MxMIndia

Category: MEDIA

  • Ranjona Banerji reviews the fare on primetime news and in the papers the morning after

    Outrage unlimited

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    So, as expected, the turmoil inPakistanstarted consuming our TV channels. The day started with a video of the exploitation of the Jarawa tribals of the Andamans, put up by an Observer reporter on the Guardian website. There was shock and horror all round, as you could hear someone egging the tribal women to dance. One of the benefits of TV is that you can easily generate outrage at such events and what was earlier acceptable is now seen as taboo. A growth of sorts, perhaps, through exposure because all too often our middle classes are least bothered about the plight of the underprivileged (o dear, do I sound like Katju?).

     

    Unfortunately, though, there seems to be some confusion as to when this Jarawa video was shot and the reporter who got it has claimed protection of sources privilege. This may mean that the horror will die out as officials will do little as they don’t have enough to go on. Follow ups are the only answer, but one wonders.

     

    The disgraceful episode of a Dalit woman being beaten and paraded naked in Maharashtra because her son ran off with an upper caste girl also got some TV time as did rats nibbling on a patient’s face in a Jaipur hospital. The more the “otherIndia” gets noticed, the smaller the divide will become, perhaps.

     

    By the late evening, it wasPakistanwhich was top of the news, as one more military coup seemed imminent. Some channels ran direct feeds fromPakistanand it was fascinating to see that in spite of the difficult times, studio guests did not yell, scream, talk over each other and generally create a massive drama. How would we react under similar circumstances? Sigh.

     

    The international channels did not on Wednesday evening concentrate onPakistan. Other things were happening like the Republican battle to choose a presidential candidate and, as usual,Europe’s economic woes.

     

    * * *

     

    The Darul demand for a visa ban on Salman Rushdie has got far more play on TV than in newspapers. Today’s Times of India has some Muslim scholars and activists asking for more tolerance from fellow Muslims. Meanwhile, Uma Bharti of the BJP was calling the proposed quota for Muslims within OBC reservations another “Partition”. Again newspapers paid her far less attention.

     

  • Survivor India, spread across 45 days and with 22 contestants, is unscripted except for the anchor lines, and Executive Producer Niret Alva avers that this will restore viewers' faith in reality shows.

    For reality TV specialist Niret Alva, Survivor India is huuuge

    By Johnson Napier

     

    Utter the word ‘reality’ in a crowded space or even within the confines of an office and a flurry of mixed reactions are likely to fly thick and fast. From bad to artificial to monotonous, one could expect such and other ghastly descriptors from opinion-makers, however irrelevant their views. But then there are production houses which are assessing the changing market scenario and viewing tastes of the masses and are working their way in providing content of differentiated nature. One such firm is Miditech India, in the news more recently for its reality show, Survivor India. Miditech is of course known as a reality TV specialist.

     

    The show, which has been running across multiple countries and in different languages, makes its formal debut in India. While different countries have different formats to accommodate the show, in India the show will be spread across 45 days and will include 22 contestants. In all, 22 episodes are to be aired in India. While it would too premature to rate the opening performance of the show on the numbers front, what is commendable is the scale and the effort that has gone in putting the show together.

     

    For Niret Alva, Co-Founder of Miditech and also Executive Producer of Survivor India, the best thing is that it could easily be billed the biggest reality show that has ever been launched in India. Affirms Alva, “The show is one of the biggest that India has ever seen. In terms of geographic scale, sheer number of people involved, international crew coming together…it is hundred percent huge. The whole breadth of the action is spread across 30-40 sq kms. It is not in one set like other shows. Every day the set gets dismantled and has to be set up anew for another challenge every day. So in that sense, it could easily be the biggest from a production standpoint in India.”

     

    In fact so huge has been the effort around putting the show together that it has taken Miditech more than 18 months to get it launched in India. Asserts Mr Alva, “The actual process has been in the works for one-and-a-half years. From sourcing the license to developing the show to doing the recce for the location to putting the team together – it is one of the biggest teams on a show with about 400 people from around the world being involved – so the scale at which we have gone about is big.”

     

    According to Mr Alva, Miditech had wanted to bring Survivor to India for a long time, but for one reason or the other aspirations did not align. “But for the current round, we licensed the show from Survivor and then brought it to the Indian market, and were immediately able to strike a chord with Star India as they were able to understand it and understand that it needed to be done in a particular way.”

     

    Given the gargantuan effort and the originality in concept, Mr Alva is hopeful that the show will find resonance with the viewers. “The expectation is a hope that the Indian viewing public, which pretty much sees reality as some sort of manipulated, artificial, fictionalised space has its faith restored in the genre. The fact that it is all unscripted, except for the anchor lines, will help in restoring the faith of the people in the authenticity of the characters and the show on a whole.” According to Mr Alva, “People will get to see contestants losing weight, you will see them falling sick, you will see them getting tanned, you will see them in a shabby state, etc all of which cannot be seen on other reality shows.”

     

    When quizzed on the choice of cast for the show, Mr Alva countered it, saying, “We were very clear that we wanted to do auditions around the country. Star was also excited about that. We were clear that we needed people whom one can recognise on the popularity front – thus celebrities – and then there were the everyday people, who needed to have a degree of excellence or something that made them unique in terms of character. What we were clear about is that we would not compromise on the format for anything. So that’s how we went through hundreds of people literally before we shortlisted the final few.”

     

    In fact, according to Mr Alva, most of the contestants left the show midway after realising they couldn’t cope with even the basics of what the show demanded. “But we were glad to have received response from certain contestants as those who came to the table had researched the show and they were exceptionally motivated; they had a point to prove to themselves and to the world at large. We then conducted physical tests for swimming, running, cycling and even psychiatric evaluation before we could shortlist the candidates.”

     

    Brushing aside questions on ROI and response from advertisers, Mr Alva would only state, “The cost of production would be 15-20 per cent more than a big scale reality show. It is definitely huge.”

     

    So while Survivor India is keeping the viewers busy in India, Miditech has its hands full with other projects, some of which include Achiever’s Club on Star World, Panasonic House of Beauty on MTV, a health-based show for Colors that will go on air in February and also the Guinness World Records that is in the pipeline. “We are also in the language space – Tamil, Bengali and are looking at Kannada as an option. We also did a one-hour special inside Tihar Jail for National Geographic, which is really edge-of-the-seat,” shared Mr Alva.

     

    Despite being in the business for 18 years, the challenge for the company is to face other format holders who have set up their own production houses and who insist on producing their own shows. “Going forward, it’s not going to be only about good ideas but about good ideas at competitive cost. Also, the TAM meters have to go berserk. It’s really a tall order,” avers Mr Alva.

     

  • What could also be considered is the fact that a 24×7 English FM station could bring untapped listeners, particularly those that were averse to listening to FM radio

    Listeners upbeat as Radio One switches to English

    By Robin Thomas

     

    By February 2012, listeners in Mumbai and Delhiwill be able to tune into a 24×7 English FM station. While the industry is already abuzz with news of Radio One turning back to being an English FM station, now there is an excitement among the listeners too, because of the differentiation the station can offer.

     

    “One of the reasons I don’t listen to radio is because the RJs talk a lot, I want to listen to music that I like, uninterrupted. If Radio One is switching over to English music, I expect it to switch back to Hindi, just as it happened with MTV and other FM stations. So I have no faith in another FM station turning English but, as long as they stick to English and if the RJs are good, I would listen to Radio One,” said Rupa Gulab, writer.

     

    What could also be considered is the fact that a 24×7 English FM station could bring untapped listeners, particularly those that were averse to listening to FM radio.

     

    Uday Benegal, musician and lead singer of Indus Creed, felt differently: “This is very exciting news, finally, a radio station I can listen to. I currently don’t listen to radio because there is too much of Bollywood music, but now I will look forward to Radio One as it will be English music 24×7. I am sure a lot of people who listen to our kind of music will also tune into Radio One.”

     

    Radio One is not the first FM station to play English songs. When Fever FM was launched in Mumbai, it played Hindi and English songs. It was only later that it switched to being a full time Hindi FM station. Go FM, which initially played only English songs, later turned Radio One to play Hindi songs. The scenario is no different among music channels either; MTV, for instance, played only English songs, now it’s a completely different channel. Besides VH1, there are no dedicated English music channels in India.

     

    While Radio One may bring a much needed differentiation in FM radio, what remains to be seen is whether the FM station can stay a full time English FM station or will it shift back to its old formula of Bollywood or be a mix of Hindi and English music.

     

    Former RJ and actor Tarana Raja feels that there is a chance that the new formula may work for Radio One. “There is an English FM station in Bangaloreand one inDelhiand both have worked well. So there is a genre for English music. I personally love listening to English music and as a listener I would like to have a choice. I hope Radio One does well and inspire other FM stations to try something different too,” she said.

     

    There are nine FM stations in Mumbai and 10 inDelhi, including two government-owned FM stations – AIR FM2 Gold and AIR FM1 Rainbow. There are no dedicated English FM stations in Mumbai, besides AIR FM1 Rainbow which is not a 24×7 English FM station. All the other FM stations play Bollywood songs. Delhi, on the other hand, does have Hit FM, an English FM station. The other FM stations in English are Radio Indigo in Bangalore and Chennai Live in Chennai.

     

    Vinod Advani, RJ AIR FM1 Rainbow feels that there is always room for another FM station in English, but a lot depends on the kind of programmes and the music played, and whether or not the RJs will be allowed to have their own identity. “Radio One will, perhaps, have technological advantage over us but, as far as I am concerned, my show has a strong listener base for English music. I don’t know whether there is a market for a second English FM station, but a lot will also depend on how knowledgeable the RJs are,” he said.

     

    Radio one, a joint venture between Next Mediaworks Ltd and BBC Worldwide, is operational in seven metros – Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Pune and Ahmedabad.

  • The Bennett Coleman president answers Anil Thakraney's searching questions on his long career with the TOI & the group's ideologies & practices

    I don’t read rival newspapers: Bhaskar Das

     

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    I have met Bhaskar Das on and off. (I once even secretly freelanced for him in my advertising days.) During my stint with Mumbai Mirror, I got to know him a little better. He has always come across as a cool, calculating and sharp business manager… but someone who’s smart enough not to build his own image over that of his company. In a long conversation inside his plush corner office (previously occupied by Pradeep Guha), Bennett Coleman’s president answers searching questions on his long career with the Times, the group’s ideologies and sometimes controversial practices.

     

    The one new thing I discovered about Bhaskar during this discussion is that he’s a deeply spiritual person, and often, as he himself said to me, uses learnings from The Gita to ‘sanitise’ his various marketing strategies. Wonder what Lord Krishna would have to say on Media Net.

     

    But I must say the man who heads the nation’s largest newspaper house retained his composure even when facing tough queries. Spirituality at work, I suppose.

     

    Boss, when do you retire? You are 58.

    See, retirement has two different connotations. For me, it’s ‘Retyrement’. Like re-treading tyres. And that means adding new capabilities. Coming specifically to Bennett, I have a flexible retirement plan. As per the company’s desire, I should stay as long as I am mentally, physically and intellectually fit. But I must add that I live by the day. So I am only bothered about the now.

     

    You’ve been with the company for 32 years. Never got bored of the same place?

    Boredom only happens when you don’t love your job. I have continuously rediscovered and redefined my space, so the journey has always been very exploratory. I don’t know whether the excitement would have been there if I had worked in a bank or in some other financial company. Newspaper is a 360 day product. Because of my personal liking for content, I have always been involved in it in some form or the other. Honestly, for me, 32 years feels like 32 days.

     

    The flip side is some people would say Bhaskar is risk averse.

    It’s not the question of being risk averse. By that logic if you continue in a marriage you are risk averse! I don’t believe in changing jobs for the heck of it. People use it as a spring board for becoming financially more solvent, and that has never occurred to me. For me, a job is a gateway to learning and it’s not for pay slips. Also, even if I have worked in the same company, I have done multiple roles in multiple markets. Our shareholders have always been great teachers. So, I have updated myself continuously, and I can challenge anyone in terms of my cognitive bandwidth on various industries.

     

    Your biggest achievement in all these years?

    I am proud of having been a part of the company when it re-invented itself. The process started post-1985, when our Vice Chairman took over the reigns of the company and subsequently the Managing Director. And finally, in the last six years, I have been able to drive the ambitions of the company to such great lengths, that today the company is the biggest media house in terms of both, turnover and profitability.

     

    Bhaskar, the real challenge lies in turning around failed, small brands. Anyone can build on success.

    That’s the classical model. For me, taking a giant brand and making it bigger and taking it to a different level also requires equal guts. And even for a loss making brand, we have done that. Mumbai Mirror, when we started, was making losses.

     

    Today it is a Rs200 crore brand. This has become possible over a period of six years. And I have to add that I have taken many risks, in terms of launching new brands and making them successful. A number of big groups have also folded up, they screwed up. Success is its biggest enemy. When you are No 1, there’s only place for one person. To stay there requires more energy than reaching there.

     

    How many years do you give newspapers to survive in India?

    I am very optimistic about news per se. Today, we are leveraging the core and also investing in the embryonic and the emerging media, in terms of a news channel, websites, and so on. We are seeing ourselves as a complementary option as opposed to a substitutive option. Point is, TOI of 1830 and TOI of 1990 and TOI of 2020 will be a very different paper. We are constantly re-inventing to develop the complementary utility of the brand. We have become very futuristic, we are creating more and more niches. As for the newspaper itself, it is a matter of conjecture. I think in the Indian context, there’s a peculiarity, which is that English language is a big deal. Let me explain. To think of India as one nation is a mistake. There is a developing India, there is a developed India and there is an under-developed India. The developed India’s behaviour is more or less like the West, so there might be some erosion of the newspaper in this segment as they shift to Iphones and Ipads. But for the other two Indias, newspapers will continue to prosper for some time. For them, English is a gateway to career and growth.

     

    Coming back to your question, I am not an astrologer, but I do agree with the gentleman who said that in 2040, the last copy of a newspaper will get printed.

    Having said that, I do not suffer from format myopia, because that would kill a corporation. I think of news as a genre, not as a format.

     

    There’s been some buzz of an IPO from your group. True?

    This can always be on the agenda of any corporation, including ours. But as of now, nothing has been decided. I am not saying it will never happen, but not in the near future.

     

    Do you admit that competition has been good for the TOI as a newspaper? Pre HT and DNA, the TOI in Mumbai had lost its edit focus. Now, the news coverage is remarkably superior.

    I have always believed competition is good. Obviously, one has to respond, not react. If, while responding, the quality of the product improves, then that’s damn good. But it’s a part of the re-invention process. In Calcutta, we are the dominant force now. Or for that matter in Bangalore and Delhi, where we became the competition. But not all market leaders have responded positively. We are a dynamic group; it’s in our genetic core to re-invent.

     

    What are the innovations Bhaskar Das has masterminded in the last five years?

    I have not, it’s all a team effort. ‘I’ as a word does not exist in my dictionary. In our group we all work as a team. No individual is bigger than the team.

     

    Private treaties, for which your group has been both, admired and dissed… it hasn’t eventually paid off, right?

    It’s thriving; it’s a part of our deep strategy. We didn’t want to make money on these.

     

    Whoa, the whole idea is to do a space and equity barter for revenue. And to encash on the acquired equity.

    If we wanted to encash on the equity we would have gone to the stock market. Our strategic intent has not been understood, and we want it to remain not understood. It’s a demand-side innovation, and nothing else. Private treaties are now called Brand Capital out here, we have re-invented it and it’s doing extremely well.

     

    Is Pradeep Guha your mentor?

    I have had many mentors in my life, and he is one of them. He has been a great teacher for me.

     

    Some years ago, in this very room, Guha said to me that for the group, the target audience is the advertiser. Do you agree with this ideology?

    This kind of question cannot be answered with ‘one size fits all’ sort of a thing.

    We have two customers: Readers and advertisers. Agreed, that our business model is so skewed that we are dependent on advertisers, but we have never forgotten that the reader is the franchise that leads to advertising revenue. The point is to get ad relevant audience… which means people who are culturally and financially solvent enough to engage with the advertisers. But for getting that also you need interesting content. So it’s both, Lakshmi and Saraswati.

     

    In 2004, you were about to buy Mid Day. What went wrong?

    Nothing went wrong. We wanted to buy and even Mid Day wanted to sell, but in any such deal both the partners have to have a buy-in on terms and conditions. That didn’t happen.

     

    Regret losing out on Mid Day?

    Now that Mirror has come, Mid Day is not required.

     

    It’s generally believed Reponse calls all the shots in your group. True?

    There’s no truth in this. I worked in Response for 30 years, and I have never seen any semblance of power. Only thing is, because of the business model, which is that advertising gives us 90 percent of our revenues, it’s perceived to be the most powerful. Every division plays its part. We have no say in the content. If that had been the case, the TOI wouldn’t face the maximum ban from clients (amongst newspapers). We have the Chinese wall, though we do Brand Capital. The editorial is completely independent.

     

    Cross your heart and tell me. You have never gone to one of your editors to ask him or her to plug an advertiser?

    I have never done it.

     

    That’s very hard to believe.

    Trust me. I cross my heart. When clients approach us, we ask them to approach the editorial director. Because it will never work if it goes through us.

     

    Funny that happens in a media company that runs Media Net.

    That’s because people haven’t understood Media Net. Others do it secretly, we are very clear we do it only for the entertainment publications, and with clearly defined protocols. Others do it as legitimate coverage.

     

    Truth is, Media Net sowed the seeds of paid journalism in this country.

    I don’t think so. There have been enough examples in the past, where, for financial and public issue ads, journalists always got a bad name. I would say it is much more transparent and protocolised out here.

     

    Are you proud of MediaNet?

    (Slight hesitation.) See, it’s not the question of being proud of it. Life is not black and white. It’s a part of the strategic process we have done. I feel what used to happen previously was more unethical, where, if you knew a journalist, you could get a plug. And we have openly announced these are promotional supplements.

     

    You’ve kept a very low profile. Looks like you don’t want to repeat Guha’s mistake.

    (Smiles widely) No individual can be like another person. I can’t be what I am not. I don’t think Mr Guha was high-profile; the job is such that you get noticed. Now, maybe there’s nothing noticeable in me! I always say that ultimately it’s the corporation that gives you the halo. And I have no personal halo.

     

    I think you have decided to be clever about it.

    That’s your conclusion. I did exactly what I believed in. That my work is to serve the company, which I do.

     

    An Indian editor you admire. Someone not from your group.

    Unfortunately, I can’t comment because I have not worked with them. Also, I don’t read competitive products.

     

    You don’t read rival newspapers?

    I don’t.

     

    Don’t you want to know what the competition is doing?

    For that my MIS reports are there. My brand team is keeping an eye on the competition, I don’t have to do it. I don’t have the time to read everything, it’s better to read a few publications in-depth.

     

    Vir Sanghvi said to me that even if it was the last job in the world, he would still not work at the TOI.

    It’s a democratic country, we respect individual opinion. These things don’t affect me at all. I am a spiritual person.

     

    When did you become spiritual?

    I have always been spiritual, it’s a journey. We are all expressions of god. And so you must love everyone and not be judgmental of others. When you are spiritual, you love everyone.

     

    I think the Jain family’s spiritual beliefs have rubbed off on you.

    It would have happened anyway, even if I had worked in any other corporation.

     

    Photograph: Fotocorp

     

  • Airtel outsources advertising inventory management to Mogae Media

    Wow! Sandeep Goyal firm will now manage Airtel’s ad inventory & m-commerce

    By A Correspondent

     

    Bharti Airtel has outsourced all its advertising inventory management and mobile-commerce initiatives to Mogae Media, a firm promoted by former Dentsu India chairman Sandeep Goyal, in a first such deal in the Indian telecom industry.

     

    This means Mogae Media will sell all possible advertising space on mobile, DTH and broadband services of the country’s top telecom service provider and run its end-to-end mobile commerce initiative including giving special offers, discounts, freebies to subscribers and negotiating deals with companies, a person familiar with the development said.

     

    Mr Goyal confirmed the deal, but refused to share financial details.

     

    He said his Mogae Media has already begun selling the advertising inventory and that he saw great potential for his new venture. “My dream is to create an Amazon in the mobile space in India,” he said.

     

    Analysts said it’s the first time a telecom service provider has collected and outsourced the complete advertising inventory in the country.

     

    “No one has done that in India so far,” said Mr Prashant Singhal, telecom leader at Ernst & Young.

     

    Other operators such as Vodafone and Idea offer value-added services created by independent application and content and have outsourced some services.

     

    “The model has high potential since the mobile phone is the only medium to reach out to 800-900 million people,” Mr Singhal said.

     

    He says the concept of giving discounts and loyalty points will work among deal-loving Indian consumers. “This kind of selling could generate revenues upwards of $1 billion in two to three years for the industry,” he added.

     

    An analyst who did not wish to be named said Airtel could rake in around 40-50% of the industry’s revenue based on the sheer size of its postpaid customer base.

     

    Bharti Airtel’s advertising inventory includes space on text messages, multi-media messages, IVR and recharge coupons in mobile services.

     

    The default channel, pre-loading screen and messages from Airtel DTH and broadband also form part of the inventory.

     

    Airtel’s deal with Mogae will work on a revenue-sharing model, the person quoted first said.

     

    A Bharti Airtel spokesperson said the company would not comment on market speculations and partner relationships.

     

    Through this deal, Airtel will also offer location-based deals by using advance technology such as geofencing-or tracking users through GPS satellite navigation system-to give discount coupons of nearby retailers to its customers.

     

    Thus, an Airtel user may get a hefty discount on a particular brand or be the exclusive customers to be informed of a sale prior to it being opened for regular retail customers.

     

    Such exclusive and customized ‘Airtel Deals’ target small sample sizes.

     

    Mr Goyal said Mogae Media will invest in creating mobile analytics from data available with Airtel on their subscriber base. For instance, high ARPU clients with substantial roaming and using smartphones would be targeted for high-end car brands and deals in airlines and hotels.

     

    Similarly, youth with high Facebook usage and 3G connection may be targeted for offering deals on apparel, career institutes, cafes, movie theatres and music.

     

    This micro-targeting of consumers gives brand the opportunity to fine tune both their advertising promise, as well as avoid wastage and spillage inherent in other media, Mr Goyal said.

     

    Mogae Media sold 250 million impressions of Life OK, Star TV’s new broadcasting channel that launched mid-December on post-call notification-a message which appears after a pre-paid caller ends a phone conversation showing the amount remaining in the caller’s account.

     

    On the launch day, around 30 crore messages were sent out within four hours, asking subscribers to tune in to the channel.

     

    Airtel’s WAP portal also streamed an eight-hour concert for Life OK and 7 million plus Airtel’s DTH subscribers received mails inviting them to see Life OK on channel 104.

     

    Bharti Airtel is the world’s fifth largest telecoms company that has more than 175 million mobile phone customers in India, the largest share in the industry. Its digital television service has more than 6.6 million customers and more than 1.4 million broadband users.

     

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2012, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

  • Indian showbiz just does not have writers who can pen such superlative scripts and dialogues like 24. The very average quality of writing in our movies and soaps is a clear indication of that.

    Anil Thakraney: Star India’s massive gamble

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Actor Anil Kapoor, who played a smallish role (after hectic lobbying) in the cult American TV serial 24, now wants to re-make it in India. Have we totally run out of desi programming ideas? Well, that’s a topic for another day. What interests me urgently are media reports which suggest that Star Plus has bought the rights to the Indian version for a mind-numbing sum of Rs 85 crore. No TV show in the history of Indian television has commanded that sort of a price tag.

     

    One sincerely hopes Star is rejoicing over this sensational investment. Because quite honestly, I have serious doubts if the Indian cast and crew can pull this one off. I watched two seasons of 24, and I can tell you the show is simply unstoppable. I had to postpone work assignments and a lot of sleep in order to finish all the episodes, it was that riveting. Now, here are the reasons why I believe 24 rockedAmerica: the pace is extremely brisk, the script is powerful with many sudden twists and turns, the acting is superlative and the special effects, fantastic. However, what shines the most are the kickass dialogues, they keep you hooked.

     

    I am not sure if we can deliver all of that in India. And my scepticism is rooted in three huge areas of concern. One, Indian showbiz just does not have writers who can pen such superlative scripts and dialogues. The very average quality of writing in our movies and soaps is a clear indication of that. Two, our directors seldom deliver on both, form and content together. On 99 per cent of those projects, when it comes to producing with style and chutzpah, the content gets compromised. If a talented Farhan Akhtar can commit that folly (Don 2), you can easily imagine what a risk this is with others in the frat. And three, 24 is a gritty show that pulls no punches when it comes to featuring political debates and communal tensions. That’s one of the reasons the American audiences connected with it. In a hyper-sensitive and a vote bank politics-led India, where people are ready to protest at the drop of a hat; that will be a tough act to follow. And too much caution will kill this particular show.

     

    Well, all I can say is that Anil Kapoor and many others are about to hit the jackpot. Good for them. And I hope the Star network isn’t the only one left short-changed. Good luck to the channel!

     

    ***

     

    PS: BBC’s Top Gear presenter, Jeremy Clarkson, has pissed India off. The mischief-monger made fun of our ‘lack of hygiene’ in his India series. Now, instead of ignoring the man’s rubbish, even laughing it off, the Indian High Commission inLondonhas formally complained about the programme. And they have demanded an apology. Come on guys, the man is a comedian. Surely a billion plus Indians can’t be so under-confident as to take a joker seriously. When will this nation learn to be cool?

     

  • In Freaking News, Ranjona Banerji reviews the fare on primetime news and in the papers.

    Journalists’ covenants on cricket and more

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    Aging batsmen, an arrogant captain making bad choices, indifferent performances, the Indian Premier League and the Board for Control of Cricket in India- all or some of these are to blame for the Indian cricket team’s unfortunate performance in Australia.

     

    Television, which was building itself up, started in a slow frenzy at the start of the weekend but it was all out there – foam, fits – by Sunday evening. Arnab Goswami of Times Now, amply helped by his alter ego Boria Majumdar inAustralia, was extremely saddened as only he can be by Indian cricket captain MS Dhoni in particular. Had Dhoni denigrated Test cricket by suggesting that he might retire from that version of the game? Was this the end of civilisation as we know it and so on? He was supported by Bishen Singh Bedi who was sputtering at the mouth with anger and by the cynical observations of another guest who got Goswami and Bedi even more enraged.

     

    Newspapers are still more circumspect but try ‘Shame Old Story’ and ‘Disgrace’ from The Times of India, ‘Perth Pangs’ and ‘India blunder, Oz plunder’ from Hindustan Times. Sunday Mid-Day tried to put a spin on it with ‘Bright Spark’, referring to bowler Umesh Yadav getting five wickets but the strap line below the headline emphasisedIndia’s batting collapse.

     

    Luckily forIndia’s beleaguered cricketers, a week is a very short time in journalism. Just before the India-Australia series started, I seem to rememberAustraliabeing hammered for losing toNew ZealandandIndiafeeling all pumped up because of its enormous talent and at-home victories. A couple of days atMelbourneand all that moaning and hype was completely reversed.

     

    My journalist friends and colleagues tell me that I should not be so hard on my fellow journalists and that it is the job of journalists to get hysterical and to have no memories at all, especially when it comes to sport. There is apparently some mysterious covenant signed by sports journalists (us general purpose journos are not privy to this procedure) by which they have to swear that they will make every effort not to remember what they had said or written the week before. Also that every loss by a sports team or person has to be portrayed as the end of the world and every victory had to be the best ever. I know this to be true from my experiences as a tennis fan (empirical evidence!).

     

    We already know that TV people have their own covenant which makes them swear to try and “save” Indiaat every opportunity and know as little as possible about any subject which gets them all excited.

     

    The cocktail of these two covenants makes for some very dramatic viewing and for those with longer attention spans, there are newspaper articles. Some sober commentators in print will try to look at the larger picture and to extrapolate future courses of action from past experiences. They may be chucked out of the Lodge for breaking the covenant unless they are long term offenders. But in these times, the hysteria will win. Except of course tillIndiawins something!

     

  • For the consumer, it is a chance to view a particular channel in his mother tongue. For channels, it is about expanding viewership base and accumulating additional revenues

    Speaking in tongues, good for TV channels

     

    By Rishi Vora

     

    TV channels are gung-ho about the digital revolution India is witnessing. New launches and the ones in the pipeline – all are preparing to be on DTH or Digital Cable. Well, what this brings to viewers and for the industry is a  novel trend: the rise of language feeds. For the consumer, it is now a chance to view a particular channel in his mother tongue. For channels, it is about expanding viewership base and accumulating additional revenues via local advertisers.

     

    The trend is visibly on the rising side. Big CBS launched Spark Punjabi. Sonic has extended its offering to Marathi and Bengali. History, the factual entertainment channel from the A+E Networks recently launched the Gujarati feed, making it the only channel to be available in seven languages (Gujarati, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Hindi and English). Discovery serves in English, Telugu, Bengali, Hindi, while National Geographic is present in five feeds: English, Hindi, Bengali, Telugu and Tamil. The trend, quite noticeably is seen in the kids and the factual entertainment genre.

     

    For these international channels, the opportunity is way too big to be missed. The cost of launching a new feed vis-a-vis the return it brings to the table in terms of reach, viewership and revenue, is negligible. All it accounts for is an additional cost on dubbing, which on most occasions, for all channels would be an incremental cost since English and Hindi languages are by most channels, already operational. Sangeetha Aiyer, General Manager – Marketing A+E Networks and TV 18 JV informs that the cost of dubbing varies between 7 to 15 per cent of a programming budget.

     

    “The trend has been around for a while,” says Nina Elavia Jaipuria, Executive VP and General Manager, Sonic and Nick India. She further adds, “For us, since we cater to the kids and the young adults of India, it is important that the characters kids have an affinity towards speak to them in their mother tongue – the language they speak at home. That is the best way you can engage and entertain them.” Aiyer agrees that it brings in more revenue and viewership for the channel, but also calls for a lot of co-ordination with studios which at times can be painstaking. Ensuring quality control, scripts, technicians etc is one part of the challenge, while lack of experts in languages like Marathi or Bengali is another challenge.

     

    Most channels outsource the dubbing work to studios, except UTV Action which contracts its sister company UTV Software on the same. UTV Action, as is known was one of the early movers in the movies segment to offer Hollywood films dubbed in Hindi. The channel later launched its Telugu feed. Manasi Sapre, Programming Head, UTV Action says that Telugu feed opens up a big market for the channel. “We’re seeing a lot of traction from the Telugu market, where the appetite for Hollywood movie watching is constantly increasing. Telugu market is one market where you can be rest assured of a good response, given the fact that the southern belt likes to view content in their own language rather than English or Hindi.”

     

    A separate P&L company within the UTV group – UTV Software, has been in the business of dubbing for more than 15 years now. The company is seen as a pioneer, currently handling projects like Walt Disney, Hungama, Fox Traveller, National Geeographic Wild, NDTV Good Times and UTV Action. The company dubs 40-50 hours of content every month, so considering that content is offered in a minimum of  four languages, it means 200 hours of content being dubbed every month.

     

    According to Rahul Bhatia, Senior VP – Dubbing, UTV Software, the dubbing industry has grown leaps and bounds in the past five to seven years in terms of the number of players. The market still remains majorly unorganised with UTV as a major player as against many small studios that do one-off projects. “Price-points for dubbing have gone down drastically. From what it used to be Rs 1 lakh for an hour 10 years back, it is now come down to Rs 25,000. But, on the brighter side, volumes have increased. Three years back it was only Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, but now if you see, the market is growing to other languages like Gujarati, Marathi, Bengali and Punjabi.”

     

    Quite interestingly, for many channels that bring in international content from countries like Japan, Korea or even China, content is translated to English and then dubbed to various other languages, which is a lot of effort on the part of the studios. Part of the reason for this tedious procedure is the fact that channels are extra careful to ensure that  international standards are maintained.

     

    Given the kind of growth dubbing has seen and that many channels have launched multiple feeds, there are chances that a few broadcast majors would want to set up their own studios. Maybe it is too early to say, or the existing outsourcing practice could well be effective enough as one may not want to get into the business, which could well mean diverting the attention from three major functions: Content, Distribution, Sales. Even for now, Dubbing seems to come later in the priority list of the channels.

     

  • Bus shelter ads are strategically placed in areas with more pedestrians, where it is easy to see the brand and its message. Advertisements on bus shelters are usually lit at night with visual appeal.

    Trade bullish on bus shelter advtg

    By Robin Thomas

     

    Looking for a cost-efficient medium with high brand recall and healthy Return on Investments (ROIs) to advertise your product, then you should head to the nearest bus stop. The bus shelters, strategically placed in areas with the target group travelling either by foot or in a vehicle, are fast becoming coveted advertising mediums. FMCG brands, television channels and retail brands have increasingly started using bus shelters as a medium to deliver their brand message as ads placed at bus shelter make it easy to see the brand and its message.

     

    Many advertisers prefer to go for bus shelter advertising as it is cost-efficient and has a high brand recall, especially in the metros like Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai. Hindustan Unilever and P&G are two big instances of big OOH spenders which are very active in bus shelter advertising, particularly in Mumbai and Delhi. According to Bikas Verma, Associate Vice President, Outdoor Advertising Professionals (OAP) Pvt Ltd, bus shelter advertising contributes approximately 10-15 per cent of the overall OOH advertising spends.

     

    Gurjit Singh, COO, Crayons Advertising observed, “Compared to other OOH formats, bus shelter ads give more frequencies to the campaign as the strategic look gives an edge to the campaign.”

     

    “Bus shelters are primarily service-oriented street furniture item. They also prove to be a very effective OOH format as they offer an efficient channel for the brands to reach out to the consumers in every nook and corner of the city. Advertisers have acknowledged this medium as very cost-effective, offering best in class ROIs. Bus shelters also provide widespread exposure to their campaigns, catering to a wide range of target groups,” explained Ayush Kakkar, Assistant Manager – Marketing, JCDecaux.

     

    The road ahead

    Mr Verma is of the opinion that since billboards are now facing government restrictions, bus shelter advertising, which is high-impact and high-frequency advertising, is bound to grow further. “In markets like Mumbai or any other metro, bus shelter and likewise street furniture will be the future of OOH advertising, as these serve the dual purpose of being a utility as well as an ad revenue stream. This format of OOH media is very apt for the female TG and since billboards will not be permitted in these markets in future, their growth potential is nearing the end.”

     

    Mr Kakkar of JCDecaux noted, “The growth potential in case of bus shelter advertising is huge and it will continue to grow as more and more cities adapt to these service-oriented formats. Globally, bus shelters are already a very popular communication vehicle in the world’s best cities.”

     

     

  • According to our research, over 60 per cent of Metro travelers would like to spend their commute reading something. We have customized HT Mini to cater to such people, says Shantanu Bhanja

    HT Media Limited launches HT Mini for people on the move

    By Akash Raha

     

    HT Media Limited (HTML) launched a new product from its stables on January 14 called HT Mini. HT Mini, half the size of a tabloid, is designed exclusively for people on the move and will have daily editions from Monday to Saturday. During the launch period, it will be available in select areas of Delhi-NCR and will be sampled heavily outside Metro stations.

     

    HT Mini has been designed keeping in mind the needs of people on the move. The size (smaller than an A4) makes it perfectly suited to be read in a crowded Metro. It packs 24 pages of light, snippety content ranging from the top news stories to city news, sports, entertainment and lifestyle. It. Currently the newspaper is being circulated free of cost.

     

    The Outdoor campaign is being handled by Mudra Max while Lowe Lintas is doing the creatives. The campaign has been in full swing since January 16, and radio spots too are being used to push HT Mini further. The campaign also includes engagement building measures, such as ongoing ‘character of the day’, with the target audience, the metro commuters.

     

    Shantanu Bhanja, Vice President – Marketing, HTML said: “The needs of people on the move are quite different from those reading the newspaper at home. They want something to pass time while traveling which they are able to pick up on their regular route, and hence their need is for something portable, conveniently-sized, with light, entertaining content. With the introduction of the Delhi Metro in the last decade, such travelers have grown exponentially. According to our research, over 60 per cent of Metro travelers would like to spend their commute reading something, but nothing was readily available to fit their requirements. We have customized HT Mini to cater to such people. We are very excited about the launch of HT Mini and are certain it will address a major need in our readers’ lives.”

     

    Vasantha Angamuthu, HT special projects editor, said: “HT Mini is a reflection of HT Media’s practice of keeping the consumer at the heart of all our initiatives. The words ‘daily commute’ conjure up images of crowded trains, cramped spaces and the drudgeries of repetition. Until now, there was nothing to look forward to on Metro rides but the launch of HT Mini is sure to inject some fun and entertainment into the daily commute.”

     

  • Several participants in the debate felt that there was a need for accountability and self-regulation in the media

    Ramnath Goenka Awards presented, heated debate on journalists’ intellect ensues

    By Akash Raha

     

    The Ramnath Goenka Memorial Foundation hosted The Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards, one of the most prestigious awards that acknowledge excellence in all forms of journalism, print and broadcast, in all languages on January 16 in New Delhi.

     

    The awardees for the year 2012 are as follows.

     

     

    Like every year, the award ceremony was followed by a panel discussion. This year, the subject based on the Press Council of India chairman Justice Markandey Katju’s observation: “The majority of media people are of poor intellectual level.”

     

    Justice Markandey Katju was present during the award ceremony and the discussion that followed. There were several politicians, journalists and academicians present, amongst the audience and the panel, who spoke on the topic and ensured that the discussion and debate was at a fever pitch with their war of words.

     

    Speaking on the issue, panelist Mr Digvijay Singh of Congress party said that there are black sheep in all works of life and the same holds true for the media as well, but to generalize and say that all of them have low intellectual level would be wrong. However, fellow politician and panel member Mr Sharad Yadav of JDU said that times have changed and with that the standards of journalism have fallen too, illustrating his argument by pointing towards the TV channels, who “invest too much in irrelevant news”. He also pointed at the issue of paid news which has tarnished the image of journalists and media houses alike. He said that the proliferation of media has caused the standards of news to fall.

     

    Furthermore, he said: “the media industry has to be accountable… If the Prime Minister of India is accountable for his deeds, so shall be the media.”

     

    Some panel members also raised the question whether it was important for journalists to be intellectually strong. According to some, journalism is of two kinds, hard news and opinion – and in the former, one does not need intellect, only moral integrity. LK Advani, who was the part of the audience said: “I don’t think that journalism has failed the democracy. However, there have been a few shortcomings off late. Yet, I will not say that they have low intellectual levels.”

     

    Digvijay Singh stated that intellect is required in the whole profession of journalism, be it opinion or reporting. However, he added that with the kind of expansion media has seen lately, it is possible that the training of young and budding journalists remains incomplete. He also advocated for accountability and self regulation in media.

     

    Union HRD minister Kapil Sibal agreed with Sibal: “Putting out information as soon as possible has become the need of the hour for those in visual media. At such times, news which needs to be evaluated is often not evaluated and is broadcasted without any checks. It is not the fault of the journalist, but that of the medium itself.”

     

    Pratap Bhanu Mehta, an academician, and a member of the panel said that when a state dictates terms as to what is to be broadcasted or not, it creates insecurity. He made his point when he censured Katju’s stand on Dev Anand’s demise, when he said that the news should not have been on the front page of all newspapers.

     

    Senior journalist and columnist Tavleen Singh engaged in a war of words with Katju when she questioned the credentials of judiciary. Katju evaded the question by asking her to “please confine yourself to the topic at hand… there will be other days for discussion on the judiciary,” but she persisted with her attacks on Katju and his authoritarian comments on media. She went on to say that PCI has to be more active in the future to regulate media, as judiciary is too incompetent to do so.

     

    Senior journalist Nalini Singh thought it important that journalists and media houses, especially the visual media, should introspect as to what kind of news stories they are doing. She said that usually only 5-6 big stories are followed on and so many news stories are ignored every day. Udayan Mukherjee of CNBC agreed: “A lot of our media are not up to the mark… and I don’t feel resentful of the idea that there is something wrong with the media.”

     

    When Shekhar Gupta of The Indian Express group was asked how he feels about visual media and the pace at which news is disseminated today he said: “Everybody with a camera is not a journalist, he is only a transmitter of raw unchecked data.” Editorial intimidation is very important and one has to ensure that the news published is factual, in public interest and of public interest.”

     

    The panel discussion was brought to an end by Mr Katju where he congratulated all the awardees.

     

  • Companies pull cricketer ads off air, mull ad rate cut after Team India's disastrous Oz tour

    Corporate India loses interest in cricket with team’s loss

    By Rajiv Singh & Ratna Bhushan

     

    It’s being marketed as the ‘Agneepath’ series and Team India’s disastrous tour of Australia will most certainly leave brand cricket with severe burns as companies turn to non-cricketer brand ambassadors, pull cricketer ads off air and negotiate a cut in advertising rates.

     

    The Indian cricket team is staring at a humiliating second consecutive whitewash overseas after surrendering meekly in the first three Tests in Australia on the back of a debacle in England last year, and most cricket sponsors are unable to hide their disappointment as Indian TV viewers surf away from cricket.

     

    “We were planning to rope in one of the top Indian cricketers for our forthcoming campaign, but have now decided against having cricketers,” says a top official of a mobile handset brand requesting anonymity. “Going by their present performance, it’s not worth a gamble now.”

     

    Media experts predict that television advertisement rates will fall at least 20% after this series as cricket is fast losing mindspace after hitting a peak following India’s World Cup triumph last year.

     

    “There’s absolutely no doubt that advertising rates will fall in the forthcoming series,” says Ms Punita Arumugam, media group chief executive officer of Madison, which buys media for Bharti Airtel, ITC and Cadbury Kraft.

     

    A senior official of Maruti Suzuki, one of the key sponsors of the ongoing series, says the Tests have been a big disappointment for the country’s largest carmaker.

     

    “While we will continue to invest in cricket, we feel cricket is over-priced. Considering that results of the team have not been spectacular except for the World Cup, we hope rates will be rationalised,” says Maruti Suzuki Chief General Manager – Marketing, Mr Shashank Srivastava.

     

    While India’s tour of England had a low average television viewer rating of only 1.79, the first two Tests in Australia fared even worse, with ratings of 0.89 and 0.70, respectively, says rating agency TAM. “Several advertisers are in talks to reduce inventory or pull out from cricket,” says Madison’s Ms Arumugam, declining to mention names.

     

    ESPN-Star Sports, the official broadcaster of the current series, however, has ruled out a drop in prices for the one-day series. Mr Sanjay Kailash, EVP & head of sales, says the company has sold out 70% of ad inventory for the ODIs.

     

    He agrees that there has been a dip in advertising interest over 2010-11. “But that’s more to do with the general economic slowdown.”

     

    Media buyers say the broadcaster sold advertisement slots between Rs70,000-80,000 per 10 seconds for Test matches, and Rs2.75-3.25 lakh per 10 seconds for the One-Day Internationals.

     

    They say these rates will come down as India’s humiliating shows abroad have alienated millions of loyal TV viewers, already dealing with an overdose of cricket. “As long as you cheese off sponsors, it’s still okay. But this time the fans are feeling betrayed and extremely disappointed,” says Mr Shailendra Singh, joint MD of Percept, a sports and media entertainment firm. “No sponsor would put in money if there are no viewers.”

     

    SOOTHSAYER DRAVID

     

    It looks like the warning that Indian batsman Rahul Dravid had sounded during his Bradman Oration address in December is turning prophetic. “Empty stands (during Tests) do not make for good television. Bad television can lead to a fall in ratings, fall in ratings will be felt by media planners and advertisers’ looking elsewhere,” he had said.

     

    Maybe it’s coming true. No brand has signed an Indian cricketer as its endorser since Gulf Oil signed Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni for its lubricant brand Gulf in September last.

     

    And there are not many television commercials featuring cricketers on air, despite it being a cricket season. Brands such as McDowell’s and Revital, which had been advertising heavily with their cricketer ambassadors till recently, have become conspicuous by their absence.

     

    Beverage maker Coca-Cola, which had planned to flood shop shelves with 6.5 million ‘Sachin’ special cans to celebrate Sachin Tendulkar’s 100th international century, is still waiting for the magical moment as 10 months have passed after the master blaster scored his 99th during the World Cup. So do many other brands.

     

    Also, there are not many potential brand endorsers as most youngsters are yet to cement their place and seniors such as Tendulkar, Dravid and VVS Laxman are set to retire. Captain Dhoni’s comment on retiring from one version of the game may impact his demand, while batting and bowling spearheads Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan may not be around for too long either.

     

    WAITING FOR REBOUND

     

    While Lady Luck may have deserted Team India, brands such as Emami, which had roped in Dhoni in February 2010, still cheer for the team. “Ups and downs are a part of the game,” says Mr Krishna Mohan, CEO (sales, supply chain and human capital), Emami.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

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