MUMBAI: The upcoming gala episode of Indian Idol Junior will see Eid celebration on the sets with Imran Khan and Sonakshi Sinha as the special guests. The superstars will make an appearance on the show to promote their upcoming film ‘Once upon a time in Mumbai Dobara’.
Imran Khan and Sonakshi Sinha will be seen in the upcoming ‘Qawali’ theme gala episode. All the contestants will be dressed in signature ‘Qawali’ attire. They will sing some of the best ‘Qawali’ songs and impress one and all. Sonakshi Sinha will be seen in a festive mood and getting ‘Sewai’ for everyone. She will start by feeding it to host Karan Wahi. Then she will go ahead and distribute it amongst the contestants and Mandira. Imran and Sonakshi will also dance on the song from their film and performing Qawali with the contestants.
Catch the Eid celebration with Imran Khan and Sonakshi Sinha on Indian Idol Junior this Saturday August 10 at 8:30pm only on Sony Entertainment Television.
Tag: Sony Entertainment Television
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Eid celebration on Indian Idol Junior
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“The challenge in India is to create indigenous formats and retain IP that will allow us to take our shows outside”
A vibrant and curious professional is what describes FremantleMedia India head of content Anupama Mandloi. Based out of Mumbai, Anupama joined the production house in 2010, which was then led by managing director S.K. Barua, who departed a little later. But since his departure she has been involved in furthering the India strategy, along with commercial and operations head Vidyuth Bhandary, of the subsidiary of German media firm RTL.
The affable and soft spoken but firm Anupama is best known for her nine-year stint with Sony Entertainment Television where she finally rose to head programming. She followed that up with a stint as the non-fiction head at Star India‘s Star Plus for two years.
Anupama loves taking the challenge of successfully setting up large entertainment properties and rolling out innovative concepts to television. She is currently creatively helming Indian Idol Junior which is being aired on Sony Entertainment Television. Indiantelevision.com‘s Seema Singh spoke to Anupama to get her insights and perspectives on the road ahead for FremantleMedia.
Excerpts:
Since you joined FremantleMedia, what are the changes that have been brought in the content? Elaborate on your experience with Fremantle?
My experience with FremantleMedia has been an eye opener. The work is truly enriching. The culture is extremely professional and the people are like-minded. We enjoy content. We take pride in what we do.
In every show, be it another season of an established format or creating indigenous content, the intent is always to push the envelope. We have introduced scripted reality shows in its true form and will be doing a lot more of that going forward.
What is the vision for FremantleMedia in India?
To be the best and to work with the best. We are also looking at creating more innovative and inspiring content. To create indigenous shows that travel worldwide.
Is non-fiction the only genre you want to cater to or are you looking at expanding into fiction and other genres as well? You seem to have a very good relationship with Sony? Have you been able to extend it to other broadcasters too? And other languages too?
We are in the business of content creation and this is not specific to any particular genre. We have not yet moved into daily soap production but we have been creating fiction and scripted reality like Savdhan India on Life Ok, Zindagi Ki Haqeeqat Se Aamna Saamna (four seasons) and have a couple more bi-weekly shows in the pipeline.
We enjoy good relations with all broadcasters. And yes, now that we have consolidated our space in content creation, we will be moving into drama as well but more on this front later.
Where would you rank FremantleMedia as a production house in India? And where do you see it going in terms of being amongst the top players in India? Do you have any competitors?
I would rank it amongst the top players. The day we establish our credentials in the daily fiction space we will be unbeatable with our teams, our international presence and content that we can carry across continents.
We are looking at it (the south) and while we do have licensed deals with some regional channels like Jaya TV and BIG, we have yet to get into production for regional channels
How did FremantleMedia fare in 2012? Did recession affect the production house in any way?
FremantleMedia started its India operation in 2010 with Indian Idol 5 and since then has produced a multitude of shows in various genres. The organisation has grown slowly and steadily and moving forward we have plans to build several verticals while strengthening the core. 2012 was a very good year for us.
What is FremantleMedia‘s core competence in India? How large is the team? How is it structured? How many shows is Fremantle working on currently? How many hours of production have you achieved across all your shows to date?
Our core competence is production and content creation. The internal team is lean but we work with freelancers on a project basis. We are particular about the people we work with and we focus on building talent.
Our belief is that shows are as good as the people who make them. So we focus more on building teams. To date we have created approximately 400 hours of content.
After six seasons of Indian Idol, what led to Sony choosing Indian Idol Junior? We know it failed in the US but has done well in Latin America? Why then go for it in India?
Why not? It was the next logical step in the format in India. The talent we have discovered this season is a case in point.
What are the limiting factors of doing production and the formats business in India? And what are the good points of doing production and the formats business in India? How important is FremantleMedia India in the Asian scheme of things and in the global scheme of things?
India is important in all schemes of things, globally or otherwise. Internationally, FremantleMedia, is not seen just as a production house. We are one of the biggest distributors of content worldwide. The formats that we own are adapted, produced and licensed worldwide. Our ability to get content to travel across the world is phenomenal.
We collaborate with boutique content companies, license content and develop as well as adapt and produce across territories.
In India, lack of IP while developing and producing indigenous content is a hurdle. It would be great to see shows developed locally being adapted in other countries as well. We would be able to do that with shows that have the potential to travel.
The day we establish our credentials in the daily fiction space we will be unbeatable with our teams, our international presence and content that we can carry across continents
Any new show that can be expected this year? Any new format deals on the anvil?
Yes. There are several new shows on the anvil as well as collaborations.
How are you using digital space to promote FremantleMedia production shows? Any apps that have been added to attract audiences? What is the response to these apps? How many downloads?
Our formats have merchandising as well as digital extensions. On Indian Idol Junior itself we have launched an app this season that has had approximately 70,000 downloads.
Sony is extremely receptive and keen to push the digital experience and we work collaboratively on that front. Internationally, the second screen phenomenon is huge and all our digital extensions are geared to fulfill the parallel TV viewing experience across our formats.
Are you also looking at extending your reach to the South?
We are looking at it and while we do have licensed deals with some regional channels like Jaya TV and BIG, we have yet to get into production for regional channels.
Are you open to licensing a format in your catalogue and having another production house produce the show for a channel? Has that worked? Why and why not?
No. That will not happen while we have our production set up in the country. It makes no sense.
Is the format licensing biz becoming interesting in India? Why and why not?
Yes it is. The reason it is interesting is that there is increasing recognition of the fact that production houses own shows that have already created an audience in other territories and are now available to a new market, that is, India.The challenge is to be able to create indigenous formats and retain IP that will allow us to take our shows outside.
What are the shows that FremantleMedia has produced so far?
* India‘s Got Talent – two seasons
* Indian Idol -three seasons
* X Factor – one season
* Zindagi Ki Haqeeqat Se Aamna Saamna – three seasons
* Aamna Saamna Investigative
* Savdhan India – two seasons / 44 episodes (part of a producer mix)
* Mission Cover shot – National Geographic
* Food Food Maha Challenge Assignment
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Zee, Life OK biggest gainers in week 25 TAM ratings
MUMBAI: In week 25 TAM ratings, Zee TV was the highest gainer, as it added 16 GRPs, taking its score to 209. Life OK, this week is the second highest gainer as it notched up nine GRPs taking its score to 136 GRPs, according to the weekly ratings provided by a TV channel. Colors, the highest gainer for last week, saw a rise of seven GRPs, taking its total to 188 GRPs to secure its position at No 3, for the week.
Sony Entertainment Television followed at the fourth position with a tally of 149 GRPs. Sab lopped off two GRPs this week taking its tally to 138 GRPs. Star Plus shed 11 GRPs but has still managed to hold on to its No 1 spot with 243 GRPs.
Numero uno Star Plus‘ chart topper Diya Aur Baati Hum witnessed a fall when it rated 3.7 TVR (4.4 TVR last week). Unlike last week, other fiction series appear to be losing the connect with audiences. Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai decreased to 3.0 TVR (3.5 TVR last week), Pyaar ka Dard to 2.8 TVR (3.2 TVR last week) followed by Saraswati Chandra that remained stable at 1.8 TVR. New series Meri Bhabhi rated 1.9 TVR.
The good news is, Veera, aired on Star Plus, has witnessed a growth generating 3.0 this week (2.5 TVR last week). With several new reality shows on air, the channel‘s talent hunt-cum-reality show India‘s Dancing Superstar snipped off some viewers when it rated 1.8 TVR on Saturday and Sunday.
Zee TV‘s new reality show DID Super Moms leapt to 3.5 TVR (2.8 TVR) on Saturday and saw a fall on Sunday when it rated 2.7 TVR (3.2 TVR last week). Its fictional offering Qubool Hai notched up generating 3.4 TVR (2.8 TVR last week), Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke aired its maha-episode that rated 3.3 TVR on 17 June (Monday), Pavitra Rishta witnessed a marginal improvement as it registered 2.5 TVR (2.1 TVR last week) . The new reality peep show Connected Hum Tum witnessed stability with a 0.7 TVR. The 90s blockbuster movie Hum Aapke Hai Kaun generated a 1.1 TVR. New historical show Jodha Akbar generated 2.0 TVR.
Colors slipped to No. 3 as its popular celebrity dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa generated a 2.1 TVR on Saturday (2.0 TVR) and 1.8 TVR on Sunday (1.9 TVR). Fiction shows on Colors seem to be dragging. Thus, Balika Vadhu witnessed a slight drop when it rated 2.5 TVR (2.6 TVR), Madhubala- Ek Ishq Ek Junoon, last week‘s channel leader, also shed ratings and closed at 2.4 TVR (2.5 TVR) and Uttaran rated 2.2 TVR (2.3 TVR). New comedy show Comedy Nights with Kapil generated 3.4 TVR on Saturday.
Fourth placed, Sony Entertainment Television‘s long running crime series CID witnessed a slight fall as it rated 2.1 TVR (2.3). Crime Petrol saw a 0.1 improvement generating 1.8 TVR (1.7 last week). On the other hand, Comedy Circus ke Ajoobe rated 1.3 TVR (1.1 TVR). Its new historical show Maharana Pratap saw an improvement of 0.1 TVR, generating 1.4 TVR (1.3 TVR). Other fiction shows either held on to their viewership or dipped marginally during the week. Sony‘s all new Indian Idol Junior (IIJ) remained stable with ratings of 1.8 TVR on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
Sab shed two GRPs from the past week, but still managed to hold fifth position. Its fiction show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah continues to be the channel leader with 3.5 TVR (3.1 TVR). Lapataganj (in-laws) fell to 1.0 TVR (1.3 TVR). Other fictional shows witnessed a marginal rise and fall as well.
Life OK‘s top series Mahadev saw a growth to 1.9 TVR (1.6 TVR). The new fiction show Do Dil Ek Jaan managed to get 0.6 TVR (0.5 TVR). Hum Ne Li Hai… Shapath increased its score to 1.4 TVR (0.9 TVR). Savdhan India remained stable at 1.2 TVR.Sahara has finally showed some improvement, being rated 20 GRPs (19 GRPs last week), but it still continues to be at the bottom.
In the movie channels genre: Zee Cinema saw a drop, reporting 100 GRPs (108 last week); Star Gold rose three points, reporting 109 GRPs (106 last week) and Movies OK was at 55 GRPs (51 last week). On the other hand, Max reported 122 GRPs (116 last week).
All in all, week 25 saw channels win some and lose some, as always. -
Star Plus, Zee TV gain in week 24 of TAM
MUMBAI: Star Plus and Zee TV notched the highest gains in week 24 with an additional 12 GRPs and 13 GRPs to take their individual scores to 254 and 193 GRPs respectively, according to the weekly ratings provided by a TV channel. On the other hand, last week‘s highest gainer Colors shed 17 GRPs taking its total to 181 GRPs at No 3 position.
Sony Entertainment Television followed at the No 4 position with a tally of 151 GRPs. Sab lopped off two GRPs this week taking its tally to 140 GRPs. Life OK which was the next highest gainer last week saw a huge fall, losing 22 GRPs to end the week with 127 GRPs.
Numero uno Star Plus‘ chart topper Diya Aur Baati Humincreased marginally generating 4.4 TVR (4.1 TVR last week). Unlike last week, Star‘s fictional series appears to have enraptured viewers this week. Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai increased to 3.5 TVR (3.1 TVR last week), Pyaar ka Dard to 3.2 TVR (3.0 TVR last week) followed by Veera at 2.5 TVR (2.1 TVR last week). With several new reality shows on air, the channel‘s talent hunt-cum-reality show India‘s Dancing Superstar snipped off some viewers when it rated 1.5 TVR on Saturday and 1.4 TVR on Sunday. On 14 June, Star aired Masterchef grand finale generating 3.7 TVR. It thus, proved to be a fulfilling week for Star Plus.
The new No. 2 Zee TV‘s new reality show DID Super Moms lost 0.2 points on Saturday and 0.4 points on Sunday generating 2.8 TVR (3.0 TVR) and 3.2 TVR (3.6 TVR) respectively. Its fictional offeringQubool Hai lost 0.1 points taking its tally to 2.8 TVR (2.9 TVR),Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke saw a slight growth to 2.5 TVR (2.3 TVR) whereas, Punar Vivaah fell to 1.1 (1.4 TVR).The new reality peepshow Connected Hum Tum witnessed a drop to 0.7 TVR (1.1 TVR). What was surprising was the rating that the Hindi feature film ABCD – Any Body Can Dance got -2.7 TVR in the afternoon and 1.5 TVR in the evening on 16 June.
Colors slipped to No. 3 as its popular celebrity dance reality showJhalak Dikhhla Jaa declined this week as it generated a 2.0 TVR on Saturday(2.4 TVR) and 1.9 TVR on Sunday (2.3 TVR). Fiction shows on Colors seem to be dragging. Thus, Balika Vadhuwitnessed a slight drop when it rated 2.6 TVR (2.8 TVR),Madhubala- Ek Ishq Ek Junoon, last week‘s channel leader, also shed ratings and closed at 2.5 TVR (2.9 TVR). Still, another dailyUttaran, remained relatively stable when it rated 2.3 TVR (2.2 TVR).
Fourth placed, Sony Entertainment Television‘s long running crime series CID and Crime Patrol managed to stay stable, registering 2.3 TVR and 1.7 TVR respectively. On the other hand, Comedy Circusdropped to 1.1 TVR (1.3 TVR). Its new historical show Maharana Pratap remained stable generating 1.3 TVR. Other fiction shows either held on to their viewership or dipped marginally during the week. Sony‘s all new Indian Idol Junior (IIJ) remained stable with ratings of 1.9 TVR on Saturday and 1.8 TVR (1.9 TVR) on Sunday.
Fifth placed, Sab saw a slight growth from last week. Its fiction show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah continues to be the channel leader with 3.1 TVR (3.0 TVR). Lapataganj (in-laws) rose to 1.3 TVR (0.5 TVR). Other fictional shows witnessed a marginal rise.
Life OK‘s top series Mahadev saw a drop to 1.6 TVR (2.0 TVR). The new fiction show Do Dil Ek Jaan managed to get 0.5 TVR (0.6 TVR).Hum Ne Li Hai… Shapath dropped down marginally to 0.9 TVR (1.5 TVR).
Finally, Sahara showed some improvement when it rated 19 GRPs (16 GRPs last week), but it still continues to be at the bottom.
In the movie channels genre: Zee Cinema managed to remain stable rating 108 GRPs; Star Gold rose seven points, reporting 106 GRPs (99 last week) and Movies OK was at 51 GRPs (53 last week). On the other hand, Max reported 116 GRPs (110 last week).All in all, week 24 saw channels win some and lose some, as always.
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Tinkle contest winners meet CID Heroes
MUMBAI :Sony Entertainment Television (SET) organized a fun-filled afternoon for TINKLE Contest winners with their favourite CID Heroes. Trisha Roy from Bengaluru, Kaustubh B from Ahmedabad, Arundhati Joshi and Raghav Binwal from Mumbai, along with kids from various Mumbai schools were excited to interact in person with their
on- screen heroes and click photographs with them. The CID team actively shared safety tips with kids and felicitated the Tinkle contest winners with certificates and gift hampers.
“We are very excited about this opportunity for our young readers. CID has captured the imagination of our young readers and we got a great response to the ‘meet the CID cast’ contest that we ran in Tinkle. The 4 winners have come from different regions of the country – proving both – the popularity of Tinkle and of CID” said Mr. Manas Mohan, COO, ACK Media.
Mr. Gaurav Seth, Senior VP Marketing and Communications SET stated, “CID is a very popular show amongst kids, hence it was the right opportunity to partner with Tinkle and get them to meet their favourite CID heroes.”
“As an avid reader of Tinkle, I am so happy that I got an opportunity to meet Daya uncle, he is my favourite amongst the CID team”, said Trisha from Bengaluru.
Tinkle magazine associated with Sony Entertainment Television to organize an engaging contest where kids had to answer two multiple-choice questions about the Tinkle characters “Defective Detectives”. The contestants then had to give their opinion on the CID characters through a subjective question. The contest participation page was published in Tinkle Magazine and Tinkle Digest of April 2013 and www.tinkleonline.com. The winners were selected on the basis of the best answers for the subjective CID question and the correct answers for the two objective questions about Defective Detectives.
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Clash of the Titans
Sony, on the other hand, is all geared up to strike a chord with family viewers through Indian Idol Junior (IIJ), which will be running for 14 weeks. Title sponsor being Nissan Micra and powered by Horlicks, this new kids singing reality show has Real Fruit, 99acres.com, Kellog’s Oats and Alpenliebe as other associate sponsors. According to the channel, over 6,000 promos spots have been played for IIJ.
“IIJ has one thing going for it,” says a media observer. “It is commencing at 8:30 pm, half an hour before the rest. This could well work in its favour in terms of it getting viewers tuning into it Whether it will manage to make them sticky will depend on the show’s content.”
Indian Idol Junior judges Shekhar, Shreya & Vishal will be innovating while dealing with kids on the show
That is a legacy story, says Sony Entertainment Television (SET) marketing head Gaurav Seth. But what sets IIJ apart from the rest is its brand positioning, he adds. He further elaborates: “It is a brand extension of the very popular Indian Idol format on SET. We believe children have a lot of potential and talent on offer and hence, we wanted to explore this segment and showcase it to pan Indian audiences. We conducted a massive nationwide hunt to search for these kids through our eminent judges and we believe our viewers are going to be stunned with the talent on display through the rounds. Kids have a lot to offer in terms of their innocent, spontaneous and completely endearing actions which makes for compelling television viewing.”
Sony’s Seth has marketing for Indian Idol Junior covered from all angles
Launching an extensive campaign revolving around kids, Sony is comprehensively promoting the newest branch of its much loved franchise. Seth explains: “We have executed a huge national communication roll-out to inform TV viewers across India about the show and what to expect. This has been across all major media platforms and has succeeded in building immense recall for the show prior to launch. As it progresses, we believe that the talent on display will continue to attract loyal viewers interested in following the fortunes of their favourite contestants.”
Sony plans to sustain viewer interest through city concerts, activation and celebrity episodes designed to keep highlighting the high-points in the show throughout the current season. Says Seth: “It has been one of the most popular talent shows on television and we hope to keep the success of its past editions alive with this new and fresher avatar. Indian Idol is a profit maker and the latest offering has received a favorable response from our advertising partners.”
Zee TV is counting on its all new concept of DID Super Moms derived from one of its most successful properties – Dance India Dance (DID) to do the trick for it. For the first time, mothers, who always have been seen supporting their children in DID, take center-stage in this unique dance reality show focused on moms.
DID Super Moms team are looking at replicating DID’s success
Zeel marketing head Akash Chawla asserts: “With DID Super Moms we wanted to capture the emotions of the audiences where a mother is a very important part of our lives and she always played a crucial role in our success. Our communication revolved around the fact that now it’s time for mothers to be in the spot light and we should cheer them and support them helps them to fulfill her dreams.”
Coming back to JDJ, one of the innovative strategies launched by Colors exclusively for the show is a promotional tie-up with YRF’s upcoming Ranbir Kapoor- Deppika Padukone starrer Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani. “We will be running JDJ promos during YJHD. We have targeted 900+ screens in over 40 cities. While in terms of amplifying the campaign with the help of cable TV, we have planned a 10 Day activity in 130 cities and have bought over 1,000 spots,” adds Rajesh Iyer.
Movie promotions are what IIJ will be banking on too to rope in celebrities and also heighten viewer engagement. Seth reveals: “There will be movie integrations at a later stage once gala rounds begin. We will also form strategic tie-ups with news channels to promote content and/or activation and concerts.”
Season six of JDJ is being lauded for its aesthetically beautiful promos directed by Colors’ in-house team led by Monica Nair. JDJ is being heavily promoted on the channel with promos not only seen during the ad breaks but within shows as well. “In order to increase the recall value of the viewers, we’re trying this different mode of in-show promotion wherein we show a JDJ promo even before the advertisement break – between the show and the coming – up of the next segment,” asserts Iyer.
CreativesColors- Marching Ants
Sony- Leo Burnett
Zee TV- Draft FCB Ulka
Sony’s IIJ also has commendable creatives designed by Leo Burnett, with a strong positioning- Gaanon ka wohi jaadu ab bachchon ki awaaz mein. The promos, directed by the creative team at SET along with Fremantle Media, depicting young kids singing old classics have become quite popular. It has been an immensely clutter breaking campaign on all media especially TV with the spots getting high salience and recall,” says Seth.
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Indian HD TV channels: attracting brands, and media agencies
MUMBAI: There was a time not so long ago when Sony Entertainment Television‘s Six HD channel was getting almost no TV commercials. It was the place where you got to watch sports almost uninterrupted.
No more.
With the Sony Entertainment Network and other TV networks focusing on increasing their respective HD TV channels‘ reach, and MSOs and cable TV operators and DTH operators beginning to offer and attracting subscribers for the clearer HD TV channel services, it is no surprise to see TVCs on the trot on HD channels.
Says Sony Six and Max executive vice president and business head Neeraj Vyas: “Advertising has started in HD and it will eventually catch on, after all everyone is looking to do business. You can’t be running a channel which is free of advertising. Once subscriptions settle down post digitisation, we will witness an even greater rise in the number of ad spots on HD TV channels as well.”
Among the brands which have started advertising on Sony Six HD during the ongoing Pepsi IPL6 include: Pepsi, Parle Krackjack, Raymond, Matrix, Renault Duster, LG, Samsung Galaxy Note 4, Vicco, Frooti, Godrej Good Knight and Coke.
Media industry sources reveal that advertising on HD entails a fraction of the cost that is usually spent for TV spots on regular standard definition channels. Says a media agency CEO: “If a media buyer wants to buy ad spots for all the 76 matches on Max for IPL6, the rates will be approximately Rs 4,25,000 for 10 seconds and for Sony Six HD the rates will be Rs 50,000 for 10 seconds.”
Vyas agrees that TV commercials rates today are far lower on HD transmission than standard definition television ad rates, but that is because of low HD TV penetration rates in India. “My estimate is that there are about 1.2 to 1.4 million HD TV subscribers in India,” he says. “But it is, however, a step in the right direction because everything globally is moving towards HD.”
“The fact of the matter is that advertisers and agencies should look at using HD channels more to air their TV commercials,” says a media observer. “For certain brands and categories, they are ideal vehicles to reach out to selected targeted audiences.
HD subscribers are normally well-heeled, have travelled, have large disposable incomes, are looking for better things out of life, and are willing to pay for them. Hence, automobiles, expensive phones, travel services, airlines, computers and tablets, high end fashion brands would do well to use HD channels to advertise.”
Estimates are that HD TV channel advertising accounts for barely a quarter per cent of ad spends on TV in India. But the increasing uptake of HD TVs and channels by consumers indicates that it is a medium that is going to engage media agencies and advertisers.
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Web18 appoints CEOs for Moneycontrol and ibnlive
MUMABI: Web18, the digital content arm of Network18, has decentralised its operating structure built around key strategic business units by assigning new responsibilities to Joyson Thomas and Rajan Srinivasan.
Thomas, who was earlier the COO at Web18, has now been entrusted the charge of leading Moneycontrol.com as CEO, while Srinivasan, who was serving as the sales and marketing head at Web18, will now take over the CEO of ibnlive.com.
Web18 CEO Lakshmi Narasimhan said “At Web18, we have built some world-class digital brands which enjoy deep engagement across communities and stakeholders. We are now well-positioned to scale-up our leadership and this move is essential to achieving that objective. Moneycontrol has been central to our growth story and Joyson has been a force behind it since the beginning. His expertise will be critical in taking it to yet another benchmark in the financial space. Rajan has ably led our monetization and brand building effort and we‘re confident that he will now steer the ibnlive and digital news operations based in Delhi onto new successes”
On his new role Thomas said “It‘s been a momentous journey so far and my experience with Moneycontrol has been intense and enriching over the years. I hope to bring it to bear as we thrust ahead and further strengthen its leadership. I look forward to working with the team to ensure we add new dimensions to Moneycontrol‘s growth path”
“ibnlive has led from the front as general news has rapidly evolved in the context of social media and mobile growth. The brand is at a very exciting juncture in its journey and I look forward to working with the team to ensure we succeed on all fronts,” Srinivas added.
Thomas has over two decades of experience in the financial media and advisory space. He was one of the founding members of the Moneycontrol team and has managed a variety of product and technology mandates at Web18 since 1999.
Meanwhile, Srinivasan has eighteen years of experience in the media industry, including nine in the digital space. Prior to joining Network18 in 2003, he had stints with the Indian Express, Sony Entertainment Television and BBC World.
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SET launches in New York City through RCN deal
MUMBAI: RCN, the all-digital cable, internet and phone provider in New York City, has added Sony Entertainment Television (Set) Asia as part of its 100 per cent per cent-digital TV platform beginning 2 April. The channel will be part of the brand-new RCN ‘Sona‘ tier, including other premium South Asian networks.
“We‘re very excited to announce the launch of Sony Entertainment Television in New York City. It falls perfectly in line with our goal to continually add more networks that provide maximum entertainment and value for our customers,” RCN New York General Manager Bruce Abbott.
SET SVP International Business-Head of North America Jaideep Janakiram said, “At Sony Entertainment Television, we continue to lead in ways to make our programming available to the widest possible audience. We are proud to announce the launch of Set Asia on RCN and are committed to bring our viewers the best family entertainment and Bollywood blockbusters.”
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IPL hits Hindi GECs hard, knocks off 110 GRPs
MUMBAI: The Indian Premier League (IPL) has come back to haunt the Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs) again as the cricketing extravaganza has shaved off 110 GRPs from the Hindi GECs in the week ended 6 April.
The genre has seen a greater loss this year as compared to last year when it lost 51 GRPs in the opening week of the tournament.
According to ZenithOptimedia managing partner Navin Khemka the IPL matches this year are more interesting and hence are attracting more viewers. “IPL this season has gained at the cost of Hindi GECs. This year has seen considerable increase in the viewership as the quality of the matches have improved.”
When asked if Hindi GECs were not prepared for IPL, Khemka averred, “If the matches are more interesting and are doing well, I don‘t think Hindi GECs can do much to retain their audiences.”
The week saw a shuffle in the ranking of top four Hindi general entertainment channels as Sony Entertainment Television (Set) went past Colors adding an extra eight GRPs to occupy the third spot on the Hindi GEC hierarchy.
As per TAM data (HSM including 5 new LC1 markets, C&S, 4+) sourced from a channel, Star Plus continued to maintain its leadership position. The broadcast of Salman Khan-starrer Dabangg 2 on 31 March notched up 4.9 TVR. The channel lost seven GRPs to clock 284 GRPs.
Star Plus had also launched a new dance reality show titled ‘Nach Baliye Shriman vs Shrimati‘, an extention of Nach Baliye, that debuted with 2.3 TVR on 6 April.
Following Star Plus is Zee TV that lost 22 GRPs to register 185 GRPs. All the shows of the channel have seen loss in viewership.
Meanwhile, despite the loss of 11 GRPs, Set managed to move a step ahead, displacing Colors at No. 3. Its crime-based properties Adaalat ( 1.2 TVR), CID ( 2.2 TVR) and Crime Patrol (2 TVR) continue to drive majority of the audience for the channel that closed the week with 164 GRPs (last week 175).
Colors lost the most this week as it lived without a single 3+ TVR show. All the shows of the channels have seen drop in numbers. The channel had earned a few points last week as it had aired Femina Miss India 2013 on 24 March. For the week under review, Colors lost 35 GRPs to record 156 GRPs.
Set‘s sister Hindi GEC Sab maintained its grip at the No. 5 spot despite losing more audience than Star Plus‘ second rung Hindi GEC Life OK. Sab lost 22 GRPs to end the week with 137 GRPs, while Life OK ended the week with 110 GRPs (last week 119).
Sahara One with 18 GRPs (last week 22) stood at the bottom of the ladder.