MxMIndia

Category: MEDIA

  • Dainik Bhaskar Women of the Year Awards 2012 is an initiative to recognise woman power in India. The award in its 3rd year encourages women to build their own identity

    Dainik Bhaskar honours women of the year

    By A Correspondent

     

    Dainik Bhaskar Women of the Year Awards 2012 is an initiative to recognise woman power in India. The award in its 3rd year encourages women to build their own identity.

     

    Dainik Bhaskar Group believes in woman empowerment and improving the status of women in the country. The group has been in the forefront of introducing innovative platforms for its readers to recognize the change makers in society. The award is an appreciation of who have achieved extraordinary success and done commendable work in their respective fields.

     

    The initiative was promoted through Print Campaign and Out of Home media. The nominations were open in 4 categories: Social & Public Service, Arts & Culture, Business & Profession & Asli Amla Star Ki Khoj.

     

    The awards are given at the State level and the function for Gujarat, Jharkhand and Chandigarh (including Punjab and Haryana) has been completed. Eminent personalities like Raj Bala Malik (Chandigarh City Mayor), Dolly Ahluwalia (Fashion Designer & Movie Actress) Mr C.P. Singh (Member of Legislative Assembly from Jharkhand), Meera Munda (Wife of Jharkhand Chief Minister) and Nirav Patel (MD Abaj Electronics) attended the events in the states. The winners received a trophy and certificate.

     

    In the second phase, award for the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra will be given.

     

    With a special focus on empowering women, be it through such awards or through various other initiatives, the Dainik Bhaskar Group continues to recognise woman power.

     

  • As the sunset date for digitization nears, Dish TV has announced its basic channel tier free of cost in the four metros

    It’s Dish’tization as basic tier is free for Dish subscribers

    By A Correspondent

     

    Dish TV, the DTH service provider, has announced a game-changing initiative aimed at viewers in the four metros which are due for digitization. Dish TV’s customers will be eligible to receive a basic channel tier comprising of 70 channels free of cost for five years. TRAI had recommended at providing the basic tier (free-to-air channels) at Rs 100 per month to their subscribers. The Dish TV subscribers will have to recharge the option every six months with Rs 200.

     

    “The offering is valid for four metros: Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. We are adopting the telcos’ method. The free-for-lifetime offer did not reduce their revenues neither did it affect the size of the industry in negative way. We are sure that with this package, consumers will have more choice, and will recharge to avail access to more channels,” said Salil Kapoor, COO, Dish TV.

     

    The launch will be supported by a 360-degree media campaign. Mr Kapoor said, “The media campaign will be launched in all four metros within a week. The total outlay for the whole campaign is to the tune of Rs 30 crore.”

     

  • Brands are logging onto social media in a big way, interacting with and updating their consumers about new products or other initiatives, and e-commerce sites are not far behind. Does it help the bottomline?

    Does social media boost ROIs for e-commerce sites?

    By Robin Thomas

     

    Merely setting up shop is not enough today, and brands are not limiting themselves to advertisements on television, print, radio or even the internet alone. They are logging onto social media in a big way, interacting with and updating their consumers about new products or other initiatives, and e-commerce sites are not far behind. Myntra, for instance is already said to have registered over 7 lakh Facebook fans. Myntra also has a fashion blog, ‘Style Mynt’, wherein it shares information about the latest celebrity fashion trends, new product offerings on Myntra.com and so on. Another e-commerce site, Indiatimes Shopping, started its Facebook page early this year and is said to currently have more than 2 lakh fans on Facebook.

     

    eBay on the other hand claims to answer over 1,200 queries every month across social media platforms. It is said to resolve over 120 post-transaction complaints every month and is ranked sixth in Social Bakers’ ‘Top 100 Global Brands on Facebook’ index and is also said to be the third most engaging FB Brand Page in India. In addition to these, eBay also conducts online contests enabling the e-commerce site to engage with its consumers. For instance, it conducted a contest called ‘Battle of the Fans’ around the IPL last year. It also launched a Facebook application called ‘Battle of the Fans FB App’ for the contest. As a result, the ‘Battle of the Fans’ app is said to have become the most popular Facebook IPL app two years in a row. Simultaneously, over 15,000 streams were said to have been published from within the app and is also said to have witnessed nearly 27 percent click-through from app-to-merchandise on the site. Besides Facebook, e-commerce sites like Indiatimes Shopping, Myntra, eBay India, Olx etc. are also active on other social networking sites like Twitter, Google Plus and so on.

     

    Social media vs sales targets

    Ashutosh Lawania

    According to industry estimates, nearly 25 percent of the time spent online is on social media platforms. Out of this, 50 million are said to be on Facebook, and 13 million on Twitter. The question however is, do social media activations lead to better ROI’s (Return on Investments)? Do the ‘likes’ and interactions or engagements with consumers translate into sales? According to Mr Ashutosh Lawania, Co-Founder and Head – Sales & Marketing, Myntra.com, “Though engagement is our focus on social platforms, the activities there do contribute to traffic and sales on Myntra, and we keep track of it. Contributions from these platforms are in the lower single digit figures (percentages) when compared to other channels but they do add up. Besides, Twitter and Google Plus, we also use Facebook for advertising along with generating organic traffic. About 80 percent of all Facebook traffic on Myntra is paid with the remaining 20 percent driven via organic.”

     

    Subhanker Sarker

    Myntra uses tools such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google Plus to make announcements about new products, trends and to give out regular fashion updates which Mr Lanwania observed results in increased awareness and in turn influences purchase decisions.

     

    Having a slightly different take on the impact of social media activities on the sales, Subhanker Sarker, COO,Indiatimes Shopping was of the opinion that social media activities at times do result in better ROI’s. “Experimentation is the key. There is a certain tonality of communication, a very precise targeting of the message and a very strong follow through that can work magic. Social media is an excellent tool to keep expanding the circle of trust. The offer ads introduced recently drive a lot of sales for us now. The revenue percentage would still be in low single digits, but it all depends how you define it. Measured over a longer time period and favourable attribution logic, it touches double digit percentages.”

     

    Kashyap Vadapalli

    Kashyap Vadapalli, Chief Marketing Officer, eBay India observed, “Social media channels get us over 12% of our daily traffic which translate into deeper reach and higher conversions. In terms of ROI, they are one of the cheapest tools for generation of daily visits and excellent mediums for acquisition & retention marketing.”

     

     

     

    Anurag Gupta

    Anurag Gupta, MD, DGM India was also of the opinion that social media activities surely do reflect on the sales and revenues of e-commerce business. “Most of the e-commerce companies are using advertising on social media to drive transactions in addition to engagement activities. This is on an increase especially since platforms like Facebook have begun providing re-targeting capabilities. Sub-optimal use of social media platform by brands happened earlier, now brands have graduated and are using social media beyond likes and onto engagement and transactions.”

     

    The road ahead

    Social media is said to play a significant role in driving rapid growth for e-commerce brands. Only recently Myntra is said to have used social media platforms to launch its latest TVC before launching it on other media platforms. “It is an important platform to engage the audience, increase awareness and drive top of mind recall. It also plays a significant role in collecting feedback and giving customers a platform to voice their opinion and share their views on what they like or dislike” explained Mr Lanwania.

     

    According to Mr Gupta, social media activities for brands are increasing significantly. Most brands today have their presence on social media, including e-commerce brands. The brands are now using social media for engaging with users and a lot of e-commerce brands are increasingly using social media for commerce as well.

     

    However Mr Sarker was of the opinion that although social media has become a very significant platform today, brands must not be seen intruding their consumer’s privacy. “Social media can give you immense insights into your customers psyche. How you leverage that is up to you. Hence it is definitely significant for everybody. But one must respect the privacy of the audience. They are on social media mainly to socialize. If they were in the mood of buying something they would be on an e-commerce website. Intrusion is not taken kindly. We see social media as a customer insights opportunity rather than a sales one.”

     

    Taking social media onto a different level altogether, e-commerce sites are beginning to effectively use advertising on social media to drive their transactions. Although the revenue generated or the revenue percentage from social media activities are still said to be in single digits, it is believed to grow depending on the innovations and the engagement that e-commerce sites have to offer to their consumers.

     

    “Offline shopping tends to be a social phenomenon, and this will catch up with online shopping as well. We foresee online shopping getting integrated with social media as more and more enthusiasts will start seeking opinions before they indulge and seek compliments post indulgence. This could take the form of deeper and richer integration of social tools in the online shopping experience. One would also e-commerce players leveraging the social graph to add engaging ways to enable users to talk & share about shopping on various social media channels” concluded Mr Vadapalli of eBay.

     

  • We are sure it won’t ever happen, but hypothetically, if it did, these are the 10 faces A N Chorrea writes he would like to see in the house

    The Anchor: 10 News TV faces one would like to see in the Bigg Boss house (and why)

    By A N Chorrea

     

    We now know the 15 people holed up in the Bigg Boss house. Of course only two or three of them will last all the days, as we will see an elimination almost every week.

     

    But what if there was one with just news television anchors, here’s a quick list of those we would like to see on the show (in alphabetical order of first names):

     

    1. Abhigyan Prakash

    Ever since I attended a star-studded birthday party of his in Mumbai a few years back, I have been majorly impressed by the man. His channel is not the #1 and he is not projected as the face of the channel, but he’s one who could well last out the 80-odd days.

     

    2. Arnab Goswami

    Arnab Goswami is a must-see face of Indian news television. Though we think he’ll either be quiet all the time (and not want to make a fool of himself). He will also want to be evicted early so that he can be back on the tube soonest. After all, India wants to know!

     

    3. Ashutosh

    The man who knows most about the Anna Hazare movement is sure to engage everyone into some heated discussions on Bigg Boss… on politics and his views on what should be done for the country.

     

    4. Barkha Dutt

    News television’s first lady may have escaped the Radia controversy, but has been lying low ever since. The Bigg Boss role could well see her get back her lost equity.

     

    5. Deepak Chaurasia

    The most colourful editor on news television is also one of its most connected. He’s a necessary force to have around to keep the house in check.

     

    6. Mini Menon

    Okay, she’s not here because we needed one more lady to keep Barkha company. La Dutt is enough match for all the men. But she can possibly give the Bigg Boss house and show a slightly different, classy flavour.

     

    7. Rahul Kanwal

    As the TV Today network’s most visible face, he is a natural choice for the house, but we doubt if he’s going to want to miss on the news TV lights for too long.

     

    8. Rajdeep Sardesai

    As the seniormost member of the house, he’s going to ensure that everyone feels at home, but given all that’s happening in the political world, one doubts whether you want to see him holed up in for too long.

     

    9. Shrivardhan Trivedi

    The man who scares us all with Sansani on ABP News, but also the man who will add the necessary colour to the house given that he’s one of the more popular faces on news TV, so what if it’s essentially a group of editors around.

     

    10. Udayan Mukherjee

    There’s much too much happening in the market for business news TV’s Amitabh Bachchan to be out in Bigg Boss, but this is just a hypothetical list after all. Would be interesting though to see how well Udayan mingles with the rest of the gang.

     

     A N Chorrea is a senior industryperson who prefers to write under a pseudonym

     

  • Just 19 days to go, and confused about the jargon in the air: a Special MxMIndia guide to dejargonize digitization

    The A-Z of DIGITIZATION

     

    By Shruti Pushkarna

     

    Digitization in the four metros is less than 20 days away. But what exactly does it mean, and why this usage of the term Sunset Date. What does ARPU mean and why is COFI spelt without an extra F and two Es?

     

    Here’s The A-Z of Digitization… terms explained and contextualized.

     

    ARPU

    Average revenue per user or average revenue per unit is an expression of the income generated by a typical subscriber or device per unit time per month or per year. The ARPU provides an indication of the effectiveness with which revenue-generating potential is exploited. It is the amount of money, on average, that a company brings in for each of its customers.

     

    ADDRESSABILITY

    Addressability is the ability of a digital device to individually respond to a message sent to many similar devices. Examples include pagers, mobile phones, and set-top boxes. Addressability is the process by which (optionally encrypted) messages are sent from the cable provider for a particular cable box via the cable signal. The cable company can “address” a particular customer’s cable box to command it to activate or deactivate the descrambling of selected premium or pay-per view channels.

     

    ADVERTISING AGENCIES ASSOCIATION OF INDIA

    With the deadline approaching, the apex body of advertising agencies has naturally got active. If digitization is not 100 percent, the advertisers they represent will have reason to feel cheated if the government bans transmission of analogue signals.

     

    ANALOGUE (OR ANALOG)

    Analogue television is the analogue transmission that involves the broadcasting of encoded analog audio and analog video signal, one in which the message conveyed by the broadcast signal is a function of deliberate variations in the amplitude and/or frequency of the signal. All broadcast television systems preceding digital transmission of digital television were systems utilizing analog signals. Analog television may be wireless or can require copper wire used by cable converters.

     

    A-LA-CARTE

    With reference to offering of a TV channel, a-la-carte means offering the channel individually on a standalone basis.

     

    ADDRESSABLE SYSTEM

    An electronic device (which includes hardware and its associated software) or more than one electronic devices put in an integrated system through which signals of cable television network can be sent in encrypted form, which can be decoded by the device or devices, having an activated Conditional Access System at the premises of the subscriber within the limits of authorization made, through the Conditional Access System and the subscriber management system, on the explicit choice and request of such subscriber, by the cable operator to the subscriber.

     

    ARASU

    Soon after she came to power in 2010, Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa set up a government-owned cable service called Arasu to counter the dominance of Sun. The digitization in Chennai rests on how many set-top boxes Arasu is able to install in the next few weeks.

     

    BROADCASTERS

    A person or a group of persons, or body corporate, or any organization or body providing programming services and includes his or its authorized distribution agencies.

     

    BANDWIDTH

    The amount of data that can be transmitted in a fixed amount of time. For digital devices, the bandwidth is usually expressed in bits per second (bps) or bytes per second. For analog devices, the bandwidth is expressed in cycles per second, or Hertz.

     

    BARC

    Short for Broadcast Audience Research Council, a body being set up jointly by the broadcasters, advertisers and advertising agencies with the blessings of the government. Mandated to govern audience research (very specifically measurement), it’s taken some five years to set up given the complexity of its operations and ownership.

     

    BST

    Basic Service Tier means a package of free to air channels to be offered by a cable operator to a subscriber with an option to subscribe, for a single price to subscribers of the area in which his cable television network is providing services.

     

    BOUQUET

    Bouquet or bouquet of channels means an assortment of distinct channels offered together as a group or as a bundle. MediaPro – owned by Star India and Zee Entertainment is the biggest.

     

    CABLE OPERATORS

    Any person who provides cable service through a cable television network or otherwise controls or is responsible for the management and operation of a cable television network and fulfils the prescribed eligibility criteria and conditions.

     

    CARRIAGE FEES

    Carriage fee has been defined as any fee paid by a broadcaster to a distributor of TV channels, for carriage of the channels or bouquets of channels of that broadcaster on the distribution platform owned or operated by such distributor of TV channels, without specifying the placement of various channels of the broadcaster vis-à-vis channels of other broadcasters.

     

    COFI

    Cable Operators Federation of India is a national level, registered, non-profit organization with head office in New Delhi with its executive members spread-out all over India and with membership of more than 23,000 cable operators (Delhi alone accounts for 1200). COFI was founded in August 1993 with the primary aim of forming a unified body to represent Indian cable operators at national and international levels and with the strong determination to unite all State Associations and bring them under one powerful representation.

     

    DIGITIZATION

    Digitization is the process of converting information into a digital format (also referred to as digitalization). In this format, information is organized into discrete units of data called bits that can be separately addressed (usually in multiple-bit groups called bytes). Audio and video digitization uses one of many analog-to-digital conversion processes in which a continuously variable (analog) signal is changed, without altering its essential content, into a multi-level (digital) signal.

     

    DTH OPERATOR

    Direct to Home operator means an operator licensed by the Central Government to distribute multi channel TV programmes in Ku band by using a satellite system directly to subscriber’s premises without passing through intermediary such as cable operator or any other distributor of TV channels.

     

    DAS

    In this model, all the channels, whether Free-to-air or Pay, are delivered in the addressable-digital form only. This is akin to the DTH model. Not only is content carried in digital form, all content, whether pay or FTA, is also encrypted. The subscriber necessarily requires a Set Top Box (STB), duly authorized by the service provider (MSO), to view the TV channels. The same STB can also be used for the reception of other value added services and interactive services such as broadband.

     

    DTH SERVICE

    Direct to Home service means distribution of multi channel TV programmes by using a satellite system by providing TV signals directly to subscriber’s premises without passing through intermediary such as cable operator or any other distributor of TV channels.

     

    DTH

    Television and radio programmes distributed by satellite for reception via a dish at the receiver’s property.

     

    ENCRYPTED

    Encrypted: in respect of a signal of cable television network, means the changing of such signal in a systematic way so that the signal would be unintelligible without use of an addressable system and the expression ‘unencrypted’ shall be construed accordingly.

     

    EVASION

    Evasion is what the cable is said to be indulging in. It is believed that cable television service is prone to tax and revenue evasion by under reporting of client base by cable operators.

     

    EXTENSION

    An extension of deadline is what folks in Chennai and Kolkata are seeking. Political compulsions may well force the government to give in, but the answer lies beyond the I&B Ministry offices in Shastri Bhavan. 10 Janpath perhaps?

     

    FTA

    Free-to-air channel: in respect of a cable television network, means a channel for which no subscription fee is to be paid by the cable operator to the broadcaster for its retransmission on cable.

     

    FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT

    Foreign direct investment is investment of foreign assets into domestic structures, equipment, and organizations. With respect to cable television, Foreign investment limit is the cap put on FDI in cable television by the central government.

     

    GEC

    An acronym that stands for General Entertainment channels in India. This includes entertainment channels in Hindi, English and regional languages. Some examples would be – in no specific order – Star Plus, Zee TV, Colors, Sony Entertainment Television etc. English GECs would be Star World, Zee Cafe etc.

     

    HITS OPERATOR

    Headend in the sky operator means any person permitted by the Central Government to distribute multi channel TV programmes in C band or Ku band by using a satellite system, to intermediaries like cable operators and not directly to subscribers; and by using its own cable network, if any, to the subscribers of such cable network through Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) set top boxes, after first downlinking the signals at its terrestrial receiving station; and provide passive infrastructure facilities like transponder space on satellite, earth station facilities, etc. to one or more multi-system operators or to any consortium of multi-system operators or cable operators, for distribution of multi channel TV programmes in C band or Ku band through QAM set top boxes, using such infrastructure facilities.

     

    HD

    High-definition video or HD video refers to any video system of higher resolution than standard-definition (SD) video, and most commonly involves display resolutions of 1,280×720 pixels (720p) or 1,920×1,080 pixels (1080i/1080p). High definition is the top-level resolution offered within the digital television category. Digital cable comes in three formats – standard, enhanced, and high definition.

     

    I&B MINISTRY

    The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is a branch of the Government of India, an apex body for formulation and administration of the rules and regulations and laws relating to information, broadcasting, the press and films in India. The Ministry is responsible for the administration of Prasar Bharati-the broadcasting arm of the Indian Government. The Censor Board of India is the other important body under this ministry being responsible for the regulation of motion pictures shown in India. As of May 2009, the head of the ministry, Minister of Information and Broadcasting is Cabinet Minister, Ambika Soni (I&B Ministry is also referred to as MIB).

     

    IBF

    The Indian Broadcasting Federation is the trade association of broadcasters. Most broadcasters are members. Digitization impacts its members… right now in the four metros and soon the rest of the country.

     

    INDIAN SOCIETY OF ADVERTISERS

    That ISA follows the IBF in the list is coincidental. Jokes apart, the Society represents the interests of advertisers who, in the Indian context, pay for all of us getting the content. The ISA, is rightfully, concerned about that if digitization is not 100 percent, advertisers will feel cheated if the government bans transmission of analogue signals.

     

    IPTV

    IPTV or Internet Protocol television service means delivery of multi channel TV programmes in addressable mode by using Internet Protocol over a closed network of one or more service providers. As a technology it hasn’t really taken off in India even by those who have high-end computers and high-speed data connectivity.

     

    IRD/INTEGRATED RECEIVER DECODER

    An integrated receiver/decoder  is an electronic device used to pick-up a radio-frequency signal and convert digital information transmitted in it. Commonly found in radio, television, Cable and satellite broadcasting facilities, the IRD is generally used for the reception of contribution feeds that are intended for re-broadcasting. The IRD is the interface between a receiving satellite dish or Telco networks and a broadcasting facility video/audio infrastructure.

     

    JUNE 30TH/JULY 1

    June 30, 2012 was the (first) deadline set by the government for a complete switch over from analog to digital cable television in four metros, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. Post June 30, all analogue was expected to be switched off. The new deadline set by the govt is October 31.

     

    K-BAND

    The Ku band (Kurtz-under band)  is a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in the microwave range of frequencies ranging from 11.7 to 12.7GHz. (downlink frequencies) and 14 to 14.5GHz (uplink frequencies). The Ku band is primarily used for satellite communications, particularly for editing and broadcasting satellite television.

     

    LCO

    Acronym for Local Cable Operator. The role of the LCO in the supply chain is to receive a feed (bundled signals) from the Multi system operator (MSO) and retransmit this to subscribers in his area through cables.

     

    MAMATA

    Like it or not, it’s not set-top boxes which will finally decide when digitization will actually happen in Kolkata… it’s Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Sigh.

     

    MIB

    See I&B Ministry

     

    MSO

    Multi-System Operator: means a cable operator who has been granted registration under rule 11 of the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994, as amended by rule 8 of the Cable Television Networks (Amendment) Rules 2012, and who receives a programming service from a broadcaster or its authorized agencies and re-transmits the same or transmits his own programming service for simultaneous reception either by multiple subscribers directly or through one or more local cable operators and includes his authorized distribution agencies, by whatever name called.

     

    MSO ALLIANCE

    Trade association of the MSOs

     

    NBA

    The News Broadcasters Association or the NBA is the apex body of news broadcasters in India. Given the nature of their business and specific demands, a key stakeholder amongst broadcasters.

     

    NODAL OFFICER

    Means the officer appointed or designated by the multi-system operator or his linked local cable operator, as the case may be under regulation 8 of the regulations.

     

    NOVEMBER 1st

    Dawn of a new era. For the rest: see October 31st

     

    OCTOBER 31ST

    October 31, 2012 is the new deadline set by the government for a complete switch over from analogue to digital cable television in four metros, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. From November 1, 2012 all analogue is expected to be switched off.

     

    PAY CHANNELS

    In respect of a digital addressable system, means a channel for which subscription fees is to be paid to the broadcaster by multi-system operator or DTH operator or IPTV operator or HITS operator and due authorization needs to be taken from the broadcaster for its re-transmission on the digital addressable system.

     

    PLACEMENT FEE

    Any fee paid by a broadcaster to a distributor of TV channels, for placement of the channels of such broadcaster vis-à-vis channels of other broadcasters on the distribution platform owned or operated by such distributor of TV channels.

     

    QoS 

    Acronym for Quality of Services, which are the benchmarks for various parameters laid down by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India for the service provided to the viewers. Quality of Services may be defined as the collective effect of service performance which determines the degree of satisfaction of a user of the service

     

     (Rs.)

    The rupee symbol. It’s revenues that everyone is looking for.

     

    RATINGS

    The all-important ratings. TRPs (or Television Rating Points) is now part of the average Indian’s vocabulary. There is a dispute about TAM’s measurement process, but there can be no denying the need for ratings for advertisers to be able to figure how and where monies should be put.

     

    SERVICE PROVIDER

    Service Provider: means the Government as a service provider and includes a licensee as well as any broadcaster, direct to home operator, HITS operator, multi-system operator, cable operator or distributor of TV channels.

     

    SET-TOP BOX

    Written variously, but ideally hyphenated, these are boxes that help your television set ‘read’ the digital signals that come from your broadcaster via a cable or DTH operator. Abbreviated STB.

     

    STAR INDIA

    It was the  first private satellite broadcaster in the country and it’s also the most popular pan-India given the channels it has. Other than broadcasting, also has interests in bouquet (MediaPro) and DTH (Tata Sky). Exited its interest in MSO Hathway recently.

     

    SUBSCRIBERS

    The most vital part of the cog in the wheel. With packages and a la carte services on offer, revenues from subscribers could well lead to greater transparency in the system.

     

    SUN

    The undisputed leader in South India, but although its DTH business has spread to other parts of the country, it’s domination doesn’t extend beyond South India. Often impacted by political affiliations.

     

    SUNSET DATE

    A commonly used term for the scheduled date for a phasing out of operations. Here’s the Wikipedia definition: In public policy, a sunset provision or clause is a measure within a statute, regulation or other law that provides that the law shall cease to have effect after a specific date, unless further legislative action is taken to extend the law. Most laws do not have sunset clauses and therefore remain in force indefinitely. (Verb: sunseted)

     

    TRAI

    The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is the independent regulator of the telecommunications business in India.

     

    TAM

    Television Audience Measurement or TAM Media Research is a joint venture company between AC Nielsen and Kantar Media Research/IMRB. It is one of the television Audience measurement analysis firms of India. Besides measuring television viewership, TAM also monitors advertising expenditure through its division AdEx India. It exists in the PR Monitoring space through another division – Eikona PR Monitor. There has been a legal tangle that TAM has been involved with along with its co-owners. There are also many broadcasters (Bloomberg TV being the latest) who have been questioning the processes TAM follows for measurement.

     

    TDSAT

    Telecom Disputes Settlement Appellate Tribunal was established to adjudicate disputes and dispose of appeals with a view to protect the interests of service providers and consumers of the telecom sector and to promote and ensure orderly growth of the telecom sector.

     

    TARIFF ORDER

    A schedule of rates and charges applied by a business, especially a common carrier, together with a description of the services offered and the rules and regulations applicable.

     

    TERRESTRIAL

    Terrestrial channels are those that you can receive via a normal aerial. These are currently being switched off as the Digital Switchover reaches all over the country.

     

    TRANSPARENCY

    Or the lack of it. Widescale under-reporting of the number of subscribers by the cable trade is said to be one reason why broadcasters are so dependant on advertising as the source of revenue. Digitization could help lead to greater – if not total – transparency.

     

    UPLINKING

    Uplinking refers to the transmission of a signal via a satellite from one terrestrial location to another location and then ultimately the signal can be distributed to the end users.

     

    VAS/VALUE ADDED SERVICE

    Value-added Services refers to advanced or additional services a content provider (network operator) offers to possibly increase their revenues, or make their offering more competitive. VAS type services might include e-mail, Internet access, text messaging, enhanced TV, video on demand, teleshopping, communal gaming, TV Mosaics, interactive advertising and subscription gaming.

     

    VIEWERSHIP

    The all-important requirement metric… not just for revenues, but also for feedback on content. Also see: Ratings

     

    ZEE

    From amongst all the broadcasters in the Indian space, the 20-year-old Zee TV at the helm is by far one of the most influential players in the space. Chairman Subhash Chandra is still one of the most influential players in Indian broadcast.

     

  • After declaring that Bigg Boss is family-friendly this season, Colors has taken the show a step closer to its audiences by flagging off the Bigg Boss Tour, an initiative which will give fans the experience of being close to the stars via a paid tour

    Bigg Boss goes ‘alag’ with tours of ‘house’

    Manoj Gursahani of Bollywood Tourism and Deepak Dhar with Raj Nayak

    By A Correspondent

     

    The intention was made clear at the start when the channel pronounced that Bigg Boss would be slightly different in its avatar through the ‘Alag Chhe’. tagline. After getting it to be a show that can be watched by all in the family, Colors has taken a new step in getting the show a step closer with its audiences by flagging off the Bigg Boss Tour. The initiative would give fans an extraordinary experience of being close to the stars via a paid tour.

     

    Beginning October 19, 2012, Bigg Boss fans will get to unravel all the live action direct from the house, experience the reality and magnitude of the production and the complex set-up besides other attractions associated with the format. As part of the opportunity, Colors has introduced special buses that are designed to simulate the Bigg Boss experience and give fans the ultimate ride from Mumbai to the Bigg Boss house at Lonavala. The project is managed by Bollywood Tourism for Colors and has been introduced keeping in mind the need to satiate the curiosity around Bigg Boss.

     

    The paid tour will be operational every day of the week, except for Thursday till the season ends. The attractions will include a ‘House Tour’ via a secret passage and a look through a special viewing gallery that would allow one access to live action in the house; Hall of Fame, a spot where visitors can relive moments from their favourite seasons and have a look at iconic memorabilia of the most popular housemates; Control Room, the centre of all production activity and a view of the numerous cameras capturing every move; Confession Room, a room for viewers to get a chance to play Bigg Boss housemate and lastly a view of Salman’s Chalet, a place where the host unwinds during the shoot. The Friday tours will be a highlight as the visitors will get an opportunity to view the shoot of the eviction episode by host Salman Khan.

     

    When asked about the novelty factor behind the idea and the need for such an initiative at this juncture, Colors CEO Raj Nayak said, “We decided to do such a thing with a show like Bigg Boss because the format allows us to do something like that. It’s one of the biggest and most expensive reality shows in this country today. Also it is one of the shows which has a cult following and is talked about a lot.”

     

    And that’s not the only explanation. Mr Nayak added, “There is this whole feeling of the show being scripted, so we felt that there is an opportunity where we can bring viewers closer to the channel and that they came and witness for themselves that it is a non-scripted reality show. That’s what led us to get talking with our partner Endemol on the idea, which they readily latched on to. This was followed by the roping in of an experienced team that caters to tourism around Bollywood in Bollywood Toursim. So the three of us came together and recreated this new experience and we think it will fly.”

     

    While the new initiative could be looked as an alternative for the channel to recover the huge costs involved around the show, that is not what its precise aim is. Asserted Mr Nayak, “We are not doing it for revenue at all. In fact I do not know whether we will make money at all out of this and I won’t be surprised if we even lose money. But that is not we are concerned about; we decided that if we cover our expenses great otherwise we will subsidise it. But going by the response I think we will be able to cover our expenses.” According to Nayak, the whole idea behind this venture is to give the viewers an opportunity to come and connect with the show at a reasonable price.

     

    When asked how big a challenge it was in putting together an activity as big as the tour, Deepak Dhar, MD, Endemol India said, “The way the show has been designed it is one human observatory that’s running 24×7. To plug and play into the Bigg Boss psyche was not a challenge; it was an interesting idea that we lapped up. All the three of us then got together to see how we could work this across seamlessly to the extent that the format can allow and what it cannot allow.”

     

    In fact the idea has already attracted the attention of Endemol’s other international teams who have taken note of the activity and are looking at the possibility of emulating it across other properties as well. Asserted Mr Dhar, “It’s just the start now; let’s see how it gets picked up later. There’s already a bookmark on how this can work as of now. But all said and done it’s an innovative thought, an idea that can be replicated to other properties as well.”

     

    While the channel is hopeful of attracting huge ratings in the first week, what it is also excited about is the huge response that Bigg Boss is receiving from the advertisers. Affirmed Mr Nayak, “The advertisers have taken to our show very well. We have got five sponsors on board as of now. Vodafone has backed us again; we never had ‘powered by’ in the past seasons but this time we have Samsung who has come by in that slot. Coming next week, we will have two more sponsors on board so for me it’s a success even before the show is on air. As for the investments, we are spending much more this year so we would want to recover that proportionately.”

     

  • MxMIndia spoke to Nina Elavia Jaipuria, EVP & Business Head, Sonic & Nickelodeon (India), on the importance of an online presence, and how one kids' channel can differentiate itself from the others

    Need to change to be at par with Gen Y: Nina Jaipuria

    Nina Jaipuria

    By Meghna Sharma

     

    Gone are the days when children had to wait for morning or evening slots to watch their favourite cartoon characters. Today, they just have to browse through the various kiddie channels available to catch their favourite shows and characters anytime.

     

    The children’s genre has grown manifold in the past few years with more and more channels launching and bringing international as well as local shows to the Indian living room.

     

    So, how does one stay ahead in this race? And the answer is as simple as – move with the times. There is no doubt that the world is moving online. And the latest addition to the digital world are children who have grown up on ipads and smart phones. Hence, kids channels alone cannot survive on television alone. Most of them have a very active online avatar to attract their target audience.

     

    MxMIndia spoke to Nina Elavia Jaipuria, EVP & Business Head, Sonic & Nickelodeon (India) to find out why is it important for a channel in the kids genre to be online today, and how their channels are different from the rest.

     

    Why is it important for a channel to have an online presence today?

    There are a couple of reasons why one should be present in the digital platform. Firstly and foremost, it helps one to engage with its audience beyond television. It also helps the brand to enhance its presence. It gives a touch-feel-play experience so helps the audience know what the brand is all about. And lastly, it makes it a two-way communication wherein the brand can have a dialogue with its TG and know their likes and dislikes which further helps the channel to know and alter according to what the audience wants.

     

    For us, staying ahead is important and therefore, an online presence helps us create a ‘cool’ imagine among our TG. One has to keep on changing with time if they want to stay at par with Gen Y which is online almost 24/7.

     

    How can a channel benefit from this?

    In the past few years, the traffic online has increased and a majority of them are kids/youth. Therefore, an online presence gives us an idea about what children prefer today. Which indeed helps us to create a strong community based on their likes and dislikes. For a channel, it is important to have this two-way communication rather than seeing it as competition.

     

    What online activities does your channel indulge in? What is your online budget?

    Apart from various (100+) games and videos, we have a lot of contests on occasions like Friendship Day, Fathers Day etc wherein children can win gift vouchers. We also have e-cards as well as paint and print app. For the youth channel – Sonic – we have created a special section ‘TechnoSonic’ which features futuristic gadgets which interests a certain age-group. Also, we have a strong presence on social media where we want to build a strong online community!

     

    Most of our marketing budget is spent on BLT activities like school or mall activities. However, online presence is also very important for us. Thus, an appropriate amount is spent on the digital space as well.

     

    There have been debates about the need for kids’ channels to be more responsible about the content they show. What is your take?

    Yes, I do believe that broadcasters need to be careful about what is shown as children’s minds are easily influenced at that tender age. Therefore, we also believe in gaining the trust of ‘gatekeepers’ ie parents. Most of our children have a moral message like good’s win over evil. Even the language used is very safe.

     

    Even online, we monitor what is posted on our websites. For instance, if an offensive word is found, we delete it immediately. And regular offenders are even blocked.

     

  • Are GECss showing a sensitive side by highlighting social issues in fiction and non-fiction shows?

    MxM Mondays: Are general entertainment channels turning social activists?

     

    Television reflects society and social trends, and hence, a look at TV programmes over the years shows that channels have, from time to time, taken up social issues and woven stories around serious themes. From the era of Doordarshan to today, soaps like Hum Log, Rajni to Balika Vadhu, and reality shows like Satyamev Jayate, to name some, have tackled issues which need people’s attention. And recently, the trend has increased as many issues like female foeticide, surrogacy etc are being shown on primetime.

    So, does this mean that the general entertainment channels (GECs) have taken up the role of social activists or is it just another bid to garner more eyeballs? What role does a channel/broadcaster play while showing such issues? MxMIndia spoke to a few experts and industry people…

     

    Dr B Manjula, associate professor, School of Media and Cultural Studies, Tata InsISS:

    Intially when television was launched in the country, its main role was to educated and enlighten people. Doordarshan showcased not only documentaries but also shows dealing with social issues. With a high rate of illteracy in the country, television was seen as a great option to bring about a change. However, with privatisation and coming in of cable TV, things changed. Media became more of a business than a medium to bring about that change. Broadcasters now are more worried about ratings and gaining popularity among its audience. However, in the past few years, GECs are showcasing serials which have taken a bend towards social issues. But there are two things one needs to keep in mind:

     

    1. How aware are they of the issue itself? Many a times, shows /channels are not aware of issue but only touch it on a peripheral level. Proper and thorough research needs to be done so that not only can shows get an in-depth meaning into their storyline but also help in bringing about a change in people’s mindsets and important points aren’t lost in translation.

     

    2. What is channel more interested in – TRPs or change? Not only channels but many companies too aren’t clear about the two. Corporate social responsibility isn’t about just doing something once in a while but to bring about a change at grass-root level. There is a gap between an idea and what is practiced. An idea might be good but unless and until, it is shown properly, it will be lost. The bridge between the two needs to be filled.

     

    I feel that broadcasters shouldn’t forget that there is still a high rate of illiteracy (around 40%) in the country; hence, for them television is the ‘world’. Therefore, they need to be credible and responsible too instead of just focusing on money making.

     

    Ajay Bhalwankar, Content Head (Hindi GECs), Zee Entertainment:

    That’s been the trend even from the days of Doordarshan. Social issues like discrimination against skin colour, education of the girl child, female foeticide, remarriage, child abuse and surrogacy, etc., are common on primetime shows. They highlight a reality prevalent in society and it gets an instant connect with lakhs of viewers…

     

    We have always handled any social issue very sensitively and showcased the ‘Umeed’ aspect to edutain viewers on how to get rigid customs and views out of their minds and work towards a happier and progressive society. However, GECs do not want to be social activists but are definitely instrumental in spreading the message or creating awareness about a pertinent social cause. The primary purpose of any GEC is to entertain people. I would like to add that Zee TV has a multi-genre offering and is living up to its image of being a socially conscious channel. With path breaking shows like Hasne aur Hasane Ka Tonic Ladies Special, Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo, Aapki Antara, Pavitra Rishta, Shree, Maayka, Punarvivaah, Phir Subah Hogi, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa and Dance India Dance, the channel has established icons such as Laali, Archana, Antara, Lakshmi, Aarti and Sugni who have entertained audiences at the same time addressed socially relevant issues like autism, child trafficking and remarriage to name a few. So, it won’t be wrong to say that, it has helped in educating the audience. It has also helped in changing perceptions. For instance, parents encouraged their kids to take up dance as a serious career option in India after watching ‘Dance India Dance.’ Punarvivaah, our primetime show on remarriage, has received tremendous positive feedback. Lakhs of people across the world have written into us sharing their stories and how they’ve changed their mindsets to allow their family and friends find happiness a second time around.

     

    Yes, we would all like our shows to have maximum eyeballs but there has to be honesty in showcasing any concept. And not all shows with social causes are successful… that the industry attempts such stories to entertain and edutain viewers in India is good! Change is slow and a constant around us…Our primary objective is to entertain and if in the process, awareness, positivity, happier families and relations are built, we are doubly pleased.

     

    Prashaant Bhatt, Weekday Programming Head – Colors:

    GECs are not taking up the role of social activitss, but just presenting shows that have a context and relevance. If by bringing socially relevant content, we are successful in initiating a social change, we consider our message delivered. Television, today, is more than a medium of entertainment; it’s a mouthpiece for the common man to put his views across. By introducing content that has a social impact, we are doing our bit in raising not only awareness but also extending a platform for discussion.

     

    As a channel, we believe in variety entertainment and offering an experience that is educative and enriching. With this added in our bouquet of programming, we are catering to the different entertainment options of the audiences. It does have an impact on the common man who watches these shows regularly. One case example being a Rajasthani girl named Lakshmi Sangara, who was married off to a much elderly man at a young age. She, aided by her lawyer, succeeded in getting a divorce from her husband after watching Balika Vadhu and realizing that child marriage is an offence. This is our success, if this is the result and the power of a show then we are not looking at chasing numbers but rather making a real difference. It is a challenge for the channel to portray such strong situations in a socially acceptable manner. For us, it is not just about portraying the issue, but being a General Entertainment Channel, we need to craft storylines that are appealing and accepted by the audiences. By using content to set the context for prevalent issues, we are making an attempt to bring about a change in society and the prevailing mindset. And living in a democratic country, it is highly essential to euphemize these issues and present them to the viewers to make their choices.

     

    Samir Khanna, EVP and Head, DDB MudraMax Media:

    We need to make the differentiation when we say that GECs are taking up the role of social activists; that is, break up GECs into two verticals: fictional and non-fictional shows. When we talk of fictional shows, there are issues in these serials that agitate the mind of the audience today with the everyday issues such as dowry, corruption, rape etc which are seamed into the storyline. Now because it agitates the mind of the audience, the viewer gets absorbed into the episode or the episodes of the fictional show. I don’t think, in the fictional shows, they are trying to be the activists. At the end of it all, the aim of fictional show is essentially to sell it to the advertising and marketing fraternity, and to grab eyeballs. Being an activist in a fictional show is difficult since the show follows the storyline with the characters into it. Usually, what they do is plug a sub-story into the show and then they carry it forward. The moment you try to talk too much about it, the show becomes preachy, which people wouldn’t like. It is all about eyeballs.

     

    But the moment you talk of non-fiction shows, like Satyamev Jayate, on the GECs, they not only talk but debate about societal issues and also try to come up with advice. There is this non-fictional weekend show, ‘Zindagi ki Haqeekat se Aamna Saamna’, wherein you have a courtroom set up and the show tries to come up solutions for the fighting family members. There are non-fictional shows that do come up with solutions and advice.

     

  • Combining cricket with the best in class animation it will bring family and friends together to enjoy this enduring series. Howzzattt will air every evening at 6pm on the Discovery Kids

    Gully cricket courtesy Discovery Kids in Howzzattt

    By A Correspondent

     

    In its mission of offering unique, relevant and India themed content, Discovery Kids presents the all-time favourite – cricket in its classic avatar – gully cricket in Howzzattt. Combining cricket with the best in class animation it will bring family and friends together to enjoy this enduring series. Howzzattt will air every evening at 6pm on the Discovery Kids.

     

    The show unfolds the story of victory of good over evil in an engaging and exciting narrative for the kids. The series has funny and quirky characters with tricky situations which kids can relate to in their daily lives.

     

    The good kids group calls themselves as ‘ Gulab Nagar Junglees’ and they put in lots of hard work and play the game by the rules and manage to outwit their opponent by sheer determination and guidance by their loved coach ‘Sweety Aunty.’ The character of Sweety Aunty reflects a true face of Guru and teaches its students right values and prepares them to face the realities of life.

     

    Rahul Johri, Senior Vice-President and General Manager – South Asia, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific,said, ”Discovery Kids will satisfy the curiosity of millions of children in India with its fun, enriching and transformative programming. Howzzattt is a unique animation series designed to entertain kids and will showcase cricket in a whole new exciting avatar.”

     

    Discovery Kids covers a variety of programming ranging from iconic global content to multiple India-themed series. Committed to offer a comprehensive viewing experience and cater to diverse demands of Indian kids, the programming formats will include highest-quality animation and engaging live action series under multiple genres such as adventure, mythology, nature, history and science. A reflection of the vacuum for programming that blends entertainment and learning, Discovery Kids has gained availability across India on both analogue and DTH platforms including Dish TV and Videocon D2H.

     

  • Maya Digital Studios and Vimanika comics have come together to bring mythological comic characters into their animated avatars. Maya Digital Studios will be creating an animated TV series and TV Film based on one of Vimanika’s best selling comic, The Sixth: The Karna

    Maya, Vimanika bring mythological characters to TV

    By A Correspondent

     

    Maya Digital Studios and Vimanika comics have come together to bring mythological comic characters into their animated avatars. Maya Digital Studios will be creating an animated TV series and TV Film based on one of Vimanika’s best selling comic, The Sixth: The Karna. The project titled ‘The Sixth: Karna – The Warrior Kid’, is a contemporary take on the story of the legendary warrior in a format meant for the kids of today.

     

    The story of ‘The Sixth: Karna – The Warrior Kid’ revolves around the adventures of a present day 9-year-old boy who happens to be the reincarnation of the great warrior Karna.

     

    The TV Film will be a 70 minute long, followed by a series of 104, 11 minute stories that will be created based on this comic series. An exclusive preview of the series will be presented at the Mumbai Comic Con 2012. The film and the show are primarily aimed at kids in the age-group 7-10 and promise an action adventures treat for them, with a subtle connection in the Indian mythology.

     

    Internationally, comic books’ getting converted into cinematic of televised content is a very popular trend. In the recent past we have also witnessed the Indian market warming up to this trend. And taking the lead in this territory is Maya.

     

    Maya Digital Studios is an animation, visual effects & 2D to 3D conversion studio. In the recent past they have created a 3D animated show out of Lotpot comics popular Motu Patlu and converted Amar Chitra Katha’s Sons of Ram into stereoscopic 3D.

     

    Speaking about the association, Ketan Mehta, Chairman & Managing Director, Maya Digital Studios said, “For a child, comics are the first interface with reading & animation with content viewing. Our focus at Maya is to bring in the best possible comic content into an animated form. The Sixth is precisely such a highly contemporary yet traditionally rooted concept, and with our animation, we’ll take this already popular brand to an altogether new level.”

     

    Adding further, Suhas Kadav, Head of the Animation Department at Maya & the director of the film & the series said, “‘The Sixth: Karna – The Warrior Kid’ has an extremely engaging and interesting story. Keeping in mind the core TG of 7-10 year olds, we have woven the story around the great Karna, in such a way that today’s kids enjoy the action and adventure, and get to know some secrets of the great Indian warrior.”

     

    Vimanika comics have garnered umpteenth accolades for their various mythological comics. The Sixth Karna is a story a real hero. He had all the attributes and characteristics of a god but flaws like a human. Karna was born to a royal family and yet he led the life of a lower caste. But more than that, the story highlights how he overcame all the abuses and challenges life threw at him. All in all it is a story from which the reader can draw inspiration.

     

    The Sixth Karna is a very popular brand both – Nationally and Internationally. The comic has a huge cult following which prodded the creators to present the comic via the digital platform.

     

    Says Karan Vir Arora, CEO, Vimanika Comics, “This is an exciting collaboration. It is definitely a huge leap for us where in we will be able to reach out a wider audience. The film and series will be in tandem with the artwork and story line of the comic. However there will be necessary creative changes as it’s a different medium. The Indian mythology has varied layers and our team at Vimanika has always been striving to engage the youth to get affluent and inspired by Indian culture and our rich ancient history.”

     

  • Taproot has created series of TVCs for Karbonn Smart Mobile which is the official sponsor of the Champions League Twenty20 currently being played in South Africa

    Taproot India creates its first campaign for Karbonn Mobile

    By A Correspondent

     

    Karbonn Smart Mobile is the official sponsor of the Champions League Twenty20 currently being played in South Africa.

     

    Taproot has created series of TVCs which is currently on air, and there will be some digital and onground activities as well in the coming days, which are around the same idea, “Can you do two things at a time?”

     

    Shashin Devsare, Executive Director, Karbonn Mobiles explained, “Our superior quality ‘Duple series’ phone A21 is dedicated for dual core processors and is launched under the highly successful umbrella ‘Karbonn Smart’. We asked the agency to come up with a unique campaign so as to communicate the multitasking capabilities of dual core processors being used in Karbonn Smartphones. The creative message in the campaign is centric to Karbonn Smart’s new advertising positioning of connecting with Indian youth with offbeat, humorous & engaging messaging. We are confident that this new campaign will help us engage better with our consumers, enhancing the brand imagery for the smartphone segment in the market.”

     

    Santosh Padhi, Chief Creative Officer & Co-Founder, Taproot India said, “The challenge was to bring upfront the single-minded benefit (Dual Core Processor in the Duple Series Smart phones) basically what it does is, it allows you to do more than one thing at the same time. We took a interesting insight that’s relevant to youth, though youth is known for multitasking, but physical one cannot do two things at a time, hence the whole idea is you may fail to do two things at the same time but the new Karbonn Smart A21 won’t.”

     

    Manan Mehta, Managing Partner, Taproot India said, “This is our first campaign for Karbonn Smart. We were handed over an interesting brief where the target audience were teenagers. The truth about today’s young India is that they are comfortable living parallel lives at multiple levels. Their impatience combined with high ambitions have allowed the unlocking of potential markets, by creating opportunities to launch products that address their needs. The intent of this campaign was to reflect this very mindset of our impatient, multi-tasking audience and demonstrate the product benefit upfront in a rather amusing manner.”

     

  • Worried that the kids are hooked to Sheldon & Co on the GECs? Enter: ZeeQ, billed as India's first edutainment channel, from the Zee group

    Now, learn the Big Bang Theory on ZeeQ

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    Pardon us stretching it a bit in the headline. We loved The Big Bang Theory when it aired on Zee Cafe and earlier Star World. But this big bang theory will be of the real kind.

     

    For, trendsetting broadcast network Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) seems to be at its game-changing best yet again as it announced the rollout of an all-new channel. Called ZeeQ, the channel is being tagged as India’s first edutainment channel and will focus on school-going children and attempt to help parents and teachers in the collective effort to facilitate emotional, social, academic and behavioral development of children.

     

    The channel will be beamed live from November 5 on leading DTH and digital cable platforms as a paid-for channel.

     

    Said Punit Goenka, MD & CEO – Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited, at the launch announcement on Monday, October 15, “Zee as a group stands by its principle of improvement of human capital, and so is the initiative, ZeeQ. It is a step ahead in fostering the curiosity amongst children through fun and entertainment.” Mr Goenka added by stating that for two decades, Zee Entertainment Enterprises has been making a difference in the lives of millions, and now ZeeQ will sustain that philosophy further.”

     

    According to officials, ZeeQ will have mix of home produced and acquired content. While 70 per cent of the content would be beamed in Hindi the remaining 30 per cent would be in English. Elaborating further, Subhadarshi Tripathi, Business Head of ZeeQ informed that as of now, ZeeQ would be having about three-and-a-half hours of original programming and further one-and-a-half hours of animated programming. While 50 per cent of the programming would be homegrown, the remaining would be sourced from outside and will be retained with ZeeQ for a period of 5 years.

     

    Asserted Mr Tripathi, “The programming and scheduling approach of ZeeQ’s content is geared to help children with subliminal education while keeping them engaged in never-before edutainment fashion. To achieve this, ZeeQ has a mix of programmes that has been specially designed and produced by the programming team.

     

    Some of the shows that have been conceptualized for the channel include:

    • Teenovation — a show in association with The National Innovation Foundation about Children innovators who display brilliance and create utility items for problems they see around them
    • Wordmatch —  a National level Hindi game show for children, which enhances their knowledge of English spelling, word usage, sentence construction and vocabulary
    • Brain Cafe — a super-cool Cafe with anything and everything to do with Science, Brain Cafe is the perfect hang out to learn all about science theories, concepts and their applications in a fun way.

     

    To drive forward its focus on content around education, ZeeQ is relying heavily on the experiences of education division Zee Learn Ltd. On the backing being provided by Zee Learn, Mr Goenka informed, “During production and acquisition of content, we took into consideration the learnings from the 18 years that Zee Learn Limited has been interacting with as many as 300000 students, parents and teachers across India. And this has helped us make its edutainment content engaging and relevant to the needs of Indian children.”

     

    Navneet Anhal, COO – Zee Learn Limited, said, “ZeeQ is based on our core operating principle of ‘What is Right for the Child’. We are confident that the channel will benefit school-going children and help their parents and teachers in the collective effort to facilitate emotional, social, academic and behavioral development of the children. ZeeQ, will further strengthen the endeavor of Zee Learn to prepare children for 21st century by inculcating much needed knowledge, life skills and values.”

     

    MxMIndia spoke to a few media agency heads to gather their perspective on the road ahead for ZeeQ.

     

    Shashi Sinha
    Shashi Sinha

    Shashi Sinha, CEO, Lodestar Universal

    It’s a good idea as the genre is said to be expanding by the day. The move is good one by Zee as India is a young country and is getting younger by the day. Also the investor power is increasing so there is a growing market for Zee and they want to complete their bouquet of offerings. I think there is enough space for more such channels to exist. I do not know what the exact content line-up is but I presume that it will good enough to drive viewership to the channel.

     

     

     

    Gautam Kiyawat

    Gautam Kiyawat, CEO, Madison Media

    With digitization there will always be higher potential for new entrants to be viable. It’s good for everyone.

     

     

     

     

     

    Mona Jain

    Mona Jain, CEO, VivaKi Exchange

    There aren’t many options from a learning point of view for kids today. The (kids) channels of today are more entertainment-centric and do not have much of educative content to offer. This is a good move by Zee where the key would be to have a far more qualitative viewing and bring in a lot of quality content in an interesting manner. Also, this venture is such that it can be promoted by the schools and the parents themselves. This is what happened with Discovery where it managed to get in the required traction as it began beaming as an infotainment channel, an option that was received well by the parents as well.

     

    If you look at the viewership pattern that the kids have right now it emaps into the adult viewership to a large extent. That’s because in India you have large number of single TV households and the kids’ viewership is driven by probably what the mother or parent is watching. Having said that the kids do have content now that is tailored specifically for their viewing. So if one is able to provide such content that is compelling enough and gives information about what’s happening around their universe, I am sure they will be able to pull in their audiences. The USP is that it is niche and not a mass channel, so they shouldn’t have a problem attracting viewers to the channel.

     

    Where Zee is concerned, this move will give them a better bandwidth and better genre-play. For a network to operate across various genres that caters to all possible requirements and needs of advertisers is a preferred option. There are many who prefer to be a one-stop shop for all genres and very few succeed in doing that. This move would surely strengthen Zee’s overall position.

     

    Anwesh Bose

    Anwesh Bose, Senior VP, DDB MudraMax, Delhi

    Nowadays kids have become very important as there has been a sudden spurt of channels that are out to target them. But the way the kids of today evolve, they have already made space for quite a few brands in their minds from a channel perspective. Today there is distinctly nothing for a 4-14 yr-old to whom you can offer everything in one channel. It’s just not possible. It therefore would have made sense if Zee would have changed their TG to 4-9 or 9-14 yr-olds.

     

    I get a feeling that what they used to have as Zee Kids is being recreated again through ZeeQ. But the issue is different: with the coming of age of internet as a medium the kids of today do not want any gyaan; what they want is entertainment. They anyways get enough gyaan in school and if they want more they have Discovery Kids or Discovery Turbo or Discovery Science that has some amazing content to boast. So kids have gone beyond a phase where you can be professorial to them.

     

    To put it aptly, I think the TG could have been more sharp for ZeeQ to have shortlisted. And secondly, if your TG is sharp then the content needs to be planned accordingly. According to me what ZeeQ needs to do is get more contemporary in their approach. It is very essential today for a channel to understand what brandworld a child is living in and act accordingly.