ITV

Tag: Sony

  • George Clooneys The Monuments Men pushed to 2014

    George Clooneys The Monuments Men pushed to 2014

    MUMBAI: The movie based on World War II tale was set to be released on December 18. But The Monuments Men starring George Clooney has now been pushed further to early 2014, without giving an exact date.

     

    The film produced by Sony apparently has been unable to complete its visual effects. Composer Alexandre Desplat has also not recorded the score. The thriller is about a platoon of art historians and museum directions having the task of rescuing priceless art from the Nazis.

     

    The film will now not be eligible for the 2014 Oscar race. George Clooney has the task of juggling two movies at the same time- The Monuments Men and Disney’s Tomorrowland.

  • Samsung Mobiles is India’s Most Attractive Brand, Sony takes 2nd place

    Samsung Mobiles is India’s Most Attractive Brand, Sony takes 2nd place

    MUMBAI: The latest report from TRA (Trust Research Advisory) – India’s leading brand insights company – titled India’s Most Attractive Brands 2013 (MAB 2013) was released.

     

    Samsung Mobiles emerged as India’s Most Attractive Brand in 2013. India’s second Most Attractive brand is the consumer durables leader Sony, followed by Nokia as the third most attractive across all categories.

     

    India’s top three Most Attractive brands are very close together with just two per cent separating them. Following at fourth place is LG, the South Korean consumer electronics leader with eight per cent attractiveness score lag from the previous. Placed at India’s fifth Most Attractive brand is India’s home-grown conglomerate – Tata – trailing its predecessor by 11 per cent. The results are based on a primary survey conducted with 2,505 consumer-influencers across 16 cities based on TRA’s proprietary matrix of 36 Brand Attractiveness Traits.

     

    Launching the report, TRA (a Comniscient Group company) CEO N. Chandramouli observed, “The force of attractiveness is a primal force that affects all of us with the same intensity – whether it be attraction with other humans, objects, places or brands. As a brand insights company, TRA spent years understanding the basics of attractiveness by delving into several subjects ranging from philosophy to physiology, religion and communication, and have developed a robust proprietary matrix for deciphering the complex subject of Brand Attractiveness.”

     

    At the All India level, Lux, the bath/beauty brand from the HUL stable is India’s sixth Most Attractive brand nearly 48 per cent behind Tata in Attractiveness Quotient. The next four brands are within single-digit gaps of each other with Maruti Suzuki ranked seventh, Godrej ranked eighth, Bajaj ranked ninth, and Dell the Technology leader, ranked India’s tenth Most Attractive brand. India’s top 10 attractive brands include two mobile phone brands, two consumer electronics brands, and three from the diversified category, one each from FMCG, Automobile and Technology categories.

     

    Elaborating on the usefulness of TRA’s matrix, Chandramouli added, “Brands spend billions in advertisements trying to be attractive to consumers, but at best such approaches range between ad-hoc and haphazard. TRA’s Brand Attractiveness matrix will give brands a scientific tool and methodologies to improve their Attractiveness Quotient with their consumers, helping brands deploy their resources more efficiently and target their messages more accurately.”
    In Western India, the Attractiveness Quotients are quite different from national scores with Sony being ranked as West Zone’s Most Attractive brand. This is followed by LG at second place, Tata at third, and Samsung Mobiles as Western India’s fourth Most Attractive brand.  Mumbai’s choices for the top three attractive brands were Sony, LG and Tata respectively.

  • Stay Amazed with the New Sony Pix

    Stay Amazed with the New Sony Pix

    MUMBAI: Brand Sony is getting a makeover. Days after Sony Entertainment Television Network announced its fresh new look, Sony Pix is following suit, starting with a repositioning from ‘Hollywood is here’ to ‘Stay Amazed’.

    The new brand identity will be unveiled along with the world television premiere of Skyfall on 27 October at 1:00 pm and 9:00 pm on the channel.

    As opposed to the earlier tagline ‘Hollywood is here’, ‘Stay Amazed’ defines what it is about Hollywood that people like, breaking the clutter and making the channel stand out from the crowd. Significantly, it’s a brand promise that viewers of the rebooted Sony Pix will never have a dull moment, whether they’re watching it on television, social media or on-ground.

    The channel rifled through pitches from some 24 companies across five continents before zeroing on Argentina-based Medialuna (MDL) for designing the new look

    Says Sony Pix executive VP and business head Saurabh Yagnik: “The whole idea is to break the clutter and give the audience what they truly want to see and experience. The revamped look propagates the brand philosophy of being fresh, innovative and progressive. Our content and branding will establish Sony Pix as the most exciting, fun and entertaining English movie channel.”

    The repositioning has been a gruelling exercise with Team Sony Pix burning some serious midnight oil to brainstorm and understand what Indian audiences really want from in particular English movie channels and in general Hollywood. The channel has rifled through pitches from some 24 companies across five continents before zeroing on Argentina-based Medialuna (MDL) for designing the new look.

    Our content and branding will establish Sony Pix as the most exciting, fun and entertaining English movie channel says Saurabh Yagnik

    And the result is for all to see – an all new packaging in eye-catching ‘neon green’, which is part of Sony Pix’s revamped strategy to stay-in-sync with an increasing number of young viewers. What’s more, synergies have been worked out between the upcoming instalment of the Krrish franchise and Sony’s rebranding campaign.

    “The whole revamped look took nearly six months to execute, and we narrowed down on Medialuna after taking a close look at their body of work. We are really glad with the final outcome,” exults Yagnik.

    The new look will unravel along with the premiere of ‘Skyfall’ on 27 October

    Coming to the Skyfall premiere, a 360-degree promotional campaign is on the anvil, which promises to engage viewers like never before. The channel is gearing up for the ‘Biggest secret mission ever’ on Facebook – designed to give viewers a once in a lifetime opportunity to win a trip to the ‘Bond in Motion’ exhibition in London. (Bond in Motion is the largest official collection of original James Bond vehicles over the past 50 years).

    Says Sony Pix vice president – marketing Neville Bastawalla: “This is something that is really going to get our viewers engaged and get more involved with the channel. The mission will be played over three phases: one to crack a maze of obstacles using clues, second being a first of its kind game where your mobile phone becomes a remote to chase clues, and the third being simply type in the codes that are flashed on the screen during the premiere to win a chance to visit the ‘Bond in Motion’ exhibition in London.”

    It’s all about getting our viewers engaged and getting them more involved with the channel believes Neville Bastawalla

    While the in-house team has designed, conceptualised and executed the on-air promos, the outdoor Skyfall campaign, to be carried out in Mumbai and Delhi, will be handled by Leo Burnett India. Tonic Media will look after the digital front. Approximately 80-85 per cent of the marketing budget has been kept aside exclusively for the repositioning, and the channel is confident of a great response from the trade and audiences alike.

    Snapdeal.com is the presenting sponsor for the Skyfall campaign while Dell and Engage Deos are the powered by sponsors. Other sponsors include Toyota, Lombard suiting, Whirlpool, We Chat and many more.

    In charge of the digital component of the entire rebranding exercise is Tonic Media. With nearly 33,300 followers on Twitter and a little over 3,275 likes on Facebook at the time of penning this article, Sony Pix is looking to intensify its engagement with viewers on social media.

    Notty Pixy will get the inside dope of all the gossip from behind the scenes in Hollywood

    On the cards is an interactive initiative with NottyPixy, who is touted as this Hollywood insider, who works hard and parties harder, is quirky, has loads of attitude and resonates with the youth. The #NottyPixy hashtag has been launched to promote the Notty Pixy character, with Notty Pixy taking over the @SonyPix handle every Thursday. Further, Notty Pixy will get onto the channel from end-November, every Friday, at 7:00 pm, to run a movie of her choice and interact with viewers through social media as well as on-air with ‘Wow trivia with a Notty Pixy twist’.

    While the repositioning is aimed at taking the channel to greater heights, even presently, Sony Pix appears to be in a good space.

    A 360 degree campaign will be carried out for the repositioning

    Movies-wise, the channel has nearly 250 – 300 active film titles, which include the Rocky series, Spider Man franchise, Mission Impossible series, Terminator franchise, animation films like Madagascar, Shrek and Kung Fu Panda plus a recent acquisition – the complete Bond franchise along with the latest flick, Skyfall.
    Pix also boasts some big-ticket releases of 2013 including: Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, Captain Phillips, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Hotel Transylvania, Smurfs 2, White House Down, Django Unchained, Grown Ups 2 and After Earth among others. Moreover, the channel is associated with five of Hollywood’s leading studios such as Paramount Pictures, Lionsgate, Sony Pictures, MGM and Universal.

    So does Pix plan to restructure its FPC (Fixed Point Chart) with the implementation of the 10+2 ad cap rule? “Firstly, I really don’t believe that the ruling will make a very big difference to English movie channels, but if it does get implemented, then we are ready for it as we at Pix believe we can deliver engaging content to keep our viewers hooked on,” replies Yagnik.

    Currently airing (14+2) 16 minutes of advertisements per hour of programming and second only to Star Movies in the English movie channel space, Pix has seen a 35 per cent growth in terms of its reach pre-DAS and post-DAS, and a 36 per cent growth in terms of TSV (Time Spent per Viewer), so while the channel is well placed, it is also making all the right noises to pip competitors at the post.

  • Is crime genre the fuel running Sony?

    Is crime genre the fuel running Sony?

    MUMBAI: Once upon a time, it ruled the roost but a look at recent TAM ratings tells another story. Why is it that a pioneer like Sony is currently languishing among the bottom three GECs? According to media experts, the answer lies in the kind of content the channel is airing.

     

    A majority of them feel fiction is critical to a GEC, which is exactly what Sony lacks. “Without focusing on any fiction-based shows, a GEC cannot survive. In other words, daily soap operas are the bread and butter for a GEC,” says a producer who didn’t wish to be named.

     

    Yes, Sony had hit shows like Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin and Boogie Woogie (reality) but that’s in the past. Over the last couple of years, the channel has failed to gain traction as far as fiction is concerned.

     

    Many may counter this saying Sony has two shows which can beat fiction-based ones by a huge margin: Crime Patrol and CID. The duo is among the channel’s longest running shows. To give statistics, CID garnered 7,048 TVTs in week 40 of TAM TV ratings while Crime Petrol registered 3,882 TVTs.

     

    Says BPN (Brand Programming Network) CEO Suresh Balakrishna: “CID and Crime Petrol have been airing for years and it won’t be wrong to say that the shows own this genre. A viewer expects to see crime shows on Sony, they have owned that genre and nobody has got into the genre the way the channel has.”

     

    Some experts agree that the way Star Plus is known for its fictional shows and Colors for its reality shows, viewers tend to expect crime from Sony. Others feel to focus on one particular genre, say crime, can definitely give the channel the required padding but GECs’ bread and butter is fiction shows.

     

    “I think the biggest problem that Sony is facing is to do with its image. It has never had fiction which has done well whereas non-fiction has worked brilliantly for the channel. Ideally, they should go back to the old model of non-fiction,” suggests a city-based media planner, adding: “It is not suffering as far as distribution is concerned or marketing is. The problem lies in the content. If it changes the content mix, the channel will definitely be able to garner better GVTs. But of course, that would mean investing a lot of time, ideas and energy. But if they invest, then it may work out.”

     

    Focusing on the content, planners state the example of Channel V which changed its strategy from being music to a fiction. Correspondingly, Sab TV till six years back had a mix bag of shows whereas now it is known for its comedy shows.

     

    However, a soap opera director begs to differ: “Sony has done lot of experiments. And I am getting a positive feeling for Desh ki Beti…Nandini and I think it will be able to click with the audience.” Yet, he is quick to point out that the channel hasn’t done anything like Jassi in a long time and even Bade Achche Lagte Hai isn’t working anymore.

     

    Says Sunshine Productions’ Sudhir Sharma: “Sony is known for semi-urban sensibilities shows such as Jassi and Bade Achche Lage Hai and in this space, the channel must explore. It will be good for them.”

     

    The channel is betting big on the recently launched Kaun Banega Crorepati 7 but TAM ratings haven’t been too encouraging. Whether Sony should get its act together on fiction shows or continue to concentrate on non-fiction (crime) is something the channel will have to work out.

     

    In the meantime, the recent revamp and maybe Boogie Woogie, which is returning to the channel after a decade-long gap, may just help Sony get its groove back…

  • Sony adds colour with two new shows

    Sony adds colour with two new shows

    MUMBAI: So what if it’s currently yo-yoing among the bottom three as far as TAM ratings go? Sony Entertainment Television is leaving no stone unturned to regain lost ground.

    Earlier this week, the GEC has launched a new show titled Desh Ki Beti Nandini with another one, Bhoot Aya, preparing to air every Sunday, at 11:00 pm, starting 13 October.

    Desh Ki Beti…, produced by Rashmi Telefilms, traces the journey of a typical Indian woman from the confines of her home to the limelight of politics and is a comment on how every Indian woman is a delicate mix of softness and strength.

    In sharp contrast, the upcoming Bhoot Aya, produced by Akashdeep Sabir and Sheeba’s Cinetek Telefilms, explores the dark forces through real-life, spine-chilling encounters of ordinary people.

    Speaking about the marketing campaign for Desh Ki Beti… , SET senior vice president, head – marketing Seth says: “Nandini’s rise to, the promise of the show is that one day, she is going to run the country and that is something we have showcased in all our communications. Whether it was in music, promos or it’s been the visual imagery in print or outdoor. It shows the journey and definitely gives that hope and umeed to say that an empowered, confident and intelligent woman has no feelings.”
    We will dominate that slot through the power of our idea and our concept, says a confident Gaurav Seth

    Seth adds that in a bid to get people to understand the concept, the channel asked them the question: “Do you believe, ek ladki joh ghar chala sakti hai.. desh bhi chala sakti hai?”

    As regards the non-fiction show, Seth says: “Firstly, we have tied up with the Indian paranormal society, which in a sense we refer to as ghost hunters. They go out and validate whether it is a fraud or for real. We are marketing it in a very interesting manner using this scary super-natural spooky zone to promote it. We have press ads which are going to show on the day of launch.”

    Independent experts have been roped in who will relate how these things happen to the audience and the channel is confident the show is going to really scare people. It has even created five to six television spots for the purpose of promoting the show.

    This apart, Sony’s official page, which boasted around 460,399 likes at the time of writing this article, will be used to promote the new shows. Asked why no exclusive pages have been devoted to the programs, Seth reasons: “We have stopped creating individual character pages. We are pushing Nandini as a show and concept across all social media.”

    What about competition considering Desh Ki Beti will air at 9:00 pm? “It all lies in the concept. There’s always going to be competition at any given slot across multiple channels. And I don’t think competition is something we are really worried about. We will dominate that slot through the power of our idea and power of our concept,” Seth shoots back confidently.

    With one of Sony’s best and longest running crime shows, Crime Petrol, having been cut down to accommodate Bhoot Aya, isn’t the channel worried about viewership? “We are just making a three-day thing to a two-day thing. There won’t be a problem in that. We want to introduce some novelty and some differentiation,” quips Seth.

    Meanwhile, asked if the new shows will help Sony reclaim its number three position or higher, a media planner says: “We cannot be wrong in saying that, Sony has been very experimentative in nature. I see some positive vibes from Nandini, the storyline and concept is relevant in today’s time. As far as Bhoot Aya is concerned, the concept is not something unusual. Already there are shows like this; people want to see something different. I don’t know what different the channel plans to show viewers, but this non-fiction piece will definitely fail viewership.”

  • Navratri Nights with The One Alliance

    Navratri Nights with The One Alliance

    It is that time of the year once again when the Goddess visits us and we celebrate with nine nights of worship and dance. These vibrant nine nights comprising Navratri are the most significant festive days of our year when the young and the old come together to dance the ras-leela, the dandiya and the garba.

     

    TheOne Alliance along with local MSO’s (Multi System Operator’s) have joined hands to organise scintillating events that will charge all dancers to fluant their best moves. All events will see an array of Actors and Actresses from Sony who will keep the crowds on their toes. And to keep the twinkle toes dancing away, there will be Indian Idol Junior contestants, Devendra, Aakash, Amit, Anmol and Aryan and other stars from leading shows CID, Adalat, Jee Le Zara, Bade Acche Lagte Hai & Latest show Nandini, keeping the crowd entertained.

     

    This on-ground initiative by TheOne Alliance is guaranteed to provide pure delight to residents. The sheer delight and excitement at Kora Kendra, Borivali; Tiranga Dandiya Powai & Ekta Group, Mira Road was seen in an action packed, adrenaline charged arena as the singers pumped in the extra bit of exhilaration. Select celebrities from Sony Entertainment Television and SAB TV also graced the occasion who were greeted with hoots, whistles and loud claps of fans.

     

    The event and activities initiated by TheOne Alliance in association with the backing of their strong MSO’s SCOD 18, Hathway and DEN Satellite focused on engaging and drawing participation from the public. The activities are taking place at prime locations drawing maximum participation by arousing huge interest among the public.

     

    The Garba ras events are scheduled to be held at the following locations on following dates
    • Kora Kendra, Mumbai between October 5 to October 13th
    • Thanganat 2013 by Abhinav Events, Ahmedabad on October 11th
    • Navratri Mahotsav’13 by Destiny Group , Surat on October 12th
    • Garba Ni Ramzat by IN Digital & Shree Sharda Group, Ahmedabad on October 12th
    • The Polo Parivar Navratri Mahotsav by POLO CLUB, Vadodara on October 13th
    • Akeela Pioneer Navratri Mahotsav, Rajkot on October 13

     

    Come and witness entertainment ‘The One Alliance’ style as the Navratri nights comes to your city giving you an unforgettable fun experience!

  • TAM week 40: Most reality shows fire simmers down

    TAM week 40: Most reality shows fire simmers down

    MUMBAI: In week 40 of TAM TV ratings, reality shows have gone for a toss. Not all, but most of the non-fiction shows have seen a drop in its ratings. But that has not affected the entire channel’s portfolio.

     

    This week the spotlight was on Colors’ much talked about reality series 24. The show has garnered 3,134 TVT’s on Saturday and Sunday. Launched on 4 October, the non-fiction reality show has got positive response in the metros. The Metro and 1mn+ markets have responded positively with a viewership of 2.2 million – contributing to 63 per cent of the overall viewership of the show.

     

    This week saw Sony being the highest gainer taking its tally to 323,337 GVTs (286,083) and occupying the fifth position. Zee TV was the next highest gainer with 415,793 GVTs (384,111) holding the number three slot.

     

    Star Plus retained its number one position with 501,683 GVTs (506,317). Life OK is at number four position with 347,291 GVTs (334,306). Sab has reported with 317,170 GVTs (331,772). Sahara One continues to be at the bottom of the GEC chart with 33,222 GVTs (26,838).

     

    Back to the top charter, Star Plus’ popular show Diya aur Baati Hum saw a drop in its ratings and rated 9,911 TVTs (9,614). Another prime time show, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai saw a huge rise in its ratings and scored 7,614 TVTs (6,328). Pyar Ka Dard Hai reported 7,708 TVTs (7,191). Saathiya witnessed a rise and registered 7,237 TVTs (7,101). Epic series Mahabharat witnessed a drop in its third week with 4,909 TVTs (5,518).

     

    Second placed, Colors much hyped reality show Bigg Boss seven reported 4,835 TVTs (4,811) this week. Long running fiction series Balika Vadhu saw a drop in its ratings and marked 6,759 TVTs (7,797), Madhubala – Ek Ishq Ek Junoon scored 4,519 TVTs (4,743) and Uttaran reported 4,056 TVTs (3,464). Comedy Nights with Kapil reported 4,462 TVTs (6,804). The channel aired twice a day, Hindi feature film Raanjhanaa that garnered 4,493 TVTs and 3,400 TVTs respectively.

     

    Third placed, Zee TV’s fictional offering Qubool Hai saw a rise and scored 6,003 TVTs (5,511). Pavitra Rishta generated 4,646 TVTs (4,421). Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke notched up and scored 6,490 TVTs (5,343). The channel’s historical show Jodha Akbar is working wonders for the channel with its strong storyline and reported 9,337 TVTs (8,027). Drama series Do Dil Bandhe Ek Dori Se registered 5,696 TVTs (4,675). Its dance reality DID – Dance ka Tashan took its tally to 3,870 TVTs (4,088) on a Saturday and 3,707 TVTs (4,290) on a Sunday.

     

    Fourth placed, Life OK’s top mythological series Mahadev scored notched up and scored 4,009 TVTs (3,623). Do Dil Ek Jaan stood at 1,884 TVTs (1,725), Savdhan India rated 2,479 TVTs (2,563), Shapath generated 3,637 TVTs (3,729). Ek Boond Ishq propped up this week taking its tally to 2,635 TVTs (2,351).

     

    Fifth placed, Sony’s long running crime series CID witnessed a huge rise and recorded 7,048 TVTs (5,505), Crime Petrol saw a drop and registered 3,882 TVTs (4,789). The channel’s historical show Maharana Pratap generated 3,057 TVTs (2,840). KBC lost its score and only garnered 3,911 TVTs (5,176). Other fiction shows either held on to their viewership or dipped marginally during the week.

     

    Sab’s fiction show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah continues to be the channel leader with 8,489 TVTs (8,096). Chidiya Ghar saw a rise as it rated 3,817 TVTs (3,176). Lapataganj reported 2,380 TVTs (2,015). Baalveer registered 2,925 TVTs (2,835). Other fictional shows witnessed marginal rise and fall as well.

     

    In the movie channel genre, Zee Cinema reported 198,401 GVTs (201,334); Star Gold witnessed a slight drop to 174,671 GVTs (183,757) and Movies OK notched up taking its tally to 126,462 GVTs (107,863). On the other hand, &pictures garnered 61,530 TVTs (67,942), Zee Anmol rated 38,080 GVTs and Max scored 220,318 GVTs (207,046).

     

    Let’s see what’s in store for the channels in the coming weeks.

  • Why Star sponsored Indian cricket for 2013-14?

    Why Star sponsored Indian cricket for 2013-14?

    MUMBAI: It came as a bolt from the blue – actually in this case the greens on which the sport of cricket is played. The BCCI has decided to award the title sponsorship of all domestic and international tournaments in India for 2013-2014 for a reported price of Rs 2 crore per match, around Rs 1.5 crore less than that paid by the previous sponsor Airtel.

     

    What goes? Why is Star going hell for leather putting money behind the game? One can’t but forget that the Star Group beat competition from Multi Screen Media (Sony) to bag the six-year broadcast and digital rights of India’s international cricket matches at home and domestic events like Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy and the Irani Trophy. The Rupert Murdoch-owned company’s six-year contract is valued at Rs 3,851 crore and will cover 96 matches in all.

     

    One of the reasons, Star India COO  Sanjay Gupta says is that the network is going all out to promote not just cricket but also other sports. Says he: “We are betting big on sports and even more betting on cricket. Currently we have the rights to telecast the matches on television as well as on other multi-screens.”

     

    As a strategy the Star group, he says, is ideally looking for something similar to what it did for IPL, Star sponsored IPL through its brand – Star Plus. Plans are focused on deepening its relation with cricket and also using cricket to promote its brands in a big way.

     

    “So looking from the Star brand point of view we would like to use this sponsorship, for obviously Star Sports and also Star Plus and Life OK,” expounds Sanjay.

     

    He further states that Star will use its entertainment network to build the awareness and enthusiasm for cricket likewise. And then conversely use the cricket platform to build awareness for other sports in the country. “So when people are watching cricket we should be able to sample other sports to them, and thus give them more to watch, so that is the strategy we are putting in place,” says Gupta.

     

    Telecasting the action on the field in different languages is another tack. “One of the major challenges of sports in the country has been that for the last 10 years, sports were being telecast in only one language and that’s English, but that is not the primary language for consumption in most of India.”

     

    Research has revealed that TV viewers would be better served if they get to consume sports coverage in either Hindi or their local languages. “As we know that in entertainment the language used makes a big difference, so our attempt is to build content for both key sports – cricket and football – in Hindi, so that people are able to consume the content in a much better manner,” exults Gupta.

     

    Star will continue the English commentary for both cricket and football as it has a great panel of commentators for both these sports and the content is enjoyed by a huge chunk of its viewer base. “But we are equally building affinity with the content in the Hindi speaking markets (HSMs) and the response has been really encouraging and proves that our strategy is working well with our loyal fan base,” Gupta explains.

     

    With digitisation still an ongoing process what kind of changes can be witnessed in the near future? Reveals Gupta, “It hasn’t really brought about a fundamental change, but people who were in analogue had limited access to content as they could only see 20-30 channels, and some of the sports channels were hit at that time as many of the operators would replace it with some other channel if a live match was not on, may be a movie channel or something else. But with digitisation kicking in not only sports but the content for overall channels has improved dramatically and that’s a welcome change as people will be able to watch the sports channels everyday rather than on a need-be basis.”

     

    Star is striving to build its sports portfolio, and that is the reason that it is trying to get in other sports like football with the Barclays Premier League, motor-racing through F1 and several other sports.

     

    Giving his view on HD as a format Gupta says, “It is very powerful, and we initiated it a couple of years back, as the quality of experience goes up, and with roughly two million HD households consuming HD content across different platforms, the growth of HD will only accelerate.”

     

    Star has recently also launched Star World Premiere HD only strengthening the fact that it believes that is a very big opportunity for all premium content including sports. “We are going to be investing heavily in HD content across genres as we seriously believe HD is the way ahead,” says Gupta.
    Bringing about interactivity with the audience is also something that Star plans to bring about in the near future. “We have already seen that with www.starsports.com when we put cricket, there is a lot of interactivity even in content consumption and not only commenting & social networking but people can see the match and equally see the players’ performances and enjoy highlights even as the live action is going on in the field. So we do see interactivity as a very big tool for the younger generation of the country to connect with sports,” ends Gupta.

  • Star Plus and Sony gain big in TAM week 38

    Star Plus and Sony gain big in TAM week 38

    MUMBAI: The war for ‘the best among the rest’ continues even as the top three positions see no change in week 38 of TAM TV ratings. The week has worked wonders for Star Plus and Colors with its high properties Mahabharat and Bigg Boss seven respectively hitting the TV screens.

    Star Plus is the highest gainer this week with 534,590 GVTs (477,029), holding the number one slot. Well! the reason is quite clear, Mahabharat opened up with commendable 8,445 TVTs taking it way ahead of competition.

    Talking about Mahabharat’s grand opening, Star Plus, senior vice-president, marketing, Nikhil Madhok exults: “We are extremely happy with the grand welcome it has received. There is very encouraging positive feedback pouring in from all quarters. We are now looking at building further from here on.”

    On the other hand, Bigg Boss seven too saw a healthy start scoring 7,711 TVTs on the grand premier that was held on 15 September, taking Colors score to 479,892 GVTs (463,869).

    Sony Entertainment Television was the next highest gainer this week with 327,089 GVTs (292,852), occupying the number four position.

    Zee TV too saw a rise this week and holds its number three spot with 413,707 GVTs (398,993). Life OK, the sister channel of Star Plus is at number five position with 313,138 GVTs (322,364). Sab takes a back seat at number six with 289,471 GVTs (312,053). Sahara One continues to be at the bottom scoring 26,495 GVTs (28,749).

    All Star Plus’ shows witnessed a rise in the ratings this week. Its popular show Diya aur Baati Hum saw a massive rise in its ratings and rated 9,819 TVTs (8,803). Another prime time show, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai scored 6,587 TVTs (6,144). Pyar Ka Dard Hai reported 7,342 TVTs (6,930) and Saathiya registered 6,456 TVTs (6,002). New epic series Mahabharat witnessed a good week with 6,356 TVTs.

    Second placed, Color’s much hyped reality show Bigg Boss seven witnessed 5,080 TVTs this week. Long running fiction series Balika Vadhu saw a marginal rise and rated 6,551 TVTs (6,278), Madhubala – Ek Ishq Ek Junoon scored 4,990 (4442) and Uttaran reported 4,140 TVTs (4,154). Comedy Nights with Kapil garnered 7,244 TVTs (7,215).

    Zee TV’s fictional offering Qubool Hai saw a hike recording 6,340 TVTs (5,956). Pavitra Rishta generated 4,733 TVTs (4,280). Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke notched up and scored 5,035 TVTs (4,643). The channel’s historical show Jodha Akbar seems to attract audiences by its interesting track taking its tally to 8,025 TVTs (6,981). Drama series Do Dil Bandhe Ek Dori Se registered 4,612 TVTs (5,047). Its new offering Buddha took its tally to 1,537 TVTs (1,450).

    Fourth placed, Sony’s long running crime series CID witnessed a drop recording 5,070 TVTs (5,391) and Crime Petrol saw a high rise and rated 6,415 TVTs (3,739). The channel’s historical show Maharana Pratap generated 3,266 TVTs (3,151). KBC notched up taking its score to 6,134 TVTs (5,925). Comedy Circus garnered 3,092 TVTs (3,409). Other fiction shows either held on to their viewership or dipped marginally during the week.

    Fifth placed, Life OK’s top series Mahadev has propped up this week as it scored 3,588 TVTs (2,585). Do Dil Ek Jaan stood at 1,801 TVTs (1,666), Savdhan India rated 2,300 TVTs (2,734), whereas Shapath generated 3,988 TVTs (3,410).

    Sixth placed, Sab’s fiction show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah continues to be the channel leader with 7,276 TVTs (6,816). Chidiya Ghar saw a downfall as it rated 3,045 TVTs (3,430). Lapataganj reported 2,066 TVTs (2,347). Baalveer registered 2,605 TVTs (2,057). Other fictional shows witnessed marginal rise and fall as well.

    In the movie channel genre, Zee Cinema reported 187,397 GVTs (191,359); Star Gold witnessed a slight fall to 177,380 GVTs (182,350) and Movies OK rated 96,047 GVTs (100,401). On the other hand, new entrant &pictures garnered 67,480 GVTs (67,774). Max saw a healthy rise when it scored 210,021 GVTs (192,416).

    Well, it seems the GECs are having a roller coaster ride. Let’s see what’s in store for the channels in the coming weeks.

  • Life OK claws back to number four

    Life OK claws back to number four

    MUMBAI: The war for ‘the best among the rest‘ continues even as the top three positions see no change in week 37 of TAM TV ratings.

    Life OK, a sister channel of Star Plus is the highest gainer this week and is back at the number four position with 322,364 GVTs (276,290). As reported earlier by indiantelevision.com, Life OK general manager Ajit Thakur had said that in the coming weeks the channel plans to aggressively invest in content promising its viewers a never-seen-before experience. Well this attitude has worked wonders for the channel.

    Other GECs saw a drop in their viewership. Star Plus continues to rule the chart with 477,029 GVTs (494,732). Not quite far behind is Colors which continues to maintain its number two position recording 463,869 GVTs (452,851). Zee TV holds its no three spot with 398,993 GVTs (410,774).

    Sab, a sister channel of Sony maintains its number five position as it rated 312,053 GVTs (322,392). Sony takes the back seat at number six with 292,852 GVTs (346,122). Sahara One continues to be at the bottom scoring 28,749 GVTs (28,742).

    Back to the chart topper, Star Plus channel‘s popular show Diya aur Baati Hum saw a drop in its ratings and rated 8,803 TVTs (9,765). Another prime time show, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai scored 6,144 TVTs (7,261). Pyar Ka Dard Hai reported 6,930 TVTs (6,840) and Saathiya registered 6,002 TVTs (6,079). Reality show Junior Master Chef lost its audiences witnessing a drop 2,160 TVTs (2,370).

    Colors‘ popular celebrity dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa aired its grand finale on 14 September and registered 8,822 TVTs. Long running fiction series Balika Vadhu saw a huge growth and rated 6,278 TVTs (5,912), Madhubala – Ek Ishq Ek Junoon scored 4,442 TVTs (4,847) and Uttaran reported 4,154 TVTs (4,450). The comedy show Comedy Nights with Kapil garnered 7,215 TVTs (7,983).

    Zee TV‘s reality dance show DID Super Moms aired its grand finale on 8 September and scored 6,087 TVTs. Its fictional offering Qubool Hai witnessed a drop recording 5,956 TVTs (6,380). Pavitra Rishta generated 4,280 TVTs (5,163). It‘s long running series Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke scored 5,362 TVTs (4,785). The channel‘s historical show Jodha Akbar seems to attract audiences by its interesting track taking its tally to 6,981 TVTs (7,259). Drama series Do Dil Bandhe Ek Dori Se registered 5,047 TVTs (5,946). Its new offering Buddha did not mangae to grab attention of the viewers and socred 1,450 TVTs.

    Fourth placed, Life OK‘s top series Mahadev rated 2,585 TVTs (2,511). Do Dil Ek Jaan stood at 2,585 TVTs (2,511), Savdhan India rated 2,734 TVTs (2,651), whereas Shapath generated 3,410 TVTs (3,339) and Gustakh Dil rated 1,444 TVTs (1,333).

    Fifth placed, Sab‘s fiction show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah continues to be the channel leader with 6,816 TVTs (6,751). Chidiya Ghar has propped up this week as it scored 3,430 TVTs (3,064). Lapataganj reported 2,347 TVTs (2,062). FIR rated 2,055 TVTs (2,209). Other fictional shows witnessed marginal rise and fall as well.

    Sixth placed, Sony‘s long running crime series CID witnessed a drop recording 5,391 TVTs (5,941) and Crime Petrol saw a healthy rise scored 3,739 TVTs (3,418). The channel‘s historical show Maharana Pratap generated 3,151 TVTs (3,354). KBC saw a drop in its ratings as it rated 5,049 TVTs (8,950), 6,027 TVTs (8,460) and 6698 TVTs on Friday, Saturday and Sunday respectively. Comedy Circus garnered 3,409 TVTs. Other fiction shows either held on to their viewership or dipped marginally during the week.

    In the movie channel genre, Zee Cinema reported 191,359 GVTs (206,038); Star Gold witnessed a slight rise to182,350 GVTs (176,904) and Movies OK rated 100,401 GVTs (105,357). On the other hand, new entrant &pictures garnered 67,774 GVTs (57,197). Max saw a healthy rise when it scored 192,416 GVTs (179,760).

    Well, it seems the GECs are having a good roller coaster ride. Let‘s see what’s in-store for the GECs in the coming weeks.