MxMIndia

Category: TV

  • Hitesh Vakil, CFO with ZEEL for the last 19 years, has been an integral part of the company's journey of over two decades

    Zee appoints Mihir Modi as Chief Finance & Strategy Officer, elevates Hitesh Vakil as CEO, Service Excellence

    By A Correspondent

     

    Hitesh Vakil
    Mihir Modi

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) has announced the appointment of Mihir Modi as Chief Finance and Strategy Officer in place of Hitesh Vakil who is now elevated as CEO-Service Excellence.

     

    Hitesh Vakil, CFO with ZEEL for the last 19 years, has been an integral part of the company’s journey of over two decades. Recognizing his valuable contribution, the company has elevated him as the CEO, Service Excellence, making him responsible of setting up a state-of-the-art Shared Service Centre which will offer shared services across the Group.

     

    Mr Modi’s appointment is with effect from October 10, 2013 and he will report to Punit Goenka, MD and CEO, ZEEL.

     

  • TRAI issues a consultation paper on issue and/or extension of DTH licences pertaining to the entry fee, bank guarantee and period of licence

    TRAI releases consultation paper on issue/extension of DTH licence

    By A Correspondent

     

    Following, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s reference to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) seeking recommendations on certain terms and conditions for extension of DTH licence on expiry of the 10 years licence period, the regulator has issued a consultation paper. The key issues discussed in this consultation paper pertain to the entry fee, bank guarantee and period of licence.

     

    As part of the consultative process, the consultation paper has been uploaded on the TRAI website, seeking comments/ views of the stakeholders. Stakeholders have been requested to offer their views/comments latest by October 15, 2013. The comments may be sent, preferably in electronic form to: Wasi Ahmad, Advisor (B&CS), Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, Mahanagar Doorsanchar Bhawan, Jawahar Lal Nehru Marg, New Delhi 110002; on the e-mail address advbcs@trai.gov.in/ traicable@yahoo.co.in. Comments received will be posted on the website of TRAI. Full text of the consultation paper is available on TRAI’s website: www.trai.gov.in.

     

  • ESPN Software, Star India win BCCI title sponsorship rights at Rs 2 crore an international match

    Cricket sponsorship touches new low as Star, ESPN get title rights at throwaway price

    By A Correspondent

     

    Star India and ESPN Software India Pvt Ltd (ESIPL) have won the BCCI title sponsorship rights for all the BCCI international and domestic matches for the period October 2013 to April 30, 2014.

     

    There are 13 international fixtures in all by way of the two international series scheduled during the season – the seven-match ODI series and a T20 game between India and Australia, followed by two Tests and three ODIs against the West Indies. The sponsorship rights will extend to BCCI’s domestic events such as Irani Cup, Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy, Vijay Hazare, Deodhar Trophy and the Raj Singh Dungarpur Trophy.

     

    Vijay Rajput

    Speaking on the occasion, Vijay Rajput, Chief Operating Officer, ESPN Software India Pvt Ltd, said, “We are delighted with the outcome. BCCI’s title sponsorship offers immense value especially with the prospect of India taking on strong teams like Australia and West Indies at home during the festive season. It offers a unique opportunity of extending the brand proposition of our network to sports fans across the country in a radically new manner.”

     

    Star India COO, Sanjay Gupta said, “We are delighted to extend our relationship with BCCI. This will help Star India strengthen its connect with its loyal viewers as well as help the network reach out to newer audiences.”

     

    Sanjay Gupta

    Earlier, the Marketing Committee of the BCCI met at the Cricket Centre, Mumbai, on Thursday (Oct 3) to receive the bids made for Title Sponsorship of International Series and Domestic Tournaments to be played in India in the 2013-14 season. Bidders had the option of bidding for either the series between India and Australia or the series between India and the West Indies or both.

     

    The Marketing Committee has awarded the Title Sponsorship Rights for all series to be played in India in the 2013-14 season to Star India Pvt. Ltd and ESPN Software India Pvt. Ltd, at a fee of Rs 2 crore per international match, said a communiqué signed by Sanjay Patel, Honorary Secretary of the Board.

     

    It may be noted that the amount is around 40% lesser than what Airtel paid last for title sponsorship. Mobile device company Micromax is had evinced interest in the bid for the 13 international matches and a slew of domestic tournaments, but is said to have opted out in the final round.

     

    Sports media observers believe that it’s too early to say that this should be considered a correction in the cricket sponsorship rates. A lot depends on how India performs against both Australia and West Indies, a senior marketer told MxMIndia.

     

    Since Star is already airing the matches, is there any point in the title sponsorship? “It’s already paying Rs 38-40 crore for each match’s telecast. Now for an incremental Rs 2 crore, it’s getting it all. If it works for Star, don’t be surprised if this is how rights will be sold in future,” said the senior marketer who chose to be anonymous.

     

  • Secretly, many in rival channels are praying for the success of '24' Shailesh Kapoor

    Shailesh Kapoor: All Eyes on 24!

    By Shailesh Kapoor

     

    There can’t be another topic for this column today. In what will be eventually remembered as one of the watershed events in the history of Indian television content, the Indian adaptation of popular series ’24’ goes on air on Colors tonight. The channel has promoted the show aggressively over two months now. When the first look broke, its film-like sleek look caught the attention of many in the media. And the interest continues to grow, as we get closer to the first episode.

     

    The million-dollar question, of course, is: Will ’24’ succeed in India, a market grown and fed on traditional family soaps in the name of fiction content? I won’t hazard a guess, but it is worth defining what “success” could mean in context of ’24’. All well-executed onternational non-fiction formats have taken their time to grow over seasons in India, as audience familiarity increases with each season and hence does their comfort level with the format.

     

    I’d expect ’24’ to be no different. To me, the first season will be a testing ground and an average TVR of 2.5-3 should be good enough for the channel to green-light Season 2, which I’d expect then to be bigger. So, we are not looking at 4-5 TVR. That would be unreasonable on many counts, especially the unfamiliar fiction genre 24 offers to a relatively under-exposed audience base.

     

    What if ’24’ succeeds?

     

    If ’24’ delivers to the industry’s general perception of success, we can expect two key changes. For one, you will see other channels getting bolder and more pro-risk in their fiction choices. After all, not too many channel executives actually relate to the content that they have to dish out, and in that sense, find themselves ‘creatively blocked’ by audience demands. ’24’ will allow them to express themselves better, coming out with ideas that they can truly relate to. Like always, you will see outrageously silly ideas too. But that’s a part of the deal.

     

    The second change will be in the talent itself. In the ’80s and the early ’90s, many prominent writers, directors and actors were a part of mainstream television, till daily soaps took over and only the likes of Alok Nath could sustain their interest. With ’24’, and Sony’s forthcoming show by Anurag Kashyap, we are seeing the return of film talent to television content after two decades. The floodgates may open if ’24’ works.

     

    What if ’24’ fails?

     

    This is an option many of us will dread, purely because it will rob us of new and interesting content in the immediate future. Secretly, many in rival channels are praying for ’24”s success, because of this reason.

     

    If ’24’ fails, it will propagate the myth that Indian audiences are not ready for content innovation. The truth is that the audiences may be ready, but there is a difference between being ready and being diehard consumers. The journey from readiness to fan-following needs time, hand-holding and a couple of seasons. One would like to see Colors back this property for at least one more season, even if it doesn’t work this year.

     

    Shailesh Kapoor is founder and CEO of media insights firm Ormax Media. He spent nine years in the television industry before turning entrepreneur. The views expressed here are his own. He can be reached at his Twitter handle @shaileshkapoor

     

  • Live Viacom18 will produce the popular kids' choice awards to India

    Nickelodeon brings Kids’ Choice Awards to India

    By A Correspondent

     

    Live Viacom 18 is bringing the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards to India next month. Billed as the only live awards show of the kids, by the kids and for the kids where kids get to vote across categories for their favourites who will get declared the winners!

     

    The Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards has been in existence for over 25 years and is aired in over 33 countries.

     

    Nina Elavia Jaipuria

    Said Nina Elavia Jaipuria, Executive Vice President & Business Head, Kids’ Cluster, Viacom 18 Media, “At Nickelodeon, we put kids at the core of all that we do. We believe in empowering kids and giving them the opportunity to make their own choices. With Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards now in India, we are giving them a platform where they can voice their choices. We will be their true mouthpiece in every sense of the word!”

     

    Jaideep Singh, Senior Vice President and Business Head – INS, Viacom18 added: “There is an impressive line-up of celebrity performances and anchors for Nickelodeon’s first ever Kids’ Choice Awards.

     

    Live Viacom18 is a sub-division of Viacom18’s Integrated Network Solutions and is mandated to create live properties in music and entertainment space for all the brands of network.

     

  • NewsX has partnered with Aidem to recalibrate pricing with improved performance

    NewsX appoints Aidem for adsales

    By A Correspondent

     

    English news channel NewsX has awarded its advertising sales duties to Aidem Ventures. It may be recalled that one of the early mandates of Aidem was to look at adsales for NDTV’s news and lifestyle channels.

     

    Part of ITV Network, NewsX now claims leadership on the basis of 21-week combined GVTs

     

    “Post digitization in 38 cities, NewsX has augmented its viewership by 260%. This performance has been consistently growing since the markets have gone digital. NewsX didn’t want to tread up any existing pathways in terms of style and news delivery and wanted a completely independent identity. This strategy has paid off” said Vikas Khanchandani, Director, Aidem Ventures while discussing the new business win.

     

    “This association reflects our vision to pursue NewsX’s successful positioning as a strong, robust media platform among Indian advertisers and agencies. Aidem has been managing adsales for some of the biggest news brands from India and abroad. We are very optimistic about their sales infrastructure and their professional management team working in favor of our plan for NewsX,” added RK Arora, CEO, ITV Network on the appointment.

     

  • After parting ways with Percept's Sunburn, Nikhil Chinapa has allied with Live Viacom 18 to bring to Goa in December a five-day electronic dance music festival

    Nikhil Chinapa to now burn sun with Live Viacom18, fest in Goa to outwit Percept offering

    By A Correspondent

     

    It promises to be a real-life Mahabharat. After parting ways Percept’s Sunburn IP, DJ-VJ-music impresario Nikhil Chinapa has teamed with Live Viacom18, the Viacom18 division for live events, to produce a five-day music festival. And no guesses for when and where it will happen? Goa, in December 2013!

     

    Note: Viacom 18 has MTV and Vh1, two music properties which the fest will leverage much. A communique from Live Viacom 18 doesn’t leave anything to one’s imagination on the relationship between Mr Chinapa and Percept. “The aim of the festival is to restore the spirit of community and passion for music that’s been missing from some electronic music festivals held in India recently….This will be a festival for the true dance music fan, for whom music is a way of life… and life itself unthinkable without the music they love. Putting it simply, this will be quality over quantity.”

     

    EDM festival regulars and people in the industry tell us that while the venture will help grow this industry segment, the going will be challenging initially for the venture given that Sunburn has already got a reasonable equity and work on its Goa fest has started already. In fact, the second phase of ticket sales has just begun.

     

    Clearly, the war of the music fests will now be waged in Goa in December. EDM-lovers aren’t really complaining.

     

  • For most of these stakeholders, '24' brings in the hope that our television will change for the better, Alas, it was not to be, writes Shailesh Kapoor

    Shailesh Kapoor: Congratulations! You are too ‘evolved’ to be measured by TV ratings

    By Shailesh Kapoor

     

    If you were on social media, especially Twitter last weekend, you would have surely encountered glowing reviews about the Indian version of ’24’. The show, that went on-air last Friday, received predominant positive feedback from Twitter, as well as from the television and film industry, including competitors of the channel airing it. The feedback was on the same lines in the corporate community too.

     

    For most of these stakeholders, ’24’ brings in the hope that our television will change for the better, and become relevant to them personally. When I tweeted the following last Saturday, I was hoping to be proven wrong: “Our ratings system will never capture #24India’s real impact. Anything that’s skewed towards upper strata tends to be under-reported in TAM.”

     

    Alas, it was not to be. ’24’ opened to tepid “audience” response, scoring below the 2-TVR mark in its opening week. Evidently, the audience that enjoys Diya Aur Baati Hum and Jodha-Akbar every night decided to stay away.

     

    But are they the only “audience”? As any brand manager of a semi-premium or premium brand would want to know: Are these really the audiences who buy my products? I just picked up today’s The Times Of India (Mumbai) for a quick check: 7 out of the 13 prominent ads in the paper are either luxury brands or brands clearly targeted at an evolving mindset that’s doing more things that watching the same serial every night for the last four years.

     

    No wonder that 5 out of these 7 don’t use TV at all for their advertising. Because the measurement metric just doesn’t factor the reality of their target audience –socially mobile, affluent and evolving consumers who are increasingly going to craft the marketing future in India. Let’s call them “Evolving” for the purpose of this piece, only for brevity.

     

    Are the Elite being measured by TAM? In 2007, TAM made an attempt to set up an ‘elite panel’, perhaps with a similar idea. Within months, the service had to be aborted because the differences between the main panel SEC A and the elite panel were not striking enough. But their definition of ‘Elite’ was based purely on affluence, not on attitudes and mindsets, which often concern brands more.

     

    Since then, we have been in status quo mode. The following five “Evolving” segments are not being captured by the current ratings:

     

    1. Senior industry professionals, e.g. CXOs and HODs

    2. English-speaking audiences who often watch their “TV” on the Internet

    3. Time-shifted viewers, who watch DVR recordings

    4. HD feed viewers

    5. Upmarket housing areas so posh that they are not research-accessible

     

    Crude estimates will suggest that these five will add upto at least 50 million viewers. But if they represent 6% of India’s TV population, they represent at least 15-20% of India’s spending power. But there is no data, none at all, that captures their viewership. No wonder then that many advertisers have chosen to stay off television and taken the print way instead.

     

    We routinely conduct studies for premium brands that sponsor TV programmes, to understand whether the association helped them achieve their marketing objectives. Often, the general brief is: “We have the ratings, but we always knew they will be low on TAM. We want to know whether it actually worked for us in our TG or not.” That “our TG” is not being captured by TAM is an obvious inference to be drawn here.

     

    BARC has been speaking about coming up with a ratings system that’s future-ready. If they have to indeed achieve that, they will need to address this elusive “Evolving” audience. Otherwise, we will just have more sample size of the same type of audience being reported.

     

    For me, ’24’ is the best Indian television has offered on the fiction front in a long time. Today, I feel like a voter who is ignored by the local politician because he does not belong to the caste that controls the vote bank. Or like a resident of the village in Akshay Kumar’s Joker, whose inhabitants realize their village just doesn’t exist on India’s map.

     

    There are many like me who will like to be “measured”. And the implications of measuring “us” are not just commercial, but social too. Today, television is the lead medium in India in terms of its influence on young minds of the country. The programming we churn out will decide the nature of this influence. And something as technical as measurement comes in the way of this process, it will be nothing short of tragic.

     

    Shailesh Kapoor is founder and CEO of media insights firm Ormax Media. He spent nine years in the television industry before turning entrepreneur. The views expressed here are his own. He can be reached at his Twitter handle @shaileshkapoor

     

  • As the master turns 40, a cross-section of cricket writers reminsce their most memorable moments with No 10

    Recall: My favourite Sachin moment

     

    We had published this feature on April 24, 2013 on the occasion of Sachin Tendulkar’s 40th birthday.  Still makes for great reading -Editor

    By Johnson Napier

     

    On the field, he has often let his bat do the talking while off it his humility towards people and causes is what has made him dear to his followers. Not new to milestones, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar adds another one to his kitty as he embraces a new figure in his life – 40! While his current form and interest in pursuing the last stretch of his international career is debatable, he sure has given his fans countless experiences to cherish.

     

    MxMIndia spoke to a few well-known cricket writers and columnists who’ve tracked the master blaster ever since he made the glorious 664 for the past 24 years since he made his international debut for India and got them to share their most cherished experience of the man all hail as the God of cricket.

     

    Ayaz Memon, editor, veteral cricket writer & commentator

    I’d like to share my earliest experience with Sachin Tendulkar, even before he got into the international team and which showed his commitment and passion for the game. In 1989, when the selectors were picking the team to tour West Indies they had decided not to include Sachin Tendulkar in the squad. Not that he wasn’t good, but the selectors thought that he was too young to face the West Indies bowlers who were too fast and terrifying at the time. They felt he was too young to face them at a raw age of 15. Subsequently when we interviewed him from Sportsweek magazine, he sounded very distraught at being left out. When we told him that the selectors were being considerate that you may get hit or injured by the pace attack and therefore left you out, his response to us was amazing: If I would’ve got hit I would’ve learnt faster. That is something that has stayed with me as it shows the intensity and passion of the man for the game.

     

    There’s a line from Shakespeare’s ‘Merchant of Venice’ that I am reminded of for him: With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come.”

     

    Clayton Murzello, Sports editor, Mid-day

    My most memorable memory of Sachin would have to be the interview he gave me in his car after his arrival from the 1996 tour of England. He said – on the record – that he was ready for the captaincy. Not many players come out in the open and express their captaincy intentions like that and certainly not Tendulkar. But I guess I was lucky.

     

    My message to him as he celebrates his 40th birthday is: follow your heart.

     

    Boria Majumdar, sports commentator and Sr. Research Fellow at the Univ. of Central Lancashire & Adjunct Professor Monash University Melbourne

    I’ve had the opportunity and privilege of meeting Sachin Tendulkar on numerous occasions. While there are many memorable instances to share the one that I cherish the most was in Melbourne. I was waiting and watching the Indian team practice in sweltering heat at about 44-45 degrees. After the practice when all the players were drenched and were leaving the venue, there were a lot of fans shouting out and wanting to meet Sachin. While other players had gotten in the team bus Sachin Tendulkar went and obliged a few fans by signing autographs for them. When I asked him about his decision to hang on for some time he said: what would you rather do? Would you rather not be in my position and have people come up to you requesting an autograph. If one autograph of mine brings smiles to their faces I would much rather have that. That for me is modesty and humility personified. Though he is big icon, at that point in time he cared for his supporters. More than a cricketer his humility is what stands apart for me. The lesson I learnt is whoever you are or whatever you become you should not forget your roots.

     

    I hope he enjoys his game as he has done in the past 24 years and will do so again probably when India tour South Africa later this year. The message and wish is that while he plays his 200th Test match, Sachin would stand and play a good innings against the best bowing attack that one would remember for a long time.

     

    Sambit Bal, editor, ESPNcricinfo

    I remember an incident in 2005 when I was scheduled to do a 15-minute interview with Sachin Tendulkar at one of his promotional events. When I landed at that place, it was thronging with journalists who were trying to speak to him and I said it wouldn’t be possible for me to do an interview here. I recommended to him as to why don’t we do the interview in your car? He agreed immediately and the interview went on for well over two hours. In fact I wasn’t done with him when we reached his home and I said to him that I wasn’t done as yet. He requested me to come home and finish the interview. I sat for an hour more in his house and that is easily one of the better interviews that I have done of him.

     

    What was striking about the interview was that a lot of people at that time were predicting that he had just 2-3 years of cricket left in him and when I asked him what is it that he cherished the most in his 15-year-long career he said: there is still one thing left to cherish and that is to win the World Cup and experience what it feels like to achieve the feat. But we all know how India fared in the 2007 World Cup and I thought that Sachin would never get another chance for a shot at the World Cup. But then I remembered what he said in 2005 and when in 2011 India went on to win the World Cup, it was an unbelievable experience. So I was part of a personal history that he shared with me.

     

    As for now, all I wish is that he goes out on a flourish as he hasn’t got a lot of cricket left. I hope he gets the end that he deserves.

     

    Hemant Kenkre, cricket writer and commentator, VP – LinOpinion

    The most endearing fact about Sachin Tendulkar is that he has always batted for his friends. I remember that just a year after he started playing international cricket, he obliged to do an ad for one of my family members for free. That was a brilliant gesture on his part that he extended towards our family, especially since he was very young and at that stage of your career you wouldn’t want to do things for free. That is the best personal experience that I can share of the man.

     

    Another professional experience that comes to mind is when he first started playing among the men, if I may state it that way, in the then famous Kanga League. He was very young and I remember that the first ball he faced from the Ranji Trophy bowler, he hit him straight behind for a huge six. That was the arrival of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. It just showed how much confidence he had in his own ability. A star had already been born at that time.

     

    And what can one wish for somebody who has everything in life today – I just wish that he keeps on batting for India as long as he can. The thing about his career is that you get to remember some moments in your life every year, thanks to his landmarks.”

     

  • The former head of the TV Today newsroom joins India TV as Editorial Director

    Aaj Tak veteran QW Naqvi joins India TV as Editorial Director

    By A Correspondent

     

    QW Naqvi

    In a development that could have a far-reaching impact on the equations in the Hindi news genre, Q W Naqvi, former head of the TV Today newsroom, has joined India TV as Editorial Director.

     

    Mr Naqvi, who left the India Today group last year, was rumoured to have joined G Krishnan, in a news channel venture. With Mr Naqvi taking up this assignment, there is uncertainty on the status of that start-up. At India TV, he will be reporting to Rajat Sharma, Chairman & Editor-in-chief.

     

    Rajat Sharma

    Welcoming Mr Naqvi, Mr Sharma said: “Naqviji is a hugely respected professional, with his experience, knowledge and enigma, we definitely see India TV growing faster than ever in its quest to reign supreme in the Hindi news genre and beyond. With elections round the corner, I think we are on are way, to create a right mix for our viewers and advertisers alike.”

     

    Commenting on his appointment, Mr Naqvi said, “This opportunity comes as a huge prospect for me to contribute towards furthering India TV’s charge for cementing its leadership position in the news genre.”

     

    Starting his career in 1980 as trainee journalist in Hindi with the Times of India group, Mr Naqvi has worked at Navbharat Times, and later the ABP group’s “Ravivar”, where he was Chief Reporter. Before moving to Aaj Tak, he was part of the team that started Hindi daily Chauthi Duniya.

     

    Interestingly, it was in Mr Naqvi’s tenure at Aaj Tak that India TV emerged as a potent force in the Hindi news genre and in fact for a period, even surpassed the leader in ratings. Naqviji, according to those who have worked with him, say he is an excellent newsroom strategist. “He can think like the youngest person in the newsroom and add to the overall energy of the channel,” said a former colleague.

     

    Meanwhile, India TV has been putting finishing touches to its elections programming and has simultaneously also worked on elevating its image through a slew of high profile events and initiatives (Disclosure: India TV had sponsored MxMIndia’s self-defence workshops in media agencies earlier this year).

     

     

     

  • Saurabh Yagnik, EVP & Biz Head of MSM network's English movie channel, announces a slew of initiatives with a high voltage relaunch

    Sony Pix aims at rising with Skyfall

     

    By Fatema Rajkotwala

     

    Multi Screen Media’s English movie channel offering Sony Pix has announced a comprehensive brand repositioning to be unveiled to coincide with the premiere of the latest James Bond movie, Skyfall. Announcing the channel’s upcoming plans, Saurabh Yagnik, Executive Vice President and Business Head, Sony Pix spoke to MxMIndia on the new brand philosophy, the channel’s way forward and what viewers can expect in the months to come.

     

    Brand Makeover

    Players in the English movie channel category in India have admittedly been fighting it out for the top spot and market share. Since 2000, the space has expanded and seen new entrants, HD channel offerings and even niche channels in the Action or now romance-comedy genre. While the top players – Star Movies, HBO, Movies Now and Sony Pix – continue to claim up to 75 per cent of the market pie, Mr Yagnik pointed out that there is little brand association and differentiation to help viewers recall one channel’s movie properties from another. With most channels promising to be another version of a Hollywood movie destination, Sony Pix feels that there is a need for a fresh approach to branch out to its viewers.

     

    The channel’s market research has brought other key insights to the forefront, which has helped shape the brand’s new philosophy. The channel has observed an increase in time spent and consumption on the category post-digitization.

     

    Talking about Sony Pix’s new brand promise, Mr Yagnik said that the channel will aim to entertain and excite in the way Hollywood does with its new logo, on-air look and tagline, “Stay Amazed”. The new logo uses an adventurous colour theme of blue and the in-vogue ‘neon green’ to move away from conventional colours of the genre and make a fresh connection with the youth.  Big titles, innovative programming with a relevance to the youth, strengthened library tie-ups, cooler promos and a brand new look will be the key differentiators for Sony Pix in the months to come.

     

    The 1pm and 9pm slots on Sunday October 29 are marked for the showcasing of the Skyfall television premiere on the channel. Heavy marketing promotional efforts, across both traditional and new media, are underway to generate conversations and engagement among viewers. The high grossing Bond movie has been picked as a platform for the channel’s new branding launch by correlating the movie’s theme where Bond makes a comeback with a bang. Currently, three teaser promos are on air around Skyfall, to be revealed on the premiere day. The channel has also partnered with actor Hrithik Roshan for an integrated campaign with Krissh 3 to further promote the new brand identity.

     

    Said Mr Yagnik, “Ten channels pose a lot of clutter. We are constantly evaluating market opportunities. Unless we believe there is compelling differentiation, we do not want to offer something unless it is what we think the market requires based on our consumer understanding. Fundamentally, what is most important is if the consumer views one as different from the other.”

     

    Social Media to the fore

    Acknowledging the undeniable need for presence on social media to connect with viewers, Sony Pix is extending its efforts to stand out not only on-air but even on social media. The channel has announced an online avatar, Notty Pixy, a character that will represent the channel on online platforms and talk about Hollywood trivia to differentiate its Facebook and Twitter engagement. The character will also be given an on-air slot on Fridays in the month of November to integrate the platform across media.

     

    According to Sony Pix’s marketing head Neville Bastawala, the Facebook developed app will see viewers through three levels of ‘biggest secret mission’ contest at the end of which the winner will win a trip to the ‘Bond in Motion’ Ashton Martin exhibition in London. The channel’s social media campaign offering around Skyfall will also engage consumers through Twitter.

     

    In defence of contest-based efforts for engagement on social media, Mr Yagnik said that one of the focuses of the channel is to build a Hollywood eco-system to bring it closer for Indian audiences, “We are not looking at armchair engagement; we are aiming at active, differentiated engagement where we want people to come and talk. Even internationally you will find bursts of social media engagement or the other kind where the brand’s personality comes alive through social media. We cannot discount the power of social media because the conversations are a fertile ground for consumer insights. I see it as an extension of the brand’s personality. While there may be many ways of engagement, our social media focus is about differentiation, creating compelling property and encouraging interactivity.”

     

    Some may argue that English movie channels continue to bank on blockbusters and crowd favourites while considering franchise picks to add to their library. Since 2008, the top viewed movies on television have undoubtedly been Avatar, Amazing Spiderman, Men in Black 3, Iron Man etc. How long till we see unconventional movies on English movie channels as opposed to ‘popular’ or ‘blockbuster’ movies that present a lower risk and larger crowd pull, we asked Mr Yagnik. “We have plans to but there are two challenges involved, the first being that we are judged by relative share and in an advertising-based business model, where TVTs and market share are important. It is also to be remembered that for an English movie channel what also matters is the brand’s perception. We will consciously work on both and not just on viewership. We will not compromise perception just because of viewership. We believe in maintaining diversity of movie genres and an equitable genre skew as opposed to showing only action or male-centric movies. If you package a cult movie well, people will consume it if they get the feeling of ‘wow’ or ‘cool’.”

     

    In the upcoming months, viewers can expect to see Sony Pix’s new on-air look, Pixathons – movie marathons on various movie sequels, social media campaigns and contests and juicy gossip from Notty Pixy and PIX Premiere Night – exclusive red carpet screenings for viewers in four cities.

     

    While the English movie channel genre may be cluttered, clearly the Pix attempt is to break through the clutter and wow viewers with action on the telly. And elsewhere.

     

  • In addition, directors may have to be cleared by the MHA every time an existing TV company launches a new channel

    Home min tightens screws on TV channels. Director credentials to be reverified every 3 yrs

    By A Correspondent

     

    Television channels will have to get the credentials of their directors re-verified by the Union home ministry every three years, creating a major stumbling block in their smooth functioning. Adding to the bureaucratic hurdles, sources also said that directors would have to be cleared by MHA every time the same TV company launches a new channel.

     

    At present, the process of clearance of directors’ credentials by MHA has no time limit and can meander on for months, even years.

     

    Until now, security clearances given by the home ministry to TV channels was not time-bound, and companies were only required to report any change in their board of directors to the I&B ministry, which in turn would seek a clearance from the home ministry. There was also no requirement to have fresh MHA clearance every time the same company launched a new channel.

     

    Every broadcaster is granted a licence for 10 years, but after the home ministry clears all the directors on the company’s board.

     

    A few months ago, the I&B ministry had sent a letter to the home ministry seeking information on the validity of clearances for broadcasters. There was no such validity prescribed by the home ministry until then, but after I&B ministry’s query, MHA replied that security clearances would be valid only for a three-year period.

     

    KVL Narayan Rao

    KVL Narayan Rao, executive vice-chairperson, NDTV Group and president, News Broadcasters Association, said he is yet to see the ministry order but said all broadcaster will be affected. “If true, it’s bizarre, absurd and will affect the operations of all broadcasters – both proposed and existing.”

     

    He said approvals from the MHA take up to two years and if the nod for a director has a validity of just three years, existing broadcasters too will be affected. “Is this some way to regulate the media?” he questioned.

     

    Ashok Venkatramani, CEO of Media Content & Communication Services, that owns channels such as ABP News, said the move could cause delays in the launch of new channels as such approvals require 3-6 months. He questioned the rationale of the move: “Why does an Indian broadcaster, all directors of which are Indians, require an approval from India’s home ministry? Such a stipulation might be reasonable for an MNC broadcaster with foreign directors, not otherwise.”

     

    There are close to 300 companies running over 800 television channels in the country today. This move would mean that all clearances given to channels prior to October 2010-a majority of channels received clearances before this date -will be reviewed again by MHA and is likely to have a major impact on running of businesses.

     

    “We would visualise that the ministry should streamline processes, rationalise them rather than increase them. This is a repetition of a process,” Sunil Lulla, managing director and chief executive officer of Times Television Network.

     

    The query by the I&B ministry a few months back has also meant all new permissions issued by the ministry have stopped for the last six months, the last one being granted in May 2013.

     

    Another important fallout is that the I&B ministry has now started referring all new applications by broadcasters to MHA for their clearance, even if the application is by a registered broadcaster. Earlier, the ministry used to process new applications of registered broadcasters without any reference to MHA, unless if there was a change in the Board of Directors of the company.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

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