Tag: TV

Guest Column: Start-up hacks: A cheat sheet for success

With the convergence of technology and media, we are witnessing tremendous activity in the start-up space. From content to distribution to broadcast to affiliate opportunities, there is no dearth of new ideas and their backers. Surprisingly not all of them are covering all their bases to crack the start-up success code.

Having been a part of four start-ups in leadership positions along with all the insights gained through studying hundreds of others, here are 9 ways that help us better understand them and reasons that make them succeed.

1. Start-ups are not smaller versions of large organisations. Bonsai have a different life and game plan as compared to large trees. The two should not be compared and start-ups should not be expected to emulate the large organisation.

2. Start-ups do not adhere to a ‘set’ business plan – in most of the cases the challenge is to find one. As Mike Tyson famously said on his opponent’s pre-fight strategies: everyone has a plan till they get punched in the face. Business Plans are a necessary evil but for a start-up they are nothing more than fictional plans and rarely do they survive their first contact with customers.

3. Customer Plan is much more important than the business plan. This may include customer engagement, customer stickiness, brand advocacy score, net promoter score, etc. “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning,” said Bill Gates.

4. Data is the new oil. Data undergirds everything. Period.

5. Start-ups need to fail fast, fail often, fail cheap and fail better. Constant experimentation and continuous learning is the name of the game rather than elaborate planning. Start-ups need to keep their persistence levels high. “You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing and falling over,” as famously told by Richard Branson.

6. Iteration is the key word for every aspect of the business. Launch and iterate. And again. Everything is changeable except the intent to give one’s best to making it big.

7. Repeatability and scalability are two pivots to search in the early life cycle stage. Investing in growth in stage 0 is almost a sure-shot pre-requisite. Mostly start-ups are dealing with a new concept and/or a habit change. This may initially require selling only on the strength of price (not the brand or anything else) and may call for disproportionate investments and therefore profitability may be a long way off.

8. Turmoil and chaos are integral to the existence of a start-up. Those who cannot stand the heat, need to get out of the kitchen.

9. Lastly as Jeff Bezos said – Entrepreneurs must be willing to be misunderstood for a long time.

The M&E industry as much needs start-ups as the rest of the economy. As research shows, the success quotient can go up if the above factors are kept in mind.

Piyush Sharma, a global tech, media and entrepreneurial leader, created the successful foray of Zee Entertainment in India and globally under the ‘Living’ brand. The views expressed here are of the writer’s and Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to them.

July 25, 2017

11% TV & 7% digital ad growth in ’16, says Smriti Irani

NEW DELHI: The ministry of information and broadcasting received a total of 280 complaints on misleading advertisements during the period 2015 to 2017 as on 30 June, the Parliament has been told.

Information and broadcasting minister Smriti Irani said an advisory had been issued by the ministry on 21 August 2014 advising all TV channels not to telecast advertisements, which were found to be violating provisions of Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994, the Advertising Standards Council of India Code and also Drugs & Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisement) Act 1954.

Irani said the report of Indian media and entertainment industry 2017 released by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI-KPMG) showed that there was a total growth of 11.2 per cent in 2016 as compared to 2015 in advertising in the industry. Of this, there was a growth of 11 per cent in television and seven per cent in digital advertising in 2016 over 2015.

The Department of Consumer Affairs has established a ‘Grievances against Misleading Advertisement’ (GAMA) portal, through which a common man can lodge a complaint against misleading advertisements. These complaints are processed by Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) under an MoU with the department of consumer affairs.

The total number of incidents/complaints received by department of consumers during the 2015-16 to 2016-17 is 3368.

The ASCI self-regulates advertising content to monitor and decide on complaints against advertisements making misleading, false and unsubstantiated claims.

Also Read:

Smriti Irani gets additional charge as MIB minister

Guest Column: M&E industry in India: 5 not-to-be-missed trends

July 22, 2017
Effective story-telling in India is yet to evolve, says Viacom18 SVP Anu Sikka

MUMBAI: The animation services market in 2016 mostly continued to be dominated by outsourced projects from television and film sectors, which accounted for around 85 per cent of the total animation services turnover in India. However, there are a few exceptions such as Nick, which has been the leader in the genre for years according to audience measurement data.

`Motu Patlu’ films on Nick, which is part of the Viacom18 family, have been ruling the roost mostly in the top-five list. `Motu Patlu 36 Ghantey Race Against Time’, `HFF-Motu Patlu In Double Trouble’ and ‘Motu Patlu Kung Fu Kings’ have all been leading in the kids’ genre. The broadcaster along with Viacom18’s movies division also introduced the first 3D theatrical of Motu Patlu i.e. Motu Patlu King of Kings, that was a success.

“We have always conceptualised our own content allowing us to develop our own IPs. The quality, uniqueness and strength of our concepts and stories have ensured that our content remains relevant and sticky, establishing a strong connect with our young viewers, Viacom18 head, programming & content – kids entertainment cluster Anu Sikka told indiantelevision.com.

While dwelling on programming strategy for Nick, she added: “With our strategy, we have managed to drive the trend and take on the leadership mantle in the highly under-indexed kids category.”

Adventure and mystery show `Gattu Battu’, which is the fourth made in India character from Nickelodeon, has been running successfully after an encouraging opening on 1 May, 2017. `Pakdam Pakdai’, `Motu Patlu’, `Shiva’ and `Gattu Battu’ are shows that cater to the discerning entertainment needs of the young viewers.

“We aim at creating differentiated kids content for the age-group between 2 and 14 years, investing significantly in television movies such as `Motu Patlu’ and `Pakdam Pakdai’,” Sikka informed.

Apart from boasting of one of the most popular shows in the kids’ category, `Motu Patlu’, which is produced for Viacom18 by its partner Cosmos-Maya, the company also holds a record of having a large homegrown, made in India content bank within a short duration. `Motu Patlu’ followed by Pakdam Pakdai and then `Shiva’, which launched during Diwali last year, has created a new success yardstick for animation content in the Indian market, Viacom18 claimed.

The Indian animation and VFX industry grew at 16.4 per cent in 2016 to reach a size of INR 60 billion, driven primarily by a 31 per cent growth in VFX, with animation remaining steady at a growth rate of nine percent, as per the KPMG-FICCI Report 2017.

Dwelling on the investments Viacom18 generally makes for producing an animation show for kids, Sikka said that it could range between Rs 5 million and Rs 20 million, depending on various factors such as the intricacy and complexity of the animation, graphics and the script. “We have focused on creation of IPs allowing us to extend our characters to beyond television into other categories such as consumer products and movies etc., allowing us to create an entire ecosystem and facilitate monetisation,” Sikka said.

The uptake of domestic / Indian content may be a key growth driver for the animation industry, and the expected uptake of digital consumption through OTT platforms will add to the increasing demand for localized content. The animation IPR production segment, in 2016, grew at a faster rate owing to increasing demand for localised animation content and characters developed for the Indian market across OTT and TV.

According to Sikka, the ratio of local to foreign content was between 50 and 60 per cent in favour of Indian content.

“We are the pioneers in owning the intellectual property rights (IPRs) by producing our own shows with the intent of building an ecosystem and in the process, started a trend,” Sikka said. Once Viacom18 has the IPRs in place, it commissions different production houses to execute the projects, preferring to buy out entire rights than get into joint productions.

The Indian animation and VFX industry is estimated to expand at a CAGR of 17.2 per cent over 2017–21 to reach a size of Rs 131.7 billion, driven by a steady 9.5 per cent growth in animation and a 25 per cent growth in the VFX segment. Although animation in India has come a long way as compared to the situation 10 years ago, Sikka was of the opinion that the audience would lap up stories if those were well told, and that’s why Viacom18 prefers curating its own concepts and owning the IPRs too. “Occasionally, we hear out concepts and stories when some production houses approach us, but there are very few that strike a chord,” she added.

June 14, 2017
Stiff competition from TV & digital has little impact on print, 2.4 cr copies added in 10 yrs

MUMBAI: Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) has been continuously certifying circulation figures of member publications every six months. The trend of certified circulation figures by ABC show that the print medium (member publications of ABC) is thriving, growing and expanding in India inspite of stiff competition from all other mediums namely, Television, Radio and Digital.

Publishers voluntarily enroll themselves as members of ABC to get their circulation figures audited. Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) certifies circulation figures after a stringent audit process through more than 90 empanelled Chartered Accountants, audit firms. ABC also has a provision for surprise press and market visits by empanelled firms of Chartered Accountants which further strengthens the audit process.

As on date, ABC certifies:-
– Daily & Weekly Newspapers 910
– Magazines & Annuals 57

Other members of ABC:-
• Media and Ad Agencies
• Print medium Advertisers
• Govt. Organisations & DAVP

ABC certified circulation figures are of immense value to advertisers, marketers and government departments (DAVP) whilst preparing their media plans since they are available across geographies for any town/district/state spread all over India.

A few reasons why print publications are growing in circulation:-
Impact of education – Growth in literacy and education have created substantial -headroom for growth of newspapers.

Advantage of India’s Economic growth – It is believed that the growth of-
newspapers in India is directly related to urbanization leading to higher aspirations, heightened interest in buying assets etc.

Reading newspaper a part of daily routine combines well with ease of reading at -your own time.

Easily accessible and available at home – newspapers are home delivered in -India, unlike in the West

Competitive pricing – newspapers are the cheapest source of news.-

Customized sections and pull outs cater to various segments of readers together -with localised content.

Power of the written word – Newspapers have continued their strong traditions -over the years to provide accurate and reliable news to their readers.

As compared to the world print market, India is one of the brightest spots in the print media:

• India one of the few countries where print advertising revenue is growing

• India’s paid-for daily circulation is growing whilst most other countries are declining

• No. of paid-for titles in India highest in the world & growing while no. of titles in other countries declining More details of certified circulation figures of member publications are available on Bureau’s website:
www.auditbureau.org

INDIAN PERSPECTIVE
Print is growing at an incredible 4.87% increase in CAGR over a 10 year period. 2.37 crore copies added in the last 10 years accompanied by
an increase of 251 publishing centres.

TOP 10 PUBLICATIONS AS CERTIFIED BY ABC FOR THE AUDIT
PERIOD JULY-DECEMBER 2016

1 Dainik Jagran Hindi 3,921,267
2 Dainik Bhaskar Hindi 3,813,271
3 The Times of India English 3,184,727
4 Amar Ujala Hindi 2,961,833
5 Hindustan Hindi 2,611,261
6 Malayala Manorama Malayalam 2,441,417
7 Eenadu Telugu 1,866,661
8 Rajasthan Patrika Hindi 1,840,917
9 Daily Thanthi Tamil 1,710,621
10 Mathrubhumi Malayalam 1,473,053

May 9, 2017
&TV kick-starts India’s Asli Champion….hunt on 6 May

MUMBAI: It is said that the body achieves what the mind believes! Taking this thought forward, &TV is all to set to launch a unique new reality show – India’s Asli Champion…Hai Dum! Hosted by the Real Steel of Bollywood – Suniel Shetty, the show will see 12 contestants – six boys and girls each from different walks of life fight it out in the ultimate test of physical and mental endurance to win the glorious title of India’s Asli Champion. This high action inspirational journey of asli heroes’ premieres starting May 6th and will air every Saturday-Sunday at 9:00 pm only on &TV.

Excitement, adrenaline rush, happiness, sorrow… evoking many such emotions India’s Asli Champion…Hai Dum! is a uniquely crafted show which aims to find the Fittest Indian. After an intensive search across the nation, the contestants have been chosen purely based on their competence levels – notwithstanding their age or social background. Set in Goa, these contestants will be living under one roof in the Champions Village, training their mind and body with the help of celebrity fitness trainers Shivoham and Vrinda Mehta to prepare themselves for the various gruelling tasks. Each week, one contestant who has performed the best will be elected as the Captain, a position coveted by everyone. However, the biggest gratification for the contestants is to win the medals – an honour for the best performer of the week. Their ultimate test will be based on a Triathlon – a combined trail of Swimming, Cycling and Running. In the end, one boy and one girl who will outshine everyone with their performance and determination will emerge as the Asli Champions.

Speaking about the show, Rajesh Iyer – Business Head, &TV said, “India’s Asli Champion…Hai Dum is set against the backdrop of sports and fitness coupled with real emotions that highlight stories of grit and determination on a huge canvas. Through this show, we intend to pave the way for a fresh perspective around fitness and motivate everyone to take it up as a way of life. This is our step towards making India fit and we are glad to have Suniel Shetty at its forefront.”

Host Suniel Shetty shares, “India’s Asli Champion…Hai Dum is an apt show for me as it marries my passion with profession and when that happens it creates magic. The show is all about real people and bringing out the Champion in them. Right from the contestant’s struggles to their victories and transformation; everything is real. It aims at making people believe that they can achieve the impossible by pushing boundaries and overcoming challenges. I’m certain that the show will surely be an inspiring journey for the viewers.”

Popular comedian Paritosh Tripathi will be seen adding his streak of humour as he plays ‘Anna Ka Chaukanna’. Promising to be one mentally and physically gruelling show, Paritosh’s presence will provide the much-required comic relief. Conceptualized by Zee Format Factory and produced by Colosceum Media Pvt. Ltd, India’s Asli Champion…Hai Dum is about asli heroes who push the limits and will never give up! Starting May 6th, every Saturday and Sunday at 9:00 pm stay tuned to the journey of these Champions on India’s Asli Champions… Hai Dum! on &TV.

Meet the Contestants

Sunil Menon, the Namesake!
43-year-old, Anna’s namesake Sunil Menon is the 2nd Iron Man coach in India to have completed Iron Man race in South Africa in 2014. For Sunil, age is just a number as his goal is to be a Triathlon champion.

‘Dilli Ka Jugaadu’ turned fitness trainer Arjun Khurana
Hailing from Delhi, 24-year-old Arjun Khurana is a student and fitness trainer. A carefree boy, this ‘Dilli Ka Jugaadu’ has found his calling in fitness and aspires to make a mark for himself in this industry.

State Level Cricketer Sumit Kurhade
An online trainer and fitness model, 25-year-old Sumit Kurhade is the first person to complete an Iron distance in India. A state level cricket player, Sumit has been awarded with Outstanding Batsman and Man of the Match medals in Maharashtra Premier League.

Stand-Up Comedian turned sports enthusiast Chinmay Mhatre
Chinmay Mhatre is a stand-up comedian from Pune. This 24-year-old boy is a state level swimmer and has participated in several marathons. His only aim is to be a Triathlete.

Footballer Niraj Rao
22-year-old Niraj Rao has played football professionally for Deccan Rovers Football Club. He was also ranked 4th fittest athlete in Pune in “Shivfit: Battle of the Fittest” in 2017.

Agra’s fitness trainer Sanjay Negi
A fitness trainer by profession, 30-year-old Sanjay Negi from Agra won the 4th place in Devil Cicuit in the 2017 Spartan Race. Having failed numerous attempts to enter the Indian Army, he currently trains people but continues to pursue the dream of joining the army.

Business Woman and Gym Trainer Urmimala Boruah
Hailing from Guwahati, 32-year-old Urmimala Boruah is a business woman and gym trainer by profession. She is the only earning member in her of family as her husband is bound to the wheelchair. She also is a mother of a 14-year-old daughter who is a national level tennis champion.

Athlete from the City of Joy Supa Parveen
Supa Parveen is a 22-year-old girl from the City of Joy, Kolkata. An athlete by profession, Supa is a proud daughter of a farmer who aspires to represent India at an international level. She has won silver and bronze in National 100m relay and long jump.

Wushu Fighter Gurleen Kaur
Professional Wushu fighter, 23-year-old Gurleen Kaur from Delhi has won many medals in Wushu championships. She is all set to fulfil her father’s dream of representing India at an international level in Taekwondo.

Mumbai Student Aishwarya Salagare
A student from Mumbai, 22-year-old Aishwarya Salagare has struggled with weight issues. Bullied for the same, she took up the challenge and reduced weight in a year.

Model and Swimmer Swati Chauhan
22-year-old Swati Chauhan is the perfect blend of beauty and fitness. A resident of Mumbai, Swati is an actor, model and an international level swimmer

Kavita Kolapkar, a Software engineer
A software engineer by profession, Kavita Kolapkar from Mumbai is also a professional swimmer. This 24-year-old has won the 7th rank in 010 CWG and 4th rank in 2008 Asian games

May 4, 2017
Managed Broadcast Services embraces Amagi’s Skylight Cloud Platform

MUMBAI: Amagi, the leader in cloud broadcast infrastructure and targeted advertising for TV and OTT, today announced the launch of Skylight, the first-of-its-kind, cloud-managed broadcast services platform positioned to redefine the managed playout services industry. Skylight offers TV networks cloud-led, end-to-end services encompassing content preparation, channel playout, content delivery, and monetisation for both linear TV and OTT for maximum efficiency. The Skylight services platform embodies a philosophy of simplicity, transparency, and automation.

“Traditional managed service providers have archaic systems and their lack of innovation is limiting the possibilities for TV networks. They are labor-intensive, large physical operations, and from the perspective of TV networks, opaque in many ways,” said K.A. Srinivasan, co-founder, Amagi. “We’re breaking new ground by adopting future-ready cloud technologies that add advanced automation to accelerate broadcast workflows, provide complete transparency through a web-based UI, and make it absolutely simple for broadcasters to operate channels.”

Unlike traditional managed service providers, Amagi Skylight uses public cloud infrastructure to push broadcasters’ content to the cloud and then centrally manages the entire broadcast workflow. Skylight packs in cognitive capabilities and machine learning techniques to reduce human intervention wherever possible. These aspects drive scalability and increase broadcast efficiencies.

Amagi’s Skylight uses a differentiated partner-centric approach to help TV networks get better choice and cost effectiveness – be it for creative services including subtitling, voice over, and post-production or delivery services over fiber and satellite. By giving a wide swathe of choice of partners and on-demand infrastructure, Amagi provides better cost efficiency and agility to its customers.

“What makes Skylight truly an end-to-end service is our extensive expertise in monetizing content through targeted advertising on TV and dynamic, personalized ad insertion on OTT. This makes Skylight an attractive proposition for TV networks, not just for operational efficiencies but also for revenue generation,” added Srinivasan.

May 4, 2017
‘Inappropriate content’ on TV & radio to be regulated

MUMBAI: The Indian Government plans to establish a body to regulate the content broadcast on television and radio channels.

In the backdrop of escalating concern of over-regulating and gagging of free speech by the Central Government, the government is now considering regulation of television and radio channels against what is being termed as ‘inappropriate content’.

The Central Government has decided to establish a grievance redressal mechanism against objectionable content that is broadcast on TV news and entertainment channels, and FM and community radio, the Asian Age reported.

This would mean that radio stations and television channel which were following a self-regulatory mechanism could now be held liable for complaints against their content filed by the public.

If a member of the public has a complaint regarding certain content broadcast over radio or television, s/he can lodge a complaint with the district magistrate (DM) or the police commissioner (chairmen of the district-level monitoring committee), according to a government directive accessed by the paper.

People are free to register their complaints online at pgportal.gov.in, or directly send their grievances to the union information and broadcasting ministry.

In January 2017, the Supreme Court had directed the government to establish a mechanism for redressal of complaints against “contents of private TV channels and radio stations and accord due publicity to the measures to enable citizens approach it with their grievances.”

The Programme and Advertising Code of the government prohibits the broadcasting of certain type of content, including anything that “offends and is against ‘decency’, contains criticism of friendly countries, contains attacks on religion or communities, is obscene or defamatory, encourages or incites violence, encourages superstition, denigrates women or affects the integrity of the nation.”

It was reported in February 2017 that action was taken in 52 cases of television and two of radio in the past three years for violation of the Code. The minister of state for information and broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore had said the action in most cases was limited to apology scrolls, or switching off channels for a brief period.

Rathore had said the Supreme Court had, on 12 January 2017, advised the Government to formalise the complaint redressal mechanism including the period of limitation within which a complaint can be filed. The court also said the concerned statutory authority which shall adjudicate upon the same including the appellate and other redressal mechanisms, leading to a final conclusive determination.

As and when there is a prima facie case of violation by private satellite TV channels and private FM channels regarding content aired by them, the matter is placed before the IMC for its consideration/recommendations. Thus, IMC functions in a recommendatory capacity.

Apart from this, the Ministry had earlier issued directions to States to set up District level and State level Monitoring Committees to regulate content telecast of local TV channels carried on Cable TV Networks.

AlsO Read :

Press regulation not called for, says Modi

SC to MIB: Get mechanism to deal with complaints on TV, radio shows

Govt warning to TV channels on b’cast norms breach

Govt admits centralised content monitoring of TV and Radio ‘non-workable’

May 3, 2017
Maiboli to premiere ‘Shortcut’ on 30 April

MUMBAI: SABGROUP’s Marathi channel Maiboli is set to entertain the audience with the broadcast of the Marathi Blockbuster ‘Shortcut –Disto pan Nasto’a moviefeaturing for the first time on the small screen. “Maiboli”, a regional Marathi language channel, showcases the Marathi culture and heritage.

The telecast is scheduled on 30 April,2017 at 1:30pm& repeat at 7:30pm, featuring stars like Vaibbhav Tatwaddi, Sanskruti Balgude& Rajesh Shringarpure.

‘Shortcut – Disto pan Nasto’, a blockbuster Marathi thriller directed by Harsh Raut is based on the ups and downs in Rohit’s life who plays the protagonist. A movie that went on to receive many industry accolades.

To add to the excitement, Maiboliwill be running a “Shortcut to Win” contest, where viewers can win big with the prizes such as home theater speaker systems, LED TV & Bluetooth Headphones by simply answering couple of questions asked during the movie.

Magnifying this World television premier, an extensive marketing campaign has been unfolded across Maharashtra including TV, Digital, Outdoor, Print & PR campaigns.Brand like FeviKwik and Reliance trends are on board with this special screening as the powered by sponsor & associate sponsor respectively. Also on board are media partners – Dainik Saamna and Manas Creations.

Tatwadi said, “I am so excited that Maiboli is doing a world television premier of one my special films – Shortcut. This film is very close to me because the character I have played has never been portrayed in Marathi films before.”

Balgude said, “Shortcut is a thriller movie that will keep you asking for more, my character is very glamorous and with the “shortcut to win” contest it is just going to add to the excitement.

April 28, 2017
Ramesh Sippy steps in to train TV’s GenNext

MUMBAI: Indian television has, for long, suffered from a shortage of writers who could pen down the 1,000 or so episodes that Hindi GEC dramas demand. Of course, efforts are being made by the Film Writers Association, institutions such as Whistling Woods and companies such as Star India (which has an in-house writing programming).

Another player is entering the fray: film veteran Ramesh Sippy, who has given the industry the classic TV series Buniyaad in the eighties. Now, he has set up the Ramesh Sippy Academy of Cinema & Entertainment (RSACE) which has partnered with the Mumbai University’s-affiliated Garware Institute of Career Education & Development.

On offer to students are courses in script-writing, film art, film production, VFX and animation. Those who complete the three-year course will be awarded a degree in their respective courses.

Entrance tests to be eligible for admission to RSACE are to be held on 28 April 2107 and 8 May 2017. Candidates who get through for the bachelors course will need to cough up Rs 5 lakh a year for each of the courses, excepting scriptwriting, the fees of which has been pegged at Rs 3 lakh a year.

RSACE institute is bridging the gap between theory and hands-on knowledge.

Former DD Mumbai Kendra head honcho Mukesh Sharma who retired recently says, “My moto is working for the students, working with the students and working on the students. Associating with Mumbai University and Garware Institute of Career Education and Development will help students to get the recognised degree.”

Adds RSACE MD Kiran Juneja: “Ramesh Sippy has a lot of experience in the industry. So, he wants to share it with the world, and every aspirant in the film industry seeks to hit the road running from day one of their careers. Twenty students at a time is our prime focus, so that we can invest an equal quantum of time on everyone, which will help us deliver the best in the business,” she added.

The RSACE board includes: Ramesh and his wife Kiran, Hema Malini, Rohan Sippy and Manmohan Shetty. The advisory council members include big names from the industry such as Kamal Hasan, Sonu Nigam, Vidya Balan, Kabir Khan and many more.

April 20, 2017
How Hindi GEC channels fared in first quarter of 2017

BENGALURU: The Hindi general entertainment (GE or GEC) space has always been fascinating – be it from the viewers or networks or advertisers point of view. Major networks such as Star India, Viacom 18 (or Network 18), the Subhash Chandra headed Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (Zeel) or Sony Pictures Networks India Private Limited (SPN) have launched multiple channels in standard as well as high definition (HD) format.

How have the channels performed during the first 13 weeks (Saturday 30 December 2016 to Friday 31 March 2017)? This paper, based on Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) data, attempts to throw some light the most watched Hindi GE channels during the first quarter of 2017. It is based on statistical analysis of Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) data from the following markets: HSM(U+R), HSM (Rural), HSM (Urban): NCCSAll : 2+ Individuals for weeks 1 to 13 of 2016 (Saturday, 30 December 2017 to Friday, 31 March 2017, HSM means Hindi Speaking Market).

This paper must be read with a caveat: It deals only with the players present in BARC’s top 10 lists of channels per week. The sums/percentages of other genres/players’/channels of other players as well other channels of players in this paper ratings or Impressions (000s) Sums other than those indicated in BARC’s top 10 lists of channels have not been considered/mentioned in this paper during the period under consideration and those numbers could be more/higher. Further, Combined Total or Weekly Impressions (CWI) mentioned in this paper means the sum of all the Impressions (000s) Sums for all the weeks under consideration of a network and/or channel and/or programme/s.

So how did the Hindi GEC channels fare?

While the overall networks’ primary channels – Star Plus, Colors, and Zee TV in that order were the three most watched channels in the Hindi GEC genre during the first quarter of 2017, the numbers for the Hindi GEC (Rural) during the same period tell a completely different story. The networks’ second or third channels ruled the Hindi GEC (Rural) roost. Rishtey, Sony Pal, Zee Anmol, Star Utsav were ahead of their older siblings in the Hindi GEC (Rural) markets during the first 13 weeks of 2017. Reliance Broadcast Network’s (RBNL) Big Magic also found a place in the top 10 most watched channels list for 10 of the 13 weeks of 2017 in the Hindi GEC (Rural) markets.

The Hindi GEC (Urban) market was similar to the overall Hindi GEC market, except that the three most watched channels in this market were Star Plus, Colors and Sony Entertainment Television with Zee TV at fourth spot.

Hindi GEC and Hindi GEC (Rural) audiences preferred the shortened versions of cricket on DD National more than the Hindi GEC (Urban) market during primetime, more specifically some One day internationals and some T20 matches between India and England, if one were to go by BARC’s top 5 most watched programmes list across the three markets (NCCSAll : Prime Time (1800 – 2330 hrs) : 2+ Individuals). Though DD National figured in the top 10 most watched channels list of all the three markets at different frequencies during the period under consideration, during primetime, its cricket programmes featured in the five top programmes list for five and six weeks in the Hindi GEC and the Hindi GEC (Rural) markets respectively, but not in the Hindi GEC (Urban) market.

Hindi GEC

Eleven channels appeared in the top 10 channels weekly list during the first thirteen weeks of 2017. The overall Hindi GEC space was dominated by Star India’s Star Plus during the first thireen weeks of 2017. The Combined Weekly Impressions for the channel were 1,91,85,359 (000s) Sums during the period under consideration. Network 18’s Colors with CWI of 82,58,798 (000s) Sums was second followed by Zeel’s Zee TV with CWI of 61,91,072 (000s) Sums. Network 18’s Rishtey with CWI of 61,25,507 (000s) Sums and SPN’s Sony Pal with CWI of 57,35,709 (000s) Sums were at fourth and fifth place respectively.

Please refer to the figure below for other data:

In terms of frequency of ranks in a week, it was again Star Plus that was ranked 1 for nine weeks out of the 13, followed by Colors which was ranked 1 in three of the 13 weeks. Sony Pal was ranked 1 in one week (week 13) during the 13 weeks under consideration.

Please refer to the Rank table below:

Hindi GEC (Rural)
In the Hindi GEC Rural space, twelve channels appeared in the top 10 channels weekly list during the first thirteen weeks of 2017. Network 18’s Rishtey was the most watched channel in weeks 1 to 13 of 2017 with CWI of 45,99,618 (000s) Sums.SPN’s Sony Pal was next with 43,55,224 (000s) Sums followed by Zeel’s Zee Anmol with 42,19,032 (000s) Impressions at third place.

Please refer to the list below.

Rishtey was ranked 1 as the most watched channel in seven of the first 13 weeks of 2017 in the Hindi GEC (Rural) genre. Sony Pal was next – it was ranked 1 for five weeks during the same period, followed by Star India’s Star Utsav which was ranked 1 for one week during the first 13 weeks of 2017. Zee Anmol was next – it was ranked 2 for 7 weeks, followed by DD National which was ranked 3 for one week of 2017.

Please refer to the list below.

Hindi GEC (Urban)
Twelve channels appeared in the top 10 channels Hindi GEC (Urban) list during weeks 1 to 13 of 2017. Like the Hindi GEC genre, Hindi GEC (Urban) audiences preferred Star India’s Star Plus the most during this period. The channel had CWI of 61,17,130 (000s) Sums. Colors was the second most watched channel in the Hindi GEC (Urban) market with a CWI of 56,12,131 (000s) Sums followed by SPN’s Sony Entertainment Television with a CWI of 38,15,488 (000s) Sums. Zee TV was the fourth most watched channel in the Hindi GEC (Urban) market with CWI of 35,69,444 (000s) Sums.

Please refer to the chart below for the list of most watched channels in the Hindi GEC (Urban) genre during the first quarter of 2017.

Star Plus was ranked first as the most watched channel in the Hindi GEC (Urban) space for 11 of the first thirteen weeks of 2017. Colors was ranked 1 for two of the first thirteen weeks in the same space, followed by Sony Entertainment Television which was ranked third for 10 of the first 13 weeks of 2017. Zee TV was next, with a frequency of three for rank 3 during the same period.

Please refer to the list below:

April 11, 2017