Dish TV and is catering to the niche requirement which is action – old and new.

    How do you plan to overcome the huge disparity in viewership numbers between Hindi and English programming?
    There is a language barrier, a profile barrier and a perception barrier. Taking all that into consideration, one would really expect and it is not absolutely unnatural that the Hindi channels get far bigger viewership as compared to English channels.

    But if I look at English audience in isolation, there is a huge population in itself. I mean to say that the smaller size of English audience doesn’t mean that I cannot have programming specifically for that language.
    In the past few months has there been a shift in the programming approach of Trendz?
    Trendz is about trends in life. We have expanded the gamut on the channel where we now not only focus on fashion but on trends in other lifestyle products as well. There is so much of style in India and, therefore, we are introducing a lot of Indian programmes. We will have a good mix of international fashion content, good mix of Indian fashion content and we will not only concentrate on ramp shows but we will do a lot of style-based shows.

    How did the market respond to this shift in programming?
    The excitement Diabolical created in the market has lured the advertisers to the channel now. Earlier we used to go to the advertisers for ad sales. Now, after seeing shows like Diabolical, the advertisers are taking the initiative to get associated with us. In fact, Trendz is the first Indian fashion and lifestyle channel which has got Indian advertising on the channel.

    By the end of the year how many localised shows will Trends have? Which are the shows coming up?
    The channel will be launching four to five shows, based on the local content, by the end of this year. The first one from this lineup will be launched within a couple of months.
    Which are the production houses that you are talking with for producing original content?
    There are quite a few. It is not necessary that I will always go to production houses. We are talking to independent producers as well.

    Could you talk about the new international shows that Trendz has recently launched?
    We keep doing a lot of ramp shows internationally; in fact, ramp shows are our primary focus.

    What are the major events here and abroad that Trendz is looking at being involved with this year?
    We will be doing a lot of other events as well. We are working on certain concepts. We will be associated with lot of events as we did with Lakme India Fashion Week (LIFW) this year. We did a very special feature on LIFW. We gave a completely different perspective of LIFW. Hence, whenever we do an event or cover an event, we give a different perspective of the whole thing.
  • Smile launches first commissioned show ‘Laugh Line’

    Smile launches first commissioned show ‘Laugh Line’

    MUMBAI: Smile TV Zee’s DTH offering just went on to cable and satellite through Siticable. It has launched the first of its original shows Laugh Line. In the next four months the channel will have at least eight original shows in its line up.

    The channel has tied up with several producers and production houses. However as of now it has not developed an in house team of comedy writers. The above mentioned half hour show will partly be in the form of a question and answer joke session where the anchor who is a theatre artiste takes questions from the audience through SMS, email.

    At the beginning some questions could be dummies to create audience awareness. Then you could have spoofs and skits being enacted.

    Talking to indiantelevision.com Smile TV business head Abhijit Saxena said, “The channel is also planning to have comedy movies, comedy serials and other different genres within comedy. The aim is to go beyond the sitcom, which is what Indians relate to the most. The investment we make into the channel is not going to be mind boggling. We started off by using library content. Gradually commissioned shows will be introduced. We will execute simple but good ideas as and when they come to us.”

    Another show for next month will be called Smile News. This weekly will present headlines in a satirical format. One of the shows that is being produced in-house is Hasya Kavi Sammelan. The one-hour special will be presided over by Hindi and Urdu humourists. There will be a contest between poets and literary figures from across the country.

    There will also be fillers. One of them will involve a Smile Kid. The naughty and mischievous eight year old’s views on life and circumstances are hilarious and larger than life. The channel is also planning to a unique spin to the horoscope concept with Smile Horoscope. This will also be in the Hasya Kavi format. The other commissioned shows in the pipeline include Parliament News, Sheikh Chilly and bloopers of different shows.

    Right now Smile is not looking to produce content in regional languages. However as Essel Group’s corporate brand development group head Ashish Kaul put it, “Today Indians are used to slapstick comedy. Smile TV is based on the Comedy Central model. Gradually through us, Indians will get a taste of what refined comedy can be. We are also getting inquiries for the channel from other cable operators and soon the channels reach will spread.

    Talking about the reason for launching Smile TV Kaul said, “Smile launched last October. There are different tiers and there are different levels of channels present. A large of the DTH bouquet depends on the exclusive channels being offered. That is because the service is niche.

    “Since our distribution infrastructure was in place we launched. For a DTH operator like Dish TV if a product is not available for the distributor which the consumer wants he will get turned away and then it is difficult to get him back. A channel that throughout the day offers carefree humour was missing. In Metros and non metros since people live hectic lives and they look forward to laughing.”

    On the ad front Saxena said that Smile TV was not looking for advertisers immediately. “The intention is that when we have a decent amount of excellent programming on the channel and our distribution reach spreads that is the time we will approach the advertisers.

    “Today if I approach an advertiser he will buy me at a discount. Six months down the line if the show is doing really well I will not be able to renegotiate the contract.”

    As far as FX is concerned, Saxena is not looking to take FX onto cable as the English movie scene was already crowded. In fact there are no plans as of now to take any of the other DTH offerings onto cable. He however said that there was some interest in FX already.

  • Zee DTH channel Smile TV now on cable

    Zee DTH channel Smile TV now on cable

    MUMBAI: Smile TV, the niche comedy channel that made its appearance on Zee’s DTH platform Dish TV late last year, is now being made available through cable too.

    While Smile is being pushed as ‘India’s first 24 hour comedy television channel’, the other niche channels like Zee Classic (old Hindi films), FX Movies (English action movies), Premier Movies and Action are not being offered on cable. Yet.

    Zee has launched an outdoor campaign for Smile, to create a consumer pull for the product. According to Essel Group corporate brand development group head Ashish Kaul, Smile is being offered to viewers as part of the Zee bouquet in all areas where Zee Group MSO Siticable is present.

    Smile TV business head Abhijit Saxena says that while sitcoms and Hindi comedy films form the bulk of the programming now, sitcoms will form only a small part of the programming that the channel intends to offer over a period of time. Talks are on with production houses in the country for fresh comedy programming, that could also include other sub-genres of comedy like stand up and spoofs. The complete programming mix for the digital FTA channel should mature in six months’ time, estimates Saxena

    Claiming that Smile is the only 24-hour comedy channel in the country (Sab with its mix of current affairs and comedy shows does not qualify as one, he says), Saxena says the channel is currently dipping into the Zee library for its programming.

    Saxena oversees Smile as well as FX, the action movies channel in the Dish TV basket, while the other three niche movie channels, Premier, Action and Classic are being nurtured by Yogesh Radhakrishnan, who also looks after Zee Cinema and Zee Music.

    While Smile has been added to the Zee bouquet over cable, the network also has plans to beef up the Dish TV bouquet with about 50 channels shortly, and intends to launch a marketing blitz to beef up the overall communication and marketing strategy.