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Tag: Star India Network

  • Postudio’s cloud SaaS disrupts traditional studios for efficient, affordable post-production – Harish Prabhu.

    Postudio’s cloud SaaS disrupts traditional studios for efficient, affordable post-production – Harish Prabhu.

    Mumbai: Harish Prabhu and Dhawal Gusain, launched Postudio /a first-of-its-kind SaaS post-production studio that’s completely on the cloud and on demand. With a mission to reinvent the way people create content, Postudio was founded to pave the way for an accessible, affordable, collaborative and creator-friendly future for the “FMCG- Fast Moving Creative Generation”.

    With just an internet connection and a browser, creators can now access all their favourite and best-in-class tools from editing, VFX, graphics, colour grading, audio systems & more and only pay for what they use. The platform has a centralised storage system which allows team members from across the globe to work together seamlessly on the same project in real-time, making edits and approvals super quick. It is also integrated with superior data analytics so teams get a cockpit view of all their projects and tasks from anywhere, at any time.

    Harish Prabhu is invested in reinventing the way creators make art. With over 25 years of experience in the field of post-production, Harish has been witness to and led the digital revolution in the media & broadcasting industry in India. Harish started his career at NFDC (National Film Development Corporation) as an editor. He then moved to CMM studios and later got into film production. This was the time when digital editing was just being introduced in India.

    Being one of the senior-most professionals in the field of post-production, Harish helped many of the media & broadcasting companies in their digital transformation journey.

    In 1999, he joined Channel [V] as editor & head of post-production, where he was editor of India’s first non-fiction reality show – channel [V] popstars. This is when he started the ‘promo’ creation trend in India, which plays a big part in any media/film release even today.

    He later joined Star India Network in 2002, as senior editor and compositor. His creations were awarded and recognised at Indian & International Promax. This was when the network began its digital transformation journey with Harish leading this effort. From charting workflows and building the tech infrastructure Harish was in charge of building the digital brand. He was also a founding team member of starsports.com – India’s first online sports video platform which marked the beginning of a new era for sports viewing.

    With incredible success on this launch, he then began his next task of building India’s largest digital entertainment platform – Hotstar.

    After over a decade with the Star India Network and completing the entire digital transformation for the company, Harish decided to move on and build something of his own. In 2017, he co-founded Desynova, a cloud-first content supply chain platform offering content management including archive, subtitling, and cloud broadcast playout services to OTT and broadcasting networks.

    Indiantelevision.com in conversation with Postudio founder Harish Prabhu on the launch of Postudio, the USP and much more……..

    On Postudio was founded to pave the way for an accessible, affordable, collaborative and creator-friendly future for the “FMCG- Fast Moving Creative Generation – can you elaborate on this

    Postudio’s inception stemmed from a commitment to reimagine the traditional post-production landscape, replacing it with an end-to-end cloud-based paradigm. This transformation is driven by the recognition that the Fast Moving Creative Generation (FMCG) within the post-production industry is defined by talent who have grown up in a tech-savvy world, valuing key attributes such as affordability, security, creative freedom, geographical mobility, and data analytics. Postudio addresses these evolving needs by providing an accessible, affordable, and collaborative cloud-based platform.

    This digital shift eliminates the necessity for creators to invest in expensive hardware and software, offering a liberated environment where they can work from any location and enjoy heightened security for their content. Moreover, Postudio places significant emphasis on data analytics, empowering artists and post-production employees with actionable insights, thus revolutionizing their creative processes and decision-making. In essence, Postudio ushers in a future where the post-production journey is characterized by seamless, efficient, and secure workflows, perfectly aligned with the expectations of the modern creative workforce.

    On the moot idea of opening Postudio

    The driving force behind founding Postudio was to confront the pressing challenges that the post-production industry faced, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, it became evident that our industry was among the few that could not adapt to remote work, which was a significant limitation.

    My interactions with both industry veterans and emerging artists illuminated that this was just the tip of the iceberg. The Fast Moving Creative Generation (FMCG) needed a solution like Postudio to break free from the constraints of traditional setups. We recognized that the content creation was poised for significant growth, but it was being held back by high costs, limited accessibility, and inefficient collaboration.

    In response, Postudio was conceived as a solution that would make post-production more affordable, accessible, and collaborative by transitioning it to the cloud. By offering industry-standard tools and seamless project management, we aimed to empower creators to focus on their creative work, unburdened by the costs and complexities of traditional hardware and software. Postudio represents a step towards a future where the creative community can thrive, regardless of geographical constraints, and fully embrace the limitless potential of their artistic visions.

    On AI having a major role to play in the post-production industry? and how

    I believe AI is an ally for post-production because AI’s impact on the post-production industry is transformative. It automates labour-intensive tasks, like video compilations and colour correction, resulting in increased efficiency. AI streamlines workflows, reducing the time and effort required for these processes, and allowing creators to focus on their creative vision. Furthermore, AI-driven content analysis simplifies the management and retrieval of specific clips or scenes, facilitating more precise and efficient post-production work. Embracing AI to its maximum potential is the key to unlocking new heights of productivity and creativity in the industry.

    On the plethora of post-production studios because of TV & OTT. and Postudio’s USP

    Postudio’s distinctiveness is anchored in its cloud-based, on-demand SaaS platform, which stands in stark contrast to the conventional post-production studios reliant on physical infrastructure and expensive post-production systems.  It heralds a new era of digitization for the post-production industry. Through years of research and experience, we have built Postudio to be the most comprehensive, intuitive and seamless SaaS platform for all things post-prod. All one needs is an internet connection and a browser!

    This transformation touches every facet of post-production:

    1   Creative Freedom: Postudio liberates creators from constraints by granting access to industry-standard tools and removing the need for expensive equipment.

    2   Geographical Mobility/Work from Anywhere: Our cloud-based platform empowers creators to work from any location, transcending geographical barriers and promoting global collaboration.

    3   Best-In-Class Security: We place a premium on content security, employing AES encryption and stringent access control to safeguard creators’ invaluable work from unauthorized access.

    4   Deep, Actionable Data Analytics: Postudio equips creators with robust data analysis tools, facilitating insights into their projects for enhanced managerial control and informed decision-making.

    5   Substantial Cost Savings: Through our pay-as-you-go model and elimination of the necessity for costly hardware and software investments, Postudio offers substantial cost savings, placing creators’ financial resources to better use.

    6   Collaboration: The platform enables real-time collaboration between multiple editors through centralised storage. This makes project management easy with up-to-date analytics, high content security and access control tools.

    Comparing Postudio to traditional post-production methods is like comparing Uber to kaali-peeli taxis. In every aspect of the consumer experience journey, Postudio represents a significant leap forward, offering creators a comprehensive and game-changing solution for post-production, positioning itself as a trailblazer in the industry’s ongoing transformation.

    On some of the biggest challenges in today’s post-production industry

    A key problem in our industry is that we often resist change and stick to what we know. This causes many issues that hamper day-to-day productivity. Issues like limited creative freedom and being tied to specific locations for work. It also leads to messy workflows, data security problems in the digital age, high costs, and a lack of tools for analyzing data. To fix these problems, we need to be more open to new ideas, embrace technology, encourage innovation, and invest in talented people and data analysis. The good news is that more people are starting to realize the importance of technology and are slowly adopting these advances.

    On having spent many years as a post-production person in a broadcast channel, Harish you were instrumental in launching Hotstar, how are you looking at the post-technology today

    I have long felt (being 27 years in this Industry) that with Post Production we have barely scratched the surface of what Tech can do. COVID showed me how ill-prepared and antiquated we were as an industry. Fortunately, others realized it too. I look at the post-prod journey as two-time phases 1) BC – before covid where the laissez faire/inertia was deeply rooted and 2) AR: after realisation when I believe the industry (or at least a large part of it) realised that we cannot thrive if we continue to work the way we did. There have been incremental improvements in collaboration and communication tools and most definitely in content supply management but with Postudio, I believe we have the first exponential change that will benefit every player in the post-prod world from the editor to the studios to the production houses and the distributors.

    On Postudio operating on the cloud, can you explain this in layman’s terms

    When we say Postudio operates on the cloud, think of it like this: Instead of having all your post-production work stored and processed on physical computers or servers in a specific location, we use the internet to store, process, and manage your media assets and projects. This means you can access your work from anywhere with an internet connection, collaborate with team members worldwide, and use industry-standard tools without the need for expensive hardware and software. It’s like having a virtual post-production studio in the cloud that’s always available to you.

    On the importance of privacy and security in today’s content-run world and on measures that have you taken on this aspect in particular

    Privacy and security are of utmost importance in today’s content-driven world. At Postudio, we take privacy and security seriously. We use AES encryption and strict access controls to ensure that your content remains secure and protected from unauthorized access. Only invited team members have access to the projects, creating a safe and collaborative environment. We also implement data analysis to maintain optimum managerial control and ensure that your valuable work is kept confidential. Our commitment to security and privacy is integral to our platform, allowing creators to focus on their art with confidence in their content’s safety. 

  • Ind-Pak match on 24 Oct garners 167 million reach on TV

    Ind-Pak match on 24 Oct garners 167 million reach on TV

    Mumbai: The India-Pakistan match on 24 October garnered a reach of 167 million* on TV and has become the most viewed T20I match, exceeding the previous record – India-West Indies 2016 ICC World T20I semi-finals.

    The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 has delivered a cumulative reach of 238 million* for the broadcaster Star India network (qualifiers + first 12 games of Super 12 stage). The overall consumption reached 47 billion minutes.

    “The India-Pakistan match has created history by clocking a record reach of 167 million viewers, making it the most viewed T20I match till date,” said a spokesperson from Star India. “We have continually strived to grow the audience base for marquee cricket and this record is a testament to our efforts across high-decibel campaigns, enhanced storytelling, dedicated regional programming, and consumer innovations. There’s no doubt that the result of the match and India’s exit from the tournament disappointed fans but the record viewership displays the unique power of cricket to engage audiences at an unprecedented scale.”

    (* Source: BARC. Fig. at 2+U+R, Live match only, on Star network)

  • Channel [V] refreshes itself; new shows, new packaging

    Channel [V] refreshes itself; new shows, new packaging

    MUMBAI: When things are going well, change to take them to another level, is a leitmotif that many an innovator follows. The Star India network owned Channel [V] seems to be going the same route. In July 2012, it revamped itself as a youth general entertainment channel with a focus on reality. That worked reasonably well for it. 17 months later it is all ready for another rejig: there’s a new cool logo with the tagline “Correct Hai”, new packaging and even a new programming line up.

    Channel [V] has undergone many a revamp over the past few years, probably such is the requirement of the audience which is its core viewer – the youth. The purpose of the current reinvention: engage even better with them.

    The logo has the same [V] brand but on a band-aid like patch being peeled off with “All New” above it. The tag line is even more interesting: one of the ‘Rs’ in the Correct is reversed while the Hai is in the Hindi script. Obviously, the idea is to speak the language of the youth and there is a hint of irreverence in its approach even while keeping middle class sensibilities in mind.

    Says Channel [V] EVP & general manager Prem Kamath: “The baseline reflects us – what we call the brand character. It also states, ‘Politically incorrect and emotionally correct. The new shows that we have created reflect the baseline and have been developed around the same theme.”

    Slated to air from 25 November, the four new shows Kamath is referring to will have limited runs and straddle the programming genres of comedy, drama, thriller and reality.

    Sadda Haq produced by Yash Patnaik’s Beyond Dreams is slated to air six days a week at 6.30 pm and is the story of Sanyukta Agrawal, a young Delhi girl who challenges the patriarchal world and breaks the stereotypes!

    Sudhir and Seema Sharma’s Sunshine Productions is the producer of Paanch: Don’t Get Mad Get Even and It’s Complicated. The first is the story 18-year-old Roshni, a shy girl who enters a college in Mumbai to ‘right some wrongs’ and airs Wednesday and Thursday from 6 to 6.30 pm while the second is about three young couples who deal with their relationship problems and will air on Friday-Saturday at the same time slot.

    Confessions of an Indian Teenager, from the Balaji Telefilms stable, features the young Vaibhav Sharma who shares the day to day concerns of the youth – once again from 6 to 6.30 pm on Mondays and Tuesdays.

    The new shows are slated to replace Crazy Super Ishq and Suvreen Guggal – Topper of the year – both of which had quite some traction with Channel [V] viewers but had probably reached their end of life.

    Prem Kamath is taking Channel [V] to another youth GEC level.

    “We firmly believe that both variety and periodic change are very essential if you have to stay connected to the youngsters,” explains Kamath. “The change in logo and introduction of new programmes are reflective of that. Over the years, we have realised that youngsters need variety, refreshment and change. The need for it is significantly higher for a youth-centric channel than for regular GECs or other channels.”

    Kamath says there is a great deal of emphasis in Channel [V] to get the right shows, right stories in; it’s not just about coming up with new packaging alone. “Even before the first shot, we had the complete story penned down,” he points out. “Nobody watches your channel just because of packaging and its graphics. People watch a channel when it has a lot of content and variety. It adds freshness and newness to the channel.”

    “We are talking to young audiences and we are creating a youth general entertainment channel. We firmly believe that there is a huge market for youth centric shows and that most of the GECs lack variety. We are trying to create a viable option,” he adds.

    Estimates are that around Rs 5 crore has been kept aside to communicate the all new Channel [V] to viewers. Television, some outdoors, some print and a heck of a lot of online activity is being brought into play. It’s official facebook page has been buzzing with teaser activity since earlier this month. Promos of the new shows and teasers around the revamp, have been keeping the comments and likes coming. With 3.1 million likes, that’s a large audience that’s been engaged. Then probing social issues have been raised which have got this community interacting.

    Questions like:
    * Young children made to do hard labour for long hours. Kya yeh Correct Hai ?
    * Some people marry and get to know their partners. Or some want to know their partners and then marry. Hence they “LIVE IN CorrectHai?
    * Katrina Hindi bole toh cool. Main Hindi bolu to uncool. Kya yeh CorrectHai?

    Divya Radhakrishnan feels that the channel has taken the right move.

    Eight films of 15 seconds each have been created and “we will be uploading them only after launching the new look on 25 November. We believe that once people see the brand films, they should switch on to Channel V and see a completely refreshed channel,” reveals Kamath.

    He points out that online promotions are a big part of the marketing campaign. “The idea is to get as many video views of the promos as we can. Once the viewers sample the change being offered, they will understand that it is very different from the kind of shows they have been watching. We are hoping some of our videos to go viral as well. Our objective is to try and introduce the maximum number of people to the new offerings through the audio-visual medium.”

    Many a brand has hopped on board as advertisers on Channel [V] since the relaunch last year: Pepsi, Coco-Cola, Airtel, Nokia, Blackberry, Deodorants, two-wheelers and among others.

    Media veterans are already offering kudos to Kamath and his team on the new look. Says Helios Media’s boss Divya Radhakrishnan: “Every channel has to re-establish itself to look vibrant and young. For a youth channel, it needs to be done more often and they have done the right thing. You need to keep re-orienting yourself time and again so that the viewers don’t get bored.”

    Now it’s over to the fickle and rapidly evolving youth to prove her right.

  • ”Economically sensible model is a combination of CPT and correction of income growth’ : Paritosh Joshi- Star India President

    ”Economically sensible model is a combination of CPT and correction of income growth’ : Paritosh Joshi- Star India President

    It’s now a known fact that HLL has pulled its advertising off the Star India Network, but whether a non co-existence and exchange between the biggest advertiser on television and the top rated television network in the country is a healthy proposition for either of the two parties, is the moot point?

     

    Even though TRP rates have declined across the network by 1-1.5 per cent after the implementation of Cas, it is also true that the television universe has grown drastically. And the truth is, Star has been singled out, leading one to question if there is a larger issue at stake here between the two mammoth corporations in this face-off that kicked off in March this year.

     

    Star president advertising sales and distribution Paritosh Joshi says that it is more than just an individual client issue but part of a larger debate for which the industry cannot behave like a cartel because that is unethical.

     

    Presented here are comments made to Indiantelevision.com on the matter by Star India president Paritosh Joshi. Additonally, relevant comments made in earlier interactions with Indiantelevision.com by HLL GM – Media Services Rahul Welde and Zee Network executive V-P Joy Chakraborthy have been provided in an attempt to offer a more rounded overview of the issue.

    Excerpts:

    How do you propose to address the issue that HLL has put the forth through its boycott of the network and rejection of Star’s advertising rate card?
    A solution to this will emerge as a fallout of the understanding of two dramatic developments in television. First the growth in television homes in the Hindi speaking markets of the East, West and North but not the South that is already saturated.

    Secondly, the GDP, which is estimated to grow by 8.9 per cent year on year. However, there is a disproportionate income increase in which the top 60 per cent of the population absorbs this growth. Out of the 120 million TV homes, 70 million are C&S, therefore with the kind of growth in disposable incomes that the country is seeing, the number of C&S homes will grow by twice that rate.

    The aggregate value of television ad sales is likely to see 20-22 per cent Y-O-Y growth. If this is not reflected as an industry then we are under monetized.

    Is CPT is the answer?
    I believe an economically sensible model is a combination of CPT and correction of income growth.

    Should broadcasters be united on this front?
    The industry cannot behave like a cartel because that is unethical. We have to, as individual broadcasters, explain this to the client in a sensible manner and get them to recognize and find merit in the argument.

    But how then do you fill up the bulk of your inventory?
    The Cricket World Cup has in some ways contributed to clients looking for a more reliable, robust and stable inventory. With April to June being a buoyant period with new category launches and the new financial year, there are enough interested clients. We are seeing high activity from the skin care sector, bottled beverages, refrigerated foods and air conditioner brands.

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    ‘Money is shifting from the big to the small or from the leaders to the challengers‘

    With HLL always known to be television heavy, what happens in the case of mass channels and niche channels, what strategy would you follow in that case?

    Well, we do spend on niche and mass channels, but with the whole area of fragmentation of audiences with multiple channels emerging, where stickiness is a challenge and competition is high. Now what it really means for us is that segmentation and multiplication of channels provides the opportunity to peg note and talk to the consumer.

    Unfortunately, the costs have increased and given that the overall advertising pie is fixed. The ad pie doesn’t grow because there are more channels, but what is happening is money is shifting from the big to the small or from the leaders to the challengers.

    The growth of channels, we will see an increase in the number seconds, but what is often interpreted is that spends are also increasing in the same proportion. It is of course a big challenge as fragmentation makes the task of planning even more difficult, where agencies will produce software and optimizers making the process more sophisticated. This scenario is good for segmentation, bad for costs. Thus I don’t know whether to call it a ‘happy situation’ because after a point of time your returns become sub-optimal when costs are high. Then that becomes a worry.

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    The big news currently seems to be around how Hindustan Lever is significantly increasing spends on your network. You have even been on record as saying you are looking at a growth of at least 100% on Lever spend in FY08 over FY07? How do you justify that optimism?
    Levers is the biggest client in the television space and we have channels across all genres, Levers is a good client for consumption also because they are perennial clients. There has been rate correction but we have also given them big properties. At the same time, Levers buying process over the last two years has changed, initially they used to buy slots that appeared at a particular time band but now they have started buying quality as well so they would necessarily have to pay for that. Therefore, there has been a jump in ad sales rates this year over the previous year.

    When you say ‘rate correction’ – what do you mean?
    The Zee network itself is very under-priced, so we are continuously correcting our rates. I have over my tenure here (which is two years) revised my rates three times, but no rate correction is very drastic, it’s really a gradual correction.

    After all we are still in a World Cup year and although India is out of the tournament, we will see loads of other cricket action as well?
    As a network, we haven’t suffered at the hands of cricket. However a lot of money is diverted there. But thanks to cricket and sport, I believe that the overall PUT (people utilizing television) will also increase, because of World Cup TV sales will also increase, so the whole space is only going to expand.

    It will eventually benefit us also, but my only concern and what I see as a challenge this year is that the unofficial currency is cost per rating point (CPRP), which has to move cost per thousand (CPT). CPT is more important and with Tam’s expanded panel the absolute number of people watching has increased by 50 per cent and we as an industry should be paid for that. Even more, if you are a listed body you also should subscribe to the CPT model, which will happen sooner or later.

    But how soon do you think the transition from a CPRP model to CPT model will take to materialize?
    The IBF and AAAI have already met on two occasions, the next one is in April. But at the end of the day this shift will benefit all of us. It’s not that it is unfortunate for the client alone, as the television medium continues to grow the cost of programming, distribution, marketing and manpower is increasing every day. With the CPT model the ad rates will go up, infact most agencies buy on CPRP and give it to the client on CPT, but after expansion the minimum rate has increased. The recommendations of these two industry body’s should materialize within a month’s time.

    It has been previously stated that Cas impact only accounts for a 1- 1.5% drop in C&S 4+ level across TV. However, with moves to extend Cas to cover the full metros and then possibly go into other cities and towns this argument cannot be sustained for much longer. How does Zee view this situation and how do you plan to use it to your advantage?
    Cas is here to stay but the thing is that Cas growth was marginal, across the Zee network the drop accounted for 2.5 per cent, which is very less in comparison to the kind of growth that we are experiencing.

    With Cas rolling out further, the pressure from media buyers on rates is only going to go up? Do you see the possibility of many channels, including entertainment channels, going FTA to protect advertising revenues? For instance, Peter Mukerjea’s Hindi entertainment channels will be FTA when it launches…?
    Sometime we really wonder whom the media buyers really work for, the channel or the client. They will always pressurize us. Do you think they deal with rate hikes easily? They will fight for each rupee just as we fight for the same. But that is what makes our relationship so lasting.