ITV

Tag: Tarun Katial

  • Consumer Insights and original content makes Big Ganga leader in its space: Tarun Katial

    Consumer Insights and original content makes Big Ganga leader in its space: Tarun Katial

    MUMBAI: Every region has its own favorite channel and its denizens like to consume content in their own vernacular language. Hence all major broadcasters invest on a regional offering. Reliance Broadcast Networks Limited (RBNL) has a Bhojpuri channel under the Big banner -Big Ganga. “Since the last 26 weeks we have been number one” says RBNL CEO Tarun Katial.

    In Broadcast Audience Research Council BARC India ratings, Big Ganga with 27086 Impressions (000’s) stands tall at number one position over Bhojpuri Cinema which secured a rating of 15875 Impressions (000s).

    “From the very beginning we were committed on one factor and that is local consumers. Each and every step of ours is based on consumer insights. We are committed to our consumer and we will offer them original content, not overlapping content which is just dubbed or remade,” asserts Katial.

    Soon after BARC India started rolling out its rural data, RBNL made Big Ganga available on DD Freedish. Katial believes this is a factor which enhanced the channel’s reach but says that is not the primary reason behind Big Ganga being number one in its genre. “We were number one before BARC started rolling out its rural data and we are number one now too. Freedish did a reach jump for us, but it is the secondary element, the primary reason behind our leadership is our home grown content,” explains Katial.

    Shows like Big Memsaab, Rasoi Ki Rani and Bhakti Samrat are the homegrown assets of the channel which rope in maximum viewership for the channel. The content is well recognised by advertisers and the network has witnessed a significant growth in its ad rates. “The rates have gone up by 100 per cent and we see them going up further. It is because of the people we are catering to, and the kind of content we are producing,” reveals Katial.

    “In the Bhojpuri market print continues to be the dominant medium as far as advertising is concerned. But Big Ganga over the years has created a place of its own. As per my estimates, the cost of a 10 second slot now would be close to Rs 5000 – 6000. It saw serious increment after the rural data roll-out,” says a media planning expert on condition of anonymity.

    Big Ganga is not only a channel for Bihar and Jharkand as per Katial, “We are a pan India channel catering to the entire community. A significant amount of our viewership comes from places other than Jharkhand and Bihar,” he says.

    “Now we are looking towards putting serious investment behind consumer insights and coming up with significant original content,” he concludes with a smile.

  • Consumer Insights and original content makes Big Ganga leader in its space: Tarun Katial

    Consumer Insights and original content makes Big Ganga leader in its space: Tarun Katial

    MUMBAI: Every region has its own favorite channel and its denizens like to consume content in their own vernacular language. Hence all major broadcasters invest on a regional offering. Reliance Broadcast Networks Limited (RBNL) has a Bhojpuri channel under the Big banner -Big Ganga. “Since the last 26 weeks we have been number one” says RBNL CEO Tarun Katial.

    In Broadcast Audience Research Council BARC India ratings, Big Ganga with 27086 Impressions (000’s) stands tall at number one position over Bhojpuri Cinema which secured a rating of 15875 Impressions (000s).

    “From the very beginning we were committed on one factor and that is local consumers. Each and every step of ours is based on consumer insights. We are committed to our consumer and we will offer them original content, not overlapping content which is just dubbed or remade,” asserts Katial.

    Soon after BARC India started rolling out its rural data, RBNL made Big Ganga available on DD Freedish. Katial believes this is a factor which enhanced the channel’s reach but says that is not the primary reason behind Big Ganga being number one in its genre. “We were number one before BARC started rolling out its rural data and we are number one now too. Freedish did a reach jump for us, but it is the secondary element, the primary reason behind our leadership is our home grown content,” explains Katial.

    Shows like Big Memsaab, Rasoi Ki Rani and Bhakti Samrat are the homegrown assets of the channel which rope in maximum viewership for the channel. The content is well recognised by advertisers and the network has witnessed a significant growth in its ad rates. “The rates have gone up by 100 per cent and we see them going up further. It is because of the people we are catering to, and the kind of content we are producing,” reveals Katial.

    “In the Bhojpuri market print continues to be the dominant medium as far as advertising is concerned. But Big Ganga over the years has created a place of its own. As per my estimates, the cost of a 10 second slot now would be close to Rs 5000 – 6000. It saw serious increment after the rural data roll-out,” says a media planning expert on condition of anonymity.

    Big Ganga is not only a channel for Bihar and Jharkand as per Katial, “We are a pan India channel catering to the entire community. A significant amount of our viewership comes from places other than Jharkhand and Bihar,” he says.

    “Now we are looking towards putting serious investment behind consumer insights and coming up with significant original content,” he concludes with a smile.

  • RBNL CEO Tarun Katial denies sell-off rumours

    RBNL CEO Tarun Katial denies sell-off rumours

    MUMBAI: Speculative reports this afternoon on a possible sell-off of Anil Ambani’s Reliance Broadcast Network Limited’s (RBNL) to Subhash Chandra’s Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) in order of “reduce debt” have raised many an eyebrows.

    The report mentioned that the company was looking to offload up to 49 per cent stake in RBNL, which operates the channels Big Magic and Big Ganga as well as the Big FM radio network.

    However, denying the same and putting an end to all rumours, RBNL CEO Tarun Katial tells Indiantelevision.com, “The rumors have no truth in them. I deny any such development, we have no sell-off plan and we are functioning normally.”

    Of RBNL’s two channels, while Big Magic operates in the Hindi space, Big Ganga caters to the entertainment needs of Bhojpuri audiences. The Bhojpuri channel has even been performing well on the ratings front and has been a market leader in the genre according to Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) data.

    On the other hand, Big FM has a presence in as many as 45 cities across the country.

  • RBNL CEO Tarun Katial denies sell-off rumours

    RBNL CEO Tarun Katial denies sell-off rumours

    MUMBAI: Speculative reports this afternoon on a possible sell-off of Anil Ambani’s Reliance Broadcast Network Limited’s (RBNL) to Subhash Chandra’s Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) in order of “reduce debt” have raised many an eyebrows.

    The report mentioned that the company was looking to offload up to 49 per cent stake in RBNL, which operates the channels Big Magic and Big Ganga as well as the Big FM radio network.

    However, denying the same and putting an end to all rumours, RBNL CEO Tarun Katial tells Indiantelevision.com, “The rumors have no truth in them. I deny any such development, we have no sell-off plan and we are functioning normally.”

    Of RBNL’s two channels, while Big Magic operates in the Hindi space, Big Ganga caters to the entertainment needs of Bhojpuri audiences. The Bhojpuri channel has even been performing well on the ratings front and has been a market leader in the genre according to Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) data.

    On the other hand, Big FM has a presence in as many as 45 cities across the country.

  • Bloomberg & Business Broadcast News end licensing deal in India

    Bloomberg & Business Broadcast News end licensing deal in India

    MUMBAI: After seven years of partnership, Bloomberg L.P. and Business Broadcast News have decided to end their media licensing agreement in India on 31 March, 2016.

     

    Both parties have mutually ended the licensing agreement and will pursue their respective new business strategies.

     

    While Business Broadcast News will continue to operate the TV channel with fresh branding effective 1 April, subject to regulatory approval, Bloomberg will announce a new media partner in due course of time.

     

    “Our strategic partnership with Reliance Group and Ronnie Screwvala enabled us to successfully reach millions of viewers in India, and deliver market-moving business and financial news on India’s growth and development,” said Bloomberg Media Group – International managing director Parry Ravindranathan. 

     

    “Together, we set new standards in financial broadcast journalism, and we will continue to value our relationship with both partners. In the coming weeks, we will unveil a new chapter for Bloomberg Media in India as we remain more committed than ever to expanding our media operations this year both in broadcast, digital and other platforms,” he added.

     

    Business Broadcast News director Tarun Katial said, “In recent years, the channel has witnessed consistent increase in reach and viewership, and created a benchmark for credible business news reporting with experienced anchors and marquee shows. We have had great learnings drawing upon the global expertise and credibility of Bloomberg, and we look forward to maintaining this strong relationship in the years ahead.”

  • Bloomberg & Business Broadcast News end licensing deal in India

    Bloomberg & Business Broadcast News end licensing deal in India

    MUMBAI: After seven years of partnership, Bloomberg L.P. and Business Broadcast News have decided to end their media licensing agreement in India on 31 March, 2016.

     

    Both parties have mutually ended the licensing agreement and will pursue their respective new business strategies.

     

    While Business Broadcast News will continue to operate the TV channel with fresh branding effective 1 April, subject to regulatory approval, Bloomberg will announce a new media partner in due course of time.

     

    “Our strategic partnership with Reliance Group and Ronnie Screwvala enabled us to successfully reach millions of viewers in India, and deliver market-moving business and financial news on India’s growth and development,” said Bloomberg Media Group – International managing director Parry Ravindranathan. 

     

    “Together, we set new standards in financial broadcast journalism, and we will continue to value our relationship with both partners. In the coming weeks, we will unveil a new chapter for Bloomberg Media in India as we remain more committed than ever to expanding our media operations this year both in broadcast, digital and other platforms,” he added.

     

    Business Broadcast News director Tarun Katial said, “In recent years, the channel has witnessed consistent increase in reach and viewership, and created a benchmark for credible business news reporting with experienced anchors and marquee shows. We have had great learnings drawing upon the global expertise and credibility of Bloomberg, and we look forward to maintaining this strong relationship in the years ahead.”

  • Reliance Broadcast Network strengthens team with four key hires

    Reliance Broadcast Network strengthens team with four key hires

    MUMBAI: Reliance Broadcast Network Limited (RBNL) has strengthend its team with four new hires.

     

    Manoj Lalwani has been named RBNL network chief marketing officer, whereas Renuka Iyer has joined as network sales & distribution head for RBNL.

     

    Additionally, Amita Srivastava has come on board as national head – account planning for RBNL, whereas Bimal Unnikrishnan has been roped in as creative director for Big Magic.

     

    Lalwani will spearhead the overall marketing function of the network including television and radio, while Iyer will be responsible for Network sales & distribution. Both will report to Reliance Broadcast Network Limited chief operating officer Ashwin Padmanabhan.    

     

    Strengthening the programming team, Unnikrishnan will oversee content creation for Big Magic. Srivastava in her new role will be responsible for account planning for the network.

     

    Reliance Broadcast Network Limited CEO Tarun Katial said, “We are happy to have Renuka, Amita, Manoj and Bimal on board who bring with them a wealth of experience and immense knowledge in their respective domains. Together, we aim to create differentiated and unique offerings for our discerning audience. I am sure that the team will add to existing talent pool and will successfully drive the growth story of the group.”

     

    Lalwani was with VLCC Health Care as vice president – sales and marketing for South Asia,  prior to this.

     

    Spearheading the sales function in leadership positions across digital and traditional platforms for close to 15+ years,  Iyer has been associated with brands such as Zee News, Digital Radio Broadcasting Limited and Homeland Networks (USA). She worked with Zee News for 10 years where she was senior vice president (sales) and with Digital Radio Broadcasting Limited as national sales head before moving to Reliance Broadcast Network Limited.

     

    Unnikrishnan has been an integral part of the television industry with over 20 years of experience. He was senior creative director and a key member of the Dance India Dance franchise. Prior to joining Reliance Broadcast Network Limited, he worked with Big Productions as head of non-fiction. He has also had stints with UTV as senior creative director as well as with Miditech.

     

    With an experience of over 17 years in strategic media planning, Srivastava has managed communication solutions for brands across segments, from cosmetics and auto to finance and hospitality amongst others. Prior to joining RBNL, Srivastava was ZenithOptimedia vice president and was heading the Mumbai branch.

  • Reliance Broadcast Network ups Ashwin Padmanabhan as COO

    Reliance Broadcast Network ups Ashwin Padmanabhan as COO

    MUMBAI: For the second time in a year, Reliance Broadcast Network Limited (RBNL) has promoted executive vice president Ashwin Padmanabhan.

     

    In his new role as COO, Padmanabhan has stepped into the shoes of former COO Lavneesh Gupta, who quit earlier this year. He will continue to report to Reliance Broadcast Network CEO Tarun Katial.

     

    In May 2015, Padmanabhan was promoted as EVP, while he continued to handle his existing role as Big FM business head.

     

    Padmanabhan will now not only look after the radio business of RBNL’s Big FM, but also oversee the company’s television channels Big Magic and Big Magic Ganga.

     

    It may be recalled that after Gupta quit in May, RBNL went through a re-shuffle wherein the company’s chief financial officer Asheesh Chatterjee was appointed as executive vice president and was given the additional responsibility of COO.

     

    Padmanabhan, who was Big FM’s national business head since 2013, has been with the company since its inception, starting his tenure as cluster director at Andhra Pradesh. Since then, he has held various designations in the company.

     

    He holds an Engineering degree along with Masters in Business Administration from BIM, Trichy. He has worked in diverse business sectors including petrochemical, media and other services. Prior to joining Big FM, he was with Visage Media Services as founder and director of content development.

  • Big Magic undergoes revamp; observes 30% viewership growth

    Big Magic undergoes revamp; observes 30% viewership growth

    MUMBAI: Comedy is a serious business. It was in the year 2011 when Anil Ambani-led Reliance Broadcast Network Ltd (RBNL) announced its foray into regional television space with the launch of its Hindi entertainment channel – Big Magic (for Central India – MP /UP).

     

    In 2013, tailored to meet the preferences of Hindi speaking markets of India, it was launched across Hindi Speaking Markets (HSM’s) on the back of phase II of cable TV digitisation.

     

    In 2014, it launched as a national general entertainment channel for India, positioned as a humour destination which comprised light relationship dramas, rom-coms, sitcoms, movies and a historical comedy.

     

    This year, it has shed its current logo and gone for a complete makeover by launching a fresh new look and channel identity. The content as part of the renewed strategic vision will be unpredictable, cutting edge, quirky, contemporary, surprising, differentiated, hilarious and entertaining; targeting families, but predominantly the male audience.

     

    With original content including a high degree of humour, viewers will enjoy shows in the sitcom, non-fiction space, focused on building iconic characters which are stand out, quirky and funny. The content offered will be platform agnostic with a large play on the digital and mobile medium.

     

    Research, the key factor

     

    According to RBNL CEO Tarun Katial as the consumers’ taste changes dynamically and quickly, the channel wanted to sharpen its comedy positioning and appeal to the urban audiences’ mindset and bring about a relatable icon in its identity which is emoticon. “Today emoticon is used by everybody and it’s an extremely relatable form of communication amongst consumers,” he says.

     

    Including regulatory approvals, it has been a four month process for the revamp of the channel. Extensive research was done amongst the core TG to understand the kind of comedy and content consumers want. The research showed that the content being desired was extremely dynamic, vibrant, surprising and iirreverent comedy and the logo is build on that thought. The new look has been designed by Purple Pink agency.

     

    Talking about the new look identity, RBNL network creative director Paritosh Painter says, “At Big Magic, we strive to offer comedy content that is fresh, surprising, unpredictable and fully over the top. In line with our new campaign, we will continue our commitment to offer a comical line up of hilarious sitcoms, surprising and unpredictable short formats on topical issues, laugh out loud weekend special and festive specials.”

     

    With the new identity, the channel aims to build a strong line-up of content at both long and short formats. With currently two and half hours to three hours of original content running everyday with shows like Akbar Birbal, Tedi Medi Family, Total Nadaniyaan amongst others, the channel is all set to take the original hours of content to 4 hours a day. Big Magic will launch two new shows in the next couple of months, one of which will be an unscripted show in the late primetime band and an irreverent young comedy in the early evening.

     

    The channel will also air an animated series with Akbar Birbal and bring one of its Big FM 92.7 Radio show – Actor calling Actor on to television.

     

    “On the content front, our attempt is to build a certain amount of iconic characters around male irreverent comedy. We believe that Indians are ready to laugh at each other and themselves. This is predominantly young urban male skewed content that we want to launch,” explains Katial.

     

    In terms of marketing, the channel will strongly focus on digital and mobile. Katial believes that comedy content moves very quickly and goes viral on platforms like digital and mobile. “For us content is marketing and marketing is content,” he says.

     

    Katial further reveals that after Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India started rolling out data, the channel has witnessed a 30 per cent growth in viewership.

     

    For the record, the channel is available across all DTH platforms such as Tata Sky, Airtel Digital TV, Videocon d2h, DD Free Dish, Dish TV, Reliance Digital TV along with all cable operators including the likes of Hathway Cable & Datacom, Incable, Digicable, Den Networks, 7 Star, ABS, Siti Cable, Star Broadband and GTPL amongst others.

  • Pitch game: Sell your idea in 30 seconds says Paritosh Painter

    Pitch game: Sell your idea in 30 seconds says Paritosh Painter

    MUMBAI: The last session of PromaxBDA witnessed a candid and fun conversation between broadcast executives and agencies, who acknowledged the elephant in the room – pitching. For many agencies and their clients, pitching is a hot and sensitive topic.

     

    The session with Namit Sharma, Abhijit Avasthi, Maxus South Asia’s Kartik Sharma and Reliance Broadcast Network’s Paritosh Painter was moderated by Reliance Broad Network CEO Tarun Katial.

     

    Panelists had a unanimous answer to the three key points that one must prepare before engaging in a pitch. They are as follows: 1) Knowing what the client wants, 2) A unique idea and 3) Conviction to pitch the idea before presenting it to the client.

     

    Sharma was of the opinion that one should share ideas in the time given. He said, “You have five minutes to convince the client. If he is not convinced in that time then you should move on to plan B,” he said.

     

    Avasthi added, “You need to be ruthless to yourself while evaluating the idea so that you can get the best out of it.”

     

    Maxus’ Sharma further added, “You need to work for the client, so that he can benefit and that should also be a point that one should keep in mind.”

     

    Replying to Katial’s question as to whether ideas should be original or inspired, Painter said, “Ideas are generally original, but the client might not understand it at the first instance. At that point, one needs to give them referral points so that they understand it better. Hence they are original and inspired.”

     

    On questioning about the tangibility of the idea, Sharma said, “It can be a combination of both. But pitching needs execution.”

     

    An agency wins or loses a pitch on the basis of the execution. Maxus’ Sharma said, “A brilliant idea can help us win a pitch.” Stating an example, he said that there have been times when his team has gone unprepared for a pitch, but the client has liked the idea and they have won pitches. Indeed, he is of the opinion that winning or losing a pitch doesn’t depend on the tangibility of the idea.

     

    When asked as to what happens when a tangible idea is not strong, Avasthi said, “Personally, since I come from the advertising background, I feel one needs to evaluate the idea and then pitch it. I have seen instances when my team has come up to me and we have brainstormed the idea because I am quite aware that they will not be able to polish it. So I try to pull out something breakthrough from their idea.”

     

    Painter asserted that one should sell the idea in 30 seconds. He said, “I am generally convinced about my idea so that I can sell it. When I evaluate pitches, I first try to understand the intention of the pitch. Is it business or passion that is driving the person? If it is business then the person sitting in front of me has to do a lot of hard work to convince me, but if it is passion, 70 per cent of the convincing job is done. You just have to push the person the extra 30 per cent for you to say yes. And that person will do it, because a lot of passion drives him to do that.”

     

    The discussion then took the curve of whether an experienced person’s pitch value is more than that of a youth. Sharma opines that the idea must be focused on and not the experience of the person. On the other hand, Avasthi and Maxus’ Sharma opined that it depends on the client. If the client is new then youngsters do present pitches, while if it is an old and important client then an experienced person should give the pitch.

     

    Concluding the discussion with tips on what one should do after the pitch, Avasthi said, “The person should take ownership of the pitch and it is important that the other person is concurrent with that.”

     

    Painter asserted, “One must do a thorough research on the idea and on the client.”

     

    Concluding, Maxus’ Sharma said, “Ask a lot of questions and you will get rich insights. During the pitch have a feedback and close the pitch with a dialogue.”