MxMIndia

Category: TV

  • The TVC showcases four distinct situations in a kid's life where Masti plays a pivotal role, true to the channel's philosophy

    ZeeQ launches campaign showcasing ‘fun’ moments in life

    By A Correspondent

     

    ZeeQ has rolled out a brand new TVC for its young audience. Keeping in mind the objective of establishing itself as a provider of ‘clean entertainment but with unlimited masti’, the channel has picked up an important element of a child’s characteristics which is – “Masti”. The new TVC is trying to establish the position that ‘Masti’ keeps both the body and mind of the child active.

     

    The TVC showcases four distinct situations in a kid’s life where Masti plays a pivotal role, true to the channel’s philosophy. The acts show children in a regaling act full of masti and fun, playing innocent and fun-filled pranks which amuse and add cheer to every person around them. So be it jumping into the puddle with the friends and laughing away to the little joys of life, to playing smart pranks on family members, the common factor that is all encompassing in all the scenes of this TVC is Mind-full Masti.

     

    Aparna Bhosle, Deputy Business Head, ZeeQ expressed her views on the new TV Campaign, “Our vision is to make ZeeQ India’s best suited entertainment channel for kids that offers mind-full content but with endless entertaining masti and our new TVC conveys just that.”

     

    Apart from the on-air telecast of the new TV campaign, ZeeQ will also be leveraging their campaign concept “Ham hain Mastikhor kids” on a 360 degree promotional platform of Digital, Radio, On Ground through exciting audience outreach programmes namely contests and other engagement activities across various cities in India.

     

  • BARC can do well to discourage this artificial segmentation by not providing any of these handles (GEC, Youth GEC, etc.) in their planning tools, and even prohibit their data bureaus, as and when they come up, from doing the same, writes Shailesh Kapoor

    Shailesh Kapoor: Time to Redefine ‘General Entertainment Channel’?

    By Shailesh Kapoor

     

    Though largely an uneventful year for Indian television content, 2014 has seen some channel launches, after almost four years of status quo. Zee launched Zindagi mid-year, followed by Sony’s launch of its third GEC Sony Pal, and later this month, Epic goes on-air. We all know that Zee has its second (or third, if you count Zindagi) GEC in the incubator.

     

    Classically, back in the 90s, a channel was called a GEC (General Entertainment Channel) if it had something for everyone in the family. It was “general” enough to have a mix of content that should cater to a fairly generalized collective need. The term GEC is India-specific and was perhaps coined by the advertiser community to give a handle to the set of mass channels that existed at that time.

     

    Over time, as the number of ‘GECs’ increased, advertisers and planners started using GEC 1 and GEC 2 as reference terms for the top ranked and second tier GECs.

     

    However, look at things closely the way they exist today, and you would know that it’s time to question all the parlance surrounding the term ‘GEC’. Here are some thoughts, for example:

     

    1. Zindagi’s offering is anything but ‘general’. In fact, it’s a very differentiated, specialized-content based channel. Even if it did 100 GRPs, could it ever be called a ‘General’ Entertainment Channel with such content?

     

    2. The same argument applies with even more force to Epic, where the offering is catering to a content need that’s incredibly sharp and therefore, irrespective of its audience size, niche.

     

    3. Sab TV’s content filter (light-hearted family entertainment) is very specific as well.

     

    4. More than 95% original programming time on Star Plus today goes to fiction content targeting women audiences. Is that ‘general entertainment’?

     

    5. Movie premieres, that were a core part of the GEC offering in the 90s, are now increasingly being seen on movie channels instead. Does that make the GECs less ‘general’?

     

    It may seem a matter of semantics, but the implications of these semantics can be substantive. By clubbing all channels airing fiction and non-fiction content as ‘General Entertainment Channels’, we have created artificial segmentation of the content market. Channel V today is far more general in its offering than Sab TV is. But because it was historically a music platform, it has clubbed into another artificial category: Youth GECs!

     

    Now all this would not matter if the cost of getting 1% audience to watch your ad on all channels were the same. But it is not. CPRP (Cost Per Rating Point) wildly fluctuates across these artificial categories. GECs have a distinctive advantage over most other Indian language channels in this regard. And this advantage borders on being unfair.

     

    BARC can do well to discourage this artificial segmentation by not providing any of these handles (GEC, Youth GEC, etc.) in their planning tools, and even prohibit their data bureaus, as and when they come up, from doing the same.

     

    And while I wait for that to happen, I leave you with a question: Think hard and name the one Indian channel that you think has the most ‘general’ entertainment to offer to the country at large. Ask the question around too. Some of the answers may surprise you.

     

  • The wait is over. The licence has been bagged. India's first channel on Indian history, mythology and folklore will be on air on November 19.

    Epic to launch on November 19

    By A Correspondent

     

    The wait is over. The licence has been bagged. India’s first channel on Indian history, mythology and folklore will be on air on November 19. Nau baje! Spearheaded by Mahesh Samat, who is Managing Director of the EPIC Television Networks Pvt. Ltd., this is the first genre-specific Hindi entertainment channel that will showcase content based on Indian history, mythology and folklore in a contemporary format.

     

    Messrs Mukesh Ambani, Anand Mahindra and Rohit Khattar are promoters of the company. Says Mr Mahindra, Chairman and Managing Director of Mahindra & Mahindra says, “The landscape of Hindi entertainment is undergoing a dramatic transformation. In order to appeal to a far more evolved audience, and to sustain their engagement, there is definitely a need for a revolution in the broadcast space. We have all been entertained with the history and mythology of India through books and grandparents’ stories. These stories will now come to life and can be enjoyed on television in a contemporary manner.”

     

    Added Mr Samat, “We aim to bring a whole new experience for the television viewers with an innovative segmented Hindi entertainment channel. With a contemporary take on the rich history of India, our objective is to give the audiences an opportunity to consume genre-specific content to suit their liking.”

     

    The channel will go on air with its four driver shows – Siyaasat, Dharmakshetra, Dariba Diaries and Daanav Hunters. It also has an interesting mix of non-fiction shows like Adrishya, a show about Indian spies, Ekaant, the story of abandoned places while Raja Rasoi Aur Anya Kahaniyaan takes you on a journey of the food that the Royals ate and Kahi Suni explores the myths and legends of India.

     

    As is known, Divya Radhakrishnan’s Helios Media has been mandated with the ad sales function of the channel. IndiaCast is reported to be looking at the distribution.

     

  • Star Plus gained much in Week 44 of TAM's ratings even as there was no change in the pecking order of Hindi GECs

    Star Plus gains much. No change in pecking order of Hindi GECs

    Star Plus gained much in Week 44 of TAM’s ratings even as there was  no change in the pecking order of Hindi GECs

     

     

    Week 43

    Week 44 2014
    Channels

    GVTs (000s)

    GVTs (000s)
    Star Plus

    594810

    655006
    Colors

    432202

    456912
    Zee TV

    393501

    404561
    Sab

    287077

    306976
    Life OK

    256520

    305155
    Sony Ent TV

    247617

    285145
    Big Magic

    59042

    56061
    Pal

    26221

    31405
    Zindagi

    26625

    31302
    Sahara One

    11314

    9869

     

    Since TAM has been restrained from feeding the media with ratings numbers, we are forced to depend on subscribers to give us the same. We trust them to give us the correct numbers so we are publishing them. However, we urge advertisers and media agencies to make their own enquiries to get bona fide data. Meanwhile wee are praying BARC will share data with us directly.

     

  • Based in Mumbai, she will lead the Content Team and will report directly to the Cluster Head, Vivek Srivastava

    Sonal Khanduja joins Times TV as VP – Programming, Eng Ent Cluster

    By A Correspondent

     

    Times Television Network (TTN) announced the appointment of Sonal Khanduja as Vice President – Programming of the English Entertainment Cluster which includes channels such as Movies Now and Romedy Now. Based in Mumbai, she will lead the Content Team and will report directly to the Cluster Head, Vivek Srivastava.

     

    Speaking on the announcement, Vivek Srivastava, Senior Vice-President and Head – English Entertainment Cluster, TTN said, “Sonal is a great addition to the team at TTN with a formidable base in the English Entertainment segment. With Sonal spearheading our Content team, we are confident that our premium English Entertainment channels – MOVIES NOW and Romedy NOW, will scale new heights.”

     

    Sonal moves to Times Television Network after a successful stint at Zee Entertainment Enterprises as the Head of Programming & Acquisition for Zee Studio and Zee Café. With over a decade of experience in the broadcast domain, her skills lie in Programming Strategy, Content Research, Acquisition and Production.

     

  • The TVC marks itself as the first ever tennis super league commercial to be aired on national television

    Inaugural campaign for Champions Tennis League launched

    By A Correspondent

     

    Sony SIX has unveiled its first TVC for their marquee tennis property, The Champions Tennis League. The TVC marks itself as the first ever tennis super league commercial to be aired on national television.

     

    Conceptualized by Havas Worldwide, the commercial is targeted towards sports fans and general audiences alike by igniting the passion for tennis that has been evoked with the element of the tennis ball. Capturing a series of montages of the tennis ball in action, the commercial culminates into the announcement of India’s most exciting all-star tennis league, the Champions Tennis League. Through the commercial, the channel aims to engage with a large spectrum of audience by driving the relevance of the tennis ball in one’s everyday life.

     

    The commercial opens with a quick montage of clips being shown on the tennis ball being put to use. The scenes are supplement with a voiceover narrative of how the tennis ball is being used in India for a wide variety of activities. From being used as an object for amusement in the hands of a juggler in a circus, to being a ball of terror against batsmen playing “gully cricket’ or from being an item of décor used for rickshaws to a vessel for communicating hidden messages of love amongst the youth in the country. The advertisement catches the various aspects of the florescent sphere and how it has made its way into the daily lives of the people. The commercial goes on to depict further instances of the tennis ball in use with a catchy tune that syncs with the jovial feel of the commercial. The commercial ends on a unique note where the ball flies into a house causing disturbance in the house of an elderly man. The man comes out onto his balcony with a presumable rage, blaming the neighbourhood kids for playing cricket all day. At that point the commercial takes an unconventional twist where much to the aged man’s surprise; the kids playing down are holding tennis racquets and are sporting an impish smile. This sync in with the concluding shot of the commercial where the narrative voice over prepares audiences to get ready to witness the best of international tennis superstars compete in India at the Champions Tennis League.

     

    Prasana Krishnan

    Commenting on the launch of the TVC, Prasana Krishnan, Business Head, Sony SIX, said, ‘‘Through the years, the tennis ball has come to be synonymous with a host of activities like cricket, lagori and juggling amongst many other outdoor activities. It presents an autonomous manifestation of sportiness. What we have tried to do through this TVC is not only show the versatility of the ball but connect it to its fundamental use, which lies in the game of tennis, highlighting the first ever international tennis league to be hosted in India.”

     

    Vivek Rao, Executive Creative Director, said, ‘The team came up with a script that had a simple, wonderful insight. In India a Tennis Ball has been omnipresent in our lives since our childhood for reasons other than the game of tennis. Finally here’s a reason to see it for what it’s really meant for – Tennis! And the Champions Tennis League has the right pros to make it a must watch tennis league. The “extreme slow motion” treatment recommended by director Nitesh Tiwari was to ensure that the hero very clearly was the Tennis Ball.”

     

    The TVC will be aired across various English, Hindi and regional news, movies and entertainment channels and will be promoted on various digital spaces.

     

  • The event will feature CEOs from India Inc. who will pit their unique talents against each other

    North India CEOs to compete for CEO’s Got Talent trophy

    By A Correspondent

     

    Raj Nayak

    Mahesh Bhatt
    Mahesh Bhatt

    Neha Dhupia

    Following the enthusiastic response to the first edition of ‘CEO’s Got Talent’, FremantleMedia announced the second edition of the event. The contest will be held in New Delhi at the Taj Palace Hotel on Saturday, November 15, 2014, and will feature CEOs from India Inc. who will pit their unique talents against each other.

     

    The first-of-its-kind event was created by FremantleMedia within its ‘Got Talent’ franchise to recognise the creativity and talent of CEOs and providing them with a platform to showcase a side to them that generally doesn’t come into view in their day-to-day business lives.

     

    The initiative will see top CEOs from north India competing on a common stage for the coveted CEOs Got Talent trophy. The performances will be judged by three illustrious personalities from the entertainment business industry, Raj Nayak, CEO – Colors, critically acclaimed director Mahesh Bhatt and well known actor Neha Dhupia.

     

    Proceeds from CEO’s Got Talent will go to Genesis Foundation, which provides financial support for life-saving and life-changing medical intervention for critically ill under-privileged children in the areas of cancer, cardiac disorder, post organ failure, thalassemia and extreme deformities.

     

  • The channel that was launched last year has achieved the lead position among the youth of West Bengal

    Helios Media to handle revenue monetisation for Fatafati

    By A Correspondent

     

    Bangla music channel Fatafati has moved its revenue mandate to Helios Media with immediate effect. The channel that was launched last year has achieved the lead position among the youth of West Bengal.

     

    Siddarth Misra, Promoter of the channel said “We created a unique position for Music F Fatafati by bringing in 3D animated characters and cartoon shorts as interstitials for the first time in the Bangla market. Our characters are extremely popular among the youth and has managed to dislodge the reigning channel Sangeet Bangla from its position this week. We are confident that our alignment with Helios Media will help FataFati in realising its full potential.”

     

    Bala Iyengar, COO Helios Media said, “Just like how in Hindi market, youth TG is addressed with music channels, the reflection of it in its regional counterparts is not appropriately valued. It is all generally clubbed under one umbrella called regional. With our proven track-record of building true-value for the channels we work with, we are confident that we will be in a position to raise the bar for Fatafati as well. In a similar space, MTunes HD is among the top 3 channels on commercial inventory week after week due to selling prowess of Helios Media.”

     

    Helios Media also handles revenue monetization of FoodFood, EPIC, Channel X and Fashion TV.

     

  • The 'each set is a match' structure is already being talked about amongst national and international tennis fraternities alike

    Champions Tennis League ready to engage viewers with novel format

    By A Correspondent

     

    Sony Six has acquired the broadcasting rights for Champions Tennis League, a pan-India city-based tennis championship league set to take place from November 17 to November 26, 2014.

     

    The television-friendly format of CTL lends itself to the taste and sensibilities of the Indian audience, who have been generally seen to enjoy watching fast-paced sports like the T20 cricket. The ‘each set is a match’ structure is already being talked about amongst national and international tennis fraternities alike. Also renowned names like Mark Woodforde, Louise Pleming, Luke Jensen and Prakash Amritraj will be seen keeping the viewers engaged with thier quick witted and insightful commentry on the game. Apart from the pacey and competitive tennis, the tournament will feature after-match parties, fashion shows and interactions with the fans on the rest days; thereby acting as a ‘carnival of tennis’ for both tennis fans and the general match-goers.

     

    Commenting on the development, Prasana Krishnan, Business Head, Sony Six said, “The format for CTL is tailor made for television. The short and exciting structure of the matches will ensure that audiences are entertained and engaged throughout the course of the tournament. Also, with the entry of CTL, the viewership for tennis in our country should finally extend beyond the Grand Slams and select ATP and WTA tournaments.”

     

    With CTL, Sony Six will further add to its exciting mix of entertainment-based sports programming led by global phenomena such as the NBA, the FIFA, the Pepsi IPL and the Ultimate Fighting Championship among others. The inaugural CTL not only boasts of a first-of-its kind format but will also be the first international tennis tournament to be held in cities like Pune and Chandigarh, which have traditionally not been the bastions for the sport in the country.

     

  • Star Plus gained much in Week 44 of TAM’s ratings even as there was no change in the pecking order of Hindi GECs

    TAM Week 45: No change in pecking order of Hindi GECs

    By Our Research Associate

     

    This is now reading like those weather reports which we get in the monsoons in Mumbai. There will be a few light showers or thundershowers and there will be no appreciable change in night temperature. LOL. So it’s the same old story. Star Plus rules. Colors has kept its #2 status on and Zee is #3. The rest is much of the same, with some extra leads and some downers.

     

     

    Channels

    Week 45

    Week 44

    Star Plus

    609929

    655006

    Colors

    485943

    456912

    Zee TV

    393534

    404561

    Sab

    284511

    306976

    Life OK

    305403

    305155

    Sony Ent TV

    245423

    285145

    Zee Anmol

    89666

    104793

    Star Utsav

    71556

    80833

    Big Magic

    68547

    56061

    Rishtey

    43676

    49651

    Zindagi

    31475

    31302

    Pal

    30710

    31405

    Sahara One

    9653

    9869

    GVTs (000s)

     

    Since TAM has been restrained from feeding the media with ratings numbers, we are forced to depend on subscribers to give us the same. We trust them to give us the correct numbers so we are publishing them. However, we urge advertisers and media agencies to make their own enquiries to get bona fide data.

     

  • Despite 50 top brands in the country that target children actively, the day increasingly finds little resonance, writes Shailesh Kapoor

    Shailesh Kapoor: Is Children’s Day losing media significance

     

    By Shailesh Kapoor

     

    Today is Children’s Day. Unlike many other branded days – such as Mother’s Day, Daughter’s Day, Father’s Day and, of course, Valentine’s Day – Children’s Day is an indigenous event, observed on the birth anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru.

     

    But like most festivals and special days, the genesis becomes less important over time, than the actual celebration. Children’s Day, however, suffers from both genesis and celebration issues.

     

    Have you seen any significant TV commercial or print ad around Children’s Day? Or any special episodes of TV shows themed around this day? Some kids channels have planned specials of their existing shows, but those are destinations where every day is Children’s Day anyway.

     

    We have all seen the media exploitation of Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and the likes over the last two decades. Brands have used these specials to peddle offers or simply communicate their brand message in a more contextual environment.

     

    But with Children’s Day, very few such efforts are visible. There are at least 50 top brands in the country that target children actively. And the parent-child bond (especially the mother-child) is a part of many brand messages. Yet, Children’s Day finds no resonance.

     

    Is it because over time, the awareness of this occasion has reduced amongst the children themselves? That, indeed, is one of the reasons. But it also begs the question, because if media can create awareness of non-existent properties (where was Father’s Day a decade ago?), it can surely revive a traditionally strong one.

     

    I suspect this has something to do with the indigenous vs. foreign difference. In MNCs, brand plans are often made globally and then adapted for local execution. Children’s Day would never feature in such a plan. And if some key brands choose to ignore it, the momentum will never build enough to create the threshold the day needs to become ‘marketable’.

     

    But there’s another aspect that could also be leading to this, and that’s the one that bothers me more. Indian entertainment businesses (both television and films) have always treated the children segment with a sense of tentativeness. It’s been the orphaned target group, left to find its entertainment in cartoons, while all the content innovation happens for the adults.

     

    In India, a kid can watch animation content till the age of 12, and then graduate straight to a Saathiya or a Roadies. There is no in-between, barring an odd show like CID or Taarak Mehta. The only channels we research kids for are the kids channels. Everyone else is happy catering to 15+.

     

    Much as this may seem ‘correct’, it creates an impact that is extremely worrying. Kids channels are heavily under-indexed on advertising revenues and hence cannot afford original live-action productions with any sense of scale. As a result, over the last two decades, Indian kids have little content variety on offer. Even as a housewife tries and balances as many as 10-12 shows in a day, her child has adjusted himself to just one or two shows, which he will now watch for the next three years, if not more. You don’t need to be a child psychologist to know that the long-term damage here can be fairly substantive in nature.

     

    It’s time for the top GECs and film studios to challenges themselves. There is immense commercial opportunity too. But is there enough will to dip into it?

     

  • Apart from a slew of new programmes, the channel will be repackaged in new colours – purple and pink.

    DD National to be relaunched as ‘Desh Ka Apna Channel’

    By A Correspondent

     

    In a bid to attract more viewers, public broadcaster Doordarshan is relaunching its national channel as “Desh Ka Apna channel” with a slew of new programmes.

     

    Apart from the new programmes, the channel will be repackaged in new colours – purple and pink.

     

    “We want that Doordarshan be the preferred channel of the people. So from November 17, a repackaged channel with fresh content will be beamed to viewers across the country,” an official said. “In keeping with our vision for providing wholesome entertainment to audiences across the length and breadth of the country with a public service responsibility, Doordarshan National will be coming with a new look and feel and eight new shows in prime time,” said Doordarshan director general Vijayalaxmi Chhabra.

     

    Officials hoped the new programmes, many of which are being launched on November 17, will find favour with viewers. “There was some problem in acquiring best quality content earlier but now the guidelines that have been put in place are more competitive and we feel that Doordarshan will be able to show quality programmes,” the official added.

     

    A statement released here on Friday said the national channel will focus on themes like traditional family values, nation before self and trustworthiness.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2014, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

    Licensed to republish