ITV

Tag: Sony Entertainment Television

  • Colors back to No. 3 as Bigg Boss’ ratings drop

    Colors back to No. 3 as Bigg Boss’ ratings drop

    MUMBAI: The hype and hoopla surrounding Bigg Boss season 5 helped Colors overtake Sony Entertainment Television in its debut week. But as the ratings of the big-ticket reality show dropped, Colors slipped back to the third spot in the Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) space.

    Colors shed 37 GRPs (gross rating points) to collect 218 GRPs during the week ended 15 October, according to TAM data (HSM, C&S, 4+). Bigg Boss 5 managed an average TVR of 1.8 in the second week. In the preceding week, the three-and-a-half hour debut episode had clocked over 30 GRPs.

    Star Plus maintained its lead with 292 GRPs, despite losing 12 GRPs. Set, on the other hand, added nine GRPs to close the week at number two with 257 GRPs.

    Zee TV continued its downward slide and closed the week with 139 GRPs (last week 142 GRPs).

    Sab TV registered 123 GRPs (121 GRPs last week) in the week while Imagine TV was at number six with 64 GRPs (last week 66 GRPs).

    Star One (34 GRPs) overtook Sahara One (30 GRPs) once again.

  • Bigg Boss pushes Colors ahead of Sony

    Bigg Boss pushes Colors ahead of Sony

    MUMBAI: The three-and-a-half hour debut episode of Bigg Boss 5, in which Colors unveiled the 14 housemates, has helped the channel claw back to the second spot ahead of Sony Entertainment Television.

    The episode, aired at 8 pm on Sunday, clocked a TVR of 4.3 and added 30 GRPs (gross rating points).

    As per TAM data for the week ended 8 October (HSM, C&S 4+), Colors added 50 GRPs to its last week‘s tally to collect 255 GRPs. For the Viacom18 GEC, the strategy of shifting three of its primetime shows to the afternoon slot seems to have worked. Bigg Boss 5 gave the channel an average TVR of 2.1 during the period Monday-Saturday.

    For Colors, the debut of fifth season of the big-ticket reality show (fourth on the channel) has got reasonably good ratings, when compared to the previous seasons. The initial season with Shilpa Shetty saw a debut rating of 2.5 TVR, which jumped to 4.6 TVR in the next season when Amitabh Bachchan hosted the show.

    Salman Khan, roped in for last year‘s season, debuted to a 4.7 TVR. This season has, for the first time, two actors – Salman khan and Sanjay Dutt – hosting the show.

    Meanwhile, Star Plus maintained its lead in the genre with 304 GRPs (last week 306). The channel launched a new show in the 8.30 pm band – Ek Hazaro Me Meri Behena hai – which averaged 2 TVR.

    Sony Entertainment TV slipped to third spot after winning the second rank for four straight weeks; it ended with 248 GRPs, one less than its preceding week‘s score. Set‘s new 8 pm show – Kuch To Log Kahenge – opened to a 1.1 TVR in a highly competitive time slot.

    Zee TV touched a new low, shedding 15 GRPs in the week to collect 142 GRPs. The gap between Zee TV and Sab is now 21 GRPs.

    Sab closed the week with 121 GRPs (last week 126), while Imagine TV fell to 66 GRPs (75 in previous week).

    Sahara One and Star One closed the week with 34 and 33 GRPs respectively.

  • Sony’s magic run with Big B continues

    Sony’s magic run with Big B continues

    MUMBAI: Sony Entertainment Television‘s (SET) magic run with Amitabh Bachchan at the lead continues as it scales new heights, inching closer to the market leader Star Plus.

    Pumped up by the game show Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC), Sony races to 271 GRPs, a new peak after a long gap. Star Plus stays ahead by just 21 GRPs and the gap between Sony and Colors widens as shows like Bade Achhe Lagte Hain gain ground.

    Sony had reached 270 GRPs more than a year back, but it was like a flash in the pan with the Aamir Khan movie 3 Idiots providing the spike. Sony had moved to an almost eight-year high as it grabbed 270 GRPs for the week ended 31 July 2010, gaining a mammoth 108 points from the trailing week, as 3 Idiots clocked an average TVR of 10.9.

    “We are now in a position to sustain our momentum. Our growth has come from a bunch of shows such as CID and Crime Patrol. KBC and Bade Achhe Lagte Hain no doubt spearheaded this movement. With Kuch To Log Kahenge launching on 3 October at 8 pm, we are looking at adding more GRPs,” said Sony Entertainment Television senior vice president and marketing head Danish Khan.

    KBC has become the top-rated show with the Thursday episode, featuring Ranbir Kapoor, amassing a staggering 6 TVR. The game show averaged 5.4 TVR and collected 65 GRPs during the week ended 17 September.

    Also aiding Sony‘s climb were shows like Bade Achhe Lagte Hain (average TVR of 4), CID and Crime Patrol.

    “3 Idiots had helped Sony catapult to 270 GRPs, with a 108 GRP jump from the preceding week. So the fall was equally dramatic. Now the rise is more steady as Sony has seen a 28 GRP gain from the trailing week,” a media analyst said.

    Star Plus has shed 15 GRPs to collect 292 GRPs for the week ended 17 September, according to TAM data for the Hindi speaking markets (HSM).Colors descended to 219 points vis-?-vis 233 points it garnered in the previous week.

    Zee TV added three points to end the week with 184 GRPs. At number five, Sab stood tight with 124 points as against its last week‘s score of 112.

    Imagine TV rose to 75 GRPs, gaining seven points over the preceding week.

  • Hindi GEC genre expands on back of fiction

    Hindi GEC genre expands on back of fiction

    MUMBAI: The Hindi GEC genre has expanded 41 GRPS (gross rating points) for the week ended 2 July.

    Also, the genre leader Star Plus, No. 4 in the ladder Sony Entertainment Television (Set) and Imagine TV saw major gains (almost 20 GRPs) each.

    Star Plus crossed the 300 GRP mark once again as it added 19 GRPs to its previous week‘s tally to close with 311. All the primetime shows of the channel saw a jump in viewership, which resulted in Star Plus‘ gain.

    Meanwhile, Colors and Zee TV, the second and third ranked Hindi general entertainment channels, dipped. Colors shed 10 GRPs to end the week with 253 GRPs. Zee TV lost 23 GRPs to close with 205 GRPs.

    Zee TV‘s Pavitra Rishta is still ruling the shows chart with 5.1 TVR while Colors‘ Balika Vadhu is in hot pursuit with 5.06 TVR.

    Set, meanwhile, saw a 23 GRP jump as its biggest fiction property, Bade Acche Lagte Hain, gained from 2.4 TVR in the last week to 3 TVR in the current week. The channel got 173 GRPs in the week as per data from TAM for the Hindi speaking markets (C&S, 4+).

    Imagine TV, which aired the Sangeet episode of its Swayamvar season 3 – Ratan Ka Rishta, added 26 GRPs to pocket 107 GRPs (from 81 GRPs in the week ago), a coup achieved after a long time. However, it remained lower than Sab, which is stable at No. 5 with 134 GRPs (last week 137).

    Star One, meanwhile, collected 41 GRPs (from 38) while Sahara One was at 34 GRPs (from 29).

  • Post World Cup, Hindi GECs bounce back

    Post World Cup, Hindi GECs bounce back

    MUMBAI: Facing bouncers and googlies from the cricket World Cup, India‘s Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs) have regained their old order in the television audience graph in the very first week after Dhoni‘s ‘Men in Blue‘ lifted the ‘Cup that Counts‘.

    The Hindi GECs mopped up 1209 GRPs, after having lost 108 GRPs in the World Cup‘s final week run.

    Star Plus has retained its pole position, after being ousted by Colors briefly for a week with a strategy that involved a cut down in ad inventory.

    Star Plus led the week ended 9 April with 334 GRPs (261 GRPs in previous week), according to Tam data (HSM, 4+, C&S). It added 73 GRPs (gross rating points) and its new 10 pm show, Navya, clocked an average TVR of 3.4 in its debut week.

    Star Plus also aired Star Parivar Awards on 3 April (Sunday), which clocked a TVR of 4.

    Colors lost 51 GRPs and is back to its No. 2 position with 249 GRPs.

    Zee TV, which was hit by the World Cup, added 50 GRPs tp close the week with 221 GRPs.

    The channel launched a new show, Choti Si Zindagi, at the 7 pm band, which got an average opening TVR of 0.9. All its weekday shows saw an increase in viewership and ratings. It also aired two special episodes, which got good numbers.

    Meanwhile, Sony Entertainment Television (Set) regained its No. 4 position by edging out sister channel Sab. Set added 32 GRPs to end the week with 152 GRPs while Sab, after adding 12 GRPs, took its week‘s tally to 139 (from 127 GRPs).

    Imagine TV continues to find the going tough, ending with a 12 GRP loss to collect 58 GRPs during the week (70 GRPs previous week).

    Star One and Sahara One were at 32 and 24 GRPs, according to Tam data.

     

  • Sony gets push from Filmfare Awards telecast

    Sony gets push from Filmfare Awards telecast

    MUMBAI: The glamour and glitz of Bollywood is raking in ratings. In its most recent exposure, the Filmfare Awards has given its telecast partner Sony Entertainment Television (Set) a decent 26 GRP (gross rating points) push.

    Sony collected 180 GRPs for the week ended 12 February, up from 154 it reported in the trailing week, but remained in the fourth spot behind Hindi general entertainment channel leader Star Plus, second-ranked Colors and Zee TV.

    The Filmfare Awards, aired on 6 February, clocked a TVR of 5.2 in the Hindi speaking market (C&S, 4+ years), according to Tam data. The 217-minute show got a reach of 21 per cent while time spent was 53.6 minutes.

    The Filmfare Awards garnered better ratings than Zee Cine Awards. Aired on 30 January on Zee TV, Zee Cine Awards had managed a 4.5 TVR and a 19.4 per cent reach for the 242 minutes show. However, time spent on Zee Cine Awards was slightly higher at 55.7 minutes.

    Meanwhile, Hindi GECs collectively saw a decline in the ratings by 49 GRPs. Genre leader Star Plus shed eight GRPs, but maintained its lead status with 318 GRPs. Colors lost 28 GRPs to score 237 GRPs, followed by third-ranked Zee TV with 220 GRPs (shedding 30 GRPs). The channel had added 26 GRPs on the back of Zee Cine Awards last week.

    Hindi comedy-entertainment channel Sab remained rock solid with 153 GRPs (from 152 GRPs).

    Imagine TV lost 14 GRPs during the week as its big ticket reality show Zor Ka Jhataka – Total Wipeout – failed to impress. The Shah Rukh Khan hosted show, which opened with a 2.6 TVR in the previous week, could not manage to attract audience in the second week and its average rating fell from 2.6 TVR to 1.4 TVR.

    Imagine TV fell to 86 GRPs. Star One garnered 41 GRPs (from 35 GRPs last week) while Sahara One was at 27 GRPs (last week 28), according to Tam data.

     

  • ‘Market needs to rationalise their payouts to distribution bouquets’ : MSM Discovery President Rajesh Kaul

    ‘Market needs to rationalise their payouts to distribution bouquets’ : MSM Discovery President Rajesh Kaul

    MSM Discovery is targeting Rs 10 billion in FY’11, an almost 40 per cent jump over the year-ago period, as it adds Neo Cricket into its distribution muscle.

    The rise in revenues will also be aided by stronger performance from some of the existing channels such as Sony Entertainment Television (Set) and Sab.

    Being the only distribution company that has entertainment and sports channels in its bouquet, MSM Discovery expects cable networks to rework their payouts to broadcasters and not take their decisions based on legacies.

    Shepherding MSM Discovery‘s growth drive to combine the subscription revenues of an entertainment and a sports bouquet is Rajesh Kaul. As president of the joint venture company between Multi Screen Media (formerly Sony Entertainment Television India) and Discovery, his 11-year stint at ESPN Star Sports could come into use as he hopes to play the ‘soft-and-hard‘ tactics game to ramp up revenues.

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com‘s Sibabrata Das, Kaul talks about the need to drive up consumer ARPUs and have a regulatory policy that is fair to all stakeholders including broadcasters.

    Excerpts:

    Will the addition of Neo Cricket and Neo Sports compensate the loss of the Viacom18 channels including Colors?
    I can‘t comment on the exit of the Viacom18 channels as the matter is sub judice. But we are still the biggest distribution company in the country.

    When we had taken up the distribution of Colors, Sony Entertainment Television was around 75 GRPs and Sab 35 GRPs. Today, Sony is 197 GRPs while Sab has touched 134 GRPs.

    So a big change has happened to our existing channels. And we are the only distribution company that has entertainment and sports channels in our bouquet.

    Which is why MSM Discovery is targeting a turnover of Rs 10 billion this fiscal?
    I can‘t comment on the financials but we are looking at a 40 per cent growth. With the addition of the Neo channels, we should be getting the combined subscription revenues of an entertainment and a sports bouquet.

    Isn‘t that an ambitious target in today‘s environment when broadcasters are jostling for space in choked analogue cable networks?
    We expect a redistribution of monies to take place. We are the only bouquet in the industry which has 3 out of the top 10 channels – Sony, Max and Sab. The mother channel, Sony, may not be No. 1 at this stage but is doing well. With KBC coming in and Amitabh Bachchan hosting the game show, the channel‘s ratings can only get better. We have leaders in Discovery, Animal Planet and Aaj Tak.

    We also have the biggest sporting content in IPL (Indian Premier League) and BCCI cricket. We are, in fact, the best sports providing bouquet in the country. Let the cable networks and the DTH operators analyse the content and rationalise their payouts on the ground rather than be influenced by legacies.

    Are you hinting at subscription monies moving out of ESPN Star Sports (ESS) as sports content has got fragmented?
    I can‘t comment on whether ESS‘ content pool has weakened. What I can say is that probably people need to pay more to Neo and rework their payouts. For the next 15-20 days, we are going to carry out this campaign across the country to educate the trade.

    Sources who are familiar with the deal say Neo is guaranteed a payout of Rs 2.7 billion net over three years. Isn‘t this an expensive deal as it excludes the DTH side of the distribution business?
    Without getting into the commercial terms of the deal, let me state that we have paid the right value for the product. India cricket does not come cheap.
    ‘With the addition of the Neo channels, we should be getting the combined subscription revenues of an entertainment and a sports bouquet‘

    Market sources say Neo was making an annual subscription revenue of Rs 600 million from analogue cable. Isn‘t your payout on the higher side particularly when the BCCI cricket has to be shared with the pubcaster?
    Neo has got a guarantee of around 20 Test matches over three years that will not be simulcast on Doordarshan. That gives 100 days of Test cricket exclusive on Neo. Test matches still have a fan following and a very loyal base. We, in fact, will have 3-4 months of BCCI cricket, including ODIs and T20s, and almost 2 months of IPL in a calendar year. That puts us in a formidable position. While for all broadcasters major growth in the past has come from DTH, we also expect a healthy analogue growth this year because of Neo.
    A correction is needed in the payouts. And redistribution has to take place, both in entertainment and sports bouquets.

    Has Star Den become weaker after the exit of the Disney and Network18 group channels to Sun18 while in your case you tapped Neo?
    Yes, I think so. But it is for the trade to decide.

    The market feels that MSM Discovery has not exploited the IPL to drive its pay-TV revenues to the maximum. Is this true?
    I agree that we haven‘t collected as much money as we should have, particularly when the IPL has become bigger in value. We need to collect the IPL money (from distribution) now. And with Neo and other things (improvement in performance of some of our existing channels), we will give it a combined push to ramp up our revenues.

    Will you deploy the ‘hard‘ distribution tactics that you learnt during your 11-year stint at ESS?
    I am hoping that the hard approach will not be needed. We will give friendship a chance. If people are not being fair, we have to use different strategies. For the next one month, as we have the India-Australia and India-New Zealand series, we will educate the trade on the depth of our content.

    Are you looking at adding more channels to the bouquet?
    Both the partners (Multi Screen Media and Discovery) are looking at launching new channels over the next 18 months. They are considering different genres – regional, music, kids, infotainment. They have deep pockets and are committed to investing in this market. This gives security to the joint venture company. Besides, we are talking to distribute third party channels.

    The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has come out with a pricing cap for all digital addressable systems. The broadcasters have moved the court. What is your take on this?
    I can‘t run into specifics as the matter is residing in the court. But on a more generic level, we feel Trai has been fair to other stakeholders so far except the broadcasters.

    What do you think will drive the distribution business for the sector as a whole?
    There is one thing that has not happened on the distribution front. Consumer rates, which are the cheapest in the world, will have to go up. That is where the actual business is – and not carriage. The MSOs have not worked on subscription rates because of carriage revenue. All broadcasters should come together to help MSOs collect more subscription from the ground and the consumers. Consumer ARPUs (average revenue per user) have to increase. That is going to drive the industry.

    Why is that not happening?
    I think the internal trust between the MSOs and the broadcasters is not there. The MSOs and the broadcasters are also fighting amongst themselves.

    What gives you hope that this will change now?
    Frankly, I do not have too much of hope. But I think good sense is ultimately going to prevail over us because there is pressure on bottom lines for everybody. Maybe this will lead to this kind of revolution.

    But DTH has not been able to drive up ARPUs?
    My concern is that in this country ARPUs, whether analogue or cable, are low. DTH played the penetration game when they possibly could have taken a premium position. The need of the hour is for ARPUs to go up. I hope that consumer rates will rise in case of DTH.

    What do you think will drive cable digitisation?
    Cable digitisation is going to be a slow process in India. Cas (conditional access system) was not implemented properly and could not be a success. The regulator also should have come out with a policy that made all the stakeholders happy to push for digitisation. A cap at Rs 5 was, perhaps, not the right decision. Besides, digitisation would require huge capital and India is a vast country.

  • ‘We want to be the No. 1 channel in two years’ : Sony Entertainment Television business head Ajit Thakur

    ‘We want to be the No. 1 channel in two years’ : Sony Entertainment Television business head Ajit Thakur

    Struggling to jump into the top Hindi GEC league, it was a year back when Sony Entertainment Television decided to undergo a complete overhaul. New programmes were introduced and a new association was inked with the biggest film production house, Yash Raj Films, to produce soaps that were different both in narration and production value. While not all could fetch the requisite numbers for Sony, they did help the channel cover quite a distance – from a 80 GRP mark to a peak of 180 GRPs.

     

    Now as Sony enters into its next phase of growth, it is betting big on the decade-old KBC, helmed by Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan. Sony believes that the property, infused with fresh innovations,will do more than just getting the numbers: it will help the channel change its fortunes.

     

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com‘s Anindita Sarkar, Sony Entertainment Television business head Ajit Thakur speaks about the channel‘s programming plans at large.

     

    Excerpts:
     

    How challenging has been the last one year for you at Sony?

    Sony is a great brand but in the last couple of years it had not lived up to its potential. Now as I look back one year from the time I joined, we have achieved a lot and the credit goes to the brand. It has always been so strong that every time we do something that is targeted at our audience right, we always get results.

     
    So what has been the focus for Sony?

    The focus in the last one year has been on three things. The first one of these has been research. Audience taste in this country is shifting every 1-2 years and, therefore, we were very clear that everything that we do has to be supported by rigorous consumer testing and extensive research to enhance our consumer focus. And research is not just to track but also to forecast the future trends.

     

    The second focus for the channel has been to strengthen as pioneers in new programming. We got in a wide variety of shows ranging from the Yash Raj banner which were very diverse in terms of content and production value to something like Crime Patrol. We also made Aahat into a daily and Indian Idol, which had been traditionally a weekend property, was shifted to weekdays to give audiences a new experience. Also, no other channel has a daily thriller like CID.

     

    The third very important and conscious thing that we are concentrating on is to produce content that entertains the entire family – and is not just exclusive to women or men or kids. Also, the content should do more than just entertainment.

     
    But even after so many launches in the past one year, the channel is still perceived to be synonymous with CID while also deriving ratings from Indian Idol. Why so?

    Yes, CID is our flagship property and has been doing very well for us. So, if we have a strong property, why not build on it? We have extended the property to CID gallantry awards and we are thinking of CID comics towards the end of the year.

     

    Meanwhile, the growth has not come just from one property. We are slowly and steadily expanding on our properties. Now we have Indian Idol, then we will have KBC and we will be building one property at a time.

     

    Our other shows – Aahat, Crime Patrol and Boogie Woogie – are also fairing well for the channel. Baat Hamari Pakki Hai is picking up. And if you see, none of our shows is similar to the other. 

     

     
    But you still weak on fiction as compared to the rest of the competitors…

    Look, it has been a very conscious part of our strategy to give audience differentiated content. So, if you see, our programmes are very different from what is happening on all the other four channels. The fact is that from last June to this June we have seen an almost 100 per cent growth. Also, our primetime GRPs have grown from 40-75 GRPs. Meanwhile, in DTH households, we are the number two channel already. And DTH is a controlled environment where everything is in place and it is no more a Bombay-Delhi phenomenon. This shows that our content has future potential.
     

    Does that mean you do not want a successful soap on the channel?

    We do want to do a successful daily soap and build more on fiction but it has to be unifying and should be carrying a message. Also, we will not look at dragging a soap just for the sake of TRPs. We will look at finite properties that will help build the brand Sony and stand for it. We are expected to bring variety and target younger people. India has a lot more people below the age of 35 and Sony has a very high skew towards this audience segment. 

     
    ‘Now that it is time to enter the second phase of our growth, we want to kickstart it with KBC ‘

     
    Then why is it that even after bringing in young and differentiated content with the YRF shows and some other new ones too, it did not do much well for the channel?

    When we launched YRF, Seven and Mahi Way did fairly well. But all of them were not up to the expectations that the market wanted. However, when we went for it we actually knew that the content is ahead of its time in comparison to current television in terms of narrative as well as treatment. So we were the early adopters and the ratings did not come in the first season. But we have learnt that they will work if we be at it for some time and bring back new seasons.

     

    Also, another learning for us is that we shouldn‘t launch multiple properties together. Which is why this time we will bring back the shows one by one so that the audiences grow on them.
     

    When do you plan to bring back the new YRF shows?

    We will be launching two new shows from the YRF stable by the end of this year and the new seasons of two more properties will be launched next year. Apart from these, we will also be launching two other fiction properties by the year-end. 

     

    Why did you decide to bring back KBC despite it being an old property?

    The difference between reality shows and game shows are that reality shows are often very edgy and not suitable for the whole family. And since we are targeting the entire family, we knew it was time to bring back a game show on the channel.

     

    When we did our testing for KBC, everyone said that they would watch the show because it has knowledge, entertainment and Mr Bachchan. So they encapsulated the show for us very well and that has a huge implication for us. We are sure that apart from numbers, the show is going to generate huge eyeballs for the channel.

     

    Also, now that it is time to enter the second phase of our growth, we wanted to kickstart it with KBC. 

     
    What is your scheduling strategy? Which time bands do you concentrate on?

    Because a lot of our focus is on research, our scheduling strategy is pretty much about what is happening in the household. So we start our early primetime with soaps that are for the regular family and then as we go through the day, we move into non-fiction that is Indian Idol. Towards the end of the day, there is Crime Patrol, Aahat and CID as there is more of older audiences and men coming into the channel.

     

    Also, we are trying to keep as much of content on the channel to keep the family together. Earlier, it was just the weekends that would look at keeping everybody together – but now it‘s weekdays too.

     

    And the third thing is that while a lot of the channels are doing afternoons, we have opened up the late primetime at 11 pm as an original time band.

     
    What are your movie plans?

    We are actually looking at doing less and less of movies. About a year back, we were doing 4-5 movies a week. But now we are doing only two movies a week. And within this, we are looking at interesting titles. We have about eight programmes on the channel and we will repeat that during off primetime. We are also looking more at events.  
     

     

    What are the challenges and opportunities for Sony in this cluttered market?

    We want to maintain a steady growth curve upwards. We want to take optimal decisions in terms of investments and programming and don‘t want to take away the positioning of the channel. Our daily worry is what is the next new innovative programming that we need to bring in and what is the next new insight we need to catch from the consumers.

     

    The challenge for us will be to continue retaining our present viewers while getting in new audiences. We will also have to continue to build on our youth base – more from the smaller towns.
     

    So is there a GRP or position you have in mind?
    We want to be the number one channel in two years.
     
  • ‘Success of a TV channel is to find homogeneity in a heterogeneous market condition’ : Sony Entertainment Television VP marketing Danish Khan

    ‘Success of a TV channel is to find homogeneity in a heterogeneous market condition’ : Sony Entertainment Television VP marketing Danish Khan

    2009 was an eventful year for Sony Entertainment Television (SET). Languishing behind the top three Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs) and even newcomer NDTV Imagine, the channel relaunched with a bunch of differentiated shows. Some worked, some didn‘t, and the programming overhaul failed to lift the ratings to any position of strength.

     

    Sony then discovered the value of its old horses in C.I.D and Aahat. The channel zoomed to a GRP (gross ratings point) of 180 and the road ahead looked promising with the launch of YRF shows. But the leading film producing house evoked a tepid response among audiences for its TV shows, leaving Sony in hunt for new properties that would aid it to move up the ratings ladder.

     

    Marketing several new properties and the relaunched channel has been a challenging task under these circumstances.

     

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com‘s Anuradha Ramamirtham, Sony Entertainment Television VP marketing Danish Khan talks about the strategies that Sony adopted during this period as it searched for width and depth of reach across markets.

     

    Excerpts:
     
     
    How tough was it to market Sony Entertainment Television in a year when a bruising battle was fought at the top among the three leading Hindi general entertainment channels?

    The GECs were in a growth mode last year and the leadership battle became intense. Marketing, thus, became much more strategic and key to a channel‘s fortune. Sony was clearly on the growth path and we were able to build the brand with high impact campaigns for our bigger properties like Indian Idol 4, Dus Ka Dum, Bhaskar Bharti, Aahat -the all new series and Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao. We also rejuvenated the brand CID. All these shows were successfully marketed in challenging times and conditions.
     

     
    What exactly were you looking at marketing when the channel went for an overall overhaul?

    SET has existed as a brand for long and our aim was to refresh the look and feel of the channel. The relaunch wasn‘t just of getting a bunch of new shows to appear on the channel; it was also about refreshing the channel‘s identity. While we retained the logo, we went for a new packaging and brand identity. On the programming front, we retained some of our old properties like CID, Boogie Woogie and Comedy Circus and introduced some new fiction shows including Bhaskar Bharti and Ladies Special. This helped us in improving the channel‘s ratings by over 150 per cent over a nine-month period.
     
     
    Did your marketing spend expand during this makeover period of the channel?

    The channel‘s marketing budget stayed almost flat. We were fortunate in that for the first half of the year, the media cost was stagnant due to recession. We also changed our media buying mix a bit by increasing our exposure to low-cost mediums like digital and experiential marketing. We could have a similar impact at lesser cost. The marketing was much more rigorous and we did all to stretch the value of every rupee that we spent.
     
     
    With the Tam panel expanding and new markets opening up, will you have to tweak the marketing plan for the channel?

    With the TAM panel expanding, it‘s going to be a challenge not only for us but for all marketers in the channel space. Thankfully, we have a strong distribution network. In 2003, when Tam was moving to smaller cities and towns, Sony was the fastest to reach to new markets and develop a strong brand affinity. With the new markets opening up, it will be a good opportunity for us.
     
     
    How different is it to market in smaller towns as compared to tier I cities?

    The tier I cities and metros are mature markets and are organised in nature. In these markets, there are multiple media options available to reach to the consumer like availability of FM stations and organised outdoor media. Consumers in these markets are early adopters to new trends and there are huge amounts of touch points available to reach out to them. Hence, these markets are easier to monitor.

     

    These markets are, however, cluttered. The challenge here is not restricted to reaching to the consumers but also creating a high impact as they are bombarded today with hundreds of messages. In addition to availability of multiple media options, the markets have also become expensive. So, the challenge is both being impactful and cost effective.

     

    The smaller markets are not organised. There is lesser number of touch points and everyone wants to reach there. Experiential marketing works wonder in small towns if it is sprinkled with mass media applications. Consumers here are fresh to meeting celebrities and such activities are hugely accepted and help in creating the right buzz.

     
     
    ‘For the first half of the year, the media cost was stagnant due to recession. We also changed our media buying mix a bit by increasing our exposure to low-cost mediums like digital and experiential marketing‘

     
     
    What was the most cost effective medium for marketing during recessionary times?

    Recession or no recession, television is the most cost effective medium for marketers. Thankfully, we have a very robust network with five performing channels; these form the base for all our marketing plans. Outside television, we use different mediums. In 2009, Internet and mobile (digital medium) were used more judiciously to reach to the youth who are tech savvy. Also, experiential marketing (BTL activities) was pushed hard last year and they yielded good results.

     
     
    With advertisers spreading their focus into smaller markets, how will GECs and particularly Sony benefit from this?

    Like television, most categories and brands today have a pan India presence. TV is increasingly becoming relevant across categories as its spreads out both geographically and demographically. Like any other marketer, Sony is also keen on small towns. Besides, the channel enjoys a robust distribution platform across India.
     
     

    How do you address such a heterogeneous market?

    The success of a television channel is to find homogeneity in a heterogeneous market condition. In India, the markets which we cater to are extremely heterogeneous in nature. A Punjab market, for example, will think and behave differently than a Maharashtra market which, in turn, will be different from Uttar Pradesh. But there are certain universal themes that work across markets. The content and communication has to be based on this. Media behaviour and mediums can differ. As far as the message is concerned, it should always be built around something that works universally. That applies to successful shows as well; they have messages that are universal. 

     
    YRF is a strong movie brand. What marketing steps did you take to extend it into a television brand?

    It was challenging to work on the YRF shows. These are early days yet and the five weekend shows have started attracting a definite set of loyal audiences. We are doing a lot of on-air promotions and experiential marketing to build the popularity for these shows.