MxMIndia

Category: TV

  • Are endless soaps, reality shows and mythologicals all that there is to general entertainment?

    MxM Mondays | Is there a crisis of ideas in Hindi GECs?

     

    By Ananya Saha and Meghna Sharma

     

    From ‘Buniyaad’ to ‘Bade Achhe Lagte Hain’, from ‘Mahabharat’ to ‘Satyamev Jayate’, Hindi entertainment has come a long way. In the channels’ bid to outdo each other in the TVR race, content can take a back seat. Can lavish sets, repeat telecasts, and infinite numbers of episodes help the GECs to win the race? Is the audience ready to lap up the same themes and content?

     

    The theme for this week’s MxM Mondays is ‘Is there a crisis of ideas in Hindi GEC?’. MxM spoke to a crosssection of industry veterans to find out.

     

    Ajay Kakar, Chief Marketing Officer – Financial Services, Aditya Birla Group

    Today, there appears to be a herd mentality when it comes to programming on GEC channels. What we have always noted in Bollywood seems to now reflect on TV too: the ‘success formula’ syndrome.

     

    If one kind of serial or format succeeds, there appears to be a rush, across channels, to try and follow and replicate that seeming formula, be it the trend of reality programmes, dance shows, talent hunt or even soaps.

     

    This apparent commoditisation makes decision-taking more difficult, as a marketer, when you are screening the market for opportunities.

     

    Anamika Mehta, COO, Lodestar UM

    In many ways, yes. We continue to see the same content and programming repackaged and marketed differently. While a couple of fresh initiatives have been undertaken over time, probably the fact they have been literally a handful is reflective of crisis of ideas. So there have been soaps and ore soaps with some twists right from the ‘K’ days to some with a social tack to comedy to the global reality formats customised to Indian flavour and culture. Given the fickle Indian viewer, and the fact that a GEC talks to the lowest denominator; the challenge is to bust existing myths and formula. And experiment large for success.

     

    Anita Nayyar, CEO, India and Southeast Asia, Havas Media

    When Colors was launched it brought a set of fresh content and then both Zee and Star followed it. It was a refreshing change because everyone was fed-up with the saas-bahu sagas. And as for the reality shows, most GECs are following safe genre which has worked well with the viewers. One must realise that programming costs are high and when a programme doesn’t work, it affects the channel. Therefore, a channel has to be very careful about what it puts out in front of the viewers. So, a time-tested genre is what most of them opt for, unless and until a broadcaster is very confident about a format and willing to take the risk.

     

    Indian viewers in general prefer only certain genres – serials, Bollywood related shows, reality shows (where they can related to the lesser known aam adami) and movies. Therefore, channels too prefer to revolve around these genres. For a channel viewership is important because only that will bring in the revenues.

     

    Himanka Das, senior vice president – West, Carat Media India

    Well, I won’t call it crisis, it has definitely become dynamic. Considering the dynamic nature of viewership patterns, viewers do not watch channels by appointment viewing but they watch programmes by appointment viewing. Having said that, it also reflects the way a broadcaster changes programming strategy within a span of 13 weeks most often, though very few of them that go for a longer period. In the term ‘GEC’, the word entertainment has significant relevance to viewers; so long as content entertains the audience, that becomes the longevity of a programme. In that regard, broadcasters do realise the competitive nature of business and are constantly trying new formats and topics in relevant time bands to keep eyeballs going.

     

     

    Jahnavi Pal, TV analyst and columnist

    If one surfs through different Hindi GECs today, he/she will find the same clichéd concepts and sometimes even titles. Today the trend is to name a serial after an old Hindi song! Broadcasters feel that is what viewers want, but to be frank it’s not true. No one is ready to take a risk. They follow each other or ride on a previous show’s success. For example, if a show XYZ was a success then others will have shows which are loosely based on it. However, there are some who are ready to take a chance; take Star Plus for instance, which showcased a revolutionary show – Satyamev Jayate. Agreed, it’s not a primetime soap opera, but a GEC did take a risk in showcasing a show like that on a Sunday morning. There are other shows like ‘Kuch toh log kahenge’ and ‘Bade achhe lagte hain’, which started off very well but somehow now have lost their plot and have become diluted. Therefore, it wouldn’t be correct to say that there is a dearth of ideas because there are plenty of them, it’s the willingness of a channel to take risk is more crucial to take the industry forward.

     

    Nikhil Sinha, producer, Triangle Film Company

    There is scarcity of fresh ideas on GECs. Right now, the trend is about following each other; if one idea works for a channel then others too will start making projects on similar lines. New concepts are considered risk-taking propositions. However, one shouldn’t be surprised if one channel took the risk to experiment and it becomes a hit, others too will follow suit. I feel that GECs should try out new concepts as audiences are maturing too. However, what will click can’t be guaranteed in advance. Having said that, I also know that consensus between business and entertainment is also very important.

     

     

    Sajal Mukherjee, Media veteran

    All channels are trying their level best to create distinct content and appeal to specific audiences. Star Plus, which is the number one channel, dominates the scene when it comes to well-produced programmes, and all the other channels like Zee, Sony and Colors try to emulate the same formula. The shows on every channel go on and on, and they try to stretch the same content without changing the format, over a very long period of time.

     

    It is actually a vicious circle. Each serial has three important parts: content producer, advertiser and viewer. If the channel produces a good show, but it gets no advertisers, because of no or less viewership, the content producer has to balance the budget of the show. If there is no money, the production values also go down.

     

    The channels need to experiment more. KBC has had a good run, and still enjoys dedicated viewership. Satyamev Jayate was appreciated. It is only a question of stretching the innovation. Every channel’s focus is to get the viewership, and advertisers. Once they start making money, then they produce better shows. But it is important that every ‘me too’ channel tries to create different programming.

     

    Saurabh Srivastava, Producer, Panglossean Entertainment (of ‘Phir Subah Hogi’)

    I do not agree that Hindi GECs are facing a crisis of ideas. We, the producers, brainstorm every day to come out with new ideas. At the end of the day, it is just a competition. There are so many Hindi entertainment channels, we try hard to make our shows distinctive and different from all other shows. We work very hard on every show. It is definitely quite hard, but we have to keep trying.

     

     

     

    Shailesh Kapoor, CEO – Ormax Media

    There is definitely no dearth of ideas in GECs. The GEC category inIndiais only about 20 years old, and has constantly evolved in terms of new ideas, formats, stories and genres. Having said that, the culture of daily shows has stretched the GEC content machinery over the last 12 years. The pressure to deliver episodes round the clock means that the creative teams spend less time on ideation and development, and more on execution. This, in turn, leads to an under-exploitation of the potential. Channels and production houses should focus on creating a robust pipeline of strong ideas, which can be tapped when the requirement arises. This would ensure that the creative abilities of the teams, both channel and production, are utilised to their potential. Focus on content development, as against just content production, will ensure that better, bigger ideas see the light of the day more often than what’s happening currently.

     

    Sukesh Motwani, head – fiction programming, Zee TV

    I wouldn’t say that there is a crisis of ideas in Hindi GECs; on the contrary they are doing their best to entertain their audiences. However, I do think that broadcasters will have to decide and show confidence about how much they are willing to experiment with. Zee has always believed in going a step forward and has taken bold steps. For instance, right now we have a paranormal show called Fear Files and earlier we showcased Jhansi ki Rani, a historic saga about a female protagonist. Who had ever thought of it before?! Even our other shows like Choti si Zindagi and Karol Bagh have been different in their approach.

     

    Today, channels are focused on genres like thriller, crime, family drama; but we have to answer the bigger question – are GECs ready to get into genres like dark comedy, science fiction or a violent tale? There is an on-going debate regarding this because most GECs cater to family audiences. So one does have to take this into account. Therefore, for me, the bigger question is, how many genres are GECs open to?

     

  • The controversy and litigation over television viewership measurement may lead to question marks being raised on the final selection of the vendor for the unified print readership study

    NDTV-TAM war impact may be seen in print if Nielsen is appointed IRS research vendor

    By A Correspondent

     

    Measurement has suddenly become a bad word in the Indian media. Over the last month, there has been much sound and fury over TAM Media’s television ratings with news network NDTV filing a 194-page lawsuit in New York. Since last week, the channel and WPP, principals of TAM’s part-owner Kantar, have been sparring via statements issued to the media.

     

    But now MxMIndia learns that there could be rumblings in the print space too, over the appointment of the research company to conduct the unified Indian Readership Survey.

     

    The Board of the Media Research Users Council (MRUC) which manages the Readership Studies Council of India (RSCI) is scheduled to meet today and announce the results of the contract following the RFP (Request for Proposals) issued last year.

     

    In a departure from the prevailing system of the research body being a partner and pocketing 85 percent of the revenues earned from sales, in the proposed system, the researcher was to be vendor being paid a flat fee. Hansa which has been conducting the study for MRUC since around eight years tied up with Ipsos and presented a joint proposal demanding a fee of Rs 10 crore. Nielsen’s original proposal was of Rs 12 crore, but the research major has been beaten down to a little below Rs 11 crore.

     

    However, ever since the news of the appointment of Nielsen was leaked last week, it appears that the controversy plaguing the television media research space could well lead to rumblings in print if it is indeed Nielsen which will be awarded the contract.

     

    MxMIndia too learns from its sources that Nielsen will indeed be appointed vendor for the IRS. The relationship is not of partnership as of now, but that of a client-vendor, where the research company has to undertake the exercise as per a set of instructions and for a fee. A global tender was issued and a technical committee carefully pored over each of the proposals. Various proposals came in but were rejected. The Hansa-IPSOS proposal reportedly did not find favour with the decision-makers because of the consortium modeit followed. It is believed that there was opposition to Hansa from some quarters.

     

    An MRUC member this correspondent spoke with raised some alarm. “While the work put in by the technical committee is commendable and selfless, they ought to have considered the mess that Nielsen has been in thanks to its co-ownership of TAM Media. The 194-page lawsuit sees the firm getting noteworthy mention. Moreover, there have been question marks over the retail audit too,” he said on condition of anonymity. “But it would be wrong to jump to conclusions on Nielsen’s appointment. If it is indeed true, we will raise the questions and convince ourselves. We clearly wish to be certain of the new vendors’ expertise in newspaper readership measurement – either globally or in India. We can’t afford to have any publisher, advertiser or agency questioning the measurement exercise and the bona fides of the vendor as has been the case with television.”

     

    That last bit we agree with. The WPP statement came in at 10.43 pm IST last night.

     

  • WPP and NDTV bring the battle over TAM ratings from the courtrooms to feeding the media with statements countering the other

    NDTV v/s WPP: War of words over the Weekend

    By A Correspondent

     

    I need another holiday, I told the boss.

    But why, he asked?

     

    Because since the time I thought I could bring in the weekend with a drink, the inbox has been inundated with statements from both NDTV and WPP.

     

    Wait, why WPP? The case was against Kantar, right?

     

    Oh, yes, it is. But Kantar is a subsidiary of WPP. And while it’s a listed conglomerate, Sir Martin Sorrell is bossman and he decides what WPP will do.

     

    So while it was good to see the Big WPP Boss himself getting his hands dirty, I was a little surprised to see him speak to the Indian media on the issue. Interviews with Sir Sorrell don’t happen daily, so who wouldn’t want to miss the opportunity.

     

    In one of the interviews, the WPP boss has even suggested that since NDTV’s lawyers essentially deal with litigations for restaurants, the lawsuit has been served correctly.

     

    Ah, well.

     

    Here are the six statements:

     

    26 Aug: Statement saying WPP takes India extremely seriously. That it is “ludicrous” to say WPP is taking India lightly

     

    25 Aug: WPP reacts to the 6 points raised in NDTV’s statement of the same day. Statement says Eric Salama responded to a mail sent by Vikram Chandra on July 27

     

    25 Aug: NDTV responds to WPP’s statement of 24 August (as well as to media interviews). Stings WPP and Sorrel, and sad to read these words: we request Sir Martin not to take India lightly. We request him to clean up his ratings operation in our country and to refrain from using his global PR clout to perpetuate corruption in his India ratings operation

     

    24 Aug: WPP issues a statement in Q&A form. Asserts NDTV’s decline is not down to any perceived failures in TAM data. In an interview with Mint, Sorrell says: “Nothing has been served properly. Nothing at all, that is why we call it a hypothetical lawsuit. The two-lawyer firm (engaged by NDTV) is based in Florida and it specializes in restaurant law. This is an Indian issue, not American. It is a bit of mischief on their part.”

     

    23 Aug: NDTV responds to WPP’s statement. “We request that WPP should focus on honestly fixing (for want of a better word!) their badly damaged and dishonest ratings system in India.”

     

    22 Aug: WPP statement on the NDTV’s “hypothetical” law suit. Says: “WPP is also giving active consideration to issuing proceedings against NDTV for defamation and has instructed its lawyers accordingly.”

     

  • WPP responds to NDTV's statement which in turn had rubbised WPP's earlier statement

    Day 3: Now WPP responds to NDTV salvo

    So you read what NDTV said about WPP’s statement. Now here’s what we just received from WPP in Q&A form to make for better understanding of the situation.

     

     

    Q1. In its press statement, NDTV has said, while they claim that the suit has not been served, WPP surely knows, or should know, that service was indeed made on the 10th of August in New York, and processes under the Hague Convention are also underway. What is the exact situation?

     

    Answer:

    We are aware that the New York lawyers acting for NDTV have filed affidavits of service with the New York court claiming to have served the proceedings on various WPP companies. Despite this, valid service has not taken place and we will be drawing the Court’s attention to these inadequate and misleading statements in our motion to dismiss the claims in their entirety.

     

    There has been a faulty, and clumsy, attempt to serve on one company, but nothing on the others at all. No lawyer acting on behalf of any WPP company has made any such statement. In fact, Kantar Media (Research) UK is not even named as a party to any lawsuit.

     

    We are taking the unusual step of proceeding to dismiss the hypothetical lawsuit, despite the lack of any valid service, simply due to the attempted “trial by media”, which has been generated by the (unserved) lawsuit. In any event, there is no merit in the purported claims, nor do the US courts have any jurisdiction to hear any such claims.

     

    Any claim should be made properly, in India, in front of the Indian courts, which are more than capable of properly hearing any valid claim.

     

    NDTV appears to be blaming their poor financial performance on the ratings. NDTV’s financial state shows a dramatic decline, with its market capitalisation declining from around US $800 million in early 2008 to around US$60 million today. Over the same period NDTV’s share price has declined from a high of Rs 512.70 to around Rs 50 today. NDTV is operating in an extremely competitive market, and its competitors have also been in a difficult position. However, NDTV’s decline is not down to any perceived failures in TAM data.

     

    Q2.Where and when does WPP plan to file the defamation lawsuit?

     

    Answer: As referred to in its statement, WPP is considering an action for defamation and this consideration will include the appropriate jurisdiction.

     

    3. Why doesn’t the operating TAM file the case?

    Answer: TAM will be considering its own action.

     

    4. You say that WPP plans to file an application in New York to strike out the NDTV lawsuit. When will that happen?

    Answer: The application is imminent.

     

    5. What else do you plan to do?

    Answer: WPP is disappointed about the “trial by media” which has been initiated by NDTV. As we have said, TAM has been, and will continue to be, committed to working with the industry to improve the use of technology, coverage and transparency of the TAM data. A series of additional steps has very recently been agreed with the industry.

    WPP is committed to working with all industry stakeholders: we would be very happy to work with the mooted BARC structure: we work extremely well with similar bodies all over the world and would be happy to do so in India.

     

    6. You said in your statement “TAM has taken and continues to take stringent measures to protect the panel against repeated attempts at tampering by currently unknown parties and has recently agreed a series of additional steps with the industry to remove any question marks about the quality and reliability of the TAM data.” The timing of announcing these steps makes it look like TAM is responding to NDTV’s lawsuit. Why didn’t TAM take these steps earlier?

     

    Answer: In fact the steps referred to are just the latest action in an ongoing process of dialogue and improvement in the collection of data and not simply a reaction to the hypothetical lawsuit referred to in the press

     

     

    Now, don’t be surprised if you find an NDTV statement tomorrow… our inboxes are waiting! But, on a serious note, all of this is sad. And sad for the Indian broadcasting sector.

  • PR is clearly the main aim, as the WPP statement contains a number of legal flaws, NDTV notes, asking WPP to correct its "badly damaged and dishonest ratings system in India"

    Battle of courts spills to media statements, as NDTV rubbishes WPP claims

    By A Correspondent

     

    It was meant to be a battle fought in the courtrooms, but not unexpectedly, it’s now got down to the streets. It started with a statement issued by WPP on Wednesday, and on Thursday, news broadcaster NDTV too issued a statement.

     

    We publish it as is, so that none of the finer details are lost:

    NDTV is baffled and amused by the PR effort by WPP. PR is clearly the main aim, as the WPP statement contains a number of legal flaws.

     

    It is indeed strange that they term the suit as hypothetical as it is available for everyone to read in full on the website of the Supreme Court of New York (as reported first by the Hollywood Reporter and read by many since). In fact it appears as though WPP must have read it too as they refer too many details in the NDTV complaint and respond with several false denials!

     

    Moreover, while they claim that the suit has not been served, they surely know, or should know, that service was indeed made on the 10th of August in New York, and processes under the Hague Convention are also underway as is the normal procedure. Moreover, the lawyers for Kantar Media Research (UK), have already confirmed to NDTV that the service on their client was acceptable in New York. In fact, matters have progressed much beyond ‘service’; the lawyers for Nielsen have been in touch with our lawyers and have requested for an extension. In addition, the CEO of Kantar has been in touch with us and has acknowledged receiving the complaint. NDTV has affidavits to substantiate this.

     

    While many may attribute sinister motives to WPP’s Statement which is full of factual and legal errors, NDTV would give them the benefit of the doubt and assume WPP has made a silly error which simple cross-checking through their internal systems will soon correct. If all else fails, for details of the complaint we suggest they visit the Supreme Court of New York’s website where the “non-hypothetical” complaint is detailed in full.

     

    We suggest WPP refrain from using their massive PR machine to make baseless threats against NDTV. Instead we request that WPP should focus on honestly fixing (for want of a better word!) their badly damaged and dishonest ratings system in India – which in their Statement they acknowledge they have control over and is their responsibility.

     

  • NDTV has filed a suit in the New York State Supreme Court seeking damages of around $1.4 billion for negligence and fraud and hundreds of millions more for interference and breach of fiduciary duty

    Trade shocked as NDTV sues Nielsen,Kantar,TAM & others

    By A Correspondent

     

    New Delhi Television Ltd (NDTV) has sued The Nielsen Co, a global research and information firm, and its partner Kantar Media Research in a New York court for tampering with TV viewership data to favour broadcasters who allegedly bribed executives in its Indian JV, TAM India.

     

    In an unprecedented action, the Indian television producer and broadcaster, NDTV, which owns the news channels NDTV 24×7 and NDTV India, has filed a suit in the New York State Supreme Court seeking damages of around $1.4 billion for negligence and fraud and hundreds of millions more for interference and breach of fiduciary duty. Advertisers and media agencies depend on TAM data – the only available measurement for TV viewership – to negotiate ad rates.

     

    In its 194-page lawsuit, NDTV claims that it had confronted Nielsen with evidence of data manipulation, including taped meetings with TAM India employees, which showed that they were willing to tamper data for bribes. Nielsen, according to NDTV, had admitted in meetings and through emails that its data was indeed being manipulated and that it was willing to address the issue by July 1, 2012.

     

    NDTV says that Nielsen continued to publish these ratings despite repeated demands to stop distribution of TAM TV ratings until the sample size was increased and a proper security mechanism was put in place.

     

    The broadcaster has charged Nielsen and Kantar with “operating worldwide through a deliberately complex web of subsidiaries and joint ventures, creating, at least in India, a monopoly and abusing the power of that monopoly.”

     

    It has also called the Nielsen board of directors “proxies for the world’s largest and most powerful group of corporate takeover specialists (referred to herein and in Nielsen’s 2011 Annual Report as ‘Sponsors’)” and alleged that they took this approach to “‘cash out,’ as part of the typical leveraged buyout ‘exit strategy,’ making billions of dollars in profits.”

     

    Among the sponsors of Nielsen are KKR, The Blackstone Group, The Carlyle Group, Thomas H. Lee Partners, Alpinvest Partners, Hellman & Friedman and Centerview Partners. These sponsors, however, have not been made defendants in the suit.

     

    NDTV has also said that the problem extends to other markets such as Turkey and Philippines.

     

    NDTV managing director Vikram Chandra declined comment as “the matter is in court”. LV Krishnan, CEO, TAM Media Research said: “There is no comment to make right now as the matter is sub judice.”

     

    NDTV is being represented by law firms, Sabharwal & Finkel and Luthra & Luthra.

     

    The news created ripples in the media industry with many advertisers saying they were shocked by the developments. “I am shocked. They (TAM ratings) are a key component of all media investment decisions today,” said Madhukar Kamath, group chief executive officer and MD of advertising and media major, Mudra group.

     

    A media planner who did not wish to be identify, said: “We take TAM ratings very seriously and all our investments depend on them. It is hard to believe that a company like Nielsen, which invests so much in market research, would manipulate the ratings.”

     

    “There have been questions about the sample size of TAM and number of meters it uses to arrive at ratings, but in the absence of an alternative in the TV measurement space, we depend on TAM as large investments on advertising have to be made on the basis of some numbers.”

     

    Source: The Economic Times

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

     

     

  • NDTV takes TAM, Nielsen, Kantar and others to court for $580 million

    NDTV takes TAM, principals to US court for $580 million [updated]

     

    By A Correspondent

    Leading news and lifestyle television broadcaster NDTV has taken TAM and its principals Nielsen and Kantar to court. “We confirm we have filed a lawsuit in the Supreme Court of New York State. Because the matter is sub judice, we have no further comments at this time,” said an NDTV spokesperson. And here’s the response from the TAM spokesperson: “TAM India, a 50:50 Joint venture between Kantar Media and Nielsen, doesn’t comment on any litigation.”

    According to a report in Courthouse News Service and Entertainment News Digest (link: http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/07/30/48808.htm and http://www.entlawdigest.com/2012/07/30/1672.htm) :

    It seeks $580 million on 42 counts, including negligence, gross negligence, false representations, prima facie tort and violations of the FCPA and Dutch Corporate Governance Code. It claims that the Dutch Corporate Governance Code requires that Nielsen, a Netherlands-based company, act in the interests of all corporate “stakeholders.”

    The Defendants include five Kantar entities, TAM and 14 Nielsen group entities, Nielsen CEO David Calhoun and its directors James Atwood, Jr., Richard Bressler, Simon Brown, Michael Chae, Patrick Healy, James Kilts, Iain Leigh, Eliot Merrill, Alexander Navab, Robert Reib and Scott Schoen.

     

    [we’re unlikely to see any more updates on this, but we will update the story in case there are any]

  • Aegis Media's Vizeum India has announced their appointment as media AoR for Prism TV Private Limited to handle the 5 ETV regional channels namely ETV Marathi, Bangla, Kannada, Gujarati & Oriya

    ETV Network ropes in Vizeum to handle media

    By A Correspondent

     

    Aegis Media’s Vizeum India has announced their appointment as media AoR for Prism TV Private Limited to handle the 5 ETV regional channels namely ETV Marathi, Bangla, Kannada, Gujarati & Oriya.

     

    As ETV Network gears up for a refreshed strategy, Vizeum as the Media AoR has been appointed to play a pivotal role in the next phase of growth for the network.

     

    Confirming the same an official spokesperson from Prism TV said, “We are delighted to partner with Vizeum in our attempt to redefine the next phase for ETV channels. Building a brand around the network can present a lot of interesting challenges and we look forward to work with team Vizeum in getting people hooked to our regional channels.”

     

    Commenting on the win, S Yesudas, Managing Director – Indian Subcontinent, Vizeum said “All I would say with pride is, our dream of attracting clients and talent to Vizeum automatically in our 4th year of operation, rather than us having to go out, is becoming a reality.  I take this opportunity to welcome ETV Network into the Vizeum family. We are thankful to the client management for considering us worthy.”

     

    Vizeum successfully operates in 55 countries with a philosophy of in-depth understanding of the co existence of lives, brands and media in the actual world, through its process – motivation to media.

     

  • As part of his new profile Mr Chakravarthy, who has been associated with Reliance Broadcast Network right since its launch, will take on the mandate of the overall P&L and brand development for the joint venture's English channel portfolio.

    Anand Chakravarthy gets added role as Biz Head, BIG CBS

    By A Correspondent

     

    Anand Chakravarthy

    BIG CBS Networks has announced the appointment of Anand Chakravarthy as its Business Head. As part of his new profile Mr Chakravarthy, who has been associated with Reliance Broadcast Network right since its launch, will take on the mandate of the overall P&L and brand development for the joint venture’s English channel portfolio, that is, BIG CBS Prime, BIG CBS Love and BIG CBS Spark. Along with his new profile as Business Head for the BIG CBS JV, he will continue with his current designation as Chief Marketing Officer, Reliance Broadcast Network Ltd.

     

    Mr Chakravarthy has been with Reliance Broadcast Network since 2006 and has played an instrumental role in taking the company from a pure radio company to a multimedia conglomerate that it is today.

     

    Sharing his initial reactions on the elevation with MxM India, Mr Chakravarthy said: “CBS is a brand that was launched two years ago, and I was part of the launch. While I have been doing marketing for quite some time now, for me to take over the business mandate is an opportunity to grow into a larger business role. We have some exciting shows lined up.”

     

    When asked on how he would juggle multiple roles including handling the marketing mandate of RBNL as well as being responsible for the P&L of the new English channels under BIG CBS he said: “On the marketing front, my role is more of providing strategic help and guidance to the different teams but my focus will be largely on the Big CBS business because it is still very young and requires a lot of attention. Also, I have been doing marketing for a long time so that comes easy to me. Though I was handling regional channels Magic and Spark, now to move to the English genre space will be a new experience for me as there is a new set of consumers, new set of products and a different set of challenges to meet. But the great thing is that CBS is a great brand and they bring some fantastic content to the table. Between BIG and CBS, building a joint venture is in itself a prestigious brand to work for. So it’s an interesting opportunity and I am looking forward to it.”

     

    Speaking on Anand Chakravarthy’s appointment, Tarun Katial, CEO, Reliance Broadcast Network Ltd. said, “Anand is one of our finest and most committed senior management associates. As the business takes a new leap with some amazing content – America’s Got Talent, American Idol, X Factor, Dexter and more, along with the impending digitization which will catapult these channels into another level, no one is better equipped than Anand to lead this initiative and focus on great content and communication, subscription revenue, and building greater value for advertisers.”

     

    Though it is still early days, Mr Chakravarthy already has his work cut out for him. He asserts: “The channels have taken off well and we have an objective to take them to a strong leadership position. The other thing is that we want to bring in more and more exciting content so we are just in the middle of the latest season of America’s Got Talent. Next is X factor that will be simulcast along with the US on September 14. We’re gonna follow that up with American Idol and the latest season of American Idol post that as well.” The focus, he says, is to bring in some of the marquee properties from the US which are familiar and well-known in India and start launching them simultaneously with the US. “Over the next six months, we want to cement our promise as a network that will deliver the latest, precious and hottest of American TV and will do that with a series of exciting launches,” affirmed Mr Chakravarthy.

     

  • Star Plus is back as numero uno Hindi GEC, with Colors #2 and Zee #3 in Week 34

    Week 34, Hindi GECs: Star Plus #1, Colors #2, Zee #3

    By A Correspondent

     

    Star Plus is back as the top Hindi GEC in Week 34 in the weekly ratings made available to MxMIndia from an industry source. Star Plus score 265 (255), whereas Colors secured seven point lesser and was at 258 (238) and Zee was at 237 (283). Sony was a distant fourth at 211. Sab and Life OK were neck-and-neck at 126 (133) and 125 (135) respectively.

     

    Please note that the information has not supplied and verified by TAM Media. However our sources are reasonably reliable. The figures in brackets indicate ratings of the previous week.

     

  • After saying adios to Indian Idol, Sony is set to battle it out with competing GECs with its master show. Kaun Banega Crorepati will begin on September 7, and will air Friday to Sunday at 8.30 pm

    KBC to strengthen weekend reality programming for Sony

    By A Correspondent

     

    After saying adios to Indian Idol, Sony is set to battle it out with competing GECs with its master show. Kaun Banega Crorepati will begin on September 7, and will air Friday to Sunday at 8.30 pm. Produced by Big Synergy Media Ltd, the game show that has created history on Indian television with the iconic Amitabh Bachchan as its host is all set to delight its audiences with a brand new innings this season with ‘Sirf Gyaan Hi Aapko Aapka Haq Dilata Hai’ as the central theme.

     

    Danish Khan, Senior Vice President and Head of Marketing at Sony Entertainment Television, said, “Weekend slot offers most fertile viewing. The appointment viewing is immense and we have been doing extremely well with our reality shows in this band. Hence, we decided to air the third season of KBC in this slot.” Previously, only the repeat shows of KBC were telecast in this time band.

     

    KBC has also signed Cadbury as presenting sponsor and Idea as telecom partner, besides signing Axis Bank, Ceat Bike Tyres, Just Dial, Sony Bravia, Aakash Educational Services, and Maruti Suzuki. However, Mr Khan said that in-programming sponsor has not been signed. The show will air on 21 weekends, with 58 episodes that will also comprise of special episodes with unique and distinct themes which will capture a little bit of India in every episode, lined up to ignite the minds and hearts of Indian audiences.

     

    On the occasion of announcing the show, NP Singh, COO, Multi Screen Media said, “It is a glorious moment for all of us at Sony to bring back another power-packed season of the magnificent game show Kaun Banega Crorepati on our network, This year’s theme ‘Sirf Gyaan Hi Aapko Aapka Haq Dilata Hai’ celebrates knowledge as the greatest leveller in our society and a potent change agent.”

     

    Siddhartha Basu, CMD, Big Synergy Media Ltd. Said, “We’re back. This time we’ve gone further down the road into the heartlands and hinterlands of India, and come up with a fascinating line-up of ordinary Indians as contestants, extraordinary for their diversity and individuality, each one of them looking for an opportunity to transform their lives through this knowledge game. They’re more knowledgeable than before, better prepared, and hungry for success. They are the unseen faces of an emerging India, thirsting to prove themselves. It promises the viewer quality entertainment, which engages both the heart and the mind.”

     

    Sneha Rajani, Senior EVP and Business Head, Sony Entertainment Television, said, “We are honoured to have the one and only Mr. Amitabh Bachchan hosting KBC once again. He brings a tremendous amount of charisma and his ability to connect with one and all with his sincerity and humility takes the show to another level. KBC is not just a popular game show, but a powerful platform where people from all across India, cutting across the demographic, geographic and social boundaries converge to celebrate common man’s triumph against all odds. It celebrates knowledge as a powerful tool which can help change his destiny.”

     

    Will the third season of KBC change the destiny of the channel? Time will tell – soon!

     

  • 9X Tashan, the leading Punjabi music channel from the 9X Media Group, celebrates its first anniversary today. The channel has created a series of special programming on the occasion

    Punjabi music channel 9X Tashan turns 1

    By A Correspondent

     

    9X Tashan, the leading Punjabi music channel from the 9X Media Group, celebrates its first anniversary today. The channel has created a series of special programming to mark 9X Tashan’s super successful association with Punjabi music fans and viewers.

     

    Speaking on the occasion Sandip Bansal, Managing Director 9X Tashan, said, “We are grateful to our viewers and partners for their love and support towards 9X Tashan in the past one year. We promise to keep delivering on the entertainment quotient offering our viewers with the best of Punjabi Music. We hope our ‘Tashan ki Baadshahat’ continues in the coming year.”

     

    9X Tashan created television history registering an unprecedented growth of over 100 GRPs in the opening week of its launch across the PHCHP Markets. The channel has achieved many milestones in the past one year. 9X Tashan is also the first regional music channel to have a live streaming facility on the channel’s website – www.9xtashan.in and on various mobile platforms.

     

    Speaking on the anniversary Punit Pandey, EVP & Business Head – 9X Media Group said, “9X Tashan our first regional offering has received a phenomenal response from the Punjabi music lovers. The channel has not only marked its leadership status in the last one year but has expanded the genre to well over 200 GRPs and that’s an achievement. We intend to keep growing at this pace and ensure to keep our viewers entertained with much more of our action packed programming.”

     

    Speaking on the programming line-up, Baljinder S. Mahant, Programming Head, 9X Tashan, said, “The first anniversary will be celebrated on 9X Tashan with a two-hour special program called Music De Baadshah showcasing the Best of 9X Tashan music, and a special celebration by the 9X Tashan Gang comprising of Babhi, Bade-Chote, Falli-Balli and Ullu Da Patha, in their own unique way.”