MxMIndia

Author: mxmadmin

  • This has been a trial by the media, the channels have been playing the cops, the lawyers and the judges all rolled into one. And all this only to give a ‘fresh slant’ to the story

    Anil Thakraney: What lessons have we learnt from Aarushi?

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Aarushi is back in the news. And it’s quite obvious that the media heat on the 2008

     

    Aarushi Talwar killing in Noida has kept the investigation going. Just as it happened in the Jessica Lal murder case. If the media hadn’t given so much attention to this crime, Aarushi’s X-file would most likely have been closed a long time ago. So far so good.

     

    However, the manner in which the electronic media has covered the story in the last four years has been nothing short of unfair and unethical. It’s one thing to put pressure on crime investigation; it’s another thing to break every single tenet of journalism with impunity. I recall the two extremes that were played out on the TV channels in the aftermath of the murder. On the one hand, there were the Star News reporters busy re-enacting the murder and virtually declaring that the parents were the killers. On the other hand there was Sonia Varma of NDTV in a chat show with Aarushi’s mom, not just bonding with her but making every visible effort to make the lady appear victimized. And in between these two extremes there has been a whole lot of speculation raging on, and every single news channel is guilty of it. What took the cake was the narco-analysis tests of the suspects being freely broadcast for public consumption!

     

    No, I am not saying for a second that the intentions of the anchors/reporters were motivated. But it is equally true that without realizing it, they have been sending all good journalism practices for a toss. This has been a trial by the media, the channels have been playing the cops, the lawyers and the judges all rolled into one. And all this only to give a ‘fresh slant’ to the story. This sort of a public tamasha doesn’t happen anywhere in the world media, apart from a few yellow tabloids.

     

    Click on the image for larger view

    No, after four long years, we still don’t know who killed Aarushi. Maybe we’ll never know. But thanks to an over-excitable media, many reputations have been tarnished forever. Question is: Have we learnt our lessons? I suspect not. I have a strong feeling that in the mad chase for TRPs we will make the same mistakes all over again.

     

    Sad.

     

    * * *

     

    PS: Fantastic press ad. Reminds me of the golden days of Trikaya andEnterprise, when the agency writers would churn out stunning prose. This advert kills all the myths that float around about press ads. That people don’t read long copy. That you have to say things straight and quick. That press ads are at best a reminder medium. All nonsense.

     

  • CNBC-TV18 presents Boardroom, the premier show which provides comprehensive earnings analysis of the India Inc

    India Inc prepares for earnings season, expectations muted: CNBC-TV18

    By A Correspondent

     

    It has been a tough 12 months for India Inc. and expectations are subdued from the Q4 results. Political uncertainties continue to plague the markets, revenue and margin are under pressure and the rupee is on tenterhooks. Investors and analysts are not expecting any positive surprises this time around. A disappointing Q4 may lead to a loss in confidence and money moving out of the markets. Questions are already being asked if Indian growth story is losing its sheen and investors are hoping that there is no further negative news.

     

    As the earnings season looks set to provide the barometer for the market sentiment of the nation’s economy, CNBC-TV18 presents ‘Boardroom’, the premier show which provides comprehensive earnings analysis of the India Inc. at the end of this financial year.

     

    The earnings season will start with earnings estimates, analyst views and brokers polls. The day of the results will feature management interviews and stock update of some ofIndia’s largest companies. This will be followed by analysis on Boardroom with the company board, top management, CEOs, noted analysts and fund managers.

     

    CNBC-TV18’s editorial team will go behind the numbers and aim to bring the definitive insights that help to make the best investing decisions. Join the team led by Udayan Mukherjee & Mitali Mukherjee as they discuss the annual number and how this may set the tone for the next move in the markets.

     

    The show kicks off with the Infosys earnings numbers on April 13, and will continue to track the market defining companies through the earnings season.

     

    CNBC-TV 18, an English business news channel, has been an integral part of the Indian economic story, spearheading and mirroring these enterprising times. The channel’s coverage extends from corporate news, financial markets coverage, expert perspective on investing and management to industry verticals and beyond.

     

    The Network18 Group is a media and entertainment company with interests in television, internet, filmed entertainment, e-commerce, magazines, mobile content and allied businesses.

     

  • New DelhiandBangalorelead the viewership with 14 per cent each, with Mumbai coming in a close second at 13 percent

    IPL 2012 first week online viewership registers a 56% increase

    By A Correspondent

     

    Solidifying last year’s stupendous growth during Indian Premier League (IPL), Times Internet Limited (TIL), in partnership with YouTube, is on an upward curve, yet again. In the first week of the tournament, including the opening ceremony, the IPL website has already recorded 13.7 million views, as against 8.8 million views last year. This represents a 56 per cent growth over last year.

     

    New DelhiandBangalorelead the viewership with 14 per cent each, with Mumbai coming in a close second at 13 percent. This leap reflects the growing trend of watching IPL matches online. This year, the IPL website offers a virtual battleground for fans to fight it out, which got 1.5 million engagements in the first week itself.

     

    The matches registered the maximum online views on 10th April for the matches between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders, and between Delhi Daredevils and Chennai Super Kings. The day saw a total of 2.15 million views on the site, which included 0.7 million unique visitors.

     

    Almost 0.6 million viewers have enjoyed the match action on their mobiles over the last seven days on Apalya mobile TV platform across Airtel, Idea and Vodafone. This is double the traffic registered last year.

     

    Rishi Khiani, CEO, Times Internet Ltd said: “Last year, we delivered a superior viewing experience and garnered significant audiences. This year, our emphasis is on higher interactivity and our strong social focus has paid off right at the start, becoming a sign of things to come over the season.”

     

    Praveen Sharma, Head of Media Sales GoogleIndiasaid: “We’re really excited to see the continuous growth in online viewer ship of IPL. This is the third year of our association with live streaming of IPL and the viewership numbers clearly indicate the distributed media consumption pattern of the Indian consumers.”

     

  • Co-writer of Eric Clapton’s ‘Layla’- Bobby Whitlock – to headline Purvankara Indigo n Blues alongsideTexaslegendary blues rock heavyweight Van Wilks Band

    3rd edition of Indigo n Blues Festival promises treat for music-lovers

    By A Correspondent

     

    Indigo Live on Thursday announced the launch of its third edition of Indigo n Blues Festival, one of the most anticipated international jazz and blues festival in the country. The festival will be held on the May 18 and 19 at theEdenGarden, Palace Grounds Bangalore.

     

    Spokesperson of Indigo Live announced that the festival will be headlined by Bobby Whitlock, who is perhaps better known for being a member of the band Derek & the Dominos, recording and co-producing one of Rock and Rolls, most important records in history “Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs”.

     

    He remains the only true writing partner of Eric Clapton, writing memorable songs such as ‘Tell the Truth’, ‘Keep on Growing’, ‘I Looked Away’, ‘Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad’, ‘Any day’ and ‘Roll It Over’.

     

    Bobby Whitlock will present this show with his band Bobby Whitlock & CoCo Carmel.

     

    The other headlining artist at the festival will be theTexasblues rock guitar legend Van Wilks who has had the honour of playing duets with greats like Willie Nelson, Eric Johnson and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top.

     

    Trigam Mukherjee, A&R Associate of Indigo Live said: “ Both Bobby Whitlock and Van Wilks are legends that Bangalore will experience for the first time ever and will sure create ripples in the growth of the genre in India. Both Bobby and Van are excited at the opportunity to perform in a country which is experiencing a surge, especially in the international live music industry. They will present a genre of blues rock, not many in the country would have experienced live.”

     

    The festival will also see many Indian blues and jazz superstars performing alongside them. Blackstratblues, The Saturday Night Blues Band, Overdrive Trio, Adil and Vasundhara, Groove#3 from Chennai andBangalore’s very own Chronic Blues Circus.

     

    The festival promises to be a carnival set at the sereneEdenGardens. The celebration of the finest Jazz n Blues India can experience will be complimented by some sumptuous soul food which will be presented at the venue.

     

    In the past Indigo Blues have features artists like Café Du Sport, Adrian D’souza and Carl Peters, Konarak Reddy, Bob Bonastre, Kaya Quartet, Junckt, Agog from Amsterdam, Alain Brunet trio, Marilena Paradisi from Italy, Wanayran Angerer from Bahamas, Cyril Barbessol from France, Margie Perez from New Orleans, Barbara Jungfer and Holger Jetter from Germany, Matt Littlewood band from UK, Masala Dosa from France.

     

    This year, however, the focus shifts completely towardsAustin,Texas, the mecca of southern blues. The past two years have seen tremendous response from audience from not onlyBangalore, but also adjoining states in the southern region.

     

  • Fever 104 FM proudly supports Delhi Daredevils for the fifth consecutive year and Mumbai Indians for the third year in a row

    Fever is Official Radio Partner of Delhi & Mumbai IPL teams

    By A Correspondent

     

    The teams have changed, the stakes have changed, but Delhi Daredevils’ and Mumbai Indians’ official radio partner in this IPL season has not changed, it is Fever 104 FM yet again. Through changing times and constant churn in the world of IPL, the partnership between GMR Sports and Fever 104 FM has stayed unmoved and ‘not out’!

     

    Fever 104 FM, country’s most sports friendly radio station proudly supports Delhi Daredevils for the fifth consecutive year and Mumbai Indians for the third year in a row.

    For this special association, Fever 104 FM has planned an on-air festival of cricket with some innovative programming to help bring the heroes closer to their fans in both the cities. From giving away match tickets every 104th minute, meet and greet with the players to original IPL merchandise, Fever 104 FM promises to give its listeners experiences that money can’t buy.

     

    While Mumbai campaign talks about ‘RJ Sidhu aur Mumbaikars Honge Ek’ where the evening show RJ will bring together the city to cheer for their home team; the Delhi station is running a campaign of ‘Daredevils Ke Damaad’, where the on-air contest winner gets an exceptional treatment during the match. Another unique campaign by the Delhi station is the ‘Junior Daredevils’ which involves an on-air battles of parents and the winner’s child gets selected to walk with the players till the field.

     

    Fever 104 FM believes the game to be a perfect fit with its brand positioning and beliefs inDelhiand Mumbai. Cricket is a religion across the country and there can be no better opportunity than IPL to leverage this advantage. The radio station has always presented the game in a very distinct manner and intends to take the cricket madness further and amplifying the same on radio with a strong local connect.

     

    Mr. Harshad Jain, Business Head- Radio and Entertainment, Fever 104 FM, said: “It is an honour for us to partner with two of the best IPL teams – Delhi Daredevil and Mumbai Indians. The format of the game is very entertaining and highly active. Our programming initiatives, too, are equally fun and exciting. We aim to provide a platform for our listeners that will help them engage with the IPL team members in an enjoyable manner”.

     

  • Milestone Brandcom creates mesmerizing presence forSwitzerlandtourism across Mumbai

    Switzerland Tourism builds extended recall in Mumbai yet again

    By A Correspondent

     

    Milestone Brandcom, a leading, and fastest growing, integrated OOH brand communications agency inIndia, has executed a surreal campaign for Switzerland Tourism.

     

    This campaign was an extension of their last campaign – “We do whatever it takes to make your holidays perfect”. The core communication objective of the campaign was to fascinate and intrigue people with vibrant images of some the geographical diversity that can be found withinSwitzerland. The campaign tag line was “ExploreSwitzerland”.

     

    The main focus of the campaign was to showcase the different destinations inSwitzerlandalong with very special offers from tour operator partners in India Switzerland, the playground of Europe, has been the dream destination for tourists for decades. Extending across the north and south side of theAlps, it encompasses a great diversity of landscapes – shimmering glaciers, snowcapped mountains, lush meadows and beautiful villages. The climate inSwitzerlandis moderate, with no excessive heat, cold or humidity.

     

    A media plan encompassing 170 media touch points spread well across a selection of formats covering high traffic & footfalls along arterial roads. There was an assorted mix of media touch points such as Billboards, Backlit Bus Shelters, Backlit Pole Kiosks, Large format Mall Facades.

     

    As part of the campaign, to further deliver the desired impact, an exceptional innovation – of a cable car going skywards to & fro from the famousMt.Titlisthat stands tall at 10,000 Feet – was executed on a 30×20 billboard at a prime location at Worli Naka. The innovation was striking and strategically placed at one of the high traffic count traffic signals in Mumbai. It was visible to almost all vehicular & pedestrian traffic moving fromSouth Mumbaito Central and suburban areas of Mumbai.

     

    Commenting on the campaign, Imtiyaz Vilatra, Founder Member & Managing Partner, Milestone Brandcom said: “The objective was to bring to light the mesmerizing diversity of landscapesSwitzerlandhas to offer. The campaign aims at targeting the upper middle class who more often than not, invest in a good vacation, the company has come up with various attractive welcoming offers to explore the immaculate beauty thatSwitzerlandhas to offer. The mesmerizing dream-like locations & attractive rates offered by the company, combined with the right media mix along key arterial routes helped in targeting the right audiences.”

     

    “Top of the mind recall & clutter breaking innovations are what separate an ordinary advertising & marketing campaign from a successful one. The objective was to utilize the OOH space effectively and build presence and reach along key arterial junctions & traffic points in order to reach the right TG. The campaign, executed by team Milestone, left no arterial route or media without our brand presence. I believe the work done on OOH in Mumbai was a critical success factor. Milestone Brandcom has delivered an excellent campaign right from planning to execution,” said Ritu Sharma, Interim Director, Switzerland Tourism.

     

    Milestone Brandcom is the fastest growing Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising & media company with operations in 42 cities acrossIndiaproviding services in over 1000 towns. The company offers through the line advertising solutions for brands nationally across multiple OOH media touch points. With a turnover of 220 crore in 2 years of operations, Milestone Brandcom is already amongst the top 3 OOH brand communication service providers inIndia.

     

  • In Freaking News, which will now appear every Tuesday and Friday, Ranjona Banerji reviews the fare in the morning papers and the nightly news. And sometimes the afternooners, the newsmags and all that's on the Web

    [MJR] Katju rides to the rescue of the press!

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    Thursday/Friday was one of those rare news cycles where TV and print appeared to agree with each other – at least when it came to the Supreme Court’s upholding the Right to Education Act and the reservation of 25 per cent of seats for the economically backward in non-government schools.

     

    Arnab Goswami of Times Now right off the bat said any opposition was elitist and demonstrated the deep rich-poor chasm in this country. This line is in keeping with his “simple living high thinking” mantra unveiled a few days ago in a debate about teenage violence. Other channels also presented the same line of thinking. This made life a little uncomfortable for those outraged that rich kiddies now had to sit next to the children of their domestics – although no one said that quite so openly, of course.

     

    Even as opponents of the idea went on about increase in fees and so on, no one quite bought it.

     

    Friday morning’s newspapers followed the same lines – with particularly vociferous arguments in favour of the RTE plan and with some tough words for those against it. For a middle class readership, it is class prejudices which are first priority and the media has certainly picked up on that without pandering to it.

     

    As the judgment sinks in, it can only be hoped that newspapers (TV cannot do it) delve deeper into the implementation of the act and keep track of what is actually going on. Sticky points include minority institutions and boarding schools which are currently exempt from this provision, what happens to a child after Class VIII and improvement of facilities in government schools.

     

    * * *

     

    Press Council chairman Markandey Katju has jumped on to his white horse and charged to the rescue of the freedom of the press. The Press Council is going to the Supreme Court to challenge the Allahabad High Court’s decision to stop the media from reporting on troop movement. The media, so upset has it been with the temerity of the Indian Express to carry the controversial story about fears of an army coup in some government circles, has remained largely silent on the court decision.

     

    This is an interesting maturity test for the media. Its compulsions to tailor material to reader demands and provide infotainment aside, there is also a larger role regarding the safeguarding of democracy and being a general watchdog. Patriotism in the media context does not mean bowing before every institution – it means quite the opposite.

     

    I cannot say this better than Katju himself: “…the Indian Army is not a colonial army, but the army of the Indian people who pay taxes for the entire Indian defence budget. Hence the people of India have a right to know about army affairs, except where that may compromise national security.”

     

    As Katju points out, the media has this freedom under Article 19 (1) (a) of the Constitution.

     

    Hear hear!

     

    * * *

     

    The media’s role in the Aarushi Talwar murder investigation remains questionable. It has swung from one extreme to another, drawing its own conclusions, dramatising the life and death of the young girl and encouraging the investigators’ own bizarre behaviour as a result.

     

    Right now, some in the media seem to have decided that the parents of the girl are innocent and being unduly targeted. Open magazine has carried a long article by historian Patrick French claiming this (he is a patient of the dentist couple).

     

    Unfortunately for everyone concerned, the courts will base their judgment on evidence collected and presented.

     

  • GECs is a very difficult segment and it needs deep pockets and a determination to go the long haul, feels Mr Nair

    I am shocked and disappointed: Sameer Nair

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Sameer Nair, whose baby Imagine channel was, is quite surprised by its sudden demise. Mr Nair founded Imagine in 2007 in partnership with NDTV, and ran it for four years. He quit last year after Turner bought the channel from NDTV.

     

    Speaking to MxMIndia, he said: “I am quite shocked and disappointed to hear that they’ve decided to shut the channel down. They (Turner) seemed to be quite gung ho about Imagine, and I thought they were going full steam ahead. There is a lot of investment and a number of jobs at stake.”

     

    When asked what in his view may have gone wrong with Imagine, Mr Nair said GECs is a very difficult segment and it needs deep pockets and a determination to go the long haul. And that he thought Turner had the muscle power to go the distance. Talking about his own stint at the channel, he said: “We had some successes and some failures. It was a tough market, we faced economic difficulties. And GECs is a tough space to be in, it’s a very competitive category. We were the first to re-create the Ramayana and we launched ‘Rakhi Ka Swayamwar’, a show like that had never been done before. I think we did some good work.”

     

    And what were the reasons behind his own departure from the channel? Mr Nair’s response is pretty frank. “I was used to operating independently. After Turner took over, one had to integrate into the Turner system. And this made me just a department head. And so I left.”

     

    Mr Nair says he’s currently working on some exciting projects but will reveal details once it all falls into place.

     

  • Channels which operate without a robust management team, a unique market position, and a defined target audience, won’t be able to garner sustained and loyal viewership feels Ashish Pherwani

    Analysis: Ashish Pherwani on when it’s right for a channel to pull the plug

    By Ashish Pherwani

     

    Rule of three

    The media business is largely governed by the ‘rule of three’ i.e. companies which are the top three or four players in a genre, or geography, tend to be profitable, while the rest tend to make losses in the long run.

     

    Accordingly, when a TV channel is unable to make it to the top of its segment for a long period of time, chances are it would have been hemorrhaging money for its owners, and that situation cannot last indefinitely.  Eventually, investors will pull the plug.

     

    Expensive programs as drivers

    TV channels which garner a majority of their viewership from reality TV shows and expensive films, and not from lower cost fiction programs, are also susceptible to being shut down in the medium to long term.

     

    Most large channels do not recover their direct variable reality content production and distribution costs through advertisements alone, but use such expensive programs as drivers to build channel loyalty and viewership for lower-cost fiction programs.  If this strategy does not work, and fiction shows continue to under-perform on a TV channel, the chances of broadcasters continuing the channel are remote even in the medium term.

     

    ‘Overhauls’ and ‘Makeovers’

    Over the last decade or so, most unsuccessful channels which have tried ‘overhauls’ and ‘makeovers’ that have failed to achieve their objectives within six to eight months, have eventually shut down their operations.  There are a few exceptions where channels are politically motivated, treated as marketing tools for large business houses, or those who believe they could build channel valuations for a profitable exit, but such companies are few and far between, and the recession of 2009 and the slowdown in 2011-12 have weeded out most of these.

     

    Foreign investors prefer less risky ventures

    In the case of foreign broadcasters enteringIndia, those with deep pockets and who believe in theIndiastory, which I certainly believe in, too, tend to stay invested inIndia.  But some foreign broadcasters prefer a less risky approach than creation of high-cost content.

     

    They prefer to exploit their existing global content library inIndia. Accordingly, more cautious and risk-averse foreign investors wouldn’t continue to fund under-performing TV channels indefinitely, and would rather take the less risky route.

     

    Viewership, the only asset

    To conclude, the only asset a channel has is viewership.  Channels which operate without a robust management team, a unique market position, and a defined target audience, won’t be able to garner sustained and loyal viewership.

     

    If channel management is able to make these three aspects fit seamlessly together, chances are the channel will succeed as a business, else, it would make business sense to pull the plug!

     

    Ashish Pherwani is Associate Director, Advisory Services, Ernst & Young Private Limited

     

  • Pradyuman Maheshwari believes that Turner should’ve shut the channel the moment Sameer Nair exited last year

    Mediaah! What did Turner imagine a GEC wud do?

    By Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

    I am as shocked and upset as Sameer Nair about Turner’s closure. Very few in the organisation of the move until Thursday mid-morning when the staff was called for a meeting to be informed of the closure.

     

    Remember, it’s a ceasing of business operations and not a suspension. There could of course be a revival at some day in future, but as of now the chances of that are 0%. Turner isn’t suggesting anything. In fact the staff has either been served notice or accommodated elsewhere in the system – either permanently or temporarily.

     

    But the moot question is: why did Imagine fail? Why did it not garner enough ratings? And was it wise for Turner to buy the channel from NDTV?

     

    In an interview to MxMIndia, managing director for South Asia Siddharth Jain says it was a carefully considered decision to acquire Imagine. If the window it gave the channel to success was so short, guess it was an unwise move. Remember in Sameer Nair, Turner had possibly one of the best brains in Indian broadcast.

     

    And as the former Star India CEO rightly maintained, it needed just one great programme for the channel to come alive. Sadly, that never happened. Zor Ka Jhatka with Shah Rukh Khan was a huge flop draining Turner upwards of Rs 50 crore. The Turner bosses weren’t willing to wait for Sameer Nair to make yet another big attempt to win the ratings game. His wings were clipped and that in many ways was the beginning of the end. In May 2011, Sameer quit and wasn’t replaced.

     

    Mind you, this has been Turner’s second attempt at running a general entertainment channel. While some of its other channels are doing well, Real – a product of its jv with Alva Brothers – was a disaster. Imagine, under NDTV, was promising and that’s essentially because of Sameer Nair and team. Agreed even SAB outpaced it in channel shares, but that’s essentially because of an improper strategy. But SAB’s story is special. In fact had it not been the endless reruns of CID, SAB would’ve been ahead of Sony too!

     

    If this was the decision that they were going to take (and Imagine was indeed going nowhere in terms of ratings), my belief is that the team at Turner did a disservice to its stakeholders. They should’ve pulled the plug the moment Sameer quit last year.

     

    The move has folks in tellyland worried. If a foreign network (hence assumed with deep pockets), like Turner can turn off the tap for them, so can anyone else, they say. Turner has assured the trade that its interests will be taken care of and the signals aren’t off yet, but it does impact many lives. As it does for the employees of Imagine.

     

    We’re sure they’ll get placed soon. But this jhatka was I think a bit too zor ka.

     

    Buzz me if you have a story to tell. Confidentiality assured. There are various ways you can reach me:

    pradyumanm[at]mxmindia.com, BBM 23050B5D, Gtalk pradyumanm@gmail.com, Twitter @pmahesh and of course the mobile: 98338 76278.

     

    Disclaimer: Although he is CEO and Editor-in-Chief of this site, Pradyuman Maheshwari’s views in Mediaah! are not necessarily those of the rest of the team and MxMIndia.com. And decidedly not those of the sales team 🙂

     

  • Turner remains fully committed to future investments and long-term participation in Indiaand will continue to explore expansion opportunities in this key priority market for Turner, Mr Jain added

    This is a carefully considered business decision: Siddharth Jain

    It wasn’t an easy day at office for Siddharth Jain, Managing Director- South Asia at Turner International India Private Limited. Mr Jain, who had assumed his current role in November last year, took time off to respond to MxMIndia’s questions in an emailed interaction.

     

    What exactly happened… there were promos running for forthcoming shows and then this announcement of pulling down curtains?

    This is a carefully considered business decision based on performance of the channel. We invested substantially and put all possible resources behind Imagine TV throughout. As in any other business, the investments were directly linked to reaching a certain performance benchmark. However, in the two years, Imagine did not grow or perform as per expectations and as a result, Turner made the carefully-considered decision to cease operations of the channel.

     

    Did you consider selling the channel (a la 9X)?

    We worked incredibly hard to exhaust all options to avoid cessation of business operations.

     

    This is the second GEC from the Turner stable that has failed. But your other channels are doing well, with Pogo hitting an all-time high recently. Will Turner try its hand at another GEC or is it quits for now?

    Absolutely. Turner remains fully committed to future investments and long-term participation in India. Having been pioneers in the Indian M&E space in international news and kids’ entertainment, Turner currently operates some of the strongest media brands in India. POGO is indeed doing very well, being the Number one channel in the kids’ TV genre for the last six months (as per TAM). Turner will continue to be leaders in the media and entertainment industry and to explore expansion opportunities in this key priority market for Turner.

     

    What happens to the team and staff of Imagine? Anyone being retained or moved to other businesses?

    Turner will retain some employees for a transition period and some others are being offered permanent roles within other Turner channels to fill current vacancies.

     

    For the other Imagine employees getting impacted, Turner has set up an HR outplacement service which will provide advice on how to write a better CV, interviewing techniques and other job hunting skills. We will also introduce the employees to recruitment consultants, HR professionals from other media organizations and facilitate their new job search. Our focus is to ensure the closure is executed in a fair and appropriate manner for all of them and in full compliance with all legal requirements, employment terms and company policies. We will use our best endeavours to make this as smooth a transition as possible for them.

     

    The integration exercise that Turner carried out in May 2011 didn’t seem go down well with a few key personnel exiting the company eventually. In hindsight, was that what triggered the channel’s downfall?

    The two are not related in any way. Integration really helped in getting better operational efficiencies between Imagine and our other networks. While exits happened in the last one year, if you look across the industry it is in the normal course of any GEC. There is not one person or one department that was responsible but a number of factors that led to the channel not delivering consistent ratings that were required to sustain the business and continued investment.

     

    Why wasn’t there a suitable replacement to Sameer Nair post his exit?

    We are not in a position to comment on Mr Nair.

     

    Are there any plans for your library of programming? And what happens to the programmes signed up?

    As of today, we cease all business operations of Imagine TV. The closure is a complicated process as we are ensuring fulfillment of all our business commitments to advertisers, distributors, production houses and other partners.

     

    As you look back, do you think it was an unwise decision to buy Imagine from NDTV? And would it have been better for you to have launched an all-new channel so that it doesn’t come with the baggage of an unsuccessful channel?

    The acquisition of Imagine was a wholly appropriate, strategic and extensively-considered decision.

     

  • Turner Network has announced the shutting down of Imagine TV's operations

    Sad! Turner shuts Imagine TV

    Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific, Inc. (Turner) today announced the decision to cease business operations of its Hindi general entertainment channel ‘Imagine TV’, together with its international feed ‘Imagine Dil Se’.

     

    A communique from Turner Network signed by Siddharth Jain, Managing Director, South Asia, said Imagine TV has “not performed and grown as per expectations”. “While some programmes delivered satisfactory ratings, overall the channel was unable to achieve the ratings consistency needed to sustain the business and support continued investment. As a result, Turner made the carefully considered decision to cease operations of the channel.”

     

    “We are grateful to the Imagine team, which includes some of the most talented and creative people in the Indian media industry. We will use our best endeavors to make this as smooth a transition as possible for them, ” he continues.

     

    ” The company remains committed to future investments and long-term participation in India. As one of the largest global media companies operating in India, Turner has enjoyed a successful track record in delivering high-quality, compelling and entertaining content to our local audiences over the course of three decades. We currently operate some of the strongest media brands in India, including HBO, CNN, Cartoon Network, POGO, WB, TCM and Boomerang. We will continue to be leaders in the media and entertainment industry and to explore expansion opportunities in this important market.

     

    *Please stand by for more *