ITV

Tag: Star World

  • ‘With Revenge the studio, network and production company were all on the same page’ : Revenge executive producer Marty Bowen

    ‘With Revenge the studio, network and production company were all on the same page’ : Revenge executive producer Marty Bowen

    Next year Star World will air the show ‘Revenge‘. It is about a woman who returns to The Hamptons to seek revenge on those who were responsible for her father‘s imprisonment and death.

     

    Marty Bowen is one of the executive producers of the show. He spent many years as an agent representing talent like Charlie Kaufman and James Gandolfini before surprising the industry and leaving UTA to pursue a career in producing in 2006. Bowen partnered with veteran producer Wyck Godfrey, to create their own production company, Temple Hill Entertainment.

     

    Their first film was ‘The Nativity Story‘ but the big break came in 2008 when they embarked with Summit Entertainment on production of the ‘Twilight‘ movie franchise. The films have made well over $1 billion at the box office.

     

    Temple Hill Entertainment has gone on to make a television show ‘Revenge‘, created by Mike Kelley and starring Emily VanCamp, Madeleine Stowe and Henry Czerny. It is currently airing in the US on ABC.

     

    Known in Hollywood for his solid work ethic Bowen is very much hands on during the production process. This includes the casting decisions. Indiantelevision.com‘s Ashwin Pinto caught up with Bowen to find out more about ‘Revenge‘ as well as the challenges of being a producer in Hollywood

     

    Excerpts:

    How did the idea for ‘Revenge‘ come about?
    Temple Hill Entertainment the company that I work for had made a deal with ABC. They asked us to come up with some ideas that we thought could speak to audience that we generally like to produce programming and entertainment for. We had always been interested in doing a drama set against the backdrop of The Hamptons for which I am sure there is an Indian equivalent.

     

    It is an area where very wealthy people go to for their vacations. It was a world that we wanted to explore. We loved the idea of having rich people coming for the summer interacting with the people who live there the year round. We thought that there was really interesting drama to explore. ABC continued to challenge us to find an interesting story engine that might make it really compelling to have audiences go watch. Through a process of elimination we thought that it might be interesting to loosely use the structure of The Count of Monte Cristo to do that.

    You have had a huge amount of success with ‘Twilight‘. What were the learnings from that which you incorporated into this show?
    There are certain fundamental themes that one gets to explore in the ‘Twilight‘ series that we have learned from and have tried to incorporate a version of them within the story structure.

     

    I don‘t know if I want to be more specific than that but certainly there is a reason why audiences that see ‘Twilight‘ like to see it with groups of people. There is a reason why they enjoy that collective consciousness. We try to learn from that and try to instill the show with some of our elements.

     

    The television landscape is crowded with shows vying for attention. What separates ‘Revenge‘ from the rest of the pack?
    The show has a healthy old fashioned storytelling that we have not seen in a long time.

     

    The shows that I grew up with included ‘Dynasty‘, ‘Dallas‘ and all those fun soap opera from the 1980s. I think people nostalgically want to tune in to ‘Revenge‘ as they miss those kinds of programmes. At the same time our storytelling remains modern enough to have audiences seem to want to come back again and gain.

    As a producer how hands on were you in the casting and creative process for the show?
    I was very hands on. Certainly when it came to the pilot as it was an idea that we had generated in terms of finding a writer, picking a director and all levels of casting we were in all the meetings and were very active.

     

    But at a certain point once your baby learns to walk, you have to let them bump into furniture on their own. So we tried to keep a healthy distance to allow our writers to generate stories and write their teleplays in the best environment they can while at the same time steering the ship in the right direction.
    ‘We have a handful of very smart people at our company who constantly throw ideas against the wall to see if something sticks‘

    Was it a challenge to stick to the budget and production schedule?
    It was at the very beginning absolutely. You are all learning to work with one another for the first time. You have to have a tremendous amount of energy to launch a show. This only becomes more efficient as you get into the flow of things. So it was a challenge at first but we have managed to figure it out in a way that it runs very smoothly.

    Could you talk about the talent involved with the show?
    Let me start with Mike Kelley who is our writer, our showrunner. We were fans of his and were aware of the things he had written over the years. I loved his show ‘Swing Town‘ which was autobiographical and was something he really slaved over.

     

    I saw how good his writing was and how good that show was. When this idea came about he was literally at the top of our list of people who we thought could do the show. Actor Emily VanCamp is someone who is sympathetic. She is likeable but is also someone that you believe is capable of vengeance. Phillip Noyce made the pilot and he is one of the finest directors in Hollywood. He has made movies like ‘Salt‘.

    As a producer how many scripts and ideas come your way in a month and what qualities do you look for?
    We look at hundreds of ideas a month. We come up with dozens of ideas on our own from reading books, and watching other shows, documentaries, reading articles. We find themes that we are interested in.

     

    That is the nature of our business. We have a handful of very smart people at our company who constantly throw ideas against the wall to see if something sticks.

    This year some high profile shows like ‘Charlie‘s Angels‘ bit the dust after a few episodes. What separates a successful show from a failure?
    I think that there has to be something that an audience can connect with. I think that it is great to have a big title and it is great to have an intellectual property that people are familiar with.

     

    But you ultimately have to be engaged in what the characters are doing. I cannot speak about ‘Charlies Angels‘ as I did not watch the show but this factor is what separates great storytelling from average storytelling.

    Why are channels impatient in terms of letting a show find its feet?
    Many times they are impatient. But you can also point to many other times when they have been the opposite.

     

    Some of my favourite television series are shows where the networks believed in the show but which the audience did not get at first. Later on the audiences went on to love those shows. I think that it goes both ways.

    In terms of how the production process works what is the difference between film and television? 
    In film there is beginning, middle and an end. Television never ends. You could be finishing one episode, editing another, starting production on another. A smaller budget project could more challenging than one that costs hundreds of millions of dollars.

    In 2006 you left your job to establish a producing partnership. What prompted you to shift track?
    I wanted a creative outlet. While I loved what I was doing earlier I felt like working as a producer. I was fortunate to be able to get into a production partnership with my good friend Wyck Godfrey.

    How did you get your break with ‘Twilight‘?
    We had worked with ‘Twilight‘ director Catherine Hardwicke earlier on ‘The Nativity Story‘. We had also worked with the head of production at Summit Entertainment Erik Feig. They wanted to make the movie and so we came on-board.

    As a producer what is the main challenge you face?
    You have to make sure that you complete the thought. You have to ensure that the idea becomes a script which then translates into a movie.

     

    Assembling a project is a challenge. The different pieces have to come together in the way that you want it to. ‘Revenge‘ was one of those times where the studio, the network and the production company were all on the same page. It was a true collaboration.

    How challenging is it to juggle different projects at once?
    It is tough. However I am fortunate in terms of the people that I have working with me. I have people who are capable of picking up the slack.

    Do you keep the family audience in mind before giving the nod to a project?
    For us it is story first and the audience second. We focus on trying to tell a strong story and then look to see which audience the project will appeal to.
  • ITC to have a 24-hour roadblock on Star Network

    ITC to have a 24-hour roadblock on Star Network

    MUMBAI: After Hindustan Unilever (HUL), it‘s the time for ITC to do an advertising roadblock on Star Network.

    ITC has struck a deal with the leading network to air advertisements for ITC‘s personal care brands Fiama Di Wills and Vivel only for 24 hours starting 8 pm tonight.

    The roadblock, till 8 pm on 16 December, will see Star Plus, Star Gold, Star One, Star Utsav, Channel [V], Star Movies, Star World, Fox Traveler, Star Jalsha and Star Pravah airing advertisements of Fiama Di Wills and Vivel products only.

    Vivel Active Fair, ITC‘s first fairness cream, will lead the product lineup followed by Vivel Luxury cr?me, the premium range of soaps from the Vivel bath care portfolio; Fiama Di Wills Men, the range of Shower Gel and Bathing Bar; Fiama Di Wills Gel Bar, Fiama Di Wills Shower Gels; Vivel Milk cream and Glycerine and Vivel Ultra Pro, the anti-dandruff shampoo.

  • ‘Our revenue target is to grow upwards of 30%’ : Star India senior VP, GM English Channels Saurabh Yagnik

    ‘Our revenue target is to grow upwards of 30%’ : Star India senior VP, GM English Channels Saurabh Yagnik

    star India is aggressively building a wide portfolio of English entertainment channels. Its aim: to capture specific needs of different viewers.

     

    Backed by a rise in audience share, Star is eyeing a revenue growth of 30 per cent from its English channels.

     

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com’s Ashwin Pinto, Star India senior VP, GM English Channels Saurabh Yagnik talks about the strategy the network has adopted in growing the consumption for English entertainment channels.

     

    Excerpts:

    After Star India started overseeing the operations of the English channels, what has been the difference?
    The English channels got managed in October 2009. That was when we had a transition from Hong Kong to India. We set up a full team to look into content, marketing and positioning of the channels. With our better understanding of the local market conditions and what people watch, we have added value to the viewer. This is reflected in how our category shares have grown.

    Could you elaborate on the growth of these channels, particularly with reference to this year?
    We have seen results coming from the momentum of the things we did last year. We also launched more channels to strengthen the portfolio; HD feeds for Star Movies and Star World were recently launched. We upped the ante for marketing on Fox Crime and FX. We are going about aggressively building a portfolio that caters to specific viewer needs in various ways. We use this to build consumption and grow the share of Star as a network.

    Even in revenues?
    The pace of growth has been fantastic. Our target is to grow upwards of 30 per cent. This is the kind of momentum we are looking at.

    What are the challenges before English channels at this point of time?
    Growing consumption for English content is the biggest challenge; it is also an opportunity. We tackle this by driving the relativity and relevance of content. You are seeing more on-ground led activities for promotions. Last year we aired the Oscars and did a 360 degree campaign. This time we did the James Bond festival and had a 360 degree approach. This helped the viewers relate more. A similar thing was done with ‘Avatar’ to drive awareness of Star Movies and we used Star Plus as well for the film.

     

    We have done local shows on Star World like ‘Koffee With Karan’ to drive viewership. We are also doing localised promotions around shows. For Masterchef Australia, we brought a jury member down here. Among other things a live chat happened which was well received by the audience. We put legs to our promotional strategy to ensure that people find content that is relevant and relatable. Then you intersperse it with aggregator shows like Koffee With Karan. This is how you break barriers for English consumption.
    ‘Primarily, Star World is a destination for Hollywood shows. That is the DNA. All local content will have to be as exclusive and exquisite as Hollywood aspirations. We will be selective and bring in what fits into our criteria of exclusivity ‘

    Do content costs present a challenge to the business model?
    We have been noticing that in some cases there is irrational pricing for content. This might not sustain itself. What gives us comfort is that we have long term strategic relationships with a lot of studios that gives us depth and width of content. While there are short term challenges in terms of costs going up, we managed to mitigate some of those risks through our long term contracts.

    With more players coming in, how is Star Movies fine-tuning its strategy to hold on to its position?
    Star Movies positions itself not just as a destination for movies but as a destination for Hollywood. The programming strategy is about making content relatable and relevant which means having differentiated and sharply focused festivals throughout the year. We have access to the best titles from various studios. The aim is to amplify properties like a ‘Superheroes Festival’ by adopting a multi-pronged approach.

     

    Also, there are a huge amount of online viewers. We will use this to market and talk about our properties.

    Is viewer loyalty growing for this genre or is it still very much title driven?
    Viewership is largely determined by the titles that are placed but the differentiation that Star Movies brings in is through its premieres and sharply crafted festivals. This helps ensure a very sharp and insightful promise and we are able to reach a considerable set of viewers by going beyond just titles.

    Is HD the future for this genre? Do all English movie channels need to move towards it?
    The future will be beyond HD as well and there will be more innovations. The viewership will move towards HD because of the viewership quality. However, we are not stopping at that as Star Movies is always inventing and innovating and will bring in the latest technology for its viewers.

    By when do you expect to breakeven on the HD feeds?
    They are a premium offering. You need an HD STB and an HDTV. We are driven by advertising and subscription. The idea is to breakeven in the second year.

    Tam data shows that Star World has increased its share despite new entrants. What have been the reasons for this?
    A lot has happened on Star World. We started with the stripped format on the weekdays with a sharp promise and focus. This helped grow appointment viewing. We did exclusive, glamorous local shows like Koffee With Karan. This aggregated audiences. Our digital engagement and what we did in the social media space has helped us build a loyal set of viewers. They are excited about watching us.

    Which are the genres that are working the best for you? Sitcoms and crime dramas work very well as does local programming. ‘Masterchef Australia’ is also performing well. The range of shows that do well is broad based.

    What role does localisation play for Star World?
    Primarily, Star World is a destination for Hollywood shows. That is the DNA. All local content will have to be as exclusive and exquisite as Hollywood aspirations. We will be selective and bring in what fits into our criteria of exclusivity. While localisation is important, it is not our backbone.
    Is non primetime becoming important?
    Yes! We see viewership here as well. The scheduling is based on viewership patterns so that we get unduplicated audiences across time bands for various shows. We slot shows based on viewer profile. We run omnibuses of our weekly offerings on the weekend. So people can do a catch up. This allows more viewers to watch us outside primetime as well.

    Could you talk about the increase in marketing innovations?
    There has been a significant step up in this area. For instance when ‘Community’ was launched, people got a customised message explaining the show by star. When we launch shows we talk to people asking them their views and why they want to watch it. We put this as a part of our promotions. We could have stars of a show coming down to India. This is an interesting possibility. On Star World, you have the biggest shows launching.

     

    We are doing a high decibel campaign around ‘Terra Nova’ which is a sci-fi show. The Torrentz property on weekends is to bring shows as close to the US airing date to India. This is how we build Star World as the destination for the best American shows fresh from the US.
    Are you expanding distribution beyond DTH for FX and Fox Crime?
    Digital is the right place. This is where a large part of consumption of English GECs is going to happen. The kind of audience that we target is affluent and will move towards DTH as the viewing experience there is better. That is where people consume more. We believe that digital is the right way to go. We don’t have analogue plans for them.
    Is the English GEC big enough to have channels according to TG and audience profile?
    We have had a different strategy based on our own insights. Star World has a healthy portfolio. Fox Crime is not based on a demographic cut or of the TG; it is based on the fascination that people have for a particular genre. With FX, we looked at catering to the evolved sensibilities of the more discerning viewer. Our strategy is based on viewer behaviour and mindset.
    As more entrants come in, how much of a challenge is fragmentation?
    There is enough penetration but lesser category share. We are the second largest English speaking population in the world. But the share of English GECs is nothing to talk about in relation to that. With more affluence, education and people becoming more global in their mindset, the consumption of English content will only grow. Also disposable incomes are growing and the propensity to consume branded products is the highest in this category.
  • ‘We focus on films that have high repeat value’ : Movies Now channel head Ajay Trigunayat

    ‘We focus on films that have high repeat value’ : Movies Now channel head Ajay Trigunayat

    he English movie channel genre is sized at Rs 3.25 billion and is expected to grow at 20-25 per cent due to the entry of new players.

    The competition among the channels has grown the number of advertisers to 340 in 2010, up 21.4 per cent from the year-ago period, which had attracted 280 advertisers.

    Companies advertising more on this genre are the new telecom companies, automobiles, electronics and white goods. FMCG, though, continues to be the largest ad spender.

    Barely three months old, Movies Now from the Times TV Network stable is looking at doubling its advertising rates as it claims leadership among a specific upscale young audience group in the metros.

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com‘s Ashwin Pinto, Movies Now channel head Ajay Trigunayat talks about the growth of the genre and how important it is to build a library that stresses on repeat value potential.

    Excerpts:

    We are seeing new channels coming into the English space, be it movies, entertainment or lifestyle. What factors are fuelling this boom?

    India is riding on a robust cable and satellite growth. The television household universe has grown from 128 million homes to 145 homes over two years. Within this cable and satellite has grown from 84 million to 110 million.

    There is also healthy digital growth happening. The number of digital homes will touch 30 million by the end of the financial year. Cricket will fuel this growth.

    Channels are looking forward to being able to charge the right price to the consumers, so that they can make the right amount of subscription income.

    What will new entrants do to the English space?

    I believe they will grow the genre. Earlier, you had HBO and Star Movies dominate the English movie genre; nobody challenged their viewership. Our aim is to challenge the status quo of these two players.

    Simultaneously, Star World and AXN dominated the English general entertainment space. Reliance launched a channel, but so far it has not caught the fancy of the viewers. It is important to build the right distribution and the right content.

    What do viewers expect from the English movie genre?

    Their expectations have changed dramatically over the past decade. Earlier, it was important that at 9 pm Terminator 2 would show and you would watch it. Now with a plethora of channels coming in, viewers no longer make appointment viewing. They surf across channels.

    People do not watch a whole movie anymore. They might watch a segment of a movie that they like again and again. There is a dramatic shift to random viewing. This determines how you place content and schedule it. Content selection makes a lot of difference.

    Why did The Times Group launch an HD channel now?

    We decided to look at a key differentiator for Movies Now as our content has played on other channels. We decided to provide the best audio and visual experience.

    As you go along, most channels will be in high definition. The Times Group has a commitment to deliver the best readership or viewership to the upscale audience.

    What challenges do you face?

    Doing an HD channel poses its own challenges. We are a completely tapeless library. We use the best of servers and post production facilities. We use half the space for HD that you would need in standard definition. There are cost benefits that we are trying to exploit.

    But moving from SD to HD is a learning curve for the organisation. If Star Movies and HBO want to do it, they can just transfer their experience in other markets to India. We had to start from scratch. So it took a little longer for us to launch compared to a broadcaster, who is already running HD feeds globally.

    ‘Competition gets Rs 3500-5000 per 10-second spot. We want to reach Rs 3000 per spot by increasing the effective rates by 100 per cent over the next three months‘
     

    What investment has been made and what targets have been set for the year?

    I cannot talk about figures. However as a Group, we believe in being No. 1. Movies Now is ahead of the competition, if you look at C&S 15-34 SEC A,B metros, we have a 34 per cent share in this segment.

    We are not into running new movies. We focus on films that people want to watch over and over again. People watch films like True Lies over and over again. They are not interested in films like The Hurt Locker, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, though that may be the popular perception. If you can manage and create a library which has high repeat potential, then you will be successful.

    We have also gone for top of the line high definition. This is not pseudo high definition 720p. This is 1080i. We deliver 5.1 surround sound. When we launched, our GRPs jumped to 77 which was an 80 per cent category growth. The category has settled at 68 GRPs. Only in Hyderabad are we behind due to issues of distribution, which we will crack in due course.

    In the last 12 weeks, eight out of the top 10 movies are ours. On the weekends, we are ahead apart from two weeks. Our distribution is at par with competition. We caught up with Star Movies in the last three weeks.

    What time frame has been set to be profitable?

    Most projects set a time frame of three to five years. For us, though, given the start that we have got, we expect to break-even faster.

    But when you have more players content costs go up. Isn’t this a challenge?

    It is. High content costs put pressure on the bottom line. Over the past six years, costs have gone up by around 3.5 times for this genre.

    Earlier, it was a buyer’s market. That started changing when Zee’s deal with MGM ended; they had to buy titles from other distribution companies.

    Revenue can be difficult to push for as there are options for clients. But we have a 34 per cent channel share in our target segment. We want to increase our effective rates by 100 per cent. The key challenge for the next quarter is maximum monetisation, based on our channel’s performance.

    But since you do not have premieres, aren’t content costs much lower than competition?

    Not really! We play the best of the best content. When you pick up a Titanic or a True Lies, you pay for it. But if you just want those titles, you have to pay a significant premium as you are not picking up other stuff from the studio. We deal with studios including Sony, MGM and Warner.

    Long term deals ranging from five to 10 years have been signed. At the same time, the independents have nothing significant. Earlier people were not selling content only for India. They would sell it only at an Asia Pacific level. The first thing we did in 2007 was to convince studios to carve out India as a separate territory. We have proven to them that India has potential.

    The studios are happy with Movies Now. Each month we introduce 30-40 new titles. It is not that we rehash the FPC.

    Could you talk about the library that Movies Now has?

    We have close to 500 films in our library now. We are concentrating on movies like Titanic and Apocalypto that people want to watch over and over. Our strategy is different. Speed was the highest rated movie in the last six months.

    Also in a year, there are only a handful of blockbusters that come in. The viewer wants a good movie, regardless of when it was made.

    So you are not doing what Pix did, which is start with library content and move on to more premieres?

    Pix started with what I call classic, niche movies. We play popular blockbuster movies that appeal to an average English movie viewing person. Pix took nearly two years to realise that they needed to play films like Charlies Angels to get viewership into place.

    We are a very premium, High Definition brand. The perception among viewers is that our audio video clarity and choice of movies is better compared to competition. These two things came across in some dipstick research done.

    But since most homes do not have an HDTV set, aren’t you at a disadvantage?

    If you play an HD file on a laptop, it looks much better compared to a standard definition file. The quality of playout at transmission is five times better even on an average LCD or plasma that is not HD. The picture and audio is better. Six cable operators offer HD like GTPL in Gujarat. The uptake of HD will grow. Even on a regular non HD TV set, HD playout and transmission delivers better picture quality than standard layout and transmission.

    In terms of distribution, did you focus on digital homes?

    We have chosen to get our act right on cable first. This meant a significant investment in carriage fees. Only later did we look at DTH. After all, 88 per cent of viewership still comes from analogue cable. Four per cent comes from digital cable and eight per cent comes from DTH.
    We are available on all DTH platforms, except for Tata Sky. We are at an 18 per cent reach of the TG, which is the same as Star Movies. 19 million viewers watch us in a week.

    How is the programming structured?

    Content is just one piece. We follow a holistic strategy across. People who have seen True Lies many times may want to see it again, compared to The Hurt locker, which many people may not want to see even once. True Lies got a TVR of 0.47. The Hurt Locker on its first airing got a TVR of 0.04. Due to our audio and video quality, people would rather watch a film here than any another channel.
     

    What about programming blocks?

    In terms of programming blocks, we have kept things simple. People like to watch movies on the weekend. There is a distinct dispersion towards weekend viewership versus weekday viewership. Moviethon airs from 11 am-11pm where we play the best of movies back to back. We call it ‘From Sunlight To Midnight’.

    On Saturdays, we have a comedy block in the afternoon, where two movies air back to back.

    There is Love boat at 9 pm on Monday and Grand Nights on Saturdays at 9 pm. We are also actively considering creating an afternoon slot for women.

    Each month we do festivals. We did a complete Rocky festival from January- March. This month, we are doing a festival around Shaolin and Kung Fu movies, which have been digitally mastered in HD and 1080i.

    How do you see HDTV technology spreading?

    There are already five million HD or HD ready TV sets in the country, that are not captured by research. They have come in from outside. If you walk into a shop today, all you see is a display of HD TV sets.

    When people buy a new TV, they go in for HD as the price point has come down dramatically. You can own an HDTV set for Rs. 12,000 – sometimes even for Rs 9000! The adoption of HD is there.

    If you look at the advertising of a Samsung or a Sony over the last three years, you will not find an ad for standard definition. In a TV shop, you see LEDs.

    If appointment viewing has gone, how do you build brand loyalty?

    There is brand loyalty to a channel, but no loyalty towards a time slot. People are not saying that they will watch a film at 9 pm. We are top of the mind recall.

    What are you doing for the summer?

    From 1-28 April, we will have a sci-fi festival on Friday and Saturday at 11 pm. From 18-26 April, there is another festival called Hollywood heroes at the moment. The best films of the likes of Anjelina Jolie, Sandra Bullock and Will Smith will be showcased from Monday to Thursday at 11 pm.

    There are many players creating a unique look and feel. How did you approach this challenging task?

    We were very clear on the brand identity. Our brand needed to be premium. So the packaging had to be at par with Star movies and HBO. We selected London-based DixonBaxi, which has worked for USA Network and MTV; they have done packaging for the Universal Channels worldwide. We also chose the best voiceovers in the world for our ads. Each element that informs the viewer of who we are, was done carefully. We don’t concentrate on a USP. We focus on providing a holistic 360 degree experience to the viewer.

    What kind of promotional activities does Movies Now do?

    We are fortunate because of our parental linkage; we get a lot of coverage in The Times of India. This is the best vehicle to promote any English channel.

    We also do outdoor. We advertised on Ten Cricket. We did an alliance with Gold’s Gym for Rocky. We have just done another alliance with the BJN Group. Two months back, people did not want to do marketing alliances with us. Now, increasingly they are willing. We tied with many retail outlets such as Croma: you only see Movies Now playing there. This is complimentary to the sale of HDTV sets.

    We have done an alliance with Big Cinemas for the DVD release of Harry Potter. There is a contest and two winners get to go to the sets of the film in the UK and Hollywood. Later in the year, we could do tie ups for theatrical releases. The film has to appeal to a mass audience, for us to benefit. There is a film called Sucker Punch being released, but we are not sure if it will appeal to the masses.

    Digital forms an important part of marketing for the English movie genre. What activities do you do?

    We are fairly active on Facebook and have a site. But if you look at Internet penetration, it is still low. So traditional mediums outscore digital. I am not discounting the importance of digital, but it has a long way to go. On websites, we do activities to provide the right experience for the viewer and the trade.
    Isn’t digital more cost effective for you?

    We have found it more expensive. It has not given us the kind of reach and conversions to viewership, the way traditional media has. Digital media is still hype; it has not built up to the extent that it should have. It is traditional media that is giving you 90 per cent of results.

    On the ad front, are you encouraged?

    Clients want an upscale urban audience. Our TG is C&S 15-34 SEC A,B metros as it is the aggregate TG of all our clients. We have 40 advertisers. Our source of revenue is advertising, as we pay hefty carriage fees.

    English movie channels have touched Rs 3.25 billion. The English entertainment channels including the GECs contribute Rs 1 billion. So there is Rs 4.25 billion at stake.

    We expect a 20-25 per cent growth for English movies this year. If competition had not come in, we would have seen 10-12 per cent growth this year.

    Lack of competition led to stagnation in terms of ad revenue for the English movie genre. Now with us coming in, Star Movies, HBO, Pix are all doing more things. There is healthy competition, which will lead to healthy ad revenues.

    How do your rates compare?

    They are not comparable. Competition gets Rs 3500-5000 per 10 second spot. We want to reach Rs 3000 per spot by increasing the effective rates by 100 per cent over the next three months.

    280 advertisers were on English Movie channels in 2009. In 2010, the number grew to 340.

    New telecom companies, automobiles, electronics and white goods advertise more. FMCG continues to be the largest ad spender on this genre, followed by telecom and mobile. Then come consumer electronics.

    Is the cricket season impacting viewership of English movies?

    Yes! Depending on the performance of the India matches, it drops. In one week, there was a dip of 27 per cent. In another week, when the match was not on a Sunday, the dip was 15 per cent. It also depends on how well India is doing.
     

    Does counter programming work?

    We are not doing this. What we have done is build our content before and after cricket in a certain manner, and during the game in a certain manner. A match gets over by 10:30 pm. So our best films air at 11 pm.

    We place non-male viewership films during a cricket match. So people who want alternative content to cricket, can watch us. There are limitations within which we operate. Let us see what happens.

    Are you also looking at film-based shows?

    No! We are just playing movies back to back. In our analysis, whenever there is a film-based show on an English movie channel, the viewership drops – sometimes by as much as 70 per cent! We do not want any drop in viewership for the sake of differentiation. But we are considering doing a show in such a manner, that it would add viewership.

    How much inventory has been sold?

    We are running at 70 per cent inventory utilisation. The push has to come from an increased rate. For the past Saturday, we were sold out, but it was a peculiar case. The Indian cricket team normally plays on Sunday and so people want to use us more on Fridays and Saturdays. We dropped 120 spots.

    Inventory utilisation is at around 95 per cent across English movie channels. But the rates are not right. So you might have to grow the amount of inventory available.

  • ‘In a genre that has seen a drop, Star Movies holds over 40% share’ : Star Movies& Star World VP Jyotsna Viriyala

    ‘In a genre that has seen a drop, Star Movies holds over 40% share’ : Star Movies& Star World VP Jyotsna Viriyala

    It has not been an easy year for Star‘s English channels. In a nine-player nine scenario, Star Movies, however, has weathered the storm and held on to its leadership position. Fine-tuning its strategy this year, the channel supplement its library with locally acquired titles.

     

    Star World has created horizontal programming bands to suit the viewing habits. The channel, ranked second in the genre, has still to plug a few gaps in its programming.

     

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com‘s Ashwin Pinto, Star Movies and Star World VP Jyotsna Viriyala elaborates on Star‘s plans for fortifying the position of the two channels.

     

    Excerpts:

     
    How has Star Movies fine-tuned its strategy this year?

    We are supplementing our library with locally acquired titles. We will also be more aggressive in our marketing.

     
    Is this being pushed due to audience fragmentation with new entrants coming in?
    Fragmentation ate into our nearest competitor‘s share, not ours. We managed to hold on to our share in a category that has seen a drop, thereby increasing market share. We currently hold over 40 per cent of the share in a nine-player scenario.

     
     
    Which properties have delivered?
    Our drivers are the ‘movie of the month,‘ the 9 pm and the 11 pm bands. Over the years we have ensured that the right mix of titles are acquired and made available on time. We have also focussed on creating appointment viewing.

     
     
    Is there a different strategy in acquiring big titles this year?
    The big releases include Alice In Wonderland, Percy Jackson, Australia and Avatar. The split between our library content and premieres remain largely unchanged in the coming year. Programming wise, the top three players are all playing the same combination of premieres and library content.

     

    Of course, the proportion would vary depending on the specifics of strategy and budget. Earlier, Star Movies and HBO played in this space. Pix joined the race effectively over the last one year with some big premieres.
     

     
    Have you created new blocks recently to cater to different TGs?
    Every title airs at a time relevant to the TG available. No new blocks have been created, but we continue to have our 11 pm festivals and movies of the month.

     
     
    ‘In case of Star World there are some missing pieces and we do have plans in place to fill them shortly. Our choice of drama and sitcoms is being fine tuned‘
     

     
    What strategy is being followed to reach viewers in the smaller towns and cities?
    Our key audience resides in the metros and we are reaching them effectively. At the same time, there is the potential to reach out better to people across 27 million + towns. It is clear where we need to focus currently.

     
     
    Last year you said that the focus would be on communicating to advertisers that they should spend more on this genre compared with English news channels…

     

    We met with clients and embarked upon a ‘myth busting‘ exercise. All clients were positively surprised at the findings and they were going to ask their agencies for more information and re-evaluation of plans.

     

    So that exercise did its job then. But it‘s a perception change exercise and when perceptions are so deep-rooted, it will take time for substantial results to start showing. But the good thing was that all clients were very receptive to the information.

     
     
    Have viewers‘ perception of Star Movies changed over the years?
    Research shows that Star Movies rates very high on perception and we believe that this has strengthened over the last one year.

     
     
    Is there a lot of innovation in terms of the packages that Star Movies and Star World offer advertisers beyond the 30-second spot?
    Yes. We invest resources, monies and time into providing solutions to our advertisers. For all substantial spenders, we extend huge value.

     
     
    What new acquisitions were made for the two channels?
    For Star World, we recently acquired the second season of Moment Of Truth and Masterchef Australia. We are in the process of reviewing content that was shown at other markets to make our selections.

     

    On the movies front, we signed a deal with Disney for films. It is a package of new releases and library content. We are in the process of closing the deal with another leading studio.
     
     

    Could you talk about the programme restructuring that Star World went through last year?
    The restructuring of the schedule was done with the objective of creating appointment viewing on the channel. We created horizontal programming bands to suit the viewing habits of the viewer better.

     

    We have seen a 24 per cent increase in viewership after this change over the previous quarter. If we replicated the scheduling pattern that is followed in the US, we would not be able to build viewing habit or attract newer audiences.
     

     
    Data shows that Star World‘s share has only grown marginally and it is still a clear number two. What is the missing piece in the game plan to catch up with competition?
    Data shows that the gap has reduced substantially. We have been number one twice in the last few weeks in digital homes. We have been number one now for the last 9 of 12 weeks, even amongst the SEC A,B audiences. There has been growth. Directionally therefore, we believe, we are on the right track.

     

    But you‘re right. There are some missing pieces and we do have plans in place to fill them shortly. Our choice of drama and sitcoms is being fine tuned. We have acquired popular shows like Moment Of Truth. It‘s no secret that we will have Koffee With Karan. This is just a sample of what will populate the year‘s calendar.

      
    Is Star World also creating time slots for different TGs?
    Well, not really. There is a core TG that we will cater to and all programming will necessarily appeal to this. What we will do is schedule in a manner that will best suit the audience present at any hour.
     

     
    Is Star World looking at any local initiatives?
    Yes we are. It is definitely a part of our programming mix.

     
    What is the criterion for selecting shows for Star World?
    Core audience appeal and fit with channel imagery are the foremost criteria. ‘Appeal‘ of course has many layers and is dictated by our understanding of the core audience and the role our channel plays in his/her life. 

     
    While action thriller remains the most watched content in this genre, the lifestyle quotient has picked up and has replaced comedies as second most popular. Have audience tastes changed recently?
    That‘s true. Lifestyle has indeed picked up. However, I would not go as far as saying that they have replaced comedies because it depends on the sitcom in question.
    Audience tastes have evolved as the environment around them changed. Spa and luxury holidays were not within reach earlier. A wine trail or Latin American dancing were even more niche earlier. Stand up comedy was not so big earlier.
     

     
    The two channels use digital marketing a lot. How effective is it compared to traditional media?
    We have been heavily using digital media. Television, though, will remain the primary vehicle in our media plans.

     
    New players like FX are coming in. Will this boost viewership share for the genre or simply cause fragmentation?
    If there is more of the same thing, then fragmentation is a given. Because nearly 80 per cent of the English general entertainment viewership comes from less than 20 per cent audience. Even if there are gains, they will be marginal.

    Unless you can get sampling from light viewers or maybe non-viewers, a viewership boost is difficult. We will be doing our bit to expand the genre.

  • English GECs: Localisation and variety the road ahead

    For the English general entertainment genre, 2007 was the year when they looked at increasing variety in their offerings and breaking out of a mould.

    The aim was also to increase relevance in some cases through local shows. Besides, the channels brought in the latest shows at the same time as their US premieres.

    Tam data for C&S 15+ shows that among the three channels – AXN, Star World and Zee Café – AXN‘s channel share has been well over 50 per cent. In August, it touched a peak of 66 per cent. Zee Café has managed to close the gap on Star World to an extent. In March, Star World‘s channel share was 34 per cent versus 24 per cent for Zee Café. In April, the gap came down, and for the month May Zee café overtook Star World. Its share was 21 per cent versus 15 per cent for Star World.

    Since then while Star World has been ahead, the gap was close. This was until September. After that, the gap widened again. In December, while Star World has a share of 29 per cent Zee Café has a share of 13 per cent.

    In terms of the top 20 shows, AXN has got 16 in that list. The top entry interestingly enough is a film Spiderman 2. Other shows that made it include Guinness World Records, Ripley‘s Believe it or Not and David Blaine.

    Still, it is not as though all was smooth for the leader. In January, AXN was banned for a month by the I&B Ministry for what it termed as “objectionable content.” The ministry had taken issue with the channel repeatedly telecasting such programmes such as World‘s Sexiest Commercials. The ministry found these programmes to be against good taste or decency that could adversely affect public morality.

    AXN India business head Sunder Aaron puts on a brave face, saying that no corrective measures were really required as all programming conforms to Indian norms and guidelines for content. “As with any new season, we had new television series and programmes which we refreshed the channel‘s schedule with,” says Aaron.

    In terms of the highlights of 2007, Aaron notes that there was a strong mix of local and international fare. “We had the gorgeous Sameera Reddy host the second AXN Action Awards. This is an on-air award show that felicitates the action heroes from Bollywood.

    “We also satiated the viewers‘ needs with the premiere of the internationally acclaimed series –Damages and new seasons for the loyal fans of CSI: Miami, Alias and CSI: NY.”

    AXN also strengthened its focus on the reality genre. The highlight here was the second season of The Amazing Race Asia. To break out of the mould, the channel aimed to showcase diverse content within the reality genre. So the likes of Top Chef, Top Design and So You Think You Can Dance were featured.

    To hook viewers to its fare, two timeslots were created. “The Reality Stash” slot showcases reality content from 9 – 10 pm. This is followed by “Elite Weekdays,” showcasing international drama series at 11 pm.

    Aaron adds that the non-primetime band has grown in importance for the channel. “Our scheduling of programmes across non-primetime is also well-thought-out, keeping in mind the viewing pattern of our target audience.”

    He offers the example of “Elite Weekends” which is the non-primetime slot on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 3 pm. The aim is to allow the dedicated fan base to sit back and enjoy catching up on their favourite international series which they have missed out over the week. “We have, therefore, ensured they get to watch all the series back to back and have clearly positioned the band as – ‘Catch all the week‘s action on AXN Elite Weekends‘.”

    As always localisation plays a key role for the channel. Besides the earlier mentioned The Amazing Race Asia initiative, the channel also finished the shoot Magic Asia. This showcased two street magicians Chris Korn and JB Benn. Aaron notes that the show actually touches a chord with the real spirit of Mumbai and is slated to go on air in March this year. One show done at a pan-Asian level was the boxing show The Contender Asia. The show produced by the czar of reality television Mark Burnett emulates the original concept with Muay Thai fighters.

    Over the years, localisation has been playing a huge role in positive brand-building as it showcases the channel‘s endeavour to identify and fulfill the viewers‘ needs. The main value is in sustaining a loyal fan base besides helping manage and create an ideal mix of original and acquired content that facilitates long-term brand-building.

    Aaron attributes AXN being ahead constantly to firstly having a clear brand positioning. “I think that we follow the very basic principle of being absolutely clear of our target audiences‘ needs and showcasing the kind of content that they wish to see. We have also been dynamic enough to not get stuck in a mould and constantly showcase fresh and innovative programming. This prompted our move to broadbase our reality offerings. We have also been the only international channel to create so many original productions.”

    For Zee Café, the strategy has been different in that it decided not to focus much on local shows. In the past, it had done shows like Bombay Talking but the channel‘s business head Neil Chakravarti feels that Indian audiences are not ready for Indian fiction. The focus rested on showcasing the latest from the US. Since September, it started to bring in shows from the US at the same time as their premiere there.

    The aim was also to pick and choose shows that Indians would find the most relevant. Therefore, four of the shows including The Big Bang Theory and Aliens in America have South Asian characters. The new programming strategy had been decided after six months of intensive research among Indian viewers who said they learnt a lot about new shows from the internet or sites like YouTube. They did not want to wait several months or years later to watch them.

    Star World‘s focus, meanwhile, rested partly on the tried and tested shows like Desperate Housewives, Heroes and Ugly Betty. Complementing this were special events like Miss World and the Grammy Awards.

    Star World tried to break out of the mould as well. To identify the need of the market it revamped its schedules. For instance, it created an afternoon slot for youth/women with shows like Bold and the Beautiful, General Hospital, etc. The block is called essential afternoons. Star VP content and communication Prem Kamath says, “We‘ve seen a change in the genre preference for English entertainment wherein comedy is the flavour of the season.”

    “We have strengthened our late prime slot with male skewed programming starting 11 pm. We believe that the day prime/early prime bands are equally important, there is a definite audience in these bands and our endeavour is to bring in quality programming to build these slots. For example we have a line-up of the best of comedy shows during weekday evenings,” adds Kamath.

    When asked as to whether Star World took any preventive measure to ensure that it did not suffer a similar fate like AXN, he maintains that Star World has a social responsibility and has stringent internal censorship guidelines prior to broadcast.

    In terms of local initiatives, Star World has the property Koffee With Karan. The channel is exploring other local concepts.
    Kamath says that on the advertising front, clients belonging to different categories like telecom, computers, mobile phones, electronics, financial, automobile, net portals are with it.

    “English entertainment is evolving in India and more new audiences are tuning in to the genre. Clients find English entertainment a very important differentiator in the content arena and a strong association for their brands with evolved audiences. We have new launches every month and give a variety of programming mix to our viewers and advertisers that give a light viewing environment,” avers Kamath.

    At the same time, he concedes that it is really challenging to retain clients amidst a bouquet of channels in the English genre per se at the time of evaluating a media plan.

    Star World offers customised packages to advertisers in partnership with their media agencies based on their brand brief. Packages consist of the shows that are associated with advertisers for sponsorships and a mix of other programmes that have synergies with the brand environment and commercial creatives. All sponsored programmes consist of sponsors commercials to derive strong brand connect with the association. RODP and ROS also form a certain component in the overall package.

    From general to more specific entertainment:

    As digitisation grows, more players are looking to enter this space. Last year, this genre got a new entrant in BBC Entertainment. As of now though the channel is only available on Tata Sky. The channel brings shows from the UK such as Spooks. The British sensibility is the starting point for this channel in terms of its USP. The programming strategy is such that there are horizontal and vertical strips.

    In the evening, it is more family oriented. There are shows like the comedy My Family, My Life In Film so that viewership is widespread across the family. Later on, it gets more specific with shows like Waking the Dead which the channel says is a more realistic version of CSI. Murder mysteries are solved using the latest forensics technology and old-fashioned police methods.

    At the same time, English entertainment will move from general to more specific. For instance, later this year, AXN is expected to launch another channel called AXN Beyond. The focus is on science fiction and the supernatural.

    US media conglomerate NBC Universal, through its tie-up with NDTV, will launch two channels Sci Fi and Universal. The former specialises in science fiction, fantasy, horror and paranormal programming; the latter has movies and TV series in the thriller, drama, horror, crime and investigation genres.

    More specific entertainment could come from E! which might launch in India this year. This channel focuses on Hollywood extensively through news and specials around the industry. The challenge for it is to find a distribution partner.

    Viacom has a JV with TV18. If digitisation moves at the expected speed, one could see the likes of the male channel Spike TV entering the country. Comedy Central might also figure in the scheme of things. So expect a lot of activity in this space.

  • Ratings: AXN maintains lead in English entertainment; Star World, Zee Café neck and neck

    Ratings: AXN maintains lead in English entertainment; Star World, Zee Café neck and neck

    MUMBAI: The English entertainment scene is witnessing a fair bit of action. The History Channel (THC) underwent a repositioning from infotainment to entertainment. AXN unfortunately got banned by the I&B Ministry last month on the dubious charge of showing inappropriate content.

    Tam data c&s 4+ all India from 15 July 2006 – 13 January 2007 shows that AXN has enjoyed a share of over 50 per cent over the past six months compared to Zee Café and Star World.

    Zee Café has, meanwhile, been steadily improving its share. From 15 July – 15 August its share among was 13 per cent. This has risen to 22 per cent for the period 1 January – 13 January 2007, with Star World slightly ahead at 24 per cent.

    However for the period 15-30 December 2006 Zee Café was ahead with a share of 22 per cent compared to Star World’s 17 per cent.

    For the metros, AXN’s share is 44 per cent, while Star World and Zee Café each have a share of 22 per cent. THC has a share of 11 per cent for the period 31 December 2006 – 13 January 2007. This marks a fall from 20 per cent for the period 15-30 December 2006 where it was on even terms with Star World and Zee Cafe. In fact for the most part, until 2007 THC has been on level terms with Star World and Zee Cafe in terms of channel share in the Metros.

    AXN’s Special Focus On Prime Time
    Talking about the performance over the past six months, AXN India business head Sunder Aaron says that a special focus was given to primetime. So the channel came out with the concept of Elite Weekdays and Elite Weekends. This is where its premium shows like CSI, 24 air. In the weekdays it is post 11 pm while on Saturday and Sunday it airs at noon. Aaron adds that what gives the channel further appeal are shows like Guinness, Ripley’s which go beyond the metro centric.

    On the local front he is satisfied at how The Amazing Race Asia fared in India. This was a pan Asian initiative and showed that regional fare with an Indian touch will work with viewers. The channel, Aaron says, has a few ideas on the table. One of this involves the second season of A Man’s World. It also appointed Sumona Roy as marketing manager. This is in line with the channel’s commitment to boost its operations in India.

    The problem still is the ban. Aaron declined to comment on when the channel would be back on air but said that care would be taken to ensure that content would not be offensive to anybody. The I&B Minister had issued the ban on the grounds of AXN showing ‘obscene programmes’. The ban will last till 15 March 2007.

    A Period Of Restructuring For Zee Café
    Zee Café business head Neil Chakravarti says that the programming lineup has gone through a significant restructuring over the past year. “Our endeavour was to become the only ‘true English GEC’ in the country. The aim is to offer the widest variety of entertainment across drama, comedy, thrillers, reality, soaps, fashion, lifestyle, music, movies and local English content.

    “As of February, the plans are largely in place. We have recently introduced America’s number one soap, The Young and the Restless which runs across weekdays at 8 pm. Our most exciting new product is Café Xtreme, which has action/ adventure/ thrills oriented programming, and will run every single day from 11 pm – midnight. In addition, we have introduced a movie band, Saturday Night Lights to showcase the best of Hollywood.”

    Zee Café last year launched among other shows the ninth season of the hospital drama ER, Bikini Destinations and the second season of Full House. No doubt the second show gave a bit of oomph to the channel. It also added some action to the mix with Without A Trace. Of course since both Zee Café and Star World focus on oven fresh shows from the US there is the occasional overlap. For instance both air Orange County, which recently came to an end in the US.

    Chakravarti adds that Zee Café recently started an initiative of running strip shows across the same time band during primetime on weekdays. The Tonight Show and E! News are telecast delayed live every day from the US, via satellite uplink. Young and Restless and Café Xtreme also run in stripped format, every weekday (and even weekends, in case of Xtreme)

    Star World Stays With Its Strategy
    Elaborating on Star World’s strategy, Star India GM content Harsh Rohatgi reiterates the efforts being made to bring the most popular and best shows from across the globe on the channel. The last six months saw the launch of various new shows and seasons on the channel.

    One of these was Rockstar Supernova. This was a global talent hunt show to find a new singer for a band formed by Motley Crew, Metallica and Guns & Roses. Then there was the comedy Two and Half Men with Charlie Sheen. Its core properties include Desperate Housewives, which came back for a second season as did the hospital soap Grey’s Anatomy.

    To give a boost in terms of variety there are award shows like the Golden Globes. It has also aired music specials like the Andrea Bocceli concert.

    In terms of where it lies in the English general entertainment space, Rohatgi points out that that as a genre English entertainment has a very niche audience base. The preference is more on the qualitative aspect of programming.

    “Star World’s programming speaks for itself and has successfully built a loyal audience base over the years that it continues to retain while adding on new audiences. As far as AXN goes we are poles apart in the programming structure. We classify ourselves as a family English entertainment channel with a mix of comedies/action series/dramas/ special events etc.

    “AXN is clearly a male skewed English entertainment channel. Hence comparing both the channels would not be fair.”

    English Entertainment Viewership Stagnating?
    Then there is the issue of viewership for English entertainment stagnating. Rohatgi counters by saying that there has been a marked increase in the spread of what an English entertainment viewer can watch.

    “Earlier English entertainment used to be demarcated quite clearly. But now infotainment/ Lifestyle channels/ English news channels are also wooing the same viewer. Hence we don’t think the genre is stagnating. On the contrary its expanding and the challenge is to keep up and expand the offerings with it.”

    Rohatgi says that for Star World constant research is being done to understand what are the needs, likes and dislikes of the viewers. “Koffee with Karan season two has been improved based on the feedback from viewers. We are also working on various local formats.”

    Star World Confident Of Success in Cas Environment
    Rohatgi is also confident about how the channel will fare in a Cas environment. “Our programming is the best, which is constantly revamped and updated as per the latest and best properties in the global scenario. Hence a viewer is assured of finding only the best fare on the channel. In a digital environment, channels in niche genres will be bought on both perception and the quality of programming.”

    Brands Cherry Picking Shows
    On the advertising front he says that there definitely has been a shift in the way the genre is being sold. Now the preference is to go along with properties that fit the brands rather than doing a broad based deal. Hence a lot of brands now look at handpicking shows they would want to associate with. Hence the sales teams have been pitching property specific deals to the clients.

    Chakravarti says that based on the feedback received Zee Café’s perception among the viewer universe as well as the media fraternity is quite positive at the moment.

    Cas, DTH Will Be The Final Levellers?
    A contention partially backed by OMS media director Madan Mohapatra, who says that while Zee Café’s perception has improved over the past year, it is still a little behind Star World. “However as Cas and DTH get entrenched, the perception gap will come down further. The push that Zee Café has given to its content over the past year has not gone unnoticed. The advantage that Star World has is that it made a sustained push earlier.” In Mohapatra’s opinion Star World benefits from high profile shows like Koffee with Karan.

    Says Mohapatra, “Besides the RODP route, clients often put money behind new shows on these channels like Orange County (the third season kicks off on Zee Cafe next month) if they feel that there is good traction and these shows will add new viewers to the channel due to marketing activities being done. However as a show gets older the enthusiasm of the client also goes down.”

    He notes that Zee Café compared to the other two players is more open to experimentation in terms of content and how it deals with clients. “They work with clients on customised and contextual programme breaks (ICI Pens did branded brake bumpers). This means that an ad appears depending on the mood of the show. I would draw a parallel to what happens with cricket where a pop up comes on depending on what has happened.”

    AXN, he says, is a little bit behind Star World perception wise because of its mostly male skew. It has gotten polarised as a result. The good thing for AXN is that it has followed a very clear path and has not deviated. While the effect of the ban has yet to be seen, it is likely that the lifestyle shows might take a hit. What is interesting is that Zee Cafe in the past year started airing some lifestyle shows like the earlier mentioned Bikini Destinations.

    Speaking about THC’s positioning, Mohapatra evers that that it is taking the right approach by broad basing its content.

    In conclusion one can say that the new platforms of DTH and Cas will help the channels segment those who watch them regularly from those who merely surf through them. Viewing habits will be more clear. It is up to the players to constantly finetune strategies to make sure that viewers will pay to watch them.

  • The 2007 British Academy Film Awards take centre stage on STAR WORLD

    MUMBAI: Which of Britain’s celebrated stars will be honored at the 2007 British Academy Film Awards? Find out when STAR WORLD televises the glamorous event on Tuesday, February 27th at 9pm. With talk-show veteran Jonathan Ross hosting from London’s Royal Opera House, the celeb-stacked ceremony promises plenty of surprise wins and shock upsets.

    For 60 years, the British Academy Film Awards has recognized and honored outstanding achievements in film and 2007 offers a strong and diverse field of contenders. Reigning supreme at the top of the list is The Queen. The royals-in-ruin drama is nominated for 10 awards, including Best Film and Best Actress for Helen Mirren. Voters were also shaken and stirred by the latest James Bond adventure Casino Royale, which picked up nine nominations, including a Best Actor nod for Daniel Craig. Among the other stars vying for Best Actor honours are Leonardo DiCaprio (The Departed), Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland) and acting legend Peter O’Toole (Venus).

    Also in contention with seven nominations is the complex, cross-cultural drama, Babel. As well as nods for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, the Golden Globe®-winning movie is also up for Best Film. In the latter category, Babel will compete against the Idi Amin biopic The Last King of Scotland, which is nominated in four other categories.

    Over the years, the British Academy Film Awards has attracted the best from the worlds of cinema and celebrity. The 2007 line-up continues that tradition and includes such gifted stars as Kate Winslet, Penelope Cruz, Jake Gyllenhaal, Toni Collette, Kylie Minogue and Sienna Miller. Filled with surprises, celebrities and style, the British Academy Film Awards is a dazzling tribute to the world’s most talented filmmakers and exceptional stars. So, make sure you tune-in to the 2007 British Academy Film Awards on STAR WORLD on Tuesday, February 27th at 9 p.m.

  • Star World to feed viewers ‘Crumbs’ from Thursday

    Star World to feed viewers ‘Crumbs’ from Thursday

    MUMBAI: English general entertainment channel Star World will air the show Crumbs every Thursday at 10 pm from 8 February 2007.

    The family show sees Estranged brothers Mitch and Jody Crumb reunite in their small hometown to deal with their mother, Suzanne, who is being discharged from a psychiatric facility and has yet to discover that her ex-husband is about to have a baby with his new girlfriend. They have issues.!

    Central to everything are the two brothers: Mitch is the prodigal son, who is returning home after a failed Hollywood career, while Jody is the older brother who has stayed in the confines of their small New England town to run the family business. Together for the first time as adults, this family will have to stick by one another despite their combustible relationships.
    The show stars Fred Savage as Mitch Crumb, Jane Curtin a two-time Emmy Award winner for Kate and Allie as Suzanne Crumb, William Devane 24 as Billy Crumb, Eddie McClintock as Jody Crumb, Maggie Lawson as Andrea Malone and Reginald Ballard as Elvis.

    The first episode will see Mitch and Jody reunite in their hometown to deal with their mother, Suzanne, who has just been released from a psychiatric facility and has yet to learn that her ex-husband, Billy, is about to have a baby with his new girlfriend.

  • Fox to take off ‘The OC’

    Fox to take off ‘The OC’

    MUMBAI: The end has come for the American kids on The OC. US broadcaster Fox has announced that the show will have its final episode 22 February 2007.

    In India the show airs on Star World and on Zee Cafe.

    Set in Orange County, California, The O.C. premiered in the US in August 2003. It follows a group of friends and families whose lives were changed by the arrival of an outsider Ryan Atwood to their ocean-side community of Newport Beach. Reports indicate that the show kicked off its fourth season with ratings that touched an all time low.
    Fox claims that the show revived the teen drama genre while including humorous and heartfelt adult storylines. Shortly after its summer premiere, THE O.C. was a pop culture phenomenon its actors are household names and its indie music (and subsequent six soundtracks) and hip California wardrobe are sought-after in stores. The shows Newport Beach locale also has become a popular tourist attraction as fans visit the real locations featured in their favourite episodes.

    The O.C. creator and executive producer Josh Schwartz, “This feels like the best time to bring the show to its close. Thanks to the hard work of our cast, crew and writers, we have enjoyed our best season yet, and what better time to go out than creatively on top. It has been an amazing experience and a great run. For a certain audience, at a certain time, The O.C. has meant something. For that we are grateful.”